After Christmas Fun

After everyone felt better, our Christmas vacation was lots of fun.  There were lots of new toys to play with.  James and Scotty loved the Star Wars Legos.

There was also lots of cousin time.  James and Cora are always together, usually getting into some kind of mischief.  But this year, all the cousins did a great job playing together.  If Scotty and Jamers were playing Legos, Cora and William played together.  The best was when they all played family.  James and Cora were always the Mommy and Daddy.  William is always the baby, and Scotty just fills in as needed.  Sometimes he was the dog, the vet, the teenager or whoever else Cora told him to be.  They all had a great time together.  It is hard to imagine that next Christmas we'll have 2 more little ones running around trying to keep up with the big kids.

We also took a trip to Balboa Park.  We always ride the train there.  It is the same train my parents rode as kids, Aaron and I rode as kids, and now our kids ride.  I like sharing that with them.

Of course we also ride the planes too.  I remember riding these when I was little.  Except I liked the butterflies.  I don't even remember the planes being there.

Aaron asked William to give a "thumbs up" and this is it.  To the untrained eye, this looks like "number 1".  But it isn't. I'd give after Christmas fun 2 thumbs up.

Namesakes

I have wanted to write this since Lilly was born, but it has taken me this long to get a picture of Lilly with her namesakes.  So Mom and Cathy, this one is for you.

We always knew we wanted to name our daughter Lillian.  We just didn't know if we'd get the chance.  First there was a James instead of a Lillian, and then there was a William.  But the 3rd time was the charm and we got our girl.  We got our Lillian.  She is named Lillian after her Grandma and Great-Grandma.  They were both Lillians and I am proud to name my daughter after them.  

I don't have lots of memories of my Grandma Lillian (we called her Grandma Simon) but most of the ones I have of her are very dear to my heart.  Even when she lived with us and had to share a household with 2 noisy little kids, she still gave us money to spend on an ice cream at Thriftys and read us stories and gave us hugs.  I remember little things about her like how she got small boxes of Cheezits for me and Animal Crackers for Ben.  I remember the teddy bear she always had on her bed and the fancy silver brush and mirror that sat on her dresser.  I loved using them and she always let me. She passed away when I was in 5th grade and I am sad that I didn't get to know her better when I was old enough to appreciate her more.

I hope that Lilly has lots more memories of her Grandma Lillian than I do of mine.  She is fortunate to spend lots of time with her already.  But more than being blessed enough to spend time with a loving Granny, Lilly is blessed to be named after that Granny. I will always be sure she know that.  And I will always be sure she knows the things that make Granny so special.  That she is a strong and courageous woman.  That she loves God and her family.  That she always put her families needs in front of her own and is a wonderful example to me of what a wife and a mother ought to be. That she made sure that there was always enough hot water for Dad to have a hot shower when he came home from work.  Even if that meant that we kids had to take short showers.  That she is a great cook and taught all her kids to appreciate good food.  How much she loves to read and taught all her children to be readers like her.  When I read Anne of Green Gables or Little House in the Big Woods with Lilly, I will tell her about how my Mommy used to read them with me.  I will carry on the memories from one Lillian to the next.  

Lillian's middle name is Catherine.  Besides loving that name because it is beautiful and regal sounding, Catherine is someone very special to us.  I am so honored to have my daughter share her name.  We call her Cathy and she is my Mom's best friend.  She is actually so much more than that.  The Pedersens are our family.  We grew up with their kids, they lived with us, Cathy labored on our couch with her daughter Erin, when we didn't have a car they lent us theirs and when Ed was overseas and Cathy heard someone on the roof, my dad came down with this mag light and a bat to scare off the raccoon.  They were always there for us and we for them.  Cathy is like my 2nd Mom.  I know I could ask her anything, tell her anything and trust that she would love me and help me and take care of me, just like a Mom does.  She helped me give birth to 2 of my kids and would have been in there for the C-section if they would have let her.  I always say I would have had 3 C-sections without Cathy.  I admire Cathy for her strength and undying love for her family.  She is an incredible wife and mother.  One who would, and does, do anything for them.  As Lilly grows, I can't wait for her to know and love Cathy the same way I do.  She is a wonderful lady.

I am so proud that Lilly shares her name with these 2 dear women. There is one other thing about Lillian and Catherine that I love so much, and it is something that I plan on talking about with Lilly a lot.  That is their friendship.  They have been friends for 30 years.  They have weathered storms together, cried together, laughed together (a LOT of laughing with those 2) watched each other's children grow up and have babies.  They are always honest with each other, even if it hurts and its hard.  There are not a lot of people you can say those things about, but it is true of my Mom and Cathy. Their friendship has always been a constant in my life.  It gives me joy and comfort knowing that it is there.  I pray that someday my daughter will have a friendship like that.  It is good to know they are there for each other and for all of us.  

It is good to call my daughter Lillian Catherine and think of her namesakes every  time I do.  

I love you, Mom.

I love you , Cathy.      

The Christmas Curse

You didn't think we'd make it through Christmas without the Christmas Curse did you?  Well, we didn't.  In fact, it struck with a vengeance on Christmas day.  By the time we got over to Nana and Papa's around noon, James was burning up with  a fever.  He felt so awful that he laid his head on my lap while I opened 1 present for him and then said he just wanted to go to bed.  Now that is a sick kid.

Aaron was also sick.  He had an earache and signs of a sinus infection.  He, too, only wanted to go to bed.  Alas, that was difficult given the malady that plagued William.  For the 2nd night in a row, William got hives on his feet and legs, rendering sleep nearly impossible, even with the aid of Benedryl.  James was asleep by 5 pm and after we finally got William to stop itching and fall asleep, Aaron joined them.  Poor Nana made a delicious prime rib feast and most of us couldn't enjoy it.  Between sick or cranky kids, every one was up and down and eating a bite here and there, or not at all. It was a never to be forgotten Christmas, but sure to be repeated.  

Thankfully, everyone felt better as soon as the next day, and the rest of out Christmas vacation was pretty fun.  Oh sure, the kid were exhausted and not fully recovered, cranky and not up to snuff, but it's been worse.  And I have confidence that someday it will be better.      

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning came early, despite a very late Christmas Eve.  Why does it always have to be that way?  Still, we were pretty excited to share presents with the kids and they were very excited to open them.  They each got a big present.  Something they'd been asking for, or that Aaron really wanted to get them.  James wanted a crane, and Daddy made sure he got it.  It's pretty cool. He was very excited.

William got a Playmobil firetruck.  Since Granny and Dziadzi got him a VERY loud remote control firetruck, we didn't bother to put the batteries in the one from us.  He didn't seem to know the difference.  It's a ladder truck.  Or "ladda" truck, in William speak.

Lilly got Sophie the giraffe.  I have loved this toy since James was a baby but felt guilty spending $20 on a chew toy (yes, I admit it and I am ashamed, but it is the best chew toy ever).  I finally got it for baby # 3 and she loved it right away.  It is cute, it is French, it is safe to chew on (no toxic plastics, just pure chewy rubber) it is easy for her to hold and it was Lilly's big present.  I love Sophie.

The boys also got ray guns.  They are really loud and annoying.  Don't ask me what I was thinking when I got them these.  It was something like this, "wow, these are only $ 5.  They look like vintagy space guns.  They boys will love how they light up.  They will be perfect for when they play space explorers."  Did I even listen to them at all?

Did I think they would also be perfect for shooting little sisters in the head and causing early hearing loss?  

In the end, it was a wonderful Christmas morning.  Granny made french toast, her breakfast specialty, Daddy put together PlayMobil toys, I got a darling green coat, of which I'll post pictures sometime and we all got to be together.  That was the best part and it is what makes Christmas merry.

Behind

Here is why scrapbooking doesn't work for me.  I get behind.  I get behind and then I want to do the current stuff but I feel like I can't move forward until I've documented the past and eventually I stall out completely because I feel paralyzed.  

That is kind of what has been going on here, but I am going to stop it right here and now.  I have a few more Christmas posts (hey don't say anything--at least it's not Christmas in July!) and then I'll do a review of January and be right back on top of things.  

Dare to dream.

Besides the whole paralyzed thing, life just hasn't been conducive to blogging lately.  My Lilly is still sick and therefore waking up all hours of the night and wanting badly to nurse and then be held while she sleeps.  Only held.  Upright so she doesn't choke on the incredible amount of snot pouring from her nostrils.  Unlike my other 2, I have completely given up and most times don't even try to put her back in her crib.  She sleeps in bed with me more often than not. I've become one of those kind of parents.  But don't worry, there is plenty of room, because most nights Aaron is sleeping with William.  About the only person who is getting a good nights sleep around here is James.  I don't know when my children decided that sleeping was no longer their thing.  It used to be.  Only a few months ago I was sleeping all night long AND getting an afternoon nap.  That's gone now too.  We have rest time.  Really it should be called, "don't get out of your bed again or I will pull my hair out" time.  Yes, we've taken William off naps.  It is a terrible blow because he is a great napper.  It's j

ust when he naps he doesn't go to bed until 10.  There is no happy medium with William.  

So....I am tired.  Many nights I fall asleep on the couch, wake to wash the dishes (or not) before I move onto bed and  a little more sleep (or not).  Aaron has been using the computer a lot at night as well, and since nap time is gone, I don't blog much during the day.  I think my blogging honeymoon is over and real blogging life has begun.

But I'm game.  I still have a bowlful of buttermilk pancake batter on the counter that I need to cook up for breakfast tomorrow (had it for dinner, leftovers for breakfast) the dinner dishes to wash and laundry to put away, but first I'll do a little of this and then a little of that.  Perhaps I won't be here everyday (remember the honeymoon is over!) but a couple of times a week should still be good, right?  

Christmas blogs to follow, and then, ONWARD!

Updated

Hey, I finally updated Me Too Photography.  There are some fine photos over there, if I do say so myself.  I would love it if you check them out.  I'll be back here tomorrow.

Where are you Tooth Fairy?

When my brother and I were little, the Tooth Fairy had a hard time finding our house.  Or maybe she was just really, really busy every time we lost a tooth.  We grew so despondent over the whole situation, that we discovered the truth of her whereabouts and began to leave notes for the real Tooth Fairy in on her bathroom mirror.  

The best note ever was penned by Ben and was saved by the Tooth Fairy.  She still has it, written in pencil, on blue-lined pencil in the big, wobbly letters of a new writer.  It reads, "Give me my munny.  Tonite."  It is straightforward, direct, to the point.  It has the sound of someone who is fed up and done with asking nicely.  I wonder how many days that note was left up before Ben got his munny? 

On Christmas Eve, James lost his first tooth.  It was kind of a surprise, actually, because as far as we knew it wasn't even loose.  We were in kind of a hurry to get our tired and somewhat (ha!) cranky kids to bed, so when James suddenly began to cry while eating his sandwich Aaron wasn't very sympathetic.  I remember quite well what he told James, because it was so funny later. "There is no way that bread hurt your mouth.  It is like paste.  Now stop crying and eat your sandwich!"   These loving words didn't seem to comfort James much, who had spit out his bite of sandwich and abandoned it to read stories with Uncle B. 

Not long after that, my Mom asked, "when did James loose a tooth?"  

"He didn't,"  Aaron and I said in unison.

"Yes he did," Mom insisted.

"James, come over here."

Sure enough, there it was.  An empty spot where there once was a tooth.  He HAD lost a tooth. Oh, yeah, and it DID hurt when he was eating that sandwich.  That is how the tooth came out and why he cried.  My Mom found the tooth in the bite he spit out (now that is some kind of Grandma!) and we all had a good laugh at ourselves for being so nice to our poor little kid whose tooth fell out because the crust of the bread was so hard.  We apologized.  

Since the tooth had been recovered, we made a big deal about him putting it under his pillow and what he'd find under there in the morning.

Yeah, he found nothing.  It seems the Tooth Fairy is up to her old tricks.  James quickly gave her an out.  "Actually we forgot to put it under my pillow Mommy, so she couldn't come."  He was right.  We did forget.  And now, 3 weeks later, we still seem to forget it every night.  It is really kind of embarrassing.  Every time James proudly shows someone the hole in his mouth, he quickly tells them, "but I still haven't gotten any money!"  Maybe tonight James.  Maybe tonight. 

Christmas Traditions Part 7 -- The Christmas Play

Every year on Christmas Eve, my Dad's church has a Christmas play.  And every year, I am part of it.  This did not change once I began having children, they just became part of the play also.  In fact, James was the baby Jesus for his first Christmas.  Before James baby Jesus was just played by a doll, but now baby Jesus is always played by a live baby.  That's James for you, setting the standard.  That year I played Mary, and Aaron was supposed to be Joseph.  But due to the Christmas curse, he was home in bed and my brother Ben stepped in and played the role of my husband.  That's how the Christmas play works.  It always seems like a bit of a disaster before it begins, but in the end, it is always just perfect.  

This year, 3 of the cousins were in the play.  William wanted to be a baby lamb, but he turned into a chicken at the last minute.  There were no chickens in the stable.  He decided to wait until next year when he can be a shepherd and have a big stick.  But I'm not really sure if we should add 1 more wild man to the shepherds.  Maybe we should just draft these 3 as the 3 wise guys in next year's play.

James really likes being in the play.  He tells everyone about it and is quite proud that he gets to do it every year.  This year he discovered an added benefit to being in the Christmas play. The angels.  1 angel to be specific.  He called her "the littlest angel" and boy did the heavens open when he saw her.  It is very strange to have my 4 year old son talking incessantly about a girl, but he was, and he still is.  It is January.  The littlest angel should be forgotten by now.  But no, he wants to send her a Valentine.  Oh James, what are we going to do with you?

One of the "disaster" parts of the play is the large number of shepherds we have every year. They aren't really disasters, but they are a lot of  little boys, with sticks and itchy tunics who have to stay quiet for a long time before they get on stage and after.  All I'm saying is that it can be a recipe for disaster.  Especially if you are one of the moms in the back room trying to keep them quiet.

As I said, in the end the play always turns out perfect.  This year one of the shepherds gave a very loud and very big and very long yawn on stage.  It was very funny.  James spent most of the play staring at the littlest angel, baby Jesus didn't fuss and everyone had a good time.  Once again Pastor Stan pulled it off.  He never lets us down.  

James wanted to know if he'd be the only shepherd wearing a tie.  I assured him he probably would.  He wanted to look good for you know who. 

"And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.  An angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.  But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all people.  Today in the city of David a Saviour has been born.  He is Christ the Lord."  Luke 2: 8-11