Here's a video of sweet little Ella trying out her playmat with "Get those things outta my face" goodness.
[Mash the ">" button to watch, y'all.]
9 years ago
Playin'
Home Again, Home Again
Ella donned her toque, mitts, and bankie today as she and her mom were discharged from the hospital with clean bills of health. Julie is getting around slowly and continues to recover, while Ella seems to be focusing all of her energies on being completely adorable.
The Sweetest and the Best
Ella rips out a boogit that belies her tiny frame, all the while displaying the quiet dignity of visiting royalty.
The Big Brother
Shiloh seemed quite displaced while we were away at the hospital over the weekend. He got fairly moody and quiet, stopped eating, and misbehaved. But after a bit of loving attention from his parents, he soon came around, quickly returning to his normal, happy, well-behaved self. He's still not quite sure what to make of his little sister yet, but he's more curious and interested than jealous. I think he'll make a great big brother for Ella.
Ella Grace
Ella Grace was born on Christmas day at 11:20 pm. She measured 19 inches and weighed eight pounds and three ounces at birth. Mother and baby are both doing well, and look forward to going home soon.
The White Christmas
I snapped these pictures as we headed over to Melissa's for Christmas Eve dinner. It snowed overnight and for most of the day, so there's lots of the fluffy white stuff all over the roads. Pictures two and three were taken on the highway, which, as you can see, is partially covered with blowing snow.
Also, I've posted a couple of pictures of Shiloh sleeping in the back seat now. This is because he usually doesn't last very long; for some reason, car rides put him out like a light. Ha!
The Nostalgic
Since money for everyone has been a bit tight this year, the Fiddlers are trying a new Christmas tradition. Tonight, as the family meets for Christmas Eve supper, each person will have the opportunity to recall a meaningful Christmas or a happy memory. I've already got the warm fuzzies just thinking about it.
As I began to consider what I would possibly say when I take my turn this evening, my mind drifted back to Christmases past, when the family would gather in the darkened living room and look at the beautifully lit Christmas tree. This quiet time of anticipation and reflection was usually accompanied by soft Christmas music, and, very often, popcorn. One year (if I'm remembering correctly), Aunt Miriam bought for us a giant painted tin canister of popcorn, and this rapidly became one of my favorite holiday events: dipping our bowls into one of the three flavors -- butter, cheese, and caramel -- and munching away as we viewed the tree in a quiet reverie (which, in retrospect, was probably not all that quiet). I think this is probably one of my favorite Christmas memories.
What about y'all?
'Tis the Season
Christmas in Winnipeg is in high gear, as Julie and I discovered first hand on Saturday afternoon. We had decided to make a side trip to a mall to pick up one small thing, naively expecting to encounter the usual weekend traffic. We were met with throngs of frazzled shoppers, long lines, and a food court with no available seating.
At one point, I was standing in a line for about seven minutes (to ask for a napkin) behind a particularly frazzled-looking shopper. She was conversing with an older gentleman, whom I cleverly surmised was her father (judging by the way she peppered "Daddy" liberally throughout her discourse and tacked it onto the end of every sentence).
"I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to find this Guitar Hero game, Daddy," she was saying urgently as she nervously patted back wispy strands of unkempt hair. She could've been in her thirties, but the dark circles under her eyes and haggard expression told of hours of shopping and made her look at least a decade older. "I looked at HMV, Daddy, they don't have it. I went to Best Buy, Future Shop, EB Games -- nobody has it, Daddy. Daddy, I don't know what I'm going to do."
"Daddy" seemed fairly disinterested in her dilemma, and eventually wondered off to find a place to sit. Undaunted, she turned half-way round in the line and continued her frantic monologue to me.
"I just don't know where I'm going to find that Guitar Hero game," she said, her eyes darting fervently around the plaza, as if the elusive video game might suddenly appear in the midst of the crowd and she would go tearing off after it before it disappeared again into the throng. "My kid is going to flip out if I don't get it. If it's not there under the tree on Christmas morning, he is going to flip out." And she gave a little shudder of anticipation, as though she were quite used to being the object of Junior's tantrums.
As for me, I bit down on my tongue. Hard. It was all I could do to hold in a scathing stream of social commentary. I finally managed to fake a knowing smile and glanced away.
Originally, Christmas was a pagan midwinter festival, and served as a final feast before the starvation of the deep winter months set in. In 379 A.D., however, the Christian church "Christian-ized" the holiday by grafting on a new theological backbone, re-branding it as a commemoration of Christ's birth (an event which, in actuality, did not take place in December).
Observers might note that the world seems intent on "taking the Christ out of Christmas" in recent years. This is viewed as a politicially-correct attempt to secularize the holiday by frantically avoiding religious references and symbols in fear of causing offense.
This transplant rejection has created a spiritual void that has given rise to a more modern form of hedonism: Materialism. Each store hawks it's wares as "The Perfect Gift". Advertising encourages us to give the "gift of joy", goading us on to buy a shiny plastic something that is guaranteed to illicit the best reaction from a family member. And parents like the one I encountered are sent scurrying to find the latest item that "all the kids at school will have".
With blatant and unapologetic commercialism quickly becoming the seasonal norm, the cliched "Christmas isn't just about presents" routine doesn't seem to be making much headway. Of course, Christians could "take back Christmas" by refusing to [literally] buy into the culture of materialism that has surrounded it. Failing this, perhaps this particular sinking ship should be evacuated, and the birth of Christ commemorated on a separate and distinctly Christian day.
In either case, I believe it's time for Christians to stop sitting passively by while the deep religious aspects of the holiday are overlooked or aggressively avoided. And in either case, the anticipation of Christ's birth should not include exhausted parents making panicked quests in search of the latest plastic bauble to satisfy Junior's latest materialistic whim.
The Cookies
I made these gingerbread cookies on Sunday. Unfortunately, it was before Carrie sent me her recipe. I'll have to try hers. These turned out nicely, though.
- Julie
The Sabbatical
Today was Julie's last day at work, making Monday her first official day of maternity leave. I'm very excited at the prospect of spending the next twelve months at home with my sweet wife and children. Woot!
The Plan
I thought this was very funny, because it reminded me of Carol's reaction when we reach the end of our homeschooling plan. Should we spend the day "doing nothing", or should we do random frantic things and hope something sticks? Ha.
[By the way, you may have noticed the abrupt influx of cartoons in place of interesting and thoughtful posts. This is because we have officially begun our Christmas vacation and, other than the fact that Julie's sister has arrived on holiday, nothing of particular noteworthiness is going on. - C.C.]
The Planet Earth
We just finished watching Planet Earth, a stunning nature documentary series on BBC. We are sure to tune in every Wednesday night to watch the astounding vistas, the curious creatures, and the amazing intricacy that is Creation. A definite plus is that, so far as we've seen, the show doesn't push evolution to a sickening degree, giving it a very palatable watchability for those who don't care to have all of the "millions and billions and trillions of years" talk shoved down their throats.
You can watch five episodes of Planet Earth online on Blinkx, and the complete series seems to be available on Netflix as well.
The Baby Bump
In the comments of a recent post, Katie asked for a picture of Julie from now. We took several this afternoon, and this is the one Julie liked best:
Thanks!
Granny's package arrived today, wrapped in butterfly paper. We can only guess what's inside. Thanks, Granny!
The Italian Christmas Donkey
This is one of Julie's favorite Christmas songs. It can also be one of the most annoying, depending on how many times you've heard it. Enjoy.
The Pretty Little Girl
Hopefully, the Baby will inherit Julie's beautiful features and dark complexion. If this is the case, then my little girl will most likely look like Julie did when she was little:
The Deal Queen
Recently, Julie's coworkers graciously threw a baby shower for her, presenting her with a $300 gift card (in lieu of a baby bed).
Of course, Julie is known in three provinces for her ability to sniff out a bargain from a mile away, so those three hundred dollars not only bought a nice solid wood baby bed, a mattress, and a blanket, but also a matching changing table, a pad, bath supplies, bottles, toys, a car seat cover, and pacifiers! Is goot, ya?
All that remains to be bought is the rest of the bedding, a car seat and stroller, a highchair, and a playpen.
The Big Sister
Happy Birthday, Katie. We love you just the way you are.
- Daniel, Julie, Shiloh, and Baby
The Cake
Shiloh and I made a Wubbzy cake yesterday. While I realize that it isn't quite up to Rachel's standards, I thought it was pretty good for a first attempt. What do you think?
The Nonsuch
The Nonsuch was the first trading vessel of the Hudson's Bay Company. It was specifically selected because of it's small size; this allowed it to be sailed up river and taken out of the water to avoid the crushing spring ice jams.
This replica was built in 1970 for the HBC's tercentenary. After being sailed down the Atlantic coast of Canada and the United States, through the Great Lakes, and on a voyage down the Pacific coast from Seattle, it was presented to the people of Manitoba and placed on display in the Nonsuch Gallery of the Manitoba Museum.
The Science Gallery
We visited the Manitoba Museum today, and viewed the Science Gallery for the first time. There were quite a few interesting exhibits, including an incredibly disorienting mirror maze.
Shiloh clicks light switches on and off at a light and color station.
Shiloh makes a funny face while watching the tornado simulator.
A Matter of Some Weight
A certain family member recently commented to me that I appeared heavier in a recent video. I therefore submit the following photographic evidence to the contrary.
The Maraschino Magi
Unbeknownst to most theologians, there was a fourth wiseman who was turned away for bringing fruitcake.
All Tree of 'Em
Jambalaya
Nothing warms you on a cold day like a steaming hot bowl of spicy jambalaya. We used Mom's recipe, except that we did some of the cooking on the stove and then dumped everything into the crockpot to simmer for the afternoon. Served up with Julie's homemade biscuits. Looks good, huh?
Had the Biscuit
Julie's Homemade Biscuits
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup vegetable shortening
1 cup buttermilk
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar and baking soda. With a pastry cutter, cut shortening into flour mixture until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in buttermilk to form a soft dough. Transfer dough to a floured board and knead until smooth, about 10 times. Roll dough to 1/2 in thickness and cut out biscuits using a 2 inch biscuit cutter.
Place biscuits, with sides touching, on an ungreased baking sheet. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Makes 8 to 10 biscuits.
~ Julie
Down With the Sickness
There once was a boy from Selkirk-y,
Who was suddenly feeling quite urpy.
The sickness persisted,
But Gravol assisted,
And by morning he was looking more perky.
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