it's BIRTHDAY season!!!!!

Today........and for the next week.........our house is filled with an 8, 7, 7, and 3 year old. No wonder I'm going crazy!!!

Austin turned 7 today. That just seems like a "growing up" number to me for some reason.

I learned 2 things today about kids and birthdays though.

first---December birthdays are not ideal.

Second---Kids like to get more than one present on their birthday. In my mind I know Austin will be getting like 10 gifts between Christmas and birthday parties, so we got him one thing. But to him, this was his first party and he was a little disappointed like.....'i only get one present'......oopss!! I don't even think it was a greedy thing. just the shear pleasure of having your birthday as a kid and wanting to open up presents....Even if it's a book, or candy or whatever...

okay, three things. Third---my kids love waking up to balloons and streamers in their bedroom. I've always done that in the past, but today it slipped my mind because he was getting a single balloon and going out for lunch with dad, but he asked why he didn't get the balloons and streamers in his bedroom.

oh, and fourth----to make one of his "top choice gifts" come from mom and dad on his birthday. We kind of gave him a "lower on the gift list" item since we knew what he was getting later on, and I think that was "disappointing" for him to not get something he really wanted today.

from a kids perspective..........I completely get it!!!! Nope---kids don't have to get everything they want...... and nope---presents don't make you happy............but as a kid-----don't you love it when you get something you really want from your mom and dad?........

So I live and learn!!!!

But regardless of things I learned............I think he had a great day!!

LOVE the Christmas programs

Our past week was filled with programs and I just love them! I love seeing what the kids have been working on and all the excitement they have.....

Our church did "Back to the Manger" The 3 older kids were all involved and singing and Alyssa was an angel for one scene too. We've been listening to the music since September so even Aidan would sing along in the van! It was a completely amazing performance that the kids totally enjoyed being part of.

The general theme was a time machine which skipped generations, and brought them back to the manager scene. It was really a fantastic play or musical. Loved the songs and they had fun doing different themes of the decades.

Alyssa had a piano recital. She started piano last fall and is doing fabulous with it. I signed her up for piano because she needed something that was "hers" to do. I'm always helping Samara and Austin with reading and so I needed to find something that Alyssa could do and have her be accountable each day for. Usually it's like pulling teeth to get her to learn her lesson the first day or two, but by the end of the week she will sit down about any free time she has and plays. She usually has her lessons memorized each week. I'm not sure yet if it's just something to do, or if she enjoys it............but regardless, she does a great job playing.

And of course, we had the school choir concert. They did wonderful at this too. It's amazing they can learn so many different songs and betweens grades 1-5 they recited Luke 2, so incredible to hear all their hard work. Austin and Samara in the top left and Alyssa is in the right of the picture. It's kind of hard to see anything, but fun to include. And Austin was a towns person in a song they added stuff too.


So it's been a great Christmas song filled week.

bah humbug

I'm not very thrilled about the whole commercialized side of Christmas. Frankly it stresses me out and makes me grumpy. I went out to the store with 4 specific things in mind, one for each kid, and do you think I could find any? not one. And to go from store to store is just a waste of time. So I decided we just weren't doing it this year. I'm not shopping around for the perfect gift, I'm not making myself busy til I'm crabby.........

And after all..........it's not OUR birthday.........It's JESUS' birthday. So who should we be buying presents for anyways?

We've heard that lots of times. And at church we talk about it and I get it. But we still do the double sided thing. We give to Jesus, and yet we also go on shopping frenzies just because that is how it is. But really...........something has to change for us. I just don't enjoy the stress of picking out the "perfect" gift and making sure it's "worth" the money. I haven't found a toy worth the money yet..........

I want so much more out of Christmas...

so....... at the table we were talking about our days and one of the kids ask me how my day was. So in a teasing manner I said.........." it was just terrible. I went to buy Christmas gifts for you guys and couldn't find any. Everything is sold out and mom is so sad. It was just terrible. I mean, how can I not get gifts for you guys. It's just a terrible day".....I was being all dramatic and teasing (but deep down very serious) and then of course I ended with........'the only good part about my day was when you guys came home from school and I could see you. that was the best part of my day.." and you know what their response was.........(!!!!!!!)...

"that's okay. it's not worth the gifts mom. We don't want you to have a terrible day. you don't need to go shopping and have a bad day. Seriously mom, don't do that again. we don't need them."

I just love them. I really, really do.

Here are some memories I want to have about enjoying Christmas. Having a sleep over by the Christmas tree and watching movies. (We DID do this last weekend.) Baking cookies. Haven't done that yet, but hope to with family. Playing outside, and building snow fort. Enjoying life!!! Listening to Christmas music while playing games or veggin out. Having "homemade" ornaments hanging on the tree. Taking the time to bring cookies over to someone and maybe having a special ornament or something thoughtful with it, instead of something store boughten. ENJOYING a cup of hot cocoa and stirring it with a candy cane. Okay......so the best things don't come by rushing around. the best things come with taking the time. Scheduling the fun stuff so it can actually happen......

Bye-bye cast

Aidan got his cast off today!! He has broke his arm earlier this fall and had a cast on for the last 5 weeks. So today was a great day!!!

Let me tell you, the cast didn't slow him down one bit! In fact, I think he was proud of having it so it gave him even more confidence to be rough. It's going to be hard to keep him "low key" for this first week without the cast!

So, not too much of an exciting story, but here is how he got it on in the first place:

Paul was gone and I was cleaning up the supper dishes. All the kids were wrestling, and just being crazy in the family room. As the playing was ending, Aidan kind of wimpers and says "owwiee". He was holding his arm by his side, so I assumed he was holding his tummy. So I gave him a hug and asking him if he got kicked in the stomach. I kind of kissed his owwiee and said his tummy would be better. Immediately following that he crawled on the couch and got sleepy, but it was just a few minutes before bedtime so I didn't think anything about it.

He went to bed and slept all night. In the morning he said he had owwies again. And again I was thinking he was holding his stomach. (his arm was by his side) So I pulled his pj shirt up and kissed his tummy and asked if he got hit in the stomach when they were playing. At that point he said........"not my tummy, my arm"

OH! Sure enough. In hindsight, he was holding his arm to his side, not holding his tummy.

So I watched how he acted and sure enough.............he couldn't hold his cereal bowl, he wasn't using his arm........So as I was putting on his clothes for the day I saw his elbow was way swollen. I knew it was broke. So we dropped the other kids off at school, went to the Dr. office, then to the hospital for x-rays, and then on to the orthopedics for a cast!

The orthopedics office was an old stomping ground of mine when I did x-rays, and I knew the Dr., so we did a fun cast. Aidan chose blue and green stripes. He was proud of it. He did real good through the whole thing.

But after 5 weeks, there is nothing like a long tubby either!!!!!