Meeting Malachi James Hockey

Malachi James Hockey - 8 days old, December 2012

We have had Malachi home from the hospital for nearly two weeks now, and while we have had a pretty seamless transition in our family, life is full-on and I have had trouble finding time to blog about his birth. But I am currently sitting in bed next to the two big kids, watching Blues Clues, and Malachi is sleeping peacefully next to us in the pack n play. So now is the time! To at least get started :)

The whole Hockey family at the hospital, December 3, 2012

So Malachi's due date of Nov 27 came and went uneventfully. Patience was my big tester as the days continued to tick by with no actual labor starting. On Friday night of that week, after a lovely little dinner date with my husband, I came home and started having bad abdominal cramps. Not contractions - I definitely knew the difference after weeks and weeks of Braxton Hicks - but horrible, sharp pain in my lower abdomen. I called my doula, Caroline, to see if this seemed normal (and checked in my "What to Expect" book) and it seemed as though this was a sign of pre-labor. How "pre" it was though still gave me a shock. Ben and I went to Target to get some last minute Christmas decorations and see if walking helped the cramps at all. It absolutely didn't! Walking made it intensely worse. Once we came home we went to bed and laying down made the pain go away, but the next morning when I got up, the cramps started again. Still not in labor though!

We went through Saturday and by the end of the day I was mentally and physically exhausted. I just felt so tired of wondering when I would go into labor and on top of it dealing with so much pain with no end in sight. At least once labor starts there is an end to it - the baby! I took a bath that night after we got dinner out (with my mom, who had been visiting for a week now), and went to bed as soon as possible. Around 5 in the morning on Sunday I woke up to some mild contractions, but they felt the same as all of the other ones I had been having for a while, so I refused to get my hopes up that I might be in labor. After a handful of them though, I decided to start timing them on my app on my phone. They seemed to be regular - about 10 minutes apart and lasting for a minute each, so I woke Ben up at 6:00. We just stayed in bed and kept timing everything for another hour, then got up and started the day. The contractions, while regular, weren't that painful yet, so when it came time to get ready for church we called Caroline to let her know that as far as we could tell, I was finally in (early) labor!

Caroline, our doula, and I, shortly after Malachi's birth

My mom laughed when we woke her up and told her we were going to church. What else was I going to do? The cramps had also stopped which meant I felt better than I had in two days. As the morning went on we continued to time the contractions, but they failed to progress. After we got the kids down for their naps, Ben and I headed to the mall to walk a bit. The cramps came back! Fail. So we gave up on walking and went to Starbucks before returning home to my mom and Adelaide and Charlie. It was around 3pm that I could tell the contractions were getting closer together - about 8 minutes apart, and finally seemed to be getting a little stronger. This went on for several more hours, so we just continued on with the day, eating dinner then getting the kids in bed. We told them both that we would be going to the hospital that night and they would come see us in the morning. (We had faith that the labor would continue!) Adelaide surprisingly had a big cry that she would miss us, and it had me in tears as well. I talked to the doctor on-call at the hospital and because I was group B strep positive, Ben and I decided to head to the hospital around 9pm and at least get checked out, praying that I had progressed. By the time we got into a triage room, it was 10pm and my contractions were close to 5 min apart. The doctor was unsure if I should be admitted yet since I was only dilated to 4cm, so they told me to walk around a bit and then they would check me again. As soon as we walked into the hospital hallway my labor picked up pace. We went quickly back to our room where I threw up and started having very painful contractions. The nurse didn't bother checking me again - she could tell I was in active labor now.

Malachi searching daddy (wrong person) for a bite to eat

I must admit, the rest of the night is a bit blurry in my memory. We got admitted into a room and they started my IV for the group B and also my intermittent monitoring - so that I could get up and move around when the antibiotics were done. The contractions just continued to get more painful and every time they checked me I was dilated more. My doctor, Dr. Kyzer, called to say she was coming in for me once I was dilated to a 7. Caroline arrived at the hospital while I was still being monitored. When I was done I got in the shower and sat on my birth ball while Caroline rubbed my back. I was having pretty bad back labor. Dr. Kyzer arrived next and I didn't leave the hospital bed after that point. I was just too exhausted! My fear was that my labor would stall out like it did with Charlie and that I would need pitocin, but praise God, that never happened. In fact, the baby's head was down and ready to go before I finished dilating. It was so hard to be patient at this point as my contractions were full on and in between each one I just laid my head back and tried to rest. During this time I asked (or demanded!) Ben to come and pray for my cervix to finish dilating, and he was already on his way over to do just that! Many time over the next hour or so I thought that I wouldn't be able to continue on, but Ben and Caroline (and my nurse and doctor) just continued to encourage me and said I was doing a great job. I didn't believe them, but I had no choice except to continue! I turned around on the head of the bed on my knees to try and help the pain a bit and this is when my water broke. A very exciting moment, but it also increased the contraction pain, something I didn't think was possible. By 3:00am, the nurse said I was finally dilated all the way. On the second push, once the head was crowning, I was determined to get the baby out, and continued pushing until that happened. Ben excitedly announced, for the second time, that it was a boy!!

Daddy and Malachi

I don't think any words can quite describe the feelings of meeting your child for the first time. Those who have been blessed to be in my shoes will understand what I mean. There was also such a sense of relief with this baby, that he was finally here. The pain was gone and forgotten and I now had my baby in my arms. We had picked out a boys name only hours before the birth, when we were driving to the hospital. Ben and I settled on the name "Malachi James" - Malachi from the Bible, which means 'messenger of God,' and James is Ben's middle name, as well as a family name on my side of the family, including my dad's name. Since the name was so new to my mind, it took me a little while to get used to saying it. Now though, two weeks later, I can't imagine any other name that would fit for my baby boy.

Malachi, 7lb 2oz

Malachi weighed 7lb 2oz at birth (only 1oz bigger than Charlie was) and was 20in long. He has dark hair, just like both his brother and sister did at their births. Some of my first words to describe him when the nurse handed him to me was - "he's beautiful." And he is :)

Oma meeting Malachi on his birth day, December 3, 2012

40 weeks

Nov 2012 - family photo by Shara Hsu

There is something about hitting the due date with your baby that can make you want to pull out your hair. Especially when it isn't your first baby. Ben and I were laughing last night that we were induced two weeks early with Adelaide and at the time we were taken so off guard, we hadn't really considered having her at that point! He has stuck in his mind that she came at 36 weeks, and I constantly have to remind him that wasn't the case. Statistically only 5% of babies are born on their due date, but I won't mind at all to join those statistics!

Nov. 27 - me at 40 weeks! baby number 3.

I am at peace today with the fact that I am still pregnant, knowing that not only is this little baby very safe and healthy in their current locale, but also knowing that God has known this little one's birthday long before I even started picking which days worked best with my schedule :)

belly shot!

We have completed (basically) everything on our to-do list of things to accomplish before the baby was born. A few weeks ago, I thought we would be lucky to have the room painted. We now have Charlie in a 'big-boy' bed, Adelaide in the painted nursery that she will share with the baby, most of our boxes unpacked, and even the Christmas tree put up! And just for good measure, we sent out invitations for Charlie's birthday party and bought the supplies for it today. My mom arrived last Friday, which really puts me at peace with knowing we won't have to rely on our call list of friends to come watch the kids when we go to the hospital (although we may still call on them for assistance!).

Nov. 2012 - Charlie (23 months) and Ben

We have been reading books and took a tour at the hospital to help prepare the kids (i.e. Charlie) for the coming baby. I think *Fingers crossed* that Charlie is beginning to understand that at least something big is about to happen. When I walk down the stairs with him he says, "Mummy carry you?" and I say "No bud" to which he replies, "Baby carry you," as in, momma is carrying the baby. Charlie is growing up so much - he can count to 10, can recognize a good portion of his ABC's, and seems to have incredible speech (not surprising, considering who his sister is). He has been doing really good in his new bed, much to my surprise, and is also toilet-trained, much to most other people's surprise :)

Nov. 2012 - Adelaide (3.5 yrs) practicing her baby-holding, with cousin, Desmond (3 weeks)

Adelaide has been ready for the baby to come for months :) She loves singing to the baby, giving my belly hugs and kisses, and having a good cry with momma when my emotions get the best of me. Maybe because we are so used to being around Adelaide, sometimes we take for granted the things she says and does. For Ben's birthday we had a few friends over and Adelaide prayed the Lord's Prayer before dinner, which she learned at school, and brought my friend Jenni to tears! She also prayed before our Thanksgiving meal and when we opened our eyes, Robert had his mouth hanging open, in response to the "thankful" prayer. It's really beautiful to hear Adelaide pray from her heart. She doesn't say things that we have tried to plant in her mind, but she truly just prays about what she feels. She has an amazing sense of what others feel, too, and doesn't like for anyone to feel left out.

Nov. 2011 - Ben at home, photo by Adelaide

I am so thankful for Ben and amazed at how God has brought us closer together throughout all of our changes this year. I am so blessed to have him not only as my husband, partner, and best friend, but also to see him as the father to our children is so wonderful. I don't get opportunities to brag on him very much, but I am constantly thanking the Lord for how he has brought us together and given us such a beautiful family. 

Nov 2012 - family photo by Shara Hsu

A Letter to Adelaide

Adelaide Rose in Virginia. July 2012.

Dear Adelaide,

Yesterday marked a very special time in Heaven and on earth and I was so blessed to share it with you. Your favorite CD right now is the newest tobyMac release, "Eye On It." We listen to it nearly every time we are in the car and you (and Charlie!) have most of the words memorized. (I love to hear you both sing, too. It's beautiful.)

You often will stop in the middle of a song and ask daddy or me what different words or phrases mean. One of the songs has the lyrics, "my heart is all yours, God." Yesterday you wanted to know what Toby meant by this, so I explained to you that when we are a Christian, we give our hearts to God and they belong to Him. You wanted further explanation :) I told you that it was a choice that each person had to make, and that is when you said, "I haven't done that before, have I mama?" I told you that, no, you hadn't made that choice yet. You asked if it was something that you decide to do when you are a parent, and I told you that mama made that choice when I was 4 years old, and that it is just something you do when you decide you are ready. You then said that you were ready to give your heart to God. I told you what the Bible says, that we must believe in our hearts that Jesus is God and we also have to say it with our mouth. I asked you if it was something you wanted to wait to do until daddy got home and we could pray it together. (Daddy has been in Atlanta all week for work.) You didn't really answer, so I just let it go.

When we got home, you helped mama get Charlie ready for his nap, and then you wanted to pray for him, as you often do. You prayed and towards the end you said, "I believe in Jesus and want God to have my heart." It was so amazing to hear you make that decision on your own, Adelaide, and I haven't ever been more proud of you than I am right now. You asked mama later if it was something that you needed to do again, and I explained to you that you only have to do it once and God promises never to leave us, but that you could pray it again if you wanted to. At bedtime last night, you prayed again to God and acknowledged that you wanted Him to have your heart.

Adelaide, mama and daddy will never stop praying over you and the amazing things that God has planned for your life. Sometimes we might let you down and disappoint you, but you can always know that God is there for you and He will never let you down. Thank you for blessing our lives.

Love,

Mama

Home

Adelaide, 3.5 years old. July 2012.

When Ben and I moved away from Franklin, TN, with our 2 month old baby girl, nearly 3.5 years ago, I don't recall being sad. Ben had an exciting job opportunity and there wasn't a reason to look back (in my mind, at least). Sure, I had made a few close friends, and we really liked our church and the people there, but I had only lived here for a year and a half. Not long enough, in my mind, to create a whole lot of environments that I would miss.

Adelaide, cousin Emaline, and Charlie, brushing their teeth.
July 2012 in Virginia. 

I was soon proven wrong. We had several difficult deaths in my family back in Oklahoma that sent me flying from Newark-Tulsa a few too many time in a 6-week period, and every time I was back at our New Jersey apartment, I realized I was feeling lonely. We went several months without a church home (not for lack of trying), so 'friends' was not something I had a lot of. A few of my family members lived in our general area which was very comforting, and a good time to connect with part of my family that I grew up living so far away from. But they were also busy with travels or work or just life, and I longed for a place that I knew. The place I longed for, surprisingly, wasn't Oklahoma where I grew up for 19 years before Ben whisked me off my feet. It was Tennessee, and the people and places that surrounded our home, that I felt a true longing for. I made a trip back to Nashville only 3 months after leaving to see some of my friends, friends that had a much deeper place in my heart than I realized.

Charlie, 1.5 years old. July 2012.

I would make one more trip to Nashville while we lived in the armpit of America to reconnect with friends, all the while praying that someday maybe God would bring us back there. "And someday soon, please, God!" I remember praying a time or two... Ben wasn't happy with the place he was working at, and my small amount of family that lived in the area were actually moving out of state at the same time! I did eventually grow a couple of relationships in New Jersey, and made one truly special friendship that developed quickly over the last couple of months we were there. God knew what I was needing, and He was providing it. Once again, in His timing, teaching me all the while to rely on Him. I also grew closer to Ben in our young marriage. We didn't have a TV the first few months in our apartment, which leaves ample opportunities to get to know someone better :)

Adelaide and Charlie our last week in Virginia at the pool.
August 2012.

God soon provided another job for Ben that would take us away from NJ. Not back to Nashville, as I had been hopeful for, but to the Washington, DC, area. We were considering that area because of my brother and his family who lived there. We loved visiting them and were looking forward to spending some time in the Nation's Capital. We spent the next 2.5 years in Northern Virginia, and God really worked on my heart. I was able to stop saying "bring me back to Nashville!" and start saying "lead our family, Lord, wherever that may be." We were blessed in Virginia with a wonderful church family and many special people who will remain close in our hearts. Before we moved a week ago, we had a bit of a going-away party, where more than 30 of our friends dropped by to give us their well wishes, share memories, and tell us how much they have been blessed by our time with them. That night did lend a few tears. I was no longer naive to think that I could spend quality time with people and not miss them when life takes us apart.

Adelaide, Charlie, and Ben. Adelaide's first day at preschool in Tennessee.
September 2012.

I will never regret our time spent away from Nashville. It has taken a full 3.5 years for me to grasp the blessings that God brought to our lives during that time, and I'm sure that there is much that I will never see. We have been back in our home in Franklin for just over a week and the feeling of being 'home' is so beautifully overwhelming. Every time I walk in the kids' rooms, I am in awe of God's handiwork. When I drive down the beautiful streets here (that have virtually no traffic!), I am overcome with how blessed I feel to live here. My mom and step-dad visited us for a few days to help us get settled in and my mom feels it, too. She doesn't doubt why I love living here. Oklahoma will always be where I grew up, but Nashville is my home. Sitting back in our old church on Sunday, it all still feels a bit surreal. It wasn't that long ago I was crying my eyes out in my shower asking God to please bring us back to a place that feels like home. He has done that, and so much more.

Adelaide and Charlie running down the sidewalk of our neighborhood in Franklin.
September 2012. 

An Update

For some reason I still continue to believe that at some point life will slow down a bit, but I am constantly proven wrong. At the moment I am sitting with Adelaide on the couch while she gets to watch a program via Netflix, and it is quiet despite the two babies who are not sleeping in their beds. Charlie, of course, is one of them, and the other is my niece, Emaline. She has been staying with us for the past week while her parents are on a little vacation. Her schedule has been working out great, until today, when Ben offered to watch her so I could take a nap. I woke up to expect her playing with Ben, but instead I just see my husband who says, "She wanted to go to sleep. What was I supposed to do?" Sweet guy has good intentions, and there isn't any way I could do this without him. So I'm at least enjoying the fact that no one is crying or screaming or running around asking for food :)

I'm now 21.5 weeks along in this pregnancy and all in all feel really great. (Still having to take one medicine each night to prevent the vomiting) We have decided again not to find out the sex of the baby, but I don't think anyone could convince Adelaide that it isn't a little girl in my tummy :) The little one sure does like to move around! Ben felt the baby move for the first time this week, which was exciting, at least to me.

Charlie is definitely growing up, talking more each day and impressing us over and over. He has a strong-willed temper that we are trying to learn how to work with. Lately he has gotten more into reading books and just doesn't want to stop when we read to him before bed. Some of his favorites are the Baby Einstein collection, Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes, and If You See a Kitten. Adelaide still loves to read as much as ever. We make constant trips to the library so she has new things to learn about, but she also still loves all of the books she has been reading for the past couple of years. Charlie and Adelaide have both enjoyed having Emaline here this week and it makes me confident that a third sibling will fit well into the mix.

And that just leaves us preparing for our move back to Nashville! Less than 6 weeks now and we will be on our way, so the packing has begun, slowly but surely. It's been a bit bittersweet to think about, but at the moment the 'sweet' is winning out over the 'bitter.' I think I am ready for these kids to have a bit more room to run around and especially for Ben to have his own office while working from home.

Mother's Day 2012 - Grandma LaNelle's Baked French Toast

Jan 2012 - Adelaide, 3 years old

Mother's Day this year was so beautiful. We started celebrating on Thursday, when I got to go to Adelaide's school for a special Mother's Day lunch and performance. I came home to chocolate covered strawberries from my husband. Friday night we celebrated Grandpa Jim's 3rd birthday in Heaven with Andy, Kerry and Emaline, while making dad's famous chili. Saturday was another lovely day with Ben and the kids, including lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and a little shopping for mama. And Sunday was topped with a homemade brunch that we collaborated with Kerry to pull off. It was absolutely delicious, and I will share the recipe we had for Baked French Toast.

Jan 2012 - Charlie, 13 months old

Now, sometimes when I read things like what I posted above, I feel a bit of a weight on me. Who has perfect days like that when you have little kids?? That just doesn't happen, right? Well, sort of. Nothing that I typed wasn't true. My devotion on Thursday reminded me not to compare our holidays and special days to others, but enjoy what happens with our family. I decided that morning that I wanted to enjoy every moment with my family, including failed naps, the rare early morning (that did occur on Sunday), trying to keep Charlie happy while eating out, and anything else that doesn't go according to 'plan.' So in the midst of an extremely messier house than what I care for - thanks to the last month of morning sickness - and what seems to be never ending chaos, I continually was able to say, "Thank you, Lord, for these precious little people, that seem to get bigger every day, and the food that somehow always appears on our table right when we need it."

March 2012 - Andy, Adelaide, Emaline, Kerry, Chalie, and Ben

March 2012 - Emaline, Kerry, Adelaide, Rachel, Charlie

Grandma LaNelle's Baked French Toast
6 slices bread
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter, melted
4 eggs, whisked
1/3 cup orange or apple juice

Combine the honey and butter in a 9x13 baking dish. Whisk together the eggs and juice. Dip the bread, one slice at a time, on each side in the egg mixture, making sure to coat the whole slice. Lay each slice in the pan. If any egg mixture remains, pour over bread. Cover and refrigerate overnight and bake the next day at 375' F, about 20-25 minutes, until the bread is a bit golden on top. Enjoy as is or with a bit of butter and maple syrup. Delicious!

April 2012 - Adelaide, Ben, Rachel, and Charlie

April 2012 - Adelaide, Charlie and Emaline, celebrating little E's first birthday

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

We have had another busy month, to put it mildly. Ben's parents were able to visit for 2 weeks in February and we had such a lovely time with them and were going non-stop. We took many walks to the playground in the beautiful spring-like weather that we have been blessed with. We indulged a bit and went out to eat a few times while they were here, including a triple-date night with Ben and I, Ben's parents, and Andy and Kerry, to 2941. But most nights we were at home and I am very happy to say that we did a pretty good job of sticking to our plant-based diet. I have been continuing to find hidden treasures of recipes in the "veganomicon" cookbook and one of our absolute favorites is this quinoa salad.

Quinoa is such a beautiful grain with loads of protein. This salad is very versatile and we have made it a handful of times in the past month. It is great to enjoy on some greens for an afternoon lunch, as Ben and I did today. The joy of making something so many times is you really can work with the recipe to figure out your favorite way to eat it. Today we stumbled upon our favorite one :)

Quinoa, Mango and Black Bean Salad

adapted from "Veganomicon." serves about 4 for a main lunch.

1 mango, peeled and cut into small dice

1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced

1 cup chopped scallions (green onions)

1 cup chopped fresh cilantro

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon grapeseed oil (or another mild tasting oil, such as plain olive oil)

juice from 1 lime

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups cooked quinoa, cooled

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed

Combine mango, red bell pepper, scallions and cilantro in a medium bowl. Add the vinegar, oil, lime juice, and salt, and mix well. Add the quinoa and stir to incorporate, then fold in the black beans. Serve immediately, or chill before serving. Can be made the day before if desired, and is super good served over some salad greens. Enjoy!

Red Lentil Cauliflower Curry

Right after Christmas I made a bit of an impulse purchase (two purchases, to be exact) on Amazon. I ordered "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World" and "Veganomicon," both by the same authors. I made two of the cupcake recipes right off for Adelaide's birthday (Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cupcakes and Apple Cider Cupcakes) and they were both delicious! I saved some of the pumpkin ones in the freezer and pop one out every once in a while to have with a morning tea.

This cookbook, Veganomicon, has pretty much changed my life. I finally have a very large arsenal to help me plan our nightly meals. In the past 5 weeks that I have had this book, I have made no less than 15 of the recipes, and a couple I have already made again because they were THAT good. Some of my favorites have been: sauteed spinach and tomatoes (sooo good!), lemony roasted potatoes, roasted portobellos, easy stir-fried leafy greens, Israeli couscous with pistachios and apricots, and a pineapple-cashew-quinoa stir-fry.

Feb 2012. Charlie (14 months) and Adelaide (3 years) enjoying their Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry for dinner. (And yes, some peanut butter toast!)

One of the first recipes that we made though was the Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry. It is a very tasty and easy curry, and mild if kept as the recipe is written, so maybe good for those who are new to curries. We love curries, and I try to keep them on the mild side so as not to worry about the kids. You could definitely add some extra curry powder to this recipe though and keep it on the safe side. The type of pepper used I think will also be a factor as to the heat. Both of the kids enjoy this one, but Charlie especially, as he devoured three bowls of it last night!

Feb 2012. Charlie, very proud of his mad spoon skills that he acquired this week when mum and dad finally handed the spoon over to the kid.

Red Lentil-Cauliflower Curry
from the cookbook "Veganomicon" by Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero
serves 4-6, takes about an hour to make

3 tablespoons oil (grapeseed, peanut, olive)
1 large onion, chopped
1 large chile pepper (jalepeno or serrano), minced
2 large shallots, chopped
1 (1/2 in) piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated
1 large parsnip, peeled and chopped
2 teaspoons (or more!) curry powder
1/2 teaspoon each: tumeric, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ground corriander
1.5 cups red lentils, sorted and rinsed
4 cups vegetable broth or water
1.5-2 pounds cauliflower (about one medium-size head), trimmed and sliced into small florets
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons lime juice
1.5 teaspoons salt

Prepare all ingredients. In a large stockpot, heat the oil over medium heat. Saute' the onion and shallots until tender and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the grated ginger and chile, and saute' for 1 minute. Add the spices and briskly stir-fry for 30 seconds, then add the parsnip and stir-fry for another minute.
Slowly pour in the vegetable broth, then stir in the lentils. Cover the pot, raise the heat to high, boil for 1 minute. Give the mixture a stir, then cover the pot and lower the heat to medium-low. Allow the lentils to simmer for 10-12 minutes, until they are light yellow and mushy.
Add the cauliflower, stirring to coat with the lentils. Partially cover pot and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender but not completely falling apart. Remove from the heat and stir in chopped cilantro, lime juice, and salt.
Allow the curry to sit, covered, for about 15 minutes before serving to the allow the flavors to meld.
Serve over basmati rice with a side of steamed greens and some naan or roti.

Feb 2012. "Who, us? Do we look like we make a big mess every night?"

Adelaide's Prayers 3

Life has been... busy. There are a few things I still want to blog about (Adelaide's birthday, our Wisconsin trip) but don't have the time to devote to it yet. I am happy to be back home after being gone for about 10 days and finally feel like I am catching up. We returned home Monday night, then had schooldays on Tuesday/Thursday and a doctor's appointment on Wednesday, but today we are finally at home... to rest, clean, enjoy the sunshine. It is over 60 degrees today! In the middle of winter, the sun is shining and it is beautiful. I have definite plans to take a walk after nap time and am praying the sun will stay out for the next 3 hours.

October 2011. Adelaide's school photo 2011-12. 33 months old.

Although life is busy (as usual), I am working hard to savor the little moments. As Adelaide and I were praying before her nap time, she altered her "Johnny Appleseed prayer" to the following:

"Oh the Lord is good to me. And so I thank the Lord for giving me the things I need: the sleep, the rest, the movies I like to watch. And the monsters, even when they are scary. Oh the Lord is good to me. Amen."

New Year's Eve, 2011

NYE 2011. Taken at 9pm, hence the tired eyes on the kiddos.

Who says you can't have fun on New Year's Eve when you have kids? Not us. Our first New Year's Eve as parents was in 2009. That year my brother- and sister-in-law Carl and Jane, as well as Ben's parents, were with us in New Jersey. We all went out to eat with Aunt Susan and almost-one-year-old Adelaide, then came back to our tiny little apartment and shared reflections of the year and resolutions for the next year. Then Carl, Jane, Ben and myself decided to do something crazy - go see a movie! Hah, okay, not too crazy. But it was fun. We went to see The Blindside with Sandra Bullock while Del and Lyndon stayed at the apartment with Adelaide.

NYE 2009. Jane, Carl, Lyndon & Delwyn Hockey

NYE 2009. Aunt Susan, Ben, Rachel.

NYE 2009. Hockey's - Ben, Rachel & Adelaide.

New Year's Eve 2010 was not too exciting. Charlie was a mere 3 weeks old and we were one night away from starting potty training with Adelaide. It's sad to say that I don't really remember what we did that night, but I think we had some friends over and a little champagne (very little for me - like, a sip). I don't remember seeing the ball drop that night; I was much too sleep-deprived.

New Year's Day, 1/1/11. Adelaide potty training. 

NYE 2011. Adelaide, (almost) 3 years old, eating her chicken, fresh fruit, green beans, french fries, and bread.
What can I say, she likes to eat!

NYE 2011. Charlie, 1 year old, playing with trucks.

This last New Year's Eve really was fun though. We had been saving up some money so we could go to Ben's work for their annual party. There were just a few other families from his work with us, so it was very cozy and intimate, while sharing an amazing meal in a private room at 2941. The dinner started at 6 and had a kid-friendly buffet before the parents sat down to order our three-course French meal. The kids then played with toys and watched a movie on a projector and we could enjoy a bit of wine and fancy things, like truffles and the like. I was a bit nervous about how long we would be able to stay, but the kids held it together pretty well and we made it through dessert at 9pm. It was nice that we could have a break from routine without any tantrums :) But what am I saying, these are angel children!! (wink, wink)

NYE 2011. Charlie boy and mama, before I changed him into his PJ's.

Christmas Memories - 2011

For the third year in a row, we stayed at home for Christmas. This year was very relaxed and we were able to do a few fun things as well as get some much needed rest. It is a bit stressful with the added pressure of the kids birthday's to plan - Charlie's on Dec. 9th and Adelaide's on Jan. 7th - but I think we managed well.

Hockey family, Christmas morning 2011

Early December Ben and I took Adelaide to a local-theatre production on the Nutcracker. It was truly a fun memory and something I hope we are able to do often. Since Adelaide is in love with ballet right now, it was very fitting. The ballet is nearly two-hours long with intermission but she managed to sit still for nearly the whole thing.

Dec 2011. Adelaide sitting criss-cross applesauce during story time at her class party

I was a volunteer for Adelaide's class party on Dec. 15. Five parents were there for the hour-long party, which involved a big snack, two crafts, two books, and a couple of games to fill in the gaps. I really enjoyed getting to see Adelaide interact with her friends, and it was also a nice chance for me to get to know the parents a bit better. I arranged for a friend of ours to babysit Charlie at the house so I could give undivided attention to the ten 2 1/2 year olds. 

Dec 2011. Adelaide eating her 'snack' with four friends at her class party

Adelaide and I used a pre-made decorating kit from Trader Joe's that was only $1 to make a gingerbread lady - named Aurora (aka Sleeping Beauty). I am really looking forward to Charlie being able to do some of these fun things with us next year. For now, we usually do crafts and things during his nap time. 

 

We had plans to go as a family to a "Breakfast with Santa" event put on by the local high school on a Saturday morning before Christmas, but an unexpected middle-of-the-night sickness for Adelaide meant a day that we needed to stay home instead. Adelaide really had her heart set on meeting Santa though so we opted to go to the ghetto mall about 15 minutes away on December 21 and only had to wait about half an hour to meet Mr. Claus. (A trip to the nicer mall up north would have meant an hour+ waiting in line... no thanks, with two little kids.) Adelaide informed Santa of the one thing she had been asking for for Christmas - new ballet slippers and a ballet dress.

December 21. Charlie, 1 year, & Adelaide, 3 years.

Christmas Eve we went to our church service and enjoyed a delicious bowl of Jamie Oliver's beef stew. Christmas morning was very relaxed. The kids ate breakfast in the living room at a new table and chairs from Nanna and Papa that is the perfect size. While they ate we took turns opening presents that came mostly from grandparents and a couple from my niece, Koko, in Oklahoma. Adelaide favorite present came from Koko and fam - a box of Princess dress-up clothes. Charlie (and Adelaide) also really loved the train set from Koko. 

Christmas morning - Adelaide as "Cinderella"

Christmas lunch - Ben opening the bon bon

Christmas lunch

 One more tradition that we started this year - celebrating Jesus' birthday. We made a super delicious Apricot Chocolate Chip cake from Natalie's blog which was absolutely delicious. Adelaide asked how old baby Jesus would be on his birthday and I said "a little over 2000 years old" so she insisted we used the number '2' candle on his cake.

Christmas afternoon - Jesus birthday cake. (Apricot Chocolate Chip Cake)