So it is never surprising to get some special mail deliveries on your birthday, but my delivery from my cousin Samantha yesterday will go down as one of my favorites of all time. Many of you will not understand why when I opened the box and found about a dozen Therm-o-ware Bolero plastic cups from the 1960s, my immediate reaction was to break down in hysterical tears. But Sam knows why. And that is why she is so dear to me. These cups are nothing fancy to the normal observer, but to me they are priceless. You see, back in the day, my Gram Ele (and Sam’s Gram too) got these cups through some deal at the local grocery store. They were a staple in her cupboard and each of the grandkids has numerous memories of drinking our milk out of the cups and eating rainbow sherbet out of the uniquely footed bowls. We each had our favorite colors, and I remember that my Gram always washed the blue/aqua one over and over for me. When my grandparents decided to move into a retirement community after Gram’s diagnosis with Alzheimers, I spent numerous weekends helping Gram and Gramps pack up the house as they got ready for the move. I boxed up the therm-o-ware as it was one of the only things that I wanted for myself (along with Gram’s recipe box). We didn’t have children yet, but I already knew that this plastic tableware was something that I wanted for my own kids. Unfortunately there was a miscommunication and the whole box of therm-o-ware was given away. I know it was silly at the time to feel so sorry for myself, but I cried for days after that horrible moment knowing that I wouldn’t have those cups and bowls in my cupboards for my own children to enjoy. Anyhow, Sam has hunted down a bunch of the cups for herself and me and shipped mine to me for my birthday. As the tears ran down my face smearing my eye make-up I clutched those cups and had a wave of warmth as I thought of my Gram Ele. This month is OUR birthday month and it’s always hard as Feb. 21st rolls around and she’s not here to celebrate her birthday with us. This year, I will sit myself down with my children, pour us some large glasses of milk and tell them stories of my Gram. And by the way, my boys have already picked their colors…..Braedan is yellow and Logan is green. Amazing how these are already their favorite cups….How is it that they’re so magical?
Yesterday was my 32nd birthday. and this year that number actually sounds young to me. Maybe it’s because of everything I’ve been through lately that I feel at least ten years older than that number…. Amazing how life experiences affect your perception of age more than anything….
Ben had been planning to surprise me by taking the day off for my birthday and he did. The unfortunate part was that he and the boys were both sick (have been for about 2 weeks) and so we spent the morning at the doctors for them. We were able to have a nice lunch together and then get in our naps in the afternoon. And we walked down to my mom’s for a birthday dinner with yummy cake. The boys were really excited for my party as they’d been planning it with Grammy for a few weeks. When they got up from nap, they went down to her house to decorate and help bake/decorate the cake. It was so cute to see their decorations when I walked in. Let’s just say that they definitely twisted the crepe paper and went wild with the sprinkles. It was priceless! And I was spoiled once again. I love my homemade cards from the kids, the spa and restaurant gift cards, the cds, and money that I received from family…. I feel very loved! Enjoy the two videos below of the kids. The first one is of everyone singing to me and I especially love how the song died out in the middle and the kids helped me to blow out the candle. The second one is of the kids yelling “surprise” while showing me their homemade cards. (I think it’s also hilarious how Copper is in the background using the opportunity to grab some cake crumbs from the table! I love me family!!!!
Mimi, Ben’s mom, came up for a visit a week ago. We had unusually cold, yucky weather during her visit, which was a bummer…but the kids enjoyed their special visitor, and found many ways to entertain themselves. They did crafts, making some really fun visor hats. They played numerous board games. Braedan schooled Mimi in the art of Wii video games. On one of my better days, we all went to the library and picked up Culvers for lunch. And on the weekend, Mimi, Uncle Josh and Ben took the boys to the local Children’s museum (I wasn’t up to going). They loved having their Mimi staying at our house and were sad when she left. Check out the pictures I’ve posted from the visit.
We’ve jokingly called Braedan a “ladies man” since he was barely a year old. For some reason, he’s always had a way with the girls. Some of this could have to do with the fact that many of our closest friends have daughters and so he’s just ended up playing with more girls than boys. But I think more of it has to do with his personality and the attention that he gets from the ladies. In preschool this year we’ve enjoyed hearing about Braedan’s day and his new friends. Early on we realized that Braedan knew all the girls’ names in his class but only one or two boys’ names. He would say things like “I like ALL the girls, and also a boy named Will.” When I would question him as to why he only played with Will or the girls he would say it was because a lot of the other boys are “wild and just run around pushing each other.” Probably true from what I’ve observed. This year he’s had a “best friend” per month. But lately, he’s settled on one particular girl named “Ava.” Every day we hear about Ava. We know how she wears her hair, what her favorite color is, what she likes to sing, how well she can color and that she can peddle a bike like a rockstar. Braedan learned to spell her name and would spend our off days at home writing both of their names. But recently, we’ve learned that this “love” is reciprocal. Last week, I had the chance to talk to Ava’s mom about Braedan little crush after Braedan suggested outloud that I just “follow their car to their house so we can find out where Ava lives.” Ava’s mom and I had a good laugh over this and she proceeded to tell me that Braedan is the highlight of their dinner conversations as well. Too funny! And today I had the chance to hear from Ava’s dad’s perspective that Ava has taken to having her mom braid her hair in the morning because “Braedan likes her hair in braids.” Oh my goodness! And after this statement, and my subsequent aghast giggle, I learned that Ava’s dad is a pastor at the church after Braedan said “goodbye Paster Mike.”
So in summary…Braedan is a mack-daddy, with opinions on girls’ hairstyles, tendencies towards stalking, and an unapologetic attraction to the pastor’s daughter…..
During one of our craft times last week, we broke open the new craft box to explore what we could do. There were some really neat puppet kits, which the kids were excited to try. My mom came over to help me with the project and we began. Logan picked what we knew to be a cow (it was displayed as an example), and Braedan picked one that we finally figured out was supposed to be a lion, after first thinking it might be a turkey. Quickly, we began to glue. Logan and I had ours done in no time (again since we had an example picture) but the lion took a little bit longer for Grammy and Braedan to piece together. There was a final piece which we were unsure about and Braedan first decided that it must be the tummy of the lion. Then Grammy thought that it should go on the behind of the lion. I just smiled and nodded, because quite frankly, I had no clue where it went. So after discussion, Braedan decided to center it on the rear end of the lion and glue the tail right in the center. I’ve never known any lions to have a version of a baboon butt, yet the piece was very perplexing and why not allow the creative expression right? Soon the boys were beggin for a puppet theatre, so my mom and I cut out a box to create a theatre. Needless to say, it was a fun afternoon. When Daddy got home and we showed him our handiwork, the first question out of his mouth was why the mouth of the lion was pasted on his bottom. Oh, so that’s what it was. Now looking at it, it seems pretty obvious that there are teeth and a tongue that we should have folded and pasted into the flap. Oh well, I guess our lion “talks out of his butt.” Not unlike a lot of people I know!
Recently, we’ve started to notice an adorable pattern at bedtime with Logan. Besides the usual routine that includes books, tickles, blowing out lights, and saying goodnight to everything in his room…now Logan sings himself to sleep every night. His song of choice is a “mash-up” of “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star” and “Ring Around the Rosey.” It is so adorable! This boy love to sing and he amazes me with his good ear…for a little guy he is very in tune. I uploaded a video from youtube below of him singing….enjoy!
Another nightime event this week was a huge meltdown from Braedan in the middle of the night last night. When I heard the hysterical crying in the monitor I assumed it was Logan at first, and was surprised to find out that it wasn’t. Walking into his room I saw a red and blotchy face, and heard his distraught voice exclaim “Fooey’s bowtie is brooookkeeennn!” Then I noticed his favorite bear, Fooey, and his frayed/broken ribbon. I climbed into his bunk bed with him and consoled him with stories of my favorite Raggedy Ann doll as a kid whose “stitched-on” face was “loved-off” many times. Over and over my Gram took her and stiched her face back on, making her good as new. I told Braedan that Fooey’s ribbon was broken because he loved him so much and we would just have to get a new one. So after Logan’s occupational therapy session today we went by the craft store to buy some new ribbon. Braedan had decided that Fooey must have another blue ribbon since he’s a boy. So my colorblind Braedan stood himself in front of the purple ribbon ooohhhing and ahhhing until I redirected him to the blue area. There, he found “just the right one.” Logan, feeling left out of the fun, picked out a fun star ribbon for his baby panda bear. We headed home and dressed up our animals with their new ribbons….and of course because they’re my children posed for pictures.
There’s a new restaurant that just opened down by us called Choo Choo Johnnys. It’s a diner-type restaurant that centers around trains. We took the boys there as a treat for lunch this weekend and it was a huge hit. Not a big surprise. You sit at this long counter, and a train brings you your food. There are also two other trains. There’s one circling the restaurant along the ceiling and one in a large train display case in the front of the restaurant. The boys ordered their food and milkshakes and were in a trance watching and exclaiming about all the trains. :) Move over Culvers, I think we’ve found another favorite place!
With the coming of the New Year, I find myself getting very reflective, as I’m sure many people do. Spending time during Christmas reflecting on the joy of Jesus’ birth and the saving Grace that He brings to me (and all of us) makes me so grateful, in spite of the valleys that we’ve faced this year. I can’t imagine going through life without Jesus. I won’t lie and say that it hasn’t felt good in a way to turn the page on 2009. In so many ways, 2009 has challenged us. This time last year we were commuting back and forth between two states, and unsure of the stability of Ben’s job. And the last part of the year was primarily spent in the midst of trials, fears, and struggles with my new life-reality coping with POTS. We’ve had to adjust our vision so that we see things through “God-colored” glasses…realizing the blessings that have come along with every heartache. (James 1:2) As much as we’ve been disappointed by people, and lost dreams…we’ve also seen such tangible love from individuals all around us. This year I am overwhelmed by the love and care of so many. We have spent the better part of last year in need, and so many of you have risen to the occasion. I’ve said it numerous times on this blog, but I’ll say it again. God has used so many people to encourage us, and meet our needs. Thank you for the meals. Thank you for the care packages. Thank you for the cards. Thank you for the surprise grocery deliveries. Thank you for doing our laundry. Thank you for cleaning our house, and mowing our lawn. Thank you for the gift cards. Thank you for the knitting lessons :). Thank you for babysitting and playing with my kids, and driving them to the places they need to go. Thank you for the prayers, the hugs, the shoulders to cry on. Thank you for the non-judgemental ears that have listened when we just felt like complaining. It has all meant so much. And although I am far from healed, I am also so very far from the devastating position I was in last summer. Life has a different, and much slower rhythm for us now. But at least it doesn’t feel like life is on hold anymore….we’re coping and within new realities, we’re living. Happy New Year to you and yours! I am hopeful that 2010 holds less hardship for our family, but if it doesn’t…I am secure in the knowledge that God will sustain us and bless us despite the circumstances of this world. I will try to consider it pure joy when I face trials of many kinds, because I know the testing of my faith will develop perserverance which will finish His work in me, making me mature and complete. (James 1:2)
It seems like ages since our anniversary weekend and yet it’s only been a couple of weeks. That just goes to prove how busy the last few weeks have been. As usual, we had many Christmas celebrations planned…but unfortunately because of my current health, not all things went as we desired. I had an especially rough week with my POTS leading up to Christmas. This was frustrating and often times disheartening. My mom and I were able to do a few fun things with the kids like bringing them to a local indoor gym called Airtastic and finishing up the baking of Christmas cookies. During Christmas, I made it through a few family events, celebrating with grandparents and our own kids, but not making it to all the other extended family events. The highlight this year was definitely watching the kids come downstairs Christmas morning to open all of their presents from Santa. There is nothing like the excitement and joy of a child opening gifts. I have the fondest memories of Christmas morning growing up and it is magical to be on the other side, enjoying the delight in my kids’ faces. The boys were extremely spoiled this Christmas. Literally, their presents took up our entire living room. There were so many new things that they had “present overload” and didn’t know what to do first. So, we packed away a few new toys to be pulled out at a later time when they can really enjoy them and be excited in the newness. Some of the kids favorite gifts of this year were the Handy Manny tool bench and motorcycle, large building blocks to make forts, Thomas trains, Fisher Price castle and rocket ship, cowboy hats, Wii video games, science experiment kit, grow a frog tadpole aquarium, play-doh factories, sound books, and walking/grunting gorillas.( Boy, when you see that list, you realize why we’re making a huge donation to charity of some of our old toys). It’s been a couple of weeks and we haven’t stopped playing. I think this “new toy” thing is just as much a gift for Mommy as it is for the kids. It’s sure been keeping them entertained! The kids also made Ben and I special gifts at the Build-a-Bear store with Grammy. Mine was a bear named “Lovebear” and Ben’s was a wolf named “Lovewolf.” What a sweet gift and one we will cherish always. And check out Kaya with her new bag of tennis balls! She was in heaven
Despite the busy holiday season, we were blessed to have a couple of days that we just lounged around as a family. These days will always be a part of my favorite memories. There is nothing like staying in your pjs all day, watching movies, playing video games, cuddling by a fire, munching on snack food…and just enjoying one another’s company. I’m thankful that we had a few days that slowed down enough for us to enjoy that kind of time together. We don’t get it often, so we cherish these moments even more.
I would be remiss if I didn’t thank my parents profusely for their generousity with gifts that were so tailored to our current needs. We are so grateful to you. The new wood, room darkening blinds were so needed and have already given us a couple of later mornings as they tease us all (even kids) into thinking it’s still night time (Thanks Mom!). And thanks Dad and Karen for giving us weekly housecleaning and lawn services. This takes a HUGE load off of us and allows us to have more moments as a family like I described above. Love you all!
On December 18, 2009 Ben and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! How exciting! How unbelievable! I feel like a broken record in saying that once again time has evaded me and is zooming by at lightening speeds. Certainly a lot has changed since the day Ben and I said our vows, but the most important things haven’t…our devotion to and love for each other. We’re so thankful to have one another as a best friend as we’ve journeyed through the ups and downs of the last decade. We’ve shared so many joys and blessings…and of course the world has dealt us some curve balls too.
To celebrate, Ben planned a weekend away to downtown Chicago. On our way down to the city on Friday afternoon, Ben sprung his first surprise. As we exited our subdivision, the CD player was turned on and I was handed 20 individually numbered cards. I had to wait for each song to begin to read the card…and let me tell you there is no way to express how romantic each one was. This “mixed CD” was filled with songs from our past, and each note was personalized with a specific memory/thought/emotion/visualization of a moment that the song represented. I blubbered, cried and laughed as we made our way through the two CDs. So much time and care went into making these CDs, and it was quite possibly one of my favorite “Ben creations.” (He’s done so many of these type of things over the years, that it’s hard to decide). Eventually we made our way to the Affinia Hotel (thanks to Dad and Karen for letting us use our Christmas present early), a beautiful boutique hotel right in the heart of the Magnificent Mile. Our huge suite room was cozy and had a great view of the Christmas lit Michigan Ave. We spent a ton of time together watching movies, exploring stores, eating cozy meals in Italian bistros, and gobbling down hot fudge sundaes. Because the location of our hotel was so near to the heart of the shopping district, Hancock and Water Tower place, we were able to go out for bits at a time, accomodating for my needs. It was wonderful. We loved walking hand-in-hand in “our” city as the snow flakes fell on the decorated city-blocks. It brought us back to our time of courtship and engagement when Ben lived in the city and we often spent evenings huddled close in our parkas while exploring around town or grabbing a bite to eat. And we capped off our weekend with some great spa treatments and side-by-side couples massages. I just can’t say enough! Let me just say that it was the weekend away that we both needed…to escape the stress of our recent life and to celebrate the magnificent milestone in our marriage.
As for our gifts for one another. I would have been content with only those personally made CDs. But being that it is our aluminum anniversary, both of us had splurged on some fun aluminum gifts. Ben bought me a Song digital e-book reader and I bought him the latest iPod touch. Since we got back from our weekend, we’ve been playing with our new gadgets non-stop. I can’t wait to start downloading books to my e-reader and save money on buying books, not to mention trying to find a place to store them! And it does get rather old waiting for the newest books to be available at the library– I’m always on the waitlist forever! Ben is elated to be part of the iPod touch club, since Josh and I have been making him feel left out since I got my iPhone…. :) And Josh gave us the best Christmas gift ever when we exchanged gifts….an iHome speaker dock for our iPods. Now we can listen to our playlists easily in the house!
Happy anniversary to my Benjamin. You are the love of my life, my shelter in the storm, my twinkle in my eye, my forever friend. I love you more! Truth!
It was a crisp, snowy December day. Fresh snow covered the ground, and the smell of winter was in the air. Inside the church, thousands of twinkling lights glittered against the many Christmas trees. The smell of fresh evergreen was everywhere. A church full of friends and family and therefore love. Two young loves gazing into each other’s eyes and saying their wedding vows, singing a song of promise and sealing the deal with a kiss. A night full of dancing, laughing, cake and celebration. A peaceful drive home in a quiet car. Amazement on the brain; we were actually man and wife. A whole new life begun. A whole new family started.
Just for fun you can click on the thumnails to enlarge them to full size. Yes, I know. We looked quite young then.
On Friday morning, Braedan had his first concert at preschool. We were excited to experience this milestone with him, and let me tell you he was excited to perform (he’s a little ham like his mommy)! We knew that there wouldn’t be many songs, but nonetheless, we made sure we got our front row seats and were armed with the video camera and camera. Braedan took his performance very seriously and sang all the words, did all the motions and said the memory verse the loudest. Logan contributed by pointing out frequently that Braedan was his brother and singing along (during the performance). Guess we breed hams! Afterwards, the school had a little party with treats. Braedan quickly made his way to a table next to his favorite “grils.” We enjoyed seeing him in his element and experiencing a little bit of his preschool adventures.
This morning Braedan told me about a dream last night, and I just had to share because it made me smile. He said “Last night I dreamed ’bout an angel. The angel came to our house and told you that you were going to have a little baby. And you were ‘posed to name the baby Logan. Is that what happened Mom?” I stiffled my giggles, and explained that no, that’s not how we found out we were going to have Logan and that he had this dream because we’ve been reading about Jesus’ birth every evening. I’m glad that the real meaning of Christmas is sinking in…just need to keep our facts straight!
The Birth of Jesus Foretold
26In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”
Today, after my mom got home from work, she helped me bring the kids to visit Santa at the mall. We figured that at 3pm the line should be pretty short and manageable. As it turned out, there was NO line at all! Score! So we brought the kids right up to Santa and they were able to talk to Mrs. Claus and Santa for a little while before sitting on his lap. This really helped Logan who was feeling skeptical. Braedan went on and on about all the things he wanted for Christmas (and unfortunately for him, most of them were never mentioned before to his parents). You can see that we never really got a smile out of Logan, but we picked this one because it was the one where he looked least likely to cry. The first thing Logan did when they were finished was run for the candy canes. I was surprised that he liked it! Braedan got a Ghiradelli Mint and only took a few bites until it was deemed “too spicy.” Next, we walked to the part of the mall where the giant Christmas tree and cool fountains were. The kids threw some pennies in the fountain and made their wishes. They wanted to go on the carousel, but we had to pass since both Grammy and I get sick on those things! Then we let them pick out personalized ornaments to have made. Logan picked an ornament of a little boy with a puppy, and Braedan picked a fireman ornament. And finally we had an early dinner at Panera. This is the most that I’ve done in almost 6 months and it was super encouraging that I made it through. I was exhausted and had to go to bed early, but the important part is that I made it and didn’t have to send my kids to Santa with someone else.
So this post is really just a dramatic display of “affection” for our former navy plaid couch. This IKEA purchase was made in 1999 right before Ben and I got married and was our first real piece of furniture. Throughout the years, it has been the centerpiece of our family room (how could it not with that bold pattern?). But unfortunately it was looking more and more beat-up. So, Ben and I made the plunge and bought two new couches for our family room and passed on the navy bullet to Ben’s brother Josh (who was happy to have something other than his futon to sit on). Last Sat., Ben and Josh moved this couch to his place while we await the delivery on our new ones. I take total credit for the cheesy picture of them shaking hands over the couch. I’m such a dork, but somehow they still obeyed me and sat down for the picture. I just thought it would be funny. You can be the judge on whether or not it is! Whenever we do actually get our new couches, I’ll post a picture of them.
So it is never surprising to get some special mail deliveries on your birthday, but my delivery from my cousin Samantha yesterday will go down as one of my favorites of all time. Many of you will not understand why when I opened the box and found about a dozen Therm-o-ware Bolero plastic cups from the 1960s, my immediate reaction was to break down in hysterical tears. But Sam knows why. And that is why she is so dear to me. These cups are nothing fancy to the normal observer, but to me they are priceless. You see, back in the day, my Gram Ele (and Sam’s Gram too) got these cups through some deal at the local grocery store. They were a staple in her cupboard and each of the grandkids has numerous memories of drinking our milk out of the cups and eating rainbow sherbet out of the uniquely footed bowls. We each had our favorite colors, and I remember that my Gram always washed the blue/aqua one over and over for me. When my grandparents decided to move into a retirement community after Gram’s diagnosis with Alzheimers, I spent numerous weekends helping Gram and Gramps pack up the house as they got ready for the move. I boxed up the therm-o-ware as it was one of the only things that I wanted for myself (along with Gram’s recipe box). We didn’t have children yet, but I already knew that this plastic tableware was something that I wanted for my own kids. Unfortunately there was a miscommunication and the whole box of therm-o-ware was given away. I know it was silly at the time to feel so sorry for myself, but I cried for days after that horrible moment knowing that I wouldn’t have those cups and bowls in my cupboards for my own children to enjoy. Anyhow, Sam has hunted down a bunch of the cups for herself and me and shipped mine to me for my birthday. As the tears ran down my face smearing my eye make-up I clutched those cups and had a wave of warmth as I thought of my Gram Ele. This month is OUR birthday month and it’s always hard as Feb. 21st rolls around and she’s not here to celebrate her birthday with us. This year, I will sit myself down with my children, pour us some large glasses of milk and tell them stories of my Gram. And by the way, my boys have already picked their colors…..Braedan is yellow and Logan is green. Amazing how these are already their favorite cups….How is it that they’re so magical?
