2013: Final Thoughts

2013 was an incredibly eventful year for us.  The latter half was (mostly) fantastic, the first 6 months--not so much.   Most notably this year: Thomas completed his deployment; we had two fantastic vacations, one to Disney World and one on a Disney Cruise (and two mini trips, one to Dutch Wonderland to celebrate J & A's 6th birthday and the other to the Hampton Roads area for Christmas-themed fun); Jack and Anna began Kindergarten, learned how to ride their bikes (sans training wheels) and Kara started pre-K; we settled into our new house, Thomas got a new car, and we discovered that in 2014 our family of 5 would turn into a family of 6.  Unfortunately, it was also the year that Thomas' much beloved Grandmother died, I went through a painful miscarriage, and as mentioned, our family spent the first half in two different places.

All in all, there is a lot to be thankful for.  In thinking about our hopes for 2014, Thomas and I reflected that on December 31, 2014, we hope we can say that everyone is healthy and we are all together.  At the end of each year, when we reflect on what matters and what doesn't, the conclusion is always the same and I am thankful that on this December 31st, I can say we are, in fact, together and healthy.

Below is a summary of how we see the kids at this point in time:

Jack:  Had a difficult time with Thomas' deployment.  It was not easy for any of us, but seemed to hit Jack the hardest.  Fortunately, he thrived upon Thomas' return and is doing splendidly in Kindergarten.  He is excited to learn and loves his teacher.  He also loves Angry Birds, television and anything electronic.  The other day, I had "The 10,000 Pyramid" on and Jack came into the room, sat down next to me on the couch and exclaimed, "ohhh, a game show!"  He has also been known to watch my exercise videos with me, keeping up a steady stream of conversation as I puff along.  He is (usually) very kind to his sisters and is always willing to share whatever he has.  He is extremely sensitive and loving and enjoys giving us hugs and kisses and telling us that we are the best (mother, father, sister) ever.  He also likes to compliment people. He is very in tune with how others are feeling and tries to make things better for anyone who seems upset. However, he also has a bit of a temper, and some impulse control issues, but since both Thomas and I suffered the same problem as children, we aren't too worried (after all, we turned out just fine!).  If I had to describe Jack in three words, I would choose: smart, loving and sensitive.  Thomas chose: sweet, smart and affectionate.

Anna:  As I think is typical of many girls, Anna is very precocious.  She enjoys anything adult, whether it is a sip of soda or a conversation about the weather, if the adults are doing it, Anna wants to do it too.  For example, with her Christmas gift card, while Jack and Kara were looking at toys, Anna decided she wanted a clock radio.  She also chose a very grown-up floral pattern for her new sheets.  She is just so anxious to grow-up!  Fortunately, she is also still very much a child.  She loves pretend play with her Barbies, My Little Ponies, Polly Pockets, and Littlest Pet Shop.  She is inventive and able to entertain herself with creative games of imaginative play.   She and Kara are best friends or bitter enemies, depending on the minute of the day.  While I write this, they have been playing together harmoniously for hours.  Of course, it would also be typical to say that they had been fighting bitterly for hours.  You just never know what you are going to get with the two of them.  Anna has had a bit of a harder transition to Kindergarten then Jack experienced.  She sets high standards for those around her and feels it is her responsibility to correct bad behavior, which often backfires, for example, during their Christmas program, she almost got pulled from the stage for telling one of her classmates, "it's not all about you, stop singing so loud!"  My three words for Anna would be: inquisitive, smart and energetic.  Thomas' three words for Anna were: smart, sassy and passionate (meaning she throws herself into things she enjoys 100%).

Kara:  Kara is going through a bit of a difficult stage right now.  She is either extremely angelic or extremely rotten, there isn't a lot of middle ground.  Today, I have been the best mother in the world, the worst mother she could ever ask for, and at one point, she was crying that "my parents have ruined my life."  Like her siblings, she is smart and does well academically (which in Pre-K speak means she can count to 100 and knows her letters and numbers).  Apparently, she is extremely well-behaved at school and has no trouble getting along with her peers.  She also likes imaginative play and wants to do whatever Anna is doing.  She is quick to anger, but also quick to get over whatever was bothering her.  She is a definite homebody, she doesn't like to go anywhere.  Well, not exactly true, she likes going to friends' houses, the library and the park.  She loathes trips to the store or just about anywhere else.  She is still extremely sweet and loving. She is a great hugger and cuddler.  I am not sure what it is about her, maybe it is because she is the baby of the family, or maybe it is because her speech still has a bit of a baby quality to it, but she is really hard to get mad at and even when she is screeching at us, it can be difficult not to smile.   Unlike Anna, she is in no hurry to grow up.  Her three words are: cuddly, sweet and fun.  According to Thomas, her words are: sweet, sassy and caring. (even though neither of us chose "smart" like we did for Jack and Anna, Kara is definitely smart; she may be the smartest of us all...)

So, that is the synopsis of how we see the kids at the conclusion of 2013. I can't wait to see what 2014 brings!

Christmas 2013

Christmas Eve was a pretty relaxing day at our house.  As per tradition, we made sugar cookies for Santa. However, this year I strayed from our usual recipe to try one that All Recipes promised was the "best ever". The dough had to be refrigerated and Kara and I made it on the 23rd (which is what I usually do with my recipe).  When we went to make the cookies, the dough was hard as a rock--completely unworkable. Thomas stuck it in front of a heater and with a little bit of heat, water, and flour we were finally able to get it rolled out.  Each kid had their own ball to work with and they seemed to have a good time.  Thomas made frosting for the cookies and told the kids that if they could manage to share the beaters without fighting, we would let them open one present.  I am guessing it took a tremendous amount of self-control, but they did it. Everyone opened a present and was very happy with what they got.  Thomas and I both opened pajamas and the kids all opened toys from each other.

We had the television playing Christmas movies for most of the day.  We had quite a DVR backlog. Usually, they are limited to about an hour a day, so this was a pretty special treat for them.  Anna kept looking out the window, waiting for it to get dark.  As the sun started to set, she would make comments to Kara about how, "it's happening..it's happening even more...it's really getting dark now...Santa must be on his way, look how dark it is."  Finally, it was bedtime and there was no protesting at our house.  In fact, Anna asked Thomas and I to please go to bed early too, so that Santa wouldn't skip our house.  Thomas read everyone the Night Before Christmas.  (We had done the Christmas Story earlier)

After they were in bed, Thomas and I turned on the great Christmas Light Fight and waited for them to fall asleep.  I checked on them after about an hour and the girls were asleep, but Jack was wide-awake. Thirty more minutes passed with the same result.  Thomas and I decided to just get started anyway.  There were lots of finishing touches to complete, but we were in bed before 11, which was nice (and by then, Jack was actually asleep).  We had stayed up late for about 3 nights previously, and it payed off.  

I was awake by 6 and just waiting.  I took a shower, read some of my book, played on my phone, etc. Shortly after 7, I thought I heard someone stirring, but it was close to 7:30 before everyone was awake (Kara was the last to wake up and trust me when I say that no one wants to be responsible for waking that kid before her body does it naturally).  Thomas and I had the cameras ready, but unfortunately, the video didn't work.  I wish it could have captured the magical moment when they saw the tree and all the presents.  I feel like we went a bit overboard.  Most of their requests were small (thankfully, they are still young enough that we are buying toys and not electronics), so there were a lot of gifts.  Next year, we are going to try and make do with (a lot) less stuff.  But, it was pretty fun to see their faces.  Kara had had a rough few days and wasn't expecting any Santa presents.  She even told me, that "it's okay if Santa doesn't bring anything, because there are still lots of other presents."  

The kids went straight for their stockings.  We tried to get a picture of them before they started, but Jack would not be deterred.  

We managed to unwrap in an orderly manner, taking breaks for breakfast and to put batteries in toys.  It was probably close to 11 before we finished unwrapping.  Then, there was plenty to keep them occupied. After each present, Anna would say, "thank you, thank you, I love it!"  Jack had a similar attitude.  Kara was more impressed with Anna's presents then her own, well, at least until Anna offered to trade with her, then her presents were just fine. 

As usual, Thomas got me some amazing stuff.  I got a Kitchen Aid and a bread maker.  And, in keeping with the kitchen theme, he organized all my paper printouts into an indexed cookbook.  That is a project I have been claiming I would tackle for years (literally, years.  There are printouts that predate the kids in there).  I was so impressed, and a bit sad that I didn't do anything special for him.  He also got me some earrings and my favorite watch in two new colors.  He was stuck with lame gifts like baseball cards and windchimes, and a North Face coat that he returned because it was too big.  Maybe I'll do better next year.  We took the kids shopping for each other and us and Jack got me some perfume and Thomas a K'Nex Coaster, for them to build together; Kara got me a scarf and slipper socks, and Anna got me Pajamas.  Kara got Thomas some Superman Pajamas and Anna got him some office desk gifts (a little fountain and a bowling game).

The kids played with their toys and were pretty peaceful.  There was the occasional jealous bought from Kara, but overall, I think it was pretty good.

New coat, hat and boots.

For memories:  Anna's favorite gifts was her Polly Pocket Wall Collection.

Jack's:  Remote control helicopter, Jeep, and Camaro and his Beam Box game, but "I pretty much really liked all my gifts."

Kara's: Her giant doll house (actually, she said her Polly Pocket bath toy.  Since I am pretty sure she did not get such an item, I am deciding her doll house is her favorite, although she also really likes her My Little Pony Castle).

This toy is awesome!  I got it as a Lightening Deal for $40, then Amazon dropped the price to $29 and refunded me the difference.  A HUGE bargain--we saw it in stores for $70. 

Pre-Christmas Fun!

It has been another fun holiday season.  And, it isn't even over yet!   Since I am sure I will want to devote blogs to Christmas Eve and Day, it seemed prudent to do a pre-Christmas post.

The weekend after our Norfolk trip, we had a couple of fun activities.  First, the kids and I participated in our second-annual Gingerbread-House-Building-Extravaganza, with one of our neighbors.  We had a fantastic time.  I think for every piece of candy that made it onto the house, 2 or 3 went into their mouths.   It is fun to establish new traditions and I hope this one can continue.  We also got to stay for homemade pizza. They are much more sophisticated then we are and used real mozzarella and homemade sauce and it was awesome!  I know I say this frequently, but I really, REALLY love living in a neighborhood.  I didn't realize how lonely I was (well, actually I did, which is in part why we moved) until we got here.  It is so nice for the kids to have playmates and I am lucky that I like the parents as much as the kids like their new friends.

Next, Thomas and I got to attend the Darrow's annual Christmas party. They are great hosts, and we always have a good time with them.  We got to build gingerbread houses, play games,  participate in a white elephant gift exchange, and enjoy some delicious food.  I would have to say that the only bad part of the evening was that our team did not win the games.  Personally, I cry foul, but since we may or may not be gaining a reputation as poor sports, I won't say too much more about that.  We also got some good gifts--decorative candles and some really cute light-up ornaments which made a nice addition to our Christmas village.

Following all that fun, our next holiday activity was a trip to Mount Vernon.  We went during the Christmas season in 2011, when my sister's family was visiting and we loved it.  The visitor's area is beautifully decorated and it just adds to an already awesome experience. We enjoyed touring the house and grounds (we spent a long time running around outside) and then went to the museum portion.   The kids were really well-behaved, although Kara did have some cranky moments.  It is nice that they are getting older and gaining more self-control, so that Thomas and I can better enjoy the more grown-up aspects of these outings.  We bought a membership and hope to visit several times this year.  We did not watch any of the films, except for a short one talking about the creation of the George Washington bust that is displayed and is the closest likeness in existence.  The kids enjoyed the play area.  The girls love the Mount Vernon doll-house replica and Jack spent a lot of time with the soldiers.  The volunteers were super-nice, one of them talked with Jack for a long time about how the Generals would line up their soldiers, then she did a mock-battle with him.  

The kids love these statues!  The children (George Washington's step-grandchidren) are the same ages as our kids ( 6 and 4!)

I wish I had gotten a picture  of the battle and the dollhouse, but unfortunately, I didn't.

The kids also had a Christmas program at school.  They had been preparing for weeks.  The Pre-K was combined with the Kindergarten, so all three of our children participated.  Kara wanted her songs to be a surprise, but Anna and I spent many a night practicing for her class' performance of "Up on the Housetop." They loved getting dressed up in their holiday clothes and they looked adorable.  Thomas had to leave his work party early to get there, and thanks to an accident on the way, walked in with literally a minute to spare.  They all sang very well.  However, my favorite part was when Kara's class sang Feliz Navidad (not the traditional one you hear on the radio, but a slow song that basically seemed to repeat Feliz Navidad and Merry Christmas).  When they got to the Feliz Navidad part, all we could hear was Kara.  It wasn't that she was shouting, it was more that the rest of the class wasn't really singing.  It was super, super cute and it brings a smile to my face every time of think of it.  She was just so earnest about it.  She told me later that her music teacher had told them they had to sing loud or the people in the back wouldn't be able to hear. She took his words to heart. 

Unfortunately, Anna was the furthest away and hard to get a good picture of.

Unfortunately, the day after the Christmas program (Friday) Jack got sent home sick.  The nurse called me around 2:15 and told me he had a fever of 103!  I went to get him right away.  After I picked him up, I saw the nurses note.  His teacher had sent him to the office at 10:40 with a headache.  She wrote, "chills, feels warm.  He's been out of sorts all morning."  The nurse took his temperature, which was a healthy 98.6.  The part that made me laugh was her written response, "very, very chatty with me??"  Obviously, she does not know Jack well if she thinks that just because he is chatty, he must be healthy (I am sure the lack of a temperature contributed to this).  It constantly amazes me how talkative and friendly our kids are. Especially Jack.  But, he really was sick. By the afternoon, his teacher walked him up to the office and told the nurse that he really needed to go home (and by this time, he had the aforementioned fever).  He came home and laid down.  On Saturday, we were hoping to go back to DC to spend the afternoon at the museums before taking the metro to the zoo for Zoo Lights.  However, Jack was still sick.  His fever fluctuated, but he obviously just did not feel well.  His eyes were watery and surrounded by dark circles and all he wanted to do was lie down.  

The girls and I did a snowman craft.  And, they were able to play outside and enjoy the beautiful weather. But, there was no fun DC trip.  That night, we watched The Santa Clause and I made candy cane popcorn (which poor Jack didn't even want to try).

Jack started off making one, but quickly decided he didn't feel up to it  :(

Fortunately, he seems much better today.  I am crossing my fingers that no one else gets sick so that we can have a healthy, happy Christmas.

(Sort of) Annual Norfolk Trip

When we moved to Maryland in 2011, we were excited about our close proximity (comparatively speaking) to the Hampton Roads, VA area.  Our first Christmas here, we decided to take a trip to Norfolk to enjoy the zoo and Botanical Gardens, Festival of Lights; we hoped to turn the weekend away into an annual tradition.  In 2012, Thomas was in another country and I had no desire to embark on such an adventure without him.  This year, he was excited about resuming the tradition.  I, on the other hand, was not so enthusiastic.  My reticence was not because I don't enjoy the trip, but rather because there is so much to do where we live, that I did not want to give up a weekend away.  But, we made the decision to go and I dutifully booked us a night in Norfolk and a night in Williamsburg.  We planned to drive to Norfolk on Friday, see the lights at the botanical gardens Friday night and the zoo the following morning, before heading to Williamsburg and going to Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Saturday afternoon/evening.  We were going to spend the night in Williamsburg and try and walk around Colonial Williamsburg a bit before heading home on Sunday.  It was going to be a jam-packed, Christmas-themed weekend.

But, you know what they say about the best-laid plans...

The forecast for our chosen weekend (which was already a modification so we could attend the Darrow's annual party) was not so good.  We debated cancelling altogether, but the kids were extremely upset at the idea.  So, we decided to modify the plans and do what we could.

We drove up on Friday and had dinner at Chick-Fil-A (where I knew they had Christmas Town coupons). Then, we saw the Botanical Gardens.  As in previous years, we were extremely impressed.  Kara and Jack were pretty reluctant about going.  They were both tired of being in the car and just wanted to go to the hotel.  However, everyone loved it!  In fact, the kids wanted to drive through again, but we decided against that (although, in retrospect, I wish we had).  They had one section that was synchronized to music, which was probably my favorite.  Although, I really enjoyed all of it.

The kids looking at the amazing light show.

Part of the synchronized section.  I thought it was kind of a cool picture.

It was divided into Seasons, this is obviously part of Fall.

And, here is the start of winter

From there we went to our hotel, which was actually an apartment on base.  It was 4 bedrooms and $76 tax free dollars a night!  Sometimes the perks of military life are hard to beat.  

The next morning, the weather was pretty gloomy and we were forced to forgo the zoo.  We went to breakfast at McDonalds.  None of us like McDonald's for any meal except breakfast (although, they do have a salad that Thomas is pretty fond of and sometimes gets for lunch on work days).  They had the toys from the kid's meals displayed out front and the kids were immediately enamored and very disappointed that there are no Happy Meal options for breakfast.  But, the staff was super friendly and actually gave the kids the little toys with our breakfast. They were thrilled! Well, two of them were thrilled.  Kara was hoping for a different toy.  She was pretty whiny about it and Thomas and I got frustrated with her lack of appreciation. As we were cleaning up to leave, we noticed that she was at the display case and trying to shoplift the toy she wanted!  Since it was right in the front, in plain view of the counter, she was obviously caught red-handed.  In reality, she was just trying to "exchange" the one she got for the one she wanted.  It is hard to describe the scene, but it was pretty funny, all the McDonald's workers gathering to see what was going on. Of course, we didn't let her know we thought that as we took her toy and talked about consequences for stealing.  Then, she started crying.  Loudly.  Very, very loudly.  So, we hightailed it out of there.

Next, we decided to see the world's largest NEX.  It was pretty impressive.  They have done a lot of remodeling since we were stationed there.  After that, we drove by the two houses we lived in and then headed over the bridge.  We decided to see the Yankee Candle Flagship Store.  It was very nice and festive.  However, it was also very crowded.  There were about 30 people in line, so we decided against buying anything.  I wanted to go the Harry and David outlet, but the whole area was so packed, we couldn't find a parking space.  Instead, we just went to lunch.

Finally, it was time to go to Christmas Town.  We got there around 2, and were able to get in and walk around.  We saw the penguins and Santa and walked around a bit.  At 3:30 we went to the Gloria show. Since the kids are so interested in the story of Jesus' birth, I thought they would all enjoy it.  I thought wrong. They hated it.  Every time they started singing a new song, Kara would throw her head back and loudly groan.  Fortunately, it was pretty short.  We let the kids ride all the kiddie rides.  The favorite was probably the bumper cars.  Jack and Thomas tried out the only open roller coaster---Verbolten.  Jack said he liked it, but will wait until he is 17 to go on it again.  

We saw another show and then walked around enjoying the lights.  We were able to ride the sky ride and the train, and the park really was beautifully decorated.  They had a bridge that was themed with "Let There be Peace" and that carol played as you walked over.  Since that is one of my favorite Christmas songs, I loved it.  We left around 9 and I think we saw just about everything.  It was cold, which seemed to kept the crowds at bay.  The kids mostly liked the rides, although they also enjoyed the lights.  We let them play one of those duck in a ponds game, where if you pick a winning duck, you get a stuffed penguin.  They were very excited that they all "won."  Normally, we don't let them get souvenirs, but it was a pretty cute penguin and it was only $5.  I was glad we strayed from our normal policy, because they really were thrilled with their victory.  

Because the forecast called for snow and freezing rain on Sunday, we decided to skip the night in Williamsburg and drive home.  Kara fell asleep almost immediately and woke up as we pulled into the driveway, at which point, she exclaimed, "that was a fast drive!"  I should do a post on what a terrible traveler Kara generally is (although, in her defense, she did well on our car rides to Florida).  Regardless, it was a relief to the rest of us that she slept and we didn't have to hear her complaints.  All in all, it was a great, although abbreviated, weekend getaway!