Merry Christmas Daddy!

The kids and I were out shopping a few days before Christmas when Sam spotted something. "Mom, we should get that for Dad! He will love it! It's his favorite!" He was so certain that I had to give in. We bought it, carefully wrapped it and put it under the tree.

Hmmm..... what could it be?



Ta Da!.... a Mario and Luigi shirt!!



The funny thing is... Jeremy doesn't play video games at all.
BUT...
Sam was right...
He did love it!

I'm Too Smart to Fall for That One!

Sometimes I think the kids figure I have "Stupid" tattooed on my forehead! Just yesterday I was making supper when Sam came into the kitchen... "Mom, I have to tell you a spit secret. Dad taught me. Come here and I'll whisper in your ear."

Ya... sure thing Sam!!

Another First for Sam

So... The lashing rain as of late has kind of put a bit of a damper on our "Family Week O' Fun" so today we changed our plans slightly and took Sam to his very first movie... Tangled in 3D. What a blast! It sure was fun to watch him reach for the lanterns floating in front of us. And, just so you know, he did eventually take his 3D glasses off... at bed time.




Maybe you are wondering what Maarti did while we were at the movies? Well, she had a ball hanging out with Gramma. Not sure exactly what all they did, but it must have been tiring. We caught Maarti having a little snooze once she got home.

Ho Ho Ho

Jeremy has had a few days off this week so we have been enjoying some family time! First stop... Minter Garden Centre! They have a train set up in their green house and lights strung up everywhere. It's not really that terribly impressive... unless you are two and four... then it's totally awesome!! Can you believe we spent over two hours at a greenhouse? Gramma and cousin Anna joined us and we spent our time looking at the displays, playing on a swing, riding the train and of course visiting with Santa himself.





On our way home we stopped at a grocery store to pick up something for lunch and guess what?... the bank across the parking lot was having their grand opening. We didn't win the draw for a GIC, but we did end up with a free meal out of the deal.. they were serving turkey and stuffing wraps! Yum! Gotta love days like these!

What's in a name?

Tonight, before bed, we read to the kids out of their little devotional book. The topic was on insults and calling people names. When it was over we talked about it.

Me: Sam, what is a nice name you can call your sister?

Sam: Umm... Maarti or Sweetie?!

Me: Those are nice names. And Maarti, what is a nice name you can call your brother?

Maarti: Joseph.

Oh well... at least Sam got something out of it and he wasn't offended at all by Maarti's answer. He actually thought she was hilarious and laughed for a good long time at that one!

Some Christmas Cheer

This morning I noticed Maarti blowing kisses into a pillow case. It was so cute and I just had to know who she was saving them for. I thought maybe they were for Daddy or Papa, but I was wrong... apparently they are for The Little Drummer Boy.

Absence Explained

So, in case anyone was wondering where I was for the last two weeks of November (when I dropped off the map with the blog)... I was entirely stressed out!! I was asked to speak at our church's ladies Christmas event... it was only for 7 minutes, but that was enough to make me feel sick to my stomach for several days. Anyway... it's done now. Thanks to everyone who prayed for me throughout the process. I really felt like God gave me words and then gave me the peace to share them.

If you're interested... this is what I shared:

I have always wanted to be a stay at home mom and now that I'm here I have wondered if perhaps the term “Stay at home Mom” was a bit deceiving. Being a mom sounded fun and what could be better for this home body than Staying at home? To be honest when people ask me what I do I'm really tempted to answer them with a more accurate description of my occupation... My name is Leanne and I am a wiper. All day every day I wipe things: little hands and little faces, I've nearly graduated from little bums, but I still do some of that too, I wipe floors, counters, the table, the dishes, I could wipe little finger prints off the windows but I gave up on clean windows a long time ago. So there you have it... that is what my life looks like these days. Thankfully I am married to an awesome assistant wiper, Jeremy, and we are totally in love with our two wipee's: Sam who is Four and Maartina who is two.

When Marilyn asked me to consider sharing with you on the theme of giving from a mom's perspective I thought that I probably had a few stories I could share since Mom's just are givers. But, as different situations have come to my memory I have started to wonder if perhaps in God's economy giving is actually equivalent to receiving. I daily give things that are small and in return I have received gifts that are big.

The first example I thought of was when I gave birth to Sam and I should clarify that I don't think giving birth is one of those small things I was just talking about. After almost two full days of labour I ended up having a c-section. I had one short moment to look at my son before he was whisked away to the NICU where he stayed for a week. I remember the doctor coming into my room in the morning telling me not to go and see Sam for a little while because they were doing a spinal tap. They were concerned he had a brain infection. It was a scary time for me and I wondered several times if we were going to lose our son. And that is when I received my first big gift as a mom. I found that my fear was replaced with peace when I was quoting scripture. Jeremiah 29:11 was a verse my mom had often reminded me of growing up and it was the one that first came to mind as I awkwardly held Sam trying not to disturb all the cords and monitors he was hooked up to. “For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” That experience solidified in my mind the power of Scripture and the importance of hiding God's word in my heart.

Another small gift I give my family is lunch, and on one occasion while I was preparing lunch I received big gift in the form of a humbling life lesson.

I was busy in the kitchen and Sam was playing on the floor. He said "Look at this Mommy." I said "okay", but then carried on with what I was doing. A couple seconds later I heard: "No Mommy... look at me with your face!". It was one of those moments when time slows down and a light bulb comes on (and I'm pretty sure that the light bulb's name is the Holy Spirit). I realized that my kids aren't the the only ones who need me to "look at them with my face". My husband, my friends, my family, God... Multi-tasking is a great skill, but not in relationships... Multi-tasking is, in fact, the enemy of relationship and I need to be 100% present.

The next random phrase that popped into my head was "Bare foot and pregnant in the kitchen". That statement is typically used when talking about the controversial idea that women should stay at home and have lots of babies, but in that moment, I had to wonder if perhaps that phrase was penned by a mom who had experienced a moment, similar to mine, and realized that this journey of motherhood, from start to finish, is "holy ground". God is very much present in my day to day activities and he is using our kids to strip away my selfishness and show me areas in my life that I need to surrender to Him. I am so thankful that God wastes nothing to make me more like Jesus.

Prior to kids I worked in the development department at Power to Change. When we did fundraising campaigns part of my job was to put together reports that calculated our ROI – return on investment. One of the best ROI's that I have had in this phase of life has come from playdates. I, out of desperation for some adult conversation, typically host 2 or 3 playdates a week. My friends come with their kids and while the kids proceed to wreck our house the mom's settle in with a cup of coffee. It is sometimes hard to have a decent conversation with all the chaos of young children around, but somehow we manage and those times around my kitchen table are rich. These moms are my go-to girls for support. I know that some of you love three year olds and three is your favorite age, but I have to be honest, Three almost did. Me. In! A lot of my playdate girlfriends were also experiencing three and I appreciated their understanding. I also love knowing that they'll still be there for me as I gear up to do three again in the new year! These girls are also the ones who ask how our marriage is doing and offer to take the kids so Jeremy and I can go on a date. They encourage me to see the bigger picture when I am frustrated with the challenges of parenting preschoolers. They offer meals when we've had the flu go through our house. They help me to appreciate my kids more. They ask if I'm in the Word and encourage me by telling me what God is teaching them. All that for just a cup of coffee and a messy house... that's a great return on a small investment!

When Jeremy and I were engaged we determined that we wanted our marriage to be marked by generosity and not hold on to things too tightly. We find it is a constant struggle in a world that is obsessed with stuff and living for self. I often go back to some wise words that my mom shared with me early in our marriage... “continue to be givers, because you cannot out-give God”.

It is so true... we cannot out- give God. In every situation where I have given something big or small He has come back with something much more valuable. Sometimes it is easy to complain that moms give and give without receiving anything in return but as I have reflected I have seen God all over this stage of my life. He is very present and he is very generous in the gifts He gives. His generosity makes me think that perhaps things that we consider small He considers very significant and the gifts He gives in return are His way of letting us know that He is pleased.

In Beth Moore's Bible Study, Believing God, she refers to something called a Godstop. The Stop in godstop is an acronym for “Savor the observable presence.” It's about learning to recognize God when he makes himself known to us. As I have been reflecting in preparation for what I would share I couldn't help but notice that every time I have given something I have had an opportunity to savor the observable presence.

And so here we are, on the doorstep of Christmas or what many people call the season of giving. I hope you have a blast with your Christmas giving, I also hope that you will recognize God when he goes out of his way to make himself known to you. I have no doubt he will over the next few weeks... Stop and savor the observable presence.

I Want to Go to Preschool...

and I want to hide in some corner out of sight, but not out of earshot! I got this urge the other day after a little conversation with Sam. He had come home from school, it had been "J" day, and he had brought a Jungle Jam CD for show and tell.

Me: How was show and tell Sam?

Sam: Good.

Me: What did you tell your friends and Ms. Renee about Jungle Jam?

Sam: Well, I said it was for listening to in the car and you have to keep your mouth shut!