Jonah's Christmas wish

When it was time for kids to make Christmas lists, I got some pretty interesting requests.  Everything from a "happy family" from Josh, to a "mini ferris wheel" from Becca, to a "small monkey" from Savannah.

Most of the lists were pretty long, and gave me lots of things to choose from.  Jonah's list, however, only had 3 items on it.

Translation: 1. Basketball pants

                    2. Money for the Door of Faith Orphanage in Mexico

                    3. Presents for the poor and sick

Side note:  I need a green Christmas tie for choir (complete with illustration)

In his stocking on Christmas morning, he found a special note from Santa.  It said that $100 had been donated to orphans in Mexico, as a gift to him.

I think that was the highlight of his Christmas.

What a sweet, tender-hearted boy.

Before I forget...

A few days before Christmas, Josh and I were trying to figure out which siblings he still had to get gifts for.  He was in the other room, so I yelled across the house, "Hey!  I have an idea what you could get Caleb."

From the bathroom, I heard Caleb's panicked voice shouting "I am here!  Hey!  I am here!"  It's a good thing he yelled, because I thought he was out with his friends.

For some reason, that just really struck my funny bone.  The mental picture of Caleb, sitting on the pot, shouting to make his presence known.   It makes me chuckle, even now.

A couple of years ago, he went on Amazon.com before Christmas and accidentally discovered what he was getting for Christmas.  Apparently, it was really disappointing to him, and he didn't want to repeat that.

That's all.  Just a funny moment that I didn't want to forget.

Messiness

Right now there are shoes on the couch and shoes on the table.  About half of the cupboards in the kitchen are hanging open.  The juicer is still full of pulp from this morning's orange juice.

I spent the day taking care of a very sick little Eli, who thought, apparently, that spitting at me or hitting me in the face would somehow make him feel better.  I missed the girls' choir concert, because I haven't been here for the little boys' bedtime routine for 8 days in a row.

There was a big mix-up with the irrigation, a doctors appointment, my turn to cook for three large families, and a minor emotional break-down on my part.

Yet somehow, as I knelt down by my bed tonight, I felt such a flood of gratitude for all of the blessings in my life.  Even, or right now especially, for the messiness of life.

I am grateful to be here, in the middle of this beautiful chaos that goes along with raising a family.

When I was straddling the irrigation ditch, hoping I would be able to hoist myself back up without falling in the water, I happened to look up and see the most beautiful bright yellow leaves on the trees down the road.

When Savannah saw the signs of my impending emotional break-down, she jumped right in and helped with dinner.  Jeff went out after dinner to get me some chocolate chip cookies that felt really important in that moment.

And for only the second or third time so far this month, I got to sit with the boys and read our "traditional, nightly" Christmas story.

I love moments of clarity that come, usually unexpectedly, in the midst of the daily whirlwind.  It feels like time stops racing forward just long enough for me to take a deep breath and let the beauty of my life make an imprint on my heart.

And tomorrow the whirlwind will begin again, but my heart will be just a little bit different.

Nighttime (one-sided) conversations

Jonah has been really into making comic books lately.  They're pretty cute!

The other day, Caleb was seated up to the counter eating something (as usual) and I was in the kitchen working.  Jonah made some comment, as he passed through, about his latest comic.

When he had left the room, Caleb said "Oh believe me, I have heard ALL about it!  It's called 'Dead Man's Chest', and the cover has a picture of a skeleton with an arrow pointing to his chest."  He proceeded to give me lots and lots of details about it.

He said that is what Jonah talks about all night, while Caleb is trying to fall asleep.

I couldn't stop smiling to myself thinking about what that looks like.

Caleb lying in his bed, eyes closed, trying to sleep.  Jonah lying face up, wheels in his head turning non-stop, mouth going on and on, not really caring if Caleb responds or not.  He has a captive audience!

To appreciated this scenario, you must know that Jonah loves nothing in this world more than talking, and I can never seem to give him as much listening time as he would like.

It sure warmed my heart to think of the memories those cute brothers are making.

This room swap is working out exactly as I hoped!

Sports

Sports are such a large part of our lives these days!  

It was Simon's first time playing soccer this season

You can see that he took it pretty seriously.  Much more so than some of the little girls.

Savannah played on the freshman volleyball team at Williams Field this year.  They had a great season, and Savannah was awarded "most improved player."  It was so fun to watch her play!

And Eli thinks that he is just as big and capable as all the other kids around here!

Josh and Jonah are, of course, playing basketball again this season, but somehow I don't have any pictures of that on my computer.

My favorite place

The girls and I attended a special Mother-Daughter dinner on Wednesday night.

We played a game where we were asked questions about each other and had to compare answers to see how well we know each other.  One of the questions was "What is your mom's favorite place in the world?"

When we turned over our cards to reveal our answers, all three of us had written "our house/home."

There was a little catch in my throat as we celebrated that we had gotten that one right.  I am so glad they know how much I love my home.  Yes, I love my house, but I especially love my home.

I love home because that is where my family is.  I really enjoy every one of those wonderful kids who bring their own talents and humor to contribute to our family.   I love the feeling there as we learn and grow together. I love that it feels like a refuge and a safe place to gather to escape the world.

It made me feel like I am doing something right.  My girls recognize that I am content with what I have, and that there is nowhere in the world I would rather be than at home with my family.

New Roommates

Caleb and Josh have been roommates for about 11 years now.  They have had their ups and downs for sure, but they have mostly learned to get along.

Jonah and Simon have only been together for 4 1/2 years so far, and they are great friends.

Jeff and I have gone back and forth with the pros and cons of rearranging the bedroom situation.  I really want the boys to have a chance to bond with a variety of brothers!

Jonah has long looked up to Caleb, and I thought how fun it would be for him to get to share a room with his idol.  (Although within the first 10 minutes we heard Caleb trying to con Jonah out of a dollar!)  Josh and Simon seem to have similar personalities, both very thoughtful.  I think that they could be great friends.

The biggest deterrent has been the bedtime issue.  The older boys go to bed at 9:00, and the youngers are still at 8:00.  That hour has been some really fun playtime for Jonah and Simon.

This weekend Caleb and Josh got in a bit of a fight, each complaining about the other.  So Jeff took the leap and announced that, starting that very minute, we would be switching room assignments.

Josh moved in with Simon, and Jonah went to join Caleb.

It took all 6 of us about an hour, but we got the job done!  Most of the time was spent sorting through Jonah's piles and stacks of "important stuff."  Lets just say that this was a much needed de-junking session!

All of a sudden, Caleb and Josh are very worried about the younger boys not living up to their high standards of cleanliness.  HUH???????  Maybe some unexpected good will come of this switch!

One of the first items of business in Josh and Simon's room was to come up with a list of rules to post on the wall:

I think they're off to a good start!