Kaput

This morning, Michael found out he could wear the santa hat that has been sitting on our fireplace tools set. Of course, he wanted a picture:
Then, he wanted to take a picture of me doing the same, but with my little point and shoot. That does not have a wrist strap. Which never was an issue until today.

Michael was very excited about his picture of me. So excited he dropped my camera. And Brian says, "Oh Michael - it's ok. The camera will be ok."

This must be what "OK" is:

Hmm...when you turn it on, it just has a black screen and says "E18." I'm sure that is equivalent to being "Sad Mac'ed." - wonder who's going to get that joke. If you can identify what I am talking about, the first person will get a $5 gift card to Starbucks sent via snail-mail. Post in comments and I will verify! For reals!

Guess I'll be asking for a new point and shoot in my near future. As you know, it is 5 years old anyways - so it is time to upgrade my 5MP camera. NICE!

And my mother-in-law never asks us for anything - and she is so very generous to us all the time. So when she does ask us for something - we are happy to oblige. Except for the fact, that it's always a doozie:

Pictures of all of us in our unisex "Christmas Robes." For some reason, Brian found it necessary to take all his clothes off to wear the robe first.

Next post will recap Christmas - and summarize some traditions we'd like to keep, some we'd like to shed, and some we'd like to have. I will love to welcome you to share some of YOUR favorite Christmas traditions on that post too - so stay tuned!

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a GOODNIGHT!

Love,

P

Butter and Santa

Michael and I have been discussing, in great depth, Santa and his arrival. It went like this:

M: Mommy, how does Santa get in the house?

P: Through the fireplace.

M: But how does he get in the fireplace?

P: Down the chimney.

M: What is a chimney?

P: It is a hole at the top of the house that goes all the way down into the fireplace. Santa goes in the hole at the top of the house and goes down into the fireplace.

M: But how does he do that?

P: He slathers himself with butter. This makes him slippery. And then he jumps straight down the chimney. The butter helps him to slide and then he lands on our fireplace.

M: Oh.

It is all very interesting to me because it has been a long time since I believed in Santa. Michael HONESTLY believes Santa is real and is coming. It is fascinating to watch.

Luke

Michael's school recently sent out a new devotional in time for Christmas that I really love.

So if you are a parent, check it out. I know I can relate to exactly what she's talking about - all the moments in my mind's eye that I cherish so much. I can't imagine being Mary and seeing all this unfold before you, knowing of God's promise for your son.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Scripture: Luke 2: 13-20

¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴ “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

I was reading through the Christmas story the other day, and a verse jumped out at me in a way it never had before…I was struck by verse 19: “But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart.” This is only my third Christmas as a mom, so I suppose, in all those prior years, I never quite knew what this verse really meant…but now I think I do…

My absolute FAVORITE thing about being a mom is taking in those quiet, precious moments – those moments you wish everyone could see, but only you see. I love those moments when, unexpectedly, my daughter does something so adorable that I smile throughout my whole body….or those moments when she does something so funny I laugh until I cry….or (my absolute favorite) when she just stops what she’s doing and comes over to me and gives me a hug, and then goes right back to playing. Although I try to recount those amazing little moments to my husband or a friend later on, my account never quite does the moment justice. Those moments – shared only between a child and a parent, in a way only a parent can fully appreciate – are the ones that epitomize the joy of being a parent. I can replay them in my memory at any time, and they always bring a smile to my face. No one else quite understands those moments like me. No one else quite understands your special moments with your children like you do.

I believe that’s what Mary was doing here….while everyone was joyously celebrating and declaring the greatness of Jesus, she was breathing in the joy of being a mom. She was burning the image of Jesus’ little newborn face into her memory forever. She knew the importance of what was happening, but she had a perspective that was slightly different from everyone else. She was aware – even more than those around her – of the amazingness of the moment she was experiencing.

Unfortunately, Christmas has become a time of busyness and chaos for many families, but I believe Jesus would want us to celebrate His birthday in a more quiet and intimate way….just like His mother did. Don’t be afraid to back away from some of the typical Christmas activities and enjoy some special moments with your family.

Last year, my family decided to make some changes to our Christmas season, and we put most of our efforts into spending time together as a family. A year later, one of my favorite memories of my daughter is still her holding my hand and smiling up at me while we walked around and looked at Christmas lights last December. I don’t really remember much about opening presents on Christmas morning, but I remember clearly what her face looked like in that moment, and I treasure that memory.

Give yourself permission to set aside the tasks of the Christmas season and allow yourself to simply enjoy being a mom or a dad to your kids. That is, perhaps, one of the greatest ways we can celebrate the birth of Jesus…

Christmas Program

Michael recently had his Christmas program at his school - 3 yrs, 4 yrs, and Kindergarten classes all got together and sang on risers. The Kindergarteners knew what was going on. Michael's 3 yr old class was in awe to be in front of so many people!

Here's a picture of them up there with their hands up in the air:

Michael singing (SHOCK!):
This alternated between nervous scratching of his hands and scanning of the crowd - Michael is DEFINITELY not one to be up on the stage performing. No surprise considering he is his father's son:
One more class pic, vertical:
They were dressed as shepherds! Here's ours coming off the stage:
Glad my "trendy" plaid shirt came in handy. When I came home with that, Brian said to me, "Nirvana called from the '90s and they want their plaid shirt back."

All week long, I had been asking Michael, "What songs are you singing for your Christmas program?" "I dunno." Hmmm...I don't think that they're just throwing this thing all together Thursday morning. But then it turns out, he did know the songs and explained why he's been singing, "Happy Birthday, Jesus" for a while! :)

It was so cute to see him up there. While Michael looks a lot like me, he has inherited a lot of his father's personality. Me, I was the one always chosen to be the lead singer, Cinderella, play the piano for the school, etc. I never minded being in the spotlight and loved it. So I'm going to have to get used to the idea of Michael being just like his dad and not wanting any part of that!

I apologize for the horrible lighting. I have no idea what to do with flash photography! :) Looks like something I'm going to have to work on. And my angles are awful as it would be pretty embarrassing for Michael to have me all over creation with my huge camera. I sat in my seat and tried not to get the bald guy's head in my picture.

Love,

P

NYC!

***THIS IS A LONG POST. I AM SORRY IN ADVANCE.***

Brian surprised me with an early Christmas gift - a trip to Manhatten!!! I've been wanting to see NYC at Christmas for forever and am so glad Brian took us!

Now, I took my point and shoot camera, that is 5 years old - and that's it. The casing is coming apart on it. So don't expect any groundbreaking pictures. I took these in AUTO (or in any other preset that it was accidentally on when I yanked it out of my bag) and just took them willy nilly. But with the cold weather, crowds, and Michael-wrastling - I was not going to add a fancy camera on top of that mix.

Plus, sometimes - I just want to enjoy the moment. And when I'm trying to get a "good" shot - I'm "working" and sometimes - it distracts me! :)

On Friday night, we drove to Princeton, NJ. It only took 1.5 hours! We checked into our hotel, ate a bad meal at Chilis (I complained and got 50% off), watched the end of Elf and went to BED.

The next day, we woke up early and took the train into Penn Station. Walked 8-10 blocks to Times Square and took pictures as soon as we saw the big billboards:

Michael was quick to remind us to keep our eye on the prize:
The Toys R Us Flagship store. With a ferris wheel INSIDE the store. That's right:
We rode it. You bet we did. AND we got the Mystery Machine car!!!!! With Shaggy and Scooby Doo overseeing our ride. Addt'l pictures are on our smugmug gallery (link to the right). I like this picture of me, so I'm posting it. Michael looks not his best.

*SIDE NOTE - when I bring my point and shoot - I actually get pictures of me!!!! So they are in the smugmug album if you are interested. END SIDE NOTE*

Inside Toys R US, it was mayhem. I am sure you can imagine what that store would be like, during Christmas, in the middle of Manhatten.

Brian introduced Michael to what a "battle axe" is:
After this, we walked to the M&M store - bought some of the guys, and used the bathroom. Michael saw Elmo outside and Brian and I bought Maroon and White peanut M&Ms. WHOOP!!

Then, we walked some more in the cold and found the Radio City Music Hall! I love my guys:
Walked across the street after the cops let us - and bought Michael a hotdog from a stand - which he ate at the Rockefeller Center Christmas train:
Sweet! Some more walking later and I found myself at the NBC Studios. I am a HUGE (HUGE HUGE HUGE) fan of 30 Rock so I had to get a picture. Even with that gorilla Police Car in the back. Goes to show you that if you get a picture 30 seconds later, it makes a difference because those fun NYC cabs in the background would have been in the foreground covering up that stupid police car.
We did some very quick Christmas shopping and navigated through some crowds to see the tree at Rockefeller center:

Michael and Brian fought the crowds at Lego and then begged to leave. I didn't blame them!

We went to St. Patrick's Cathedral where Michael lit a candle for Aunt Tina's father who passed away. And then headed off to Bryant Park for some ice skating. Michael fell asleep while riding on Dad's shoulders though - that's a pretty tired little guy. It's the 2nd time he's done that! (First was while riding Grandpa's shoulders at Mont. St. Michel).

Bryant Park had a really cute Christmas market going on. When Michael woke up, we introduced him to warm Apple Cider in the Big Apple:
He was a fan.

We did not ice skate because Brian and I were too cold - it was too crowded - we'll have to do it another year when we're not trying to see a lot of NYC in 2 days.

Then, I dragged my family to FAO Schwartz because I am a huge HUGE huge fan of BIG and wanted to see the piano there that was in the movie. It did not disappoint!!!

And guess what? My 5 year old point and shoot, with the casing coming off the top, can record video:

Then Michael and I waited in line for our turn!
Those are some Aussies in our picture!!!

I found out that BIG was made 22 years ago. And sadly, to attest to how old I am - there were many people at that piano that had never heard of Big.

Michael demanded the camera so I let him take some pictures. HE REALLY wanted a picture of Brian and I at this Lego guy. He directed us about where to stand. Yelled at us that it wasn't right. Then couldn't get it together. So we had to tell him we had to move because other people had been waiting for us to take our picture which means we have to hurry when it's our turn.

So it came our turn and he got his picture:

I did NOT shop lift that red cardinal peeking out of my bag. I put it back. ANd then felt badly because Michael asked me later where it went and I had to lie and tell him it flew away. My bad parent moment - but I did take him to 2 toy stores and a candy store too today so I am getting over it and you will too.

One thing I love about NYC???? THE FOOD!!! We had dinner at this great chinese place called Lan Sheng. We walked by, I looked in the window and said, "THERE ARE CHINESE PEOPLE IN THERE!" So we walked in, tried it, and Michael and I were in H-E-A-V-E-N. Michael and I LOVE Asian food. He ate the most I have ever seen him eat his whole life. He ordered chow fun, I ordered beef with snow peas, and Brian got some shrimp with vegetables. YUUUMMMM...all down with a hot pot of Jasmine tea. Perfect food for cold weather.

We rode the train an hour home and passed out.

The next morning, we woke up early to see Lady Liberty:
This was the only family picture we got so it goes on the blog.

Then, we walked a bit North and found the Wall Street Bull:
And then we got tired of being in the cold and caught the subway up to Greenwich Village to this A-M-A-Z-I-N-G cheese shop at the corner of Bleecker and Cornelia street:
Brian got some GREAT stuff - smells delicious and tastes delicious. Michael LOVES stinky cheese too so these guys were in heaven.

We had lunch at this great little Italian cafe where we got a whole roasted fish (head/tail on and everything). Found a great French restaurant we'll try next time (Michelin rated AND had CASSOULET!!!).

After this, we walked 30 minutes back to the train station, caught the train back to NJ to our car, and drove 1 hour and a half home.

It was a whirlwind trip and totally disorganized. We decided to go on like MOnday or something - and went! We didn't get to see a lot of things! A show on Broadway, Central Park, etc...but we'll be back another day!

Some random thoughts:

• Michael hopped on all the white stripes in the crosswalks - just like Will Ferrell did on Elf. Got lots of laughs from us and passerbys as well!
• Glad I brought my skinny jeans and boots - on Saturday, I was the only person under 50 not wearing skinny jeans or tights with boots on.
• I need a cooler black long coat. Mine is a bit marm-ish.
• SO happy to be walking everywhere. I really miss that.
• ThE FOOD WAS AWESOME. I REALLY MISS Good Food in the Country.
• SO glad I don't live in the city because we'd be broke eating out and doing fun things.
• Felt great to be "uncomfortable" temperature wise. In suburbia/country, we are running from one comfortable place to another. It was nice to feel "COLD" for an extended period of time.
• Michael is a foodie. SO proud of that. He is a picky eater. My father in law told me that he read somewhere that picky eaters are that way because they don't think what they are eating tastes good. I think that's the case with Michael. When the food is amazing - he ALWAYS chows down. But then again, he likes McDonalds chicken nuggets and Easy Mac too.

THANK YOU BRIAN for such an extravagant gift!!! We really should have waited until next year, but I am glad you took us and fought the crowds with us. I love you more than I can ever put on a blog - Phuong

Beginnings of Christmas!

Christmas is in full swing around here - that is not to say that the house is all decorated, we have lights up, and that it is clean and smells like delicious biscuits.

In fact, that is absolutely NOT THE CASE. SO maybe we're not in full swing, but we're trying!

I wanted to share a family tradition that I love - Brian's maternal grandmother makes handmade cross-stitched stockings for the kids. Brian's Grammy made me mine and I love it:

I had a picture of it and decided to post it. Michael should be getting his from his Grammy soon too.

A tradition we're going to do is The Chopping Down of a Live Christmas tree tradition. I imagine we'll do this until we are tired of cleaning up the dying tree and can't saw a tree anymore. But we ran off in pretty cold weather, climbed aboard a wagon ride and snapped some fun pictures of Brian and Michael - who were thrilled to see each other after Brian's week in Paris:
I love this proud papa picture. I am so blessed to have a great husband who is a great father too:
They dropped us off in the middle of nowhere and expected us to find a tree:

After much searching, we found one that suited our fancy in shape, size, and color:

Michael was not a discerning tree picker outer. He was happy with all of them and wanted to bring home the first one he saw.

Anyhow, first up, a saw lesson for Michael:
Resulting in a strong stance with your new sharp weapon:
We started sawing our beloved tree:
And then, Brian got a nosebleed:
But father and son prevailed:
And we carted our tree off to be thrown in the stack of trees to be brought back to our car:
We followed this by buying their surprisingly delicious kettle corn and free hot chocolate! Yummm...we had a great time and am hoping this is a continued family tradition!

Last night, Michael started his Dear Santa letter:
He doesn't have his father's penmenship, but he is only 4.
Daddy helped a lot and Michael was glad to spend some time with his Dad. After this, it was back to destroying things as he made a huge mess painting.

Next up on things to do for Christmas:

• Need to make my lit garlands with red/silver ornaments. Glue gun - prepare thyself.
• Need to figure out how to hang up these garlands.
• Need to string up the rest of the lights on our Christmas tree, water it, and hang up ornaments.
• Need to buy a Christmas flag for my garden flag stand.
• Clean something. Anything.

Next week, we are hosting stuff. Lots of ladies stuff! So I am excited, but feeling the need to get things ready!

ANd then there's the getting the presents in the mail in time! And shopping for the presents that go in this box in time!

Glad our Christmas cards are done at least!