31 December

2012, Our year......
Full of ups and downs, struggles and joy and blessings.  Friends and Family.  Good times.   It has gone by faster than any other year. Here's wishing you and yours on the 6th anniversary of this blog, the happiest and best of New Years (I love a new year....can't wait to start fresh on my new Project life!).  On to those resolutions and parties and a sleepover with friends!

29 December

First Time out.

First Day skiing for this winter season at our favorite Mount Abrahm.  Everyone has their own equipment this year and everyone is skiing at the smae time.  We met the Day family early in the morning and arrived just after opening time.  All the kids skied pretty much ALL day which is a first for this family.  Logistically it's still hard, keeping track of all the stuff and making sure everyone has what they need out in the cold.   Plus, Josh and Kevin decided to take the little kids (Bre and Karly) who were still in harnesses down some steep moguls.....yeah, they were loving life after that.  I skied with Lucas all day, and didn't see the older kids once (10/11 year olds off on their own....yikes, luckily it's a small mountain).  We skied Hay Road 15 times, nope we were NOT  going to try another trail.  It was just fine with me, because if a five year old is confident enough to ski on his own.... go fast and practice turns, I'll take it.  Plus I think we took the least breaks out of anybody, even through a snowstorm..... this kid was a trooper!  At the end of the day, we headed north a few miles (and a couple of wrong turns later) to a local Brew pub for dinner.  The kids were so good, politely ordering their own food and not complaining a bit about anything (whose kids were these anyway!). Then we piled back in and drove home MANY hours through a snowstorm.   It was so fun and we can't wait to go again!

28 December

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week*. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

27 December

And in the week of the in between.  In between celebrations and gatherings,  We find ourselves dumped on by snow.  All the better to sit by the fire, build, read and discover our new games.  All the better for Mama to watch from the inside (because she needs to be there to make the hot chocolate or fetch a stray mitten if needed).  All the better to lay on the couch in the evenings and recover from whatever sniffy nose ails you. We'll be back to school and work before we know it,  but for now we have found our perfect rhythm at being home (and giving mama just the right amount of love and piece and quiet:).

24/25/26 December

Our Christmas, the story, 2012.

Looking back at the past month plus that was our Christmas season, I have never been so engaged and aware of each blissful moment in it's passing.  Ever so aware of the stuff we have done "every year" and how different each year has been as a marker of how quickly time is passing.  It has been a week of pure bliss, not without out total chaos and at times stress, but bliss nonetheless.  

On Christmas Eve, Josh had to work probably for the first Christmas eve ever (and hopefully the last), so it was up to Mama to finish all the last minute preparations.  Lucas and I made the cinnamon roll dough (we call it adding the love when we knead the dough by hand.....Just as Nanny might have said).  We took Trevor out for some last minute Christmas shopping (he's training to be a man), and then showered, curled hair and got ready for Church.  All the kids at church decided they were going to put on their own pageant this year complete with lines. It was the first year that Breanna participated and  marched right up in front with her angel costume :)  We headed straight home to our carpet picnic, opening of three small gifts (PJS a book and an ornament) and then settled in by the fire to watch the Polar Express.  Boy,  will I be sad when the littlest child gives up those Christmas Jammies   They all went right to bed and the grownups made it through most of Christmas Vacation before falling asleep.  

Christmas Morning: Insert Many excited faces jumping into my bed.  

Trevor:  Mom, I could't sleep last night because I was too excited

Me: excited about what?

Trevor: Christmas

Me" What about Christmas?

Trevor: everything.

We commenced in the gift  opening, with a slight pause and distraction to slip the gifts under that we had forgotten in a drawer the night before and our eggs.grits and sausage breakfast.  We learned sometime that morning that Kevin and the cousins would not be joining us for dinner, as he had three sick kids and a broken fridge to tend to.  My heart broke for him in his year of many struggles,  transitions and new beginnings:(  

After each gift was opened, each family remember retreats to their corner with something they want to discover or play or build.  I Love that.  Josh usually starts the dinner, the Beef Wellington feast at this point, and I get ready to go out for a Christmas run.  It is usually short and sweet, and in a softly falling snow, and I come back refreshed and revived.  The afternoon brought grandparents, more gifts, more love, helping and game playing that lasted into the night and through the next day (Josh is 0-4 against my Dad in chess).  There was much skyping  and face- timing to family that couldn't be near.  The meal was made and eaten and cleaned up.  There was much talk of politics and sadness about what is wrong with this world.  There was laughter over the fact that Lucas said after we told him he could have 10 minutes on his iPod, he said, "Great, that's like 600 seconds."  

Now, that's what they are.....all great memories filed away of this great  life of ours.  The house is now newly tidy with only half of Christmas still remaining (those lights may stay up year round), and lists are made of what we need to remember to do for next year..  Sad that it's over, yes, but I remind the little one's in our midst that there is so much we do to celebrate the every day that we always have some new ritual or tradition in our family life to look forward to.  that the rest of this week we'll be reading and playing and watching the snaow fall.  We'll never remember exactly what we got, but what we will remember is how we felt.  And what we felt was Joy and Love.  Life is good.

23 December

From Our Family to yours........warmest wishes for a holiday season filled with love, and home and family.  Happy Memory Making!

23 December

Today......
On the Eve of the Eve.....
We had a very special day planned.  We had the Christmas Pageant Practice at Church (Trevor was a narrator, Bre was an angel and Lucas said he was "too shy" to take part).  We got all dressed up and went out to our favorite Flat bread Pizza and then headed over to the Magic of Christmas Concert.  This is the first year we have taken all the kids to this concert.  It was such a memorable day.  The kids LOVED the music, sing-along (Lucas Belted out Jingle Bells), Sleigh Ride and the illusionist.  They even did a song "twas the night before Christmas"that I remember listening to on record as a kid.  We landed ourselves a prime parking spot and then rode around afterward on this dark and cold night admiring the Christmas lights and listening to music on the radio.  aLl the stuff I remember LOVING as a kid (well we used to sing on the way home, including harmonies in the old Buick Park Avenue). I'm so looking forward to the coming days.  Gathering of family, the joy on their faces.......just awesome.

22 December

It was the Solstice Night.  In the Past we have always made our own beeswax candle to burn (inspired by the Kids at Lucas' preschool the last two years) as we read The Shortest Day.  This year, we took it up a notch and planned a fire, with a candle and story.  We thought, Mother nature was going to make other plans as it poured and was windy all day (we even lost power for about 4 hours), but in the end it cleared, we had our fire and candle, Trevor even opted to read the story.  We wrote all our "bad stuff "  from the last year down on pieces of paper and burned them.  It was fun and we'll look forward to continuing this little ritual for years to come.

21 December

{this moment}

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

Eight.

Happy Eight Birthday to my fun, smart, energetic, lego loving Boy Boy of a nephew.  We love you Sam!  Can't wait to see you on Christmas:)

20 December

Advent Calendars...... another Family tradition.  We have one that was gifted to us, one that we made (that has fun little to do items written inside each drawer) and one that we bought (Lego).  The kids have pre-arranged with each other who gets to open what on what day.  Love this.

19 December

Oh, the weather outside is Frightful..........Rain, and sleet and snow and freezing rain (all week).  Luckily, the Kids LOVE winter and all the weather that comes with it.  The other day when it started to snow, Trevor actually went out and laid on the front lawn so the falling "snow would cover him" .  Crazy I know.  Winter in Maine.....bring it.

Happy Birthday Mom!

I can’t repay the lessons That you taught when I was small.

Or give you gift for gift The daily treasures I recall...

I can’t return encouragement And loving words of praise.

In quite the way you did for me Through all my childhood days.

But there is one gift that I can give, It’s all the love you’ve earned.

For love is what you always taught... And love is what I learned.

18 December

: “Don’t squander joy. We can’t prepare for tragedy and loss. When we turn every opportunity to feel joy into a test drive for despair, we actually diminish our resilience. Yes, softening into joy is uncomfortable. Yes, it’s scary. Yes, it’s vulnerable. But every time we allow ourselves to lean into joy and give in to those moments, we build resilience and we cultivate hope. The joy becomes part of who we are, and when bad things happen—and they do happen—we are stronger.” (from Daring Greatly, Brene Brown Gotham Books, 2012)

17 December

Cookie making Day......
Its the 11th annual making of the chocolate covered peanut butter Ritz, and for the peanut allergic kids in the neighborhood, Peppermint covered Ritz (tastes like a thin mint!).  Can't wait to deliver these!  Fun, Fun!

16 December

This cold and snowy and blustery December weekend.......Pretty much a dream.  Hanging in front of the fire, playing games, giving extra hugs, keeping each other close.  There's nothing else our Christmas needs. :)

15 December

He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever. Revelation 21:4

Today, I was going to be doing some Happy, Fun craft, tradition  or baking related Holiday post, but that just doesn't feel right for this day.  Yesterday, Friday was just one of those days we seem to be having all too often during my life time when you remember exactly where you were and what you were doing when you heard the news.   It was a good Friday, two of my very important meetings had gone well, really well in fact.  I had a printer installed in my office at work (FINALLY!) that I had been waiting for.  I said, "Today, Must be my lucky Day" a few times.  Lucky indeed. I was going to leave, going home to get my loves off the bus (which is lucky and unusal for a Friday....that I would get to see them in the evening since I usually work.), when I got a text from Josh:

Our Hearts were heavy last night and today.......we found ourselves turning the news on and back off when the sadness became to much to bear.  We are left with so many questions of how this could happen in such a "safe place".  We thought about how our elementary school doors go unlocked.  We prayed , we lit candles,we hugged them tight.  We felt our vulnerability as parents, americans, humans. Bringing up small children, We wondered how we can best protect them.   We examine our own lives, what we treasure most and how we can adjust our perspective.  There are no words to give the parents whose children did not come home today.  We pray that  those close to this tragedy be given comfort in some way. You are continually in our thoughts as we go about our days.

"Tragedy urges us to honor life by connecting even more deeply with each other- to locate our fiercest compassion, to do the soul-work required to endure unbearable grief in times of suffering. We can hold our families and communities close, share our vulnerable hearts, light the candles, sing the old songs, beat the drums, to raise the vibration of human consciousness and our potential for healing."

~Pixie Campbell

14 December

Today.......Our annual IEP meeting.  This one is going to be a doozy.  This is the year of our every three year testing (tri annual).  Think I might opt out of it next time.  She's going to be fine in school and I'm going to be fine, but it's just one emotional roller coaster, seeing your child in numbers.  It's worth it, all of it (the work and the emotional roller coaster),  I keep telling myself, and I'm NEVER, EVER going to give up on her.

Happy Birthday Dad!!

Thanks Dad......

For Letting me have the bedroom with the bathroom

For working so hard so we could have everything

For giving me a love for music and jazz

For letting me play in a pile of dirt, make forts in the woods and taking me camping

For taking me to visit my grandparents often

For teaching me how to change a tire

For making me "bring in wood" when I was fighting with my brothers

For walking me down the isle

For not letting me watch TV on school nights

For freezing your butt off to watch me in all those Marching Band Shows

For fixing my cars when I broke them

For taking me out to a special dinner for getting good grades

For giving us an extra spin on our sleds in the back of the tractor

For teaching me how to ride a bike

For getting the best parking spot when you moved me and all my "stuff" into college

For making the holidays special

For giving me chores

For letting me sit on your shoulders while you did pushups

For telling me that no dream was too big

For our Christmas Shopping trips

for waiting outside the hospital room into the middle of the night until Trevor was born

For helping us move into three houses and all the projects that came with them

For helping me with my physics homework

For loving Mom

For making the best breakfasts

For teaching me how to give and get "good customer service"

For teaching me the value of hard work

For getting me (and Josh) summer "jobs"

For loving me even when I wasn't so loveable

For being there.

For believing in me.

Happy Birthday!

14 December

{this moment}

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

13 December

(Picture by Lucas)

Today and last night......we had a great mother-daughter dinner, our half price bottle of wine, funny stories about going to the wrong house for a food delivery (more on that later...) chocolate lasagna, a birthday gift.  We shopped till we dropped (there is never enough time)....and I'm truly ready to never set foot in another store, well ever.  Thanks for making the drive up (and you should have seen Bre's pouty face when she got off the bus and her Gammie had gone home.)......There is never enough time to spend together.......Thank you and Love You Mom!

In My Inbox Today

You're a Mom

12 December

Letters to Santa.....What can I say, I love this.  Their little handwriting, I just want to keep it wrapped up and in my thoughts forever.

11 DEcember

Another tradition that we have LOVED for the past 3 or 4 years has been the Elf on a Shelf.  The kids named the Elf "Ethan" and he hides in a new place each day starting on Thanksgiving.  This year Ethan took a little trip to my Mother's house and accidentally stayed overnight there an extra day....or was he just hiding real good, no one will ever know.  Ethan is also really good at watching out and reporting to Santa good behavior (or bad!)  Love you Ethan!

10 December

This is the Third year we are unwrapping a different book form Our Christmas collection each night and reading aloud as our family.  One of my favorite things......

These moments I hold so dear. I find myself wanting to say to these growing older children of mine, emerging into the larger world as they are: "this, my loves, this is what it's all about. Not some silly headphones or gadget or 'thing' you may think or be told you need but will forget about in one months time or two years passing. The magic of the holiday, indeed of life, lies in these moments shared. These are the 'things' you will one day love most of all."

-Soulemama

9 December

The First Annual North Pole Party.

I'm telling you, when I saw these ideas online for a "North Pole" Party, I was totally hooked, I mean I just had to do it.  What better excuse to get all my favorite kids together:)  It was totally magical watching the kids having such a great time in their cozy jammies creating their houses and making Reindeer food.  We had lots of "breaks" playing outside and watching a Charlie Brown Movie.  Josh had the genius ideas for the signs and vacuum sealing the frosting packs to each kid could have their own. WE even got to do Pizza and a cake for Sam's Birthday.   Normally, I would be so tired after hosting an event like this, but I was so energized.  I can see us continuing something like this into our granparenting years.....I had so much fun, can't wait until next year!

8 December

Our Eight Annual Christmas Dinner with the Day Family.

This Year.....a last minute one participant Ugly Christmas Sweatshirt contest was started (I'm scared for next year!).  Our Once a year Whisky Sours were made.  The kids ate bacon and chocolate cake for dinner, played games and watched movies.  The kid- friendly decorations were amazing.  An eleventh Birthday was celebrated (ELEVEN!).  The joke presents were awesome (a bbq brander, redneck wineglass and funny bad grammar book).  We all watched Christmas Vacation (even the five year old......with hands over ears in some parts:)).  We stayed up too late. We left with full bellies and full hearts.  We're so blessed to have friends like these.   Can't wait until next year!

7 December

{this moment}

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{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember

7 December

 Last night.....

The CASA annual Christmas Party.  A room full of special needs children and their families, Santa and presents, Christmas Music,  lights and fabulous food.  Chocolate :) Bre Hugging Santa.  Fun memories.

6 December part 2

And last last but certainly not least, we had our annual date night and Xmas shopping outing last Saturday. So, so fun to have a night out, seeing all the unusual stuff in the shops downtown and having a warm comfort food dinner at our favorite Irish pub, not to mention our annual late night visit to Walmart. Love the people and trying to win a stuffed animal out if one of those machines(we never win!!). Good times.

Love , Love, Love.....

Watch here......It really does go by this fast (Life I mean)  :)

6 December

And Decorating our tree......a kid only event (mostly) this year (Love that).   Lucas,  I have to say worked hard at getting all those handmade ornaments on just the right branches.  Each kid has their own box of ornaments and are starting to appreciate opening those boxes of treasures more and more every year as I do, it's one of my favorite things of all time, opening those boxes.  It's always a surprise what you have forgotten after it has been stored away for a year.  With the Kid lead decorating,  we had a special " line" on the counter filled with ornaments needing repair or batteries (just keepin' it real).  Daddy gladly handled that part.   So with Music (Piano, saxophone and some playing from the iPod) blaring, and fire roaring, we decorated our tree.  Gammie was in charge of the most fragile 1950 ornament from My Grandparents very First Christmas tree.  Not one more ornament will fit on this tree I tell you.  It is full, as well as my heart:)  So there we have it, 2012.

5 December

And last but not least from the weekend....the Piano Recital (stay tuned for the video).  Gammie even drove all the way from Massachusetts to hear him play and see some of the swim meet, LOVE you GAMMIE!  This time Trevor had his songs memorized and even played an encore.  It is so amazing to me how easily he picks up and plays any new song (and I NEVER have to bug him to practice).  I LOVE all the live music that has entered our home this Christmastime.  The Hustle and Bustle of it all, I can't get enough.

4 December

Breakfast with Santa 2012.

Another fun Christmas activity that we do EVERY year.  Trevor had to skip it this time to choose the swim meet with his friends :(.  Oh, well, I guess that is bound to happen (kind of goes along with showering every morning).  Plus he told Lucas that the breakfast Santa wasn't the real Santa and that the Real Santa only comes on Christmas Eve.  Oh, Boy.  Anyway, the littles, had a blast seeing Santa and eating a wonderful breakfast.  Lucas told Santa he wanted an IPod touch and Bre wants "cars".  I think this girl is truly going to love Santa (and Cars) until the day she dies.  Those smiles....I just want to box up and save the memory forever.

3 December

Here we are still going on (and on) with awesome stories from our weekend.  Trevor had his very First Swim meet....The Candy Cane Classic.  The last time I was at a swim meet.....I think it was my own, back in High school (You forget how HOT it gets in there.....note to self: shorts next time)  Trevor swam in five events and did AWESOME.  His best were the breaststroke and the Individual Medley,   followed by the backstroke.  It's hard to believe that he couldn't do a start, flip turn or even all the strokes just a few weeks ago.  It was a BLAST, the kids had a great time and it was just so awesome to see all the kids cheering for each other, no matter what their ability.  My kind of sport.....just Awesome!

the weekend.

Oh my.  So many pictures. so many awesome stories to tell, from getting and decorating our tree, to date night, to a first swim meet, breakfast with Santa, Gammie's visit, a candy Cane workshop and a Piano Recital.  It was a busy one.......stay tuned!

2 December

Our Tree, 2012, the story.
There was a softly falling snow (and if you ask Josh, he says that a softly falling snow makes for the VERY best of Christmas tree getting days, it's his dream actually).  BUT, it was FREEZING, 24 degrees freezing, so we walked a little bit in the field to the first pretty good sized tree we came to (they are getting smaller by the year!)  and chopped it down (all took turns sawing), snapped a family photo, carried the tree back to the wagon (THREE boys carried it this year:)) and took it home.  The end.  And here's to dreams coming true:)

1 December

Hello December.

We welcome you with open arms.  So many blessings, so much to look forward to.  December 1st, our third annual Haven's Candy Cane Workshop.  They sell tickets every year to benefit a local charity that brings wishes to kids in need..  This year we had the time and patience to watch the whole candy cane making process.  It was awesome, never mind getting to hand make our very own  three big fat candy canes to take home.  We had an extra ticket so Lucas brought one of his best girl buddies from school.  He spelled L-U-C-A-S with his shapes.  Super fun!