Trees, Turkeys and the Flu

We never had a set plan for Thanksgiving growing up. Each year we ended up around a different table with different relatives. Sometimes we even met Auntie Bev or Julie and Keith at a restaurant that was half way between us.  Four years ago, Thanksgiving ended up at my place. And it stayed here! In fact, thanks to our new traditions, it is now my favorite holiday of the year.

We always start the day by meeting up at the Festival of Trees. It is quiet on Thanksgiving morning and it feels like we have all the magic to ourselves. We don't have to worry as the children run from tree to tree, because there is no one to bump into!

This year our holiday adventure was a quieter one though. The flu had hit my sister's home hard. Isabelle was the only one healthy enough to come. Our happy party of 10 was reduced to 6. So two kids instead of four held hands as they went in search of their very favorite trees.

They even posed so sweetly in front of one until I could get just the right photo. And I did!

They did a little shopping in the toy store.

And we all had sugar cookies and apple cider.

Back at my place, we had lunch and then came adventure number two!  We have always enjoyed some pretty crazy board games after the meal, but last year I added a family craft to the mix.  We all got a little creative around the kitchen table again this year.

I had purchased little cardboard turkeys. After decorating the birds with markers and stickers, we put something we were thankful for on each of it's feathers.

I'll admit Dad looked a little scared at first about having to do a craft (he got to sit that part out last year and watch football). But his was the very best one!  Here's a look at what he is thankful for this year:

Ruth, Jessica, Jason, Bereket, Isabelle, Julie, Keith, Daniel, Nils, Home, Health, Country, Trains, Church and Friends.  

Here's what Mom is thankful for:

Papa's car, Music, Animals, Jesus, Christmas, Easter, Papa, Jason's Job, Family, Autumn and Winter, and $1,000 in the bank.

Isabelle, our budding evangelist, had a very thoughtful list:

Life, Family, Love, Jesus on the Cross, God Making Us, The Bible, Work, Everything and Everyone.

And last, but not least, a look at Little B's list:

Christmas Tree, Pumpkin Bread, Princesses, Dee Dah, Mommy, AWANA, Ice Cream and Yogurt.

Looking at our lists, there are some things that surprised me.  Mom really doesn't love Papa's car. With her long legs, she wanted an SUV, not a sedan. But she appreciates reliable transportation.  Dad didn't put Black Angus Cattle on his list, even though that has been his life's work and he is one of the most respected cattlemen in the country.  Isabelle didn't put Violin or Piano on her list, even though she spends a few hours each day practicing and developing her incredible talent.  And as for Bereket, I guess I am most surprised that she put yogurt at the bottom of her list. Given her passion for yogurt, one would think it would be the very first feather!

I am so thankful for another day with these beautiful people.  It wasn't the same without Julie, Keith, Daniel and Nils. We sent leftovers and craft kits home with Isabelle so they could reflect on the blessings they've had this year, too.  We all have much to be thankful for.

White Wedding Cake

Sometimes something so simple becomes something extraordinary.  That happened today. It only lasted a moment, but it was magic. I'm writing it all down so I won't forget that little bit of bliss, and so that one day Bereket can read this and know something special happened to her, too.

For Bereket's 3rd birthday, my dear friend Jolene (one of Bereket's two amazing godmothers) gave her a gift certificate to The Children's Theatre Company in Minneapolis. Since Jason is away hunting in Wisconsin this weekend, it was the perfect time to use it for a girl's day out. I couldn't believe my good luck when I got front row tickets for the three of us to see Cinderella.

Jolene wanted to make the day extra special so she got us reservations for brunch at Hell's Kitchen, one of the most popular restaurants in Minneapolis. I had always wanted to eat there and the food and atmosphere didn't disappoint.  But my sweet, strong willed three-year-old reminded us throughout the entire meal that she has her own ideas about things...refusing to try even a bite of her lemon ricotta pancake (she has no idea what she missed out on!) and then refusing the french fries we ordered as a replacement and then deciding that sitting under the table was way cooler than sitting on her seat.  No, taking a day trip to Minneapolis with a preschooler isn't a recipe for perfection. Or is it?

Jolene and I had read incredible reviews of the production, but they had not prepared us for the creative, modern, colorful, hilarious spin on Cinderella we were about to experience.  Bereket was on the edge of her seat the entire time and Jolene and I were just as enchanted.

When Cinderella had been released from the closet her evil stepmother and stepsisters had locked her in, and showed the king's servant her glass slipper, I found myself sad the fairytale was about to end.  Little did I know it was just coming to life.

In the final scene, Cinderella appears at the top of the stairs in an exquisite white gown. It is her wedding day to the prince.  I could feel Bereket holding her breath in awe on my lap. After Cinderella and the prince exchanged sparkling rings, a huge white wedding cake was rolled onto the stage.  That's when something magical happened.  Cinderella and her prince cut the cake. Then Cinderella paused. She turned her head and looked right at Bereket and smiled. Then she bent down and handed Bereket a piece of her royal wedding cake.

Jolene looked at me with tears in her eyes.  There were tears in mine, too.  Jolene said, "It is so perfect!" And it was. Is there anything more beautiful than seeing Cinderella pause in the middle of her wedding to give your princess-obsessed child a piece of cake? 

As the curtain was coming down on this very special moment, Cinderella made eye contact with Bereket one last time and gave her a little smile.  Jolene and I melted again.

I think we were all floating a bit as we left the auditorium, but by the time we reached the front door,  reality had returned.  My strong willed child refused to put her coat on.  We had a potty training accident in the car seat on the way home.  Still, my heart is warm and thankful as I write this.

Bereket clenched the piece of cake in it's wax paper wrapper all the way home in her little fist.  It was a little mushy by the time we unwrapped it and she could finally have her special treat at the kitchen table.  But as I looked at the table smeared with white frosting and watched Bereket lick every last bit from her fingers, it was proof that something magical had indeed happened. And it happened to my little girl.

And it was perfect.

The Days We Just Get By

Last night, Jason and Bereket and I had Friday night date night at Newt's, our favorite local burger joint. We had nachos and chicken fingers and lots of buttery popcorn.  It felt so, so good to be out on the town with my two special people. Largely, because it was the first time I'd felt well enough to be doing something fun in a while.

The day after Halloween, I felt a sore throat coming on.  For the next 11 days, I was hit by something stronger than me. It was one of those awful colds that sucks all the life and light out of you, and fills you instead with exhaustion, cough attacks and other icky un-mentionable things.

The other day as I was leaving for work at 4 a.m., I glanced at how we had left our kitchen table the night before.

Three computers were at rest in front of empty chairs, waiting for their masters to return.  I thought of Jason in front of his, trying to fix mistakes that had been made in the visa process for his upcoming business trip to India. I pictured myself sitting in front of mine with a sore throat, feeling too sick and tired to make any real conversation.  And Bereket, just following our lead, took out her computer and pulled up a chair next to us and began typing away.  In a perfect world, we would not be spending our evening together in front of three different computer screens. But work and sickness are a part of life and sometimes you do what you have to do.

I feel like such an inadequate mom when I am sick, especially when I can't talk.  I know that's why Bereket got extra sticker pages this week. I wanted to make up for my shortcomings as her mom. (She didn't seem to mind all those stickers!)

And even though talking was tough, there were three words I made sure I said over and over, "I Love You, I Love You, I Love You."  I think Bereket was starting to get sick of hearing it, but I kept saying it!

It's not been a perfect journey lately, but we're making it over those bumps together. That's what family does.

Rose Night

It's November, the month of Thanksgiving. It is a time to count our blessings and to pause and appreciate all that we have in this land of plenty.

This year has not been an easy one for our family. But this November there is much to be thankful for.  After two serious hospitalizations and heart surgery, my mother is on her road to recovery.  Jason has been blessed with an incredible new career that he loves.  And after a year of no proper vacations, we have two flights already booked for 2014! Yes, God is good and now is the time to give back.

Jason and I both have a heart for the troubles in the DRC (Democratic Republic of Congo). A while back I heard about a way to sponsor women who are victims of war crimes there through a program called Women for Women International.  This one year program helps women in the DRC (and other countries) to learn a trade and how to manage finances. The women learn to develop self esteem and a new sense of community as victims of sexual warfare are often shunned from their villages and families. They are left with no where to live and no way to provide for themselves.  When I asked Jason if we could sponsor one of these women, he instantly said yes. I filled out our sponsorship form with a request that our sponsored "sister" be from the DRC.

Today I first laid my eyes on Rose Night.

Rose is our sponsored sister for the next year. I was surprised to see that she is not from the DRC, but rather South Sudan. At first, I was a little disappointed. The DRC is a region I have read so much about.  I don't know as much about South Sudan.  Then I read the few sentences that were provided to me about Rose. 

Rose is 18-24 years old. That is the closest estimate she has to her own age.  She has four children, three boys and a girl.  While she has a husband, she has no job and works very hard at odds and ends to try to feed her family. 

I want to know more about Rose Night. She lives in a place called Jombo, but I have yet to find it on a map.  A representative from Women for Women suggested I write her a letter to learn more about her story.

If I had to guess, I imagine Rose Night's dreams are that her children have enough to eat and that one day they can go to school. I pray this year-long program will teach her the skills to make those dreams come true. Rose Night, what a beautiful name. It is a blessing to be your sister.

"Howaween Not Scardy!"

Over the last month, we've had an ongoing conversation in our family, "Mommy, Howaween Not Scardy! Not Real, Just Fun!"

It all started with a little skeleton hung outside Bereket's daycare. It was a just a seasonal decoration, but it paralyzed Bereket with fear.  So did the huge spiders and other spooky displays at the YMCA, where our church meets. Bereket would run to me shaking with tears in her eyes, and I would hold her. I would tell her that Halloween wasn't scary, it was make believe and she was going to be a princess for the night!

Our fun began well before Halloween when we picked out the perfect pumpkin with my sister's kids and my mom at Pinter's Gardens near Decorah.

After we picked the right gourd, then came some makeover magic! Grandma LuAnn was here to help Bereket put the funny face on.

Here's the big pumpkin on display with a mini one she painted at Jenna's (her beloved daycare provider).

For the last several weeks, she has brought home a fall-inspired craft every day from Jenna's. We hung up the big spider with Mr. Sunshine because in our house Halloween is not scary!

Then came the first of two consecutive dress up nights.  The AWANA program at our church was having a costume night on the 30th and that's when Bereket debuted her Cinderella gown!

This was the best hand-me-down ever from our incredible friend Kathy and her daughter Addison. Bereket wore it so proudly to AWANA.

Bereket enjoying music time at AWANA.

When Bereket got home from the AWANA party, she proclaimed, "Dee-Dah! I'm Pretty!"

The next night was the big night, Halloween.  After enjoying a day of treats and fun at Jenna's, I helped Bereket into her gown and took her to KTTC for the employee Halloween party.  Bereket was overwhelmed with all the new faces and costumes, but she was adorable! She enjoyed trick or treating at the desks of my awesome co-workers.

And Tom Overlie was dazzled by Bereket's light-up glass slippers. Such a handsome prince, I am sure he will be stopping by our door at any moment to see if those glass slippers fit just right!

And a cute picture of Bereket checking out the view from Mommy's desk.

When we got home from all the KTTC fun, Bereket was barely through the front door when she dove into her sugary loot!

And just when she thought the night wouldn't get any better, she met up with her special neighborhood friends for some outdoor trick or treating fun.

I think we all agree Halloween was fun and magical! And we can't wait until next year!