Guess Who's Walking?!

Untitled from Kami Rude on Vimeo.

What We've Been Doing

I won't lie, I really really REALLY wanted my first post of 2012 to be something amazing and significant and huge; but in trying to figure out specifically WHAT that amazingly significantly huge thing is going to be, I have let too many days pass.  At this point, it's time just to get back on here and play the ever-so-common game of catch up!  So, without further adieu, this is what we've been up to:

My boys held a fashion show with the most interesting fashions around ...

Ethan played peek-a-boo with me and gave me his most gorgeous smile!

We opened Christmas presents ...

 ... and modeled Christmas presents, too!

Monte and I got all dressed up and went to a Christmas party.

We celebrated Claire's birthday!

 We celebrated Colin's birthday, too ...

... with a cake that had trick candles!

On top of all of that busyness, Ellis is currently in basketball and Claire is in speech, keeping us busy beyond the norm, but maybe I need to realize this is our new norm! :)

Coming back in full swing, soon!  Until then, please let me know what you've been up to!

Through My Daughter's Eyes

This past weekend we celebrated Christmas with my extended family.  We had lots of food, lots of people and lots of noise radiating through our home!  During our present exchange, I asked my amazing daughter, Claire, to capture some of the action on our camera.  The pictures that she took weren't necessarily what I had intended, but they make me smile, nonetheless!  I decided that I had to share our Christmas through my daughter's eyes:

 Isn't it funny how the picture of her is the only one that's centered and the entire subject is captured? That's because my niece was operating the camera for that one!! :)

 Not necessarily my best angle! :)

So, she certainly had her own unique way of photographing the event!! :)  I just love that girl!

I couldn't resist sharing a couple of photos of Ethan enjoying his new Buzz Lightyear car!  He just LOVES this gift - thanks Uncle Martin and Aunt Tanya!

Have you ever seen the movie "National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation"?  Well, I bet you didn't know that Uncle Eddie is a part of my family!  We didn't know that, either, until he showed up:

Oh what a marvelous weekend it was!  Lots of laughter and love and family ... and minimal fighting!! :)  Hoping that your Christmas celebrations are amazing as well!

Weekend Recollection

This past weekend was everything that I had dreamed it to be.  All of my anticipations, excitement and thoughts about the weekend were met to the fullest.  You see, this past Friday, my husband and I left our children in the incredibly capable hands of our favorite babysitter/nanny and we headed to the little town of Manhattan Beach, Minnesota.

Never heard of it?  I hadn't either.  However, this little town (and when I say little, I truly mean tiny) is the home of the Manhattan Beach Lodge, where my husband and I would spend the entire weekend celebrating our 3rd anniversary (which was this past Tuesday).

Image courtesy of mblodge.com

Our suite was amazing.  The view over the lake was gorgeous.  The food in their restaurant was divine (I had the prime rib ... twice!).  The lodge, itself, was cute and quaint.  Upon reading the history of the lodge, we came to learn that it has housed many varieties of people, from families on vacation to Hollywood's elite such as Bob Hope.  The history of the lodge is really very awesome - you can read about it on their website.

Image courtesy of mblodge.com

The lodge is beautiful.  Their restaurant is fabulous.  The entire weekend away was completely wonderful!  It is only about a half hour away from Brainerd, too, in case you want to get away and do a little shopping (which we did on Saturday - and boy oh boy was it crazy with all of the Christmas shoppers in the stores!).

We had a marvelous weekend away, but there still was nothing compared to the joy of coming home to all of our babies - their fighting and all!  Getting away is great, but coming home is truly the best!

How We Roll

We recently had our family pictures taken by the AMAZING Michelle Lund of Lund Studios.  The picture taking itself went well, but we were beyond thrilled when we received the pictures!  As we were looking through them, one picture in particular stood out to Monte and me:

This picture so perfectly captures every-day life in our family!  While Monte and I may be focused on the task at hand, there's usually something going on among our children that keeps them distracted and preoccupied.  

I love this photo.  I mean I love, love, LOVE it.  It so perfectly captures us just how we roll.

Giving With No Boundaries

Each year for Christmas Monte and I buy the kids one big thing.  We then give them the money to shop for everybody else in the family (with a price limit, of course!).  This has been a wonderful way for us to teach them about giving and to turn the focus of Christmas from Santa (where it was a few years ago) to the miracle of Jesus' birth and to the greatness of giving instead of always wanting to get something.

This lesson has been nothing short of amazing.

So, last night, my three big boys (Iain, Ellis and Colin) and I headed out to do some Christmas shopping.  We decided to settle on going to Dick's Sporting Goods, as that is a place that we all enjoy and can easily find things that we love.  The boys knew who was on their list to shop for, and I was included on that list.  They knew their price limit and I told them that I would do my best to not notice anything that they were buying for me (which didn't work out in the end, but that's okay!).

As we were walking through the store, Colin suddenly stops and says, "Kami, close your eyes, I want to show them something we should get for you."  I immediately closed my eyes as he pointed out his treasured find to his older brothers.  I could hear them stifling their giggles as they responded with, "uhhh ... Colin, um .. I think we don't have enough money for that!"

So Colin told me I could open my eyes and he insisted on showing me what he had chosen out for me:

Images courtesy of Dickssportinggoods.com

Yes, it's definitely true that my sweet, five-year-old Colin thought I would really enjoy a bright yellow sports bra and some tiny running shorts!  What an amazing heart he has that he finds something he thinks is cool and has no qualms about wanting to buy it for me ... even when my baby pudge will stick out and look something awful while wearing it! :)

I, too, had to stifle my giggles when I replied by saying, "oh honey, it is really a nice gift, but I think the big boys are right ... you don't have enough money to buy it!"

Oh the things that boy says!

A Different Perspective

I won't lie, normally the Christmas season has my head spinning.  I almost always am feeling overwhelmed about everything: Did we get all the presents we needed to?  When do we need to leave to make it on time to this celebration?  Do all of our kids have dress clothes that fit them?  Which Christmas Eve service are we going to at church?  Do I have all of the food that I need?  The list of things rolling through my head seems to go on and on and on (which, for the record, is VERY unusual for me, as I am one who's mind generally doesn't run on and on and on).

This year, though, something is different.

We don't have any less celebrations to attend (as we are hosting gatherings with my family, with a couple of Kelley's sisters and having our own celebration with our kids), we don't have any less presents to buy, we don't have any less children to properly clothe and we don't have any less food to prepare.

What's the deal?!  Why am I not freaking out about this yet?!

This year I promised myself to start each day with some time talking to God.  Granted, it's not been as successful as I had hoped, as my first thought when I wake up in the morning is not typically "Good Morning, Lord!" .... rather, it's more like "mmmmm hmmmph."  However, I have taken the time to quiet my spirit and talk to God throughout the day.  I am remembering to thank Him for the blessings we have and to focus my attention on the reason we celebrate Christmas.

Everything else seems to have just fallen into place, quite perfectly, I might add!

It's amazing how life works out when your priorities are where they should be.  My prayer is that this doesn't just last through the Christmas season, but that Christ will remain my focus all year long.