Christmas 2014 - A One Arm Jesus Kind of Christmas

This was our familial cohort's "best Christmas ever!" In so very many ways we did right by this Christmas. We spent time waiting in anticipation with many discussions on they joys of said anticipation. With each passing week of Advent MAK taught us the beauty of prayer. Especially the prayers of a 5-year-old. She is an amazing little pray-er when she discovers a direction to head... amazing with a splash of unintentional humor.

The laser gun was a last minute addition by a young lad!

We added a new tradition of reading through the history of Jesus' family line. We made little ornaments to go along with the story for the day and added them to our "Jesse Tree" as a sort of Advent calendar. I will confess that though this was special for MAK, the boy child was "tortured" or just simply was not ready for that level of concentration for that length of time. He still may have a visceral reaction to the name Jesse. Hopefully by next year he will be ready for another go.

We did much resting, much being still, much being together... It. Was. Lovely! We may have reached the degree of "amazing" when MAK was (finally) starting to think that being home was better than being at school! She quickly came to her senses! :) We discovered just how simply awesome it is to watch movies on an air mattress in the living room, with kettle corn and LOTS of blankets. We even slept as a fam one night–well until midnight when we carried all participants to their "real" beds.

We still did Christmas morning, Santa and all.

Santa even had to learn how to make a "spidey music box." Seriously, child!

This year the kids each got the other a gift. I mean, seriously, be still my heart. The pride they had in seeing how much the other enjoyed their chosen present... BLESSED!

I just can't...

Because... Dads...

Unfortunately, there was a brief stint on "vomit island" for Christmas Eve. All's I can say is "more cookies for me!" No one really fought me to eat them with their queazy tummies. I probably should have been more bummed.

There was a missing element in the weather department. The kids were both disturbed at the lack of snow to be had at Christmas. Sy even referred once to "when it's the real Christmas... the one when it snows." :) MAK could not put together why it is that I went to weather class every Thursday but could not seem to make it snow on Christmas! When I explained that I have zero control over the act of snowing, she enlisted her fresh-mouth-of-sass with, "Well, Elsa could have made it snow!" Then there was an about face turn and stomp off! #at-ti-tude

Though, hey, if a lack of snow and a little bit of vomit are the only things we could find askew, then we did pretty well. Almost perfect. Almost. A One-Armed Baby Jesus Kind of Christmas for sure!

Our First St. Lucia Celebration

Truth #1: We are only on the cusp of learning the meaning behind St. Lucia.
Truth #2: St. Lucia is ma' gurl!

The Swedish celebration of St. Lucia's Day comes from the stories that were told by Monks who first brought Christianity to Sweden. From that point on, Sweden holds one of the biggest celebrations of St. Lucia's Day on December 13th every year.

St. Lucia was a young girl who believed in Christ and followed Him the point of martyrdom. She was killed for her faith in 304 AD. The most common story that has been passed down for generations is that St. Lucia would secretly carry food to the persecuted Christians in Rome, who were forced into living underground in the catacombs. In order to keep her hands free to carry supplies and provisions, she would wear candles on her head. This had a two-fold function, lighting the way and maximizing her "carrying capacity."

This is also why her feast day is during the darkest time of year, close to the winter solstice. St. Lucia reminds us that there is always a little light in the darkness.

I recently read a quote from St. Lucia and it resonated with me. "...whatever you give away at death for the Lord's sake you give because you cannot take it with you. Give now to the true Savior, while you are healthy, whatever you intended to give away at your death." Those things that we hold so dear and close–that we hold right up until the end–why not give them away while you are still able to witness and enjoy the blessings those gifts are to those around you? In a culture that is so busy, busy, busy, one of the most precious gifts we have to give–specifically as parents–is our time. It is so easy to allow work, life, this-and-that-other-thing to eat up our time. As parents, there are many things that the two of us hold a united front on, and the "rage against busy" is something we fight for with paramount priority. We are purposeful about slowing down and just being together. As a family, we look forward to and protect those days when no one has to get up early for work or school. No one has to to be anywhere or do anything but be with each other. So that is precisely the way we chose to celebrate St. Lucia's Day. We gave each other one of our greatest gift we have, our time.

We participated in a few of the traditional Scandinavian/Swedish customs of the feast day. MAK played an integral part in our celebration. I cannot rate the heights of her excitement for today. Inviting her into my magical time of peace, I woke her up just before 6:00 am (for real... judge me, whatevs). I wasn't a foot into her room and she was bolt upright in bed, "Is it the early morning?" "Sure is." "Are you sure?" "Yep, I am sure." "Woah, that was a short sleep!"

I carried her downstairs and we rolled out dough and made "sweet rolls." Traditionally, these are saffron flavored rolls, but folks, lemme tell ya, saffron is like the world's most expensive spice! Hash-to-the-tagTRUTH! So, um NO... no saffron rolls here. Though I tried to talk her into letting me flavor the frosting with orange juice, "little Lucy" was having none of that! "You guys can just eat oranges. I'll just drink the juice."

Then she got all "Lucied up."  We didn't have a long white gown, so a ruffled white-with-gold-polka-dot dress with a red sash (or Christmas ribbon) tied around her waist sufficed well. I found the smallest wreath I had and made candles out of popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners. She was adamant that the candles NOT be real! (Ben recently demonstrated the burning of hair as warning for them to be careful whilst blowing out candles) 

Then, while it was still dark, she carried her prepared food upstairs where the four of us cuddled in Mom and Dad's bed, ate our sweet rolls, fruit, and coffee, and watched The Polar Express. It was the BEST, most magical morning in the HISTORY OF EVER! The rest of day was spent relishing the slow pace of togetherness. We played, we dressed up, we danced, we imagined, we talked, we listened, we ate, we rested... We Lucied!

Our prayer as parents is that through our gift of time, we will create space for those sweet moments with our kids to speak to and about the work of Christ in our lives and theirs. That we will have those times of darkness–hopefully a few of them together–so that when they are in those times of darkness alone, they will be reminded that the light will alway pierce the darkness. 

So today we say "thank you" to Saint Lucia, bringer of light, for the reminder that even in our darkest of times the light will come. Hopefully, it will come from within.

This little light of mine, I'm going to let it shine. 
Let it shine, let it shine, let it shine!

Thanks-to-the-giving 2014

At some point during the ceremonies of the feast of thanksgiving 2014, it came to me in a pre-comatose vision that this was my 10th year of giving the thanks with the man I love and two of the Earth's best, my in-laws. I find it Bazaar (with a capital "B") that there are stretches of my life that can be measured in decades! It has been a decade since my "first hunt," and 9 years since my second hunt, and well that must be where the need to impress ended because in 2 tries I was over that whole getting up early to sit outside in the Wisconsin nonsense of coldness, praying that a deer might shuffle by, while praying that no one would kill it in front of me! hashtagBambi

These thanksgiving days when the human alarm clock arrives at the bedroom door, beckoning all the hunters to the hunt, I roll over and snuggle into the middle of bed, stretch my arms and legs out as wide as I can and belly-sleep the hours away until a little one wakes me to the sounds of impatient hunger. Why-oh-why can they just not eat more at dinner, or learn to feed themselves, or just learn to be awake and quiet at the same time?!?

This year was one of the precious few that we got to have the whole family together on the mountain! There just are not enough of these times! These 4 are a... FORCE!

There was some "crafting" to be had and surely no one at this table started eating the turkey craft supplies before we even got started!! 

The candy turkeys... well... they almost were NOT because sometimes Pinterest directions are lies and impossibilities!

So then one is left to think for oneself to get Oreos, candy corn, various chocolates, and frosting into poultry formations!

Though the left over frosting could not go to waste!

Grandma and Grandpa's house is filled with magics both inside and out, one of the outside magics is the sledding hill right off the front porch. 

Some get points for style. This guy took to "snowboarding" like it was nothing!

Some get points for flare. Yes, that wee one was gunning it so fast down the hill that she flew right off the back end!

Some get points for precision. This boy could repeatedly turn his sled 180 degrees to slide through his uncle's legs backwards...every time!

Some get points taken way for danger. These two... whoa... these two + speed + tree = negatory big ben!

All turned out alright, but those ladies need to learn to harness the power!

Once the outdoor shenanigans were completed, the indoor fun and poor choices abounded...

Leap frog = fun!

 Looking through the binoculars at a high powered flashlight = poor choice

 Opening presents in brand new PJs = fun

 Not keeping your eye on the ball = poor choice

Being awesome = fun

More leap frog = more fun

Fighting over toys with your fellow sibling = ugly poor choice

Grandpa reading one of his childhood favorites to his grandkids = sentimental fun-ness

Swinging from the rafters = really fun poor choice

Watching the snowfall from the warmth of the cabin = precious fun

Jumping on Grandma and Grandpa's bed = caught 'ya poor-choicing it, little lady!

All-in-all, this was a lovely time with family! We are so very thankful!

In other news, with the conclusion of my "impressive" hunting days, I thankfully birthed a lad that sees the enjoyment in such sport!

Just don't kill Bambi in front of him!

Mimi Reads!

Last thursday night was the most dreaded night of school year, parent-teacher conferences. I am not sure why this night stresses me out so much but it very much so does! I am talking like from day one of the school year my eyes are focused on this night, this night of 15 minutes per parent of small talk, albeit directed and purposeful small talk, but small talk just the same. I am terrible at small talk, at speaking with people I don't know, and about sensitive subjects, like their kid! I have said this before, but I do NOT do things I am not good at...except for when I have to. Unfortunately, parent-teacher conferences is a "have to" situation.
Partway through the Valley of Conferences I was given the most precious gift. This year I find myself in a unique "spawn swap." I have my girl's teacher's kid in one of my classes, and that night we reversed roles and I was the teacher and her child the subject. Though right at the very end she could no longer contain herself and blurted out the life altering words, "SHE READ TODAY!" I heard those three words and went slack-jaw-tear-welling-bless on her! As if my emotional state wasn't already verging on the crazed, I clearly leapt over that proverbial cliff in that moment. I couldn't wait to get home and hear it from my girl herself!
She read chapter one of her school book to us and she was so proud of herself, and we were so proud of her, I about went ballistic... again! We decided that a celebration was needed and what says Happy Reading better than a brick of scotcheroos? NOTHING is the answer NOTHING! It was her choice and we all supported her.

Also, a maiden voyage to the library as an official "reader." Super big deal! Although, she felt like trash in the moment due to some sort of sick she has acquired, she pushed through for a trip to the Mother Land.