Catching Up and Farewell 2012

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind here.  Preparation for Christmas took an unexpected detour when I was in a car accident.  Thankfully I am doing fine, just sore, though my car is not.  Reminds me that stuff is just that, stuff.  So we tweaked some of our week before Christmas plans, simplified some to-do lists, fit in some visits to the chiro, and spent a lot of time leaving messages for insurance people. 

We spent a number of wonderful days with family over the holidays, with two trips out of town, multiple celebrations and a few other visits, consumed more food than I want to think about, and were blessed by wonderful memories and loving gifts.  There is nothing like Christmas with a child -- the pure anticipation and excitement, he was even excited about the socks in his stocking! 

My husband and I even managed to get a special night away to celebrate our 11th Anniversary to fit in (thanks to my parents for hosting a sleep-over for our little boy and my husband's parents for paying for the night at the resort -- both great presents in our book).

We are getting ready for New Years Eve celebration at home.  The movie is picked out, mint candy cane ice cream is in our ice cream maker, and most of the prep is done for our fondue supper tonight.  This year we are attempting to fondue with the kiddo in front of the tv.  Last year we waited until he went to bed to enjoy our fondue.  He's excited by the idea of eating in the living room since that otherwise doesn't happen. 

So Farewell 2012!  You have been a year of settling into our community and schedule, lots of learning, several great family trips, lots of outdoor fun, and so many wonderful memories watching our son learn and grow.  We took big steps to get our adoption home study complete and figuring out what being a waiting family means.  We are praying that 2013 will be a year of blessings, maybe even the blessing of a new baby, but we know with every blessing comes unique challenges and sometimes tough decisions.  While we don't know what the year ahead will bring, we are so thankful that the Lord will be there to walk the road with us.

²⁰ Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, ²¹ to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 3:20-21 NIV

Our Homemade Christmas

We've had a busy month of projects here but I didn't want to post them all before as many were going to be gifts for special friends and family who happen to read this blog :)  I was impressed by how much we were able to get done and it worked great to schedule some of our projects as special activities on our Advent Calendar.

Snowman Handprint ornaments (I saw this on a number of places on pinterest)
 - We painted the kiddo's hand and carefully put it on the ornament.  After it dried, I decorated the fingers to look like snow people with paint pens.  Then we put some paint inside and swirled (blue, white and gold).  I added a layer of mod podge to keep the paint from flaking off.  With the ornament is a small message that says, "These are not five ordinary snowmen, as you can see I made them with my hand for you to hang up on your tree. Now every year at Christmas you can look back and recall not so very long ago when my hand was just this small. Love, (Child's Name) Christmas (YEAR)"

Salt Dough Ornaments (source here)
- My little boy had so much fun with these so we did them twice.  He loved rolling out the dough and using the cookie cutters.  He also really enjoyed painting them.  They look great with a little glitter.  I coated them with mod podge to help seal them.  

Puzzle piece snowflakes
- We didn't have any extra puzzle pieces so I cut them out, used glue dots to connect and then my son painted them white and added glitter.  On the back you can add a note saying "Thank you SNOW much".  I don't think we'll do this one again unless we have puzzle pieces to use -- maybe from a garage sale?

Snowman gifts
-These were super simple and lots of fun to give.

Cute Christmas Tree Cards from yarn
- My son found some left over yarn from another project and asked to make something.  I'd seen tree pictures made from varying lengths of paper, so we tried it with yarn.  It took a lot of glue but it was good to practice ordering the yarn by length.  We added some glitter since it already had lots of glue. 

The Felt Play Stove (previous post)

Christmas Tree Felt Activity for the Busy Bag (previous post)

Wrapping paper and bags
- All through the month my son colored plain white paper to use as wrapping paper.  We also painted and used stamps on some.  He thought it was so much fun.  He also decorated some bags to use as gift bags with ribbon, Christmas stickers and a green triangle of paper :)

Wood Gifts from the Shop
Because my husband loves to use all his wood working tools and didn't have a heavy travel schedule this month, he made quite gifts as well: A birdhouse, Squirrel cafes, Kid Height Rulers (similar to this from hgtv but with family name on it too), and a unique candle holders.

It was so much fun to give a few homemade gifts to some special people in our lives!

Merry Christmas!

A Felt Play Stovetop

My little boy loves to play with his toy food and little grill.  He really enjoys the toy kitchen at preschool.  I knew he'd love a toy kitchen but didn't want something that would take up so much space.  I found this idea on pinterest.  Inspired, I decided to give it a try.

I bought two sheets of 12" x 18" white felt that was stiffer (not sure what its really called), plus red and black felt.  I traced the black circles for the burners using sour cream container lids.  I traced the same sized circles on the red and drew the "burner curls".  Once I cut one I liked, I traced the rest.  Then I glued it all using my hot glue gun.

The knobs were a challenge.  I really wanted them to turn.  I had visions of putting a hole into plastic lids, attaching them top down with a brad or sewing a button inside maybe, and using a hot glue gun to attach a slightly larger plastic lid right-side-up over top.  I tried to describe this to my husband, and he just gave me a strange look.  Instead he made cute wooden knobs in his shop that could be attached with a bolt and washer :)  Much easier.

I glued a pair of ribbons to one end to allow us to roll/fold it and tie it.  Then I attached the second big sheet of white felt to the bottom to cover the back side of the knobs, etc.

I really enjoyed making something for my son for Christmas!  I can't wait for him to open it.

Snowmen Thank You Gifts

We made some simple snowmen gifts for my son's preschool teachers and Sunday school teachers.  I first saw the idea via pinterest from freefunchristmas.com (the site includes a free printable to create the snowmen, but we did ours on our own).

We wrapped a package of popcorn and a chocolate bar in white paper, added google eyes, nose, mouth, buttons, etc. The glove hats added some fun detail and a nice gift for preschool teachers who are outside for recess in the cold.

Here's another variation we did with just a wrapped chocolate bar, paper hats and a ribbon scarf.

On the back was a note that said "Thank you SNOW much".

A Quick Felt Tree for the Busy Bag

Saturday I was working on another project and ended up with a bunch of felt scraps.  I was thinking about Sunday's church service, with last weekend's snow storm the little kids Christmas program was being combined with the adult choir cantata.

I thought something new would help my little boy make it through the extra long service. This was the result.



Its simply a plain 8x11 blue piece of felt, a green triangle, and then a variety of shapes to create a Christmas tree to decorate.  I rolled it up in the blue felt and tied it with ribbon.  It took less than 15 minutes since many of the pieces were in my scrap pile.  An easy stocking stuffer or fun surprise for a Christmas Eve service.

The best part -- he played with it at church for nearly 45 minutes!

Many times the tree looked something like this :)  But tree creatures that keeping him busy make this momma smile!

Giving an extra hug

Dad and son are creating a mystery lunch in the kitchen, so I sat down to write... keyboard and Kleenex.

I struggle for words after the events on Friday. 

So many little lives lost.  Tragedy in an elementary school.

Tears fill my eyes just thinking about it.

We know so many little friends, nieces and nephews who are 5, 6, 7 or 8.

The pastor at church this morning mentioned that there were pastors discussing whether they should still light the Advent candle this Sunday, often called the candle of Joy, given Friday's events.  What he said next resonated with me.  There will always be suffering in this world.  The Christmas season will always be a tough season in this hurting world for many.  Advent point us to the Savior, to the coming Kingdom instead of this world, and the Joy of the world to come.  And so we light the candle of Joy.  Eternal Joy to give us hope in this hurting world.

Just five Advent seasons past, we lost a little one in a miscarriage, so tiny but yet known by the Father.  There are still Christmas songs that remind me of that pain. 

I can't even begin to fathom all those parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends who are struggling with such a huge painful loss from Friday.  A school and community that will never be the same.  I hope they know so many are praying for them.  I pray they feel the Father's arms wrapped around them, knowing He holds them as they weep, and hears the prayers of their hearts when they are without words.

So I give my precious boy extra hugs this weekend, like so many other parents, with tears filling my eyes. 

A Morning of Thanks

Yesterday wasn't a bad day, in fact it was mostly good. 

But last night as I thought through the day, I was overwhelmed.
   There were many words I wished I'd picked more carefully.
      Situations I'd wished I'd handled a little (or alot) differently.
        Time I'd wished I'd spent more wisely.
           Stressing entirely too much about to-dos, things, mess, future events I can't control,
               and not enough about truly caring for others and the opportunities to show His love.

Forever thankful for a new day and the Grace to try again.

(took this photo standing at my front door)

Winter Fun (Part 2)

I almost feel foolish for having posted about all our snow fun on Saturday... a few hours after posting I heard that a big winter storm was headed our way, with over a foot of snow and a blizzard warning.

The snow in our yard now is nothing like the few inches on Saturday :)  Its everywhere and deep.  Church was cancelled Sunday (including the little kids' Christmas program) and the plow didn't make it to our gravelly road until mid afternoon.  We played in the snow LOTS while Dad cleaned the driveway and pushed snow away from the house (he was playing some too). 

Luckily it wasn't as windy as they were predicting so we don't have tons of new drifts or that much more snow to clear today.  Schools are closed and it is bitterly cold.  So glad we did our playing yesterday!

Winter Fun!

 

Between yesterday and last night, we got a couple inches of snow so we've been playing outside in the snow. Shovelling, exploring, a spray bottle with water and food coloring, a few attempts at a snowball fight and some sledding.  All sorts of winter fun!  Of course there's plenty of hot chocolate when we come in to warm up :)

 

 

Is it really once upon a time?

Almost every time we get a new book, my son asks "is this a once-upon-a-time book?". On nights that Daddy reads his bedtime story, its not uncommon for me to hear my son call down "Mom is it really once upon a time?"  It always makes me smile.

Its not that my son doesn't like fairy tales.  He does.  Its not about distinguishing real from make-believe stories.  While he knows I generally read the story like its written, he's found out that Dad does some improv.  Dad is the storyteller who adds voices and sometimes embellishes the story, generally adding an extra "once upon a time" :)

Sometimes that means that a cowboy book is read with a strange French accent.  Or the character's name changes.  Or the story just changes completely.  The silliest was the day we brought home Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Snow White books.  When Dad was supposedly reading the first book, he told the story from the second and vice versa.  We were all laughing!

I love that my son is making so many special memories of reading with his Daddy.

Happy Birthday Dad!

Yesterday was Dad's birthday.  We had a fun day celebrating together as a family.

Last week while Dad was out of town, we wrapped his gift in plain white paper and my little boy decorated it.

The activity in our advent calendar said "Make something yummy for others to enjoy" and we did!  We made some Christmas treats that Daddy enjoys -- "bacon and eggs" (pretzels, almond bark, yellow M&Ms), pretzels with melted Hugs and M&Ms, and dipped pretzels.  Then we made some crazy cupcakes (added food coloring after filling the cupcake tins and swirled).  I think I'm going to freeze some of the cupcakes for Christmas, to enjoy after we can sing "Happy Birthday" to Jesus.

Then we went out to eat and he opened presents.  On the way home from the restaurant, we stopped a large local Christmas lights display (the kind that are coordinated with music).  It was such a fun evening.

I am so thankful for my wonderful husband and father to our son.  This morning our little boy woke up and asked "is it still Dad's birthday?".  I think he had fun too!

Celebrating Advent

This weekend marks the start of Advent.  Prior years, we've been lighting our Advent candles on evenings we have suppers as a family.  I've struggled, though, to find devotions that worked well for our little boy.  This is the first year that it seems less daunting.

In order to be even more intentional about family time and keeping Christ in Christmas, we're going to try adding an advent calendar to our tradition.  Looking on pinterest for ideas was completely overwhelming, but I found enough simple ideas and free printables to make ours relatively quickly.

The advent calendar by Simple Mom was my primary inspiration (her site also has a great list of possible activities to include in the calendar)
-- I used an old cork board, scrapbook paper, ribbon and paper clips.
-- The numbers printable was found at Green Owl Crafts. 
-- Inside each card is one of the cute daily scripture cards from Happy Home Fairy and a festive sticky note with a fun activity to do together. 

It was good to sit down with my husband and discuss what activities we wanted to include and which ones to put on the weekends so he could sure he would be home to participate.  Our list includes things like reading a Christmas book, local holiday events, baking cookies, and making crafts that will be gifts. 

The beauty of the sticky note is that if I need to rearrange activities based on our schedule, weather, or something else, I can.  For example, we included "have a snowball fight" as an activity mid-month but if we wake up to new fallen snow before that I can make a quick switch before breakfast (oh so sneaky).  (Activities that include snow though also have an indoor or non-snow alternative just in case, for example an indoor snowball fight with socks)

No, my calendar isn't all that original or beautiful, but it is functional and looks nice enough to hang up.  It was great that I had almost all the supplies on hand.  The only thing I ended up buying was the curly paperclips holding the cards onto the ribbon, though I could have just used thumbtacks (I had visions of the thumbtacks falling out and sitting on the floor waiting for a barefoot).  I originally wanted the small clothespins but it would have required an extra stop on errands day :)

Our schedule was pretty light this week so it only took part of two afternoons to finish.  My little boy "helped" cutting extra paper, gluing, played number games with the cards while I worked on other parts, used extra pieces of folded paper to make tents for cars, and had a Veggie Tales dance party (in a cowboy hat of course).

Honestly though, my pre-stay-at-home-self would be rolling eyes at all the work to put this together so if you're looking for something simpler...

• Activities and/or scriptures in envelopes work just fine and there's lots you can do just between supper and bedtime (Christmas color sheets, wrapping presents, fun books, simple crafts, etc)
• Create a countdown paper chain (I've seen some nice printables for this on pinterest)
• A bowl with activities on small slips of paper to choose from each day.

Blessings to your family as you prepare for Christmas, remembering to celebrate the waiting along the way, keeping Christ at the center of the whirlwind month ahead.

Is it really more important than making a rocket?

The other day my to-do list was a mile long, lots of cleaning to get done and I felt behind.  I had just put a batch of granola in the oven (because cooking is always more fun than cleaning) and was about to put the empty oatmeal container in the recycling...  and I paused.  This would make a great rocket, I thought.

So I put my to-do list aside and asked my son if he wanted to make a rocket.  Of course he said yes.  While I rounded up supplies, I sent him on a mission to decide which toys would be riding in the rocket.  Buzz Lightyear and a few friends of course.

I had him find the tallest and widest of his passengers to make sure we made a big enough door.  Then we used part of another box to make the top.  He and I started decorating with paper, glue, stickers and foil.  We  had a fun time!

 

For anyone who knows him, I'm sure its not surprising that his pretend play for the rest of the day was all about space missions and astronauts.  All because of a split second decision.  This is why I'm treasure being home with him.  I'm so blessed to be able to encourage him, to create memories together, and to build rockets for imaginary space missions. 

First Visit to the Dentist

Yesterday my little boy visted the dentist.  The office suggested that he just tag along to my appointment so that his part of the exam was at the end of mine.  At first this made me nervous since the dentist is one of my least favorite places and I hadn't been to this one before.  Because it was so close to Thanksgiving, I was worried that we hadn't prepped or talked about it enough in advance but it worked out great.

Honestly they had him won over as soon as we walked in -- a small table with duplos/legos in the waiting area!  During my exam he brought a bag of toys and the hygenist brought in a kid sized chair from the waiting room.  He colored and played with his dinosaurs.  The dinos even went on a vacation to the hallway while they did my ex-rays.  And oh my did they have a roaring good time out there.  It was hard for me not to laugh!

While we waited for his turn, they brought in a new book for him, Berenstain Bears Visit the Dentist, which we read together in the exam chair.  Perfect!  I think the chair made him nervous so I'm glad he was able to spend time on my lap reading, just the two of us.  I have a suspicion that it reminded him of the exam chair in the procedures room where he got his staples...

At first he wouldn't even look at the dentist, but after introductions we talked about how he went to school to learn all about teeth.  Then the dentist told him how many teeth he should have (10 on top, 10 on bottom) and asked if he could count that high.  That was the right question :)  He did great from there on out during the exam.  Of course the fact that they had a tv mounted on the ceiling playing cartoons helped too.

He so excited to get a new Diego toothbrush ("How did they know Diego is my favorite?") and to pick out a prize from the "No Cavity Club" box.  When we got home he rushed to show Dad all his new treasures and informed he got a special toothbrush, but "Mom just got a plain one". 

Showing off his new book, toy, and how he opened his mouth wide for the dentist :)

So thankful to have a positive first experience at the dentist :)

Appreciating the Now

We've had a string of pretty good weeks here on the Gravelly Road.  Dad's travel schedule has slowed a bit.  We've found a really good groove at home (of course as soon as I post something will change).

I am so thankful for the stage we are at right now.  As much as I'm looking forward to holiday family fun, praying for some news about adoption, longing for a baby in my arms, the "now" is amazing.  A number of times in the last few weeks I've caught myself thinking, if I was also mothering a newborn right now this might not be happening.  Chasing each other back to the house after a walk in the sunset.  Having time to do 3 craft projects in one day (as he requested).  Writing down 2 very silly stories my kiddo made up so he could add pictures to make two books (one about a train crash, the other about a snake). 

Waiting is always hard for me but I don't want to get so consumed with the waiting and worrying that I miss the blessedness of today.  I am forever thankful to be the mom to my amazing little boy.  Sometimes that job itself seems so big.  We are blessed.  Thank you Lord!

In His Time

Fall or Winter?

Earlier this week we woke up to a dusting of snow outside.  An excited little boy declared "Its winter today!!  Will it still be winter tomorrow?"

In celebration of this "in between" season we are in right now, we did this craft project.  The same tree.  Two different seasons.  We had some great conversation about the differences between fall and winter, even that sometimes winter isn't so snowy. 

Before we started, I cut the trees and ground out of construction paper.  My son glued them down.  Then he started painting.  He used mostly Q-tips, which he thought was fun once he got used to them (he kept wanting to use the other end after painting for a while, making a mess on his hands).  He used a cork for the snowman.

He decided the tree in the pictures was next to a house with lots of kids -- which is why there are piles of leaves in one picture and a snowman in the other :)  I personally love the fact that a snowball/snowflake fell from the tree to hit the snowman in the head. 

So happy kinda fall, almost winter to you!

Our Weekend

An sunset stroll with my little boy. 
I mentioned that the sun was setting and he said,  "Mom, lets walk into the sunset". 
So we did.  (Well, really he ran into the sunset).

 

One last family campfire in the backyard.

 

 

Making fun cut out cookies.
Why wait for December to do all the fun baking?  Love that Dad is in the window reflection.

 

 

A future big brother...

My little boy has been interested in all things baby lately.  Maybe its our family prayers for a baby to join our family through adoption.  Maybe its that I've moved most of the baby "stuff" from the basement closet into the future nursery.  Maybe its just the age he's at.

Sometimes its Pooh Bear, other times its his lion or monkey, but he'll bring me a toy that he wants to put to bed, or feed, or put in the swing, or change a diaper.

So adorable.

He also talks about what it will be like to be a big brother.  The other day he asked if it takes lots of baby wipes to change a diaper.  I told him that yes sometimes it does :)  He replied, "I think I could learn to change a diaper Mom.  I could do that when I'm a big brother."

(If you read my facebook posts, you've heard this one but I have to include it here too).  A little over a week ago he said to me, "Mom, I prayed to God to send our family more boys. Is it ok to have seven boys? I asked for seven!"  I laughed.  Then a few days later he brought it up again, seven boys.  Then I told him I would have a hard time naming seven boys.  "I can name them Mom!" and he starts listing names.  So I grabbed a paper and pen and started scribbling (because it was too cute not to record).  He came up with more than seven, but here's his list: Jack, Matt, Sleepy, Circus, Daniel, Lion, Rote, Joseph, Pancakes, Oranges, Jim, Ron, Shawn, Strawberry, Rick, Bam, Rain, Kid, and Otter.  The next day he declared, "I changed my mind Mom... I think a sister would be good".

I pray for that day when he becomes a big brother.  Its so hard to prepare him for the changes that will come through an adoption, with its undefined timeline.  And so we take it a little at a time - waiting, praying, and preparing as best we can. 

All in God's Time.

The Last of the Pumpkin Fun

Our pumpkins are on their last days, headed to the dumpster soon.  So today we went outside to look at their mushy spots, examine the lovely mold, and talk about decay (thank you Sid the Science Kid).

Then he pounded in golf tees with his toy hammers because.... well, it was just fun!

Fun Canvas Painting

It was a dreary day yesterday and we didn't have anywhere to go.  Since our schedule this fall involves being away from home at least part of the day most days, we decided to "seize the day" and do a messy project.  The alternative was some messy baking, but that would have involved a trip to the grocery store :) 

I still had a 11x13 canvas on hand from the photo canvas project I did last month.  I decided we could try a variation of something I saw on pinterest.  I really didn't have much of a plan and we just had fun creating.  I was pleasantly surprised that it turned out.

I used painters tape and foam letter stickers to create a message on the canvas.  The heart took a few tries.  What worked best was to lay enough strips of tape on the table, draw the heart, peel each strip off the table and cut.  While I was working with the tape, my little boy was acting as my photographer.  I couldn't resist including the one he took of himself.  (The messy kitchen pictures plus all the ones of just the table or ceiling, we giggled at and then deleted).

Then we both painted :)  He used mostly brushes (he's in an anti-messy-hands stage so finger painting was out of the question).  I did have sponges and corks out as well.  I let him pick the colors we used.  I considered picking only colors that looked good with our decor but decided that wasn't nearly as fun. 

After it dried, I carefully peeled off the tape and stickers.  Some of the foam letter stickers left a little residue but it still looks ok.  I also added a layer of mod podge (only because it seemed like a good idea, not sure if it actually makes a difference).

He's already asking when we can do another so I guess this project was a hit.  (He wants to do his name for in his bedroom and one that looks like moose poop -- don't ask).  I'm not sure where this one will end up -- the hallway and the nursery have both been discussed.  So glad we tried this one!

Fun with the Letter "S"

We've spent a few weeks on "S is for Snake", mostly because we've been so busy it was hard to fit any extra activities in :)

Books:

• Sid's Surprise by Candace Carter
• Lunchtime for a Purple Snake by Harriet Ziefert
• A Snake Mistake by Mavis Smith
• I Need a Snake by Lynne Jonell
• Snakes! Strange and Wonderful by Laurence Pringle

Activities:
1) He had fun making snakes that look like the letter "s" from pipe cleaners and beads.  (Since he enjoyed it so much, I also incorporated some pattern practice)  I drew an "S" on the whiteboard to help him bend his snake into the right shape.  He later used his snakes to trace the letter "s".

2)  Together we made a snake collage using pieces of contruction paper he cut up (loves scissors practice).

3) Using painter's tape, we created a "S" road for his cars.  They had lots of fun racing on such a curvy road.

 

4) We talked about making springy snakes again, but ran out of time.

 

 

We also ended up with some other "S" fun here on the Gravelly Road -- our first snowfall last week (which thankfully melted the same day) and dressing up like a spider for Halloween.  

 

Happy Halloween

from our family to yours!

My Cleaning Helper

My little boy loves to help clean so I'm happy let him :)

Vacuuming is a chore he asks to do often -- steps are his favorite!  He also helps with dusting and sweeping.  I try to make sure he knows how much I appreciate his help (and resist the temptation to redo things that were missed).

He also has his chores that are part of the routine each day - making his bed, feeding the dog, putting away his toys, setting table, and clearing his dishes.

Other times, he plays train conductor with the chairs that I move out of the dinning room while I clean.  (On the particular day pictured, it was a zoo train with music.  At one point he passed out reading materials to his passengers as well)

How do you involve your kids in cleaning?

Pumpkin Fun

Yesterday I visited my son's preschool class to help him carve a pumpkin.  A pirate pumpkin to be exact.  I quickly found out he wanted nothing to do with the slimy inside.  Oh well.  When we got home, he asked for a real patch for his pumpkin pirate (instead of the one we'd drawn) and found his pirate hat.  Here's my silly boy and his pumpkin.

Take a look back at some previous pumpkin photos just for fun (from 2009, 2010, and 2011)

(For whatever reason, I had lots of great fall photos from 2011 but could only find a pumpkin one on my phone, oops)

Hope you are enjoying your fall!

Linking up with Mama Loves this week.