Ah, sweet normalcy!

It's 2pm, Seth is napping, Emmett is shopping with Daddy and I'm sitting here in my sweatpants doing a whole lot of nothing. We had lunch together as a family (vs. scrounging out of the cupboards), the laundry is finally getting done, and I'm about to clean the kitchen and put the Christmas decorations away. It's quiet, and I don't have to be anywhere...life is good. :)

The 2000s

I've noticed a lot of "The 2000s in Review" articles lately, and I thought it might be a good time to reflect on the last decade in my own life...

2000: I started the decade working full time and saving up for my first year of college. I had a missionary I was writing that I was pretty positive I was going to marry. In April I went to Jasper for a few days with my best friend Carl - it was my first "grown up" trip away by myself. In September I started college and I was SO excited...I've always loved school and I really missed it the year I worked after high school. Needless to say I found the transition to post-secondary pretty easy and I got right into the school thing.

2001: Just 13 days into the year I met a guy at a party...a guy that started out as a nice distraction until my missionary got home but quickly became more than that. James and I's first year together was a rocky one...our families were very different religions and it was a big point of contention (mostly for his family). Carl wasn't a fan, and I don't think my parents could figure out what I saw in him, but we were crazy about each other pretty much from day 1. We broke up a couple of times but couldn't stay away from each other for long. During the summer James started investigating the church and was baptized in November. He proposed on Christmas eve day at the Muttart Conservatory in the middle of the poinsettia display.

2002: was all about The Wedding. In February we set the date: December 28th. The whole year was pretty much consumed with wedding planning and I don't think I came up for air until 2003! I also did my first student teaching practicum teaching a grade 5/6 class during November and December...that was very stressful but I had a great mentor teacher and it was a good experience. James struggled to find a full time job to support us while I was in school, and our prayers were answered when he got a warehousing job 9 days before we got married.

2003: Our first year of marriage! The first part of this year was a tough go...James and I were living in a tiny (and crappy) basement apartment on the west end of the city (in not the greatest neighborhood) and didn't have 2 nickels to rub together. We couldn't afford a car so James had to ride the bus for 90 minutes each way to work. Still, we had the "newlywed glow" so our dingy apartment (which we now refer to as "the hobbit hole" due to the fact that the ceiling in the bathroom was a little less than 6 feet), garage sale couch and second hand pots and pans were great because they were OURS! We were really adults now, living our own lives! Thankfully in June we got a very nice 1 bedroom apartment just off Whyte Avenue...I'll never forget when I found out that we got that apartment, I felt like we'd won the lottery! I waitressed during the summer and transferred to the U of A for the 3rd year of my degree. My second teaching practicum late that year didn't go as well as the first one...my mentor teacher and I had very different styles and I felt super intimidated by her. I didn't do my best and I started to seriously question the degree I was taking. Of course, being in my 4th year, it was a little late to do anything about it.

2004: I remember feeling very lost at this time in my life. I was the first in my family to graduate from university, an accomplishment I felt very proud of. At the same time I felt extremely discouraged because I had no teaching job lined up and no prospects...and I wasn't sure teaching was even what I wanted to do. That spring I got a job downtown at a call centre (answering customer calls for an american cell phone company)...the pay was decent and it seemed like a good job to pay the bills until I figured out what I was going to do. A few weeks out of training I noticed a job posting for a trainer position - a university degree wasn't required but a huge plus. I got an interview right away and I got a job about a week later! In a matter of a few weeks I had gone from student to teacher, so it was a bit of a challenge trying to teach subject matter I was still learning myself. It wasn't a perfect job but it was a "real" job and I discovered that I enjoyed teaching much more when I was teaching adults. We also got our first car this year which really made life easier!

2005: Ah, the year I got the "baby rabies". Bad!! James and I decided it was time to start our family, and on June 27th I nearly passed out when I saw the second line pop up on the pregnancy test! Which would have been problematic, since I was in a food court washroom at the time (I've never been good at waiting, and I just couldn't wait the 20 minutes it would have taken me to get home!). I was thrilled to be pregnant and thought about nothing else for the rest of the year. ;)

2006: By mid February I was as big as a house and went on some much needed maternity leave...by then I was glad to leave my call centre job behind and was excited to be a stay at home mom. On March 10th around noon my water broke, and Emmett Joseph Johnson made his way into the world at 6:21 pm the next day after a rather forceful eviction. I was in love instantly with this pink, gooey, squalling little creature. The transition to motherhood was not a smooth one...I felt incredibly insecure about my ability as a parent and there were many, many tears. Still, I loved being a mother and put my heart and soul into raising my little man. One bedroom wasn't going to cut it anymore, so our little family moved into our current place when Em was just 7 weeks old. Faced with the challenge of supporting a growing family, James busted his butt trying to get a plumbing apprenticeship...he quit at the warehouse and worked odd jobs while lining up at the union whenever he could trying to get that first job. Finally in September he started as a 1st year plumbing apprentice and we were thrilled! James proved to be a natural at the trades.

2007: Most of this year was uneventful...James was putting in his hours, waiting to go to school so he could advance to his second year, and I stayed home with a rapidly growing Emmett. In November we got some great news - I was pregnant again - and some very bad news...James was laid off very unexpectedly. He got another job quickly, but it was in a remote camp up north and he would be gone for weeks at a time. We decided to jump in with both feet and make the best of it. Just as we were adjusting to this new work schedule - James had been gone about a week - I learned I was miscarrying. Going through that without him was one of the most trying experiences of my life (and his, too). However, we grow through our trials and although that winter was very hard, I know it made me a stronger person.

2008: Things really started looking up for us this year...in March James found an in town job, and that spring I extremely happy to discover I was pregnant. That summer James was extremely happy to discover that our baby had an "outie"! ;) James had a series of jobs that weren't the greatest, but in August he got on at a project very close to home. Suddenly we had a lot more stability in our lives and it was so nice to have James home at 4pm! He also finally got his chance to go to school which meant a promotion at work. Emmett started to verbalize more and explore his world, which was very fun to watch.

2009: Seth John Robert Johnson joined our family on January 14th at 11:15pm...another beautiful little boy to love! James went to school and got another promotion, and continues to be the "go-to guy" on his project site. This year has been a bit of a blur as I've adjusted to parenting two small children. I took up running and discovered that I, the least athletic person on earth, could run a 5K! Emmett started preschool and Seth is growing at a fantastic rate - it's hard to believe his first year of life is almost complete!

Well, that's my life for the past decade...it's been one of huge growth and change. I've gone from a young girl just out of high school trying to find her way in the adult world, to a university grad, wife and mother of two boys. I think the next decade (what are we calling it? the "teens"?) will be one of big changes as well...home ownership, most likely another little one, maybe a return to the workforce, aunthood (looking at you here, Brit!! ;)) and the challenges of parenting school age kids. Bring it, 2010!

Christmas Eve Eve

I am being super lazy today...spending way too much time on the computer and goofing off with the boys and not enough time getting stuff done. It always feels like the last couple of days before Christmas drag, and that always makes me feel super unproductive.

Christmas sure is different as an adult...and at 28 I feel like I'm only now adjusting. Christmas as a kid feels so magical...all of these decorations and goodies seem to just fly out of nowhere, and all *you* have to do is attempt to get some sleep on Christmas eve/count the minutes until you're allowed to get your stocking on Christmas morning. (I think 5:30 or 6am was the rule)

Then you grow up and realize how much work Christmas is...the shopping, decorating, baking and wrapping, not to mention trying to schedule time between various families while not missing out on anything. Don't get me wrong, Christmas is still great, but part of me kinda misses the days when all I had to do was wrap a few gifts from the dollar store (bought with someone else's money), eat my Captain Crunch and unwrap my mountain o' gifts. Now it feels like most of this year will be spent trying to make sure my kids eat something other than cookies, only open their own gifts, and stay out of the relatives' breakables.

Maybe that's the crux of the issue...travelling with small kids is a massive pain in the patootie, even if it's just grandma and grandpa's house, and Christmas = The Friends and Family World Tour. I'm just going to try and let the small stuff go and enjoy them opening their gifts, and maybe tell my mother in law to just put the dang marble chess set away already. (Love you Joanne!)

11 days and counting...

That's how long I've been sick with this stupid cold. Here I couldn't wait for December to start, and all the fun of the Christmas season has been dampened by my constant hacking and nose blowing. Not to mention my throat is still sore! Honestly, who still has a sore throat after ELEVEN days? I'm starting to think I've got the plague.

Ok, sick rant over. (At least for you. Poor James has to hear it constantly!) Last night was so nice and warm we took the kids over to Candy Cane Lane to check out the Christmas lights. Not surprisingly, Seth was asleep practically as soon as we pulled out of the driveway, but Emmett stayed awake for the whole thing. Em's not big on commentary, but we did get one "Wow, look at that!" so that was cool. :)

Speaking of Emmett, he's doing SO much better with preschool now. Up until recently, any time the "p word" was mentioned he would say "Back to bed?" and head for his room. Yesterday I asked him if he wanted to go to Max's house for preschool and he said "House? OK!" No stress, no whining. He happily brought his Makka Pakka toy for show and tell (which was apparently a big hit) and was happy there right from the start. When I came to pick him up he did NOT want to leave...when he was finally coaxed out of the playroom all I got was "Bye, Mommy!" It's such a relief that we've put that awful preschool debaucle behind us and it's something positive for him now.

Awesome deal!

I was heading to my favorite second hand kids' store when I noticed a party supply/dollar store advertising 50% off everything. My kiddos' birthdays are coming up in the next few months so I decided to see what I could scrounge up. Here's what I got:

Emmett's Party

-a "4" candle
-2 candles shaped like hot wheels
-2 packs of party invitations
-a red plastic tablecloth

Seth's Party

-"Baby's 1st Birthday" napkins and plates
-party hats
-a big bag of balloons
-2 packs of streamers

And for all of that I only paid $10!! I would have bought more but it was already pretty picked over. Still, I love it when I get a good deal like that!

Associations

I consider myself a pretty tough chick...not much scares me. I can suck it up and get through anything if I have to. I've given birth twice, the second time with very little pain medication. However, I'm a COMPLETE baby when it comes to having a sore throat. Despite as much rest as I can manage and a healthy dose of Cold FX, I've finally succumbed to the cold that's been running rampant through my house. I've got a very sore throat and can't sleep. Everytime I get sick I pray for the sore throat part to end...I'll take a nagging cough and being plugged up over the throat thing every time.

I think it all goes back to the worst sore throat of my life...it was St. Patrick's day when I was a young teenager. I remember waking up that day and decided to microwave a chocolate St. Patrick's day cupcake for breakfast...eating that thing was like choking down broken glass. Later that day we went to this Eastern Star thing of my grandma's - it was a dinner and they had Irish dancers performing. I told my mom I was too sick to go but I think she figured I was playing it up like a teenage drama queen to get out of going to my grandma's thing. So, I had to go. I think my mom figured out that I really WAS that sick after getting down a couple of teaspoons of jello for dinner and then basically curling up in a corner for the rest of it. I clearly remember watching the dancers and praying they would finish so I could just go HOME!

Anyways, to this day I can't eat a St. Patrick's day cupcake or watch Irish dancers. Maybe one day one of my grandchildren will offer me a delicious cupcake with a jaunty leprechaun sitting on top, and I will start telling them all this and they will be thinking "Great, Grandma's telling another one of her stories that doesn't go anywhere." Like, that time I took the ferry to Shelbyville to get a new heel for my shoe...

Well, at least Emmett seems to be doing better...it's 3:30 am but he's literally jumping up and down beside me shouting "Dance dance dance!". At least one of us is feeling good right now!

I was just on the radio!!

Didja hear me? Huh? Huh? Didja???

Yeah, probably not. ;) Anyhoo, I usually listen to Dave Ramsey's radio show in the afternoons while I'm cleaning (read: scraping who knows how old applesauce off the wall that I just noticed) on a local Christian radio station. Sometimes I keep it on that station afterwards and listen to this call-in talk radio show...I'm an opinon junkie and I love reading/hearing other people's opinions (even if the opinions on this show are usually a little too far right for my tastes).

The show called a bunch of stores and asked them what the policy was this year on being allowed to say "Merry Christmas" (for the record, 4 out of 5 stores were OK with Merry Christmas or didn't have a policy). He brought this up because apparently James Dobson (a big name in the evangelical Christian world for those not in the know) has been suggesting for a few years now that Christians not patronize stores that won't allow their employees to wish you a Merry Christmas.

Uh, OK.

So, I called in during a commerical break and I got on right away when they came back on air, which was pretty cool! I told the host that I was a Christian and that I didn't care in the least what a store's policy was, because Christmas is NOT about presents and shopping. Sure, those things are nice, but that's not why we're celebrating! I pointed out that we are a multi-cultural and multi-faith society and that it doesn't make sense business wise to cater to one religion, and I respect that. I suggested that instead of worrying about what the cashier at Zellers says to us we could perhaps spend the season doing charity work and setting a good example. I also said that I was trying to teach my children the true meaning of Christmas and that I wasn't going to focus on what the STORES are doing.

The host basically agreed with my "Christmas is not about presents" thing, and didn't say much else. After I got off the phone I turned the radio back on and he was saying that my call reminded him of a sound clip of some comedian he had heard...cue some "comedian" frothing at the mouth about how THE FOUNDING FATHERS were Christian and that THIS COUNTRY was founded on the BIBLE and if YOU don't like it TOO BAD because HE is going to say MEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERY CHRISSSSSSSSSTMAS!!!!!

Yeeeeah. Totally not what I was saying at all. My point was about businesses, not individuals. But hey, I got to have my say...and maybe someone out there agreed with me!

Christmas Time!

(or "Christmas Tiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiime!" in baritone , if said by Emmett ;))

Well, it's official...I can now break out my Christmas spirit without fear of judgement from my husband or brother (Grinches!). My shopping is DONE, and I couldn't be happier...I tried really hard to pay attention when people mentioned "I like _________" and then store it away in the ol' memory banks...hopefully I did well. Now I've just got to wrap it all, and avoid all unnecessary shopping trips until January. Crowds really stress me out...James could happily spend all day at West Ed mall weaving in and out of the crowds, whereas the thought of doing that (especially doing that with 2 small children) is enough to give me heart palipitations. Thank you amazon.ca!!!

Emmett is really into Christmas this year...I got him a chocolate advent calendar, which he happily attacks each morning. He then spends most of the morning asking for more chocolate and trying to reach the top of the fridge to sneak some more of his calendar. I don't think we'll be hanging advent calendars on the wall like I remember doing for a few years yet. We also put up our "Beary Merry Christmas" calendar, which has a little bear that moves all around his house looking for Christmas. He likes it, but doesn't really get it yet - he just wants to take the bear off and play with it. I'm holding off on decorating and putting the tree up until next weekend...hopefully this will give the tree better chances of survival. Last year wasn't too bad except I noticed ornaments kept disappearing and then reappearing all over the house!

December itself isn't looking too jam packed, which is nice...I want to be able to relax a bit and just enjoy the holiday rather than run around all over the place. I'm going to try to focus more this year on the true meaning of Christmas...on Monday for family home evening we started teaching Emmett the Christmas story. They must be talking about it at nursery, or he's just picking it up super quick, because he could point out Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus right away. He also LOVES it when we sing Away in a Manger (he calls it "Baby Jesus song"). That really warms my heart, because I remember my grandpa singing that to me all the time to me when I was little, especially at bedtime when I would sleep over. I'm pretty sure he sang it all year round...maybe that was the only song he knew all the words to! That song will always make me think of Grandpa, and I'm so glad my little man loves it too.