I was driving across the bridge to Lisbon when "Remember When" by Alan Jackson came on the online radio I was listening to. It's one of my favorite songs ever. I started crying and was worried about not seeing and swerving into the river. It gets me every time.
One of my favorite lines is "remember when... the sound of little feet was the music we danced to week to week". When I hear Addie's running around the house... because she never walks, she runs... I sometimes think of this line and get a little nostalgic. For the time I'll have to remember that sound.
I also love the line "Remember when thirty seemed so old, Now lookn' back it's just a steppin' stone, To where we are, Where we've been, Said we'd do it all again". Whenever I think of my wedding or the life my husband and I are building... well, this line describes it.
Finally, I got teary-eyed in the car thinking about a friend I have who just had a prematurely-born baby. She was so worried about having kids and having to give up her lifestyle of travel, eating out, etc. that I thought of her with this line: "new were born. life was changed, disassembled, rearranged." With Addie, that's exactly how I felt. Everything was disassembled, only to be rearranged again. It's hard. But it's a million times better.
We have been enjoying our Christmas decorations this Advent. Last year I didn't put up a tree or listen to any Christmas music... I was that overwhelmed with baby/work/trying to do everything. (because I loove Christmas)
This year we got our act together and put up our tree on the first Sunday of Advent. We've been really enjoying having dinner with just Christmas tree lights and candles lit. And my husband doesn't mind listening to Christmas music non-stop since November and the the Nutcracker CD playing a million times. I got myself a winner. ;)
Christmas is my favorite season. It is so magical. We have been busy, but I'm hoping we will calm down a little now. We had our last party in a string of parties we've had recently. It was na Usborne book party and I really liked hosting it. I made Pioneer Woman's Peppermint Chocolate Cupcakes, pictured above, and they were divine. I have never been so happy with cupcakes I've made. Instead of using peppermints.. which apparently are extinct in Portugal.. I used a yummy candycane I got from Starbucks. Thankfully we have Starbucks here in Portugal.
Addie participated in her very first Christmas play... or any play for that matter. She is also pictured as an angel above. She deeeefinitely doesn't have stage fright... at least not yet. She ran on the stage a few times when it wasn't her part. And she was the "liveliest" angel singing "angels we have heard on high". Lively, as in jumping up and down. I don't know if it's just because I'm her mother, but she gets more adorable each day.
This Christmas play came about through our homeschooling group, which has proved to be one of the best things going for us in our life right now. We are not only finding a social aspect for Addie here (I am planning on writing an article soon called "Why our Government-Run Play Group Doesn't Work... anyway), but we are finding friendship, like-mindedness and community as a family. It's the entire family bonding with other entire families. It's great. Also find our homeschooling group crafting session photo above.
I hope your Advent is off to a peaceful and hopeful start.
I've been going too fast lately... too fast to record and reflect on what's happening. But it has been good. Our Thanksgiving week was very action-packed. We went to hardrock with my family, which was a surprisingly nice place to take kids.
Then we hosted a turkey dinner on Friday for some Portuguese friends. I had this dream of making turkey, even though I don't eat it... and it turned out good! It was easier to make than I was expecting. And I got to read a book about Thanksgiving to our guests and they even wore paper pilgrim hats we made. It was a fabulous tradition I hope to repeat every year.
Here are pics of us at Hardrock, my turkey "sleeping" and Addie enjoying some leftover turkey the next day.
