O Christmas Tree O Christmas Tree, how Wilted are your Branches....

It is Dec. 30, and I woke up with a feeling of suffocation and exhaustion. 

There are lumps around the house, i.e. piles of new toys, pieces of new toys, wrapping from new toys and broken new toys. 

 The stockings hung on the chimney with care are crocked and stretched out, limp and tired. 

And that Christmas tree. Oh that blessed Christmas tree that I was so excited to get only a mere month ago. Now it causes nothing but anxiety in my soul as a watch another brown, withered pine needle drop to the floor. 

We had a wonderful "go" at Christmas this year. 

We DID Christmas. 

We even had a romantic date night one Saturday night:

We met Santa, the man who grants wishes.  James was all business. He walked confidently in,  looked Santa right in the eye and requested "trains." Levi and Caleb were a little less sure of Santa, and Evie, well, she just gave Santa her list. 

The outdoor mall by our house produced "snow" with shaving cream. This gave the kids a thrill. 

Evie saw Santa again, this time less prepared with her list.
(She actually seems a little big to be on Santa's lap in this picture....)

I took Evie to a Nutcracker Tea at the library where Evie decided she once again wants to take up dancing. 

We attempted to show the kids the real meaning of Christmas by visiting Bethlehem at a local church....

Snuggling up with friends and watching The Polar Express put anyone in a Christmas mood....
(I lost count as to how many times we read, listened to and watched the Polar Express..)

And finally, we even met a Christmas camel at a local Christmas tree farm

I packed in so many Christmas activities that our Christmas cup runneth over until next year. 

I think another reason I feel so worn out is the fact that the kids will have had three full weeks of Christmas “vacation” due to “snow days."

Although they missed their Christmas parties at preschool,
Evie at least got to celebrate her birthday with her teacher and classmates

Yes, Portland officially went into Apocalypse panic mode with the few inches of snow mid December.  Luckily, we stayed at home; I did hear horror stories of people stuck in traffic and commuting home for hours and hours. 

Our hill by our house became the official sledding hill in the neighborhood, and we (I) had a blast bundling my kids up and (forcing) encouraging them to give it a try. 

When I informed Evie we were going outside to sled, she proudly adorned herself in a skirt and slip on shoes. 

James, on the other hand,  peeked out the door at the coldness, turned his head in utter disgust, and decided that staying indoors playing with trains was a better option. 

My kids kind of stood awkwardly in the front yard, kicking at the white stuff, not really knowing what all to make of it. 

One night we drove to a local park near the Willamette river and viewed the “Christmas ships.” That day had been particularly draining for both John and myself and by the end, we were at our wits end. 

 However, after navigating various set backs and disputes, we arrived at the dark park and parked our car on top of a lonely hill. We turned the car off and all the kids negotiated their way  up to the front seat to view the ships.

 Nestled together in the front, there was silence in the car as the kids marveled at the floating lights on the water. I looked over at John and he looked at me, and I whispered “Ok, this is worth it.” 

There are certain moments God gives us as parents which remind us that what we are doing is worth more than anything else. And this was one of those moments.

A Silent moment in the night. 

A Holy moment in the night. 

All was calm.  All was right….for  a brief minute or two anyways. 

Dec. 25. Christmas day came, magic and all. 

The reindeer ate the carrots; Santa left some cookie crumbs. 

There were elves running across the backyard; and a daddy (many daddies all over the world I bet) who stayed up way too late locating screws and nailing pieces together in order to delight little faces in the morning. 

The big gift this year was a trampoline for the family and “big boy” beds for the boys.

 It was a day playing with new toys, 

fighting over new toys, 

crying about new toys, 

and forgetting about new toys. 

And soon it was Dec. 26. 

I like to call Dec. 26 the “intermezzo”.... because on Dec. 27, pink streamers mix with the Christmas decorations. 

Our "Christmas baby", Evie turned 5 on Dec. 27. 

So more presents. 

More celebrations. 

More, more, more.

Holy Moly. FIVE years old?!

Nothing beats a Red Robin Birthday

And then on Dec. 29, our family from Washington (Rob, Melissa, Cady and Geneva) and John's Aunt Mary from Canada came to town to celebrate Christmas again. 

This reason, and this reason alone was the only reason the Christmas decorations stayed up this long. 

We had a jolly time visiting, eating an amazing roast (thanks John) and opening more presents.

But  now I sit on Dec. 30, the eve of New Years Eve, with the house back to pre-Christmas status; but  a heart still filled to overflowing with Christmas.   

A full house and a full heart indeed. 2016 was a busy, but blessed year. 

"That Family"

We’ve officially become “that family”…yes, the house with the inflatable Christmas animals on the front lawn. 

The house with the Dad untangling a million Christmas lights on the driveway. 

The family who, in the name of Christmas tradition, goes trekking through the evergreen forest in search of the perfect tree to saw down by hand and haul back to the mini van roof top. 

I like to call us the "family that Christmases. 

Why do we do all these exhausting, somewhat ridiculous things?!?

Because it makes our kids smile. It makes them so very happy.

 So yes, we’ve become the couple-the people-we swore we’d never be. 

And I love it. 

Our kids are able to understand more and more, and this Thanksgiving I really tried to emphasize the “thanks” in the “giving.” 

I’m realizing more and more the challenge it is raising kids in this culture of instant gratification and consumerism. 

It makes my stomach churn sometimes when I observe ungrateful hearts or attitudes of entitlement. 

I’m torn sometimes because I want to do all these special things with and for my children; 

I want my yard to glow of Christmas magic; I want to take Evie to Christmas tea. 

However, I don’t know if these things only do more harm than good in their hearts. 

Posted in their preschool classroom
What we are thankful for:
James: "Trains"
Caleb: "Trains"
Levi: "Dogs, ice cream and even cats"

One of my goals for my kids is to make serving and volunteering together part of our life. I think I could start doing some volunteering or serving with Evie; this is a goal I have for us in 2017. 

We had an absolutely lovely Thanksgiving, probably the best one yet with the kids. John’s parents and his brother and sister in law and their two girls came to visit. The house finally had real sounds of the holidays: Cousins playing and laughing together.  

Cousins and "family noise" is what holidays for me were growing up.  I have memories of obnoxious  kid table conversations, being wayyy too full laying on crammed couches watching Christmas movie reruns, and playing practical jokes on the unsuspecting cousin who dozed off after too much triptaphane. 

The boys actually “ate” Thanksgiving dinner with us this year (well, if you call cereal and raisins and peanut butter sandwiches Thanksgiving dinner..)

Happy Thanksgiving dinner! (Why so grumpy, Levi?!) 

 I was hopeful they'd try something on the colorful plate I'd prepared for them; but, I’ll take being able to eat together as a group. 

 There is always next year. Maybe, just maybe, next Thanksgiving they will try my sweet potato casserole.  

We spent a lot of time just hanging out at our house with the family. It was so nice to change our pace a bit. 

However, if you know me though, you know that I always like to investigate what's going on around town and get us out of the house with the kids.

And behold! What did I find in my search for adventure this weekend?! The Columbia Gorge Model Train Club exhibit! If you know my boys and their obsession with anything train, you’d know what a home run this find was. 

Trains!

Apparently, there is a model train club in Portland and once a year they open up their hobby to the public to raise money for their building; and just our luck, this was the weekend!

I convinced everyone in the family to go to this train exhibit; despite being a bit crowded, it was pretty neat. 

 The boys were completely absorbed in their train nirvana, watching the little engines chug down the track, through mountains, tunnels and scenes that depicted Portland and the surrounding areas. They really could have spent all afternoon following the trains around. 

Another adventure I insisted my family do was the Macy’s parade the morning after Thanksgiving. The day started off rainy and bleak. However, I had a really good feeling it wouldn't stay like that. And sure enough, by the time we found our spot downtown and spotted the first dinosaur float and cartwheeling elf, the rain totally stopped and it ended up being a really fun morning. 

Christmas is going to be more magical than ever this year. I’m excited about the whole holiday season. The kids are enchanted by elves, and reindeer and all the Christmas magic.  

Thanksgiving night I kicked off the season by presenting Christmas pajamas to the kids…and then hung a wreath on the door. We've already cut down and decorated the Christmas tree and inflated the Santa animals on the front lawn.

Everyone had a different opinion about the perfect tree

 

 It’s not even December yet and Christmas is in full swing at the Patton house!

I have so many things that I really want to do with the kids this holiday season. I don't want to be too busy...but busy enough to fully soak in Christmas!

Dad of the year, cutting down the Christmas tree

Muddy Pumpkin Patches

Well, it finally happened. 

The boys are not napping. In fact, they are escaping.

 I remember when Evie stopped napping. It was one of the most depressing realizations that there was no longer a separation from the morning and afternoon.

It’s been happening for awhile now. The boys keep each other entertained, and sleep isn't in the plan.

 Once they are in their cribs, in the dark, the party starts. 

Songs are sung. 

Cheers are chanted. 

Conversations about the day fill up the dark room. 

Toys are flung. 

There is no sleep happening. 

They stay there, in the dark happily for about an hour until they start chanting, “Mommy, Mommy, Mommy….” 

However, the other day, Caleb casually comes walking out of the room. He looks at me and says, “Hi Mommy. I’m not tired. I don’t want to nap. I want to play, Mommy.”

“Caleb!” I say (as no one has ever actually escaped their cribs and walked out the door) “How did you get out here?!”

Before he could answer, I hear from inside the dark bedroom Levi’s voice shout to me, “He climbed out, Mommy!”

Oh man. Here we go. 

Then suddenly, I hear a Boom! and a Crash!….and James has decided to follow his brother and escape. And so a new chapter begins…

I'll take escaping over what has been happening with Caleb lately. Several times within the past week I enter his room after an hour of "napping" and he's standing in his crib, completely naked. His dirty, poopy diaper is ripped off and tossed across the bedroom.  He calmly informs me it was dirty and that he would like a new one. 

Ok, I think it's time to get them into real beds...and really attempt potty training. 

Our fall, with  all the pumpkin patch visits and hayrides, was actually quite wet and muddy. There was one Saturday that was just perfect and beautiful, and we managed to get out to the farm to get our pumpkins. 

A highlight of the pumpkin patch is definitely riding the cow train. This particular farm is known for its crazy drivers, and after a wet fall, the ground was just right for an all out mud bath.

I squeezed myself into the little cow train car with Caleb on my lap. I haven't laughed so hard in a while as the driver truly gave us a thrill ride, speeding around the fields, not pausing at the mud holes. Accelerating at the various bumps and ditches, I hung on to little Caleb so he wouldn't fly out!

It was the best (and muddiest) cow train ride I've ever been on!

 

 

I also accompanied all the kids on their class field trips to the farm. Evie's was a total wash out, as the rain came down in torrents. However, the program went on as planned. The farmer methodically toured us around the soggy farm as we parents shared in the misery together. 

Despite the utter saturation, Evie and I got to create a cute little scarecrow as well as share a cup of hot cocoa at Starbucks together. 

The boys' farm day was a little nicer, but cold. They marched around together, feeding the various livestock popcorn and picking out their perfect pumpkin. 

Despite the wet fall, Halloween actually turned out to be a nice day. After two years of coordinating the kids costumes, (Goldilocks and the 3 bears the first year….the Wizard of Oz last year…) they all picked their own costumes this year. 

So, we had Levi as “Paw Patrol”

Caleb as Mickey Mouse

James as “James the Train” (from Thomas the Train)

And Evie as Sleeping Beauty.

They all picked up the cadence of trick or treating quite well; however, we had to rotate who got to ring the door bell at each house to avoid the bickering. 

We also had to coach them to say, “trick or treat” at the door rather than simply “Candy!”

We also insisted on “Thank you” and “Happy Halloween!"

Our neighborhood was illuminated with bright lights, excited kids and Halloween festivity. The kids had a blast, and collected way too much candy. Like any Mom, I tried to hide it after they went to bed.

But the first thing they asked the next morning: “Mom, where’s the candy?!” 

They of course inquire about it because they want to eat it. 

However, I noticed that it also became more of a trophy rather than something solely for consumption.

 Levi begged me to allow him to take a small candy bar with him to his bed.

 “I wont eat it mama. I wont eat it. I just want to hold it." 

I know my Levi, and he has a heart of gold. He genuinely wants to do what is right, and when he promised me he wouldn’t eat it, I believed him. 

So,  the next morning I walked into his room and observed him sleeping soundly. He was all curled up with his stuffed animals and, sure enough, there clutched securely in his unopened fist was his melted candy bar, unopened. 

One exciting result from the abundance of rain this fall are all the rainbows! We've witnessed so many rainbows in the sky, some of the most brilliant I've seen. 

It always makes me smile because it reminds me that in this damp, soggy mess sometimes in life, God is behind it. The kids know that too. They point to the rainbows, and shout with delight, "God made it!" 

Pumpkins, candy, costumes, rainbows!!...do we really have to go into the holiday season?! 

Not sure I'm ready for all that yet!

Family Time

I have three naked 2 year olds who’s nightly ritual is lining up to take a turn to pee pee in the potty. 

Followed by a mad rush to grab at the toilet paper roll and throw pieces of it into the toilet. 

Finally, the incessant flushing flushing flushing of the water,

 until I just can’t take it anymore 

                                                    and I declare: “Enough! No more playing on the potty!” 

 This is my world right now.

 A lot of craziness surrounds the toilet bowl.

 A lot of nakedness. 

A lot of laughter. 

It’s hard for me to take potty training three boys seriously right now. My grandma keeps asking me how "its going"; my answer is always the same,”I’m not training.”

 I think if I just had one child at a time any of the boys could be trained to use the toilet right now with consistent instruction and encouragement. Sometimes when I feel myself getting overwhelmed and frustrated by the incessant flushing of the toilet or the constant bickering on who gets to sit on it next, I just have to step back and see the humor in all of this. 

It is hilarious.

  Although my kids are genuinely sweet children, they are all testing and trying out their boundaries and trying to get a grip on their emotions. 

James has been having some severe emotional outbursts lately... Like really screaming in our face and rageful displays of anger. His angry displays of emotion is intimidating sometimes, and John and I are not sure how to handle it. Even four year old Evie reverts back to tantrum like tirades at times. I feel like John and I are playing referee much of the time, and we are always putting someone in the time out chair. In fact, James knows the drill so well now that he will put himself in time out. 

Times with our family have been really sweet lately. Evie has been asking about the ocean and the beach for months. We told her we’d take her this summer…but the summer passed and just recently she asked when we were going to the beach. So we decided that this weekend was now or never. 

The Oregon Coast is not known for its gorgeous, hot beachy days, (even in the summer)…so in October, you are pretty much guaranteed rain rain and more rain. And sure enough, on Sunday it rained; but we decided to still go Seaside. I’m not sure where Evie’s interest and idea of the beach came from, but she was really fixated on seeing sand crabs. When we arrived at the  cloudy, misty ocean, she looked disappointed. Pointing at the misty rain and people walking around in hooded sweatshirts she declared,  “This is not the beach!” 

The rain let up for about 20 minutes, which allowed us a semi-dry trek on the sand. It was really magical. However, Evie stopped and stared in absolute horror at the remains of sea crabs laying around the beach. The dismembered crab parts really made her nervous, and she suddenly became terrified. She began to scream in absolute terror. I’m not sure if she thought the crabs were suddenly going to come out of hiding and attack her, or if she really just didn’t like seeing miscellaneous crab parts strewn around. Whatever it was, this  really evoked some strong emotions in her and she was terrified of the beach for the remainder of the day.

The boys started out super enthusiastic, running toward the waves; but when the water suddenly started chasing them, they turned around and screamed as they ran back up the beach. Caleb really was the only one who remained excited the entire time. He really enjoyed and found delight in everything, even the rain. 

We ended up taking the kids to the small aquarium on the beach where we could feed charming sea lions small fish and observe many types of fish behind glass. Evie, still reeling from her crab apprehension, did not take interest in anything that lived in the water. 

Our coastal journey finally brought us to an ice cream stop and a carousal ride before finally raiding the local "ma and pa" toy store;  after one final emotional meltdown, we packed up the van and headed back to Tualatin. 

Although simple and quick, these sweet family moments are becoming more frequent and more enjoyable. I keep getting glimpses of what our family could be, of what it will be. 

Only the week before we had our family pictures. These were by far the best session yet and for the first time, John and I actually left feeling like we might have some great pictures!

 Our photographer really captured some beautiful fall photos of the kids playing in the leaves.

I still look at my children and gasp sometimes. Like when they are all sitting on the couch, watching cartoons or running down the beach, I think, “Are those really my children?!” 

It’s still hard for me to believe. 

I feel like more and more lately I’ve been falling in love with each of their little personalities and holding on to what makes them unique. 

For the first time lately, I really more excited about “Us.”