Snow...Lots of Snow

Western North Carolina had a massive snow storm last weekend.  It came on so quickly and strong, our friend Ann and her daughter Claire got stuck trying to get home (accident after accident on the slick, icy roads) and ended up at Casa Watson for the night.  The impromptu slumber party was a treat, especially since Ben and Clara are infatuated with Claire in all her eight-year-old glory.  Ann and Leah relished the chance to relax with a glass of wine and great conversation while the storm swirled outside. 

By Sunday the storm had subsided, but the roads were still a mess.  We bundled up the kids in the double stroller, laced up our hiking boots and walked to church for a snow day Sunday service.  We were a rag tag group with a rag tag service in the old little chapel, it was a fun change of pace.  Ben and Clara, after being cooped up for days and sensing the snow excitement, were totally wild throughout the service.  Sometimes, those kids feel a little too comfortable at church.

Being "homebound" with two little ones is calling on all our creativity and patience.  The house is a constant jumble of toys, art projects, baking adventures, cuddle blankets, wet coats, scarves and shoes and sippy cups.   There is a chance of another snow storm hitting this weekend...if you run into Mary Poppins please send her our way, let Miss Mary know we have a lovely little guest suite upstairs just waiting for her arrival.

Special Day

Last night, on January 21^st we celebrated the second annual “Clara’s Special Day.”  It marked the two-year anniversary of Leah’s first thyroid surgery when she was 24 weeks pregnant with our little girl.  Clara was a trooper through the three-hour surgery and within an hour of exiting the OR her heartbeat was back to normal and she was squirming and kicking away, a wonderful uncomfortable comfort for a pregnant mom.  That first night post-surgery there were a frightening couple of hours when it looked like Leah may have been going into pre-term labor.  It turned out to be dangerously low calcium levels caused by the surgery that was causing contraction like cramping.  Those two hours were scary and ended up being just the start of a very scary time for us. 

As much as we were worried about our little peanut then, the baby was still a mystery, we didn’t even know if it was a boy or girl.  So now, in retrospect, that day grips and twists our hearts- because now we know that was Clara in there, full of sweetness, mischief, silken curls and denim blue eyes, a girl who loves spaghetti, puppy dogs and reading books out loud to herself.  She is a girl who finds comfort in the little tag on her blanket, her brother holding her hand, a slice of banana bread…and the thought that things could have gone a very different way that night in the hospital fills us with gratitude and fear.

Now, we will commemorate this day every year.  It is a chance to remind our baby girl that she is strong, she is blessed, that she is loved.  There are going to be many times she will need to remember to fight, to kick, squirm, to not let heartbreak or failure stop her heart from beating, stop her from living life to the fullest.  We can’t protect her from the hurt of the world, but we can circle around her and dance, proclaim with joy how happy we are that she is here, that she is strong…that she is ours. 

To celebrate, we babysat a friend’s dog for the day, ate some cupcakes (Leah’s healthy version…shh, don’t tell) and we danced and danced.  Mark and Leah decided the doxology was the appropriate song for blowing out the candles and as we finished singing Ben added a couple hallelujahs of his own.  Hallelujah, stay strong Clara Elizabeth Grace and never stop dancing.

Discovery Zone

The crew packed up (which takes us a good hour these days) and headed to Charlotte today to enjoy the "big city" science museum, The Discovery Zone. Ben attended a class last week at our local science center on space (he called it Astronaut School), so we were primed to play and explore at this fun spot.  The big highlights were the launch chair, all the pulley activities and ball rockets.  Both kids braved the bed of nails, but it spooked Ben to the extreme and the rest of the day any room we entered he would grip Leah's hand and ask, "Is there a bed of nails in here?"  It was another moment of realization that Clara is a full fledged toddler, she was running around and getting right in there with all the kids.   Sometimes, you just want to stop for a moment, make things slow down, freeze.  But we all know that time is a scientific reality we can't deny.  In response, we are called to open our eyes, our hearts, to pay attention, to listen, to embrace it all - and take lots of pictures.

Birthday Boy

We celebrated our favorite guy last week on his birthday.  Leah and Mark managed to make a 24 hour escape to Charlotte and enjoy the metropolitan lifestyle for a few minutes.  Because it was Mark's birthday, dinner was burgers and beer and he was allowed to fall asleep watching television ( a huge indulgence as our bedroom is, and forever will be, a TV free zone).  

The next day, we returned from a blissful ten hours of slumber, coffee and the paper in bed, with arms itching for the kids.  Ben and Clara assisted in baking an incredible, decadent, calorie laden chocolate, peanut-butter cake for their beloved Daddy.   As the four us gathered around the table, licking frosting from forks and fingers, both kids giddy with excitement over the custom bookmark collection they created for their Dad - Mark's eyes welled up, which made Leah's eyes well up...because that table held everything that mattered to us and it was more beautiful and complete than we deserved.  It was all that and the cake...the middle layer of peanut butter cream, the chocolate fudge frosting...When is the next birthday?

Surviving Christmas

Christmas was filled with wonder, love and celebration. The kids enjoyed the Children’s Bell Service at church Christmas Eve (with double the attendance of last year!). Ben sang up front and felt very comfortable and confident…maybe he has been playing with the karaoke machine a little too much. We were worried that Christmas morning would seem lonely with just the four of us, but it was perfect. We discovered stocking treasures (Leah's favorite), feasted on Misty’s famous cinnamon rolls (dangerous and divine), opened presents galore (these kids are loved by so many people, thank you) and all took a two hour nap (best present, ever). That evening we had dinner with the Hill family, dear friends who have a playful dog, a cuddly cat and lots of drums to play- pretty much the perfect dinner destination for Casa Watson.

Aside from Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (thankfully), we were surrounded by sickness over the holiday. Mark and Leah managed to keep major illness at bay, but both Ben and Clara had days of suffering with high fevers, chest congestion and general yuckiness. Rounds of antibiotics, many trips to the pharmacy, hours of watching Playhouse Disney while propped up on the sofa and many sleepless nights later, we are finally on the mend. Last night Ben had his first six hour stretch of sleep without waking up to fever or coughing fits. Leah asked him how he was feeling and his sleepy, satisfied answer, “Mommy, I feel kind of brand new.”

Sounds like a great way to start the New Year.

Snow on Snow on Snow...

We were treated to a winter wonderland this weekend, courtesy of a substantial snowfall. What a way to get in the Christmas mood! Snow, sugar cookies and Clara walking around the house proclaiming, “ho, ho, ho,” is all anyone needs to be filled with cheer. Somehow, Ben is convinced that it will snow again on Christmas Eve. As long as all the Christmas Eve services at church can go on as planned, we think that is a wonderful idea.

Days of Christmas

The countdown to Christmas has been filled with all sorts of activity and fun. It has been thrilling (and we admit, exhausting) to experience the season fully with two little ones. Thankfully, we have some great friends who have made it possible for us to sneak out for a couple of date nights. Adult conversation and meals that do not involve sippy cups can work wonders at recharging your holiday cheer.

The kids had their preschool performance; all the kids wore their pajamas Polar Express style. Ben loved playing the hand bells and singing with his friends. Clara, upon seeing Leah, ran to her crying and curled up in her lap - we call it the “Mommy Chair” around here. That is, until Clara spied Mark across the room and went running for his lap...those chubby cheeks have daddy's girl written on her dimples. 

Hope you are all having some great days of Christmas too…maybe even fitting in a “long winter’s nap.” We can dream.

Traditions

Every family has unique traditions that for them mean “Christmas.” Some are built on memories from childhood holidays, some are intentional, thoughtful reminders of faith and some just happen along the way, stick, and a new legacy of memory and ritual is born.

Here are a few of our Casa Watson traditions that have come to mean Christmas for our family:

Snickerdoodles & Root Beer with Vince Guaraldi: The roots of this one date back to Mark and Leah’s first Christmas together when we were newly dating. A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack played (one of the best Christmas albums, ever) and for reasons we can’t recall, decided to drink bottles of old-fashioned, ice-cold IBC root beer. As Leah explained to Mark how the lights must be strung on the tree, he knew at that precise moment Leah would be his bride. Over the years we added warm snickerdoodle cookies to the mix – they are the perfect cookie match for the root beer. Our hope is that each Christmas as we decorate the tree, the kids will be reminded of the love, faith and fun that was the foundation of Casa Watson years ago in that little Santa Barbara family room.

Advent: This is a Watson tradition from Mark’s family that we are enjoying passing down to the next generation. On Sunday evenings we gather round the advent wreath, have a devotion time reading from the Bible, sing a carol or two, say prayers and light the candle for each week. It is amazing to watch the commercial Santa, presents, hype and such, fall away and see the kids glimpse the wonder of the spiritual dimension of Christmas. We found a great kid’s nativity set that lets them play and talk about the birth of Jesus together, as brother and sister (the favorite players seem to be the angel and the camel). Watching Ben and Clara earnestly sing “Away in a Manger” by candlelight and attempt the sign language gestures to the song, makes the world stop for a moment and renew our hope that peace is not impossible. Leah also crafted a little Advent countdown calendar with a different Christmas activity everyday. From making snowflakes and gingerbread houses, to spreading Christmas cheer, to fun outings around town, this is proving to be an excellent method for keeping our celebrating on track during a sometimes busy and burdened time of year.

Elf on the Shelf: Thanks to a great gift from the Bentley family last year, Maurice has joined our family. Maurice is one of Santa’s elves who throughout the Christmas season keeps a watch on “his” family and flies back to report to Santa each night whether things have been more naughty or nice. In the morning Maurice appears in a new location to scope out the days activities. Ben and Clara race around the house every morning to discover his new perch for the day. Whenever Clara finds him, she holds both hands to her face (Home Alone style) and says, “Maurice!” and looks beyond adorable in every way.

Here’s to a joyous, merry little Christmas season enjoying your special traditions.