Good Night

A Little Lesson

 Having a newborn during this Christmas season has made me 

reflect over and over and over again about the literal birth of our Savior.  

I put Parker in an extra cozy flannel sleeper, swaddle him in a soft clean fleece blanket,

 turn on quiet  Christmas music and rock him to sleep, where I will then lay him in a bassinet, 

turn off the light, check the heat, turn on the monitor, kiss him one more time on the forehead, 

say goodnight and close the door.  

And his name shall be called. . .

Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God,

the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.

And yet

 he was born under the stars, placed upon hey, and surrounded by animals.

The son of God came quietly to the earth, to quietly, one by one, save us all.

6 Days A Week, 52 Weeks a Year

He took Christmas eve, Christmas day and boxing day off.  Except Sundays, he pretty much plays basketball every other day of the year.  The past two days he was invited to play up with the seniors at a tournament in the states, and of course there is a practice tomorrow at 10 am.

A Little Lesson

Right now, Jordan's ultimate dream would of course be to one day play in the NBA. His perhaps more realistic dream would be to play college ball. If someone said to me the chances of a white, 6'2" Canadian boy making it to the NBA are essentially 0%,  I would say that's okay.  One,  it doesn't matter if you make it to the very top.  I believe the skill of developing a talent, honing a skill, reaching beyond the mark, and pushing yourself to excellence is a life changing skill that can be used in every future area of your life whether or not you actually use that original skill directly.  

Two. . . S t e v e   N a s h.

Traditions

We have a handful of traditions at Christmas time that my kids look forward to. Some are formal, while others are a little more casual, some are fun while others teach a spiritual message. 

here are a few . . .

late night steamed egg nog and couch chats

opening pajamas on Christmas Eve

family knock and drop

gingerbread house with Grandma

dressing up and acting out the nativity with the Milads

advent calenders on the fridge

and a few more . . .

In our old house we used to have a full staircase where the kids would gather at the top of the stairs as they each woke up Christmas morning.  One by one they would arrive still half asleep, waiting together, giggling about what was to come.  Sometimes we would leave them there a little extra time, before we called them down into the living room because they were so wonderfully kind and fun with each other.  Now, living in a rancher, we still hold on to the tradition with our two stairs . . .barely.

Before the mountain of shiny wrapped gifts are opened, we hand out the figurines of the nativity and each of us get to share a little part of the story to remind us what we are really doing when we share gifts with each other.  This year Benjamin got baby Jesus, (a coveted gift) and  he decided to share it with his little brother Parker, because after all. . . he was a baby just like Jesus.  My eyes welled up with tears it was such a lovely gesture by my five year old.

A Little Lesson

We forgot one of my favourite traditions this year.  Things were busy and we just simply forgot.  At the beginning of December when we put all the nativitiy sets out, (about seven of them) I usually put them out without the baby Jesus figurine.  This exercise reminded us that all season we are waiting for him to be born.   My little kids would anxiously wait until Christmas morning to finally see Him, and they would shout "He's Here!!!"  running from nativity to nativity seeing the baby Jesus in the arms of Mary or laying peacefully in a manger.   It used to warm my heart that that was the focus on Christmas morning was "finding Jesus" instead of good ol Santa Claus.  When I realized we had forgotten to do this tradition, it was too late.  I reflected on the importance of writing down not just the memories we create as families but the traditions, big or small, that unite and bind us together.  

Man Down (make that men)

It started late on Christmas eve with Grandpa, then Clara, Emily and I went next followed by Benjamin, then Auntie Shauna and finally Craig. Jordan and Grandma dodged the bullet.  Christmas afternoon in our house was very, very quiet as everyone was nestled sound in their beds  Weirdly enough, half of the gang was reeling with symptoms of food poisoning and the other half, symptoms of strep-like soar throats achy skin and fevers,  It all landed within a handful of hours of each other and there were clearly two separate camps.  One camp needed bowls and close proximity to flushing toilets and the other camp needed tylenol, heating blankets and lemon tea. Fun fun fun.  If you're reading this and feeling sorry for us, thank you, it was awful.  

Thank goodness we played hard the few days leading up to Christmas morning . . .

a little charades

some ornament painting

some gingerbread house building



it was all so fun until . . . well . . . it all went sideways . . it was awful.

A Little Lesson

Getting sick stinks.  Having everyone in the household getting sick really stinks.  Everyone sick on Christmas day . . .well it sure helps you appreciate that we spend most of our year feeling healthy.

About Face

(Parker in his carseat)

I face each new day with a smile, because this little darling likes to sleep all night long.  His bassinet faces my side of the bed, so sometimes I still check to see if he is breathing he likes to sleep so long!  I even have time to put my face on when I wake up and start the day, before he even stirs.  But let's face it, I'm not really doing that. We do realize, we might have to face the facts that 10-week-old babies generally don't sleep nine, ten, or eleven-hour nights, and that this glorious habit might be coming to a jarring halt sometime soon.  Perhaps you will need to meet this little bundle face to face before you believe he capable of such feats.

A Little Lesson
Because he sleeps, I function.
Each week I drive around the world and then back again.
He is with me every tiring step of the way. . .

and let me just say. . .

man oh man, I never tire of looking at my little travelling companion's  . . . beautiful face!

One More

Yep.

A Little Lesson

I get asked a lot "Was Parker a surprise?"

The answer is no.

When I made these stockings, Clara was a baby, and I thought perhaps we will have one more or maybe even two.  But I don't like to sew.  So I made one more blank one and shut it down.  As you can see, Benjamin is still waiting for a picture of the nativity scene to be embroidered into his stocking and Parker's stocking is still uncut pieces of fabric in my sewing closet. 

I was never a mom who said I am going to have ____ children.  I've always peferred the one by one approach. Parker came a little later than we expected, but we did in fact, if you can believe it, want to have one more after little Benjamin. Boy oh boy are we sure glad that we did!  This bright-eyed little bundle of joy, bursts our hearts everytime we lay eyes on him. 

Handful of Minutes

Parker was sound asleep in his bassinet.

Jordan was busy learning at school.

Dad took everything that makes noise in our house out for a hike in the woods.

A Little Lesson

Never underestimate, the renewing power, for a mother's soul, as a handful of minutes, of 

peace and quiet. 

I'm Easy

I'm okay with it.

I'm the fourth child.

It's the first snow of the year.

Wearing a pair of my sister's pink gloves doesn't bother me.

Not one bit.

A Little Lesson

Flexibility.

It's one of life's greatest assets. 

Make up

Thank you nice lady at the Mac store.  

I make up beds. I make up stories.  I'll even help you to make up your mind.

But I don't really do make up.

I tried to tell her she didn't need it.

She gently reminds me she is not the same person I was in grade seven.

(I've never liked make up.)

She likes make up. 

She tells me she is the last grade sevener in the province of 

British Columbia to be allowed to wear make up.

(Really, the whole province?)

I get it.

So I went to the big guns.

The professionals.

Thank you nice lady at the Mac Store.

A Little Lesson

She's right.  I naturally steer my kids in the same direction I travelled when I was their age because that is what I know.  That is what is comfortable.  Let it be known, I am willing to turn left and even right off my comfortable beaten path.  Just let me stop once and a while to ask for help, and get some directions.  Thank you nice lady at the Mac Store.

Lucky

Jordan's team in the stands waiting to play their long time rivals
Vancouver College in the tournament finals.

Jordan spends most of his time, when he is away from home, with some of the nicest boys you could ever meet.  This group of boys is Jordan's basketball team.  They pretty much do everything together.  They are not just teammates but very good friends.  Believe it or not, this bright group of boys also sit together in honours math and honours English and take their mostly straight-A report cards very seriously. Why are they all in shirts and ties?  A place on this very competitive team is one of respect. Just as the players in the NBA arrive and leave their games in their best suites, so do the boys of this championship team. As their coach puts it "they are not just training to become great basketball players but training to become great men."   They are a special group of polite, considerate, fun, smart, and athletic boys that I consider myself a very lucky mom to have them as my son's best friends.

A Little Lesson

Because we are not able to pick our children's friends, we must wait each year to see who they will call their buddies. When I was a young mom of toddlers and babies, I'll admit, the idea of my children heading off to school one day and getting into the "wrong crowd" only to dismiss everything I had ever taught them, sometimes terrified me.  I've come to appreciate over the years that although I believe friends play a critical role in shaping and molding who we become in life, for good and bad,  likes attract.  Kids with self esteem are attracted to other kids with self esteem.  So although I can't pick my kid's friends, I can however do my best to build them up, give them lots of love and support and do the best I can to help them spread their wings. . . and of course cross my fingers and pray my little heart out.

Thank you Parker for sitting quietly in your bouncy chair so that I could finally finally finally finish decorating the tree. Days between starting the tree and finishing:  9

A Little Lesson

Christmas with a newborn . . . keep the bar low.

I am days away from no longer getting to use the term newborn.  

He will simply become our little baby.

I'm trying to drink up every minute of it.

Okay Shell, wipe the tears, pull it together.

I Cried Today

I cried today.  I cried when I heard the terrible news on the radio that there were possibly dozens of children killed in a school shooting somewhere in Connecticut. I thought of the moms and dads racing from their cars towards the school, pleading with God under their breath, don't let it be mine.   I cried when I saw the video footage on CNN of kids being escorted out of the school by swat teams.  I thought of all those little children squished into corners and bathrooms and under desks and tables, hiding and wondering if the bullets they were hearing, echoing in the hallways, were going to hurt them.  But most of all, I cried when I walked by my little kindergartner's bedroom and thought of all the moms and dads who were coming home today to empty bedrooms where toys and clothes and books were left behind.  They didn't know they were saying good bye to their sweet little five-year-olds for the last time this morning.  I am heart-broken for those parents.  I prayed and prayed for those poor families that they would be comforted in their great suffering today and the days that will follow.  The world experienced a terrible, terrrible day today.

A Little Lesson

I wish there was lesson I could learn from this horrific day, so that my little elementary-aged children could be safe from such a senseless tradgedy.  Or somehow there was a lesson to teach me how to make sure this never happens to our family.  But there is not.  Instead we can only hope and pray each day we will be able to endure the experiences that come our way.  So I hope and pray . . .each day.

A B+ Day

 My three younger kids are out of school and on Christmas holiday.  In an attempt to NOT have three young people glued to some form of technology on this stormy rainy day, I made some soft, squishy playdough.

  It brought literally hours and hours of squishy fun.  It even prevented an unexpected argument between my two compadres. Check it out . . .

Clara reaches in to take little brother's ornament.

Benjamin almost freaks out . . .

remembers . . . "hey I'm playing with playdough"

"I'm over it."

Their masterpieces were creative and clever.

A Little Lesson

Sometimes I give my day an actual grade . . . in my head.

Like laundry D, dishes B+ and one-on-one kid time A- and so on.

A self-evaluation so to speak. . . I know weird.
Instead of saying Shell you're so lame for not doing laundry I say - Whoo we're gettin a D in laundry today!

It keeps it light so I don't take myself too seriously.  Hey, each day somethings going to get a D. . . move on!

In terms of my kids filling time in an empty afternoon, not including homework, practicing or chores, 

it goes something like this.

Grade C-/D:  When kids spend the afternoon on a computer game or watching copious amounts of episodes on netflix. 

Grade C+:  When kids spend the afternoon doing something productive or creative on the computer.

starfall/webkinz/typing tutor/other websites I can't remember their names

Grade B+:  When kids spend the afternoon making or doing something with their hands.

art/painting/playdough/Lego/clay/paper planes/embroidery/baking/planting/

Grade A+:  When kids are reading an awesome novel (not Captain Underpants) or running free on the property building fortresses and kingdoms with plots and props and forgetting to come in to eat lunch because they are having so much fun
. . . ah summer I miss you.

Eight Minutes

Last night I went out for the whole evening with dear friends for the first time, without him. 

Six whole hours.

It was a show at the Orpheum.  Stewart McClean.  So great!

I only had one teary phone call to Craig en route to the theatre when I realized I was going to be two bridges away from little Parker.

Craig helped me to relax.

It worked out to be every eight minutes.  

That was about how long I lasted before I would think about him again.  

I enjoyed my time immensley with superstar girlfriends Col and Kathleen.

But, I also wondered if he was sleeping, in the car, being cuddled by someone, crying, hungry, smiling, cooing, needing to be changed and most of all . . . wondering where I was.

About every eight minutes.

I love you sweet Parker Thomas. 

A Little Lesson

 He is still the newest thing in our home.  All my clothes, books, furniture, stationary, appliances, and everything I own for that matter, is older than he is.  Baring the groceries I got yesterdsay morning, he is still the newest little thing in our home.  He is 77 days old today.  It's been 77 days of yummy, cuddly, snuggly baby awesomeness!  Here's to falling deeply in love every eight minutes.

Charged

It's a little thing really.  But it's made all the difference.  Swimming in my head are thousands of little details that make up the ins and outs of my average day. I fall into bed each night hardly able to take another step.  Without fail, I forget to do many of the little things I set out to do when my feet hit the cold floor at the start of the day.


Since the arrival of our newest little addition, Craig has taken over finding my iphone at the end of the evening and charging it. Since I've spent more than a handful of my days with a dead cell phone, due to my forgetfulness, this has meant the world to me.  Serving me in this way is not always a cake walk either.  It requires retracing my steps as to where I might have left the darn thing. The car, my pocket, my purse, the ledge, are just a few of the places he tracks it down for me to plug it in each and every night.  I take care of little and big people all day long, a job I love and cherish.  However, that simple gesture of someone taking care of me in that little way has re-charged me in a way that can't be explained. Thank you my darling.

A Little Lesson

When one of my dear friends Sariah's mom fell and broke both of her arms she received plate after plate of cookies, brownies, and delicious baked goods prepared by sweet sisters in her ward ready and willing to help.  She received flowers and casseroles and cards to fill every square inch of her mantel.  Then one day, someone arrived on her door step with an electric toothbrush.  It was the best and greatest gift she could have been given.  It was service with purpose.  With two broken arms, brushing her teeth had become terribly difficult.  This thoughtful member of her church took an extra minute and gave . . . meaningfully.  I aspire to serve others in this way.

It's Simple

It's an easy mistake to make.  Sometimes the Three Kings are so beautiful it's almost inevitable.  But, it doesn't look quite right.  Something off.  It's just a bunch of figurines on a piano. 

There.  .   . now it becomes a nativity scene.  Everyone needed to just turn towards baby Jesus.  The shepherds, the kings, the animals were all carefully crafted to be looking at something.  They came to see . . .Him.

O come let us adore Him. . .

A Little Lesson

It doesn't require a grand renovation, a wardrobe overhaul or an exquisite purchase. Becoming Christ-like is simple.  We just have to turn ourselves towards Him.  Do as He would do.  Be kind, honest, selfless, caring, and my favourite . . .be good.  And then, it's right.  The way it's supposed to be. 

Unfooled

S a n t a   c o m e s   t o   v i s i t   B e n j a m i n ' s  s c h o o l.

A Little Lesson

Okay Benjamin didn't actually say that after he saw Santa. 

But his face did.

Parker Math

I call it Parker math.  

It's when I figure out how old I'm going to be when Parker does something.  

Like when he goes into kindergarten.

or

 Graduates from high school.  

or

Turns 30.

A Little Lesson

Ya, I never liked math.

Spread the Joy

There was a 20 point spread between Jordan's team and the other team last week. Way to go green!

Emily insists on spreading on her own butter after fresh bread comes out of the oven. Not too much, not too little.

Benjamin & Clara prefer to spread out when working on a colouring project.  You're going to hang this up right mom?

My mom completely did the spread for Benjamin's blessing day.  Thanks Mom.
The spread between Parker and the next kid in our family is five years!  Yikes!

When I stand in my messy kitchen I often feel like I'm spread pretty thin.  And that I need a maid.

A Little Lesson
I try to focus on  .  .  .
It's that time of year when everyone is spreading a little holiday cheer.

instead of

It's that time of year when everyone is spreading their colds and flues to my people.

(Man oh man have I become a germophobe!!!)

Casualties of Dormancy

Every year it happens.  I carefully pull out my Christmas decor items only to discover another casualty. These delicate items sit magestically in their chosen spots during the Chrismas season. They are not played with or bounced around. It always seems to happen when they are wrapped up sitting dormant in storage bins.  Somehow that is when they take a hit.  

Here are my Christmas casualties from the last 2 decades. . . 

Squirrel missing head.

 

 Tree missing star, hat missing pom pom.

 Cow missing horn.

Most of my Christmas items are in pretty beautiful condition. . .knock on wood.  But oh I just hate it when I open up another bin only to find a precious little treasure missing a limb.  I don't like broken things on display.  Why not just throw them away?  Sentimental gush alert.  That's the E in BELIEVE!!!  How could I?  That Santa was painted for me ten years ago by one of my dearest friends De!!!  The cow belongs to the first nativity set Craig and I purchased in our "poor" student years. I also like to think they are my little reminders of the following lesson.  .  . 

A Little Lesson

When we sit dormant, doing nothing, wrapped up in delicate tissue paper, we become frail, stuck and most vulnerable of getting hurt and even damaged.  We need to get up, get out and do what we are here to do. . . I believe!

A few bins later. . .
casualty year 2012

Yikes!
Ya, I might need to take a course in wrapping and packing.

Marching Along

good bye pumpkin patch

good bye costumes

good bye roasting marshmallows on the fire pit after school in a t-shirt

good bye not so spooky decorations

good bye my beloved colour orange -  you know you are my favourite

hello red . . .

A Little Lesson:

There are few things that provide more "getting the holiday spirit" than decorating the house for Christmas.  We are in full swing over here and loving every minute of it.   We have a long standing tradition, for almost 12 years, where we head to Ikea on the first Monday of December, eat dinner as a family, buy a tree, bring it home, set it up, put on the lights, decorate it, and drink hot chocolate.  Things are going a little slower than usual. We did indeed head to Ikea on Monday night, but with a newborn, feeding schedules, kid's activities every day and early bedtime, we might be lucky to be drinking our hot chocolate by Sunday afternoon.  Who says you can't take four evenings to finish decorating a tree? It's all good.

Inner Strength

The background:

Jordan plays on one of the top high school basketball teams in the province.  He practices five days a week and works out for six.

The story:

For some reason there is a gene on my mom's side of the family that gives my mom and I freakishly strong arms.  Until now, Jordan my six foot two, broad-shouldered teenage son has not been able to beat his grandma, yes his grandma of sixty plus years in an arm wrestle. . . until now.

 The night finally came that he was able to take down his little ol' grandma.  It was such a sweet victory.  I wasn't able to catch his victory dance on film but you can see the pride oozing out of his face.   My mom was a good sport and went down gracefully.

 A Little Lesson

The outer strength of this grandma is probably something to write home about, but it doesn't hold a candle to what inner muscles she's been building over the years.  She is a rock star example to me.  I think each of us has some proverbial barbells that we are here to lift while we are on this earth. For some of us it's patience, for others it's kindness, or saying sorry, or letting things go, or admitting we're wrong, or thinking of others first, or forgiving ourselves, or finding order, and so on and so on.  Whatever it is we usually know deep down inside it's not something that comes easily or naturally to us, so when we exercise these particular muscles we get significantly stronger on the inside.  In other words it's bodybuilding for the soul.

Many Steps

(Shajni, one of my young women and her mom made this beautiful diaper cake - amazing!)

Baby Parker was spoiled over and over again by friends and family everywhere.  Basketball moms, teachers at school, neighbours, Craig's boss, clients and co-workers, Young Women and members of our ward, and friends from present and past have showered this little guy with adorable gifts and delicious meals.  This is baby number five . . . we surely expected nothing!!!! We have truly felt the love and our hearts are so full.

A Little Lesson

This past week I've been working frantically on thank you notes.  The simple card says thank you for the gift.    But really I want to say HEY EVERYBODY . . . I know it can be a pain to go out, find a gift, wrap it, consider a card (I rarely do this  - I'm lame), remember to bring it to church, or drive to the shower when it's dark outside, or drop it off at my house and climb my never-ending staircase. . . and so on and so on. Perhaps I am in the thick of less sleep and more laundry than ever and this simple task seems completely onerous, but I really, really appreciate the many steps it takes to think of someone and actually do something for them.   

Feelin' the Love

She used to love holding her little brother Benjamin. . . but she was still pretty little herself.

 These days I can hand her baby Parker in a full cry. . .

she works a little magic . . .

shares a little love . . . 

oh I love this girl!!!

A Little Lesson

There is no toy, swing, carrier, lullabye, blanket, or bouncy chair 

that's as fantastic as a twelve year old girl who LOVES babies.

I'm one lucky mommy!