Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year

2010 is ending, and, for the most part, it's been a very good year. Having two young children certainly adds to the happiness found in our home. Sarah and Eric make us laugh every day. Graciously, they allow us to see the world through their eyes and I am often awed by their insights and ideas. (Sometimes, they aren't nearly so gracious and make us want to scream instead. But for now, I'll focus on the good.)

Here's a sneak peek at the photo we used for the Happy New Year card we're sending out. You'll be getting it in the mail soon! (Fairly soon. I still need to place the order.) Until then, we wish you much happiness. Thank you for adding so much joy to our lives. And - for one of my New Year's resolutions - I'm hoping that next year I'll be able to send out a holiday card and wish you well before Christmas, rather than after. (I'm not making any promises . . . just a resolution.)

Happy, happy 2011!!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

December

Our days are always busy, but right now I'm almost certain that December is (by far) the busiest month of all. We made, we cleaned, we played, we baked, we cooked, we gave, we received, we celebrated. These photos are all out of order, because after three days of uploading all the pictures and moments I've neglected to share (because even if I wanted to, I was too busy), I'm ready to be done with December. It was a wonderfully exciting month, as it always is, with both Sarah's birthday(s) and Christmas.

We spent the week leading up to Christmas with my side of the family, and despite the chaos and loudness that four small children create, we loved (almost) every minute. Like Thanksgiving, Christmas is made more special with family. We're grateful that we were able to share our home this holiday season.

Even though my mom cooked ALL the dinners (yes - ALL) and the rest of us helped with cleaning and dishwashing, it took several days for us to recover after everyone left. I felt like Eric looks in the last picture. We're mostly back to normal.

So, as I said, these photos are all out of whack. According to them, Sarah's birthday party came after Christmas. And we must have gone to the Christmas parade recently, not at the beginning of the month. In reality, the ice cave was built the day after Christmas, but who's counting? Maybe sometime in January, I'll organize them all, or maybe I won't. It would probably be more fitting if I let them stay as they are. It'll give me a good sense of what December feels like - very full, very happy, and very, very busy.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Now She is Six

When I was One,
I had just begun.
When I was Two,
I was nearly new.
When I was Three,
I was hardly me.
When I was Four,
I was not much more.
When I was Five,
I was just alive.
But now I am Six,
I'm as clever as clever,
So I think I'll be six now for ever and ever.
- from Now We Are Six by A.A. Milne

Monday, December 13, 2010

hello snow

We got lucky this year and have already had our first snow. Sarah wanted to try snow with maple syrup, and she had great hopes that she would love it. No such luck. Maybe we'll try snow ice cream next time and maybe we'll come inside to eat it.
Eric and Brian threw lots of snowballs.
Meanwhile, Sarah was a penguin. She waddled around with her arms glued to her side and her hands facing out. It was a pretty good impression, I must say. She tried to talk Eric into being her polar bear friend and he appeased her for awhile, but then went back to the snowball fights. I couldn't help but mention that penguins live in Antarctica and polar bears live in the Arctic, and therefore they probably wouldn't be friend. (Not to mention that if a polar bear was anywhere near a penguin, the penguin would be eaten in short order.) Sarah decided that neither geography nor animal behavior mattered.
The snowman toppled over within an hour, but it survived long enough to snap a picture!
It snowed on Saturday (December 4th), so we bundled up and went out for sledding the next morning. They loved it - can you tell?!

Monday, December 6, 2010

Thanksgiving 2010

We spent several days leading up to and following Thanksgiving with my parents. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed/behaved themselves, even during Thanksgiving dinner! For me, this was somewhat shocking - unfortunately, no matter how much Brian and I entertain, plead, and threaten our children, dinners are not where they show their best selves. But, on this very special evening, they outdid themselves and made us proud, or at least relieved that we didn't have to badger them every minute and a half . . .

In preparation for our celebration, Sarah, Grandma, and I made turkey name cards for everyone, on which we wrote what makes us thankful. Six things that make Eric thankful: playdoh, all my family, water, playing in my sandbox, my trucks, and cookie yogurt. (Water? Really? We had to comment at his awareness of such an important resource.)
Six things that make Sarah thankful: salty corn, my family, Christmas, (I'm certain this is because she loves to spend time with her family, and not because of presents, right?!) raspberries, my teachers, and my friends.As for the rest of us, some ideas that stand out include: family, friends, good food, health, books, beautiful days, smiles, music, and (last but certainly not least) football. As my dad likes to say and have his grandchildren say (over and over again), "Go Hawks!!"