The Shenandoah Valley

For the second year in a row, we went to Virginia to visit Kinnett and Chad.  They live in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley, and we again got to stay in the Lutheran Retreat Center owned by my Aunt Carolyn’s family.  It’s located in Strasburg, Virginia, on the banks of the Shenandoah river. 

Snookie got some reading time with Sarah Ellen.  He can’t see and she can’t read, so I’m sure this made for some interesting conversation. 

Here’s the retreat center:

And the view from the retreat center:

The surrounding fields were filled with cows. 

And one excited little Buggie. 

Mom cooked New Year’s Day lunch, complete with a pork tenderloin fresh from the butcher shop around the corner from my sister’s house.  I’m willing to bet that pig was born, fatted, slaughtered, butchered, cooked and eaten all within a 5 mile radius. 

Kinnett and Chad have two dogs:  Lucy and Josie.  Ears up means things are OK. 

Ears down is a sign of distress:

“I’ll sit on you, but don’t pet me too much.”  Seems like a fair compromise. 

Hard to say, but Lily’s ears look down in this picture. 

Chad’s mom Sharon wrestling a medium-sized squirrel: 

Voila! 

Can I have a Lick?

It’s 6:15 and Mommy’s at girls’ night.  That means Daddy’s in charge of dinner.  Tonight we eat pasta and leftover baked potatoes.  The no-dessert-on-weeknights rule is officially waived on account of mommy being away, but only for those who eat their baked potatoes. 

Lily complied, reluctantly, but Sarah Ellen refused.  I removed the “peel”, down to the last hint of a sliver.  I cut the potato into little pieces.  I gave her sour cream and ranch dressing.  I cut it again, into smaller pieces.  I turned around for one second and she started feeding them to Miller. 

I really wanted her to get ice cream but finally, with a heavy heart, I put the ice cream back into the freezer.  Over my shoulder, I hear her say to Lily, who is quietly enjoying her own chocolate cone, “can I have a lick?” 

Here’s what happens around here when you eat your butter and ranch dressing with a  side of baked potato:

Here’s the one who didn’t.  Daddy, I tried…

But I just can’t.

We compromised on crackers, so I guess that means we both claim victory.  Sarah Ellen didn’t get ice cream, but she never ate more than that first pinch of potato.

Can I have a lick?  

Christmas Morning

Once again this year, Lamont (our elf on a shelf) moved dutifully about the house watching the girls’ behavior for a full month before Christmas.  Lily had grave concerns about Sarah Ellen’s prospects this year, but everyone made out just fine.    

At ages two and four, this figured to be a exciting Christmas morning.  Interestingly, Lily was a little less wired than I expected in the days leading up, and Sarah Ellen, the morning of, was a bit more.  Sarah Ellen started stirring around 7:00 and we had to wake Lily up.  When we told Sarah Ellen that Santa had come, she kicked it into gear, which was all the proof we needed that she really “got” all this talk about Santa Claus bringing presents.  

First we hit the stockings. 

In true big sister fashion, Lily made sure Sarah Ellen had an equal share of goodies in her stocking.  Lily has proven to have a kind and generous heart. 

Santa would rather she have a healthy heart, as evidenced by the multiple bags of dried fruit in her stocking. 

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Santa brought us place mats, building blocks, tag readers, books and accessories. 

The presents from Doncie, Poppy and Snookie were a big hit, including an art easel fit for Da Vinci.  It came with paintbrushes, paint, aprons, dry erase and chalk boards, paper and a mat.  Both girls painted masterpieces before we even ate breakfast.

Who knew painting was so exhausting? 

After breakfast came snuggle time with Poppy, who must have done some painting himself.  Looks like everyone was tired out. 

I’ve come to a few conclusions after this Christmas:

• Santa’s chief elf really loves our girls.  She thinks about them constantly, plans for them, knows them inside and out, and picks presents for them that fit their passions and personalities. 
• God’s love for us is hard to comprehend.  He sent his son to die for our sins, because he loves us so much, and we celebrate that son’s birthday by focusing perhaps too much on presents and spending and not enough on the precious gift of salvation.  Forgiveness is a complicated and wonderful thing, and I’m re-dedicating myself to acknowledging and appreciating it. 
• The more fun your kids are having on Christmas morning, the fewer pictures you seem to take.  We had to keep reminding ourselves to tear away and document all this fun. 
• And finally, me do like getting presents. 

Spray-On Adhesive from Lowe’s

Just before the much-anticipated arrival of Santa Claus, we were paid a visit by the Organization Fairy.  This is that special time of year when a slew of new toys disrupts the shelf organization and overall layout of playrooms everywhere:  bin labels no longer match the toys inside; puzzles and boxes no longer fit squarely and line up on the shelves; and long-forgotten toys just look lonely.  Santa’s chief elf can’t have that, so advance preparation is required. 

The Lowe’s receipt reflects two purchases, an air compressor for daddy and a can of heavy duty spray-on adhesive for mommy.  On Christmas Eve, Lily and I smelled it all the way downstairs.  Puzzled, we headed up for a look.  Here’s what we found: 

Toy bins with new labels, complete with manufacturer’s logos for the littlest helpers among us who can’t read yet.  Mommy says if you spray the adhesive on both sides, it’s permanent.

For the toys no one likes any more, all batteries were removed, tested and sorted for disposal.  The toys were then boxed, labeled and placed in storage for future possible use.