Winter Photos

Last night, we got enough rain that inches and inches of snow and ice all melted. The kids were disappointed, so it was very hard to hide my absolute JOY at seeing the bare ground today. Ahhh! We've been fighting to drive up our driveway (not to mention walk - taking out the trash yesterday was comical!) for two weeks. But we live in the Midwest, so this is to be expected.

The other day, B took a picture of this huge icicle hanging on the front of our home. The kids were so fascinated, they checked the front window each day to see if it was still there. I think at first, Little Red might have thought the older two were looking at a "pop-cicle" :)

Since he knew it would be melting soon, he pulled it down and surprised the kids by bringing in the house. They were so giddy - wanting to touch it and asking a zillion questions - before finally putting it in the sink to melt.

He also took some pictures of our new house / ground. It's been so cold out there, but they kept working to get the basement covered. We've been very fortunate to have some dedicated people who have graciously helped despite the horribly cold conditions.

The first picture is of the covered basement.














The second is a view of the snow-covered pond taken from the back of the house.














The last is a cringe-worthy picture of all of the snow and ice that had accumulated on the basement floor. This happened before the floor was put on the top. Just the past view days, B and others have finished shoveling this all out by hand. It's now almost dry and heated. Those guys have worked so hard - it's unbelievable. Hopefully, we'll get some nicer weather now!

Christmas Room

After Thanksgiving each year, the kids understand that they are not to enter the spare bedroom in the basement. Mommy waits until late to wrap her presents, so there is a reason the "Christmas Room " is locked until Christmas Day.
This year, Turkey Day came and went. I predictably fell into the trap of trying to meet the unrealistic expectations of the Christmas Season. And I dealt with it in a very grown up manner: by whining. Caught up in the illusion of the "perfect Christmas," I started to become overwhelmed. This led to stress, which led to grumpiness, which then led to feeling bad about being stressed and grumpy. I'm not sure why I'm surprised; it seems to happen every year. The cycle usually continues until Christmas Eve, when I then revel that the season has almost reached it's climax. In the back of my mind, I quietly admit to myself that I'll be relieved when it's over.
On this Christmas Eve, we enjoy a family get-together and a night of games. Later, the children eagerly agree to go to bed. While thoughts of Santa distract them, it seems like an eternity before Mr. Sandman finally pays them a visit. Their sweet little eyes fall as they drift to Dreamland.
Tonight before Santa arrives, I rush to the basement to bring up the wrapped presents. As I unlock the door one final time, all of a sudden, time seems to stand still. I find myself surrounded by the stillness unfamiliar to a home with three small children.
Then it happens.

I am totally overcome with emotion, almost to the point of tears.
I envision my childrens' faces as they open their gifts tomorrow. I imagine other children in the world who will have presents under the tree; and those that won't. I wonder if people are really nicer to each other during the Christmas season and I wonder if it makes a difference at all. Thinking about all of the pain and suffering in the world, I wonder if I have done anything at all to make a difference. Could I have given a few more dollars to the bell-ringer, or given another gift to the angel tree, or made a more generous donation to our charity?
As I carry the gifts up the stairs, I wonder what Jesus really thinks of all of this. Contemplating his birth and it's meaning, it seems as if I let myself stray so far from the true meaning of Christmas.
I make one final trip down to the basement to gather the last of the gifts. I turn off the light and leave the door unlocked this time; the spare room returns to its original purpose.
On the last trip up the stairs, I slowly and gently place the gifts under the soft light of the tree. Thinking I should be relieved to go to bed at this point, the opposite has happened. I find myself intentionally stalling and trying to savor every minute. A bit saddened that another year has passed, I wonder how many more Christmases are left before their childhood innocence has faded.
One last time I read the beautiful letters the kids left for Santa. Under the letters is a stack of artwork intended for a very large wall at the North Pole. On top of the letters, Yogi and Bella tenderly placed two small, neatly wrapped gifts. The letters explain that they've eached wrapped a favorite toy for Santa. They go on to explain they had wanted to get him a gift because he is so kind and thinks of everyone on Christmas. (Earlier in the week, they had asked if I thought Santa needed wrapping paper. Now this is all making sense.) Because they couldn't think of anything to get him, they wondered if Santa could use the toys to give to other children who might not have as much as they do.
I am extremely touched by their thoughtfulness. And proud. I'm reminded that that the smallest of good deeds can truly make a difference. Those small deeds can inspire others to do the same, and on and on...
Who would have thought that these two little toys might restore a bit of my hope ? These two little gifts that didn't come from the Christmas Room. The recipe for my "perfect Christmas" had been brewing in the hearts of my two oldest children long before I locked the door this year.
By now, Christmas eve has turned into the wee hours of Christmas morning and I realize Santa is probably waiting for me to get to bed too.
May you be inspired, and inspire others to spread goodwill every single day! Merry Christmas!

Computer crazy!

Our family fights over computer time the same way I remember fighting over phone time as a teenager. Is this really what the advances in technology have lead us to?

I must admit I'm at fault. Being a bit of a tech / gadget freak myself, I thought it was great to introduce kid-friendly computer games a few years back. I beemed when my son was four and learned to "double-click" the mouse correctly. I smiled with pride when my daughter was three and I overheard her correcting a relative on the difference between a "login" and a "password." Boy was I a sucker!

Apparently with all of the "fun stuff" they learned, I forgot to mention our main purpose for having a computer is for paying bills, organizing and WORK!! Now that Yogi and Bella have been absorbed into the world of Webkinz, the computer has been reduced to a really really expensive video game.

I sometimes find myself justifying why it's more important for me to balance the checkbook online then it is for them to "feed their Webkinz." Apparently the Webkinz get "sick" if they don't get virtually fed and tucked in to bed. Seriously?? It's like I'm asking them to kill their favorite pet if I actually want to use the computer before 8pm (bedtime).

And it's not just Webkinz... The other day B woke up at 6:15am to get ready for work and found Yogi was already out of bed. Our second grader was checking the weather.com radar to see if school would be canceled.

We've really tried to set a 30 minute limit per day. Apparently we just need to get better at enforcing it! I think it's only gotten so bad because they've been stuck inside this winter. I don't recall having this problem last summer - probably because they were playing outside so much.

Maybe the plus side is that they'll become great at learning to "fix" the computer! Then they can be on the phone with Dell tech support in India and translate for us!

Christmas

We had a wondeful time getting together with my sister's and brother's families last weekend for Christmas. Unfortunately, B wasn't able to go. He had to take advantage of a good weather weekend to keep working on the basement on our new house.

The best part of the visit was meeting my new niece. She's perfect in every way! I can't wait to watch her grow up and develop a little personality.

The kids also enjoyed staying in a hotel, swimming, and getting to play with their cousins. Our hotel was really nice and had a pull out couch that the older two could sleep on. Strangely enough, all three kids still ended up sleeping with me. Go figure.


On Sunday, my brother took us to visit the John Deere World Headquarters. The kids LOVED the showroom and we want to go back again. Yogi just kept asking my brother, "you really work here?" It was so cute.