Merry Christmas!

This was the first Christmas we did not have to drive over 5 hours to be with family. Every year since we've been married we've had Christmas Eve dinner on I-5 (usually In n Out!) and have arrived to our families houses around 3am! It felt like a dream to get in the car after Ryan finished the service at church and drive only an hour and a half to Danville and still get to hang out with my family before all heading to bed! It made for a much more AWAKE Christmas morning :-)


This year was also the most fun as far as the kids go, Macy definitely understood the present concept and was soooo excited to tell everyone over and over that it was CHRISTMAS! Carter wanted every present 'op-peese' (Open Please) IMMEDIATELY!

The kids with their new presents from Cita and Papa!


Doesn't Carter look like such a big kid?!


Judge if you must, but we got Carter a baby doll for Christmas. I realize I will receive a hard time for this by many, but he LOVES his little boy baby. He is always trying to take Macy's and now he can have his own and do BOY things with it :-) He was so excited when he saw what it was he tried to hug the baby while it was still inside the package!


Papa with the girls.


Sweet McKenna hurt her foot a couple days before Christmas and it is still so bad she honestly can't walk at all. She just sat and played and drug herself on the ground when she needed to get somewhere, poor thing, she's such a tough cookie.


BTW - I'm posting all these pictures from my very own laptop! My husband, parents and grandma all piled together to get me one for our new store opening this summer! I L-O-V-E it!!! :-)
Merry Christmas everyone!

A moment to brag...

Ryan painted this. He will be incredibly embarrassed once he realizes I posted this, and it is a random accidental picture that got taken but it happened to show some of the painting and I am extremely proud of my multi talented husband so I figured I'd share it. I just wanted a painting that we could put over the fireplace during Christmas so it'd be more 'festive' then the rest of the year, he said he'd give it a shot. He never stops amazing me.

Art time

Macy made her own wrapping paper this Christmas! She had a blast!

Bring on the Christmas Carols!

I am a lyric lover. I LOVE listening to the words of songs and it most often determines whether or not I claim it in my most professional opinion as "good" or not. This is why I love Country music, and this is why I drive my husband crazy.

But at Christmas time I am brought to incredible new heights of admiration as I listen to the geniusly crafted, gorgeously intertwined emotion, theology and ryhme. In tiny stanzas and phrases! I have no idea how song writers do it. If I could pick a talent it would be the ability to take truth and feeling and experience and send it through that mysterious transformation in which it becomes music; with the ability now to communicate on a whole new level of heart; transcending just words. It is absolute magic to me.

So this season as we began singing Christmas songs at church and hearing them in the car and playing them on our Ipod, I once again have been overcome with the deep history and emotion tucked away in these songs we sing without thinking.
The idea that there is now "Peace on Earth and mercy mild, because God and sinners (us) are finally reconciled!" And the fact that a song like "Hark the Hearald Angels Sing" can map out that ingenius plan of reconciliation in a couple lyrics!

"Velied in flesh the Godhead see; Hail the incarnate diety!
Pleased as man with men to dwell; Jesus our Emmanuel!"
God came to earth in human form, and lived amongst us so we could have relationship with Him!
Emmanuel (God with us) was Jesus! Crazy.
I am floored by the idea that this God mildly "lays his glory by, born that man no more may die." What a plan.

And I love how "O Holy Night" talks about how long people waited for God to somehow save them, I love how they knew for so long that something was wrong and they desperatley needed someone to come along and show them how to not be at odds with God, to tell them whether or not God was done with them , whether or not they had any worth or hope. I can't imagine living back then when they didn't know for sure if there was hope to ever KNOW GOD.

"Long lay the world, in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt it's worth
A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices; for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn!"

And then when He came some knew it immediatley. Some recongnized God and their soul instantly leapt with joy at being valued enough to be saved! Other's didn't know right away, didn't know they needed someone, didn't know that Someone had come. But this song! I just love how when someone finally gets it, however long it takes, whenever each new person finally realizes, 'Oh my gosh! GOD put this plan together for ME, and He came as Jesus so that He and I could have a relationship, how they ALWAYS

"Fall on their knees".

This Christmas, I do too.

What's a girl... MOM... to do?

We just got back from a whirlwind weekend and the whole family is exhausted. Wiped out, sleep deprived, on our very last nerve ending.. exhausted. In my delirium while running errands this morning I accidentally placed the kids in eachother's car seats. (Not to worry, size wise they are both perfectly safe in whichever one) No biggie right? Eh um... wrong. Carter's doesn't have yellow and pink flowers all over his... duh.

Clearly in the mind of my 3 yr old, this called for drastic and immediate tantrum measures to reach heights I didn't even know existed within the tiny little girl I call my daughter. When I, being completely unreasonable, would not stop the car to change seats the desperation and hysteria continued. After a good 10 minutes of crying and pleading and pure unadulterated ridiculousness, through tear stained cheeks and hoarse, sob choked breaths, she flopped her head back onto Carter's carseat and sobbed,

"But Mommy (gulp..sob...sob...gasp for air...gulp) you've broken my heart."

It begged to be documented, the exact moment at which I now understand, as the mother of a girl...

I do not stand a chance.

She's Three

My heart feels like it's going to explode today.

I have watched this little girl all day long with her bubbly excitement; her twisting hips and tapping toes, her all important, VERY mature declarations to those we encounter that TODAY is her birthday. I've sat back and watched over the past couple days as the anticipation grew, as she opened early presents and counted the days down, as she chattered unceasingly about Disneyland and earrings. And I simply still can not fathom how in the world it has come to be that she is already three.

The time has just gone so fast and literally before my very eyes she has become a little girl. She is sweet and sassy; full of giggles and silly songs. She is kind and caring and her gentle heart floors me daily. I've never seen the kind of gratitude I witness in her; it's a kind that can't be taught as she atributes specialness to the tiniest objects given by a loved person. She's shy in a new setting and the bubbliest attention hog you could meet when she's with family and friends. She's sharp as a tack and too observant for her own good; her memory is frightening. I love watching her little mind grow and gather all sorts of tid bits and goodies to pack away and pull out at the most random of moments. She is hopelessly sensitive and dramatic, traits that will both bless and curse her as she grows. She is timid and cautious but wildly independent and capable all at the same time. She is delightful, to me she is captivating, and I just can't believe, she is three.

From the MacDiarmid's

So if I post these does it mean I'm off the hook for Christmas Cards?
...gotta love blogs

Another year in Paradise

Gotta love this place.

Meltin' in your mouth

Ever since Macy and McKenna were born Holly and I have joked about needing to dress the girls up as M&M's sometime. Well she found these costumes after Halloween and brought them to Thanksgiving. What a crack up, the girls had a blast :-)

McKenna Genna

I love my neice. No, like really, I L-O-V-E my neice! This little girl is a spitfire of a two year old and I wish wish WISH I could spend more time with her. Macy was the first of all grandchildren on both sides and because of that I feel a little like I missed out on a part of 'Auntie-ness' that I know I would have loved! I feel such a struggle whenever we get together with our families because part of me wishes I could grab McKenna and go be 'fun Auntie Katie', really pour into her precious little heart and get busy building relationship (I know, relationship with a two year old? - but you know what I mean) but I am not just an Aunt, my own kids are around too and often need me to be their 'not so fun M-O-M', (which really stinks by the way) at the same time. So anyway; just wanted to share these precious little smiles of my favorite favorite neice; cuz I don't get much one on one time with her; but man if there ever was a way of viewing how much love is felt for one little person; you'd be watching my heart roll in by the truckloads. Love u Miss McKenna.

27

The way to a granddaughter's heart...

Is apparently through her playhouse.



The morning Macy was born my dad came into the room to see her for the first time, and as he leaned over my shoulder and peered in at the tiny bundle of baby girl I was holding his eyes sparkled at me and he whispered, "Can I build her her first playhouse?"

I will never forget that moment and this past weekend, almost three years later it finally happened! After coming up countless weekends to help us get our backyard finished, my dad made yet another trek up here with his truck and tools. My brothers came too and they began this awesome playhouse that Macy and Carter are already in love with.

It's seriously pretty sweet. This is not even close to the finished product, I'll post more pics once it's all done!

What we've been up to since Halloween.

Well, Macy doesn't really even care to eat her candy, one piece a day is really all she asks for... but PLAY with her candy? NON-STOP. Count it, put it in the bucket, pour it out, sort it in colors and line it by size... who would have thought candy could be so educational?




Along with the candy infatuation has come the increased princess obsession. A cape, crown or high heels can be found on her at almost any given time since Oct 31... and the gallons and gallons of cheese for the camera are following right behind. My little ham.

A Halloween Fairytale

My Princess...

and my Frog...

Aren't they sweet ... (minus Carter's mid-scream face) :-)

Harvest Festival

Creekside held a Harvest Festival and all the growth groups created different themes for the Trunk or Treat. That Candyland structure was ours... how amazing is Carly's paint job?! (And no Ryan and I are not Ketchup and Mustard, we are the red and yellow game pieces) :-)

Pumpkins Everywhere

I love the Pumpkin Patch, even though usually I don't even end up carving the pumpkins... still it's so just fall-ish and fun, and an incredibly fun background for pictures of my own little punkins.


Got this cute one of Dad with the kids...

Mom wasn't so lucky...


Pickin' out THE pumpkin... and we are oh so proud...


But I think I got the best ones in the patch....


Yeah yeah, I can hear all your gagging noises making their way through cyber space, but you know you all think your kids are the cutest too :-)