My Disappearing Act - Part Two

So, where was I? Oh, yes...I was trying to explain my long absence from this blog. I think I left off telling you that we had a new houseguest. It's true. His name: Scout. And he is our Elf on the Shelf. After watching an adorable half hour movie about him with Gavin and Brian, Brian was very excited to see that a package arrived with our very own elf.

Every morning Brian wakes up and runs around the house looking for Scout - wondering where he'll be that day. This morning we found him hanging from our misteltoe!

Each night we've been reading the "Elf on the Shelf" book. The whole thing has been a lot of fun! Brian is very intrigued with Santa and magic and elves this year.

Brian was also a big helper when it came time to put the ornaments on the christmas tree branch...er, I mean the Christmas Tree.

And then both boys took a moment to pose for a few photos before moving on to their next adventures.

I almost decided to scrap the tree this year. I thought, the kids are still little - they won't know the difference. I just wasn't in the mood. But when I forced myself to start, I really got into it. I love Christmas. I love Christmas trees! I love white lights (the more, the better).

I love pulling out "vintage" ornaments (gulp) that were mine when I was little. My Mom saved all of them and passed them on to us when we got married.

And Gavin and Brian's very first ornaments...

Once I got started, I was glad that I didn't cop out. Especially seeing Brian's eyes light up when I turn all the lights on...or when I find Gavin laying at the foot of the tree just mesmerized. It's 100% Christmas around here and we are all ready for Santa.

Gavin has been having some pretty good therapy sessions. Last week we finger painted on bubble wrap with Miss Stephanie's OT student, Andy. He has been following Stephanie for months now and has been at our house every Friday. This was his first solo run with Gavin and they really bonded! It's a high compliment when Gavin lets you manipulate his hands without fussing.

Brian had a lot of fun, too!

And Mommy did a great job controlling her OCD as she watched Brian take handfuls of paint out of the containers. Good job, Mommy!

The million dollar question at the moment is whether we will continue with IVF. The short answer is - probably, yes. The longer answer is - we're taking a break. I want to get through the holidays. Once January comes around, I will know whether I want to proceed. Yes, it has crossed my mind to give up. But the desire for another child is so strong that I'm very torn. We will likely give this another shot in the New Year.

Hopefully the New Year brings only happy news to the Leong house. I'm pretty much over the bad news and the disappointments.