thewallises

We have officially entered the stage of Legos. I guess it’s considered late in the world of boys, but let me tell you, Jacob stuck with the train stage for a solid six years. So now as a 7-year old he is entering this world and is completely consumed by it! He looooooves it!

It began with a trip to Legoland. We went down there with our DVIA homeschool friends the Ballards, Bakers and Chans in the middle of December. We invited Jacob’s best friend Jack to come along for the day.

The fabulous day began with a one-hour robotics class. I loved getting to see Jacob and Jack seriously, intensely and busily building their robot alligator together as a team. Seeing them under the sign “Creative Engineering” gave me goosebumps at the thought of one day, indeed, them being engineers. I can totally see it happening one day! Jacob loves, loves, loves to engineer things and see things to completion from beginning to end!

Natalie was keeping up with the big kids! The 1st and 2nd graders were busy at work making their alligator robots and she sure kept up with them. She thrives on being ‘one of the big kids.’ Though she’s only 5 she acts as though she’s Jacob’s twin.

It was definitely very cool to see the programming we had done with the computer get realized in the motions of the alligator. It was most certainly the highlight of the day for me! I truly LOOOOOVE homeschooling days like these! For $8 a ticket we got entrance into the park, the robotics class and return complimentary tickets to the park. How cool is that?!

Lego is smart though! Because that fabulous $8 per ticket that got us so much, also got the kids REALLY hooked into all things Legos. Hence the full commitment and newfound passion on behalf of both of my kiddos to the acquisition and building of as many Lego sets as possible!

So Santa most certainly brought along a Lego set for Christmas! A 933-piece                  “City Garage” that Jacob very excitedly opened!!!!!

Grandma and Dide added to the collection with some Lego vehicles. And Omie began the collection for Natalie with the ever so cute Friends Lego line.

Which then led to our outing today to the Lego store at Downtown Disney. The kids were ecstatic beyond ecstatic to spend their own money! Jacob has been saving for over a year. That boy really can save and has an amazing grip on long-term gratification. I’m very thankful that at an early age he can delay gratification and ‘win big’ like he did at the store today. When he came home and opened his Fire Station set, he was thrilled beyond belief that the 732 pieces came in 9 bags!!! That is more bags than his City Garage set!!! 

I am sooooooooo thankful for my children’s diligence. The fact that Jacob came home today and intently built legos for 3 hours straight absolutely amazes me. The fact that yesterday Natalie reassembled her Friends Lego Cafe set that had broken apart in transfer from Omie’s house to ours and sat at the dining room table doing so for 2 1/2 hours straight also completely awes me. These kiddos have an ability to stick with something and stick with it for a really long time. 73. I am thankful for that! 74. Watching their fingers manipulate the super small pieces made me thankful for their fine motor skills. 75. Watching their eyes carefully scan the instruction manuals and go in search of the necessary pieces, made me thankful for their ability to follow directions so well. 76. Watching them sit there assembling all of this on their own made me so thankful for their independence. 77. But above all their ability to stick-with-it made me thankful for their vast supply of perseverance and the abundance of time I can afford them to sit and do something for so long. 78. It made me thankful for our lifestyle. 79. It made me thankful that this type of learning and building has been activating their brain cells and fingertips.

Today after completing 3 bags of his new set, Jacob was begging me to let him begin the 4th bag. He had finished the 3rd bag by candlelight, due to our neighborhood’s planned power outage for repairs. By the time it was 5pm it was almost completely dark in our home. I didn’t want him to strain his eyes, so my creative solution was to pack up and head to our local library. And boy the look of sweet satisfaction on his face when he successfully held up the finished fire engine! By day’s end he had completed the 4 bags- of all 4 transportation vehicles that came with the fire station set. A huge feeling of accomplishment!!! Nearly 4 complete hours of building time.

And you know what was SO super cool and unexpected?! Jacob showed the librarian Ms. DeeDee his finished fire truck. She was in awe of his creation and loved hearing all about how the two of them have begun a Lego collection and are now eagerly saving up for their next purchase. Ms. DeeDee politely excused herself for a moment. We were all taken by major surprise when Ms. DeeDee returned with a dollar bill for each of them! What?!?! Yes! The librarian herself offered each of them her very own dollars to help start them off on saving for their next Lego set. The kids were floored!!! As I was!!!! How absolutely sweet and incredible for the librarian to be so encouraging of their new hobby. She praised them for what avid readers they both are and for what sweet children they were to make her Christmas cards and cookies and said she wanted to support them in their endeavor of being engineers with Legos. After having completely emptied their wallets today in the Lego store, that dollar bill was a very welcome sight to both kiddos tonight!! They are already dreaming of the next set they hope to save up for and are now $1 closer.

80. I am thankful tonight for Ms. DeeDee and her surprise gift to them- but most of all for the profound encouragement she provided each of them. After watching my kiddos spend hours upon hours of sticking with something- and then to watch God use Ms. DeeDee to offer them beautiful encouragement for the very thing they spent so many hours doing- awwwwwwww my mama bear heart is thankful. Sometimes the most profound encouragement comes from the words and actions of people outside of family. I think sometimes kids grow up feeling that “of course” family members are loving and encouraging. But when an outsider speaks encouragingly- with no obligation- now that speaks volumes beyond volumes because the child knows that person is not tied to them and is under no obligation to be nice. I pray that Ms. DeeDee’s generosity today, both with her dollars and her words, stick in Jacob’s and Natalie’s memory for a lifetime. May that one moment and message be emblazoned in their hearts and memories forever! That they remember always how esteemed they are and how they are doing a great work of being diligent engineers and creators through all these Lego creations.

71. I was thankful for the soft fleecy inside of my zip up hoodie this morning. The cool January air, the shining sun, the blue skies, and the sight of my son climbing trees- awwww pure sweetness to my soul. Thankful that Jacob and I had 25 minutes together to just be together at a small park. Oh the sweetness, when he stopped and was delighted at the finding of a ladybug on one of the branches. He sat there studying it and letting it crawl all over his fingers. That was a sweet moment indeed. I tried to just soak up that moment. He was in no hurry to rush on; he just sat there studying it’s every detail. He shouted down to me: “Mama, one part of it is red and the other part is more of an orange color”. Ohhhh how I love that kind of attention to detail. Thank you God that you have given Jacob the sight and ability to see your intricate patterns and colors in nature. When he finally did want to continue on, he tried to let the ladybug transition to his shoulder so that it could go for a ride. And, yet, in that transfer somehow the ladybug feeeeeeeeelllllllll and hit the dirt/grassy patch below the tree. We both could hear the little sound as it thudded into the ground. “Oh no!!!” Jacob exclaimed, “is it still alive?!” I looked and yes, indeed, it was crawling away. And, yet, it now had one of its wings extended and seemed unable to curl it back under its red protective coat. It almost seemed to confirm in Jacob’s mind why he should climb with caution. He climbed with hesitating steps before that and now ensued a conversation about how things that fall fast to the ground can get hurt. So we talked about whether its the speed of the object that causes the injury. He said ‘yes, mama, yes. Something that is half a pound or something that is 20 lbs, have a different speed as they hit the ground.” Aha I could see a conversation unfolding about Force = mass times acceleration. Love it when learning can happen in the context of moments like this.

72. I am so thankful that we had 3 days with Martha! It was suuuuuuuuuch a treat to get to visit with her after so long. We had missed her! But now we got to hang out with her and have great quality time. Yay!! So thankful that we shared in memories of making snowball cookies, eating yummy steak and sitting at the dining room table for a couple hours chatting about life! Good stuff. So thankful that the kiddos and her had great quality time too! Loved it that Natalie yearned for hours and hours with her….a special one-on-one time heading over to Dino’s and back, followed by hours of mall time. Pure hilarity that Natalie dressed herself in Jacob’s clothes and Martha was willing to walk around with her looking like that while also carrying the potential weirdness-shame of walking with a booster seat for HOURS in the mall. Martha sure has a lot of confidence!

61. This morning’s church service. It was awesome. Pure awesomeness. Jeff and the band led us in amazing worship!!! Pastor Michael was on fire with the sermon this morning. The topic of the sermon was compelling and gripping. It made me so thankful for OCF, its leadership and its community of people.

62. The fabulousness of friends in our small group.

63. The yummy turkey, avocado, aioli, tomato on sour dough sandwiches Emily made.

64. The yummy heartiness of warm soup. Love the mix Mitzi brought me from Bob’s Red Mill. It was soooooo yummy!! And mmmmm mmmmm good with the addition of sweet potatoes and spinach.

65. The beautiful relaxation of a quiet home with all 4 of us asleep taking naps in the afternoon. Love being curled up in my fuzzy brown blanket and listening to sweet silence.

66. The joy of running into Dave and Kerry and the cousins at the Ice Rink this afternoon. What are the chances of that?!? So much fun!!!! Being a part of an awesome game of tag on ice with Caleb and Jacob- definitely a highlight!!

67. Five happy men sitting together outside brewing homemade beer. Love it that my husband has men he loves to hang out with. Cute seeing them all huddled around a big steaming pan of boiling barley.

68. Thankful for warmth. Warm clothes. Warm showers. Warm beds. A warm home.

69. Thankful for our dear friends the Benadoms. Feel so privileged that they stop to hang out with us when they return to L.A. during the holidays. Their family is such a precious family and I loooooooove it that their kids and our kids love hanging out together!!!! And my sweet friend Erika is always an inspiration to me on how to be a gentler mama with oodles of patience.

70. Thankful that I just purchased a Groupon for a hot air balloon ride for two!! 🙂 Yay!! Sometime in this new year of 2013 Steve and I will get to go on a sunrise ride in the air! I’m so excited. I’ve always thought it would be cool to do that over the Serengeti in Africa, but chances are that a balloon ride in Temecula is more likely to be the occurrence in our lifetime and budget. Excited for the prospect of this happening sometime in this new year! Thankful that we can already pay ahead now for a fun trip. Perhaps we can do that to celebrate my upcoming 40th birthday!? Or perhaps that will be our anniversary celebration next year for year #16.

Can I do it? With only 3 days left of this year, can I hit the 100 mark for counting my blessings? I love this question: “How do you open the eyes to see how to take the daily, domestic, workday vortex and invert it into a dome of an everyday cathedral?” and this quote: “I know what I want: to see deeply, to thank deeply, to feel joy deeply.” Loooove these lines in Ann Voskamp’s book “One Thousand Gifts”. I continue to be inspired to look for blessings in the smallest things and moments in my life. So here goes….

53.  I am thankful for my son’s confidence. The fact that he had uber enthusiasm to participate in “Weird & Whacky Day” at school and confidently walked out the front door looking like this……I am thankful. I am thankful that he has the creativity to turn a black tshirt into his bottoms, wear a pair of underwear on top of that, turn his shirt around backwards, wear pajama bottoms as his hat and mismatched soccer socks thigh-high. Wow! It was bold. It was daring. It spoke volumes of his confidence. I am thankful that he has not yet ever been scathed by the world of insults and I pray God will bolster his self-confidence throughout his growing years to even new levels so that he can always hold onto the bold confidence of who he is,  apart from what others think.

54. I am thankful that God has given Steve an incredible vision on how to build up and encourage the staff of his school. It’s the little things and big things he does that has created a phenomenal camaraderie, a work ethic of excellence and an amazingly unified staff that works to the good of the community. I am thankful for God’s infusion of His wisdom and creativity into Steve’s principal mindset. Ordering personalized zip hoodies, asking his mom to cook everyone a prime rib staff dinner, reading inspiring books….are just a few of the amazingly awesome ideas I’ve seen in action!

55. I am thankful for a daughter who is as silly as her Mama. I loooooooove that she’s kooky and funny and dramatic and willing to make silly, fun faces with her Mama in front of the camera. She and I have a special silly bond. I love that!

Mopey face 

Bothered face

Worried face

Happy face

Angry face

Thought bubbles “Mama you’re just so silly!”

56. For my little Van Gogh. Natalie is an artist at heart. She loves, loves, loves to paint and draw! She loves to work with acrylic paint, pastels, water color, crayons, markers, you name it. One morning she felt inspired to make a painting for Tante Mitzi, my sister. When we looked at it she said she was trying to be like Van Gogh. Immediately my mom asked her if it was inspired by Starry Night. Natalie nodded her head enthusiastically- thrilled it had been recognized. I ran outside to our car to grab the book we had just picked up at the “free” table at their school. Ohhhhhh my goodness!!!! She had indeed painted Starry Night! But here’s the thing- she had painted it before we picked up this book!!!! She painted it from memory! A couple weeks prior she had watched a BrainPop video on van Gogh and then watched Jacob put together a PowerPoint presentation for his classmates all about vanGogh. She remembered it!!! I was speechless. My heart overflows with thanks for this gift and talent God has given her.

57. Starbucks Mocha.  A happy drink. A rich treat. Thankful for that yumminess and how much better it tastes than coffeepot coffee.

58. The Butchers. This family makes my heart happy. Lots of history with these fabulous folks! And they hold ‘hopefully never’ the future of our children in their hands as our family’s appointed guardians. Love it though that I can rest assured that if, God forbid, anything awful happened to both Steve and I, that Jacob and Natalie would grow up with these very solid people to call mom and dad. Hopefully that day will never come and instead we can be two families happily living life with each other! This picture of their family just melts my heart!

59. Thankful I have a sister. Thankful that Natalie has her genes for gorgeous hair. Thankful that we had a recent visit with her. Thankful that she and I can pick up wherever we last left off. Thankful that she’s as meticulous and logistics-minded as I am. Thankful we share our background and stories of growing up together. Thankful that we had such a good time together that my heart was sad and missed her when she left to go back to Portland.

60. Thankful for my “Venn Diagram Friends”! Loved it that Marti, Heidi and I showed up to school wearing similar colors. Marti was all in green. Heidi was all in purple. And I had both green and purple on. So, together, we were the Venn Diagram and I was the overlapping part of the two circles. Is that nerdy or what?! So awesomely reflective about our academic nature and how much we’ve helped each other search for great ideas and challenge our kiddos with great academic work! These are incredibly special friends of mine who I am very thankful for that I met at DVIA!!!

Steve and I went out tonight to celebrate our 15th anniversary. Woohoo!!!!! 15 years!!!

We drove to Westwood with the plan of first buying tickets to tonight’s UCLA vs. Missouri basketball game and then heading to a Mediterranean cuisine restaurant with awesome reviews on Yelp.

Steve surprised me with a stop at a florist in Westwood. He had called ahead and ordered a corsage!!!! Aaaaaaaaawwwwwwww. Mega points for thoughtfulness!!!! He had even requested the ribbons to be blue and gold. I was giggling with delight at the thoughtfulness and also laughing at the thought of walking into a sporting event donning a corsage. Who does that?! Well, Steve Wallis does that. 🙂 And though I was wearing my UCLA zip up hoodie and jeans, I was going to wear that corsage with style and enjoy the mega sweetness of his thoughtfulness. I was thankful for being thought of by my hubby and the steps he took to plan for that treasured feeling.

Off we went to the box office at Pauley Pavilion. The place looks sooooooo cool!!! It’s fabulous how they constructed a new facade around the old, existing building. Although seriously we didn’t know whether to laugh or be shocked that the architects and engineers of this new beautiful building didn’t have enough foresight to realize that in inclement weather rainwater comes cascading down the new beautiful front and onto the Box Office window counters. So we stood there waiting with other patient Bruin fans as we watched the ticket sales staff try to soak up and slough off all the water that had pooled in the area under the glass where customers and ticket sales staff make exchanges of tickets for cash. Sooooo much water was being swooshed out of that pooled area and sloughed off the counters all while trying not to get the waiting customers in line wet in the process. Steve and I were shocked that better planning had not happened. That’s the kind of detail I would expect to be attended to in a $136 million renovation. Don’t you think? I know it’s weird that that kind of stuff catches my attention and has the potential of bugging me. But I’m a detail girl. 🙂

Anyway, once we had our tickets in hand we went in search of a place to eat. With only an hour left to game time and our realization that the Mediterranean restaurant was in fact not in Westwood itself, but on Westwood close to Santa Monica Blvd, we went in search of new options. First we quickly checked out the Student Union for options but since the hallways had an empty feeling, we decided to walk into Westwood. We ended up deciding on Five Guys. What better than a greasy hamburger on the night of a sporting event, right? So romantic, I know, but I was the one who chose the place.

And then off we went to the game. It was a GREAT game! The Bruins kept us on our toes, that’s for sure! And let me tell you…….my hubby can get pretty INTO a game emotionally…..getting all stressed out and nervous and clapping loudly…..all depending on if the game is tied or if we’re trailing by a few points or taking the lead. I loved getting to walk down memory lane with him at this game. He TOTALLY was like this when he was a student here as well. Whether it was back in the day when he paid $5 entrance for student tickets or he camped out in the cold of night with his blue beanie and sleeping bag to get good seats at the really big games and or now when we pay $50 per seat, he still gets TOTALLY into whether or not the Bruins are winning. I love that kind of competitiveness and allegiance to his alma mater and how that’s the same after all these years. You can tell from the super happy smiles at the end that the Bruins won! Yay!! In overtime, 97 to 94. A great game!

Just before the game began….

Oh no Missouri took the lead….

C’mon Bruins! C’mon!!

Serious?! You missed that shot?!? We needed that!

This is getting seriously nerve-wracking! Will they win??!?

Uh-oh. Now it’s tied at 94. This is not good.

Ohhhhhh the sweet relief!!!! They won!!!!! 97 to 94. What a close call. Thank goodness for Shabbazz Muhammad and his final 3-pointer and the great work of the 6’10” Wear brothers, the team pulled it off!!

A great win for the Bruins and a great date night out for the Wallises!

We laughed that we both enjoyed the wafting smell of the coffee that the older couple in front of us got with their order of hot dogs. Perhaps in 15 years we’ll be that older couple sipping coffee and eating hot dogs and thinking nothing of the randomness of that combination. Here’s to another 15 years and seeing what fun adventures God takes us on!

48. Prime Rib. Yum. Pure yumminess.

49. Snap Circuits. “Mama I can’t wait until tomorrow! I want it to be tomorrow already!” were Jacob’s words as I tucked him into his sleeping bag tonight. Grammy and Grandpa’s gift to him of ‘Snap Circuits’ was a huge hit! Hee already completed the first 10 circuits displayed in the manual. With a grand total of 101 offered in the manual, Jacob just can’t wait for the morning sun to show itself and give him time to accomplish more circuitry work. The love of accomplishment…..lights blinking….sounds…..rotating fan…..all as circuits are successfully closed. Super cool.

50. Steve and Dave playing Backgammon together. Two grown brothers enjoying a game of their childhood.

51. The joy of a girl whose primary love language is gifts. Wrapping presents with zeal. Checking all the presents under the tree. Waiting with major eager anticipation for gift-giving and gift-opening time! A million questions “when will it be time to open presents??” Jumping with joy at Aunt Kerry’s announcement that Jude would be woken up in 5 minutes for the gift time to commence. Ringing of a silver bell. Literal jumping up and down. Squeals of joy. The language of gifts speaking volumes and volumes to this little 5 year old of mine.

52. Pretty pinwheel pastry appetizers.

45. Red poinsettia plants. They’re just gorgeous. I love the deepness of the red leaves. I love the shape of the plant. I love how they give a splash of color to all the stores selling them. Perhaps too it’s because it reminds me of my wedding day. We got married in a church that had poinsettia plants all over for that month of December.

46. The choice of apples. Today as we were waiting for passport pictures, Natalie and Jacob said they were hungry. We walked into Pavilions and looked around at options. Within a few minutes Natalie shouted “an apple!! I’d love an apple!!!” And then Jacob chimed in: “me too! me too!” So we each picked one out. Natalie- McIntosh. Jacob- Braeburn. Mama- Fuji. Thankful for children who self-select and enjoy healthy snacks.

47. “But Mooooooooooooom, what about the protein part of dinner??!?!” Natalie exclaimed in horror as I announced it was bedtime. We had been out and about, setting up for the Young Life Christmas party and taking Jacob to his music concert rehearsal. So dinner was on the run……chips from the YL setup……….pizza slices from the music Christmas party….a cookie here…..a cookie there…. Yup, that’s right, no protein for dinner tonight.

In light of today’s feeling of being majorly ignored by some people I would have expected otherwise from, I need to focus on some gifts of goodness today. In an attempt to prevent resentment and bitterness from crouching in and overtaking my thoughts, I need to look for the beauty of this weekend and of today.

32. “Jacob’s Ladder”. Thankful that my friend Marti researched and found this resource  for developing reading comprehension skills and strategies.

33. Thankful that on today’s homeschool day, when I showed Jacob the cover of “Jacob’s Ladder” he was intrigued. Thankful that it led to a beautiful snuggle time on the couch of looking up the story in Genesis of Jacob and Esau……and then the dream Jacob had where God showed him a ladder reaching up to heaven with angels ascending and descending….and God’s promise to Jacob that He will always be with him.  Thankful that as I type this right now, I feel God whispering his encouraging words for me to just sit back and relax. God will be with my son, Jacob, too for all of his days. God will help me figure out this full homeschooling thing. Thankful that Jacob and I could snuggle on the couch and read from the bible today and then transition into this book on reading comprehension. Thankful that this time of reflecting has brought a sweet reminder to me that God will in fact lead me. Thank you God. I’m overwhelmed by who/what to align myself with come 2nd semester. I need to rest in your assurances that you are with us.

34. Thankful that as we finished reading the Aesop fable “The Crow and the Pitcher”, that we could step outside and test out how how dropping pebbles into a cup with a little bit of water could raise the level of water. Jacob had been confused by the crow’s solution of “picking up a pebble and dropping it in…..and then dropping in another pebble…..and on and on and on……until the water rose to a level that the crow could reach and drink from.” Absolutely love it that Jacob’s confusion was replaced with a firsthand experience of how that works. Water displacement in action! 🙂 Love it that his furrowed eyebrows and “I don’t get it” turned into a fun mini-lesson outside. Thankful that we have a walkway of pebbles that made this doable.

35. Thankful for libraries. Thankful for the librarian who helped me today find specific books I was looking for to teach Jacob about making inferences.

36. Thankful for the yummy taste of speculaas cookies.

37. Thankful for the sweet gooeyness of homemade cinnamon rolls.

38. Thankful for my sister. I missed her today. She was able to spend time here at my house Friday, Saturday and Sunday……and today I really missed her. Thankful she was able to come down from Portland. Thankful for my time with her. Thankful for her smiles. Thankful for her sweetness with Jacob and Natalie. Thankful we got to bake together. Thankful for her thoughtfulness in bringing a robust soup mix from Bob’s Red Mill. Thankful for the cute little homemade crafty bag she brought me for my iPhone. Thankful for the thoughtful Christmas presents she brought Jacob and Natalie. Thankful that she too loves logistical management and has such an incredible eye for detail and doing things with excellence. We are like two peas in a pod with regard to our work ethic. Thankful for the fun of being two sisters together.

39. Thankful that my children are safe in my arms. My heart hurts for the families in Connecticut who have lost their children to such tragedy. My heart is so heavy with grief for them. But I’m soooooooooo thankful Jacob wanted to snuggle with me on the couch today during his homeschool day. Thankful that he nestled in close to me. Thankful that he reached over and gave me a kiss on my cheek- totally out of the sweetness of his heart. Thankful that today’s homeschool day went so well and was so sweet.

40. Thankful for Natalie’s zany personality. Thankful for her mega excitement in receiving the super fuzzy pink vest with two pompoms hanging off the zipper! She was ecstatic beyond belief. Love that girl!

41. Thankful for the fun Natalie and I had at the Staples Center last week. Thankful she was eager to sit on my lap. Thankful that at intermission we had fun taking pictures of the two of us making all kinds of faces- happy faces, sad faces, angry faces, surprised faces….. love that girl and all her playful silliness!

42. Thankful for the paintings Natalie has been creating lately. Thankful to see that our homeschooling time spent listening to BrainPop videos on van Gogh, O’Keefe, Picasso, are things that have inspired her to experiment as she paints. She has in particular been inspired by van Gogh’s use of extra paint for texture. And using swirls in her brushstrokes. I loooooooooove seeing that our time spent discovering artist’s different styles is now surfacing in her paintings. Love it! Love it! Love it! It’s as if all of a sudden her paintings have changed and are developing into a whole new sophistication of style. It’s absolutely amazing to me. The one she made today especially caught my eye. So abstract. So colorful. So full of texture. I pleaded with her to please let me have it. She said I can get her next painting. That little stinker! I’m not sure who will get to be the lucky recipient of this one……but I seriously L-O-V-E it!

43. Natalie’s artistic rendition of van Gogh’s “Starry Night”. She baffled me. Completely, totally surprised me and baffled me. She must be an artist deep down to her core. She stood at our short, square coffee table painting quietly. I wondered as I walked past, what that rather large black vertical shaped aspect of her painting was all about in the left third of the painting. I could see the swirls in the thick blue painting. I didn’t say anything or inquire. But then Omie and Tante Mitzi came over. Natalie announced she had made the painting for Tante Mitzi. Wow! Cool!!! She announced she was trying to be like vanGogh. Omie asked if she was thinking of Starry Night while she painted it. Natalie nodded affirmatively, with a lot of excitement for having her artwork resemble such a fancy piece, to the point of recognition by Omie!!! I started to wonder again about that dark vertical piece. I headed outside, unlocked the car and retrieved a book we had just acquired at the kids’ school from a “free books” table. And there on the cover of the vanGogh paintings book, was Starry Night. And, yes, ‘lo and behold there was a prominent, black, vertical piece in the left third of the painting. How had I not remembered that??! How had Natalie remembered that??! She had only received that book this morning when we dropped Jacob off at school at 9:15. She painted this 3 hours prior to picking up that book. It was all in her memory…..from a week prior when we had a conversation about vanGogh’s artwork. WOW! I’m in awe. I am thankful for her mind. I am thankful for her talent. I am thankful for her love of art. I am thankful for the way she quiets herself and focuses so intently while she paints.

44. I am thankful for friends who cheer me up, pray with me and for me, who call and text to inquire how I’m doing, and with whom I can vent. So thankful for those friends.

Dude I’m only at 20. Still 980 more items to be grateful for. At this rate I think it’s going to take me a really long time. I need to practice the habit of looking for and expressing my thanks on a daily basis.

20. Natalie singing “I’m so proud of myself” a million times on repeat. It was her one-line, made-up song to congratulate herself on the H-U-G-E accomplishment of learning how to tie her shoelaces today. Watching her carefully study my fingers as I showed her how to “make the bunny ear” and tie the other lace around it, and then watching her face so intensely focus on her fingertips as she tried to follow through with all the steps on her own……awwww……..pure awesomeness for my mother heart. Today I bought her Hello Kitty pink sparkly shoes at Target. I told her she’d need to promise to try to learn to tie shoelaces if we got these shoes. And she sure kept her promise! Tonight she asked me to please, please teach her. And she sat there with fierce determination to learn and master it! I didn’t expect her to learn it so fast. I have one smart cookie! Actually, one very, very, very proud, smart cookie. 🙂 She giggled and sang her one-line song to herself in bed, over and over and over again. Oh the joy of seeing a child relish the pure adrenaline of sweet success and accomplishment. 🙂 Thankful for her determination. Thankful for how quickly her 5-year old mind understood and successfully worked out the steps of tying her shoelaces for the very first time!!!!!

21. After we bought two pairs of shoes at Target for Natalie (the one pair of Hello Kitty with shoelaces and another pair of fancy black shoes for the upcoming Christmas Dinner/Dance we’re going to), then we headed off to the mall together. Just Natalie and I. She was in sweet heaven, having just received two pairs of shoes and now strolling hand-in-hand with Mama into a mall. We never do that- just go to the mall. Our intention was the Hallmark Store, to buy a card for her music teacher. But both of our eyes caught sight at the pretty dresses hanging in the windows of the adjacent store. I had hoped to purchase a dress for myself for this dance we’re headed to. I’ve worn the same skirt/top combos to the past 5 or 6 of these Fameja Veneta events. It was SUCH a thrill having Natalie help me shop for a dress. She was so very opinionated about some. I would hold up a dress and she would make this sour-looking face and say “Noooooo!!!” She said it so emphatically and delivered the opinion with the most scrunched up face of disgust that I couldn’t help but just soak in her adorable cuteness and love every moment. She’s only 5 and yet she has very, very strong opinions about clothing. It seriously cracks me up. I was thankful for that time spent perusing clothing racks together. But the real clincher is when I tried on the dress we had both decided was best……and she let out this beautiful “awwwwwwww” sound and then said in the sweetest, gentlest voice “Ohhhh Mama you look like a model!!!!!!” It was as if the sight of me in this dress swept her off her feet and carried her away into this land of sheer beauty. I felt gorgeous. To hear her exclaim her awe of me in this dress, caused me to forget every bulge and pound I struggle with. Thank you Natalie for that gift of your “awwwwwww” today.

22. Thankful that today Jacob chose to be a good guy. Intentionally. For the past couple of weeks during lunch time there have been two teams of guys that play football at school. The Core 1 kids with Xavier against the Core 2 kids. Jacob has always wanted to be a part of the Core 2 team because they’re the team that always wins; he is competitive, deep down to his core, just like his mama and daddy. We’ve talked about the importance of being the good guy who shows greater concern about being a nice friend than about winning. So today he joined his friend Xavier on the team with the kindergartners. He cared more today about his friend Xavier than about being on the team that scored more points. I am thankful that God’s Holy Spirit tugged on Jacob’s heart just as I had prayed. Thankful that God heard my prayer. Thankful that the Holy Spirit tugged. Thankful that Jacob responded to that tug. Thankful that God is alive to hear my prayers and move/shape/mold my son when I’m not there to help Jacob make good decisions.

23. Thankful for friends who pray for me and text me and hug me. Thankful that they know me and my struggles. Thankful they are in my life and are concerned about me and that I can confide in them.

24. Thankful for my husband and how hard he works.

25. Thankful for my husband’s sweet care and concern for Annie and Charlie this weekend. He gave them their much needed baths. But because it was cold outside and he was worried they wouldn’t dry in time before the evening, he crouched down on the driveway and blow-dried their fur. Seeing my manly man holding our small Conair blow dryer, lovingly drying our dogs’ fur- that’s ‘melt-my-heart’ material. Thankful for his caring concern.

26. Thankful for my husband’s humor. We decorated a Christmas tree this weekend and as is always the tradition- he tried to place the “Annie” yellow dog ornament in some location of prominence on the tree. Annie is his favored dog- so he always wants to make sure that Annie takes some form of priority in the decoration of our tree. Ha! It’s hilarious. So when I woke up Sunday morning to find Annie in the hands of the angel adorning the top of our tree, I couldn’t help but laugh. Of course he would. That’s the way he is. Annie would of course be up in the angel’s arms. Oh my goodness! And now the Annie and Charlie ornaments sit at the manger scene. Not sure if that was Steve’s doing or Natalie’s. But nonetheless those two dog ornaments have brought much laughter over the years.

27. Thankful for books. Thankful for our local libraries. Thankful for Jacob and Natalie’s deep desire to hold and treasure stories. Thankful for the way they each snuggle up very close against my arms and shoulders when we sit together on the couch. They press their bodies into mine as I unfold the stories with my voice. I love those moments. I love how many hundreds and thousands of books we have read over the past few years. I should have created a spreadsheet years ago, just entering the number of books we check out weekly. Just this week we had 90 library books checked out, sitting on the floor next to the piano in stacks. Thousands of books have been held in my hands and their hands. Beautiful illustrations. Rich texts. Journeys to faraway places and different times. Stories of bravery. Stories of care and concern. I remember the first couple of times I checked out books, when Jacob was just a tiny thing, and I had this germaphobe view of the books. The book covers seemed so sticky and filled with germs. I imagined someone in an unkempt dirty home or children with dirty hands holding these same books. And so I felt like I was bringing uncleanly books into my home. I remember wanting to wash my hands after reading the books to Jacob. I wanted to prevent those unknown, unseen germs from rubbing off into our lives. And, yet, now that concern seems so distant. Now I’m just abundantly thankful for the thousands of books we have had access to. And the thousands of books that have enriched my children’s imagination and understanding of the world. They are treasures that have kept us saving hundreds upon hundreds of dollars. We seriously would have been broke by now if we would have had to buy books to keep up with the voracious appetite my two kids have for reading.

28. Thankful for the focused, concentrated faces of my children as they were building robotic alligators out of LEGOs. Yesterday we were able to enroll them in a robotics class at LegoLand. That class was awesome! Seeing their concentration and zest for completion was awesome! Hearing Jacob explain to the instructor his understanding that gears of the same size turn at the same speed, but gears of different sizes turn at different speeds. The smaller gear, he explained, needs to turn faster because it makes more turns in the same time it takes a larger gear to make its full circular turn. So a gear half the size of a larger gear, would move twice as fast as the larger gear. I sat there with my jaw open. Seriously? My kid knows this? And seriously? He can explain it so well. I was thankful for the smarts of my kid. 🙂

29. Thankful that Jacob has such an awesome best friend in Jack.

30. Thankful that Natalie has such a sweet best friend in Miriam.

31. Thankful that Miriam’s mom invited me to do homeschool with her at their home. Thankful for her invitation and her offering to let us in, into their life. Thankful for the opportunity to develop friendships with people from Natalie’s class. Thankful to see Natalie in all her sweet girlness, playing and story-telling and being girly-silly with her sweet friend Miriam. Thankful to get to see her in the full glory of all that within her is girl. I saw a different side of Natalie that I don’t normally see when she is with her brother. I could see in Natalie and Miriam’s friendship and the way they interacted, the genuine joy and beauty that comes from two girls hanging out together. It was such a happy picture.

There’s so much to write about, but my emotions are full and I’m pooped. Just want to jot down these notes so I can remember and come back and spill my thoughts later. Lots of beautiful stories about ‘journeys’- Andy, Trish, Jenny @ the OCF Women’s Tea. Spending an afternoon with my mom at a tea. A date night out with Steve to see the ‘Abe Lincoln’ movie; thinking deeply about all that was entailed to abolish slavery in this country. Coming home to see my mom with a Snow White tatoo on her forearm- graced by Natalie. Seeing Jacob on the video I took of him presenting all about Holland to his classmates. Natalie and her blue-markered hands/arms as she colored and then rocked out on her ‘electric guitar’ made of wood. Schoelbak. Good times. And earlier this week- Wednesday at Disneyland, closing the chapter of our lives of annual pass holders. Spending the evening in a magical way with Steve, the kids and their grandparents and great-grandparents. So much to be thankful for. Oh and how could I forget! I met my personal deadline! I packed emergency-preparedness kits for our home and car all by the end of Thanksgiving weekend! Yay!!! That’s the the biggest load off of my conscience. 🙂

Goodnight. Perhaps I’ll come back and record details later. I’m off to la-la land. 🙂