The Many Joys of Christmas

For unto us was born... a SAVIOR.

Christmas is the day we can celebrate the birth of Christ - God's miracle of redemption and love for us, sending His son to be born in a manger.

When I think of Christmas, it brings back 34 years of memories... The excitement of a 6 year old, in a screaming frenzy over a Barbie dream house. The happiness of a 7 year old, getting to drive over the hills and through the woods to Grandma's house! The anxiousness of a 10 year old, just laying awake at 4am and counting down the minutes until Christmas morning would come. The hopefulness of a 14 year old, just hoping that I would get everything on my Christmas list. The joy of a newlywed, getting showered with love and gifts by her husband. And the radiance of a mother, getting to see the magic of Christmas through the eyes of her boys. It's all wonderful - every year of amazing, magical, nostalgic Christmas memories.

This year was no different, although I felt like I really did have to pay the piper for those precious moments of Christmas joy. And by pay, I mean, I had to endure endless hours of streams of customers for the past month. Then, after both Firoze and I worked a full day on Christmas Eve, we had to get in the car and make the 5 hour drive to Charleston with the boys. Then, Dean decided he would go from being our angel sleeper, who never misses a great nights sleep, to being the "Grinch that Stole Christmas." He absolutely refused to sleep for our entire Christmas vacation and instead, decided to "party" like a rock star until 4am.

But, this is what made it all worth it...


Nothing compares to waking up Christmas morning and seeing an entire house filled with presents, then getting to open them for at least 3 straight hours! This picture shows the aftermath. :)

"The stockings were all hung by the chimney with care... in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there..."


Nothing gives me that warm, nostalgic feeling more than seeing my Mom's handmade Christmas stockings that she made out of felt for each of us around the time we were each born. This "Mom & Dad" stocking is my attempt to copy her beautiful creations! I love seeing them all hung on the mantle each year.

And St. Nicholas did make an appearance! My Dad got a full Santa suit and dressed up and hand delivered his presents to all the boys. I got it all on video, so unfortunately I don't have a single picture to post. Let me just say... SHOCK and AWE from a 4 year old, a 3 year old and a 2 year old! What an awesome memory for our boys! Next year, I wouldn't be at all surprised if my Dad pulled up in a sleigh with 8 live reindeer! He is the Grandpa/Papa that would do ANYTHING to bring joy to his grandsons.

Yes, there was food. The Sherman house is never lacking for food. Say, you want homemade chex mix at 2am??? We got it. You got a craving for a banana split with 5 different flavors of ice cream and all the toppings? No problem. You just HAVE to have a candied pecan, or 100 candy bars - yeah, check the snack cupboard! And then there was the Christmas meal... Doesn't this look like any good Junior League housewife's fantasy buffet? After all, there is crockpot mac n' cheese for goodness sake!



And there were presents... My love gave me too many good gifts - way TOO much. But, my favorite gift of all was my awesome new Canon lens. This lens will take the beautiful pictures of our boys through the years. Here's a pic to show off my awesome bokeh (that's photographer speak for pretty blur!)


(And yes, this is one of the things I look forward to every year at Christmas - the sparkly, sprinkle-covered, Voortman Christmas cookie - it's quite bright and shiny, isn't it?)

And my parents gave me a gift that brought tears to my eyes, one of the bracelets that belonged to my Grandma Vivian. She was an estate jeweler and had the love and passion for jewelry that we have all inherited. This was one of her favorite vintage pieces, a chunky gold woven bracelet with a very girly diamond bow with tassels. I LOVE it! Thank you Mom and Dad - that was the sweetest gift of all!



And then were the TOYS... an entire living room covered from top to bottom in Toy Story toys, dinosaurs, race cars, remote control cars, books, musical baby toys, and everything else from Toys R' Us!


Devon got all things dinosaur, of course!


Dean enjoyed chewing on all the toys that didn't belong to him and any small scrap of wrapping paper that didn't make it into the trash bag. Also, take notice how my BABY is now standing up and only holding on with ONE hand! Boo - my little baby is almost ready to take his first steps, any day now...


Quinn, what could be better than Woody, riding on Woody, riding on Bullseye??? NOTHING!


Judah got lots of toys, but the happiest I saw him all day was when he saw the strawberry jello salad on the table topped with whipped cream and he just dug his entire finger into it and licked it off!

The best Christmas gift of all was being together. Enjoying staying up late and talking, hanging out drinking coffee, seeing all the commotion of 5 people cooking in the kitchen, watching Devon, Dean, Judah and Quinn all play together (and truly enjoy playing with each other for the first time)!!


I can't believe we have a house full of 4 baby boys, born in 4 years!!!???

Judah and Quinn could not have been sweeter to Dean. Everytime they got a chance, they were hugging him or kissing his face.




And Dean was all for kissing cousins! :)


Devon and Judah actually played together! This brought me back to my childhood when I couldn't wait to see all my cousins at family holidays. I am SO happy to see Devon, Judah and Quinn having fun together.


Uncle Fi gave horsey rides!


Aunt Coco snuggled, and bundled, and smooched, and rocked Dean like the best Aunt in the whole wide world!


And not to be outdone, Uncle G showed us all up and got Dean to laugh non-stop... big, huge, baby chuckles... baby giggles... baby belly laughs!


Best Dean picture and best Dean smile award goes to Uncle G!

We even had a Charleston "White Christmas!" We saw snow flurries flutter down all day on December 26th. Just in time for Grandpa and Devon to catch a snowflake on their toungue. Then it was time to pack all those presents in the car and make the drive back to Atlanta. It went by way too fast!


We hope your Christmas was full of peace, love and joy this year... and an extra bit of that glittery, childlike, Christmas "magic!"

Things that warm my heart...

It's cold in Atlanta. Bone chilling, freezing, icy cold. But, these are the things that warm me up inside:

When we get home from work, Devon and Dean both race to the door to welcome us with open arms and hugs. Dean is so small, but he races to the door and tries to climb up to give us a hug. He loves his Dada, that's for sure! In fact, I'm starting to think that he loves Firoze just a little bit more than me right now. :)







Other than our boys, the only thing better to come home to after a long day of work is a cozy house - filled with the twinkling lights of our Christmas tree.



I try my best to create the Christmas memories for the boys and these are moments that warm my heart. This year, we made a gingerbread train together.








Devon put every single candy on this train and he was sooo proud of himself!



Lately, when I just can't get warm and it's 11 o'clock at night, my craving is for a peppermint hot chocolate made from real chocolate shavings.



Today has been a great day - spending the morning with Devon and Dean and then cooking a big pot of soup. This is Barefoot Contessa's recipe for Italian Wedding Soup and it will warm you up!


The smell of onion, celery and carrot sauteeing in a pot makes the house cozy!


Homemade chicken meatballs roating in the oven - yum!


And this is the finished soup - it warms me up just looking at the picture!

Lastly, this is just a little sneak preview... Christmas Cards were made today.

And these photos were some that didn't make the cut, but they did warm my heart.


Babies laughing...


And silly kids faces when all you want it something worthy of a Christmas Card...

I feel all warm and cozy inside.

Motherhood: The Good, The Bad and The Lovely

I've been thinking a lot this week about becoming a mother. I guess counting down the days along with Bethany (waiting for her to go into labor) made me think about 4 years ago, when I was waiting for Devon to arrive. There was so much anticipation, so much emotion, so much of the unknown. Now I can say it - so much has changed in 4 years - everything has changed about the way I view life, after becoming a mother.


Devon at 1 month old (October 2006)

The Good:
There are so many amazing things about becoming a mother... When Devon was born, I remember my happiest moment would be after a night of insanity - after hours of a crying, screaming, unhappy baby - he would finally fall asleep in the wee hours of the early morning. When he was ready to wake up, he would start cooing and I would look over the edge of the bassinet and he would look at me with a knowing look - the look that says "that's my Mama" and he would smile this angelic, sweet, soft, funny smile and everything would be forgotten - all the hours of torture would be erased with that one smile.

I still remember one night that I was trying to put Devon to bed. He was so little, maybe around 1 year old. We were in his dark room and I was holding him and pacing around the room. All the sudden, for no apparent reason, Devon started to kiss my face and he gave me about 20 kisses all over my face. Still to this day, it was one of the sweetest moments of my life.

With Dean, it has even been sweeter. This time around, I felt like I knew what I was in for and also knew the good parts to look out for - the feeling of holding his tiny little curled up newborn self, the first time I saw him accomplish a new milestone, the first time he slept through the night - these are the good parts. I know how fast this time races by in a blur and before I know it, he'll be as big as Devon and will be rattling off the names of dinosaurs for me.


Holding Dean (April 2010)

The Bad:
No one can prepare you to become a parent. You watch other people and you think "I could do that." You know your capabilities and you think "how hard could it be?" You look at sweet little babies and you think "I want one of those!" But... you have NO idea how your life is about to change. I think the biggest thing is to go from first to last on your own priority list. Before kids, when you were hungry, you would eat. When you were tired, you would sleep. When you wanted to relax, you would let your mind drift off into a blur of thoughts. After kids, you rarely get what you want when you want it. You give up yourself. It's hard to explain, but you realize how much you want to let your mind wander. Instead, your mind is working in overdrive, every second of every day, making sure your kids are safe - keeping an eye on them and not missing a second where they might eat an electrical cord or fall down the stairs.

It's probably good and bad, but I also didn't know how much my emotions would be directly and proportionately tied into the happiness of Devon and Dean. If they're not happy... Mama's REALLY not happy. As babies, if they whimpered, I felt sad. If they screamed, I started stressing. As one minute turned into two, I felt my blood pressure rise and my emotions start screaming with them on the inside. There's no switch to turn it off - you can't relax and watch your favorite TV show if your baby is crying... it's just not possible anymore. I didn't know that before I became a mother.

The Lovely:
Oh the love... it's unlike anything I've ever felt before. I didn't know that becoming a mother would open up a whole new realm of joy. To see Devon do something amazing, to be so smart, to be so funny, to be so cute... it makes my heart swell with joy. Sometimes I can't even believe that I'm so lucky to be his mother. How many people can tell you "he's so cute!" or "he's so smart!" before you feel like you won the lottery? I already feel that way. When I see him, I'm so proud that he's mine.


Devon at two months old (November 2006)

Then there is Dean - such a blessing to enjoy the baby things with him. Not to be resentful of the loss of myself, but to know all the million things that make that not so important anymore. He's my little angel, showing me how adorable he can be and how "easy" it has become to be his mother. He made me a confident mother, knowing I can swaddle and comfort and know exactly the right moment to give that dose of Tylenol. I can't wait for him to call for me and to hear him say "Mamamama" and mean it. I can't wait for him to take his first steps. There is so much happiness and love to enjoy and it's all waiting for me.


Dean at two months old (May 2010)

At least a hundred times a day, I think how lucky I am to have been given the gift of these beautiful boys.

To come full circle, I'm so happy that Bethany got to become a mother this week. Baby Grayson Bak was born on Wednesday, December 8th and I can't wait to meet him!

So Thankful

We can say "We were here first!" We were the happy testers of the St. Regis Ice Rink this week. What a gorgeous spot to enjoy a little bit of the winter chill in Hotlanta. It was Devon's first time in skates and he was a natural. I have no idea why Firoze is reluctant to let him become a figure skater???




After a few times around, Devon was ready to let go of the side railing and probably even my hand, if I would let him!





I was so proud of Devon - he was so sure of himself on skates. Maybe it's in the genes!





Firoze did his part by ordering a gourmet hot chocolate and giving it a taste test. We wouldn't want the rest of Atlanta to suffer by having to taste it first without a professional hot chocolate drinker giving it the stamp of approval.



Next our "testing" continued with the s'mores roasted in the St. Regis outdoor fireplace.





And if you're wondering... do s'mores taste better when you eat them at a 5-star hotel, rather than a campsite in the middle of the woods? The answer is YES!



Thank you Robert (at St. Regis) for treating us like VIP's for the afternoon - for the skating session, for the hot chocolate and s'mores, and for taking two great family pictures of us!





Devon got to see the amazing St. Regis gingerbread house - look at the size of this! It was still a work in progress, since the actual grand opening won't be for a few more days. The smell was heavenly. No need for a spa visit, just stand there and smell the air around the gingerbread house for about 5 minutes!





We were so thankful to have a few days off, to have this amazing family day together and then to lead right into the Thankgiving eat-a-thon!

My Mom and Dad came up to Atlanta for Thanksgiving and we were truly thankful that they could make it. All Devon asked me (at least a hundred times) over the past two weeks was "Can I watch my 'Dinosaurs' movie with Grandpa and Mimi?" On Thanksgiving morning, he got his wish and you can see how cozy he was snuggled next to his "Grandpa."



The best thing we did this year was to prepare all our dishes the day before, so on Thankgiving day, all we had to do was to kick back, relax and watch the Macy's Day Parade and a dinosaur movie, while our turkey cooked for a few hours. Then we popped all those great side dishes in the oven and enjoyed some of this...



Seriously, look at that - are you drooling yet? It's baked brie topped with a sprinkling of brown sugar and pecans. When it's warm from the oven, you top the entire thing with good cherry preserves that have been warmed and then you shove your face in it... I mean, you politely spread a reasonable amount on a cracker and you eat it (and repeat this for the next hour!). What a great way to pass the time while casseroles bake!

So, we did Thanksgiving right... After all, it's my all time favorite eating day of the year. Yes, there are fancy nights out at restaurants, but what can top Thanksgiving dinner? Yep, that's right... NOTHING! So, here's the rundown... we had our Turkey, brined all night and glistening from the oven, we had our gravy - which was perfection, by the way! We had mashed potatoes with more butter and cream cheese than should be legal. We had macaroni and cheese, which bubbled away with cheesy goodness. And of course we had the homemade cranberry sauce, spiked up with extra orange zest and citrus juice. Those are all the regulars at our table, but here were some of the all stars.

Sweet Potato casserole is only "right" if you have at least a 1 inch thick layer of brown sugar, butter, and pecans on top!



Oh the stuffing goodness, to stuff our bellies, to stuff our mouths... this was some seriously good stuffing - made with carmelized onions and apples.



You've got to have a Thanksgiving "wildcard." You can't do the same thing every year, or people would just eat it and complain non-stop. Actually, they probably would happily eat the same thing, but it's just me that always wants to try one new thing. So, this year, it was sweet corn casserole and it was like a moist, fluffy, sweet cornbread and it was AMAZING!



Our Thanksgiving table was just beautiful, thanks to the gorgeous new glasses that arrived just in time from Bethany and to the perfect fall leaves, gathered by my Mom and Devon on their walk around our neighborhood.



What a perfect Thanksgiving, filled with a bountiful table and a wonderful family to enjoy it with!



After eating for about 7 straight hours, we decided to get moving down to Atlantic station. What a perfect night to be out and about in Atlanta. It was warm and the lights were so cheery and bright!





The size of this Christmas tree makes it absolutely stunning!



We were so happy we could spend Thanksgiving with "Mimi and Grandpa" (formerly known as "Mom and Dad") and that it was such a perfect day!



The best way to end it was with a little night soccer, first with Firoze and Devon and then with a new little friend we met at the Atlantic Station Park.







Good thing Devon got enough exercise for all of us because it was time to go home and eat some pie! And so we did!