What now?

How weird it is, this time between Christmas and New Years. I still have the crafting bug, and if anything I feel more inspired now that the holidays are over and there is no pressure to complete gifts in time. One of my friends accused me of being Waldorf by proxy. The more I think about it I do believe there's something to that. While I've always been crafty and engaged in one project or another at any given time, this winter I have been inspired to take on a larger number of projects. Most of these are things I've never made before. Elliot started kindergarten at an amazing Waldorf Charter School this year where art and handwork are not only taught and encouraged, but actually valued in such a beautiful way. So fine, I will own it. Perhaps it is rubbing off and all I can say is that I only hope it continues!

On another note all together, despite my efforts to maintain "moderation" during the holidays, I was dissapointed today to find myself gobbling down the last of the pumpkin pie, with whip cream, washed down with a little eggnog. What's up? On top of that I passed on my run, using yesterdays 2 hour walk into the NW Portland hills as an excuse to not exercise today.

So as we approach another new year, I am focused on what actions I might do in the coming months to improve my health, my life, my family and my community. In doing so, I'm determined to make only changes which are reasonable. This year will not promise myself unobtainable accomplishments, or unrealistic deadlines. I will begin 2010 with a list of new years resolutions that I can feel proud to achieve and not regretful for losing interest in.

Christmas

It's clear that with three children Christmas morning can be simply described with 3 short words, joyful, exciting, and madness. Our morning started out with Elliot racing into our room to report Santa's obvious arrival and then back and forth with descriptions of what was under the tree, as well as his best guesses as to what was peeking out of the stockings. Owen and Maeve were up shortly after, with no chance of sleeping through the excitement!


It was thrilling as we began to dip into the stockings pulling out toys and trinkets. I was truely enjoying myself, until we started dispersing presents from under the tree. Suddenly it was like a starting gun had gone off in the living room and there was a frenzy of activity. Elliot was opening gifts at an alarming speed and I could barely keep my eyes on anything the kids were opening before they quickly moved on to the next item. All of this after a deliberate effort to keep things "reasonable" this year. We really didn't go crazy with gifts but apparently that doesn't matter. I could feel my anxiety rise as the calm magical feeling of the morning quickly turned into a mad house.


Well, who can blame them. It was Christmas after all, and we had done our fair job of building them up this very moment. Eventually I let go of my strong desire to control the occasional and finally relaxed into the chaos. Chaos it was, but I cant imagine a better way to have spent the morning!


After all the gifts were open we spent the rest of the day playing with the new toys and preparing for dinner with our friends. Dennis made roasted pepper and mushroom lasagna with his own homemade noodles. It was amazing! In fact the only thing that disturbed the mood of the meal was the interruption of one child who had an accident, and one who after getting her little hands on a Christmas lifesaver choked on a small piece and threw up all over herself. Oh well, what would Christmas be if it weren't for both the merriment and wild energy of children!

Light In The Darkness

The lightness returns! Elliot built a beautiful Winter Solstice alter this year with all of his animals surrounding the sun, welcoming her back. We read our story of the sun being reborn and when it was over Elliot (without any suggestions from me) asked to light a candle and give thanks to the sun (as the children in the story do). It made my heart melt to see what a boy he's become.

Also bringing warmth into our lives today was the addition of our newest family member, Shadow. Shadow is a 5 month old Border Collie -Lab mix. We met her yesterday at the humane society and adopted her today. We were prepared for a very hyper puppy and have been pleasantly surprised by how well behaved he's been since we've brought him home. Though he's not had any training at all, he is so eager to please that he has already learned "sit" in just a matter of hours. He loves his new dog bed and wants to be with us every second. Since our old dog Sammy passed away last summer I think we've all felt a void in the family. And while Sammy is irreplaceable, it's so great having a four legged friend in the house again.

Tis the Season

I'm going to try to take another stab at getting this blog going. I want so much to capture our lives, recorded, as if proof of what occurred during the haze of these years. But also to share our lives with our family and friends who live across the country. I know that years from now I'll look back and won't remember what it felt like to have our children be so young, and us to be so busy.

The holiday is upon us fully and we are ready! I've been crafting like mad and have even moved my sewing machine, cutting mat, and bolts of fabric to the dining room table so I can squeeze it in whenever I get a moment. So far I've made a tree skirt, a doll for Maeve, 2 stuffed bird ornaments for teachers, 3 finger puppets, 3 aprons for gifts, and I'm starting on felt play food today. There is something about winter that turns us inward, forcing us to feel our creativity in a way that the distractions of warmer weather don't often allow.


I'm not the only one. Elliot's been in the mood to create as well. Since his birthday he's been absorbed by legos, building castles and other magical places. He's also built some impressive mazes with his blocks and a whole slew of potato stamped postcards to send out to his friends. It's amazing to see what he's capable of!

Owen has been busy collecting "jewels" and coins and finding little bags and boxes to carry them around in. He seems to spend at least part of each day being scolded for rummaging through my wallet, Dennis dresser, Elliot's game pieces, or my coin jar in search of the perfect treasure. He's also been known to steal his sister's little purse to tote around his loot.




Maeve and I went shopping yesterday and I got a glimpse of what my future might hold for me having a daughter. Eventually when she couldn't stand the stroller anymore so got out and waked around the mall, entertaining the ladies at Macy's, fancying herself in the big mirrors. It was hilarious.

Last weekend we visited with Santa and this today we'll build our annual Solstice alter with our very own Solstice nativity scene!

Only four days to Christmas!

A Ride to School

This summer Elliot finally got all of the elements of bike riding down. As I ride my bike to work, whenever we can (usually tuesdays and thursdays), Elliot and I ride our bikes together to kindergarten to start his day.

While I grew up too far away to bike to school on a regular basis, I'm glad that Elliot will have the opportunity to ride his bike to school (or walk) and hopefully continue biking as he gets older. It's a choice that many kids probably don't have today.

While, it doesn't last more than 10 minutes from door to door, I really value the shared experience and I think Elliot does too. What a fun way to start the day!

Time to capture it all!

It's hard to believe it's been almost 6 years since we welcomed our first baby into our family. We had thoroughly enjoyed our time as a young married couple, moving across country, starting new careers, and enjoying the freedom of going to the bar and catching movies whenever we pleased. We were ready, or at least we thought we were ready, to embark on a new journey as parents.

In November, 5 years after we married, we had Elliot. It was such a warm, wonderful time. I relished every moment I spent with him. As he grew, Elliot filled our days with humor. Less than 3 years later we welcomed our second, Owen. The good times continued. When Owen turned 1, we learned we were expecting our third. Maeve was born before Owen's second birthday.

It's been a whirlwind to say the least but we can't believe how many amazing memories we have. Elliot will be 6 next month and suddenly I feel time slipping by faster than I can grasp. So much happens day to day and I'm so afraid (and sometimes hopeful) that years from now it will all be a blur.

I'm sure this blog will never fully capture the craziness of our life, but I hope it will somehow capture some of the best times so we can share them with our friends and family.