Aiyana and Mimi chatting on IM

Aiyana: hi mimi
Mimi: Hi Aiyana
Aiyana: how is josiah doing
Mimi: He is with Papa
Aiyana: what are they doing
Mimi: fishing!
Mimi: How is your day going?
Aiyana: till josiah that i miss hem a lot
Mimi: he misses you too
Aiyana: i was yoosing the bathroom thas why it tukc sow long
Mimi: I went to the bathroom too!
Aiyana: actually i what to talk to you about gimnastecs
Mimi: Good! Tell me what you did
Aiyana: i did my sumrsit
Mimi: was it fun?
Aiyana: yes
Mimi: Mommy told me Catherine is in your class
Aiyana: carolyn was in my class
Mimi: is she good at cart wheels?
Aiyana: yes
Mimi: did you try again?
Aiyana: yes
Mimi: how are you doing with the splits?
Aiyana: good
Mimi: I can't do those
Aiyana: i bet you can do splits
Mimi: my legs would fall off if I tried to do splits
Aiyana: will triy for me
Mimi: did you go on the balance beam?
Aiyana: no
Mimi: I bet you will soon
Mimi: is mommy sleeping?
Aiyana: yes
Mimi: that's good. Is Abby sleeping too?
Aiyana: yes
Mimi: what did you buy at the store today?
Aiyana: a keds cookbook for me
Mimi: oh, how fun!
Mimi: what kind of things does it have for you to cook?
Aiyana: i do not no yet
Mimi: does it have some pictures for you to follow?
Aiyana: i do not no]
Mimi: Did Mommy buy the book with Meredith's face on it?
Aiyana: yes
Mimi: do you think it looks like Meredith?
Aiyana: no
Mimi: you don't??? I think it does, but Meredith is more pretty
Aiyana: i egrey too
Mimi: Are you watching a movie today while Mommy sleeps?
Aiyana: aftr i tolk to you
Mimi: what movie will you watch?
Aiyana: highsschool musisacool 2
Mimi: Josiah & Papa just got home
Mimi: they didn't get any fish
Aiyana: tell them that i love them
Aiyana: bi bi mimi i will see you to night
Mimi: bye bye!
Aiyana: i love you
Mimi: I love you too!

Last night we took the kids to a live nativity. I was really looking forward to it because I had heard great things about how it really opens the kids eyes to what happened that night so long ago. I was pretty impressed with the production of it. It started in a small room with a granmother reading a book about the Christmas story, and then a wise man came into the room and talked about taking us on a journey to Bethlehem to see what really happened. The first scene was Mary praying and then an Angel appeared out of a white screen and talked to her. Very cool. Then same thing with Joseph. We then move on to Bethlehem. They had a whole town set up really great with a blind man and beggars, and people selling thing, and then while you were looking around the town Mary and Joseph showed up on a donkey. They went door to door looking for a place to stay. We finally see someone tell them they can go into the barn. The next scene is out in the field with the shepherds and all a sudden there was a huge spotlight on all of us, and it made the kids a bit nervous (which was the intention, I'm sure) and the angel Gabriel did his thing. After he was done, the spotlight went off and there was a choir of "angels" suspended in the air above all of us singing. Pretty cool. Then we all moved on with the shepherds to go find Mary and Joseph and baby Jesus. The traditional nativity scene was fun because we had seen Mary and Joseph before and expected to see them together and the baby.

After that was the part that probably... well, I don't want to say ruined, but changed the whole memory of the night for our kids.... a voice came over the speaker and said something to the effect of "who could have known what this little baby had come to earth to do?" I expected us to go back to the town and maybe see some scenes of Jesus healing the blind man or something to that effect, but there was a huge sound of lightening and then a spotlight of a HUGE cross with a bloody Jesus sitting on it. I mean, they had the whole cross done very graffically. The kids were terrified and even though they showed a small scene of a resurrection (empty tomb-which they didn't understand) it kind of totally put a stop on their wonderment of the birth of Jesus.

We talked to a lady afterwards about it, and just mentioned that we were kind of sad that we didn't know that was coming, because we would have had the kids look in another direction or something. Our kids weren't the youngest out there and I know they weren't the only ones talking the whole drive home about "Jesus getting dead." The lady said "we can't really have the story of Jesus without having the cross." That was her explanation. Well, Easter is coming, and that is a great time to teach about the cross. I just fell like Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus coming and remember how He touched the lives of everyone around him. I guess for me, if would have been more impactful to have a scene of Jesus healing people or something, and then if you needed to, have the cross kind of looming in the background. I think most people would know what that meant.

Anyway, all in all, I liked it. I asked Josiah what his favorite part was, and he said he didn't like Jesus being dead, and Abby said something to that effect too. Aiyana liked Mary. I'm a bit disappointed. Could have been great, but that's what my kids took away. Hopefully we can reference the things we saw when we read the story to them, and it will still give them a visual image to remember. We probably won't skip over to read the cruxifiction this Christmas though.

Roller Skating

Took the kids roller skating tonight. The church had rented out the whole rink for a birthday party for Jesus! They had so much fun! Fortunately it didn't take us too long to realize that we could tighten the wheels on their skates and make it a bit easier for them to stay on their feet. I will add some pictures as soon as we get them. I didn't bring my camera in the interest of actually not demolishing it if I fell, but I had a friend there who was kind enough to take a couple pictures for me.

Aiyana won the award for having the best attitude ever. She fell about every 3 feet, but she laughed and smiled the whole time. I don't think I would ever keep trying again if I was having that hard of a time at it! Maybe there is something I can learn from her! Abby won the award for being the best two year old skater out there! I don't think the wheels were moving at all, but she shuffled around that rink like nobody's business. Josiah won the award for being the cutest little boy out there, and my favorite skating partner right now. Joe won the award for being the hottest dad on the rink.

Me, I was too busy enjoying my time with my family to win any awards.

p.s. Apparently we didn't get any pictures of Josiah.... hopefully next time.

Table at McDonalds = modified boppy

ok, so I am making a very fast jump from Christmas cards to breastfeeding in public, but I feel as though I must make this PSA....

Anyone who knows me knows that I am very pro breastfeeding. I nursed all my kids and I am now a postpartum nurse who helps new moms breastfeed all the time. HOWEVER....

I had to take an emergency trip to McDonalds. (I know, you might think "how could a trip to McDonalds be an emergency?" Well, you try staying at home all morning in the cold rain while a 2 year old and a 4 year old try to burn their energy on your bed, couch, eachother, YOU... Trust me, for the sake of my children, it was an emergency) I am off the point....

So I am enjoying my calorie filled lunch of filet o' fish or McFish or whatever, when I see a cute little baby and her mommy at the table next to me. Little did I know that baby was about to get her lunch, served up on the table next to me. Seriously, this woman pulled up her shirt (and for mental pictures sake, she was probably pushing 300lbs) placed her breast on the table, and laid her baby down on the table in front of her so baby could eat. Table at McDonalds = modified boppy I would guess...

Please, please, please to all those mommys who are still providing the best nutrition in the whole world to their babies... please do not ever rest your breast on the table and lay the baby down in front of you to eat... You are doing a disservice to all of us who proudly nursed our babies in public under blankets and baggy hoodies! No one wants to see all that!! TRUST ME.

Christmas Cards..

I have always admired those who can send out a Christmas card with their angelic children smiling at the camera looking perfect in their new Christmas outfits, and the parents smiling into the camera in some kind of chemically induced calm. Seriously, if there was a way I could medicate my kids (Joe included) into sitting still and smiling for the camera, I would have done it years ago.
Let me tell you, it is a nightmare to try to get all of them to sit close together and look at the camera and smile without someone getting hit, sat on, elbowed or whatever other pain they can "accidentally" inflict on each other. If by any chance they are sitting still, you can guarantee that someone has a huge booger under their nose or food under their mouth. I don't even attempt to get Joe and I in the picture because that would take us out of the crowd control position. Maybe in a couple years the world will be graced with a Rainwater family picture.
Anyway, I have some other pictures that I made a cute collage for *gasp* Christmas cards that I have actually ordered!! I even had a bit of photoshop fun with the pictures! I'm not making any promises as to when the cards will end up in various mailboxes, however, whether they arrive at Christmas time or in April, a milestone has been reached ladies and gentlemen. The Rainwater family has a Christmas card....

testing testing....

I swear this can't be as hard as I think it is, so I am going to give it a try...