Decking the Halls

In our house, the weekend after Thanksgiving is for Christmas decorating! On Friday evening we set off to find the perfect tree...at Home Depot. Where else do city folk buy their Christmas trees?

On Saturday I turned on the Charlie Brown Christmas CD and the Christmas fun began. Joe sawed off the end of the tree, brought it in and strung the lights on the branches for us. He also watered the tree, which the girls found most fascinating. Too bad after it's inital watering, our tree never saw another drop of water until after it had already died. I need someone to invent a tree stand with an alarm to alert me of low water.

Joe and his assistants watering the tree.

Once the lights were on the girls helped me decorate the tree. This was the first year they were really big enough to help and it was fun to share this tradition with them.

On Sunday we opened a nativity set I had purchased for the girls to play with during the Christmas season. It seems there is some confusion regarding the Christmas story, as this nativity set features a girl wiseman and no shepherds.

Later in the day we shared a meal with our friends the Amans. Then we set off to see the Christmas lights display at nearby Brookside Gardens. Unfortuantely, for the second time in the weekend, we neglected to bring our camera. The kids had a great time running to and fro and looking at all of the great light displays. We enjoyed chatting with James and Nancy and interacting with their three kids.

Dancing Turkeys and Cornbread Stuffing

There is much catching up to be done on The Doolittle Gambit as Christmas has come and gone and nary a post has been written. Before we tackle December, however, I must rewind to Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving Day, Joe ran in a Turkey Chase. After getting yelled at by a lady for parking on her leaves (the custom here is for everyone to rake their leaves in large piles to the curbside for the county to come and pick up with a large leaf sucking truck), forgetting the camera in the car, and almost missing the start of the race, Joe finished the 10K with a personal record of 48:03 (that's a blazing 7:42/minute pace).

The highlight for Xandra was dancing turkeys. She thought they were so fun! We snapped this photo with my phone. Funny how Joe does all the work, but the only ones who make it in a photo are Xandra, a dancing turkey, and I. I guess it is turkey day after all.

Update: I did find a few after-the-race pictures we snapped when we got back to the van today when I was downloading pictures from the camera. Here they are:

Taken using the van window...very artistic, don't you think?

The race was the start of a wonderful Thanksgiving. After the race, we enjoyed the day with Tim & Jennifer Shumann, friends from law school. We actually remembered to take the camera into their house, but neglected to use it even one time. That makes two years running we've shared Thanksgiving with them, and two years running we've forgotten to take even a single picture. Either way, we don't soon forget Jennifer's cornbread stuffing, Xandra & Theia's turkey place cards, or yummy pumpkin dinner rolls. Needless to say, it was a feast! Many thanks, Shumans, for good food and good fellowship!

D is for Disaster

A few weeks ago (it's taken me this long to be able to relive this story) I was busily working in the kitchen while Aliyah slept in her crib and the two older girls played with a fishing game in the sunroom. The fish game is battery operated and makes a great deal of noise turning in circles while you use your fishing pole to try and get the biting fish out of the pond. For about 10 minutes I worked in the kitchen while the girls played (or so I thought) with the fish game in the sunroom. I have to admit, I was impressed by their lengthy attention spans. At one point, I considered checking on the girls, but since I could still hear the fish game going, I assumed there was no need (what was I thinking?). At another point I heard game pieces crash onto the floor, and assuming it was all part of the fishing game play decided against checking on them (again, WHAT was I thinking?). After all, there was no screaming or complaining going on (why wasn't this a red flashing alarm to my dim witted brain?). After about 10 minutes of ignorant bliss and two missed opportunities to keep the girls from trouble, why should I be surprised to find this when I finally pulled back the curtain of the sunroom?

The pictures don't do the scene justice, as I didn't catch all of the things on the floor in front of and behind the couch. Just in case there is any confusion, that IS nearly every board game we own (probably 12-15 games, I didn't have the heart to count) pulled from the top two shelves of the bookcase behind Xandra, opened, and then dumped on the couch, coffee table and surrounding floor. I think the conversation went something like this:

Mamma: "What are you doing?"

Xandra & Theia: Silence and blank stares

Mamma: "Get up, now."

Xandra: "I can't."

She really couldn't move. She was barricaded in by all of the games around her.

Mamma: "Wait. Don't move."

I leave to go get the camera so I can at least take a picture of this because I'm sure no one will fully understand what has happened unless I show them pictures.


I returned to the sunroom, took a picture and then carefully lifted Xandra from the couch and sent both girls to separate rooms. I worked on picking up the games while I cooled off. For awhile, picking them up just made me more mad. It's hard to count trivial pursuit pieces when you're so mad you can't think straight.

As I picked up the games I also found that Theia had actually peed her pants while playing the games, with no thought of mentioning it to me. Really encouraging on the potty training front! She not only peed her pants, but she peed all over Chutes & Ladders. The only consolation in now having to clean up pee, games, and peed on board games, was that it was one of their games. A small evening of the score for having to pick up 100 scrabble tiles, all the cards for Apples to Apples, a deck of cards, Lord of the Rings Trivial Pursuit pieces, 100 Upwords pieces, 88 Blockus pieces, etc. Yes, I counted all of these pieces out one by one (several times) trying to make sure I had the games complete before they went back on the shelves. If their Chutes and Ladders smells like pee for all of eternity, we'll call that fair for me having to spend approximately 2 hours picking up their disaster.


After some time and lots of cooling off, I went to talk with the girls and hand out consequences. I then left them in their rooms to sit awhile longer while I picked up the games some more.


When I went back to get the girls, Theia was asleep. I attempted to wake her, but it was to no avail. Xandra came out to eat lunch and promised to be on her best behavior. Before I started preparing lunch, I headed into the bathroom only to find this:

In case it's difficult to tell what this is, it is a toilet with pee in it and an entire roll of toilet paper undone from the tube and dumped on top of the pee. Xandra went back to my room for another round of consequences. When we got back to my room I found that while she was in there the first time, she had taken great joy in emptying my bedside table drawer and my sock drawer. I was not impressed.

About this time, Theia woke up and had, of course, peed her pants in bed while she napped. She's wet, her pants are wet, and the sheets are wet. I got her up, cleaned her up and fed her some lunch. Xandra ate lunch in my room. When Theia went back to bed for her real naptime after lunch she was not interested in sleeping because of her little catnap before.

After naptime, in which no one took a nap, I went in to get Theia up and found this:

If the picture's not clear, that is a picture of Theia's diaper only half covering her bottom. When she pooped during "naptime" it came out of the dipaer onto the bed. Let's just say poop was everywhere. Not a happy moment for mamma. Xandra wasn't happy either as she kept saying, "Mommy, Theia's poopy is everywhere. Ooooh, gross."

At this point (about 3:30PM) I'm ready to go to bed and start again tomorrow. Joe's not expected home for at least another 3 hours and I'm left wondering what else could possibly go wrong.


Thankfully we survived the day. I'm glad I cannot recount another day in all of my mothering that even comes close to holding the disgusting challenges encapsulated in this day. May it always be so!


At the end of the day, Joe came home to my horror story and shared that he'd had his annual review. Unlike the chap who was reviewed just before him, he will be keeping his job. Nothing like a little perspective at the end of a long day. Things could always be worse...Joe could be jobless at home helping clean up pee, poop, socks, board games, toilet paper, and dresser drawers!


I also plan to hold this day, with all the pictures, over their heads for the rest of their lives. In fact, I'm already planning the illustrated talk for both of their weddings.

Dedicated

It is our strong desire that each of our girls know who Jesus really is, how He alone has the power to transform our lives, and how He himself died so they might live forever with Him. There is no greater cause to which we might dedicate our parenting than the saving and transforming grace of Jesus Christ.

On Sunday, November 8, we were a part of a child dedication at church in which we dedicated ourselves to raising Aliyah (we've already done this with the other two girls) in a way that honors God and teaches her the truths about Him and His Word. She wasn't baptized, as we understand this is a decision she must make after she has chosen to become a follower of Christ.

This is a relatively serious post, but I can't resist noting how Joe's belt buckle is cattywompus and my slip is showing. Just in case this post gets a bit too serious for you, just remember it's coming from a lady who didn't know her slip was hanging out from underneath her skirt when she was standing in front of the whole church. Just God's way of keeping me humble.

For our portion of the dedication, Joe shared his thoughts about two things:

1. We lost a friend and fellow believer we knew from Connecticut to cancer earlier in the week. When I shared with Joe I told him, "Good for her, bad for us." Meaning we'll miss her, but she's with Christ now.

2. He also reflected on the 13 lives that were taken in the Foot Hood shooting earlier in the week. He talked about how the holidays would be sad and difficult for these families.

In sharing these two thoughts he talked about how we can't prevent bad things from happening in Aliyah's life as she grows, but how we hope to give her the tools to navigate the tough times. He also said the only thing we can do is teach her to lean on God and that someday the best thing would be that at the end of her life someone would say, "Good for her, bad for us."

He read this scripture (parenthesis my thoughts): But now, this is what the LORD says— he who created you, O Jacob, he who formed you (I like this reference since we're at a baby dedication.), O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine (I long for her to know that she belongs to the King of Kings.). When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze (Tough times await us all, but God will carry us through, keeping us from getting burned. What a promise.). For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba in your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight (Oh that she would know He thinks her precious), and because I love you, I will give men in exchange for you (A reference to Jesus! I love Old Testament foreshadowing.), and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid, for I am with you. Isaiah 43:1-5

A friend, James Aman, prayed over Aliyah and our whole family, and then the pastor gave all of the families dedicating children a charge and prayed for the collective group.

Our friend InShil took a few family pictures outside after the service.

The pretend us.

The real us.

Of all the things we will teach you and show you, Aliyah, may the blood and love of Christ be foremost among them. Although you are small, our love for you is great. I cannot wait to see what you will become, although a part of me wishes you might stay as you are right now. May he bless you with many happy years and a heart that beats solely for him.

Special thanks to InShil Hartman for the photographs.

Trash Talking

After months and months, Joe has victoriously finished another home improvement project. Our trash cans have a home.

I may be the one who talks about frugality, but my husband can squeeze the blood from a turnip, too. This trash can rack was made with boards we got for free when we were picking up firewood (free also) off of Craigslist this Spring. The paint was leftover from our front door. Total cost: whatever we paid Home Depot for the screws to hold it together + Joe's blood, sweat, and tears.

And, if you live in the area, don't even THINK about trying to steal our trash rack like some punk stole my newspapers filled with coupons (this is like stealing money from my hands) from the end of the driveway last weekend. The joke will be on you. This thing is anchored in the ground with concrete three feet below the surface (something about the frost line). Personally, I think Joe just likes to dig holes. After all, he did dig the holes twice. I guess the old addage: cut once, measure twice applies to hole digging, too.

One question: Would it defeat the purpose of a thrifty trash rack if we spent some money on matching trash cans?

Now, at our home, taking out the trash brings a smile to your face.

Impromptu Picnic

A few Sundays ago as we were arriving home from church, Joe suggested we have a picnic in the yard for lunch. We threw together some sandwiches and crackers and headed outside to enjoy the beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures.

We ate and watched the girls as they played about the yard.

Xandra pushed Theia on the swings for awhile,

and then abandoned her to run in the yard.

Theia sat happily drinking her milk and waiting for Xandra to come back and give her another push.

Joe played with Aliyah, helped the girls on the monkey bars,

and then we reluctantly headed inside for naptime.

The Porcupine at My Place

At 3 years, 3 months old, Xandra is:

quick to tell you that she likes butterflies, pink, purple, and green.

good at taking care of her dollies. They often get sick and need medicine (but not shots!), and she will put them in little baskets and cover them with blankies until they get better.

wanting to help me bake and cook in the kitchen. She often gets her stepstool out and uses it to stand next to me and watch/help when I'm cooking.

saying that she misses her Grandma & Grandpa (both sides, in case you're wondering), but that she'll get to see them at Christmas.

often gathering her blankets, bears, and pillows and bringing them to the living room to "take a nap."

Xandra in her Cubbies vest eating dinner

highly enjoying being in our Awana Cubbies program at church. She is OBSESSED with Mrs. Tallman (the director of Cubbies) and Cubbie Bear.

starting to experiment with eating new foods. In the last month she has eaten chili, hot dogs, chicken, and tomato soup. We're really enjoying this change.

learning her letter sounds. She likes to ask what words start with, and then have us sound out the first letter. Sometimes she guesses the letter we are making the sound for, but most of the time she guesses "J."

loves playing in water. Bathtime works and so does a sink with a trickle of water turned on and a few cups.

making up her own songs to sing.

still entertained by throwing all of the couch cushions on the floor and jumping into them.

still liking to organize things and put things in their place.

getting very good at picking up toys and putting them in their proper place. I think she likes being a big helper.

obsessed with folding the reusable flannel wipes we use with our cloth diapers. She insists that I save them for her to fold when she sees me folding laundry.

full of questions. She will ask why until you drop. I like her curiosity, although sometimes, for my sanity, I have to limit the questions.

an explorer. We have had so many instances this past month with her getting into things around the house: a bag of M&M's in the van, board games in the sunroom, socks in my dresser, candy corn in the kitchen, and water in the bathroom. I don't appreciate the disaster that she creates in her exploration, or what she explores, oftentimes, but I love her hunger for information.

still loving a lap and a good book. Especially her Highlights magazines from Grandma DeShon.

getting better at playing CandyLand. Much of the time she can actually move her game piece on her own and in the correct direction.

free with hugs, kisses and I love you's.

"growing bigger everyday." She likes to tell us this and it's a good reminder of how quickly she's changing and how I don't want to miss a moment.

I love you little porcupine.