Its a Wonderful Life {Holiday Highlight}

Every January brings a customary greeting between friends and acquaintances, an instinctual question following the initial "Hi" or "How are you?"

"How was your Christmas?"

There are the standard responses you come to expect.

"It was great!"

"Oh, it was so busy."

"Would you believe Justin nearly killed himself stringing up the lights again?"

And then there is my response this year.

I pause. I chuckle a little to myself. I look up at the sky as I try to find the right words, while you stand there thinking: "Jody, this is not a hard question. Did you have a good Christmas or not?"

Ahhh yes, Christmas.  It really was a beautiful Christmas. Indeed, we had a good Christmas.

Christmas is always an amazing and magical time of year.  Children make it even more magical.

Children also make Christmas chaotic. 

Why I have to keep reminding myself of this is beyond me. But each and every December, a part of me still fantasizes about that Hallmark Christmas where I wake peacefully before my children and have a few moments to enjoy my morning coffee before the three of them wander out from their bedrooms, eyes sparkling at the sight of the tree and presents.

Hallmark said nothing about changing dirty diapers before the coffee was even brewing, or refereeing two toddlers as they duke it out over the single phonics toy they just unwrapped. As their fighting was reduced to ear-splitting screams at one another, I found myself wondering exactly why I thought one phonics toy would be a good idea for two toddlers.

{insert forehead smack here}

By the way, I so seldom have to admit I am wrong that when I do - even when I merely type the words - it sends out a little vibration. A tremor, if you will. And just like that, the hubs feels it all the way from the next room: "What's that, honey?  Of course you were wrong. Everyone knows you never buy one toy for two babies."

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

What I'm saying is that somewhere along the way (before Christmas, obviously) I forgot how busy the toddler stage is - how much constant tending a parent must do to keep a child from climbing too high, playing in the toilet, biting their sibling(s), slamming their fingers in doors, pulling down a Christmas tree...  and its that crazy with just one toddler. Throw in another one, plus a few not-so-routine Christmas activities like photos with Santa, a few late nights, some traveling, playing with cousins, and opening new toys (just not two phonics toys) and you've got yourself a wild ride.

A few days before Christmas I finished sewing Kendry's Christmas jammies while watching Its a Wonderful Life. One of my favorites.

If you've seen it, you know the part where George comes home at the end of the day, downtrodden and sure he is about to lose everything. He gets irritated over and over again, until Mary finally says, "George, what's wrong?"

George replies: "Wrong? Everything is wrong...Why did we have to have all these kids?"

And just like that I was laughing and laughing, and then nearly crying.

We really do have a wonderful life.

We adore each of our children, and thank the Lord for them every day. 

But occasionally I convince myself that our holidays, our mornings, our life - should look like that movie, that magazine cover, that blog, and I forget how to simply live in our NOW - and be thankful for our now.

Our now this Christmas was special.  

We watched the boys perform in their Christmas programs, although 'perform' might be too strong a word for Cohen, as evidenced in the video.

We made gingerbread houses with friends.

We rode with Santa on his Harley.

We made silly snacks.

We continued to form our own family traditions - attending Christmas Eve service, making homemade pizzas for dinner and then opening Christmas jammies.

There was a little basketball.

There was a little snow.

There was a lot of extra volume with Kendry's new guitar and the twins' new blocks, which incidentally make an incredible crash against our hard floors.

But our now this Christmas also included some chaos, and that is okay.  That is real.

"Please just sit still for one second...at the same time..."

So when you ask me "How was your Christmas?" I will be real with you. This Christmas was a lot of work, but it was wonderful.

Oh, and I totally made up the part about Justin nearly killing himself while stringing up the lights.

That was two years ago.

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

{2}

What a relief it is that my unaccomplished goals from 2014 don't discourage my goal-setting for 2015.

Anyone with me?

{3}

 One of my 2015 goals is to read one chapter book to the kiddos each month.

First up: Charlotte's Web

Following the example of Crystal at Money Saving Mom, instead of expecting my children to sit still while I read, I am reading to them as they play. So far its been a success.

{4}

A secret language this one now has.

Understand it not his twin does.

{5}

It was fleeting, but it was precious.

Today I'm saying it about snow.

Tomorrow I will say it about his childhood.

{6}

Give it to me straight.

Can a 34 year old mother of three get away with camo jeggings?

{7}

Melt my heart, why don'tcha.

{8}

Stay tuned for whats to come...

Have I ever mentioned we have an unfinished basement?

{9}

Wow.

amazon

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

Hosting new friends for dinner and football.

GO HAWKS!

Ten on Tuesday

{1}

Every December deserves a new Christmas album.

My pick this year:

Google

{2}

We interrupt this Tuesday for Cohen's first visit to minor care. Thankfully this injury was resolved with glue rather than stitches.

Did I not tell you just yesterday this kiddo was a climber?

Another punch in our minor care punchcard; I'm halfway to my free latte from the hospital cafeteria.

{3}

Every year I am floored by the cost of Christmas cards.

I'm curious. What do you budget for cards (plus postage) each year?

{4}

As Cohen's vocabulary has blossomed, we have referred to Jack as the strong, silent twin.

Then out of the blue he throws a three syllable word at us.

Uncle Dru would be proud.

{6}

What we really do when the boys get too rowdy.

{7}

How is this for holiday eatin'?

A big shout out to my friend Jennifer who gave me this fun (and delicious) idea.

{8}

Hugging because they love each other or because the Seahawks got another win?

Maybe a little of both.

{9}
Our little singer at his daycare Christmas program:

{detailed post to come}

{10}

This Week's Blessing:

The precious enthusiasm of a child at Christmas.

Its magical.

Its contagious.

For the Love of Reading

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We began reading to Kendry at an early age.  Over time this made it easy to establish a bedtime reading routine – some of our most cherished, quiet moments with our little man.

We still read at least one story before tucking Kendry in for the night, and lately he has started reading some to us. Fortunately, he has moved on from the Dr. Seuss obsession he had at age 2. In fact, he prefers a nice variety these days - from chapter books like Tales of a 4th Grade Nothing to his early reader Bible, and pretty much anything by Mo Willems. Last month he demanded we check out a geography book about Yemen.

Like I said, variety.  And variety means our couch isn't "eating" many books these days.

I would love to tell you I read to the littles in their first 6-8 months of life, but honestly…and it pains me to admit this…I really don’t know where the time went those 6-8 months. 

Or where my memory went, for that matter.  Although I very clearly remember this stage:

By the way, if you called me during that 6-8 month stretch and I still haven't returned your call, please don't be offended. Rest assured you are not the only one.

Much to my chagrin, up until their 16 month mark the twins' only interest in books was yanking them off the shelf - a very sore point for this OCD mama. After too many times stacking the books back up on the shelf nicely (spines out, of course), I finally threw in the towel. Totally not worth the stress.

FYI: any mommy blogger who displays pictures of her 5 and under kiddo's bookshelves looking all neat and tidy is lying.  Lying!

Ideal:

Reality:

Before punishing myself too much over the littles' lack of love for the written word, I came to two realizations.

Point #1:  In order to effectively read a book to a toddler one must first get the toddler to sit still. As in, stay in one place for more than two seconds.

Bwaa ha haa haaa!

Point #2:  In a situation with two toddlers, one must hold the book with a vice-like grip to keep Toddler A from turning pages whilst Toddler B tries to yank the book away.  Although technically, in keeping with proper multiples referencing, it would be actually be Toddler A (aka Jack) yanking the book away from Toddler B (aka Cohen).

On a side note, whoever thought up board books?  GENIUS!  Just try to rip pages out of those suckers.  It cannot be done!  Well, except the time a two-year-old Kendry was left unchaperoned in his bed with an open-the-flap board book.

Oh the massacre…  

Anyhow, after months of pondering this difference in our children, and praying that Jack and Cohen would soon appreciate books as Mommy and Daddy (and big brother) do, God has answered our prayers, in excess. 

The personality on this biting, climbing, shrieking little fella' is deserving of its own post - and its own parenting book.  For now, just know that if the house goes quiet with Cohen around you should investigate immediately.  He either has his nose in a book or his hand in a toilet.

While still early in his speech development, Cohen prides himself on stating "The End" at every last page. His current favorite is Hand Hand Finger Thumb by, you guessed it, Dr. Seuss. Each time he finds this book on the shelf he comes pleading for story time.

Then again, and again.

"Millions of fingers, millions of thumbs, millions of monkeys drumming on drums..."

I'm not ashamed to admit another Dr. Seuss book has found itself eaten by our couch in recent months.  A parent can only take so much.

Jack's favorite book?  Whatever Cohen is currently reading.

Ten on Tuesday {October}

Ten Highlights of the Tenth Month

{1}

Pumpkins, pumpkins, and more pumpkins!

{2}

Experiencing freedom from the stroller on our walks:

Albeit a limited freedom.

Wide open spaces + 1 adult + 2 quick toddlers = unbelievable chaos

I'll be darned if those twins don't scheme ahead of time to run in two different directions as once.

Do you hear laughing?

Yep, that would be my neighbors watching me reign in chase my toddlers.

{3}

Owies all around.

Kendry stepped on a nail that went through his sole like a knife through butta'.

Cohen was playing in the pantry and dropped a can on his big toe. It is likely he will lose the nail.

Jack face-planted on parking lot asphalt, resulting in a bloody nose and skinned forehead.

Fortunately, none of these incidents resulted in a visit to the ER.  But can you see why my ER punchcard idea isn't so farfetched?

{4}

Preparing for 2015:

I let out a tiny squeal of delight when this calendar filler arrived.

It is possible I’m too attached to my planner.

{5}

 Acquisition of this:

I'm told it will soon be a DIY smoker for meats and cheeses.

{6}

 Learning how to tie!

Next up: whistling.

{7}

 Hosting our annual harvest party, which got rained out.

Ahh well, such is October.

{8}

 Stopping to admire the beauty of our Creator and His purpose behind each season - even if fall is my favorite.

{9}

Watching lots of good (and not so good) football.

Come on, 'Hawks, pull it together already.

{10}

This Month's Blessing:

Brotherly love.

Or is it brotherly wrestling?

Sometimes its hard to tell.