Only the mediocre are always at their best.

I've sat staring at this screen for a while now.  Well that's not true, I stared at the baby being destructive, but my hands were on the keys!
You have missed me right?  I've missed you.
Evelynn is walking, and destroying everything 29 inches high and within her reach.  I spend most of my day chasing her down trying to get tiny things out of her hands so she doesn't swallow it or destroy it.
She is so stubborn.  I'm not sure where she gets that.  I can move something out of her reach and she still goes after it. 
I have been struggling with the idea of "Santa" and if we want to introduce her to him and perpetuate the lie for the next eight or so years.  Seth says we are doing it.  I'm not going to NOT do it.  I am not hating on anyone that does it, I just...I guess when I found out, it made me sad, and then I was such a bitch, I was so upset about the lie that was Santa, that I ruined it for my brother.  Also Seth works so hard, and our parents worked so hard to save up for Christmas presents and to make Christmas special for us, I want her to know that, I want her to know how hard we work to make Christmas awesome.  Also Christmas is supposed to be about Jesus, and when she is old enough, I want her to focus on that,  not on Santa and his presents.  I'm back and forth, well actually my mind is made up, everyone just thinks I'm an uber bitch for denying her Santa, so I'm just going along with it, and maybe when she can understand I will explain it to her.
I caught myself though going along with it, because I wrapped all of her toys and labeled them "From Santa" and all her books and clothes "From Mommy and Daddy".  Shit!  I would have totally unwrapped everything (because we are cheap and just write on our wrapping paper with a red (festive, no?) sharpie) and done it again but I HATE wrapping and for some reason I get stuck doing it EVERY year.  Even wrapping up my own presents (which granted, I bought for myself, but still, its a little fucked up that I have to wrap them, but I know that a. Seth will never get around with it, and b. I don't want him going, wait, when did you buy a new cupcake pan?  We have a cupcake pan.  And then I would have to say, it's covered in rust and it was four dollars, and then that would digress into a conversation all about how four dollars adds up yada blah glub cheap cheap cheap...so I wrap them myself.) and his family's presents. 
Its hard to wrap presents with a kid.  At least my kid.  I made the mistake of letting her open my birthday presents from Seth's family and now she thinks ALL wrapping paper is for ripping, even the stuff I leave on the floor.
I'm a such a crap present wrapper.  I don't trim any of the edges, I eyeball the paper when I cut it so sometimes the entire back is showing and I don't have enough paper.  I save every single scrap and then try to make it work with other presents...
Do you guys wrap the presents you put into stockings?  We never had that as kids, but Seth's family does.  It seems like a good idea, I mean that way in case some one peeks or gets upset when you can see what the gifts are...or is the stocking wrapping enough?
I've missed my grandpa who recently passed away a lot this Christmas season.  He made a lot of my Christmas decorations, my favorite ones actually.  The 3D snowflakes on my tree and the white tree with reindeer that is just so classy.  He made these pins at Christmas and gave them out to everyone, my Dad finished them this year for him and we are handing them out around town at the Christmas festival in his hometown on Saturday.  This year I begged and inherited his train for the bottom of my Christmas tree.  It means a lot to me.  I loved decorating ours as a kid and I can't wait until Evie decorates ours.
I'm excited because I'm going to be cooking for my parents twice a week to help pay for the new tires on my vehicle.  I have tons of ideas, I just hope they like it!
Okay my loves, this is all the time I have to spare.  I have to wake up the sleeping Birdie and give her a bath before Seth gets home.

Love (cold days and warm baths),
Carrie