Parking Angel...

Merry Christmas Eve! I still have a stack of "holiday" cards sitting on the desk here so if you haven't got one, do not dispair. I am attempting to get another New Years letter wirtten this year but am not sure it will happen before we spend the week at my parents for Christmas. So.... your "holiday" card, which, take note, doesn't need to be sent before Christmas because it's not a "Christmas" card, should arrive sometime in January.. and before the next holiday, Valentines day. ;) Ahem.

We have had an unusal Christmas this year, and I, being slow to process things, am still a bit awe struck. We literally were not able to budget any money for Christmas as I have not been working and living expenses obviously take priority. So, though somewhat disappointed, we had decided that in keeping with our theme of simplicity we would focus on experiencing the winter holidays in the community as much as possible, and giving homemade gifts for friends and family. There are many free events here in Portland and in the surrounding areas and I made a calender of some favorites and a few new ones to try. The first week in December we spent two dollars for materials for ornament making and set to work. The girls loved it and we let them wrap up the trinkets and decide who to give them to. Typically whenever we had a guest over Eden would remember as they were leaving and would run to get a gift, hand it over with a big "Merry Christmas!" and smile so big. We heard street musicians downtown, experienced the polar express in pajamas at library storytime, cut down "the perfect tree", had friends over for meals, sang Christmas carols for the neighbors, made Christmas cookies, made a gingerbread house with Grandma, visited our special santa (same one we've seen each year since Ben proposed to me on his lap!). We were thoroughly enjoying the season already and then to more than top it off we started getting gifts in the mail, treats hung on our door handle, slipped into pockets.. we really experienced a generous community this year! We received money from an annonymous donor to buy presents for the girls or to use however we wished to make Christmas special. We received gifts from a friends church including gift cards for things both practical and fun. It is a bit overwhelming really. We have already had a fuller Christmas this year than probably ever before and all in the aftermath of months of difficulty and during a time of "poverty". It is incredibly humbling and it makes me want to go adopt a family who is struggling even more than we are and who may not have the support we do because my spirit has truly been lifted and I feel incomplete without reaching out to lift another.
And then a few days ago our apartment manager informed us that another annonymous giver has given up his or her parking place in the garage and is going to continue to pay each month so that we can park there. What?! um, tears. My first thought was one of relief, the safety factor in a busy parking lot with two energetic little girls has been a subconscious concern for a while. But we didn;t even attempt to get on the wait-list for a garage spot because it is an additional $75 a month. Eden and Mila have always loved walking through the garage and asked "why can't we park in here?" Now they say "can we park in the garage again today?!" when we remind them it is ours to park in now every time they are ecstatic. :)
I don't tell all of this to brag by any means, I feel the opposite, that we are in no place to receive all of this and yet because of the kindness and generosilty of our community we have been so blessed. I am uncomfortable that we are so blessed when so many are not but I am trying to enjoy it and allow myself to be inspired to pass it on.
We are off to a Christmas Eve family gathering, until next time, Happy holidays!
-Andrea, Ben, Eden, and Mila

Please just call it "throw-up"

Oh my goodness. At 3:00 yesterday afternoon I was listening to the sweet sounds of Ben and the girls singing songs and playing instruments together. The next thing I knew Ben yelled "Andrea I need help!" and Mila was vomiting. Not 30 seconds later Eden, too, began to vomit. I'm talking all over the floor, all over Ben, etc. they had had a full lunch, you get the idea. So we got them cleaned up, Ben too, and settled on our bed to watch a movie, take it easy. We had no idea it was only the beginning of a night full of puke. Sorry to be so explicit, it's my way of coping I think! Eden asked me not to call it puke or vomit, she said "Mama, please just call it throw-up." But seriously, each girl and then eventually Ben too, "threw up" all throughout the night - more than ten times each. Imagine the muscle aches today! Poor things. My tummy gurgled all night but that was it, so far I'm the lucky one. And the one doing laundry today. :) I texted my sister to let her know and I told her I refused to get sick.. power of positive thinking or mind over matter maybe? I hope so. Still crossing my fingers. The really sad part for me is that Ben (my amazingly multi-talented, not afraid to be domestic husband) had cooked a turkey for dinner, I roasted veggies to go with it and made awesome gravy.. and no one really got to enjoy it! I'm pretty excited to have turkey for the week though. Turkey tacos, turkey alfredo, turkey pot pie... I made up an amazing pot pie recipe a couple weeks ago, I should post it.. ok but there's something not right about a blog including both vomit stories and recipes. Maybe next posting ;)
Ah, my friend just sent a text message saying that her whole fam is tummy-sick.. we were at a b-day party together the night before. Oh the joys of watching kids play together, eating together, and sharing. Good times. Bad aftermath. Eden has a book called "Germs are not for sharing." Yeah. Well.

Productivity, potty-training, and my new blog!

Ben had Friday off which gave us a three day weekend. Yay! Eden went to Nina's for the day and Mila stayed home. It was a very productive day. Ben got journal work done, I updated and hand-delivered my resume for a job I am interested in. Ben and I got to talk about things that matter. We also got to watch "The Kite Runner" together. Good movie. Even better book, I hear. It is now on my to-read list. Mila got some Daddy-coffeeshop time, some Mama time, and plenty of personal space and playtime. Eden got to go on a playdate, visit an indoor park, "help" Auntie Nina with her baby cousin, Jude (who just turned six months old btw!) and both girls benefited from having some separation I think. They really have become so close, best of friends these days, but everyone needs space once in a while. Btw I am hopeful we will soon be using diapers only at night as Mila is potty-training herself (insists on underwear and only had two accidents in the past two days!) and we've discovered Eden's potty issues are biological in nature and with treatment she should be back on track in three to six months. I'm so excited!
Today, although they went to bed after nine o'clock, the girls got up before seven. When do kids start to understand about Saturdays?? We got the house cleaned up, went to Powells book store, went to Baby Tessa's birthday party, and girls were alseep by seven. Ah.
Now Ben is doing some custom journal work, typing mostly, and I started my new blog! I was needing a place to express my abstract ideas and philosophical thoughts but wanted "Keeping up with the Joneses" to be more practical, down-to-earth. So with Diskord and Harmony I plan to create a place where we can "think out loud" and truly converse about things that might cause tensions and divisions, but which have the potential to unify. And I'm hoping that we will share stories of discord and harmony. Stories are food for the soul. Now I have a place to blog about the realities and practicalities of family life and another place to blog about the world inside my head!

Changes.. must be the weather.

Well we are really coming out of the woods I think. I am physically doing SOOO much better. There are remnants of surgery, scars, altered voice, sore muscles, etc. But all in all I am back to my good old self. Yay! I just sighed big and deep when I thought about what we've come through and how. I suppose I am not my same old self really, among other changes I have a new profound respect for the power of love through community. The power even to heal and to revive spirits. We are now trying to figure out how to move forward on our own financially - Ben is heading a new direction with his education and future work. I am considering the possibilities of work or a masters program and how to balance that with caring for and being present with the girls to an appropriate extent.
And I'm feeling the need for a change here. I needed this blog as a diversion to get me through the past months but it has really been all about me! I am now going use this blog to post updates on the family, more in keeping with the title. For my own personal blog I'm creating a new link. I will post this soon. Thanks for continuing to keep up with the Joneses. I appreciate all ya'll's comments and emails. Time to read to girlies and put them to bed. Maybe after that there'll be a few minutes for talking with Ben over tea and pumpkin chocolate chip cake, then watch the Kite Runner. We haven't watched a movie together in weeks! Remembe when movies were an excuse for making out? haha fun times.
Ok real Jones family updates coming soon, I promise! Until then, happy holidays and keep warm!
-Andrea