A few quick pics of the past week

Not sure I'm going to make it to midnight to ring in the new year - my eyelids are feeling heavy. Here's a quick photo recap of the last week.

Luke & Erin opening stockings on Christmas morning before church:


Caroline in her Christmas jammies (they say "My 1st Christmas):


Erin playing with one of her new horses (she got several):


Luke figuring out one of his new Lego sets - I love the hand on his chin:


Shortly after the previous picture, Luke changed into his new police officer costume, which he wore for the rest of the day. The padded chest cracks me up:


Erin playing peek-a-boo with Caroline:

Welcome to Our World

Ever since I became a mother, Christmas has had a different meaning for me. Looking at my tiny babies and seeing how helpless they were made the humility of Jesus' incarnation a bit more intense and precious. That he would voluntarily leave heaven to become someone who cried when he was hungry or needed his diaper changed is a bit overwhelming to think about sometimes, especially when I think about the fact that he did it for ME.

Becoming a mother has also made me empathize with Mary a bit more, too. That she would look on that fragile finger, tender brow and feel the tiny heart beating, knowing that her son was different, was GOD, and that she was responsible for his upbringing and care. Wow. I thought I felt a lot of pressure with my 3.

Yesterday was Christmas. I've felt really overwhelmed lately. Homeschooling, a baby, a 4-year-old who constantly toes the line then crosses it defiantly. This year I felt that I hadn't done a good job of building meaningful traditions for my children. I remembered things my own family did and wondered what my kids would remember about Christmases when they are older.

Tears are falling, hearts are breaking
How we need to hear from God
You've been promised, we've been waiting
Welcome Holy Child
Welcome Holy Child

I cried a bit. And then I realized that the memories I was recalling were from my high school and college years. I don't even remember Christmas when I was very young except for a few feelings and one memory of a present I found and pretended I didn't know about. 5-year-old feigned surprise. I'm sure my parents saw right through it.

After talking to my pastor's wife on Christmas morning and my brother later that evening, it occurred to me that a) my kids had a pretty memorable day and spent all of December (and November!) anticipating it and b) the traditions I treasure most with my family were done when my mom didn't have babies and toddlers but children who could help her get things done. Luke & Erin weren't disappointed that I didn't decorate more or make a more complicated meal (we had homemade pizza, eaten in shifts because Caroline cried all afternoon and evening). They're 6 & 4 - we made ShrinkyDink ornaments for the dining room light and put on the red chair slipcovers on Christmas Eve so the house would look festive in the morning. Maybe next year we'll add another new thing and eventually they'll add up to our own traditions. This year was simple. Jesus' birth day was pretty simple, too.

Hope that you don't mind our manger
How I wish we would have known
But long-awaited Holy Stranger
Make Yourself at home
Please make Yourself at home

Bring Your peace into our violence
Bid our hungry souls be filled
Word now breaking Heaven's silence
Welcome to our world
Welcome to our world

I hope that my children understand more about "long-awaiting" than just another sticker on the calendar to mark off another day passed, or another magnet up on the fridge advent scene, or another chocolate behind a paper door. I hope that Jesus isn't a Holy Stranger to them, but someone who is at home with us. I hope they feel a hunger in their souls and understand how Jesus fills it. I hope they understand how much Jesus gave up to be with us on Earth and for us to be with him in Heaven. I hope they see the connection between Christmas and Easter and how the one doesn't really make much sense without the other. Because isn't Christmas about hope, REAL hope?

Fragile finger sent to heal us
Tender brow prepared for thorn
Tiny heart whose blood will save us
Unto us is born
Unto us is born

So wrap our injured flesh around You
Breathe our air and walk our sod
Rob our sin and make us holy
Perfect Son of God
Perfect Son of God
Welcome to our world

Pre-Hawaii Christmas Pictures

I am typing this on a brand new Mac! More on that story another day.

Quick before I go to bed now, here are some pictures of the kids opening presents a couple days before we left. We decided (well, I did because it affected me most) that it would be good for the kids to have something new to occupy them with while I was trying to pack and get the house ready for us to leave for 2 weeks.

Guess who started this?

Alec & I got the kids "Pillow Pets" this year. We meant for them to come before our Florida trip so they could have them in the car, but of course they were back ordered and I didn't order them in time. They loved them anyway. Luke has a dolphin that he named Nemo (Rescue Heroes reference).

Erin got a panda. She's not very good at naming things yet so it doesn't have one.

Luke was ECSTATIC to get a whole box full of just Lego people from his grandparents, aunts & uncle. He also loved the big box of plain Legos.


Erin got a dollhouse this year from the relatives. I figured she would like another container to put stuff in and it's too big to carry around the house! It also folds closed which is a must in her small bedroom. She likes to set all the furniture up - or just line it all up on the floor.

Aunt Pat sent a box that got here before we left, too. More Legos for Luke - an oil tanker truck that he put together very quickly. I let him take it to Hawaii and was very glad I did. He and his cousin, Lexi, spent literally hours playing with Legos.

Aunt Pat found out Erin was getting the dollhouse and sent another room of furniture for it.

Another "I Spy" game. This one is called "Eagle Eye" and you have to find a picture on your card before the other players. Pretty fun and more challenging than the other ones we have.

Erin got a little play pen for her dolls, which was great because she also got an American Girl-type doll from Auntie Mary (it's the same size but made by another company). Now she has a stroller and bed when she plays with the dolls and stuffed animals.


That's it for now. There are about 90 pictures from Hawaii. I'll go through them another time and post some of the good ones.

Preschool Parade

Apparently part of preschool is the Christmas program. Not having been to preschool myself, and being new to this school, I wasn't sure what to expect. Neither was Luke. He was excited that Mom & Erin got to come to school with him, but he was surprised that he would have to wear an old-fashioned choir boy outfit with a big red bow. So was I. A friend who was helping the kids get ready told me that he fussed about putting it on - said he thought he would be embarrassed. I'm glad he wore it because he would really have been embarrassed if he were the only one not wearing one.

Here he is coming into the room. They walked around the room once ringing their bells. I think they were supposed to be singing, too, but the tape player made up for their lack. Four-year-olds can really only do one thing at a time. Ringing a bell and walking was pushing it without adding in the singing.


Getting up on the stage. He is right smack in the middle in this picture.

I was also surprised by how many entire families were there. Alec didn't come and I think he was maybe the only dad that wasn't there. Oops.

Clapping to "Go Tell it on the Mountain." I was surprised by how much they packed into this little half hour. Songs, rhymes, verses - all kinds of things they had been learning. Next time he tells me he doesn't want to go to school anymore because he doesn't learn anything there (yes, he has used that excuse on me several times) I'll have to refer him back to this program.

Well, we got that out of the way. Next year we'll start homeschool, but he'll still be able to say someday that he was in a school Christmas program. Goody.

Christmas Preview

For all you Bosschers coming out to visit in 45 days or so (who's counting?) here is a little preview:

We had breakfast in our jammies yesterday -- and subsequently discovered that Erin no longer fits into the one-piece footies since she is much taller than she was last year. Guess we'll have to find some new jammies so they can match on Christmas morning again. I'll have to go shopping - bummer.

We then went upstairs and did a little rearranging. We put the workbench in Erin's room and the table back in Luke's room. He said he wanted to do his homework there. Fine with me - will give him something to do during rest time, which he balks against so much these days.

Here's some insight on Erin: see how she forgoes the chair? She also got rid of the book 2 minutes later and colored on the table. The attention span of a gnat, that one. At least she wasn't ranting at me, which is her latest preoccupation. I'd rather not talk about that.

Luke-isms

A few funny things Luke has said over the past few days.

After a long, concerned conversation on his toy cell phone:
"That was Lexi. Her husband died."
Lexi is his cousin. She's 6.

Luke "Mom, Jesus died in a race car crash."
Me "Really?"
Luke "Yeah, but it's OK because he died for my sins."

This morning after I told him tomorrow is Christmas:
Luke "And then it will snow?" (poor kid, he wants snow so bad)
Me "No, it's not in the forecast."
Luke "Is it in the fifth-cast?"

**********
And a couple pictures of them with their new blankets from Tutu. They came during lunch a few days ago and when we opened the boxes they were not wrapped. It's OK - they have enough to unwrap tomorrow I think it will be a little overwhelming. Plus it's been so cold they have been put to good use in the family room already where it is freezing even with the baseboard heater and portable ceramic heater running constantly.


Luke's has Thomas the Tank Engine on it. He was thrilled. He told me he was going to cry. When I asked him why he said he was so happy.


He also told me that the blanket was "just bead-i-ful!"

Erin's has Tinkerbell. Funny enough, she knew who it was. There is a huge billboard down the street advertising the new movie and she points at it every time we go past.

Sinterklaas Day

It wasn't done on purpose, but this year we put up our Christmas tree on Sinterklaas Day. We picked a pretty small one and I had ideas of the kids helping to decorate, but we ended up waiting until Erin was taking her nap. She is just too rambunctious. Luke helped a little and so far nothing has broken or been taken off (except Erin peeled all the little foam stars off their CBS ornaments from this year, but oh well).

After setting up the tree, the kids had an early bath and we got out their new Christmas jammies. They had fun running around and looking at all the decorations.


We also hauled out the singing Christmas dog that Aunt Suzi sent a couple years ago. Erin had the same kind of reaction Luke had at seeing it the first time. When she sticks out her tongue like that it's because she's a little shy and doesn't know what to do.

Thankfully, the battery on it has died. I'm a little tired of "Let it Snow."

Christmas and the Beach

OK, time for the next set of pictures.

The first 2 are of Alec and Luke outside flying Alec's kite. Alec didn't want Luke to get in the way so he told him to sit on the mat. If he got up, it was so windy the mat would fly away so Luke stayed down (for a while, at least). It's hard to see in the picture, but Luke's hair was really blowing.



The next few are of Luke and Alec at the beach. Luke didn't really care too much about the water. He was more intrigued with the giant-sized sand box. Remember how all he wanted to do this summer was dig outside? Well, he dug.

You might not be able to see it, but one of his digging tools was a dustpan. I'm not sure how it made it down to the beach.


And here's one of Erin because she hasn't made it into this post yet.


David found some fireworks that someone had left so on Christmas Eve we had a few lights and noises.

Luke kept running into the kitchen to hide, but he liked them so he always came back out.


Christmas morning. Luke and Erin wore matching jammies, but it was pretty warm and everyone got dressed and had breakfast before we opened presents so . . . no pictures. Oh well, next year.

Here's Luke opening his new MatchBox cars.


Erin got this cute little fabric purse that has a stuffed cell phone, lipstick, and compact with puff. She spent the rest of the vacation chewing on the lipstick and the velcro on the compact.


Here are Luke and Erin enjoying their new books and toys. They are sitting on a pune'e (or hikie'e), which is a big daybed. It has lots of pillows and the kids, especially Erin, spent a lot of time on it.


This is a good picture to see how much light comes into the big living room. In the morning it is very bright since the sun rises over the water and comes right into the house.


Tomorrow: monk seals.

First Installment

Well, we're finally all back to health. That was the sickest I've been in a LONG time, and the first (and second and third, etc.) time I've thrown up since seventh grade. Thus ends an almost 20 year streak. So far Erin is still healthy, but not sleeping well at night yet. Hopefully next week's normal schedule should help things out.

SO, now I'm finally ready to post some pictures of our trip. There are a lot so I'll start at the beginning and do it in stages.

First we flew to San Francisco and spent 2 nights in a hotel near the airport. Our original flight was canceled and we ended up on a much later flight, but we were notified before we left the house and it was direct instead of through Chicago so we didn't mind too much.

We spent the day with Alec's brother and his wife and daughter. Ideally we would have liked to have seen and done more, but the weather wasn't so hot and we were confined by naptimes. Sight-seeing and walking around a big city isn't easy with toddlers and non-walkers.

Here are some pictures of the things we were able to do and see.


Pier 39 on Fisherman's Wharf.


The San Francisco Carousel.


Luke checking out Alcatraz.


The famous San Francisco sea lions.


Next morning in the hotel room.

Tomorrow -- pictures of Kauai.