A fun Saturday, Part 2

When the kids woke from their naps, they were thrilled to see that the decorations were being hung outside.  I promised them that we would go out and they could have a special treat if they would just do one thing for me:  pose for some Christmas card pictures.  Anticipating the frustration that might come, I decided I wasn't going to get upset if the pictures were less than stellar, and I was not going to freak out at my kids to "JUST LOOK HERE AND SMILE!" I limited myself to a quick 15 minutes of photography, knowing that if it didn't happen in that time span, nothing good was going to come out of going longer.  These are two that I didn't pick:

I was thrilled that the weather was so nice, so after changing back into "regular" clothes and as darkness began to fall (which seems to be so early these days), the kids and I took a nice walking tour of the neighborhood Christmas displays.  We came in for dinner, and then came what they had really been waiting for: decorating the Christmas tree.  This year, they were more involved than ever.  Cortlan was bound and determined to hang the ornaments high, and used the step stool as often as he could.  Everly was bound and determined to take as many ornaments over to the tree as possible, but was more interested in handing them to John than she was in actually hanging them.  I unpacked them as quickly as I could and we managed, for the first time, to get the tree entirely decorated without me having to finish it after the kids were in bed.

Cortlan put the star on.

A fun Saturday, Part 1

I was looking for something to do with the kids yesterday, and ended up at a paint your own pottery studio to paint some Christmas ornaments.  This was the first time that Everly had done anything like this.  For Cortlan, it has been years, and he likely has no memory of it except for the picture that we had in a frame for a while.  The kids were very well behaved, but there is no doubt that we entertained the other patrons who couldn't help but overhear our conversations.  In the end, the kids painted their ornaments exactly as they saw fit, so we will surely have an interesting looking candy cane, snowman, and gingerbread man, as well as a circular ornament.  And I am pretty sure that Everly may hold the record for the most paintbrushes used for only four colors.

A trip to see Santa

We took the kids to the mall yesterday to sit on Santa's lap.  Knowing that it is a different experience every year, we did a practice run in the car.

Me:  So, Everly, what are you going to tell Santa when you sit on his lap?
Everly:  Umm.  I want a Dora watch and  Minnie watch.
Me:  Ok.
Everly:  And a Dora watch.  (pause)  And a Minnie watch.  And a Dora watch.
John:  And a Minnie watch?
Everly:  Yep.  And a Dora watch.
Me:  Ok.  Got it.
Everly:  And a Minnie watch and a Dora watch.
Cortlan:  Everly.  Why do you say the same thing over and over and over and over and over and over and over again?
John and me:  (chuckling in the front seat because it is oh so true.)
Me:  Cortlan, what are you going to tell Santa?
Cortlan:  Ummmmmm.......
Me:  What do you want Santa to bring for you for Christmas?
Cortlan:  Um.  Legos.  And some Geotrax.
Me:  Nice.  Now don't forget to tell Santa nice and loud so he can hear.
Cortlan:  We will.

When we got to the mall, the kids wanted to go directly to see Santa.  Everly was starstruck.  The look on her face was one of nervousness, not quite fear.  She timidly sat on his lap, with Cortlan on the other side, and told him exactly what she wanted.  Cortlan then surprised us both by saying, "Everly, is there anything else that you want to tell him?" Part of me was waiting to hear her repeat the same thing ten more times, but she just looked at Cortlan like, "Wait.  We didn't practice this part!"  and she just said, "Ummmmmmmm..." until I let her off the hook by indicating that was all she wanted to tell him and that it was Cort's turn.  He told Santa the same thing that he told us in the car, in his quietest voice (of course), and then the kids got their picture taken.  Multiple times.  With only one or the other smiling in each one.

But oh, how I love the magical moments and memories of Christmas time.

Happy Thanksgiving

It is hard to sit down to the computer on Thanksgiving Day and for even a second think that my words could ever do justice in explaining all that for which I am thankful.  True thankfulness is an emotion that is hard to describe, almost as much as true love is.  But you know it when you feel that appreciation, that swelling inside of happiness and that feeling of peace, that knowledge that life is so good.  It wraps you up like a warm blanket on a cold day, and it fills you up like no food ever could.  And to try to list what makes me thankful seems overwhelming, like counting to infinity, because I look around and I am thankful for it all. I look inside, and I am thankful for it all.  I look back, and I am thankful for it all. I look forward, and I am thankful for it all.  I am full; I am warm; I have peace; I have love.  I give thanks.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Nothing

Whew!  What a whirlwind couple of weeks!  With the fall play behind me, I can finally try to get some balance back into my life.  I ran yesterday for the first time in a week.  I got to bed before 11pm last night for the first time since last Tuesday.  I went to Costco today for the first time in a month.  I got home from work today and it was still daylight and I didn't have to drive back to the school an hour later.  Things are getting back to normal, so I will soon have something to write about and will hopefully have time to write it.  But for right now, I think I just want to relax for a bit and do...nothing.

Everly 2048

Yesterday was election day.  Fortunately, we had an in-service day at work, which means our work day begins at 8:00 AM instead of 7:10 AM.  This later start allowed us to leave late from home, be among the first at the polls, and still make it to work on time after dropping off the kids.  Since the polling location is close to our house and on the way to the kids' school, we took them with us.  The conversation in the car on the way went a little something like this:

Me:  We are going to vote before we go to school today, so we are going to take a different route and make a quick stop on our way.
Everly:  Boat?  We are goin on a boat? Yay!
Me:  No, honey.  Vote.  Not boat.
Everly:  Whatsa vote?
Me:  When we vote, we are saying who we want to be our leaders.  Then other people vote who they want.  Whoever gets the most votes, wins, and gets to be the leader.
Everly:  I want to be a leada!
Me:  Well, this is for grown-ups.  But maybe when you are a grown up!
Everly:  When Ima goewn up yike you, I want to be a leada!
Me:  I have no doubt that you will, if that is what you want.
Everly:  I do!

This conversation may just go down in history.  You never know.

I am thankful

I have been feeling kind of bummed about not writing more posts lately, but I just looked at the posts from last year at this time, and I realized it was the same kind of deal.  This time of year is just C R A Z Y.  And when there are so many things that I need to do and want to do and have to do, writing a blog entry kind of gets pushed to the wayside, unfortunately.

Some of my friends have been doing status updates every day in November that express for what they are thankful.  While I have not been doing that, I have certainly been feeling thankful lately.  And while I do not have time at the moment to compose a typical blog entry, I certainly have the time to reflect for a bit and write five things that I am thankful for (one for each day of the month so far):

1. I am thankful for the joy that my children bring into my life each day, even though they sometimes also completely frustrate me.
2. I am thankful to have a partner in my life that is supportive and giving and understanding and encouraging, who doesn't always agree with me, but who will always listen to me, and who is my best friend (and a great dad).
3. I am thankful for girlfriends that I know will be there for me in an instant if I need them, and who don't hold it against me when we don't talk or get together for a while because our lives are so hectic (and that when we do get together or talk we are able to pick right up where we left off as if we just talked yesterday).
4. I am thankful that all of the things that make me so busy at this time of the year are things I enjoy doing.  (Well, not the cleaning.)
5. I am thankful for beautiful fall Sundays that include a submarine tour, fruit flambe, a walk along the river, music playing, a breeze blowing, and kids napping in the car.