Reflections at the End of 2009

Happy New Year's Eve...again...already... Can we really be at this point in the year? As my dear friend Jadie said on her blog, "The last weeks of the past year have gone by so fast, I'm not sure I was in it." I feel exactly that way.

On this day, I always feel as though I'm on the threshold of a door of sorts, poised between two time periods. As I look back on the year (and other years) and choose photos to include on here, I realize just how much happens. The time flies by so quickly -- too quickly -- sometimes.

So here we go. Reflections at the end of another year...amazing. Sigh.

January: New year, new growth, new adventures to look towards. Ethan turned 4 months, and Emily got new glasses and started a new year in 4-H as the vice president.



February: Our little Valentine guy turned 8. Emily was diagnosed with scoliosis. And Ethan turned 5 months and had his first Valentine's Day.



March: St. Patty's Day was fun for all. Ethan had his first "Half-Birthday" celebration.



April: We celebrated Easter and colored eggs and had an egg/candy hunt. The weather began to warm up a bit. Ethan turned 7 months, and Emily celebrated 11 1/2! Spring soccer started.



May: Mother's Day was followed by Memorial Day/our 13th wedding anniversary. Ethan turned 8 months old and started to crawl in earnest. Dance class wound down. Our first Holland Lop baby, "George," was born.



June: School finished! Emily became a 7th-grader-to-be and danced "en-pointe" in her recital. Edward changed to a 3rd-grader-to-be and finished his last U8 soccer season. We had a "fun (rabbit) show" in 4-H and took the rabbits to a hospital as part of a community service project. Ethan turned 9 months, and we pulled out the sprinkler and baby pool.



July: We watched the annual Wyomissing Independence Day Parade...a first for Ethan. We even walked there. The weather got warmer and we made many trips to the library to earn tickets for the Summer Reading Program. Ethan turned 10 months old and started to walk. U9 soccer began for the season.



August: We enjoyed a second year of "Camp Woohoohaha" and prepared for the start of school. We packed for our beach trip and drove 9 hours in the rain to get there. Edward and Emily enjoyed many lemonade stands and earned enough money for us to go to the N.C. Aquarium. Edward turned 8 1/2, and Ethan turned 11 months. All three kids earned enough tickets to get t-shirts from the library's Summer Reading program.



September: School started in Nags Head, N.C., where we enjoyed a rainy week away from home. Stuart turned 39, and Ethan celebrated "ONE." Dance started up again.



October: Emily and I had our joint-birthday -- turning 12 and 39(-and-holding), respectively. Nutcracker practices began for Emily. Edward had his first soccer game. Ethan turned 13 months. And all three enjoyed going trick-or-treating. Emily grew 5 inches since her last birthday.



November: The U9 autumn soccer season wrapped up with a "mom-son" game. We celebrated Thanksgiving at my aunt and uncle's house. Ethan turned 14 months. Emily got re-elected as vice president in 4-H. I enjoyed my 15th annual "day-of-shopping" with an old friend/colleague.



December: The Christmas season brought with it lots of busyness: the 4-H Christmas party; the GAI-Tronics' Santa breakfast; and a big snowstorm in the middle of three Nutcracker performances. We celebrated Sinterklaas and made gingerbread houses with school. We had a wonderful (and yummy) dinner with my family, hosted Boxing Day, celebrated Pagoda Day and skyped with Stuart's parents so that they could watch the kids open their gifts.


And then tonight, as I sat and reflected on how blessed we are as a family, I realized what a difference a year -- and a decade -- makes. We praise God for all that He has given to us.

Happy "old" 2009, everyone, and an even happier new 2010!

Wordless (mostly) Wednesday

A friend posted this on her Facebook page. It's an ornament from Hallmark. (Check out Santa's expression...seems he needs to cut out the hard sauce on his Christmas puds?)

Christmas Sweetness

King John’s Christmas

King John was not a good man –
He had his little ways.
And sometimes no one spoke to him
For days and days and days.
And men who came across him,
When walking in the town,
Gave him a supercilious stare,
Or passed with noses in the air –
And bad King John stood dumbly there,
Blushing beneath his crown.

King John was not a good man,
And no good friends had he.
He stayed in every afternoon…
But no one came to tea.
And, round about December,
The cards upon his shelf
Which wished him lots of Christmas cheer,
And fortune in the coming year,
Were never from his near and dear,
But only from himself.

King John was not a good man,
Yet had his hopes and fears.
They’d given him no present now
For years and years and years.
But every year at Christmas,
While minstrels stood about,
Collecting tribute from the young
For all the songs they might have sung,
He stole away upstairs and hung
A hopeful stocking out.

King John was not a good man,
He lived his live aloof;
Alone he thought a message out
While climbing up the roof.
He wrote it down and propped it
Against the chimney stack:
“TO ALL AND SUNDRY - NEAR AND FAR -
F. Christmas in particular.”
And signed it not “Johannes R.”
But very humbly, “Jack.”

“I want some crackers,
And I want some candy;
I think a box of chocolates
Would come in handy;
I don’t mind oranges,
I do like nuts!
And I SHOULD like a pocket-knife
That really cuts.
And, oh! Father Christmas, if you love me at all,
Bring me a big, red, india-rubber ball!”

King John was not a good man –
He wrote this message out,
And gat him to this room again,
Descending by the spout.
And all that night he lay there,
A prey to hopes and fears.
“I think that’s him a-coming now!”
(Anxiety bedewed his brow.)
“He’ll bring one present, anyhow –
The first I had for years.”

“Forget about the crackers,
And forget the candy;
I’m sure a box of chocolates
Would never come in handy;
I don’t like oranges,
I don’t want nuts,
And I HAVE got a pocket-knife
That almost cuts.
But, oh! Father christmas, if you love me at all,
Bring me a big, red, india-rubber ball!”

King John was not a good man,
Next morning when the sun
Rose up to tell a waiting world
That Christmas had begun,
And people seized their stockings,
And opened them with glee,
And crackers, toys and games appeared,
And lips with sticky sweets were smeared,
King John said grimly: “As I feared,
Nothing again for me!”

“I did want crackers,
And I did want candy;
I know a box of chocolates
Would come in handy;
I do love oranges,
I did want nuts!
I haven’t got a pocket-knife —
Not one that cuts.
And, oh! if Father Christmas, had loved me at all,
He would have brought a big, red,
india-rubber ball!”

King John stood by the window,
And frowned to see below
The happy bands of boys and girls
All playing in the snow.
A while he stood there watching,
And envying them all …
When through the window big and red
There hurtled by his royal head,
And bounced and fell upon the bed,
An india-rubber ball!

And oh Father Christmas,
My blessings on you fall
For bringing him a big, red,
India-rubber ball!

~A. A. Milne

Simply Simon's Cat,,,

...with a holiday wish for you!

Pagoda Day Fun

Hooray!

Pagoda Day, the day when we board our car and drive the top of Mt. Penn (yes, it really is a mountain) and shiver freeze our buns off stand outside at night (in the fog...oops...that was last year) to get a family photo in front of the famous Reading landmark.

It was a bit more crowded (?) this year. (Maybe our holiday idea has taken off?) And since they changed the lightbulbs to be LEDs, the lighting was different. But we finally managed to get a family mugshot with our beloved Pagoda.

Here it is in all it's glory:

Boxing Day Bust

Sick.

That's what happened to cancel delay postpone (we hope?) our Boxing Day feast.

Emily and I got a tummy bug...followed by Stuart and Ethan getting the same said (we hope?) tummy bug.

Only Edward escaped unscathed.

We hope...

Happiest Christmas from Our Home to Yours!

Merriest Christmas Eve!

We read the story behind this beautiful carol tonight before the kids headed to bed.

Silent Night

The origin of the Christmas carol we know as "Silent Night" was a poem that was written in 1816 by an Austrian priest called Joseph Mohr. On Christmas Eve in 1818 in the small alpine village called Oberndorf it is reputed that the organ at St. Nicholas Church had broken. Joseph Mohr gave the poem of "Silent Night" ("Stille Nacht") to his friend Franz Xavier Gruber and the melody for "Silent Night" was composed with this in mind. The music to "Silent Night" was therefore intended for a guitar and the simple score was finished in time for Midnight Mass.

"Silent Night" is the most famous Christmas carol of all time!

Silent Night

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child
Holy Infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

Silent night, holy night!
Shepherds quake at the sight
Glories stream from heaven afar
Heavenly hosts sing Alleluia!
Christ, the Saviour is born
Christ, the Saviour is born

Silent night, holy night
Son of God, love's pure light
Radiant beams from Thy holy face
With the dawn of redeeming grace
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth
Jesus, Lord, at Thy birth

Sweet Reminder...

I found myself once again remembering this fun adventure from 21 years ago. Still a sweet reminder of another time and place...

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Saturday, December 23, 2006

The Eve of Christmas Eve

18 years ago today...

That's when my hubby and I -- along with two other friends -- had a picnic in Lydiard Park, just outside Swindon, England. We had peanut-butter-and-jam sandwiches, a pint of milk, salt-and-vinegar crisps, and a Schweppes Ginger Ale the one friend brought for me since I was missing some familiar drinks from the States....and had ordered Ginger Beer instead of Ginger Ale at the pub a while before.

It was freezing as I recall....and we got some rather strange looks from the few passers-by who must have wondered at this group of 17- and 18-year-olds having a picnic on the 23rd of December.

1988.

Half a lifetime ago.

Still makes me smile.

Taking a Dip in the Genetic Pool

Being chiefly English (from Stuart and some ancestory on my father's side), our kids fall very quickly into English "habits."

One that all of them have picked up is that of dipping their food.

We recently recalled that Emily actually stuck a plastic fork in the "horsey" (horseradish and mayonaise) sauce at a fastfood restaurant when she was about Ethan's age and then licked it off quite happily. Give 'em sauce with a bit of food, and they're happy as clams.

(Of course, it's actually said in jest since there are plenty of Americans who also share this particular skill.)

All that to say: May I present our newest addition performing his first attempt at dipping...




I must say that he is a natural at it, having never been given the opportunity to do it and yet knowing exactly what to do.

I missed shooting one last photo -- when he ran out of french fries and stuck his fingers in the dipping sauce cup, licking them off in satisfaction -- but the mental one I took as I quickly cleaned off his fingers was precious enough.

Welcome to the "dipping" family, little Bunny. You're already a pro. I guess it's in the genes?

"Snowstorm Of The Century"

So apparently we were "in" for it, snow-wise. This past weekend, we were due for the "Snowstorm Of The Century." (Grammar disclaimer: Meteorologists' emphasis in capitalization, not mine.)

(Not that we're very many years into the current century, but who's counting and I digress...)



Okay. Okay. Some places did get that. But in our area, the total snowfall amounts varied from one inch to about 9 inches.

Not that I'm complaining.

I'm the biggest "snow grinch" around. I can't stand the stuff -- the icy wetness that seeps into your shoes or drips down the back of your neck...

Brrrrr.

But being a parent means I have to balance my snow "grinchiness" with allowing the kids to enjoy it. No point turning them into "snow grinches," too. Yet.

So on Sunday afternoon, we dug out all the hats and scarves and mittens and boots and snow pants (that are way too small), and we donned said gear for 20 minutes of snowy fun.


This was the first year that Ethan got to play in it, too.

And, well, he wasn't impressed.

Not an iota.

Perhaps it was the time of day (too close to naptime), or maybe it was the thousands of layers he had to wear just to waddle around in a white outerworld that looked nothing like anything he knew.

He managed to make a snow butt-angel, and I dug a path to a spot in the yard and put his play garden in it. I even pulled a few balls from the snow. He played for a little while but decided that it wasn't any fun to grab balls that immediately slipped away or trip over icy spots on the path.





The "Snowstorm Of The Century" was a bust as far as he was concerned.

However, Emily and Edward had fun in it, building some snow creations and throwing snowballs.


Maybe we'll try again before too long.

Nutcracker "Sweet" Sunday

Some photos from the shows this weekend.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Saturday "Nutcracker Sweet"heart

The 2009 Nutcracker season is officially over...but the memories will continue on.

I'll post a slideshow of pics tomorrow.

Until then, enjoy one of my favorites.

Friday Funnies

I found this on my camera when I was emptying the photos on it. It's from "Black Friday" after Ethan and I spent our (14th) annual day of shopping with my friend Beth. He was such a good boy all day -- most of it spent in his stroller -- that I felt he deserved to be treated to a donuthole on the way home. Such a nutcake! (He'd just learned to nod.)

Enjoy! And have a fun Friday!

One Month More!!!

Only one -- count it -- one month to go until the premiere of Season 8 of 24!! We're wildly, I mean, mildly excited here............... Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!

Wordless Wednesday

Wise Words...at Christmas

Emily: Never look a Santa donut in the eyes.

Monday Month-i-versary

15 months old TODAY!

Saturday Sweetheart

Friday Funnies

A Christmas-Jammies 10-on-10

Wordless Wednesday

Keep It Simple, Stupid!

I remember seeing that above someone's desk at the newspaper where I worked years ago. It was a reminder to the reporter to keep to the facts and make things understandable.

While I didn't have it written above my desk, I did have it in my head.

It's a good reminder now in the craziness of the holiday season with the hustle and bustle of trying to make everything perfect...

Keep it simple, stupid!

It's not about money...or presents...or the perfect decorations...or the tree...or the cookies...or the cards/photos.

It's about remembering a quiet night in Bethlehem when a baby was born.

Maybe it's because I was so out of it by the time each of my babies arrived so I might not remember correctly, but it seems to me that it was very very quiet.

A hush. A calm. A stillness shattered only by the sound of a baby's cry.

Let's remember that this Christmas.

And hush. And be calm. And enjoy the quietness of remembering the first Christmas, where they had no tree, no cards, no presents, no money.

Just each other and the knowledge of a God who loved them and chose them to raise the Savior of the world.

Wow! Simple.

And pretty awesome, huh?