Got My Health

It sounds so cliche, but the holidays are such a time to be thankful for something we so take for granted, HEALTH.

I was speaking with a close friend yesterday and we discussed how the entire outlook on life changes when there is something, anything out of the norm with one of our kids' health. Now, that doesn't have to mean something negative-- in fact, quite the opposite-- but it's just different. When your kid has a different health status than plain ol', plain ol', it changes your priorities, your perspective, your time management, your concerns.

I can tell you, I was sick over Christmas-- pretty sure it was something I ate-- and that cast a pall over the whole holiday for me. I felt awful, I looked awful, I didn't want to do anything, I didn't want to miss anything... and I'm sorry to say it rubbed off on everyone else, too. I pouted to my husband, "Here it is, my baby's first Christmas, and I'm SICK. This sucks!"

But, now, this morning, I found out one of our friends spent Christmas in the hospital with chest pains. He and his wife, too, have four young children. Today, they are still waiting on more tests and more doctor visits. If that doesn't make me feel silly for being barfy for a day or two... Please keep Jerry, Sara, and all the kids in your prayers. And thank God for your health.

Sun and Cold

Today was the first in a string of days that I woke up to sunshine. (OK, not entirely true... I woke up the first time at 4:43 to feed Madeline and it was definitely still dark, but, after I went back to bed, I woke up a second time to clear, blue sky. It's the first day since before Christmas that we didn't get any snow. Of course, without cloud cover, the temperature is plummeting. I guess we can plan on snow, snow, and more snow, or cold so cold it hurts every day now until, oh, April? Though I've never lived outside the Upper Midwest, I've also never fully accepted winter here. Point me to the beach.

Christmas Memories

*Must be a kindergarten thing: Both Kazmer and Elisabeth were very interested in guessing what was inside the gifts before they were opened. Amanda would open something and Libby would scan her packages to try and figure out which one held something similar. Kaz shook each package, checking for Legos.
*Madeline, as expected, was more interested in the wrapping paper than what was inside the packages. She did, however, receive a soft baby doll with a magnetic mouth that held a pacifier. It was really funny when she pulled out that pacifier from the doll's mouth and tried to put it in her own.
*All the children insisted on bringing Goldy, the goldfish in to the living room with us so she could open her gift with the family (a neon rainbow painted cave-type thing.)
*A surprise hit: Amanda really loves the game "Apples to Apples Junior." She has cajoled me and her father into playing with her and Libby many, many times in the past couple days.
*Elisabeth realized in the eleventh hour that while she had painstakingly prepared, decorated and wrapped a gift for her father, she had nothing for me. So, she quickly scrambled to get something under the tree "To Mom." When I opened the gift, I was touched to see some her own sparkly, costume jewelry inside. "Wow, are these beautiful necklaces for me?" I asked. "Yeah," Libby replied. "I decided to give 'em to you, because I don't like 'em, anyway."
*I know you've all been wondering what was inside those four gifts Benjamin chose for his father at the Girl Scouts' kids shopping mall: Spongebob bubbles, a paint-by-number set, a plastic Christmas tree ornament shaped like a snowflake, and a jelly jar filled with miniature candy bars and topped with a styrofoam snowman. "I'll help you eat those, Daddy," Ben offered.

The Day After

We have spent this day after Christmas decompressing here in Krinkeland. The house is a disaster... But every time I try to empty a box or pick up a pile, someone notices some new great thing he or she has to play with, RIGHT NOW. So, I stopped, and started playing with my new camera. Enjoy.

Baby Jesus

Maybe it's because we have a baby in the house this Christmas... Maybe it's because my nephew Oliver has begun saying "Bebe She-shu," as taught by his big brother Solomon... But I've been thinking a lot this season about Jesus, the baby.

It seems every year during Advent, I either hear a sermon or read a piece where a religious leader dwells on this issue from the perspective of "Why did God come to Earth as an infant?" There's typically talk of a baby's helplessness, fragility, and ineffectuality as a leader. Most people seem to marvel in puzzlement that out of any form our Lord could take to come among us, God would choose to come as a little child.

But I can't help think, "Why not a baby?" Is there anything more wondrous than new life? Is there any greater sign of purity? How better to give and receive unconditional love than through a newborn child? I've experienced this a few times in my life, and I think we can all agree that evokes brings a greater sense of awe, a greater sense of peace, a greater sense of protection, a greater sense of good than a newborn babe.

Today, tomorrow, and every day, may you feel the peace, love, and joy that only a baby can bring. Merry Christmas.

Who's Excited?

(Shoot-- you can't really tell from the photo, but "someones" made construction paper costumes for the dinosaurs to transform the big one into Santa Claus and the two smaller ones into reindeer.)

Merry Christmas to Me

The new living room furniture has arrived, more than two weeks ahead of schedule. Before the delivery came, Todd let everyone know I had been the one to choose the furniture. He expressed doubt over the different fabrics and color choices. It was a huge set-up, so anyone who comes to our house would be certain I was to blame, if things didn't look just right. After the furniture was delivered, Todd decided he liked the look-- and took complete credit. Men.

After dinner, we had a "how to sit on furniture" tutorial. I've always told my kids, "We don't stand on the furniture. We don't jump on the furniture. Furniture is for sitting." It's never that we've had anything particularly fantastic, or that I don't let my children "live" in our house (obviously-- take a look.) But I consider it more an issue of respect, especially when they are places other than home. Still, the rules didn't seem to apply to those huge, puffy, falling-apart, old couches. So, things will be different now. Each child shared what she or he liked best about the new furniture:
Elisabeth: "this big, blue footstool"
Benjamin: "this thing" (again, the ottoman)
Amanda: "I like that this couch (the patterned one) is the same fabric as our old couches, the ones that are in the basement now. They match."

We've had family through here, oohing and aahing... You can tell none of us gets out much. This morning, however, Ben sounded the first alarm: "How are we going to play kickball in the living room with all this new furniture?" Again, men.