Christmas Week

We are beyond blessed to have family so near to share holidays and even everyday with some of them.  This Christmas week was filled with family, laughter, gifts, food, and making memories.  

Sunday

I convinced Brent that we should open our gifts at home Sunday since we had a busy week ahead.  (I am always looking for a reason to open gifts sooner than later...I LOVE giving gifts:))  We're very low key at our house for gifts since we celebrate so much with extended family.  

Luke in his new Seahawks jersey

Monday

My grandparents and cousin were in town for some appointments at Mayo, so we went out to dinner at Chester's for some extra time with my cousin who was in town from California.  

Tuesday - Christmas Eve

After work, we headed to Albert Lea for the annual Green family Christmas and birthday (Grandpa's) celebration.  If I remember correctly, I have spent every Christmas Eve at my grandparent's since was born. Christmas Eve in their basement, gathered around the Christmas Tree and built in bar filled with food, is my idea of Christmas Eve:)  It was a special treat to have my cousin, Jamie, in town from California for Christmas this year.

This year, since we had plans on Christmas Day in Rochester, we decided to drive home Christmas Eve night after the festivities.  It was a slow, cautious drive since it had been snowing since late afternoon, but we made it safely.  

Driving home from Albert Lea Christmas Eve night 

Both out like lights:)

Wednesday - Christmas Day

We spent Christmas Day at our house with the Picker family this year.  It was a lovely, relaxing day and couldn't have gone more smoothly.  (With seven grandkids ranging from baby to tween, it can get a bit crazy to fit naps, eating, gift opening, etc into one day;))   It was also a beautiful Christmas Day with the fresh snow form the night before.

Thursday

Back to work for Brent and I, so the kids got to spend the day with Papa and Gma.  Luke and Gma went to Walking with Dinosaurs.  By Thursday night, however, Luke was run down and started throwing up:(

Friday

Ended up being a day home for myself and the kids with Luke recuperating.

The night after Christmas, Luke got sick
so Friday was a day of rest

Snuggling playing Xbox
(Nora just pretends to play;))

Saturday

We celebrated with Beckmanns on Saturday and had a day filled with crafts, games, gifts, and good food.  The ladies all made monograms for our last names wrapped in fabric and embellished.  Luke and Bridget worked on a gingerbread house and most all of us did some coloring with Nora at some point throughout the day:)

Crafts and Cranberitas:)
A sneak peek at my partially finished monogram

Sunday

Sunday was our day of R&R before beginning another work week.  We assembled toys, found homes for our new gifts around the house, and enjoyed our time together.

Lego assembly

Enjoying the new toys

Playing with her new toys while wearing her new coat:)

Pushing her new stroller around the house

What a little momma:)

2013 Christmas will certainly be remembered fondly for years to come!

Check out our Shutterfly site for full photo albums from our Christmas Celebrations.

Recent Quotes from our House

After having dinner out, I said "I'm glad I only got the lunch size portion because I'm super full just from that." Luke said, "Maybe next time you should get the breakfast size."

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Luke calls from the bathroom, "Can someone please get Nora.  She's trying to snuggle me while I'm going to the bathroom."

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I told Luke that Nora and I had stopped at the pet store and that she liked the cats.  The following conversation ensued:
L: I want a cat.
Me: Why?
L: Because they're cute and soft and cuddly
B (from the other room): Grizzly bears are cute, soft, and cuddly too, but we're not getting one of those either.

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I've recently been selling a few items on Facebook which prompted Brent to ask how much he thought we could get for selling one of our kids.  He then asked Luke which one of us he'd want to sell (me, Brent, or Nora).  Luke chose to sell me.  I was not surprised by this, but I had to rub in that he would have a lot of cleaning, laundry, and grocery shopping to do...plus he'd need to find his own ride to school;)

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas from the Pickers!

Terrific Kid

Luke received his second Kiwanis Terrific Kid Award at school last week and we couldn’t be more proudJ  (See last year’s post for his first award.) Each child receives a Terrific Kid Award each school year for one of the school core principles: Respect, Responsibility, and Safety.  This year Luke’s award was for responsibility. 

Each month there is an assembly where a few kids from each class receive the award for the core principle of the month.  It was especially fun to see that two other girls receiving the award were friends of Luke’s from daycare.  I think this also a compliment to our lovely daycare family for helping to create such responsible kiddosJ  

(P.S. It was pajama day at school, hence the fun attire;))

Luke receiving his award from
the assistant principal

The second grade recipients (Luke far right)

Phoebe is in red with her hands raised and
Kya is to the right in pink and gray
(daycare friends)

Izzy, Luke, and Sommer from Luke's class (far right)

Terrific Kid Award from Kiwanis

Text from Mrs. Parker for Luke's award:
"Luke is a very responsible student.
Luke can be counted on to follow all the rules in school."

Lately with Luke

Our sweet, sweet boy is also growing up before our eyes.  We’re quite sure of this since he’s been complaining of growing pains in his knees and ankles regularly.  I’ve also had to carry him while sleeping a few times recently and, let me tell you, that boy is heavy!  I think my days of lifting him are coming to an end.

 

Lately with Luke:

• To say he is a great big brother is the understatement of the century.  He adores Nora and loves all of her new words, antics, and abilities just as much as Brent and I do.  The other day, we were working on something in the kitchen with Luke so Brent turned some cartoons on for Nora in our bedroom.  We did this so we could have some focused time with Luke while Nora was awake.  But, after about 10 minutes, Luke stops what he’s doing and says “I’m going to check on Nora.”  I’m telling you, he simply adores herJ   He also loves to be the one to get her out of her crib when she wakes up in the morning or after nap.  It’s so sweet.
• He’s really coming along with his writing.  We were reviewing his spelling words and I kept thinking he must still be writing and then he’d say impatiently, “I’m ready”.   He certainly has “boy handwriting”: he writes fast, not very nicely, but you get the gistJ  I was just impressed by how adept he’s getting with it. 
• He has always enjoyed math, but this year he’s in an advanced math group.  He gets to meet in a small group with a different teacher once a week for this “special” group (I don’t know what it’s call or if it even has a nameJ)
• He loves time with his family: grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, everyone!  He has such an amiable personality that he gets along with most everyone so he seems to have a special connection with each of his extended family.  He’s very excited for Christmas and the chance to spend time with everyone.
• This fall, he started playing Scrabble.  His very first game was with Papa Kerry.  Brent and I were only there for the end of their game, but Luke seemed to be holding his own pretty well.  He even ended up beating Papa in points at the end:)
• He loves the Xbox, computer games, reading and snuggling with Nora, watching football or basketball with Daddy, playing football, basketball or wrestling with Daddy, and baking and projects with Mommy.  We all love every minute with him!

Painting at Color Me Mine with Mommy

Book worm

Hangin with Mekhi in matching coats

A rare moment snuggling with Mommy

Be still my heart:)

Proud of his big snowman cookie and not too
embarrassed to wear Mommy's apron in a pic:)

Impromptu snuggles

Lovin his new Seahawks jersey

High Five for Friday

These two...enough said:)

Snow bunny

Sweet helpers

Focused artist

Working together

Someone stole Daddy's hat

First time frosting cookies

Proud of his largest cookie

Playing dress up in Daddy's shirts

 

Even the drama is cute

Nora's Notables

It’s been a while!  I’m not as good at remembering updates when I don’t do it monthlyJ 

Our little lady is becoming just that…a little lady.  I catch myself when I call her baby because it doesn’t seem true anymore. 

Our Nora is an outgoing, sweet, chatty little girl who brings SO much joy to our days and is growing more independent each day.  Without further ado, Nora’s recent notables…

• She chatters constantly, some recognizable and some not.  She and Luke love playing the “Nora can you say…” game.  This past weekend she was even mimicking words like octopus when Luke said themJ  The funnies thing though is that she still doesn’t make a recognizable sound for Luke.  We think the L sound trips her up.  She does say brother but rarely refers to Luke with words. 

• She has mastered the use of the word "no".  Prior to this weekend she really only shook her head no when she didn’t want a food.  But that changed quickly this weekend when she started saying "no" anytime she didn’t want to go along with what we were doing, eat what we offered, where we’re going.  It usually doesn’t come out as just no either, it’s usually "no, no, no" (in a desperate voice) plus a head shake.  Quite dramaticJ

• Since she’s now been walking for two months, she is very competent on her feet and loves the freedom and speed of her own two feet.  We’ve been working a lot on her listening skills so that she will learn to look at us when we give her instructions to come or go or whatever.  I’m very impressed with how well she’s doing, though of course there are times that she runs the other way.  She is a toddler after all;)

• She’s also been finding her independence in eating.  She’s been practicing more with utensils and also loves the applesauce on the go containers that allows her to squeeze it into her own mouth without any help.

The result of independent eating

• She is very aware of her surroundings and routine. She knows that on week day mornings, we pick up Ethan, drop Ethan & Luke off at school, pick up Papa, and finally Papa drops me off at work.  She waves good bye to the boys when we get to school, she says “Papa’s” when we get in his driveway, and she blows me kisses when we get to my work building.  She is also aware when we deviate from this routine.  The other day I had to return a movie to Family Video on the way to work.  She broke down in devastating tears when we stopped and I hopped out of the car for a minute to drop the DVD.  I think she was afraid we weren’t heading to Papa’s like she knows is the routineJ

• She is in the phase of leaving a trail of toys behind her where ever she goes.  The trails mostly consist of her favorite things: books and stuffed animals, though the items strewn about the house can vary by the end of the dayJ  We’re also starting to work on cleaning up toys which she’s starting to understand. 

• She loves hats.  She has at least four winter hats and will even wear them around the house.  Most any other item of clothing works as a hat for her too though.  She often picks clothes up off the floor or out of the folded laundry I’m working on and drapes it over her head and shouldersJ 

• She loves people!  She loves roaming around public places (within our view of course) and chattering and smiling at people. She recently did it at Festival of Trees, in a shoe store, and in the main lobby of Mayo’s Gonda Building.  This outgoing little lady might be stretching her introverted parents out of their shellsJ 

• She has lots of teeth, and I can’t keep up with the total number anymore.  Brent did say that she has three of her four molars so far. 

• We introduced her to coloring this weekend and she loves it!  It’s so fun watching how focused she is how she concentrates so hard to hold the crayon in a way that she can make marks on the paper.  We may have a crafter on our handsJ

Working SO hard

• She’s loving all of the Christmas lights and points them out (saying “lights”) on the tree, out the window, and when we’re in the car.  She was a good motivation to put the tree up this yearJ  We’ve been very grateful that, other than the lights on the tree, she really doesn’t care about the gifts or ornaments and has left them alone.

Festival of Trees

Love Always Stoops

We heard a sermon today with the most impactful quote I have heard in quite some time:  "Love always stoops."

The quote comes from Jesus, My Father, the CIA, and Me: A Memoir...Of Sorts by Ian Morgan Cron.

(Disclaimer:  I have not read the book and only heard the telling of one section of the book once.  I hope I'm doing it justice.)

The short version of the story is a friend's reaction to Ian telling his experience of hearing God (audibly) speak to him. He had a lot of mixed feelings about what this experience meant, but he said the most clear explanation of the experience was from this friend.  He felt unworthy, as a lowly human, to have heard God's voice and especially the message he received.  His friend said that it did not surprise her that God had spoken to him in this way.  She said, "Love always stoops"; just like when God lowered himself to become a human himself when he sent Jesus as a baby and when God lowered himself to death when he was crucified.  Both of these things he did for us, lowly humans.

I absolutely love how "love always stoops" can apply in so many circumstances...

Parenting
Love always stoops to come to your child's level, to hear their voice, to see their expression, to give them a hug.

Marriage
Love always stoops to serve our spouse.  Whether it's literally stooping to pick their laundry up off the floor, stooping in ego or pride in an argument, or stooping to join them in something they enjoy even if you do not.

Disgruntled Coworkers or Customers
Love always stoops to show them that you respect them as a human being, that you are not looking for the upper hand or the opportunity to diminish them so you can feel superior.

The Person filled with Shame
Love always stoops to meet their eyes to show them they are still a person worthy of relationship.

The Mourner
Love always stoops by lending an ear when others think the mourning is "over".

And, I'm sure the applications go on and on.

I am grateful for this reminder and application today.

On This Day...

On this day...

I remember the horrific day in Newtown, CT when so many young lives were lost at Sandy Hook School.

I remember all of the nights this past year that I have made a second stop in Luke's room before I head to bed while thinking about the families in Newtown who didn't get the opportunity to tuck their babies into bed.  

I honor the life of our friends' baby girl who only graced this world with her presence for eight months and was called home today.

I am reminded that all of the firsts I've shared with Nora, our friends will never experience with their daughter.

I do not claim to understand why our second grader is still alive and safe while twenty others from Newtown are not.  Nor do I understand why our baby was born strong and healthy while our friends' daughter was born with a disability.

This is the stuff of life that simply cannot be explained.  I am grateful though that there is comfort in our hope and in community.

Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.  

~Matthew 5:4

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.

~Ecclesiastes 3

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.  

~Romans 12:15

On this day, I mourn with those who mourn.  

Remembering Grandpa

Last month I shared a post: Remembering Grandma.  Today, I remember her husband, my Grandpa Beckmann, who we lost a year ago.  I loved the emotional process of blogging about Grandma and I have just as many wonderful memories of Grandpa so I thought I'd remember Grandpa as well.

When I think of Grandpa Beckmann, I think of playing softball, playing croquet, Dairy Queen, potato wedges from the gas station, striped bib overalls, his table quotes, and the smell of the farm.

Playing Softball and Croquet

Grandma and Grandpa had a long front yard that was perfect for sports.  It was relatively flat with only a few slight dips and ridges and we loved playing softball and croquet on it.  I remember family-wide games of both in the front yard with whoever was around for the weekend.  But, when I think of softball especially, I think of Grandpa.  I remember his willingness to jump right in to pitch or bat (all while wearing his striped bib overalls) and his strong voice calling instructions or encouragement.  I even remember thinking once that his voice sounded like John Wayne's:)  *Sigh* I can feel the warm sun and breeze just thinking of a game with Grandpa.

Dairy Queen and Potato Wedges from the Gas Station

Wells, MN is a small farming town in south central Minnesota.  But, like any good Minnesota small town, it had a Dairy Queen:)  My Grandma was a wonderful cook, but it was always a fun treat to head to Dairy Queen.  And, it was always Grandpa's idea for the treat and outing (since we had to drive into town from his farm to make it happen).  As with many small towns, there were not many options for eating out.  So, one of the other things I remember doing with Grandpa was getting hot potato wedges from the gas station on the way into town.  They sold other hot food items like fried chicken and pizza, but Grandpa and I loved the potato wedges.  Thinking back on it, he probably liked the excuse that I loved them so he could get the treat too;)

Striped Bib Overalls

August 2012

This is Grandpa, exactly as I remember him: plumply filling out his striped bib overalls.  Oh how it warms my heart to think of our visit last August when he first met Nora.  Grandpa was a farmer and he dressed the part. Only later in life, after his daily farming routines had dwindled or on special occasions, did you see him in regular pants and a shirt.  I even remember asking him when I was young how he could wear his bibs in the summer when it was so hot.  His answer, while pointing to the buttons on the hips "they have built in air conditioning".  A true farmer who always sported a farmer's tan:)

His Table Quotes

As I mentioned in my blog about Grandma, we spent a lot of weekends at the farm during my childhood.  Grandpa was never short on funny little lines, but two of my favorite quotes were common while at the table.  First was his reaction to the way my mom put butter on her toast.  He'd ask, "Does that toast have an itch you need to scratch?"  He thought that butter should be slathered thickly on toast, not scratched on in small amounts (you know the sound I'm talking about:)).  The other quote I remember from Grandpa while eating some very strange combinations on his plate "It all goes to the same place".

The Smell of the Farm

The smell of the farm always makes me think of Grandpa.  It was a combination of oil, crisp outdoor breeze (like you smell in fall), dirt, and whatever animal he was last nearest (cows in the earlier years when he was milking or his beloved dog in later years after the livestock was gone).  That probably doesn't sound very pleasant, but it truly is to me.  And that smell wasn't just on Grandpa.  It was in his truck and in his favorite recliner chair.  It was Grandpa.  

All in all when I think of Grandpa, I think of a man who worked hard and enjoyed life.  He loved food, games, chatting, and laughing and he was a wonderful Grandpa to his thirteen grandchildren.  I am forever grateful that Luke knew and enjoyed time with Grandpa and I hope he will always remember "Grandpa on the farm".  I will never forget how proud Grandpa was to bring his family (the three generations resulting from him and Grandma) on the annual hayride during his final years on the farm.  

These parting picture are of Grandpa pulling us on the hayride...in all his glory.

A special memory with Luke

Always surveying the fields

Another Weekend Full of Blessings

I've been looking forward to this weekend for at least a month.  It felt like the kick off to the Christmas season in a lot of ways.

Friday night, my sister and I treated the Beckmann Core Four (mom, dad, Bridget, and I) to the Martina McBride Joy of Christmas concert at State Theater.  It was a beautiful concert in a lovely setting.  We also had the chance to meet my cousin Steph and Richie for dinner before the concert.  It was a great night shared together!

The beautiful State Theater

The talented Martina McBride

Saturday, my mom and I spent the afternoon making Christmas cookies with a Community Ed class.  I think there were 20 women in the Mayo High School cafeteria kitchen making 10 different kinds of cookies.  Each person took home a dozen cookies of each type of cookie after our afternoon of working together.  It was such an easy, relaxing way to get a variety of cookies without all of the planning, shopping, prepping, baking, and clean up.  I loved it and now I'm all set for a cookie exchange on Wednesday:)

Saturday night, the kids spent the night with my parents while Brent and I headed to Rosemount to celebrate Greg & Cally's 35th birthdays.  It was a great night of relaxing, chatting, laughing, and playing games with four other couples.  In this phase of life with young kids, we had forgotten how fun adult only birthday parties can be:)

Sunday was a sleep-in-and-catch-up-in-the-warmth-of-the-house kind of day while it snowed lightly outside.

I had a great time kicking off the holiday season with the concert and baking and time with ones I love is the cherry on top:)

Thanksgiving Weekend Blessings

Thanksgiving weekend in itself was a wonderful blessing:  five days straight off work for me and off school for Luke.  This was our first five day break together, without any travels/vacation planns, since June!  I just love breaks from school with our boy:)  We started a list of things we wanted to do, fun stuff, over the Thanksgiving break (highlighted in bold below).  We were so blessed to be able to do them all!

Wednesday was a preparation day for Thanksgiving at our house with the Pickers on Thursday.  We ran a few errands and Luke got to have a sleepover at Papa and Gma Picker's Wednesday night.

First thing Thursday morning, we met Audra, Ethan, Luke, and Papa Kerry at Soldier's Field to run the Gobble Wobble 5K.  The younger boys ran the kids' 1K around the park first then headed home with Papa Kerry.  Audra, Brent, and I ran the 5K.  It was a great way to start Thanksgiving supporting Salvation Army and getting some exercise before the feast (even if it was quite chilly).  We spent the rest of the day with all of the Pickers eating and relaxing.

Ready for their 1K!

Friday, we were able to coordinate a trip to the pool with the Picker cousins.  The kids, all but Annie, and the parents, all but Brent, had a great time in the nice warm pool at the RAC.

Pool Time!

The 4 bigger cousins

Annalise proud to be swimming on her own with her life jacket

Nora had fun "counting" with us, then
"jumping" in holding our hands:)

Troy, Alaina, and Audra

Friday night Luke, Mekhi, and I saw Frozen, a very cute Disney movie released this week.  The boys loved the snowman character and shared a lot of giggles:)

Mekhi & Luke in matching coats at Frozen

Saturday was a day of rest after a busy few days.  In the evening, we brought Luke to his choice for dinner:  Cici's Pizza, then the kids hung at Papa & Gma Picker's while Brent and I caught The Hunger Games: Catching Fire.

Sunday we spent the day with Beckmanns visiting the Festival of Trees, which has become a Thanksgiving weekend tradition with Papa and Gma, sharing a Thanksgiving meal, and playing games.  Nora loved the Festival of Trees, taking in all of the lights, sights, and people.  She pointed and chattered away:)  

Festival of Trees

How has Luke gotten SO long???

Best attempt at a pic together

A few of the out take pics:
Nora was slapping Luke on the head...
Luke was laughing, not crying as it looks...
nice...

We even got an action shot of her wind up...
though it looks like she was trying to hit me...
she did not...
that girl!

Tonight we came home and the kids kicked off their Twelve Days of Christmas gifts from Gma Ruth.  Each year Ruth gives each of the grand kids 12 gifts, one to open every other day from December 1-24.  She starts the tradition with a letter to the kids and a gift on the first day.  The grand kids all love the tradition.  I'll be posting pics and updates on Facebook in the 2013 12 Days of Christmas album if you care to follow the fun:)

My hope is that everyone reading this enjoyed their Thanksgiving holiday with the ones they love as we were blessed to do:)