Actually...

Conversation between Luke and me:

Luke: You have a big nose.
Me: (laughing) I have a big nose?
Luke: Actually, it is quite big.

What, what? He sure knows how to make a lady feel good ;)

Ornaments - Second Tradition

Our second Christmas tradition has to do with ornaments. Some people do a color theme when they decorate their tree. Those trees look SO coordinated, sophisticated, and pretty. Of course, this wouldn't do for the Mancini Family tree. Our tree seems more like an ode to pop culture. Sounds a bit more like us, doesn't it?

The tradition started with Dan's parents and has been carried into our family. Each year we get an ornament that says something about that year. For example, we have an ornament called "Christmastime in the City", which we got the year we spent Christmas in Chicago. There is a calculator ornament received the year I started at Ronald Blue & Co. Sometimes things are made into an ornament like the tiny toy model of a Miata that has a hook around one of the tires so it can hang on the tree each year. (Yes, I used to drive a Miata. In three years, I've gone from a Miata to a mini van. Crazy!)

Every year we remember the significance of each ornament as it's placed on the tree. Usually, there's a yearly family ornament and one for each child. Luke and Maddie will get their ornaments when they are grown and on their own. They will have a tree full of childhood memories which they can share with their children. So fun!

Without further ado, here are this year's ornaments:

The family ornament.
We had a photographer meet us at Stone Mountain this year.
It was so fun and the photos were fabulous!


One of Luke's favorite cartoons is the Little Einsteins.
This plays the theme song and he loves it!

Maddie's is called "Living on Baby Time".
Feeding time, diaper time, play time, diaper time.
Yep, that sums up the second half of this year :)

This year we added a forth ornament and it has special meaning for us.

"Every life leaves something beautiful behind"

Dan's Gram passed away this year. I wish you could've know her because you would've loved her. She was filled with love for Jesus and life. She was so fun to be around and had a fabulous sense of humor. She was also instrumental in my accepting Christ. She is getting to celebrate the birth of Jesus in his presence. How cool is that?

This is one of my favorite traditions that we have. I hope Luke and Maddie come to enjoy it as much as I do.

6 Months!

Maddie is six months old. Can you believe that? She is such a great baby and I'm lovin this stage!! She crinkles her nose when she smiles really big. It is SO cute. She can now rollover from back-to-front and front-to-back. She can access items on the floor by rolling back-and-forth until she can reach them. She is currently cutting her first teeth and this has been high drama. She has a pretty low pain tolerance and we have had some sleepless nights as a result.

Here are some current pictures of the princess...

She now has enough hair to wear bows. Yeah!!

She is looking at her daddy. Can you tell she adores him?


I just want to eat her up!

Christmas Cookies - First Tradition

This is the first year that Luke is really into Christmas. It is so fun to see him get excited about the holiday season and I've been thinking about what I want our family Christmas traditions to be. In preparation for putting up the Christmas tree, I decided Luke and I would make Christmas cookies for the family to eat while trimming the tree. This was the very first time Luke and I were going to work in the kitchen and I was unsure of how it would go.

"It's going faster and faster and faster!!"
He seemed to enjoy the KitchenAid mixer as much as I do :)

I would measure the ingredients and he would but it in the mixer.
It was a great time to practice counting.

Luke exclaimed, "Lots and lots of SUGAR!!"

He enjoyed using the cookie cutters and making all the different shapes.

At this point, we are having fun and I'm so glad this is an activity we will do each year.

The result of eating too much cookie dough.
I'm starting to wonder why I thought baking cookies together was a good idea.

Luke's response to not being able to eat all the cookies we baked in one sitting.
All I wanted to do was create some freaking memories.

Our cookies and hot chocolate that we enjoyed while decorating the tree.
The memories of baking cookies are all good. I'm looking forward to next year.

Counting with Luke

Luke was counting the other day and I was mighty impressed...
"thirty six, thirty seven, thirty eight, thirty nine, thirty ten"
That, my friends, makes me laugh.

5 months!

Maddie is five months old today. Crazy! She is still pretty laid back, her default setting is smiling, and she can now roll from her back to her stomach. This was a bittersweet milestone for me. I know there is no where to go but forward from here. She will continue to develop skills that will allow her to be more and more mobile which means more and more independence.

As my mother-in-law says, "The days are long but the years are short." This is SO true. We were up at 4 am yesterday morning due to the time change and it made for a very long day. However, I've watched Luke go from being a baby to a toddler to a little boy in what seems like a blink of an eye. I'm trying to cherish these moments because before I know it she will be gone with a family of her own.

Okay, enough of this serious stuff. Bring on the latest pics :)

3 months

4 months

5 months

I just love her crocked smile. Isn't she too young to be flashing that type of smile? She makes me laugh!

Road Conversations...

For those of you who have had the distinct pleasure of driving with me, you know that I view myself as not having road rage but as having road conversations with my fellow drivers. Sometimes people just need to be educated about the correct way to operate a vehicle. I do this not out of anger but out of care and concern for my fellow drivers. I know you peeps from the south feel the car horn is like yelling and cursing but it really is a great communication tool. A light tap of the horn can communicate things like:

"Hey, don't know if you noticed but the light has turned green and that means you can go. You're welcome :) "

- OR -

"Next time you decide to make a lane change, please look in your mirror and check to make sure you have enough space to enter said new lane. Also, a signal is a great way to let me know you would like to get into my lane. Thank you mighty kindly."

Now, sometimes an education lesson takes on a little different tone. For example, a month ago I was on an access road to get onto 285. It's an access road I used for three years when I lived in Dunwoody. I'm in the far left lane which can turn left or go straight. The light turns green and I accelerate. As I start to go straight, the lady in the lane to the right of me, decides she is going to turn left. Yes folks, I'm going straight and she is trying to turn left in front of me.

I slammed on my breaks when I realized what was happening and managed not to hit her. I'm not sure how I accomplished this feat but I'm thinking it was God's mercy. After I avoided hitting her, I did what anyone would do in that situation. I employed my horn (loud and long) to communicate to her that she was currently a danger to herself and others. I was totally shaking and my heart was pounding in my chest.

As I'm getting onto 285, I start to doubt myself. I start wondering if I was in the wrong. Had the DOT changed the lanes on that access road? Did I not pay attention to the signs because I'm so familiar with the area? OH NO, did I almost hit that poor lady?

These thoughts have been crossing my mind for the last month and I've really felt bad about it. Today I used the access road again. Well, see for yourself:

I wasn't at fault. I had read the signs correctly. Why do I automatically assume I'm in the wrong and beat myself up for a month about it? I have no answer to this question. I just know I will be more cautious in these types of situations. Just because I know I can turn left or go straight, doesn't mean the gal next to me does. Yikes!