This is my first time linking up with Miscellany Monday, but I have plenty of randomness to throw out there so I thought, why not?

1. When I did this Christmas Tree countdown with Z he said the tree was missing something.

 When I asked him what, he said “the thing on the bottom that helps keep the tree warm.” He was referring to the tree skirt. I thought it was a cute concept. The tree needs a little blankie to stay warm.

2. SJ responded to her name yesterday for the first time! I’ve waited almost 3 years for this (for those that are new to my blog, my daughter SJ got a cochlear implant last month. So she is technically learning to listen). She was sprinkling cinnamon and sugar on her toast and she was putting on way too much so I called out her name and she acted startled and turned around. She may not have known that it was her name, but she definitely responded to the sound. I was so excited that I didn’t want to follow up by taking away the cinnamon shaker so I just gave her a bowl to sprinkle it in that way she didn’t have a mountain of cinnamon on top of her toast. It was a beautiful moment I will always remember.

3. Did you know Pinterest has secret boards now? It’s true. I got a text about it from my best friend and I was so grateful because it came in handy today when I started pinning gift ideas. This is something that I could have used earlier this year when I was pregnant, but hadn’t announced it yet. I’m sure it could come in handy for a lot of things. Yea for secret boards!

4. I have seen this viral video all over social media, so I am sure it’s old news, but just in case you missed it, this parent rap is really cute. 

I’ve had several people tell me that the mom in the video reminds them of me. Some say it’s the facial expressions. I think any long haired brunette acting crazy, chasing around a bunch of kids could potentially be mistaken for me. On a side note one of my friends knows this girl and informed me that the couple in the video are not actually a couple. They had me fooled!

5. We made gingerbread men, which was a first for the kids and for me.

6. I’m loving the live Christmas tree at my parents house. The truth is though, if we had our own place right now we would be using our fake tree. I am all about all things natural, earthy, unique, and authentic, except when it comes to the Christmas tree. The watering, the disposal, the pine needles, and worst of all the price is just too hard for me to justify. I feel terrible even admitting that because it really isn’t my personality. In the future we’ll probably change it up from year to year. J wants to cut down his own tree sometime. What about you? Real or fake? Um, Christmas tree?