Feeling Festive

Pause. 

For the last week and half, this little word has been on my mind a lot. A couple Sundays ago during church, Pastor Peter preached about "pausing." He reminded us many reasons to "pause" this holiday season, but the one that really stuck with me was the "pause to give." 

Mitch's work is participating in a Toys for Tots drive, like they do every year. We do our best to contribute each year, but this time I had that little phrase in my head - "pause to give." Mitch forwarded me an email from a fellow co-worker showing a giant mound of toys that were all donated by a single person. After reading that email, and reflecting on Pator Peter's sermon I realized it really is the season to "pause to give." In a world that has been bombarded with sadness and negativity (watching the news can be a difficult thing lately) it's nice to hear stories like the anonymous donor dropping a $500,000 check in a Salvation Army red kettle, or the individual who provided a giant pile of gifts so some less fortunate kiddos will have something to open this Christmas. These are the stories I wish were trickled into our daily news, because we could all use a little reminder from time to time that love and kindness still exists in the world. 

We decided we were going to try to teach Harper the importance of giving, especially this time of year. Mitch asked her a question that is difficult for any child to answer. "If you could get a gift yourself, or give one to a kid who wasn't going to get any Christmas gifts - what would you choose?" She paused for moment, then with a very serious face replied, "maybe we could both get a present." :) 

After several conversations about giving versus receiving, Harper was starting to wrap her head around the concept. We took her to Target with a budget in mind and let her pick out toys to donate. She was excited to fill her very own cart and kept saying, "I think another kid would realllllly like this toy." When all was said and done Harper picked out 14 toys to give away. Her smile was genuine when she told us, "these will make some kids very happy!" Yes they will Harper, yes they will! 

Since Chirstmas is a mere 10 days away, we've been busy the last few weeks making things festive around our home. Harper helped me put up the tree and hang all the ornaments. After several "no-no's" directed to Emmett, he finally understood he's not supposed to touch the tree. Instead, he stands as close as he can to the tree with his tiny finger extended to an ornament (without actually touching it). He'll look over to see if anyone is watching and give us his infamous smirk. That boy! :)

We also made a visit to see Santa last week. The trip was sort of impromptu, but it actually worked out pretty perfect. Rather than dealing with the Downtown rush on a Saturday, we ended up going to Ridgedale Friday after work. There was barely a line, which is exactly what we were hoping for. Both kids sat on Santa's lap without tears, which was a win in my eyes. Harper asked him to bring her more Shopkins and told him Emmett wanted a car (which I don't think it true, but it's the thought that counts!). We got a little smile from Harper and Emmett gave the same emotionless stare in every frame. I told the lady, "if they're both looking at the camera it's a success!" 

Harper and I have also been spending a lot time in the kitchen. We made homemade sugar cookies and used my Grandma Schumer's old Christmas cookie cutters to make star, tree and santa shapes. Our gingerbread house this year was pretty disastrous since it was in pieces when I opened the box. We made the most of it and decided it was an open-air house. Less gingerbread just meant more candy for Harper to eat. :)

Last Monday was our last night of Music Together for the fiddle session. Harper continues to love class, playing instruments, singing loud and showing off her dance moves for everyone. Even Emmett had favorite songs this session and did his fair share of dancing too. Now that he's exclusively walking (Yes, you read that right! No more crawling!) he was all over the place the last couple classes. During our last class, he marched himself over to the corner where he danced with a giant smile on his face. It's so fun watching him develop and learn in such a short period of time. One of the best parts of music class? Running free in the gym afterwards with all the other kiddos. We're enjoying a little break, but we're back at it after the first of year with a new session - drums!

Last Thursday I took Harper to Disney on Ice as part of her birthday celebration. This is something I did every year with my own parents when I was her age, so it's fun to be able to share those amazing memories with Harper and watch as she creates her own. 

We walked into Xcel and quickly stopped at the souvenir stand. She picked out a new stuffed animal, or "friend" as she calls them. From there we grabbed some dinner from the concession stand and found our seats. For the full 90 minutes (plus the time they had technical difficulties) Harper's eyes were glued to the ice. She was in awe of the characters and the moves of the skaters. I realized she's a loud cheerer and gave the "sorry" eyes to the people in front of us since she was screaming in their ears. After every routine, she would shout "Wooooooooo!" and clap as loud as she could. Her favorite princess, Mulan even made a surprise appearance! It was such a fun Mama/Daughter date and I can't wait to continue with this tradition! 

 

Another tradition this time of year is the Christmas play at Yellow Tree Theatre. Amanda and I have been going to this charming theatre for years and last year we decided to add the boys to our seasonal tradition. We met for drinks before and realized the story was the same as last year! Although we knew the plot, we still had fun with the soon-to-be Wavrin's. No matter what the show is next year, we'll still be there - it's tradition!  

Until next time…
The Helleens