“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas…”

Dec 242008
 
Christmas Eve…
Nothing feels more like Christmas shopping than trudging through snow-covered sidewalks in your snow boots, as snowflakes land all over your long wool coat, scarf, mittens, and ice-sculpted curls.  Merritt and I left Ruth Ann with her Aunt Mouse Monday and did our last-minute errands and shopping.  Since it was snowing and under ten degrees, we didn’t want to have our little Pumpkin out in that weather any more than necessary.  Besides, it was kinda fun hanging out with just my hubby for a change.  He’s a fun guy to go shopping with.  Not to mention a great chauffeur in this snowy weather.

“There’s no place like home for the holidays…”  And it’s a good thing.  Because as much as I love this snowy weather, it kind of wreaks havoc on the “best-laid” travel plans for “over the river and through the woods.”  We have yet to see if we can fly out of our own airport, let alone land in the airports we’re supposed to fly through and to.  Uncle Todd couldn’t get anywhere near us, so his flight was cancelled.  And Grandma couldn’t come because she totalled her car!  We’re praying for good roads so Meg and Tom can join us.  And for a miraculous break in the weather so we can fly out for New Year’s! 

Meanwhile, I don’t really want to start packing, but I don’t want to be totally unprepared…  I don’t want to already be all disappointed that we can’t go, but I don’t want to get my hopes up, either.  So sledding and drinking hot chocolate and eating Christmas cookies sounds like a fabulous way to take one day at a time.  I’m still loving the winter weather.  Our close to three feet is still much less than the least Merritt’s family ever got when they lived in the snowy hills.  And of course it’s much more than I’ve ever had in my life, except when I visited that boy I always liked… 

Yes, it’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas, folks.  Have a very merry Christmas.  And hopefully I’ll be writing you from an airport next time we talk…just not stuck in an airport or anything like that.

The sun on the snow on the hills…

Dec 202008
 

Ruth and I were just over at Katie’s, sending emails, doing a bit of last minute Christmas shopping and finding out airline baggage requirements online.  We walked out of her house, and the setting sun was on the snow on the hills all around our house…  It was so beautiful we drove home, grabbed the camera, and raced back to Katie’s driveway, to capture the sun on our little house, so cozily nestled amongst the snowy hills.

to our little snow angel

Dec 202008
 
Thursday…

Dearest lil’ Snow Angel,

We got lots of snow soon after you were born, but you don’t remember it.  So far this year you’ve enjoyed the flakes falling on your face in between trips to the car, but you cried when Daddy let you feel the snow when we were out taking our Christmas card picture.  We have well over a foot of snow on the ground this morning, with more coming down by the minute.  So Mommy decided to bundle you all up in your Mommy’s snow suit and your Aunt Jessica’s winter coat, along with Aunt Jessica’s mittens and the hat Aunt Marlys made for you.  You loved watching Daddy plow the snow.  But when I set you down in the snow, you started crying.  It was fine as long as Mommy was holding you up away from it, but you didn’t want to be down near or in it.  And when Daddy scooped up an armload and started eating the snow, you thought he was going crazy.  I showed you how good it was, but you were worried because I had snow on my chin.  I guess it will be another year or two before you’re out making snow angels and snow men.  But at least you enjoy watching it from inside with Mommy!

You got another molar in on Monday.  At least, that’s when we finally spotted that it had come in.  Your bottom left one.  And the top molars are showing tiny bits of white, but they seem to be taking a while.  Meanwhile, you’re continuing to practice standing whenever you have the chance.  Your favorite spot to do it is on Daddy and Mommy’s bed, because the landing is so much softer.  And of course, we all have to clap each time you stand up, even if you fell down before you got to stand!  You’re so proud of your accomplishments.

It seemed you gave up all desire of learning to talk when you focused your energy on standing.  (You will walk along the couch and the cupboards, and between chairs, but you won’t dream of walking towards anyone, even if they’re holding onto you.  Standing is the focus right now.)  But the other day you said “Amen!” after Daddy finished praying.  And you’ve continued to say amen after prayers, even when it’s a bit of a delayed reaction sometimes (like five minutes after church was over).  You learned amen with the “If You’re Happy and You Know It” song, but you hadn’t said it any time other than the song so far!

Mommy’s been burning candles to make it all Christmasey, and your Daddy taught you to blow out the “hots”.  Now you see the Christmas lights or the candles and you start blowing.  I think you try to say lights, too, because you say a long “ssssss” sound when you point to them.  Baby Jesus in our nativity scene is a continual attraction.  We have to go look at him several times throughout the day.  And the little felt mouse holding a songbook–an ornament that Nanna gave you–is very special, and sometimes you get to hold it, and that thrills you.  I hope the little things in life never cease to delight you.

We’ve been reading you the Little Golden Book story of The Poky Little Puppy’s First Christmas. We’re only about halfway through it.  Little Golden Books are so much longer than board books, that you decide to do something else rather quickly.  But you still like being read to.  Daddy just finished reading us The Best Christmas Pageant Ever.

You slept clear through the night again last night without ever making a peep.  The new molar made for a rough weekend.  Mommy and Daddy were thrilled to get a good night’s sleep again.  You’re a very good little Pumpkin.  You try so hard.  We’ve had some potty accidents this week.  (Which is why we’re trying to teach you to say the word “potty”!)  And you’ve definitely shown a bit of your sinful human nature.  But we’re trying to teach you right from wrong, and you are learning so well.  Mommy and Daddy just have to be as diligent in teaching you as we want you to be in obeying!

I’m quite sure that part of the reason you wake up in the night is that you need to go potty.  Because you often wake up in the middle of your nap, too, but if you can’t see Mommy you always lay right back down and go to sleep after a moment…but you always have a wet diaper when you get up later.  And I’m quite sure that’s why you wake up!

You’ve also been trying to dress yourself lately.  You always take your socks off when you’re on the potty chair, but then when you’re done you hold the socks over your feet, hoping they “drop” back on the feet.  You are always trying to put your coat on (by laying it over your head or shoulders) when you decide you’re ready to go bye bye.  And today when I was putting your diaper back on you picked up your pants and tried to pull them on. You’re getting so big!

We love you so much, baby girl.  Have fun watching the snow.

Love,
your mommy

Our winter wonderland

Dec 202008
 

Friday…

It’s been a positively gorgeous day.  Blue peeking through the clouds that are nearly as white as the snow.  Everything brilliant white and picturesque.  Winter around here gives one a whole new wonder and appreciation for the way our Savior washes us “white as snow.”

Christmas lights and candles.  Green table cloths and red candles.  Punkin’ loves all the exciting new things.  Especially blowing out the candles.  And the Christmas lights.  She’s amazing, she blows out a whole string in just a few breaths!  I finally decorated the house for Christmas this week.  And I’ve been baking Christmas cookies.  All with many thoughts of my “Christmas fairy” friend Lanier.  Someday I want to see her Georgia farmhouse decorated for Christmas.  Until then she inspires me to set the table with lots of candles and drink lots of Noel blend tea.  (As an aside regarding tea, Stash makes the best Chai tea.  Don’t buy Bigelow’s Chai.  Much too sweet.)

But as much as I make my feeble attempts to decorate for Christmas, nothing compares to the way God’s dusting of snow turns all that was brown and dead to such beauty.  Yet another allegory we view through our picture window.

It’s a quiet afternoon at the store.  But I’m reading The Little Colonel’s Christmas Vacation, a beautiful old hardback by Annie Fellows Johnston, a long-ago gift from my grandmother.  And enjoying the beautiful snowy world outside.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas

Dec 192008
 

Dear Everyone,

Hello there. My name is Ruth Ann. Most people call me Punkin‘. You probably got a letter all about me last year. I decided this year I should help Mommy out by writing our Christmas letter. I like to help Mommy. I have my own bowl and measuring cups and wooden spoon so I can help her cook Daddy’s dinner. And I’m really good at folding clothes.

Let’s see, what all does one say in a Christmas letter? I guess I should tell you that I’ve grown a lot since last year. I’m still pretty little, ‘cause I only weigh 18 pounds, but I‘m one year old now, and I‘m growing fast. I have nine teeth, but by the time you read this there will probably be three more popped out. I like brushing all my teeth and taking baths. Milk, winter squash, and cheese are yummy, but I like yogurt and chocolate chips the best. I also like to read books, sort things into piles, and take my shoes off. I‘ve been going potty on the potty chair like a big girl since I was eight months old. I pull myself up on anything and everything, but sometimes I fall back down again. My favorite thing right now is to see how long I can stand on my own before I fall. But I get excited and start laughing so much I sit down again pretty quickly. I love to go places. My car seat is my favorite chair, and you can‘t even say the word “go“ around me without me heading for my car seat and waving “bye.“ But that‘s a pretty good thing, because for a little girl, I get to go a lot of places. It doesn’t matter whether it‘s an eight hour drive or just across the field–I love going to visit my family.

My mommy and I are pretty special friends. I like to help her cook and write and hang out laundry, and she‘s the best when I don‘t feel well or I‘m tired. Everyone says I look just like she did when she was little (but I look a lot like my daddy, too). I kept Mommy busy this year. She liked being able to be home with me so much, though. And when she went to work in our antique and produce store, I didn‘t mind very much, because I got to play at Nanna‘s house. But I was always glad to get home again. As much as I like to go places, I love our home that my daddy built for us.

Yes, then there‘s my daddy. I like to save the best for last. I love my daddy so very much. He‘s my favorite person. I get so excited to see him that sometimes I scream. He always makes me laugh. He lets me pull on his hair. And he takes such good care of Mommy and me. This year he built us a shed for our cars and firewood, with a special storage room for all my stuff (for such a little girl, I collect a lot of things). Daddy‘s the busiest, because there is always irrigation pipe to change or hay to bale or the store to work in or things to fix, but he always finds time for Mommy and me. We love him so very much. And I really like his John Deere hat.

As you can tell, I‘m a pretty blessed little girl. Every night before I go nighty-night Daddy prays with Mommy and me, and he thanks God for our warm house and the way God provides for us every day. Then Mommy sings “Jesus Loves Me“ to me, and I snuggle up with my “raggy-rag“ feeling safe and happy because Mommy and Daddy and Jesus love me. And that‘s what Christmas is all about. Merry Christmas, everyone!

Lots of Love,
Ruth Ann Acheson
(for Daddy Merritt & Mommy Gretchen, too)

truth in potty training

Dec 172008
 
Just so y’all know that I’m not a perfect mom with a perfect daughter who is perfectly potty trained…  Figured I’d better report the last two days around here! 

Ruth has suddenly decided to skip answering our questions.  She used to respond very readily when we asked her if she had to go potty or if she was done.  Now she’s learned the “don’t look them in the eye” thing.  (And yes, we’re working on that.)

Monday she was fussing after being on the potty a bit, so I concluded she must be done (though she did not respond yes or no to the question!).  I washed the dishes while she happily ripped up shreds of paper I’d given to her.  I happened to glance back after a bit (a good twenty minutes or more since we’d been on the potty), and saw the reddest of eyebrows, but a not-that-guilty looking Punkin’.  Sure enough.  I did not discipline her, but I did let her know that Mommy was sad she hadn’t told me.  I do think it was a bit of an accident, though…especially considering the next day!

Tuesday afternoon she came trucking over on all fours to the bathroom door, but then pretended to just look at the pretty snowman hanging on the bathroom door knob (a never-ending fascination, along with the rest of the Christmas decor!).  When I asked her if she had to go potty, she did not respond, but instead crawled over towards me and climbed up my legs.  Five minutes later, she was on the floor playing, and suddenly started crying, and was acting as if she was absolutely paralyzed on the floor.  I thought maybe her leg had gotten stuck under her and she couldn’t crawl any further, but quickly ascertained that she wasn’t stuck.  We caught it before it was too very late…  But that was Mommy’s bad for not paying attention to the signs. 

Speaking of signs, we finally had a breakthrough in the sign language department.  We’ve been trying the “all done” sign for months, but it’s been replaced by bouncing up and down and rotating the feet at the ankles rather than the hands at the wrists.  But someone has recently started making rather impolite “uh” noises as she reaches for anything and everything she thinks she needs.  Realizing that all the initiative we had been focusing on talking is now entirely 100% all about learning to stand on one’s own, with no interest in talking any more except for the occasional “Amen” and “Dada” and “Namanama” (Mama)…we knew “please” wasn’t going to happen any time soon regardless of what we tried (and how we have tried).  So we started trying to teach her the sign language for please.  After lots of staring at her parents as if they’d gone crazy because they would constantly rub their hand in a circular motion on their chest whenever she wanted something…she reached over and rubbed my chest when she wanted more bottle.  Yay!  A break-through!  We were beginning to think this whole thing about teaching your child sign language was impossible.  Now I need to find the sign for “potty.”

white powder

Dec 172008
 
It’s snowing again.  The driest, whitest powder you’ve ever seen.  The kind that blows everywhere.  If there’s any wind, your tracks to and from the chicken house are obliterated between trips.  For an Oregon girl used to Wetness, this Dry Stuff is very strange indeed…

Not wanting to contribute to the day with the highest mail volume of the year, I mailed our Christmas cards Tuesday instead of Monday.  It really was big of me.  Especially considering I sent Merritt with the thumb drive so he could stop by the printer’s and have them print our letters Monday morning, and I ordered the pictures from Walmart Monday afternoon.  I didn’t even have them all in hand until Tuesday.  But I could have.  I could have.  Found out that Costco will ship you your prints for free!  But I was afraid they wouldn’t get here fast enough, what with the holiday mail volume and all. So we went with Walmart’s one-hour processing.  It looks Walmartish.  But hey, it’s a Christmas card.  Actually, we look like we were cut out in a not-so-great graphics program and placed on a snowy background.  But it really truly was our snow.  As is evidenced by the slightly red faces, and the look that Merritt coined as the “we ran outside to take a picture in the snow” look.  And the reason I’m so late as to be sending Christmas cards out the week before Christmas?  Because it didn’t snow until then, of course!  One must have snow for a Christmas card picture.

According to the news, all but eleven states have winter storm warnings in effect today.  Washington even made Paul Harvey News with our weather in the past few days.  But despite everyone’s worries, we haven’t frozen into ice cubes yet.  We stay toasty warm.  In fact, we can finally burn our woodstove twenty-four hours a day, which is something new!  Usually we cook ourselves out with one fire in the morning and one at night.  I’ve been known to open the windows in the winter because we got it too warm in here.  Last night it was 78 in here.  We were cozy.  Of course, it was 8 outside, which made 78 just about right (that was a good log hubby put in, yes it was…).  And yes, I know, I am always cold.  But dry cold is a whole different ball game, let me tell you.  Yes, it’s cold at 0 degrees.  But it’s dry.  And that makes a huge difference for this girl with cold hands!

I’m s’posed to make some Christmas cookies for the festivities next week.  More Gingies are in order, and my rendition of candy cane cookies, too, methinks.  When I mentioned to my mother-in-law I could make candy cane cookies, she said Marly was going to make some.  But I explained that my candy cane cookies are completely different from Marly’s.  The traditional Acheson candy cane cookie is a sugar cookie twist that looks like a candy cane (even coloring half the twist), but has almond flavoring.  The traditional Glaser candy cane cookie is made with lots of sugar and powdered sugar and crushed candy canes, with more crushed candy canes and powdered sugar on top.  When I was requested by my darling husband to make “candy cane cookies” that first year, I made the wrong kind.  But he likes both kinds, good man that he is (I personally can’t stand almond flavor!).  And I’m eyeing a homemade pretzel recipe from a friend.  So we’ll see if we can’t fatten him up this Christmas.  (Achesons don’t fatten up very well.) 

I did have more normal thoughts to share, about decorating the house for Christmas and the Christmas season…  But we’ll have to save those for later, when I’m not running entirely on a pot of coffee.  (Last night was the first semi-decent night of sleep we’ve had around here in a few.  But those bottom molars are in, and the top ones peeking through.  So we’re hoping the nights will continue to get better, not worse…)

clear and cold

Dec 152008
 
Apparently we live in the banana belt.  Despite reports on the local news this morning of anywhere from 10 to 15 degrees below zero, we only hit a low of 3.1 below zero.  Unless, of course, it got that much colder in those few minutes when Punkin’ wasn’t up.  Somebody woke up with a molar all the way through this morning!  Or rather, we were awake all night getting it through.  I honestly don’t know how much progress it made compared to yesterday, because she hasn’t let us look or feel in there much.  But last time I checked a few days ago, nothing was through on the bottom left.  Now the whole tooth is through!

We took our Christmas card picture yesterday.  (Now that we finally had snow and Merritt was home during the daytime.)  So now it’s the mad scramble to get them out before Christmas.  We have come to the conclusion that for a young couple, we know way too many people.  We’re thankful we can send pictures and news via the internet, too, or we’d probably give up the whole thing all together.  I think they should have a special postage break at Christmas time.  But it’s a longstanding Glaser tradition to send out Christmas cards and pictures…and we’re all about tradition around here.  So I better hurry up and get the cards done so I can actually put up a Christmas decoration or two! 

We got Merritt’s folks a tree yesterday, and Punkin’ had so much fun watching the whole decorating process.  She adores that tree.  But it’s a nice Blue Spruce so all it will take is one touch and we’ll have no problems with the kiddoes taking ornaments off!  It’s going to be fun to have so many kids and people here for Christmas…  And did I mention my daughter is going to have an absolute blast?!  She’s been able to open a few gifts early.  She adores the tissue paper you sent, Mrs. N.!  We have little sparklies all over the floor.  She likes the outfit, too, but the tissue paper was her especial favorite, and she tore it into dozens of little pieces.  As to the pretty dress from her grandma, she can’t decide if she likes the tags or the gingerbread men on it the best.  Oh what fun…

And yes, it’s supposed to be clear and cold around here for the rest of the week.  But if we stay that much warmer than the forecast, we shouldn’t be too cold.  I mean, we’re supposed to have a high of only a few degrees today, but it’s already 8 degrees outside!  Wow.  Feel the warmth. 

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