Christmas Joy

It has been a busy couple of weeks around here. I'm so happy to be staying home now, and my time has been pretty much taken over with winter and Christmas stuff.

We've had a lot of snow and cold temperatures. Last week, school was cancelled for 3 days and since Caleb's preschool is part of the public school system, he was home, too. Day one was fun--we baked bread and watched a Christmas movie. Day two--starting to get a little antsy by the end of the day. I gratefully headed to the grocery store after supper as a reason to leave the house. Day three--cabin fever. It wasn't the being home part, it was the fact that we couldn't leave even if we wanted to. 

We did have a lot of fun in the snow, beyond shoveling the driveway and having to push our car out of a snowbank. We attempted to take Caleb sledding, but I think he was a little scared and not too sure how he felt about the whole thing. Snow angels and scooping with his "shovel" (a leftover from the sandbox) were alot more interesting. It's been fun..I love winter and having a white Christmas.

Before the snow we managed to catch the Star City parade downtown. I think its the first time I've been there in about 25 years, until my mom reminded me that I marched in it in the high school band. Maybe I just blocked out that memory, I don't know. We got our Christmas tree, too, and found this great little place where you cut your own and they have hot cider and chocolate while you wait for them wrap it. I guess I really do get into all of this holiday stuff.

On the Asher front, there isn't much new to say. Our visas are currently being processed at the consulate in Chicago and we should have them before Christmas. At this point, we are waiting for that blessed email that tells us of our approval to travel and when we need to be in Beijing. We have been hoping it will come soon and maybe we can travel in January. The problem (isn't there usually some kind of problem?) is that Chinese New Year falls in mid-February, closing travel for the better part of a month. So, when people ask when we are going, I say either the end of January or early March. And I won't know until approximately the day before we leave, so when I find out I'll let you know. Note: sarcasm. 

I actually feel so blessed this holiday season for our two boys. One here who is so much fun: he gives us plenty of joy, he's bright and funny and just simply a great kid. And our other one: our precious guy spending Christmas in China this year. But next year....we'll all be together. I'm thankful for that.

The Next Chapter

This morning, I came home from work at my job in the NICU for the last time. I have been thinking for a while about the future of our family and where my purpose is managing work and stuff at home. I decided that it was time to leave my job at the hospital and stay home with my growing family to be a full time mom. I did shed a few tears on my drive home from work this morning. While I seem to have been somewhat professionally confused in recent years, working in different areas and trying to find a good fit, the NICU has been a stable presence for the last seven years. I had moments of feeling so challenged at that job, doing things I never imagined. When I graduated from nursing school, I wanted to be a flight nurse but I never thought it would happen. I didn't ever plan or even wish to work  with babies when I first started out and yet I had a successful career of doing just that for 10 years. I even spent some of that time as a flight nurse for the babies...long after I thought that dream had died. It's all been very cool, and I leave with great memories:

--being new to the job and feeling like a total dope who didn't know a thing about what I was doing

--our brand new unit and the first days of caring for babies in private rooms

--when I got married and my friends from work gave me a wedding shower and came to our wedding

--going out for transports in the ambulance and flights, and attending all those C-sections 

--making pancakes in the employee lounge in the early morning

--many, many kids who spent time there---some home with families and some to heaven--some of the most memorable: Payton, Theresa, Alla, Gavin, Brock, Tanner

--spending my first Christmas there, alone in the back room with baby Maria (anyone from work reading this will understand how that was not an ideal Christmas!)

--watching Napoleon Dynamite in the middle of the night

--working all those nights with a fun crew of people who made it easier to be there 

--all of the awful, mean, embarrassing, exhausting, but also challenging, fulfilling, rewarding, proud, wonderful moments

Ok, so a few tears are back again. It's ok, it was a significant place and I had to give it a little tribute.

So now, it's on to the next chapter--potentially even more scary--being a full time mother to two Chinese boys, one here, and one on the way. Yikes! But, of course I mean that in a good way....