We've been very busy...

Since I last posted, we have celebrated Christmas and the new year, and had countless celebrations in between. The kids, as usual, have been spouting out great material that simply must be shared with those that love them.

Wrangling little twinnies for a pic is always interesting

Two blonde beauties

 My lovely, talented cousin Shannon visited us in early December. We had a wonderful time catching up and she took family pictures for us and some head shots for my piano work. Several of our pictures are featured on the portraiture landing page for her website: http://www.shannonreedphotography.com/portraiture/

Are we done yet?

We haven't seen each other for so long, and it was also her first time meeting the twins. Everyone was incredibly enamored with her. August was sitting on her lap looking through pictures on Shannon's phone, and one picture was of Shannon's dog. She told August his name was Milo. August immediately retorted, 'NO! He's YOUR-lo.' Later we all built a Gingerbread house while Shannon took darling candids of all my babies helping. August kept calling it a "binjer-jed" house. She has since correct herself, I'm sad to report. 

August patiently waiting for her turn to help build the house.

Every person had a chance to decorate part of our house however they liked.

My little helper making royal icing.

Sammy biding the time by making monkey faces.

August biding the time making monkey faces then deciding it is more important to tell someone else how to do something.

Both babies still love to be carried a lot and held (which makes my heart happy but my back very tired.) August says she wants to "pick you up" when she wants to be carried. Both twins still ask if they can hold you when they want you to hold them. I adore it and I'm thrilled they don't understand this concept yet.

Another concept they don't get is why they don't have a tail. August continually checks behind her to see if one has started growing, then yells out with surprise "I don't have a tail!"

A concept that August DOES get, is escaping from her crib. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! We officially have a flight risk on our hands. And, as an added bonus, when she gets out of her bed, the first person she wants to see and be with is Sammy. So, she immediately goes to his room in the middle of his nap and turns on the lights and wakes him up to play. It was adorable when she did it the first time, but we explained that isn't so much going to be allowed....

Snug as two bugs in a rug. Thanks, Auntie Bree for the handmade blankie!

August remains the fiery, mischievous twin while living with Sam is like living with a cherub or something. He has this high gentle little voice, and when his feelings get hurt, they get hurt very badly. We were at Grandma Becky and Grandpa Mike's house for Christmas Eve, and August got into the markers. She applied lipstick and a beauty mark in a lovely shade of dark navy blue. When Matt picked her up to wash her hands in the bathroom, she started crying when she saw her face in the mirror. She was terrified of herself.

The navy blue lipstick incident... complete with beauty mark. Well done, my love.

Brother-Sister love fest. Sam is so patient with his effusive sisters.

August and Sam have entered the stage where they get really sad if you leave them at all, so we have a few different ways of assuring them and calming them down. They used to only cry for Daddy, but now they cry for me too (WOO HOO! I'm loved!) Grandma Tam was babysitting them the other night so that we could take Claire out for her birthday, and, apparently, while we were gone, the twins cried and cried for Claire the most. Then they cried for mommy, then last, but not least, they cried for "Claire's Daddy." Hilarious.

Surrounded by my babies, on my way to my second gig on my birthday.

Celebrating with Matty - enjoying a special bottle of wine he bought for me during his recent travels.

 

 

During the holiday festivities, I turned 35! A lot of people don't like birthdays, but I love them, largely because I love any reason to celebrate, well... anything! It is especially fun because of how excited the kids get. Matt did a little treasure hunt for my presents, and Claire helped me find every single one in a split second. I worked the morning and the evening of my birthday - one school performance and one corporate performance, and that was a wonderful way to celebrate who I am. I didn't mind it at all. Matt took me out to a wonderful dinner the next night, and we saw a movie. Perfect date night.  

 

Holiday Fun

The twins were wearing their Christmas jammies one night recently, and we talked about who Santa Claus was. When I asked them who Mrs. Claus was, August replied without missing a beat, "He He He." I thought about it, and if we are always telling them that Santa says "Ho Ho Ho," this actually makes so much sense.

We visited Santa for the first time in years, and it was the first time ever for the twins. They were skeptical but they weren't as scared as Claire was when she was little.

Miss August was charming with the big guy!

Sam was a bit more tentative, but curious nonetheless.

Matt put beautiful lights on the exterior of the house this year. They're still up, and I don't want him to take them down any time soon. Every night before bed, our sweet angel Sammy requests to see the moon. So, we take him outside, regardless of the weather, and look around in the night sky for his beloved glowing satellite nearly every evening. One night, a few days before Christmas, the moon wasn't out and Sam was brokenhearted. Matt was holding him in his arms, and Sam turned his body toward our house, glowing with holiday lights in the dark cold night. He paused, and said with gratitude and appreciation (yes he has those tiny feelings... I can't even deal) "Oh.... Daddy made for me!"  He was so happy there was something to see since the moon was gone, and most little kids love seeing Christmas lights. But for him to understand that Matt had to put them on the house and then think the reason Matt did it was to give Sammy something of beauty to enjoy in the night sky, touched us so much. Matt said that one little thing made it all worth it to climb around on our perilously sloped roof to turn our little abode into a glowing Christmas orb --- especially for Sam.

Christmas crafts with twinnies. Sam ate a cotton ball, not awesome.

SOOOO proud of his art.

Sam got a Mickey ornament this year.

August got a Minnie ornament.

Claire got a real Breyer miniature horse for her ornament.

Music was a huge part of our holiday season which gave Claire opportunities to perform with other musicians. Incidentally, she also had her first official piano recital! She also reaped the social rewards of performing for a crowd. I think those two things alone will keep her going through the boring fundamental parts of piano that she doesn't like.  Here's a little video of Claire playing with me on the piano and my beloved Tim on the violin. She found a descant to complement the piece we played, and inserted it into the piece whenever she felt it fit. I was really amazed at her natural 'jam sesh' abilities. 

Big girl getting to play a grand piano. The recital was at Grandpa Judd's recording studio.

Auntie Erin, Tim and I, gathered around the piano.

Christmas itself was fantastic - we couldn't have wished for anything different. It snowed outside the big windows of our new house, and we felt like we were inside a snow globe. Santa brought some pretty cool things. Claire got bunk-beds and a table/chair/tea set for her American Girl dolls. Sam got an awesome tractor with a trailer that can carry things in it. August got a tricycle - a really low riding "chopper" style one with high handles. Matt surprised me with tickets to Ellie Goulding in April, and he got some awesome new headphones. 

Anxiously awaiting their release to go downstairs and see what Santa brought! Every year, Claire keeps the kids entertained and confined until we give them the go ahead!

Claire's big present was American Girl doll furniture. Sam decided that this bunkbed and desk set was just his size. He set up shop and helped himself to copious amounts of chocolates, placed on the top bunk. It is really like living with an elf.

Santa brought auggie an awesome chopper trike! You can tell she feels very cool riding it.

I gave Claire a new pair of earrings now that she can change her piercing out. She got sterling silver horses.

One of the twins' favorite gifts was a doctor kit, which came with amazing glasses.

This is a tradition for us - taking a picture of all three kids on the piano bench in the hallway each Christmas. It is so fun to see how they have grown.

Grandma Becky took all of the girls to see the Nutcracker. I haven't seen it since I was a little girl and Claire has never seen it, so it was a lot of fun for us. Ley Len and Bree joined us for ladies' brunch and a matinee.

Left to right: Bree (Matt's brother Cam's fiancee), Ley Len (Matt's other brother Dan's lovely girlfriend,) Grandma Becky, yours truly & Claire)

 The Delightful Miss Claire

Claire is still absolutely in love with first grade and with Quail Hollow. We are so grateful that the neighborhood we moved into coincidentally had an absolutely fantastic school. I spend time at the school volunteering by playing music for the kids and helping them learn new songs for music time. It is one of the brightest spots in my week when it comes.  We were doing her homework the other night, and we came to the math section of the packet. She squealed out with joy, "Yes! Math is the best part of the homework packet." The apple didn't fall far from the tree on that one. She also just one first place in the science fair at school for the first grade. Participation at that young age isn't required but she wanted to do it, developed the experiment and worked very hard. We are so proud of our teeny little super gal. 

Claire is working hard at piano, but has a love hate relationship with it. She decreed recently with certainty that she had settled on a New Year's resolution. "Mom, my New Year's resolution is to quit the piano." (Cue my heart turning into an empty carcass.) It was the funniest thing to hear - it's like someone saying that their goal for the year is to go into debt or gain weight or something. She doesn't quite get that one either. She is definitely not quitting - she has too much natural skill. Our family is so musical this is just part of what we need to do. Learning even just the basics of an instrument are so important for a child's mind. I see the pride in her eyes when she gets an opportunity to perform for a group of people... she just doesn't like doing scales and the hard parts of practicing.

Claire's musical talents are broad.... and she has a love of any instrument she can get her hands on.  I bought a harmonica for myself awhile back in an attempt to be like Stevie Wonder (fail.) Claire has commandeered it, and surprised us with a song. Apparently she is going to be a Christian recording artist one day. The lyrics go a little something like this:

"Jesus is our God

He died for us on the cross

To take away our sins

Isn't he so kind?"

I volunteer at an assisted living facility that specializes in Dementia and Alzheimer patients. I went to play Christmas music and have a sing along with my other favorite group of musical friends. The residents sometimes don't know what's going on and are sometimes a bit out of it, but as soon as I start playing, they perk up and sing.... right away. It is among the most heartwarming experiences I have in my life right now.

What could make a mom happier...

Music is such an exciting activity for the residents. They even put us up on the board!

This time, Claire joined me to spread Christmas cheer and bring music to the facility. She complained before we left and told me she refused to play when we got there, so I didn't even bring her music. As soon as I played a piece, she was bitten by the performance bug and demanded that she wanted to play. I told her I didn't even bring her music, and she said it was no big deal. She walked over to the piano and played two songs from memory for one of the largest audiences she's had up to this point. As she started playing Jingle Bells, the residents began singing along. I think she was a little surprise, but was such a little pro and kept playing but now as an accompanist. It was a fantastic experience for her.

Claire performing from memory for a lovely audience who sang along with her!

Celebrating the New Year

We celebrated a quiet New Year's Eve in our home, just the five of us. Everyone got to choose what they wanted for their own dinner so there was a little extra work but lots of happy people so it was entirely worth it. We did "midnight" at 8:00pm and watched a cute cartoon countdown then the kids burst confetti everywhere. Claire insisted that we all hold hands when midnight struck, then we all kissed each other, going down the row of people.  As I experienced this cozy night with my family, reflecting on last year and curious about the year to come, I felt overwhelming gratitude that life is really really good. I still pinch myself - all three of my children are so healthy. Every day I wake up in our new house with a little surprise that it really is ours. Although I am still managing my back injury on a constant daily basis, I am so mindful that the accident didn't involve my children or anything worse. Claire has a wonderful school and darling friends there. Matt still has a fantastic job and is being tasked with even more at work so he is pretty busy, but we are both so grateful he has the job and gets to work from home when he isn't traveling. Additionally, my business is growing and I'm receiving more and more opportunities to perform.

Claire teaching Sammy the joy of holiday celebrations!

My little party girl.

Matt is always a good sport.

I gave the family a little present on New Year's Eve: a photo album of the year we just spent together. I thought the kids would be bored with this type of gift, but they were surprisingly mesmerized and grateful for it.

As far as resolutions go, I thought of a few things that I want to do to enhance our life and my own mind and heart. We have always been in the habit of practicing gratitude, but we are doing it more and in different ways.  Last year, Matt and I made a new year pact that we would say "yes" to more things and get out and enjoy life more - separately, as a couple, and as a family.  It was a resolution we kept and we did so well on it. We have committed to doing it again this year. Every time we toast - we remember the resolution and recommit ourselves to the pact.

This year, I want to read more, get the twins out more and go fun places (this has been difficult to do since the accident, so that's why it's something seemingly simple but actually is a goal for me.) I want to read to Claire more - we had so much fun cozying up in my recliner last year, reading books I read when I was a little girl. My personal goal is to keep planking 5 days a week in my continued efforts to rehabilitate my back; however, this year, I am practicing a gratitude meditation while I do it.

Welcome, 2016! We are excited for you and we're going to take advantage of every minute.