The Evolution Of A Family Christmas Card

Attempt #1: Slightly overexposed. Toddler is enamored with Mama.

Attempt #2: Overexposed and blurry. Toddler is enamored with Daddy.

Attempt #3: Let's just pretend this one didn't happen.

Attempt #7: Daddy snaps fingers in attempt to get toddler to look ahead, resulting in blur. Preschooler is enamored with television.

Attempt #10: I want YOU to have a merry Christmas.

 

Attempt #15: Toddler successfully looks at camera, but preschooler...does not. Finally realize you forgot to clear off the mantel.

Just choose one, crop, and go for it!

Christmas On String Christmas

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Toy Ideas: A Not-So-Serious Christmas Gift Guide For Toddlers

As the Christmas holiday rapidly approaches, I once again find myself confused and overwhelmed by the overabundance of beeping, flashing, jangly toys on the market. Most of the stuff out there is just junk that will get tossed in the toy box and forgotten long before the stockings even come down, but sometimes I get lucky and discover a toy that actually entertains my kids beyond Christmas morning. 

We all want to give our children a magical Christmas, but how can we be sure we will get our money’s worth out of a toy purchase? Well, in an effort to help fellow parents weed through all of the unsatisfactory toys and find the ones that will actually provide hours of entertainment, I’ve put together a list of playthings that will undoubtedly spur squeals of glee from your little one.

If my little guy could write a letter to Santa, he would likely include the following in his wish list:

10) Packets of Oatmeal – Why bother with fancy maracas or drums when your child can let his inner percussionist out by gleefully thwacking together these crinkly casings of fun? Extra fun if one happens to rip open, sending oats flying everywhere.

9) Random Trinkets – This generally includes items your older child discards haphazardly, such as stickers, candy wrappers, marker lids, and other various choking hazards. Fun for you as well – nothing is quite as exciting as watching your toddler pick up a freaky purple spider and shove it in his mouth, only to discover that it’s just one of those plastic rings left over from Halloween.

8) A Giant Pile of Freshly Squeezed Dog Turd – It doesn’t cost a dime, unless you count the animal that provides it and the food required to create it, and Play Doh is highly overrated anyway.

7) Measuring Tape – Drape it, drag it, fling it, wag it…with this toy, one thing is certain – it will never, EVER actually be in the drawer it’s supposed to be kept in.

6) Plastic/Cardboard Containers – The recycling bin is a veritable treasure trove of Christmas goodies.  Nothing says playtime quite like a tampon box or a mostly-empty bottle of coffee creamer.

5) DVDs, Books, or anything else kept on a shelf – The more important/expensive the item, the better, and all you have to do to ensure that it gets played with is stack the item as neatly as possible amongst other important/expensive items.

4) Remote Control – In the middle of an intense moment of your favorite television show? That’s exactly when this item will most often be played with. Just make sure this is easily accessible to your little one, and it won’t be long before you’ll kick the television habit – an added bonus for you!

3) Laundry Basket –Push toys? No, laundry basket. Rocking animal toy? No, laundry basket. Expensive playhouse? No – laundry basket. The epitome of versatility, this item never loses its appeal. And somehow never gets used for laundry.

2) A Stocked Pantry – Once again, who needs a fancy playhouse? There is so much delight to be discovered within…

And finally,

1) Toilet Paper – And it's even better when it's already in the toilet.

So there you have it – a list of toys that your children would love to have but that you most likely will not purchase for them for Christmas…

Because then they probably wouldn’t want to play with them anymore.

A Winter Un-Bucket List

I’m someone my husband likes to call a ‘Christmas junkie’. I admit it – I totally get swept up in the lights, the music, the decorating, the baking, the gift giving, and all of that stuff that doesn’t really matter in the scheme of things. And I don’t think there’s anything inherently wrong with that because that stuff is fun, and who doesn’t want to have a little fun during the holidays?

However, the key to enjoying those aspects of the holiday season is to keep it all stress-free. Minimalize. Don’t make the mistake of seeing the unimportant as important. The minute you stop enjoying those things and start stressing over them is the moment you lose all perspective and start failing at life.

If you think about it, the whole point of the holiday season is to celebrate and reflect upon something so simple and amazing – the birth of a V.I.B. (a Very Important Baby) – so shouldn’t it be a season of simplicity and peace?

I started to put together a bucket list of all the things I want to do this winter, and then I realized…I kinda want to do everything. The Christmas junkie in me needs to calm down a little.

So instead I came up with some things I will not be doing this winter:

1)     Participating in Black Friday. Two words: Y’all crazy.

2)      Writing a letter to Santa. Dude’s not real. Someday we gotta accept it.

3)      Stressing about gift giving. Do you think the wise men worried about the gifts they brought to Jesus? “Yo, Melchior, which scent of myrrh should I bring – Dirty Spice or Eau de Tree?”

No – they were wise men. Give from your heart, and don’t worry about it.

4)      Shoveling snow. Not because I’m too good to shovel snow, but because I don’t live in a place where it snows…and I’ve gotta put a positive spin on that.

5)      Burning the Christmas cookies. I’m easily distractible these days, so I figured it would be a good idea to go ahead and add this to the list. One can hope.

6)      Going caroling. I can’t carry a tune. This will never, ever happen, and even if by some miracle it does, I promise I will only mouth the words. It’s for your own good if you’re within hearing range. Trust me.

7)      Watching the ball drop in New York on New Year’s Eve. Again, y’all crazy. Standing in the freezing cold, elbow to elbow with a bunch of strangers, unable to use the bathroom? I’ll pass.

8)      Believing the groundhog. Each year we wait with great anticipation to see if spring is just around the corner, and one thing I’ve learned is…that rascal’s on to us. He thinks we’re a bunch of suckers.

I feel better already just knowing I can mark some things off my list. May your holiday season be merry and bright! (But also relaxing and low-key.)

Do you have a winter bucket list? Or UN-bucket list?

Sacrificial Love

As Easter approaches, I find myself thinking about sacrifice.

Such a big word…such a huge meaning. And it ties into love so beautifully.

God’s love for us – sacrificial. A mother’s love for her child – sacrificial. A soldier’s love for his country – sacrificial.

It costs something. It forces us to surrender.

That’s the part of sacrificial love that is scary for a parent – the surrender. The letting go.

At the end of the series finale of Gilmore Girls, Lorelai nervously rattles off advice to her daughter Rory as she prepares to go out into the big world, and Rory stops her and says, “Mom. You’ve given me everything I need.” (Tears.)

I hope my children say that to me one day. I will be joyful and proud on the day they are ready to embark on their journeys on their own. I know I’ll be sad, too. That’s the sacrifice – giving up what you want for the sake of what they need. I just hope that I’ve learned enough about sacrificial love to put it into practice in my own life.

What if she makes choices I don’t like? What if she decides to move far away from home?

What if he joins the military? What if I have to let him go off to war and wonder where he is every single second of the day, wonder if he’s safe?

Will I be able to sacrifice well? Will I be able to squelch the part of me that says, “Stay with me. Be my baby forever”?

I’ll have to because I want them to live, and live well.

After all, that’s the point of this life, isn’t it? To love each other wholly and unselfishly. To learn what it means to love in an unfailingly unconditional way, the way that God loves us.

On this Good Friday, I’m remembering that He loves us all – whether we return that love or not, whether we want it or not, whether we deserve it or not – and that is the way we should strive to love each other.

That is what I want out of life - a lifetime of living lavishly in love.

(Try saying that five times fast.)

Born On April Fool's Day

Every year when April Fool’s Day rolls around, I only have one thing on my mind.

Cake.

Because who doesn’t love cake?

Actually, I crave cake on this date because today is my birthday. It really is, though I’ve received my fair share of reactions of disbelief. As if I’m lame enough to think that telling people it’s my birthday when it’s really not is a hilarious practical joke…

No, I’m just so lame that I don’t even attempt pranks, but since I’m always acutely aware of the date on my birthday, I don’t fall prey to them easily either. Bonus.

It’s kind of nice having a birthday on a holiday that’s not really a holiday. It’s not like Christmas or Thanksgiving, when a birthday could easily be overshadowed by holiday festivities, but it’s enough of a holiday that people remember it, and in turn they often remember me.

Perhaps they associate me with ‘tomfoolery’ as well, and that’s okay too because I’m silly, and I know it. In fact this birthday is quite fitting for me because I enjoy being a goofball and have an annoying habit of laughing at everything, even if it’s not that funny. My sense of humor is a little too extensive.

Anyway, while all the pranksters out there are gearing up for their yearly stunts, I am thinking about turning another year older. The passage of time has never bothered me. I guess I’m lucky to be one of those people who doesn’t lament a year lost, but rather sees it as the beginning of a new one - a fresh start. Maybe that will change in ten or twenty years. Who knows?

All I know is I’m thankful for the life I have, and I feel blessed to have made it another year on this precious earth. My heart is full of gratitude, and my only birthday wish is to have a long lifetime of giggles with my children.

Enjoy your day of silliness!

Rugged Guy Meets Pensive Girl : A Love Story

Who doesn’t love a good survey? This week I decided to link up with From Mrs. To Mama for this fun Valentine’s questionnaire! I love getting to talk about Clint, especially since he’s not on Facebook for everyone to harass. ;)

How long have you and your significant other been together?

We just hit ten years a couple of months ago, though we’ve known each other for about sixteen.

Holy cow, that makes me feel old.

How did you meet? {What's your "love" story?}

I wrote a little about that on this post. I met his sister in sixth grade, and she and I became the best of friends! I was sort of “adopted” into their family over the years. He and I didn’t pay much attention to each other until one day…it just changed.

How long have you been married?

7 ½ years. We got married on the same day as these two , and we’ve outlasted them, so I guess we’re doing something right!

Where did you get married? Big or small wedding?

We had a lovely outdoor ceremony in our hometown…fairly small…big white tent…it was perfect. A true reflection of us.

Do you have any nicknames that you call one another?

The sweetest thing he calls me is “Love”. Makes my heart melt every time. “Good morning, Love!” “How are you, Love?” Never get tired of hearing it!

Usually I just call him “Clinty”. I’m unoriginal.

Name 3 things you love most about your honey.

I love his sense of humor. He makes me laugh every day, even when I’ve had a bad day. I love that he is a man of integrity, a man who values truth and honor and does the right thing when others won’t. I love the sweet, tender side of him that comes out with his kids, and every once in a while, with me.

Tell us how he proposed.

We went out to dinner at a quaint Italian restaurant on our anniversary. He left to “go to the bathroom”, changed into a tux, and came back with a huge bouquet of flowers and the most perfect, beautiful ring.

He likes to tell people that I just said, “Okay” and had an extremely disappointing reaction. He takes this little joke so far that whenever something comes on tv about a proposal and the woman freaks out, he says, “Oh, so that’s what it’s supposed to be like.” HOWEVER, I would like to set the record straight in pointing out that I actually said YES, and it was quite enthusiastic for a mellow gal like myself.

Also for the record, I was onto him and nervous, and I had told him not to do it in public!

So sweetheart, if you are still dissatisfied with the way it went down the first time, try it again. And this time I promise to make a huge spectacle, complete with weeping and blubbering all over your shoes.

Give us one piece of advice for keeping a relationship strong and full of love.

To keep it strong - Communication. It may sound cliché, but there’s a reason it’s such a common answer. When you stop communicating, you run the risk of losing direction. And when you both stop moving in the same direction, there’s nowhere for you to drift except apart.

To keep it full of love – Always look to the ultimate example of love – Jesus Christ. Perhaps it’s another cliché, but for another very good reason. There is no love greater than God’s love for us.

Show us a picture of what love means to you.

Oh, how can you choose just one? But this one sure makes me happy:

Merry Christmas!

I started to write a lovely, heartfelt Christmas post, but it proved to be too difficult a task for this tired mama. The good news is my sweet husband got me a digital camera for Christmas (he must read my blog), so I can now start posting better quality photos. Yay! It's also exciting because I love practicing photography, but using a film camera makes learning a little more difficult. Especially since I take so long to get film developed. Anyway, for now I'm just going to try to catch up on some rest that my one-month-old didn't let me get last night. I hope you are all enjoying your families on this wonderful holiday. I wish you all lots of love!



My Christmas Cuties!

Nine Semi-Holiday and Baby Related Thoughts

1)      My baby’s name is Abram, not Abraham. I don’t understand what’s so hard about that.

2)      "Beebra", however, is still an awesome nickname. But it’s not Hannah using it now…she always refers to him by name or as “Baby Brother.” (It’s almost as though she realized he was a real person once he emerged from my tummy.) Her parents, on the other hand…well, we’ve always had a thing about silly nicknames. We used to call Hannah “Kabookie” for no good reason. We're weird.

3)      Having so much new responsibility at this time of year makes you feel like you’re missing out a little. Christmas will be here and gone before I know it. I don’t have time or energy to bake cookies, cook a big meal, go shopping, or do much else that I would normally be doing, but on the plus side, it forces me to slow down and relax. And I probably won’t get many other opportunities to just hang out with my babies. (Although “hang out” =  feeding, changing diapers, entertaining the toddler, and somewhat managing the household)

4)      My Christmas cards are going out ridiculously late. If I manage to get them out at all.

My kids sure are adorable though.

5)      I have a fantastic film camera, but I am not very timely when it comes to getting film developed. One day we will get a digital SLR, and I will stop posting so many photos from our phones. And one day we will get professional photos done to put on our Christmas cards.

6)      Sleep deprivation makes you silly. And it makes you nearly incapable of putting together a coherent blog post, or even an articulate sentence in most cases. Are you even understanding any of this?

7)      I wish I were as cool as The Pioneer Woman. And I want her to come make us prime rib and duchess potatoes for Christmas dinner.

8)      I can’t believe it’s nearly 2012. I feel like I just got through saying that I can’t believe it’s almost 2010. Start the countdown - Isn’t the world supposedly ending exactly one year from today?

9)      Did I mention I’m sleepy?

Two Years Old Today!

Early this morning I was nursing Abram and happened to glance over at the clock. It was 3:22 a.m. I realized that exactly two years ago I had just had another newborn placed on my chest. She was the sweetest little thing I’d ever seen.

How wonderful to be blessed with both of my children at Christmastime! I might be a little tired, I might not have the energy to do all I usually like to do during the holidays, and I might feel like these next few weeks are going by entirely too fast, but I am celebrating with great joy.

This is the season to rejoice, and today I’m rejoicing over the life of my little girl. Happy Birthday, Hannah! Thank you for being the blessing I always dreamed of and the best big sister a new baby boy could ever ask for.

In All Things

I’ve been trying to come up with a clever idea for a blog post for Thanksgiving, but it never really worked out for me. I’ve decided I’m just not that clever.  But I didn’t want to do the traditional list of things I’m thankful for because it always ends up sounding like everyone else’s lists… family, friends, health…you know, the usual. And also, I have much to be thankful for.

Then I got to thinking about what it means to be truly thankful. It’s so easy to be thankful for blessings, for the things that make our lives easier. The challenge is trying to see the value in the things that we see no reason to be thankful for.

The dirty dishes after the meal – The mess means you have friends and family to celebrate with.

The long lines in the stores during the holidays – They give you the opportunity to practice patience, and they show that families everywhere are taking the time out of their busy lives to celebrate too.

Those people in your life who let you down and disappoint you – They make you appreciate those who don’t, and more importantly, the God who never does.

The clothes that fit a little snug – They mean you have enough to eat. (Or you’re nine months pregnant) ;)

Each trial, every ache and pain, all of our woes – They mean we’re still alive and kicking…fighting the fight…running the race.

I would love to be someone who always gives thanks in all things, in all circumstances. But I’m not. It’s too easy to hold on to the stress. So this post is for me – a reminder to appreciate everything in my life, even the small things and even the hard things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

The Little Details

Today is most likely the last day of the last full month that I’m a mother of one. It feels pretty surreal, especially considering how quickly these last nine months have gone by. I can’t help but think about all the things I wanted to get done that are not done:

Start on Baby Boy’s scrapbook. I haven’t even purchased his scrapbook. In fact I’m not even 100% finished with Hannah’s first-year scrapbook.

Stock the freezer full of meals. I was far too exhausted to do much of anything my first time around with a newborn, so this sounds like a great idea, in theory. Unfortunately, I enjoy having leftovers too much to ever actually freeze anything. I foresee a lot of grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup in our future. Good thing one of the easiest meals is also the hubby’s favorite!

Get the house impeccably clean and organized. Thankfully, nesting has somewhat kicked into gear, and I have found the energy to get some of this accomplished lately. It just never feels complete, but I suppose it never will.

Make the most of this last little bit of time with just my sweet little girl. Fatigue has made this a challenge, but I hope I’ve been able to do this as best as I can. No doubt Hannah will love being a big sister, but things are about to change in ways that we can’t even imagine. The past two years have been so precious… and so fast.

I know I’m more prepared than I think. Eventually I’ll get into a routine, and everything will fall into place. And none of this really matters anyway because all I’m going to want to do is love on my two babies. I’ll forget why the rest of it seemed so important.

So tonight I'm letting go of the little things and simply enjoying my evening with my loved ones.

Happy Halloween!

Costume FAIL

One Halloween night many years ago, I dressed up as a vampire. Now my frugal mom was never one to spend much money on our costumes – understandably, since they only get worn once – so my sisters and I often had homemade touches to our attire. Mom decided that since I was the “undead”, it was vitally important that my face was white. Finding a household product for such a purpose proved to be a difficult task. We didn’t have any sort of powder…Flour?...No, that wouldn’t do the trick…Ah, yes, of course…Noxzema.

For those of you unfamiliar with Noxzema, it’s a deep cleansing facial product that, oddly enough, contains many of the same ingredients as my beloved VapoRub. However, I most certainly do not have the same nostalgic feelings toward Noxzema as I do VapoRub, especially after this particular night.

When she applied the greasy goop, the first thing I noticed was how badly it stung my face.

“It’ll go away,” my mom assured me.

Eager to get started on the trick-or-treating, I accepted this explanation and chose to ignore the stinging sensation. We set out into the neighborhood.

The stinging did not go away.

My eyes watered and my skin burned more with each step we took. But I was determined and was not going to let some minor inconvenience like my face melting off to get in the way of my candy-collecting fun. I persevered through the pain, even though the vapors made my eyes feel like they were peering into the vortex of a steam engine.

When we returned home, I quickly removed the toxic mess from my face and happily munched on some chocolate, minimally affected by the ordeal. On the plus side, I probably had a really clear complexion for several weeks afterward.

When I recently reminded my mom about this particular incident, she was ready with the phrase that all parents must keep handy when their kids bring up these types of memories:

“You lived.”