Looking back

I don't know about anyone else, but I'm feeling pretty drained from the holidays. As Dan said, we had five Christmases. So that's why I haven't blogged lately. But looking back on the holiday, I think the best moment was when Isaiah came down the stairs on Christmas morning and saw his new train set. Dan and I had set it up the night before, so he came down to see it going around the tracks. It's still the gift he has played with the most.

Christmas Gifts from Samuel

Believe it or not, Samuel did give me two great Christmas gifts. First of all, he's been sleeping through the night since about last Wednesday. I'm starting to feel like a human again because I'm getting a decent amount of sleep at night. That is a great gift! Second, he started smiling on Friday. I carried him for nine months, and now I've been looking at his adorable face for about six weeks now. It's just indescribably rewarding to finally see him smile. It's addicting. For the past few days, everything I try to do takes me twice as long because I keep stopping to get Samuel to smile again. I just can't get enough of it. I understand why God tells us that children are a gift from Him. Thank God for my two cuties.

Spending

I've seen a lot of commercials advertising after-Christmas sales. On a Home Depot commercial I heard the pitch, "The more you buy, the more you save." It sounds so appealing because who doesn't want to save money? But think about it. Think about your bank account's bottom line. The more you buy, the more you spend! So don't get suckered into misleading advertising. Enough soap box.

#50

This is my 50th post. It's Christmas. Isaiah was a blast. Samuel slept through a lot of it. I'm a little overwhelmed by the pile... no... mountain of gifts piled on the counter. It was a great day though. We started out at home, then went to my mom's around lunch. We came home in the afternoon for a mandatory nap time (for everyone!), then went to Dan's parents for dinner. I know that Christmas without kids is kind of boring, but Christmas with kids can get a little out of control. Is there a happy medium? I don't know. But it was great. I hope yours was too. I guess the most important thing I'd like to leave for my 50th post is that I'm thankful to have so many great family members nearby. We are very blessed to have them all.

Ringing the bell

On Friday I rang the bell for the Salvation Army. I had never done it before, but I think I'll do it every year in the future. I was surprised by everyone's generosity. Almost everyone who walked by put something in the kettle. Age didn't seem to matter. Little children, teens, and people in their 20's, 30's, 40's etc. donated, including a man who told me he was 91 years old! I was singing while ringing the bell, and when the 91-year-old man came over I happened to be singing "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." He told me that he knew that song when he was a child. I inferred that he used to go to church when he was younger but did not attend any more. I encouraged him to go to church on Christmas Eve. He agreed that it would be a good idea but didn't really say he would go. He said the worst thing about living to be 91 years old was that all his friends were gone. How sad. He just seemed like a nice, lonely man. So who knows. Hopefully he'll attend a Christmas Eve service and meet Jesus. Wouldn't that be great?

Another health benefit of tea

I read the other day that one good way to avoid gaining so much weight over the holidays is to drink warm beverages. Supposedly the warm drinks are so comforting to the body that it reduces your need to snack. Also, it fills you up so you're not hungry. So I decided to try it. In general, I'm an evening coffee/tea drinker. So last night I enjoyed a Tazo decaf orange tea. Tonight I had a Lipton herbal decaf peach tea. I also like decaf coffee with yummy creamers, but obviously, that's not as healthy for you. Either way, it's a nice little way I take a moment for myself to relax. So if you're feeling stressed this Christmas, maybe it will work for you too.

Broken Glass

No, this title doesn't mean anything deep. There was literally broken glass all over my floor! I had just gotten both boys down for naps, and sat down to read my bible. I was reading Luke 1, about when the angel Gabriel spoke to Zechariah. I was reading the words in verse 12 where it says, "Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed with fear" when, crash! I heard the sound of breaking glass on the other side of the house. Then I was shaken and overwhelmed with fear! =) My first thought was, "That cat!" I rushed over to see broken glass everywhere, in thousands of little pieces. The cat was nowhere around. In fact, he came down from upstairs to see what was going on. Poor Obi. Always getting blamed for things. At first, I couldn't tell what had broken! It looked like a glass plate. Finally, after looking up, I figured out that the light fixture had just fallen to the floor. How does that happen? So I spent the next half hour sweeping and vacuuming tiny shards of glass (a nightmare for a mom - who wants their kid to get glass in his foot?), then resumed my quiet time. Ahhh. Quiet.

When I came out of the bathroom...

I found that Isaiah had climbed into Samuel's crib. Yikes. I just never know what to expect out of that big one.

So I have to say that I'm excited for Christmas this year. Isaiah just loves looking at the Christmas lights on people's houses. And he can spot a big blow-up Santa or snowman from a mile away. I think we're going to have a lot of fun opening his presents. The tough thing for me is that I can't even mention that we have presents for him, because he doesn't understand the concept of waiting. If I talk about a present, he wants it now, then has a total meltdown when he doesn't get it. And when we talk about Christmas, he makes sure we know it is Jesus' birthday, not baby Jesus' birthday. Somehow it makes a difference to him. =)

Abbie as Bill Cowher

Ok. I usually don't steal things from other people's blogs, but this is the funniest thing I've seen for a long time. So, my niece Abbie posing as Bill Cowher, courtesy of my sister's blog. Enjoy!

Caring People

Last night I helped set up for the Lighthouse toy drive. I feel bad that I could only help for an hour, but with the kids, etc., it was all I could do. I'll tell you the thing that struck me the most. Some of the toys were wrapped, and we had to unwrap them. I could tell by the way the toys were wrapped that the donors really cared. There was nice, kid-friendly Christmas wrapping paper, gift bags stuffed with colorful tissue paper, and shiny gift tags with "Girl, age 7" on them. We have a lot of generous people in our community, and I hope the children are blessed by the toys.

One shirt?

Did you know you only need one shirt? Before I explain, think of your closet and your dresser drawers. If they're anything like mine, they're so crammed full that things wrinkle even when they're put away. And then I still can't find anything to wear! Do you know what I'm talking about? Well, I started reading the Christmas story in Luke 1 and just kept reading. I ended up in Luke 3, where John the Baptist is addressing the Jewish crowds. They ask what they can do to produce fruit. John replies, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” (Luke 3:11, NLT) Two shirts! Of course, John was talking to people in a different culture and a different time, but we can take something from his point. Most of us probably could take half of what we have and give it to someone who really needs it. We probably wouldn't even miss the things we gave away. I don't know about you, but I think I'll go through my closet today, and maybe the kitchen.

The Best of '07

1. Peter Pan musical at Eden
2. ACSI Band Festival
3. Being a part of Eden’s first 12th grade graduation
4. Working with the seniors to write Eden’s Alma Mater
5. Working with the praise band for Eden’s all-school chapel
6. Spending a week at Edinboro youth camp
7. Spending time at Mahaffey camp
8. Vacation in Tennessee
9. Meeting my niece Abbie
10. Having Samuel
11. Seeing Isaiah become a big brother
12. Going to Shaker in the Woods with all the Borcherts in the Lighthouse bus
13. Giving Dan his Willie Parker jersey
14. Taking Isaiah to the Pittsburgh Children’s Museum
15. Having dinner at the Melting Pot with Dan
16. Shopping in Squirrel Hill with Bobbi and Beth
17. The Chase the Lion series at church
18. Thanksgiving at my aunt’s
19. Thanksgiving at the Borcherts’
20. Seeing Joshua Bell perform with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra

Picture of the Day

Last night I was getting Isaiah ready for bed, and he insisted on sitting next to Samuel while we read a few books. They just looked too cute for words. Life sure is a lot easier when the kids are getting along! =)
So I can't believe Christmas is in exactly two weeks. I haven't been out to stores very much, so Christmas doesn't seem that close. I made myself finish most of the Christmas shopping before Samuel was born because I knew it would be a lot harder after I had him. One thing I've been wrestling with is the place of Santa vs. Jesus in Christmas. I want my kids to know the true meaning of Christmas - the reason for the holiday in the first place, because that is the true miracle - Jesus coming to earth as a baby. In my family growing up, we did have presents from Santa, and it definitely didn't damage me. It was fun. Of course, there's always the moment when you realize the truth about Santa... Luckily I feel like we have another year to figure it out, because Isaiah's too young to know the difference. I doubt he'd sit on Santa's lap, because he's usually scared of things like that. Anyone want to weigh in on Santa?
P.S. I'm working on my Best of 2007 list. Keep checking back.

Be intentional

So at church yesterday I learned that I need to be more intentional about quiet time, whether it's time with God or just alone time for Dan and I. If I just let the day happen, the kids will determine what I do and when, or else I'll just focus on the day-to-day tasks I need to do. So I'm going to try to set appointments with God, just like Dan suggested.

Too crazy

Tonight I asked Dan if he ever thought that things are just too crazy/busy, and if he ever thought we would get a chance to just take a breath and relax. It's so hard to find quiet time. I feel like Isaiah's always running around and talking and wanting something from me. Then Samuel starts crying. Anyway, Dan said yes and that he had some great advice for me. He told me to listen to his sermon tomorrow. Guess that's what I get for marrying a pastor. =) Maybe I'll have some insights to post after church tomorrow.

We were blessed today

A friend of mine had a baby shower for Samuel today. Everybody bought the cutest outfits that will be so nice to have this winter. There were lots of diapers and wipes too! So thank you to everyone who blessed Samuel and us today. It really means a lot.

Samuel's getting bigger and bigger

Isaiah says this all the time. But Samuel really is big. He had his one month doctor's appointment yesterday and weighed in at 12 lbs 4 oz. Isaiah was about that size when he was two months old. So Samuel's a big boy. But he's healthy (and cute too!), so we're thankful for that.

Fun Day

So today was a pretty fun day. Isaiah's preschool class took a field trip to the Pittsburgh Children's Museum. I had never been there, but I'll definitely go back. The timing of the field trip was just perfect. It's been cold and snowy and Isaiah really needed to be able to play and run around in a large space.

I think Isaiah's getting back to his old self. In fact I think he's sweeter than before. If he's eating a snack he'll make sure there's some for me and Dan, and he usually tries to share with Samuel too. He's also been good about sleeping again. He hasn't been waking up early, and his naps are back to two to three hours. Another cute thing is that when he wakes up from his nap (or in the morning) I usually don't even know he's up, because he'll get a book from his bookshelf, turn on his lamp by his couch and sit there and look at his book.

So for today, all is well in our house. =)

Unbelievable!

That game last night... wasn't it? The Patriots have to lose to someone. I guess it will have to be us next Sunday. =)

I've gotten some weird reactions when people (who know I grew up in CT) realize I'm not a Patriots' fan. I've included a little map for your information.

People wrongly assume that, because I grew up in the same general area that the Patriots are from, that I would automatically be a Patriots' fan. However, you'll notice that there are six states that are part of New England; it's not just one big state! The Patriots are from Boston which is in Massachusetts, not Connecticut. It's a different state! It's like PA vs. OH. Different states. Of course, Dan always says, "You expect me to think of Rhode Island as a state?" Yes. Yes I do. The fine people of Rhode Island certainly think of Rhode Island as a state. There are six very distinct states that make up New England. End of geography appreciation lesson for today. =)

'Tis the Season...

for making Christmas wish lists. Have your friends and relatives started asking you what you want for Christmas? I have a hard time coming up with stuff. We have everything we need. Maybe there are some things we want, but we can easily live without those things. Sometimes we lose perspective and think we need the lastest cell phone, portable DVD player, Visio, ipod, or whatever. But sometimes we forget how much we already have.

I remember when a family friend from South Korea came to my house when I was in high school. He was in awe of our house and our yard. It was almost incomprehensible in his mind to have so much. And my parents' house was a two-story ranch. Completely adequate, but not overwhelmingly large. Seeing our house through his eyes made me more appreciative of what we had.

So today, look at everything you have, and imagine looking at it with someone else's eyes. I bet a lot of people would love to have what you have.