7 Quick Takes Friday: The Last One of the Year Edition

1) I can't believe Christmas vacation week is almost over!  At least we have Monday off too, which will make next week fly by. 

2) My sister-in-law, Kelly, started a blog about the loss of her twin girls.  Here is the link.  It's beautiful but heart breaking.

3) Phil and I have started training for a half marathon in March.  We are on week one of our 12 week training program (from Hal Higdon, but tweaked):

Half Marathon Training Schedule:
Week	Mon	Tue	Wed	Thur	Fri	Sat	Sun
	26-Dec	27-Dec	28-Dec	29-Dec	30-Dec	31-Dec	1-Jan
1	3 m run  & toning class	4 m run	Rest	4 m run	3 m run	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	2-Jan	3-Jan	4-Jan	5-Jan	6-Jan	7-Jan	8-Jan
2	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	5 m run	Rest	3 m pace	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	9-Jan	10-Jan	11-Jan	12-Jan	13-Jan	14-Jan	15-Jan
3	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	6 m run	Rest	4 m run	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	16-Jan	17-Jan	18-Jan	19-Jan	20-Jan	21-Jan	22-Jan
4	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	7 m run	Rest	4 m pace	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	23-Jan	24-Jan	25-Jan	26-Jan	27-Jan	28-Jan	29-Jan
5	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	7 m run	Rest	4 m run	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	30-Jan	31-Jan	1-Feb	2-Feb	3-Feb	4-Feb	5-Feb
6	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	8 m run	Rest	4m pace	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	6-Feb	7-Feb	8-Feb	9-Feb	10-Feb	11-Feb	12-Feb
7	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	8 m run	Rest	5 m run	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	13-Feb	14-Feb	15-Feb	16-Feb	17-Feb	18-Feb	19-Feb
8	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	9 m run	Rest	5 m pace	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	20-Feb	21-Feb	22-Feb	23-Feb	24-Feb	25-Feb	26-Feb
9	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	9 m run	Rest	5 m run	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	27-Feb	28-Feb	1-Mar	2-Mar	3-Mar	4-Mar	5-Mar
10	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	10 m run	Rest	5 m pace	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	6-Mar	7-Mar	8-Mar	9-Mar	10-Mar	11-Mar	12-Mar
11	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	10 m run	Rest	5 m run	3 m run  & arms & abs	Kickboxing
	13-Mar	14-Mar	15-Mar	16-Mar	17-Mar	18-Mar
12	3 m run  & toning class	Rest	2 m pace	2 m run  & arms & abs	Rest	Half Mar

We will be running it with some co-workers, so they should keep us on our toes during the training process.

4) I will admit I may not end up running in the half marathon, but I will train for it.  I just don't know if my body will be ready to run 13.1 miles when my fifth baby is only 7 months old?!?!?!?  I hope to be ready, but I am giving myself a pass just in case.

5) We are rearranging bedrooms again.  We have 4 boys and one girl to place into two bedrooms.  One is big and one is normal sized.  We have a set of bunk beds, a queen bed, two twins, and a crib that we can use.  I will be drawing up plans this weekend.  How would you divide everyone up?

6) We just watched The Help and Dolphin Tale over break.  Both great movies...the kids really liked the dolphin one.

7) I just ordered more Christmas cards to send out (gulp) late.  I had originally ordered 50, but when you have a family as big as ours, I guess you need 75.  I've never sent Christmas cards out late before....maybe I can get by on the "oh she just had a baby" excuse?

Have a wonderful rest of your Christmas celebrations and Happy New Year! 

I will be posting my version of resolutions soon :)

The Post Christmas Blues

Ever since I was a kid, I remember having the Post-Christmas-Blues.  It's pretty hard not to feel a little depressed when the day you've been waiting for all year has come and gone too quickly.  As soon as Thanksgiving ends, we start preparing for Christmas. 

We decorate our homes, put on the holiday music,  make our wish lists, purchase and wrap our presents, watch Christmas specials on TV, attend Nativity pageants and choirs, go carolling, bake cookies and plan meals, stroll around to see the lights....the events go on and on. 

We put so much of our time and thoughts and energy into making Christmas time so magical.  And it's the anticipation that I love.  Christmas Eve is my favorite day of the year because Christmas is so close and you can practically feel the excitement in the air.  All we've done to plan for December 25th is complete, and now we are just waiting for the big day and spending time with family and friends. 

We go to Mass on Christmas Eve and celebrate Jesus' birthday with a cake afterwards.  We reinforce the true meaning of Christmas, and think about all the events that led up to Jesus' birth.  But even though we try to meditate on this true meaning, our humanness often takes over and refocuses our minds on the business and materialistic parts of the day.  We look forward to presents and food and visiting with family.  And while there is absolutely nothing wrong with finding joy in those things, we can't let it become more important than the joy we find in Christ.

I heard a homily recently by the deacon at our parish, and at the end he said "If you find yourself feeling depressed the day after Christmas, then you've got to ask yourself....did Christ really come to me?" 

That message hit home hard!  I started thinking about all the years when I did feel so sad on December 26th, because there were no more presents to open, no more Christmas activities to do, etc.  If I had truly placed my hope and joy in Christ's birth instead of the material pleasures of this world, then I wouldn't have been blue at all!  Because on December 26th (and every other day), Christ is still born...He is still with us...He still died for us so we could have eternal life.  There is nothing to be sad about at all!

Yes, the presents may be gone, but His presence is here to stay! 

This year I am trying to remember that message and allow Christ to come to me and stay with me.  "For unto us a Child is born", and we celebrate that today and every day. We remember that Christ was born to save us, and while we can never repay His debt, we can at least appreciate it all year long.

Wordless Wednesday: My Big Christmas Present

Five Months!

Stats:

19 pounds

26.5 inches long

Smile = contagious!

First Cup:

First Cereal:

 Oh yeah, that's the good stuff!

 Faster, Dad, faster!

 Mmmmm, rice cereal...where have you been all my life?

 OK, time to take matters into my own hands.

Spoons work as teethers too!

Compliments to the chef!

For My Kids

Merry Christmas!!!

The Obligatory Waiting-On-the-Stairs Picture:

Stocking Time:

Xander's first present on his first Christmas:

Happy kids:

We took a break from opening gifts for breakfast.  Cinnamon rolls and eggnog were on the menu:

OK, back to the presents:

Great minds think alike!  We bought each other the same gift:

Legos were a huge hit, as usual:

A munchkin toy for our munchkin boy:

Maggie put on this new Cinderella dress and wore it all day!  Here she is posing with Eamon in his new robe.  She just said to him, "Eamon you should say something nice to me.  Say I look beautiful." No wonder my boys think girls are bossy!

The "After" Shot:

We played all morning:

And then went to my sister's house for brunch, followed by another sister's house for playtime, and then my brother's house for dinner.  Fun and crazy!

Like mother, like daughter:

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!