Celebrating the True Meaning of Christmas

It seems that every year I stuggle with keeping my children from getting caught up in the "material" hype of Christmas. They talk about new toys, Santa, reindeer, and all the traditional Christmasy things they know about. While Matt and I have always tried to teach our children that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Jesus, giving of ourselves, and helping others, we too find ourselves caught up in the hype. Sure, we take our kids to church, read them the Christmas story, set up a Nativity in our house, and talk about ways we can give and help others, but somehow the buying, baking, and giving presents seems to come out in full force in the end.

This year, however, we had some help in celebrating the true meaning of Christmas. The first graders at our church put on their own Christmas pageant. They spent 3 Sunday School classes practicing for it, and they did a terrific job! Austin had a big role - Shepherd #1 - and he even had a speaking part! He looked great in his costume, and he certainly was a little nervous when he came out on stage to say his lines. The kids did a wonderful job showing their families what Christmas is all about.

Giving Thanks

I love Thanksgiving. I love the food, the family gatherings, the Black Friday shopping, and I love thinking about all the things that I am thankful for in my life. After the events of the last month, I feel like I have even more things to be thankful for this year.
I am THANKFUL:
For my two beautiful children, they truly make each day worth living.
For my husband, he is by my side every step of the way.
For my parents, who have loved me every day for 32 years.
For my sisters, who are my dearest friends, and definitely make life more interesting.
For our wonderful extended family.
For friends who are always there.
For a job I love, with wonderful coworkers to go with it. I am also thankful for
vacations from the job I love!
For our wonderful daycare provider, and the best first grade teacher in the world,
who give each of my kids a safe, positive place to learn and grow each day.
For our home, food to eat, and water to drink.
For the wonderful staff at Mercy Hospital, who have helped our family more than once,
especially those I met a few weeks ago.

I truly am blessed to live the life I live! Thanks to everyone who is a part of it.

Kaylie's "Big Girl" Haircut!

As soon as I found out I was having a baby girl, I had images of cute little pigtails tied with ribbons, braids, and all the other fun things that come with having long hair. Well, let me tell you, taking care of long hair was not at all like I thought it would be. Snarls, knots, Kaylie not leaving ponytails in......I finally decided it was time for a short hair cut. We took her to Kids Hair in St.Cloud last Sunday, and although it is not quite as short as I wanted it, Matt put his foot down when the stylist got to this length, and this is what we ended up with. I have to admit, it is so much easier to care for, and no more stuggles with ponytails every morning!

Mom's New Camera

After weeks of deliberation, reading online reviews, and talking with others, I finally chose my new camera. I was thinking I was going to have to wait for Christmas, but Matt surprised me by ordering it for me early. It arrived on Nov. 8, and although I had to wait a week to use it, I absolutely LOVE it! I haven't learned everything there is to know about it yet, but I am learning new things every time I use it. And I am having a lot of fun experiementing with all the editing options! I am looking forward to being able to capture all the special moments.

A Glimpse of the Future?

Yesterday afternoon, I sat in the pew of a church and watched my adorable daughter walk down the aisle in a white dress, her equally adorable cousin, Nathan, at her side (in a tuxedo). Behind Kaylie and Nathan, my sister-in-law, Mindy (Matt's third oldest sister), was beside the beautiful bride, her oldest daughter, Cassie. Suddenly, my mind flashed forward to a similar scene, twenty something (or so) years from now. The flower girl and ringbearer I couldn't place, but the bride and the woman beside her were unmistakeable. Instead of Cassie, it was Kaylie, instead of Mindy, me. Now, I know the days and years between now and then are many, but they will fly by, a whirlwind of school, homework, sports, vacations, holidays.....life. Someday, my cute, fun-loving, pigtailed toddler is going to be a beautiful young woman, standing in a church in a gown, waiting for me to walk her down the aisle......to give her away. When that time comes, I know she'll be ready, but will I? Will I be ready to give my daughter away? The thought only reminds me how fast time flies, how I need to cherish every day. Someday, my children will grow up.....

"While we try to teach our children all about life, Our children teach us what life is all about".
~Angela Schwindt

"Children are not yours, they are only lent to you for a time. In those fleeting years, do your best to help them grow up to be good people". ~Anonymous

A HUGE congratulations to our beautiful niece, Cassie, and our new "nephew", Ryan! We love you both and wish you all the best!

Is it Halloween yet?

My little pumpkin and my future Jedi are excited for trick or treating!

Apples and Pumpkins

Yesterday we took a family trip out to Collegeville Orchards near St. John's. The kids had fun petting and feeding the goats and llamas. The boys, along with Margaret and Grandma, enjoyed the wagon ride out into the orchards, while Grandpa, Beth, Matt, Kaylie, and I explored the pumpkin patch. The kids had a lot of fun picking out their pumpkins - thanks Grandma!

A year ago....

One year ago yesterday (Oct. 12) was one of the scariest days of my life, the day I turned around to glance in the backseat, just in time to see my 20 month old daughter turning blue right before my eyes.

It was a semi-normal day. Kaylie wasn't feeling well, so I had decided to stay at home with her. We drove Austin up to Becker for kindergarten, and then I took Kaylie to the doctor since she was running a slight fever, and H1N1 was everywhere. The doctor said it wasn't H1N1, her fever wasn't high enough. It was a virus, and it would run its course. We left the doctor's office and headed for home. Kaylie fell asleep pretty quickly, as she had been up much of the night. We were only about 1/2 mile from home when I stopped at the stoplight on Bunker Lake Blvd. and Highway 47. I turned around to look at her, and she was seizing. Her face was a gray-white, and her lips were turning blue. I screamed her name, not knowing what else to do. I was afraid she wasn't breathing. I pulled off the road into the parking lot, and struggled to get her out of her car seat. She fell limp in my arms, her lips still blue. I screamed for help (help my baby please!), but no one was around. I ran into Subway, where a quick thinking sandwich artist took one look at us and ran to get the chiropractor from next door. A customer called 911, and by the time the first responders got there, it had been determined that she was having a seizure, most likely febrile, caused by a rapid increase in body temperature. By the time the paramedics got there, the seizure had stopped (it lasted almost 6 minutes), and the color was beginning to return to her face. At least her lips weren't blue anymore. I will never in my life forget the sight of my baby's gray face.

After spending 6 hours in the ER, it was determined that Kaylie is prone to febrile seizures, very common in children, especially toddlers. The seizures are not harmful (although horrible to watch), and more than likely she will outgrow them by the time she's 5 or 6. She has had 2 more seizures since then, and believe me, they certainly don't get any easier to watch, although the panicking on my part was definitely less. Hopefully she will outgrow them soon.

EVERY MOMENT

Today I attended a "several times a year" Craft Day at Matt's sister Mindy's house. A group of us, including several of Matt's sisters, sister-in-law, and nieces, gather to work on whatever projects we are working on at the moment. It is a lot fun to see what everyone is working on, from Advent calendars to scarves to afghans, and of course, share food and laughter as well. Since I obviously have not inherited my mom's incredible creativity and ability to make anything using a needle or a sewing machine, the only craft I ever work on at Craft Day are my scrapbooks. I started scrapbooking when Austin was a baby, and it was not long before I became hooked on the craft. But scrapbooking can be a very time consuming, not to mention expensive, hobby. Sometimes I find myself getting so stressed about finishing a layout or an album that I have to stop and remind myself why I am doing this.

I am doing this for ME: I scrapbook for my own entertainment and enjoyment. It is a wonderful way for me to be expressive and creative. The feeling that I get when I create a page that I love is awesome!

I am doing this for MY KIDS: Someday, my children will grow up. I want them to have wonderful memories of their childhood. I am hoping that having lots of pictures and scrapbooks will help them remember what life as a child was like. In my scrapbooks I record special events, such as birthday parties and holidays, but also the everyday events, such as trips to the zoo, the playground, swimming, and reading. I want them to be able to remember the first day of school, the Christmases, the trips to the pumpkin patch. I want them be able to remember what being a child is all about. I want them to know how much I love them. I want them to be able to look back on their childhood and know that I treasured EVERY MOMENT with them.

The Power of Influence

I would like to think that I have more influence over my daughter than anyone else, but apparently I am quite wrong. Most days, when we get home in the afternoon, Austin likes to have a little "quiet time" and read before he starts on his homework. Today his choice of literature was the instruction manual from one of his Lego Star Wars video games (I have no idea why he chose to read this, but he thinks it makes him better at the game). So Kaylie went and got her own Lego Star Wars instruction manual and started reading. Suddenly, she comes over to me and says "Mommy, that's Anakin Skywalker and that's Yoda", then walks back over to couch and continues her "reading". I am left thinking why does my two year old know who Anakin Skywalker and Yoda are? That's right....her big brother. Austin is a great influence on his little sister, especially when it comes to reading (since he reads all the time), but I think it's hilarious that Kaylie knows all these Star Wars characters. Does she know who the Disney princesses are...of course not.

At dinner, I thought if Kaylie saw me eating broccoli that she would do it too, no such luck.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls

"It doesn't matter if it's a boy or a girl, just as long as he or she is healthy." I have heard those words from many expectant parents, and even remember saying them myself during both of my pregnancies. I must admit, though, while pregnant with Kaylie, I do remember thinking how wonderful it would be to bring home a sister for Austin, but a brother would have been just as wonderful.

It is not that way everywhere in this world. Last week, I stumbled upon a story on the news that caught my attention. A family in Kabul was raising their youngest daughter as a boy. I know a little about Afghan culture, but not a lot, and this story intrigued me. After watching the news, I decided to do a little research on the issue. I found that for generations, many families have been raising their daughters as sons. Many women weep, not from joy, but from sorrow, at the birth of a girl. Girls are thought of as "drainers", boys as "contributors". Many families decide to raise their daughters as sons, in order to give them a better chance in life, they can go to school, they can play outside, they can have friends.

As a child being raised in a house full of girls, both of my parents always made sure that we knew we could be whatever we wanted to be when we grew up. I do the same for my daughter.

Every day, I thank God for my two beautiful children, one of whom happens to be a girl. I also thank God that she is able to be herself, wear pretty dresses, push her babies around in the stroller, be kind, loving, and compassionate. She plays outside, has friends, and will one day go to school. She can go to college, be anything she wants to be.

Thank heaven for little girls.

Goodbye September!

Well, September is over. What a month it has been! It suddenly seems long ago that the kids and I were taking leisurely early morning bike rides, afternoon treks to the tennis court and playground, and staying up late to watch old reruns. We had a wonderful Labor Day Weekend - a highlight for me was getting the number one pick in our fantasy football league draft!
On September 7, I started my 9th year of teaching middle school band. It seems obvious, but it still amazes me how much I learn about teaching each year, and how much "easier" it seems each year. I am definitely a different teacher now than I was 9 years ago, and I have had the best start to the school year that I have had in my teaching career.
Also on September 7, Austin started 1st grade. I have to admit that I was a little worried about the transition from kindergarten - lots of free play time, rest time, etc. - to the more academically structured day of 1st grade, including daily homework, speak ups, and math tests. But he has done great! He has the best teacher ever, and we feel so blessed to have Austin in her class. He took his very first math test this week - he was so excited! I hope the enthusiasm stays!
Kaylie has started at Renae's daycare, and is also doing great. She has been on her best behavior, and is really enjoying her new friends. She continues to work hard on the toilet learning, but it is definitely a slow process. She is going to be the flower girl in Cassie and Ryan's wedding in October, and had a lot of fun trying on "pretty dresses".
Well, it's been a great month, full of excitement and adventure. I can't wait to see what October brings!

Can I really do it?

Well, I have finally created a family blog. I have been inspired by some of the blogs that I regularly read, and have decided to try it for myself. This is something that I have been meaning to do for almost a year, and I actually started one several times. But, as it usually does, life happened, and the blog didn't. But this time it's for real. One of my goals for this school year was to get this going, and here it is. But I already find myself asking "can I really do it, can I keep this going?" I am really going to try. Please check back often to keep up with our family!