That's my kids...

Eli is constantly into something...literally.
Yesterday he got stuck in the kitty cube. I heard him hollering, "HELP! HELP!" and found this:


Alison is constantly talking.
On the way to the grocery store this morning, out of the blue, she asked me when she could get a tattoo! What?! I told her never because God made her beautiful just the way she was and she didn't need to change a single thing. I asked her why she was thinking about tattoos (I don't even know how she knows about tattoos!), and she said, "They're just so pretty".

Last night Ben was giving the kids a bath and he made a comment about how great brothers are to Alison. Then he said, "maybe you"ll have TWO brothers!" Alison said, "NO! I'm having a sister." Ben asked her how she knew the baby was a girl and she said, "I just decided I wanted a sister, and here she is!". Ben asked her what she was going to do if the baby wasn't a girl. She said, "Well, then I lost my chance."

Day after Christmas

The day after Christmas, we stayed in our pj's pretty much all day, sipping tea and relaxing. Ben and I put together my Christmas puzzle and watched Elf.

The kids played with all their new toys and played songs together on the piano.

It was good to enjoy a little more Christmas, especially on a day that I wasn't feeling so sick. All the rest gave us just enough energy to put away all the decorations and get the house cleaned the following day.

Christmas Day, 2011

Alison and I were up at 6 am. We watched Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas Movie until the boys got up at 7. We opened stockings and I have never seen a little boy so excited about a sock full of food. He was so happy that the whole day, there was food everywhere! His hands were constantly full of some goody.




We opened presents and ate tea pastries. Ben and I were surprised we actually finished before church...the grandparents went a little overboard.

Ben won this Barbie guitar at his Youth Group white elephant gift exchange. It was the first toy the kids have fought over. I'm just impressed we've made it this far without fighting and it's kind of funny how much Eli wants that Barbie guitar. Alison was pretty funny when she opened it. Amongst the excitement, she said, "Daddy! Now I can play with you at church!" I'm excited to see her play and I love how the cheapest (or free) gifts are the ones they love the most.



We survived church. Honestly, I was feeling horrible all day and barely made it through church. And while we're being honest, I'll just let it be known that I let Eli play the ipod and eat fruit snacks the whole time. We had pigs n' a blanket and a cheese ball for lunch and then we slept the afternoon away.

Our sweet friends, the Yoakum's, had us over for Christmas dinner. It was so nice to not have to worry about cooking dinner and our kids are always greatly entertained over there. Although I wasn't feeling well, it was a great day of fellowship. I loved seeing the kids' face light up and seeing a smile on my hubby's face.

Christmas Eve

I was a little nervous about Christmas Eve day. What do you do with 2 anxious kids for an entire day, while they wait for the Eve? Thankfully the day went fairly smoothly. We decorated some more cookies, watched a movie, got some gifts ready and just relaxed. I was also thankful that I was feeling well enough to cook a real Christmas Eve dinner. Okay, I cheated on the applesauce, but everything else was the real deal. We had 'Perfecto Pork', Nonny's mashed potatoes, applesauce, green bean casserole and cherry jello. Alison requested the jello and I thought it was a simple, yet festive desert. I will NEVER again serve red jello on Christmas.


The kids were ecstatic about the jello. However, we ate a very early dinner so Ben could get to church and the jello had not set all the way. It was edible and jello-y, but still kind of runny. Eli's face was stained the rest of the evening from that stinkin' jello. And even after I got him cleaned up and into his fancy outfit, he kept sneaking back into the kitchen to get more jello. Never again. And yes, Eli ate Christmas dinner in his PJ's.

After a fabulous dinner, we let the kids open their new "fancy" Christmas outfits. Don't be fooled by the gift. I confess that Eli's was a hand-me-down I grabbed out of his closet and Alison's I got on the clearance rack at Target the night before. But, they didn't know and had fun opening an early present.


I had high hopes of continuing my tradition of getting a cute picture of my kids by the tree. Alison kept giving me her "this is how a princess poses" look that just looks goofy and Eli's face is red. But regardless of the situation, they are my precious gifts and I am so thankful that they are here and healthy.



After our pictures, we headed to church for a "family friendly" service. We walked in the door and Eli shouted, "DADDY! DADDY! DADDY!!!". Yep, I knew that one was coming. He could not get over Daddy being on stage. It took everything in me to hold him back from running on stage. Alison burst out in dance during 'Joy to the World', Eli asked for juice over and over until I gave him a sucker that dripped all over me (did I mention I made the mistake of sitting in the first row?) and I was exhausted by the end...just in time to do again the next morning.

Christmas Time!

I was very excited about the Christmas season this year. One my all time favorite things to do is watch Christmas movies by a lit tree and fire and work on a puzzle. My expectations had to be greatly adjusted this year as I found that every time I started an activity or movie, it was always interrupted, either by sickness or tiredness or little hands. But we did what we could. The house got halfway decorated. Cookies got halfway made. Movies got halfway watched. The border was done on the puzzle and then swept back into the box. But we enjoyed time relaxing together, reading Christmas books, listening to Christmas music and just soaking in the season.

I tried to make things with the kids that were traditional, but that they could help me make. We started with peanut butter cup cookies. Then we mixed up some Chex Mix. I LOVE the smell of chex mix roasting. It's definitely one of my favorite Christmas smells.We made a few gingerbread men and Alison decorated the snot out of them one morning while Eli watched his new favorite Christmas movie, 'Baby Einstein's Santa'. She wasn't happy about getting her picture taken, but the mess I cleaned up when she was done would prove that she really had a good time.
Kylie and Logan came over and helped us make some more gingerbread cookies and chocolate covered pretzels.We decorated ornaments, strung popcorn for garland and wrapped presents. We watched 'Charlie Brown Christmas' I think 7 times (it came on a particular day I was sicker than normal) and 'Alvin and the Chipmunks' Christmas movie.

Alison spent a good 2 days working on a Christmas card for Kylie and Logan.
I was overwhelmed by her determination and drive to write this. She knew what she wanted to say and would ask us to spell out words for her. Here's what the letter says:

Kylie and Logan,
Have a good Christmas. Have a good time opening presents at the Christmas tree. Have some fun with your family. I love you. I want an American Girl Doll and pillow pet for Christmas.

love,
Alison

I guess Alison wrote our Christmas card for us this year, because I'm not going to even attempt one. So from the Shear's, we hope you have a good Christmas!!

I'm Done

For the peace of mind of our concerned friends and family, I just wanted you all to know that I'm doing much better. The doctor had me come in yesterday to check my blood pressure. Everything is very healthy. My nutrient levels are excellent, my blood pressure is perfect. Apparently I have an abundance of progesterone in my body, which is causing the extreme sickness. It also causes the blood vessels in my body to expand which affects the blood flow in my body (sorry to all the medical professionals that are reading this, I know I'm totally botching this explanation)...which caused my near pass out episode. The doctor said what I'm experiencing is actually very common in pregnancy, I just have had two un-normal, easy, pregnancies, so this seems bazaar. All that to say, he said I don't have to cut back on anything, I just have to drink way more water than I think would ever be necessary to keep the blood flow in my body "regular".

I heard the baby's heart beat and that was it. I'm done. I'm done complaining about being sick. I'm done hanging on to expectations. I'm done with all the things that I thought defined who I am. I am who God made me, not what I make myself. So, bring on the sweatpants, piles of laundry and dirty floors. Bring on the heartburn, nausea and nights full of trips to the bathroom. I'm ready. With a smile on my face, I'm ready.

I'm excited to meet this Surprise Blessing. I'm excited to see Alison and Eli's face when they meet their new sibling. I'm even a little excited to hear Ben's name suggestions if it's a boy.

Some day I'll be smiling at a picture like this:

and thinking, "I can't imagine life without this baby!", because I sure can't imagine life without this precious little boy.

Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers. I know if you are reading this blog, that it means you love and care about my family, and with that comes reading about our ups and downs in life. There will be highs and there will be lows, and I'm thankful for the support through it all.