The Best Christmas Gift Was Having Someone to Give to

We have too much stuff. Toys. Clothes. Books. Even food! I really want to live a more "minimalist" life, but I've had a hard time keeping on top of all the stuff.
To try to prepare for the incoming toys of Christmas and make room for the new baby, I went through all of the boys clothes, kid books, and toys. I filled two large-ish boxes with kid books (we still have three well stocked bookshelves, sigh), and three boxes with toys and clothes.

While we were running errands my mom mentioned that the DI (Deseret Industries, a non-profit organization of our church) pod was being picked up soon and she was worried that it didn't get very many donations because of not being well announced. I usually space out up there while I'm sitting at the organ, so I couldn't remember if it had been announced in my ward or not. After Ammon woke up from his nap I stuffed the boxes in the van and drove over to donate the stuff. The pod had been picked up that morning and I just missed it. So it looked like I would need to nag Michael into taking the stuff to the thrift store. A few weeks later, he stopped by at 5:01 PM to drop it off, not realizing that the thrift store closed at 5:00 PM. In the garage the stuff remained.

Yesterday (Christmas Eve) I was feeling sad that we hadn't found someone/some organization to donate to. I knew there must be people in our area who could use some gifts for Christmas morning, I just didn't know how to find them. Then the idea came that maybe I should post it for free on Craigslist to "someone in need." I made the post around 4 PM and kept checking my phone for a response. I was surprised that after a couple hours no one had responded. We carried on with our Christmas Eve celebration. It was wonderful to have my brother and his wife in town from Salt Lake. We had a really nice dinner together and read the Christmas program that Michael's grandmother wrote years ago.

I checked my phone and saw two people had messaged me while we were busy Christmas-ing. I told the first that the toys were still available. She wrote that she would walk with a double stroller to pick up the stuff. It was pitch black outside, drizzling, and very cold so I offered to drive over to her house with the stuff. Once the kids were being put to bed by my mom, my dad and I loaded up the stuff in their (our old) car and drove over to give it to her. She answered the door and as she helped us transfer it from the trunk to her living room, she told us about her situation. She has two kids, a girl the same age as Ammon and a boy that just turned one. Her rent was expensive and her hours had been cut at work. She had been able to get a few gifts for her kids from a charity organization, but she was very grateful to get a few more gifts in time for Christmas.

When we had finished unloading, I gave her a hug and we wished each other Merry Christmas. My heart was so full and I felt amazing! On the way home my dad told me he had slipped some money in with the books, in case she mentioned it, it was meant for her. I was touched by his generosity and I was grateful to share that special experience with my dad. It will probably be one of my favorite Christmas memories. I want to do it every year from now on!

I didn't feel like I was doing much though. I cast in of my abundance that which I did not need. In fact, it was like a Christmas gift for me to have the space in my garage back. The only sacrifice was spending 10 minutes away from family and our Christmas Eve celebration, but I feel like that donation was the best way to celebrate Christmas in it's truest spirit.

When we got home I felt light as a feather. The kids were "in bed" (not asleep) and the adults opened the gifts to each other that were games. We then had a great time playing Spontaneous, Yahtzee, Pente, and Rock-em Sock-em Batman vs. Superman edition. It was a wonderful Christmas Eve together.

After everyone left and the kids were FINALLY asleep, I told Michael about my experience donating the toys and books. I realized that this is probably the first Christmas Eve where I wasn't thinking about all the things I hoped to get or stressing about creating the perfect Christmas for my kids, but being thankful for all that I had already. I'm so blessed to be in a stable, healthy, love-filled marriage with three healthy children. We don't worry about meeting our needs and we have many of the things we want. A beautiful home in a safe neighborhood, adequate heating, clean running water, a loving church community, and faith in a God who loves everyone on a personal level. 

Summer and Fall 2018

Memorial Day Weekend we went camping in yurts at Beverly Beach with the Dodges, Andruses, and Olsen grandparents. It was a great weekend! The boys had so much fun at the beach. Ammon was squealing with delight as he splashed and ran in the freezing water. He face planted in a shallow puddle of incredibly cold water and didn't cry at all. He was determined to keep having fun.

I was having crazy mood swings during that camping trip. We found out a few days later that I'm pregnant! Baby girl is due February 5th, 2019. This has been the most difficult pregnancy so far. I was seeing a midwife in Lebanon at the beginning of my pregnancy (the same one who helped me deliver Quin). She couldn't prescribe medication and I really needed something for the hyperemesis gravidarum. I would vomit every time I stood up. It was like having the flu for 6 weeks. I tried several different anti nausea medications: promethazine, emetrol, and finally zofran made me throw up less. A friend recommended unisom and vitamin B6, so when I got that going with the zofran I was a functional human being again. I'm grateful for the trial of extreme nausea though. I was able to really figure out how to practice mindfulness and find peace during a difficult situation. I'm so grateful that my body is able to do this for my baby. I'm willing to give my health and strength to make a body for her. We are so excited to welcome her into our family!

Preparing for a baby sister:

When I told Quin I was pregnant he got really excited and exclaimed "There's gonna be two Robins!" (meaning he'll be Batman and have two sidekicks instead of one). I asked, "what if it turns out to be Wonder Woman?" He got even more excited and said "Yes!! Let's have a Wonder Woman!" Quin is looking forward to holding baby Ruby and giving her hugs. He has been very sweet and gentle with me since I started growing. He gently pats and rubs my tummy. He has also been really helpful when I need something. During the first trimester when I was very sick, he would bring me food without being prompted or asked.  

He is very interested in the labor and delivery process. He pulled out a children's book about how babies grow and brought it over to me. He flipped to the part about labor and delivery and said "this is going to help you know how to get the baby out of you." It was very sweet, but also ironic because I know very well how to get a baby out of me, thanks to you Quin. He'll sometimes ask: "is the baby trying to get out of you right now?" No, not at the moment, Quin. 

I had to get a lab draw during one of my prenatal appointments. I have a hard time getting blood drawn so I was laying on the bed. Quin wanted to be there next to me so I told him he could if he stayed very still and held my hand so I wouldn't be scared. He watched the midwife draw my blood and quietly said to her "my mom needs her blood so it can bring food to her brain and make her muscles strong." I was so proud of my little anatomy nerd. Then after it was over he said to me, somewhat surprised, "there's still blood in your body!"

He was really tired and grouchy at one of my prenatal appointments, so he curled up in the bassinet and pretended to be asleep. The midwives thought it was really cute. 

Ammon will pull out clothes for the baby and say "this is for baby Ruby." The other day he said "I want to see baby Ruby." I tried to explain that she is still in my tummy and not ready to come out yet. He held up the outfit he had found and insisted "I want to put this on baby Ruby." I found a doll for us to dress up instead. It was sweet to see him hold and talk to her. He even put her to bed and laid down next to her.

Trying on her hair bows. Ammon kept saying "I so pretty!"

In June I had my first official piano recital as a piano teacher. It went really well. Quin played the main theme from Beethoven's 5th. My piano teaching hobby is growing into an awesome little business! It gives me so much joy and fulfillment. I'm lucky to have really amazing students who work hard and really enjoy the piano.

Quin helped me plant a garden. Unfortunately, the humans didn't get to enjoy the fruits thereof; the chickens did.

We did our usual fruit harvesting this summer, with some delicious canned applesauce and peaches and bags and bags of strawberries and green beans.

My cousin Rachel got married in July and we went on a road trip to Brookings to be there at the wedding on the beach. We stopped and hiked in the Redwoods and also toured Wildlife Safari on the way home.

Smoke from wildfires in Southern Oregon

We stayed at Twin Rocks again for the Olsen family reunion. It was so much fun at the beach house.

The "expensive" aquarium has been on Michael's summer event list for a few years. We finally made it happen this year on the way home from the reunion.

This fall I started a preschool co-op with some other parents of preschoolers. We've had a lot of fun playing in the leaves, learning about trees and space. One day when it was my turn we took the kids on a field trip to the pumpkin patch.

Halloween 2018. Quin didn't want a cape and wanted to wear these silly glasses. It was like he was superman disguising as Clark Kent

Ammon really enjoyed Halloween this year. He keeps talking about what he wants to be for Halloween and asking if we can go trick or treating again. Not for another year, buddy! Don't worry, you'll think Christmas is pretty great I'm sure.

We had a nice, relaxed Brewster Thanksgiving at Ben and Amanda's house.

I had my second piano recital as a piano teacher on December 1st. It was really great! All of the songs were Christmas music that we had been working on since October We had it at Brookdale Assisted living and I had my students pass out homemade cards to the residents at the end. One resident asked on her compliment card for us to come back soon!


And now for some adorable quotes from my hilarious children:

Quin:

In the car we were heading home from grandma's house and Ammon asked "were a going to, momma?" I asked them where they wanted to go and both said "back to the beach house."

I told Quin we were going to listen to a book about a boy named Harry who's magic. He said "I don't want to listen to a book about a boy named Harry." I told him "too bad. You'll thank me later" and turned on the audiobook. Both kids were asleep within a few minutes of driving.

Quin says he's Ammon's dad. Not sure why. One time he said "there are two dads in our family. One that goes to work and one that stays home."

He's really excited to start kindergarten! Next year... He keeps asking about it. In the middle of July he randomly said "thank you for letting me go to school." Completely out of context. He'll be starting another year of preschool soon, which we're both SO excited for!

"When I grow up I want to be just like you daddy"

Ninja mask: "This is my mouth protector. It protects my mouth from dangerous food... when I don't want to eat it."

I walked past them while they were watching Elmo in Grouchland. Quin: "welcome to the fortress of solitude! We're watching Elmo."

When he's wearing a superman costume he sometimes calls me Lois and pretends to fly while holding me.

Quin: "I'll play a song on the piano to help you feel better."

His favorite song right now is "Have a Holly Jolly Christmas."

I love Christmas, but I'm not a fan of Santa Claus. We've started trying to do more Christ centered traditions at Christmas time. For dinner on Christmas Day we have a "Bethlehem dinner." We sit on a picnic blanket in the living room with only a few little electric candles and the Christmas tree lights on. With no utensils, we snack on traditional foods Mary and Joseph might have eaten, like dried apricots, figs, flatbread, and nuts. 

I've told Quin over the years that Santa is a fun story that's just for pretend and Jesus is real. After watching a Christmas show starring Goofy, Quin said "I'm confused about Santa".

We're big fans on Beethoven's 5th at our house. Quin asked if he could hear Beethoven 76. I told him, "Beethoven only wrote 9 symphonies and then he died." Quin insisted that Beethoven has written more than that. I asked if he thought Beethoven was writing more symphonies now in heaven. He replied "Yes. He's up to 654, that's how many he's up to now." I'm looking forward to hearing them in the next life.

After Michael had a rough night trying to get the kids to stay in their room for bedtime I came upstairs and snuggled with them in my bed. I talked to Quin about what happened. He said "Daddy is such a pest!"
The next night we snuggled some more and he talked about it again. He told me that if he gets out of his bed daddy will spank him. I said "I don't want daddy to spank you. I'm going to ask him to try not to do that again." Quin softly exclaimed "you're my hero!"

Quin wants to be a "firefighter doctor" when he grows up. He loves learning about anatomy and studies the pictures in my college anatomy textbook. As I was carving a cooked chicken, he watched, fascinated, as I showed him different parts of the carcass. At one point he said "poor chicken." I tried to explain that this is one of the chickens grandma and grandpa raised (and it had actually lived in our garage for a few weeks as a baby chick.) We gave it a happy chicken life with lots of fresh air and sunshine and then we butchered it before it got sick and died on it's own.
There was a heart included in one of the whole chickens I cooked this summer and I brought it over to him to show him. He was intrigued and wanted to hold it and touch it too. (I let him because I thought it was awesome).

Ammon

Motorcycle = cyke
Granola Bars = grubbah bars or gorilla bars
PJ masks underwear = snacks

Ammon:"Is so spicy."
Me: "I'm sorry it's spicy."
Ammon"Das okay. Is still yummy."

"Quin's sad because he fall down."

"That's too yummy, momma!"

"I need to hold you!" or "give you a hug?" when he want to be picked up.

"I'm so very big and strong!" any time he moves or lifts anything remotely heavy.

Ammon has a lot of language for a just-barely-2-year-old. He speaks in full sentences, often with correct grammar. Which is more than I can say most days. My mom taught him to say "back off, chickens!" when he wants to go outside but the chickens are blocking the sliding glass door. He's started adapting it to other situations, such as "back off dog!" and "back off Isaac!"

He loves trying to count. Currently he skips some numbers. "3...4...5...7...18...90!"

He loves to do the dishes with grandma.

Ammon had a traumatizing experience at a Halloween store involving an animatronic clown. "Scary clown. Want to give you a hug. Don't want to give a hug! I so crying. I so scary." He cried for about 20 minutes, which is the longest he's stayed upset about something recently. We walked over the the play area at the mall and he just wanted to sit right next to me with his little leg curled around mine and talk over what happened. After he was calm he kept talking about it over and over, which apparently is how kids process traumatizing stuff they don't understand. Adults do it too. After talking for another 15 minutes he finally decided to play.

Ammon loves to snuggle with me before bedtime. He always wants a blanket and if there isn't one on the couch or bed he goes and finds one and gently spreads it over me saying "here a go momma."

We play an "I love you game" where we say I love you back and forth and get sillier and sillier. He says "I love you" to each of us at random times throughout the day. We were driving home late one night and he said "Who loves you? Does momma love you? Yeah! Does daddy love you? Yeah!" And then he started singing the "I love you so much" song. That has been part of Michael's bedtime routine with the boys. He goes through the list of people who love them (momma, daddy, grandma, grandpa, Uncle Trevor, Uncle Curtis, ect) and then sings that song. I guess Ammon was putting himself to bed because he fell asleep not long after that.

He frequently says "I sorry momma" out of the blue, out of context. I always forgive him.

I was sobbing on the kitchen floor the other day (oh, pregnancy hormones) and Ammon saw me and said "are you the sad train?" I told him I felt really sad. He said "I so sorry momma" over and over. Quin came over and gave me a very tender hug and whispered "it's going to be okay."

When someone coughs/sneezes/hiccups Ammon says "bless you" over and over until his blessing is acknowledged.

Ammon watched Quin do a stunt on the couch and exclaimed, "Wow! That's amazing, Quin!"

When I say "stop" or "come back" Ammon turns to smile at me and then runs even faster.

He sometimes announces "be right back" and runs away. It usually happens at restaurants when he dashes into the kitchen or outside when he decides he needs to go a different direction. It's nice that he announces it so I have a heads up that I need to chase him.

Daddy pulled into the driveway. I announced "Daddy's home!" Ammon started singing "With a daddy daddy, here. And a daddy daddy, there. Here a daddy, there a daddy, everywhere a daddy daddy. Old McDonald had a daddy. E-i-yo-yo-yo." He loves to sing. Some of his favorites are: The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Row Row Row Your Boat, Twinkle Twinkle, any Blippi vehicle song, songs about Halloween, pumpkins and skeletons, and Jingle Bells.

Ammon is really excited to go to preschool. He often asks if he can go.

Ammon loves to "practice" the piano. I sometimes guide his little pointer finger so he can play the Batman theme or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.