My husband and I carried the last seasonal box up the basement stairs. This one was special, as it contained the Christmas tree. My two eager children anxiously looked on as we navigated this 7 ft dismantled tree up the narrow stairway. My daughter asked 500 times on repeat, "can we decorate it immediately?" To which I replied in a worn out voice, "lets get this up the stairs first, then we'll decorate it." Finally, after hauling up 5 different boxes, ripping part of the tree's box and dropping branches down the stairs, we did it.
Because that's usually my luck...
The Christmas season is a big deal in my household. We go all out. Every doorway is framed with colored lights entangled in green garland, Santa and Snowman knicknacks are scattered throughout, Christmas music is on repeat, and my 7 ft tree towers over my Christmas village. My two year old son grabs everyone who saunters through our door and shows off every detail of the decorations... I could remember my daughter doing that exact gesture when she was his age.
Funny how time flies...
Immediately after Thanksgiving, my daughter jumps into the Christmas spirit. She couldn't wait to get our tree up and decorate the village. My son was also excited, but I don't think he really knew what for. When I finally colorized the tree branches into their correct slots (I started using a fake tree since my daughter was born, out of convenience however, I'm thinking next year we'll go back to a real one), and draped the tree with strands upon strands of multicolored lights. Then, it was time to open the ornament container.
My daughter shrieked when it was time...
When I popped the lid off and said, "put any ornament anywhere you would like," I wasn't sure who was more excited. My son stood over the bin, in complete aw, while my daughter immediately started grabbing various ornaments.
He occasionally shrieked when he saw a car ornament or some other ornament he liked.
I don't have a themed tree. My tree is eclectic, containing various ornaments of shapes, colors, and characters. I still have ornaments from when I was a baby, child, and teenager. Now, I have ornaments from every year my children have celebrated Christmas.
This isn't just a Christmas tree, it's a tree full of lifetime memories.
My children finished the tree (I, of course, decorated the top half). My daughter took her time and strategically placed each ornament in a spot of her choosing, after much thought. My son screamed with excitement after he was finally able to hang an ornament on a branch. Sister gave him a big hug and said, "I knew you could do it brother!"
Sometimes, I cannot believe I have created such amazing human beings... They have the ability to make my heart smile.
After the tree was complete, my daughter and I decorated the village while my son napped. I use a 6 ft piece of plywood that I painted white. I have about 20 houses, with about 5 or 6 decorative pieces, various amounts of trees, signs, and countless people. My Christmas tree was actually my grandmother's, the village was my mom's, and the people are compiled from both my mom and grandma -One day, this set will all be my kids.
My daughter was very meticulous with the arrangement of the village. She wanted each piece to correlate and make sense within the community. I arranged the trees to hid wires and add depth, but she did everything else. I couldn't believe the amount of attention to detail she displayed while completing this project. She reminded me of my grandma, my mom, and myself. All of us made sure Christmas was done huge, down to the last detail.
My son awoke from his nap, sat in front of the tree with amazement as he asked questions about each piece. Big sister was right there to tell him what each building was and to answer anything he communicated.
I sat on the couch behind them, watching big sister with her arm stretched around little brother's shoulders. She eagerly awaited the next question he would ask and couldn't wait to provide an answer. My son occasionally pointed up to the tree, stating how proud he was of the ornaments he put on the tree and loved the set up.
They both sat there in silence for at least 5 minutes...
Last year, my son was only 11.5 months old for Christmas, so he really didn't participate too much with it. He enjoyed gazing at the lights and occasionally causing ruckous with the decorations. My daughter has always loved the holiday and helped out with decorations, but this was the first year where she was able to do a task on her own without assistance.
She was able to add her own creative input on designs.
Each year, holidays become more and more magical. I love that both of my children are very involved. With each year, they're able to enjoy more in depth aspects of Christmas. Also, they are able to understand our traditions, instead of just participating in them.
This is only the start of the season, but with each passing day, the excitement and anticipation builds, and I'm the lucky one who gets to bask in the wondrous magic of Christmas with them.
It's a silly day when your children play diaper thief with your bamboo inserts, while running through the house, hiding and giggling... A game that only a cloth diapering parent could understand.
This week was a week of growth, maturity, and ninja warrior obstacles for my son...
My son is an excellent sleeper. Always slept through the night, a straight 12 hours and a 2 hours consistent nap during the day. He's a month and a half shy of 2 years old and up to date, loved his crib. He would wake up in the morning and play with his cars and trucks from inside, without disturbing anyone in the house. However, over the past few times, when retrieving him from his room, I've noticed him attempting to stick his leg on the rail, not climbing, but toe touching the side.
He's not your typical boy, he's not that active. I always assumed he would stay in his crib until he was 25 years old and never attempt to escape the entire time.
However, the next nap was different...
...I walked into his room to find him straddling the crib rail, like he was riding a horse. His face encapsulated the biggest smile, like he accomplished something great.
I immediately helped him down and quickly removed the side rail, converting the crib into a toddler bed.
I was nervous with fear that this would disrupt his system and he would no longer be the glorious sleeper that only seems like a myth to the outside world. However, in fact, the first night he slept 13.5 hours straight. He awoke happy, but wouldn't leave the comforts of his bed. I watched through the video monitor, as he sat on the edge, dangling his little legs off -yelling, "momma... Momma come!"
A huge milestone for my big boy... But still my little boy all the same.
Embarrassing grocery store moment #9,465,321... Leaning over the ledge of the cooler, while reaching into the massive pile of frozen Turkeys, and catching your 4 year old, out of the corner of your eye, sitting among them.
When you're a child, you have the ability to be whatever you want to be. You could be a princess, an evil villian, a doctor, a teacher, or read stories to unlock a completely different world. Having an imagination is one of childhood's greatest gifts...
When I read a book to my children, it allows them to play along with the adventure -to be the character in the story and open their minds to far away places. One of my daughter's favorite past times is to sit and "read" a book on her floor. She'll tell the story based on the pictures (she could do that for hours) and her brother will listen as long as she's speaking. My son squeals to certain parts and helps flip the pages, I'm guessing it's because he's also eager to hear what happens next.
My daughter puts on her Cinderella dress (pretending it's Elsa's dress) adds her cape and gloves, then acts out scenes to Frozen. My son also dons an outfit and follows her every move, just to be part of the story. They play Elsa and Anna running through the snowy mountains, or running through the Ice Palace trying to save the village. He'll also wear his Superman outfit and fly around the house, rescuing toys in need. These aren't just dresses on a rack or costumes in a box, these are a gateway to another world, a world that creativity is the only ticket to participate.
My daughter plays she's the teacher and her brother is the student, or she'll line up all her dolls in the open chairs and teach preschool. They all have names and they all work diligently on assignments. She's not only learning, she's thinking too.
Hours of play at their fingertips...
Hours of bonding.
Hours of creativity.
Hours of thinking.
Hours of developing.
Hours of imagining...
Endless time to imagine... Because, that's what childhood is all about, play through the learning and using your imagination to figure out different social situations.
A child will never be bored if they use their imagination.
Everyone in the household has been sick, there never seems to be enough time in the day, and my exhaustion has been on overdrive. My daughter and son have been getting on each other's nerves, while I have been playing mediator and referee.
The background noise was filled with whining and arguing.
Children yelling, "MOM!" one too many times.
My son attempted to play with his sister, only to be dismissed with a, "get out of my room."
My daughter attempted to play with her brother, only to be dismissed with a grunt, a point towards the doorway, and a, "mommy!"
Neither could do anything right...
Right before my head was about to explode from this week, something miraculous happened...
...A ceasefire.
...A bond.
I heard quiet much too long as I was making dinner. Once the sound registered, I put down the potato I was peeling. I walked in and out of the usual rooms, only to find my son and daughter snuggled on her bed, under the covers. I stepped back, behind the door, watching with one eye from around the frame. My daughter had one arm outstretched around my son, the other hand was holding a book she was reading. He had his doggy and blanket brushing against his face, as his forehead was pressed tightly into her arm...
A moment of love.
A moment of devotion.
An act of kindness.
Their time.
Her generosity.
His trust.
So, time pass, bring your worst. It's moments like these that carry me and give me strength to sail through the chaos. With fists clenched, I will happily drive through the storm, knowing the sunshine is on the other end.
Days will be hard and families will fight, but the bond of love cannot be broken. It is that bond that holds us together.
We'll walk through the storm together.
Apparently, the day after Halloween is National Eat Candy for Breakfast, Lunch, and Dinner Holiday... I was unaware of this, I was the mother who attempted to feed my children nutritious meals... It would appear, I didn't get this memo.
For my daughter, Halloween seemed to take forever for its arrival. On the 31st, I must have heard, "is it time to go yet?" about 500 times. With my repeated response being, "not until it's dark outside." Halloween is actually her second favorite holiday, next to Christmas of course, but more important than her birthday.
This Halloween went off without a hitch. My son dressed in Superman costume, despite his initial love for Rapunzel and my daughter was the Ninja Warrior that she desperately wants to become.
The night was a 2 hour walk-fest, complete with lovely warmer temperatures. The developments were lit up with friendly neighbors, eager to see all the trick or treaters dressed head to toe in their favorite characters. Both of my kids ran door to door, thrashing through the scattered fall leaves, as they received candy. My daughter sang some songs (mostly, Let it Go) and said, "thank you so much" to everyone as she left their porch. While, my son grabbed handfuls of candy from the bowls, the families laughed, but I had to gently remove his hand as my almost 2 year old was carried out -screaming. It was his first year trick or treating and he didn't quite understand the etiquette of taking the candy. By the time we were 5 houses in, he understood and kindly took 4 pieces each time (two for each hand), also saying thank you as he followed his sister off the porch.
The night progressed just as it was supposed to, with my husband, my parents, and myself walking door to door with both kids in a hyper-chocolate-induced state.
With the clock seconds from striking 8:00, and one more house in view, my daughter turned to us and said, "can we go home now?" My son heard the question and reached for his daddy to put him in the car -He was done too. My daughter ended up finishing that final house, my son didn't, his arms were tightly grasped around his daddy's neck.
We said our goodbyes to my parents, then loaded both kids into their carseats.
My daughter thanked us a thousand times in 20 seconds for taking her trick or treating. "This was the best Halloween yet!" She yelled out.
We drove about 2 miles...
...My daughter was already asleep.
My son was snuggled with his doggy, blanket, and plastic orange candy filled pumpkin (he was beyond excited to have that filled with candy and he wasn't letting go of it) -he never sleeps in the car. Not even for a second. But he was completely quiet, as he gazed out the window at all the shimmering lights.
Upon arrival home, I carried my daughter into her bedroom, she asked to see her candy as I lowered her into her bed, I laughed and said, "go back to sleep baby, you'll see everything in the morning." She didn't bat an eye, just went back to sleep. I then carried my son into his room and put him in his crib, with his doggy, blanket, and a empty plastic orange pumpkin. He rolled over, clenching his little fist around the black handle, and closed his eyes.
I dropped back onto the couch, with my boots and coat still on, exhausted from all the walking that just took place. My husband and I were talking about how great the night was and how lucky we are to have two great kids to embrace Halloween with.
Holidays are a huge deal for our family. We celebrate every one of them to their fullest extend, because I will never stop loving the excitement on their faces...
...My son's shocked look when he realized all he had to do was knock on a door and someone handed him candy. Or my daughter's ear to ear smile as she said, "trick or treat" to her first house...
...Because Holidays are and always will be about the joys of the children, never about the parents.
