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Saturday, February 28, 2015

February Stuff

Besides Alice in Wonderland, here's some other stuff from February . . . 

Blue and Gold Banquet:

The theme was heroes. David gave a presentation on Bobby Brown, my grandmother's brother, who died in World War II. It was a great presentation. He was thoughtful and well-prepared.



See David giving the presentation here. See the Power Point slides he created (with help from Greg) here. He did such a great job!!!

Sara also enjoyed the Blue and Gold Banquet . .





A gross picture of Sara:




Greg took David and Mary to an engineering expo in Dayton. They LOVED it.




More snow:




P.S. This post was created in Jan. 2016. I know, I'm a cheater/

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Now: Cincinnati Ballet's Alice in Wonderland

Hanging out in the lobby of the Aronoff Center
On Friday we (David, Mary, and I) got to see the Cincinnati Ballet's production of Alice in Wonderland at the Aronoff CenterThis was the real deal--professional dancers, full orchestra, special effects, vibrant costumes, visual spectacles!  (You can see a taste of it HERE.) It was an amazing opportunity, and I'm glad we took advantage of it.

High seats but good seats!

David and Mary (and me too!) thoroughly enjoyed the performance and the trip downtown. These kinds of outings are a hassle . . . but it was worth it a million times over. The talent and artistry made for a great (and inspiring!*) experience--one we will not soon forget.

* David is more convinced than ever that he wants to play the tuba. And Mary, whose true passion in life is currently jazz dance, has decided this won't be her last year in ballet after all.

Then and now

2014 was a difficult year. But an important year. It doesn't deserve to be a black hole. So look forward to the occasional post with pictures, anecdotes, reflections, activities, and/or events from 2014. That was then. And it's worth remembering then.

I also want to remember now. So I will also be posting pictures, anecdotes, reflections, activities, and/or events from the now.

This is a picture of Sara. Doesn't every blog post in the world need a picture of Sara? Seriously, it would make the world a better place.




This was taken in December. So it's kind of recent. I guess it is then and now both. Either way, I want to gobble up that sweetness.

By the way:

There was a slight lull in my life this weekend--the kind of lull that gives me high hopes (and desires) for blogging. But when I look at my calendar, I have to remind myself that posts will have to be occasional . . .


Thursday, February 12, 2015

Sara turned 2!

Sara's birthday comes just after the holidays. So she knew exactly what you do with presents...

...and she got right to work!  All that practice Christmas morning came in handy.

Hooray for My Little Ponies. Mary and Sara spent a lot of 2014 watching My Little Pony together. 

Birthday morning fun.

Sara was definitely a happy girl.

Cinnamon rolls with chocolate chips for breakfast.

Later that day Sara was in her Sunday best...

...and sticking out her tongue.



I love that little curly-q in her hair above her ear.
(Does her hair look like it might have a hint of strawberry?)

There was more playing later that evening...
...and more playing...
...and more playing.
Meanwhile, we got ready for Sara's little party with the cousins.
David and Mary made the confetti!

The cake was Greg's labor of love.
Sara loved it. She meowed whenever she saw it (even after it was cut to pieces).

Last year at Sara's birthday: If you were brave enough to eat a spoonful of Sara's mushy baby cereal, you got a box of candy.
This year was a variation: Out with the old and in with the new! If you ate something that Sara used to like (squeeze applesauce), you earned the right to choose one of her current very favorite things to eat (see tray in above picture).
This year there were less tears--I guess eating applesauce isn't as traumatic as cold mushy oatmeal. (No one did choose the lotion though...)

Say cheese!  Here, Sara, look here!

That's better. Look at that grin! That girl can say cheese!

Oh, sweet, Sara. You are the center of our universe.

Happy birthday, baby.
We love and adore you and thank the Lord every day that we have the privilege of being your family.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

On blogging, patience, and sleep

It's really hard to know what to say when it's been so long. . .

Okay, I just need to start, to type something . . .

2014 was the hardest year of my life, and I don't feel an ounce of guilt or regret for not blogging.

But it's not 2014 anymore.  And I think I'd like to start blogging again.  

I've been blogging for seven years, and I think it should continue to be part of my life. It does not play the role it once did--I used to literally need it to stay sane. I don't need it in that way anymore. But, after seven years, I do realize how precious a post can be, years in the future. David and Mary love to look back at pictures and stories from when they were small. I do too. 

I did not set out to create a record of our family, but I love that it became that. I enjoy blogging about my family, so I will continue to do so. 

It will be different from years past. David and Mary are older. They want and deserve privacy. Sara may be mildly exasperating at times, but never enough to inspire a my-toddler-is-driving-me-bonkers kind of post. Mostly, she is the precious center of our universe and this blog name still suits our family perfectly.

So my blog will be kind of boring. Pictures, travelogues, cute anecdotes, general updates, and some reflection. And I'm really excited about that. 

I also will not be able to post very consistently.  Because here's the big thing. I have learned patience . . . and it is called getting enough sleep.

I am not a patience person, I have a quick temper, and I get frustrated easily. For years I have struggled with this, praying and begging God for more patience with my children. Then a little miracle happened. Well, it was a big miracle, but I didn't notice it at first. Here is what happened:

After Greg came home from his deployment, he had some time off. I was so tired. Like, the tiredest I've ever been. Nothing else in my life so far has come close to amount of exhaustion I felt last summer. So when Greg got back, I slept. I slept a lot. It was wonderful and glorious. I did not stay up really late, I slept until my body woke up in the morning, and I even took an afternoon nap. Yes, wonderful and glorious.

It was so wonderful and glorious that after Greg went back to work, I kept it up. I felt like I deserved a break and some more recovery time. So instead of diving into all the projects I'd procrastinated during his deployment, I kept sleeping. I went to bed at a reasonable time, and I took a nap. Every day. I told myself I could do this for a month or so. Then I would go back to using late nights and Sara's naps as time to drill down my to-do list.

But one day I noticed something. I wasn't yelling at my kids in the afternoon. Or in the morning. Or in the evening. In fact, I was enjoying them. Like most families, that time from the moment the kids get off the bus until dinner is on the table is super intense--homework, piano, school projects, snacks, driving to and from activities, friends, dinner prep, needy Sara, and so on. While it was still tiring for me, we were making it through every day without mommy meltdowns. I was even enjoying the time. It was a miracle! God had given me patience! Finally!

And then I realized it wasn't so much that God had given me patience. I'd given myself enough sleep.

I'm still impatient in my core, and I can be grouchy and irritable. But I am much less likely to be so if I am getting enough sleep.

So maybe patience isn't some mysterious gift from God that makes you magically calm, steady, and content. Maybe patience is just doing whatever it is you have to do to keep it together. In my case, He helped me realize I have to make sleep a top priority.

It's actually pretty hard, this making sleep a priority thing.* I am a total night owl and I love staying up late working on stuff. Love it!! But I can't. And, sure, an afternoon nap is nice, but it's hard when my to-do list is long. It's so tempting to skip it, but, when I do, I inevitably find myself short with my family later in the day. Not worth it.

One day I hope I will be able to be patient and kind with my family without having to devote so many hours to sleep. But right now I'm grateful that I have found a way to be a better person for my children.

That is why I will not blog often. I do not have time. I could make time. I could stay up late. I could skip my afternoon nap. But I choose to put my children first. 

*It's actually really, really hard. I have given up so much to get enough sleep. I almost mourn the loss of that extra time. I know that sounds silly or lazy or dorky. But it's true. However, I have realized that nothing is more important than being able to be kind to my children. It makes me really happy and is super fulfilling to be able to be a better mom for them. So reasonable bedtime and a daily nap it is!