My Favorite Things

Christmas Edition!

My family has been immensely enjoying our time at home: eating excellent food, sleeping in late, and mainly wallowing in our new stuff. In fact, we are all basically overwhelmed by the great gifts we all received this year. We are truly well-loved.

Thus, I decided to do a "favorite things" post of my gifts. I may do a children's version next, although the kids got so much stuff it would be difficult to narrow down our favorites! So, as for me, here are some of the gifts that made me go "squee" when I opened them up! (Or when I ordered them for myself online! Ha!)

1. Technically, this PlayDoh! cake maker set was Ava's present, but I've been enjoying it too! I adore watching Amazing Wedding Cakes on TV, and this gives me a chance to pretend I'm a cake goddess. Of course, were I ever to translate this practice to reality, I would likely create beautiful cakes that tasted horrible. But still fun!

2. Erik's parents got me a Kindle, and I love it! It's handy to keep around, easy to read, and just plain fun to use. My first purchase was the new Cleopatra biography, another favorite of mine.

3. I could never justify purchasing Uggs before, but with my thirtieth birthday and my penchant for swelled feet, I thought, "Why not?" Love them!

4. A fellow teacher at school got me hooked on Sara Gruen novels, and Water for Elephants is by far my favorite! I can't wait for the movie version, starring two of my favorite actors, in April.

5. My brother has been bitten by the True Blood craze, and now I'm hooked too! After watching cartoons all day, it's nice to delve into this world at night after the kiddos go to bed.

6. My Willow Tree collection continues to grow, and it's become one of my favorite! This one, which was sadly cut off in my mosaic, represents the three generations of women in my life. I always jokingly say that my family is more of a matriarch than anything, and this certainly supports that! Thanks, Mom ;)

I wish I could share all my gifts (and I'm so thankful for all of them), but here is a snapshot of what's been keeping me busy over Christmas break at least. I hope everyone received happiness in some form this holiday season, and can embrace the spirit of giving as we approach the new year.

Merry Christmas!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas.

Let your heart be light,
From now on our troubles
Will be out of sight.

Have yourself a merry little Christmas,

Make the Yule-tide gay,
From now on our troubles
Will be miles away.

Here we are as in olden days,
Happy golden days of yore,
Faithful friends who are dear to us
Gather near to us once more.

Through the years
We all will be together
If the Fates allow,

Hang a shining star
On the highest bough,
And have yourself
A merry little Christmas now.

Thirty, Flirty, and Thriving

This stocking brought me home from the hospital thirty years ago!

Dear Thirty,

Today, I officially welcome you into my life, and while some people may have mixed feelings about greeting such a guest, I've gotta say I'm ready for you. It's time. While I may not be rushing fervently into your arms, my few extra pounds rustling as I shed my lovely twenties behind, I do acknowledge you with a wink and a nod. You're still a stranger yet, a bit exotic to me, but you come bearing a deep and abiding hope that my prime has just begun.

And while I've never really been flirty in my entire life, at least I can boast the other two, right? Thirty and thriving—that should be my motto for the next decade of life. While I may not appreciate the few gray hairs I've found at my temple or the suggestion of a double chin that has me terrified, I do feel rather positive about this milestone birthday. Am I more out-of-shape than I've ever been? Sadly, yes. Have I left my youthful carelessness behind me? Terribly afraid so.

And yet. I have so, so much to show for it.

Welcome, Thirty. I applaud thee. You have brought me many blessings, much wisdom, and that hope I mentioned before. So in honor of this birthday, I've compiled a list of thirty random facts about myself. Mostly, this blog focuses more on my children, but if one can't be a bit self-directed on her birthday, what's the point? So if someone is a regular reader or a stranger just stopping by, hopefully they will all feel as if they've gotten to know me a bit better. Or perhaps just learned something new. Either way, here is a snapshot of Lori at Thirty.

1. I still want to be a novelist when I grow up. (Yes, I've actually written two books since high school, and yes, they're still collecting dust in a drawer somewhere.)

2. I've lived in my house for almost four years now and still have no curtains on most of my windows (other than boring white blinds). I can't explain why. Laziness? Cheapness? Fear of decisions?

3. When I clean (which isn't often!), I like to blare 80's music and literally rock the house.

4. I am—hands-down—the worst singer I know. Yet we sing a lot in our family. Not just songs, but even daily conversation back and forth. With pretend microphones. I would never do this in front of others, but my kids (and my husband) find it endearing. Go figure.

5. In the mid-80's I fell deeply in love with Indiana Jones, and it has never ceased. In fact, I even considered naming my son Indiana at one point, but pretty much everyone talked me out of it.

6. I'm a Coke addict (Coca-Cola, that is), although I gave it up for a combined 36 months of carrying and breastfeeding my children. That was about my limit.

7. I began college with plans to become a veterinarian, and now find it ironic that I don't even own a pet (although not by my choice!).

8. I have a colorful tattoo of a butterfly on my big toe. My one tiny rebellion to what people generally expect of me. I don't think I'll ever regret it.

9. My favorite scent in the whole world is my children's hair. It's going to embarrass them tremendously at some point, but I can't go a day without sniffing their tresses.

10. At one point between high school and college, I spoke Spanish almost fluently. Now, I barely remember a few words and phrases.

11. My favorite color has always been red.

12. I'm a total bibliophile. Love books! The feel, the smell, the journey. I'm getting a Kindle this year for Christmas, and I'm curious to see if it changes the experience of reading for me.

13. My dream house contains a floor-to-ceiling library, a wrap-around porch, and an over-sized fireplace.

14. Ever since childhood, I've had a yen for leopard print. As tacky as it sounds, I probably always will.

15. I'm not much of a videogamer, but I absolutely adored Donkey Kong on Super Nintendo. It's the only game I've ever played completely through and "beaten."

16. At the age of seventeen, I was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis. While it's pretty much controlled with medicine, not a day goes by that I don't think about my health.

17. My favorite place to pray is in the middle of a grassy field, lying on my back, looking up into the sky.

18. My extended family still holds actual candle-blowing birthday parties for everyone—kids and adults alike—and the older I've gotten the cooler I've found that tradition to be. (Although, to be honest, I've always enjoyed them.)

19. Erik immediately caught my interest the day we met because he quoted The Princess Bride to me, not knowing it was my favorite movie of all time. It's mainly why I started dating him (that, and he knew every word to the song “One Jump” from Disney's Aladdin movie).

20. Start to finish, I was in labor with Ava for nine hours and with Hudson for four hours. Both times I had an epidural/spinal, and both times I was laughing as I delivered them. I hope they never forget that.

21. I lived alone in an apartment for the entire year I was engaged, and although it was the scariest thing I've ever done, I am so glad I did. It allowed me to truly understand myself before I got married.

22. I still believe in Santa Claus. And magic.

23. Somewhere there exists an entire catalog of home movies created by me and my cousins, using our grandpa's video camera. We wrote scripts, directed each scene, and of course acted them out ourselves. Those are some of my best childhood memories.

24. For some reason, I hate to be the first person to enter a room. I'd rather sneak in behind someone else.

25. Growing up in the country molded me. I'll never truly feel at home unless I'm surrounded by fields, trees, and sky. I won't buy another house unless it's in the country.

26. I have to eat every few hours or I get insanely grumpy. Just ask my husband, who once drove cross-country with me for almost twelve hours and refused to stop for food. He never did that again. ;)

27. Ever since childhood, I've always had very colorful, vivid dreams that involve me solving crimes. When I wake up, I can recall every detail and sometimes write them down to use when I'm writing.

28. I still talk to my mom every single day.

29. I started this blog in 2008 as a way for me to write and share family anecdotes, and never realized how important it would become to preserving our memories.

30. As I look back over the past thirty years, I cannot believe how blessed I truly am. Truly, today is a celebration for me—of all that has been and all that I hope will be.

Merriment

from our family to yours!

With Christmas just a week away (can you believe it?), I thought I'd share our Christmas card with everyone. Even if you didn't receive one from us via mail, we'd still love to wish you a merry one!

(Like this card design? Visit Shutterfly online for more beautiful layouts. And no, sadly, they did not pay or compensate me to say that! I just love their products.)

The First Gift of Christmas

No, it's not a silver bell like in The Polar Express, but it is every bit as meaningful.

This year, Ava has been hand-making special gifts for various people and then wrapping them herself to put under the tree. She apparently created this gift just for me, but could barely stand the anticipation of waiting for me open it. I tried and tried to convince her to wait until Christmas, but finally she could take it no more. It kept showing up places, like beside my bed, at my feet while I graded papers, etc. So I laughingly agreed to open the first gift of the season.

It was a bookmark and a hand-crafted picture! I dare any other holiday gift to top that. Thank you, Ava, for your thoughtfulness, your creativity, and your love. That is the most precious gift I could ever receive.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas!

Today, since I'm enjoying my second snow day from school (with another one coming up tomorrow!), I finally had time to share my Christmas decorations. Although I didn't go all out this year, I did manage to find room for all of our favorites. Now that Ava can remember a few Christmases back, it's so nice to share holiday memories and favorites with her! Hopefully Hudson will truly grasp the meaning of Christmas this year, as well, and we can gain a fellow merry-maker in the decorating department.

As usual, we placed our Christmas tree in the playroom, since that's where we tend to congregate and also because our living room is rather small and odd-shaped, making it hard to fit anything else in there. Again following tradition, Ava single-handedly decorated the bottom half of the tree, although Hudson did contribute a couple of ornaments himself. That was about all he felt like helping. Then I finished the top half of the tree, trying to mimic Ava's characteristic style: wildly trailing ribbons, heapings of ornaments, and random holiday stuffed animals tucked in here and there. While it's probably not the most stylish tree ever, I LOVE it!

We were also thrilled to bring our Christmas books out again to display. Most of these go back into storage after the holidays, so it's almost like reading brand new books. Plus, it's a great way to reinforce the reason for the season! Ava in particular tries to please Jesus (and Santa!) more than usual around this time of year. ;) In fact, this gorgeous Santa hangs on the wall to remind both kids that someone is always watching! Next year, I'm considering adding an Elf on the Shelf to our decorations.

Behind our couch, Ava and I usually spend hours arranging our Dickens Christmas Village. Last year, she spent so much time kneeling on the couch, playing with the little figurines, that it became one of her favorites. However (and it's a BIG however), it did not work out this year, since we have a rambunctious toddler who loves to scale couch cushions, explore items he's not supposed to touch, and basically destroy anything breakable. Yes, this was a hard pill to swallow, but I let her help me design a more kid-friendly display for the sofa table. Thus, we relocated the village atop my kitchen cabinets, interspersed with my nutcracker collection (sorry, no pic of that!), where it can watch over our Nativity scene this year.

Well, that's about it. Nothing too spectacular (and no exterior lights since that's beyond my abilities and Erik doesn't really enjoy all that additional work), but simply building traditions with my kids is enough for me!

P.S. Someone asked me earlier how I displayed my Christmas cards. While I don't have a photo of that either, we just hang garland on the two doorways of the living room and clip our cards to it. Since I only have a couple of cards so far, I didn't take a picture yet. But once they're full and give a better effect, I'll add that as well.

Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!

This morning, we awoke to the enchanting white wonder of falling snow. And were blessed to spend all day together at home, watching it softly blanket the neighborhood. I can't count how many times the kids pressed their sweet little faces to a window to watch, but it melted my heart every.single.time. Yes, today was one of those wonderful homey jammie days spent wrapping presents, snacking while watching movies, and simply basking in the magical glow of snowfall.

Christmas Cookies

Every year, even though I am not a very good baker, we try to incorporate Christmas cookies into our holiday traditions. In fact, I can still remember that first year we began this routine with a sweet, little, excited Ava B. Since that initiation, she eagerly looks forward to creating new cookies for Christmas. And although she also bakes cookies each year with my mother (who IS an excellent baker and pretty much bakes from scratch) at Mamaw's house, Ava still likes to try her hand with me here at home as well.

So I try to accommodate her as best I can!

This year, some of my students were having a cookie fundraiser at school, so I was able to purchase some creative Play"Dough" cookies! Somehow, I just knew they would be a hit! There are four bright colors of dough, which came in containers that looked just like actual PlayDoh, and can be shaped, molded, and mixed any which way little hands prefer. Perfect, right?

And so easy! I just removed the dough from the containers, set up Ava on a stepstool at the counter with a variety of cookie cutters, and let her have fun! Truly, this is the first year I can actually say Ava made the cookies 100% herself. All I did was pop them in the oven for her and set the timer. Of course, seeing the entire process, I wondered to myself just how good these cookies would turn out....but I was actually surprised. They were really yummy!

Despite the $20 price tag, I'd say these unique Christmas cookies were well worth it. Ava had endless fun, felt completely grown-up making them herself, and the entire family enjoyed the results. (Even though Hudson wasn't quite ready to create, he was certainly happy to partake!) Plus, we didn't have the mess of icing or sprinkles. We'll let Mamaw deal with those! Ha! ;)

Magical

I've been meaning to blog about our Christmas decorations (which have been up since Thanksgiving weekend), but our days have been so busy that I haven't had time to properly photograph them. By the time Erik gets home, it's dark and I'm much too tired to bother, but I did snap our tree the other night. This isn't the best photo, but there's something about Christmas tree lights at night that makes a room feel magical.

Why I'll Wear a Turtleneck to my Son's Next Well-Baby Appointment

Confession: I was—notice I use the past tense here—was one of THOSE moms. You know the type. Has a well-behaved child. Manages to accomplish most tasks with a cheerful tag-along toddler. Occasionally glances down the nose at a fellow parent with an out-of-control child. Mind you, I would never have judged another mother, or thought less of her for the way her child behaved, but I will admit to feeling just a BIT smug about how nicely my child always was in public.

Again, with the past tense.

Well, please let me extend a HUGE apology to anyone who might have encountered that previous version of me! I. AM. SORRY. I cannot say it enough. Because? Because? Because today I attempted to take my second-born child to a well-baby doctor's appointment. By myself. And he was not well-behaved. And he did not act nicely in public. And I have no doubt I received several down-the-nose glances from all those other parents in the waiting room with children who were behaving like my first-born always did.

It all started with the rocking chair.

Okay, actually, if I'm honest, it all started eighteen months ago when I birthed Hudson. Total tangent here, but I chose his name partially because a baby book told me it meant “charismatic adventurer” and my romantic heart beat wildly at the idea of a son who approached life with that kind of ruggedly poetic excitement.

So it was totally expected upon entering the crowded, but calm waiting room that he would wriggle out of my arms, discard his coat, and head for the single rocking chair in the corner of the room. Hey, as long as it kept him happy during our wait, I was fine with it! While the other children, mostly girls, cuddled with their parents or quietly read a book, my little adventurer rocked wildly in the child-sized seat and laughed loudly at his own freedom. He clanked the few toys provided for enjoyment and managed to have everyone's attention within moments of entering the vicinity.

And his shy mama? Silently crossing her fingers that this was the worst he would do.

Until my thoughts collided with the sound of his body lurching crazily from the rocking chair and his head thudding solidly against the wall.

Before my face turned red, before Hudson even had a chance to cry, the woman beside me gasped and shared horrified glances with the other witnesses—I mean parents. And so began my shame.

Calmly and carefully, I stood from my chair and retrieved my screaming toddler. Was it wrong of me to hope that at least this event would quiet him down? Contribute to some calm snuggling?

Except that I forgot about his comfort routine—probably dates back to his breastfeeding days—but when he's hurt, he snuggles against my neck and—for some reason—likes to tuck his hands into my shirt. For the record, he does this with Erik as well, so I think it has less to do with breasts than it does with the softness of skin beneath warm clothing. But, whatever the reason, as I tried to comfort my child in that busy waiting room, he desperately tried to put his little hands into my shirt.

He wailed. I patted. He threw his head back and bucked. I squeezed his little body for fear of dropping him. He flung his pacifier across the room, narrowly missing another witness—I mean fellow parent.

I tried books! I tried snacks! I tried whispering a song into his ear. I tried rocking. I tried my hardest not to burst into tears. Generally, I make it a point not to compare my children (they are, after all, unique individuals with their own personalities), but I couldn't help thinking that Ava never gave me these sorts of problems!

Finally, he pulled his slicky-butt move (arms thrust above his head, body stiffened straight) and slid to the ground. On the dirty floor of the waiting room, he flung his body around with complicated gyrations and performed quite a theatrical temper-tantrum.

Embarrassment won't kill you. I discovered that. Even when one of the witnesses—I mean parents—is your former high school biology teacher. Or the mother of an acquaintance who's your Facebook friend. Even then, it really only raises your body temperature about five degrees.

But still? It SUCKS.

I thought this moment—countless eyes turned toward my son's lowest behavior—would be the worst of it. I mean, they had to call our name any minute, right? Even though eyes would be crossed behind me and judgments would be passed, I could get over that. It would be over. I could pretend it never happened. Or go home and write a blog post about it. Right?

But then it got worse. They DIDN'T call my name. Hudson DIDN'T wrap up his temper tantrum. People DIDN'T stop staring. So I tried one more time to scoop up my wild adventurer and salvage my remaining dignity. About that time, Hudson opened his mouth, screamed in my face, grabbed hold of my already-stretched-out shirt, and yanked with every ounce of his frustration.

Moments later, in the bathroom outside the waiting room with tears streaming down my face, I realized several things.

1. I was pretty sure I had just flashed my former biology teacher. Plus about twenty other witnesses.

2. I could no longer hold the record of well-behaved children at well-baby appointments.

3. I couldn't stop the flow of tears long enough to return to the waiting room and wait my turn, or reschedule for another day.

So the next time I see a parent struggling with a wild child somewhere—a restaurant, a busy aisle in Wal-Mart, another waiting room—I am going to do something that I've never done before. I am going to smile warmly at them. I am going to radiate understanding and sympathy with my body language. And—if I'm brave enough—I'm going to say to them, “It's okay. I've been there before too.”

And the next time I take Hudson to a check-up—I've since rescheduled him via phone for next week—I am going to wear a turtleneck.

Ava's Christmas Program

Tonight, Ava's preschool had its annual Christmas program. And as usual, it was adorable! Although she had some nerves (which she probably inherited from me), she told me adamantly beforehand that she was planning on smiling during all her performances. And she did! If I wasn't already mired in Christmas spirit, this certainly added a layer of sparkle to my holiday shine. Wow, I love this time of year! (More about our decorations coming up, I promise!) In the meantime, I hope everyone is enjoying Christmas music and movies, as we've been doing in our family. Before long, we'll be baking cookies and touring our neighborhood's holiday light displays. Can't wait!!

She sang beautifully!

She smiled wondrously!

And back home, she posed sweetly.