A Fall/Winter/Spring Photo Recap...Because I Haven't Blogged in a Million Years

This has been the longest winter in the history of winters.  Ever.  It snowed every month from November to April, and that is a lot of snow for this Southern girl!  I kept hoping the thermostat would get above 12 degrees and spring would arrive.  It took it's sweet little time, but it finally did. 

And you would think that all that indoor time would allow me to clean my house or blog or write a novel or something awesome, but all I wanted to do was curl up under three blankets and binge-watch television shows on the computer.  So that's mostly what I did.  Except when I was working on my graduate classes.  Or when the kids were home for snow days.  Which was a lot.  Really. On those days we spent a lot of time at the library.  I think the kids have read through every Peanuts and Garfield comic ever written.  And thank you local public library for having the sense to carry such wonder things in very large books.

So, what have I missed blogging about on the 182 days of snow? Everything.

1. Kate became an expert bike rider last fall, but I didn't manage to get a decent picture of it until November.  Because I am that awesome.

2. Kate's first grade class studied Chinese New Year and performed a ribbon dance for the whole school.  She was amazing, of course.

 3. My kids love each other, even when they are fighting like cats and dogs.  Unfortunately the cats and dogs thing is more common than not.  Thankfully I caught them on a day when they were all getting along.  (I am sure someone got whacked on the head minutes after I put the camera away.)

4. Did I mention it snowed a lot?  This was one of the early days before we actually got bored with snow.

5.  The three bigs were in the church Christmas play.  They sang together as a trio and were 1940's kids who also dressed up like wise men with lampshades and hub caps.  I can't remember why.

 6. We celebrated Christmas, of course!  (I think they have already grown about 2 inches each since I took this picture.)  The favorite gifts this year were video games, puzzles, and books. 

7. In January Will told us that he had accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior and wanted to be baptized.  We were thrilled and celebrated with him.  And Tim got to do the honors.  After which, we attempted to get a family photo, which only proved that we are not good at group shots.

8. It snowed some more. The kids built a snowman.

9. I celebrated my 20 year high school reunion.  It was awesome and weird at the same time.  That's what growing old is like.  And now you all know how old I am.  (I would post the group shot, but the photographer didn't push the button down hard enough.  I'm looking at you, Cooper.)

10.  Kate played basketball and had a blast doing it.

There is more, but for some reason the kids think I should fix dinner.  I guess they are hungry or something.  See, this is why I don't blog.  Next thing they will want clean clothes or something crazy like that.  Maybe I will write up the rest before the leaves fall off the trees.  Everyone hold your breath.

And Now for Will and Kate's Christmas Song

Will and Kate's choir opened the Christmas program last week.  They sang four songs, and Will and Kate both had solos in the last song.

However, Will ended up stealing the show.

He started out with the wrong words, and, well, he messed up, said, "Oh, Poop," and the whole congregation roared with laughter.  Maybe someday you will see it on tv:)


Thankfully he recovered magnificently, and he and his sister sang their hearts out.  

We are very proud of both of them and how hard they worked to learn their song.  And we can't wait until next year's performance!

Ben's Christmas Play

Ben was thrilled, and maybe a little bit fearful, when he was cast in one of the lead roles of this year's church Christmas play.  He did a fantastic job, and we are super proud of him.  Grandparents, here you go:

Christmas Piano Recital

A few weeks before Christmas, Ben got an Unidentified Virus. It was not a big deal, but I felt like I should cancel his piano lesson for that week. When his teacher answered she said that we should really reschedule his lesson since his recital was next week.

Ummm, what? What recital?

She said that she had told Ben, and that he has been memorizing a couple of pieces since the fall.

(Further proof that I don't pay nearly enough attention.)

I asked Ben about this, to which he responded, "Oh, yeah. Didn't you know about that?"

Uh, no Ben, even though I claim to read your mind, I really don't know stuff like this unless you tell me.

And so began the week of 1-2 hour practicing every day to learn and memorize two pieces that he should have been actually practicing diligently months before.

The night before the recital, he finally got to the point he could play them without mistakes, but memorizing them without mistakes would have required more hours in the day than we had. Regardless, he performed them, sans sheet music.

So, for the grandparents and other relatives, here are "Oh, Come All Ye Faithful" and "Joy to the World."

Merry Christmas!

I usually send out Christmas cards to out-of-town friends and family, but it didn't happen this year. Somehow I couldn't seem to wrap my brain around a photo shoot. So consider this your Christmas greeting. At least this way you get outtakes and maybe a laugh or two.

Merry Christmas!


Love, Tim, Amy, Ben, Will, Kate, and Yin Tao

LOA

I am very pleased to announce that we received our Letter of Approval from China today!

Would love to stay and chat, but I must go fill out about four or five more forms.

And no, we still don't know when we will travel, but this does narrow it down from March-August to late March-May. Probably. Maybe. Yeah, I still don't know.

Merry Christmas!

That Kid

You know, that kid. The one that ruins Christmas and Santa for everyone else. I'm pretty sure I've got that on my hands this year.

Back in November, Kate came home from school and said something about Santa bringing presents. Will dispelled the Santa myth in our house last year once and for all, so I was surprised and reminded her about who brings the presents and not to tell kids at school. (I also did not want a repeat of the last three Christmases where she has screamed her head off anytime we bumped into the Jolly Old Elf or his Wife.)

Fast forward into December. She came home from school again and says, "I got into a fight today." I took a deep breath, reminded myself that fight likely meant argument, and dove in.

Me: Why did you get into a fight.
Kate: Well, it was about whether Santa is real or not.
Me: Please tell me you didn't tell the other kids that Santa isn't real.
Kate: Well, yeah.
Me: NaNa, we have talked about this. Not everyone knows the secret that Santa isn't real, and some families like to pretend, so we don't want to spoil their fun by telling the secret.
Kate: Oh, yeah, I forgot.
Me: Well, from now on keep that information to yourself.

So let me officially apologize to all the families that my daughter has told about Santa. I hope you were able to repair the damage.

Christmas: The Not-So-Short Version

Our December was as busy as ever, and alas, my blog has suffered. So, without further ado, here is my attempt to condense the whole month into one post.

Kate rocked her "Santa dress."The kids sang in the annual Christmas program at church. Will and Kate especially loved singing in it this year.

We celebrated Tim's birthday.

Here's a random picture just because I thought it was cute.

The kids missed a week's worth of school because of snow, snow, and more snow. This coincided with the arrival of Uncle Jacob and Aunt Alison for Christmas, and we even got Uncle Jacob snowed-in at our house one night!

We had multiple celebrations with my side of the family, including parties at Aunt Sally's, my mom's, and my dad's. We woke up on Thursday and opened presents at my mom's. Will calls that day Thanks Day. He even made Arlie write it on his calendar.

The kids decorated the tree this year, and I was so impressed I will let them do it again next year.

(Not-so) Wide-eyed children woke up before their bleary-eyed parents on Christmas morning .

Many presents were opened. Some favorites included a remote control R2D2, the Trio wizard's castle, Star Wars action figures galore, ZhuZhu pets, and finger nail polish (for Kate NaNa, of course).

We went to Tim's parents, where we forced the kids to take the annual cousins-on-the-stairs picture. Basically a stall tactic before the adults are ready to open presents.

My sister-in-law taught my kids how to play Angry Birds. Much laughter ensued.

My brother-in-law let his wife put his hair in a faux hawk. More laughter ensued. I only wish that I had a pic when he was also wearing the skinny jeans and Rob Bell glasses too. That would make my day complete:)

Hope your celebrations were joyous too! Merry Christmas!

Christmas Gifts

I know that all of you out there in Blog-Land are totally done Christmas shopping, but just in case you are still looking for the perfect gift that is maybe just a little bit different (or maybe just an organization to give an end-of-year donation to), I thought I would share some ideas.

I love shopping with organizations that are fair trade. I recently discovered Heavenly Treasures Handicrafts. It is a Christian micro-enterprise company that features items made around the world. Sales support a variety of causes, including orphanages, pastors, and even just people trying to make a living and support their families (ahem, family preservation). They also work with World Vision and have some really cool items, including bags, jewelry, kitchen items, and more. Very fun stuff. (**Update: I just got a package in the mail full of goodies from HT Handicrafts, and I love them even more now! - Quality stuff, quick delivery!)

Another place I like to go to ooh and ahh is Scarlet Threads. Based in China, they make oh-so-pretty handmade items. I am currently in love with the red and black tree skirt. (**Update: The dh just ordered me one:) Can't wait to get it!)

Or maybe you are considering making a charitable donation in someone's name? Honestly, I think this is an awesome way to honor someone. Check out the sites below.

Organizations that provide orphan care (all of which offer opportunities to sponsor children in China, donate to surgeries, special projects like formula, facilities, etc.):
Pearl River Outreach
New Day Foster Homes
Starfish Foster Homes
Love Without Boundaries
An Orphan's Wish
Half the Sky

Another wonderful way to give is to fund organizations that support family preservation. Simply put, if we care about orphans, we have to care about the causes of abandonment. Some of the main causes are poverty and disease, so by helping fight poverty and disease, we are helping to keep families together.

A lot of organizations have gift catalogues where you can purchase things like goats and wells for families/communities in need. Here are a few cool ones:
Heifer International
Samaritan's Purse
World Vision

Another organization I learned about a few months ago is Kiva. They provide small business loans to people in developing countries. You can loan someone as little as $25, and then when it is repaid you can reinvest in another small business. This is another great way to empower women to support and preserve their families. I also think this would be an awesome Christmas gift to someone, because they could watch what happens to the money, and when it is repaid, they can loan it out again and again.

And don't forget charity: water! This is an organization that got the attention of my 6 year old, and I recently mentioned it here. Will came downstairs one day holding his birthday money and announced he wanted to give it to people who needed it more than him. Charity: water is who he chose. They build wells for communities that need clean water. (And it isn't too late to donate to the birthday fund either, so go check it out!)

Edge Outreach is one of only 2 organizations in the world who teach people how to repair the hand pumps that go on wells in developing countries. They also are hard at work in Haiti, fighting for clean water.

Heartline Ministries works in Haiti to support women and their families. They provide prenatal support, deliver babies in a safe and clean environment, and provide parenting and nutrition classes. They are currently working to build a women's hospital so they can help women with more complicated deliveries/pregnancies. In other words, they are fighting to help moms keep their babies, so poverty doesn't lead to abandonment. You can read more about their work on this blog or this one.

And I have a feeling that you all have some of your own favorite places to shop and/or give. So, please drop a comment and tell us what organizations you love!

Ho Ho Ho

We have had an interesting Santa dynamic around here the last couple of years. You see, when Ben was little, neither of us cared to encourage the Santa story, largely because we felt it was about the gifts rather than the "magic." At the same time, when he came home excitedly telling us what other people had told him about Santa, we didn't have the heart to tell him that Santa wasn't real. And the same story continued with Will. We never told them anything about Santa because we didn't want to lie, but we didn't discourage it either.

Kate, on the other hand, has known for a long time that Santa isn't real. When she was two, she didn't understand anything going on, as she had only been home a couple of months. Then, last year at age three, every time she saw Santa, she would start screaming and crying, begging me, "Don't let Mrs. Claus get me!" I have no idea where her fear of Mrs. Claus came from, or if she was confused about who that was since we never bumped into the lady, but regardless, she did that several times last year. One morning after I had sent the boys off to school I sat her down and explained that Santa wasn't real and Daddy and I brought the presents. (And, yes, I also explained that this was a big secret, and to my knowledge she never spilled the beans.) She was relieved, and she thankfully stopped crying at every shopping mall we went into.

Fast forward to this year, and I thought we would play this out the same way. A month or so ago, Ben (age 8) started asking the typical figuring-it-out questions. He finally asked me point blank if Santa was real or not. I said, "What do you think?" He replied, "I think that if he was you would just say yes." But then a few days later, he was back to adamantly insisting that Santa was real. I knew that meant he knew but wanted to pretend, so I dropped it.

Then on Wednesday, Will (age 6) was in a bookstore with Mimi when they ran into the Big Guy shopping. Santa started talking to Will, but Will was dumbstruck. (Wouldn't you be, too?) Tonight we were in the van, just me and the three kids, and the boys started drilling me with questions about all things Santa. (Personally, I blame Michael Jackson's "I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus," which was on the radio, but it probably would've come up sooner or later anyway.)

Will: I know that Santa isn't real.
Me: And why do you think that?
Will: Because the other day when I saw him at the bookstore, he had a wallet and was shopping. Everybody knows that Santa makes presents, not buys them. And why would he be here in this town anyway?
Me: Hmmm.
Will: And there were three of them.
Me: Three of what?
Will: Three Santas. One was ringing a Salvation Army bell. One was shopping and talked to me. And one was asking kids what they wanted for Christmas.
Me: You mean he was sitting in a big chair and kids were in his lap?
Will: Yes. So either they were following me around or Santa's not real.
Me: Hmmm.
Will: And once, I looked in front of me, and there was Santa talking to kids, and I looked behind me, and Santa was buying something. Definitely not Santa.
Ben: Well, I think Santa is in the North Pole with his elves making toys right now in his workshop anyway.
Will: And you know that Elf on the Shelf thing? He is definitely not real. There might really be elves, but the Elf on the Shelf is not.
Ben: How do you know?
Will: I felt of him once. He isn't real.
Ben: I think he is.
Will: The others might be, but not him. He is a toy.
Kate: Can we play Guess Who now?
Me: Umm, not right now, darling, the boys and I are talking.
Ben: Mom, is he real or not?

Will: Just tell us!

Me: What do you think, sweetheart?
Will: I don't think he is, but everyone in my class thinks he is real.
Ben: But what do they know? They're only kindergartners.
Will: That is true. They are kindergartners, and I am the smartest one.
Ben: How do you know?
Will: Because Mrs. T. says that my class is the best class of kindergartners, and I am the smartest in my class, so I must be the smartest kindergartner.

The conversation then devolved into an argument between the boys about whether Will's logic and evidence were faulty or not.

Once home, Will and I were alone, and the conversation began again. He reiterated that he did not believe in Santa. I said that was fine, but it was important that he not tell other kids that because it would hurt their feelings and make them sad.

And what is the first thing he does? The first thing he does with every single shred of information he ever has. He told Ben.

I went in to tuck Ben into bed, and he said, "Will told me you told him the truth."
Me: What I told Will is that if he doesn't want to believe, that is fine, but he shouldn't ruin the fun for others.
Ben: But that is pretty much the same thing as telling him Santa isn't real.
Me: I am sorry. Are you sad?
Ben: Disappointed. I was hoping it was real.
Me: I understand. I was really sad when I found out. I cried a lot. And I was really mad at Daddy John.
Ben: (Laughs at first, then gets serious) But why would grown-ups make this stuff up?
Me: I think they want to believe in magic because it is fun to think that Santa is real. It is exciting to think that presents will magically appear under your tree. And presents will still magically appear under your tree.
Ben: (Grins) But now I know where they really come from.

He was OK when I said goodnight, but I am more sad about all of this than I thought I would be. Don't get me wrong. I don't regret any of what I said (although some of the grandparents are probably really mad at me right now). Part of it is that it takes me back to the day I found out, and how devastated I was. I don't think Ben is as sad as I was. And Will just seems satisfied that he was right about something.

There is more to it. Tonight my boys lost a little bit of their innocence. A little bit of magic is gone, and they won't get it back. Growing up is hard work, and I want them to be kids for as long as possible. All of this makes me realize how quickly they are growing up. I hugged them just a little longer, cuddled them a little closer, while they still want me to. Someday I will blink, and it will be gone.

See what cool things I find when I catch up on blog reading...

I found this on a friend's blog (thanks, Radicchis!). Have you ever pondered what impact your Christmas could have? I have no idea who made it, but completely agree with every word and am thankful for the reminder. Amen and amen.

Sunday Snapshot: Kate NaNa

It's been awhile since I have written a Kate NaNa post, so I am well overdue.

She is still her adorable, giggly, sharp-as-a-tack self, constantly changing and growing and surprising me. This week she counted to thirteen. I had no idea she could count to ten, much less thirteen. Last time I asked she only got to three.

She loves to carry around her Daddy's old cell phone, telling me, "I have to check my email."

She still loves preschool, her teachers, all of her friends, and lunch. Lunch is now her favorite topic of conversation when I pick her up. She'll say, "I had ih-in (chicken)," or "ah-ee-o-ee (ravioli)" or some other yummy school food. But she was most excited the day she came home to tell me she drank chocolate milk. From A Straw, Thankyouverymuch! She still can't do the straw thing 100% of the time, but she is making progress that we are seriously proud of.

Another of her new favorite pastimes is telling jokes. But let's face it, she is only three, so you probably have a good idea of how bad these jokes are, even if they make sense, which they usually do not. But what she really wants to do is to make us laugh, so she will find a way to do it.

The other night I was putting her to bed, and she told me not to let Mrs. Claus get her.

Let me back this story up a bit.

All throughout Christmas, she kept telling me not to let Santa get her. Thankfully we never saw the big guy, but she kept saying this. So finally, one day while the boys were at school, I sat her down, and we had the talk. You know, the one about you-know-who and who really brings the presents. We went over the details several times to make sure she understood she was safe, and then I told her that the boys didn't know this yet, and it was a secret. I asked her if she could pretend with me. She nodded yes. I figured, hey, what have I got to lose? If she spills the beans, they aren't going to understand her anyway, and if they do, they probably won't believe her. (And even if they do, I am so ready to be done with Santa. I never told my kids about him in the first place. But that is a topic for another post.)

So fast forward back to the story.

Kate: Don't let Mrs. Claus get me.

Me: Now, you know that Santa and Mrs. Claus aren't real, don't you?

Kate: (Head nod)

Me: And who brings the presents?

Kate: Mommy and Daddy

Me: That's right. But we pretend for Ben and Will don't we?

Kate: No, I told them.

Me: You told Ben and Will that Santa isn't real?

Kate: Yes.

Me: Did they believe you?

Kate: Yes.

Me: REALLY?

Kate: (Hysterical laughing)NO!!! I joking!

See what I mean? I have quite the comedian living here.

Christmas

We had a very busy Christmas, but for some reason it did not seem as hectic as it normally does. I tried very hard this year to take it one celebration at a time, while still planning ahead. Kind of tricky, I know, but we spaced things out more this year, and that helped a lot.

Dressed and ready for church -
Aunt Sally gave Kate a new "princess" dress. Kate has done more twirling in the past 3 weeks than she did in the entire previous year.

Time with grandparents (How is it possible I have no pictures of the other ones?)

Christmas Eve (Will got all gussied up.) -

Can we come down and open our presents yet?

The annual cousins picture -

My mother-in-law says no more kids because there are no more steps. Haha.

Sunday Snapshot: Our Christmas Ornaments

I wanted to participate in last week's Sunday Snapshot, but because of the Christmas craziness, I couldn't get it together in time. Better late than never, yes? I wanted to share about our Christmas tree, but to do that, I need to give a little back story. (If I make some mistakes in the retelling, I hope my family will forgive me.)

My great Aunt Mary hosted Christmas breakfast for our family for years. And I am not talking about just our immediate family. I am talking about her 2 children, spouses, and grandchildren. Her 4 siblings, their spouses, their children, their spouses, and grandchildren. I am very close to this side of my family, and I honestly don't think I could count how many 1st cousins, 2nd cousins, and 3rd cousins were involved, not to mention the random precious friends who are counted as family and show up.

Many years ago (35?), my 2nd cousin came to Christmas breakfast, and upon seeing all of the presents around the tree, asked where her gift was. This broke my aunt's heart, and she swore she would always have a gift for every child at her house on Christmas.



Thus started our ornament tradition. Every year, my Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill make hundreds of Christmas ornaments for the children in their family and community. The deal is, you get an ornament until you have children, and then the children get their own ornaments. So I have over 20 ornaments with Amy on them, 4 ornaments with Amy & Tim, and now my children get ornaments with each of their names on them. Sometimes they are cross stitched, but usually they are made of wood and painted. There have been angels, stars, snowmen, bells, bears, and many, many others.


I love Christmas ornaments, and I love getting new, store bought ones each year, but none compare with the ornaments that were made by my aunt and uncle. So, thank you, Aunt Mary and Uncle Bill, for starting and continuing such a special Christmas tradition in our family!


(For the record, my cousin and his wife have taken over Christmas breakfast, but Mary and Bill are still churning out ornaments each year.)