Can It Really Be 6 Months Later?

What have I been doing the last 6 months that I haven’t been keeping up with this blog that I said I was going to update weekly or at least monthly? I guess I’ve been a single mom with a beautiful 3 year old daughter, owner of a custom framing store and giving away hundreds of dollars of FREE sterling silver jewelry at homes and at catalog parties. I'm selling sterling silver jewelry for a very successful company. It's an amazing company! The jewelry is beautiful, so well made, and they are super customer friendly. I couldn't think of one reason not to sell it. Email me if you're interested, I'll tell you more about it and send you the website address. If you like jewelry you'll love it.



Anyway, here is a Serena update. We went to a birthday party for one of her school friends and it was at a horsefarm. Here she is with one of her favorite kids splashing around in the mud. I had second thoughts about it but she had fun. Then I stripped her down, poured Poland Spring all over her and she fell asleep on the way home.





Now I remember another reason I don't update that much. Blogger makes editing, copying and pasting and rearranging photos just impossible. It takes too long and it's giving me a hard time again.



Pony rides made all the kids happy. People were saying how Serena seems like she's been riding horses a long time. Maybe it's in her genes being Kazak.

I love this picture! This is another friend from school and he is such a sweet kid!

She loves a good pony ride.

Serena hiding in the closet from Grandpa. These jammies are from Kazakhstan. I bought them while I was there when she was 1. They're a little short but I'm glad they still fit her.

Checking out the news of the day.

This room was clean. I was in the kitchen cleaning and after a while I came out to see what she was up to. I couldn't believe it!! One kid did this. This is so unlike her. She makes messes but I didn't know she was capable of this.

Future Dentist?

Reading to Raggedy Ann after peanut butter and jelly.

Our first snow storm of the winter.

Serena loves to wear her winter clothes. She has to have on the gloves, hat, scarf in any kind of weather. It took her a while to stop wearing a jacket even though it was warm.

Post a comment to let me know if people are still reading, even if it's just your first name.

Things Will Be Different They Say.............I Can Only Hope

Today was historic and I wish Serena was old enough to remember it. We have a new President. Everyone is confident he is going to change things in this country for the better. I hope they're right. Look at the excitement in Serenas face about the changes that are to come.



School pictures.

I can't believe my daughter is getting so big. She's gotten so tall. No more chubby baby legs. I also can't believe how often blogger gives me a hard time about such miniscule things like getting the font I want to be consistent through this post.

Serena has not been interested in eating vegetables other than peas so tonight I decided to make faces on her "smiley potatos". She ate every vegetable on this plate. I can't believe it worked.

Since it was a historic day today I'm going to give you the details, although not exciting, of what your day was like today. I was at work and you at school. I picked you up and you were full of smiles when you saw me. As usual you refused to put your coat on to leave to come home. Just like you did this morning when you didn't want to go to school. I made a quick dinner since we do not get home before 6:30pm.

We ate and you ate all your veggies because we made faces out of your food, you, me and your friend Malachy at school. He has red hair and since we used carrots to make hair on a smiley potato we named him after your friend. You gave me lots of "biiiiiiiiiig huuuuuuuugs" as you like to say, and they are wonderful!

We changed you into your jammies or should I say you changed you into your jammies and snuggled up on the couch under a blanket. You were bouncing off the back of the couch and me while we watched the Inaugural Ball and American Idol and off to bed we went. I just love that you go with me to bed without an argument now. You take my hand and we walk upstairs into your room and you're all ready for sleep. You're such an angel Serena. It's always, usually, sad to put you to sleep because I miss you till morning but it's just such a special time too. I stay with you next to your crib and you rub my arms until you fall asleep. It's so sweet

Good night Serena. I just wanted to put in a quick post on this special historic day. I love love love you!

Christmas At Home

Did I say I was going to post once a week?? I don't know where the time goes but a month has passed and I've posted nothing. I'll blame it on December being an extra busy month and we'll just see what happens in January.

This year was the first year I did Christmas at my house and it was GREAT! All my life until 1997 my parents did Christmas. My grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins would sleep over Christmas Eve after a big dinner and we'd all open presents together. The kids slept in the livingroom with the tree and it was always so much fun. My mom left us in 1997 and after that my aunt, cousin and sister would take turns hosting the holidays. No more sleep overs until this year. My brother even came up with his family for Christmas and that just made things extra special. Everyone brought something for dinner and stayed the night. Opening presents with Serena was extra special since she was able to understand better this year. She got sick Christmas Eve and had a 102 degree temp and slept most of the day in my bed. Poor baby.

Serena woke up for a bit when my brother, SIL, and nephew got to the house. She loves my nephew Alex and he's so good with her.

Christmas Eve before bed and after some Tylenol Serena was a little happier.

Christmas Day Serena was still a little out of it. She opened her presents but was quiet through most of it. She loved the tea set that Santa Claus brought her more than anything I think. The piano seems to be a favorite too.

More Tylenol brought her spirits back to usual and I had my happy girl back again.

The day after Christmas my nephew got the stomach virus that's been going around. I had it 2 weeks ago, luckily Serena managed to escape that awful 3 days. Here they both are resting. My poor nephew had it for the drive back to North Carolina but he was feeling a little better by then. The day after Christmas my dads partner got sick too. She was sick for 3 days and after my brother got home to N.C. he was sick too. It was still a great time for all of us.

Serena was up and down alot with how she was feeling. She had a fever for 4 days and the highest I saw her temp was 103 degrees. The Motrin and Tylenol really made such a difference in how she felt. She has never been this sick before. I took the week off between Christmas and New Years. I was going to send her to daycare for 2 of those days so I could catch up on cleaning from the holidays but she got sick so I stayed home and took care of her instead.

After Serenas fever went away she was very congested. She was very grumpy so I was very understanding of her mood swings and grumpiness. Well, after a week I think she started milking it. I would never think a 2 year old, well, 2 1/2 year old would do this but I know she was. Her behavior around New Years was bad. She became very bossy and everything was no no no. This is not typically Serena. We had a "stand off" the other day. She refused to say she was sorry for throwing things like toys, shoes, her binky when she is mad, which was often the last few days. She got a time out which I don't normally have to do with her and she just refused to apologize. I just knew, knew this was an important moment as far as letting her know the boundaries around here. She stood her ground for about 10 minutes. Finally she gave in. I don't know if she meant she was sorry or she just gave in. After that I had my angel back for the rest of the day. I know this is small potatos compared to the teenage years but this was the toughest time I ever had with her. I'm glad she was better today.

Serena and her Christmas stash. Someone said it was a very girly Christmas for her. She loves to play with her babies, and make tea. My cousin bought her a wooden fruit set that she can "cut" with a wooden knife. The pieces of fruit are held together with velcro. She loves to cut up the pieces and pass them out to everyone. She's a peach!!

This is just before bed and she's not usually happy about bedtime.

Even though a few people were sick, everyone enjoyed the holidays. Having everyone at my house really made the holidays great for me and my family. I feel very fortunate for all the family, love, and memories I have in my life and Serena is the icing on the cake, everyday. I truly am blessed.