Happy Birthday Simon

Today, my baby boy turns one.

One Year Old.

Simon, what an amazing little person you are turning into, and have been from the second you were born. I can honestly say that I have loved every minute of the last 365 days. Even the many of which we spent not sleeping. You are a sweet delight. I love that you laugh every single day, with your crazy inhaling squawk. I thrive on that laughter.

Your devotion to your daddy is evident to every single person that knows you. The fact that you are one, and already have a handle on loving others, is amazing in itself. I love watching you play, in all your boy-ness. You just know that you are a boy, and boys are supposed to make car noises and hammer things and crash trucks together. Your daddy is so excited about this, and the things he will be able to share with you (read: scooters and tools) as you grow.

You are loved so very much. Your sisters have grown so much with you, and have learned an enormous amount of responsibility. They take pride in showing you new things and helping to take care of you, and you are so patient when Morgan puts a diaper on backwards, or when Zoe takes your toys to test them out for you. You seem to find Zoe the funniest, and she's always on the lookout for new ways to make you laugh. When she clocked her head on accident on the door frame and you giggled, she took that as cue to not cry, but turn around and do it over and over, until you were in hysterics and she had a good sized goose egg. When we have been in the car for far too long, and you are tired and crying and ready to get out, it is your sisters whose hands you hold, as they sooth you to sleep. I imagine that your sisters will be a very integral part of your life, and will help hold you steady for years to come.

It is this amazing sense of family that your arrival here has solidified in us. Although a family before your birth, we now seem to have fully grown into everything that encompasses that word. Our love for eachother is bigger, and more purposeful. In myself, I know that through you, I have finally learned how to live beyond myself (turns out you were right Dad, the world doesn't actually revolve around me). Those months that Nathan got to stay home with you and the girls was life changing too. He figured out so much about himself, and the kind of father figure he wanted to be, and by golly if he didn't get a plan set up and go after it. And now he is in a job he loves, doing something he loves, providing for those he loves, with big plans for our future. When you came, one year ago today, somehow you reminded us that Nathan, Morgan, Zoe, you, and me, we are amazing together. You brought us home.

I love you a million gazillion times to the moon and back. Happy birthday Bubba.

Love,

Your Mum

Night Divine

O Holy night, the stars are brightly shining
It is the night of our dear Savior's birth
Long lay the world in sin and error pining
Til He appeared and the soul felt it's worth
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoyces
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn
Fall on your knees

O hear the angel voices
O night divine!
O night when Christ was born
O night divine!
O night, O night divine!

And in His Name, all oppression shall cease
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we
Let all within us praise his holy name
Christ is the Lord!
Their name forever praise we

Noel, Noel
O night, O night Divine
Noel, Noel
O night, O night Divine
Noel, Noel
O night, O holy Divine

Siblings, or Lack Therefor of

I grew up in a house with two parents, a dog, a cat and a goldfish. That is my nice and indirect way of saying that I was an only child. I remember frequently being asked as a kid, if I liked being an only child. People seemed to focus on thinking that I didn't have to share things, and that I didn't have to worry about being in any older siblings shadow. I always felt that it was sort of a silly question. I didn't have any brothers or sisters, so I couldn't exactly compare the two situations. I simply didn't know what it was like, having a brother hide frogs in my bed or a sister borrow my clothes, so I would always answer with a quick, it's OK.
In reality though, I grew up next door to a family with four kids. This family had two girls and two boys, and we played together at least eight out of seven days a week. We fought over toys, we argued over chores, we baked cookies and played dress up, and now, as adults, we are still close. Jenna, the oldest of the four, is our Zoe's Godmother. So really, in an indirect way, those four saved me from the doom of The Wretched Only-Child Syndrome that all too many well meaning adults told me would be my downfall.
Except that it probably still was my downfall, because now that I am a parent to not one but three kidlets, I witness everyday sibling interactions that I really did miss out on.
For instance, a few nights ago I was sitting on my couch watching the girls play a game of Go Fish by the Christmas Tree, and Morgan's turn was up. She confidently asked,
"Zoe do you have any eights?"
And Zoe quickly replied with her standard "GO FISH!"
"No, Zoe" Morgan said in a more hushed voice, "I know you have an eight, I accidentally saw all your cards."
To which Zoe replied, "Oh. OK, Here." And after another moment. "BUT YOU CAN'T LOOK AT MY CARDS ANYMORE."
Morgan then asked for a ten and the whole process was repeated again.
Now my observation in this was that if you are going to have siblings, have younger siblings, because then you get to rule the roost. It is no coincidence that Morgan wins nearly every card or board game played between the two girls. It is prearranged, and destined in her birth order to be so.
Me, on the other hand, played most games by myself (do you know there are different versions of solitaire, like clock solitaire and square solitaire?), or occasionally with my Dad, which I also won a fair number of, but mostly because my Dad had no idea how to play The Baby Sitter's Club Game (sorry Dad, but thanks for playing with me even though I picked out the silliest games on the face of the earth).
It's only a matter of time before Zoe will get to stretch her older sibling muscles with Simon, and he better look out, she's got a lot of game losses to make up for!

Deck the Season for the Trolly?

I was putting away dishes the other night and heard Zoe singing some Christmas songs in her room. The Lyrics had been re-worked a little, but I think I like Zoe's version better, how about you?

Boy Meets Processed Cheese

Today I introduced Simon to the wonder that is Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It was a big hit, and in fact, the spoon wasn't delivering fast enough so he took matters into his own hands. 

Literally.

And then I discovered yet another great difference between boys and girls. For years, Zoe was a one piece of popcorn at a time kind of eater. She takes her time and takes tiny little bites. I wouldn't go as far as saying she is a neat eater, but she eats at a slow and agonizing pace.

Now Simon on the other hand is a scarf it down eater. He goes in for the kill and shoves it all in at once. 

He eats his food like a teenager at the movies with a jumbo bucket of popcorn. 

He thinks this is the only way to eat now. We've created an all boy monster.

Zoe, our American Girl

Last night while I was picking up Zoe from my parent's house and while we were putting on our shoes we caught a few minutes of the nightly news. There has been some pretty amazing flooding going on in the NW and the news was picture after picture of water logged streets and floating houses. A woman was shown being rafted out of her house with her disabled daughter and once she reached the safety of the ambulances she gave the newscasters a brief dialog of what went down. She said that they began with unplugging everything in the house and putting things up on counters and then when the water began rising too quickly she thought, "hey, we are worth more than this stuff, we better get out!"

Zoe pondered this statement a bit, turned around to her Papa and declared,

"I think people are more....important (it took her a minute to find this word)... than things! She should have thought of that first!"

She stomped her foot to solidify her belief. But then the news shifted to the story of a burning restaurant. A scene of golden arches ablaze filled the screen and Zoe gasped.

"Nooooooooooooo Papa! The McDonald's is on fire! What will we dooooooo? Oh no! Are they going to save it? That's my most favoritest place in the whole world!"

She came completely unglued (never mind that it was a McDonald's in another city, far away. She doesn't need to know that they are that easily accessible).

You have to love a five-year old's perspective. Save yourself first, unless it is McDonald's, than do everything in your means to save the beloved cheeseburger and fries.

Every Good and Perfect Thing Comes From Above

All at once things are starting to take shape around our house. Not neccesarily in the household per say (I still have a bazillion loads of laundry to do and dishes to wash and floors to clean...), but moreso in the lifeliving category. We are back in the Two Income Family bracket, and starting to get closer to the coveted black numbers. Nathan is in a job he enjoys. Someone we love is watching our baby while we are at work. Both our girls are little genius's at school. And winter is here.



Winter is always a good time of the year for me, and never with any real solid reason. There is just something that happens in my heart that makes winter wonderful. I could have just had the worst year imaginable, with nothing but negativity and bad news and hard days, but once the cold weather sets in and the Christmas carols start playing on the radio, all that is forgotten. It's the anticipation of the season. The stillness and the wonder. It's in the crunch of the grass beneath my boots and the warmth of the fire in the fireplace. It's my husband's wool coat and red scarf and
the way he tugs the hats back onto the kids' heads.

But mostly, it's the reminder that a fresh start is coming.
It's the Holy Nights with white snow falling. Perfectly formed reminders of a Perfect Gift, falling from above.