Ornamental Traditions

One Christmas Tradition my family faithfully kept during my growing up years revolved around the Christmas Tree.

Every year, from the time I was an infant, my parents (and my Nana) gave me a tree ornament. So by the time I got married and had a tree of my own, I had a TON of ornaments.

Let's see...Jet and I were 25 years old our first Christmas. So we're talking at least 50 ornaments (since other people in our family caught on to the tradition and started attaching ornaments to the top of the wrapped present)!!

That said, it was a natural progression for Jet and I to follow suit and give our girls ornaments as well.

But I wanted to take it a step further.

Instead of just finding any ol' ornament that we liked, I wanted to get an ornament that represents the year they've had. AND add a hand-written personal letter to go along with it, explaining why she got the ornament that she did.

That way, when they leave home, it's like they'll have their growing up years documented...for all to see on their tree.

The plan is to give the girls their ornaments over our special Christmas Dinner, reading their letters outloud to them, and giving each daughter a moment to stand in the spotlight as we review their year and how amazing they are. ;)

But this year...because our Christmas season was crazy with Raquel's birth...we ended up giving them the ornaments on Christmas Day.

Charis with her Willow Tree ornament...a girl holding a house. This year she has really started to think about her future husband and children and job. and thus, has started to play "house".

If she had free time, it was spent dreaming about her future. :)



This is the year that Selah learned to read...


Here she is holding her Willow Tree ornament of a little girl reading a book. She LOVED knowing that she has an ornament showing that she's started to read. :)


And here's little Raegan-Roo...

hugging her Willow Tree ornament of a dancer sitting on a box.

Though she always been a dancer of sorts, this past year she's really developed it. Becoming more artistic and creative in her movements. She's truly a natural.

The two little ones also received Willow Tree ornaments...of little girls holding different color hearts. I have no pictures because I was far too tired to even try. :)

The Lord totally blessed my desire to save money by providing these ornaments through Craigslist. Brand new ornaments for less than half the price.

More? That is the question.

...that we get asked a lot anyway.

After Raegan (my third) was born, the common question was "Are you done now?" Apparently, we were complete. In the eyes of others.

When I was expecting our fourth daughter, Alana (Raegan was 8 months old), there were those who acted like we were irresponsible. completely in over our heads. and dangerously bordering on overpopulating the earth.

The questions of "Are you done now?" turned to statements: "Surely, you're done."

And those that gave us any grace for being pregnant "yet again" figured it was because we were trying for that boy. Clearly, we had the right to try for "that boy" if nothing else. *rolling my eyes*

Well, that statement has changed yet again. And I'm completely baffled because the newest question is:

"Are you SURE you're done?...Why?! That's a big decision...maybe you shouldn't make it so hastily."

Just because she's so cute! ;)

Even our midwife and delivery nurse were insistent that we shouldn't stop at five. I assured them we were done. Neither seemed to agree. :)

Who knows what happened inside the thinking of those *ahem* interested in the size of our growing family.

• Maybe they finally clued in to how adorable our girlie troop is
• Or maybe they see that we aren't irresponsible but just two people in love who want to leave a lasting legacy on this earth
• Or maybe they just figure that breeding is our favorite pasttime so why fight the inevitable *wry grin*

The whole thing amuses me. :)

But regardless of how others have changed their stance on our "family planning", my girls are a different story. For they've always been very adamant, especially from the beginning of this pregnancy, that they did NOT want this to be the last baby we ever have.

Uh...what?
...............

Today I asked the girls what they wanted to see happen this year. what they would like to see the Lord do in their lives.

One girl said: "Go to the waterpark." We teach our girls to dream big in this house. *laughing*

Another daughter said: "For you to have another baby." *sigh*

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


The first time that little sentiment was announced at the dinner table, I didn't know what to say. Here I've been feeling like the reject-of-a-mother, neglecting them when pregnant (oh, AND also during the sleepless state of newborn haze!) and they're begging for more?!

In my way of thinking...seven pregnancies in eight-and-a-half years ...that's added up to a heckuva lot of time where I'm not getting to BE the Mom that I want to be to the children I already have.




Don't they remember the fact that I am a total leech when pregnant?!

Honestly, before now I didn't consider my "leeching" to be a that big of a deal. I figure they're so young that I doubt they'll even remember, in much detail, my laying on the couch for months on end.

I doubt they remember the times that I let them watch hours of TV because I just couldn't function during the first trimester toilet hugging sessions... or the third trimester exhaustion marathon... or the mind-numbing sleepless nights of a newborn.

But NOW ...I can't say I feel the same way. They're growing sooo fast and before I know it, they'll be hitting adolescents. Charis is already 7!

Excuse me while I hyperventilate a bit.

I want to have ample time to really invest in my girls. to have a lot of one-on-one dates where I can begin to build a relationship where we reallllly talk. to have both the brainpower and the free time to seize those rare moments when deep talks suddenly emerge.

I want to really invest in our relationships BEFORE they become teenagers.... with crazy social lives. driver's licenses. peer pressure. and boyfriends.

Because in my thinking (and experience), it'll be a little too late to just be starting.

I want my girls to feel like I've taken the time to really get to know them. that I've slowed down to really listen to them. and that I've given them devoted time and sincere recognition apart from their sisters.

And I know me. While I'm a great multi-tasker, I don't want to "Multi-task" parenthood. I want my attentions to NOT be divided between diapering and dating.

There's so much I could say (and may document later on) about the countless circumstances that have brought us to this place...

But the gist is this: Every baby has been such a blessing to our family. If God were to surprise us and give us more, I know we'd be more than thrilled. My heart is just to make sure that we cherish the ones that He's already blessed us with.

So yeah, I'm thinking we're complete. Now that the public-at-large is begging us to have more. *hahaha*

Stretching it out.

One thing that we started doing last year (or was it the year before that?) is the "Stretching Out of the Presents".


When I was growing up, I would walk into the family room on Christmas Morning and see, in one glance, all of my gifts in a matter of seconds. My parents didn't wrap them...instead opting to use the "pile" method.

I totally didn't mind. It was fun ...especially if you snuck downstairs in the wee hours of the morning to get a sneak-peak. heh heh

FYI, Mom and Dad: Tommy (my older brother by 5.5 years) was totally the ringleader on this one. I'm innocent...as usual.


But now as the parent, I really wanted to avoid the whole Present Panic where the kids get all of their loot in a matter of minutes. To me, it seems sort of anti-climatic.

So we give each girl a present every hour or so. It allows them to slow down.


Take notice of what someone else has gotten.


And truly enjoy the new gift before moving on to some other present.


This year we did a Princess Theme (as far as gifts go). Because 2009 was the year that the girls started to really play with Barbies, talked obsessively about getting married, pretended to be dancing princesses, and dreamed of Prince Charming.

So we gave them tiaras to go with their new ballerina tutus.




Lani was less than thrilled.


Don't let this picture fool you. It stayed on for a matter of seconds. ;)

I was able to find 7 (totally like new!) Disney Princess Barbies for $10 on Craigslist. YeeHaw!


They were thrilled! and spent HOURS playing with them.


It took all of 2.2 seconds before the barbies were having their hair brushed...

their outfits changed...


and rechanged...
and changed again.
and then (re) accessorized to match the newest outfit. :)

I'd say it was a well-spent $10. :D

This year, I was truly blessed to be able to sell hundreds of dollars worth of stuff on Craigslist. I was able to get rid of excess stuff and use the money to buy Christmas gifts. some of which were actually found on Craigslist!

I love being able to bless my daughters with things they want. and to be able to bless my husband by not spending an excessive amount of money.

Unfortunately the biggest present wasn't able to be built. With the pending labor and unexpected blizzard, our last-minute idea of building a Barbie House Cabinet wasn't able to happen. Yet.

Stay tuned for pictures. Though it probably won't be until Valentines Day, :) being that the girls didn't miss what they didn't know was coming.

And being that we stretched out the gifts to be an all day affair, they felt extremely blessed. As Charis said, "This was the best Christmas Ever!"

Delayed Gratification. Courtesy of Mom and Dad.

After stockings, we tortured the girls by making them practice good hygiene.

They clean up nicely, don't they?

Truth be told, these last couple of weeks of "pretend labor" has exhausted me to the pathetic extent that their hygiene went backburner on the ol' priority list.

Yeah, don't judge me. It's not like I was clean either. *wink* It was a family bonding experience.

Um, like a homeschooling project of sorts. Yeah... that's totally what it was: A "How long can you go without soap before your sweat begins to erode your clothing?" Science Project.

OR "How many days does it take for your stench to naturally repel small animals?" Or people.

*shrug* I'm not picky. I just want conclusive results. ;)

Totally legit science project in my way of thinking. Being the stellar homeschooling mom that I am, I seize every opportunity to prepare my daughters for a stint on Survivor ... life in a jungle ...college excellence.

(Dear God. Do you see how easy it is for me to digress?! It's a wonder I was ever a public speaker. I mean, the fact that intelligent administration trusted me to coherently speak to their students amazes me to no end.)

ANYWAY back to Christmas.

I figured if we didn't get "good" pictures of the girls today, it just wasn't going to happen. I know me well.

Thankfully, they still maintained their joyful attitudes. I mean, here it was 11am and all they had gotten to open were their stockings. (oh, and wash off grime).

And if forced Christmas Morning Baths wasn't bad enough...we then proceeded to further delay the Gift-Carnage by reading the Christmas Story out of Charis's new Bible. (she insisted we use it)

Raegan wanted nothing to do with sitting still. And I wanted nothing to do with pinning a teething toddler down. So we compromised and ignored each other completely. Wisdom or laziness...you decide. But it worked for me. ;)

There were some pictures of Charis and Selah (as they listened to Jet read) where you would have thought they were hearing a dissertation on fungus. Selah was staring off in the distance. Charis, intently picking at her nails.

But I so had to laugh. Our lovely little Christian Family Christmas Bible Reading was going down in flames even before we made it through the "first annual".


Thankfully, they did engage at some point.

Either that or they quickly learned how to fake it. (What can I say? They're prodigies. ...I didn't learn the art of feigning interest until well into high school). *wry grin*

And for the record, here's a picture of me and my still-swollen (postpartum pre-eclampsia) face.


Though honestly, it's NOTHING on what it looked like a couple days prior. That will have to go undocumented. left up to your imagination. and my memory.

(which I'm hoping will dump that bit of data, being that I am obviously lacking in both shortterm and longterm memory bites. as I'm constantly calling Raquel "Alana").

More Christmas to come...

Stocking Stuffers

We start out our Christmas mornings with stockings.

There's just something special about opening up your stocking, isn't there? At least it was always a favorite thing of mine as a little girl. Maybe because you get to dig in a big ol' sock for small treasures?

...treasures that "you" (and by this I mean me) had tried to decode by feeling their shape in the days following Christmas.


My parents apparently trusted us, filling our stockings ahead of time. I don't share the same trust of my small children...being that they share my DNA and love for Christmas secrets. :)

Admittedly in past years, I've bought completely useless things...something slightly akin to the junk you'd find in McD's kid's meals...for their stockings. You know, just to fill them up.

Don't get me wrong, I mostly buy things that the girls would really like. But some of the stuff was just plain useless. things that have most likely ended up in Good Will boxes or yard sales.

But this year, I decided that I wasn't going to fall prey to the mindset that declares "more is better".

The girls knew we were having a small Christmas (present-wise). And I've been even more careful with our money and the presents we were investing in (meaning: I sold off unwanted things on Craigslist and used that money to buy gifts).

So stocking stuffers this year were things like chocolate, book lights, chocolate, wallets for the big girls, bath stuff for the little ones, and ...more chocolate.


We normally don't do much sugar, so the fact that they each got their own stockpile of chocolate... Well, that was pret-ty impressive to their "Mine" Hoarding Tendencies. *grin*

So, see...just deprive your children of sweets all year and by Christmas they'll be way thankful for a lone candybar. Instant (and inexpensive!) Christmas joy. You gotta love my logic. :)

Another bit of Christin-Logic: If the child is too young to remember actually getting a present, I'm too cheap to actually buy one.

This, because we've actually bought presents that have brought about less interest than the box and paper they came in. So...we stopped buying for the really little ones.

Only I didn't take into consideration that the girls were getting SWEETS in their stockings. Something that Lani happens to take a keen interest in. Opps.


Thankfully, the girls were all too willing to share. *sigh of relief*

Though she wasn't wanting to give the chocolate back. ;) Just think Grip of Death.

So Charis stepped in and shared some of hers with Selah. (love these girls)

Eventually, we had to chase her through the house, grabbing the chocolate from her as she screamed in anger get the chocolate back, breakdown and give her sugar-contraband.

She was loving it! :)

Though for the record, she did get to open two presents. which she could have cared less about. So my newly adopted logic? Little ones get a single piece of Christmas Candy.

Preferably one that lasts long enough for the other girls to open their presents in peace. *grin*

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve usually finds us at my parents house.

For as long as I can remember, every December 24th has been about my mom's extended family meeting up at her house to celebrate...which means lots of presents and a buffet of food.

But this year...with me on bedrest and incapable of going anywhere...we stayed home and tried to make it as special as possible for the girls.

Charis (7), Selah (5.5), Alana (15 months), Raegan (33 months), and Raquel (1 week)

Unfortunately, I don't feel like we did the best job, being that I was exhausted/sickly and Jet spent a large majority of the day trying to take care of me. Ugh. I hate feeling like a leech. It has a way of knocking my perspective all out of whack.

But thankfully, the girls didn't feel the same way. They enjoyed the day and all it represented. Have I mentioned how I love my girls' attitudes? They are (usually) just happy to be alive. ;)

Me, on the other hand? I was just settling in to attend my own private pity party, totally frustrated that Christmas wasn't what I had hoped it to be, when I looked up and saw the *joy* on my daughters' faces as they danced around the family room.

Instantly, I was given a Holy Spirit reality check.

I asked the Lord to forgive me for my bad attitude, put a genuine smile on my face, and made the decision to enjoy the day just as it was, with my handsome husband and daughters.

As well as the AMAZING Christmas Eve dinner some friends blessed us with (Our church friends bless people with meals after they have a baby. Thanks, Friends!)


They came bearing gifts. lots of them.

I could only sit there and stare at all the things they brought. To say we were overwhelmed is putting it mildly.

So after we ate our kingly meal, we finished up the Christmas Countdown.

The girls were on Cloud Nine. knowing that tomorrow meant presents and celebration and generally just a day marked Special.

Even Lani seemed to get in on the hyper-excited mood.

Don't ask me what she's doing. But she was hamming it up hardcore.


But my laid back newborn....

...she was taking it all in stride. Enjoying the mass-hysteria level of noise; she seems to sleep better when there are wild sisters lurking near by.

Being that we didn't go to Mom's, we decided to give them each a small present. And I'm so glad we did.

I think getting one present at a time helps to magnify the joy. stretching it out a bit.


Because we ALL know that crayons and coloring books would not have gotten this reaction had they been opened in the midst of bigger items. :)

They would have been thrown to the side and completely forgotten.

But instead they inspired almost an hour of Sister Time. where each of them played so nicely. coloring side by side. essentially begging each other to puh-lease color with them on their page.


I love how they loved these small presents. And truly enjoyed them...


...and each other.

Charis sincerely loved her "real" Bible.


I wasn't sure how she would react. But she loved it. took it to bed with her. read excerpts to us as a family. and kept saying how her Bible was the best out of all her friends. :)

She was wayyy thrilled that there's a place for her to write out her prayers for people. She asked if she could write in cursive. :)

Man, I just want to squeeze these girls. They are so precious with their thankful spirits and optimistic attitudes.

I have a feeling I will learn a lot from them over the next few years.