Being my typical "still trying to figure this mom thing out" self, it usually takes me a week to get around to the "not-essential for survival" things on my to-do list, most of the time longer than that. So forgive my delay on this post. Here's the low-down on our Christmas this year.
Nate had an awesomely long three and a half week break! This was much needed after a pretty tiring and difficult semester! We hung out in Seattle for a week, relaxing, catching up on things that needed done, and hanging out with friends. Then we took off for Tri-Cities, which is where Nate's parents now live.
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| Cool lights in Seattle :) |
We had a blast with Nate's parents! Emma just couldn't get enough of her Grandparents! I was glad to see her so happy. I was also glad that I had been able to spend two weeks with my family over Thanksgiving, and that she had been able to bond with my family then. It's hard not getting to see my family as often, but the visit over Thanksgiving helped make up for lost time there. And, as a side note, the mishap of missing my flight during the snowstorm in Utah ended up costing us only $28.53! That was literally a miracle since Alaska Airlines was going to charge me $300 just to take the next flight! And I got to spend more time with my family. And Emma and I survived two flights by ourselves with some stress but little damage done. So, if you're wondering if miracles still happen, they do :)
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| Utah snow storm |
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| My little traveler :) |
Back to Christmas. It was different being in a new city for the holidays. We weren't quite sure what to do with all our free time! But we found a few fun things to do, including visiting Santa (but not actually sitting on his lap because they charged $10 for that!), watching "Frozen" and a couple other movies, visiting the temple while we had free babysitters around, going on walks, and bowling. Mostly we just hung out at home watching movies or playing games together. My favorite part was getting to chat with family. I felt like we grew a lot closer to Nate's parents just by talking! Who knew, me, the quiet one, could value talking so much? Well, apparently it's one of my love languages, and lucky for me, I'm getting better at speaking it with family and friends.
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| Beaver Bark amazing Christmas trees. |
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| Emma likes Santa from this distance :) |
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| Real reindeer! |
Christmas was great, but I'm starting to feel the magic wear off as I get older. Instead of excitement when I open presents, I feel a little guilt. I know I'm already entirely too blessed, and now I'm getting even more? I still feel a little guilty, but I'm trying to turn that into motivation to be more generous and more willing to help others. It's also a good reminder that we need to focus more on the true meaning of Christmas. Sylvia, my mother-in-law, and I were trying to get everyone excited for all the Christmas traditions, such as acting out the nativity, doing acts of service, reading Christmas stories, etc., but I guess everyone else was not that into it this year. I soooo need those things during Christmas in order to feel the real Christmas Spirit! I crave that spirit and the happiness it brings!
The most exciting part of Christmas day was watching Emma open and fall in love with her new toys. There is something so innocent and beautiful about a child discovering the world and filling it up with excitement. She loves her new baby doll with the matching stroller and blanket. She loves her Emma-sized vacuum and her Buzz Lightyear scooter. She loves everything, and I love the world I get to see because of her. Everyday when she wakes up from her nap, shes runs around excitedly, giggling and dancing and climbing all over things. Everyday she climbs up on my bed, reads a handful of books, and then begs me to tickle her. How can anyone be unhappy when they hear the sweetest toddler giggles everyday? She's so full of joy, and I can't help but be completely in love with her.
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| The cutest thing ever was Emma tearing the paper on the presents and then patiently handing me the torn pieces before she continued opening! She is trying to be tidy like her mamma :) |
Speaking of love, I really need to talk about how awesome Nate is. The break was so good for us and our relationship. He took time to talk and listen, take me on dates, and even sat through some Christmas traditions that I forced on him. One of those was watching "It's a Wonderful Life," which thanks to my wonderful Gramzee, is a tradition for me. For those of you who don't know it, it's about a man, George Bailey, who has hopes and dreams, but when faced with the choice between following them and doing the right thing, he chooses to do the right thing. He lives a life in which he lives for others. One day, in a moment when things get really tough for him, an angel comes and shows him what the world would be like if he had never been born. George sees a dark and sad world, where many of the people he loves suffer greatly. He then realizes how the life he felt had been unfulfilled and futile was actually a life of great purpose and happiness. He was blessed to be able to see what the world would have been like without him, to see what impact his life had had on the world.
WOW! I, of course, bawled my eyes out (like I do every year), and Nate's eyes even got a little red, which is about as close as he comes to crying. It dawned on me that there are times when I feel just like George Bailey! He always did the right thing, regardless of the personal consequences. I try to do the same. The world never remembered, celebrated, or loved George Bailey. He never got any awards, any money, or any fame. I think it's fair to say the same about me. HOWEVER, when it came down to it, HIS LIFE MATTERED! And HE WAS LOVED!!!!! I guess I needed that reminder. There are days when I truly wonder if anyone (aside from Nate and Emma) would even notice if I disappeared off the face of the planet. Especially since moving to Seattle, I've become aware that there is no role as important and simultaneously as uncelebrated as the role of the "stay at home" wife and mom. I will never receive awards or praise for my endless efforts, but that's not the point. It's just not the point! "It's a Wonderful Life" gets the point across loud and clear. The difference you make will probably never be known to you in this life, but you are making a difference! So, whatever your difference is, make it a good one :) What a great realization heading into a new year!
We had a fun New Year's. We went bowling with Nate's sister and her husband and his dad. Nate and his dad bowled amazingly well and we all had a great time. When we got home, I refused to let the clock strike twelve without some sparkling cider, a kiss, and of course jumping up and down and dancing on the couch with Emma (I guess she decided she didn't want to miss it so she woke up right before midnight). I made Nate get up and dance with us, and I think that was the highlight for me, all of us dancing together and being total dorks. I'm a sucker for tradition, and I hate to let a holiday pass by without a little celebration, no matter how silly.
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| Pretty awesome game for Nate. I did break 100 the second game! |
Lastly, some updates on our family in the new year.
Nate has handled his rigorous school schedule with amazing diligence and courage. Sometimes I forget just how difficult it must be for him because he never complains! Everyone told us the second year of dental school was the worst, and honestly, though it has been tough, I'm so grateful that Nate has his priorities straight and has still made an effort to keep our family strong and happy. I'm so glad that he chose general dentistry over specializing, or else he would have to put in so much more in order to stay top in his class. He is really good about having an eternal perspective in school. He knows he is there to learn and be his best self, not to try to be better than everyone else. That would be exhausting because everyone in dental school is really smart and talented. He reminds me constantly that it is no use comparing ourselves to others, but that we need to compare ourselves today against who we were yesterday. Hopefully we are better today. I am so proud of him and am so looking forward to the end of March when the hard part of his schooling is over.
Emma is advancing in leaps and bounds. She picks up a few words and a sign every week or so. She understands almost everything I say. She is almost always cheerful and can put a smile on anyone's face. She has three molars now and one more on the way. In the last couple of days, she has started having more attitude. She has perfected her scowl, and sometimes she will just scowl for hours with no response to my efforts to cheer her up. It must be teething or a growth spurt, or perhaps just a normal "emotional" phase that toddlers go through. It has been pretty humorous for me, but I hope it doesn't last forever! I much prefer my giggly baby! Weaning has gone amazingly well, and we are down to one feeding a day in the morning, which keeps us both happy. Emma has been going to nursery for a couple weeks now for part of our church meetings. She is loving it so far and I really hope it will be an easy transition for her. She has grown to love reading, and will even cuddle up in a chair or on my bed and read by herself. She is making progress towards sleeping through the night, though teething continuously tries to unravel any progress! I can't complain because she is an awesome napper and still takes a morning and an afternoon nap, which makes my life so much easier!
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| Mom's worst nightmare! |
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| I got a bow in her little tuft of hair! One day she will have long locks haha :) |
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| Emma feeding herself at her new table. She is using a spoon and drinking out of a cup on her own now! |
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| Rockin the outfit from Gramzee |
Here's a list of the recent words/signs she has said at least a couple of times: Mommy, daddy, puppy, baby, candy, Santa, kitty, bath, banana, no, yuck (which actually sounds like a growl), hot (with the sign), please (sign), help (sign), and I'm sure there's more that I can't remember. We are working on the signs for sorry" and "thank you," but she hasn't done them yet. "Mommy" is the current favorite word, "No" the second! She knows that the stove and her food are hot, and that the dirty diaper, the trash, and the toilet are yuck. She also learned to say "Tessa," the name of her best pal that lives next door. She is also learning all sorts of animal sounds.
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| Emma and Tessa |
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| Emma and Luke |
One or her hobbies is clipping the strap of her baby stroller, but she can't unclip it by herself, so she'll bring it to me and sign "help" and I'll unclip it for her. Sometimes this goes on for awhile haha. We are so proud of her!
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| Co-trouble makers! |
Then I suppose there's me. I told myself that these months were going to be a time for me to gather my strength after an exhausting year and to work on some personal goals of mine. I have been battling recurrent sinus infections and have steadily been mysteriously losing weight all year, so I decided I needed to take a break and try to get healthier. Aside from getting plenty of rest, I have been teaching myself piano, and so far I can play most of the hymns in the easy hymn book with the top hand. I have started working on the lower hand, but it is blowing my mind! Music has really become an escape for me, and though I regret not developing this talent sooner, I'm not going to let that stop me from at least making some progress now, even if it is difficult and slow.
I have been reading like crazy. I almost forgot how much I loved to read in my overwhelming college years, but now that I'm not forced to read hundreds of pages for homework, I am finding joy in reading again. My favorite books are the ones that grab your soul and force you to look at the truth, which hopefully inspires you to change. I just finished "Between Shades of Gray" (NOT "Fifty Shades of Gray") by Ruta Sepetys. Wow! It was mind blowing and I really recommend it.
I've also found joy in exercise. My favorite Christmas present is my new elliptical. We got it on craigslist for really cheap and now I have no excuse not to exercise. It is the best piece of equipment ever, and makes being a mom and being fit totally possible. Thanks honey for going through all the trouble to get me my elliptical! Also, there are free zumba classes at my apartment community center, and they are so fun! I forget I'm exercising because they are so fun! I've also been walking the three mile loop around Green Lake with friends. Yay for trying to be healthy and having fun at the same time! No boring running for me! (No offense if running is your thing haha). Hopefully I'll be good as new in no time :)
Here's my mini garden which is miraculously surviving without much help from me. I thought it was toast after the frost this year (is that an oxymoron?), but here it is, still alive!
Nate's parents visited this weekend and we rode the ducks! We had a blast :)
I've got a generously long list of new year's resolutions, and I hope to become a much better person by 2015! Wish me luck!
-Kamie
