It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas...

I feel as if I missed Christmas last year. I was busy figuring out the business of motherhood. So this year, I am excited to resume all of the things I adore about this holiday.

Addyson's blessing day last Christmas in Utah...
She loved every minute of it!

I've been decking the halls...

I love my nativity set. It's taken me three years to collect

the pieces and I still don't have them all!

Amazing wall hanging my uber-talented mother-in-law made.

and trimming the tree...

and thinking about my favorite Christmas traditions.

*One thing I do is buy a new Christmas children's book (or two...) every year. I love pulling out my collection along with my decorations. When I have 25 of them (and when Addy is old enough to appreciate this), I am going to wrap them all individually, put them in a box, and read one to her each day of December. They will be our Christmas countdown!

*On my mom's side of the family, we all gather at Grandma's house on Christmas Eve for a visit from you-know-who! Everyone sits on his lap, even the adults. Even though I think Santa enjoys it a little too much (if you know what I mean), we all love it and it wouldn't be Christmas Eve without it!

Me and Mr. and Mrs. Claus 2007

*I always dip pretzels in white chocolate and deliver them to neighbors and friends...a tradition I picked up from my mom. There's something about sweet and salty together...scrumptious!

*It's delightful to drive around and look at Christmas lights while listening to one of the following holiday CD's:

Winter Song- Sarah McLachlan

The Forgotten Carols- Michael McLean (Cheesy, but who can resist?)

Merry Christmas -Mariah Carey

The Christmas Album -Neil Diamond

Christmas Extraordinaire-Manheim Steamroller

Of course, the driving must be followed by a big, steaming cup of hot cocoa (and a sweet treat can't hurt!).

I'm giddy just thinking about these things. I love traditions. I want to hear about yours! Please tell.

You'll LOVE these books.....

So, you should all know by now that I am freak about children's books (it's probably the elementary teacher in me). I ESPECIALLY love books for holidays, and I have a collection for each one. My tradition is to buy one new book each year for each holiday (yes, that's alot of books)! I set them out only around the holiday time..and I can't wait until Addyson is old enough for me to share them with. Here are my favorite books for Valentine's Day reading.

Love, Ruby Valentine by Laurie Friedman

This is the book I bought this year. It tells the story of Ruby Valentine, who loves Valentine's Day. She prepares all year for it, making cards and gifts for each person in her town. She is so exhausted from all that hard work that she falls asleep and misses Valentine's Day! She wakes up on February 15th and decided to pass out her goodies anyway. It has a great message about how you can show love any day of the year, not just Valentine's Day. The story is all rhyming, and the pictures are darling.

Queen of Hearts, by Mary Englebreit

Who doesn't love Mary Engelbreit? Of course the illustrations are intricate and gorgeous, but the story is equally charming. Ann Estelle works tirelessly to decorate her Valentine's Box for school... she adds feathers, ribbon, jewels, and a squirt of her mother's perfume. On Valentine's Day, she arrives at school so excited to show off her box..and realizes she forgot to make the VALENTINES to pass out! How does she solve this dilemma? You'll have to get this book to find out!

Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink, by Diane de Groat

Here is what the back cover says about this book: "There they were, fifteen blank Valentine cards waiting to be filled with nice valentine poems for classmates. But how can Gilbert write a nice poem for the boy who tweaked his nose, or the girl who made fun of his glasses?" This book has a great message about kindness and forgiveness.

Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch, by Eileen Spinelli

This one might be my favorite. Mr. Hatch is a recluse who works in a shoelace factory, eats the same lunch everyday, and keeps to himself. He has no friends or family. He never smiles. One day he receives a package from a secret admirer... and it changes his life! He starts laughing, smiling, dancing, being friendly to others, helping people and being a friend. After several months, he finds out the secret admirer package he received was a mistake, and was not intended for him. He goes back to being his gloomy, sad, boring self..but all of his new friends have an idea! They decide to throw a huge party ..and invite all of the people who love him. He realizes that people do care about him after all!

Any one of these books would make a great Valentine's Day gift...for a child or an adult! I read a great idea on Kristi's blog...when you give your child a book as a gift, write the date in it, and a little note inside the front cover. You might even want to glue in a picture taken on the holiday. When your child is grown up, they will have a collection of books, and memories!

I Bove this Look!

If you know me, you know I adore children's books! This is one of my favorites. It's a book of poetry by the late, great Shel Silverstein. It was published after his death and he supposedly had been working on it for 20 years. It is so original and so unique and you'll see why. Here's an excerpt from the book:

Kugs and Hisses

Runny said, "I'm lonesome,

I feel so glad and soomy.

I need some kugs and hisses-

Now, who's gonna give 'em to me?"

"I will," said Polly Dorkupine,

" 'Cause you're cute as a rug in a bug."

Said Runny, "Well, I'll kake the tiss,

But never hind the mug!"

Did you figure it out? Shel uses spoonerisms, and he switches the first letters of a set of two words. It is so clever that I wish I thought of it! The book has 41 poems that all use this format and it is so fun to read out loud to kids. They love to try and figure out what the words are supposed to be. If you are a parent, this is a must have!

Here's my original poem:

Jaddyson Ane is my gittle lirl

And Dampy is my Stog.

I'm glad that you are theading ris and

I hope you blike my log!

**What is your favorite children's book? Did you read Shel Silverstein as a kid?**