Birthday Gifts for Christ

I accidentally posted this to the wrong blog! But it's something that's becoming a beloved tradition at our house, so I though I'd leave it here too. Enjoy!

Our family has several birthdays during the month of December. A few years ago I realized that this gave us the perfect opportunity to talk about Christ's birthday.

Throughout the month, as we're talking about what to give and what each of my boys wants for their birthday, we make a point of mentioning Jesus's birthday as well. We discuss all of the different things we could give him and try to come up with the things he would most want from us this year. In the past, our choices have been things like obedience to our parents, helping our siblings, and reading our scriptures together more.

Even if you don't have December birthdays, the season of giving will offer many opportunities to discuss what we can give our Savior.

Or, try throwing a birthday party for Jesus as an FHE. Act out the nativity as your party game, celebrate with cake, and give presents by recording what you will give Jesus as a gift this year, either in pictures or in your journal.

I can attest to how wonderful it is to turn the world's focus on gifts back towards the true meaning of Christmas. Give it a try this year!

2009? When did that happen?

It seems like only a few weeks ago that it was the end of 2007 and I was very pregnant with Edward. I'm feeling stunned that it's more than a year later, that I have a one year old and a four year old, that I'm in a house, in TEXAS of all places, and that we're moving beyond the "temporary" stage of our lives.

So, at this beginning of a new year, it's time for resolutions. Here are the ones that aren't too small or too personal to share.

1. John got me a Wii Fit for Christmas. I excitedly started it up and was almost immediately learned that my bad back (which is not in the shape it needs to be) bumped my "Wii Fit Age" up by many, many years. So I resolve to strengthen my core body muscles, with both the Wii and swimming when I can manage it.

2. See that list of books on the sidebar? Those are the books I've started and fully intend to finish. When I find time. I resolve to read all of those books this year. And have a completely new list over there.

3. I've been cooking. A lot. Enough that I want to be sure I keep it going. So I resolve to do this. I think it'll be fun to share. I've already started with a few from the last week or so to give you a glimpse.

4. I've been building up our food storage. We have so far to go, but I quickly realized that I had no idea what to do with it. I resolve to learn how to use our food storage to make delicious and nutritious meals so that I could sustain us with it if I had to.

5. Finally, I resolve to say thank you more. I'm becoming more aware of my own mental blocks with this. Somehow, I got this idea into my head that family members or friends simply do things for each other. That it's part of being a family or a friend. That its expected. In part because I don't expect a thank you when I do these type of things. This isn't really a conscious thing, but it affects the way I treat those I love. And I don't like it. Going forward, I'm going to make a conscious effect to thank those around me.

What are your resolutions? And do you want to help me with mine? I could sure use some babysitting over here.

Yes, I am a Nerd

John got me the best present ever. Check it out! He couldn't decide which microbe to get me, so he went with a neuron. Because we could all use an extra brain cell or two. I love it.

I've been looking at all of them and I don't think I could decide either. I want so many! Clostridium perfringens, a Leukocyte, Yersinia pestis, Helicobacter pylori, ... I could go on and on. These are so awesome!

Christmas Gifts

The last two weeks have changed my perspective on the Christmas season. I'd already been trying to focus on family instead of things, but apparently I had a ways to go. Since being home, I've had this obsessive need to rearrange and declutter my kitchen. I've been sorting through every cabinet, adding lots to the garage sale box. Because I need more room for good memories. Here's what changed me.

Spending time with Grandpa was so great. And we didn't need any stuff to enjoy our time together. It made me realize that the best gift he can give any of us is himself for as long as he can. After that, we'll be happy with his memories. Thanks for letting me help you get them into a form that will last for generations, grandpa.

Spending time with my parents and siblings and extended family made me miss them. And the east coast they live in. I was absolutely giddy about spending two weeks in the cold weather. I loved being able to watch my boys play with their grandparents, aunts, and uncles. Someone should move out here near us. Ben? Hannah Banana?? Dad???

Spending so much time with my kids (way more than I wanted because they slept with me) reinforced how much I love them and will do anything for them. I had several people comment on my mothering skills while traveling back home. In a good way. Each time I said thanks, but thought "I'm just doing what I need to. What are they talking about?" Looking back, I see that simply by not giving up when all of us were falling apart, I was showing them how much I loved them.

Spending so much time apart from my husband was horrible. We both decided we'd never do that again if we can help it. Grandma and Grandpa J, I don't know how you do it. I heard that song "All I Want for Christmas is You" on the radio while in NY and realized, besides the fact that I can't stand it, that all I wanted was to be home with John. I didn't need anything else. Just John.

So that's what's on my mind this December. I have my family and I don't need anything else.

Except maybe Rock Band for the Wii. And some black boots. I'm not perfect, people.

PS - I read this post today and it simply reinforced how important family can be. And reminded me of my favorite Christmas. Anyone else remember Ben sharing his pizza from Santa?

Grateful

It's hard not to see how many things I have to be thankful for today. Now that I think about it, it could be hard. I've been without a husband for kid help and emotional support for more than a week (I'm dying here!) My grandpa spent Thanksgiving in the hospital while we had dinner at his house. I could complain about so many things today. But I just can't.

I'm grateful that I have a husband who is so wonderful with the kids, one who holds me up and allows me to do the things that make me happy. I'm grateful for happy, healthy, smart, fun, loving, and oh so adorable kids. I'm grateful that, after all these years, my parents are happy. I'm grateful for all that my dad's wife is doing to make sure grandpa is cared for. I'm grateful that, with the miracles of technology, grandpa was able to sit at the head of his table and preside over Thanksgiving dinner while still in his hospital bed.

And the smaller things. I'm grateful that I finally learned to make the yummiest rolls. I'm grateful that I know my mom's recipes off the top of my head and could bring a few family favorites to Thanksgiving. I'm grateful that my boys have slept through the night several days in a row so that I've been more rested. (And for their grandparents who happily get up with them in the morning.) I'm grateful for this computer that allows me to stay connected to my life, even when I'm away. I'm grateful for my cell phone that keeps me connected to my husband, no matter where we are.

I could go on and on. But these are the things that stood out to me today. I hope everyone had a happy thanksgiving.

Skipping Ahead - Grownup Halloween Party

I needed to skip ahead b/c I've already posted some pictures of this elsewhere and just wanted to bring on all the comments at once.

DON'T SCROLL DOWN TO THE PICTURE YET!

SERIOUSLY!!

YOU'LL RUIN THE SHOCK OF IT!!!

So, John's new company hosts a big Halloween party every year. It's always music themed. This year it was 80's Beat-Boxing. (Break-dancing.) Everyone was supposed to dress along those lines, or at least some kind of 80's pop music.

Ummm... yea. That's just not us. So we decided to branch out to other 80's music. After weeks of searching for the right costume ideas, I saw a comment somewhere about 80's goth-punk. That was it. The best costumes ever were born. You really need to click to see it larger.

So yes, we crashed their party. It was awesome. And honestly, we loved wearing these outfits. Both of us commented that our clothes the next day felt like our 'regular costumes'.

You know you want to borrow that wig.

The Geese is Getting Fat

Christmas is coming!!! Ten weeks away. Because I want to be able to enjoy the holidays, I always do my shopping early. I'm nearly done. Not kidding. I'll finish wrapping before Thanksgiving. (Go ahead and smack my husband for putting his part of the shopping off until the last few days. Slacker.)

It's hard to feel like it's even fall yet, with the temps still peaking in the 90s some days, and not an orange or red leaf in sight. (I did see a pile of ugly brown leaves underneath a brown tree the other day. I think it was "fall foliage", but it looked more like the tree was dying in the heat. It made me want to cry and catch the next flight to the northeast.) But I'm trying. It rained yesterday and today, so I made stew and pumpkin cookies. The boys and I cozied up at home and pretended cooler weather is coming.

Although it doesn't feel like time yet with the weather, I'm getting myself excited for Christmas. I LOVE Christmas. Decorating, music, yummy treats, wrapping, giving, playing Santa, . . everything. Do you think its too early to put up a tree?

I spent ages looking for video of Miss Piggy singing "Christmas is Coming". No dice. Even audio was hard to find. The beginning of the song is here. Enjoy! Its from one of my absolute favorite Christmas albums. Well worth downloading on iTunes.

Halloween is coming up fast!

And we can't decide what to wear. Ethan will be Buzz Lightyear (obviously) but the rest of us are undecided. Take the poll on my sidebar and let me know which idea you like.

Big Announcement for Grandma!

Just kidding. We have a history of calling our moms with big news on Mother's Day. Our engagement and both pregnancies have fallen at just the right points to surprise our moms with them. This evening, I checked my site meter and discovered that my mother-in-law checked my blog 4 times in the last 24 hours. Hoping for some news Grandma J?

Sorry that I don't have anything big this year. Only that your grandkids are growing up so fast I can barely keep up. And many thanks for raising such a great son yourself. I can't imagine being a mom to such crazy boys without him by my side. Happy Mother's Day!

Reflections on 2007

I'm not one to make new years resolutions. I find it too depressing when I can't (or just don't) keep them. John and I have made some new goals, but we tend to do this every few months and revisit the old ones to see if they're working or if we need to adjust them.

So, I don't have a list of resolutions for you. But after reading Tisha's post a few days ago, I've been thinking a lot about what I've learned this last year. These are the big ones:

1 - I am much stronger than I thought I was.
2 - I am a good mother.
3 - When I want to, I can accomplish an amazing amount in one day.
4 - It's OK to ask for help.

There are so many more, but none as important as these. Here's to more personal growth in 2008!

The Twelve Days of Christmas

This is hilarious! I've found the sheet music and totally will be using this at future Christmas parties.

Just Blown Away...

The Ward Christmas Party is finally over. It was a ton of work, but soooo worth it. I have to admit that it was a great party.

But the best part is our AMAZING ward. They just blow me away. (And I'm not only talking about the incredible talent show or the huge number of donations to sub-for-santa.) We sent out a distress call earlier in the week for more people to bring food and the response was overwhelming. We had so much extra food that we distributed it to quite a few families who could use it, the missionaries, and everyone else who wanted some! And then there were the wonderful sisters who showed up, saw a need, and jumped in to help for the entire party. (My committee is only 5 people strong and we were 2 down, so we badly needed the help.) And everyone who helped us clean up from a party of nearly 250 people. In under an hour. Without being asked!!

We could not have pulled of such a great party without all the help. So if any of you read this... THANK YOU!!!

Angels

Ethan was playing with the wood block nativity set I made several years ago and telling us about the people on each piece. Apparently, I'm Jesus's mom and "Angels come from flies."

Our kind of Christmas music

Ethan and I have been listening to Christmas music in the car and at home for weeks now. Cheesy radio music in the car and typically Handel's Messiah or The Nutcracker at home.

But today we busted out our favorite while decorating the tree. We played The Trans-Siberian Orchestra nice and loud. For anyone who doesn't know, they are a rock orchestra. Definitely our kind of Christmas music. So after the tree, we were all at the table eating dessert when suddenly, we all start dancing in our chairs. Even Ethan. It was hilarious! I couldn't help but think "The family that dances to Christmas rock music together, stays together." We're glad that we're raising our son to appreciate the good stuff.

(For anyone who might be interested, we just discovered that the Smashing Pumpkins have a Christmas song, called Christmas Time. Go to the link to hear it! It's motivated me to find more in the same genre.)

Happy Thanksgiving

We've hosted Thanksgiving at our house the last 3 years. Not this one. Without Stew to cook the turkey, and with my ever-increasing size, we decided it would be better to not do it. So we had a great dinner with friends at someone else's house! (I still made pies, so I didn't back out of all the cooking.)

And because it's Thanksgiving:

I'm thankful for my wonderful husband. He sustains me everyday and I can't imagine life without him.

I'm thankful for my beautiful, smart, loving Ethan. Even on his worst days he's just such a good kid. And it's hard not to love someone who loves you so much.

I'm thankful for the relative stability of our life right now. It's easier to handle the changes we're making to our family and our life in the near future when everything else is going well.

I'm thankful for great friends. Those that we see often, those that have moved away, those that we've moved away from, and those we are still getting to know. Life is so much more fun with all of you around.

And I'm especially thankful for the knowledge of my purpose here on earth. It makes everything worth it. Everything.

Easter Pictures

Ethan and his "bunnies"
(Is is weird that all of his friends are girls?)

The dads hiding eggs for a Saturday egg hunt

Hunting eggs with best friend Mags

"I got it!"

Easter morning

Happy Valentines Day!

So I had big plans for you all. Ethan picked out cards, colored on them, and decorated them with stickers. He even decorated the envelopes. But when I went to get them in the mail, I couldn't find my address book. I know it's in the house somewhere, but I haven't found it yet, and it's a little late to send out Valentines Day cards.

Then I wanted to put an audio clip of Ethan saying "I love you berry much" here on my blog. Unfortunately I am not as computer savvy as I thought. So I will keep working on it. Maybe video would be easier.

I hope everyone had a Happy Valentines Day!