Merry Christmas!

Aunt Judy's famous holly cookies have found their way to Minnesota

It's Christmas week!  It's Christmas week!  It's Christmas week!!

My favorite holiday of the year has absolutely flown right to us.  And boy have we been in preparation for it!

First thing first, we had to get Miss Ali Pants all set up in her really big girl bed, so we could show Brother Elf that he really could let Santa know that she has been making leaps and bounds in her third year.  Let's just say that as soon as this giant bed was erected, the nighttime visits to mommy and daddy's bed have ceased completely.  Now I just feel bad, she was probably all cramped in that little tiny bed like a giant goldfish in a tiny bowl!

Just LOOK at all this space, Brother Elf!

I, on the other hand, have been to task with my creative juices flowing.  I tried my hand at maintaining a Christmas tradition that I had previously been contracting out.  Grandma Dambro used to give Mac and I the most beautiful hand-painted ornaments every year.  They had whatever the hot cartoon was at the time, and our name and year on it.  I have Care Bears, Snow White, some kind of 80's princess with legwarmers...You know the drill.  I wanted to continue the tradition with Alessandra and Marley and for the last few years had them ordered from Etsy (GREAT site, by the way, if you haven't visited yet).  Despite that last endorsement, the ornaments kinda turned out..well...not as sweet as they used to be.  And I was paying like, $30 a pop.  So, I decided to try my hand at this business to see how I could do.  As it turns out, way better than Etsy!  Now, look, I'm no Norman Rockwell, but you can't beat the price!

Ali's pick this year

Cardo's pick...He is no fair weather fan!

A little somethin'-something' for Uncle Mac

Marley's pick

I also talked Ricardo into a second REAL tree!  I can finally get my smell on!!!

Hooray for realness!

The other law when it comes to Christmas is squeezing in some time for baking.  Well, in our case, not necessarily baking, but creating sugar-laden treats that we have no self control over eating in large quantities.  And this year, I have a real helper!

Chocolate covered pretzels, coming right up!

One can't help but indulge...Or is that her Italian moustache already growing in?!?

Carefully placing the Red Hots on the hollies

Alessandra is a pro when it comes to sprinkling

Cardo thought it would be hilarious to take a picture of my giant 34-week belly behind all of the treats that will soon be in it

All dressed up for the Torres Christmas party

So, this has all been our last couple of weeks in a nutshell.  This week Cardo's parents come into town to fulfill our need for family since we can't go home this year.  We are looking forward to it, but Ali is REALLY looking forward to it!  We are still really going to miss going home this year though.  :(

Lots of shopping, cleaning, and baby nursery prepping to get done still, but somehow it all manages to get taken care of.

I'm just about at 35 weeks (on Wednesday), and am at the point where I'm kinda over being pregnant.  I waddle, I wheeze, I grunt, I ache, I complain.  Differences from last time due to seasonality:  No swollen feet (yet), and not overheated, in fact, just right!  Weather is STILL extremely mild here (it was almost 50 degrees yesterday, and no, I"m not exaggerating), so most of the time, I'm just rockin' a hooded sweatshirt and that's about it.

So, that's all I got for ya this week...Lots of Christmas updates next week!  

Merry Christmas!!!