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Last night I went to eldest's Christmas program. It was a cacophony of siblings, parents trying to capture their children on film, and beautiful music.
Under the instruction of their music teacher, the children performed a re-telling of the birth story of Jesus. It was wonderful. From the Annunciation to the actual birth, children ranging from the Kindergarten year to Fifth Grade took part in the play.
Music was sung, both traditional carols and not, every child looking festive in their holiday attire.
It's quite a change from their uniforms! Their little personalities really shine through in their choice of clothes.
Thanks to Casey and Michelle, who were kind enough to watch my sleeping babe while I attended. Without their help, last night could have gone in a completely upside-down and backwards direction. Another thank you to Daphne. She was kind enough to watch my sweet girl for the afternoon until the wee one was in the safe hands of his sitters.
Moving forwards, today brings the last school day of the 2009 year and with it, the Christmas party. Today is also when children bring in their Christmas happies to their teachers.
Being that we had a several people we wanted to thank for their help, mentoring, and friendship, eldest and I kept things simple. We had friends and teachers to think of, and ultimately decided to give "sweets to the sweet".
We took several of these cute boxes from Target,
striped bags,
and placed into them peppermint bark.
I understand this is an enduring favorite, and be it handmade or store bought, always a crowd pleaser. I do hope such is the case this year!
Adding tissue paper,
we placed the sweet treat into the box, et voila!
A simple, yet delicious way to tell those who have meant so much to us, thank you and Merry Christmas.
And since we're on the topic of those who mean so much to us...husband will be home in a few short hours! Our Christmas has begun and we cannot wait to celebrate together as a family in this weekend forcasted to bring snow.
What a winter wonderland we'll have.
A happy holiday weekend to you all!
Dearest Son aka Wee One aka Butterbean aka Bebe aka Wiggle Worm,
I often speak of your boundless energy in awe. Your non-stop walking, talking, go-get'em-ness is simply amazing. It's completely new to me, your father, and sister, and though at times exhausting, we cherish it. Dearly.
We adore your enthusiasm for life and every single part of it. We should all be so joyous in our days; taking time to marvel over all of God's gifts and creations and those whom He inspired.
Here's the thing...
When we need you to hold still for a moment-and I do mean just a moment-you're still going.
It makes times like taking Christmas pictures a real event.
Don't misunderstand, dear boy. I'm glad you're enjoying being snuggled to death by your sister. I'm thrilled to bits that you saw the delight in sitting on the piano bench. I'm happy you loved the glitter on the ornaments.
But could you next time, just for a nanosecond, calm those jitterbugs in your pants? Just for a nanosecond, and not a nanosecond more.
You wouldn't be you if you did, and I understand this. I only want you to be you.
So forget what I just said. Continue bopping around when you're supposed to be still. There will be time for that later. You'll learn. I've reconciled myself to the fact that there will always movement and energy in your wake. Such is life and this is you.
And I do love you.
Thank you for making picture taking (and every moment together) so fun, always unexpected, and more often than not hilarious. You keep me floating above the clouds thanks to the laughter and light you always provide.
Merry Second Christmas, wonderous child. Thanks for the moments of crazy and love and all that's fallen inbetween.
Love,
Mama
This weekend I was still under the weather, though happy to say, improved by Sunday. You'd think with no voice parenting would be a challenge. I did have to be a bit creative, but the children were so good it really wasn't a bother, so I rewarded them.
It may have involved many Oreo's.
I let some things slide this weekend, watching far too much television being one, but I didn't see the harm in letting them eat a bit more sugary goodness than usual. Would you look at this face? How could anything about this be wrong?
So cute and such a mess. I could eat him up!
Speaking of messes, the children amused themselves with eldest's collection of toy cars and goodness did they have fun. The evidence was all over the floors, so one had to walk carefully else they cripple themselves on a tiny metal car.
They laid out on the floor for hours and scooted the little vehicles around, playing games they only understood with no real rules. It was the beauty of childhood at its finest.
I couldn't help but feel extremely warm and fuzzy on the inside. Despite the eight year age difference, eldest and our little butterbean really are two peas in a pod.
Most of the time.
We jokingly call the wee one "the shadow" since he does just that: shadowing his sister's every move and doing his best to keep up. God bless him. He thinks he's about three feet taller and years older than he really is.
And when he sits back on a box housing one of his Christmas presents, donning an expression eerily reminiscent of his Daddy, I think he just might be a bit older than any of us think.
Needless to say, I may not have been feeling my best, but the children really lifted my spirits. Their health and happiness made the weekend a very good one. So good, I was able to complete our front door decorations with a little inspiration from Ms. Martha Stewart.
Thanks, Martha! You're a doll.
I hope you all have a wonderful week ahead. It's approaching the fourth and final week of advent, and with it comes husband's return from Tokyo.
We are counting down the days!
A Merry Monday to you all.
With the sniffles invading our home, we've had a few restless nights and snuggle-filled days. I do love the snuggles! The sniffles...not so much.
Thankfully bebe is fine, and eldest is only a tiny bit stuffy. Everyone is back to evenings of restful sleep.
I, on the other hand, never seem to be able to quite shake these things as quickly. In fact, Demi Moore has called and asked that I do her voice-overs. That should give you an idea of where I am.
What's a girl to do?
Besides lots of water, juices, and evening tea's, I've been enjoying fruit with a side of cold medicine. I've also been taking in lots and lots of veggies. Minestrone has been on my lunch menu for a few days now, but my favorite-and quickest way to enjoy veggies-is with eggs.
Eggs have to be the simplest dish to prepare and they're filling. Ironic considering when you're under the weather the last thing you want to do is eat. But when you have little ones to care for, you just have to suck it up and take your medicine like a big girl.
Now back to the eggs...
We usually opt for egg whites, eldest and I love them. But when you don't have them, you use what's on hand: the eggs from the carton.
There isn't a fancy name for this mish-mash of eggs with veggies and cheese, I just usually call it eggs with veggies and cheese. Brilliant, I know. How the advertising world missed out on me is anyone's guess.
It all starts with pulling out the veggies you have stored in your fridge, your eggs and milk. Please don't forget the shredded cheese!
Wash and dice your veggies of choice. I never use exact measurements, simply chopping and dicing as much as I think I'd want.
Notice I started with four eggs and maybe 1/2 a cup of milk?
It makes quite alot, but sometimes there are little ones around the house that want a taste of your healthful meal once you're done.
Beat the eggs, add salt and pepper to taste if you want, then it into your pre-warmed skillet.
Once the eggs are almost done (meaning no more evident liquid), add your veggies.
One Wednesday, we enjoyed tomatoes, green bell pepper, red and yellow onions. They were so good! I only tossed them around in the eggs to mix them up, then added the cheese. Again, I didn't mix it up too much and plated pretty much immediately.
Keep in mind your eggs are still hot and will continue to melt the cheese once you've placed them onto your plate.
I may not have been the hungriest person at that point in time, but my veggie eggs looked so appetizing I had no problem eating them. I may have ended up sharing with some little person in footed pj's, and he may have eaten more veggies than eggs, but that's just fine with me.
It's eggs-actly what the doctor ordered.
Happy weekend to you all!
Yesterday eldest had the day off of school. This was a wonderful thing-an odd day, considering it was the second day of the week-but still, very nice. One, because both children caught the sniffles and didn't sleep well the night before, and two, once they were well rested, we were able to visit the man in the big red suit!
The wee one didn't want to participate, so eldest cozied up by herself for a discussion on the NFL (which Santa just loves, wouldn't you know?). They're both Saints fans and had what looked like a very illuminating discussion. Something tells me he promised her everything her little heart wanted.
After they got down to business, we all exchanged Holiday wishes before heading back home for lunch and naps. For all of us. Then it was time to get up and decorate the house a bit more.
I tell you, doing this by myself does make the process move slowly, but I can't complain. Every day eldest comes home and searches for the new decorations. It's a big game to her and one I delight in seeing her play.
Everything about this time of year is magical, isn't it?
Now back to those decorations. Last week I mentioned something about the color we chose to incorporate.
Every year we play around with a different palate, having fun with wrappings, ribbons, and wreaths. We build it around a very basic foundation of taupes, creams, and golds as they always work beautifully with whatever color is chosen.
Last year we went traditional with red and green. The year before, it was silver and gold, and before that, it was Tiffany blue.
This year I made the decision to go with a cheery color that I've developed a great fondness for: orange.
I love it.
The house seems to be in a perpetual state of warmth and happiness, glowing almost. It makes me want to do a little dance it's such a fun color to work with.
I would show you our lovely moss green stockings with the orange ribbon stitched on, with pretty flowers added as an extra touch. I would. But I cannot find them. The stockings I made last year are currently AWOL and there isn't a single are of the house I haven't searched through.
Do you know what this might mean? Back to the sewing machine. Maybe. I'll give myself to the weekend and move on from there. A nice quartet of stockings in a persimmon or tangerine might be a fetching addition to the mantle!
Silver lining, right?
Something else to think about that makes me happy is my husband's birthday. Today is the big day and the children and I have been doing everything possible to celebrate with him for the past 24 hours. He'll be home in a little less than two weeks, and we'll definitely have a little family celebration then. We miss him terribly, hating that he's so far away especially on this day.
But imagine the fun we'll have very soon!
I know we are.
Happy Wednesday to you all!
Every time a holiday rolls around in the States, I ask my husband to tell me what it's like in Tokyo. So far Halloween isn't as big a deal, and for obvious reasons, Thanksgiving isn't observed.
He's reminded me that Japan isn't a Christian-based country, and I know this, but sometimes it doesn't really sink in until you send your husband on a Christmas assignment: to see holiday celebrations and/or decorations around Tokyo.
The only street that seemed to be very decorated was in Ginza, the Tokyo equivilent of New York's Fifth Avenue.
I assumed that meant only a small part of the population might actually celebrate, mainly the ex-pats, but my husband assured me that the Japanese do celebrate Christmas. It's just not as grand an event for them as it is for us.
Case in point: after wandering around all day on his holiday assignment, husband was only able to find one Santa. He was in a wine bar.
I'm not clear about what this is supposed to indicate, but this jolly old elf certainly looked as if he were having a merry time!
This sign shows the Japanese seem to have activities to welcome in the Christmas season. It's nice that part of the signage is in English. As a future ex-pat, I'd want to know where the festivities are!
Continuing his search in the evening, husband took as many pictures as he could with his iPhone. I won't lie, I was expecting to see some unusual window displays. Maybe something a little avant garde. But as you'll see, the decorations are fairly traditional.
I loved that my husband took a picture of the French bakery decor. Yum!
And this image of the cordoned off Christmas tree made me laugh. Just what could have happened to make someone feel it necessary to place a tiny protective barrier around it? Too many little hands perhaps?
In any case, I'd say husband's search around the city was a success. Maybe it's not as overly commercialized as it is here, but is that really so bad? Focusing a little more on the true message of Christmas is a good thing . And if we need a twinkling light fix, it's nice to know there'll be some sort of celebrations in the city for us all to see.
Thank you husband!
We're counting down the two weeks until you're home.
I'm very excited for eldest.
Today she will see first hand how a person can become an American citizen. She and her group of Song Leaders from school will welcome our new citizens by singing "God Bless America" and "America the Beautiful".
It's a special event, and one I'm thrilled eldest will witness. It will take place here, at Mecklenburg County's Court House.
I think this will give she and her friends renewed appreciation for the country we live in. That so many want to be afforded the freedoms and liberties that we've been born with speaks volumes.
Eldest remarked how perfect it was that our soon-to-be citizens would be welcomed into our country during this month of December. In a season where we sing about "good will towards men" and "every heart preparing room", it's good for our children to see the different ways we can do both.
A merry weekend to each of you.
Come back on Monday when I'll have an international holiday treat to share with you all!
