Happy 1st Birthday Jonas and Jember!!

Jonas and Jember's 1st birthday fell on a magical Day



On a day more special then most, I rose early to catch the early glimpses of a historical inauguration. With Jonas snuggled on my lap (Jember was still sleeping), we issued in a new day...a new president...a new era of living with hope.

What a perfect day to celebrate the first birthday of our children. What a lovely day for us - an opportunity to hold our children on our lap and to say - with great love and certainty - that this is a new day of promise. This is a day of hope. For today we can tell you (our beloved children!) that you can dare to dream, dare to hope, and dare to follow your own hearts to greatness.

In short - what a wonderful day to turn 1-year old!



We held the birthday party after school. Cupcakes for everyone! With good friends joining our party - we celebrated Jonas and Jember!

The birthday table is set



Babies first chocolate cake


"mmmmm" Jember wants to share her cake...yummy!


Lori and Jember


Elizabeth


Babies love Judson!


Neighbors Bud and Norma Jean help us celebrate


Nathan (one of Lori and Judsons)is a great big brother


The ribbon is as fun as the gift!


We love Lisa (our W-F nanny and dearest friend)

Ross and Norma Jean


Can anyone believe how fast time moves? Can anyone believe that 9 months ago these beautiful, tiny little people were placed into our arms...absorbed into our family...and forever changed the fabric of our lives?

They were so tiny


They bring us such joy! Happy Birthday Jonas and Jember

Merry Christmas to all

Christmas Eve


Our pretty little table awaits our traditional Christmas Eve soups



Jember and Daddy make the Christmas soups (chicken curry and oyster soup)



Jonas loves the Christmas decorations



Elizabeth prepares the baked Brie


Matt snuggles babies (in their Christmas jammies) while dinner is prepared



A Burl Ives Christmas morning snow



Sleepy mamma and Jember on Christmas morning



Babies open up their Christmas present on Christmas morn


Jonas puzzles over Ross's new pasta spoon



Merry Christmas everyone!


And Happy New Year!

There is no business, like snow business....

I should have known. I should have known when I slipped on the ice and fell while singing "Winter Wonderland" at the top of my voice that this was a bad sign.


The white stuff started falling last week. It started our winter break 2 days early. It was ok. More time with our little ones. More time to prepare our little home for the arrival of my parents for the holidays. We played Christmas music, decked our halls...even baked a batch of sugar cookies.

And the snow kept falling.


Its okay. We own a shovel. We own a car that can make good tracks in the snow. And the babies got to see and feel snow!

And yet...the snow kept falling.



It snowed all the way into the babies 11-month birthday...



Happy 11-month old birthday, babies!


and Mat and Elizabeths' wedding...




Jember wishes Mat good luck before the day before the wedding


Babies and our favorite bride and groom!


Weddings are a twinkly affair!


It snowed all over our state....all over planes, trains and automobiles. It snowed all over our lovely little city that (for reasons I do NOT understand) does not seem to own a snow plough - it snowed all over what they do own - apparently 2 brooms and a mule.


Then my parents called to say that Amtrak canceled their trip due to weather...derailments...

Then the snow fell all over the our tears. We so wanted them to be here. They so wanted to be here with us. It was a terrible turn of events. The babies want to spend time with the grandparents they rarely see...We are all so terribly sad.

But we not as sad as the poor people who are stranded in airports, bus terminals, and train stations across the country are feeling. Not as sad as people who are alone and grieving. Not as sad as all the children in all the orphanages who grieve the loss of their families ~ whose lives have been destroyed by war, famine and disease. Children who wait, wait, wait for another beginning.

Not as sad as all the families waiting, waiting, waiting to cross the sea of red-tape to finally be united with their children.

So we re-group. Remember our blessings. Watch "Its a Wonderful Life".
We find ways to beat our severe case of cabin fever! Including:

Creating music. Jember loves jazz.


Admiring Christmas decorations

Snow day with our friends the Swets family.

Extra snuggling time!



Dressing our children like elves!


Keepin warm in the bathtub!



Marveling at the magic of the season. A flock of robins land in my window while I am thinking about my grandfather and my grandmother Bertha Mae who have passed away. I stand in the snow in my robe and fuzzy slippers taking their pictures...thankful for magic...for the love of family and friends...for the life force that brought my children to me...for the love that settles a robin onto my windowsill during the snowiest day of the year. A promise of sunshine, light and blessed moments to come warms me.

It is indeed...a wonderful life.

Tis the Season

"This is growing right out of your face? Woah"



Yep. The Christmas season is upon us. Music playing, sleigh bells ringing, chestnuts roasting and all that jazz. Or - music playing, salvation army bells ringing, and throngs of crazy shoppers charging their way through the malls, consuming everything in their paths - like a manic cloud of hungry locusts.

(shudder)

Well, we try and focus on the positive here at Camp Chaney. We decorate trees, bake cookies, dig out our favorite Christmas C.D's and re-watch our favorite holiday movies. ("Merry Christmas you old Building and Loan!") We don't worry about overspending...cuz we really don't have any money to spend. (3 cheers for poverty!)

But this week I decided to shake it up a little. What the heck. Live a little! Its the babies first Christmas...and I'm a mommy!! So...I joined a lot of other ambitious mommies and took my kids to visit Santa...in the m-a-l-l.

Ok. I have to be honest here. I avoid the mall like the PLAGUE this time of year. But...I'm a mommy. And everyone knows Santa lives at the mall. With Elizabeths help - we took the babies on a little "Santa sojourn".

It was Monday. (I was taking a break from school, after a successful opening weekend of my fall production of Jane Eyre). The mall was not as busy...I guess. We arrived MOMENTS before Santa took his merry one hour break. They were seriously - just about to close the gate, when the jolly ol' fellow took one look at the twins and let us come in. We were in line after a mother and her 3 kids. They were all squished onto Santas lap - and the younger child was screaming and screaming - with a big open mouth - formed as an "O" screeeeaaaming. The mother is calmly looking at Santa's picture lady and saying "Go ahead and take the photo. Its okay that he's crying."

Now. Aside from meeting a mother that I COMPLETELY don't understand - this was doing very little to install confidence in the old chubby dude in red for the twins. I worried that this might freak them out a bit (because god knows, it was freaking me out) but it didn't.

I had already decided that if the kids panicked we were out of there. But...it actually went ok. We all watched in fascination. Santa was a good Santa. This guy wasn't wearing a costume ~ he really looks like that!

Well - the kids didn't panic. They didn't really smile - but they didn't freak out either. All in all - not a bad first introduction to Santa!

Ross and I spent that evening decorating our Christmas tree. It was a quiet evening, spent listening to Christmas music and quietly unpacking and hanging Christmas ornaments. Our friend Judson, lent us the groovy baby barricade and so far - it seems to be working. The twins like their first Christmas tree - though I have a theory they are conspiring daily on how to get around that barricade. Ho ho ho!

My parents will be here in about 10 days. We are all excited and ready for Christmas vacation!



Babes in toyland


Babies First Christmas Tree

Contemplating how to get over the baricade and to that twinkly tree!