Dose of Reality

Getting past November 25th was a huge hurdle, but the upcoming holiday reiterates Granty's absence.  It's impossible not to miss the little guy.

Today my father-in-law went to view the headstone before it is laid into the ground.  As eager as we have been to get Granty's headstone in-place at the cemetery, when he texted the picture of it this afternoon, I couldn't help but breakdown.  It was a good thing I was working from home today (fetal monitoring and doctor's appointment this afternoon), as no one except the dog had to witness my cry-fest.  Seeing the images of the headstone provided a crushing blow of reality and an odd sense of finality.  It seems intrinsically wrong to see a headstone for a child, much less one adorned with a picture of my son.  However, I think both Damon and I will take resolve in knowing that he finally has a proper monument and resting place.

I know Alexa will be thrilled to see Granty's headstone when she and Damon visit the cemetery on Christmas.  It's like a blank canvas for her carefully selected dollar store decorations... :)

Limited Magic

I've quickly discovered one major downfall to my creativeness with Granty the Elf...Alexa is waking up earlier than ever simply to see where her elf sits and what mischief he's created.  This morning Alexa crept into my room around 5:45, excited to tell me that her elf had written "ALEXA" using the fake snow we had found in the box of Christmas decorations.  As much as I appreciate her enthusiasm, I think the elf is going to have to buy Alexa an alarm clock before the end of this holiday season....

As Alexa and I read "The Night Before Christmas" today, she began to ask about the celebration of Christmas in heaven.  Ooof...these are always tough conversations.  Alexa was very concerned about Santa's ability to get to heaven to bring toys to Granty.  Moreover, she was eager to find out if Santa gets to see Grant, because if he's able to see him, she assumed that Santa would be able to take us to see him.  I love her sense of logic and truly wish her ideas could come to fruition.  However, I had to let her know that Santa doesn't bring toys to heaven, but rather people in heaven celebrate in a different way.  I reminded her that decorating for Granty at the cemetery would be her special way to celebrate the holiday with her baby brother.

I could tell by the look on her face that my answer sufficed, but it was far from the answer she hoped to hear.  She did perk up when I reminded her that we will be shopping for toys that Granty would like and donating them in his memory to Phoenix Children's Hospital.  Sometimes retail therapy can do wonders....especially when it's for a good cause.

Fast asleep on the couch by 7pm....
flanked by a loyal (and equally tired) Alstott.

Unexpected Twist

Apparently December is way too late to buy an artificial Christmas tree, as Alexa and I discovered when we attempted to buy a tree today.  Costco was sold out of the 9-ft tree I had seen on their website (nothing online either), so we headed down the street to Home Depot.  Unfortunately Home Depot's selection of trees was pretty sparse, but our trip there provided some unexpected excitement for the day....

I have always been one of those people who never searches for the 'dream spot' in a parking lot - I usually park wherever is convenient and have no issue with a few extra yards of walking to get into the store.  Between the crowds and on-site Christmas tree lot, the Home Depot parking lot was pretty full this afternoon, so I parked on the site of the store by the garden center.  As I got out of the car, I noticed two people sitting in the car next to us, but didn't think much of it was I walked around to the passenger side to get Alexa from her car seat.  Suddenly, I heard the alarm on the store's emergency exit blaring, and a man was dashing our direction with his arms full of tools.  I made Alexa get back into the car, and I watched as the car next to us - apparently the getaway car - peeled off.  Holy cow!  Thankfully I was able to get the license plate number, so Alexa and I found ourselves in the offices of Home Depot as I wrote down the description of the car, stolen merchandise and perpetrators for the manager and police.  No success with a tree (looks like Alexa will get a real tree this year!), but at least we did our good deed for the day and Alexa learned a pretty valuable lesson.

Alexa was incredulous that someone would steal something - I think this was her first realization that not all people are "good."  I must have answered fifteen questions over the course of the day about why someone would steal and whether our neighbors are good (I'm not sure why she honed in on our neighbors).  One thing was certain in Alexa's mind - those three people are definitely getting coal from Santa!

Proud of her good deed for the day....
no coal for Alexa this year! :)

Decorative Touch

Last night I attended a holiday party with girlfriends - it was a very welcome night out, complete with a fun gift exchange and white elephant gift.  I really need to do nights like that more often - - Alexa was trying to guilt me into not attending, claiming I never spend time with her.  I had to laugh at that notion, and I dashed out the door without an ounce of guilt ;).  Alexa wasn't complaining about my attendance this morning when she saw the mini cupcake (I purposely picked the one decorated for Hanukkah) that my friend Jenny made sure I brought home for her....  Besides, I think Alexa and Damon had an enjoyable night together, complete with Chipotle for dinner - Alexa was very proud to tell me that she tried pork - and a Portillo's strawberry shortcake for dessert.  Not a bad night for the Hovey fam!

After I picked Alexa up from school today, we had some very important shopping to do....we went to the dollar store to buy decorations so that Alexa can decorate Granty's headstone when she travels to Fresno on Christmas.  Alexa loves to "decorate," so I figure this will be a perfect tribute to her beloved baby brother on the holiday.  I turned Alexa loose in the dollar store, abandoning my normal hang-ups about color coordination and mixing silver and gold, and she took full-advantage of the artistic freedom.
She definitely employs the "more is more" philosophy and took no time at all to fill the basket with glittery and sparkly decor.  When the fourth package of garland was tossed into the basket, I had to force her to regroup and be a little more selective about her decorating choices (I know, I couldn't help myself...).  By the time we were done perusing the holiday department, Alexa had amassed quite the collection of decorations.  Granty's headstone will be very well-decorated on Christmas - - definitely gaudy, but adorned with love.

Showing off the dollar store haul
(including an elf hat she conned me into buying).

Weighing the Options

Alexa is really getting into the holiday spirit this year.  As we drove home from gymnastics tonight, she asked me if we could celebrate Hanukkah this year....Oy vey!

The late Thanksgiving holiday has really condensed this holiday season; it's hard to believe Christmas is just three weeks away.  I have already promised Alexa that we will spend this weekend decorating the house for Christmas - apparently the inflatable Snoopy and vases of ornaments aren't enough this year :). 

Tonight Alexa and I had a lengthy discussion/debate about the Christmas tree.  I have never been a huge fan of real trees, as the watering, set-up and constant clean-up of pine needles is a bigger hassle than I would prefer to undertake.  I had intentions of buying an artificial tree during the post-Christmas clearance sales last year, but my intent never materialized.  I am willing to bite the bullet this year and pay pre-Christmas prices for the tree, simply to avoid another year of a real tree.  Alexa, on the other hand, was really pulling for a real tree, so I had to perform my best sales pitch to convince her of the reasons an artificial tree is better for us than a real tree.  After showing her a picture of the tree on the Costco website, I finally swayed her opinion, and she's excited to set up an artificial tree this weekend.  Whew!

Maybe I should have accepted her idea to celebrate Hanukkah....a menorah is a lot less complicated than a Christmas tree!

One ornament guaranteed to make the tree this year....
even though it doesn't match my purple-silver theme ;)

The Elf Returns

Last year I struggled to get into the holiday spirit (for obvious reasons), but thankfully my friend Linda made sure that Alexa didn't miss out on the Christmas experience.  She sent Alexa a multitude of holiday decorations, including the 'Elf on the Shelf' set, and Alexa immediately embraced the concept of the elf and the 'magical' powers it holds.  December could not come soon enough for Alexa this year, as it meant the return of her beloved elf.  Her enthusiasm is contagious, and I am making sure to go all-out this year to embrace the magic of the holiday season.

I'm not quite sure of the gender and name of our elf....last year she named him Granty, but this year she has decided the elf is a girl named (of course) Elizabeth.  However, she continues to call the elf Granty, so I've given up referring to the elf by name and let her decide as the mood strikes.

Today was the first morning that Granty/Elizabeth made an appearance, and Alexa awoke bright and early at 6:15 to find her beloved elf.  She squealed with excitement when she saw the elf on the island in the kitchen, running to wake up Damon to show him what her silly elf had done.  I never knew a cup of flour could evoke so much excitement....

If this morning was any indication, I think this will be a very fun holiday season.  There's nothing like the enthusiasm of a four year-old to help get me in the holiday spirit!

The mischievous elf decided to play in the "snow" (flour)
and bring a little bit of the North Pole to Arizona.

Catch-Up

Happy Belated Thanksgiving!

Damon, Alexa and I enjoyed a great Thanksgiving at my sister's house in Milwaukee.  The frigid temperatures were a bit jarring (we were definitely not in Arizona), but thankfully we were able to spend most of the time indoors.  Alexa, however, seemed unaffected by the freezing temperatures and was ecstatic to see snow (maybe 1") on the ground.  She happily donned winter clothes, brought by my parents from St. Louis and borrowed from her cousins, and played outside until her cousins were ready to come back inside.  Her excitement over 1" of snow definitely reflects her upbringing in the desert!  She's been begging to learn how to ski, so I think a ski trip is a must-do this winter.

My sister and brother-in-law were quite the hosts, preparing an impressive Thanksgiving feast - with plenty of leftovers to enjoy on Friday.  I am dreading my Tuesday doctor's appointment this week....I am sure the scale will reflect my carbo-loading, not to mention the pieces of homemade pumpkin and apple pie that I enjoyed.  Terri and I did make it to the gym on Friday evening, but I don't think I did enough to offset the caloric damage ;)

The weekend festivities did not end when Alexa and I flew home late last night.  The Ritz-Carlton in Phoenix hosts a holiday Teddy Bear Tea, so Alexa and I enjoyed a holiday-themed tea party with our girlfriends.  This was our first time attending Teddy Bear Tea, and the event warrants making it an annual tradition.  Our group of ten (five moms and five daughters) enjoyed a great afternoon at this well-orchestrated event.  The girls enjoyed tiny ham and cheese and pb&j sandwiches, hot chocolate (or I should say mini-marshmallows with a dash of hot chocolate) and plenty of desserts (the 'one sweet a day' rule was abandoned today), while the moms partook in slightly more grown-up fare...although I did have to pass on the unlimited champagne today.  The event was highlighted by an appearance of a life-sized teddy bear, parade through the lobby and a story read by the party's host.  Alexa was happy to take home the teddy bear of her choice, although the long weekend and lack of sleep seemed to catch up with her on the drive home.  I was glad she made it through the tea party, so I didn't mind dealing with a cranky girl for the rest of the afternoon.  

Something tells me the next few weeks will fly by, as we have a lot of holiday activities planned!

The snow bunny....happy to partake in some winter fun.

On our way to tea this afternoon....