aaron, noah and i (crudely) represented the holy family in our church's epiphany celebration on sunday. grandpa captured this bit on film. please note how interested big boy jesus is in the frankincense. good thing he didn't spill it!
Monday, January 05, 2009
tall tower
in which grandpa helps noah build a very tall tower with his tiny blocks, and noah knocks it down. (and promptly says, "build it again, grandpa!"
christmas cards of yore
as we've been slowly packing up our few christmas decorations, i've been thinking of a way to save and display my favorites of the cards we've received. i think maybe next year we'll make a bulletin board (from foam board covered with pretty paper) especially for the purpose of displaying our favorite christmas-related images. this way they will last longer than the few weeks between when they're received and when it seems silly to still keep christmasy things hanging around.
with that in mind, i've been digging up the christmas cards we've made in years past, and with fond remembrance share them now with you!
this card was from two years ago. (we didn't make one last year while we were in new england.) the quote is from tennyson's poem of the same name, about ringing out the old and the negative, and ringing in the new and the positive. you can read the whole poem here. here's a taste:
Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
i loved the ideas in the poem and the sound of "wild bells." as usual, i supplied the idea and aaron did the work to make it happen. he really likes carving fancy lettering.
(and actually we never finished mailing all these cards--i think i stopped about halfway through the alphabet, too exhausted to finish the project. so sad! but please, if you never received one and would like one, let me know. we have lots left.)
this card was from 2005, and remains my very favorite. i like the combination of lettering and a simple image. the font is grasshopper, in the arts and craft style, and the floral decoration is meant to go with that style.
the quote is from the magnificat, mary's song from the gospel of luke. it is an incredibly beautiful song of acceptance and joy, and a great prophesy for what jesus will bring to the world. i appreciate the different meanings the above text can hold: that jesus literally fed the hungry with food, but also that he has given a hungry world many reasons to be full of joy. (and now as we begin a new political season in our country, i also appreciate the line, "he has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly." may it be a season of things turning topsy-turvy!)
this was our very first christmas card as a couple. it doesn't have any hidden meanings--just a simple scene of light and warmth inside a household on a snowy night. the dutch word gezellig might be a good title for this one.
from wikipedia: Its closest equivalent is the word "coziness"; however, rather than merely describing a place that is compact, well-heated and nicely furnished (a cozy room, a cozy flat), Gemütlichkeit connotes the notion of belonging, social acceptance, cheerfulness, the absence of anything hectic and the opportunity to spend quality time.
what better could we wish for than a gezellig new year?
with that in mind, i've been digging up the christmas cards we've made in years past, and with fond remembrance share them now with you!
this card was from two years ago. (we didn't make one last year while we were in new england.) the quote is from tennyson's poem of the same name, about ringing out the old and the negative, and ringing in the new and the positive. you can read the whole poem here. here's a taste:Ring out old shapes of foul disease,
Ring out the narrowing lust of gold;
Ring out the thousand wars of old,
Ring in the thousand years of peace.
i loved the ideas in the poem and the sound of "wild bells." as usual, i supplied the idea and aaron did the work to make it happen. he really likes carving fancy lettering.
(and actually we never finished mailing all these cards--i think i stopped about halfway through the alphabet, too exhausted to finish the project. so sad! but please, if you never received one and would like one, let me know. we have lots left.)
this card was from 2005, and remains my very favorite. i like the combination of lettering and a simple image. the font is grasshopper, in the arts and craft style, and the floral decoration is meant to go with that style.the quote is from the magnificat, mary's song from the gospel of luke. it is an incredibly beautiful song of acceptance and joy, and a great prophesy for what jesus will bring to the world. i appreciate the different meanings the above text can hold: that jesus literally fed the hungry with food, but also that he has given a hungry world many reasons to be full of joy. (and now as we begin a new political season in our country, i also appreciate the line, "he has cast down the mighty from their thrones and lifted up the lowly." may it be a season of things turning topsy-turvy!)
this was our very first christmas card as a couple. it doesn't have any hidden meanings--just a simple scene of light and warmth inside a household on a snowy night. the dutch word gezellig might be a good title for this one. from wikipedia: Its closest equivalent is the word "coziness"; however, rather than merely describing a place that is compact, well-heated and nicely furnished (a cozy room, a cozy flat), Gemütlichkeit connotes the notion of belonging, social acceptance, cheerfulness, the absence of anything hectic and the opportunity to spend quality time.
what better could we wish for than a gezellig new year?
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
color!
i no longer live in a white-walled house! a few nights ago aaron painted with his brother john and brother-in-law kevan. hooray for color!
living room: winter lake. (warm and lovely)
dining room and kitchen: terrarium. (beige-ish green)
bathroom: wildflower honey. (crazy but fun)
living room: winter lake. (warm and lovely)
dining room and kitchen: terrarium. (beige-ish green)
bathroom: wildflower honey. (crazy but fun)now i look forward to finally hanging up our artwork and pictures, which have sadly been sitting in a box in our closet since we moved in months ago. the big question is, what to put on the living room wall? it's a weighty decision for such a vast space with such high ceilings. maybe we need to commission a very large piece of art. suggestions?
christmas crafting
here's a sampling of the fun handmade parts of our christmas this year.
the felt star ornaments we helped noah make for friends and family (with thanks to heather for the idea)
noah in his new neckwarmer from heather
noah's stocking, made by grandma, filled with a new red hat and mittens, made by oma
N is for Noah, a book i made for noah on snapfish
his favorite page in the book, with a picture of a very sad noah on the carousel
isla in her awesome oma booties, which go halfway up her legs
here's noah playing with his very cool neighborhood map, made by uncle colin, aunt nic, aunt irene and uncle kevan. it includes the police station, the library, trader joe's, and our local market, nelson's, among other stops. (and parking spots for noah's prius and his mail truck.) he loves it!
a beautiful mobile from maryka for isla, with needle felted flowers, leaves and stems and lovely old-fashioned bells
our christmas stockings, which i made! not perfect at all, but functional.
gift baskets for our neighbors, with gingerbread and spritz cookies and chocolate fudgeFriday, December 26, 2008
christmas!
a christmas parking garage
building a christmas snowman with grandpa
complete with a bandstra transportation hat!
our friends heather and pearl (and joey, hidden behind) joined us for dinner
noah and pearl in their fancy christmas clothes
christmas treatswe had a lovely day.
hope you did too!
merriest of christmases to all of you dear friends and family.
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Thursday, December 18, 2008
christmas cards
yesterday on all things considered i heard this funny commentary about christmas cards by a jesuit priest. he was criticizing the current craze for family-oriented christmas cards, wherein we take pictures of ourselves and our kids, often from a trip to a fancy beach-front location, and put those pictures in the place of the holy family on the cards we send to family and friends at christmastime. though his commentary was really funny ("think more virgin mary and less virgin islands"), i also felt chagrined.
this was the first year i fell prey to the my-cute-kids-on-the-christmas-card trend, mostly because we just didn't have the energy to make meaningful christ-centered christmas cards, and secondarily because i know people we don't see often like seeing pictures of my cute kids (and i like seeing pictures of theirs!). and the simple message on our cards--JOY--i meant to be big enough to embrace the christmas miracle but also all the other small things that bring joy to our lives (like noah and isla, for example). but maybe subtlety like that isn't quite in keeping with "go, tell it on the mountain!"
but it's tricky, because sometimes hearing a story over and over again makes its meaning go away. it's not like the cards with a trite hallmark christmasy rhyme and a picture of a manger really make me take stock of the christmas miracle. i think the best cards take a small part of the story and open it up, or let you make meaning out of it yourself. i think this also about christmas songs, poetry, media, etc. and this is why i love the charlie brown christmas special more than any other christmas movie: linus reciting the poetic text from the book of luke to a crowd of silly young people trying to put on a pageant, silencing them all. it stops you in your tracks. and some of the traditional carols on sufjan stevens' christmas cds are like this too. my favorite right now is "lo, how a rose e'er blooming," and the powerful image of incarnation it evokes with the lines "it came, a flowerth bright/amid the cold of winter/when half-spent was the night... to show god's love aright/she bore to us a savior/when half-spent was the night."
next year i promise we'll make cards again, with a subtle image or text that will leave you feeling like, "yeah... that's it! that's what it's all about!"
(but in one more defense of this year's cards: incarnation means christ came in body, he gestated in his mother's womb, he was born with blood and amniotic fluid through sweat and tears, he was a beautiful little baby, he nursed at his mother's breast, she cried with joy, she was a mother above all things. and right now being mother to my little ones is what the christmas story is about for me. and right now joy, and holding tight. but later having to learn to let go...
but we'll wait until easter for that.)
this was the first year i fell prey to the my-cute-kids-on-the-christmas-card trend, mostly because we just didn't have the energy to make meaningful christ-centered christmas cards, and secondarily because i know people we don't see often like seeing pictures of my cute kids (and i like seeing pictures of theirs!). and the simple message on our cards--JOY--i meant to be big enough to embrace the christmas miracle but also all the other small things that bring joy to our lives (like noah and isla, for example). but maybe subtlety like that isn't quite in keeping with "go, tell it on the mountain!"
but it's tricky, because sometimes hearing a story over and over again makes its meaning go away. it's not like the cards with a trite hallmark christmasy rhyme and a picture of a manger really make me take stock of the christmas miracle. i think the best cards take a small part of the story and open it up, or let you make meaning out of it yourself. i think this also about christmas songs, poetry, media, etc. and this is why i love the charlie brown christmas special more than any other christmas movie: linus reciting the poetic text from the book of luke to a crowd of silly young people trying to put on a pageant, silencing them all. it stops you in your tracks. and some of the traditional carols on sufjan stevens' christmas cds are like this too. my favorite right now is "lo, how a rose e'er blooming," and the powerful image of incarnation it evokes with the lines "it came, a flowerth bright/amid the cold of winter/when half-spent was the night... to show god's love aright/she bore to us a savior/when half-spent was the night."
next year i promise we'll make cards again, with a subtle image or text that will leave you feeling like, "yeah... that's it! that's what it's all about!"
(but in one more defense of this year's cards: incarnation means christ came in body, he gestated in his mother's womb, he was born with blood and amniotic fluid through sweat and tears, he was a beautiful little baby, he nursed at his mother's breast, she cried with joy, she was a mother above all things. and right now being mother to my little ones is what the christmas story is about for me. and right now joy, and holding tight. but later having to learn to let go...
but we'll wait until easter for that.)
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
the waldorf holiday faire, and education
we did go to the waldorf holiday faire on saturday afternoon, and we had a really nice time. we're still learning what waldorf is all about, and thinking about options for school in the kids' future, and i thought of our day sort of as an information-gathering outing. we loved the campus, which is out near lake whatcom (about a ten minute drive from our house) and involves a few school buildings and some wonderful play structures in the sprawling yard. noah had lots of fun climbing up the various treehouse-like structures in the yard. we also watched a puppet show (done with needle-felted animals) of the jan brett book "the mitten," and went mining for crystals in the gnome mine that the children had built. there were lots of craft options as well, but noah was running out of steam and probably wouldn't have had much patience for making felt ornaments or candle-holders. but we did buy a panel of blue beeswax with the intention of making our own candle. all the different colored beeswax laid out on the tables was so beautiful!
the main asset i see so far in waldorf education is the value they put on childlikeness. i love that imaginative play is so integral to everything they do--from the puppet shows to the dolls to the treehouse structures in the yard. i want my children to learn in a space where they are allowed to be children for as long as possible. i also appreciate the waldorf school dress code, which is pretty specific but mostly disallows any advertisements or violent images, and expects modesty. what a relief, especially as i think of dressing isla as she grows! i also love all the colors and textures that are part of waldorf life: play silks, wool and felt, beeswax, wood, etc. and i appreciate the importance of celebration and fun, having festivals to mark the changing seasons and important holidays. i'm sure this helps children understand time and change, and to accept the passing of old things and the coming of new.
*************************
here's what wikipedia says about waldorf education for preschool to age 6 or 7:
and here's little noah with his lantern in the dark
one thing i don't love about the waldorf school in bellingham is that it's not very close by. i know ten minutes isn't much of a drive, but there are lots of preschools and schools within walking distance. there's also a bilingual spanish preschool nearby that i haven't checked out at all yet, but i do like the idea of helping noah learn a language very early on. and our church has a preschool and school, which we also haven't looked into much yet. i love the idea of our christian faith and the liturgy of the church year being an integral part of noah's education. but i also like the idea of participating in the public school system, which i think is a great way to learn about people different from us, and is a good use of public resources.
and then of course there's the issue of money! any preschool and any private school would require it, and we really don't have much. but some preschools and private schools do offer financial aid, so it might be possible.
and i also know some parents think it's best to keep their children at home for as long as possible... and while i'm not necessarily in a rush for noah to begin some formal education, i do think he and i both benefit from a little time apart, and from interaction with different types of people and learning environments.
so much to think about! i know we still have lots of time, but it feels good to begin this discernment process. what do you all think about education for your children? what do you do, or what do you plan to do?
the main asset i see so far in waldorf education is the value they put on childlikeness. i love that imaginative play is so integral to everything they do--from the puppet shows to the dolls to the treehouse structures in the yard. i want my children to learn in a space where they are allowed to be children for as long as possible. i also appreciate the waldorf school dress code, which is pretty specific but mostly disallows any advertisements or violent images, and expects modesty. what a relief, especially as i think of dressing isla as she grows! i also love all the colors and textures that are part of waldorf life: play silks, wool and felt, beeswax, wood, etc. and i appreciate the importance of celebration and fun, having festivals to mark the changing seasons and important holidays. i'm sure this helps children understand time and change, and to accept the passing of old things and the coming of new.
*************************
here's what wikipedia says about waldorf education for preschool to age 6 or 7:
Waldorf schools approach learning in early childhood through imitation and example. Extensive time is given for guided free play in a classroom environment that is homelike, includes natural materials and provides examples of productive work in which children can take part; such an environment is considered by Waldorf pedagogues to be supportive of the physical, emotional and intellectual growth of the child through assimilative learning. Outdoor play periods are also generally incorporated into the school day, with the intention of providing children with experiences of nature, weather and the seasons of the year. In Waldorf schools oral language development is addressed through songs, poems and movement games. These include daily story time when a teacher usually tells a fairytale, often by heart. Waldorf kindergartens and lower grades discourage exposure to media influences such as television, computers and recorded music, as they believe these to be harmful to cognitive development in the early years.
The education emphasizes early experiences of daily and annual rhythms, including seasonal festivals drawn from a variety of traditions. Though Waldorf schools in the Western Hemisphere have traditionally celebrated Michaelmas and Martinmas in the autumn, Christmas in winter, Easter and May Day in the spring, and St. John's Day in summer, Western schools are now incorporating an increasingly wide range of cultural and religious traditions, and schools located where Jewish, Buddhist, or Islamic traditions are dominant celebrate festivals drawn from these cultures.
***************************
here are some of the lanterns
and here's little noah with his lantern in the dark
one thing i don't love about the waldorf school in bellingham is that it's not very close by. i know ten minutes isn't much of a drive, but there are lots of preschools and schools within walking distance. there's also a bilingual spanish preschool nearby that i haven't checked out at all yet, but i do like the idea of helping noah learn a language very early on. and our church has a preschool and school, which we also haven't looked into much yet. i love the idea of our christian faith and the liturgy of the church year being an integral part of noah's education. but i also like the idea of participating in the public school system, which i think is a great way to learn about people different from us, and is a good use of public resources.and then of course there's the issue of money! any preschool and any private school would require it, and we really don't have much. but some preschools and private schools do offer financial aid, so it might be possible.
and i also know some parents think it's best to keep their children at home for as long as possible... and while i'm not necessarily in a rush for noah to begin some formal education, i do think he and i both benefit from a little time apart, and from interaction with different types of people and learning environments.
so much to think about! i know we still have lots of time, but it feels good to begin this discernment process. what do you all think about education for your children? what do you do, or what do you plan to do?
Monday, December 15, 2008
a great birthday
the theme for my birthday weekend seemed to be delicious food! aaron and i did go to the tapas restaurant on friday night, and sampled a few small but very tasty dishes. the waitress was really thrown off by the fact that aaron got sangria and i had a beer. not very gender typical, i guess, but i enjoyed my manly drink.
saturday i did get my hair cut, and i went crazy and had the hairdresser style it straight! i've never done that before, but it was fun. it took her about half an hour, three products and two different devices. i'm guessing it probably won't happen again until i get my hair cut next. here's me with my kiddos and my straight straight hair.
then saturday night some of my lady friends came out for a yummy supper at d'annas, my very favorite italian restaurant. it was very festive and extravagent--i even strayed from my usual spaghetti and meatballs and ordered a steak! lily said since my hair was straight, i wasn't obligated to do anything i'd usually do.
here's dorothy, irene and sarah
and here's lily, maryka and me... in the SNOW! yes folks, i did get my birthday snow. it began midway through dinner and was a delight to walk out into in the evening. sarah, irene and i continued the magic with a viewing of the northwest ballet's "nutcracker" at wwu. it was a really fun performance without the promised russian but with lots of cute little kids. both sarah and irene felt like the moves they were watching should be reasonable to replicate, but upon trying a few out during intermission, realized that was not true. good thing they're nurses, not ballerinas!
then sunday morning isla shined as little baby jesus (or LBJ, as aaron kept saying) at our church's christmas pageant. she didn't cry a peep, though she was napless and a little restless. the young mary tried holding isla for a while, and many of the older church ladies were on the edge of their seats as isla flopped about. but all went well, and we got many congratulations for having the best baby jesus ever. who would have known?
here's isla in her baby jesus outfit, a lovely little white cardigan and pants from our friend andrea. no swaddling clothes, as i knew she'd bust right out of them.
mary and child
the pageant finale, with isla in the rickety manger on stage. (sorry it's so hard to see! i didn't want to be one of those annoying stage mothers who marches right up front to take pictures.)
we finished off the weekend at aaron's parents' house, where we had a greek feast and wherein i was presented with the aforementioned awesome new digital camera. aaron, uncle kevan and noah also spent a bit of time playing in the snow, trying to sled on a torn apart bandstra moving box. (not a big success.) isla watched them out the window.
thank you to everyone for your happy birthday wishes! it was a wonderful weekend.
saturday i did get my hair cut, and i went crazy and had the hairdresser style it straight! i've never done that before, but it was fun. it took her about half an hour, three products and two different devices. i'm guessing it probably won't happen again until i get my hair cut next. here's me with my kiddos and my straight straight hair.
then saturday night some of my lady friends came out for a yummy supper at d'annas, my very favorite italian restaurant. it was very festive and extravagent--i even strayed from my usual spaghetti and meatballs and ordered a steak! lily said since my hair was straight, i wasn't obligated to do anything i'd usually do.
here's dorothy, irene and sarah
and here's lily, maryka and me... in the SNOW! yes folks, i did get my birthday snow. it began midway through dinner and was a delight to walk out into in the evening. sarah, irene and i continued the magic with a viewing of the northwest ballet's "nutcracker" at wwu. it was a really fun performance without the promised russian but with lots of cute little kids. both sarah and irene felt like the moves they were watching should be reasonable to replicate, but upon trying a few out during intermission, realized that was not true. good thing they're nurses, not ballerinas!then sunday morning isla shined as little baby jesus (or LBJ, as aaron kept saying) at our church's christmas pageant. she didn't cry a peep, though she was napless and a little restless. the young mary tried holding isla for a while, and many of the older church ladies were on the edge of their seats as isla flopped about. but all went well, and we got many congratulations for having the best baby jesus ever. who would have known?
here's isla in her baby jesus outfit, a lovely little white cardigan and pants from our friend andrea. no swaddling clothes, as i knew she'd bust right out of them.
mary and child
the pageant finale, with isla in the rickety manger on stage. (sorry it's so hard to see! i didn't want to be one of those annoying stage mothers who marches right up front to take pictures.)
we finished off the weekend at aaron's parents' house, where we had a greek feast and wherein i was presented with the aforementioned awesome new digital camera. aaron, uncle kevan and noah also spent a bit of time playing in the snow, trying to sled on a torn apart bandstra moving box. (not a big success.) isla watched them out the window.thank you to everyone for your happy birthday wishes! it was a wonderful weekend.
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