More Christmas Pictures

Here are some more pictures from Christmas week. The kids opened presents 5 days in a row. We still don't know where to put everything! Ron has been off work since the weekend before Christmas and doesn't go back until Wednesday. It has been so nice to just hang out together.

Christmas with my mom's side
























Christmas with my dad & family


























Christmas with my mom





































Christmas with Ron's family















Playing the Wii (boxing w/Uncle Andy)

Danielle & Kotomi playing Island Princess on the Wii



Ron & his dad boxing

Merry Christmas!

We had a wonderful Christmas! It seems like it goes so fast, though! Here are a few pictures from our day.

Danielle asked for a Barbie house from Santa.

Tyler requested a Creepy Crawler Maker from Santa.

Tyler got a Nerf gun from Santa, and Ron got a Nerf gun from me. They had fun ambushing each other. They had stopped running around the house at this point. Tyler still has a lot to learn, but he had fun. (Please ignore the messiness!!)

Merry Christmas everyone!

Tis Better to Give

Somewhere between 4 and 6, the thrill of giving takes on greater importance. I know it doesn't happen at 4, because Danielle is still very interested in the receiving, but at 6, this is the most excited I've ever seen Tyler about giving.


At school this year they had a Gingerbread Shop. The kids could take in money and shop for their loved ones. We sent enough money for Tyler to buy each of us a gift. I was helping in his class that day and saw him buying his items. (I did not see what he bought.) He was SO excited about his purchases! When he got home from school that day, he went straight up to his bedroom, locked the door, and looked over his gifts. He hid them in his closet, where he visited them often over the next several days. Eventually he got so excited that he had to show me what he bought Danielle and Ron. He didn't tell me what he bought for me, but he kept hinting. His most repeated comment was "Mom, when you open your present, you're going to like it so much you're going to want to kiss and hug me forever." And it was always accompanied by a huge grin.



We had a gift "store" at my school when I was little, too. I remember walking around looking for the perfect gift for my mom and then finding the "one". It was a fuzzy deer figure. I don't remember actually giving it to her, but I remember the way I felt. I was so proud of myself and so sure of how much she would love it that I felt like I would burst. All these years later, and I can still remember how strong that feeling was. My mom displayed that deer for years and I always felt proud when I looked at it.


Wednesday night after dinner Tyler asked if he could give us our presents. We told him no, we should wait until Christmas, and thought that would be the last of it. It wasn't. He cried from dinner time until bedtime because we wouldn't open our gifts. If we had realized how upset he was going to be about it, we would have just said yes at first. It got to the point, though, where it was going to be miserable to open them because he was just so upset. At one point he sobbed "If I had kids and they wanted me to open my present early, I would!" (My mom loved that one.) I felt horrible. The next morning he asked if we had time to open our gifts before Ron left for work. We both said yes, and he happily ran to his room to get his treasures.


He gave Ron his gift and eagerly stood by waiting for him to unwrap it. Then he gave Danielle her present and did the same thing. He was just so excited. She unwrapped her gift & immediately jumped up to hug him. Then it was my turn. He was so happy, I thought he was going to burst. I opened my gift and, remembering what he had predicted, I kissed him and hugged him and kissed him some more. He was beaming. And he never once asked for a gift for himself.

This is my fuzzy deer equivalent (a heart shaped magnetic clip that says "I love you Mom") and I will gladly display it and brag about it and hope his chest swells with pride every time he sees it.

Reminiscing

15 years ago

A stolen moment to meet for breakfast before the chaos of the day.

Excitement, anticipation, happiness, curiosity... certainty

My white gown, hanging in the dressing room, just waiting

My large bouquet of beautiful roses

The wedding "hug"

Surrounded by friends and family, celebrating

Escaping together after the chaos of the day

Eating crab legs while waiting for my parents to deliver my birth certificate

Exhausted but happy


Today

Waffles and grape juice for the kids. Did Ron even have breakfast?

Comfortable, satisfied, secure, grateful, happy... still certain

My blue jeans and t-shirt, just waiting for the abuse of messy kids

My red roses, squeals from the kids when they were delivered, and knowing these mean more

Helping with eyedrops for my pink eye, an act of love

Surrounded by children, traveling to doctors' appointments (3 today!) and playing Barbies

Being quiet together after the chaos of the day

Eating take-out together after the kids are in bed

Exhausted but content... and ready for 15 more years together

Danielle's Christmas Program

Danielle's Christmas program was last night. She looked beautiful and was so excited to sing on stage. I had a hard time getting decent pictures, but trust me, she looked beautiful.

When her class lined up on stage, Danielle ended up getting squished behind a couple other kids. We couldn't see her at all from where we were sitting. I moved over to the other side and sat on the floor in front so I could try to get some pictures. I was so disappointed. I was disappointed we couldn't get her first performance on tape (because Ron couldn't see her) and disappointed that her family - who had all rearranged their schedules and spent time traveling to be there - couldn't see her. I tried not to let her know I was disappointed, because I certainly wasn't disappointed with her. I was proud of her for bravely standing up there despite being sick, tired, and squished, for practicing her songs, and just for being Danielle. But I was disappointed.

I was thinking about the program again this morning and kind of had a revelation. I was disappointed that all our family couldn't see Danielle sing, but that really wasn't why they were there. Yes, they wanted to see her, but their presence was more to tell Danielle that they loved & cared for her and supported what she was doing, even if they couldn't physically see her. Their attendance and the praise lavished on her at the end - those were the important parts of the program. So there really wasn't any reason to be disappointed. There were 11 of us there to watch, encourage, and applaud her. I think that sounds pretty successful after all.

When I downloaded the pictures and video today, I saw more than I did last night. Take this first video, for example. Poor little guy must have got poked in the eye by the dramatic girl on his left just before I started recording.



Here is one of the better videos I got of Danielle. Not all these kids are in her class. There are two 4 year old classes & they combined them for the program.



At the end of the program, all the classes gathered back on stage to sing Go Tell It on the Mountain. Last night I didn't notice the antics of the little girl next to Danielle.



Afterward we gave Danielle a chance to perform just for us. I missed the curtsey at the end.

Tyler's Christmas Program

Tyler had a pretty rough night last night. This morning I kept him home from school & managed to get an early doctor's appointment. Turns out he has infections in both ears. (Those ear infections just sneak up on you!)

He was feeling a little better after his appointment and really wanted to participate in his program, so I dropped him off at school in time for lunch. You can tell he's still not feeling great, but at least he got to sing for us. Thank you to everyone for your prayers.

There was a boy a couple down from Tyler that was super loud, so we never really heard Tyler sing. The kids were fun(ny) to watch. After the program we all had cookies and punch. (The kids and I made Santa hat cookies & sugar cookies.) I'm glad Tyler was able to be a part of everything.

The Dentist

Tonight I had my very first ever cavity filled. Doesn't seem fair to finally have a cavity at 30-something, but I suppose some might argue it doesn't seem fair to not have a cavity until 30-something. Anyway, it wasn't as bad as I'd feared. I know this annoyed Ron, but the numbing stuff worked so well that I honestly didn't even feel the shot. It was a bit alarming when the dentist said things like "Oh my! That's so much bigger than I thought." and "Wow. It's so deep!" But, I survived and now I know how it feels in case I ever need to prepare our kids for this experience. My only real complaint is how gross my tooth feels when I touch it with my tongue. Eeeww.

While I'm discussing "toothy" issues, I have a question. Has anyone really invented a mess-free toothpaste dispenser for kids? I have tried all different kinds of dispensers, but all of them end up too disgusting to touch! Case in point:

Also, if you're taking the time to read this tonight, please take the time to say a little prayer for Tyler. He isn't feeling well tonight and his kindergarten Christmas program is tomorrow. He will be so incredibly disappointed if he's too sick to sing!

More Cell Phone Pics

First Snowfall of the Season

Today was our first snow of the season. Yippee!! It was actually a decent snowfall, too. I wasn't fully prepared this time, so we had to improvise with rainboots & double sets of knit gloves, but it was tons of fun anyway.


Here is the first snow angel of the season:

















Here is the first snowball-in-the-face of the season:



I found it much funnier than Tyler did. (Danielle threw it.)If you click on the picture, you can see the snow up his nose. Still makes me laugh.






We had a pretty good day. We didn't go anywhere. We didn't do much of anything. It was nice.




I thought the kids were rather amusing today. Here are the incidents worth passing along:

Danielle got a little whiny around bedtime tonight. While they were brushing their teeth, I heard Danielle whine, "I wish it was Christmas every day." Very sweetly Tyler said, "But Danielle, if it was Christmas every day, every day would be exactly the same." I thought he was being profound yet sensitive...until he continued. "And if every day is the same as today, you would be whiny every day."


While I was tucking Danielle into bed tonight, she said, "I wish it could be Christmas and snow everyday." I replied, "Then we couldn't go swimming in the summer." She said, "Oh. Well, I wish it could just be Easter every Friday then."


My aunt Barb gave Tyler a book about how machines work for Christmas last year. It is his absolute favorite book. He just pours over it. Tonight he was reading it in bed and suddenly came bounding from his room: "Mom! There's something so gross in this book. I can hardly look at it. A person is naked!"(gasp) He sounded disgusted. In the section discussing space shuttles, it showed pictures of people living on the shuttle and the ways they have to adjust to their surroundings. The picture that grossed him out was a bare chested man shampooing his hair. (Nothing more than you'd see at the beach.) I thought his reaction was funny, but Ron's was funnier. When I relayed the story to him, Ron wiped his brow and said "Phew!"



And my favorite: This afternoon Tyler set up a "testicle" course to jump over in the playroom.

Is Santa Real?

This afternoon I volunteered in Tyler's class. I was responsible for helping the kids paint Christmas pictures, which they're going to use as decorations for their upcoming Christmas program. The kids were sorted into small groups and took turns rotating through my "station". When the kids at my station weren't painting, they were supposed to be coloring a picture of Santa.

All the kids in my first group (including Tyler) finished painting before it was time to change stations, so they were all coloring their santa pictures. Suddenly, one boy said, "Santa's not real." Tyler stopped coloring and looked up at him. The girl added, "He's just wearing a costume." Tyler shook his head and said, "You guys are wrong. He's real." and went back to coloring. A minute later the first boy stopped coloring again, looked at me, and said "Is Santa real?" All the coloring stopped and 3 sets of eyes were on me - including my son's.

When I was pregnant, a lady I worked with told me that when her son found out Santa wasn't real, he was furious with her for lying to him. She said he could never really trust her after that and it really affected their relationship.

I think her example is probably extreme, but I do want our kids to know they can count on us to tell them the truth. Talking about Santa has been a touchy issue for me the past two years. I want our kids to experience the awe of Christmas, the anticipation of Christmas morning, and the magic of gifts suddenly appearing/cookies disappearing - while remembering we enjoy all this because it's Jesus' birthday. But I don't want to lie to them. When they find out that Santa and all his magical cohorts aren't real, I don't want them to lump God into that category, too. After all, they can't physically see God, they can't audibly hear God, they can't physically touch God. Until their relationship with God becomes more personal, all they really have is what I've told them and what we've read to them. I need them to trust that I'm telling them the truth. And not just about God but about everything that really matters.

Ron said I'm just doing "the mom thing" and worrying too much, but tonight when Danielle closed her eyes and said "Dear Santa, please bring me a Sleeping Beauty pop-up playset" I didn't think my fear was that far off. Yet, somehow I survived the Santa revelation without distrusting my parents or disbelieving in God. Ron survived, too. Maybe I am just doing the mom thing.

I told the boy I thought he should talk to his mom about his question and winked at Tyler. Tyler smiled, picked up his crayon, and started coloring again. Then he said, "You guys are wrong. How else would all those presents get there?" Case closed. For now.

Decorating the Christmas Tree

In a moment of insanity, we brought home a live Christmas tree yesterday. It seems like we do this every year. As we're painfully removing our ornaments from the brittle boughs and pulling needles out of our feet for weeks after Christmas, we promise ourselves we won't get another live tree. Then, the next Christmas rolls around and we get caught up in the season: the fun of picking the tree out, the wonderful smell, the "real" look of the tree. We lose our minds. We did it again yesterday.

We got a Douglas Fir this year rather than our typical Scotch Pine. It is much more fragrant. Hopefully the needles will be a little softer when the tree's all dried up. :)

Tonight we decorated the tree. I have to say that this was by far the best time I've had decorating the tree with the kids. They really enjoyed themselves, but what I enjoyed most was watching them hang their ornaments. They kept hanging them all in the same spot. Not just at the same level, but on the same bough. It was really funny. I'm surprised the tree didn't topple over. I think it turned out nice, though. (Tinsel to be added later.)



After we were done decorating, Tyler had to turn off every light in the house so we could admire the lights. Then he stood in front of the tree and said, "Come on everybody. Let's stand in front of the tree, hold hands, and sing songs." And he was serious! It was too funny! He and Danielle sang first (so I could capture the moment). Then we all held hands and sang Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer. It was definitely a memorable moment!



When Ron and I are left decorating the tree by ourselves many years from now, I know this will be one of the years we fondly reminisce about.

Say! I Do Like Green Eggs & Ham!

And I would read it with my son!

And I would consider it much fun.

He could read it in his bed

With me snuggled up near his head.

Tonight I had Tyler pull Green Eggs and Ham off the bookshelf and try reading it before bed. We haven't read it for months, so I knew he wouldn't be reading from memory - he'd actually have to read the words. I was very impressed! He did even better than I thought he would! I think he surprised himself, too. It's a long book for a beginner, but he hung in there until the end. Surprisingly, there was only a handful of words he didn't know. I am just so proud of him.

I decided to try Green Eggs and Ham because I remembered something my aunt told me about why the book was written. Apparently Dr. Seuss's publisher allegedly bet him $50 he couldn't write a book using only 50 different words. (The previous book Dr. Seuss wrote was The Cat in the Hat, which contained over 200 different words.) So, he did. Dr. Seuss used exactly 50 words and 49 of them only have one syllable, making it a very good book for a beginning reader.

I would listen to him here or there

I could listen to him anywhere!

I do so like Green Eggs and Ham.

Making Memories with Grandma & Grandpa

Danielle got back tonight from spending 2 nights with Grandma & Grandpa R. No brother, no Mom or Dad, nobody else - just quality time with Grandma, & Grandpa. Bits and pieces of their time together are still falling into place, but I can tell she had a wonderful time.

It sounds like they packed a lot of activity into 3 days. The highlight, though, was attending The Nutcracker Ballet. Grandma said Danielle was captivated for the entire 2 hours (past her bedtime, even!). Her face lit up as she told me more about it when I tucked her in tonight.

Here are some pictures from Danielle's visit: