State of the Family 2009

We've had quite a year.

One of us lost a helmet, gained a rounder head, learned to walk, got a mouthful of teeth, started to say words, and learned to keep a hairbow on.

One of us visited both the ER and Urgent Care, learned to write some letters, started to write his name, learned to make extremely symmetrical and surprisingly intricate Lego ships, and discovered a (not surprising) affinity for "the bad guys."

One of us graduated from preschool, started a new career as a student, got bitten at kindergarten, continued to love being a big brother to a baby sister, started reading chapter books, and graduated to a "big" Bible.

Two of us learned to ride a two-wheel bike.

Two of us celebrated 11 years of marriage.

Three of us read some letters from Mom, started sleeping in a little more, and all looked at the camera at the same time for our Christmas card.

One of us almost cried with happiness. (See above.)

Five of us went to the beach with the grands, went to the zoo with an aunt and uncle, and stayed home for Christmas with each other.

All of us welcomed a new baby cousin/niece.

All of us had a birthday.

All in all, 2009 was a pretty good year. We are all currently healthy. We are grateful that Steve has kept his job with all the Wachovia/Wells Fargo goings-on. We are glad that our family dog has made a couple miraculous recoveries and is still camped out on our kitchen floor. We are part of an awesome small group with our church and are growing deeper together through prayer, discussions about some thought-provoking and heart-changing sermons, and a shared love of obsession with "The Office."

We've been thinking of some individual and family goals for 2010 and will post on that later. For tonight, we'll discuss those goals together, eat some crab legs and mac and cheese (not together), make smores, watch "The Incredibles," and say a fond farewell to 2009.

Twinkle Toes

My favorite Christmas present?

Why, my new shoes, of course!

Oooooh...the sparkles make them extra-sophisticated!

I am one classy lady.

Preparations

Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Sprinkling reindeer food in the front yard...

Do you hear sleigh bells?

A little reminder never hurts!

Neither does a little sugar.

It Must Be Christmas!

One of my (many) mottoes is "It's Not a Holiday Until Someone Throws Up." No current stomach bugs making the rounds here, but both Libby (coughing so hard) and Andrew (migraine) have already obligingly proved this motto true -- just in time for Christmas Eve.

With each year that passes, I am slowly adding to my list of holiday axioms. Of course, these do not ALL happen EVERY Christmas, but usually we can count on one or two to make the season a little more festive.

It's Not Christmas Until...someone is running a fever.

It's Not Christmas Until...someone has passed that fever to a sibling or two.

It's Not Christmas Until...someone (or a couple someones) is on antibiotics.

It's Not Christmas Until...the pediatrician takes pity on me and gives me a "just in case" prescription for the lone holdout kid not currently on antibiotics.

It's Not Christmas Until (new for 2009!)...I tell said (male) pediatrician "I love you" in a fit of extreme gratitude for said prescription because I also know that...

It's Not Christmas Until...we are sitting in an ER waiting room -- usually around midnight -- for an issue that on any other day of the year could be handled with a routine office visit.

It's Not Christmas Until...there is a veterinary crisis. Or two. (They will most likely involve incontinence.)

It's Not Christmas Until...we've fired up the carpet cleaner. Several times.

It's Not Christmas Until...we've given an 80-lb. arthritic, geriatric dog a bath with buckets of hot water in the garage after dark because it is 40 degrees outside and we can't haul her upstairs to a bathtub.

Despite everyone's determination to make this Christmas super-memorable in ways that I trust we will laugh about later, we have not lost our Christmas spirit. Far from it! The wheels may be falling off around here, but that just makes for some fun sledding. Right? Right?

Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care. The reindeer food is ready. Our nativity is set up, and we are looking forward to the reading of Luke 2. The presents are wrapped. The carpets are clean(ish). Cookies are ready for Santa. Surely some of their medications will make the kids see Sugar Plum Fairies tonight.

We are thankful for God's goodwill toward us and for His peace even in our mess this Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all our family and friends!

Coming soon...How to Get Kicked Out of Your Pediatric Practice by Alison Nichols

Aunts Everywhere

We have been aware for quite some time now that our children cannot tell any of their aunts apart. And we have not thought it too big a deal -- I mean, the aunts are all tall and skinny and generally gorgeous and have that "Moon Clone" thing going on -- certainly the kids will get them straightened out in their minds eventually.

However, the situation has become a little more worrisome.

Steve: Hey, Andrew, it's getting close to Christmas! Aunt Lindsay is going to be here. And Aunt Gwen and Aunt Whitney. And Aunt Abby and Uncle Adam are coming. Even Uncle Jordan!

Andrew (excitedly): I haven't seen Uncle Adam in a long time!

Andrew pauses.

Andrew: But, Dad...what about Aunt Kyle?

Four Years Ago...

We thought we knew what to expect.

We knew you would be a boy.
We knew your name would be Adam.
We even knew what day you were scheduled to be born.

All was going as planned; and we were coolly confident, having already welcomed one little boy into our family, that we knew exactly what we were getting into.

But, our funny little Adam, as you like to say every time you burst into a room...

SUR-PRIIIIIIISE!

What we didn't expect was YOU. You defied all of our expectations from the moment you arrived on the scene that December evening four years ago, dark and wild-haired and as different from your blond, buttoned-down brother as you could possibly be.


From the start, you were the silliest little clown of a baby with that mischievous twinkle in your eye...

And a determined sense of how you would have things (as illustrated by the Sunday when you steadfastly refused to remove your coat, hat, and sunglasses for the entirety of children's church).

You are forever popping up in the most unexpected places, saying the most outrageously unexpected things...

And, really, after four years, the only thing we now expect is that we never know what to expect!

Happy Birthday, Adam. You are a most unexpected little blessing.

Almost 4!

It's been a big week for Adam as we count down to his birthday.

A few days ago, he asked Steve to take the training wheels off his bike. Then he pretty much hopped on it and took off. Yikes. He's still technically three. Anything to keep up with the big kids, I guess!

Displaying his athletic ability...he certainly doesn't get it from his mother.

Since Adam was born so close to Christmas, we decided to hold his party a week before his birthday in the hopes that at least a couple of his friends might be able to come during this busy holiday season. Guess what? Almost everyone we invited was able to come! Adam's entire wished-for "cast of characters" was here. Including Andrew and Adam, we had twelve little people celebrating our almost-4-year-old.

Getting ready to play "Stuff the Stocking"

What you get when you give a bunch of 3- and 4-year-olds chocolate cupcakes...good times!

The birthday boy insisted on taking his Batcave to bed. This is how we found him about 10 minutes later: