Obligatory Christmas Post

It was your typical day full of gluttony and all things made in China that will inevitably be recalled. Mia's highlight was her Madeline doll, books, and videos. Bode got a cool-mist humidifier - just what he didn't know he always wanted.

Me like robots:

Snow

Did I mention we have a new baby in the house?

As if one wasn't enough...

Top five reasons the Lashleys don't have Christmas decorations up this year

5. I am considering becoming a Jew (which might be awkward seeing that my husband is a Christian minister).
4. I am trying to be less materialistic and don't want the holiday to be all about presents under a tree (yah right, give me my CHI, Arbonne, and Starbucks or give me death).
3. All my decorations were made in China - not worth the risk.
2. I can't let go of the rotten pumpkins and dead mums on my front porch.

And the number one reason there is not a decoration or tree in sight is....
You're lookin' at him. The adorable child who NEVER SLEEPS (and by never I mean never, ever, ever).

Another day, another near strangulation.... The only thing better than one fist in your mouth
is two.

A rare moment.

Here is Mia actually acknowledging Bode's existence:

Here I am taking pictures instead of telling Mia to get her fingers out of his mouth:
The inevitable ending:

Mia, Mia is now three

Acts as bratty as can be.
She turns awful on a dime
Then she's sweet in record time.
She can quickly melt my heart,
Then she breaks it all apart
With her tantrums, screams and yells
I ask myself, "Am I in h_ _ _?"
The next second she's ready to play,
And I know I can get through another day.

When the baby won't sleep...

He gets shipped to Grandma's. My parents took Bode for the weekend so I could get some sleep (no, he isn't sleeping through the night but he sure can sleep through the day!) so we decided to take Mia to Pops. Actually, she was our excuse to go there ourselves. Any place with 500 different kinds of pop is my version of heaven.The two-headed monster:

Never mind her American Girl "Bitty Baby," Mia loves this demon possessed doll she found at Grammie and Boppy's house. Personally, she gives me the creeps with her bouffant hair and eyes that won't close (sorry Aubrie, I know she was yours, but I think she has seen better days).

Scary or not, she is Mia's new BFF.

I vow to become a better person.

I am now the proud owner of a CHI hair straightener (this would be one of those times I should link a picture, but again, too lazy to learn how to do that). How does one unpaid mother of a baby that is now on formula afford such a luxury? Well, she doesn't. Someone bought it for me and left it at my hair salon as a random act of kindness! I HAVE NEVER BEEN SO SURPRISED AND HAPPY. This ranks up there with my baptism, wedding, and births of my children. On top of that, for the second year in a row someone has put Christmas lights on our house while we were at church. It is so thrilling to come home on a cold winter night and see your house lit up. It is even more thrilling to not have to be the one to do it. These wonderful gifts have inspired me to pass it on (not the CHI, the kindness thing). While I may not win a Nobel Peace Prize anytime soon, I promise to not steal anything else from my own child. How's that for a start?