advent

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

and the government shall be upon his shoulder,

and his name shall be called

Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Of the increase of his government and of peace

there will be no end,

on the throne of David and over his kingdom,

to establish it and to uphold it

with justice and with righteousness

from this time forth and forevermore.

The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this.

Isaiah 9:6-7 (ESV)

The advent wreath is one of our favorite advent traditions, one we love sharing with our littles. This evening we darkened the lamps and then lit the first candle on our family's advent wreath. Our devotions went the way of most things at the circus -- a little good listening, a little running around, a little bit of something in between. But the girls loved the candle flickering in the darkness; even the littlest hearts know that there's something about the light coming into the world -- something amazing, something beautiful, something we need.

The first candle on the advent wreath is traditionally known as the prophecy candle. And so we talked of the prophets. And we talked about waiting. And we talked about Jesus.

This advent I hope to see the miracle of Christmas with fresh, four-year-old eyes, to know the excitement my two-year-old feels at the twinkling lights and decorated tree, to think less of the hustle and bustle, lists and projects. I want to feel my heart full at the very thought of God become man, of eternity's most precious child laid in the straw of a manger, of a God who pursues us across time and through culture to make us his very own.

Thanksgiving Review, in brief.

The chef, who delivered an amazing feast.

The table, complete with Kathleen-made placecards.

The food, which was devoured!

The hungry cousins, waiting for their parents to "make their plates."

Many, many thanks to Auntie Caroline, Uncle Craig, and Baby Emily for hosting us for Thanksgiving. We had lots of fun playing in the backyard, visiting with everyone, and (of course!) eating. Yum!

Gratitude

I would maintain that thanks are the highest form of thought; and that gratitude is happiness doubled by wonder.

~G.K. Chesterton

With great wonder and happiness, we thank the Lord -- this day, especially.

:: For our warm home and warm friends -- for the coziness we sometimes don't even see.

:: For the loved ones with whom we'll celebrate (and likely overeat) today.

:: For the men and women that serve our country and spend today far from their families and loved ones.

:: For our soldier, who is home with us today to pour coffee and orange juice and hold children and remind us how truly blessed we are.

:: For laughing children and their goofy antics.

:: For princesses and superheroes and imaginations that run wild.

:: For creativity. (Even when that makes a mess.)

:: For delicious, chubby babies and healthy children.

:: For hugs and kisses and snuggles shared between siblings. (And for the occasionally ferocious defense, "Don't do that to my sister!" or "That's my brother!" lobbed at a careless playmate.)

:: For the opportunity to share our bounty with others. For the joy that comes with giving.

Delivering our boxes for Operation Christmas Child. We learned that our boxes are bound for children in Peru, the Philippines, Mongolia, Indonesia, or China. (Incidentally, if you meant to pack a box for Operation Christmas Child, but missed national drop off week, it might not be too late! Certain cities across the country will have drop-off locations through December 10th -- some even through December 31st. Check here for details.)

:: For grace. For truth. For the One who came, full of both. (John 1:14)

:: For our friends and family, near and far. We wish you the happiest of days, the awareness of how blessed we truly are, and the knowledge of the One who gives all things.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Daddy-Daughter Day

Last week we planned a trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium. They girls had been asking to go for some time, and we were hoping to catch up with the Starlings, who now live in Monterey.

However, the days leading up to our great aquarium adventure were particularly sleepless for Indy. For whatever reason, he had not been sleeping well at night. Consequently, neither had Mama. Bleary-eyed, we were second-guessing the wisdom of a (relatively) big adventure.

Enter Daddy the hero. He offered to take the girls for a special Daddy-Daughter Day while Mama and Indy stuck to Indy's "normal" napping schedule. Genius! Everyone was happy about that plan!

The girls couldn't wait to get to the aquarium.

Apparently, Kathleen was confident in her map-reading abilities -- and led her sister to the fun!

Monterey is gorgeous. The girls spent some time outside, admiring the bay.

They were able to connect with the Starlings, and Sammy and our girls explored together.

The girls posed for the obligatory seashell photo. Aren't they cute?

After a full morning of fun at the aquarium, and a tasty lunch at the aquarium cafe, Daddy and his daughters headed home.

Well, not quite.

What's an adventure with Daddy without a stop for ice cream? The world may never know...

Yum! Sweet memories!

A donut debacle and donut deliciousness

It happened several weeks ago now. We were pressed and dressed for Sunday worship, loaded in the van. Diaper bags and backpacks were loaded with all the necessities. And, speaking of necessitites, I'd managed not only to pour myself coffee, but also to bring it. Even more astonishingly, we were early. I felt rather proud of us.

It lasted for about two minutes.

Because as we were cruising out the front gate, we realized we had a flat tire. I had hopped out to confirm our technical difficulty, and when I climbed back Jim said, "Yup, I see now. The tire pressure light is on." I leaned across to look at the dash and gulped. That light had been on the day before -- as I drove down to San Jose to buy new diaper covers and back up to Palo Alto to take Maddie to the doctor. I had thought it was because our van was due for service. And I'd completely ignored it. If I'd given it a second thought, if I'd mentioned it to Jim, we might have been able to avoid our little Sunday morning debacle. I felt a bit sick about my stupidity, but I fessed up and Jim -- graciously -- chuckled.
We parked our hobbled auto in a parking lot just off post and got to work. Not having ever had a flat tire on the minivan, we weren't exactly sure where to find everything. I tried to redeem myself by checking the owner's manual (and sipping my coffee) while Jim poked around the trunk. He found the jack and that other good stuff, but not the tire. He set to work on the flat, while I hunted down the spare. A quick glance at the owner's manual revealed that the tire was under one of the passenger seats. So, once I had unloaded the littles onto a picnic blanket on the asphalt, I started pulling out Indy's carseat. From the diagram, it appeared that the tire was under the seat, so I assumed we'd have to remove the carseat and the seat itself. Once I got the carseat out, I consulted the manual again, only to realize that the tire is on the other side of the car. Whoops. I left Indy's seat (with Indy in it, incidentally, well, until it nearly tipped over backwards; then we moved him to the stroller) on the ground, and took out Madeline's seat, instead. Now certain that I was working on the right side of the car, I worked on moving the seat itself. When it didn't seem intuitive, I checked the manual again. It was at this point that I realized that the tire drops out the bottom of the van; I didn't need to remove any seats at all. Whoops.

Our circus, semi-contained.

At that point, I bowed out. Laughing, I took my seat next to the kids on the blanket, alternately explaining what had happened and what Daddy was doing, and singing songs to try to keep them on the blanket and out of traffic.

Almost on the road again...

Fortunately, Jim had much more success than I had, and in relatively short order (you know, within about 45 minutes, give or take) we were on the road again. As we drove, we talked about the best course of action. We had a church meeting later that night, and we were pretty sure that we couldn't make it that far on the donut. We stopped by the dealership, but they were closed for service. By the time we got to our morning service we'd missed most of the sermon, but we were there. Not wanting to test the speed or distance limits on the spare, we benched the van for the rest of the day, driving around with the five of us in a Nissan Versa, which was its own hilarity. (New discovery: you can fit two carseats and a booster in the back of a hatchback, but you do have to close the door very deliberately.)

Anyway, I offer that (ahem, lengthy) story as background. Last week, Kathleen was sitting at the table after her nap, snacking on some apples, when she asked, "Mama, why do people sometimes call tires, donuts?"

I started talking about how it's a silly name, but that we could probably think of some reasons. I offered that spare tires are a bit smaller than regular tires, and then decided to go for the most obvious explanation, "Well, they're the same shape as donuts, aren't they?"

Kathleen looked at me blankly.

And I started to describe the shape of a tire when I realized the disconnect. "Hey, sweetie, do you know what a donut is?" I asked.

For some reason, she did not. I know. I don't know what we're teaching our kids, but they're missing the good stuff.

I explained that donuts are tasty treat -- a bit like bagels, but more like cake. And Kathleen's eyes twinkled and she said, "You know, Mama, I think we should go try some donuts."

I agreed.

So this Saturday morning we all headed on a little trip to Stan's, the local glazed donut mecca. We'd heard rave reviews and we didn't mind the opportunity to test it out. It did not disappoint.

We got there around eight thirty in the morning and there was a line out the door. We didn't mind waiting. We took photos.

See, we really look like a circus when we travel. Kathleen's wearing her brother's glasses, and Madeline's wearing her cape.

More proof that we cannot take a photograph with everyone looking at the camera.

And when we were inside, we discovered that there was a 20 minute wait for the glazed donuts. Novices that we were, we opted for cake donuts (Kathleen was very specific about wanting sprinkles) and ordered a dozen glazed to take to our friends, at their request. We sat at the old school counter and enjoyed the tasty treats.

Completely delighted. And how perfect is that shirt? Nan got it for her when she heard the donut story...

But when twenty minutes were up, our donuts were delivered, and we were in awe. Next time we're not messing with cake donuts, sprinkles or no.

We'd already laid claim to our one.

Our friends only got eleven of their dozen donuts. And they were lucky to get that...

We're already trying to come up with an excuse to visit Stan's again. We're open to just about any reason -- but we'd rather not have to use a donut on the van again. But hey, at least we know where it is now. The tire, that is. And Stan's, too.

A Saturday at Stanford

Last Saturday (a Saturday in which it was more pleasant to be a Cardinal than the Fighting Irish), the circus headed to campus for a bit of tailgating with friends in Daddy's department. The day was cool but clear -- perfect for a late morning cookout.

Madeline made her own game on the lawn in front of Encina Hall. (We find it useful to travel with a ball. Instant fun!)

Maybe we'll train her to be a kicker.

Daddy and some colleagues faced off in an everlasting game of beanbag tossing. No, really, beanbag tossing.

Too good for his own good.

Daddy proved a little too good at it. He kept going over the top score of 21, which sent him back down to 15 again. And again. And again. No one could believe how long he and his opponent played! The kiddos, full of hamburgers, sausages, and chips, didn't seem to mind.

An enthusiastic fan. In boots.

As she watched, Kathleen would cheer "Yay!" when Daddy did well, and "Ooo!" when he missed. "Mama," she observed, "I'm just like in Robin Hood!" And, indeed, her cheers were just like those of the crowd at the archery competition in the Disney animated version of Robin Hood. (Robin Hood has been a favorite for our Friday pizza-movie-picnic night for a couple months now. Good thing you can keep those Netflix movies for as long as you'd like...)

Not surprisingly, Indy wasn't as interested in the bean bag toss. He was much more interested in the paper plates that had held his sisters' lunch. We go all out on toys.

A kiss from a fair maiden.

In the end, Daddy lost his game of bean bags. Our children were not discouraged. They were just happy to be at a "party" in the sunshine.

"Look, Mama! I'm making a grass angel!"

By then, the game was about to begin, so Mama and Indy and Maddie headed home for naps. Daddy took his "big girl" to the game with him. Kathleen was so proud to able to go with her Daddy. She wasn't particularly interested in the football (a trait we suspect she may have inherited from her mother), but she did like the band, and the cheerleaders ("dancing girls"), and the mascot ("that dancing tree"), and especially the churro Daddy got her. Since we forgot to send the camera with Daddy, we don't have any pictures of the two of them at the game. But you can see her and Daddy in the (ridiculously expensive) photos (we won't buy) from the photo vendor at the game...

We all had a great Saturday morning. And Kathleen can't wait to go to another game!

It might be unpacked, but it won't be used . . . yet

This week I finally got around to unpacking the boxes that -- almost four years ago -- we'd left in storage when we departed Kentucky for Hawaii. The boxes were delivered ages ago, but they've been neglected, untouched, in our (over-packed) garage since they arrived.

In a flurry of activity this week, the Salvation Army came and hauled away much of what we didn't need (like those blue Ikea sofas from Germany -- ah, the memories!), Nan and Grandpa came to assemble shelves organizing what was left, and Mama finally broke down the last of the storage boxes.

One of those storage boxes was filled with winter clothes (we didn't need those in Hawaii!). The girls were fascinated by our collection of hats, scarves, gloves, and hats. They put them to good use, and quickly! Kathleen piled on two hats, even. I'm not sure how she managed it in the warm fall weather.

The best part? The girls' fascination with the windshield scraper... (That's what Kathleen's holding in her right hand, there.) After they'd toted it around all morning, I finally asked, "Do you know what that is, girls?" And when they said no, I explained its use.

"Oh," said Kathleen right away, "For ice. We should take that with us to South Dakona (South Dakota)!"

Or to New York. The winter of 2011 should be a bit of a shock for all us...

She's a feisty little sister.

She runs and plays with the big kids. She believes she's a big kid, I just know it. She and her sister concoct elaborate imaginary events -- trips on airplanes, rescues of their friends, 99 course dinners cooked at their wooden kitchen. They are equal parts best friends and archenemies, reluctant to be separated, but as inclined to hug as they are to squabble.

She'll stand her ground. Maybe even steal some, if you're not paying attention.

She's not afraid of . . anything. Well, certainly not afraid of getting hurt. Possibly afraid of "scary" noises and "scary" Halloween decorations and certainly needing a bit of reassurance in the middle of the night.

She sings at the top of her lungs -- the Notre Dame Victory March, children's songs, hymns from church.

She begs to be tickled, her laughter spilling over into otherwise ordinary days.

And she's fiercely, fiercely, protective of her baby brother -- hopelessly in love with "her baby." She races to get him when he wakes, to soothe him when he cries, to fetch him toys and teethers and treats (rice rusks).

What a blessing to watch a little sister become a big sister.

Princesses, fairies, and dragons -- oh, my!

Kathleen announced this afternoon that Halloween is her favorite holiday. While that's got some theological implications we can't really support, we've got to admit that we had a lot of fun!

We spent the evening with Kathleen and Madeline's good friend Audrey, her parents, and her baby sister Vivienne. We spent the first part of the evening trying to encourage our girls to eat the (reasonably) healthy ravioli we prepared for dinner, and the last part of the evening discouraging them from eating too much candy. In between? We delighted in their delight!

Since I forgot to get pictures until it was dark, the picture isn't particularly good. You can see, though, that our friend Audrey was Tinkerbell, Kathleen was Snow White, Madeline was Cinderella, and John David rounded out the group as the dragon (he's a bit too small to be the prince -- and a dragon gets to roar!). Nan and Grandpa had taken our girls to the Disney store as a surprise several weeks ago and let the girls choose their costumes. I've felt a bit guilty about not making their costumes (look, I never said I wasn't crazy), but the girls were (and are) so pleased and so excited about their princess dresses that I've mostly made peace with it. Plus, I thought it was particularly cute to see the three girls in their glittery Disney costumes.

Anyway, once we'd finished torturing our children with things like dinner and photographs, we turned them loose to trick or treat. We could hardly keep up with them!

The three friends ran and laughed, chirped "trick-or-treat, thank you, happy Halloween!" more times than I can count, and brought home an astonishing amount of candy. It was a magical night that we were blessed to share with friends.

Disappointed by my blurry nighttime Halloween photographs, I convinced our princesses and dragon to pose for me again the next afternoon. (To be fair, we didn't have to do too much convincing! In fact, the girls stayed in their dresses when we went out to dinner later that night, amusing the other diners, who only wear costumes on Halloween.)

Cinderella is clutching her skirt here (nice slippers, huh?) because the dragon kept trying to eat it.

So, our dragon.

And then Cinderella.

Snow White was "too busy" to stand around for extra photos, but she cheerfully participated in the group attempts. They went just about as well as they ever do... and that's really fine by us. That's just life at the circus!