He comes

Every year we are caught in a struggle of making Christmas meaningful.  Of somehow keeping ourselves focused on celebrating the Christ child without losing ourselves (or our children) in the by-product of the season.  How do we come up with ways to make this meaningful every year?  People always talk about “the reason for the season” which is the most cliche phrase, but that is what I mean.

While in Chicago with my family last weekend we attended my parents’ church.  Every year they have a full musical worship Sunday just before Christmas.  The choir and orchestra play; this year they had two professional guests – a cellist and a harpist.  My dad sings in the choir so we all went to enjoy the music.  I was impressed by the selection of music.  They seemed to be old English songs which I was unfamiliar with.  One of the carols particularly struck me.  The music was a vibrant battle march; the kind that makes something well up within you, inspiring courage and loyalty.  The words speak as Jesus as our battle warrior, but they sort of contrast with the music – for me at least.  It reminded me why we celebrate Christmas.  Why we are so joyful for the coming of this baby.  Why we look with anticipation toward the birth of the Prince of Peace.

This Little Babe from “Ceremony of Carols”

This little Babe so few days old Is come to rifle Satan’s fold.
All hell doth at his presence quake, Though he himself for cold do shake;
For in this weak unarmed wise The gates of hell he will surprise.
With tears he fights and wins the field, His naked breast stands for a shield;
His battering shots are babish cries, His arrows looks of weeping eyes;
His martial ensigns (flag or emblem) Cold and Need, And feeble Flesh his warrior’s steed.
His camp is pitched in a stall, His bulwark (defense) but a broken wall;
The crib his trench, haystalks his stakes, Of shepherds he his muster (gathered troops) makes;
And thus, as sure his foe to wound, The angels’ trumps alarum sound.
My soul, with Christ join thou in fight, Stick to the tents that he hath pight; (pitched)
Within his crib is surest ward, (safety) This little Babe will be thy guard;
If thou wilt foil thy foes with joy, Then flit (stray) not from this heavenly boy.
Robert Southwell
arr. Bemjamin Britten

O Christmas Tree

O Christmas tree
How lovely are your branches

Here are Kevin and the kids standing in front of our Christmas tree. No, we do not have 20 foot ceilings. There was a stand of very tall trees for only $20 at the tree farm we usually go to, so we went for one of those. It was sort of hard to tell what the top 7 feet looked like, but we went for it. We ended up with a great tree! I always love having a real tree. It feels like a bit of the outdoors are brought in. Elinore had fun decorating it, and the kids love it. I'm getting a bit sick of the cow ornament that moos "deck the halls"!

 

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear." Sing out some carols!!

Elinore is 4

A couple weeks ago we celebrated Elinore’s 4th birthday.  Because of the cake she chose (pictured at the bottom) we went with a forest theme complete with:

 

leaf crowns (my sister Caity made a sample!),

 

“bunny” race (this was the kids’ favorite thing of the party.  They kept asking if we could do it again!  They’re racing in pillowcases),

pumpkin painting,

and a toadstool cake.  I found the most awesome kids cake book.  Elinore chose the toadstool.  I was a bit surprised at first that she didn’t choose the princess castle, but then I remembered that she is my mushroom girl.  She doesn’t like to eat them, but when we go out to work in the flowerbeds she runs around looking for mushrooms. 

Four New Mei Tais

Here are four new mei tais that I’ve finished.  I am getting better and better at them (although I broke two needles finishing the top two last week!).  I think my favorite part is picking out the fabric and then watching it all come together.

I even get to use a hammer for this new feature.  Check it out!

Uncle Rick

I haven’t felt like I can put anything up on my blog until I mark the passing of my uncle who died unexpectedly last week.  He was a fountain of knowledge (truly).  He had a love for the outdoors – for gemstones and sailing and hikes through the woods and the scarlet tanager.  He was a devoted grandfather who will be sorely missed.

The call came on Tuesday of last week and with waves of emotion came a flurry of phone calls, planning for the funeral.  My dad’s whole side of the family lives in NY, so we were trying to decide if we could go.  Kevin was very encouraging (I am so lucky to have him).   The wee hours of Thursday morning found us on the road.

Even though it was a stretch for us to get there, I am so grateful that we went.  It really meant a lot to my family that we were all there.  It was healing to share good memories of Uncle Rick and to be able to give hugs when they were needed.  I never realized how important it is to be able to say good-bye to the one who is gone.  There was a deeper relationship forged through this sorrow that I will never regret I was a part of.

This only strengthened my belief and understanding about family.  Family is sacred.

Our prayers remain in NY with my family.

The Boy Who Never Grew Up

Elinore and I have been reading Peter Pan together.  We were on the last chapter and Elinore said, “What is the name of this chapter?”

“When Wendy Grew Up,” I said.

“Whatever did she do that for?” she asked.

Raw Milk

Several months ago our family made a switch to raw milk. Raw milk means unpasteurized and unhomogenized. We did a lot of research noting the benefits and risks to drinking raw milk. Without going into detail (which would make this long and probably contain a short history of pasteurization), we were convinced that we should give it a try. RealMilk.com gave us lots of information on the value of raw milk. Several books we've been interested in lately have highlighted the fact that just buying organic doesn't mean that your product was produced sustainably. In my book this goes hand in hand. We've heard it again and again, buy local! Buy from smaller farmers who are practicing sustainability. So, we got in touch with some local farmers in Holland and purchased a cow share (the sale of raw milk is not legal in Michigan, although it is in some states). The farm has about 18 cows, I think, and is totally family run. While they aren't organic, the cows are pasture fed as long as the season allows, and then fed a mixture of grains in the winter. They do everything as naturally as possible.

Once a week we get a gallon (plus a little extra while the supply is good) of fresh whole milk. We go out to pick it up, but are in a rotation, so our family only picks up once every three weeks. The milk is delicious!! It is sweet and oh so good. In the beginning I did have to get over the fact that I was drinking milk straight from the udder, but now it doesn't faze me at all. Look at all that cream on top!! The cows our farm has are jersey cows which have one of the highest fat contents. Often I shake the cream back in, but now if I ever need cream for a recipe I almost always have some! We all look forward to getting our fresh milk and our visit to the farm.

 

Pumpkeen

That is what Tobin calls them. And he is obsessed by the way. Totally obsessed with pumpkins. He is also picking up words amazingly fast right now. He puts two words together even. He calls Elinore "Nee-nore" which is so cute. His favorite thing to do these days is put his toy chair next to our love seat, stand on the very back of it, and do a flip over the arm onto the couch. Sweet. Not allowed, by the way,...although hard to discipline when you're cracking up...

 
 
 

Elinore was a fairy for Halloween this year. Thanks to my mom for making her skirt! She was in love with her costume. The night was quite cold, but it didn't seem to bother her. I don't think she would have dreamt of taking off her wings to put on her coat!

The next morning I made her give up half of her candy (she picked which ones), and then I told her she could eat as much as she wants. My policy is: get it out of the house as fast as possible so that I don't have to fight that battle for weeks. Besides I'd rather have one super junky day than lots of sort of junky days. Anyway, she kept asking me how many pieces she was allowed to eat. I don't think she believed "you can have as much as you want". The only thing she ate all day besides candy was a banana, and by the time she went to bed she was feeling rather sick! I guess it worked because the next morning she gave up (totally unprompted) three of the remaining five pieces of candy, and then it was gone! And she didn't seem to mind.

Ablaze

A park close to our house was just a carpet of leaves a couple weeks ago. Absolutely golden. We played. Toby threw them in the air. Elinore threw them on Toby. I smiled.
 
 
 

Sorry for the silence

Our computer is broken. I hope to be up and running again soon!

So long sweet curls!

I love Toby's hair long and curly and crazy! However, once the weather starts cooling off it all straightens out, and was hanging in his eyes. I pulled out our hair cutting kit and gave Toby his 3rd? haircut (this kid has so much hair!). He is so good, except for the clippers - Kevin has to hold his head still. I cut off two inches! Now he looks like a totally different kid - such a little boy!

 

 

 

Kevin is 30!

I hope he forgives me for not posting this on his actual birthday last week! We've been kind of busy. I guess this is a milestone though. Once you hit 30 there is no denying that you are an adult! When I was little, 30 felt so old; I was dreaming of being 14! Now we are beginning to realize that we are still just starting out. 30 is still so young.

Anyway, happy birthday to the best kind of man. I love you, Kevin.

 

Buffalo

A couple weeks ago we managed a trip out to NY. My best friend Nen has been in South Korea for the last two years teaching English. She is home for a brief time before departing on her next adventure to Australia, so I HAD to squeeze a trip in to see her. We ended up combining it with a trip to my Gram's on Long Island.

Nen and I spent some of our middle school and high school years together in Houston - long ago. We have stayed in touch for the last 12 years or so (is it more than that?) and always seem to pick right back up where we left off no matter how long has passed (or how many kids I have!). It was so good to see her, let her get to know my kids a bit more, spend some time with her family, walk around their woods, and just relax/be together. We really enjoyed not having an agenda except spending some time together.

 

 

Elinore being silly with "Crazy Aunt Nen" as she is affectionately called!

 

Although you can't tell from his face, Toby was ecstatic about his first tractor ride, picking up leaves on the Walton's property.

 

Nen and I. I miss my friend already! That black hairy thing in her lap is the mini dauschund she brought back from Korea.

Long Island

Part of our trip included a visit to my grandmother on Long Island. This is the same grandma who went parasailing and kayaking earlier this year at 96. I hope I am that adventurous at 96!! We had a great time with her, the kids loved being there, and we got to see all my cousins minus one this time. Ed and Hope, we missed you! We had quite a party for Kevin as he turned 30!

 

 

My cousin Alison had fun straightening my hair, and she got it straighter than it has ever been! I felt sort of incognito the rest of the evening! Toby thought I was a stranger for the first 15 minutes!

 

Toby somehow managed to get my grandma's stool upside down and then get stuck in it. We heard him calling, "help, help!" from the kitchen!

 

Mei Tai

A while ago I mentioned that I was making a baby carrier. Well, I realized I never posted any photos, and now I've made two! After making the first one I had to make a few pattern adjustments, and I think the second one came out much nicer (although you probably won't be able to tell anything from the pictures). You can use these from birth up to about 35lbs (if you can carry 35lbs!). They can be worn on the front, on the back, on the hip,...lots of options. I use mine all the time! Almost every day is probably about right. Toby loves riding on my back, and I can get him up there all by myself. I have both hands free for anything I need. This mei tai has a hood that can also fold up into a headrest, and a pocket that has access on both sides (so you can reach it from the front or the back). They are a little bulky and take a little practice at first, but they are so worth it.

 
This is one that someone asked me to make for them. With the hood down.

 
With the hood up - showing the pocket.

 
Toby going for a ride!

 
This one is mine.

I have some baby gifts to make, so I already have fabric to make two more!

Six Years

Yesterday was our 6th anniversary! We managed a nice dinner together on Friday night (thank you Mom and Dad!) to our favorite restaurant Everyday People Cafe which we discovered on our first anniversary. Kevin had the Sweet Chili BBQ Diver Scallops and I had the Duck Confit Risotto. We love food, and we get really excited about dishes like those!!

Yesterday morning we took bagels out to the park where we were married. We played on the playground and walked around the ceremony area where they were setting up for a noon wedding! It is always nice to visit there again and think about how far we've come and how much has changed since then. We always think that we couldn't love each other more, but the next year rolls around and proves us wrong!
 

Elinore

Thought I'd post a few updated photos of the kids! Elinore doesn't have that many alone lately and that is because she won't stand still long enough to get her picture taken. If she knows we're taking it, then she'll make a silly face.

Toby

 
Emptying everything out of the cabinets in our new front room. Doesn't that face look sneaky!

 
Oh, the delights of a fudgesicle!

 

 
Look at that curly hair!!