This year's Christmas card

So this year's Christmas card marks a major shift for us -- we've decided that our kids are way cuter than we are, so the front of our card features just them.  Plus, it's significantly easier to get a cute portrait of them than it is to do a remote/timer shot of all four of us at once...  ;)  I did manage to eke one out this fall, so the back of our card has a black and white photo of all four of us.  Which is one of literally only two photos I have of all four of us together this year...  Any photographers in central NJ want to do a family photo swap sometime next year?  :)

Joshua and Sophia were actually kind of happy and excited about photos this crisp late fall morning when I dressed them up for Christmas photos.  Joshua thought it was hilarious, sitting on the leaves -- he kept asking Sophia if she saw the leaves, and laughing when she would try to eat some.  :)  And Sophia was just excited to be outside, giggling when the wind blew and content to sit and smile at the world around her.

Wishing you all a very merry Christmas!

Our 2013 special ornament

So far, we've managed to continue our little family tradition of having a special annual Christmas ornament to commemorate the year... This marks our eighth year of doing this!  Pretty soon, I'll have to find a different way to display these ornaments...  :)

2013 was a big year of change and growth for our family.  Both David and I have had exciting new challenges professionally -- me with my new job ventures, David with his ever-evolving responsibilities in campus ministry.  Sophia continues to grow and change in leaps and bounds every day, adding new words and new motor skills seemingly by the minute.

But perhaps the biggest, most obvious change to our family rhythms this year was the introduction of formal school for Joshua.  Starting preschool has brought so many exciting and wonderful changes in our little guy's life.  He's grown so much in vocabulary and art skills and other immediately obvious "learning" skills.  But it's also been amazing to watch him grow in understanding in so many different ways -- from complex sentence structures, to empathy for other children, to remembering what he's done during the day and being excited to relate extended stories about what he did, it's all been such a joy to watch!

And having Joshua in school three mornings a week has opened up a lot of time for the rest of us.  It *is* a bit of a scramble on school mornings to get Joshua fed, dressed, and out the door by 8:15.  But once he's there, I've had some really sweet one-on-one times with Sophia.  And when she's taking her morning nap, I suddenly have decent stretches of time to catch up on life.  :)

So we thought that it would be fitting to get a little school-themed ornament this year, to remember the beginning of this new season in our family's life.  We're so thankful that Joshua's first experiences of school have been predominantly positive, and we pray that he'll continue to enjoy his time learning and exploring and growing through his entire school career!

Christmas in Indy!

[Backdating this post since it's now been a month since Christmas...  This one's a long one, with tons of photos, so I hope that helps make up for the long radio silence!]

We had such a wonderful time with family out in Indianapolis this Christmas!  We've seen enough of Grandma and Grandpa (and Uncle Iain and Aunt Erin!) that the kids are now completely comfortable with them, which makes for an even nicer and more relaxing vacation.  Joshua in particular absolutely loves hanging out with his grandparents -- they shower him with more focused attention than he generally gets from his poor, tired parents on a daily basis.  ;)  And they have different toys!  And books!  And an old helium birthday balloon!!







Christmas day was so much fun this year.  Joshua really got into the opening of presents (so much so that he woke up on the 26th and asked hopefully to open more presents...), and he loved all the very thoughtful and fun gifts he received!  Iain and Erin found these brightly colored silicone coasters, designed to wrap around the bottom of the glass and distinguish it from others' glasses.  Technically, I think they were a gift to me and David, but Joshua saw them and immediately claimed the colorful circles as his own.  :)  As Iain predicted he would!  They also got him a set of building squares (again, symmetrical and brightly colored), and he was fascinated by how they fit together into different configurations.




(You can see he also received a set of stickers from Grandma, one of which was promptly affixed to the front of his sweater!)

But I'm afraid everything else immediately paled into insignificance when he opened his big! red!! FIRE TRUCK!!! from Grandma and Grandpa.  :)  A button on top makes the lights flash and the siren play (thankfully, not too loudly or long), and there's a crane ladder and a rubber hose and two little firefighters to drive the truck.  Joshua was utterly transfixed, and played with nothing else for the rest of the morning.







Where was Sophia during all this?  Fast asleep upstairs, I'm afraid...  But she made out like a bandit with cute and fun presents from everyone, all of which Joshua delighted in helping me open.  :)  And once Sophia woke up, we had a fun little Christmas photo shoot with the kids!  Where I managed to get a photo with both kids looking at me and looking happy!



Most of the other shots I got looked more like this:





Though that last one really melts my heart!

OK, gotta pick up speed and get through the rest of this photo dump recap...

Joshua got his first real playing in the snow experience while we were out in Indy!  There was a massive snowstorm just after Christmas, so David and Iain went out to shovel out the driveway before the snow got piled up too high.  And Joshua went to help!  :)









And to wrap things up, a series of Sophia on various relatives!  :)












All four of us had such a wonderful time over Christmas.  And we can't wait until the next time we get to hang out with family!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all the wonder and joy of Christmas!

[Confession: there may have been a helium balloon that escaped up to the cathedral ceiling just before I took that photo of Joshua...]

To Indy for Christmas!

This latest blog burst was made possible by the fact that we're at Grandma and Grandpa's in Indianapolis now for Christmas.  :)  It's wonderful being taken care of, and having so many willing and eager babysitters...

We decided to try flying out to Indy this time around, after having driven out here when escaping from Hurricane Sandy.  Driving for 14.5 hours each way, stopping at iffy turnpike rest areas to feed the kids, and losing two whole days of proper napping and sleeping didn't seem worth it, especially when compared to a two-hour flight with just an hour or two of transit time on each end.  Seems like a no-brainer, right?

We booked flights based on the kids' nap schedules, in the hopes that both of them would manage to fall asleep for much if not all of the flight.  And things seemed to be going exactly as we had hoped -- we made it through airport security fairly easily (or as easily as you can with a toddler in a stroller, a baby in a Beco carrier, and three small carry-on bags), and boarded the plane.  Sophia fell asleep on me almost right away, and Joshua happily bounced in his very own seat next to me (his first time on a plane not as a lap infant!), and listened to me wide-eyed as I explained that we would be zooming up into the sky shortly.

We taxied, and taxied, and taxied.  Every time the engines started revving up a bit, I would remind Joshua that we would be zooming up into the sky soon -- he does much better with new experiences if we prepare him properly for them.  So I got super excited and told him how fun it would be to fly up in the sky.  But each time, the plane swung around for another loop and continued taxiing on the ground.

Eventually, Joshua got tired and fell asleep on me.  And that's when the captain came on over the PA and told us that there was some "maintenance issue" that needed to be checked out, and that we would have to go back to the gate for the crew to take a look.  The kids slept peacefully on while we waited for the crew to do a "quick fix," and then we set off to the runway once more.





And we taxied, and taxied, and taxied some more.  Finally, the captain came on and said that the "quick fix" wasn't holding, and we would have to go back to the gate and deplane.

Joshua woke up then, and I think he was disoriented and uncomfortable, so he started wailing.  And then Sophia woke up.  (The sad thing is that if we had taken off on schedule, the kids would have been asleep for almost the entire flight -- so our planning would have worked out...)  It was almost time for Sophia to nurse again, so I switched seats with David (he was across the aisle with no one next to him), so he could try to calm Joshua down while I tried to feed Sophia.  But Sophia wasn't having it -- she hates being under the nursing cover, and I think she was feeling a little residual stress from me.  And then Joshua, still wailing, decided he wanted to be next to me again, so he ducked across the aisle.  With both kids screaming in my ears, I asked David to take Sophia to give one of my ears a break -- and Sophia immediately quieted in his arms.  When we deplaned at the terminal several minutes later, many of our fellow passengers congratulated David for his good work as a father.  :)  And Joshua was placated with videos on my phone, and then by a gift of apple juice from one of the stewards.

Back at the terminal, I fed Sophia in a family restroom and David grabbed us a quick bite to eat, including another bottle of juice for Joshua.



And then after about an hour of waiting, we finally reboarded the plane -- after many assurances that the maintenance issue was resolved and that that system had plenty of redundancies.  The kids both did beautifully on the plane the second time around -- Sophia was tired enough to sleep the whole way, and Joshua was plied with many snacks and games on my phone.  And we finally landed safely in Indianapolis, a mere four hours behind schedule...

All told, it was still probably better than driving with the kids.  And that kind of delay is unusual in our experience.  But we're hoping and praying that our return flight will be much, much less eventful!

Hex Bugs!!

Since we're spending Christmas in Indianapolis with David's family this year, my parents shipped Christmas presents out to our kids a bit early, and we let Joshua open them before we left for Indy.  (Which, I know, isn't exactly kosher, but it's become something of a family tradition, allowing him to open the gifts from the other set of grandparents before we travel...)

This year, my parents gave Joshua a starter set of Hex Bugs, a toy that had been highly recommended by some of my friends with kids around Joshua's age.  They're these little mechanized plastic bugs with rubber legs that vibrate when switched on, and then skitter around in these little hexagonal habitats.  The habitat pieces are designed for multiple add-ons, so you can add extra chutes and hexagons to create more elaborate setups.  We wanted to start small to see whether Joshua would even like these, so we just have the starter set -- which means that there are lots of openings, meant for future additions, through which these little skittery, jittery bugs can escape.  [Though now that I'm looking at the Amazon page again, it looks like it was supposed to come with pieces to block off these openings... Just my luck that the set we got didn't have those pieces!]

Those who know me and my EXTREME bug phobia can probably see the problem right away...

But Joshua really loves the bugs!  When I first turned them on and let him hold them to feel the vibrations, he found them fascinating, and loved putting them up to his cheeks to feel the little buggers go.  And when I showed him how to put them in the habitat to let them run around, he thought it was the most amazing thing ever.  And then when the little buggers escaped (as they did over and over and over again), he thought it was hilarious and shouted with glee as he tried to catch and corral them.

So I guess I'm resigned to them.  ;)  His uproarious laughs do make them worth all the minor freakouts I've already had in seeing the bugs escape and make a beeline for me.  (I have to keep telling myself they're just hunks of plastic, and they're certainly not actually gunning for me...)  I do supervise him closely when the bugs are on, though.  I can just imagine him losing the bugs while they're switched on, and then having a heart attack after seeing one skitter across my kitchen floor...

But just listen to his laughter in this video.  :)


And just a couple phone camera shots of the little dude playing with his new favorite toy!







Who would have guessed that this extremely bug-phobic girl would actually buy such skittery bug toys for her son...  The things I do to make Joshua laugh...  :)

This year's Christmas card

We finally sent out our Christmas card about a week and a half ago, so it's probably safe for me to post it here now.  :)

In preparation for this card, I finally, finally got a photo of all four of us together!  It only took over three months after Sophia was born for us to get a family photo... I was using my 85mm lens, and wanted a nice shot with some of the last leaves of autumn framing us, so I set up the tripod about 150 feet away and had David corral Joshua into position.  Because my remote battery was dead, I had to use the 10-second self-timer on the camera -- which meant I hit the shutter and then SPRINTED (while trying not to jostle Sophia) to get in position in time.  It's a miracle that this photo turned out as well as it did.  :)

So here's the 2012 Keddie family Christmas card, front and back:


And just because I love it so, here's a larger version of our family photo!


Wishing you a lovely Christmas, from our family to yours!

More Christmas crafts!

I figure this is likely to be the only Christmas I'll be a stay-at-home mom.  So I've been having fun playing a little Martha Stewart and actually doing some of the Christmas crafts and activities I've been pinning on Pinterest.  :)

One of the projects I did with the kids was a handprint Christmas wreath, inspired by this pin.  (Though there's no way I was going to introduce glitter into the equation -- hello, crazy mess...)  I traced out both of the kids' handprints onto pretty green cardstock -- which was a little harder than I had anticipated.  Sophia doesn't have the best limb control, and Joshua kept wanting to lift his hand so he could see what on earth his crazy mama was doing to him this time.  ;)  And then one Friday evening while David was at PEF, I cut out and traced and cut out and traced and cut out a bunch of handprints.  The project wasn't particularly difficult, but it was a lot more time-intensive than I thought it would be -- cutting around tiny finger tracings takes a long time.  :P  But I had already started, and wanted to see the project through, so I spent a few hours hanging out on our couch, watching old episodes of "Friends" and cutting out handprints and gluing them together into a wreath circle.  :)

The next morning, I showed Joshua the wreath, and had him stick gold star stickers all over it.  He went around a put a sticker on each of the light green Sophia hands, put a few on the red bow, and then threw a minor fit when I tried to convince him to put some stickers on the dark green Joshua hands.  So I sneaked a few little stars on the dark green myself and then hung the wreath up on the wall before Joshua could crumple it in his zeal to protect it.  :)

But I think all the effort was worth it!  Look at the cute wreath over our TV!


Thankfully, my other Pinterest-inspired project was much easier.  Inspired by this pin -- and by "inspired by," I mean "completely blatantly stolen from."  :)  I got a length of holly garland from Michaels and wrapped it around our dining room chandelier, and then tied a bunch of mini ornaments to the chandelier with white ribbon.  Super fast and easy, but with high visual impact -- exactly the kind of project I love!


And finally, a simple holiday card display idea.  We used to put all of the photo cards we received up on our fridge, and leave them there the entire year.  But that was in our old apartment, where our kitchen was gated off and the fridge was a toddler-safe zone.  Now that our fridge has become a toddler magnet play area, we needed a different place for the lovely cards we get from friends and family!  So this year, I tacked some wide red ribbon to the wall, and I've been attaching photo cards with mini clothespins.  We've managed to teach Joshua not to pull at the ribbons, and we've had such fun telling him all about each of the faces displayed on our wall.



I love having such holiday prettiness all around us.  :)

Christmas Vespers 2012

Every year, one of the Christmas traditions I look forward to the most is the interfellowship Christmas Vespers service.  This year, I was able to go because our dear friend Andrew came over to watch the kids while they slept.  He's about to become a first-time father in just a few short weeks, so it was good practice for him!  (And it helps that the service starts at 9pm -- the crazy-late college student schedule meant that both the kids were put in bed before I had to leave!)

This year's service was as beautiful and moving as ever.  It's such a blessing to be able to take a moment in the midst of the busyness of the Christmas season to just sit back, meditate on Scripture, and listen to and sing beautiful music.  The richness and beauty of Christmas tradition becomes once more solidly grounded in the promises of Scripture, and I come away feeling refreshed.

And I just love the music chosen for this service!  I usually have the carols and special music stuck in my head for weeks after Vespers.  :)

Joy has dawned upon the world
Promised from creation
God's salvation now unfurled
Hope for every nation
Not with fanfares from above
Not with scenes of glory
But a humble gift of love
Jesus born of Mary

Sounds of wonder fill the sky
With the songs of angels
As the mighty Prince of Life
Shelters in a stable
Hands that set each star in place
Shaped the earth in darkness
Cling now to a mother's breast
Vulnerable and helpless

Shepherds bow before the Lamb
Gazing at the glory
Gifts of men from distant lands
Prophesy the story
Gold -- a King is born today
Incense -- God is with us
Myrrh -- His death will make a way
And by His blood He'll win us