Days with the Dorans

On Joe's first Christmas, we had Christmas at our house, then Christmas at my parents, and then Christmas at his parents. It made for a crazy day and we vowed that in the future we would not rush as much and split up our time so that we were able to spend more time in all places, mostly in Saginaw since it is a drive. We used to go up on Jeff's mom's birthday and stay until the 24 th , but with the growing families it made for some tight quarters! This year, Grandma asked that we all come up the day after Christmas. It was wonderful because both Jeff's brother, sister and their families were all there as well. Poor Sean again didn't have naps like he should... (it feels like we've been going from place to place and the only time he sleeps is in the car- though he doesn't always sleep well there). Tia Trish didn't mind though. She loves babies! We also forgot a bib for Sean. He made quite a mess but with all the delicious food, we couldn't de...

We woke up on Christmas morning to Ali Jane screaming, "He was here!" It was hard to make out exactly what she was saying at first, she was talking so fast. I asked her to slow down, and tell me again (with my camera in hand) as a sleepy Z wondered what all the fuss was about. It wasn't long before the whole house was up and we were downstairs. The stockings came first and Santa did well with the slinkies . Sean loved his and it did keep him busy and happy (until he walked over some boxes and tripped and scratched himself). There is never a dull day in our house- especially on Christmas!In Joe's stocking he found a note from Santa. It said that Artie told him that he (Artie) found something while at our house and that Santa thought Joe would want it and to look under the other Christmas tree. When Joe came back he was so excited! It was his DS ! He had lost it a while ago but was afraid to tell me about it because we had had such a serious talk about it back when he ...

I always loved having my birthday on Christmas Eve. I always knew that I would be with my family. I liked that I knew what I would be doing, going to church, eating dinner out... Since having children though, life has gotten busier and my birthday is not so much about me, but about those amazing little people that I treasure more than life itself! My morning began by hearing voices from down the hall saying, "It's mommy's birthday today!" It made me smile in my sleep as Jeff also kissed me and wished me a happy birthday. Though breakfast in bed was offered, I am not much of a breakfast gal (I drink a Carnation Breakfast each morning) so I declined. We all got ready to go because we had a busy day ahead of us. My brother was spending Christmas Eve with his in-laws, but invited us to go to his church prior to their festivities. Before we left to go to his house, I was given some gifts that the Bigs picked up all by themselves... Ali Jane got me some sunglasses t...

I remember last year my brother being very disappointed... you see, Sean was just a couple months old and I didn't take the Bigs shopping. In the past, we have taken them to the dollar store where they spend their hard-earned money on others for Christmas. Danny has said that one of the things he looks forward to most is seeing what the Bigs buy for everyone and though I only saw two gifts that were purchased (both from Ali Jane to Danny and Jeff), I have a feeling this will be yet another highlight to Christmas! Jeff was off doing last minute shopping himself, so I called and asked my dad if he would come over and watch the Littles so the Bigs and I could go shopping. Though it was getting dark (and he doesn't like driving in the dark because of his eyes), he came right over. I think he too likes to see what the Bigs will buy on their shopping trip. I knew Zach didn't have enough money and since he was still napping when we left, it was easy to sneak out without him t...

December is a busy time... Not only do we have Christmas and all the parties and festivities that go along with it, but we also have Jeff's mom's birthday, my birthday and Ali Jane's birthday. Being a Christmas Eve baby, I know how important it is to separate December birthdays from the rest of the month and so we do not combine Christmas and December birthdays together. Today was Jeff's mom's birthday! I was excited for the gifts we got her (a painted sign for her garden, a Hallmark recordable book about 'Grandma' read by the oldest Doran 3) and of course some of my flower pens in a pot. I think that she really liked everything and I loved watching the kids give her the presents and their homemade cards. She gushed over everything. It was a picture perfect moment in my mind... the only problem... I LEFT MY CAMERA AT HOME! I have done this before and it kills me, so when I was gathering everything up the night before I put her presents on the dining room t...

It is great getting together with friends over the holidays! The girls above are some of my favorite friends. We met at the support group meetings I have been going to for the last 7 years! Other than our friend Donna (who was one of the amazing nurses at our hospital) we have all lost children. After losing a child this group has gone on to have 21 living children (a few of them are actually pregnant in this picture)! My friend Mary, (left) is an amazing person and organizes this little get-together every Christmas. We all go out for dinner and drinks and bring a Christmas ornament to exchange. She also organizes coffee/tea and dinner dates throughout the year! Most of the girls don't go to meetings every month anymore, but we still remain in each other's lives. Donna (center) is one of my favorite nurses (and was there when Sean was born). She is now working for a children's hospice group. She is an amazing person and I am so glad she waited until AFTER Sean w...

Well, we had snow day number two today! Thankfully the kids get along really well and even wanted to dress in the same shirts (Well- Sean didn't really care, but his sibs did). They play together so well that I was also able to get a lot of other things done during the day. Truth be told, I am hoping that tomorrow school is on. I have too much to do with my other first graders before the break and today gave me time to get organized! I decided to again do the flower pen gift that I did before for the kids teachers. I made some for myself and I love them. They look nice on the counter at our house and at school I never lose a pen and no one ever takes my pen. I hope the teachers will like them. I have perfected my game using better floral tape and a little hot glue to keep everything together. I went a little crazy with the hot glue gun and decided to also add a little ribbon at the tops of the flower pots this year- just to add a little something. I got some deals on ...