we had ourselves a merry little christmas...

ella's prayer yesterday morning at breakfast:
"dear lord, happy birthday. i mean, well... happy birthday next year when its merry christmas time again... thank you for a family who talks about your birth. thank you for coming down to earth."

what a privilege to experience life through the eyes of our children. this christmas was wonderful.

when our family was all together, we shared some of our favorite christmas memories with each other. i noticed that very few of the significant memories of our collective pasts had much to do with gifts we received. interesting, since it seems like the gift part gets so much emphasis in our society today. i was especially touched with my great aunt's memory. living through some very tough times as a child, the christmas that stood out for her was when her parents saved and sacrificed so they could have the delicacy of oranges on christmas. oranges! what a treat. i really appreciated her sharing that. simpler times. and better perspectives, i'm sure.

Merry Christmas!

my apologies that this is the closest thing to a Christmas card from our family this year. (i know my limits.)

may you all enjoy the celebration of the birth of our savior. Merry Christmas!

a 4 year-old's perspective

ella loves to write out her memory verses. she also likes to make them up as she goes along.

in the off-chance that you don't read russian, allow me to share ella's translation with you: "God is always watching out for us. We don't have to be afraid because God is bigger than the boogeyman."

and on the back, some deep 4 year old wisdom:

"When God was little he didn't get made because he was made."

well said, king david

sometimes i wonder what will be on my tombstone. not so much because i am morbid (at least i don't think i am) but more because i wonder whether or not i will make it through the day. that being the case, i wonder if my kids were to chose my epitaph, would it be something they must hear me say ALL day long... "no more whining" or "do you need to go to time-out?" or "get off your sister" or "you need to listen to me." how is my little stay on this earth defined in their eyes? i think specifically of my kids because i know they see the real and true me. its hard (and not necessary) to fake it around little ones who see you at your best and worst ALL day EVERY day.

in a very rare, very quiet moment today, i read a verse that i hope will define me. "my share in life has been pleasant; my part has been beautiful." psalm 16:6

while there are many overwhelming and never-ending phases of motherhood, i wouldn't trade my life for anything. i mean, don't get me wrong, i have my moments of weakness where i would certainly choose a yacht in figi over mounds of laundry and sticky floors in arizona. but i have to say my share in life is more than pleasant. it is fantastic. and at the end of it, i hope it will be seen by others, especially in the eyes of children and husband, as beautiful for them.

well... now i'm off to print this verse above the crib, on the dishwasher, in the laundry room, next to the bathtub, above the stove... because pretty soon they'll wake up and i'm pretty sure i'm going to need a reminder.

pajama day

the beautiful thing about the blog is that i am able to declare my passionate love for overcast, rainy days without enduring the replies of others who are convinced i would change my mind if i lived elsewhere and had to "suffer" through sunshine-less days on a more frequent basis. (it tends to annoy me when people think they know me better than i know myself.) because i know that i do indeed love these days and i am thrilled this drizzly weather is currently forecasted until thursday. and i know, that like all other sunny days, friday will be a bit of a disappointment to me when the clouds are gone and the sun is back. this must be an example of "beauty is in the eye of the beholder" because when i hear "it is a beautiful day" (very common phrase in these parts), i want to ask, "where are the clouds?"

we (ella and me) affectionately refer to these days as "cozy days." and here in phoenix, we have to make the most of them when they come. sunless days relax me and energize me at the same time. weird, i know. when there is no rain accompanying the coziness, these are the days i most love to go the park, for walks, run errands... an overcast day just makes everything better. and when there is rain, what better excuse do you need to declare a pajama day and curl up with books and hot apple cider around the christmas tree.

i was slightly concerned this morning that our cozy day would actually be a sick day when ella didn't wake up until 9:30! the last time this happened was... well, never. and while she did emerge from her room with a cold, she is still enjoying the day to its fullest.

is something wrong?

i have a feeling it is going to be a good day. it is currently 7:57 and my 2 oldest children are STILL SLEEPING! a normal occurrence in homes all across america, it is indeed an extremely rare occasion here. bennett is usually up way before the sun and ella follows shortly after.

i awoke with a start when i realized there was light coming through my window and the house was quiet. did anthony take the kids to work with him? have they been kidnapped? i considered calling 911 because something is surely wrong, but i was afraid of waking them with my voice. instead i checked on them to make sure they were breathing and then tiptoed out to my baby cooing at the christmas lights.

i just don't know what to do with myself. hmmm... i should probably stop typing for now; they might hear the clacking and wake up.

"if it ain't broke..."

one sunday, not too long ago, i was almost convinced that my husband was smoking crack. he had just come out from putting bennett down for his nap and with a slightly sheepish smile informed me, "so i went ahead and took the front off of bennett's crib." (to make it a semi-big-boy bed.) to which i responded something along the lines of, "have you lost your mind?"

as if our lives aren't crazy enough, lets go ahead and uncage the 2 year old at nap time. at the current state of things, my philosophy is to keep life as easy as possible. the ability to chuck bennett in his crib and keep him there was part of this equation. anthony said he explained to bennett that he can't get off his bed. yeah, good luck with that, i thought to myself. and then, instead of making it an "issue" i resolved myself to simply wait until the next day when anthony was at work and i could innocently put the crib back together and inform daddy that it just simply didn't work out.

well, surprise, surprise. bennett was ready for the transition. he loves his bed and does not get off, even when he wakes up. he calls for us and waits for us to get him. this is shocking to me and its all thanks to daddy for having a little faith.

so this week we made the transition official by putting the real big-boy bed in his room. yep, my boy is growing up...

the big-boy bed "christening"

thanksgiving

well, we did it. we traveled with our newborn. and while i wouldn't say that this thanksgiving weekend falls into the "relaxing" category of trips we have taken, it was still a wonderful time to be with family and reflect on God's provision for the early settlers as well as for us today. and we do have so much to be thankful for.

for starters, i am thankful my mom now knows i'm not exaggerating when i say that mason cries ALL the time. ok, well... not when he is eating or sleeping and not for a cumulative total of about 22 minutes the rest of the day. but even though i am thankful for him, he is quite the fussy little thing. and i feel validated when others can witness it for themselves.

we are also thankful for:

thanksgiving crafts with grammy

chicken fights

hide and go seek... daddy style

fun times with family

(great-great aunt pauline)

(cousin kaitlyn)

meeting great-grandma darlene

extra hands to hold a fussy baby

someone to blow in our faces (hey, don't knock it 'till you've tried it...)

visiting poppa at work

helping grammy decorate for christmas (because mommy never lets us touch stuff like this!)