an overdue post and a very special happy birthday...

we have been so busy with holiday cheer and family and love and all the good stuff that happens when the weather turns crisper (or i when i turn my thermostat down to make it feel that way), jingles start playing on the radio. ya know...when my baking instinct kicks in along with so many other people, worries of the perfect gift, lists,...all the good stuff bottled up called december!

yes, i have lots to share in blog world...one thing is...peyton has her own blog now!!! it's not quite finished being designed the way she wants it...she is still looking for a header photo of herself...:)

check it:

www.peytonspot.blogspot.com

i can not tell you how excited she is about this:) love her innocence and enthusiasm for her new hobby...you'll see!

what i want to post about today is...my sweet friend turns 31 today!!! while this event started getting me thinking of what to do special for this mama that is about to have her second baby girl...i remembered that i never posted about the shower we had for her last week!

twinkle lights and italian panins...i'll keep it short, but to say is was anything less of kelle hampton...classic, beautiful, FUN, would be wrong. it was all those things and in celebrating sisterhood and friendship...we are ready to welcome lainey's little sister in a couple of weeks, give or take a week or two.

love you kell...happy birthday!!!!!

having twins in a couple of weeks!!!!

xoxo

a happy christmas eve and a merry christmas!

i'm sitting her listening to burl ives sing on about dreaming of a white christmas...alone, no lights except for those on our beautifully trimmed and illuminated tree. two babies dreaming of santa, a tired mama and daddy, and umo joe joe, and auntie heather all snug in their beds too!

it's quiet and santa has just left his goodies under the tree and it looks beautiful and i can't help but with that every baby and child and have a sweet, innocent, happy, warm christmas.

tonight, we had our family here. we had friends here too. it was a magical night. it was loud, chaotic, and perfect. we were all cooking, making, baking something. sito was begging for tomato paste, heather was making minature fig crostini masterpieces, and jeff was at the grill! it was wonderful. it really was. i stopped at least three times and felt truly grateful for what i had in my home tonight.

excitement was the underlying vibe of tonight. that and lots of laughs and lots and lots of love.

having gramps here is always a treat and having the rest of jeff's family here has made this first christmas we have spent home...memorable and very special.

i miss my family so much this time time of year, but having family here helps so much!

jeff's mom, my mother-in-law made a traditional middle eastern feast and it was sooooooooooooo good!!!!! she is such a great cook and she foes with it ease. we love you linnie!!!

brett read our kids the night before christmas as is tradition in the darwish home as is in many other homes all around us. we checked the radar for the 50th time to track down santa's sleigh and last we checked it was in bangdaleshm, so dressed in our new christmas jammies tucked our babies in for a long winter's nap... bc everyone knows that santa gets here faster when we sleep.

for now...i want to wish everyone a merry christmas. this was a great year with so many wonderful memories and experiences and much of it comes from this blog and the friends i have made from it.


peyton finally put the star on top of the tree...












umo joe joe thought santa would like brown sugar pop tarts this year!!!


happiest she's looked in a long time going to bed...:)

























enjoy your family today. we'll be living the magic through our children.

with lots of love and merry christmas,
heidi

december fun.

so much to write about and share. nothing especially new or exciting, but i've been busy doing things that are fun, but just the same, i have been keeping busy with pictures, deadlines, and stupid stuff that doesn't really matter. yes, i said stupid stuff-like a 5 year old who is annoyed and doesn't have a better word for tired, fed up with rudeness, missing...my kids even though i am with them most minutes of the day---.

i need to learn how to balance. i think i am coming along with it though. i'm not complaining bc i simply love and adore what i am doing, but i today i want to bake something that will make my house smell delicious and inviting. i want to cook a french meal because beoeuf bourguignon just sounds...divine, right?

i haven't had it, but it has red wine, cognac, fresh herbs, and mushrooms infused into it. yum. i can't stand this need to make something. i want to hang white lights and host a dinner on the rooftop of some building in a downtown area where i can hear the commotion of the world below but drown it out with the sounds of the people i love. red wine fits into this fantasy too!

okay, so maybe i've been inspired by a movie, but who cares. inspiration is everywhere. i love that about life.

i feel blessed and tired all at once, but i'm pretty sure that is allowed, especially this time of year. i've vented and i feel better just like that:)

off my weird euphoric food tangent and on to the things that we have been doing and how much we have to look forward to this month! first off, our family is coming here for christmas!!!!

for the first time in our whole lives, jeff and i and the kids will not be traveling home to michigan this year. the economy plays a small role, as really, we just want to be home this year. to celebrate chrsitmas morning and eat our tradtional christmas morning, and super special, breakfast at home at our kitchen table.

sadly, the closer we come to the big day, i was becoming a tad sad that we wouldn't be jeff's family...but they decided to travel here along with jeff's brother and his fiance, heather!!!! excitment is an understatement.

peyton and i went to chelsea's birthday party last week...i can't b these babies are five years old now. peyton and her little group of girlfriends met when they were all 6 months old at my gym. these babies are growing up so fast that it makes my heart overflow and hurt at the same time.

her mama hosted the sweetest party...and the colors inspired my little camera to snap away.




















the birthday girl!













as a family, a couple weeks before, we visited 3rd street for the tree lighting and to dance in the snow...



auntie hi-o sent another beauty in the mail...




peyton's smile at the front door, when she learned it was a package for her said it all...thank you, auntie heather for being so thoughtful and loving peyton and becks as you do! we love you. miss you too!



and to end this little post...a sneak peak of our christmas shoot! i just love this shot of the two of them. i think i snapped it right as p eye's were closing OR maybe she was soaking in her baby brother's love. hmmm.

i have some rediculously funny ones as well. i'll share those later.



xoxo g'night.