Happy Birthday, Love!

Walt Whitman, on the death of Abraham Lincoln, gave high praise to our 16th President. Today, one of Abraham Lincoln's most handsome devotees celebrates his birthday. And so, I'd like to dedicate (a slightly altered version of) Whitman's words to my most wonderful Jon...

"Why, if the old Greeks had had this man, what trilogies of plays - what epics - would have been made out of him! How the rhapsodes would have recited him! How quickly that quaint tall form would have enter'd into the region where men vitalize gods, and gods divinify men! But [Jon] ... belongs altogether to [me]."

Happy Birthday, My Love!

(he might shoot me for posting the picture above, but who can't help but love a man that is so secure with himself ... and who couldn't help but capture it on film!)

Creativity

"The creative is the place where no one else has ever been. You have to leave the city of your comfort and go into the wilderness of your intuition. What you'll discover will be wonderful. What you'll discover will be yourself."

- Alan Alda

I read this great article yesterday about a "school" here at Stanford that essentially teaches creativity, and it got me thinking that I would love to develop my creative side. My problem is that whole "leaving my comfort zone" thing, though ... I'm one to play it on the safe side and not take risks. I love the quote above that I found, though, and I'm thinking it might have to become my new creative mantra.

How do you foster your creative side?

Happy Post-Valentine's Day

We're usually not ones to make a big fuss out of Valentine's Day, but I'm realizing that one of the joys of having children is that holidays that have become boring are suddenly infused with new fun. We started out our V-Day with red oatmeal for breakfast (note: After consistently being subjected to the questionable look of green pancakes for St. Patty's Day as a kid I always swore that I wouldn't subject my kids to the food coloring dyed holiday foods, but yet again I realize that I'm becoming my mother...)

That followed with an art project involving colored pudding (yes, food coloring again) and a giant V-Day card for Jon.
And our day finished off with a mommy-daddy dinner (traditional Abraham Lincoln style), with a new and improved white almond cake for dessert ... yum! (not to mention the gourmet dark chocolates that were my V-Day gift :)All in all, I'd say it was one of my best Valentine's Days yet!

Catching up with ourselves

Ay, ay, ay! I just can't seem to get around to blogging these days. Life is good ... busy, but in a good way. Here's some of what we've been up to:

First haircut (this is the before pic).

Playing with Grandma in the snow (she had more fun than he did).

Celebrating Christmas

Celebrating double cousin birthdays

Add to that 6 new teeth, new first words, an ear infection, school crisis (Cami), voracious reading (Jon), and lots of outside play in the beautiful (yes, that deserves a bold) weather, and that about covers our last 6 weeks.

See you soon (I'll try harder, I promise).

In Loving Memory

I think that I shall never see,
a poem lovely as a tree!

A tree whose hungry mouth is pressed,
against the earth's sweet flowing breast;
A tree that looks at God all day,
and lifts her leafy arms to pray;
A tree that may in summer wear,
a nest of robins in her hair;
Upon whose bosom snow has lain,
who intimately lives with rain.

Poems are made by fools like me,
but only God can make a tree!
(Joyce Kilmer)

In loving memory of William James Telford
December 14, 1913 - December 14, 2010

A Few of My Favorite Things

The Holidays have officially arrived! Christmastime always makes me think of my favorite things (I'm not sure if it's just the nature of the season itself, or if it's because they've converted the Sound of Music song into a Christmas song...), and one of my very favorite things is putting up Christmas decorations. I love, love, love turning on the MoTab, stringing my garland of lights, setting up the nativity, and then turning out the lights and enjoying a warm cup of tea while looking at the sparkling lights. It's just such a peaceful, happy thing.

I'm not one who gets into too much elaborate Christmas decorating (I've made a promise to Jon to limit our Christmas decorations to no more than a couple of boxes), but I do have a couple of pieces that are my absolute favorites and "make" Christmas for me. The first is a simple garland with white lights that I bought before getting married when I wanted to bring some Christmas spirit into my apartment of single girls. I always hang it prominently, and love the way the lights make evergreen shaped shadows on the wall.

The second is my nativity set that I got while in Jerusalem. I actually went to Jerusalem intent on not getting a nativity set (something about it being what everyone else did, and not wanting to be "cliche" ... part of my late-blooming, adolescent need to assert my independence from society :) But, of course, once there I fell in love with a particular beautiful olive wood nativity, and it has truly become my treasured remembrance of that amazing summer. I love pulling it out and thinking of all that Christmas is really about ... the simple assurance of peace that came through the quiet birth of a Baby in Bethlehem.

My goal every year is to invite Christ into my life more during the holidays. This year that seems especially vital as I think of beginning Christmas traditions now as a mother. I'd love to hear more about your "favorite things" that help you to feel the spirit of Christmas both personally and with your children.

What are you thankful for?

I love these Church YouTube videos! This one captured some of my thoughts lately as Thanksgiving is approaching:



Some of the little things I'm thankful for lately are:

• the pitter patter sound James makes as he crawls around the house
• having a husband that I know I can trust completely
• a jogging stroller, and beautiful weather to use it in
• two days off each week to be home
• monitor sitting
• scriptures and prayer

What are you thankful for?