advent

it is sad that the older we get the more un-christmas like christmas seems... you become aware of how commercialized the season is... you come across angry shoppers and then you realize you are one of those angry shoppers (sad)... yeah it just gets harder and harder to get into the christmas spirit

until you experience it again through your own child and this is evan's first christmas... i'm absolutely loving it but it also brings about questions in our mind as to how we'll celebrate it and how we'll teach him the meaning of christmas which bring us to think about advent...

advent means the coming of (well the coming of Christ in this instance) and we (the church) celebrate advent as a season of waiting (so you have advent calendars, etc to help act out this expectant waiting) so our wheels are turning as to how we'll do this next year but even now it's exciting and seeing evan open his presents and help decorate the tree and wrap presents for others gives us renewed hope and spirit for what is to come...

until then we celebrate christmas and advent and thank God that he came to give us hope

merry christmas you all!

 our early christmas present... look how small he is!

 now he's our little happy elf... he can eat his former self i think

good things come...

i think that one of the biggest adjustments you have to make as a parent is to all of a sudden not just think about yourself any more... it is no longer about what I want to do or what I feel like or what I think but more about what is best for the family esp the baby...

it is a hard thing, unnatural really and even harder when all you want is something that seems natural or important even...

for example, sometimes i terribly miss alone times with paul... sometimes we'd go months without really going out just us two ... and sometimes you just can't help it (especially when the baby isn't up for babysitters with the crying and such) ... what's wrong with wanting to spend quality time with your husband?  isn't it important to nurture our relationship too? so i complain to paul and drive him crazy and when things don't pan out for another week or two i complain even more and sometimes tell him he doesn't care (which is not true i know but it still drives me crazy)

but i am blessed with a great friend and partner in crime who listens to my whining and plans surprise dates even before i complain... and keeps his mouth shut when i start with my soapbox to keep his plans a surprise

so a word of wisdom (and caution)

... to those who wait

it might just happen

here's a pic of our third wheel

Fish

a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away...a kid was left by a fountain with koi in the pond in the Canadian side of Niagra Falls on a very foggy day.  he just sat there and watched...mesmerized b/c of the way they moved about in the water.  somehow he let go of his father's hand as he watched.  in the calamity of 7 kids and 4 adults, he was left there at the fountain until they had all gone to the car on their way home.

meanwhile, the kid just sat and watched the fish until he realized he was no longer within range of the safe watchful eyes of his father.  he started to cry, so he made his way to the bench adjacent to the fountain and cried in his hands.  an old man approached him and asked why he was crying.  he said he was lost, so the old man proceeded to pick him up and head towards a double decker bus. 

the kid was looking backwards as the old man continued on towards the bus when in the distance a man running wildly towards the bus waving his arms in the air called to his son.  his silhouette could be seen through the fog as he ran towards the boy.  just before the old man boarded the bus, his father reached him and rescued him.

today, we were eating at a restaurant with a large fish tank behind us.  evan sat mesmerized by the fish.  he just sat and stared.  it reminded me of that story.  i hope he doesn't get left at a fountain somewhere.

lazy saturday

love lazy saturdays with the fam. period.

evan is wearing a velour jumpsuit... don't be afraid... it's just a phase

many thanks

well this post is way late but we've been so busy with travels and naps and messes so here it is... belated happy thanksgiving!

thanksgiving was quite stressful that sadly i wasn't really in a thankful spirit... it wasn't until we were back home that i came to the realization that we are so blessed with so many things... like ...

1. life... isn't it incredible how the people around you are alive... a friend of mine (namely paul) told me once that it is a surreal thing to see someone you are used to seeing living without any spirit or life or breath... i can't say i've experienced that but it still amazes me how the people around me, my family and friends, are all full of life and are growing, experiencing emotions, thinking, enjoying things... it's amazing... and when i think of that, those petty things that bother me about these people (sometimes) seem to be insignificant

2. relationships... sappy i know... but really, what is life if not for relationships... i mean i feel alone sometimes even in the midst of people and these said relationships but how much more lonely and alone would it be if i didn't have anyone to experience life with (yes even if life and relationships get ugly) ... within these connections i grow as a person... i learn what it means to love and be less selfish... to give without expecting anything in return... and i see how in my prideful, selfish heart i really don't deserve anything so i am humbled 

3. p and e ... these two have taught me so much (see highlighted words in red above)... these two have shown me a glimpse of what it means to be loved unconditionally... in them i see God and his love for me

and herein goes a (slightly gratuitous) picture trail of e ...  and p for that matter... going through our morning (see ya bright and early at 6am)

 ** see how groggy paul looks?  there's a reason for that (ehem evan)... and evan the early bird happy as always to wake up in the morning **

  

just looking at little big evan tonight reminds me of how much he has grown.  he watches us with a close eye and wants to do everything we do...like...drink from a cup instead of a bottle.  he LOVES drinking from a cup.  he wants to be everywhere we are...its pretty wild to think that not only will he imitate what we do, but he will also imitate who we are...God help us...

evan is eating carrots...he got it all over his face and stained our clothes...

half bithday

today is evan's half birthday... it wasn't too long ago that he was like this...

now he eats solids and screams at target because he wants to get out of the carrier...