Happy Birthday Jesus

How do you explain Christmas to a child? This is the first year that we've fully felt the weight of that responsibility - taking the traditions, the celebration, and even the greed and gluttony and making it all point to Christ.

We tell Holly that Christmas is all - entirely - about Jesus. She knows about Mary and Joseph, and she can sing all the words to "Away in a Manger." All this "intentionality" (for lack of a better word) forced me to take hard look at all our customs and traditions surrounding Christ's birth and ask, "Is this the BEST way to bring honor and glory to our King?"

So this Christmas season has been one big paradox. On one hand, I'm experiencing the joy of Christmas through the eyes of our 3 year old, which is pretty incredible. How can you not love hearing "Frosty the Snowman" for the 35th time [in a day] when your child is singing along (especially when her version goes "Frosty the Snowman, had a Happy Halloween")? Even the tackiest Christmas lights are a display of wonder. Blow up snowmen and Santas? I wish my whole street was full of them!

(so I don't have to have one in my yard)

But on the other hand, there's been an unusual tension in my soul this year. Heavy, I know. Maybe it's because so much of Christmas has become so selfish (this self included). Or because so little about our celebration has anything to do with Jesus. We were loving the season, celebrating much, but something was missing.

Until...

We made it to the 6 pm service at church on Sunday, driving there straight from Greenville with sleepy little ones. When we picked the girls up from Waumba Land, they handed us a red bag. It was a kit to have our own "Happy Birthday Jesus" party at home. Brilliant!

So on Wednesday, Holly and I baked a cake and put a few decorations around the house. We shook things up and had dinner - pizza and chicken nuggets - in the dining room. Matt read the Christmas story from Luke 2 (continuing the tradition, Mom and Dad!). And then we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. Holly was very concerned that he wouldn't mind us eating his cake.

All of this led me to a new thought. How do you teach a child about Christmas WITHOUT the customs and traditions that for a moment seemed so trite and almost sacrilegious? The songs, the lights, the sweets (lots of sweets), and the gifts have completely captured Holly's awe, and she's curious about why we do it. All of a sudden she actually has an attention span.

I'm already looking forward to the next birthday party for Jesus, and celebrating with our 4 year old Holly and 2 year old Anna. What joy.

Merry Chrismas, joyeux noel.

The most terrific Christmas card

As Matt tells it, he and Holly were browsing the card aisle at the store when Holly spotted this snowman card. "That's the one for Mommy!" Matt looked at it, shrugged, and said "Okay!"

My Christmas card is definitely unique, but still terrific!

Doing the platelet dance!

We're celebrating in our house - I talked to Anna's doctor yesterday, and her platelet count is 132,000! Up 100,000 in 6 days. The doctors prepared me that it could take 1-2 months for her body to "correct itself" so this is great news. Thank you all for your prayers, your concern, and your words of encouragement.

Holly and I had to wake Anna from a very deep sleep so we could make it to her doctor appointment on Wednesday. I rarely see my kids while they're sleeping, so this was a little treat (except the waking her up part). Here are a couple of pictures...

Haircut day!

We had a pretty super weekend. A few highlights I'll share:

- breakfast in front of the (real) fire on Saturday
- lots of family time
- a Pandora radio station created around the Charlie Brown Christmas music
- staying in pajamas until the afternoon
- almost completing the Christmas shopping
- dinner at the Brick Store on Saturday
- changing things up and going to church at 6 pm (love having options!)
- Anna continuing to do great
- haircut day for Mommy and Holly on Sunday!

Holly was a little apprehensive at first...it's been a long time since she got her hair cut and all she remembered was that scissors are involved. But Miss Brooke bribed her with a cookie and she hopped right in the chair.



I don't really have a good "after" picture. I'll try to add that later. But it was sweet time for Holly and me - some rare alone time for the two of us (well, sort of alone time). Now if I could just get her to sit still for a mani/pedi...

Anna update

We have a diagnosis - ITP, or Immune Thrombocytopenic Purpura. Basically, as Anna's body fought an infection, she overproduced antibodies which attacked her platelets. This disease often corrects itself over time, but it's the in-between period we have to be careful about. Because Anna's platelet count was so low (10,000 instead of the normal 150,000), she could be in serious trouble if she had a head injury.

The hematologist recommended moving forward with treatment to increase the platelet count. This led to hours of waiting, as we first needed a new blood count. The nurses had an awful time trying to get some blood from Anna and start her IV line. She screamed and fought, and they tried two veins before giving up. It was so hard to have to restrain her as she looked at me with frightened eyes and a tear-soaked face. All I could do was sing in her ear and pray for her.

The nurses were able to draw a tiny amount of blood, but decided to call the IV team in to start the line. By then her numbing cream had worn off, and the thought of them trying several new veins with no numbing cream just broke my heart. As we waited for them to arrive, her worn out little body finally fell asleep in my arms. It the best part of my day. Until...

The doctor came in a few minutes later and told me that she had gotten the new blood counts and her platelet count was at 32,000. Tripled! In a day! She no longer recommended the IV infusion, and was really optimistic that Anna's body was taking care of itself. We will go back next week and check her blood again to make sure the platelets are continuing to increase. We'll probably be doing this weekly or bi-weekly for the next month or so.

I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. I'm so grateful that Anna, seemingly miraculously, was asymptomatic despite her very low platelet count. I'm grateful for platelet counts that triple in a day with no intervention. I'm grateful for our wonderful and perceptive pediatrician, and the amazing doctors and nurses at Children's Healthcare. I'm grateful for friends I can call when I need some encouragement, and for a community of people committed to praying for us. And I'm so grateful that God, in His grace and mercy, seems to be healing our Anna. Thank you Father.

Signing out now, going to bed, and sleeping well tonight.

Asking For Prayer

We had a little (?) health scare with Anna yesterday. Her body is covered in bruises and petichiae (a rash of purple freckles), which points to a blood problem. We had a full blood count taken yesterday, and thankfully her white blood cell count is normal, which means we should be able to rule out something serious like leukemia. But her platelet count is extremely low, which indicates there is still a problem. It could be a viral infection, reaction to an antibiotic, or a number of other things. We are going back to the hospital today at 10:30. I'm not sure what tests will be done, but we need to try to determine the cause of the low count. In the meantime, Anna is making me nervous! She just started walking and is a clumsy little toddler. But because her blood isn't clotting much, she has to be very careful to avoid any injury (even injury that doesn't break the skin can cause internal bleeding). So I'm asking for prayer this morning.

1) That her platelet count rises quickly and drastically
2) For wisdom and discernment for the doctors as they try to determine the cause
3) That Anna will stay tough and keep her sweet spirit through it all
4) That I will stay tough and keep my sort of sweet spirit through it all
5) That Anna will somehow stay free of too many bumps and falls
6) That this ordeal, however big or small, grows my (our) faith and dependence on our Heavenly Father and brings glory to Him.

Thank you! Will keep you posted...

Anna is (almost) one!

I can't believe my baby will be one on Thursday. I've been quite the slacker on all of the one year milestones I'm supposed to be helping her achieve. I think they call this denial. But since it's happening whether I like it or not, I figured a celebration was in order.

So celebrate we did. With grandparents...



And presents...

Good friends and neighbors...



And lots of treats...



I looked around at the community God has surrounded us with in this season of life. You have all been a blessing to us, and we're so thankful that we have you to celebrate with.

Happy Birthday sweet Anna!

Trick-or-Treating fun

(Thanks to Joni for the photos. The camera picked the perfect time to die...which was when Holly threw it down the stairs...)

Conversation with a 3 year old

Holly (rocking her arms like a baby): Do you remember my baby...Bali? (she had to pause to come up with a name)

Me: No. Who's that?

Holly: My baby. She's lost. She's by herself.

Me: Oh no! Where is she?

Holly: At the top of a mountain. A volcano is coming. It's coming to get her.


And that was that. If anyone finds a baby at the top of a mountain, be sure to let Holly know.

Holly's 3 year/3 day birthday

It's been too long since my last post, but I haven't had the time (or motivation/inspiration) to update. But there's nothing like a 3 year old's birthday to motivate me to sit in front of my computer.

It started on Friday with chocolate chip pancakes.

These are not my actual pancakes, but a nice image I found on Google.

Next we went to Zoo Atlanta with Grammy and Anna. Fun times! Holly saw flamingos...

... and frightened the whole zoo when she posed as a lion.

But the highlight was definitely the petting zoo. Holly was chasing goats and sheep with no fear, and for a girl who likes her personal space (and frequently proclaims "I'm not giving hugs"), she sure liked hugging these woolly friends.


And then there were the gifts. So many gifts that we had to spread them out over a few days (and she was STILL overwhelmed).

Fun igloo tents and tunnels...


And a trunk packed with dress up clothes (where was this when I was a kid?).

She even got a housekeeping cart complete with mop, broom, toilet scrubber, and cleaning spray. And she was excited. She'll learn soon enough, but until then I'm fine to deceive her a little bit ("Holly! I don't know anything more fun than mopping the floors! What a lucky girl you are!").

Today we celebrated Holly with an ice cream social. Way too much sugar for 2 year olds - I mean 3 year olds! - but great fellowship with friends who love Holly well.



I'm a little worn out from this birthday that never ends, but I've found so much joy in thinking of things that will delight Holly and make her feel special. Thank you to all the friends and family who have made this birthday a great one.

East Tennessee Awesomeness

Matt and I decided to take advantage of the 3 day weekend and spend a couple of days in the Smoky Mountains. What could be better than a weekend of hiking, football, and all the Pigeon Forge tackiness your heart could desire?

Here is our cute cabin...


Game day munchies...



The 8 mile hike in the rain that kicked. my. butt...



Nice to have little reminders of our babies (who were living it up with Nana and Papa)...


OK, here is the actual sign...


And I can't leave out the beautiful sights of Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg. Matt called it Myrtle Beach in the mountains...



My favorite part? You can get your picture made Wild West style AND GET MARRIED IN THE SAME PLACE! Brilliant!


Sorry for the blurry photos. Matt wasn't real excited about actually stopping at these establishments, so these were taken from a moving vehicle. IF you call going 5 mph all the way down the Pigeon Forge strip "moving."

The letter "H"

There are plenty of milestones in kids' lives that you learn about from books, doctors, and good old experience. Crawling, walking, talking, toilet training. But I've been observing some of the minor but more unique milestones in Holly that mark a definite transition from one stage of her life to the next.

Which brings me to... the letter "H". My little girl can write letters! She's been able to identify some letters for about a year, but has shown no interest in putting that to paper. It was just a few weeks ago that she drew her first intentional drawing - a smiley face. Then a few days ago she brings us her chalkboard and proudly displays her first written letter. No help, no coaching.

In the picture, her first "H" is on the right. When she realized how much praise and excitement that created, she went on to write another one on the left side and then a big "O" in the middle.

On a similar note, I was talking with her the other day about the letter "B" which she's learning in pre-school. I was giving some examples of words that start with a "B" and she said, "and bouncy balls!"

Little milestone perhaps, but big deal. Our days of spelling words (should we go to the p-o-o-l today?) are numbered.

My girls

These pictures were taken by our good friend, Alison Church. Thank you, Alison, for capturing these moments of my girls. And for bringing chocolate chip walnut cookies.

My pleasure

When you eat at Chick-fil-A (and if you don't, let's talk), you might have noticed that when you say "Thank you," they respond with "My pleasure." That's just the Chick-fil-A way, and it happens at the corporate level as well. Matt has gotten in the habit of saying "My pleasure" any time one of us thanks him.

The other night, Matt was walking with Holly upstairs to put her to bed, and he thanked her for something. She said, "Daddy says 'My pleasure.'"

And this morning when I went to get her out of bed, I thanked her for staying in bed and getting a good night of sleep. She said to me, "In Spanish, we say 'My pleasure.'"

Oh, too funny.

Here are a couple of pics from our first family lunch at Matt's work. It was part nature hike/museum/dining out experience for Holly. And for Anna, well, it was a long time to be away from her bed. As for myself, it was nice to eat something other than a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch. And seeing adults was an added bonus. Gotta recommend the spicy chicken sandwich...coming soon to a Chick-fil-A near you...