'Twas The Night Before Christmas

It's the night before Christmas
and our children are in bed,
sleeping in new pajamas
in colors of green and red.

When they awake in the early morning,
full of childhood wonder and pure glee,
they will race with anticipation
and look under the twinkling tree.

Those gifts that Santa lovingly delivers
will be out and ready for play;
we'll open the remaining presents
one-by-one until mid-day.

It's been a long evening
we've worked a little extra tonight
to finish all that's needed
to make this holiday delight.

Tonight we'll sleep well -
perhaps with a jolly dream
of friendly old Saint Nicholas
and his loyal reindeer team.

Our wish for both of our children
is so simple we hope they see:
Enjoy the magic of Christmas
Full of Peace, Love and Harmony.

My Friend's Niece

My good friend Cindy sent me this photo of her and her niece, Hannah.

Hannah is 3 years old (another October birthday girl, like Madeline) and according to her Aunt Cindy is very smart and very cute. To me, she looks so much like Cindy's mom. Cindy was excited that Hannah and her parents came to visit over the Thanksgiving holiday. She commented that Hannah wore her out. And I know that she loved every single minute.

Happy Birthday, Samuel Adam!

Today is a special boy's fourth birthday - my nephew - Sam! Sam is my youngest brother Jim's third son. Here are a couple of the most recent photos I have of him from up north at our Annual Family Labor Day get together.

Eating at the kitchen table.

Sam, Jackson and John ready for a walk in the woods...to find deer or bear?

A stop in the walk at David and Kathryn's. Wouldnt you feel safe with these three?

Your cousins, Aunt Terri and Uncle Rodney hope your birthday is wonderful! Celebrate!

No Déjà Vu

I was telling Meredith the other day how I realized that Madeline at the ripe old age of 14 months was going to be a completely different eater than Jackson was/is. Jackson was happy with his plate full of fruits, veggies, cheese and crackers at Tuesday's holiday party; I knew he wouldn't eat the chicken strips or ravioli or the other more "adult" options. Why I was surprised that Madeline wanted the chicken and ravioli (and not the fruits/cheese/crackers) is not a mystery; Meredith summed it up: "They are different people." And that they are...

I've embraced the physical developmental differences between my first and second child. Watching each of them learn to sit up or crawl or get teeth has been equally exciting. Jackson was a textbook baby as I refer to it. In Madeline's case, it has reinforced my description of her: unpredictable.

But she's at that age where personality traits begin to show...and now I start to see glimpses of what is going to make Madeline, well Madeline, and which oddly enough might make her a little more predictable. My favorite is Smiley Madeline who seems delighted with us or with herself when she entertains us with responses to "How big is Maddie?" or "Where's Maddie's nose?" or "Blow kisses, Maddie?"
In a nutshell, the second time around is just as sweet; it's just different from the first.

The Snowy Day

We knew it was coming. Although it isn't official until you see your school district on the CLOSED scroll on the news - A Snow Day! And being today it adds an extra day to already two full weeks off of school. The kids say, "Yippee!" and the adults say, "Yikes!"

Since there was NO sign of snow while I was awake from 4 am - 5 am, I was leery that mother nature was providing a flurry of flakes. So when Jackson crawled into bed with Madeline and me this morning, I instructed him to watch his sister while I got confirmation. Jackson saw the concern on my face as he proudly walked out of the bedroom and announced, "I got Maddie out of bed all by myself and I didn't even break her head or anything." That's my boy!

With Daddy working from the house today, by 10:20 this morning I felt it was going to be a LONG day. And then Jackson put on his snow pants and declared he was going out to play. With six boys near his age within two houses of us he was sure that someone could play...and apparently they all did. He popped back into the house a few times to ask if he could go to Luke and Nick's for hot chocolate (and video games) and then if he could eat lunch with Matthew and Joseph (and a movie) and then apparently when Rodney called him in to button up his coat. By 6:00 pm he was back at home for dinner and family time. I hope tonight he dreams of his snowy day adventures - both outside and inside.

The Hustle and Bustle of Everyday Life

Today we all got up a little later than usual after spending the night out a lot later than usual at a family-invited work Christmas Party. With Jackson grumpily off to school (did I mention that we were out late last night) and Madeline down for a morning nap, I organized the first round of loot from his school's coat/hat/mitten/scarf drive. I wondered what the future owners of these garments were currently wearing. Were they warm this morning heading off to school with temperatures below freezing? Were they used to dashing from their home to the bus stop and then into school hoping to outrun the cold? I hope that the recipients can feel the extra warmth of caring with which these items were given.

Shortly after the sorting, sifting, labeling and packaging, Madeline and I received a visit from our good friend Meredith and her 6-month old son Luca. They came with lunch and we enjoyed a meal together. This is one of the fun things about being a part-time stay at home mom - playdates with friends and their kids! Luca is a beautiful boy who appears to have a crush on me...you know, in a I'm -a-little-baby-boy-and-you're-a-cool-mommy kind of way. I won't go into all the details, but it's pretty obvious.

This evening, after making fudge for all of Jackson's teachers (Kindergarten, Para-pro, Librarian, Spanish, Phys Ed, Art, Music); supporting administrators (Principal, Secretaries); and 'others' (who are all these people) I received a call from Madeline's birthparents. We talk on the phone periodically in between what's turned into a traditional quarterly visit. They are wonderful, hard-working young people who obviously love Madeline and appreciate being able to see her as she grows. We enjoy our conversations and time together. Oddly, I feel a little maternal towards both of them. I want to see them succeed in life. We scheduled time to meet after the New Year. I look forward to it.

Happy Birthday Cyndee!

It's a very special person's birthday today - my sister and Jackson & Madeline's aunt...

Happy Birthday Cyndee!

Here she is with Maddie...all smiles. She loves her nephews, but has wanted a niece for years. Now she has two to dote on and she does a darn good job at that.
It's moments like this that make me realize that SHE usually takes the pictures because I can't find very many of her. Happy Birthday to you, Cyndee! We hope you have a great day and can't wait to play with you at Grandma Dee's house this weekend.

I Wish I Could Fly

Remember when your mom told you NOT to jump on the furniture? Well, that's the rule in our house, too. But every so often I am able to throw caution to the wind, squelch the old mom (as Rodney calls it) in me, and just let Jackson have 'kid-fun.' Jackson so enjoyed simply jumping from one ottoman to another the other night. After Daddy snapped each shot, the two of them proudly evaluated the result. The smile on their faces let me know, "Good shot!"

And after a while Jackson felt comfortable enough to add a little ZING to the moment with 'tricks' and the coveted flying shot. I'm glad I was able to let go a little...

You've been given a great gift, George.

For years Rodney and I watched It's a Wonderful Life as we decorated our Christmas tree with the many ornaments that we collected prior to and during our marriage. Almost as part of the tradition itself I would find myself in tears during several scenes, touched by the trails and tribulations of George Bailey and the simple themes built into this classic movie. Even though the film did not change, I found a new message with every viewing.

Because we are now parents of young children, we have suspended our tradition to keep the focus on the kids and making sure that everything and everyone remains in one piece while decorating for the yuletide season. And also because of those same children, some of the scenes take on new meaning. The angel Clarence says to George, "You've been given a great gift, George. A chance to see what the world would be like without you." While I used to think about how my life impacted those around me, I now think more about how those around me impact my life -family, friends, acquaintences, even strangers...and, of course, no one (or should I say, no two) more so than our beautiful son and daughter.

And so this blog is born as an opportunity to reflect and share how truly wonderful life is in this Williams world surrounded by loved ones.