Day Ninety-Six

JJ had the day off from work today. We took the kids for a little walk at Bald Hill around noon. Everyone was cold, but we made it. It became apparent that Dominic was not feeling well.

With sick kids and tired parents, I wasn't sure if the New Year's Party would actually happen. But...it did. We had friends and family over to ring in the new year. I actually made it until midnight, though I doubted that I could. We had a great time.

Another year gone, another year full of broken promises and failures. And yet, it was another year to be thankful for God's blessings and His grace.

What can I possibly be but be thankful?

I know you've probably heard the tune, but here it is again. Thanks to Bono..and the rest of the band.

Grace.

Day Ninety-Five

Simeon is sick with a high fever and a nasty cough. Dominic is grouchy. The two of them are currently watching BAMBI together while Aidan and I are talking photography over coffee and toast. He's eating toast. I'm drinking coffee.

We decided to start a project together. Aidan will be posting photos and writing book reviews on his own personal blog. He admits that he was a little jealous when cousin Maxwell got a camera and started a blog. He's wanted to do it ever since. I've made him wait, but I think now's a good time to start this thing. We'll see where it goes.

However, I'm not going to give him free reign on the computer and he's not learning to type...yet. I'll be doing the typing and he'll either write down the text or dictate it to me. In other words, it somehow has to be related to schooling and proper grammar...and also learning to become a better photographer. I'm relentless. Hopefully he'll learn some things in the process.

Here's Aidan's Blog. He came up with the name, chose the template, and all that jazz.

Day Ninety-Four

We had a little snow storm today. No, it was nothing like our Minnesota family who had blizzards and snow drifts as tall as their house...but for US, it was exciting. No, it didn't stick, but it was pretty. Aidan took some pictures. That is becoming a common theme around here. I have no idea how we got a camera-lover in the family. Hmmm....

We've also been reading a lot on these cold days. I bought The Tale of Despereaux for the boys as a Christmas gift. We just finished it yesterday and I would highly recommend it. Wow. I laughed, I cried...and once again the boys were laughing at me...for crying. This is how it goes. Some I hope they'll understand. The scene at the end is so beautiful, so full of truth. We're left with this hodge-podge of sinners, royalty, broken people, and rats...all dining around one big table, breaking bread together. Enough said.

Day Ninety-Three

Once the presents are unwrapped, that doesn't mean that Christmas is over. On the third day of Christmas, their Mama gave to them, three candles in their oatmeal bowls.

We also had the Yoders over to play. Their littles were sick, Simeon was sick, and we just decided to throw caution to the wind and share germs. We had a great day of playing and they ended up staying for lunch AND dinner.

Cheers to family who live close by!

And now, a quote by my dear friend Charles. Charles Dickens, that is.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

Day Ninety-Two

Let's just say that Aidan has been just a bit enthusiastic with his new camera. This was his favorite photo from today. We now share the computer and he has his own folder for photo storage. Aidan told me that he thinks this is a really good picture of Simeon since he's carrying his favorite "gwanket" and his Scooby. I agree.

Day Ninety-One

"What we believe about God is the most important truth we believe, and it's the one truth that does the most to shape us. God is the Sun too bright for us to see. Jesus is the Prism who makes the colors beautiful and comprehensible."

Michael Spenser (aka the "Internet Monk")

I BELIEVE IN GOD the Father Almighty, Maker of Heaven and earth.

I BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST, His only Son, our Lord,
who was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary.
He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried;
He descended into hell.
The third day He rose again from the dead.
He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty.
From there He will come to judge the living and the dead.

I BELIEVE IN THE HOLY SPIRIT,
the holy catholic church,
the communion of saints,
the forgiveness of sins,
the resurrection of the body,
and the life everlasting.

AMEN.

A blessed Christmas season to all.

Day Ninety

Christmas Eve. I finished wrapping some presents while JJ took the boys out for a bit this afternoon. Why is there a picture of our cat? Let me tell you. He is what I call God's way of sanctifying me even further. This cat will meow and scratch to get in and out at least twenty times a day...sometimes more. In and out, in and out, in and out. While I was wrapping presents, I ignored him for a long time. Scratch, scratch, scratch. I cranked up the Christmas carols on Pandora and tuned him out.

Finally, I went out to the kitchen to refill my coffee cup and found him at the window like this. Just...waiting.

I let the poor cat in.

This is a daily photo blog. I can post very mundane things.

Other than wrapping presents and lying low, we had a Christmas Eve service at the church in the evening and then the Yoders came over for the annual un-wrapping of Christmas pajamas. I decided to just leave my camera out of it. The flash isn't working and it would have been dark and blurry anyhow. I have yet to get a picture of them together in front of the tree with their pajamas on. It seems like I should have one. Hopefully, before we take the tree down, I'll do that. For now...you get the cat.

Day Eighty-Nine

Today was a day of LOTS of baking. The amount of butter I've used in the past two days is shameful. I won't tell you how many pounds. But, that said, it's something that I enjoy...very much. And most of all, I enjoy giving it away or watching others enjoy my baked goods.

I bake two things around Christmas time: Cinnamon rolls and Grandma Balsbaugh's Christmas sugar cookies. One new tradition... and one old.

In fact, as I was mixing the dough for the famous Balsbaugh cookies, I couldn't help but recall happy memories from days of old. Tears came....laughter...and smiles as I told stories to the boys of decorating cookies with my sisters and cousins and then learning to make dough from my grandma and Aunt Ann. I remembered the first year I tried to make the dough on my own. I used too much flour (the recipe doesn't give you an exact amount). The cookies were hard, not deliciously soft and buttery. I cried. JJ didn't understand. "They're all wrong!!" "Not like Grandma's!"

My boys don't remember Grandma. Aidan was just three years old when she died...Dominic just a baby. They know her face from a few snapshots. Aidan has a few memories of her house. But, they do know how much she meant to me....because I tell them stories.

Cookies. It all started with baking cookies, with butter, sugar, flour and eggs. It started with "Mama, can we help you?"... and it turned into sharing of family history, of stories that made the boys laugh and ended with their small hands patting my back when I teared up and said, "Sometimes I just miss my Grandma."

Dominic comforted me by saying, "It's okay Mama...you'll see her in heaven some day." And for him, that's that. For me, it's hard some times. There are days when I want nothing else than to sit by her side, holding her hand, listening to her say the words she said so often..."Oh, honey, you're so beautiful." That warm smile. The stories she told. Playing Scrabble (and getting killed by Grandma).

Memories further back...sleepovers and hot cocoa made from scratch (not water and a tear-open packet)...the smell of fresh sheets on her hide-a-bed, the chicken coop, red hots in a jar and Ritz crackers, the drawer with boxed cereal, being chased up a tree by her cows, Tic-Tacs, the game closet, big family get-togethers, climbing the tall fir tree, home-canned peaches and pears, playing in the shop, walking around in the field, the hot tub, the fruit trees, the smell of her perfume, hankies... and hugs and kisses on the lips.

Grandma, you are missed. My cookies will never be what yours were, but I hope that I will leave a legacy like yours behind. I don't wear dresses every day and I certainly need to learn to hold my tongue to be more like you....but there's still time. God's not finished with me yet.

Day Eighty-Eight

Aidan got a job tending a dog for some friends for two days. The boys had a GREAT time taking her for a walk and feeding her today. Oh, dogs. If only they weren't so needy and messy, we'd have one. For now, the cats are great....most of the time.

Day Eighty-Seven

I had promised the boys that we could make a gingerbread house this week. Apparently, I said we could do it today, because both of the older boy just KNEW that we were going to make it on Tuesday. ??? I'm still not sure I said that, but I tried to keep my "promise" nonetheless. In the midst of Christmas cookie-baking and knitting, I hadn't yet made the gingerbread dough, so we bought one of those packaged kits that come with scored sheets of crusty gingerbread (which tastes horrible, by the way) and an assortment of candies to decorate it with. The boys chose a train instead of a house, we bought our own candy decorations, and had a blast. Dominic chose DOTS, Simeon chose M & M's, and Aidan chose Oreo cookies for wheels. Next year I'll go back to making my own gingerbread, but this was still fun.

Cheers to creativity! We have bears on a merry-go-round, coconut snow, "blobs" (DOTS candies also double as funny creatures), creatures reading candy "books", Christmas lights, and bears waiting in lines to hop on the holiday train.

Day Eighty-Six

We went to visit my sister Joy today and the boys got to meet Elizabeth for the first time. Simeon was very concerned when she cried and even more concerned about her belly button. "What's that bwack stuff on her bewwy button?"

He had lots of questions: "Why is she cwying?" "Is dat Ewizabeff?" "Is she Aunt Joy's baby?"

We had a good time hanging out for a few hours and I got lots of baby snuggling time. Sigh...the smell of newborns and their allure. No...I'm not really desiring to be be pregnant again. But boy, oh boy....I have lots of boys...and would love a girl to call my own. Pray for us and our decisions in the future as to adoption as a way of adding another child to our family. :)

Day Eighty-Four

Today was a busy day, which ended in a trip to Storybook Land in Albany. After waiting in line, in the cold for what seemed like an eternity to the three little ones anxiously anticipating what was inside, we made it in. It was really too dark and crowded to take many pictures, so I turned that camera off and enjoyed watching what was, for Simeon, something beyond exciting. With every step, there was an exclamation of, "WOOK MAMA!" or "Papa, wook at DIS!" or just a simple squeal of delight. And when we got to the electric trains, he could barely contain himself. It was very fun to enjoy it through his eyes. Don't get me wrong, the older boys loved it too, but Simeon stole the show. This was the best photo I had that captured even a piece of his excitement and wonder. It's blurry, but captured that jaw-dropping look.

Cheers to Storybook Land!

Day Eighty-Three

Today I had the chance to give a gift to some friends. This is their son, who has just turned a year old. They've had a tough first year of parenting and seen many ups and downs with this little guy. It was fun to take the boys to their house and spend some time just watching them be parents and snapping some pictures along the way. No matter what the problems are, it's easy to see their love for this special little man, who's name is Gabriel. Happy Birthday Gabe!

Isn't he angelic? I think the name fits.

Day Eighty-Two

First of all, this photo was not from today, it was from Saturday, in fact. And Saturday was the day that we celebrated our 9th anniversary in style.

I wish we could have gotten a picture of us together, but the 50mm lens doesn't really bode well for the "hold it at arms length and snap" type of shot.

At any rate, we had a lovely night on Saturday night AND tonight. We'll start with tonight. The rugrats helped me make a fancy dinner, put on the tablecloth, and light up the house with candles. We feasted and celebrated marriage (and family as well).

Now, I'll rewind to when this picture was taken. On Saturday, JJ took me to dinner at a wonderful restaurant in Portland, we took a walk, and then perused the shelves of Powell's Books for a while. It was splendid. And his gift to me? Did it need to be more than that? No. BUT, he's giving me a day away to myself THIS Saturday.

Now, it's not that I don't love being with my family, but my sweet husband knew just what I needed and is treating me to a day of relaxation...including two books of poetry (Emily Dickinson and Billy Collins), time in a coffee shop, a pedicure AND a massage...and shopping!? I feel so unworthy, and yet so blessed. I've never had a gift like this where I feel so spoiled. I'm not sure what to say, but...

Thank you husband. I love you like no other person in this world.

Day Eighty-One

I know that some day I'll look back on this picture and get teary-eyed. It's hard to explain why it holds a lot of emotion for me. I won't belabor you with my wandering thoughts of why it's so, but I will share the snapshot nonetheless.

Simeon is still at the stage where I feel comfortable taking a shower with him. We don't do it every day, but this morning he stumped into the kitchen after rolling out of bed, took off his pajamas and said, "Mama, can I pweez take a shower wiff you?"

So we showered. And played peek-a-boo with the shower curtain. He gave me a big hug after we were both dry and said, "I wuv you too." He often hugs me and says that. I guess that means he knows that he's loved.

Day Eighty

Though we had a good day with schooling today, I have to admit that holding my new niece, Elizabeth Joy Edewards, was the highlight of my day.

Congratulations Joy and Aaron!

Day Seventy-Nine

Today we celebrated the third Sunday in Advent. It was also the night for our annual "Lessons and Carols" service at church. And I must say, it was the best one yet! The music was wonderful and the sanctuary was full of people, which makes it so great when we all join in on the carols.

The boys both sang in the children's choir and Aidan once again ascended the stairs, stepped behind the pulpit, then onto a stool and read a passage of scripture. He really enjoys this and told me that next year he hopes to be chosen again. I never would have done something like this at the age of seven. I applaud him for being so brave.

And just for the record, I hope that I never hit a point in life where I don't think that children singing "Away in a Manger" is one of the most heart-warming things about the Christmas season.

Day Seventy-Eight

I'll try to make this brief. A man went under our house to check on our air ducts came back up and said to me, "Well, I have good news and bad news. There is no leak in the air ducts, but you have small friends living under your house. In fact, some of them are quite large." He told me they were "little miceys".

However, after JJ went down the next day to set a handful of mouse traps, he informed me that he had seen a few of them and they were pretty big. "How big were they?" I asked. He held out his hands.

It was then that I realized there were not "miceys"...they were rats.

Whatever they were though, Aidan was not fond of the idea of trapping them with the intention of killing the poor little rodents.

He even went so far as to desig his own trap that would land the "little miceys" in a deep cardboard box where they could be boxed up, taken out, and escorted back into the wild.

In the end, he resorted to protesting.

Day Seventy-Seven

One of our Christmas traditions is the lighting of our advent wreath, accompanied by daily scripture readings. We purchased a "Jesse Tree" * advent wreath, which starts with the birth of life and moves through the Bible, covering the lives of saints and sinners, shepherds and kings, blessed women and men of old who looked forward to the coming of the Savior. Today we read of David and Psalm 23 and I was especially thankful my family, for the shepherding we receive from our Lord and the great task we have been given to shepherd our children.

* The tradition of the Jesse Tree comes to us from Europe. The "tree" is usually a branch or sapling; it may be a real tree or a wall hanging, which is decorated with various symbols that remind us of the purpose and promises of God from Creation to the Birth of Jesus Christ.

Jesse was the father of King David. God promised David that his Kingdom would last forever - and that through him and his seed God would save his people and bless the world. Two centuries after the death of King David God spoke through the prophet Isaiah and said:

A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him - the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes, or decide by what he hears with his ears; but with righteousness he will judge the needy, with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth. (Isaiah 11:1-4)
Isaiah also speaks in many other places of the promised King in the line of David - the one whose coming we await during the Season of Advent and whose birth we celebrate at Christmas. And so do the other prophets. Indeed from the story of Adam and Eve to the call of Abraham to leave his home and country and go to a land God would show him, and from the promises made to Moses in the desert of Sinai to the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem by King Solomon, God has promised to be with and to dwell with His People and to bring a new world into being where the wolf will live the lamb and the leopard lie down with the goat - a world where the power of Satan will be crushed under the heel of the child of Eve - a world in which justice and righteousness will shine and evil will be no more, neither will there be suffering nor death. - This taken from the internet.

Day Seventy-Six

Today we spent hours making paper snowflakes. Here is yet another way that Dominic gets to practice a "kindergarten skill" without knowing it. He LOVED this project and we will probably make a few dozen more tomorrow. The boys helped me hang them in the window....and because of the reflection, you can also see our dining room. :)

Cheers to simple holiday projects that bring joy to all!

Here are two of the websites that we used that have printable templates and instructions. The boys enjoyed a mix of making their own designs and cutting out the templates. I had a great time as well and cut out a few of my own. :)

HERE

HERE

Day Seventy-Five

If you're wondering why I haven't been doing many school posts, the reason is that we're taking it pretty easy for December. Upon the recommendation of a few veteran homeschooling moms, we're enjoying the season, taking in the local sights, reading a TON, and just focusing on the basics as far as schoolwork. Dominic is continuing with reading lessons and basic kindergarten skills. Aidan is writing, reading and continuing to enjoy math.

After we finished with school, went to visit my sister Joy for her birthday.

And we enjoyed the torrential downpour. It always makes it better when you wear a wizard hat.

Day Seventy-Four

I'll take "Weird Ways that People Water Christmas Trees" for 400, Alex.

I'm sure that JJ's idea would make the short list.

Fish tank siphon: check.
7 year-old helper: check.

I do have to admit...it's efficient...and effective.

I married an engineer. Yep.

NOTE: Since this photo, he realized that a 5-gallon bucket is better than the glass measuring cup.

Day Seventy-Three

Today was St. Nicholas Day. We celebrated by putting our shoes out on the doorstep and waiting anxiously for them to be filled with goodies. I love that the boys are still at the age that they don't suspect US of putting the gifts in their shoes (even when it's really obvious).

After breakfast, the doorbell rang and three busy bodies scurried to see what had been left for them. They each received a small flashlight and a little candy. The Papa and Mama got a bar of chocolate. Oh, the joys of holiday traditions.

But, best of all, this is the time when we encourage in our own children the love of giving to others...especially in secret. My prayer is that throughout this season, we will be reminded of how rich we are and take joy in giving to others as Nicholas did...without seeking to be seen or applauded. May he give us hearts that long to bring comfort to others, minds that are often thinking of those who have little....and may we act on our thoughts.

"It is more blessed to give than to receive." - Acts 20:35

Day Seventy-Two

Simeon has a pretty nasty cough that kept him up all night (and me as well). The two of us stayed home while the rest of the boys went to our church service. We made my favorite ginger cookies (a tradition for when we decorate the Christmas tree). Simeon enjoyed rolling the balls of dough in sugar. :) We also read a stack of books, did some dancing, played a favorite game that JJ made up called "blanket monster"...you can inquire for details...and just had a sweet time together. It's really great when I get to spend time with the boys individually.

Day Seventy-One

Before we watched the Civil War game, we went out to do something more important: find our Christmas tree. We found one. You'll see it in all its glory later. We had a great time on this brisk, yet sunny day in Corvallis. That can be a rare occurrence in the Willamette Valley in December.

Cheers to sunny days!

Day Seventy

Aidan took over the camera again. He manages to take some fairly decent photos of yours truly.

Don't tell...but he's getting a camera for Christmas!!

Day Sixty-Nine

Aidan: A very sweet boy who takes it upon himself to remind me of this fact in numerous ways and on a regular basis. And for that...I'm thankful.

Day Sixty-Eight

It was Aidan's last day of swimming lessons before the Christmas break. As you can see, he's improving. Don't mind the foot and the funky form...his face in under water and he's not complaining about it.

I'm pretty proud of him.

Cheers to progress!