Some Pictures of Cutting our Christmas tree down!

Christian's 13th Birthday!

Christmas eve we Spent at Nana's.  We celebrated Christian's 13th Birthday (it's really on the 28th) He never gets shafted, I think he actually gets more presents. Thank you to all of our family and friends who gives Christian a present for Christmas and his birthday and not just one present combined!  (every child and adult deserves to have their birthday celebrated no matter what holiday it is by!)  Yes- He's 13!!  He'll be in high school in two years and driving soon after that!  He's such a sweet boy and we're having a good time tryin to beat him at ping pong at home!  I ( jokingly---kind of) told him I was going to practice while he was at school so i could kick his behind!

 

We followed up Christian's birthday in Dec with a friend party for him and rented out our hometown aquatic swimming center which was awesome just not long enough.  We had the whole place to ourselves - small pool, lap pool, deep diving pool, and a waterside!

Christmas 08'

Christmas was here and now it's gone!  But here's a re-cap of our holiday season!

We usually kick off December by decorating gingerbread cookies.  In the past we've done gingerbread houses and that was fun too!  Especially to see uncle weston's gingerbread masterpiece!  (Maybe he should be an architect too!)  I think maybe next year we will decorate sugar cookies- those are a lot yummier than gingerbread! Don't have many pics of this event but it was FUN!!  Crazy wes with what I call his "mario and Louigi mustache"! 

I love REAL christmas trees, no fake tree compares to the smell of a real tree!  I don't like the pine needles though, they are a pain! especially the week after christmas and we have to drag the tree out of the house while DRY pine needles are falling in piles across our whole house.  I am still finding needles almost a month after christmas!  (I think it is from our dog bringing them on his paws after being outside on our deck).  Zee's brother Uncle Sebastian (uncle Bubba) and his girlfriend Ashley came with us on our cut down tradition- that was fun to have them there!  Especially when Uncle Bubba who is tall and has very wide shoulders carried the cut tree up on one shoulder with one arm- Amazing (couldn't get a good picture of that, it was getting too dark)!!!  Mt. baker was also a sight to see- so beautiful while the sun was starting to set.  My picture doesn't do it justice!  

Once home, Elise who gets so excited about decorating anything like me when I was a kid, put all of the ornaments on the tree, no joke!  I think I did maybe three ornaments.  It makes me smile to think of the excited feeling Elise gets during different holiday seasons.  When I was little I always wanted Christmas lights up at our house and my parents never did that, so I would take it upon myself to tack (sorry mom) a string of lights in the wood trim in our big front room window.  I LOVED coming home and seeing that window with christmas lights on it!

Since my dad, Mark Lambert's passing was a over year ago, I especially think of him at Christmas time because his birthday was on Christmas eve.  I decided that instead of focusing on being sad about my dad, I would focus on why I celebrate Christmas and it's deeper meaning for me than just the holiday lights, scents, and presents: the birth of Jesus Christ. 

 Sometimes it takes something big, to bring it back to the simpler things.  

The many Jobs of a housewife

Secretary

Nurse

Confidant

Wife

Lover

Baker

Chef

Doctor

Teacher

Discipliner

Nutritionist

Chauffeur

Maid

Housekeeper

Accountant

Manicurist

Pedicurist

Seamstress

Veterinarian

Barber

Dog Walker

Make-up artist

Adventurist

Spontaneous

Sex educator

Organizer

Planner

Example Setter

Instill morals and values

Religious teachers

Listeners

Money Maker

Money hander-out-er

Entertainer

Juggler / Circus performer

Wrestler

Athlete

Sympathizer

etc...........

Did I mention:  

Many of us women have jobs, part or full-time

Go to school ourselves

Are active in our churches 

And oh yah, 

added into this mix to add a cherry on top of it all,

we get PMS and ZITS!!!

How do we find time for ourselves?????

At night after my kids go to bed (and have gotten my school homework done) I can hear myself think.  I look back at the day and think about my kid's sweet faces.  I have to remind myself that my almost thirteen yr old Chrsitan still loves me even though he text me earlier in the day from his friend's house to make sure I wasn't going to the same movies as him and his friends because they wanted to be alone with no parents.  In complete contrast to Elise(5), who sat on my lap in the movies and kept kissing me on the cheek.  I definitely cherish those moments when Justise (9) puts his little hand in mine in public and walks along with me holding hands.  I remind myself how precious it is and not long at all this will probably not happen again for at least 15 years (sad to say).

To be quite honest, I struggle with all of the many jobs of a house wife.  How do I stay connected with with my kids when I have to punish them and sometimes they say they hate me?  I know at the moment they may hate me, but it passes and I'm their mom and no one else can take my place.  No one knows them better then me.

So how do I stay sane? - Exersise.

You would be AMAZED at what a 20 min walk/ jog/ bike /yoga can do for your soul.

This is the one thing many of us don't do for ourselves because we are too tired, and we don't think it is important.  IT IS.