I must admit that this time of year is a lot more enjoyable for me since I made a resolution to myself a couple of years ago. I decided that I was going to enjoy the Christmas season and not allow it to give me headaches and raise my blood pressure. This season is not to be one of stress but of relaxation and reflection on The Gift of Jesus Christ that God our Father sent to us as the human race. So, in light of all of that, I resolved to get all my Christmas shopping done BEFORE Thanksgiving! Although the thought of this may cause others to get anxious it has been a real sanity saver for me. I am now enjoying the events surrounding Christ’s birthday, relishing the songs, and finding other ways to make this season brighter for my family.
Speaking of the family, here’s what has been happening at our house the past few weeks!
Well, I think we set a record this year. We had our Christmas tree up and decorated before December officially began. Traditionally in my family the Christmas tree did not get put up until closer to the middle of December. BUT, this year we have one excited four year old boy who was just yearning to have his own Christmas tree and lights up! We initiated him into our tradition of playing the Veggie Tales Christmas CD while decorating the tree and of course, being as silly as possible while doing it! Here are the photos from that evening.
The kids decided to wear a crown of Christmas lights
Instead of decorating cookies with the kids this year, my family decided that each of the kids could decorate their own gingerbread house. Now, we used kits, so we cheated a little bit but the fun was not hampered by that little detail. The boys all had a small (3” high) house to decorate and Ella (with Jason's help) got a big train to herself to decorate. Although it may not seem that much, by the time they were done decorating their interest and attention spans had run out! Here are some pics from that event.
Amid this season of cheer and celebration of birth we did have a sad event in our family. Ella’s three and a half year old gerbil, Bella, died. This age is pretty old for a gerbil whose lifespan is typically 2-3 years. Bella’s sister, Madeline, died over a year ago. Ella said she would take Bella out and talk to her whenever she was upset. She says she knew Bella was listening to her and felt a lot better once done sharing her troubles with her little friend. Here is a link to the pictures in 2007 of when Ella got her gerbils for her 6th birthday -->
Despite my disappointment, Jason and I did go out for a night on the town. We started with a fancy dinner at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, next went to Cinderella at the Ensemble Theatre and spent the night at a hotel in downtown Cincinnati. It was very enjoyable to be out as a couple, celebrating us. We were able to sleep in as long as we pleased without anyone (cat included) waking us up, for anything. The kids spent the night with Mamaw and Papaw and probably had just as much fun as we did judging from the face that they did not want to come home the next day!
We recently had our first snow day from school. We didn’t get that much snow (2-3”) but it was enough for our very cautious district to call off school for the day. The kids and I went sledding at a friend’s house with the youth group from our church. It was Masamo’s first time sledding. I already knew he enjoyed eating snow and yes, we did warn him NOT to eat the yellow snow, but I wasn’t sure what he’d think of going down a large hill at a high speed with the cold wind and snow in his face. Much to my delight he loved it! After going down with Emily or me a few times he asked to go solo. I was a little hesitant but let him do it anyway. I found a sled with handles, gave him instructions to NOT let go and gave him a push! What an awesome time he had! Once at the bottom of the hill, he turned around and yelled to me, “Did you see me?!” At the top of the hill again, he was eager to repeat his performance and did so several more times. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was a lot of fun sharing the experience with so many good friends.
Now for some Hartman silliness………………
This past weekend, David and Masamo were in their room playing “tornado”. I’m not really sure what this consisted of, since I was in the shower when they were playing, but when I got out of the shower I did realize that the house was unusually quiet. I asked Jason where the boys were and he replied that they were up in their room playing. I snuck upstairs and peaked in their room but did not see them at first. I looked in David’s top bunk and then under his quilt and this is what I found…..
Aren’t they adorable? They fell asleep.......
Here’s Ella breaking in a new and very comfortable fleece blanket I recently bought.
Jason decided one day to give David a special hairdo. I was unaware of the situation brewing but had my suspicions. Here is what they were up to (pictures courtesy of Emily's phone)....
We were recently at Waffle House and David, once done taking inventory of the menu, noticed that the start at the top of their Christmas tree was falling off. David brought this to the attention of our waitress and she told him that they had been having no luck in getting their star to stay put. David, being who he is, took it upon himself to fix their problem. Enlisting Jason’s help, David fixed the star on the Waffle House Christmas tree, well temporarily……………………….
Here is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, Masamo about to give me a kiss…………
Kid Updates:
Emily says she has nothing exciting going on in her life right now except the prospect of sleeping in almost everyday on Christmas break!
Ella - It’s a routine of our family to ask on the way home from church on Sundays what each of the children learned at church that day. Habitually, Ella has told us that she can’t remember, not a satisfactory answer to us and so she’d have to spend time thinking about it until she could come up with an answer. As a result, Ella has taken it upon herself to take notes during Sunday school and give us the full report on the way home from church. I must say that I was very impressed with her initiative and the detail of her reports. I am hoping that through this she is learning more than she would have otherwise!
David had a very hurtful day at school recently. He had a homework assignment to “disguise” a paper turkey in some manner without using crayons, pencils or markers. He decided to decorate his to look like Repunzel. David has been captivated with this fictional female character for awhile (even before we knew the movie Tangled was coming out), I think it’s the long hair he loves. Unfortunately for David the boys in his class didn’t share his enthusiasm. They made fun of him for “disguising” his turkey the way he did. It was hard to see how upset he got, how the teasing made him cry, how misunderstood he felt. I talked to David, explained some things to him and hoped for the best. Fortunately I think our talk did the trick because the next week they had to “disguise” a gingerbread person and guess what David chose to do his as? Ariel the mermaid.
Masamo recently went to the international pediatrician for a follow up appointment and I was pleased to find out that our guy has grown to 39” (that’s 2 inches in the past 3 months)! He’s also 45# and his percentages and moving up and down respectively. He’s doing wonderfully physically and the only recent issue we’ve had is one where he is fixated on food. He is consistently asking when the next meal or snack is, if he can eat, etc. We’ve found that this is quite common in anyone, especially children who have ever experienced starvation, irrespective of their current situation of physical state. We’ve learned more methods to use with him and I am becoming more aware of what and when he is eating. We were told NOT to make this a control issue, which, unfortunately for me is a challenge. I pray that with this, as with everything else, God will give me the wisdom to deal with this situation and its needs.
Masamo also has said some funny things lately. While Jason and I went out for a quick bite to eat, I called as we were on the way home. The kids were already in bed but Masamo refused to go to sleep. I talked to him on the phone and he was being difficult and insisted to me “I want to get in the phone with you!” I had to keep from laughing, how cute! No matter how hard I tried I could not explain to him that he couldn’t “get in the phone” with me. However, when I got home I did go straight up to his room and reassure him that I was home and would be. Not five minutes later, Masamo was asleep.
Speaking of the family, here’s what has been happening at our house the past few weeks!
Well, I think we set a record this year. We had our Christmas tree up and decorated before December officially began. Traditionally in my family the Christmas tree did not get put up until closer to the middle of December. BUT, this year we have one excited four year old boy who was just yearning to have his own Christmas tree and lights up! We initiated him into our tradition of playing the Veggie Tales Christmas CD while decorating the tree and of course, being as silly as possible while doing it! Here are the photos from that evening.
The kids decided to wear a crown of Christmas lights
Masamo hanging his first ornament on the Christmas tree
Masamo was dancing with excitement as Jason strung lights outside our front door
Instead of decorating cookies with the kids this year, my family decided that each of the kids could decorate their own gingerbread house. Now, we used kits, so we cheated a little bit but the fun was not hampered by that little detail. The boys all had a small (3” high) house to decorate and Ella (with Jason's help) got a big train to herself to decorate. Although it may not seem that much, by the time they were done decorating their interest and attention spans had run out! Here are some pics from that event.
Hiding from Boppy
Amid this season of cheer and celebration of birth we did have a sad event in our family. Ella’s three and a half year old gerbil, Bella, died. This age is pretty old for a gerbil whose lifespan is typically 2-3 years. Bella’s sister, Madeline, died over a year ago. Ella said she would take Bella out and talk to her whenever she was upset. She says she knew Bella was listening to her and felt a lot better once done sharing her troubles with her little friend. Here is a link to the pictures in 2007 of when Ella got her gerbils for her 6th birthday -->
http://thehartlandohio.blogspot.com/2007/07/new-family-members.html
Another reason I enjoy this time of year more is because Jason and I have our wedding anniversary. This year we celebrated 15 years of marriage! Looking back I know I had been hoping to do something big for us this year. I had in mind throwing a party, or a reception of some kind. The reception that Jason and I had at our wedding was very short and only really consisted of cake and punch (per my request). The reason for this is, as a young lady, I had only experienced a handful of weddings and all of them seemed to me, in my young age, to have very long and boring receptions. I was bound and determined NOT to do that to my guests. In retrospect I can see the significance and enjoyment had by those at all the previous weddings and all those that I have been to since. I was hoping to throw the reception we never had. Surrounded by all of those in our life that matter to us, having a good time and celebrating one of the most important things in our lives, our marriage.
Another reason I enjoy this time of year more is because Jason and I have our wedding anniversary. This year we celebrated 15 years of marriage! Looking back I know I had been hoping to do something big for us this year. I had in mind throwing a party, or a reception of some kind. The reception that Jason and I had at our wedding was very short and only really consisted of cake and punch (per my request). The reason for this is, as a young lady, I had only experienced a handful of weddings and all of them seemed to me, in my young age, to have very long and boring receptions. I was bound and determined NOT to do that to my guests. In retrospect I can see the significance and enjoyment had by those at all the previous weddings and all those that I have been to since. I was hoping to throw the reception we never had. Surrounded by all of those in our life that matter to us, having a good time and celebrating one of the most important things in our lives, our marriage.
Despite my disappointment, Jason and I did go out for a night on the town. We started with a fancy dinner at Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, next went to Cinderella at the Ensemble Theatre and spent the night at a hotel in downtown Cincinnati. It was very enjoyable to be out as a couple, celebrating us. We were able to sleep in as long as we pleased without anyone (cat included) waking us up, for anything. The kids spent the night with Mamaw and Papaw and probably had just as much fun as we did judging from the face that they did not want to come home the next day!
We recently had our first snow day from school. We didn’t get that much snow (2-3”) but it was enough for our very cautious district to call off school for the day. The kids and I went sledding at a friend’s house with the youth group from our church. It was Masamo’s first time sledding. I already knew he enjoyed eating snow and yes, we did warn him NOT to eat the yellow snow, but I wasn’t sure what he’d think of going down a large hill at a high speed with the cold wind and snow in his face. Much to my delight he loved it! After going down with Emily or me a few times he asked to go solo. I was a little hesitant but let him do it anyway. I found a sled with handles, gave him instructions to NOT let go and gave him a push! What an awesome time he had! Once at the bottom of the hill, he turned around and yelled to me, “Did you see me?!” At the top of the hill again, he was eager to repeat his performance and did so several more times. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was a lot of fun sharing the experience with so many good friends.
Now for some Hartman silliness………………
This past weekend, David and Masamo were in their room playing “tornado”. I’m not really sure what this consisted of, since I was in the shower when they were playing, but when I got out of the shower I did realize that the house was unusually quiet. I asked Jason where the boys were and he replied that they were up in their room playing. I snuck upstairs and peaked in their room but did not see them at first. I looked in David’s top bunk and then under his quilt and this is what I found…..
Aren’t they adorable? They fell asleep.......
Here’s Ella breaking in a new and very comfortable fleece blanket I recently bought.
Jason decided one day to give David a special hairdo. I was unaware of the situation brewing but had my suspicions. Here is what they were up to (pictures courtesy of Emily's phone)....
We were recently at Waffle House and David, once done taking inventory of the menu, noticed that the start at the top of their Christmas tree was falling off. David brought this to the attention of our waitress and she told him that they had been having no luck in getting their star to stay put. David, being who he is, took it upon himself to fix their problem. Enlisting Jason’s help, David fixed the star on the Waffle House Christmas tree, well temporarily……………………….
Here is one of my favorite things in the whole wide world, Masamo about to give me a kiss…………
Kid Updates:
Emily says she has nothing exciting going on in her life right now except the prospect of sleeping in almost everyday on Christmas break!
Ella - It’s a routine of our family to ask on the way home from church on Sundays what each of the children learned at church that day. Habitually, Ella has told us that she can’t remember, not a satisfactory answer to us and so she’d have to spend time thinking about it until she could come up with an answer. As a result, Ella has taken it upon herself to take notes during Sunday school and give us the full report on the way home from church. I must say that I was very impressed with her initiative and the detail of her reports. I am hoping that through this she is learning more than she would have otherwise!
David had a very hurtful day at school recently. He had a homework assignment to “disguise” a paper turkey in some manner without using crayons, pencils or markers. He decided to decorate his to look like Repunzel. David has been captivated with this fictional female character for awhile (even before we knew the movie Tangled was coming out), I think it’s the long hair he loves. Unfortunately for David the boys in his class didn’t share his enthusiasm. They made fun of him for “disguising” his turkey the way he did. It was hard to see how upset he got, how the teasing made him cry, how misunderstood he felt. I talked to David, explained some things to him and hoped for the best. Fortunately I think our talk did the trick because the next week they had to “disguise” a gingerbread person and guess what David chose to do his as? Ariel the mermaid.
Masamo recently went to the international pediatrician for a follow up appointment and I was pleased to find out that our guy has grown to 39” (that’s 2 inches in the past 3 months)! He’s also 45# and his percentages and moving up and down respectively. He’s doing wonderfully physically and the only recent issue we’ve had is one where he is fixated on food. He is consistently asking when the next meal or snack is, if he can eat, etc. We’ve found that this is quite common in anyone, especially children who have ever experienced starvation, irrespective of their current situation of physical state. We’ve learned more methods to use with him and I am becoming more aware of what and when he is eating. We were told NOT to make this a control issue, which, unfortunately for me is a challenge. I pray that with this, as with everything else, God will give me the wisdom to deal with this situation and its needs.
Masamo also has said some funny things lately. While Jason and I went out for a quick bite to eat, I called as we were on the way home. The kids were already in bed but Masamo refused to go to sleep. I talked to him on the phone and he was being difficult and insisted to me “I want to get in the phone with you!” I had to keep from laughing, how cute! No matter how hard I tried I could not explain to him that he couldn’t “get in the phone” with me. However, when I got home I did go straight up to his room and reassure him that I was home and would be. Not five minutes later, Masamo was asleep.
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