The Santa Conundrum

Last year was Wesley's first Christmas, but I sort of see that as a technicality since he really was too young to have any clue what was going on. This year he is already entranced by everything Christmas - the lights and the "pretties", the trees, the music, the snow, and, *gulp*... Santa. Yesterday we were in a store when he pointed to a Santa figurine and said delightedly, "ho ho ho"! Umm... what?! 

His exposure to Santa Claus up to this point has been pretty minimal, or so I thought. We passed by Santa at the mall last week and when he asked who he was, I - preoccupied with trying to navigate the stroller through the Black Friday crowds - said, "That's Santa" distractedly with no explanation. So, when I heard him proclaim "ho ho ho" with such enthusiasm, I was a teeny bit nervous! I mean, it's not even December 1!

I want to be intentional about celebrating Christmas with my kids. I certainly don't want their perception of the holiday to be dictated by mass consumerism and media. It can be hard to wade through the 'truth' of all that, especially for children. I want Christmas, first and foremost, to be about Christ's amazing, glorious birth. About Him coming to the world as a tiny babe for us. I don't want to come across as being "judgey"; that's not my intention at all. I have nothing against people who encourage their kids to believe in Santa, there's lots of fun in it all, but I want to always speak truth into the lives of my children, and, for me, Santa just doesn't fit with that. I think there's a healthy way to approach it - and I'm definitely still mulling over all this - where you can partake in the Santa "fun", but still impart to your kids that he's a character, or fairytale, but not real. How to explain this to a two year old is still boggling my mind a bit at this point, but I'm working on it, and I know where my heart is on the matter. 

Wesley is a bit young for this - though I'm going to do it anyway! - but I came across a great advent plan for The Jesus Storybook Bible (if you don't have this, you need to get it! It's a wonderful Bible for young kids told in 'story' format which points everything in scripture to the birth of Christ. So lovely and with beautiful artwork too!). Basically, there are 21 Old Testament stories which all relate back to Jesus' coming, along with 3 stories about Christ's birth, that you can read leading up to Christmas day. You can find the reading plan here if you're interested. A great way to keep the holiday focused on the truth of what it's really about!

Happy 23 days 'til Christmas!

Love Changes Diapers...

Right now I'm re-reading a fantastic book called A Mother's Heart by Jean Fleming. If you're a mom, or hoping to become one, I highly recommend it. It's such an honest portrait of the joys and hopes and challenges and frustrations of motherhood... and it provides amazing insight on how to be a godly mother and really seek God's heart for our children and point them to Him.

As I was reading last night, I was really struck by this paraphrase of 1 Corinthians 13 as it relates to my role of wife and mother... I thought it might bless someone else today as it did me...

If I keep my house immaculately clean, and am envied by all for my interior decorating, but do not show love in my family—I’m just another housewife.

If I’m always producing lovely things–sewing, art; if I always look attractive, and speak intelligently, but am not loving to my family–I am nothing.

If I’m busy in community affairs, teach Sunday school, and drive in the carpool, but fail to give adequate love to my family–I gain nothing.

Love changes diapers, cleans up messes, and ties shoes–over and over and over again.

Love is kind, though tired and frazzled.

Love doesn’t envy another wife–one whose children are ‘spaced’ better or in school so she has time to pursue her own interests.

Love doesn’t try to impress others with my abilities or knowledge as a mother.

Love doesn’t scream at the kids and apologizes when I do.

Love doesn’t feel cheated because I didn’t get to do what I wanted to do today–sew, read, soak in a hot tub.

Love doesn’t lose my temper easily.

Love doesn’t assume that my children are being naughty just because their noise level is irritating.

Love doesn’t rejoice when other people’s children misbehave and make mine look good.  Love is genuinely happy when others are honored by their children.

Grateful

400. Baby GIRL!

401. Best buddies Ethan and Wesley

402. Shepherding a Child's Heart

403. Wesley 'big boy' room

404. Banana bread

405. Oh, how He loves us

406. Christmas music

407. New hats and mittens

408. Telling the truth in love

409. Wesley's first time watching "Frosty the Snowman"

410. Little pink clothes

Cold Tea (Savouring the Moment)

Today was one of those days where at 11am I was still sipping the (cold) tea I poured at 8am. 

We're going away for the weekend, and as anyone with kids knows, this requires a lot of planning and packing. I'm a list-maker, and my list for these two nights away is already way too long... not to mention the laundry that needs to be done, and the food to pick up... and a toddler who wants me to get none of this done. He wants to play hide-and-seek, and read Have You Seen My Cat?, and now he wants a snack, and needs his clothes changed because he spilled his snack on the clothes...

But this is a sweet season and I'm trying to savour it all... it won't be much longer until the days of just he and I are over. We look forward with joy and anticipation to this precious little girl who will join our family, but I want to enjoy and be fully present for the days I have left as a mom to one. I am loving this age he is at - 22 months - so much. His vocabulary grows by the day, and he is so proud and delighted with himself over each new word or skill he masters. Yesterday he put his boots on by himself and almost split his face smiling! God is good.

And so I set my tea down, and I read the book again - with enthusiasm - taking the moment in. My sweet little boy snuggled up on my lap. The laundry can wait, and so can the lists, and the tea...

And even though it's much more work, and makes a huge mess, I let him "help" me make muffins for the car ride... it's worth it... even the $7 of pure vanilla extract he spilled on the floor!

Sugar & Spice...

On Friday we had our 20 week ultrasound and found out that we are expecting a baby GIRL! We are both so very thrilled! I kinda, sorta, maybe had a hunch it might be a girl, but my husband's family is FULL of boys so I kept doubting and thinking, "Nah, it'll be a boy". 

Our gorgeous little girl! ... sucking her thumb...

Now comes the fun of picking out a name, girl-ifying the nursery, and... oh yes... shopping!

First purchase... made a mere hour after the ultrasound!!

I've had a few moments of panic since Friday when I've thought... will I know what to do with a girl???... for some reason, girls just seem harder than boys to me! Maybe that's just because I know what emotional creatures we can be sometimes... well, if she's anything like her mom anyway! But thankfully His grace is sufficient and I really am so happy to be giving my son a little sister and my husband a little girl to spoil and 'overprotect'.

Quack, Quack (Halloween)

Our little monkey was a duck for Halloween this year, and after protesting "no mama, no mama" as we attempted to get him into his costume, he decided that he loooved being a duck and did not want to take that thing off all night!

We just stopped by 4 or 5 neighbours' to show off our little ducky, so we weren't out for long, but Wesley loved knocking on the door and then standing there with a big grin on his face. I was a little worried about the candy "situation"... that he would want to eat everything in his little pumpkin pail (I had even made these in hopes of being able to do a trade-off... healthy fruit snacks for a Kit Kat... a fair trade in my books!) but he really had no interest in it, short of dumping it out of the pumpkin a few times and then putting it all back in. Phew! We might not be so lucky next year!

 

Due to a shortage of trick-or-treaters in our neighbourhood this year, we now have waaay too much leftover candy and I'm slightly ashamed at the growing pile of wrappers in the trash can! Pregnancy + halloween candy = lethal!

p.s. It's snowing!!