Cousin Mania!

On a whim yesterday we met up with Vanessa's Mollohan cousins at LEGOMania, which was taking place in Groveport, and free. :) (Not much for little ones like Vanessa or older ones like Ben, but definitely something for those in between, and we knew that when rushing down to meet everyone.)

Vanessa seemed to be somewhat interested in the train circling the LEGO city. There were lots of people there and we were crammed into a small space, but it was still really cool to see some of the kids really enjoying themselves, while others were very patient. :) Several made their own masterpieces, of which I have no pictures for but hope someone does.

Truly an enjoyable day!

It's a Wonderful Life

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house, Vanessa was stirring and could hardly remain still for stories. It's as if she knew to be extra excited with anticipation of what was to come. Or perhaps she was reacting to our energy -- hurriedly moving from one project to the next in hope to create an extra special Christmas for Vanessa. Here she sits long enough for me to take a photo (but that was it):

Christmas day was a lot of fun. We opened presents in the typical fashion of wake up, dress cozy, fetch some milk and turn on the Christmas lights, before making a (what seems now) short mention of the true meaning of Christmas and then opening presents. Vanessa was wonderfully engaged in the opening of her presents. However, she did need a little extra encouragement when it came to tearing wrapping paper -- a perfect opportunity to learn that it's okay to rip certain paper, but not Mommy's favorite book or magazine. :) For some reason we didn't capture any still shots. We have video, but it's too large to share via the blog.

Later we headed over the river and through the woods to Vanessa's grandparent's house, where we enjoyed a wonderful visit. We feel extremely blessed.

With Vanessa's eyes all aglow, our tiny tot has found it hard to sleep at times. She tests her limits more when completely exhausted . . . and she's plenty exhausted from all the holiday excitement. She was climbing all over everything last night, running from one thing to another and dragging her new things all over the house.

(Note: Vanessa's daddy gave her a child size recliner [left] that is upholstered in faux reptile leather. She loves it and exclaims "Chair!" when she sees it. The apron Vanessa is wearing was modified from an apron that belonged to her Great Grandmother Barb. With help from Grandma Jan, Vanessa's aunt Jenni chose the fabric and then altered the apron for Vanessa. It's a perfect and very thoughtful gift. We look forward to one day when Vanessa will be able to reflect on how special a gift it really is. Both pictures: We had to tell Vanessa what seemed like hundreds of times to put her feet on the ground or put her bottom down. We'd put her back on the floor and she'd climb back up in the matter of seconds. So of course I had to document her behavior to reflect fondly on her fearless energy.)

Vanessa enjoying Christmas:

"Rocking around the Christmas tree at the Christmas party hop . . ."

Another year has come and gone. :( It was one of many notable memories. We're extremely thankful for our many blessings.

God bless you and send you a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

The things we do . . .

Is it a good idea to start a big painting project four days before Christmas?! :) Sure it is! Vicky's birthday was this last week and as a gift, Adam decided to paint the family/play room this weekend. (I would imagine he’s tired of hearing me whine about the room needing to be painted, even though he said “Anything for my wife’s birthday.” Awww . . . ) The primer alone is better than what we've been living with -- so much cleaner and the uniformity of color is much easier on the eyes. Adam’s energy and effort is greatly appreciated. It’s a wonderful birthday present!!!! The main color is subtle blue – no surprise if you know Vicky. (And she tries to help when she can. ;-) With the exception of replacing molding that was removed before purchasing the house, we should finish tonight!

Left: Vanessa helping Daddy tape the floor. Right: Enjoying

the empty room while talking on a pretend phone . . .

After two coats of primer . . .

One more thing to check off the list!

Among the chaos, when Vanessa’s not napping she’s hanging out with her toys in the dining room and kitchen. She grew bored of her bedroom after emptying her drawers. [sigh] We were hoping to go shopping to get out of Adam’s way, but it was just too cold.

Side note: With her daddy’s help, Vanessa gifted her mommy with two really nice cutting boards. They’re gorgeous and I’m very excited about using them! (But really . . . do you need anything more than that smile . . . ?)

O' Christmas Tree

(Vanessa helped take this picture of her Christmas tree by hitting her mother's arm at just the right moment. Seems she has a talent . . . :)

This last Sunday we finally went on the hunt for our Christmas tree. We just went to Oakland Nursery on 161 in Dublin, where Santa happened to be as well. He was on a train car with wheels, and of course he thought for sure Vanessa would be interested in him. She looked at him and waved, but we didn't stop. Was that rude? Oh well . . . we were on a mission and it was cold, and Vanessa didn't seem to care. I hope we're not horrible parents for not forcing a visit with Santa . . . :)

Decorating was a huge process -- let the limbs fall, Daddy put lights on, and then we waited to do the rest when Mommy felt up to it . . .
So by Wednesday here we are hanging the first ornaments on the tree. Well okay, Vanessa's chewing hers . . . but she did end up helping quite a bit . . .

Vanessa at work:


And finally . . .

"How often you give us delight in brightly shining Christmas light!"

"Mommy said no texting while eating."

"Okay, just one more second Mommy. . ."

A battle not worth fighting . . .

All day today Vanessa just had to carry her phone everywhere . . . I put it away when she wasn't looking so she wouldn't insist on napping with it. It's funny how that works. :)

Mollohan Christmas

With how busy December gets and the short season this year, we decided to celebrate our Mollohan Christmas this last weekend. We get so excited about the thought of us getting together. And we become really sad when the visit ends. As one might imagine with eight children, the visit goes by rather quickly. The kids range in ages 16 months to just about 15 years. Our oldest nephew, Ben, still hangs with us, fortunately. That’s how respectful and polite he is. Think back when you were fifteen . . . did you want to hang with a bunch of little ones bouncing off the walls? One or two might be fine, but eight?! :) He’s a good sport, and we’re extremely thankful he’s willing to hang with us.

So the visit was very busy. We ate wonderful Lorobi’s pizza and a little later we indulged in all kinds of goodies. Before enjoying the cupcakes, pumpkin cheesecake and so forth, Vanessa’s cousin Hannah suggested we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus. It was a sweet suggestion and we proceeded to do just that. For some odd reason I felt I had to look somewhere, so I fixed myself on the Baby Jesus hanging on the Advent calendar. I was probably obnoxious about it. But I have to say – it’s wonderful to be reminded of the true meaning of Christmas. And it’s even better when reminded by an almost-four-year-old.

It also snowed in Gallia County. By 12:30 or 1 it had made the roads very slick. It only takes a little snow down there to make that happen. The main roads do not remain treated, like in Columbus – snow plows and salt trucks come out there when the snow actually begins to hit. And to add to that – the roads are curvy and go up and down hills. So we saw numerous accidents . . . but fortunately we were not involved in any.

Below are a few photos from our visit. The kids were excited to have an excuse to play the game box. It provided two resting moments, in a sense, and a good photo op for the group. :)

Stay out!

So I went to put away leftovers last night and needed a plastic bowl and lid. The cabinet in which we store these kinds of things is named Vanessa's Cabinet.

(The cabinet is like a second playhouse to Vanessa. Vanessa likes to climb in and out of the cabinet and explore all the different containers and lids it holds, so most of the time the items end up all over the kitchen floor. The quickest clean up is to go back after she's down for a nap or in another room and pick up the items to throw back in the cabinet, which also leads to cleaning the items again right before using them. Believe me -- there's no sense in stacking them neatly . . . I've tried . . . though perhaps one day we can get back to that point . . .)

So as I was saying . . . I needed a bowl and lid, so I walked over to the cabinet to find a set. As I’m sure many of you can relate, anytime I transition between anything, Vanessa’s ears perk up and she has to come check out if I’m getting into something she’s been forbidden, just to test the boundaries once more, or to see if there’s something new. Well this time Vanessa realized I was getting into her cabinet. She ran over quickly and began to protest loudly. She then climbed into the cabinet and closed the door. She carried on for a good thirty or forty-five minutes. I managed to fight for a bowl and lid, and was successful in putting away the leftovers. : )

And I’ve also posted some video of Vanessa telling her side of the story.

Bookworm

For most of her life, Vanessa has loved reading. :) We have tons and tons of pictures with her flipping through books. She spends a good part of her day dragging over books for you to read. She often likes you to repeat the story two or three times, if not more, before moving on to another. Here are a few pictures of her from the last month or so. There's no getting her to look at the camera when she's absorbed. And she loves looking at pictures in magazines and newspapers!

Thankfulness

At times I've wanted to share my deepest thoughts on here but I realize that some of them, no matter how pleasant, are meant for me to store away in my heart. That being said, and it being the time for Thanksgiving, I undoubtedly need to share how grateful I am to be a mother. I've wanted nothing more in life than to have a family and raise children. If I'm granted the chance to grow old in a relatively healthy state of mind, I know I'll reflect on my years as a mother and decide these were the happiest, so it's extra important that I strive to do my best . . .

I love children in general -- their innocence, enthusiasm for life, and the fact they just want to be loved and nothing more. To be entrusted with a child's life, is such an amazing responsibility. I pray I never take it for granted.

I realize I don't always know what is best, so it is my hope and prayer to be a facilitator in Vanessa's life -- to provide her with all the unconditional love and support I can so she can live a happy and fruitful life. I pray I can always be there to pick her up when she falls and to encourage her to try again. I pray I will allow Vanessa to live her own life and not mine. I pray that I can set a good example for her and that she'll learn to ultimately rely on God for everything.

For whatever amount of time God is allowing me this wonderful gift, I pray to always remain thankful for the unexplainable blessing Vanessa is.

May not seem an appropriate picture, but it represents Vanessa's radiant personality . . . and it makes me smile . . .

The Beatdown

Vanessa loves to dance. So it's no surprise that once home from watching the rivalry game with family, Vanessa demonstrated how the Buckeyes danced all over the Maize 'n' Blue today.

Veteran's Day

Vanessa has several extended family members with a history of serving in the military. With no forethought to today, Vanessa recently posed in front of a veterans’ monument that includes her mommy’s father’s name. (Although they misspelled his last name by placing the “h” and “a” out of order . . .) John T. Mollohan served as a mechanic in the U. S. Army during the Vietnam Era.

Math lesson?

I've wanted to share this photo for the last few weeks now! As mentioned previously with playhouse photos,

Vanessa enjoys taking all kinds of things into the house.

We have an extra booster seat that comes in handy for times when I need to feed the girls together. Vanessa automatically becomes attracted to the dining room chair in which it's fastened. While cleaning the kitchen I could hear that Vanessa was extra hard at work. I glanced to see what she was up to when I noticed she was trying really hard to take the dining room chair inside the playhouse. She worked from behind it and pushed, and she even worked from the inside and pulled.

Happy Birthday Joel!

We were able to attend Joel's birthday celebration this last Saturday. He turned 4! He's a remarkable little boy with a handsome smile and gorgeous eyes. (And he makes a great Batman!)

Three of the four Mollohan girl cousins (Rachel will have Hannah and Vanessa posing before we know it!):

Joel was a good sport to let Hannah and Vanessa (mostly Vanessa) tear down his balloons.

Miniature Tiger

Tigers are known to be the heaviest of the four kinds of big cats in the wild, so it might’ve seemed a contradiction to dress our petite little Vanessa as one, except for her comparable feistiness.

According to her mother, the little tigress can postpone begging for candy for another year or so, especially since she doesn’t seem to need the extra boost of energy, but she did enjoy visiting and playing in her costume. (Okay . . . she may have licked a cherry sucker several times and had a bite or two of a Hershey bar . . . but her parents didn’t need the temptation of a basket full of candy – we just polished off our own bags of Kit Kat bars, M&Ms, Snickers and Reese Cups! What a pleasure those few days were . . .)

Trick or treat?

Obviously a treat . . .

The Ohio River Valley

Adam and I enjoy visiting our hometown area during this time of year. We traveled to Gallipolis yesterday and could not have asked for a more beautiful day to do so. The green-, yellow- and red-hued leaves on the trees that shroud the rolling hills and line the Ohio River make one ever so grateful for God’s work. As we headed home it was hard not to be hypnotized by the breathtaking sunset.

This fountain is located in the Gallipolis City Park and is a popular place to take pictures before high school dances. Some also take senior portraits here, too. Vanessa liked walking around it and playing peek-a-boo using the columns circling it.