Back to 2011

I promise I know what year it is!  I thought I would write about our year in review last month and missed the opportunity.  2010 was such a BIG year, full of BIGNESS in every way that I may just do a flashback every month.  Now, onto 2011 -- 

This January we were plagued with quite a few unwelcome bugs and some snow, which has kept us more grounded than usual.  I have secretly liked it.  The time home has helped me to understand how Mom maintained a beautiful home and had delicious manly meals every night of my wonder years.  The secret?  She stayed HOME.  Ohhhh, is that how it happens?  I'll think on it. Done thinking.  My poor mom!

We started the month off with a trip to "Chuckie  Cheese-Its" with Grammy.

Jackson loved this bicycling helicopter!

Poor Caroline couldn't get it to move!  Brought back an awful memory of being in a bumper car and getting slammed by other kids, because I couldn't get my car to move. 

Obviously, still traumatized.

Jacks' favorite outfit these days.  Cannot get him out of that old sweatshirt to save my life! 

Why he's on the chair?  I have no idea-

Our sweet baby turned 6 months old!  More on her to come!

One lovely snowy afternoon I *treated* my family to a homemade, gourmet peppermint shake

with the leftover peppermint ice cream from Christmas. 

We were totally psyched, especially since I added peppermint oil

(that was supposed to make my hair grow in nice and thick, but I digress...). 

MISTAKE. 

This turned out more like lactose-infused peppermint schnapps!

Too darling for words, even with a dried boogie on her face.

Can you spy Jackson?

Jackson's teacher Ms. "Ali Dora" says, "He is a very physical little boy." 

Here he is with his buddy Eli on "P is for Pajamas" Day.

I don't think Eli ever saw it coming.

Princess Caroline with her Word Study.  Look at those big girl teeth!

Jacks is quite into anything "fireman" these days...

...and multitasking.

The Return of Caroline's Crazy Hair Day

This is all Karis could come up with for such an event.

10-4 good buddies!

January 2010

January last year...

Caroline was learning to read!  Love this -- The "princess" reading a Tonka Truck book. 

Doing her best John Travolta moves in her modern day leisure suit!



The 100th Day of Kindergarten and Jackson's snack -

This was hillarious!  Nope, not a gold tooth wanna be, just a stuck raisin.

Crazy Hair Day

Looking quite productive!

Good reminder of all the snow 2010 brought!



Making Headlines

We've had a couple of lousy days on this end.  The kids are battling a whopper of a virus.  The bonus is we've been able to hunker down and not leave the confines of our petite home since Saturday.  Saturday.  However, we do have much to cheer about!  Let's see, the top stories making tonight's headlines...

1.  Proud momma reporting that Karis Elizabeth is now sitting by herself for a good 20 seconds or so!  That is until she topples backward.  I remember as a little girl trying to sit my baby doll up and she would fall back just like Karis does now.  Makes me laugh!  Same perfect posture with her little bent arms out to her side.  She is such a doll.


2.  JERRY JOHN
And I debated about putting this first, because we are SO excited -

Jerry John is now a part of our family!!  Doesn't his name just make you smile?!  I knew Donald would love his name too.  My hubby with the WVA roots who halfway teased this want-to-be Southern Belle about naming our son Jimmy Don. 

I am very embarrassed to say we have talked for too long about sponsoring a child, though this one year anniversary of Haiti's earthquakes did our hearts in.  The kids and I got a call this morning from Donald to chose someone, anyone, but to do it.  So we threw open the laptop and prayed that God would hook us up with just the right child.  After pages of too precious, extremely adorable faces Caroline was quick to point out the only photo we had seen with a red heart in the corner.  We had found our someone.

The red heart meant the child had been waiting for over 6 months for a sponsor.

I still can't get that out of my head.  I have a hard time thinking people have been passing his photo for 6 months.  I have a hard time thinking we've waited so long before taking action on a constant pull.  It breaks my heart to think of children all over this globe in such dire need -- of clean water, attention.  I really dislike how tightly I've been clinging to the few tens we'll be sharing each month, as if I can look back and say they made any real difference in our lives.  I really, really dislike how easy it is to be informed, feel horrible, and still ignore.

BUT!  I really like to imagine how Jerry John and his parents will react when they learn  they finally have a sponsor!  I really like how thrilled our kids are to be helping someone they've never met, picturing Jerry John wearing his school uniform for the first time, perhaps a healthier year for him, easing his parents worry, the kids writing to him, watching him grow through photos taped to our fridge, praying for him.  Julie Andrews singing "My Favorite Things" is floating through my head, but with different lyrics.  I wonder what he looks like sleeping.  Now, I can watch the news about Haiti with Jerry John in mind.  It's personal now.

Our New Friend Jerry John

 http://www.compassion.com/

Jerry John.  Jerry John.  Jerry John.  I keep saying his name.  Makes me smile!

1-1-11

It was a great 1st day!  Extremely average and when I am in mid-year feeling rather middle aged with an average life I want to remember how truly remarkable that is.

Let's see, today...
-Jackson crawled in bed with me while I cuddled my 5 month old baby saying he wanted to sleep with me.
-Donald slipped back in from being "in the woods" because he forgot something, but in the process he fixed me a pot of coffee and Jackson his oatmeal.
-my big kids brushed their teeth without hassle.
-I used new hair products that made my post pregnancy, fine, thin hair feel a bit bigger.  Trying really hard to focus on the fact that I have some hair.
-Karis hung out virtually fuss less.
-I was able to call my mom and sister to wish them a great new year.
-Caroline wrapped a few gifts I have to give to folks at church.
-Jackson and Caroline played with his new train from Grammy and my old doll house furniture in her castle for at least an hour.
-I made some awesome banana nut bread and got around to delivering it to a new neighbor 2 houses down that I have actually known for a few years!
-Jackson and Karis napped at the same time for a couple of hours while Caroline read her Bible among other things.  I am not lying, I promise. 
-a couple of old friends sent me some very sweet messages.
-my favorite uncle and I are now FaceBooking.
-the kids and I visited an even older friend and exchanged Christmas gifts. 
-we arrived home at the same time as Donald who had pizza in hand.
- we played "Don't Wake Daddy" with the kids.
-I snuggled all of my kids to sleep.
-I am currently having my fair share of peppermint ice cream with a picked up house, some laundry in process, and may I repeat, sleeping kids.
-Donald just walked in the door safe and sound at midnight from saving his parents and their dead car battery.
-our needs and an awful lot of wants are taken care of.

I realized even after moments of laziness, procrastination, frustration, loneliness, exhaustion, awful comparison that I am loved, lavished, happy, happy, happy and blessed beyond my deserving.  And I'm thinking if you're reading this, you probably are too. 

Signing off very happy to be average.

Happy New Year!

Thankful to give 2011 to the big hands of an even bigger God! 
Looking forward to this new year!
Hope it's a great one for you.
Love,
Kristin

"But I'll take the hand of those who don't know the way,

who can't see where they're going.

I'll be a personal guide to them,

directing them through unknown country.

I'll be right there to show them what roads to take,

make sure they don't fall into the ditch.

These are the things I'll be doing for them—

sticking with them, not leaving them for a minute."  

-Isaiah 42:16 (MSG)

Caroline and The Backseat

Today Donald and I took the kids to the mall to make our Christmas returns and enjoy some Christmas money.  He took them and I shopped!  Caroline hung with me for a bit in her big girl dress coat and "Ugs".  We had so much fun trying to decide how to best spend the $1.79 that she brought in her fairy purse.  She carefully chose a necklace with a "C" charm after her wise momma declined a menagerie of lip glosses and nail polishes.  Gotta love Claire's.  It was a great afternoon topped off with a run into Starbucks with my little miss.  This afternoon I was acutely aware of how she has grown.

On the way to the mall Caroline announced that she and Jackson are "BFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFs!"  How does she know what BFF means?  Regardless, that was music to my ears, especially since these two sibs don't pronounce their love for one another often.  It got me thinking about how I've heard some of the most treasured comments and surprises from Caroline float forward from the backseat.  Almost as if I could plot points of her growth on the wall of our minivan right next to where they happen.   For instance, in the fall of Caroline's kindergarten year she climbed into the van and announced that she met the boy she is going to marry, like she was announcing that she'd like jam on her toast. I was shocked that the thought had even occurred to her!  Since then she has decided that she's going to marry her brother instead, which suits me just fine.  At least I know the boy!

From the dark depths of the minivan there have been so many moments, and questions, and songs, and temper tantrums... But here is a memory that is especially dear to me.  About a month ago she climbed onto the backseat and just happened to mention while buckling in, "I made someone a Christian today."  Poor thing didn't know she was going to get an inquisition.  I was shocked, tickled, scared, proud, amazed.  My 6 year old, sitting at the cafeteria table had shared her heart with a girlfriend, then prayed with her to ask Jesus into this little darling's life.  Still in awe.  I don't have the guts to even find out what some of my more ambiguous friends believe.

No big deal, Mommy.  I am just making an impact and planning my wedding with my BFF. 

Indeed, you are, little girl!  Impacting your momma and her driving in ways you know nothing about.  Needless to say I'm looking forward to 2011's backseat commentary from my little miss!

Caro and her "BFFFFFFFFFF!"

Amoeba Love

I told Donald the other day that I have "amoeba love" for Karis; the kind of love that could just wrap itself around the unsuspecting, little edible and swallow it up whole.  Yep, that's how I feel about my little babinski.  She's such an EASY baby and smiles, smiles, smiles.  PRECIOUS.

My Amoeba Love

At her 4 month appointment Karis weighed 14.13 pounds (75th percentile) and was 24 inches long (50th percentile).  Her head was a whopping 90th percentile.  I'm afraid she comes by her big head naturally.  (Some of you will get that -)

Let's see, Karis slept through the night just before Thanksgiving, rolled over on Thanksgiving Day for the 1st time, and can completely delight herself by pondering her fingers.  She also loves to grab her toes and smile at me with a look of sheer accomplishment.  We adore her!

Caroline and Jackson are super big-sibs: 
          -holding her until she squirms --not a long wait
          -making silly faces
          -jiggling whatever baby contraption she is in (Jackson)
          -reading to her (Caroline)
They are a HUGE help when I need a diaper or burp cloth in a pinch, which seems to be often.  As we say in the south, they have taken to her like bees to honey.

I would be remiss if I did not also mention "Dad of the Year".  He is still getting up with Karis when she wakes to change diapers, reassure her, or bring her to me when we cave at 3:00 AM.  He is pretty incredible in the waking hours too.

More Amoeba Love