Joel and the Onion

The other night, I was making dinner with my handy dandy sidekick Joel.  He sits on the counter next to my cutting board every night while I make dinner. Last night, I grabbed an onion for our sweet potato curry and began slicing it. Joel randomly burst into tears. I asked myself what the heck just happened? So, I went to the source and I asked Joel what was wrong. He looked at me between sobs and said, "Onion, eyes, owie!" Yep. He was crying because onions make you cry. Brilliant!! Side note: this onion was not strong enough to necessitate tears. In fact, it didn't hurt at all. But in that little brain of his, all onions equal tears.

Our Special Visitors

As much as all the illness during Christmas was terrible, we actually had one of our best Christmases on record.  Dan's dad came out from Alberta to visit, bring Dan's youngest brother Eli and their dog Mack.

Really, the kids could care less about the presents (sorry guys), but they sure LOVED Mack. Micah spent the better part of a week trying to get his hands on that dog. Joel followed it around incessantly saying, "Puppy! Puppy!" By the end of the week, Joel finally associated the puppy with Papa!

As a family, we decided to go to Stanley Park and ride the Bright Nights Train. Joel was fairly silent through it all, but he did sit on Papa's lap the whole trip. (We realized later that he wasn't feeling well, and yes, he did puke on the car ride home. Note to self: car seats with machine washable covers are a must...hand washing pukey seats isn't fun).

He did comment on the lights and the train for days afterwards though.

The other wonderful visitor we got to see was Dan's middle brother, Kris. It has been a few years (minus an unexpected Easter visit) since we've seen him. It was a super huge blessing to our family to see him.

 Dad (Papa) got the most surprising gift: a chance to go out with his three boys, two grand babies and his daughter in law together for dinner. We all spent most of the vacation in shock. Shocked that Kris had called, shocked that Kris came out for dinner with us. Shocked that he came to extended family Christmas and shocked that he came for New Years Day fritters. It was the best Christmas gift ever.

It was our Christmas miracle.

Oddly enough, when we wrote our Christmas card blessing days before Christmas, we didn't realize how true it would be.

"May your Christmas be as messy as the manger,
as agonizing as a woman in labour,
as uncomfortable as an expectant mother riding a donkey,
as surprising as the Angels appearing to the Shepherds,
as hopeful as the wise men seeking out their Saviour,
as treacherous as a family fleeing from Herod,
as joyful as the birth of a new baby
and as peaceful as all those cards make it out to be."
 

We have to admit, it was messy and uncomfortable (sickness tends to be that way). But it was also surprising. And hopeful. Peaceful. Joyous. Good and Bad. But we really couldn't have predicted how awful it was going to be. Nor could we have expected it to be so incredibly surprising and amazing.
We're just thankful that God orchestrated it that way.

Our Holiday (in carols)

After Dan's lovely, "T'was the Night" rendition, we decided to keep up the theme and let you know about our holidays with some lovely jovely Christmas carols.

Amanda:
On the 1st day of Christmas, my husband gave to me,
The 24 hour flu.
On the 2nd day of Christmas, my husband gave to me,
a not so lovely cold
On the 3rd day of Christmas, my husband gave to me,
Three trips to the bathroom
On the 4th....oh who cares? You get the gross picture.

Micah:
All I want for Christmas is my 4 front teeth....he's not greedy or anything!

Joel:
Deck the car, with bouts of vomit
Fa la la la laaaa la la la la
Tis the season to throw up
Fa la la la laaaa la la la la

Basically, every two days someone was struck with the 24 hour flu. It was gross. Really gross. On top of that Micah was teething and was up every two hour in pain. We didn't really sleep for a week. (hence, the lack of blogging). We are trying to recover, get back on schedule and get our strength up. Plus, we had some awesome possum visitors that kept us busy....but more about that later (if the boys go to bed, we'll get some posts up!)

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

May your Christmas be as messy as the manger,
as agonizing as a woman in labour,
as uncomfortable as an expectant mother riding a donkey,
as surprising as the Angels appearing to the Shepherds,
as hopeful as the wise men seeking out their Saviour,
as treacherous as a family fleeing from Herod,
as joyful as the birth of a new baby
and as peaceful as all those cards make it out to be.

Happy dysfunctional family Christmas!

**** I was struck this week by the "messiness" of Christmas. For some reason, we all have this expectation of a picture perfect and peaceful day. But for many families (mine included), it is far from this. But when I look back at the first Christmas, I can't help but having a different version pop into my head than is depicted in all those songs, cards and movies. Birth is painful and messy. Its uncomfortable. The last thing you want after giving birth is strangers visiting you....and not in your own home, but in a barn! And on top of all that, to have to flee from King in order to save your child's life. Sounds like a great Christmas!!!  Yet, within all the messiness, Mary was found, pondering these things up in her heart. What an incredible birth story she has! It is within the messiness of our lives that Jesus made his entrance. Not to clean it all up and make it perfect, but to be present. It is within that statement I find true Peace. ****
 

T'was the night (a la McCrimmon)

T'was the night before Christmas Eve,
when all through the house,
Micah was screaming, he startled the house,
When up from the bed arouse such a clatter,
Daniel was puking, what was the matter?
Joel banged on the door, and arose with a fright
the house was alive with no end in sight.
Teeth were abounding and bowels in a muddle
Poor Amanda was stuck in the midst of this puddle.
Come one, and come all and join in the fun
It must be our Christmas, the day has begun!

Joel, We just want you to know....

2 am is NOT morning. It is not time to sing and dance. It is NOT time for a snack. It is time to sleep. Also, 3am is STILL not morning. Neither is 4am. We would like to see you sleep. Actually, we would rather not see you at all. We do not want to hear you. We just want to know that you are safely tucked in your bed, ASLEEP. And, just for the record, if you choose to be awake from 2-4:30am, DO NOT, for any reason, wake up at 6:30am and say its morning.  You will be taking your own (cranky) life into your own hands.


*****We've been a bit absent around here. Partly because of the busyness of the Christmas season, planning Joel's 2nd birthday, and celebrating a half dozen other December birthdays. Life has gotten a bit busy. And when its not busy (like that ever happens with two young kids), we are busy trying to catch up on sleep. Neither boy has slept well in the last few months....okay that's not true. Micah only wakes up once or twice, but he stays up so late feeding! By the time we get Micah down for the night (between 10 and 11), we crash for about an hour or two until Joel wakes up. And then Micah. And then Joel. They tag team us. Its frustrating and exhausting.  Three hours of continuous sleep seems like an amazing gift. Needless to say, blogging has hit the back burner. Sleep is our number 1 priority. Next to that: Coffee!

Christmas Tree Lighting

Last week, we took the boys to Abbotsford's annual Christmas Tree lighting.

We bundled up the boys, made ourselves a hot drink and headed out.

Joel LOVED it! He was so excited to watch the tree light up, that he got upset when someone stood in front of him.

In fact, he threw a fit when we left. A BIG fit. I guess he had fun!

Friends with Benefits

Yep! These two are friends with benefits.

You see, their parents are good friends...

who LOVE to bake

so you two will grow up side by side with cookies in tow!

Please Don't Judge Me

Please don't judge me....
....because I carry a large diaper bag. I have two young boys, both in diapers. Cloth diapers. That means I change them frequently to prevent them from feeling wet. It involves a lot more equipment than disposable diapers. I've got wet bags, liners, diapers, wraps, and wipes. It takes up a lot more room. But I'm committed to them.
....because I cover up when I breastfeed. Its partly because I'm a bit modest and partly for your own safety. You see, I have a lot of milk and a forceful letdown. If I don't cover up, you may get wet. I'm just trying to keep you feeling comfortable.
....because I carry a lot of toys. My boys are not easily entertained by one toy for a long period of time. They have a lot of energy and have the attention span of a squirrel. I carry a lot of toys to try keep them distracted during church or any other quiet activity.
.....because sometimes it doesn't work. They are busy folks. They want to move. They want to talk. Sometimes keeping them quiet takes more energy than its worth. Please don't judge me because they are kids.
...because on occasion my bra straps show. They keep falling down. Don't worry, I know the solution is to tighten those straps. Unfortunately, I'm currently in this awkward place right now. You see, I frequently suffer from clogged milk ducts (which is a VERY painful thing....perhaps even more than labour). If I tighten those straps, I get clogged. So I keep them loose to prevent excruciating pain. Believe me, its more annoying to me than it is to you.
....because I adjust my breast pads in public. Sometimes they move. I refuse to `tape` them down. Its wasteful, because they don`t stick the second time around. And I need to feed every 2-3 hours. That`s a lot of pads. In reality, its to prevent those awkward dinner plate sized leaks. I`d prefer to not walk around wet, so when I feel the let down occur, I quickly move them back into place. I try to do this inconspicuously, but sometimes, its just easier to whip them back into place. Please don`t judge me.
...because I wear the same pants all week. Between drooler, messy eater, works in a kitchen and breast milk leaker, I do a ton of laundry. Its one thing that I don't get dirty in a week, and it adds up to a little less laundry to do. Yippee!
Please don't judge me because I do things differently. I'm trying to figure out what is best for me and my family at this time. They may change in the future, but right now this is what works.


**just random thoughts....nothing personal

Disappointment in a box

Parkay, you disappoint me. You shorted us a brick of margarine. How will we bake our deliciousness and fulfill our dream of making everyone in the world fatter than us?

Side Note: I emailed the company and they have voluntarily sent me a coupon for more margarine. I LOVE it when that happens!