Something to Believe In

Ohhh it's late, and it's December 23rd!  I need to hit the hay...but I had to write just a little about some of our Christmas traditions.  If you don't mind, I'll list and then expound as necessary:

1.  Food.  We eat grillades and grits, croissants, fruit and cajun cringle from Haydel's bakery in New Orleans.  (They ship em...check the website!)  If I have my act together, I order the croissants from Williams Sonoma...did not have my act together this year.  We bake and share cookies, and we have big meals with my parents and whatever brothers and families are around.  This year, we are going to Matt's for Christmas Eve.  The Pesuts are coming, and all of Heather's family will be there.  My dad brings oysters.  I always make Lobster Stew, and this year I am bringing Shrimp and Mirliton Casserole (more New Orleans food).

2.  Drink.  Yes, please!  We drink The Recipe.  My dad makes it (it's booze with 'a splash of egg' as Mike says).  It's egg nog.  We also drink wine, beer, lots and lots of coffee and occasionally water.  (When forced.)  With that water we down a handful of tylenol or advil.

3.  Presents.  The kids can ask Santa for three gifts.  Our thinking is that if three gifts were good enough for Jesus, then that's good enough for Charles and his sisters.  We do supplement those gifts with our own.  We buy way too many.  We do go overboard...HOWEVER - we do no toy shopping for the rest of the year.  We enjoy it.  It's our deal.

4.  Santa.  We ALL believe in Santa in this house.  Let me share with you a story.  My dear wonderful friend, Elizabeth Milvid, is a pediatrician in New Orleans.  She is also a Navy Wife.  Her husband Ken, went to the Academy.  She has four sons, and I treasure her friendship and advice.  We were talking about Santa one day, and Elizabeth said, "Jennie!  Don't ever EVER tell your kids that there isn't a Santa!!!"  This surprised me.  Elizabeth is very down to earth and matter-of-fact.  "Why not?"  I asked her.  Well, she reported to me that her oldest son was starting to pester her about the validity of Santa.  

"I thought he was about to ruin it for the younger boys," she said.  "So, I pulled him aside and said, 'Okay, Will.  You are right.  It's Dad and me.  Now please stop talking about it so that you don't ruin it for your younger brothers.'"  Elizabeth then told me that Will looked at her, crushed and said, "Mom.  Why did you tell me that?"  

She then said, "So Jennie always tell your kids that there IS a Santa!"  And we do.  Oh, we make a BIG deal out of it.  The kids write letters, and the three presents from Santa are beautifully wrapped and put in a different place than the rest of the gifts.  We tell the kids that WE believe in Santa, and you know what?  I really do.  I believe in things that I can not see, and gifts that come from unexpected places.  They may not come from a pot-bellied dude recklessly flying a pack of deer through outer-space - but they come.  As a matter of fact, believing in the goodness of a spirit that we can not see is the cornerstone of our faith.  Expecting gifts and living in a good way is too.  And just as Santa forgives kids on that Naughty list, our faith teaches us to believe in the forgiveness that we are promised through Christ.

Christmastime is a wonderful time to be together and share the very best gifts - the ones that don't come from the mall, or online.  The greatest gifts include the togetherness and the love that we share with family and friends.  The gift of hope that we have for our neighbors and fellow human beings, and finally, the gift of faith - and that's a gift that comes personalized for each one of us.

I'd like to take just a minute to wish each of you a peaceful New Year, and a happy holiday season.  I know that there are some old and new friends out there that follow me along on this blog, and I'd like to say how much I appreciate your company, and that I look forward to keeping up on YOUR blog someday soon.  Until then, I'll be here, sharing my gift with you.  And that comes With Love,

Jennie

Family Game Night

It's the holiday season, where we come together as families and friends, and celebrate some time honored traditions, and make new ones, too.

Well, tonight I'd like to take just a few minutes and share with you a few of the freaky, freakishly funny "games" that are the tradition around here.  They are not holiday related, but they make help you get through the holidays in a happy way.  This blog entry is inspired by Maggie, who came up with a new family game last night.

The first game that I'll share is the oldest one that we have.  I think it may have been created back when Mike and I were dating.  It's called "Sing It" and it's a wonderful diffuser.  The rules are easy...when someone is WRONG, and they insisted that they were right, they have to SING IT.  Example:  "Should I put the roof up?  It looks MEAN up ahead.  It's going to really pour on us in a minute."

"Nah, hon.  It's just night. That's night coming."

"It's NIGHT? Hon!  It's 4 in the afternoon!  That's not night!  Here's an underpass.  I'm going put the roof up."

"Don't put the roof up!  We're almost there.  Let's just drive."

5 minutes elapse.  

The skies open up.  I cower in the passenger seat screaming while holding an open raincoat over my head, as Mike runs around his Jeep zipping up the roof.  Soaking, he climbs back in the car.

"I'm sorry!  I thought it was night!"

"Sing it."

"I'M SORRY!"

"SING IT!"

"Okay...I'll sing it.  Youuuuu were riiiggghhht.  I was Wrooooonnnng.  You're always right, I'm always wrong."

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"YOUUUUUU WERE RIIIIIIGGGHHHHHTTTT, I WAS WROOONNNNGGG..." You get the idea...so the next time, when it's clearly time for someone to admit fault, don't fight it, just sing it.  It's a good way to say you were wrong, and you're sorry.  Kinda.

The next game is a personal favorite around the holidays.  It's called Observation Corner.  This game started when we were newly-weds, and we were learning and begrudgingly accepting the traditions of each other's families.  We would climb into the pull-out, or the sleeping bags, or the air-mattress and head to The Corner.  A conversation in Observation Corner might play out like this.

"I met your uncle's best friend at the party tonight."

"Yeah...he's something."

"Yeah.  He had a lot to drink!  And he likes to grab married women's asses!"

"Yeah.  He really does.  That Guy."

"Whatcha got."

"Oh, nothing.  Oh, wait!  I did actually meet your boss's wife."

"You did!  Finally!  She's something, huh?"

"She IS!  It totally does not surprise me that your boss is married to a really manly lady."

"Right...right.  She kind of does have the whole facial hair-deep voice-dude hair cut thing going on, and he does seem pretty feminine sometimes."

"Yeah.  I saw him.  He told me my shoes were darling."

"Yeah.  Did you get to spend some time with my (insert relative)?"

"I did...s/he talked at me for quite some time in the kitchen."

"Like how long?"

"Like a few hours."

"I was wondering where you had disappeared to."

"Reeallly?  You were?  Cause it doesn't seem like you came looking for me or tried to rescue me.  Maybe you were out back by the keg."

"I was.  I thought I heard him/her telling that story again and I had to hide.  Good night, baby."

"G'night, hon."

So you see.  The Corner is a great place to go when you need to de-stress about the people that you come in contact during the holidays or at work or in the neighborhood.  It's not fun to moan and gripe and complain.  You don't have to judge people in The Corner, you merely observe. It's more fun to HAVE FUN and laugh, and think about how wonderfully different we all are.  I'm sure I've been the topic of many people's Observation Corners over the years...hopefully in wild, memorable and only slightly annoying ways.

And now, we have a NEW game, thanks to MAGGIE!  She started it last night.  It's awesome.  Let me preface by saying that we stress THE TRUTH often in this family, and the kids know that there is NOTHING they could do that would ever be so wrong as to hide the truth.  We try very hard to make light of the little misdeeds that they do, so that they can get used to letting it all out, and feeling loved and accepted here no matter how big (or little!) the crime.  We even have a round at the table where we ask if anyone had to go to THE THOUGHTFUL SPOT at school.

So last night, Maggie and I were laying in her bed, and she told me that she wanted to tell me something.  It was a little white lie that she had told at school...and it may not even have been a lie.  I really can not remember it now, but she wanted to tell me THE TRUTH.  So I said, "Do you feel better?" and she said, "I do."  I said, "Well, is there anything else you'd like to get off your chest before you go to bed?" She thought for a minute.  "Sure!  Um...how about this.  Sometimes, I sneak a snack up here and hide it under my pillow and eat it before I go to bed!"

"Well, Maggie...that's not good for a few reasons.  One is that you have already brushed your teeth, and it's nasty to have food on your teeth when you go to sleep.  Another, is that it's nasty to have food in your bed.  How about if you eat in the kitchen when you are hungry, before bedtime."

"Okay!  This is fun!  It's like Truth Time!"

"Yeah, we can play Truth Time every night and tell each other about all of the lies that we've told all day."  We both laughed.

So tonight at dinner, sleepy little Charlie (he got up a few times the night before) told us about this naughty little boy at school who had "wasted the classes time because he was talking when it was Ms. Howard's time to talk, and he had to go to The Thoughtful Spot TWO TIMES!"  We were all impressed, and we asked him, "Oh no, Charlie!  Who was this bad little boy?"

"IT WAS ME!" he hollered.

Maggie and I looked at each other and yelled, "TRUTH TIME!" and suddenly were were all wound up and laughing about it.  Even the bad little boy.

Communication is so important in family dynamics.  Mike and I have been blessed, in that even when we lived 2000 miles away from each other, and a half a world away, we have always been able to share our feelings openly.  It's not always easy putting your own feelings aside and really listening to what the other person has to say, but with a sense of humor and an open mind, there are many different ways to share your truths.  Even a five year old can do it.

This Is The Day

This is a crazy week.  Among my friends, there are many birthdays this week, and weddings that happened, and sadly, shares of sorrows, too.

I've been blogging now for long enough that you know many of my friends and experiences.  Do you remember my navy gal-pal Angela Smith?  Well, her Pop-Pop passed away this week.  He was 95.  I never met Pop-Pop, but I know him very well.  You see, Navy wives, we let it all out.  We talk about EVERYTHING, and most-often, EVERYONE.  No family member, not even second cousins or ex-aunts from divorce can escape being the topic of the nightly conversations of deployment wives.  My navy pals and I know the stories of each other's friends and families very well.  That's how we all became each other's family.  So Pop-Pop was kind of my family...

Pop-Pop was a most amazing, extraordinary person.  He was the town mayor until last year!!!  Angela told us that he never gossiped, never spoke poorly of anyone, and, as hard as this is to imagine, never passed judgment on anyone.  That was his deal.  He forgave people instantly.  He believed that it was God's job, not ours, to judge others.  He greeted every day, and every person, with the same expression:  "It's a grand day."  Ang, I'm sorry that you lost your Pop-Pop.

This is also the week that, five years ago,  Bob and Alana lost their two oldest daughters in a car accident.  Bob and Alana moved to Annapolis this summer, so finally we get to see them.  Alana and I spent a wonderful day together yesterday. We had lunch at Harry Browne's, then we did some walking and talking along Maryland Avenue.  At the end of our moms-gone-wild morning, Alana spied a box of cigar boxes outside of a tobacco shop on Maryland Avenue.  I thought they were cool looking, but I would have no idea what to do with them.  Alana, who is crafty and creative, snatched up the box. (It had a sign taped on it that said, "Take One or Take Them All!")  With our shopping bags in hand, and a box of free cigar boxes, we headed back to the car to begin the carpool drill.  Alana looked up in the cold, sunny sky and said, "It's been a perfect day."

So I've been thinking a lot today about the people that we know in our lives...the little children like Ellie and Kate, who were with us for only the blink of an eye.  I've been thinking about Pop-Pop...who at 95 years young was still taken from us too soon.  Each person no matter how small, or how tall, makes an impact on our lives.  I am going to follow Pop-Pop's lead and try my very best to make my legacy one of happiness, faith, forgiveness and love.  And why not?  After all, today is the day...it's a perfect, grand day.  And tomorrow will be too.

Let's Get Together, Yeah, Yeah, Yeah...

We love getting together with our friends...but it's hard when you have little ones.  Holly Jean asks us - ASKS US - to "please put me to bed" around 6:30...so, between school, and work, and naps, and bedtimes, and bouts of strep, flu, and visiting in-laws...it's hard to find the time to get the families together!  And we live six miles apart.  We love it when the planets do align though, and we get to be together.  Here are so photos from Sunday dinner with the Pesuts a few weeks ago...

It's special for Maggie to have her godparents here.  Jen and Russ are so wonderful to our children, and to us.

Look at Abby...she is a riot.  We love her.  She's a few months younger than Charlie.

Care-Bear and Jacob.  Born four days apart...September 14th and 18th, 2001.  Jacob is really growing right now!
Maggie and Uncle Russ. Everyone loves Russ!

I have to say it:  TWO BABES!!!

Everyone loves his last name

...meet Chris Chrush, our "mid." In Annapolis, it's the tradition to "adopt" a young plebe (first year student) so that he or she can come over and have a place to hang out and get away from the insanity of the Naval Academy. We were lucky enough to connect with Chris before our move to Annapolis, nearly two years ago. He is the nephew of our friends Mary and Scott Stuckert in Louisville.

We love having Chris as a part of our family. He is the oldest of five wonderful children, and, like Holly Jean, he is a Kentuckian. (He's from Ft. Mitchell, which is Northern Kentucky.) We see Chris a few times a month. We attend church together, and we are lucky to have visits from his girlfriend, Sarah Jane, as well.

Chris and Sarah are fun to have around the house, and they are wonderful examples for our children. They are friendly, fun, smart, polite, respectful, interesting and helpful.  As we watch our own children grow, it's exciting for us to witness the growth of wonderful young people into adults that will shape and improve our world. We really love knowing Chris, his family, and his friends, and we feel very blessed to have all of them in our lives.

Sarah came up to visit us a few weekends ago.  She is a sophomore at the University of Charleston.

They made us a Key Lime Pie!
It was REALLY good.
Holly Jean had seconds of pie, and thirds of whipped cream.

We all love Sarah!

Let him do it!

Hello! I am way, way behind on the wheel. There are no photos of Halloween...or Mike's marathon...or now, Thanksgiving. It's been very fun around here, and very busy. So...I'm going to take a few posts to catch you up. I have lots to share.

Charlie is really growing. He looks BIG. Things that used to slide by him no longer do. "I heard that! WHEN is a babysitter coming?!" he'll say.  Tonight, he ate three plates - THREE PLATES of pasta, a plate of salad,  and two cups of milk.

I wanted to share these photos from pumpkin carving. We had a few sharpie markers out so the the girls could draw their faces on their pumpkins. Mike and I planned on helping Charlie and HJ draw theirs. Charlie understood this, and immediately grabbed sharpie and began drawing his face. "Charlie, No! Wait!" We yelled. "Let us help you!" He continued drawing his face, even faster. As he drew, we saw a wonderful jack-o-lantern face appear.

After we carved the pumpkins, we all agreed, laughing, that his was the most awesome. Grow on, Charlie.

Mission successful - a creepy face.

Ha ha!  I did it!
Scooping.  Note the face and the eyeballs!

It feels good to do things by yourself, and to do them well.  Well done, Charles!

Peek-A-Boo...Where Are You?

HERE I AM!!!

I've been getting ready for Thanksgiving, which is my most favorite of all holidays. I love it. It's really an American holiday. Everyone can celebrate it. You can dress however you choose, you can do whatever you want. You don't need to buy presents, and you can add as much or as little religion as you like. The day is a celebration of gratitude, and for those of us that are lucky enough to have it, togetherness - I just love it.

HOWEVER, I get kind of freaked out thinking about all that comes AFTER Thanksgiving. We do A LOT of Christmas shopping. We have lots and lots of little nieces and nephews to shop for. We have Godchildren, and little friends all over the country that we like to ship gifts off to. We give teacher gifts, and gifts to our families. We buy gifts for our own children. It's a lot to do. Remember too that Mike is Santa's personal assistant at this time of year, and he spends most of December racing against the sleigh in his Big Brown Jet. SO, it's up to me to "get er dun." And in order for me to be able to truly enjoy the wonderful day of Thanksgiving, I need to feel no stress about the coming holiday season...so...now don't hate me...I get all of my shopping done before Halloween. Yeah, and the wrapping. Then I get it all boxed, taped up and addressed so that all I have to do is head to the UPS store and hit SEND. It's done. So that's where I've been.  And this is only the second year that I've done it this way.  I could never be this together with a baby baby in the house.

I do have lots to share - lots of photos and stories, and things that have happened around here, but for now, I'd like to share one of the many snippets I have taped inside the kitchen cabinets. I read it everyday, and I've been meaning to put it up on the blog, so why not now? This one comes from the 2nd Presbyterian Weekday School Newsletter in Louisville, Kentucky. It's about the difference between Self-Esteem and Self-Respect. I love to read it each day and think about the qualities that I want my children to have not necessarily from me but FOR THEMSELVES. These are qualities that I'd like to have in my life, too. Have a good evening.

SELF-ESTEEM SELF-RESPECT

ill-mannered well-mannered

self-centeredness other-centeredness

futility         perseverance

discontentment contentment

insecurity    confidence

arrogance    humility

greed          gratitude

happiness (which is fleeting) joy (which is lasting)

And speaking of JOY...I wanted to share my wrapping job for Christmas.  I had to include some photos of my Christmas gifts, all wrapped up and ready to get boxed up.

I'd like to dedicate this year's recession/environmentally friendly wrapping paper to Alana, who encourages everyone to make beautiful things and beautiful lives out of what they have.  Her blog is called Gray Matters, and it's on my favorites page.  Anyway, I wrapped my gifts this year in Mike's expired navigational charts.  He has to switch them out often, so we keep a big stack of them for the kids to play with.  I like how they came out!

I guess I CAN do a craft after all!  Good Night, and Welcome Back to The Wheel!