Declan Douglas Ludwig Schuster

I can hardly believe my little (last) baby is three years old.  This time has gone by so quickly.  I find myself feeling bitter sweet about it all and savouring every moment. 

You have grown so much this year Declan! You are speaking much more clearly.  You have even more of a stubborn streak (you get that from Daddy) and are certainly strong willed.  You think smoke and the exhaust from cars are "snow angels".  You make us all duck as we go under bridges.  You love boats and trains and trucks and motorcyles.  Oh, and bulldozers and cranes.

You need us to repeat everything you've said as confirmation that we've heard you.  You love seeing Kelsey and you run and jump into her arms.  You still call Justin "Justin Bibo".  You are always concerned that Brett and Khai are included in whatever it is anyone is doing.  You are our beautiful little boy. 

I love you so much.  I'm so thankful for you and I pray that as you continue to grow, that you will draw near to the Lord.  You are our special little boy and we love you.

Always,

Mum and Dad

December 2nd, 2010

Tonight was peaceful.

I am overwhelmed this year by feeling.  By emotions, by my senses.  So many of the things I see, feel, smell, and hear makes me nostalgic.  The snow falling makes me think of driving home from Polo Park as a kid, with my parents and sisters, and watching the huge snow flakes fall down past the streetlights.  Or sitting at home with all the lights, save the Christmas tree, off, watching the snow fall outside our home.  The smell of our Christmas trees makes my heart fill with love for my husband who gave me the tree.  It really is such a special gift. 

And tonight, watching the kids color these simple snowmen (for this game) I was reminded of how fast time is going by.  I was reminded that taking the time to listen to each of their little thoughts and half sentences is important to them, and to me. 

I was reminded that even though Declan would rather build a tower with the markers, than color his snowman; and that he would rather smell the markers (even though they are not  Mr. Sketch markers) and use them as chapstick; that it's okay.  He will only be 2 once. 

I was reminded that even though Brett is 13, he is not too old to be included in these little games.  It's good for him, and it's good for us to have him participate. 

So, yes, tonight was peaceful.  And peaceful is a gift. 

**a quick note about the snowman game.  Because I wanted the kids to be able to customize their own snowmen, I printed off the copies from the link above, cut each piece out and traced them onto a plain white piece of paper.  I then photocopied them onto white cardstock, and had the kids color in their own snowmen faces, bodies, scarves etc.  I cut them out, wrote their names and the date on the back of each piece and am now having them laminated and then we will have a snowman game evening when they are done; as well as a sturdy game that we can play for a few years to come! **

***also, Kelsey, Kyle, Justin and Magda, I have copies for you as well! Just for fun, if you want them! ***

December 1st, 2010

December is upon us.  The start of what will be a magical season in our home.  I am in love with and love deeply, my husband.  I love our children.  I love Christmas.  I love snow.  The makings of magic, in my book. 

I had hoped, that this year, I would be totally and completely organized.  Shockingly, I am not.  However, I have decided that this is not the end of the world.  I am mostly organized.  I am feeling mostly calm and mostly peaceful.  Mostly is enough.

My original plans for the evening were thwarted by the postal system.  So, decorating boxes to make something like this, was not an option.  Luckily, we were able to watch Lanny and Wayne in Disney's Prep and Landing (a new favourite at our house) and it was just as much fun.

So, welcome December.  I can't wait to walk with you awhile.

Declan

My little baby boy is 3 years old today.  Time has gone by so quickly!  I love you little boy, and I promise you a proper tribute tomorrow.  But tonight, Mummy is feeling sick.  Don't worry, I'll do you justice then!

And, I will also do a thorough December Daily catch up session.

Happy Birthday Declan.  You are my very favourite 3 year old.

Love you always,
Mummy.

December Daily/Journal Your Christmas

This is the second year that I've done Shimelle's  "Journal Your Christmas".  I was excited about it last year, and I think I am even more excited about it this year, because I actually feel like I have the Christmas spirit!

I didn't necessarily follow the prompts last year, but I was certainly inspired by them.  I didn't create a physical book last year, I just did my posts here on my blog (that is, until my computer crashed and I lost all my photos!)   2 years ago, I created this album,

and wrote exactly zero words and put zero pictures in it. (In truth, that year was one Christmas that was quite miserable for me...I didn't really want to remember it, so I'm okay with that).  I don't know what I'll do this year.  I had a book picked out, but I'm starting to like the idea of an 8 1/2" x 11 binder with page protectors.  We'll see.

I am a person who is so scared of forgetting things that I tend to write down/take pictures of every little moment.  I love Ali Edward's idea of telling one story per day in her December Daily, but it's a good thing I do a "rough draft" every day in another notebook, because my stories end up being novels.  It's how I tell a story verbally too, I include lots of (too many) details, my Mum stops listening after 30 seconds (seriously) because she wants me to "get to the point already!".  And then when I tell her that I've told her that story already, she says, "Yeah, I wasn't listening. You were taking too long."

I am the kind of person who likes to plan things. So, I have a tentative schedule of things that I want to do with the kids each day.  Some are very simple, like today's is to make Christmas lists.  Others are crafty in nature, and others are just activities we will do together. 

I want to remember each day, whether my planned activities work out or not. 

Will I care about the details in 10 years? Or will I just like seeing the activities that we do each year, and those that are unique to one year in particular? I don't know.

So, what do I want to do for this year? 

Well, the easiest thing for me, and therefore the one that is at first, most appealing, is to simply blog here every day, (the day after) and keep this as my record.  However, I am desparately missing the feeling of putting paper, words and pictures together.  But, do I have time (or will I make time) to spend every day making a scrapbook page?

I don't know.

There are an awful lot of "I don't know"'s in this post.  I'm still figuring things out, but for now, I will post each day here. 

Happy December everyone!

Do you have one of those husbands?

You know.  The ones who refuse to let you put up any Christmas decorations until December 1st? And even then, it's begrudgingly?  I do.  And, while I don't want to put up our tree until December 1st (because we have a real one, and it wouldn't last until Christmas otherwise) there are other area's in our home that I would love to have decorated early.  Particularly the areas that I don't want the kids "helping" with.  Like our bedroom for example. 

I was talking with a friend at church on Sunday, who, during her great house renovation, had to have their Christmas tree in her bedroom (because there was nowhere else for it).  I immediately became excited about the idea.  It would go in the corner.  My little desk would move to the other wall, and it would be lovely.  However, I knew that my darling hubby wouldn't go for it.  But, I mentioned it anyway.  He asked me if I was crazy, and we moved on.

On Monday night, shortly after the kids went to bed, Helmut said he was going on a "secret mission".  Normally, I love when he goes on secret missions, because it means he's getting me a birthday, Christmas, Mother's Day etc...present.  This time, I was a bit nervous, because I hadn't told him ANYTHING I wanted yet.

An hour later, he came back home, made me go "hide" in the bathroom downstairs with the fan on (so I couldn't hear where he was hiding my gift and go snooping later) until he had hidden it.  He came down to get me, and I went back into our room, where I had been tidying up prior to him coming home.  There, in the corner of our room was a perfect tree.  I was so surprised! It wasn`t even December 1st and he had put up (of his own volition) a Christmas tree, in a room that he said he didn`t want one in anyway!!! Oh, was I happy!!

It was also rather perfect that I had just finished hanging white twinkle lights around our windows.

Our room now smells amazing (without the assistance of Bath and Body Works concentrated room sprays) and all I wanted to do this morning was lay in bed and look at our tree and twinkle lights. 

Thank you Helmut.  It was a wonderful and special gift.  I love it, and I love you!

Eventful.

Have you ever had one of those days, where you're just sooooo glad to be home and SITTING for the first time that day?  Only to have something interrupt that fantastic "I'm finally sitting" feeling?

Friday was one of those days for me.  (And, were Helmut actually reading this, I know he would put up his hand, and say, "And for ME!" )

I had spent the majority of the day at our church, doing some photocopying/prep work for our family advent time on Sunday morning.  (The kids didn't have school, which is why I didn't have work, but my in-laws took them for the day, they were having a special Christmas day).  Then I ran a couple errands, and by the time I got home it was, oh, 5:30 ish. 

We decided to give the boys their shower before dinner, and, just after I'd got the water running for them, I heard a little scream.  I pulled the shower curtain back, to see a stream of blood coming from Declan's eye.  Khai and Declan had decided to switch spots in the shower, and Declan had slipped and hit his eye on the edge of the tub.

Don't you love the Blackberry photo?

You'll notice that he has a bump on his lip (from running into a post at school); a cut by the arm of his glasses, as well as a mark under the bottom edge of the frame (from tripping and falling on the floor at school) and he managed to do that ALL IN THE SAME DAY!

Anyway, so, we go to the hospital (the 4 of us) and 3 hours and 15 minutes, and 5 stitches later, we left for home. 

Yes, I know this picture totally sucks.  Good old Blackberry again!

My poor little Dekkie!  But, he was a trooper.  Considering he hadn't eaten since lunch and it was 2 hours past his bedtime when they started doing the stitches, I thought he behaved quite well. 

I will never forget, that while they had the sterile cloth over his face, that he kept saying ,"Help me Mummy!" and "See me Mummy!" (because he couldn't see me with the cloth over his face).  He also said (repeatedly), "All done now.  DONE NOW!".  I love that he was able to at least communicate with me during this ordeal.  It would have been much worse if he had just been lying there crying, and I hadn't known that he wanted me to peek under the cloth and "see him". 

Just for the record, I cried too. 

We are so thankful that Declan is okay.  And that we didn't have to spend all night in the emergency room.  We are also thankful, that once we got home that evening, and the kids were in bed, that we didn't do a thing.

It was lovely.