Tis the Season

Day 5
Prompt from Think Kit by SmallBox: Interview three people about their favorite moments of the year. Share what you heard.

Okay...I am going rogue today.  Partially because I have several things that I want to document for the sake of the reason behind the blog, and partially because I didn't do my assignment.  My apologies...here goes Day 5.


I do not have a good memory.  Really, that is an understatement.  I have a horrible memory.  Which is the main reason I wanted to start this blog, because I KNOW that when my kids are having kids and wanting to ask me questions about my experience, I will have no answers!  My memories will be blurry, altered, and probably completing inaccurate as if I am permanently suspended in the mind erasing process of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.

So, it is with this in mind that I jot down a couple of quick stories about our recent days.  I warn you that if the thought of a breastfeeding woman is appalling to you...maybe go ahead and stop reading now.

Every year, since I was born, I have gone with my parents to Bohman's Tree Farm in Greensburg, IN and cut down our Christmas tree.  We stop in Shelbyville for breakfast.  Then, when we get to the farm, we ride on a tractor out into the fields.  My mom says, "hold onto Hannah."  My sisters and I giggle.  Sarah and Hannah use weeds to hit Abby with as we walk up and down the hills. We select our tree.  My dad gets on the ground and begins to cut it down.  We each take a turn, even though we make absolutely NO progress in achieving the end goal.  My dad gets back on the ground to finish cutting the trunk.  My sister, Sarah, strategically lays on the ground so that the tree falls on her.  We pick the tree up.  Put it on the tractor's bed, and ride back to the entrance, where we stuff our pockets with mini candy canes for the ride home.

Now, as a 31 year old, not much has changed...except that they don't let you sit on the side of the tractor bed anymore with your feet dangling off the side, my youngest sister is now 21 (but yes my mom still said, "hang on to Hannah"), we get five trees instead of one, and our family of six is now a family of ten and three children.  Two years ago, I was EXTREMELY pregnant, last year only Andy and I knew I was pregnant (we would reveal this fact to our families on Christmas day), and this year I am the proud mama of two.

This is definitely one of my favorite Zimmerman family traditions and one that I hope that Andy and I get to continue on well into the years when we are grandparents of the little ones.

So, we got our tree, Andy hung our outdoor lights...because we are grown ups after all...and we decorated our home for Christmas.  All of our decor is hand me downs/gifts from our parents, and I love how our home feels when it is all up!

Last year, Ramona was too little to appreciate any of it.  And while I am sure that Miles is internally grateful to be living in a holiday wonderland, it is definitely more fun to watch Ramona experience this new "look" we are trying out in our home...complete with 8 foot live tree.

The day after we decorated the tree she took her "babies" (an Eebee, a stuffed monkey, a baby doll, and often a ninja turtle action figure) one by one and talked in her baby voice (yes, my baby has a baby voice she uses to speak to anyone she thinks is younger than her) showing them the lights and ornaments.  It was darling.

Then things got a little weird.  When I was pregnant with Miles, people told me that Ramona might regress when seeing me nurse Miles and want to start nursing again.  And some people said that she may want to sit and "nurse" her "babies" when I nursed Miles.  Well, neither of these was the case.  Ramona, not often but it has happened on several occasions, will bring one of the above mentioned babies over to me while I am nursing so that I can nurse both Miles on one side and her baby on the other.  It doesn't bother me, in fact I think it is pretty smart that she gets that I am one that would be able to feed these little people she cares for.

However, a couple of days ago, Ramona found a new baby.  A little baby the size of a cashew who was born in the manger.  And this is how I came to nurse Baby Jesus.

In addition to the nourishment Baby Jesus has received at our home, I also walked up on this happening...





Merry Christmas friends!