Top 10 of 2008

1. Say My Name

2. First Steps

3. Quickly Turning from Baby to Mischievous Toddler

4. Fun Up North

5. Fun in Chicago

6. A Little Fish

7. The Wedding

8. The Announcement

9. Turning Two

10. An Old-Fashioned Winter

Merry Christmas from the Nashes

As predicted our weekend was so chaotic that I didn't get one camera shot in. So instead you'll have to settle for pictures of our nice and quiet Christmas Eve. Just the three of us plus one big baby belly.

A new piano for daddy was quite an unexpected surprise!

And one for William too! Here he is teaching Cookie Monster how to play. I love that last year's gift (Cookie Monster) is still one of his favorites a year later.

Proving that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Classic! A Mr. Potato Head.

I'm really going to miss these years when his favorite gifts are under $5.

Christmas family portrait. Not bad for self-timer.

Where I'll Be

13 adults + 7 kids + 1 house + 5 bedrooms + 4 cribs + 3 bathrooms + 4 days =

Pray for me.

The Irony of the Christmas Season

Today I spent hours cooking delicious dinners for all the relatives to enjoy this Christmas weekend. A spicy baked macaroni dish with spinach, mushrooms and fresh mozzarella. I've made ahead the batter for the special cranberry and walnut muffins for Christmas morning. Tomorrow I will pick up two pounds of king crab legs from the most expensive grocery store in town. I'll serve that up with some homemade creamed corn with red peppers. I've made six batches of cookies all waiting patiently in my freezer.

Yet, even though I've been to the grocery store no less than six times the past few weeks, the dinner menu tonight includes mac and cheese, a hot dog or two and, if you're lucky, a frozen pizza. For if any fingers should go digging into my hard work they should be prepared to be slapped.

Christmas Cookies Take 6: Chocolate Mint Wafers

No time to write. Christmas is just around the corner! If you're better off than me then maybe you'll have time to make these Chocolate Mint Wafers. They taste just like the Girl Scouts' Thin Mints. This is my last batch of cookies. Now I'll be boxing them up and giving them away. Merry Christmas!

Day 134

"By this time in your pregnancy, your practitioner may recommend that you reduce your level of exertion at work or even change job duties if your work involves strenuous lifting, bending below your waist, carrying, or climbing ladders or stairs."

Or so said my daily pregnancy journal last night.

"I'll have to talk to my boss," I said to Brian.

"Yeah, but I don't know if William is going to be very accommodating," he replied.

Christmas Cookies Take 5: Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs

This is a Christmas cookie classic. I tried a different recipe than my usual this year and I've gotta say, it's not my favorite. On the plus side the dough was very easy to roll out and the cookies are definitely yummy. But on the down side these cookies spread a lot more than your average sugar cookie which means they don't keep their cute shape as well. I was also only able to put six cookies on a sheet at a time otherwise they spread into each other or the sides. This made for a very time consuming process. If I haven't scared you away entirely here's the recipe I used.