Minivans Are Hot | Holidays

Give My Regards to Broadway

July 6, 2011 By Kelli 2 Comments

After some thought, I decided to take my earlier post down. I was upset and hurt and processing, but decided that ultimately I didn’t need to have all of that out in the world wide web. To those who commented, thank you and sorry I had to subject you to my crazy. To those who missed it…lucky you. And now, without further ado…I give you more of my life..

Riveting…

When I was a little girl, I had two goals in life: Grow up and become a gold medal winning gymnast and become a famous movie star/singer. Two things happened to squash those dreams – I wasn’t a very good gymnast due to my tall frame, inflexibility and terror of the high beam (do you know how narrow that things is?!). I made it to level 7 where back handsprings on the beam were a requirement and thus ended my gymnastics career. Well, that and a stress fracture in back. I typically like to give people that as my excuse for quitting – it sounds cooler.

The famous actress thing died when I discovered that I stink at auditioning. Seriously…stink at it. Give me a room of 1,000 people and I will happily sing and ham it up all day. Give me a room of two and I go mute. Odd? Yes, I would agree. It took one semester in Baylor’s theater department for me to figure out that acting would eat me from the inside out. So I waved goodbye to the dream and grew content with the occasional performance of the “for fun” variety.

In the last six months, however, I’ve had the opportunity to get a little stage time that I don’t usually get. Singing in church doesn’t count. I actually work really hard at NOT standing out on stage at church. Because I naturally lean toward the, ahem, dramatic, I have to be very careful of my heart before I walk on stage to lead worship. It’s not about me and it’s not about performing.

So when I got the opportunity to perform…well, let’s just say the little girl inside of me skipped a little. And squealed and clapped her hands while jumping up and down. Singing in this year’s VP Parade was a big slice of heaven for the little girl in me. It was fun. Lots and lots of fun. I was backed by some of the greatest jazz and blues musicians in the business. Men like Scott Alberici and “Red” Lehr, among others.

And I had fun. It was sweltering and yes, my dress did look a bit like a muumuu, but I was on stage with a microphone in my hand singing Give My Regards to Broadway.

Fu-un.

I hope the rest of you had as magical of a 4th as I did! I’m off to squeeze in as much St. Louis fun as I can before we have to leave. It’s all happening very fast now… (click on the pictures to see them a little closer up)

: The day before the fair, we took our kids to the Arch for the first time. My big brave husband was a bit of a scardy cat.

: The view from 630 feet up.

: Lee educating the kids on the finer leaders and speeches in our nation’s history. The significance was totally lost on them.

: Landon listening to the talking statues trying to act all cool and brave but really totally weirded out.

: Swimming at the hotel made my little gymnast quite happy. Notice the hip pop…little girls don’t need to be taught that.

: That’s a beautiful sight

: Took a nighttime carriage ride downtown (or “cabbage” ride as the kids called it) and this little guy was thrilled when he got to sit up front.

: Parade time! I can’t believe I’ve lived in St. Louis most of my life and never been to this. It was incredible!

: So many neat floats!

: It was such an honor to sing on the Riverboat float.

: I missed these guys but…um…creepy.

: Here’s my riverboat chugging down 4th street! And that’s me…floating on cloud nine!

: Perfecting my pageant wave. I know…the flip flops are absurd. It’s all I could find in my garbage bags of belongings.

: It was seriously hot out there.

: Hey look! There I am again!

: While I finished up, Lee, the kids and my parents sweltered in the sun and watched the air show.

Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Ju;y 4th, Life Tagged With: Red Lehr, Reunion Jazz Band, Riverboat Float, Scott Alberici, St. Louis, VP Parade

Let Freedom Ring

July 4, 2011 By Kelli 2 Comments

IN CONGRESS, July 4 1776

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States

(an excerpt)

…We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed,

That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.

But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government…

…We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States;

that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved;

and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

May your Independence Day be full of blessings, family, friends and hot dogs. God Bless this great country.

To read the Declaration of Independence in its entirety, visit my friend Angie’s website, Celebrating Holidays. On it you will be find a jackpot of information and history to share with your children on why we celebrate this holiday, where our national symbols originated and what they mean, and creative things you can do with your kids to celebrate. Her website is a gold mine.

Filed Under: Heritage, Holidays, Ju;y 4th, Life, summer fun Tagged With: America, Declaration of Independence, Holidays, July 4th

Dear Mom and Dad in England

April 24, 2011 By Kelli 4 Comments

Hi.

So while you were off galavanting (something I’ve found you seem to be quite good at) about the English countryside this weekend, I was left to handle Easter on my own. While you toured Shakespeare’s birthplace and hiked through the animal infested forests, I realized that not only did I need to create some kind of Easter feast for my family, but I also needed to fill up Easter baskets with goodies. I realized this on Saturday.

I would like you to know that I managed to squeak by without you but I almost ruined Easter for good. And Christmas too. And I blame it almost entirely on you.

I dashed out Saturday afternoon for a last minute grocery run, in the rain. Me and the entire senior citizen population of St. Louis County. I bought a pork roast. Not even a pre-packaged one from the refridgerated section, but an actual one from the meat guy. He’s not a butcher is he? Do I just call him the meat guy? Whatever. I bought it from him. He wrapped it in white paper. Fancy.

Score one for me.

I also purchased a round birthday cake with a picture of a bunny on it. And ice cream. I was rocking the Easter preparations.

I purchased 45 plastic eggs to put in their baskets. Why so many? Because I didn’t buy anything else. You know, dear mother, how you always filled up our baskets with fun little trinkets and goodies as a kid? Yeah…I didn’t do that. I kind of forgot. Thank God I had the DVD’s you purchsed for the kids before you left for England, right?

Minus one for me. Holding steady at 0. Plus six for you, though, for planning way in advance.

When I got home I tried to sneak by the kids with the plastic eggs. You know, because how was I going to explain that the Easter Bunny used eggs we already owned. I failed, though. Eagle Eyes Tia saw the eggs and screeched with delight.

“What are those for?” they all asked, pushing in on me like tiny little blonde vultures.

I thought quick on my feet, though. You would’ve been proud. “We’re going to put them in your Easter baskets and see if the Easter Bunny fills them up while you sleep.”

BOOM! Score three for Mommy.

They each got a movie, a chocolate bunny (of course) and 14 eggs, which the Easter Bunny did fill while they slept. Except the Easter Bunny is stingy and paranoid about their teeth rotting out so the eggs only had one chocolate or a couple of jelly beans in them. When it was all said and done they only had a snack bag amount of candy.

Three measly jelly beans...

“Is dis all dere is?!” Tia exclaimed after searching through her basket. There were no stickers, no toys, no coloring books. “Mom, where does the Easter Bunny come from exactly?” Sloan asked, a little disgruntled. “Is he real?”

I had to bite my lip from answering, “Look, the Easter Bunny moved to England, okay?!” Minus four for Mommy. I hereby stand at a negative 1.

“That’s what they say,” I answer, dodging the question. “Well, is Santa real or is he just a guy in a costume?” Six eyes stare at me intently.

“St. Nicholas was a real man who delivered gifts to boys and girls,” I answered, sweat beading on my hairline. “Hey look! Breakfast is ready - come eat quick!”

Plus 1 for dodging a bullet.

I did remember to put the pork roast in the crock pot (God’s gift to half brained moms) the night before so Easter dinner was partially prepared early. Which was good since I had to be at church at 7:30 and didn’t get home until 12:45, which means Lee was in charge of Easter lunch. They ate without me. Pork Roast, Stove Top stuffing from a box and sourdough bread. No vegetables or special sides to make the meal memorable because I wasn’t there to fix.

I get plus 2 for preparing the meat early, but minus 1 for not preparing anything else. I think this leaves me at a plus 1.

The rest of Easter Sunday was quite lovely, actually. While we desperately missed being with family, I must say it was nice to just be our little core unit of 5 for the day. I reminded me, Mom and Dad, of all those years when we were growing up and didn’t have family close by. My holiday memories are filled with leisurely afternoons with you all and Brett.

We went to Applebees for dinner, which felt kind of lame, but it made the kids happy so I’m giving myself 1 point. And when we came home, we cleaned up the house, put on our jammies, ate bunny cake and watched Yogi Bear as a family. I’m awarding myself another point for going with the flow.

So that means my final tally came in at plus 3. Not bad. Easter wasn’t a total wash after all.

But it still would have been better with you here.

Have fun for the remainder of your English adventure. Tell Will and Kate I said hi…

Love, Your Daughter in St. Louis.

If only they looked alike...

I laughed until I cried when I saw this picture. Landon's head looks detached from his body.

Studio Shot!

Filed Under: Easter, Family, Holidays, Kids Tagged With: Easter, Kids, letter, Motherhood, Photography

On Earaches and Mary

March 14, 2011 By Kelli 8 Comments

On Friday night Landon asked to go to bed. This was after he asked to take a nap on Friday afternoon and he slept for two hours.

Not normal.

At 11:00 Friday Landon woke up crying. He was at the tail end of a cold so a little medicine, a kiss and a cup of water and everyone settled once again. Until…

One O’clock rolled around and we heard the desperate pleas of our little one. And he never went back to sleep.

“My eeaaaw huwts,” he cried all night, clutching at his left ear. We rocked and sang and he’d slowly drift to sleep only to jolt awake again with a cry. Back and forth we went between his room and our own room, Lee and I alternating trying to sleep and holding our hurting boy. We debated heading to the ER but knew it was an ear infection and decided to wait it out until morning.

At 5:30 we put in High School Musical and I dozed on the couch. By 9:00 we were in the pediatrician’s office where it was declared he had a nasty inner ear infection with a painful looking bulge and by 10:30 we were home with a little boy who looked like this.

Not only did he look exhausted, he also look abused due to an unfortunate run in with the corner of the iPad the night before that left him with a shiner. He was pitiful and in pain most of Saturday but by Sunday morning had perked up considerably thanks to numbing drops, antibiotics and twleve hours of solid sleep. We were on the mend, and we were happy.

When his ear began dripping blood on Sunday morning we began fast and furiously treating what we think may have been a slight perforation in his ear drum with both antibiotic ear drops and oral antibiotics as we are flying a week from tomorrow and we need his ear healed. So far the pediatrician has cleared us to fly and is confident that he will be fine by the time we leave. This is a good thing because if she said he wouldn’t be I was already planning the car trip.

Sunday afternoon I went to a practice for an Easter drama that a few of us are putting on on Easter Sunday. It’s a beautiful piece of work and I found myself very emotional at one point when the character of Christ speaks the word, “Mother?” This happens during the crucifixion scene.

And my heart broke a little as I pictured Mary watching her baby suffer. My heart crumbled just seeing Landon suffer through ear pain, but Mary watched her son beaten, bruised and hung. She watched the blood drain from the very hands that she held as a small child. She saw the flesh torn from the back of the boy she bathed as a boy.

She suffered.

As my children grow I’m realizing more and more that I will always and forever see the infant form of them. Sloan is developing a man-child look about him and yet I still see the expressive toddler who marveled at the moon. Tia’s face matures a little more each day and yet I still see the big-eyed infant who couldn’t wait to conquer the world.

Landon is right where I want him right now. He is today who I will never forget.

Mary felt the same way. I understand that more and more the longer I parent. She saw the man who hung on the cross, but did her mind flash to him toddling into her arms? It most surely did. Did she remember sloppy kisses and delighted laughter? I’m sure of it. As she stared at his arms stretched wide across the beams, did her own arms ache with the memory of the weight of her infant? Did she smell the stench of the stable and see the dark, round eyes of her firstborn nuzzled against her chest?

What kind of memories flooded her mind’s eye?

And as he suffered and died slowly, did she experience pain herself? What was swirling through her heart? It pains me to even think about it, as it pained me to watch my toddler clutch at his ear in pain.

When they hurt, we hurt.

And then, when she heard He was alive – what did she feel? What kind if disbelief and shock and fear and joy coursed through her veins? When she saw His resurrected body, did she still see the little boy she raised or was He different somehow? Did He give her an extra long hug and a kiss on the cheek, a balm to the wound she had suffered three days before?

I wonder about these things.

Mary was a mother.

I am a mother.

And so I ponder.

Filed Under: Easter, faith, Family, Holidays, Kids, Landon, Motherhood Tagged With: Christ, Crucifixion, Easter, Mary, Resurrection, thoughts

Sometimes He Calms the Storm

January 3, 2011 By Kelli 9 Comments

New Year’s Eve brought unseasonably warm temperatures around here. St. Louis is the arm pit of the United States. We get a conglomeration of everybody’s weather. Which means it can be 60 degrees at 9:00 and 20 degrees by 2:00. We get the snow and ice, the heat and humidity. We live with weather whiplash.

LIVE WITH IT.

So the unseasonably warm temps were not all that unseasonable…or at least they weren’t unreasonable. However, the warm weather mixed with the frigid temps immediately following made for some contemptuous weather. And this set up quite a disaster.

Sloan’s terror of all things weather has been well documented over the years. Remember this post? So when the skies turned nasty Friday morning, he grew all aflutter with nervous energy. Thankfully the kids were having friends over. A brother and sister who are the same ages as Sloan and Tia. It was the perfect distraction.

Before the friends descended upon us, Sloan got more than worked up about the impending weather. So he asked Lee to pray with him and pray they did. Sloan pleaded with the Lord to stop the storms and keep the tornado away from our house.

It turns out Sloan’s friend may have him beat in storm terror. Around 11:00, the tornado sirens went off and so did the boys. There were tears, there was quite a bit of jumping around and then the neighbor begged us to call his parents. And the girls stood in the corner protesting loudly.

“We’re not scared. We don’t want to go home. We want to keep playing. No! There’s not gonna be a tornado!”

After the kids left, the sirens went off a second time. Hmmm…we turned the TV on to see what was going on, but that sent Sloan into a freak out of massive proportions. So off the TV went and we delved into distraction mode.

The sky turned ugly…green. Rain pelted sideways. And yet, there was not wind. The trees weren’t bent. No limbs fell. And then – it was over.

The sun came out and Lee ran out to the store. A friend called shortly after. “Are you guys okay?” she asked. And suddenly I panicked. What had I forgotten?

“Yes…Why?”

“The tornado touched down in your back yard.”

“Really?!”

I flipped the TV on to see if there was any news on our area. I called Lee and told him to drive by the nearby golf course where the tornado hit. He came home shortly after with the news that the golf course had quite a bit of damage. Huge trees uprooted and lying on their sides.

“Sloan and Tia come with me. Let’s go see the tornado damage.”

So off they drove to survey the damage. Driving down our street there wasn’t a limb down. No debris. And then they turned left off our street where branches lay scattered. Driving past the next street, a large tree lay on it’s side. Driving past the second street, several houses were missing shingles and more trees and limbs lay strewn about.

Lee turned down the third street down and was shocked at what he saw. The tornado had come right through there. Cars lay flattened by trees. Houses were missing large sections of their roofs. There was extensive damage.

But no wind blew past our house.

As the crow flies – or tornado blows – that neighborhood was 300 yards from our house. And it appeared as if the wind stopped blowing right at the threshhold of our street. As if some invisible source was holding it back…

Did God withhold the winds and tornado from our home because Sloan prayed? I think that’s a tricky question to answer. Because there very well could have been people who were affected who prayed for protection as well. I don’t claim that God chose Sloan’s prayers over another. I do think, however, that God revealed Himself in a mighty way to my seven year old. I do think that God held even a whisper of wind at bay so He could show my son that He is, indeed, the One who controls the wind.

We were also able to show Sloan the grace of God’s protection as we pointed out the damaged homes and the people who were not harmed despite the tornado’s passing. We were able to point out that God’s protection does not always extend to the material things we have on this earth. But He protected His people that day.

Sadly, six people were killed (none in our area) by the storms that came through the Midwest on Friday. Does this mean that God’s protection wasn’t extended to those who died? No. It does show that our days are numbered and life is never a guarantee. We didn’t get into those truths with Sloan just yet. We’re trying to dispel fear in his heart. But we were able to confirm to him that God hears and answers prayer. This is a lesson I want my kids to know and trust without wavering as they grow older.

Had the tornado come just 300 yards to the North, we would have been able to confirm in Sloan’s heart that God is a God of protection and grace. Had our home been destroyed we would have been able to show Sloan that God is One who remains the same, even when our circumstances change.

More than anything I’m grateful that my son’s tender heart was given a valuable lesson on New Year’s Eve. I’m grateful we were spared. I’m praying for our neighbors. And I’m thankful that we have a God who says Let the little children come to me.

A few grainy cell phone images of the damage near our home:

Filed Under: Family, Holidays, Kids, New Years, Sloan Tagged With: Children's prayers, faith like a child, God's Protection, Midwest tornados, New Year's Eve tornado

2010: The Wrap Up

December 31, 2010 By Kelli 4 Comments

This year can only be described as blessed. As we move into 2011, I find myself feeling filled with anticipation. What will this year bring for our family? What blessings? What heartaches? What new challenges and opportunities? What joy and laughter? How will the kids grow and develop? How will Lee and I grow and develop?

In looking back on 2010, I have seen some definate areas in my own life that need improvement. I enter 2011 aware of those and prayerfully seeking the strength and discipline to implement the necessary changes. I look forward to a fresh start.

I also look forward to another 12 months of blogging and laughing with you all. Because what fun is life if you can’t laugh…a lot! So in order to look back at the fun this year has brought, I give you the official 2010 wrap up. It’s been a hilarious ride!

January

The Minivan Mom Runs: Remember when I decided to take up running again? And then I quit. But then I decided to take it up again? And then I quit. This fall, I took it up again and I was actually doing quite well. I was actually enjoying it. Then I got pneumonia and the cold that wouldn’t end and haven’t been able to run in a month. Good times…

Battoning Down the Hatches…or something like that: In which, like a modern day Ma Ingalls, I survive being snowed in alone with three kids. This was during our Little House on the Prairie kick.

Feburary

From his perspective aka A really bad idea: Lee decided we needed to change our life insurance policy, which meant a scary nurse lady came to our house and jabbed me with a needle. I was too afraid to consider not having the children watch. Sloan thought I was being put to sleep…

Sometimes sticking to your guns is hard: The one where I had to defend my position on vaccinations in a very uncomfortable manner. Ugh…

March

The Dance of the Little Bee: This post still makes me laugh. This is my reminder that my son, already a Ladie’s Man, is growing up far too fast for my taste.

My Stud Muffin with his Stud Muffie: The video of my hot husband and my youngest child and their mad basketball skillz. That’s right I said skillz!

April

The confidence to walk away: Sloan was bullied and my mother’s heart was broken into tiny pieces, rolled in broken glass, doused in alcohol, then lit on fire. He’s emerged a stronger kid, though, and for that I am beyond proud.

Tia Tales: The Four Year Old Edition: I got my magic camera this month, and thus my pictures got so much better. And Tia? Well, there’s always a story to tell about my crazy middle child.

Girl Meets Boy: I began a series entirely dedicated to the love story I share with my husband of a decade. It was so much fun walking down memory lane with him. You can read the entire story here.

May:

He had to be first: The month we experienced our first broken bone. We just finished paying that sucker off. Good times…

Disturbing: My son’s addiction to coloring on anything but paper freaked me out…a lot. I threw that doll away, incidentally.

June

Just call me MacGyver: In which I got creative with Kotex. Don’t ask. Just read…

Toy Story 3: Better Titled “Let’s Tear Mom’s Heart from Chest and Stomp on it.”: I took the kids to see Toy Story 3. Then I bawled my eyes out. For days.

July

Lemonade for Haiti: Sloan urged us to let him have a lemonade stand for Haiti, so we did. And in the process, my son once again taught me a valuable lesson in giving. Later that summer, he got to hand my uncle the envelope with $120 in it for Haiti relief. He’s quite a kid.

The Photo Session: We spent three weeks in Florida last summer. And I lived to tell the story. I almost didn’t though. Despite it being just a tad too much together time, we had fun. And I managed to get some great pictures of my kids – with a few outtakes.

August

The Wedding: My cousin Whitney got married and Sloan and Tia were her ring bearer and flowergirl. The cuteness was over the top.

Ice Cream Surprise: We surprised our kids with an after bed ice cream treat. It is a great memory and gave us a hilarious video.

This I Pray: I sent my son off to first grade. We had our first experience with a full school day and I grew increasingly aware of the need to bathe him in prayer while he was gone. It was good for me to re-read this post and be reminded of that again.

Phew. August was a fun blogging month. I had a hard time narrowing it down. That was the same month I admitted to not showering on a daily basis, I went to New Orleans to cover the Katrina memorial and I posted more than one random post filled with bizarre little tidbits.

September

This is the month Lee and I took the trip of a lifetime through Switzerland, Austria and Italy. We talk about this trip almost every day – sometimes multiple times a day. It was that amazing.

Hallstatt – A Day in the Life of a Postcard Town: I still can’t believe we made it to Hallstatt. It is truly the most beautiful place I have ever visited and was our favorite part of the trip.

Italy: Austria was by far our favorite country, but Italy wasn’t half bad either. I mean…we weren’t complaining or anything.

A Different Kind of Mountaintop: We came home after ten days ready to be with our kids. Rocking Landon to sleep the night we got home was a different kind of mountaintop experience. Read with Kleenex…

The Day we Spent $127 on Soap: We made a very stupid American mistake in Hallstatt. It’s funny now. A little…

October

He is Dad: The one where I made my dad cry. Then he made me cry back. All mushy, mushy…

The day I questioned everything I know to be true: I cleaned out the back of our minivan. In the process I doubted whether Minivans were actually Hot. My faith has been restored in the hotness of minivans, just as long as I never go back there again!

November

Cry me a Freakin’ River: We took down the crib and in doing so tore a piece of my heart out.

How to go from Reverent to Irreverent without even really trying…: Sloan brings us to church when he prays. Tia brings us back to reality.

December

The Brawl: I think this might be my favorite post of the year.

Celebrating Christmas: We started what I hope will become a great tradition for our family.

So there it is. My 2010 list of favorites. This is not an exhaustive list and these certainly aren’t all my best posts, but they represent my favorite moments of the year. I’ve tried to keep it light and fun, but there have been some heavy moments too. Thanks for sharing them with me.

As I thought about what my favorite photo was of the year, I had a really hard time narrowing it down. I think I got it down to two…okay that’s not true. I have 478 favorite photos from this past year. But I’m just going to share two:

Me, my man and an Austrian mountaintop. Just an awesome moment...

I love those faces. And I love this picture. It captures them perfectly...

Happy New Year to all of you!

Filed Under: Holidays, Kids, Lee, Life, Marriage, Ministry, New Years Tagged With: 2010 Wrap Up, blogging memories, New Year's 2010, The Best of 2010

My post-Christmas brain

December 29, 2010 By Kelli 1 Comment

I’m feeling the need for a bloggy break. I simply can’t think of anything to write about these days. Oh sure, there’s the fact that I’m going on 3 weeks of being sick and I’m pretty sure I’ve got the black lung, but that’s not a blog worthy topic. My house looks like Christmas vomited all over it and I simply don’t have the energy to do much about it, but I’m sure you all feel the same way.

Nope. I simply don’t have a decent blog post in me. I am enjoying this post-holiday break, laying low, coughing up my one remaining lung, playing games with the kids, watching the “plays” they put on each morning for me and watching FRIENDS at night with my equally sick hubby. We got the last four seasons for Christmas and have been laughing down memory lane every night before swigging Nyquil straight from the bottle and falling into bed. Uaully only to be woken by Landon one or four times throughout the night…

So all that to say, I’m sorry but it’s going to be slim pickings here this week. I need my holiday brain to regain a bit of function. I did write up a review this morning at STL Family Life for a Build-a-Bear giveaway. Hop on over and enter to win, if you please. Or just read about the hilarious experience I had in the store making my bear…

Okay, I need to go. There are wails coming from the basement and Tia just walked by, dragging one of the kitchen stools with her to the back of the house. That’s never a good sign.

So in the words of my seven year old who is too cool for school – “Peace out, Yo!”

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays Tagged With: after Christmas blah, holidays laziness, Random

The one with all the Christmas photos

December 27, 2010 By Kelli 7 Comments

It was an idyllic Christmas in the Stuart home, complete with a winter wonderland outside. We enjoyed a long, relaxing weekend and are now all refreshed, rejuvinated and…well, the kids are already tired of each other as evidenced by the fact that they’ve been sent to different rooms and it’s only 7:45.

Whatcha gonna do?

By order of the decree of Mom Bloggers United, I am contractually obligated to share a few Christmas photos with you. If I don’t, I could be voted off the island. We wouldn’t want that to happen now, would we? And so, without further ado, I give you Christmas 2010.

Christmas Eve

When did this child turn into a little girl?!

A rare moment

Santa came and left behind a new bike for Sloan (which he declared was tubular!), a CD player for Tia and a Jessie doll for Landon to complete his set of Toy Story toys. Santa ate most of the cookies (they left him a plate-full for cryin’ out loud) and he apparently tripped over the fireplace grate. But all in all, Santa did a magnificent job this year.

Landon's baseball helmut, which has hardly left his head since Christmas morning. He looks like the Jack in the Box kid running around here.

Landon's baseball helmet, which has hardly left his head since Christmas morning. He looks like the Jack in the Box kid running around here.

If any of you have school age boys and you don’t have Snap Circuits, I highly recommend them. They’re great! It teaches the kids about energy and electricity while letting them build and create. If the circuits are snapped together correctly they can make a fan blow, a whistle ring or a song play. It’s seriously hours of fun. I’m so glad we invested in these. (Hint: You can get them at Hobby Lobby. Print off their 40% off coupon online and you get them for much cheaper.)

Tia received her first American Girl doll, which is apparently a rite of passage for little girls these days. I’m just old enough to have missed the American Girl phase. When I was a kid it was Cabbage Patch dolls. I gotta say…these dolls are cooler. Tia got Kit and she came with purple glasses and a set of matching pajamas.

I wasn’t sure how my tomboy of a daughter would react. Would she like it? Would she cast it aside?

She loves this doll. It has brought out the girly girl inside her. I kind of love it.

All in all, it was a wonderful day for everyone. We didn’t go overboard on gifts, which means the kids only got things they really wanted. My parents bought us a rockin’ new video camera, which I’m thrilled about because we’ve had our old camera for ten years, which means in video camera years it was, like, 429. It wasn’t even worth it for me to drag it out most of the time.

But the piece de resistance, the creme de la creme, came about mid morning when my parents gave us the most creative gift I believe we’ve ever received.

Do you hear the angels singing?

When we were in Italy, Lee and I passed several Gelateria’s with these huge cans of Nutella in the window. We commented more than once how we wished we could bring one of those home. We never mentioned that to my mom, but somehow she managed to track down a shop in New Jersey that sold these 12 pound jars of heaven.

60,000 calories.

My New Years resolution to lose 10 pounds is going to be a little bit tricky…

While Christmas was easy and happy for us, our sister-in-law, Becke’, and her family had a traumatic and terrifying Christmas. Her younger brother, on his way to her parents house for Christmas morning, hit a patch of ice on a bridge and rolled several times. He ended up with a shattered femur, a broken wrist and some serious head injuries.

They almost lost him.

Thankfully, he will ultimately be okay, but he is in for some grueling months of rehab. This accident came as they near the third anniversary of Becke’s younger sister Kiley’s death. Needless to say, Christmas was not as idyllic for that precious family. Would you join me in praying for them? Particularly her brother Kirby.

Follow Becke’s blog for updates and specific prayer requests. And to be blessed. Becke has a heart for the Lord and a gift with words. You will be blessed by her blog.

There. I have officially fulfilled my Mom Bloggers United obligation. I can keep my member card for one more year. Phew. Merry after Christmas everyone!

Filed Under: Christmas, Family, Holidays Tagged With: Christmas 2010, family Christmas, giant jar of Nutella, Santa came to town

Merry Christmas

December 24, 2010 By Kelli 2 Comments

From our family to yours – Merry Christmas. What a joy it has been to share our 2010 with you. God Bless and I pray tomorrow is a blessed day for all of you!

And for my Russian and Ukrainian friends:

Zhelayu vam schalivovo Rozhdestvo! c Novim Godom!

Filed Under: Christmas, Holidays Tagged With: Christmas, Family photo, Merry Christmas

Celebrating Christmas

December 19, 2010 By Kelli 9 Comments

For three or four years now I’ve determined that I would throw a Christmas party for the kids. I usually come up with the idea around December 24. Because I’m that awesome.

This year, I determined somewhere around August 25 that I would actually, indeed, for real, throw a Christmas party for the kids. I planned ahead…in my mind. In reality, I sent invitations out somewhere around December 12, a whole thirteen days before Christmas.

I am growing as an organizer. Try not to be jealous…

If I’m being honest (and I am) I would have to tell you that most of the invitations were sent via email. The rest were hand delivered. No stamps. I don’t believe in them.

So with all of my awesome forethought and planning, I wasn’t entirely sure we would have a large turnout. But, to my surprise, we did! And despite the fact that I’ve had a severe bronchial infection (most likely pneumonia – you know…no biggie) I managed to put together a decent enough gathering of children.

Read: M & M’s in a crystal bowl and cake. I mean nothing was handmade or anything. Let’s not get crazy, right?

I did print out the story of the Candy Cane and made a cake. With Betty Crocker’s help. It was the kids that made this party a delight. They played, they laughed, they ran and then? They sat and listened. And this is where the simplicity of the party was key. The totally planned simplicity…

They sat and listened as Papa Lee read of Christ’s birth from the book of Matthew. They raised their hands and answered questions about the manger, the Magi and the wise men. They discussed why we celebrate Christmas and how we can honor Jesus on His birthday.

Lee did a great job. He kept it short and sweet but packed in a beautiful lesson. I was proud of him, and of the kids who managed to sit still and quiet and intent the entire time.

Another reason I was proud? The kids went above and beyond in giving. We asked everyone to bring an unwrapped toy to be donated to charity and these families took that seriously. They purchased wonderful toys, which we will deliver this week. And as we talked of what Jesus did while He was living on this earth, we stressed to the kids how Jesus gave to others who were in need and how we can do the same.

The sweet hearted children that sat in my living room embraced giving and it brings tears to my eyes to think of their tender, moldable little hearts. What they gave will be used to bless others. And it took minimal effort on my part.

An email and a slice of cake. Who says we can’t change the world?