Happy holidays

We’ve had a very Merry Christmas. 

One of closeness and love, caring and doing, giving and getting, growing and learning. 

We’ve all missed the parties, family gatherings, activities, and concerts. However, the slowing down of the hustle and bustle has been a a nice change of pace for the season. 

Sitting by the fireplace and watching the boys play, Elsie pull herself to standing, Jess sing in the karaoke microphone (best gift of 2020 in my opinion!) has been where the joy comes from most. Thinking of the love of Jesus Christ and seeing it in my home is magical. That’s goodness. That’s a Merry Christmas. 

In other news this season —

Ansel snowboards on the boogie board...this may just be a new Olympic sport come 2036. Ansel’s sure he’d win it. 

Elsie crawls on turbo speed and stands like a pro. She’s even climbed up the whole basement stairs! She talking up a storm and likes to empty the bottom rack of the dishwasher. 

Ian helps make all kinds of goodies in the kitchen. He can crack eggs all by himself. He likes to build Legos using “constructions.”

Ollie breaks his wrist while ice skating (dang it!). But he’s learning to deal with difficulty and have patience. He even got a picture of the full moon through his telescope one handed. 

Onward and upward for the new year. Let’s sing a tune in the karaoke microphone! 🎤 

Checking out the Great Conjunction on Winter Solstice

Yesterday, Jupiter and Saturn came so very close to each other during their orbits you could see them together in the field of view of a telescope. The event was rare. The planets haven’t been so close and easily viewed for hundreds of years. 

We joined others to look at the scene through a telescope. In the photo below, Jess and the boys (with masks) are looking at the view on the screen. A kind gent (in the Santa hat) had set up the view for all with his telescope. 

We then focused on the view with our binoculars. 

We got a shot, but an unsteady one. We needed a tripod!

It was a fun night to do something different this Christmas break week and experience the vastness of the universe. 

If you see this post now (or during the rest of December), you can still see the two planets close together in the southwest part of the horizon. You don’t need a telescope or binoculars. Neat!

Big Tree, Feeling Christmas-y

Cheers to my neighbor who drove by, said hello, and took a photo after she noticed how little I looked as I trimmed the branches of this magnificent tree. 

Isn’t it a perfectly imperfect humongous Christmas tree? I love the refuge this tree gives to my house, my yard, my kids, and the little quail families that we see each year. I love the enormity of it. I love this tree. 

Want a good laugh?

If you want a good laugh, open up Amazon and go to holiday movies, then read the synopsis of each one. You're welcome.

Nine months

This girl has been growing and discovering the world now for just as long as she was growing in my belly. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it’s amazing how quickly children develop. This little one is a little scientist, exploring and observing it all. Today she was saying “ba, ba” and Jess said, “Try saying ‘da, da’.” She then followed up with “da, da.” I was amazed! Then Jess said, “Say, ‘ma, ma’.” And she did that too! Good job Elsie! She’s said these words before, but I was just impressed that she followed along to what Jess was doing. Very cool. 

She is the sweetest and we love her so. She crawls on turbo speed. She is very ticklish. She prefers to play where everyone else is. And her favorite food is peaches. 

We can’t get enough of her cuteness and fun personality. 

Trying

Have you ever had a conversation with your child and during it you just can’t believe what your kids are doing, saying, thinking about, dealing with, processing, and experiencing? It can be good, bad, sad, enlightening, surprising, amazing, wonderful! 

Lately, I’ve been caught off guard, in a good way, with the things my kids are doing and thinking about. One child in particular is really working on being kind to everyone these days. He says it can be a challenge, but he is succeeding and reaching out. And last night at dinner as we talked about it, he said it made him feel good. 

I once read a blog that said a middle schooler came home and lamented to her mother that she didn’t have any friends. Her mother gave her some advice. She told her to look for someone in her class that was worse off than her and to make friends with that person. The middle schooler went back to school and made friends with a very shy girl. They become good friends and have been best friends ever since. These friends are now in their 70s. Yes!

My mother once asked a women, who was young, vibrant, and very different than most in the congregation at church, if she’d like to join the choir. My mother mentioned that she loved this woman’s singing voice and would enjoy having her as a strong soprano in the choir. “It’s a lot of fun,” my mom continued, “and something we’d love to have you be a part of.” This women answered in the affirmative and then broke down a bit and said, “You are the first person to invite me to anything in this neighborhood, thank you.” An invitation like this can make all the difference. 

I’ve had many examples in my life of people who are kind. I am so grateful to them and I try to emulate them each day. Sometimes I falter, but I’m trying, and that’s what matters. And that’s what I tell my kids. Try! No one’s going to be disappointed by someone who does.