The end

 

Happy New Year from the Family of Fish!

I'm more than happy to bid farewell to the Year of the Snake. Truly, I don't remember anything that happened before August, and while waking up tomorrow won't change that, there's something about starting a new year that forces my mind to make a fresh start as well.

I'm too much of a realist to resolve to avoid the children's hospital entirely, but I'm hoping we can at least keep our visits to a minimum. So here's to a year full of nothing more than a few cuts and bruises to mark the adventures of childhood well lived. 

Here's to big dreams and goal-setting and learning and growing. I can't wait to see what 2015 holds for us.

Strike a pose

Levi will likely be the most photographed of all my children.

photo by Jacob, age 4

But it will be all thanks to my house full of assistants.

Merry Christmas!

This was our best Christmas, by far.

It wasn't the frenzied morning of chaos and flying wrapping paper I had expected. It was calm, for the most part. It was peaceful. It was focused.

We killed Santa last year, quite by accident, but I've enjoyed his demise. The kids don't seem to miss him in the least, and in fact have had quite a fun time playing along when adults asked them what Santa's bringing this year. They've answered enthusiastically, then given me that knowing look, as if we're in on some secret that the rest of the world doesn't know yet. It's adorable, really.

They've demanded and had some pretty heated discussions about taking turns replacing colorful ornaments with sparkling stars on our makeshift advent calendar as we've counted down to Jesus' birthday. Levi had the honor of hanging up the gold Jesus star this morning, and the excitement on all four little faces was priceless.

They knew what that final star meant. It meant Christmas had arrived. It meant birthday cake with all the sprinkles and family and friends and a day-long celebration and, yes, presents.

And that's just what we did.

Jacob had quite forgotten what was in each of the little presents he's been wrapping and stashing under the tree for the past few weeks, and was genuinely excited and surprised to open each one.

It was actually impossible to tell if Abby was more excited about the astronaut and Elsa costumes she received, or the handmade gifts that she gave. The ear-to-ear grin she wore as Justin and I unwrapped the hats she knitted for us makes me think it was perhaps the latter.

Caleb took over sprinkle duty this year for our traditional Happy Birthday Jesus cake, and spent most of Christmas day asking when we were going to eat it. When he wasn't grazing in the kitchen, he was running around in his new hammerhead shark costume or asking when we would open more presents. Five is a fun age to celebrate Christmas, and Caleb pulled it off really well this year.

And Levi was classic Levi all day. He was adorable, and enthusiastic, and willing to go along with whatever happened to come next, whether it was presents or visitors or naps or dinner. His favorite part of the day may have been when our babysitters stopped by with their family and played with him for a while.

Or maybe his favorite part was the nap he tried to take when the excitement got to be too much for him at around 9 a.m. Christmas is exhausting when you're two.

It was a wonderful day, from start to finish. But if you ask Abby, she'll definitely tell you the best part was when these two wiggly teeth finally fell out.

And yes, we've been singing about it nonstop.

Merry Christmas from the Family of Fish!

Handcrafted with love

Handmade gifts are the best.

That's especially true, I'm learning, when the hands that made them are my children's hands.

The kids have made everything from origami animals (Abby) to drawings for their siblings and folded or wrapped them up and stuffed them under the tree.

Caleb found a spool of thread, built a box out of his legos, and wrapped the box up for his sister.

"She can use this for her sewing stuff," he explained. "And she can keep the legos if she wants."

And ever since a neighbor taught Abby how to loom knit, she's been hard at work on some winter hats for the family. (My daughter is a little like me when it comes to surprises: she gets so excited about the good ones that she simply can't keep it in. So I've already tried on my cute little pink knitted hat, and I can't wait to unwrap it on Christmas morning.)

Levi has mostly been asking Abby to write names on scraps of paper, balling them up, and throwing them down the stairs at the tree.

Jacob has been wrapping presents almost exclusively for himself and his stuffed puppy, Tess. He's found books and small toys around the house and covered them in tape and paper, then written either his name or Tess's on them before shoving them under the tree.

In addition to the gifts, there are more cards and drawings under (or in) our tree this year than their ever have been in the past.

These kids can be really sweet when they want to be.

Holiday not-baking

Holiday baking with a gluten free kid who is never allowed to lick the spoon is no fun.

But holiday dumping-stuff-in-jars-to-make-hot-chocolate-mix, and saying yes to everyone when they ask if they can eat the marshmallows that fell on the counter is tons of fun.

Blonde Baby Jesus

I'm not sure little Levi is thrilled with his permanent role as Baby Jesus in Abby's manger scene.

Maybe I should suggest she give him a day off. They've been playing this game since Thanksgiving. When Caleb and Jacob refuse to join in, Levi gets to be Joseph and a shepherd as well.

But it always ends with Levi swaddled in blankets and lying in some sort of makeshift manger.

For a 2-year-old, this kid really does have a supernatural amount of patience.

Sorting Day

This is the only logical way to follow Laundry Day.

Thankfully I have a very pedantic daughter who is gifted when it comes to something as tedious as sock matching.

And she's also very persuasive when it comes to enlisting help from her littlest brother.

Laundry Day

For the most part, we do the same things every day.

But not Fridays. Friday is Laundry Day. And that means a break from the monotony, and a bath for everyone's favorite stuffed animals.

It also means 45 minutes of major productivity for mom while the kiddos are otherwise occupied supervising their animals' swirling bathtime.

Who needs TV when your washing machine is this exciting?

The weather outside is frightful...

But the hot chocolate is so delightful!

Home theatre

Our annual trip to see The Nutcracker ballet at The Fox Theatre with Mimi was fantastic, as usual.

Abby was in awe of the ballerinas and occasionally insisted on dancing along in her seat.

Caleb attended for the first time, and thought the rat ballet dancers were hilarious. He was on the edge of his seat for the sword fight and breathed a sigh of relief when Clara's sword pierced the rat king and the battle ended.

But the best part, by far, was later that evening, when the kids insisted on recreating the ballet for me in Abby's room (after an hour-long rehearsal, and the making of some elaborate paper costumes). Abby cast herself as Clara, Caleb took the role of the rat king, and Jacob was alternately a rat (for the battle scene) and the nutcracker.

"When I'm in the real Nutcracker ballet, will you come see me every day?" Abby asked.

I'll be there for every show, I assured her.