Emmeline’s first steps

she took her very first steps on the 23rd of December.  we’d been coaxing her to walk for weeks….but this little miss doesn’t like to do things when she's feeling coerced.  So, she waited until she was ready, and until she found the right tools and then went for it.   maybe she’s discovered our million dollar idea…….that little crutch is a much better walking aid than a walker. 

I love love love those first wobbly steps.  I’ve loved watching Emmeilne’s confidence build up.  She’s now walking around the house…..usually she feels a bit more secure if she’s carrying one or more items with her.  I think she’s the most proud of herself as any of our kids have been.  She just beems when you look at her as she’s walking.  Oh, I want to just freeze her as she is this very moment.   I love this little girl.

 

A Magical Christmas Surprise

We have an attic.  A third floor with a little dormer window and slanted ceilings that you have to access through a closet, up some rickety stairs and up a little ladder.  Since we bought the house, it has been unusable…..no flooring, either freezing or boiling…..covered with nails and fiberglass insulation. 
When I first saw this space when we were looking for a house to buy I was sold (that and the woodwork in the living room).  The idea of what this space could be for little kids was dreamy to me and made me totally overlook the fact that the foundation on the house crooked and cracked and the floors are all slanted…..I know, it was irrational….but as a kid I would have died to have a secret little play space in an attic with sloped ceilings…..a space that’s hard for big people to get to, but perfect for little people. 
So, I’ve been dreaming of having this place finished for 4 years now.  And, way too late in the game for Jeff to feel comfortable with it, I decided that this year was the year.  After seeing that I wasn’t going to give up this dream, Jeff jumped in and we scrambled and worked and stressed and with some serious help from Santa got it all done. 
And this is what it looked like (for a few hours until we discovered it on Christmas morning and the kids made a royal mess of it in playful glee).

  (pictures courtesy of Santa…..he came and put in the carpet, sprayed in the magical peppermint insulation…and put all the toys up there on Christmas eve night…and was even thoughtful enough to take pictures and email them to me!)

Our kids didn’t even know it existed.  Can you imagine waking up on Christmas morning to find that you have a whole new part of your house?  A magical, hidden toy room? 
It was everything I wished for, and more than they could have dreamed up. 
There is something purely gratifying as a parent to see your kids so enraptured by the magic of Christmas and childhood.

Click here to see the surprise in action (pardon our messy christmas morning home)

Christmas Eve

Ahh, the relief I feel on Christmas eve.  It’s when I really start to enjoy.  This year we had a great Christmas eve dinner with some friends from Church and our dear neighbor Ralph (you can see him in the background of this first picture).  He is awesome.  He almost always compliments me and jeff on our teeth and is constantly telling me how much he likes the way I say “Oh NO!”  I tried to say it for him a lot that night.  The mix of people was just right and everyone even stayed around to fill in as inn keepers and wise men and shepherds for our nativity pageant.  After everyone left the kids opened their new pj’s (or used in Charlie’s case….I tried to make our Christmas  “green” aka recycled this year….getting as many things off of ebay or craigslist or freecycle as I could….I just don’t like the idea of contributing to all the stuff in the world….plus, I’m cheap) We read the Grinch (a Shumway family Christmas eve tradition which we all love), wrote notes to Santa and left him and his reindeer some goodies, and marched right up to our beds.  The kids went right to sleep (which surprises me, I remember having such a hard time falling asleep on Christmas Eve as a kid).  Jeff and I got right to work finishing up some last minute things.  I snuck down after Santa had came and this is what our living room looked like.  Oh, I love that peaceful moment right before bed on Christmas eve.  I’m convinced it’s more fun to be a parent than a child on Christmas. 

Pre-Christmas Traditions

I love traditions, especially Christmas traditions.  There is something so perfect about doing the same thing year after year.  My parents always say traditions are the “glue” that binds families together (and I would add that it works the same way for friends).  I’m sure I’ve already blogged about this in the past….but I’ll say it again.  Traditions rule.

Our annual cookie bake.  We spend the whole day making cookies to use for various Christmas parties, packages etc.    And this year Charlie and Saul didn’t make any horrible messes downstairs. Hallelujah! The 3rd annual “carolers on the bus” event.  Our friends rent a whole bus and we go around caroling.  This year we went to a nursing home and a shelter.  Everyone loves it (especially Charlie). The Nazareth Supper.  This is something we did growing up…..we all dress up as characters from bible times and act as if this is the supper Mary and Joseph would have had before departing on their long journey to Bethlehem.  The kids love it, but don’t really get out of it what the parents wish they did.  Still, I love this tradition…..i’m hoping they’ll learn more from it as the get older, for now, I just try to enjoy how silly they all think it is.  Our friends have come up with some great characters over the years…..Elizabeth and Zachariah always show up, usually there’s some kind of prophetess there, this year we had a wise woman and a tax collector come and Ibrahim, a merchant, showed up to sell turtle doves to Mary and Joseph to use as offerings at the temple.   I love the food the most…..falafel.  If anyone wants an awesome falafel recipe, click here.  And it’s surprisingly easy….though it makes your house smell like a middle eastern restaurant for a few days (which I don’t mind a bit).  A very somber Mary.

And of course, there is decorating the Christmas tree together and getting out the decorations…..I’m hoping this one will get more fun for me when the kids are a little older and able to help a little more…..this year, despite my grumpiness at having to put the 12 strings of lights on using the “Saren” techniques, they still seemed to love this tradition.   Each year my mother-in-law sends each of the kids an ornament, and they love finding “their” ornaments and putting them on the tree.

Some other pre-Christmas traditions  that I love which I haven’t documented through photos (trying not to take so many pictures):

- putting hay in the manger.  I have a little tiny “manger” that we put in the kids room and some “straw in a box…..they can put a piece of straw in for every kind deed they do over the season.  The goal is to make the manger bed soft enough for the baby Jesus by Christmas eve.  I love sitting down with the kids at night and asking them to think about nice things they have done….they can’t always think of things, so I get to point out a few things that I’ve noticed. 

- reading Christmas stories before bed.  I love this tradition because it makes me slow down a bit…..and boy do those Christmas stories bring in the spirit of Christmas.  I know my kids love it too, especially when the story makes me cry.  One of my favorites that we’ve read this year is “The Life and Adventures of Santa Clause” by Julie Lane.  It’s a long one, but we’ve loved it. 

- the kids saving money and buying Christmas presents for us and each other.  Jeff took them to Target this year instead of the dollar store….I’m tired of junk in the house….and they made some serious cash (for them at least) with their cookie stand.  They were so excited as they picked things out and wrapped them up.  I really want my kids to know that Christmas is mostly about giving. 

- secret Santas and secret services.  really, i think kids get as excited about these things as they do about getting their own gifts.  the combination of being secretive and giving at the same time just speaks to their little hearts. 

one of our best Christmas’ yet

santa brought us a whole entire attic playroom.  it was a lot of work for santa and a lot of stress and sleepless nights…..but we all couldn’t be more thrilled with the result.  it was a magical christmas morning.  better than i had hoped (and jeff can tell you, I had HIGH expectations and lot invested in this surprise).

there is something glorious about having your children’s noise and mess two floors above your living space.

more pictures and details from Christmas to come, but I think this video says a lot of it better than I could (and I know, my commentary is great….a little embarrassing…..I was pretty excited and a little anxious….like I said, I had a LOT invested in this).

Thoughts on Christmas

I can’t stand it that Christmas is over. 

Yes, I’m thrilled to be done with all the Christmas tasks that seem to weigh me down every Christmas, despite all of my resolving to get things done early, to do less, to enjoy more.  Sure, there are magical moments scattered through December where I really feel the Christmas spirit, where I enjoy my kids and all the Christmas traditions….but I always find myself huffing and puffing all through the season until 6pm on Christmas Eve when the potatoes are hot, the rolls are steaming and the Ham is on the table……then I sit down and I really start to enjoy. 

The Christmas dinner, the excitement of Santa coming, the little hokey nativity pageant, singing silent night, putting on new PJ’s, laying out cookies for Santa, working with Jeff to finish the last minute wrapping and stuffing and setting out.  

Suddenly all the work and sleep deprivation seems worth it….and it just gets better and better for a full twenty four hours….

early morning shouts of glee, stocking dumping, surprises, wrapping paper, noise, boxes, toys, food, candy……

pure, chaotic bliss. 

And then, suddenly it’s over.  The kids are sleep deprived and over stimulated and seem to feel the same disappointment that I do…..that big crash after such a huge high.  

To me it’s a lot like giving birth.  I still find myself wanting to do it all over again, just for that blessed 24 hours. 

So I will do it again….but hopefully next year I’ll find a way to stick to my resolution and start enjoying at least by the 23rd.  Any suggestions?

what we’ve been up to

And finally, a bunch of Iphone pictures that document a little of why I’ve been so bad at blogging lately….we’ve been busy around here.  First, this is Hazel’s depiction of me doing laundry.  Do you love that big smile on my face?  That’s exactly how I look when doing laundry.  Glad to see that I’m deceiving someone into thinking I’m cheerful! Emmeline has turned into the master of disaster….I used this phrase once and now that’s the way Hazel always refers to Emmeline.  She is mostly just interested in crawling up and down the stairs (two big falls thus far) and opening and emptying every door and cupboard.  I love the third child…..I know this will all pass….amidst all my frustration at not being able to complete a single task, I’m just trying to enjoy her enthusiasm for everything.  Charlie is really into building….building with legos, building with kapla blocks.  I love the way his little mind works….and, much to my surprise and delight, he now sometimes cleans up after his building escapades.  Ever once in a while we tag along on the Kruckenbergs weekly Sunday morning hike up Pinnacle path.  We all love it once we can get our acts together and out the door….makes Sunday morning so much more worshipful.  Hazel got her permanent cast off…..look at those bulging arms of hers!  She’s still in a removable cast (see the little part of the bone that still  hasn’t totally healed?)  that she has to wear when at school or rough housing……but, ah, I’m happy to be done with trying to keep that thing dry.     I need to get a better picture of Emmeline’s new little baby doll.  She is attached.  Loves that thing to death.  Hazel has claimed the back of the couch area as her “office.”  She holds Hazel school there for Charlie.  I think he’s actually learning a ton from her.  It’s so fun to watch and listen to their conversations.  For some reason, after the unit on Pilgrims and Indians at school Hazel and Charlie spent hours making elaborate tepees for their teachers.  Oh my,  I can’t express how much I love that they can entertain each other for hours on end…..sure, our house is filled with all kinds of little paper scraps and craft tools….but it’s totally worth it.  I love seeing what these guys create.    Hazel’s doll, made out of sticker paper…..it’s supposed to be Rebecca Snow.  Charlie made himself a laptop computer…..to be just like his dad.  It even has a little track ball and a motorcycle screen saver.    And then, there’s been the never ending kitchen remodel.  We finally got a new countertop put in…..after quite a long saga that included having the first guy run off with our money……not a great picture….but at least it’s done.  Now I just have to paint the walls mustard yellow and pick pendant lighting…..any suggestions?We’ve made a lot of Christmas goodies and had a lot of friends over to play and drank a lot of hot chocolate.    I love it when your house and life is such chaos that you’re totally calm…..no sense in trying to put it back together again…..just enjoy. 

And finally, the Rockland Christmas party…..and the intern Santa Clause.  My kids are really into which Santa could or could not be the real deal….and which Santa's are “interns.”

Now…on to Christmas this week.  I’ve gotten through enough of the work that I can say that I’m genuinely, totally, giddily excited.  I think we’re going to have the best one yet (we better, cause I’ve worked my tail off….)

Shumway Family East Coast tour

We’ve been talking about it forever….and finally we did it.  The Shumway Family East Coast tour.  We not only did it, but we survived it…..we even enjoyed it.   How could driving with 3 small children in a pretty crappy mini van for 26 hours be enjoyable?  Split up those hours with visits with dear dear friends and it becomes worth every minute of crying car chaos (plus, the kids were really pretty good….thanks to books on tape.) Our first stop was Maryland where we visited the Palmers…..they moved away during the summer and we’ve been missing them ever since.   Especially Charlie….he talks about their big boy Landon constantly and has been so worried about where he moved to, who lives in his house now, who he plays with etc.  This stop on the tour was crucial for Charlie’s closure and mental well being.  My one regret with this trip is that we couldn’t stop time in each location and hang out for hours with these friends we miss so much.  Next we stopped in DC and stayed with my brother Eli and his wife Julie…..they live just a few minutes walk from the Capital and the national Mall.  It was so great to see them all set up in their super hip apartment.  We went to the Air and Space museum (jeff was in heaven), the natural history museum, the art museums…..all very enjoyable.  We also got to see our good friends Barb and Ryan.  They went through the mall museums with us and entertained us and our kids (bless their hearts!).  In the tunnel from the National gallery to the modern art museum.  The capital reflected in a puddle (i’m trying to be a cool creative photographer like Eli….you should see his stuff).  This is how we kept Emmeline happy…..lots of rest stops….and lots of throwing around.  This little girl is a dream.Next we headed down to North Carolina to see Ryan and Anna (ford) Halverson.  Oh boy, that was torture…..we just like them too much, and it was hard to get so little of such a good thing.   Why can’t we just live next door to all these good friends!  It rained our first day there, so we went bowling and for a walk……I didn’t care what we were doing, as long as we were all together.  It was so strange to be there…..the four of us, and FIVE children.  The last time we spent a big chunk of time with them we were all in Thailand…..life has certainly changed……we’re on to much different kinds of adventures.  Hazel and Charlie loved the Halverson kids……they were easily entertained inside on a rainy day…..making all kinds of cardboard box creations.   Their creativity even led them to invent a new kind of toupee for Jeff.  Here are his new headshots. And, as if the Halverson's weren’t enough of a draw to move down to Raleigh…..they took us to the most unbelievable museum.  It was a science museum (the museum of life and science) geared towards kids and our kids LOVED it.  They got to dig for real fossils, climb on dinosaurs, see butterflies, clang big drums, see gigantic bugs….the list goes on and on.  I loved watching our kids become friends…..here’s hoping that this is the beginning of some great second generation friendships. We made our way back up the east coast to Baltimore where we stopped for a night at the Hickmans.  It was so great to see their new (to them) but old and charming town house, all decorated with Aimee’s style that I love and completely covet.  Aimee is an amazing artist and has a studio on her second floor.  She showed Hazel how she creates these amazing stained glass pieces of art (check out here etsy site here).  I’m sure that was the trip highlight for Hazel.  Ever since then she has been thinking about and talking about and dreaming about the kind of art she wants to create.  I think she and Aimee are kindred souls.  And finally we stopped in Philadelphia to spend Thanksgiving with the Stallings.  Another couple and family we love.  They are amazing hosts…..made us feel so welcome and comfortable.  Our kids wanted to stay at their house and swing on their swing and play with their kids and their toys forever. With all that good food and good company,  I wouldn’t have minded staying there forever either…..

You haven’t really cooked until you’ve cooked with the Stallings.  These guys are foodies…..they know how to find and eat really really tasty food…..who could ask for a better place to spend thanksgiving?  We spent all evening the day before talking and cooking and eating…..

Here’s Jeff with his baby.  Sadly, the bird overcooked a little while we took our pre-feast walk…..but it was still pretty darn tasty. 

This swing was like therapy……none of us could get enough.  There is just something about that long sweeping swinging motion…..it makes your heart sing. 

Sadly, cut the stay there one day short…..we woke up Friday morning to three fevered kids…..yes, all three at once.  We got out of there as quick as we could…..fearing we’d spread the swine flu or something to our gracious hosts.  The kids slept nearing they whole way home…..which was awesome…..and then woke up the next day perfectly fine….what angels.

We’ve been wanting to do this tour forever…..we’re so glad we did.  We just wish we could have had more time to see so many other dear friends we have scattered along the east coast.  Hopefully next time round.