Helping Haiti

Not too long after the horrible earthquake in Haiti Allan's cousin, Aimee, mentioned that her five year old twins were really effected by the tragedy and were wanting to help out. Her son even mentioned wanting to go and build houses since he was pretty good at building stuff, that was obviously not a real option. Aimee did not want to let the opportunity for her children's' compassion to grow and bless those in need so she decided to have a little bake sale/ornament sale to bless a family that they knew of in Haiti that had lost everything. Her kids went door to door in their neighborhood and she put out an email to family letting us know what they were doing. The little sale turned into a HUGE sale once it was posted on Facebook and the kids were able to more than double their goal. The family in Haiti will have enough money to rebuild their humble home and then some.

We were so honored to take part in this by placing an order. We received our peanut butter cookies and homemade ornaments in the mail last night.

I was really challenged by Aimee with the way she handled this whole situation. There are a lot of parents who would have just told their five year olds that they were too little to make a difference. She found a way to allow them to follow their hearts and help those that they saw hurting. Let's face it, she (and probably her husband Chris) had to do a lot of work to see this mission through...hundreds of cookies didn't bake themselves. I hope that when the opportunity comes for me to help Claire and Jacob bless those that are hurting I will do the same thing and encourage their compassion.

Catching Up on January

Wow, it seems like the days just get away from me before I know it and there is no time left to sit and blog. This will be a quick recap of January...

Allan and I have started training for a 5K which means we are actually exercising on a regular basis and it feels great. We are using an app on our iphone called Couch to 5K and it is so nice to have a little guidance while we are out pounding the pavement. Thankfully we got a new double jogging stroller from my in-laws and the kids do really well in it...I HIGHLY recommend the BOB stroller just in case you were wondering.

The kids and I made a trip up to Oklahoma to see my sister and her family for a few days. Sadly her two kiddos were a bit under the weather so it wasn't quite the fun and productive trip we had hoped for, but we still had a good time just being with her. It is so nice to have a people in my life that I can do nothing with and still enjoy myself. One of the perks of being in OK, Jacob slept through the night both nights we were there (that has not happened since), there must be something magic in the air up there.

We were able to go out kid free the other night to celebrate our friend, Leanna's birthday. We loved spending time with her and her husband eating horribly unhealthy food and watching a movie.

Our playgroup has started back up and it is so nice to be getting together every other week again. Claire has fun with her friends and I LOVE the time I get to spend with the other moms. It is something I look forward to and would absolutely do more often if their schedules allowed.

Allan and I are hosting a small group at our house again and we are reading the book Crazy Love. I think that we are going to learn a lot from the book if we put a little effort into it ;) Allan and I actually both feel like this is going to be an exciting year for us spiritually. We have never been more excited as a couple to see our faith grow.

We have actually had a pretty laid back month and it has been so refreshing to not be overbooked every "free" minute. We are hoping that 2010 will be a year of stability and putting the needs of our family first which includes slowing our schedule down just a bit.

I guess that about covers it for now. We have a few big things coming down the pipes that I will share later...no I am not pregnant. I really am going to try and get back on top of blogging I have missed it. It just kind of seems like my days get eaten up with things like feeding my baby, coloring with Claire, running errands, cuddling my kiddos, and TRYING to get this house under control. I sometimes have to laugh when people find out that I am a stay at home mom and they respond with things like "it must be nice to play all day" or "don't you get bored?".

Five Years

photo chosen by Allan

Yesterday Allan and I celebrated five years of marriage. I am so blessed to be married to a supportive, loving, faithful, Godly man that is one of my best friends.

On our date last night we talked through the last five years and the highs and lows of what we have been through. It was interesting for both of us to hear the others perspective. Here are the labels we gave to the years and very general explanations:

1. A Fun Blur (Newlyweds, lived in CA, traveled, made great friends)
   
2. Transition (Moved three times, had a baby)
   
3. Blah (Sleepless)
   
4. Turned A Corner (Started sleeping, got pregnant again, plugged in a bit more in our community)
   
5. Coming Into Our Own (Figured out how to be married AND parents, building good friendships, had a baby)
   

I watched part of our wedding video yesterday and it was so encouraging and convicting to listen to our wedding vows again. They are promises that I was honored to make on our wedding day. There are some that I need to work on and some that I am proud to say I have stayed true to over the last five years. If you have a wedding video I encourage you to go back and listen to the promises you made to your spouse on your wedding day and see how you are doing.

My Wedding Vows to Allan on January 8, 2005

I Emily take you Allan as my beloved husband.
To have you and hold you.
To love you and honor you.
To treasure you.
To stand beside you in good times and in bad.
To give thanks for you and to serve you.
You are the one I choose to be with forever; from now until the end of my life.
I choose now to take this journey with you wherever it may lead.
I trust you with my whole heart.
I offer myself to you as your wife today, tomorrow, and always.

Disney On Ice

The day before we came home we spent the afternoon at Disney on Ice. It was the first time I was so close to figure skating and it was wonderful. I am pretty sure that I enjoyed myself just as much as my daughter.

We got to the arena a little early so that we could see some of the princesses that were making an appearance. When we rounded the corner and Claire saw Cinderella standing up on a stage waving the awe on her face was better than I ever could have imagined. It was one of the moments I had dreamed about witnessing and I am so glad I was watching her face at that moment. I got tears in my eyes. The newest Disney princess came out to say hello as well. There were also BEAUTIFUL real life princess gowns on display, Belle's was our favorite. These first few moments made me so excited about taking a family trip to Disney World one day and watch the magic unfold.

Mimi and Papa reserved wonderful seats for all of us and we were able to watch the show from the second row. Cars, The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, and Tinkerbelle all were featured at the show. I got weepy two other times during the evening- once watching Ariel skate and again when the confetti canons went off at the end of the production and Claire once again watched in wonder at this magical world unfolding in front of her. I highly recommend going to a Disney on Ice production if you get a chance, it is totally worth it. I am so thankful that my in laws treated us all to such a special afternoon...thank you Allan and Gig!!!

If you know my in-laws at all you can truly appreciate this picture. What does Papa do during intermission of a wonderful show with his whole family? Read the newspaper of course. I love how perky Mimi is in this picture too. This is a perfect depiction of my husband's parents.

Sentimental Boxes

Gig is very sentimental and I LOVE that about her. She is a collector of memories and does this in many forms. One of the ways she commemorates significant moments is by giving and receiving Halcyon Day boxes. I remember marveling at her collection when Allan and I were dating. I remember the first one I received and the first ones given to my children, each one is precious and a treasure. The boxes themselves are special but what makes them treasures of the heart are the special notes that she writes and folds into each of the boxes. I get teary everytime I read one of her notes. My children will be blessed to read her words and hear her heart for the rest of their lives and that is not something I take lightly.
This year Jacob received his First Christmas box, it is a beautiful Christmas tree. The "big" girls received a Polish Baboushka box which is accompanied with a wonderful Christmas book about a Baboushka and the three wise men.

Mimi and Jacob with his First Christmas box. He was so excited he tried to eat it.

Mimi and Claire with her Baboushka box. I love how great Gig is about passing down her Polish heritage.

Ginger Bread Houses, Traditions, and Gifts

Christmas Eve was one of my favorite days in California. We spent almost the whole day outside. One of my favorite things we all did together was build gingerbread houses (I hope this becomes a tradition). After the prep work had been completed and the little girls spent a little bit of time decorating their houses and sneaking pieces of candy. After a while their interest wore thin and the moms took over. It was so fun and the outcome of all the houses was great. By the time we left most of the houses were beginning to get disassembled by little fingers.

Christmas Eve night the tradition of getting PJs continued along with a visit from Santa Papa who had a little treat for each of his grandkids in his bag. After the PJs were on it was up to the Bird's Nest to decorate their very own Christmas tree. Gig was very thoughtful and not only had princess girly ornaments, but trucks and airplanes for Jacob to put on as well. It was a very relaxed and special evening. We did miss out on the Christmas Eve service with so many kids and families arriving from different time zones it just was not in the cards.

Christmas morning we woke up and got all pretty then opened stockings, had a delicious breakfast (the Kavaliches know how to do food!), then headed in to the living room for giftapalooza. Claire is now set with rooms for her dollhouse, Jacob got some fun toys he will grow to love, Allan got a PS3, and I got a Kindle. The most fun gift of the day will actually always stay at Papa and Mimi's house. After all the kids had finished opening their presents they were told to go outside and cover their eyes for the big reveal. They were speechless when they saw the Barbie Jeep. They proceeded to drive the wheels off of it for the next few hours.

California for Christmas

We had a wonderful time in California over Christmas. Jacob finally met his entire Kavalich family and we finally met our newest niece Catherine who is so tiny and sweet. My mother in law knows how to host, it is almost like being on vacation every time we are at her house and that is such a blessing. We all spent a lot of time outside in the beautiful 70 degree weather and the "big" girls even spent an afternoon in the hot tub. There was a lot of laughter and cuddling with babies, there was yummy food, generous and thoughtful Christmas gifts for everyone, and all the parents got to practice their refereeing skills at one point or another (there are now seven grand kids 5 and under). I really love watching Claire bond with this side of the family. We do not see them often enough, but somehow she just knows that they are family and she has a special relationship especially with the three that are closest in age to her. Jacob was super laid back, as always, he got passed around a lot and seemed pretty happy no matter who's arms he was in. He really fell in love with his Uncle George (who just might be one of the greatest men I have ever known; I could do an entire post on him, maybe I will one day). We were there for five days and I would say it was one of best trips out there. We can't wait to see them all again...hopefully sooner than later.

Playgroup Christmas Party

Our playgroup had a birthday party for Jesus this year and it was so fun. I have said this before, but I love this playgroup! I love that we have been getting together for two and half years and that our kids are getting to grow up together. I love the other three moms that I have built friendships with and look to as mentors since they have been doing this mom thing a bit longer than me.

All the kids got to decorate a cupcake for the birthday party which turned into a sprinkle explosion in most cases. It seemed that they were having a contest to see who could get the most sugar on their cupcakes.

I thought that the snowflakes all over Claire's looked really pretty.

One of the funniest moments of the party was the book exchange. We had them sit in a circle and told them to pass the gifts until the music stopped and then they could open whichever gift they were holding. Well evidently three and four year olds don''t really get passing gifts in a circle, there were gifts going everywhere. Thankfully a couple of the moms stepped in to smooth the process out a bit. Claire came home with The Night Before Christmas which I was so happy about. I can't believe we didn't have that book already.

Fancy Nancy

A few days before Christmas my friend Randi and I took our girls to a Fancy Nancy tea at the cutest girliest place I have ever been to. This was another one of those moments that made me tear up a bit, one of those times that it hit me that I have my very own daughter and I get to make special memories with her and watch her grow and look at this world in awe and wonder. I had told her that we were getting to have a special mommy date just the two of us (my sister kept Jacob for a couple of hours) and she was SO excited. When I told her she could pick out her party clothes and that she was supposed to dress like Fancy Nancy she got even more excited. She went and got her Fancy Nancy book and started picking out the perfect outfit. She would look at the pictures and say "Mom I need a crown" and "Mom I need accessories" and "Mom can I really wear a sparkle dress and sparkle shoes?" She looked perfect ;)
When we arrived at the tea house they had even more dress up clothes to play in and crafts for the girls to do. She made a princess "eleflate" (aka bracelet). There was a lady that read Fancy Nancy's Splendiferous Christmas to all the dressed up girls and then they had cookies and juice boxes to finish off their party. I am pretty sure that Claire didn't stop talking about how wonderful every little detail was the entire ride home and she said more than once "thanks for my very own mommy date!" which melted my heart every single time.

Selke Family Christmas

We got almost my entire family (Jackson was sick so he and Corey stayed home) together on Sunday, December 20th, to have our big family Christmas. Sadly my camera broke during the festivities so if you want to see pictures you will have to check out my sister's blog

We had a great time just being together. We all pitched in and had a yummy enchilada dinner, exchanged gifts which was fun and chaotic, but my favorite part of the day was when we all sat around the table for a while and just told stories and laughed. I LOVE those moments when everyone is just at ease and full of joy. When everyone had left I told Allan that I thought that this was one of our best big Selke family get togethers we have had in a really long time. There was no real stress which is really impressive when you put almost twenty people under one roof for any length of time.

My parents gave all the girls a weekend get away in April which I am really looking forward to. I am hoping that I can get a lot of bottles pumped between now and then and leave Jacob with Allan so that I can get a REAL retreat for about thirty six hours.

Little Family Christmas

I love my little family of four and I love the memories we are making together. This was our year to be in California on Christmas Day (more to come about that) so Claire asked Santa if he would be willing to come to our house a little early. Thankfully he was able to be a little flexible and so we had our very own Christmas Eve on December 18th and Christmas Day on December 19th this year.

Christmas Eve* was spent opening up our new PJs, making cookies for Santa, and putting out reindeer food in our front yard. Claire seemed to really get into the traditions we are figuring out as a family and that made this Christmas one of the most fun so far. I loved that she wanted to sleep in our bed that night and she was so excited when she woke up and got to see what Santa had left under the tree for her and her brother. She was a little concerned that Allan and I did not have anything from the big man in red.

Christmas day* we turned on the Christmas music and the video camera to capture the first moments of our baby girl seeing that she got exactly what she had been dreaming of, a big dollhouse. The excitement on her face made me want to cry, it was magical. Jacob was pretty excited about his superstar toy as well, we have already memorized the songs that it sings over and over and over. We opened stockings and then exchanged our family gifts and I would say that we were all pretty blessed with the outcome. Allan was by far most excited about his Slap Chop which cracks me up even now. He got creative with wrapping my present and used household boxes (Bisquick, nursing pads, screw box, etc.) to wrap up the individual pieces of my Pandora bracelet. I got a special charm for each member of my family- a bear for Claire, a snake for Jacob (which is actually really cute), and an "I love you" box from Allan. We stayed in our PJs almost all day while Allan and Claire built a huge train around the living room and kitchen and I relaxed and got ready for company. Later that evening we headed over to a neighboring town and took a horse drawn carriage ride.

It was a wonderful little family Christmas! I would love to figure out a way to be at our house on actual Christmas day every year, and maybe we will when the kids are a bit older, but for now Santa has agreed to be flexible on our CA Christmas years and we will make the most out of the time we have together no matter what the date is.