At the end of each year I like to spend a little time reading through old posts and noting - thanks to the statistics feature associated with the blog - which topics were well-recieved (and which topics weren't, for that matter) by you, my readers. I have always written and will continue to write in my own voice, and I know how important it is for my blog remain a true representation of who I am, but I want my words to reach out in a way you find interesting and engaging.
Along those lines, here are this year's most popular posts:
High Five for Farewells Will graduates from and leaves elementary school behind. Just Keep Showing Up A parenting boost, thanks to a 4th grader's kind words. Wisconsin's Finest...Lumberjacks We take the kids to see a diamond in the North Woods rough. Rise Up An even more relevant message today than when the post went up a year ago.
Tis the Gift to be Simple Tiptoeing through the tulips with my dad. BRAKE! Three years after learning to ride a bike, Hallie finally learns how to stop a bike.
Thank you, my real life and internet friends, for your support throughout 2017. For reading my posts, following Chasing Roots here on the site, "liking" Chasing Roots on Facebook, and sharing Chasing Roots with your friends and family. I am extraordinarily grateful.
In 2017... Will “graduated” elementary school and transitioned smoothly to the more independent world of intermediate school. He loves soccer, running, chess, cello, and video games, and after proving himself somewhat responsible, he earned a phone…on which he can’t do anything except text his mom to tell her he arrived safely at school. It’s not as fun as he expected. Hallie has come into her own as a third grader, deciding that – after years of never wanting to participate – she now wants to do it all: student council, runners club, chess club, garden club…you name it, she’s joined it. She continues to dance – ballet, jazz, lyrical, and hip-hop and in her studio’s Mini Company – with both a passion and a strength I dream of having. Tux holds a special place in our hearts even though he drives us crazy. After years of excruciatingly hard word, Tom received tenure and a promotion to Associate Professor at TAMU. When not immersed in the world of Human Factors, he spends his time on the disc golf course, playing music, and inventing the next big thing in light suits. Yes, light suits are a thing. I spend my days writing and volunteering and my evenings shuttling kids to and from all sorts of after-school activities and appointments while trying to find time to make dinner. I love almost everything about this gloriously busy age and stage. Wishing you and yours a peaceful and joyful holiday season! With love, Tom, Erin, Will, Hallie, and Tux
1. Last Thursday night I went to a Favorite Things Party to which I brought a beautiful winter throw pillow (throw pillows - especially holiday throw pillows - rank near the top of my personal list of favorite things) and from which I came home with these gorgeous wooden bowls. A teacher at Hallie's elementary school burned the designs into the outer rims of the bowl and they're absolutely beautiful!
2. Other than the Saturday after Thanksgiving, we haven't had a soccer- and dance-free Saturday since the end of August. I LOVE watching Will play soccer and Hallie dance, but OH, how we enjoyed our unscheduled Saturday. We went hiking at a park just outside of College Station, bowling for the first time in quite a while, and out for Mexican for lunch. Then while Tom and the kids (probably just Tom) took a movie-watching nap, I ran a few last-minute holiday errands. I found myself in my pajamas and on the couch (working on a blog post) by 7pm, something that hasn't happened in...I can't remember how long. What a lovely day!
Without bumpers, I took first place in/on (?) the lanes. With bumpers,
I could barely keep up with "Dr. Squee", "And His Son", and "Halbie".
3a. After a fantastic Saturday, Sunday started off heading in the opposite direction, at least as far as parenting was concerned. We hit rock bottom around 3pm, but somehow we managed to rally and save the weekend with a family bike ride and having a few (of my) friends over for drinks, snacks, and A Christmas Story: Live in our pajamas.
3b. Also on Sunday, my sweet Lily turned seven years old. I can't get over how old she looks here - the "baby" is all but gone from this little girl's face.
4. On Tuesday afternoon we picked the kids up from school and surprised them with a trip to see the new Star Wars movie. Going to the movies in and of itself isn't exact a surprise, but going to the movies on a school night, and having popcorn and Skittles for dinner, could fall into the surprise category.
5. Happiness Highlights:
After visiting a live nativity with an ostrich in its petting zoo, a friend
and I lightheartedly wondered if an ostrich had been present at the birth
of Jesus. Since we can't know for sure, she picked us both up an ostrich
to add to our Little People nativity scenes...just to make sure we stay
as historically accurate as possible.
So proud of her hand-painted wooden nutcracker
and frosting/candy-decorated gingerbread house!
It's holiday baking season!
This is my sister. She's gorgeous and talented and funny and the
best second grade teacher on the planet. She also has a million dollar
smile, which I love to see. (She's "working" here - coordinating
the second grade holiday musical at her elementary school.) Photo courtesy of Leslie Grabenstetter Photography
Happy Friday, Chasing Roots! Linking up with High Five for Friday here:
Last December and after quite a few years of stalling, we finally visited Santa's Wonderland. This extensive theme park and light display claims to be Texas' largest Christmas attraction, and while I haven't visited enough Christmas attractions in Texas to verify the validity of that claim, I can verify that Santa's Wonderland looks, sounds, and feels like nearly every child's - and many adults' - holiday dream come true.
Santa's Wonderland costs a pretty penny, however, so after spending hundreds of dollars taking our family there last year, I found myself in search of a slightly less expensive Christmas light adventure this year. I found what I was looking for by creating it myself; I invited our friends to join us at a local - and free - park with a decent light display and we held our own Christmas light fun run*.
When we finished our run through the park, we indulged in cookies and hot chocolate and the kids played together like they'd been cooped up in pens for the last 48 hours. (We had originally planned to bring Bahama Bucks' snowballs so the kids could have a snowball fight, but after last week's actual snowstorm we decided fake snowballs wouldn't be all that exciting.) The evening was fun and memorable, but also simple, easy, and inexpensive.
We may return to Santa's Wonderland next December - perhaps visiting Texas' largest Christmas attraction will become an every-other-year tradition - but I love knowing that when we choose to skip the extravagance, we can create a version that's just as fun and meaningful for our kids.
I took at least 20 pictures of this group - in not one of them were all 17 kids looking at the camera.
It only took one try to get all 13 adults to look at the camera, and for perhaps the first time ever, my eyes are open in a brightly-lit shot!
Without this tree - which stands at least three stories tall - we might not have ever reunited with our big kids. We told them to "meet us at the tree" and then sent them on their own out into the dark to run the path and take in the Christmas lights. They LOVED the freedom.
Cookies and hot chocolate in the pavilion after our run.
So much fun! So much sugar!
You know, just because...
*As was the case at Santa's Wonderland last year, Will - and a couple of the big kids - ran but everyone else walked at a leisurely pace. We still called it a run.
Though I feel plenty cheerful and appropriately spirited today, there will inevitably come a point during the holiday season at which I need a pick-me-up. My calendar fills up too quickly, my to-do list grows too long, we spend too much money, the kids bicker with one another...you understand, right? Maybe you've even been there too.
During my first holiday season of blogging I shared two of my favorite Christmas videos. When my second holiday season of blogging rolled around, I shared the two videos from the first year and added a couple of new favorites in the same post so I could easily find them on rough days. The third holiday season I narrowed down the videos from years past and added a few more. Same thing during the fourth, fifth, and sixth holiday seasons. And now in the seventh holiday season, the tradition continues.
When something happens to dampen my holiday spirit, I search for my annual Christmas music post. For me, there is no greater emotional and spiritual boost than that I receive when I listen to and sing music centered around love and peace.
So here they are: my favorites from this year and years past, all in one place, so anyone who needs an emotional or spiritual lift - myself included - can find them when the need arises. All will warm your heart and remind you that love actually IS all around us…sometimes we just have to look for it. On YouTube.
Happy holidays, friends!
In case you're wondering, my criteria is simple…if the song gives me chills, it makes the cut. I'd love to see and listen to your favorite Christmas videos - I'm always growing my playlist - so please send them my way!
The Christmas Can-Can: Straight No Chaser
This group sings beautiful acapella music, and on occasion
they throw a good bit of humor into their performances.
All I Want For Christmas is You:
Mariah Carey, James Corden, and more...
Who doesn't love listening to this song at Christmas time?!
Baby It's Cold Outside: Idina Menzel and Michael Buble
This twist on a holiday favorite is adorable - let your kiddos watch too!
Hallelujah: Pentatonix
Perhaps the best song - and one of the best versions of it - ever.
The low notes in particular, especially during the fourth verse,
make me feel like I'm having an out-of-body experience.
Deck the Halls
My favorite flashmob of all time.
The Christmas Scale
"It's hard to believe that the greatest message the
world will ever hear is contained in one simple scale."
Someday at Christmas: Stevie Wonder & Andra Day for Apple
I used to tear up every time this commercial came on television.
Silent Night: Us the Duo
I hadn't heard of this group until last year when we saw them open
for Pentatonix. They're fun and quirky and incredibly talented!
Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
Another flash mob, this one by the talented Air Force Band.
Angels We Have Heard on High: The Piano Guys
I still get chills every single time I watch/listen to this video.
Joy to the World: Mormon Tabernacle Choir I have always loved both this choir and this song; when they combine they sound like Christmas should!
That's Christmas to Me: Pentatonix
Their original Christmas song warms my heart.
"The best way to spread (and I'll add the words "and feel" in here as well) Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear."
Thanks, Buddy.
And because both made me cry, I thought I'd throw in a couple of my favorite ads as well...
Palace: Sam Smith
Palace isn't technically a Christmas song, but it's message - "love
is never a waste of time" - is spot on during the holiday season as well
as throughout the year. And I like to imagine the dancer is my Hallie...
Christmas is for Sharing A reenactment inspired by the real events that took place on Christmas Day in 1914. I only recently heard about this historical anomaly, and as anyone who knows me might expect, it brought tears to my eyes.
1a. Of course, a high five for all things Nutcracker. We had a wonderful weekend surrounding two beautiful performances. We're exhausted, but we can't wait to do it all again next year.
1b. These photos...I wait all year to line them up and see how much these two kiddos have changed. They've been friends for years, and I hope they always remain close.
2013
2014
2015
2016
2017
2. My mom flew into College Station for a long weekend and to see (both shows of) The Nutcracker. When we weren't shuttling Hallie back and forth from the theater, doing buns and applying make-up, and working the Nutcracker Market, we went for walks, went out for brunch, and browsed a few local boutiques.
3. My boy placed third in his intermediate school's geography bee! The first and second place winners were sixth graders, so as a fifth grader he was pretty thrilled with his performance.
4. After a series of strange dashboard readings about the air in my car's tires, I popped into Discount Tire to have them assess the situation. They inspected my tires, found a hole (made by a screw that had since fallen out) in one of them, patched the hole, refilled the tire, topped off all of the other tires, and recalibrated the tire sensors that had gone a little out of whack. It took approximately one hour and cost me...zero dollars. What an incredible business model - take care of the little things for free, because then, when customers need the big things, they'll remember the generosity and come back. And I will!
I have no affiliation with Discount Tire - I'm just a happy customer!
5. Happiness Highlights:
These bagels came to me - via a generous friend
and her mom - all the way from New Jersey. Amazing!
Congrats to these boys on a great season! They had a winning
record and went undefeated in their final tournament of the fall!
Hallie and I are watching Titanic together. She asks
A LOT of questions while we watch, but sharing one
of my all-time favorite movies with her has been a blast.
"This is the life", according to Hallie.
Loving my new Christmas sweater!
Driving through the Live Nativity at a friend's church. Will and Hallie's
favorite part - besides the camel - was the real baby playing baby Jesus.
Because of the snow we picked the (one and only) lemon from
Lucy the Lemon Tree. We haven't yet decided how to use it though...
Will came home from a Christmas party with the game Speak Out.
It's fun and funny, but also extraordinarily painful, at least for me!
Saying "hi" to Santa and Mrs. Claus. I wish
these two kids of mine would stop growing up...
Happy Friday, Chasing Roots! Linking up with High Five for Friday here:
At least every other day for weeks, Hallie asked me, "Mama, do you think it'll snow tonight?"
And at least every other day for weeks, I answered, "No, sweetie, I don't. It doesn't snow in Texas."
I would remind her that even if it did snow, the sleet-like flakes wouldn't stick because the ground in Texas doesn't freeze, and I would remind her that fluffy white flakes awaited us up north. And then she would remind me that while she couldn't wait to make snow angels and build snow forts and have snowball fights once we arrived in Wisconsin, she would in the meantime hope and pray for snow here at home.
"Some of my friends have never even seen snow, Mama! I want them to know what it looks and feels and tastes like!"
"It COULD happen, Mama - I know it could!"
"I'm dreaming of a w...h...i...t...e Texas!" (Can you hear her singing that line?)
And then last Thursday, her hopes became a reality and her prayers were answered.
On campus for Nutcracker technical rehearsal, my mom, a few friends, and I were sitting inside a window-less cafe drinking coffee when another friend joined us and mentioned that light flurries had begun to form outside. I thought she had to be mistaken because while we knew the temperature outside had dropped, it wasn't even close to cold enough - scientifically speaking - for snow to fall.
A short time later we finished our beverages and headed back to the theater to pick up our dancers...and when we walked out of the building into the dusky evening, we saw them: big, soft snowflakes swirling beneath the street lights. Not the hard, sleet-like snowflakes we've experienced twice during our seven years in Texas, but the kind of snowflakes that swoop down from the sky in Wisconsin. Without warning and completely unexpectedly, tears sprung to my eyes. Almost nothing feels as magical as the first snow of the year, expect perhaps the first snow in many years and for some, the first snow ever.
Snow selfie!
As we hurried into the theater to grab the girls - for fear the snow would cease and they would miss this monumental occurrence - college students streamed past us, calling and texting their friends and excitedly sharing the news. Thankfully, not only did the snow not stop while we gathered our girls, it actually became more intense: more flakes, bigger flakes, and flakes we could actually see on the grass. My mom, Hallie, and I, delighting in this sure-to-be-over-in-minutes taste of winter - laughed and sang Christmas carols all the way home.
After dinner we decided we couldn't stay inside any longer. We threw on winter coats and boots and ran out into the yard. Neighbors began coming out to join us, and there on our corner - in the streets and across the lawns - we lost ourselves in a winter wonderland.
The first snowball.
Tux had a little fun chasing snowflakes.
Even Mr. "I need a coat when the temperature drops below 65" had a blast outside...and he eventually took out of the kids in an epic snowball fight.
Looks like Wisconsin, doesn't it?
The aftermath: five measurable inches fully enjoyed.
So many friends of Will and Hallie's had never seen (or felt or tasted, as Hallie pointed out) snow like this. Some adult friends of mine had never seen snow like this. Nearly everyone I know took advantage of Mother Nature's gift that night, going outside - after dark, after bedtime, and on a school night - to experience the overwhelming joy and breathtaking beauty of a simple snowfall.
Many of my best childhood memories revolve around snowy, wintry weather. Sledding, ice skating, ice boating, building snowmen, having snowball fights, making snow ice cream. (I even enjoy shoveling.) Bundling up in snow pants and scarves...and then removing layer after layer as our bodies warmed. Playing outside for hours, even after our mittens dripped wet from melted snow and our socks slouched down into the toes of our boots. F...i...n...a...l...l...y coming inside to thaw our fingers and toes by the fire and warm our insides with hot chocolate. I have done my best to help Will and Hallie create these kinds of memories during our holiday visits to Nebraska, Illinois, and Wisconsin, but I never could have imagined how happy it would make me to see them creating these memories in - or outside of - their own home. And I couldn't help but think how incredible it was that all of these Texas kiddos were finally getting to create these kinds of memories as well.
I will always remember last Thursday night as one of the very best we have experienced as Texans. My fingers were cold, but my heart was warm.
P.S. Somehow school started on time on Friday morning. This is Will's "I'm shocked some of the snow remains, but I'm even more shocked I have to walk to school in it" face. Toughen up, kid - I walked a mile to school in 12 inches of snow more times than I could count. (No really, I did. Ask my mom. 😀)
