Preparing for the Holidays

Not so sure

We recently joined some friends at a local farm for a birthday celebration for their son. This was the first time we had visited this farm and, I’ll tell you, what a set-up they have! They cater to children’s birthday parties and offer jumpy houses, lots of climbing and riding toys, a train and of course, pony rides. Katelyn was not interested in having a pony ride, but Vanessa, on the other hand, is so fascinated with horses and didn’t seem too intimidated by them. So why not, let’s give the ponies a try. Here’s the play-by-play…

Parents were not allowed in with the children so Bill and I stood by the side watching her go around. Half way around the circle, she flashes us a worried panic look. For those not familiar with ASL, she is signing “Daddy”. She would have probably signed “help” next, but that sign requires the use of two hands and I don’t think she was releasing her left hand anytime soon.

Then we had crocodile tears. (Sorry the picture is blurry. It was a flurry of commotion as she was coming off the pony.)
I think it might be awhile before she is willing to try this again.

Taking a princess to a game

Katelyn and Bill went to a Giant’s game the other night; in our family room; and she was dressed to impress...
Of course, she couldn't go to the game without her Giants baseball cap on! Yep, that’s a pink one. There were several chants of “Go Giants, Go Giants” and lots of cheering and clapping. They obviously had a great time at the “baseball game”.

A sad loss

We lost Mommy Fish today. It is a very sad loss, especially for Katelyn. She was the fish who blessed us with over 20 off-spring. Katelyn loved to show visitors to our home the Mommy Fish where "live bearers came out of her tummy" and then proceed into her room to show the guest her tank full of itty-bitty baby fish. Katelyn was in tears as we told her Mommy Fish is now up in Heaven swimming in the big fish pond (which is well stocked, thanks to our great ability/luck raising fish) and being well fed by Papa Anderson. We have 19 babies left, which still leaves a full tank to raise. Katelyn said that she will be their Mommy now and take good care of them.

Not just the talk, but the walk too

"Enjoy life, Be Happy and Love what you do as you only have one life to live."

Last week, Bill and I were at our small group gathering when one of individuals in our group started to talk about himself. He is young, single and obviously, lost in this world. He was asking questions, like “What should he do about his job situation? How does he know how to handle that? Which way is the right way to go?” Amidst his questions, he threw in “life is hard.” Yes, it is. And it only gets tougher. I chimed in that since he does not really have any responsibilities tying him down, meaning no wife or children, this is his opportunity to make those drastic changes, find out what he loves and find a way he can do it to support himself (financially, I mean). It seemed so easy to give this advice, after all, we all were. But how many of us were actually following our own advice. How many of us were doing the walk, not just doing the talk?

I have several friends recently whose husbands are all trying to start up their own business. They have a dream and are chasing it. It’s wonderful to see and hear about their excitement, their passion for the project they are working on. It will only be more exciting to see them succeed.

We have talked a lot about our dreams and what the key is to unlocking some doors for us. Now, it’s time we start doing the walk too.

Can I put "a tree" on my Christmas list?

We put up Christmas lights this afternoon…yep; it’s not even Thanksgiving yet, the unofficial day when you can officially start to decorate for Christmas. But, it’s only a few days away and we’ll be busy the next few days, so if we didn’t do it today, December 22nd would be our next opportunity to do so.

Just so you know, we are not the only house with lights up. Coming back from the store tonight, I noticed that we were the 4th house to have started the holiday cheer already. The last few years, our light-hanging ability has really been poor. It’s not the light hanger, but the light bulbs and strands. Really! We have these old teeny-tiny lights that no matter what you do to them, some light bulbs point straight into the air, other straight down and the rest straight out. And then within a week, the strands, which were taught before, have now begun to swoop. And I hate swoops! I would rather have light bulbs pointing all over the place than swooping strands.

So this year, we purchased LED colored lights. They are great because they are more energy efficient, stay cool and, so far, hang well. And, you can see them a mile away. Who needs street lights when houses hang these lights? You could read a magazine outside at 11pm and see each fine print word just fine. I’m sure airplanes flying overhead can see our house now. They are so cool!

While we were outside watching Bill complete this project, Katelyn was riding her bikes and Riley was having fun playing on the grass (while tied to the fence). The other day, I was outside with the girls and Riley and they were doing similar things. In the midst of riding her bike, Katelyn turned to me and said “Mommy, it would be fun if someday we could have a playground in our own big backyard.” Right now, our backyard is about 10 feet by 10 feet. Of cement. No plants. No trees. Nothing. Just cement and the tall wood fence that runs between our house and our neighbor’s. Ok, let me correct myself. We also have 50,000 gallons of water.

Our front yard does have grass, a whole 12 foot by 12 foot square, with one side edged by a 3 foot drop onto the sidewalk. And a few plants, 7 to be exact.

I would love to be able to provide my girls with a playground in their own back and space for Riley to run free. I would love grass and maybe a tree or two or three. I would love some space – and more than 10 feet of usable room. So many things I would love to be able to provide for them. It’s not that I am not grateful for what we do have, because I am. I am very blessed to have a home, food and clothing for the girls and beautiful weather most days.

But sometimes I wonder…is there more out there?

Ready?

It's hard to believe that it's that time of year again. Just 47 days away! It always amazes me how fast we jump feet first right into the Holiday season. I was at the store the other day and heard Christmas music for the first time this season. And today, when I took the girls to the mall, they had it completed decorated in Holiday cheer. And if hearing and seeing all of this complete craze we are about to enter wasn't enough, I received 9 catalogs in the mail last week...all on one day.

Don't get me wrong; I LOVE Christmas. I love this time of year. I like bundling up and going outside, especially to play in the snow when we can. I enjoy the music and the warm cups of coffee on those cold night while driving around looking at the Christmas lights. I am excited to be able to share and pass on traditions with my daughters, and start new ones just for our family. And I do love the gift giving; I enjoying thinking about the gift receiver and buying them something that they'll enjoy or wanted. And yes, I do love all of the catalogs that I get daily now (I am a huge fan of online shopping). In my family, we do also celebrate the religion aspect of this holiday, which is actually rather fun to teach and re-learn with children.

I've been asked recently for my Christmas wish-list. Honestly, I don't know what I want. Yes, I would enjoy some new things, but that's just it, they are "things". Of course though, if you have a new couch you would like to give me this year, I won't offend you by turning it down (dark brown leather, one smaller love-seat and a larger sofa preferred).

I want my daughters to have friends, be happy, have good manners and be well-liked. I want them to thrive in school and constantly grow. I want to be able to understand Vanessa in the midst of one of her screaming fits. I want Katelyn to enjoy life and not worry about the little details, leaving them up to us. I want Bill to keep growing strong and thrive as our leader. Mostly, I want to remember to stay in the moment, seeing this season through the eyes of my girls...how those lights twinkle, how scary Santa Clause can be, how much fun it is to make cookies with holiday sprinkles, how special we feel getting dressed-up for a family gathering, how loved we really are.

Baby Fish Update

They are 4 days old now and thriving well in their home. They all have survived, in fact every time we count now, we get 24 babies. They don't sit still for long, so it is possible that we missed one the first time we counted or we just keep double-counting one. Either way, there are A LOT of them!

We have to mince their food, as they cannot eat normal size fish food flakes. However, even smashing food in a bowl with the end of a wooden spoon still produces flakes that are too big for them to eat. The size of a grain of salt is too big. I am work on trying to get a fine powder-like size, but that is a lot harder than you think.

I have tried several times to get a good picture of them, but it seems almost impossible. Here are two attempts, in which you can see little blur spots, which are the baby fish. I think there are 10 babies in the above picture.