Christmas 2013

Let's see if I can wrap up 2013 before it's February 2014!

Tulsa and Kansas Christmas:

Christmas this year was so much fun! Since driving went fairly well last year we decided that was the way to go again this year. Unfortunately, we were faced with a bit of crummy weather in the form of sleet and freezing rain but thankfully it didn't slow us down too much and the road conditions were fairly good. LB did amazing on the drive thanks to one of my best parenting decisions yet. Drumroll please. I put an end to the Ipad right after Halloween. I felt like it was getting out of control and was more of a pain than a help. Every time I told LB it was time to turn it off he would try and negotiate "five more minutes" or would just plain throw a fit. I love some of the educational games and puzzles we had for him on the Ipad but the netflix and movies would just suck him away from actual play. So I told him the Ipad was going bye bye until our drive to Tulsa. He shockingly handled it pretty well and didn't really bring it up that much. However, we hadn't even pulled out of the driveway and he asked for it. HA! But I didn't even care because it kept him so entertained. He did play with some of the other stuff we brought for the drive and did a little sleeping and snacking but mostly he was content to play with the Ipad and that was fine with us!

He was asleep when we pulled into the garage at my parents' house and I wish I could have captured his face when he woke up and saw my mom standing next to him! My parents and my sister doted on him the whole time we were there and LB was just as happy as can be.

The morning of Christmas Eve, my dad and LB were playing a fun game of hide and seek. My dad decided to hide in the closet where LB's gifts from Santa were hidden. (In my dad's defense, he was not aware that was the designated hiding place and was just being a good grandpa indulging LB in one of his fave games.) Well, LB found my dad and since he has excellent plane radar he spotted the planes right away! My dad felt badly but in the end it worked out. We told LB that Santa delivered some of his gifts early and LB played happily with his new planes until it was time to go to church. He didn't spot his drum that was also in there so he still got to be surprised by a Santa gift on Christmas morning.

LB continued his tradition of doing a great job at the Christmas Eve church service. He got a little antsy at times but I just gave him a snack and he was fine. He loves all the singing and that helps keep him happy. We sat next to my friend's family and her daughter and LB kept each other happy prior to the service.

At one point, the minister said "King of Jews" but all LB heard was juice, which he then exclaimed quite loudly. I hope I never forget that. Too funny. My mom got a nice shot of D and me as well.

Last year during the candle lighting, I got a really sweet picture of my mom and Ezra with their candles and this year it was D's turn to be with LB. All I can think of when I look at this picture is the line "Wonders of His Love" from the song "Joy to the World." Two of my loves.

Christmas morning was a lot of fun. LB got his drum and my parents spoiled the rest of us as well. We had a yummy breakfast and LB spent the entire day in his PJs. Perfection!

Before LB was in the picture, our family would make the trip to Kansas City to spend time with my mom's side of my family. Several of my Christmas memories from childhood are from time in Kansas City with my cousins and grandma. When LB came home, my aunt, uncle and cousins offered to come to Tulsa instead so we could limit our travel with the little one. We appreciated that so much but found after a few years we wanted to get back to Kansas. So this was the year. The day after Christmas we said goodbye to Tulsa and drove to KC. LB adores my cousins and aunt and uncle and includes them in his nightly prayers even though we usually only see them about once a year. They go all out and play with him from morning until night and it makes such a big impression on LB. Gathering around the table for a post Christmas meal with my family is always a little bittersweet for me. I think we all feel the loss of my Grandma Virginia and Uncle David but we bring up their names often as we happily look back and reminisce and that helps greatly. They would have both loved LB so much. I wish I would have taken more pictures but many memories were made and that's what matters.

Christmas in Yellow Springs:

We celebrated Christmas with D's side of the family the first weekend in January. D's cousins had already opened most of their gifts from Nana and Poppy on Christmas Day and they were very patient while LB opened most of his gifts. D's parents held back a few and we gave them gifts but it was mostly LB opening gifts. He got some great loot, including a scooter, and the kids had a fun afternoon playing together.

I love that the three cousins are so close in age. They are tight and watching them play brings me a lot of joy. I know that D's parents feel the same way. 

Christmas 2013 will be tough to top. This stage is so magical and I hope we have several more years of it.

End of 2013 Recap

So it appears any attempt to thoroughly recap 2013 is a lost cause. This will be my lame attempt and then it's time to move on to 2014.

Halloween 

In the months leading up to Halloween, I was pretty sure LB was going to be a pilot. I had this super cute costume picked out and thought he would love it. As we got closer and started talking about it, he was not enthused about the pilot idea. I didn't get it. He's Mr. Plane. Right around that time we discovered the TV show "Jake and the Neverland Pirates." It's on the Disney Channel, which we don't have, but we found it on Netflix. This was also around the time that LB discovered the movie, Peter Pan, which he fell in love with. I did not remember all the sexist and racist comments in Peter Pan so I cringed through the first viewing and thought maybe LB wouldn't like it. WRONG. He's obsessed. He started to say that he wanted to be a pirate for Halloween. It was a tad confusing because his "r" sound still very much sounds likes a "l." So I kept clarifying by asking him, "You want to be a pirate like arrrghhh matey or a pilot that flies planes." He would always answer back "argghhh matey." I found a Jake costume online and showed it to him and we had a winner! As soon as we got it, he had to put it on right away and we also got him a little Jake kit from Tar.get that had a sword, spy glass, gold coins and a map. He was pumped.

Halloween morning they were having a parade at school and the kids were encouraged to wear costumes. I got his out and was super excited. LB decided he wanted nothing to do with it. I was all of a sudden devastated. He flat out refused to wear his Jake costume. My mom had come to town for the week (which was great since D was out of town) and she had brought with her a Pilot shirt from the new movie, Planes. She convinced him to be a pilot for the parade at school. Although he refused to even put the pilot shirt on until we got to school. In hindsight, I think he was overwhelmed by the idea of the parade and kids and teachers wearing costumes. But once he got to school and realized none of the costumes were scary he relaxed and seemed to enjoy it. I would also say that I set my expectations WAY too high for the day and didn't act with a whole lot of compassion towards his refusal to be Jake at school. Expectations always get me in trouble.
Here are a few pics from school:

Yes, his best bud was also Jake and they would have been SO CUTE together but oh well. He's a cute pilot too.

Thankfully, he totally embraced being Jake for trick or treat and he had such a blast that night. My mom is the most amazing grandma and dressed up like the Cat in the Hat. LB has the coolest grandma ever. We have a tradition of trick or treating at our friend's house with another family and they have the perfect street for the kids. Lots of street lights and friendly neighbors. It was such a fun evening! Oh and D made it back in time for trick or treat, which was nice!

November

I tried to do some cute Thanksgiving crafts with LB in the week leading up to the big day and I would say our favorite one was his thankful turkey that we made out of a paper plate. I cut out the feathers and asked him to list 5 things he was thankful for and I wrote them on the feathers. I also cut out the other parts to the turkey and then LB glued everything together. He was really proud of it and we had it displayed in the living room through Christmas.

The weekend before Thanksgiving we met LB's cousins at the zoo for the holiday light show. It was freezing but we endured the cold and had a fun night. The kids also got to see Santa, which ended up being a nice reprieve from the cold, and since not too many people were brave (or stupid) enough to be out in the cold we didn't have to wait in a long line. LB asked Santa for "a plane and a drum." I didn't realize you could ask Santa for two things but I guess LB decided it was okay. He stayed consistent with those requests all through December. (Confession: We ended up seeing Santa 4 times before the big day. LB is a fan.)

Actual Thanksgiving day was a bit of a bust. D's parents were hosting Thanksgiving but not until Friday to accommodate every one's schedules. So our plan was to chill at home on Thursday and put up all our Christmas decorations. It was a good plan but LB woke up in a foul mood and I think I was in a bad mood too. I was missing my family and just felt blah about the whole thing. So the tree got put up and we did some fun Christmas crafts but overall it was just an okay today. Not what I hoped. Thankfully, Friday was fun and we stuffed our faces and LB played with his cousins. Somehow I managed to take zero photos. I must have been too busy eating and drinking.

December

We got a fair amount of snow in early December and LB had more stamina this year in terms of being willing to play in the snow. And he has learned to put his gloves on all by himself which meant I cursed much less this year. Is there anything more annoying than trying to get gloves on a toddler? I think not. 

We had several fun playdates with old friends and new friends. I have loved watching LB develop good friendships at preschool this year and to see him seek out his special friends.

LB had his Christmas program and party at school. I was in love with the shirt I bought him for it. I'm biased but he was so darn cute.

Okay, so I lied. I have rambled enough and I still need to recap our trip to Tulsa for Christmas. That will have to come later. 

Until then..... I hope January is treating you well, friends!

Fireworkers

Forgive me, but I need to go way back to July 3rd and document a major LB first. We had been invited to our friend's house for a 4th of July party on the 3rd of July. They were having people over for dinner and drinks and the plan was for the kids to play in the backyard and then when it got dark we could walk right across the street from their house and have a perfect view of the fireworks. Since LB has been home we haven't really done much for 4th of July. I remember sitting on our couch at our old house when LB was 18 months old and just willing him to stay asleep and not wake up from the loud booms going on outside. Thankfully, both that year and the next he stayed asleep and never even knew that fireworks existed. That was the way it needed to be for my noise sensitive boy. This year we decided we would go to the party and if LB wasn't crashing from missing his bedtime then we would give fireworks a try. His noise sensitivities are so much improved that it seemed silly not to give it a go. And the great thing about our friend's house is that if he was scared we could cross the street and be back at their house and safely inside in no time. I can't express how glad I am that we decided to go for it. He had so much fun and that evening ranks up towards the top of one of my favorite memories from this summer. He still talks about going to T's house "to see the fireworkers." I refuse to correct him because I think "fireworkers" is so dang cute. He also refers to them as "pop pops."

Our friends set up their sprinkler and then had a bunch of balls and toys for the kids to play with and LB spent most of the early evening playing whiffle ball. He may have launched a few balls over the fence, which reminds me that I owe my friend a few whiffle balls. Isn't he just exuding happiness? So fun!

I was glad we remembered to get a picture of just Amy and me. We think the last time we had a picture of the two of us was our last night in Ethiopia together. I guess we've been a little preoccupied taking photos of our boys that we forgot to document that we still exist.

We also got a really great family pic that night. I know that at first glance it looks like LB is holding a beer too. I promise that it is a popsicle.

As it started to get darker, some of the older boys brought out the sparklers and other little fireworks. LB was totally fascinated and insisted on holding a sparkler. We let him and warned him not to touch it because it was hot. What did he do? He touched it. And cried. Thankfully, it just lasted a few minutes. Call me a mean Mommy but I didn't feel sorry for him in the least. He was properly warned. It was a little blip in the midst of a great time. Clearly the below photo was taken prior to the "I am going to touch it because they told me not to touch it" moment.

We got across the street just as they were starting the fireworks and we explained to LB that it would be loud but so cool and amazing. He was mesmerized. D held him initially and I think he felt safe in his Daddy's arms. He kept asking us if they were going to fall on him. I get why he wondered that. It does look like they could fall on you. We promised him they wouldn't but he would still sometimes lean back, just in case. He was so animated about it that he had several people near us just watching him and laughing. I admit to watching him more than the actual fireworkers.

Don't ask why D is wearing those glow in the dark necklaces on his head. I couldn't even begin to explain it. Boys. 

For the finale, he decided he wanted to be a little further back but insisted on staying and watching until the end. The series of photos are really blurry but you get a glimpse of what it was like to see fireworks through LB's eyes.

He's an expressive little one. As the finale really picked up, I do think it got too loud for him but again he refused to leave and wanted to see it. Doesn't it look like he is miserable? But he HAD to see it.

He is ready for the 4th of July again so he can see more pop pops. I know I talk a lot about how much he has overcome and I apologize for sounding like a broken record. But I used to worry so much about him because he was bothered by the tiniest of noises. It feels like such a miracle to witness this change in him. I get that a lot of it is probably attributed to natural development but there is another level of healing that has happened for LB. Some noises he used to bothered by include such simple things like the crinkling sound of a trash bag being opened, the swooshing of bed sheets as you made the bed, the clinking of dishes getting put away, etc. I hope that explains why I am so blown away by his progress. He may have covered his ears at the very end but he ENJOYED fireworks. Maybe one of the loudest things ever. I hope I never forget how far he has come.

Hearts Matching Game

LB loves matching games. He's been obsessed with having two of things for a long time so it makes sense that he likes to find things that match. I got the idea to use conversation hearts to create a matching game from another website and now can't seem to find the original post. But it was a great success at our house! I told LB there was a holiday coming up called Valentine's Day and it's about celebrating the people we love. He didn't care and just wanted to play the matching game so I didn't worry about the significance of the hearts and just let the whole Valentine's theme go. Fine by me. Here is what you need:

Conversation Hearts
Markers to match the colors of the hearts
Piece of paper

This is what it looked like before I showed it to LB.

I tried to put a lot of a two of the colors and then just a few of the colors so that later on in the game we could count them and some would be easier than others. 

I demonstrated with two of the hearts and then he was ready. As per usual, he was very organized about the whole thing. He started with the pink hearts and did all of those first. He kept telling me that orange was his favorite color and the pink ones were "kind of like orange." I think that is why he was obsessed with those because he decided they were orange since I failed and didn't provide orange hearts. While he was doing the orange-pink ones he instructed me to do the yellow ones because "yellow is Mommy's favorite color." It isn't. But I played along, of course. He wanted Meemaw to do the green ones because "green is her favorite color" but, sadly, she wasn't there to play. It's interesting that he accurately knows Meemaw's favorite color but not Mommy's. Sigh.

Have I mentioned how much I love his 'hard at work' face? I have a million times? Well, I love it. 

He was plugging along and then exclaimed, "Mommy! My need my black magnify!" I have no idea what made him think of his magnifying glass but I wasn't going to argue. He started examining each color under the magnifying glass. I thought it was pretty brillant.

He's so serious. He looks like a legit scientist. I guess he is. 

After we matched them all up, I had him count the number of each color. He only made it through two colors and then decided he wanted to match again. So we did. Then the next morning during breakfast he asked to "play hearts" again. So we did. That time it expanded into making letters and shapes with the hearts. It was mostly him instructing me on what to make but that's fun too.

This game was a winner. If you have a toddler, then I highly recommend it.

To Be Read in October

An idea came to me a few days ago and I thought I would share it here. LB had just thrown a big tantrum about wanting to go downstairs and play after his bath. Our typical routine is that we do bath, books and bed. It's what we've done ever since he came home. Some weekend nights if we are with friends a little late then the bath gets skipped but 90% of the time that is our routine. LB knows it well. However, over the holidays we really went lax with a lot of our routines, not just bed time. I am confident a lot of parents do. And I think (and hope for LB's case) that as kids get older letting go of those routines over holidays and breaks can be easier. But for us transitioning back to our regular routines has been tough.

As a first time mom I have no reference point as to what other kids are like on a day to day basis. I don't see my friend's kids during bed times or nap times or what it's like to get them out the door in the morning. I only know LB. And he is a kid that if he does something once a certain way then usually he insists on doing it that way again. Do you know what I mean? For example, one of the first days we went to preschool the parking lot guard put his orange stick on LB's belly and and let him push the button on the stick that makes it light up. As thrilled as LB was to see it light up, I remember thinking to myself that now he will want to do it every time. Yep, every week he asks if he can push the button. In this case, he handles it well and doesn't get mad if he can't but he never forgets to ask. I find that we avoid meltdowns if LB knows what is expected. I hope I am not sounding like a super rigid mom. Maybe I am? But I do believe that toddlers find comfort in knowing what the limits are and what comes next. I kind of forgot that over the holidays. Okay, I promise I am getting to my idea.

As I was brainstorming some ways to make the post-holiday transition easier, I realized there were a few other things about the break that I would do differently if granted the opportunity. Let me say, we had a wonderful Christmas! I have so many great memories from this year. LB's age made it truly magical and I suspect next year will be even more fun. LB overall handled all the stimulation and mixed up routines quite well. But oh my, this transition. It's getting the best of me. I realize we are not always going to do things perfectly or anticipate everything. That's asking too much of ourselves and as Anne Lamott says, "Perfectionism is the voice of the oppressor, the enemy of the people." I believe that to be true. But I also believe in "live and learn." I can say confidently that we did a lot of things well. So here was my idea. I wrote a letter to myself. That's it. That was my big idea. (You are probably thinking you stuck around for nothing.) I tucked it away in our desk drawer and then I put a reminder on my calendar for October to read it. In the reminder, I noted where I put the letter because I am sure future me will forget that detail. I made a list of what I thought we did well and what I would do differently. I didn't hold back. I included some parts about our drive there and back that I thought worked nicely. There is no way I will remember all this stuff ten months from now when it's time to plan Christmas 2013. But now it is all fresh in my mind. It felt good and productive to write everything down. I was proud of myself.

We also have the added layer of LB's birthday a few weeks after Christmas. That was another impetus for writing the letter. I think we can make some tweaks to our schedule that will help. But I am finding that the closeness in dates makes managing gifts and stimulation overload very tricky. I don't want LB to feel like his birthday got swallowed up by Christmas. I want him to be and feel celebrated. However, it's tricky, especially at this age when he just discovering the joy of new toys. If any of you out there have advice in managing birthdays close to Christmas then I am all ears!

Finally, I have to vent to about another big mistake we made? TV/Ipad time. Wow, did it get out of control and now going back to setting limits has been UGLY. But I feel like, what is the point of staying home with my kid if he is watching a lot of TV? I give myself credit for making sure we have something to do every morning that gets us out of the house and interacting with the three dimensional world but afternoons and evenings have been tough. He has all these new toys yet he wants to spend so much of his time watching airplanes on Youtube or Finding Nemo. We got Nemo for Christmas and LB LOVES it. It's adorable to hear him repeat lines like, "Are you my conscience?" and "Wow, that's a really big butt." However, it's out of control. Did you let go of screen time limits over the holidays? If so, any ideas for getting out of that funk. If you didn't, then I applaud you!

So that was my great idea. A simple letter to be read in October. Here's to hoping future me will listen to present me. 

December Recap

It's been a busy but very fun month! This was the first year that LB started to understand some of the concepts of Christmas. Last year he recognized Santa and would say, "ho ho ho." That was it. This year there was so much more excitement and wonder. I really enjoyed December through the eyes of an almost three year old. Right after Thanksgiving we started putting out some of our decorations. We opted out of a tree this year but I think this will be our last year doing that. We knew we wouldn't be home for the week around Christmas so we decided not to mess with it but seeing how excited LB was about the tree at my parents made me regret that decision. Next year we will have a tree! Any time we saw a Christmas tree he would exclaim, "Look at that Christmas tree!" But we still had fun decorating the house with some twinkly lights, an advent calendar and some other holiday decor.

LB loved choosing a new doll for each day of the month and would cheer almost every day that Christmas was "getting closer!" The Ethiopia doll or "Hipia doll" as LB would say occupied the number 1 spot all month.

At the beginning of the month we met some friends at a holiday festival where they had a Santa and merry go round and a little train ride for the kids. I'm not sure there has ever been a cuter Santa photo. 

Doesn't Santa look pleased to see LB? LB asked for a "really, big airplane." Shock. 

Towards the middle of the month, we took LB to an event called A Tuba Christmas. It is what it sounds like - a bunch of tubas playing Christmas songs. Given LB's love of music we figured this event would not disappoint. He was a little stunned by the sounds TONS of tubas made but he enjoyed it and still talks about it. For several days afterwards, he kept asking if he could have a tuba. And he still talks about how the musicians raised their tubas at the end of some of the songs. He also likes to pretend to conduct musical instruments and then take a bow. It's pretty cute.

D and I really enjoyed Tuba Christmas and I am hoping it can become an annual Christmas tradition. (Yes, I am still obsessed with photo collages.)

The day before we were supposed to fly to Tulsa to be with my family, we made a crazy decision and decided to drive instead. There was snowy weather headed our way so D suggested we get out ahead of it and not risk cancelled or delayed flights. It ended up being a good decision but was very unlike us. We aren't typically fly by the seat of our pants type of people. LB did pretty well and the drive provided for an unexpected and hilarious meet up on the Oklahoma turnpike with another Ethiopia adoptive family I only know through blogging. It is worthy of it's own post. (Teaser - we met THIS wonderful and adorable family.) Truly amazing! More to come.

Once we got to Tulsa, LB had a blast with my family. My cousins from Kansas City came down for a visit and that was definitely a highlight. LB and my cousin created a new game called Drum Ball. Watch for it as a possible future Olympic Sport.

At one point, all of us were gathered in the family room and LB shouts, "Everybody up! Everybody Dance!" He's pretty hard to say no to so we all obliged. He's got some legit moves.

We have a bit of a tradition running for taking LB to see Santa near my parents' house on Christmas Eve. So even though he had already seen Santa we made a last minute visit to see him again. Thankfully, LB still asked for a "really, big airplane." Whew. As always, his personality shines through in photos.

We also went to the candlelight service at church on Christmas Eve and LB was truly an angel through the whole service. D reminded me to keep that memory close when LB was throwing a fit on the drive home. I also took possibly my favorite photo of LB from 2012 at the service. In my opinion, the look of awe and wonder in his face truly captures the spirit of Christmas. I love that boy of mine.

Christmas morning did not disappoint and LB got his "really, big airplane." However, we think his favorite gift was from Aunt Bebe. She got him a trumpet and he plays with it constantly. 

Clearly, he is imparting his own style to the art of playing the trumpet. The next big thing will be to play the trumpet upside down.

Thankfully, we survived the long drive back to Ohio despite driving through some nasty snow.

I hope your holidays were filled with joy and cheers to a happy new year!