Oh November....Where did you go?

If I could post just ten minutes of my life with Dia you would instantly understand why my blogging has slacked. (Well, maybe all moms just intuitively know how much more fun it is to live life than blog it.) And by the time she has gone to bed, Rory and I are so desperate to catch up on OUR lives that the computer has been getting a little dusty.

But Ror and Dia are off "making" stuff (I'll post the video last to be chronoligically accurate) so I let the house sit uncleaned to blog.

I have some great pictures from November to catch you up on our fun month:

Ok, so it may not be Christmas morning, but Thanksgiving morning is special, too, right? Plus, she's just so cute in footed pjs!

We had great plans for Black Friday (none of which were shopping!) but I was feeling a little under the weather, so we settled for burgers and fries and then a movie date (just Ror and me). Oh, and talking on our Blackberry.

Auntie Jess is a little like the Papparazzi when it comes to Dia and got some fun shots while she babysat while we went to the movies

Dia-sized St. Nicholas (we are avoiding the Santa Clause name and opting for the more historically-accurate gift-giver while we still have the choice!) at Costco

Dia watching ball-ball (football)--it's her biggest obsession. She laughs when they drop the ball, claps her hands and just stares at all the players. If we go somewhere and she spies it on the tv, she immediately points and runs over shouting "Ball-ball!" It's pretty fun (funny, too!).

Looking up NFL.com with Papa

Decorating the tree...someone got to stand on the coffee table

Could there be a better tree-topper?!

Ornament-hanging with Mama

I am constantly amazed at the mothering instinct in my daughter. She has even pulled off all the ornaments within reach to hug, kiss and put to bed (i.e., laying them down and saying "Shhh"). Here she's sharing yogurt with dollie. :)

Ok, so at the mall a while back, Dia became obsessed with the escalators. "Up, up!" she would exlaim and point over and over until Rory finally held her going up on one. Well, that just fed the addiction! We both took her up and up multiple times. By the second time, she stood on it on her own and started walking up all by herself! (No fear, I tell you.) By the time we left, she was riding it like an amusement ride. :) I love these little joys in life.

In other news, through a series of painful events we discovered Dia has some food allergies, namely wheat, corn and egg (she also tested positive for strawberries, bananas, nectarines, pears and her most favorite food of all, watermelon, but these we can start introducing back into her diet soon). Apparently, according to our naturopaths, diaper rash is not normal. Ever. Anytime urine comes into contact with skin causing it to turn red can mean allergies. So with our already dairy and sugar-free diet, I have had an interesting (read: tear-filled) time finding filling food. Thankfully Rory has taken on the role of Soup Maker Extraordinaire and for the past two Sundays has made a nutritious Dia-safe soup that we can pull out for meals and snacks during the week. I have also become a blog-reading feign trying to find yummy stuff for our Bug. Two blogs I have been relying on for inspiration and recipes are: Spunky Coconut and Sketch-free Vegan Eating. I am so grateful for the two years we spent as raw vegans--Dia loves raw, nut-based cheesecake. It has really helped me with healthy snacks like flax crackers and alternative grains like quinoa and amarinth. Mostly I am just so grateful to still be nursing so I know she is getting lots of nutrients still from that.

We have been laying low, enjoying the weather and our little family. I had been searching endlessly for a meaningful way to celebrate the Christmas season but turns out, having a Christ-centered husband and home makes everything meaningful! From an average Tuesday to a Sunday morning, we are finding Jesus everywhere these days and so I have enjoyed advent stories from others, but we are simply just being us and finding much meaning in it. I have never experienced such a rich Christmas!

And to end this far too long post, lest you think only mamas teach gentleness, watch this:



As we sing with Dia regularly Happy Birthday, Jesus! His big day is almost here....