I really thought that my Christmas tree was the ugliest Christmas tree ever, but it's not. I went to Big Lots Wednesday night looking for cheap decorations. Kaitlyn loves Christmas stuff so I promised her that she could pick out one decoration for herself. She almost immediately spotted a hot pink, tinsel, fiber optic Christmas tree. Of course that's what she wanted! Anybody could have a jingle bell or an ornament, but it takes a special kind of person to pull off a hot pink Christmas tree. She carried this thing all around the store, to the checkout counter, out to the car and held it in her little hands the entire way home. It now sits in it's place of honor on her Winnie the Pooh table and she eats her morning cereal by the twinkling of her Christmas tree.



On an unrelated note, I nearly drowned the poor child last night. I put her in the bathtub and continued to do a million other things; talk to Grandma on the phone, get clothes out of the washer, hang clothes on the drying rack, etc. As I was hanging a sweater on the rack I heard Kaitlyn call for me. I told her that I would be there in a second. She yelled again, "Mom I've got a problem!". I told her that I was on my way and continued hanging the sweater. She called again, "Mom, I need your help!". Realizing that the problem was not going away, I walked down the hall to the bathroom. There sat Kaitlyn, up to her armpits in water. She very calmly looked at me and said, "Mom, I need you to turn the water off".



I have no idea how she still had her wits about her! I immediately launched into bad mom mode. What kind of mother am I? How could I have let the water run so long? What if she had drowned? Was I placing laundry above the needs of my child? Was someone from Social Services on the way to lock me up?



I turned off the water and Kaitlyn had a grand time in her small swimming pool. I still can't believe I did that. Please don't tell the social worker!!! I promise I won't do it again!!!!

Kaitlyn and I put up the Christas tree tonight. I expect that we'll put up a bigger tree in the new house, but I thought it would be fun to have this one to look at for the time being. This 18 inch fiber optic tree is one of the ugliest Christmas trees I've ever seen. One side is hopelessly smashed and the top is crooked. It only has room to hold, literally, a handful of ornaments. While I was getting the tree ready, Kaitlyn stood backed and smiled. She kept saying over and over "It's so pretty momma"! She was thrilled at the lights and so proud to have a tree.

I had been inwardly laughing at this pathetic little display because it didn't match my ideal. What Kaitlyn's amazement showed me was that it isn't the size of the tree, the number of lights or the cost of the ornaments. Christmas is all about the spirit that each of us holds inside us. It's the longing to have loved ones close to us and to make new, special memories. Christmas isn't about the number of presents or the dollars that they cost. Christmas is about love. In celebrating God's gift of love for us we, in turn, give gifts to others. A season that originated in love continues to have love as the central theme.

I'm so thankful that we got to share this moment. Kaitlyn's childish amazement reminded me not to get caught up in the hype, but to appreciate each moment as it comes. I love the holidays and I can't wait to share them with my family and friends!!!!!

Happy Friday!!! I just read the sweetest article located at http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2007-11/07/content_6237644.htm. It talks about the father of an adopted Chinese daughter who miraculously located the man who "found" his daughter after her abandonment. The odds of this happening must be astronomical, but what an amazing story he'll be able to tell his little girl when she gets older!!!

Last night The Ladybug and I went to see Annie with Lori and Amber. It was a local children's production. The cast weren't professionals, the sets were sparse and the singing was a bit of key at times. With that said, it was a beautiful play. It was REALLY cool to see local kids giving their all to the performances. Annie was played by an adorable little girl with a sweet voice and Sandy, played by a lovable yellow lab, darn near stole the show. The play wasn't what I expected, but it was so much more. It gave me cold chills to see all the parents and loved one's cheering on their little one's at the end of scenes and especially at play's end. The entire cast received a rousing ovation and there were flowers in abundance waiting to be showered on the young thespians. Ok, so I'm not a theater critic, but it truly was a wonderful experience and I'm glad I was there. I think it's so cool to see kids involved in something that they enjoy doing and it's cooler still to see their families cheering them on.

This post would be remiss if I omitted the parking structure drama immediately preceding the play. On the way from Olive Garden to campus I began to feel really sick. By the time I parked the car and got out I felt sure that I would throw up. I managed to get Amber's attention so that she could get Kaitlyn out of the car and then I found a nearby parking space and made it mine for the next five minutes. What a HORRIBLE thing!!!! The girls took Kaitlyn inside and I hung out in the car for a few minutes. I eventually felt well enough to walk across the street. I went into the theater and felt fine for the rest of the evening. I've decided that it was a mild case of food poisoning which is why I won't be eating the leftover manicotti for lunch today. On a related note, no one parked within five spaces of my car. Ha ha! I guess I now know how to keep my car from getting scratched up in parking lots!

This past weekend seemed like it was twelve days long. It was AMAZING, but it was also a little bit tiring. Right now Kaitlyn and I are sitting in bed watching the new Dora movie. I'm so happy to not have anything else to do!

First things first. We have a house! We'll, we almost have a house. The financing has been approved, the offer has been accepted and now it's just a matter of processing the paperwork. Tim and I are thrilled and scared all at the same time. The house is in a new subdivision in Swanton, right across from the high school. I truly never thought I would be excited to live in the city, but I love the location. We're hoping to close on December 3rd, so the next eight weeks are going to be BUSY!

We ran around all weekend, making the final house visits, making the offer and eventually countering. I had to run to Wal-Mart on Saturday to pick up a few things and get my nails done. While we were there I had to run to the restroom real quick. While I was in there, without Kaitlyn, I suddenly became aware of one of the biggest changes that motherhood has brought to my life. The inability to take care of my business in privacy. I've grown accustomed to her highness tagging along to every mommy potty break regardless of whether we're at home or in a store. She's especially fond of doing the play-by-play. This isn't such a bad thing when we're home, but when we're in the Applebee's restroom it's a different story. "Mommy, you're dry", "Mommy go poop?" and "Momma, I wipe your butt for you. I want to help!" are just a few of the embarrassing comments she's made in public restrooms. I know that the moms in the other stalls understand and breathe a sigh of relief that it's not them (for once), but it doesn't help me feel any less embarrassed. So....to make a long story short, I got to go to the restroom by myself in a public place and it felt absolutely wonderful. It's strange how I'm now able to find divine pleasure in the most simple of things!!!