Emma 28 Months

This girl is just a whole bundle of fun! Here are a few highlights from this month:

-"Helped" make sugar cookies (and by that I mean she dumped nearly a whole container of sprinkles on one cookie and then ate it...)

-Says a lot of cute stuff: "pippus tree" (Christmas tree), "seena butter" (peanut butter), "sone" (phone), "scoot me" (excuse me), "I-ya" (Isla).

-My favorite is when we drive around at night and see Christmas lights. She yells "Look at that one over there!!!!" in the most excited voice. Hearing this over and over was seriously up there as a top highlight of 2013 for me. The pure joy!

-Totally freaks out when she gets wrinkles on her fingers and toes in the tub

-Sometimes she puts on her big girl panties and helps out around here...

-Oh how she loves to dance!! She didn't get to be the flower girl but boy did she get her dance on at my cousin's wedding! Here she is practicing for it:

-Snowball fights apparently aren't her thing. (Neither was going in the snow globe or going on the carousel or seeing the snow at Pacific Place).

-But pony rides sure are! 

-I think this one is going to be our musician. She's got rhythm, she can stay on pitch, and she learns lyrics quickly. We never taught her to sing Away in a Manger but one day she just woke up and sang the whole song, complete with hand motions and everything!

-She's in a bit of a willful streak and has learned a couple cool phrases like "Go away" and "Don't want to."

-But she spends most of her time being sweet and adorable and making people laugh.

-Starting to enjoy the arts with her big sis

-Has a riot with her uncles and cousins

-Also just loves her "Baby Jack." Last week I left the room briefly and returned to find that she'd turned on some music and was helping him dance...

This age is just so much fun, especially when you have a real keeper like this one!

Christmas Eve 2013

Isla asked me the other day "When are we going to have Christmas at OUR house?" So we quickly made plans to exchange our gifts to one another at home together on Christmas Eve morning. We nearly tortured the kids with how long it took us to get ready.

Then I prolonged the torture by requiring a family photo before we dove in (I always HATED this part of the process as a kid and now look at me doing it to my own children!) 

Graham informed me that I've been doing it "wrong" all these years and that we had to start with stockings first.

Jack and his tube sock "stocking"

His enthusiasm didn't last for long!

After gifts the girls made quick work of making sure the entire living room floor was covered with toys.

Someday (maybe next year?) I hope to cook extravagant meals for Christmas. This year was not that year but I wanted to make things a little more special than usual. I have such fond memories of my mom pulling out the table cloths and nice napkins for Christmas Eve and Christmas and I'm hoping my kids will enjoy these "extras" as much as I did. For our brunch, I quickly grabbed a runner and cloth napkins from my tiny supply. They love candles and we'd finished burning down our Advent candle while opening presents so I pulled out a couple fresh white ones which were a hit with Emma. Our menu included our favorite Banana Pancakes with Pineapple with Creme Fraiche, spicy Italian sausage links and coconut strawberry smoothies complete with straws (thanks Isla!)

 After brunch we went on family Starbucks date and walk downtown Kirkland. The weather couldn't have been more gorgeous (though don't let Isla's attire completely fool you...) Emma brought (drug) her new Christmas monkey along for the ride.

I love this shot!

The afternoon was lovely and low key and we returned home for naps before the fun continued into the evening...

Isla 52 Months

This was a really fun and busy month with it being the Christmas season and all. Here are a few highlights about Isla:

-She played the role of flower girl again at my cousin Shannon's wedding. She's a real pro now! She even stood up front for the whole ceremony (ok she started jumping once and reportedly laid down briefly on stage but she was out of sight so it didn't matter too much). :) She still had some flower petals left after the ceremony ended and so went ahead and sprinkled them down the aisle for the recessional too. I love this girl!

-She really enjoyed opening a special box in our Advent calendar each day this month. She didn't seem to care that they were usually empty til late afternoon when I finally found time to put something in it. Often they were sticky notes with a Christmas adventure activity on it. Some of these included:

-Trips to the mall (never realized how mesmerizing of an outing the mall could be!)

-Playing "I Spy" with ornaments on the Christmas tree

-Special surprises in her shoe on St Nicholas Day

-A visit to the Garden D'Lights at the Bellevue Botanical Gardens

-Posing with the reindeer at the Bravern

-Pony rides (also at the Bravern)

-Going to see the Edmonds Nutcracker with friends (she LOVED it and now correctly identifies Nutcracker music)

-Riding the carousel downtown Seattle and seeing the snow at Pacific Place

-She even got to go inside a snow globe!

-Other big news this month is that Isla is learning to read! She's beginning to sound out short words and is picking it up quickly. (Not so new news: she still dresses daily as if it is summer!)

-Earlier this month she said the funniest thing. I was reading her a Bible story and when looking at the page below she asked me "Do you know which guy is my very favorite?" Then pointing to the man on the far right "This guy because he has the cutest hair I have EVER seen!" To each their own I guess!

-Has started complimenting me on my outfits and hair (I like this stage!!)

-Loves special time with Mommy (pictured below is another shot of our Nutcracker date)

-Had her first ever preschool Christmas performance at the beginning of the month. They sang Away in a Manger and more like yelled Come on Ring Those Bells. It was pretty adorable.

-Said goodbye to her friend Melody (pictured to her left below) who is moving across the country.

-Loves the movie Tangled and all things Rapunzel.

-Though she would tell you Ariel is her very favorite (even though she's never seen the movie). She free hands a darn good Ariel, complete with shell bra and all!

-Enjoyed our little snowfall the week before Christmas. We finally invested in a sled, in case it happens again.

-Gave her an empty Starbucks card and she had a blast using it as "money" for days.

-Loves pretending the stairs are an airplane and takes Emma for trips all the time.

-Is very creative and imaginative. Above she is posing with her Brio car and clock (she came up with that herself) and below she built the Space Needle out of Cheerios! Maybe we have an architect on our hands?

-Got sick with the stomach flu and threw up for the first time ever. Everywhere. Literally.
-She's Graham's little cheerleader and encourages him to stick to his running program.

-Calls her sister "Sweetheart."

-Tells me often I'm "the best mom ever," usually on days when I'm feeling totally inadequate.

God knew what He was doing when He gave us this one! She challenges me in so many ways but I love her to death!

Why I Blog

Lately I have been in numerous social situations where "Mom bloggers" have been bashed and thrown under the bus. They have been casually written off as jealousy-inducing, to-be-avoided-if-you-want-to-feel-ok-about-yourself uses of internet space. Maybe I'm putting it a little too harshly but I've noticed that women do get rather fired up about the topic. Usually when these conversations take place, I grow quiet, smiling graciously but choosing not to say anything. To be honest, I get it. There are certain blogs that, after reading, make me feel like the laziest human that has ever lived. What? I'm not daily making new hair bows to tame that crazy beautiful hair both my daughters sport? I'm not hand-stitching new pillow cases to go with the seasons? Not making my marshmallows from scratch a-la Martha Stewart? (Ok, confession: I have tried that last one - NOT WORTH YOUR TIME!!!) Yes, I get it. There are certain moments where reading blogs like these probably aren't good for my mental well-being and maybe yours too. They often portray only the highlights, the good, the "Facebook reality," to use this recently-born 21st century term.

But, if I may be so bold as to say it, I really don't think all these Mom bloggers are out to chisel at your self esteem. All these conversations have led me to ask the question Why is it that I blog? I think my reasons have changed over the years. Blogging was initially a fun hobby. Then it became an online baby book when kids entered the picture. It's a great way to share recipes and photos, and also a vacation journal. Most recently for me though, it has functioned as a space to process my thoughts, a way to document and then look back on where I have been and where I am going. It is what I hope will someday be a vehicle for change, for vulnerability, even if just for a couple of sweet souls.

Last week, we had some new friends over for coffee and cookies. He is a pastor but recently made a career change to complete a chaplaincy program. We got to talking about his work and I wondered aloud how challenging it must be to work with patients who came from different faith backgrounds than his own. He answered quickly that no, these are the easy patients, it is the Christians that pose the greatest challenge. Generally speaking of course, people from other religions speak freely of their hurt and pain and their thoughts about God. In contrast, many Christians feel the need to temper their pain and even anger with lines like "But everything is OK because I have Jesus."

These words really hit home for me. It's a topic I've been pondering a lot as of late. It seems to be cultural to keep everything only at surface level, to look like you have it all together, particularly in Christian circles. We run from honesty. This approach bugs me though I am often a guilty participant. But it is certainly not Biblical. I mean look at David in the Psalms who cries out Where are you God? If that's not honesty than I'm not sure what is! We all struggle and go through hard times. We are broken people and it takes a great deal of courage in this world to be vulnerable and do more that scratch the surface in our relationships.

So why is it that I blog? Lately it is because I need to see the beauty in my life. I'm in a hard season. And that's ok. I don't have it all together. In fact, most of the time it seems like I'm a late, anxious emotional mess (I blame hormones!) more than anything else. But I recognize that it is a season and that this too shall pass. I am called to Count it all joy when I encounter various trials. And I honestly have no idea what that means. I've spent the past few weeks reading and reflecting on this idea, this command actually. Right now, when my day-to-day is basically endless piles of laundry and diaper changes and hungry mouths to feed, little rest and minimal time for the activities I love, I'm finding it hard to see the joy. But it is there and as I journey through this season, I don't want to miss it so I post a lot of the positive highlights in this space. That's the closest I can come to identifying what it means for me to count it all joy right now.

 In addition to posting the pockets of beauty I encounter, my hope is to also temper this space with some of the hard too. Because, like I said, we all struggle at times and we need to cozy up and get more comfortable with the pain. Yes, I love Jesus. But there have also been times in my life where, much like David, I have wondered where He is. And I'm guessing maybe you have too? Being vulnerable isn't always a comfortable place to be but I'm learning in the end there is freedom in it.

So in this season right now, this is why I blog. 

Fluffy White Stuff

 Today is that one day of the year in the northwest when I think to myself Man, I really should have invested in some gloves this year. I'm sure Emma is thinking the very same thing as she freezes her little paws off in paper thin mittens. But, we all managed to make it out this morning before the pretty dusting all melted away. I was so proud of myself for joining the fam and not just doing the ever-so-tempting watch from the window due to my lack of snow attire...

 When Isla woke us this morning (yes, that's how every morning begins these days...), I asked her if it had snowed. "Let me go check!" she said.

 Ever so matter of fact, she returned to our room to report "Yep, it snowed." I thought she was kidding!

 Even Jack got in on the fun!

 Isla learned the art of building a snow ball.

 And Emma got to be the recipient of one of Dad's throws. Oops.

 Graham and Isla made quick work and had a snowman up in no time!

 I asked Emma if she wanted to help with the snowman and she said "No. I'm sad." That snow ball had a life altering impact I think.

 I tried to teach Isla how to catch snow in her mouth. She didn't quite grasp the whole looking up thing...

 Ta-duh! The final product! Now what to do with the rest of our day lest we risk our lives venturing out amongst Seattle's most treacherous drivers?