Well, Christmas is over at our house. We have packed everything away. Somehow it always makes the house look really clean to take down stuff. I guess I just don't deal well with clutter for too long. (Which is weird because I am a clutter-y person.) Gabe was fine with the decorations going away, but he's having "Polar Express" withdrawls.
I doubt we will do anything for New Year's. I don't think I have even stayed up the past few years, but Matt and I have been watching all the seasons of "Buffy" again so maybe we'll have a "Buffy" marathon.
Gabe has been loving all his new toys. He cooks many things for us in his kitchen and he keeps borrowing things from around the house to make it more complete. He got a dish towel and he also pulled a book from the bookcase that is his recipe book (it is actually a French language book).
We rearranged his room to make room for the kitchen and also his baby brother.
We decided to have them share a room even though we have 3 bedrooms. This way some of the extra stuff we have still has a home and we are hoping that it will be good for Gabe to have some company in his room. We can always change it if it doesn't work. We have set up the rocking chair and changing table in the spare room so that the bedroom doesn't get too crowded.
Gabe knows that his brother should come after Christmas so now he is getting impatient. He's also throwing fits right and left which leads me to believe that he is nervous. I wouldn't mind the pregnancy being over, but I would still like a couple more weeks. I have been feeling all the signs that the baby is moving down and having some random and irregular contractions, so my body is getting ready. I know all of this could go on for awhile, but I am hoping that it means the baby is going to come a bit early. But I suppose every pregnant woman hopes that at the end of the pregnancy.
Saturday, December 29, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
Merry Christmas
Well, whether everything is wrapped perfectly, or the dinner menu is perfected, Christmas is coming. I hope everyone takes time to slow down and enjoy the company of family and friends.
Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas!
Friday, December 14, 2007
Aarrgh!
Christmas is 11 days away! 11! I have nothing done. Okay, at least the house is decorated, but that's about it. I still need to decide what food we'll want and go buy it, finish shopping for gifts (really I just have Gabe left, but I can't carry his kitchen myself so Matt has to do it, and I always have Gabe with me when I could pick up the other little things), send the gifts that I have to mail, make cookies because all the ones I already made are gone, and get and send Christmas cards.
That's just the home list. Church is worse, but at least most of the church stuff will be done this Sunday. I have the HS Winter Retreat this weekend starting at 7 pm and going through Sunday morning. This is the one that I do myself, not just taking them somewhere and someone else running the show. Then I have to help with the Christmas program rehearsal (luckily I have little responsibility there), the Christmas program itself is Sunday at 4 pm, but the bigger headache is that the youth group has to serve the soup supper that follows, and (because I'm crazy) we have to set up and run games for the little kids. I noticed the past couple of years that families do the program and just leave, so I had the brilliant idea to have a birthday party for Jesus afterwards. It's a lot of easy stuff, but volunteers have been scarce this year, so it could be a bit strained between getting the supper served and getting the games going.
After that it's a bit easier, but I have to help with the drama for the Christmas Eve service, get my newsletter for January done and write my annual report.
Oh, yeah, and I'm 8 months pregnant with a 3 year old and I'm EXHAUSTED!
That's just the home list. Church is worse, but at least most of the church stuff will be done this Sunday. I have the HS Winter Retreat this weekend starting at 7 pm and going through Sunday morning. This is the one that I do myself, not just taking them somewhere and someone else running the show. Then I have to help with the Christmas program rehearsal (luckily I have little responsibility there), the Christmas program itself is Sunday at 4 pm, but the bigger headache is that the youth group has to serve the soup supper that follows, and (because I'm crazy) we have to set up and run games for the little kids. I noticed the past couple of years that families do the program and just leave, so I had the brilliant idea to have a birthday party for Jesus afterwards. It's a lot of easy stuff, but volunteers have been scarce this year, so it could be a bit strained between getting the supper served and getting the games going.
After that it's a bit easier, but I have to help with the drama for the Christmas Eve service, get my newsletter for January done and write my annual report.
Oh, yeah, and I'm 8 months pregnant with a 3 year old and I'm EXHAUSTED!
Friday, December 7, 2007
When I grow up...
Things will change soon enough. Matt is looking at where we are going when he completes his PhD in July. The short list from his advisers is Cornell, MIT, and Princeton for a post doc position. Obviously Matt has some say in where he goes, but it would be foolish to ignore the advice of his advisers.
All this thinking about Matt will do next, makes me also contemplate what I will do next. My short list is staying home with the kids (at least for a short time, not forever), finding another youth director position, or looking for something in art, preferably teaching related.
I just don't know what to do. I know that every generation who has work in youth ministry has felt ill equipped to handle the next generation of youth, but I definately feel that way. The kids today and the ones coming up need near constant activity, they need to do, not hear. As a person who enjoys activity but LOVES learning, I just don't know if I am well suited to this surface only way of things. That and the lack of parental involvement and concern is so frustrating to me. I do feel like what I do is important, but I often don't feel like the best person for the job.
I also miss art. I was a little tired of teaching when we left Boston, but I would have stayed with it if we had stayed there. It's hard to find art positions. One of my youth group kids is working on a self-portrait for art class and he's been coming to me for advice. It's been really great for me. I have been enjoying that more than my "day job." I think I was good at teaching art.
So if anybody knows what I should be when I grow up, let me know.
All this thinking about Matt will do next, makes me also contemplate what I will do next. My short list is staying home with the kids (at least for a short time, not forever), finding another youth director position, or looking for something in art, preferably teaching related.
I just don't know what to do. I know that every generation who has work in youth ministry has felt ill equipped to handle the next generation of youth, but I definately feel that way. The kids today and the ones coming up need near constant activity, they need to do, not hear. As a person who enjoys activity but LOVES learning, I just don't know if I am well suited to this surface only way of things. That and the lack of parental involvement and concern is so frustrating to me. I do feel like what I do is important, but I often don't feel like the best person for the job.
I also miss art. I was a little tired of teaching when we left Boston, but I would have stayed with it if we had stayed there. It's hard to find art positions. One of my youth group kids is working on a self-portrait for art class and he's been coming to me for advice. It's been really great for me. I have been enjoying that more than my "day job." I think I was good at teaching art.
So if anybody knows what I should be when I grow up, let me know.
Wednesday, December 5, 2007
Trying to get back on track
I have been so thrown by Thanksgiving. It's been a struggle to get back into the normal way of things, which of course is not helped by the craziness that is December.
So, we are doing fine we are just busy. Matt is having success in the lab. He got some stuff he was waiting for from the machine shop and it works which is good. He said that was the best birthday present he got today. He is also is having success with understanding and interpreting their results.
Gabe is fine. We were finally having success with getting him to go to sleep better. But this week he has been back to his difficult self. I just don't know what to do anymore. We have been trying to keep things really low key before bedtime and I guess this week we haven't done as good of a job with it, so I guess we'll just have to try harder.
On the positive side, he has been so excited about Christmas coming. It's fun to watch. He gets frustrated because he can't remember all the words to "Frosty the Snowman." We try to tell him that nobody remembers all the words to Frosty, but he is determined to sing it all the way through. And it's nice because he's excited about the presents, but that is a very small part of his focus. He's more excited about lights and Christmas trees and stories and the Polar Express and candy canes. All the little things that add up to make this time of year special.
So, we are doing fine we are just busy. Matt is having success in the lab. He got some stuff he was waiting for from the machine shop and it works which is good. He said that was the best birthday present he got today. He is also is having success with understanding and interpreting their results.
Gabe is fine. We were finally having success with getting him to go to sleep better. But this week he has been back to his difficult self. I just don't know what to do anymore. We have been trying to keep things really low key before bedtime and I guess this week we haven't done as good of a job with it, so I guess we'll just have to try harder.
On the positive side, he has been so excited about Christmas coming. It's fun to watch. He gets frustrated because he can't remember all the words to "Frosty the Snowman." We try to tell him that nobody remembers all the words to Frosty, but he is determined to sing it all the way through. And it's nice because he's excited about the presents, but that is a very small part of his focus. He's more excited about lights and Christmas trees and stories and the Polar Express and candy canes. All the little things that add up to make this time of year special.
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