Ski Bunnies

For Christmas, Lehr and I gave the older kids a weekend ski trip. We chose a nearby 'resort': Cataloochee, in North Carolina. The kids were SO excited.

We scored some amazing ski gear on Craigslist and were able to outfit both of them with anything they could want or need (including helmets!). The gear was from a family with two girls, so the stuff had a slight feminine feel, but nothing over the top. The jacket Eli ended up in had some bright colors in it; he looked like a snowboarder. And his helmet was the lightest of pink (almost white), but he didn't mind. He actually said, "I don't care; I just want to ski."

We drove up after work on Thursday and planned to ski Friday and Saturday. Unfortunately, it poured all day Friday, which would not have made for a successful first day. We ended up just hanging around the cabin all day, watching movies, playing games, and dipping in the hot tub a few times.

Saturday was the opposite: a tiny bit of snow to start the day, but then bright blue skies and 36degrees with NO wind. We put the kids in a half day of ski school, just to get them acclimated. Even though we both got lift tickets for the morning, we ended up just watching them do their ski school thing all morning.

I was impressed with how well they both did!

When Maddux and Eli finished with 'school' at lunchtime, they asked to go down their school bunny slope a few more times (on their own) to make sure before going up top. That's all it took and then Lehr took them up (one at a time the first time) the chair lift to the top. I couldn't believe how quickly they came down...only a few falls each! Ruby was done at that point, so I took her back to the cabin for lunch and a nap while Lehr stayed and skied with the kids. They had a blast and even managed to get on and off of the chair lift without any injuries.

At 5PM, Ruby and I picked the three up from the mountain and brought them home for a quick dinner. They were back on the slopes between 6:30 and 7 and stayed until 9:30. That's a looong time! Maddux and Eli seriously had a blast. Lehr said they were both totally into it and enjoyed every fall, every bobble, everything.

Just Sit Back and Relax

So we have ups and downs with both kids. Eli gets a bit 'unpredictable' when he is low on sleep and Maddux is going through a phase that I can't quite name because it encompasses so many *fun* aspects. For this post I am throwing all of that out the window and will shamelessly explain what just happened before bed.

At Eli's request, the book tonight was the Bible, specifically his Action Bible. Last night he read about the birth of Jesus with Lehr, so tonight we tackled when Jesus went to the Temples in Jerusalem when he was 12. Eli asked a few questions, and we moved on to the Orange Parenting video for the week. (I have the app on my phone and the kids absolutely love it...so do I!) This video was about struggling with having and wanting 'stuff', and how stuff is fine as long as it doesn't become more important than people or Jesus. We had barely turned off the phone when Eli said, "I think I will just keep four of my presents at Christmas and then give the rest to the family." (Sidenote: during the reading or the video, we talked about the opportunity we've been given on Christmas day to deliver food to a family who needs it. This is 'the family' Eli is speaking of.)

So of course my mouth is hanging open and tears are welling in my eyes and I want to say, "Oh sweetheart, you don't have to give up your presents." But I don't; I let him keep talking. "Mom, I think what I'll do is open the presents, and then I'll pick four to keep and bring the others, like maybe legos or books or cars, to the family when we bring them food." I take a deep breath and tell him that his idea is awesome and that I love his heart. I didn't want to make him sign a contract binding him to it, but I also wanted him to think about it more and hopefully go through with it, but of his own free will. I asked him to pray about it and remember that on Christmas morning. At this point Maddux says, "Mom, I think I'll do that next year. Not this year, but definitely next year." I told her that was fine and that it was a great idea no matter what year it was. But a few minutes later she changed her mind and said she wanted to bring some presents too, but she wanted us to wrap them back up so that the kids could open them for themselves. I then reminded the kids that we didn't know what family we'd be delivering to yet, and they might not have kids the same age as them. Eli said then he'd just bring the gifts back home and give them to someone else.

I fully realize that as amazing and generous as this conversation was, the thrill and shiny new of Christmas morning may change things. But it was a conversation prompted by the kids and I am choosing to see it as a step in the best possible direction. I think I'll go to bed right now and end my day on the best possible note.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

The kids and I did a real, honest-to-goodness craft after naps today! (Probably the most involved one I've ever done with both of them.) Yesterday we made a quick garland for the holidays, but because of the nature of the 'kit', there wasn't a whole lot the kids could do. Today we made little decorations for all of their friends and they did almost 100% of the work. SO fun. Only one time out: I left the table to get the camera and when I came back Maddux had used the pen and marker to draw on a tree. Eli was quick to tell me that HE didn't do such a thing...

*Sidebar: The two of them are so different in this area! It makes me think about those Dateline specials where they put kids in a room by themselves with some candy or other sweet temptations and leave (with a hidden camera on, of course), giving the instructions to not touch the goodies. Then the interviewer comes back and asks the kids if they ate anything. Eli would not touch it....he'd be tempted, but he'd stay strong. I think Maddux would be reaching for the sugar before the interviewer even left! And even as they showed her the footage of her indulgence, she'd shake her head and say, "I not do it".

Anyway, we had a great time, and I'm so happy to have these little 'gifts' to give the kids' friends: each one made intentionally for someone they care about. Of course we had Christmas music blaring the whole time too. It was a blast, but crafts are difficult with two busy kids! Especially for a mom who is not so crafty.

Early Mothers' Day

Eli had a celebration for moms in his class this morning. His teacher asked us to arrive at 10AM, just a bit after we dropped the kids off. Maddie and I ran a quick errand and went right back to the school. We walked in to all of the kids (six today) sitting on the rug, hands folded. The tables and chairs where the children sit were decorated with a pink table cloth, heart name tag place cards, and a few vased flowers. We were asked to sit by our name and our student would stand next to us...ready to serve. (How cool!!) The kids got us muffins and drinks (of course Eli wanted to share my muffin with me, so he was eager to do this part). After we ate, the kids helped us (the moms) decorate a paper crown for us to wear all day. Then the kids were asked to stand behind us while the teacher turned on music. Soothing orchestral sounds filled the air as Eli started to massage my shoulders. No joke. He wasn't bad!! Eli's teacher told us that the kids had learned how to massage this week. After about a minute on the shoulders, the kids got small containers of lotion and started to massage our hands. I was in heaven. Eli then proceeded to massage (aka rub lotion) on my arms too. He got really into it. Finally, the kids presented their moms with a small gift. They made flowers for us out of tissue paper, pipe cleaners, and egg cartons, and they had each painted us a tile. So cute. I thanked Eli before Maddie and I left to go home for a short bit before returning to pick Eli up. What a nice treat for the teacher (and students) to do for us!!

Speaking of Eli, yesterday was a great day with him. Not only did he share and interact so well with Maddux all day, but he obeyed. Almost 100% of the time. And what's even better, he was REALLY good about apologizing for unintentional fouls. As I've mentioned, this is something we struggle with. (Remember the time-out at Jazz Fest?) All day yesterday I heard Eli say, "Did I step on your foot? I'm sorry." or "I'm sorry for bumping you." And I never saw him intentionally doing something hurtful just so he could apologize...Eli seemed very genuine in his regret. CLICK!

Another Budding Photographer

Eli received a digital camera for Christmas. It's plastic on the outside, and it's designed to be durable for kids. All in all, a really cool gift from Uncle J. Obviously Eli sees plenty of the flash side of a camera, and now he'll be able to be the picture taker rather than the takee (is that a word?). Here is a quick sampling of the masterpieces he shot today. Obviously Eli is more of an abstract kind of guy. Notice the slight camera tilt on the one of Lehr....he's picking up some skills!!

Rock Around The Clock

So someone must have been paying attention when I posted about Eli's new dancing skillz. This morning I checked the mail and there was a custom CD full of great rock'n'roll oldies, complete with a picture of Eli on the CD and case, courtesy of his favorite non-related Aunt Linda and Uncle Darol. These two are always sending Eli cool gifts, holiday or not. (Remember the cowboy hat?) Anyway, Eli has had a blast all morning alternating between dancing along to the music and holding the CD case tightly while he inspects it.

Mamas, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys...

That's right. That's my boy in a cowboy hat and no shirt. As his Uncle Tom said, "He sure looks like a Georgia boy now!" (Thanks for the hat, Aunt Linda & Uncle Darol!) Of course, Eli was more interested in playing with the hat, so it was impossible to get a picture without Eli's hands on the hat, in the process of pulling the hat off.

We've been leaving Eli's bar off during the day more and more and this kid is getting pretty good at moving around. No real crawling yet, but plenty of rolling from one side of the room to the other, and he's still doing the backwards crawl. Several times this week he's gotten his legs stuck under a bed or couch because he backed up into it. The funniest moment this week: Eli rolled over to the end of the guest bed and started playing with the cast-iron foot of the bed. Since playing = rolling around, his head ended up under the 'foot' and he got stuck. I know it's wrong, but I laughed as he cried for help...