Miscellaneous Christmas Memories

Daddy, Kathleen, and Madeline were Christmas shopping at Target earlier this week.

"What do you think we should get for Mama, Kathleen?" Daddy asked.  They happened to be cruising by the pet food aisle.

"Dog food," Kathleen answered.

"Oh, honey, I don't think Mama would want any dog food,"  Daddy replied, "What would Mama do with dog food?"

"Give it to my dog.  My dog Tutu."

Kathleen has no dog.  She does, however, watch the Veggie Tales version of the prodigal son, called the "Wizard of Has." (Yes, it's based on the Wizard of Oz.)  In that movie, the main character, Darby, has a pet pig named Tutu.  Apparently Kathleen wants one, too.  Santa is not planning on bringing a dog or a potbelly pig.  Christmas might be a bit of a letdown. . . 

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On the 23rd we had an unexpected power outage.  It was a strange sort of power outage -- there wasn't a storm, and it affected only our little housing area.  Although all the houses were without power, we could see street lights and barracks lit only a few blocks away.  Rumor had it that there was some sort of fire near the main gate, but that was only rumor.  Anyway, just as we'd gotten the girls to bed and were about to begin some Christmas preparation, the lights went out.  Rats!

We weren't about let a little darkness deter us, so Daddy set about assembling the girls' Christmas gift (a play kitchen) by candlelight.  Good thing we have lots of candles at our house!  My camera (or its operator) wasn't smart enough to really capture the moment -- either the flash lights the entire room, or all you see is candles. . . but we couldn't resist recording the moment.

Nothing can stop Santa's workshop!

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Traveling and sickness put us a little behind in some of our normal Christmas preparation and celebration, so Mama cheated a bit.  We noticed the gingerbread house kits for sale at Trader Joe's and decided they were made for us.  (The kits were strategically placed next to the chocolate covered peppermint sandwich cookies -- how could we resist either?)

Daddy and the girls assembled the kit on Christmas Eve morning.  Everyone had their hand in it.

Of course, when Madeline had had enough of decorating, she was up to her usual antics.

It might possibly be the world's least attractive gingerbread house, but we're strangely fond of it...

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Last year we explained how we do a "German" celebration each Christmas Eve, feasting on some of our favorite German treats -- bratwurst, kaesespaetzle (cheese noodles), gurkensalat (cucumber salad), rolls, German beer and spiced wine, cookies and chocolate. We continued that tradition this year. We were surprised and delighted to find that, if you can't be in Germany, Mountain View is a great place to have such a celebration.

We found not only a legitimately German bakery for our rolls and pretzels, but a butcher shop that carried fresh Nurnberger and Thuringer bratwurst. In fact, the butcher shop might be a new favorite of ours; along the back wall they carried all sorts of German foods we normally couldn't find. We splurged on two new jars of senf (mustard) and Kindereggs for the girls. (If we hadn't already gotten the spaetzle at the commissary, we could have purchased it there.)  Oh, and we heard more German spoken while waiting in line at the butcher shop than we've heard since we've gotten back to the states. It was a bit of trip! We found Kinderpunsch (the non-alcoholic alternative to spiced wine, which is perfect since Mama's the one who actually likes to drink that stuff) at CostPlus World Market, along with cookies and chocolates.

We weren't the only ones excited about the German goodies.  Madeline couldn't even wait for dinner.  She swiped a big, fresh roll right off the table!

:: :: :: :: :: :: ::

And one other teensy clip of Christmas cuteness we found impossible to resist.  (It's only a movie because we didn't manage a photo in the 4 seconds she had the thing on...)

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

A Big, Big Third Birthday

We're not going to lie.  With Kathleen as sick as she'd been the week leading up to her birthday, Mama and Daddy seriously considered skipping the birthday.  Not skipping it forever, of course, but just not mentioning it until we all got home and everyone could handle some excitement.  We were afraid that Kathleen would be overwhelmed by gifts and excited cousins.  And since we couldn't get her to eat much of anything, cake didn't seem like it would hold much appeal for her.  As if all that weren't enough, we were also hoping that we'd be able to travel from Kewanee to Dwight that day, giving us a chance to visit the Stewarts and reduce our travel time the next day, when we'd fly home.  A big day, lots of excitement?  We were more than a little wary.  But just when we were about to call off the celebration, Kathleen rallied.  She wasn't completely better, but she was well enough that we thought we'd give it a try.

The day started off with presents and pancakes -- enjoyed in pajamas, no less!  Before we knew it, the cousins had to head out for basketball games and other obligations.  We did manage a birthday snapshot before we scattered, though.

After we'd gotten dressed and mostly packed, Grandma and Grandpa Golby dropped by, and Kathleen opened yet another present...

And then we were the ones who had to run.  The roads weren't great, so our trip to Dwight took a little longer than normal.  By the time we arrived, the birthday girl was a little, shall we say, borderline?  A little snuggling helped us hold it together for a bit...

And then somehow Kathleen hung on for even more celebration, complete with cousins, presents, and a make-your-own birthday pizza. 

(The pizza may have been a little more consistently smiley than Kathleen...)

And her very own birthday cake.  The cake and candles and crown could make almost any child grin!

And with a little help, Kathleen blew out her candles.

After the cake and presents and such a big, big day, Kathleen was done. And we mean done.  There was simply no more she could handle.  But after some snuggling, a reading of Angelina's Birthday, some singing, a great deal of blanket rearranging, and lots and lots of luck, Kathleen eventually ended her day. What a big third birthday! 

Kathleen, we love you even more today than when we first met you three years ago, something that simply didn't seem possible at the time.  We are constantly amazed by the way you grow and learn, and by the intelligent, articulate, sweet, and determined little girl you are becoming.  You bring us joy, sweetheart, and we can't wait to see the adventures that the next year will bring.  Happy Birthday, little one!

Minding Madeline

While Kathleen was sick Mama and Daddy had to divide their energies.  While one person comforted Kathleen, the other was in charge of minding Madeline.  Our hope was that we'd be able to keep Madeline happy, while still keeping her far, far, far from Kathleen's germs.  This was a daunting task because Kathleen is probably Madeline's favorite person in the world.  Madeline normally runs to wake Kathleen in the morning, and she's always eager to follow her big sister, to play with or near her big sister.  Separating the girls is always hardest on little Madeline, but we knew we had to do it.

Fortunately for us, Madeline never got has not yet gotten Kathleen's terrible influenza virus.  (It's not clear whether that was a result of our diligence in separating the girls or the flu shot that Madeline had gotten, but Kathleen had not, but whatever.  We're just glad it stopped there.  And let's hope I didn't just jinx us.)  We were also fortunate on a couple other counts, too.

1.  Madeline does a good job of entertaining herself.  

Case in point: the arrival of a large box of popcorn.  It's not that Madeline wanted the contents of the box (though she does enjoy popcorn -- carefully supervised, of course).  She was completely content to play with the box itself.

First, it provided the perfect place to read a book.  Who'd have known?

And after she'd finished reading, she'd just climb up to play.  Socks are a good toy, too, you know.

2.  Cousins provide endless hours of entertainment.

The girls' cousins were great about playing with Madeline.  They'd play ball with her, or read her stories, and just follow her around the house, following her little commands and making sure she didn't get herself into too much trouble.

When school was cancelled Friday due to a major ice storm, Madeline also found lots of entertainment in watching her cousins play in the snow.  We bundled up and sat on the porch, taking in the wintertime fun.  That's not something Madeline had ever seen before!

Madeline was very tentative in the snow. She didn't bound after her cousins as she normally would -- she went only as far as the front walk.  

We'd have encouraged Madeline venture out into the snow more, and certainly have sent her on a sledding run with her careful cousins, but because of the ice storm the snow was hard and slippery -- not exactly toddler friendly.  Maybe another time. For now, our girl was perfectly happy to watch -- and we were just happy that minding Madeline wasn't nearly as difficult as it could have been!

What a sweet little snow girl!

And Then Our Luck Ran Out

When our luck ran out, it ran out abruptly.

Our charmed visit to Illinois took a turn for the disastrous in the middle of Saturday night.  I suppose it was really Sunday morning, if you want to be technical.  But then, I'm not particularly good at being technical that time of night.

Kathleen woke, frantic and sick, a little after one.  She was up the rest of the night, crying and vomiting, before falling into a restless sleep just before six.  We carefully plied her with sips of ginger ale, a couple popsicles, and more than a handful of Disney movies the next day.

When she was vomiting again on Monday morning we decided to take her into the ER to be checked out.  (We'd called Tricare to see if we could take her to a pediatrician in the area, but since there weren't any pediatricians in the Tricare network in our area, they suggested we take her to the ER.)  Kathleen was a trooper at the ER, even giving some blood without much complaint.  In fact, she seemed to perk up while she was out.  The doctor at the ER reported that it was probably just a virus and that we should give her lots of fluids and let her eat whatever she wanted.  Her blood counts were fine.  She wasn't running a temperature.  She seemed pretty cheery, all things considered.  If she vomited again, we'd have to bring her back to the hospital.  But they thought things looked good.  We sighed with relief.

Only, our relief was premature.  Although Kathleen did not throw up again, she woke the next morning with a fever.  She was weak and weepy, much more so than she'd been the day before.  And she seemed a little worse on Wednesday, even.  By Thursday morning we decided that, insurance or no, we'd take her to a pediatrician.  And so we did.

Good thing, too.  When we got her there Kathleen's temperature was over 103 degrees, even though we'd already given her tylenol.  Poor child!

The doctor (who was wonderful, by the way) said that she believed Kathleen had influenza.  She also had the beginning of an ear infection.  So the doctor sent us home with some Motrin and a prescription for an antibiotic.  We're just hoping that the medicine will work its magic -- healing our daughter's body and her sad little disposition.

Now we're just two days from leaving Illinois, and aside from that first day, all we've done is nurse a sick toddler.  Mercifully, no one else has gotten terribly sick.  Madeline has, thus far, evaded the influenza, suffering only from a nasty cold.  Mama and Daddy are weathering just fine, too.  So our luck could have been worse... but it could have been a lot better, too!

Cavorting with Cousins

Our visit to the Land of Lincoln got off to an amazing start.  Our little circus left for Illinois on a Friday -- before holiday air traffic got too congested.  (We had decided to spend about ten days in Illinois, allowing us to visit family and return home to California before Christmas.  A little unorthodox, but then, so are we.)  The girls behaved beautifully on the flight to Chicago, which came complete with a stop in Denver.  Kathleen and Madeline were so good!  They really exceeded our wildest expectations.  And when we arrived in Chicago we were met by Aunt Marg at the baggage claim, while Uncle Craig circled in the van.  Our suitcases were among the first to appear on the carousel, so we were out and loaded into the van in record time.  Unparalleled success!

We arose the next morning and hit the road again.  We drove into the Quad Cities, where cousin Lizzy had a basketball game.  We travelled with Lizzy, Ali, and Aunt Marg.  Uncle Craig and Matt joined us later that morning.  (We'd had to miss Matt's game, but we planned to see another later in the week.)  By sheer luck, cousin Sarah also had an event in the Quad Cities that day -- a gymnastics meet that evening.  She was with her parents, Uncle Eric and Aunt Katherine, and her brother and sister, Ethan and Melissa.  Knowing that everyone else was there, too, Aunt Angela and her fiance came to join the fun.  Everyone in one place.  Hooray!

For a variety of reasons, Aunt Katherine, Uncle Eric, Ethan, and Sarah weren't able to join us, but everyone else went out to lunch after the basketball game.  It was cold and windy in the Cities that day, so we were all bundled up.  

We just love that hat!

From lunch, we divided up into two groups. Mama, Aunt Marg, and Aunt Angela went to peruse wedding dresses. The rest of the group headed for a place called Jungle Bungle. I'd never heard of such a place, but it is a child's dream come true, especially on a wintery day.

From all reports, everyone -- from toddler to teen -- had a great time.

When tiredness began to catch up with little Maddie, Matt sweetly offered her a bear he'd won. It cheered her some, even if it doesn't look it here!

After the afternoon's exercise for the kids, we briefly hit the mall for some last-minute Christmas shopping before racing to Sarah's gymnastics meet.  We didn't take any photos there (we didn't want to distract anyone -- well, that and we were pretty busy wrangling some wired toddlers), but Sarah did a great job, taking third place in her age division!  We weren't able to stay to see the awards ceremony, since we'd already headed home to put some tired, tired girls to bed.  We're awfully proud of her, though.

What a first day!

Watch Out Illinois, Here We Come!

The girls, all prepared for their big trip to the cold, cold midwest.

I'd thought about posting that the girls had emptied their piggybanks and come to see if they could buy a Senate seat... But that would be a little silly.  We all know why neither Kathleen nor Madeline could wait to come to Illinois: COUSINS!

More on our adventures in the land of Lincoln to follow...

Trimming the Tree

Once Daddy finished his exams, our circus spent a sweet afternoon trimming our Christmas tree.  The girls were very excited.  They could hardly wait for Daddy to get home -- they kept prying the top off the Christmas storage container all morning long.

But eventually, Daddy arrived, and the festivities began.  We popped some popcorn, heated some cider, played some carols, and began unwrapping ornaments.

Kathleen took her task very seriously. She was careful to place her ornaments in precisely the right place. Usually, she'd set three or four ornaments in the same, "perfect" spot.

Madeline was excited, too. She just seemed to be more excited about the popcorn than the tree!

When every ornament had been placed, Kathleen and Daddy set the angel on top of the tree.

And then we all settled onto the sofa, turned off the lights, and basked in the tree's beauty.   For about two minutes.   And then our girls were off and running again.  But it was a beautiful, peaceful moment -- the perfect ending to a fun afternoon!

A Holiday Treat

Madeline met peppermint ice cream this week. It's one of Mama's favorite holiday treats, and Madeline seemed to enjoy it, too.

She scraped the very last bits from her bowl.

And sweetly signed, "More?"

And then she thrust her bowl out in front of her. "More, please?"

Now Mama has a second reason to buy peppermint ice cream!

Crazy Christmas Crafting

In case anyone is in need of a last-minute Christmas project, I thought I'd share a few of the things I've been working on (and actually completed) lately.  (It's becoming all too clear that my first attempt at knitting cables -- a lovely, green scarf -- won't be finished in time for Christmas.  Rats!)

A quilt.  Not exactly a quick gift for Christmas, but perfect for your sweet sister's first baby...  I'd been saving a set of particularly cute fat quarters for just the right occasion, and this was definitely it!  I can't wait to meet my new little niece (as soon as she's born, sometime in the new year).

A few lined zipper pouches, using the tutorial I found here.  The zipper pouches have been great for a number of people.  They come together quickly, and they're great for working down my embarrassingly large fabric stash.  They're also great when you just can't avoid giving a gift card -- a personal addition to an otherwise impersonal gift.

A lovely little crayon roll-up, using the tutorial here.  No photo, but I tell you, it has been a hit with Kathleen.  She likes sliding the crayons in their little slots.  I like that it's a whole lot cuter and more durable than the plastic baggie I've been using...

A felt crown for a little friend's third birthday.  I had to send away for the felt (I couldn't find a good local source), but once I had the felt, it was a piece of cake.  I used the tutorial I found here.

Another birthday goodie -- a birthday t-shirt.  This one is for a certain, special little girl whose third birthday is rapidly approaching.  She'll be sporting a matching felt crown, and I assure you that there will be plenty of photos of that.

That was a flurry of fabric!  But it was a lot of fun!

And Now, a Word from Our Sponsor

For those of you not familiar with Army-speak, Daddy is the sponsor of our little circus. He's the one that matters for most things Army-related. (There's no way to count the number of times I've had to answer the question "Last four of the sponsor's social?" I think I know his social security number better than I know my own!) Anyway, we thought we'd let Daddy deliver this little update.


We are pleased to announce that, come April, Indiana Jones Golby will be joining our family!

(If you weren't entirely clear, we're expecting a boy! And we won't name him Indiana. At least I hope not.)

Conversations with Kathleen

One of our favorite people recently passed the California bar exam, so Mama and the girls drove up to Oakland last week to see the swearing-in ceremony. (Sadly, Daddy had class, so he missed out on the fun.) While this was a bit of a trip down memory lane for Mama, it was all new to the girls. On the drive, Kathleen and I talked all about being a lawyer and about all the steps it takes to become a lawyer: a lot of going to school, taking a really big, hard test, and then getting sworn in. I told Kathleen that the swearing-in part is called "being admitted to the bar." Kathleen knew that we'd go to a big room, a number of people would talk, and then all the new lawyers would stand up, hold up their right hands, and make some important promises. And then we'd go out to lunch.

All set. Right?

We were walking into the auditorium, Madeline on my hip, Kathleen holding my hand, when Kathleen asked, "Mama? Where are the rings he has to reach for?"

We stopped, and I looked down at her perplexed little face.

"Rings?" I repeated. And then the light dawned. Kathleen had heard "bar." She immediately thought of the bars and the rings at the park. That's what she thought she'd see. I think the speakers were a bit of a letdown.

And although Kathleen might have been disappointed, our new lawyer was most decidedly relieved that the swearing-in was not to be held, as he put it, American Gladiator style!

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A morning of running errands had somehow run into the afternoon. Half an hour from home, it became obvious that we'd simply have to stop somewhere for lunch. Neither Mama nor the girls could make it much longer without food.

Slowly cruising through a shopping center, Kathleen and I discussed our options. (Madeline's pretty easy-going and a lot less verbal, so she's not currently consulted about these decisions. That's going to last for another couple months, tops.) We'd been leaning towards some Jamba Juice and a sandwich when Kathleen changed her mind. She spotted a brightly colored fast-food restaurant that we'd never tried before and asked to go. Feeling adventurous and very hungry, we were inside and had ordered in a flash.

I set the girls at a table with their food while I ran to fill our drinks. When I'd come back, no one had been able to keep from tasting their food. Still, I asked Kathleen if she'd pray for us.

"Dear God," she prayed, "Thank you for our lunch, but I don't like my cheeseburger. Amen."

I had to laugh. And once I'd taken a bite, I had to agree. It was a pretty awful cheeseburger. Thank goodness for the side orders of corn!

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Over the weekend we were blessed to have some family visit California from the East Coast. Mama's cousins Katherine and Diane, and her aunt (and godmother!) Ellen were staying with Nan and Grandpa, but they drove to our house Saturday for lunch.

After our meal, we were sitting and visiting in the living room, while Kathleen and Madeline ran in and out, showing off toys and talking to "Mama's friends." Eventually Kathleen began singing. We'd told our family about how much Kathleen likes to sing, and we'd mentioned some of the songs she normally likes to sing.

"Could you sing Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star for us, Kathleen?" my aunt asked sweetly.

"No." replied Kathleen flatly, "It's not in my heart."

A Lesson for Advent

This weekend we surprised Kathleen and Madeline with a special advent gift -- a Playmobile nativity set. The girls were delighted with it! Mama and Daddy were pretty excited, too. As we opened the set, we were able to talk about each of the characters -- Mary, Joseph, the shepherds, the angels, the wisemen, and, of course, the baby Jesus. We talked about the whole Christmas story, which is just what we had hoped would happen.

Actually, we had a lot of time to talk. The set is amazingly detailed and has more pieces than we'd care to count. We painstakingly matched the characters to their accessories (thank goodness they came with directions!) and then arranged them in the little paper stable that came with the set.


I left Kathleen with the completely assembled toy while I took Madeline upstairs for her morning nap. Once I'd gotten Madeline settled (a process that takes only a few minutes), I returned downstairs to find a bit of a disaster. It looked as though the figures had been decapitated!

Feeling a little concerned (is that a normal response to a new toy?) and a bit irritated (it really had taken a while to assemble), I tried to remind myself that Kathleen isn't yet three. So what if she took it apart? How else would a toddler play with a nativity?

"Wow," I said, "What happened to everyone?"

"Everyone gived their crown to baby Jesus and his mommy," she explained.

I gasped. And then I saw. Everything -- every cloak, every hat, every accessory (including, ahem, everyone's hair) was, indeed, arrayed before the infant King.


Who'd have thought the one giving the Advent lessons would be our toddler?

[They] fall down before him who sits on the throne,
and worship him who lives for ever and ever.
They lay their crowns before the throne and say:
You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.
Rev. 4:10-11

Happy Thanksgiving

We've had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day, brimming with things for which we are thankful.

• Our little circus is all together. That hasn't always been the case for us, and we know it isn't for many of the military families we know and love. We're thankful for them and for their service.
  
  
• A house full of family! We were joined by aunts and uncles and a sweet, sweet little cousin.
  

• Nan and Grandpa came and stayed over last night, which meant Mama and Daddy not only received help in preparing the turkey, but also got a Thanksgiving Eve night out!

• Everyone pitched in to help -- aunts and uncles and grandparents all brought side dishes. (And a ham, too, actually!) Daddy and the girls helped out in the kitchen before they'd even gotten dressed. (I should probably add frozen dinner rolls to the list of things I'm grateful for...)
  
  
  

• An abundance of food. It will be thanksgiving dinner every day for at least a week at our house!
  

• A cool, crisp evening walk -- a family tradition -- after dinner, before dessert. Kathleen was particularly thankful for her indulgent aunts and uncles, who raced with her and even gave her a little swing.

• And, of course, we're thankful for friends and family far and wide. We are thankful for you!
  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.
Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates. Deuteronomy 6:4-9

It's been a rough couple of weeks for our little circus. Nothing catastrophic -- just a long series of annoyances and aggravations. It started with daylight savings time. First Madeline, who normally wakes a little before five, was waking a little before four. And then somehow, when Madeline's sleeping got a bit sorted out, Kathleen wound up miserably over-tired and started skipping her naps, even though she desperately needed them. Since no one was getting the sleep they needed, everyone got sick, and we've been dealing with runny noses and fevers and general unhappiness since then. The long days of studying for Daddy and the long nights with unhappy babes have been peppered with other headaches, too: being rear-ended at a shop (no one got hurt, though, and there really wasn't much damage), a cell phone dropped in the bath tub (which made a miraculous recovery), the death of yet another camera, countless broken dishes, spilled anything and everything (carrot soup, coffee, what hasn't stained our carpet this month?), an un-fixable steam cleaner, shot records lost just before the doctor's appointment... the trivial list could go on and on.

And as petty as the above list is, it can seem all-consuming when you're in the midst of it. And so, these past few weeks, the challenge for me has been to remember what is real, what is true, what is greater than the mundane of details of days that don't go well.

God is sovereign.
God is good.
God is faithful.
God is gracious beyond measure, even to me.

Even when all the petty annoyances seem to indicate the contrary.

And so, these past weeks I've tried to do as God commanded his people in Deuteronomy -- to set His truth and His word before me. I've tried to keep his truths in my heart, to talk about them with the girls. I've tried to remember that He and His love are greater than my circumstances.

And in doing this, I've found myself looking at my own life differently. Not always, not perfectly, but more often I find myself, even in the midst of the chaos and the headaches, seeing His graciousness to me. I've found gratitude, where normally there's only griping. I've found myself grateful in our very messy, less-than-perfect days. Grateful for:

::: The chaotic jumble of toys -- not a condemnation of my housekeeping, but evidence of an afternoon well-played.
::: The miracle of a sick child consoled only in her mama's arms. (You've made me think, Paula, that we'd be surrounded by miracles if we only had the eyes to see them. )
::: The never-thawed supper meat -- an excuse for a treat dinner of blueberry pancakes. Sweet bites and sweet smiles from happy girls.
::: The sweet, unprompted words on a harried, hectic, less-than-patient day -- "You're such good mama, Mama."

And so, I remember. Again.

God is sovereign.
God is good.
God is faithful.
God is gracious beyond measure, even to me.

Even to me.

Christmas is coming...

Each morning this week when I've gone to get Kathleen from her bed, she has asked, "Is it Christmas yet?" She doesn't really know what Christmas is, obviously. She knows it's Baby Jesus' birthday, but I'm pretty sure that's not what's behind her eagerness for Christmas. She's a bit more excited about the Christmas tree advent calendar (she's been asking for it since, well, since we put it away in January) and the nutcrackers and other decorations she has seen in stores. Oh, and there's the small matter of a Christmas tree. She's looking forward to that, too.

Jim and I have talked a lot about what we want the girls to understand about Christmas. We're trying to be careful to buy and make the girls' gifts, and mostly to keep the giving small, so that Christmas doesn't turn into a big display of toddler greediness. We're also working (mostly with Kathleen, though Madeline understands more than we'd realize) on an Operation Christmas Child box for Samaritan's Purse, so the girls will see that Christmas should be about giving. What we really want, though, is for the girls to understand about the real gift of Christmas -- of who He is and what He did and how He has changed everything forever.

It's probably more than we can hope to get across to a couple toddlers, but we'll try anyway.

We'd heard of Advent Conspiracy before, and I'd visited their website, but I hadn't seen this video before today. (I found it on a favorite blog -- Holy Experience.) I wanted to share it with you. I think it does a great job of getting at what we're hoping to do with Christmas. Maybe it's what you want, too?

Good, Old-Fashioned Fun

Sometimes the unplanned activity proves to be as much fun as the planned! (Maybe even more?!)

The quilt off the bed in Madeline's room, draped between the bed and the crib... Some extra quilts, blankets, and pillows... Some extra friends (of the stuffed and wooden varieties)...

An afternoon of fun!

Crafty Fall Fun

We don't get a lot of fall leaves in California. We can occasionally find a red maple or a few other signs of autumn, but our milder weather means we generally don't get the brilliant colors you'd see in other parts of the country. Since the girls and I can't go outside to gather scarlet, brown, gold, and orange leaves, I decided Kathleen and I would just make some -- at least some "stained glass" versions.

Like most projects with a toddler, this one required a fair amount a preparation. Last night I grated crayons. I stood in the kitchen to do that, using a box grater and some broken crayons from our "colors." Jim and some classmates were working on a problem set as I did it; I'm fairly sure they think I'm crazy. (But I do feed them when they come over to work, so at least there's that going for me.) The crayon grating was a bit tedious. It felt like it took forever to get a decent pile of wax shavings in red, orange, yellow, and brown. (If you're thinking about doing this, though, just know that you don't need nearly as much as you'd think!) I left the grated crayons in disposable cups and set about cutting out the black construction paper frames for our stained glass. I cut a half a dozen leaf-shaped frames. We were ready!

I had thought we'd wait to do our project until late morning or even the afternoon, but Kathleen had other ideas. She noticed the cups right away and, once I'd explained what they were for, couldn't wait to get started. And so, as soon as we'd finished breakfast, we started crafts.

I gave Kathleen one of Madeline's baby spoons to scoop the shavings. She set right to work, arranging the colors on pieces of waxed paper.

She was a little tentative at first, but by the end Kathleen was scooping with abandon!

Once Kathleen had the shavings arranged to her liking, she'd hand the waxed paper off to me. I'd lay a warm iron on top of our waxed paper sandwich, melting the crayon shavings inside. Kathleen loved standing next to me, watching the colors spread and change. We don't have any pictures of that, although I wish we did. I just don't have enough hands to use an iron and fend off two inquisitive little girls and use a camera!

When we finished the ironing, Kathleen used a glue stick to prepare the construction paper frame.

After I trimmed up the waxed paper, Kathleen set it inside the frame and pressed it shut. Instant fall color...

What fun!

Time with a book

Madeline takes a break with a book -- the toddler version of quiet time, I suppose. She was reading "The Story of Jesus."

Anyone care to guess what we ate for lunch?

Grilled cheese (a lovely whole wheat bread and nice, thick slices of Colby Jack cheese), green peas, and -- you guessed it -- frozen blueberries!

Conversations with Kathleen: On the Election

It's almost bedtime for Kathleen. Madeline's already asleep, but Kathleen's waiting up to see Daddy when he comes home from school. She's all bathed and dressed in her new fuzzy jammies. We're snuggling under a blanket on the couch. We know Daddy will be home any minute. The television's on in the background, which is unusual. We don't usually watch television in the evening (at least, not until the girls are asleep!), so Kathleen notices it.

"Can I watch some little girl tv, please, Mama?" she asks. (She calls "her" television shows "little girl tv," probably because I so often say, "Oh, no, that's not good for little girls," as I turn off the television.)

I explain that no, we're not going to watch one of her shows, because it's election night. We talked about how, because we're very, very fortunate, we live in a country where everyone can go to vote, and the people who vote choose the next president. And we talk about how the country is so big ("See the map, sweetheart?") that we have to wait to see how everyone voted to know who the president will be.

"What do you think, Kathleen?" I ask, "Who will be the next president?"

"Umm..." she says, squirming to look me in the face, "NOT ME!"

No, sweetheart, definitely not.

Conversations with Kathleen: On Literacy

It's early afternoon and the girls and I are up in the master bedroom. I'm dusting, putting away clean laundry, tidying up. The girls are watching Veggie Tales "Silly Songs." Watching television isn't my first choice for their entertainment, but it's light years ahead of what they'd choose -- wreaking havoc in my bedroom, or theirs. Madeline has recently discovered how to pry the tops off the Rubbermaid containers that house my fabric stash, and she loves to drag the fabrics and notions out of my closet, through my bedroom, and into the hallway. Kathleen, being stronger, can open actual drawers, which is equally problematic. In the interest of actually making some progress at housekeeping, I let them watch a bit of the video while I work.

Larry the cucumber is currently singing an ode to Barbara Manatee, who is apparently a soap opera star. Larry is absolutely devoted to this manatee -- he's watching her on television and dancing about with a small Barbara Manatee toy as he sings, "Barbara Manatee, you are the one for me. Sent from up above, you are the one I love..." In the midst of his singing, Bob the tomato comes crashing into the room.

"Larry... what are you doing?"

"Um... Just watching some TV," Larry stammers.

"Well, maybe you should just read a book."

I seize on the opportunity to talk about reading instead of watching television. "Kathleen," I begin, "What do you think? Is Bob right? Should Larry read a book instead of watching so much television?"

Kathleen doesn't turn her gaze from the television, but answers, nonetheless, "No. Larry can't read a book!"

"What?" I ask, "Why can't Larry read a book? Books are great!"

"Mama," she says, with a withering look, "Larry is a cucumber. Cucumbers can't read."

Oh. Right.