I will just come out and say I am not a big fan of the holiday. This year I really tried to love it because Stephanie Nielson loves it so much, and she is one of my heroes. I even ventured to Pottery Barn to BUY some decorations but….I just couldn’t. I mean, it’s cool if you love it and it’s your favorite time of year.

It’s just not mine.

I’d rather spend my energy on Christmas.

This year I did “make” my daughters costumes. And this might be the last time I do that.

As I don’t normally go to these lengths I had to document my efforts.

The girls were flower fairies.

(Clara’s wings & wand courtesy of Aunt Summer! Thanks again, Sum!)

We even decorated our trunk for the ward’s Trunk or Treat, thanks to Jan.

We went to Stop & Shop to grab some decorations about an hour before the party was due to start (he, he, he). Well, there were only Christmas decorations for sale — all the Halloween decorations had been sold or cleared out.

But we were able to find some black and orange card stock.

So we sat down together and every one of us worked together (even Clara made something) to decorate our trunk.

Here’s what our trunk looked like…

Not bad, eh? Considering the last minute nature of our efforts.

Hope you had a happy one!

and now,

BRING ON CHRISTMAS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

(and a little Thanksgiving in the middle)

Is what these two girls are doing for their dear old mom.

On Monday I had NPR on in the car. It was some guy from the Rolling Stones being interviewed on Fresh Air  (I don’t know their names, so sue me!) It’s which ever one has just come out with a book. Anyway, they were playing excerpts from his music during the interview. When one of the harder core songs came on, Clara said,

“Mommy, I no like it. I no like it”

So, I turned it right off!

Then she made the suggestion,

“Go, go G?”

Which is one of her favorite songs.

A few days later we were in the car again and had NPR on. This time it was Joan Rivers being interviewed. We listened for no more than three minutes when Millie said,

“Mom, why are you listening to this? It is not good. Turn it off”

To which I replied, “You are right, Mills!”

The moral of the story? If you raise your children right, then they will keep YOU honest.

OR

Don’t listen to NPR.

Come in all shapes and sizes.

Sometimes you have a champion living among you and you don’t even know it!

We do!

We have a champion hospital patient.

Behold!

Let me just tell you a little about my day, yesterday.

Middle of this week we decided that we would go ahead with a surgery for Clara to have her clogged tear duct taken care of. Now this is a very straightforward, 2o minute long procedure and when it is all over you just walk right out of the hospital. But this is my baby we’re talking about – and when your baby has to receive anesthetics then we can have a talk about how you might feel. It’s kind of scary.

***Now I am going to gush openly about my two year old child. Some people really find this sort of thing annoying. (Sometimes I find it annoying, so I understand that feeling). If you are such a person than stop reading. My kid was stinking awesome yesterday and I am broadcasting it right here and right now, suckaz! *****

The night before the procedure I explained to Clara that we would be going to the doctors to get her eye fixed, that mommy and daddy would be there and that she would need to be brave but that everything would work out. She listened very carefully and cried a little bit as she processed this information. I held her tightly then said good night.

The next morning, the day of the surgery, she wanted to eat (but was required to fast). Jan explained to her that she couldn’t eat now and would have to wait until after we went to the doctors. She didn’t even cry just said, ‘Alright, Daddy” a few more times that morning she requested a drink of water and told us she was hungry but never cried or even moaned about it. She woke up at 6:00 and didn’t get to eat anything until 11:00. The doctors were impressed that she was so sunny and sweet despite not having eaten anything since 6:30 the night before.

I took Millie to be watched at our friends house (thanks again, Karen!!) and while I was doing that Jan and Clara went to the hospital. As they were leaving the house she asked for me and Jan told her that I would meet them at the hospital. Clara then said, “I get my eye fixed” then stuck her finger in her eye. Bless!

She was angelic in the waiting room, put on her hospital gown without a fight, sat quietly while we waited for her surgery, took the anesthetic perfectly with out a fuss or a cry, woke up from the anesthetic again without a single peep. The nurses and doctors were amazed. They told us over and over that it just wasn’t the norm for a kid to take everything so well.

When she woke up the first thing she said to me was, “I go park?”

If she had cried and screamed that would have also been fine- she would still be a champ in my book. But as a parent sometimes your kids surprise you with their ability to handle difficult situations and you get a tiny glimpse of who they are and what they are capable of — usually you see that they are so much more than you know and understand.

You better believe we are hitting the park today!

Thank you to our family and friends who were praying for us yesterday — I am praising my child up and down but it just struck me that your prayers may have had a lot to do with her wonderful ability to cope so well. After she woke up and I held her in my arms, as my fears were melting away, I said a prayer of thanks and marveled at just how beautifully everything had gone. Thank you for your faith and for exercising it in our behalf. We really and truly appreciate it!

If you feel like being inspired, have an hour and 16 minutes to spare and can endure a few “f” words then check out:

In Compton CA two tenacious teachers, 25 students with NO BUDGET put on “Our Town” in their high school cafeteria. The last time the high school mounted a dramatic production was 21 years ago. You can feel how awesome it is going to be, right?

I love this play. And I love that it meant something to these kids and their community. I don’t want to give anything away but want to say that there is something so powerful about taking the classics into the inner city — I think it is when they most SHINE. As if truth is being handed a mega-phone.

You will love these kids.

I remember hearing a program on NPR where a group of inner city high schoolers were putting on Hamlet and they played a segment of the “to be or not to be” speech. It made me weep. This boy understood Hamlet better than most fancy actors I have seen in the part. His life demanded that he ask that question daily and hourly…to be or not to be.

Good stuff, this!

You can stream OT: Our Town on Netflix.

I am the author of this blog.

Sometimes I actually post!

I know, it’s shocking!!

Hold onto your socks because I am about to post it up around these parts.

On Saturday we went to a park, “And it went a little something like this,

HIT IT!”

“My name is tum-tum, yes! My name is tum-tum, yes! And I’m here for the holiday season!”

(Inside Kelly family joke — couldn’t resist)

Actually, it went a little something like this…

It ticked many of the boxes on our “perfect fall check list”:

coats, bringing back the layered look (check)

crisp fall weather (check)

gorgeous foliage (check)

rosy cheeked daughters (check)

good. times.

(you might be asking, what was missing? I shall tell you — a mug of hot chocolate and a log on the fire when we got home)

Fall is still young and so, fear not — the chocolate and fire will be had!

A year late – but better late than never, so they say. Last year, I wrote this letter to Clara on her birthday and planned to create one of my fabulous slide shows for her…but it took me until a week after her second birthday to actually put the slide show together.

It’s cool because now there is just one more year of Clara to celebrate, no?

So, without further ado, that letter and that slide show await!

*****

My Green Eyed Girl,

Today you are one. You were born on your dad’s birthday but God sent you here with green eyes, like your mom’s.

You have given us a whole year of you. And you are wonderful (or should I say, “one-derful”? Hardy, har, har. It’s my blog so I can be as corny as I want).

After your beautiful older sister was born I faced one of the darkest times I have ever known. (May you and your sister never know such darkness.) Your sister was a delight, she was a ray of hope in my life that was all of a sudden, out of nowhere, shrouded in painful darkness. Right now you don’t notice, but one day you’ll wonder why there is a bit of a gap between you and your sis. It took me time to muster up the courage to get you here. Your sister came at such a heavy price, I was scared – yup, your mom was really and truly scared- that the same price might have to be paid for you.

If I could have held your soft body next to mine, heard your voice and seen those green eyes I would have been braver sooner.

But there was only the vague promise of your sweetness and an 80 percent chance of having to face that awful, awful darkness again.

I took me some time but eventually I took the chance.

You would be worth whatever was asked.

I stepped off into the abyss…

And on the other side of all my apprehension,

was

Y O U.

Unimaginably sweet little you.

And you are a treasure to me. How I love you. Oh, how I love you!

Your name means light.

I did everything in my power to avoid that darkness – and after all I did to keep it at bay – it came.

But only for a brief moment (darkness, prepare to meet ZOLOFT, ha, HA!) I was ready for it this time and after all I did to fight it, God was merciful. I know he tempered things. And for his mercy I will forever be grateful.

Not darkness, but light.

A little bundle of clarity wrapped in a hospital issue blanket.

My Clara Jane.

My green-eyed girl.

I love you.

Happy Birthday.

Love,

Mom

A year late – but better late than never, so they say. Last year, I wrote this letter to Clara on her birthday and planned to create one of my fabulous slide shows for her…but it took me until a week after her second birthday to actually put the slide show together.

It’s cool because now there is just one more year of Clara to celebrate, no?

So, without further ado, that letter and that slide show await!

*****

My Green Eyed Girl,

Today you are one. You were born on your dad’s birthday but God sent you here with green eyes, like your mom’s.

You have given us a whole year of you. And you are wonderful (or should I say, “one-derful”? Hardy, har, har. It’s my blog so I can be as corny as I want).

After your beautiful older sister was born I faced one of the darkest times I have ever known. (May you and your sister never know such darkness.) Your sister was a delight, she was a ray of hope in my life that was all of a sudden, out of nowhere, shrouded in painful darkness.  Right now you don’t notice, but one day you’ll wonder why there is a bit of a gap between you and your sis. It took me time to muster up the courage to get you here. Your sister came at such a heavy price, I was scared – yup, your mom was really and truly scared- that the same price might have to be paid for you.

If I could have held your soft body next to mine, heard your voice and seen those green eyes I would have been braver sooner.

But there was only the vague promise of your sweetness and an 80 percent chance of having to face that awful, awful darkness again.

I took me some time but eventually I took the chance.

You would be worth whatever was asked.

I stepped off into the abyss…

And on the other side of all my apprehension,

was

Y O U.

Unimaginably sweet little you.

And you are a treasure to me. How I love you. Oh, how I love you!

Your name means light.

I did everything in my power to avoid that darkness – and after all I did to keep it at bay – it came.

But only for a brief moment (darkness, prepare to meet ZOLOFT, ha, HA!) I was ready for it this time and after all I did to fight it, God was merciful. I know he tempered things. And for his mercy I will forever be grateful.

Not darkness, but light.

A little bundle of clarity wrapped in a hospital issue blanket.

My Clara Jane.

My green-eyed girl.

I love you.

Happy Birthday.

Love,

Mom

I gots me a brand-spanking-new,

NEPHEW!

Behold,

The little G-man

Cute, no?

As a regular reader you will know that

I am rich, rich, rich in nephews.

Feel free to congratulate me or the G-man’s parents.

(if you are in the congratulating mood)

I hope these little guys will be best buds!

Future BFFs, I can feel it – can you?

If they run into problems Summer can just introduce them to the “cousin council” I wouldn’t know anything about it because I was never invited, but I don’t carry the scars or anything…

j/k!

And this one is a winner, friends. It comes from one of my very favorite people.

The lovely and talented Margie! She is an inspired mother, a beautiful, cool, stylish chick and she also happens to be good to the CORE. I think she is my favorite Catholic in the whole universe (that is saying a lot since we know there are LOTS of Catholics out there and many, many of them are great people). All the same this particular Catholic has got me wrapped around her stylish finger. I love her right down to her socks.

I will let her locker do most of the “talking” but I would like to add my very own post script (only it is more of a pre-script actually). Margie comes from the delightful country of Scotland. When I asked her to make a locker she told me that in her native homeland lockers don’t exist. She always wanted one as she associated them with the USofA. Isn’t it funny the things that seem romantic and wonderful just because they are foreign? I remember a girl friend of mine from boarding school asking if when she came to visit me we could eat out  those white Chinese take out boxes because she had seen people do that in the movies (and they don’t have them in the UK). I just thought that was the cutest request!

Good action!

And speaking of good action — get a load of THIS:

(you are gonna want to click on this to see it BIG and BOLD as it was meant to be seen)

that my husband has a blog?

(Well, he has a few…but this one is “personal”)

Have you ever wondered about Jan Dawson and what goes on in that brain and heart of his? Much of it stays there – the goings-on – but every once and a while one gets a glimpse of his NEON, and I am here to tell you, it is wonderful.

Why not check out his personal blog?

I love it because I love him. But even if you don’t feel particularly close to him you can see what he thinks is nifty – like the fog over San Fran, or the guys turf dancing in the rain.

You might even leave him a little comment to let him know you’ve been there. It is his birthday today and if you felt like going the extra mile, beyond the obligatory facebook birthday greeting, you could, you know, send him a little birthday love.

Or you could just read a new and interesting blog.