New Year's Eve

The end of a year always feels like the shutting of a door to me. I feel like we are standing at the edge of an open door, looking out in front of us. When midnight comes, it's as though we've stepped outside of the door and pulled it shut behind us.

It's kind of odd since all we're really doing is ending one month and starting another. But it does feel monumental and symbolic to me each year.

Sigh.

This year, we had some friends over to play games and enjoy lots of snacks and munchies. We played several games, including Hedbanz for Kids and Quelf. But one of the favorites (for me) was the one suggested by Dawn, which included taking a somber photo at the beginning of the evening and a celebrating one at the end.

Everyone played along, and I think they turned out well. What do you think?

Boxing Day Observed

Since my hubby is British, I often think that he must get homesick for some of the traditions and goodies he enjoyed around the holidays when he lived in England. I asked him one year what fun things he wanted to incorporate into our family traditions so that it might lessen those feelings, and he said he missed Boxing Day the most.

Boxing Day, for many Brits, is like Christmas Day Part 2. All the same foods and fun but repeated at a relative's -- grandparents' or aunt/uncle's -- house. It was the day that Stuart said they got their prezzies from their grandparents. An extension of the fun, so to speak.

When we lived in Britain, we were always invited over to a friends' home to join in the fun. A beautiful and tasty roasted meal with Christmas pudding, mince pies, Christmas crackers, and a small present afterwards.

So now we try to recreate this goodness in our house each year.

Only this year, our turkey decided NOT to thaw in time. I took it out of the freezer at the suggested moment, but it must have been in a deep freeze when I bought it because that bird was still a bit frozen even a week after I started thawing it. We delayed our meal for a few days, and it was still as lovely and fun as always.

Great food. Great company.

We ended with a demonstration of bunny hopping and a meeting of the piggies.

Pagoda Day! Pagoda Day!

Pagoda Day 2014!

In our family, we like to be goofy, enjoy silliness, and make memories.

Pagoda Day is a good one for that.

It was started by our 13-year-old son, Edward, when he was 3 years old. He wanted something that would celebrate the awesomeness of the Pagoda, a local landmark in the Reading area. He planned it out with Emily, complete with a date and musical theme song. We played along but kept saying it was "too far away" and "maybe we'd go there one day"...and then we surprised them after dinner on their chosen date by driving up Mt. Penn to see it up close and personal -- and to take a family photo.

As you can see here and here and here and here, it has become something of an annual tradition (sadly, not always blogged about).

So on this our 11th Pagoda Day, we extend to you a warm and fun Happy Pagoda Day!

What kind of silly and fun family traditions do you celebrate?

On Christmas Day in the Morning!

MERRIEST CHRISTMAS to ALL!

It's hard to believe, but this day has come! It feels like just last month we were starting school and not long after was Halloween...and wasn't it last week that we enjoyed Thanksgiving?

Phew!

It was a beautifully fun and leisurely morning for all of us. It took Stuart and me hours to wrap all of the presents...and the kids, well, they unwrapped everything in minutes. Amazing and fun!

But everyone had a good time and enjoyed their gifts -- both given and received.

We hope you enjoyed your Christmas Day, too!

Christmas Eve...

There's something about this day.

Emily summed it up well by saying how she likes it a little bit more than Christmas Day.

Maybe it's the anticipation?

Maybe it's the excitement of what's to come?

Maybe it's the stillness?

Or maybe it's the light that shattered the darkness and brought new hope to Israel...

Silent night. Holy night.

All is calm, all is bright

'Round yon virgin, mother and child.

Holy infant so tender and mild  

Sleep in heavenly peace,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

The Eve of Christmas Eve

Way back in 1988 -- on this very date, in fact -- we took a picnic to the park. Let me explain the "we." I had just moved to England at the end of October and met some friends named Sarah, Stuart, and Euan. We got this crazy idea to have an "American meal" by way of a picnic in the nearby Lydiard Park (one of my very favorite places to visit whilst living in England).

It was freezing cold and damp, the kind of cold that penetrates through whatever you're wearing and makes you cold down to your toes. We took peanut-butter-and-jam sandwiches, salt-and-vinegar crisps, a pint of milk, and Euan was kind enough to find a can of Schweppes American ginger ale (I'd mistaken ginger beer for ginger ale at our first time out as a group) for me.

It was fun. We were young, crazy, and silly. People stared as they passed. But a memory was made. I think Stuart and I remember it more vividly and with far more nostalgia than the day deserves, but it's still fun.

Years later, in the heart of our living room, we decided to revive the "Eve of Christmas Eve picnic in the park" idea with the same menu...and our kids. It's been a fun remembrance with them.

Fast forward to this year. and we decided to go one further and picnic in Central Park with them. We didn't quite make it to the park (it was the "perfect" weather) due to the wetness. Still, a memory was made.

Our first stop was a surprise visit with Santa in Macy's Santaland.

Ethan had requested this earlier in the season, but we didn't think we'd get there. When he told Santa he had been hoping to see him, Santa said he wondered when Ethan was going to come and visit, that he'd been waiting for him. Ethan was amazed!

We made it to Central Park, but we were so tired and cold 

that we decided to forego having our picnic there.

Our "selfie"

The Build-a-Bear Workshop was on our list of places to visit.

Ethan found a huge bucket of Nutella.

Waiting for the subway.

Edward found a newly-retired LEGO set he'd been wanting...

the last set in FAO Schwartz. Christmas money well-spent!

Emily used her Christmas money for some sale clothing

she found at Aeropostale in Times Square.

Love visiting our lion friends outside the New York Public Library.

And we finally got our "picnic" (the one that Stuart lugged all around New York City for us): our own homemade sandwiches and salt-and-vinegar crisps. We had some Schweppes ginger ale in the car, but we enjoyed that at a later date. 

This year's picnic included Starbucks.

Throwback Thursday

I found this in the drafts on my blog...and it was slated to be published on December 18th...2008.

Birthday Blessing

I've been blessed with a birthday buddy.

Well, to be honest, I have many, many birthday buddies, some of whom I actually know. With only 365 days in a year, there aren't a lot of choices for making our debut, right? We're bound to hit somebody else's birthday.

But this birthday buddy is special because I gave birth to this buddy.

Emily Susanne:

17 years ago today.

It's not MY day. It's YOUR day. It's OUR day. Before God created the world, He knew exactly which day you would arrive...and I would arrive. It just so happened that He chose those days to be exactly the same.

Thank you for sharing your special day with me. I love you even more for it!

.......................

I remember turning 17. I remember being 17. Wow! How can I be a mom of someone that age?

So much -- good and bad -- is happening in your life. So many exciting -- and daunting -- changes lay ahead. So much excitement. Be glad. Feel blessed. God has given you a gift!

Here is a poem (one of my very favorites) by Minnie Louise Haskins that might help you as you embark on this new age:

God Knows

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.”

And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”

So I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night. And He led me towards the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East.

So heart be still:
What need our little life
Our human life to know,
If God hath comprehension?
In all the dizzy strife
Of things both high and low,
God hideth His intention.

God knows. His will
Is best. The stretch of years
Which wind ahead, so dim
To our imperfect vision,
Are clear to God. Our fears
Are premature; In Him,
All time hath full provision.

Then rest: until
God moves to lift the veil
From our impatient eyes,
When, as the sweeter features
Of Life’s stern face we hail,
Fair beyond all surmise
God’s thought around His creatures
Our mind shall fill.

Throwback Thursday

So, since today is often #tbt (throwback Thursday), I decided to find an old photo of Stuart and me to share.

This one comes from 1992. I had gone back to England to see Stuart during my Christmas break at uni. We were sitting in a country pub, enjoying some drinks with another couple. We were 22.

22?!?

Twenty-two!!! 

We just hit double that age this year.

That cold winter night seems an eternity ago. The pub was warm and loud and friendly. There was a fire in a big fireplace. And I remember there was freezing fog outside -- something I'd never heard of before, even though I'd lived in England only two year earlier.

Sigh.

Emily realized she's nearly the same age as Stuart and me when we met.

Sur-real!!

*  *  *  *  *

What "throwback memories" do you remember when you see old photos? I'd love to hear about them!

Wordless Wednesday

A Day in the Life

Or the life in a day?

Sometimes it feels as if we're living many lifetimes in one day. There's so much going on.

My brain tries to sort out our schedule and keep everything straight. Soccer at 3:30...drama at 6:30...dinner at 5:30...little-guy soccer at 6.....laundry, meals, cleaning, and, oh, that's right...I have a newspaper story due.

Still. The soccer season is nearly over. Drama rehearses for a short period of time during the autumn. All will end before I know it and life will slow down, if only a little.

Enjoy the moments as they come, I tell myself.

I got extremely nostalgic this past Sunday when we passed a mom and her young daughter walking on the sidewalk as we drove to church. Suddenly, I pined yearned longed for that time again. It seemed so much easier, simpler somehow. The kids got up and had breakfast. We got dressed. We did school. We had lunch with a couple of PBS shows and then read a story together. After that, it was playtime. The kids loved playing outside. They built "fairy houses" in the flowerbeds and washed rocks and ran around defending our house from "bad" guys. They were little, and I could carry them. My kisses were still magical and healed boo-boos. We colored together.

It was while I was thinking about this and admitting that I missed that time that our 6-year-old piped up, "But then you wouldn't have me."

My heart froze.

He was totally right. He's 11 years younger than Emily and 7.5 years younger than Edward. To go back in time 10 years would erase his existence.

Never.

Then I got to thinking about how much I enjoy the kids now. And while they don't play outside very often anymore...and school takes a bit more time than the morning (mostly due to concentration problems),..and they're not as much into PBS kids' shows anymore...and I can't carry them (they're 5'10" and 5'9" tall now...and even the "little" one is 4'6". Sigh.)...they still love to hug me...and my kisses still have magic of some sort in them because they are filled with love.


Enjoy the moments as they come, I remind myself.

One day I'll feel nostalgic when I see a mom and her teenagers walking along the sidewalk, chatting together.


Enjoy. The. Moment.

*  *  *  *  *  *  *  

What makes you feel nostalgic?

Sweet Sunday

 

"Our God"

Water you turned into wine,
opened the eyes of the blind
there's no one like you, none like You!

Into the darkness you shine
out of the ashes we rise
there's no one like you none like You!

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power,
Our God! Our God!

Into the darkness you shine
out of the ashes we rise
there's no one like you, none like You!

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power,
Our God! Our God!

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power,
Our God! Our God!

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
What could stand against.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power,
Our God! Our God!

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power,
Our God! Our God!

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.

And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.
And if our God is with us, then what could stand against.
Then what could stand against.

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power,
Our God! Our God!

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God you are higher than any other.
Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power,
Our God! Our God!

Saturday Sweetheart

My very favorite player on the Wyomissing High School Boys' JV Soccer Team!!

Wordless Wednesday

Label Readers

I'm getting really tired of all the labels we give to ourselves and our kids, trying to explain every condition/ailment under the sun.

We all have a label. It's called " human." 

What if we all realize this, take responsibility for our own actions and abilities /struggles and accept each other "as is" without giving ourselves a name or label or condition? 

Whoa.

I've read that "normal "is only a setting on the dryer. No one is normal. Because think about it. Who actually determines what normal is? 

Maybe when we see this, we'll stop feeling defensive -- or judgmental -- and we'll look in the mirror and like who we see, accepting our own selves flaws and all.

Hmm... 

I think that's a start to peace on earth.

Using His Head

Life has been extremely busy with school and activities and...soccer.

Edward has soccer everyday after school, and Ethan has soccer on Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons.

Sometimes life feels consumed by soccer. We finished watching the 2014 World Cup just in time for Edward to begin the high school soccer season.

Not that I'm complaining.

It's my favorite sport. I love the speed and skill the players display. It never slows down; only pauses for kicks and throw-ins.

Stuart and I are having fun coaching our U8 team, the Blue Cheetahs. The kids have plenty of silliness and energy to make it very enjoyable.

And then this happens.

Edward's team played Oley, and for the second year in a row, he got headbutted.

Ironic?

Hmm...

Sweet Sunday

So yesterday, Emily and I participated in the Fall 24-hour Short Story Contest. Well, I participated, and she joined me for some writing (and Starbucks) fun.

The contest costs $5, and usually she joins in, too, but she's currently saving all the money she makes to replace her phone. So she just used the prompt to write her own story.

And. It. Was. Awesome.

She felt a bit bummed that she didn't enter since the fall prompts are always decidedly more spooky than the other seasons....and she's very good at writing spooky things.

Still. We had lots of fun together and drank our first pumpkin-spiced drinks of the season.

Sweet times!

Saturday Sweetheart

Edward made this helicopter with K'nex last night. The model itself came from the instruction book, but he made it have working gears and rotors.

Such a clever and creative guy!

Friday Funny

"See, Mommy? I have a 2-pack [of abs]!"

Love this kid!

Birthday Boy

...on his birthday bike!

Last night, Stuart finally found an awesome deal on an awesome bike.

Doesn't he look awesome on it?

Now to accessorize....

Worded Wednesday

The hardest part of loving pets into old age is having to say goodbye. 

Rest in peace, our sweet bunny Tony (L).

Click here to read about when we got them.

All Is Bright

So this happened today:

Emily had her first college (interchangeable with university over here) interview today at Albright College, her first choice of places to get her degree. 

Sur-real to the max. 

Here's hoping they accept her and give her a full-ride scholarship. That would be awesome!

We had to get a snack at Jake's Java afterwards. It's a tradition. *wink-grin*

Starting....

...second grade!

One day down...179 to go. Only kidding. It was an awesome day!

Oh, Happy Day!

What a difference six years makes, right?

From little to "big" in the blink of an eye. Today is Ethan's "Star Birthday," meaning his birthday actually landed on his actual day of birth.

We are so proud of this little guy! He woke up, and Edward asked him if he felt different. He said he felt taller...so we, of course, measured him, and he is actually an inch and a quarter taller.

Happiest 6th Birthday to our special "caboose," Ethan Samuel! We love you more than you'll ever know!

A couple of pics from today: