Life in Bullets...Christmas week!

Is been almost 2 months since my last blog post...that might just be the best way to know how life has been! I told you that November was gonna be crazy...and it didnt let me down and even steeped over into December!! Here we are the week of Christmas and I finally feel I can slow down!! ( yes you read that right..its Christmas week and I can slow down!!)
So here is the run down of where  we/ I am at!!

• I got all my Christmas shopping and gifts mailed out by last Friday--yippee!  ( which is why I can relax this week!) Aside from some shopping for myself for stocking stuffers (see next bullet!), I am done shopping! And thank goodness...people are crazy out there!
• So I always make a budget for our Christmas gifts---its usually quite small ( what some people spend on one gift in other families!) But its still our budget and I try to make it work. My goal was that Shea and I would have enough to buy each other something this year, as we rarely do that...but in the end we decided to just do stockings for each other. I made a list and he made a list...and while I had these dreams that he could go out and shop by him self and get me the most amazing things...the bottom line is that only I know what I truly want. So sending him out with a list that included dress socks, lip gloss and a new wooden brush was not really enough to set him up for success. He finally said..."would you like to shop for your own stocking stuffers so you get exactly what you want??  You get to go shopping to do it!" Ok...so he knew what the best answer was even if it wasnt the funnest! So we both went shopping for ourselves today...and it was FUN!
• I am a "Christmas list" kinda girl--I like to buy from a list and I really appreciate when people buy for me from a list. I know its not much fun for some people to do it this way---but I always think if I can get the person what they asked for and want...whats better than that?? So now I make lists for my kids too...I know what they need, I asked Austin what he wanted and now I know both of these will get covered!!
•  This is the first year that we have really bought for Austin...before now he really didnt get the whole present thing at Christmas so we didnt spend much. Well this year he TOTALLY gets it...so I am really trying to teach him about not expecting to get everything, figuring out what he wants the MOST, and the fact that its Jesus birthday which is why we get gifts at all. I have no idea how much is clicking for him , but I really want him to understand the meaning behind it all and not to just think that just because its Christmas he gets whatever he wants!! Its a hard balance when all the flurry of activity around us makes you feel like you need to spend, spend, spend. I cant wait to the year when we can forgo all gift giving and just go on vacation for Christmas..really thats my ultimate dream!!
• I met my biological fathers' family for the first time this past week. It was a brief meeting as they had just flown in from Hawaii and were on there way to other places for Christmas...but they will be back to spend some time with us afterwards. It went quite well and  I am really thankful we got to meet before they come back after Christmas. I was a nervous nelly about it for weeks...little background is that I just got back in touch with him last fall after over 30yrs. This is only the second time I have ever seen him and the first time to meet my half siblings ( I have 2 brothers!) and his wife. It sure is a new experience meeting family for the first time at the age of thirty-something!! But no matter what age you are...I think you still deal with the same feelings of apprehension and questions of acceptance. Needless to say its been a bit emotional for me! 
• I have been sick for over 3 weeks now...not like dying sick, but runny nose and hacking cough for 3 solid weeks...and it has worn me down. Lexi also has developed an ear infection from her bout with it all...dreadful.
• Our fun news this week was to find out that some pictures from Lexi's birth were published not only in this months Midwifery Today magazine, but also in their new edition of the textbook called "paths to midwifery." I am soo excited ---not only for her but for Lynsey Stone, our birth photographer, who took these amazing photos! For those who are not familiar, "Midwifery Today" magazine is for the natural birth community, what "Sports Illustrated" is for the sports enthusiast!! I cant wait to get my copy!!
• Its taken me 3 days to get this much written...pathetic!! I better end it now!! 

Merry Christmas!!