Christmas Excitement

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our house. Leading the way in Christmas excitement is Finn - he decorated with gusto today, exclaiming enthusiastically over ornaments, asking where they came from and who made them. A few of my favourite Finn quotes during tree decorating-

'This one is sooo beautiful'
'I love this one!' (every other ornament)
'This one is from Jesus' (because it was awesome).
'Wow mommy, this is a lot of work. I'm sooo hungry and thirsty.'

Our tree has an assortment of ornaments all with special and quirky value - some from my childhood, some from Mike's, and some that we've acquired together. The angel atop our tree comes from a thrift store in High River Alberta; this find was made years ago during a break in one of Mike's basketball tournaments. When Mike and I were engaged we purchased our first joint item together, a Playmobile Nativity Set. We set this up each Christmas in the years before we had children, and now it's even more fun to set it up with the kids. This is an interactive set, most beloved by Coby, and perhaps a sign of our times, this year we seem to be missing Baby Jesus.

When Mike and I spent our first Christmas in our new house in Calgary, Mike delighted in shopping for Christmas decorations - his favourite destination was Liquidation World, and I dreaded seeing what he would come home with next - a bobble head snowman? Check. Bobble head Santa? Check. Or our now cherished black Santa. Check. Check. Martha Stewart they're not, but now I love to share the stories behind these objects with our children. But in the end, as special as these decorations are, and as important as it is to build traditions and memories with our young ones, they are just objects. Our most important task is conveying to them the real meaning of Christmas - about a little baby in a manger, and the importance that Jesus has in our lives and home.

Sleep, or lack thereof

Since becoming a parent, one of my main obsessions, like most mothers of small children, has been sleep. When I'm not sleeping I'm counting how many sleep hours I had, I'm tallying my children's sleep hours; and using a system approaching advanced calculus, I am plotting out nap times and the amount of nap time permitted before bedtime interference becomes an issue (small children bedtime is sacred). Then, when small children are tucked away in dreamland I play mind games with myself. This seems to be worse when Mike has a late school meeting or basketball practice - 'Haley, go to bed.' 'Haley, if you go to bed now you will have X hours before you need to feed baby, and X hours before the first small child climbs into your bed.'* Of course, then the quiet house, my book, my chocolate stash, and my couch all become that much cozier and I wait another 15 minutes until I repeat the same conversation. Repeat. Every day.

I've also got into the nasty habit of mentally scoffing at those 'without-small-children' when they even mention that they're tired. Now, I know that many people have difficult sleep issues to deal with, including insomnia, shift-work, or teenagers with drivers licenses. I realize that I chose to become a mom, and that I chose to have subsequent children. That said, I didn't quite know what I was getting into in the sleep department. I remember a friend of ours in Calgary (who did have small children) chuckling at something to that effect when he heard that we were expecting Finn; Mike and I didn't get it. It wasn't until a year and a half later - during a 3am 'toddler-got-the-flu-and puked-all-over-his-crib, and now puked-all-over-mom-and-dad's-bed' kind of night that I got the joke. Definitely on me. The good news is that one day my children will have children. And then they'll thank me.

Here it is, my official thank you- Mom thanks for your sleepness nights 32 years ago.

* Note to concerned readers:
I don't actually talk to myself in the first person, this is purely for blogging purposes. Though if you are worried about me, and think it might help, please come and look after my children for a few hours. So I can sleep.

Christmas Card Dilemma

I need some help deciding on the 2011 Campbell Christmas card photo. Please weigh in with your favourite..