There's No Place Like Home For the Holidays

St. Nick

I love the smell of our Christmas ornaments.  I opened up the boxes today and started arrange the tinsel garlands throughout the house and there is a smell now, a cross between something dusty and something loved, permeating the kitchen and den and living room that tells me that, finally, Christmas is on it's way.  Three weeks! I'm so excited.  As expected this year has it's share of ups and downs in store for us but we are facing them with our chins up and a positive HO! HO! HO! instead of like previous years where we had a tendency to sweep our feelings under the skirt along with the needles dropped from the Christmas Tree.

Dressy Herbs

Scott and I started the morning cleaning and somehow moved into a decorating mode.  It's funny how our decorations look so spare in this house compared to our tiny apartments past.  We spread out tinsel garlands over the kitchen cupboards and around some of the windows, wound lights over the wine rack that we can't seem to part with, put up our vinyl window clings and mistletoe and it still doesn't seem "decorated" in here yet.  Maybe when we get the tree it will feel cozier.  I'm planning a trip to the dollar store and St. Vincent to add to what we already have in the meantime. Maybe I can find time to whip up some fudge today too; who knows where the day will take me.

Not Quite by the Chimney

I can't wait to see Romilly's face when she wakes up on Christmas Morning and sees all the presents under our tree.  I can see her little face all aglow, the Christmas lights pale in comparison to her rosy cheeks.  We'll have to sneak little bites of food into her sweet mouth in between her oohs and ahhs as she opens her wee presents from Mommy and Daddy and that one Special gift that Santa found a way to sneak in (despite our lack of a chimney).  Oh, I can't wait!  What a delight to finally have a child at Christmas time to share the joy of the holiday with, I've waited so long for her and I love her soooooo much.  Merry Christmas little one ;)

Music

In our home music is a central part of every day.  Driving in the car, doing laundry, making dinner; all these chores will find one of us singing, humming a tune or these days tooting on a whistle or kazoo.  I am so in love with the fact that our little Rom Tom has inherited the music gene.  She loves all things musical and has a special rhythm all her own when she dances.  We try to nurture her love for sounds and share with her all the different styles and types of music that the world holds in store for her.  Here, she and grandma listen for a bit while mom cleans the house.

Atticus Finch

Somtimes I wander and wonder at the wonder, 

and the winter is the wonder that I wander through and wonder on...  

Tip the copper kettle over, hear! the whistle is no more,  

Boiled long forgotten over, pour and more and more to pour.  

I've wandered through this winter wonder, wandered broad afield today, 

and as I wandered this I pondered, where the fair did go to play.

A tiny red-head sits beside me, whistles tiny songs to me,  

A tiny red-head sits until he flits and floats back to his tree.  

I think I've seen the last of summer.  Winter's here, this now I'm sure.  

Sometimes I wander for the wonder,

like the winter wonder that I wandered through today...




Scott has encouraged me to keep up with my writing lately and I jotted this down as I was shooting pictures of this little finch outside our house today in the decay of the garden.  I don't particularly like to write "nature" poetry and I'm not a big fan of the Pastorals.  However, I thought this little piece fit with my photo of my Finchy friend and wasn't brave enough to start anywhere else in the public forum just yet.....

Deck the Halls?

Little Lights

I have a tingle in my tummy.  It started just after Halloween.  At first I thought it was just a craving for Pumpkin Pie and Apple Cider but now I know otherwise; I've got holiday fever!  Why does it hit me so hard nowadays?  I think part of it being a mom.  I've always been "in to" Christmas and the other winter festive holidays.  Ever since I was little.  Now that I'm a mom, I have this fresh perspective on the whole season.  Things that never mattered so much are suddenly very, very important and, conversely, things that I had held stock in previous years I find myself not

bothering over this winter.

One thing that surprised me this year was how fast it sneaked up on me.  It seems that in previous years I felt so prepared and had things lined out.  I knew where all the ornaments were and where all the decorations were going to be displayed.  This year I couldn't find the boxes after an hour of searching only to have Scott tell me they had been relocated to storage during one of the many trips in that direction this summer.  Hmmm, how did I let that happen?

I also have not even begun to make a Christmas list or to think of presents for others.  Instead I am solely focused on things like baking, dinner making, decorating the house, throwing a Christmas party (still torn on this) making hot chocolate and maybe Caroling if I can get a big enough group to go with me (any takers?).  I feel good about this.  I think having Romilly has helped bring Christmas into perspective for me; helped me to tone things down a bit in the material realm and ramp things up a bit in the familial realm.

This doesn't mean that there won't be the usual Christmas ups and downs, I'm sure.  The confusion over when, where, how and why is already setting in but we are doing our best to go with the flow of things and remember that its about being together, the three of us, that really matters.  Living our lives in the joy of the moment and making memories together as a new family is first and foremost.


As I listen to Star (our local Holiday radio station) and hear them sing of holidays gone by, my step lightens and my heart jingles as I begin to merrily sing my way into the Christmas Season that is upon me presently and imagine Romilly's face lighting up as she bounds from Scott's arms Christmas morning, finally free to frolic in the presents under the tree in the predawn light as the smell of homemade cinnamon bread (ha! we'll see) and coffee (yep) waft from our cozily, if somewhat overly, decorated kitchen.  Ahhh.  I can't wait!

Engagment

I really enjoyed shooting the engagment photos for Ashley and Andrew so here are a few more of their pics. It was rather humbling to work with "live" subjects other than Romilly for a change but I think we will keep it up and see where this leads us.

Ode to an Elph

We just finished up a series of engagment photos for a couple here in the lovely Tri Cities.  It was only our second "official" shoot and we were a bit nervous but I think things turned out well and the feedback seems to be positive so far. 

However, during the shoot, we lost a dear friend.  Brandi tripped and fell and while catching herself smashed the lense on the PowerShot SD890 Digital Elph that has been a faithful camera friend for the past year.  Here are her last wonderful photos.  Goodnight, Sweet Elph.

Ashley McLean and Andrew Morrison

Engagment Shots

Lookout, Portland, for those Waterfalls

Romilly and Daddy

Finally getting around to posting about our trip to Portland and the Oregon Coast.  What a wonderful vacation that turned into.  Romilly had a great visit with her Aunt Jessica and Uncle Erik.  It was so nice to visit their home; we felt relaxed immediately because of their hospitality and cozy home  They helped us to feel more than welcome.  I found myself, on more than one occasion, feeling a bit out of sorts, realizing later that all of the touches that Jessica had put into the Junebug Cottage were things that Scott has put into our home and it was disorienting me to be so far from, yet still so close to, home. 

The Loggers

After a night's stay and wonderful dine out with Jessica and Erik (they took us to a nice eatery and for a lovely walk through the nieghborhood), the following morning led us to the coast.  We changed our itenerary, as we often do, and decided to drive south from Cannon Beach to Cape Lookout State Park for some rockhounding.  We stopped for the obligatory brekkie at Camp 18 first and took the first of many shots of Rom and The Logger.

Dig Dug

The drive south was lovely and the return trip through Tillamook County even lovlier (despite my sleepies) and even though we did not find a single agate, Romilly enjoyed having miles of beach to herself and took advantage accordingly.  Note to new parents first timing on the beach: Bring an extra diaper, sand and baby bottoms do not mix. 

Tub Time

We returned that evening and had some more quality time with our family before our early morning departure on Tuesday.  One more tourist-y stop at Multunomah Falls and then we reluctantly headed home.  All and all, a lovely, lovely trip to finish off our summer vacationing.

Until Next Time!

Green