Changing with the Seasons

So much changes in so little time.  Already winter has arrived, and Christmas has come and gone.  A new year, too, has arrived.  I can't help but wonder what wonderful things wait for us in the months ahead.

Christmas was a time of gathering with family, and feeling the joy of being together.  The girls spent some serious quality time with Oma and Opa, and together made their first foray into the new world of Lego and all it has to offer.  My parents love to give gifts that help the girls use their imaginations, and their Lego is certainly giving them something new to work with.

In spite of all the things that could have gone wrong, our family Christmas was a happy one.  A very happy one - as you can see from Jeremy's face, with his most treasured sweater!  We were able to get the girls many of the things that they were wishing for; and with the generosity of grandparents and aunts and uncles, the girls were spoiled in a very nice way!

The arrival of winter has pleased my children to no end.  I, personally, was pleased by its delayed arrival!  But now that it is here, we are making the most of it!

So, here we go!  Into the future, wandering to and fro!  Looking for adventure! 

Caught up in the moment....

One incredibly sunny day, earlier this week, I decided it would be fun to take some intentional photos of the Olivia making faces for me.  She thought it was hilarious, of course, and I just couldn't resist her little face!  Her photos turned out so well that I just had to repeat the shoot with Grace when she got home.  And so, I must simply share the results of said face-making fun!

And while these photos are just delightful, and their expressions priceless, I just happened to catch the most wonderful shots.  Olivia's was first, and just filled my heart to overflowing.  And I just had to try and get the same picture from Grace.  I had to.

Those incredible eyes... I could just drown in them.  I can feel my insides melting as I stare at them.  Good gracious, how dearly I love these two little girls.... I just get so caught up in those eyes...
And it isn't just their eyes.  It's everything about them.  I know what you're thinking: I am a mother.  I am supposed to love and adore my children.  I am supposed to find them fascinating, and take great joy in them.
And boy, oh boy!  Do I ever!  More and more, I find myself stopping whatever it is I am doing, and taking them in my arms and holding them close.  I breathe them in, memorizing their scent and how well their tiny little bodies fit next to my heart.
Sometimes it is hard to accept how quickly they are growing and changing.  I don't know how many times I have asked both of them to just stop growing, and stay little just a little while longer.  A selfish wish, I know.  So, I just breathe a little deeper, drown a little further, and just get caught up in the moment.

Hide and Seek

There is an amazing amount of wonder involved in childhood - both on the part of the child, and the part of the parent/family.  One of my favourite things to do is to just sit back and watch.  Just observe whatever it is they are doing, not take part.  Often, it has to be a very sneaky, almost spying sort of observation, just so I don't interrupt.
And the things I see and hear are simply fascinating.
Let me give you an example.
One afternoon, earlier this week, the girls desperately wanted me to play hide and seek/scare them out of the beans.  I was happy to oblige, being in a scare-you-silly-'cause-it'll-gently-let-off-some-steam sort of state of mind.
(Those of you who have been in my house will remember that the side door of my house is right next to my basement door.  This is important.)
I managed to get them to go and 'count' at the front door.  I quickly (as easy at that is for me with a wrecked knee!) and quietly shuffled to the basement door and whipped it open, stepped down to the top step.  I held the door closed, instead of letting the latch go.
And I waited.
Soon enough, they came to the door, whispering.
"I don't see her, Livie."
"No, know."
"Let's look outside."  They prance on their tip-toes over to the patio doors.  Then run back into the living room.  I move back into the kitchen quickly and shut the door gently.  I intentionally make a little bit of noise to invite them back into the kitchen.  They come running....
"Wwwwwrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" at the top of my lungs!
Grace's eyes just about popped out of her face, and she shrieked a genuine you-scared-me-out-of-the-crap scream!  It was priceless!  I threw my arms around her, hugging her, and pulled her over to the couch, where I made light of her fright and praised her for how quiet she was when she was looking for me.
Livie: "Again, mommy!  Again!"
I, of course, obliged.
After the second time, Grace begged me to tell her where I had hidden.  The whole experience was just blowing her mind; you could see it in her face!  I told her I had hidden in my garden.  (Side note: Thanks to my girls` mad gardening skills, my garden is a mass of morning glories, perfect for small creatures to hide...)

 Of course, they begged for me to hide once more.  Adrenaline is hard to say no to, yes?
The third time, they went right to the patio doors, looking for me.  Grace saw some of the leaves move, and she pointed it out to Olivia.
"Did you see that?  That must be Mommy under there!  But let's check upstairs just to make sure."
As soon as I heard them in the living room, I came out and sneaked up behind them, again scaring the pants off them.
Grace told me all about the leaves moving and how she saw me, and that she just knew I had been sneaking out the side door because she heard me open it.  Livie backed her up, of course.  I told Liv that when she saw the leaves moving, it was because a bug crawled over my arm - as I walked my fingers up her arm.  Her eyes got big, imagining such a terrifying bug.
Grace begged me for a chance to hide in the garden, too.  To close down the idea quickly (the yard being sopping wet) I reminded her that it was my garden and they are not allowed to go in it.
And we moved on to "sleeping mommy monster"...

Later, the girls relayed their adventures to daddy.  (Liv's focus was on my dangerous confrontation with the scary bug!)  His own eyes went wide as he tried to imagine hop-a-long me racing out to the garden and diving into the morning glories in record time... and sneaking back in moments later to scare my children right out of the crap... and he shakes his head at me, ever so slightly.

Wonder, indeed.

A New Chapter Begins...

It is impossible to imagine life without my girls.  They have filled every nook and cranny of my heart and soul with love, joy and wonder, and determined purpose.  Why purpose?  I now know that my purpose as a parent is to help my children become the most amazing people that they can possibly be - to provide opportunities to explore, discover and reach for the stars in pursuit of their dreams and potential.
My children are amazing, and sometimes it just blows my mind that Jeremy and I are responsible for their existence.  And that just by their being here, they have changed the world in some small way - and may someday change it in a big way.  Only time will tell.
I used my last blog, Pickles and Peanut Butter, as a means to share my children with family and friends all over.  I intend to do the same with this one, but I also want to share my thoughts in a way that I can preserve their experience for my daughters - to share what it was like for me at that particular time, too.  I think this blog will be more personal and intimate on my part, but hopefully just as entertaining and enjoyable.
Glad you could join us!



My husband refers to the three of us as his Cramer ladies - and so we are!  So, the girls and I started our own special club this summer, just for the Cramer ladies and their special friends.  And to honour his own fears of boys and his girls, there are no boys allowed, except by special invitation!

This summer was full of visiting family from all over the place!  The girls got to meet their Grandma G.G. and Great Aunt Lynette (again), and finally meet in person their new cousins Eli (along with Aunt Jenn and Uncle Josh)  and (courtesy of Aunt Natalie and Uncle Rob) little miss Kennedy.  Most recently, they got to meet their Great Aunt April and Great Uncle Phil.
With so much love surrounding them, it's no wonder that they have grown and changed so much!