Thirty!

I am officially 30! People have asked me how I feel about it and, honestly, it kind of feels a lot like 29 which feels a lot like 25. It kind of all blends together. But I have used this "milestone" to take a step back and look at my past as well as my future. Overall, I just feel so darn grateful. I was given a wonderful childhood with loving parents who I appreciate even more now that I am a parent and now that I only have one of them here with me. I am so thankful for experiences and opportunities I was given, the people I met who taught me life lessons (good or bad), and for the husband I have always prayed for and the children who have made me a completely new person. I look forward to watching my family grow and making memories together and I'm excited to see what life has in store for us. I understand that life as I know it is completely privileged and I hope I can share what I have been given with those who need it. How could I complain about turning thirty when life is such a gift?

I celebrated with family and a hot chocolate bar yesterday and today I rode around town with Paul on his scooter and ended the day with my kids watching Mickey's Christmas Carol. I'd say it was a good one.

Decking our Halls

 

I totally realize that I have gotten pretty bad at posting on here but it's only because I have been busy being a mom and all that entails. AND we are finally allowed to celebrate my favorite time of year which is the real reason. We have been busy eating gingerbread men, looking at lights, shopping, wrapping, singing, drinking hot cocoa and trying to complete some of the many traditions we have developed over the years. We have written to Santa,

 

our Elf on the Shelf brought the kids new elf pajamas,

 

Brygit and I spent a morning naked crafting (on her end) a new wreath for our door,

 

and, most recently, we decorated a gingerbread house.

 

This is the first year in a long time that Paul hasn't had a December vacation and, obviously, the first year that Liam is also gone every day so we haven't been able to do all that I would like. That being said, a friend recently said that our children won't remember all that we did at this time of year but they will remember how they felt. Did they feel rushed and stressed, was life hectic, or did they feel cozy and calm and happy? For that reason, we haven't been running around as much as we have in the past. No late nights driving long distances to look at lights with crowds of people but, rather, following Santa as he drives through our neighborhood on a fire engine, finding the best lights in our neighborhood, having the kids pick out gifts for each other to help them learn how much fun it can be to give, you get the picture. We are having a blast and I hope you are too!

Sea World and Santa

While Liam had time off school for Thanksgiving we made one last trip down to San Diego to go to Sea World. The whole park was decked out for Christmas and the kids had a blast.

Brygit really wanted to touch a dolphin which was a change since she has been adamant all year that she did not want to touch one. However, she missed her chance because she kind of chickened out when it was her turn. She was able to throw some pieces of ice into his mouth and interact in other ways but she never did get to touch the darn thing. If you bring it up to her, she cries. The only thing that got her over it was being able to touch these Tiger Sharks. She was so proud of herself for being so brave.

We ended our visit with a photo with Santa. When Brygit saw him she ran up to him and shouted, "Santa! I want a pony with roller skates!" Which, really, is what she wants for Christmas. A stuffed pony on roller skates with a leash that she can pull around. She's weird. Liam, on the other hand, had to tell Santa that he is still thinking and will send him a list in the mail. And that's mainly because it's too much to remember. Lord help us.

The following day we took the kids to get their Christmas pictures taken and we decorated the house. Hooray for December!

Thanksgiving

 

Our Thanksgiving was awesome. I am so thankful for Paul's coworker volunteering to cover for him so he could come home early and spend the day with us, for my kids who say things like, "I'm thankful for everything except strangers," and for wonderful extended family who make some delicious food.

Be Thankful

 

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, isn't it? I completely understand that it is, in fact, still November and that Thanksgiving is tomorrow but we still have been busy decking our halls and preparing for my favorite holiday season. But I do believe that we would miss out if we passed over this special time of the year. Thanksgiving I mean. I believe that we should think of gratitude just a bit more than shopping and sales, and even Christmas. Christmas is a season of giving but I really do believe that thankfulness puts our heart in the right place for giving. It makes us happy, it makes life slow down for a bit as we notice what we have all around us, and it brings us closer to God. I have been venting a lot lately. To Paul, mostly, the poor thing. And, let's face it, venting is just a fancy word for complaining. And complaining often leads to feeling discontent which, in turn, leads to feelings of ingratitude. It may not happen that quickly but, eventually, it always seems to end that way. And when you have hard time finding things to be thankful for, your mind and your heart are truly not where they should be and you will find yourself an unhappy person. My personal goal is to complain (or vent) less and show gratitude more. At any time of the year. So, on this beautiful Thanksgiving, let me say that I am so thankful for my family, our home, our way of life, God's grace, the love and support I have, and for the hard life lessons I am learning in this season of life. And, really, so much more.

 

Halloween

I'm a bit behind on posting Halloween pictures but here they are! Liam had a career fair at school on Halloween where the students were invited to dress as the profession they want to have when they grow up. He chose Fireman and Brygit chose Minnie Mouse. No, she just saw Liam dressed up so she wanted to do the same. She was Minnie Mouse for the first half of the day and Anna for the second half.

Liam was a Skylander named Stink Bomb for the second part of the day. He was a little nervous about his costume and felt a little silly in it but I was proud of him for choosing what he wanted, wearing it proudly, and even staying in his mask until the very end of trick or treating.

Brygit, on the other hand, knew what she wanted as soon as she laid eyes on it. She wanted to be Anna and she wanted to wear braids. This poor girl can't wait to get some hair on her head.

We met up with the cousins and collected candy in our neighborhood then we returned to home base for passing out candy before finishing our night off with dinner at Grandma's.

Triangles and Letter H

 

Last week Brygit learned about triangles and the letter H.

 

We did a little color mixing to talk a bit more about orange and then she painted a triangle she glued together with popsicle sticks.

 

 

She also made this candy corn craft and, of course, snacked on some real candy corn.

 

We also talked about how H is for Halloween and Hello Kitty. Brygit enjoyed sticking these stickers on so much that she used the entire package of stickers. I just gave her scraps of paper and showed her how to build an H then I let her stick the rest of the stickers on that one.

 

We didn't get to do all that I had planned since this week went by way too fast and we spent a morning at a Frankenstein play date. Priorities, people. But I'm excited to teach Brygit more this month!