My Little Gangsta

Meet my little "gansta" son: Lukey G. He loves to kick it old school with the sideways hat, Yo. Ok, ok, I sound about as ridiculous as a white, thirty-something, stay-at-home mom could possibly sound just now. Isn't this picture of Lucas pretty darn adorable though? I think so, but I am his mother. I love his round brown eyes and his kissable chubby cheeks. Seriously, I kiss those cheeks about a hundred times a day. He is twenty-one weeks old today!

Today we had a busy, crazy, accident-prone type of day. First, Hannah got a bloody nose after being hit in the face with a basketball. Shortly afterward, I had to remove a large splinter that was sticking out of Leah's big toe (no clue how she managed that one). My friend, Sara, literally had to hold Leah down while I quickly pulled it out. She was fine as soon as it was over, but the screaming that was going on during the procedure was ear piercing. We have the girls' five year well check on Monday which includes three shots a piece. What fun that will be! (do you hear the sarcasm there?)

Thankfully, all of these accidents occurred in the morning. Our afternoon at home was very calm and restful. Mike and I even got to go out on our own tonight. We had dinner at our friends' house. They recently moved back to OKC from Austin, so it was great to reconnect.

What are you all up to this weekend?

School Christmas Program and By The Way, I'm Not Crazy!

Hannah and Leah posing in front of the tree

Monday night was the girls' school Christmas program. I love things like this. It just feels so sweet and special and very "Christmasy". I really am a sucker for watching kids perform. I think I get teary eyed with every single song. And then when my girls got up on stage, I teared up a bit more. They are growing up so fast, and yet they are still so innocent. Innocent and funny. Just yesterday on the way home from school Leah said (in a very serious tone), "Mom, I've decided that I don't want to be crazy anymore." I replied, "You're not crazy, Leah. You're funny, but not crazy." She then replied, "I just want to be like you, Mom."

I wanted to laugh and also turn around and hug that girl. In her world, I am not crazy. And she wants to be like me. Be still my heart.

Oh and here's a short video of their performance from Monday night.

Birthday Eve

When I think back to December 15th, 2004, many things stand out in my mind.

1. It was my last day being pregnant with my twin girls.

2. I went along with Mike to his eye doctor appointment that afternoon. Because Mike's eyelashes are so long, the eye doctor had a hard time looking at Mike's eyes. I hoped our daughters would inherit his eyelashes (and they did).

3. After the doctor appointment, we went to the mall to pick up a few Christmas gifts and to grab a bit to eat. I remember I had a slice of pizza.

4. That evening, we went over to Mike's aunt's house to help her decorate her Christmas tree. Mike's parents had flown into town and were there as well.

5. Back at our home later that night, we all watched I, Robot. And we were all so preoccupied with the upcoming birth of our daughters that we could hardly pay attention. It wasn't that great of a movie anyway, so no big loss there.

6. It was my last day to feel like I was going to scratch my skin off. You see, I developed PUPPP halfway through week 35. PUPPP is an extremely itchy, hive-like rash that occurs mostly in women carrying multiples. I was literally covered in these blotches from my scalp to the skin between my toes. Unfortunately, the only cure is delivery, so women with PUPPP are forced to deal with this horribly itchy condition with no relief. Seriously, google the word PUPPP and see the image results. Scary stuff. I remember I was SO ready to be rid of it!

7. I remember being very excited to meet my babies-- my firstborn children. What I didn't know then is just how much joy these two girls would bring into my life.

Hannah and Leah, I think you are the most amazing, smart, funny, beautiful young girls I've ever known. I am so thankful that I get to be your mom. Happy 5th birthday, my Banana and Bee!

Excited beyond words as they entered Young Chef's Academy (where we had their b-day party this past Saturday).
Making their pizza dough

Two accomplished young chefs!

Adventus

Nikki and I last night

Last night we attended a really cool event here in OKC called Adventus. Adventus was a celebration of art and of advent. Several stores and galleries in The Plaza District were open late displaying paintings and sculptures as well as hosting musicians to play and poets to read. All of the artwork, music, and poetry was centered around the idea of advent, a season of hopeful waiting and expectation. Reed, Nikki and I decided to go together and check it out. Mike couldn't go with us because he is directing a short documentary about a place called Convergence which was one of the galleries open that night.

Before we headed to the event, I must say that we stopped to eat at one of my new favorite places: Big Truck Tacos. What a cool place! I've been there twice now and both times have ordered a Crispy 'Cado Taco which features several huge slices of fried avacado, with homemade tomatillo salsa. So good, my friends. So good.

Ok, back to Adventus....after we finished up our yummy dinner, we headed down to 16th Street to check it all out. Lots of stores and galleries were open, people were everywhere and there wa a definite buzz in the cold night air. We went to Convergence first because that was where Mike and his crew were filming. We checked out the art, then hung around for a good hour or more just taking it all in. Several musicians got up and played one or two songs. I especially liked one young guy who had a ZZ top beard and played the harmonica while also playing the guitar as well as singing. Another girl got up and sang an absolutley beautiful song reflecting on what she would have been thinking if she were in Mary's shoes. One guy read a poem that he had written after staying up all night and watching the sunrise. And there was a spoken word poet who performed a really cool rap-like poem that got a huge round of applause. In addition to all of that going on, two guys were collaborating on a live painting. We watched them work in tandem for awhile. Slowly an image of a newborn lamb appeared-- eyes closed and looking wet as if it had just been born.

All in all it was a fun, inspiring, peaceful night that really encouraged me to think about this season of advent-- to reflect, to be calm and to remember what this season is all about.

Favorite Christmas Songs:: Non-Traditional

Again, there are just so many to pick from. But with a lot of careful thinking, here are my top five:

5. "Last Christmas" by Wham!-- I know, I know, this song is so cheesy, but I absolutley love it and end up singing right along with it. I think the song was permanetly endeared to me when a few years ago on New Year's Eve our friends Reed and Nikki as well as Mike and I ended up choreographing the chorus together. I recall laughing hysterically. "Last Christmas, you gave me your heart, but the very next day you gave it away...."

4. "Rocking Around the Christmas Tree" by Brenda Lee-- Bring on the sounds of the 1950's! I love it! Makes me want to hang some tinsel strands on my tree, put on my good pearls (really I have none) and serve cookies to my guests in a starched dress and high heels. I love that decade!

3. "I'll Be Home for Christmas" by Bing Crosby-- Gotta have a song by Bing Crosby on here. Such a classic song sung by a classic voice. To get the full effect, you must listen to this song after all children are in bed while sitting next to a fire with the only other light being the glow of the lights on the Christmas tree. Ahhhhh.....

2. "I Celebrate the Day" by Relient K-- Well, after haning out in the 40's and 50's, jump with me if you will to today! I absolutely love the lyrics to this song. "And the first time, that you opened your eyes, did you realize that you would be my savior?, and the first breath that left your lips, did you know that it would change this world forever?....","And I celebrate the day, that you were born to die, so I might one day pray to you to save my life." Good, good stuff.

1. "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas"by Gayla Peevy-- Surprised? I guess I'm a sucker for songs written in the 1950's cause I love everything about this one! It is funny, sweet and will stick in your head all day after you hear it! It's also cool that the song has an Oklahoma City connection. The ten year old girl who sings this song is from OKC, and in 1953, after the song grew in popularity, she was actually presented with a real baby hippopotamus which she then donated to the Oklahoma City Zoo. The hippo was named Matilda, and she lived a long life here, passing away just a few years ago in 2003. My girls LOVE this song too. I think the three of us danced around to it several times the other day. I would really recommend that.
So for your listening pleasure, here is my favorite non-traditional Christmas song.....

Favorite Christmas Songs:: Traditional

My sweet girls after they finished decorating our tree

First off, I posted a comment with the answers to yesterday's Christmas Carol Brain Teasers. So check back if you just couldn't figure out what song features a "light brown explosive." =)

I figure while I'm on the topic of Christmas Carols, I'm going to milk it for all it's worth. And what better way than to do a "top five" list! I think I'll do one list for my favorite traditional Christmas carols and then tomorrow list my top five non-traditional songs. Then I promise to change the subject!

I've been thinking about my top five traditional Christmas carols all day today. It's been harder than I thought narrowing it down to just five, but it appears that I like songs with the word "O" in it. I also considered which songs I've loved to sing since I was young as well as songs that have only recently become my favorite.

Ok, here we go!

5. O Come All Ye Faithful-- I love this song simply because it is so happy and joyful sounding. It even says so right in the song: O come all ye faithful, JOYFUL and TRIUMPHANT!

4. Angels We Have Heard on High-- My favorite part is trying to sing "Glooooooooria" in a really operatic voice. I've been doing this lately and my girls have been telling me to stop.

3. We Three Kings-- For some reason, I have loved this song since I was a little girl. I remember a conversation I had with my mom while we were riding in the car one time: "Mom, what is an 'orientare'? Mom: "It's not a thing, it's a place-- the Orient." I was still confused at the time, but eventually I figured it out. I've always loved the chorus, "Star of wonder, star of light, star with royal beauty bright! Westward leading, still proceeding...."

2. O Holy Night-- this one is just plain beautiful. Beautiful lyrics with a beautiful melody. I just wish I could get my voice to go high enough to hit some of the high notes.

And my number one favorite Christmas carol is.......

1. O Come, O Come Emmanuel-- I've always liked this one, but it was only in the last five years or so that the idea of just how much the Old Testament and New Testament are connected has really started to sink in for me. I think, like most people, I always saw the Bible as a series of stories, with Jesus being the most important story. But as I've grown in my faith, I can clearly see that the Bible is really one big story. My Bible study leader last year would always say, "The New Testament is concealed in the Old, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New." Last year I studied the life of Moses, and through reading his story, and the story of the birth of the nation of Israel, I can see how much we needed a Savior! I can almost hear the Hebrew slaves in Egypt crying out, "O Come, O Come Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel!!" And even though Moses or any of those Israelites didn't live long enough to see it-- Emmanuel came! Emmanuel literally means "God with us." Oh, I'm so glad he came. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel has come to thee, O Israel!"

What are some of your favorite carols?

A Christmas Brain Teaser

One of my favorite things about Christmas is singing & listening to Christmas Carols. There's a radio station down here that plays them non-stop from Thanksgiving Day to New Year's Eve, and I look forward to it every year. When I was teaching, the day before Christmas break I always gave my students a Christmas carol word puzzle to work on. They had to come up with the title of the Christmas carol that matched each "clue". In honor of my teaching days, here are some for you to work on (I think my worksheet had about 25 of these!). Leave your guesses, and I'll give the answers tomorrow! =)

1. Buxom maniacs toasting over an uncovered flame
2. Metallic ding-a-lings
3. Crimson proboscis precipitaion darling
4. Listen, the heavenly beings are speaking!
5. Light Brown Explosive
6. Shout the news from a high place