Thanksgiving

We've had the good fortune to spend the last three Thanksgivings with my cousins who live near Belfast. This year was a little smaller than the last two--Levi and Raquel, of course, are back out west; my other cousin was getting together with his wife's family; my aunt and other cousin were going to come down, but Wednesday brought a storm, and on Thursday morning they just didn't feel comfortable with the roads. So it ended up being just our two families. It was small, but I must admit, it was certainly relaxed--at least for us. I don't know how the hosts felt!

Finn and Madie watch some PBSKids with their cousins Lottie and Pip.

Pip got hurt somehow and went right over to Lottie to snuggle on the couch.

Finn is into this.

Finn is thankful for his blankie, gifted by Aunt Holly, and his fingers, gifted by God.

Madie says she is thankful for her new Elsa book--she bought it at Target a couple weeks ago and has been loving it. She is going to a friend's birthday party this Saturday and when we walked into Sherman's to look for a gift on Saturday they had a FROZEN book display in front. She picked one like hers so her friend can have one too.

Funny story: I love squash and stuffing. As much as I love cranberry sauce and turkey, I love squash and stuffing even more. Squash is my absolute favorite vegetable. Even as a little kid I remember loving squash. And stuffing, I mean, c'mon, right?

Well. You remember the aunt I mentioned up there who was supposed to come and ended up not coming?

Now guess who was supposed to bring the squash and the stuffing.

We were literally half-way to my cousins house when I said, "Mike! There's not going to be any squash!" Aaaaand three minutes later: "And the stuffing!" 

Yeah, that story's a lot more sad than funny.

Thankfully my cousins pulled through with some they had at home. Hallelujah. You can guess what I'm thankful for.

I'm also thankful for bacon. This helped me cope with the stress of thinking we'd have no squash.

Ya know what else I'm thankful for? These two. Ashleigh and John are really great. I am so glad we live kind of close to them. We don't get together a whole ton, but I always enjoy their company. In the absence of my siblings, I've really come to see John and Ash as a brother and sister. To me, obviously, not each other. 

I'm helping John here...not just vulturing the bacon.

And we'll just say this is what Mike's thankful for right here:

Nice action shot, honey.

Just kidding! I mean, I'm sure he is, but he says he's "thankful we have a healthy, happy family." Amen.

Thanksgiving: A Sunday Post

I was posting this on Facebook, but it's just too great not to put on our blog. I want to remember the goodness of people. I want my children who will have these books to remember the goodness of people. We print these yearly for our family history, but aside from all the dates and births and deaths in a family, it's important to know what the members thought--what touched us, what hurt us, what is important to us. This is one of those posts, I guess. This is important to me.

I live in a great community. I belong to a barter and swap group on Facebook that serves as a Craigslist for this community. Not a week goes by that I don't see something encouraging and uplifting on there--A BARTERING SITE, PEOPLE! And now that the cold has come, it's really on the climb.

In October, a woman on the site asked for help fixing her roof so she and her grandchildren wouldn't get evicted this winter. No money, so she was just hoping someone could show her how to do it. Instead, local contractors donated supplies and many men went out on a cold, crappy Saturday morning to fix the roof.

Last year, during the Christmas season, a woman sought to do random acts of kindness for people. One of the things she did was drive around the island and drop off wreaths to people who didn't have any on their house. One house she knocked at was answered by a man who fell to weeping when she gave him the wreath. He wanted one to put on the grave of his son (I think?) but had none that year to do it. This year she posted on the site looking for wreaths to give to the man.

Last week another woman mentioned on the site that she was chatting with a young saleswoman one day when she was shopping. The younger said she had returned to her car, then ran back in to use the restroom, and found that in the meantime her wallet had been stolen out of her car, along with a bible she had inherited from her grandfather. The wallet wasn't mentioned after that--the woman was concerned about helping to locate the heirloom scriptures.

Today I saw a post asking for an old-fashioned baby blanket--one where the material pills when washed and with a rough taffeta binding. The woman's granddaughter is going in for a marrow transplant, and because she must be kept in a sterile environment, she isn't allowed to use the old one she already has. Someone responded with a picture of a never-opened baby blanket from the 1970s. I found the same one, out of the box, on Ebay for $41. The woman asking for it offered to buy it from the one who responded, but the latter insisted on giving it to her.

These are only the few that are standing out in my head--there are countless more. Sure, there are also just regular old buy-and-sell exchanges too, but it really is so uplifting to see the genuine goodness of people. People with nothing to gain but the feeling of doing something that made someone else feel supported, cared for, and loved. People who are complete strangers. We all have the Light of Christ in us, and these people show it every day in the care they show for others.

I am thankful for these examples. I'm thankful for the kind things people do. I'm thankful for the people who allow kind things to come their way. The more I ponder kindness, the more I realize it is the best path to perfect charity--the love of Christ. I'm thankful for that realization, so I can even hope to attempt to gain that most desired attribute. 

Nana & Papa get to use their passport

Nana and Papa came to visit at the beginning of November to be here for Petranella's blessing. It was great having so much help from both of our parents, especially since we live so far away from them. We'll write about Petranella's blessing in our next post, but it was quite a shocker due to the weather. Fall in Maine is somewhat unpredictable, and the day after Nana & Papa arrived from 90 degree Arizona, they fall right into a huge snow storm that knocks the power out for over 30 hours. Welcome to Maine!

Dad helped me with a few fix-it projects around the house while they were here, Mom helped cook some meals, and both were great about watching the kids for us so Mal and I could go on a date, go for a walk...all the stuff that we don't normally get to do unless we find a babysitter of some sort. It was so nice. 

The kids favorite part of having someone visit is going to the guest bed in the basement when they first wake up (between 6 and 7 am) and pouncing on the guests (this is everyone's warning). Madie really enjoyed Papa's imaginative stories that he shared, and Finn liked Nana reading him books. 

One of the days they were here and while Madie was at school, I took Nana, Papa, and Finn to Canada. Specifically, we went to Campobello to see the lighthouses. It was a fun trip that gave a glimpse of small town life in Lubec, Maine. Since tourist season was done, the town was pretty much shut down, leaving no restaurants open, expect one small diner. It was literally a one-man show. He had a small menu, but made some pretty good food. It was to watch Dad talk with the locals. He is genuinely interested in talking with people and finding out about their lives and the area they live. At one point, when we were eating lunch in the diner, he was sitting at someone's table just chatting it up. I don't think myself, or any of my siblings have that gene quite to the extent that Papa does. But that's Dad! Always talking to people.

Nana & Finn looking to Canada.

Obviously, in Canada.

At the pebble stone beach, Roosevelt Campobello International Park.

Those stones aren't as easy to tread on with small boots.

East Quoddy Lighthouse (Canadian Side).

Rockwell painting, anyone?

This is the West Quoddy Lighthouse, also known as the eastern most part of the states (I say states because I'm quickly reminded that Saipan is the most eastern part...but it's not a state...so there!)

This lighthouse is beautiful. Probably my favorite yet.

When we were walking up to the lighthouse, we noticed two porcupines digging for grub in the grass. This was about as close as I wanted to get. I'd never seen one up close, in broad daylight, unless they are dead on the side of the road. I actually see more dead porcupine roadkill than anything else in Maine.

Finn was a great travel buddy. It was a fun day.

Jake and Cindy

A few more pictures from October. 

So like I said, in September, Jacob arranged to come out the same time Mum was here and we all kept it a surprise. He and Cindy arrived two days after Mum and we headed back to Bangor on some premise to distract Mum. Mike dropped us off at the bookstore near the mall and went off to "run an errand." He stopped back by and picked us up and took us to UNO's for lunch. The server took us straight back to a booth with a young couple sitting there--Mum said later she couldn't figure out why they were leading us to a taken table. Then she saw their faces.

SURPRISE!

Needless to say, she was happily surprised. 

Later we took them all around the island so Cynthia could see some of where Jake lived as a little kid. It was cold and wicked windy but the clouds made for a great picture day.

Jake and Cindy at Jordan Pond.

Mum at Jordan Pond.

I call this one, "Contemplation at the Edge of Still Waters"

And here is "Jane As A Young Girl"

And of course, we squeezed in some time for lobster. Cynthia had never tried it, but she was game. We decided to take it easy on her and do lobster rolls, but we did give these two the task of shelling.

Up to the elbows in lobster guts. Yummy.

October's Effort

I love October. I know I've said it before, and it's like everyone's favorite month so it's not remarkable or anything that I like it so much, but I still want to say it. This October was especially great for so many reasons. It was also a little harder than past Octobers. October 8th would have been Kaitlyn's 19th birthday. I miss her so much--I know, we all do. It's not really possible for anything to make up for such a loss, but it's nice to know that October 2014 really put forth a sincere effort to do so.

For starters, the colors are always pleasing. Last October was a little dull--pretty, and very long-lasting, but not as vibrant as usual. This year was much better. And so many nice days!

Madie didn't even have to wear a coat many mornings while she waited for the bus. 

 But we are never without some weather, which I love. I don't have any real depression or anything, but I did find my first summer in Livermore, CA to be difficult near the end. It was just soooo sunny all the time. I have heard of SAD working it's demons in the summer too, so maybe it was a little of that, but it didn't return the next year so I doubt it. I always enjoy a little breakup in the weather. October doesn't disappoint.

A rainy-day stroll with the whole family.

Such a lovely place.

Another carriage road, but different walk.

 If you've never been to Mount Desert Island, I invite you to come. At times it is hard to believe the Garden of Eden was more beautiful than this. 

Madie and Finn peeping over the Stanley Brook Bridge.

Madie and Dad check out a cool rock face. Mike would really like to take Madie rock-climbing some time.

 Of course, the pleasant colors and weather are definitely not the most wonderful things that happened this month. We welcomed our third child, Petranella. She's a month old now, as of yesterday. She is sweet and generally easy going. She sleeps wonderfully--oh blessed day!--and is growing like a Great Dane puppy. 

All ready to head out to the fire pit for some s'mores with the family, Grammy, Uncle Jake and Cynthia.

This is how she was for the first 10 minutes of her first check-up. I even undressed her. It wasn't until I set her on the scale that she woke up and started wailing. Poor thing, warm and snug one minute, then completely naked the next.

And just as wonderful and uplifting was this fun little announcement: Jacob is going on a mission! My brother bought tickets to come out to Maine with his girlfriend in September so they could be here the same time my mum was visiting. Literally everyone knew except my mum. I don't know how we kept it a secret. And on top of that, he had received his mission call a few days before he came out and refrained from opening it until he got here--much to the chagrin of my siblings in Utah--and no one even breathed a word to us in Maine or either of my parents. Again, a miracle of the purest form! He will be serving in the Arizona, Mesa mission. 

It's been a long road for Jake, but he's really grown up a lot in just the last year. It was so nice to have him here with us after Petya was born. He helped with the housework and really helped keep the other two kids entertained. Especially Finn, who, if you don't know him, is a very busy little boy. It was also interesting to hear some of what has his attention right now--aside from the mission. Jacob has always been passionate about whatever he chooses to focus on. He's been reading about re-wilding throughout the world. It's really interesting.

 Having so many changes has been hard on Finn. We didn't realize until a couple months ago that he has a hard time adjusting to things. He eventually does, but it definitely takes him longer than it does Madie. The difference is in how it manifests. With Madie we know right away it's hard: she cries and gets very self-conscious. But it only lasts about an hour. Finn on the other hand will seem completely fine, but at night he will have trouble falling asleep and/or staying asleep. He'll talk in his sleep, too. There were a number of times right after I returned home from the hospital when I heard him call out to me and then doze off again. As nice as it's been to have so much help, it's also very nice to start getting into our new routine so he can start settling down. The past few nights have been pretty good. While we had help here I tried to take a few moments to have a little time with just Finn. I took him to the playground without Petya and another day we met up with Dad for lunch, just the two of us. They are both things we did some times before she was born, so it was nice to get a couple more in before we start taking the baby with us everywhere.

Thanks for all the help, Mum, Jacob, Bryan, and Karen!

Halloween

BOO! I love this jack-o-lantern. It was carved by my brother Jacob after a drawing Madie made for it. It's one of the best. I also love that Madie enjoys drawing and painting and all forms of art so much. I hope it turns into a life-long love!

Is it just me, or is there something about this jack-o-lantern that looks kind of like my brother Ezra when it's not lit?

And here we have Olaf, carved by Dad. Not drawn by Finn, but enjoyed immensely by him. I'm fairly certain he now believes that all jack-o-lanterns are called Olaf since he kept pointing to them respectively and saying, "Finn-Dada Olaf, Madie-Uncle Jake Olaf." He also thinks it's the universal word for snowman. Lot's of Olafs running around.

You know, I really enjoy Halloween. I'm not incredibly imaginative though. And, let's be honest, I'm a little lazy. So it was kind of nice to have my mum come and do all the fun things with my kids that she did with us as kids. It's funny, I like Halloween, but not all the work. Mum always says she hates Halloween, but she certainly seems to enjoy the work. Those owl cookies down there are a serious time commitment. Especially when you only end up with like 10, which is a problem when I make them. Mum, somehow, seems to get like 24 out of hers. Huh...

Finn scarfing down chocolate chip eyeballs.

Finn actually putting a chocolate chip in on an owl. Or maybe he's taking it off. I don't know, it went back and forth a lot.

You can find the recipe here.

In our little town here they block off one of the major residential streets to traffic and that is where the honey pot is. In fact, residents there can get candy donations to help off-set the cost of all the trick-or-treaters. There are other areas of town that you can go as well, of course, but this does make it nice when you have a brood of little ones. We hit up only half-the street, and our kids have been eating candy for 11 days straight (and no, not just one each) and we still have plenty left in the bowl.

Glinda, the Good Witch, per her request.

Her expression here is much more in-tune with the story than that of Glinda in the movie. The Good Witch in the book is kind of like Galadriel from Lord of the Rings. Righteous, but not to be messed with.

There was another Glinda from the Wizard of Oz roaming the street that evening. Her costume was amazing! I was so impressed I actually mentioned to her mother when we were stopped at the same house how great it was. She laughed and said, "Does it scream 'Mommy has too much time on her hands?'" No. It screamed, "Mommy's a rockstar at the sewing machine." At that point I kind of thought my measly effort needs to be kicked up a notch. But that was very quickly replaced with something more along the lines of, Am I kidding?! That would be torture! I'd much rather eat owl-cookie dough...

Wizard of Oz must have been the theme 'cause this wins for my favorite decoration. 

The day of Halloween was a real treat for Finn. Mum and I took him and Petya on a walk to the Y where she and I then went for an actual walk (you know, one where you're moving at anything above toddler speed) while Finn played in childcare. On our way there we passed some construction--he's big into trucks and tractors right now. Mum took him down a side street to watch an excavator and dump truck while Petya and I kept going. She said at the end when they waved goodbye to the workers, some of them honked their horns and everything. He loved it. Then, when we were leaving him with the babysitter, my friend (who is the preschool teacher at the Y) mentioned they were having some firemen come and they were going to show them some of their trucks, and would Finn like to join them? So after our walk, I nursed the baby while Mum took Finn out to see the trucks. They extended their ladder all the way up for the kids. 

They gave each of the kids a hat to take home. Finn loved it. All of it. 

That hat really rounded out Finn's costume. He was going to be a lumberjack, which is what he was for the church party, but this worked better since the jacket kept him warm. And smudging black eye shadow on his face in a few random spots was a lot easier than making him hold still long enough to draw a beard on him--though that was exceptionally adorable. 

At the first house, Mike took him up to the door and showed him how it worked. 

Mike: "Look Finn," holding out Finn's bag to the residents. "Trick or Treat!" Residents put candy in bag. "Happy Halloween!" "Thanks! Bye!"

Finn pretty much took it from there.

And here is our adorable fireman and his dalmatian.