Christmas memories

As I was taking the ornaments off the tree today, I was thinking about what a great Advent and Christmas we had this year.

Some of the highlights:
-  New ornaments.  Especially, the salt dough dinosaurs AJ made with Grandmommy and cousin, Nic, in Jackson!  He brought home one for each of us. Oh, and the wreath made with old puzzle pieces with Samantha's smiling face in the middle.  And, the set of 3 ornaments my Aunt Sally sent to put each of the kids faces in. AND, the "First Christmas 2011" ornament for Matthew.  We never got one last year, so it was perfect for him!
- Mommy getting all the kids Christmas shopping done BEFORE St. Nicholas Day AND Grandmommy helping wrap up all the gifts.
- Having David's parents here to help out for several days. I cannot thank them enough for giving their time to us!! We also made a trip to the Opry Hotel while they were here to see the lights...great tradition.

-The Nutcracker with AJ and Samantha (hired a sitter for Matthew so we could all see the performance).
-The St. Nicholas play and pot-luck is ALWAYS a highlight.  This year was extra special because one of my lab friends came with us (and to help me out since David was in Sweden).
-A video of a live St. Lucia celebration at David's company in Sweden!  The kids must have watched it a dozen times.
-AJ telling me about how he tried to tell his friends about the real meaning of Christmas (Jesus' birth), but they were interrupting him.
-David's annual Christmas party downtown.

-Caroling with Samantha's class at the new nursing home (and the old man that asked AJ if he was going to jail).  Samantha taught AJ so many of the songs before we went because 'he cannot read yet'.
-The Liturgy of the Nativity. What a special night. Preparing, the kids were in the car ready to go before I was even fully dressed.  They were so excited to let the celebration begin! Seeing my kids all dressed up, yet sacked out. Knowing they are so comfortable in the temple.

-Samantha's wish list for St. Nicholas:

• Pixie dust
• A real bunny
• A ride on your sleigh
• Real wings
• Samantha's excitement when she remembered that a month ago she wanted a talking baby, Legos, and a brain teaser (Kanoodle) and she got it all.

- AJ's "You've got to be kidding me" with every ninja turtle he opened.
- Matthew napping through present opening...that was a good thing, trust me!
- David getting the fire going in the house.

 Ohio. Ohio. Ohio. OHIO! Its been a long time since my family was all there together.  We had snow and lots of it.  We sled. We had a huge snow ball fight. We built a 7 ft snowman. We went ice skating.

 Matthew's happy-go-lucky mood in Ohio.  He slept better than he even does at home. He stayed on schedule. He gave hugs and let everyone hold him.

-AJ yelling screaming at the top of his lungs, "get me off of this ice rink". I thought it was funny, but I think everyone else there thought I was torturing the poor boy.  He didn't get comfortable, but 30 minutes later he told me, "Everyone here is bigger than me and faster than me.  I just need more practice.  Like 50 times."
-Rough housing with Uncle Joey.
-Games and more games.  LRC, 'scratch', hearts...
-8 adults, 8 kids, 2 full baths...'nough said?
-Hugs from Pop-pop; Snuggles while watching Christmas videos with Grandma.
-Fun with cousins! Honestly the kids were so good and entertained themselves so much, I am not even sure what they were doing most of the time.

I am sure I forgot something. I am surprised we enjoyed so much this season with so many cancelled or postponed plans because of illnesses, but we sure did pack it in.  I really liked having an 'extra week' between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Happy New Year Everyone.  We love you!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to all of you from all of us! Especially our crazy, fun kids!

A sample of the  hour of my life trying to get the kids situated for a picture.

No safe place?

"We must not be surprised when we hear of murders, of killings, of wars, of hatred.  If a mother can kill  her own child, what is left but for us to kill each other."- Mother Teresa of Calcutta

I am mourning for the loss of the innocent. Yes, the children of Newtown.  Yes, the shoppers in Oregon. AND Yes, Yes, Yes, Yes, the unborn children who aren't even protected in their mother's womb. I mourn for them all and I hope it doesn't harden my heart!

Baby born into the world from the womb at 24 weeks.

I am mourning for the lost principles in some people today. I am so sad that people don't see these precious miracles in the womb as they have seen the lives of a 5 year old, a 15 year old, a 25 year old cut too short.  It is so disturbing but I heard someone say, "How do you pick and choose which innocent life you weep for, and which you condone?"  This is what I want to ask.  Why am I afraid to speak these words?  

I am mourning for those people who are trapped in their minds with a false sense of reality, with fear, with depression....

I pray that hearts will be opened. I pray that no matter what our 'rights' are that people will chose NOT to execute all of them. I am sure that is not the right way to say it.  But, I have a right to free speech.  I am going to execute that right through this blog post. EXECUTE your right to LOVE! I have a right to carry a gun. I will never own a gun.  I pray that people will see what love is.  I pray that people will put the energy they are putting into gun control ALSO into rights for the unborn.  Let us protect life at all stages.  Let us want others.  Want the unwanted!

Consider signing a petition to protect the unborn.

My sugarplums

We've had some very unseasonably warm weather.  And some very seasonally horrible colds, ear infections, stomach viruses...but we are enjoying the holiday anyway.

I am shielding my children from the school shooting and I hope you are doing the same if yours are as young and tender as mine are.  I guess being physically sick has given me an excuse to shed a lot of tears this weekend, but the tears are certainly not over my own small inconveniences.

I probably shouldn't write this...

I shouldn't put these feelings in writing, but I cannot focus.

Lord have mercy on the souls of His departed servants. May their memories be eternal.  Who could take the lives of these innocent children?  How can someone do this to the children, to their families, their friends...? I think of a book my mom gave the kids about the Little's Angel.  He is actually a little sad in Heaven because he misses Earth. I know it will be a blink of the eye before their whole family is with them and that the Lord, our God, and His mother is holding them today.  But how can we hold their families? Its a parents worst nightmare, an aunt's worst nightmare, a sister and a brother's worst nightmare.  And yes, its worse that it's right before Christmas. A time of excitement for children and now these families are mourning the loss of their children. I cannot contain my tears. I cannot contain the helplessness.

One of my friends pointed out the way to wage the war is to love.

"It is time to wage war . . . against the violence, anger, and hatred within our species. Regardless of your age, ethniticity, career, religious viewpoints, sexual orientation, monetary income, lets take this month as a starting point (regardless of religious holidays) to increase our efforts to reach out to all those in need. . . whether a family member, co-worker, friend, student, teacher, or a random stranger. My heart goes out to all those who lost someone in what seems to be a new trend of war against the "innocent". However, wouldn't it be sad to find out that those the same individuals who found it necessary to unleash their anger on the "innocent" were crying for help and support, and "us" as a society lacked to give them that care and support they desperately needed in their lives. Fight crime and atrocities with increases in love for all without restrictions."

I actually did not intend to *publish this when I did, but now 2 days later I don't have much more to say.  I know these little angels and teacher angels are watching over their families from above.  The families now have someone to intercede for them to their Heavenly Father.

While there are so many ways to be angry, and I see a lot of anger over this in the media and on FB.  I still hold to the belief that we must pray for all involved.  Showing hatred helps no one.  I see so many needs that are to be addressed because of a tragedy like this. I pray that when they are addressed many, many more lives will be saved.

One final thought is to reach out to your children's teachers.  Today, tomorrow, forever.  We pray nightly for our children's teachers and I am going to make sure they know that.  I can only imagine how difficult this has been for them.  Pray for them!

My heart is still in teaching

Pick me up of the day, "I want to let you know that you were a great lecturer and I really learned a lot in your part of the immunology course. " (Vanderbilt pre-med undergraduate)

This fall I taught 4 lectures.  This spring I will teach only 3.  BUT, I will also have the opportunity to teach a group of very talented youth through a program at Vanderbilt.  I am excited.

My effort has been changing a little. I collaborate with others at the University and I am expected to make up almost 98% of my effort/salary from grants!  This is not an easy task with the economy of grants these days, so I have sought out some opportunities to teach and have come up with some really great ideas for courses.  Problem is there isn't even enough funding for teachers.  Even at a well funded, expensive, private institution like Vanderbilt, they are cutting course offerings because they don't have teachers who are already salaried to teach and they don't have the money to pay someone else's salary.  Sad day for me who wants to at least spend some of my time in the classroom.  I am working on another opportunity within the Medical School now but that is also difficult because (as it should be) the courses are highly integrated to clinical practice and since I am not a clinician, I will need to team teach and it will require a lot of communication and time to make sure that we develop a good integrated curriculum.  I am up for the challenge, but I am still seeking an infectious disease clinician who is too...

I'll leave you with these thoughts from Dr. Ken Bain.

Humans are naturally curious, as preschool children show. In school we beat it out of them. Most of us who pursue scholarly questions were drawn there by an earlier interest in other questions.

What are the big questions in your field, ones that really matter? “You have to appeal to their fundamental curiosity and the questions you care about,” he said.

Its the little stuff (and the big stuff)

Everyday there are special moments.  Everyday there is joy.  Here are a few moments I have really enjoyed this week.

This morning Samantha gave me a thumbs up and grinned ear to ear because she gave Matthew a toy that made him grin and giggle. She was not just proud of herself for helping but for making him so happy. It was so very, very sweet.

Yesterday AJ called the house from Mississippi.  He didn't want to talk to me.  He didn't want to talk to David.  He needed to talk to Samantha because he found her zebra which she left in Mississippi in MAY!!  He also told her that he made some cookies and he was saving one for her.  They miss each other alot!

Matthew is trying so hard to talk.  Just about everything sounds like BA right now.  Ball, Bath, Blanket.  But there is also Mama, Dada, and AJ.  Poor Samantha.  She is trying really hard to figure out what he can call her.  But when we say 'where's Samantha?' He looks at her and grins and all the disappointment that he cannot say her name goes away.

This past weekend we spend Thanksgiving in Memphis and John David (our youngest nephew) was loving on "baby Matthew". He was so gentle with him. He stroked his 'hairs'.  I asked him if Matthew could call him JD since that would be something he might be able to say and John David said no very defiantly, but I explained that Matthew could say JD but not John David. His reply, ' Ok.  Baby Matthew can call me JD' was accompanied by a huge grin.

Quick highlights:
Samantha just finished 200+ books for the school year.  She gets to have a date night with Daddy tonight. She is super sensitive and wouldn't hurt a fly.  She cannot wait for soccer in the Spring, but I think we are going to do swim lessons before it starts back up.  She is very into doing all of our Advent activities this year, which has been really great.  I made her a new prayer book and she loves being able to read her prayers at night.

AJ is learning so rapidly right now. He wants to experience new things all the time, but only on his own terms.  He is very curious about kindergarten for next year.  He loves to count to 120 and he likes to sound out words to spell.  He loves being outside.  So today, his name day, I am sure he was thrilled to wake up at camp and have pancake for breakfast.

Matthew is walking very well now.  He even has a 'fast' walk.  Time to get up the gates.  He is a very laid back child, but you would have never known last week.  A crowd of unfamiliar faces in unfamiliar settings while teething and weaning did not create a happy turkey!  Praying for better adjustment for the Christmas holiday.  We did learn when all else fails, play the boy some music.  Uncle Bill delighted us with his guitar and Matthew danced along.

I'll try to do a post soon with some pictures, but time is to precious to spend on the blog these days.