Heritage.

One of my favorite Christmas memories from growing up is sitting in my grandma's basement on Yellowstone Drive in Grandville, Michigan viewing slides of my mom and uncle's child-hood.  We'd all pile onto couches and chairs, turn off the lights, set up the projector and laugh at sixties clothes, hair styles, and prom pictures for a couple of hours.  It feels like we must have done it every year at Christmas while I was growing up even though it was probably just two or three times--but that's how it is when you love something--you feel like it was just yesterday because you remember everything about it.

I loved looking at those slides because it was like seeing my mom as a brand new person.  Sure, we all know our moms played the piano, went ice-skating in the backyard, fought with their little brothers, had junior high boyfriends, learned to drive, decorated floats for homecoming parades, went to prom, and had crazy hair styles but it's another thing to actually see it in pictures amidst the context of their adolescence.  You see these glimpses of who you know them to be now, but in a young adult version, and that's pretty cool.

I wonder what Georgia will think of me when she looks back at pictures of me dressed like Joan of  Arc for a high school project (don't ask), dressed up like my dad for a church talent show, climbing through the ruins at Mesa Verde, exploring Elvis's plane at Graceland, swimming with my sister in matching bathing suits, speaking at my high school graduation, moving into my first college dorm, or dressed up like a Spice Girl in college.  I think what those slide shows taught me is that it's really important to have a lot of pictures of life--just doing normal things--so that our kids can put a finger on their heritage and see it in action, not just in stories.  It creates a genuine feeling of nostalgia and nostalgia is a good thing, because it makes you appreciate the past.

I "borrowed" a few boxes of my grandma's slides from her basement this year to have made into a DVD for the family to watch.  It's been years since we looked at any of these pictures and who even owns a slide projector and screen anymore?  I'm thrilled with how it turned out, Henry Mancini music and all, and I can't wait to pile onto couches tomorrow night, with plates full of appetizers, a fire in the fire-place, and the family to laugh together again at these crazy pictures of my mom and her brother and my grandma and grandpa.

Here's a few for all of you to see though.......and if you're friends with my mom...........you're welcome........I know you'll appreciate these!

So cute.....I love this picture of my mom at the piano......reminds me of so many she has of me playing the piano too.  

My uncle.  Such a classic picture.  Love it all.......the hat, the lighting, the dock, that cute little fish.  

My grandpa Bob.  We called him Oatmeal Bob because for as long as I can remember he ate oatmeal everyday morning for breakfast.  He was the epitome of a grandpa.  

Oh yeah.  This picture really happened.  As the story goes my mom sent this to her cousin in Vietnam who didn't have a girl-friend so he'd have a picture to brag about too.  No one had to know who it really was.  Dang girl.............

Love that one of my mom and uncle dressed up for Halloween.  My husband said, "Wow.....they were actually really cute kids."  Typical son-in-law. 

Christmas dance.  No one does this anymore and that's a shame.  Every middle school girl needs a red velvet dress and a corsage. 

My mom?! Never would I have guessed this was her.  But it is she assures me.  


Hope you all have a great weekend celebrating Christmas and making a lot of spectacular memories that one day.......your kids can pull out in the form of pictures......and laugh over.......laugh at your skinny jeans, fur vests, ballet flats, Uggs, feather earrings, sequined tanks, and cardigan sweaters.

Merry Christmas.

The time we went Christmas caroling..........

So about about a month ago my friends Brooke and Rachel said, "Wouldn't it be fun to have a Christmas caroling party?"

The room kind of got quiet and then everyone started laughing, "Funny you guys.  Anyway--moving on."

They were serious.

To oblige them we all kind of hemmed and hawed and put a date on the calendar and I secretly thought, "We'll see."

Well.....last night came, the date we'd decided on.................and it was fantastic. I was thrilled to be wrong and I actually told Brooke that she'd done such a good job with everything that she'd just committed herself to a caroling party for next year too.

Caroling is one of those things that you've heard people used to do.  Used to do being the operative word.  And maybe they really just did it in old black and white movies from the forties........maybe.   But who says it wouldn't be great to get back to a little forties.........the greatest generation and all, right?

We had a few songs to sing......easy ones for the kids, a route of elderly homes to visit, a lot of kids who don't easily embarrass, and the promise of hot chocolate and cookies waiting for us back at Brooke's house.

Heading out.............

Waiting for the first house to open their door...........

My little singer......she didn't need the lyrics page to sing.........you know.......with the not reading yet and the fact that she knows the words to every song if she hears it once.  She was getting into it.

Georgia and Fiona.........old friends........

Madi singing "Rudolph".................

A few of the men........

I love this picture.  Love it.  You know how when you're little there is always this older kid that you really look up to and want to be around?  And when you hear they're going to be somewhere you can't wait to see them?  It's Anna for Georgia.  Georgia talks about Anna all the time.  And Anna takes Georgia under her wing whenever we're together......holding her hand, carrying her across the street, playing with her, finding her at church, helping her pass out candy canes while we serve dinner, everything.  It warms my hear to see Georgia developing the kinds of relationships with people that we all remember for a life-time.

So cute........I'm sure this lady caroled a day or two in her lifetime and loved the kids.

Waiting, waiting..............

We needed some bigger porches for all those kids...........

And the pay-off.  Brooke and her family made adorable personalized coffee & hot chocolate mugs for everyone along with some amazing Christmas goodness to eat.

And this one's my favorite from the night........because it represents this great little community of friends and kids that Chris and I are choosing to build for our daughter......and us.  All these kids running around together, eating way too many cookies right before bed, shrieking in bedrooms and slamming doors, giggling, telling silly jokes, and loving something as simple and old-fashioned as a Christmas caroling party.

I love to look at these moments like I'm hovering above them, taking in my daughter and her friends loving what they're doing.  Loving it because they are creating a memory and a moment that can't be reproduced with toys or presents or expensive vacations or stuff...........but only with other people and relationships.  The former is fun too, but in the end it's not as much fun or meaningful as the people......and a lot of little voices singing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the top of their lungs on a chilly December night all smushed together on a strangers porch...........

So thanks to Brooke and Rachel for really pushing this idea and forcing us all to do something........fantastic! See you next year!

Adoption Day.

On Saturday we celebrated the second anniversary of Georgia's adoption day--the day a judge officially named her Georgia Terryn.  She may have been nine months old at her adoption day ceremony in family court back in 2009 but she couldn't have been more our little girl since the moment we first laid eyes on her when she was a day old.  Sometimes it just takes a long time to get a court date.........but that celebration is worth the wait! And it's definitely a day worth remembering every year!

We started a tradition last year to celebrate Georgia's big day and we couldn't wait to do it again this year and next year and the next year and the next year.................. One of the coolest things about her adoption day this year is that she was excited about it.  She understood we were celebrating something awesome.  We had our neighbors over for breakfast in the morning and right in the middle of a mouth full of pancakes she announced, "Tom & Sara......it's my 'doption day!" She was pretty pumped for it.

As we did last year we headed over to one of the finest dining establishments Grand Rapids has to offer, Noodles & Company, for dinner.  It remains Georgia's favorite place to eat and we frequent our local franchise a lot.  A LOT. The manager knows our names and always stops to say hi when she sees us.

We are moving up in the world however, in that Georgia has graduated from macaroni and cheese to pesto cavatappi.  Yep--she's two......and she loves pesto. We do it high-brow in this  house.......we're all, "I'll take pesto......no thanks on the chicken nuggets," (well--she'll eat those too).

1.  Yes......she will eat that whole bowl......and then some.  2.  That hand thing?  So Georgia.......I'm sure she was telling the pesto what to do.  

We bought a Dora ornament for Georgia this year.......she needs Dora like she needs air.  Last year it was bunnies.......this year......Dora.  I honestly couldn't believe I found a glass Dora ornament......I think it was fate.

And then we told her we had a big surprise for her.  "Guess what it is?"

A Mickey Mouse club-house? Uh........no. 

We're going to see The Wizard of Oz again? I love that she loved going to this play but I now live everyday answering questions that an imaginary Dorothy asks me. 

A slip n'slide? Probably not in December. 

Jelly-beans? We can do better than that little cutie. 

A horse and carriage ride through downtown.  

A real horsey?  I will kiss him.  And I will hug him.  What color is he?

And then everybody in Noodles & Company got to hear about this horse and carriage ride.  I didn't even want to tell her to be quiet or talk in an inside voice.  I just wanted her to be so excited about this celebration and this surprise and love it that it was her adoption day.  

So we headed downtown and met up with our carriage.  It had been doing that awesome Michigan rainy slushy snow thing until about 15 minutes before we got on the carriage......and then it turned into pretty snowflakes........just in time.  

We wrapped up in the carriage blanket and toured the city with one excited little girl.  

I like how the horsey wiggles his bottom.

When will the horsey go fast?

What does the horsey eat?

We've been here before (upon crossing the blue bridge). 

Is that a Mickey Mouse club-house?

When will that driver talk to us again?

I think we should go swimming.  It's a nice day to go swimming (as we "drove" by the Grand River). 

What am I smelling?

Horsey's smell pretty funny. 

I want some more hot chocolate.

Can we do this tomorrow?

Can we celebrate my 'doption day everyday?

Oh........we do baby doll........every single day.  Your daddy and I don't ever stop celebrating.  Not for a second.  

And every year when we look at the ornaments on the tree that represent this amazing anniversary we are forever in awe of the sacrifice and selfless decision that Georgia's astounding birth parents made.  They are our hero's.......without question.  

Old Friends.

It's rare.  But do you have any friends that you've known since before you can remember?

The kind that you have a "first day of school" picture with.......from kindergarten?

The kind that you "suffered" through chicken pox with even though that really meant you got to stay home from first grade together for two weeks and play all day?

The kind that your parents would let you stay overnight at their house for a full week while they were on vacation?

The kind that you got in trouble with more times than you can count for being too wild, playing tag upstairs, jumping on beds, giving your Barbie dolls haircuts, or taking a bathroom break behind the bushes with because you just couldn't imagine taking a break from playing to go inside?

The kind that you made countless prank calls to 1-800-Call Sam with on the school pay phone every lunch break while you were in elementary school?  (That's as true as the day is long).

The kind that you played piano recitals with, learned to drive with, participated in church talent shows with, dressed up as a bride and a groom for Halloween with, went overseas with, and walked across a stage at high school graduation with?

The kind that you fought with over toys, phone calls, other friends, recess games, sleep-overs, hurt feelings, boys, summer camp, who would pay for gas, and where you'd go to college?

I have two.  Dawn & Lisa.

And we're old now.  Dawn lives in Japan and Lisa lives right here in Grand Rapids.

Are we the same friends of 'yore that I mentioned above?  Not necessarily.  We're married, we have kids, we live totally different lives, we all have different jobs, we have different interests now, and we have a lot of stuff to do.  But I know that there are two people out there in the world, besides my family, who have seen me at my best, my silliest, my stupidest, my funniest, my most beautiful, my most ugly, my most successful, at my biggest failures, and at my proudest moments.  And when I do see them or talk to them or write to them there is this underlying current of , "I know you.  I REALLY know you."

And that is a wonderful feeling.

We are who we were raised to be.  And that doesn't mean that we necessarily have the same ideas, goals, beliefs, friends, or thoughts as how we were raised,  but we can't erase the threads that wove us, the people who invested in us to make us who we are today, or the friends that stood by us and share the memories and moments of who we became.

And now that I'm a mom I want to foster those relationships for Georgia.  I want to create a team for her besides her mommy and daddy, gaga and pop pop, aunts and uncles.  I think it's our job as parents to encourage those kinds of relationships when we see one that would be a good fit.  A relationship that will have history and depth and longevity. I want Georgia to have a handful of girlfriends that when she's thirty years old she can say, "I haven't seen Fiona in three years because she lives across the country but she is and will always be one of my oldest and dearest friends."

Because there is an immense amount of comfort in having a relationship like that.

And I don't know if Georgia's friend Fi, who she spends her time with now, when she's two, will be one of those friends for her........but what if she is?

I see them play, fight over crayons (that was Georgia--and she of course--in true two year old fashion had to have a time out while having a play date), dance like crazy to Da-Da-Da-Da-Da Dora in the living room, read books together, watch a little Sesame Street, run around at church, shriek in restaurants, and give hugs to each other every chance they get and I can't help but wonder if maybe they will be.  Maybe they'll be old friends.

They spent a little time together this morning.........

We decorated cookies.........and deemed them, "Only the family should eat these,"for obvious reasons.

We had a dance party..........I think the Dora theme song played, maybe, fifteen times.........

We read some books........

Watched a little Elmo's world.........

And ate the most heavily frosted cookies this side of Santa's workshop........

And of course.....your friends shoes are always more fun than yours.........

Help your babies make some old friends................

They need them.  We all do.