Advent

We traveled over Thanksgiving, heading South to celebrate with my in-laws. It was a great visit with family and friends. Claire was able to meet so many people who have prayed for her and followed her picture updates over the past 9 months (yes, I have a 9 month old...and yes, I am working on a Letter to Her Bearsy Self). We had such smooth travels and so much fabulous food. There is so much for us to give thanks for. Our cups are overflowing.

This past Sunday was December first, which is both the beginning of December, as well as the beginning of Advent. As we are members of a liturgical church, Advent is a HUGE part of the church calendar (much like Lent) and, therefore, our lives. Growing up, my family always made a point to participate in the season of Advent, doing readings, using an Advent wreath some years, and ensuring that Christmas Day started with the climax of the season: reading the passage from Luke about the Advent of our Savior.

 I'm really grateful for that, especially as I now see the concept of Advent taking a mainstream, non-faith-related turn in many sectors of society. There are a bazillion of "Advent" calendar ideas on Pinterest. However, so many of them have absolutely nothing to do with this season of waiting and preparation for Jesus but are actually countdowns to presents. Not that there's anything wrong with such a countdown. I'm most certainly not anti-gifts or counting down until we give and receive. I think I just take issue with the semantics of calling those countdowns "Advent" calendars when they have little to nothing to do with Advent. Advent is so much bigger than that.

This week, one of our readings in neighborhood group (our mid-week church gathering) was from Matthew 24:36-51, a passage I have read countless times in my life. However, meditating on those words of Jesus during the season of Advent, when we are thinking about waiting and preparing, introduced new meaning for me and really challenged me in my thinking. How actively am I waiting and preparing for Jesus? It was very convicting. And exciting. And motivating.

Just like during Lent, our church is posting daily Advent reflections on the church blog. They're all written by church members and offer such interesting and diverse perspectives. If you're interested in following along with us this season, here's the link to CotC's blog. I actually teared up a little while reading today's post. Probably because I had a baby this year and can connect so vividly with her thoughts. If you have a minute or two (seriously, they're really short), give it a read. 

Happy Advent, friends.

Such a good little helper.

Last week, the three of us went to the grocery store together. Usually, it's just Claire and me, but for this particular outing, we went on a Saturday, allowing Brad to join us. I always love when Brad can come: 1) for the company (obviously) and 2) because things go soooooo much faster.

Brad wore Claire in the Baby Bjorn carrier, which she loves, by the way. She likes that she can see everything whilst swinging her legs about. She is very joyful in the BB. 

Anyway. We started in the produce section, and I asked Brad to grab a bag of Romaine while I picked through tomatoes. When I turned back to him, this is what I saw: 

She proceeded to carry the lettuce through the entire store. Apparently, when Brad reached for it, she did, too. Brad offered it to her, and she happily attached herself to it. The cashier had to wrench it from her chubby little hands to scan it. Don't worry- he handed it right back to her. 

We are training her to be a joyful helper...she just doesn't realize it yet.

Then, we came home and did some research.

A friend of ours who is a Massachusetts native came over to our apartment to watch game 6 of the World Series (Yay, Red Sox!) a couple weeks ago. We always love hanging out with Tim (our Mass friend, not my brother-in-law...although, we love hanging out with that Tim, too), and he's very witty and funny. During a commercial break, we had this conversation:

Tim: So, I've thought of a good slogan for the Massachusetts license plate.

Erin: What does it say now? The Bay State? Spirit of America? (please note: we have two of these plates on our car...and I obviously pay lots of attention)

Tim: Uh, no. It's "The Constitution State." But, I think it should be "Massachusetts: We invented the United States of America. You're welcome."

<insert lots of laughter>

It's funny to me in an ironic way, because I think that Massachusetts is the silliest state in the Union. They charge gobs of money for everything, they don't attach garages to houses (hello- if you attach the garage, you don't have to walk into the house in the cold), they make you parallel park everywhere...I have a long list. Actually, the more I think about it, the more I realize that most of my reasons have to do with cars, traffic, parking, or getting tickets. Hmph. Anyway. The idea of Massachusetts inventing the country makes me nod in agreement (because, there's some truth to the idea, historically speaking) and also makes me shake my head, thanking the Lord that other states have improved upon all of the silly things that just aren't taken care of here...like making use of central air conditioning and massive parking lots.

Tim's license plate idea is also funny because, on the whole, I think it sums up the Massachusetts mindset nicely. If we're being honest, they did kind of invent the US. Mass folks are pretty proud of their state. And their history. And their values. 

Speaking of values, the Boswell family values tend to diverge quite a bit from the generally liberal views of the majority around here. I'm sure you know this. Being from Alabama, a very very Red state, it's quite a transition to live in the bluest of Blue states.

Now that I've rambled almost incoherently about these thoughts for a while, let me show you some pictures of our family outing to the Boston Public Garden.

One man band. Just like Dick Van Dyke.

The Swan Boats.

The Ducks. Claire has an adorable little board book about Boston, and the ducks are in it. We thought it would be so cute to get a picture of her with the ducks...

This was the best we could do. She had just woken up from her nap.

Then, we tried to get a good Mom-Bear shot. This was the first face she made.

Then she was so excited!

Then, she got coy. And I look crazy.

Definitely an outtake, this one.

I really like this one.

And, although this looks like I'm kissing my adorable baby, I was actually checking to see if the wet, slimy something I touched on her face was slobber or something else.

Now, to tie all of the things I just wrote about together:

When we pulled up and parked next to the Garden to go in and have a nice family outing, we noticed that a big festival of some kind was going on across the street. It looked like a lot of fun...music, funnel cakes, balloons. It looked super exciting. The longer we were around the Garden, though, the more I thought I heard the folks using the microphone saying "weed." Brad was pretty sure I was wrong. I hoped I was wrong. Because that would be weird and wildly inappropriate for our baby.

After a little while longer of walking around, I could have sworn I heard them say "marijuana." I mentioned it to Brad, and he hesitated, thinking that, perhaps, he had heard it, too. It was when we were taking the pictures of Bear and me on the bench that I spotted a gal walking into the Garden, wearing a lei. Made of marijuana leaves. Yeah...no way I was mishearing things. 

As we were walking back to the car, someone started reading a poem about marijuana over the massive speakers, and we finally saw the giant "Cannabis" banner. I don't know how we missed that honking sign when we were debating whether or not I was hearing them talk about weed. It was only gigantic and in bold letters. We felt silly.

Then, we realized that we had unwittingly taken our little baby so close to a pro-marijuana rally that we might as well have been part of the crowd. We were that close. Oi. Then, when we got home and researched it, we learned that it was actually the second largest pro-marijuana legalization rally in the world. In the world, y'all. 

Because Massachusetts invented the United States and upholds liberal values in this free country they invented.

And, we took our baby down there to see it in action.

Oh man. 

To: Miss Breanne Love: Bear

Dear Miss Breanne,

Hi! Remember me? I was Little Miss Fussy Pants when you visited my mommy a couple of weeks ago. I just wanted to take a minute and apologize for my crankiness. I'm not sure what got into me. Mommy was absolutely certain I was going to have teeth coming in, but that wasn't it (I'm holding off on teeth for the time being. I like playing with everyone and keeping them guessing on when it will happen!). 

After you left, I was still cranky for a few days. Mommy was this close to taking me to see the doctor. (She couldn't bring herself to because she said she had no real reason to give the doctor...). I must say, Mommy was eventually at her wit's end with all of my constant fussing. Since I don't do it very often, she's not used to it and doesn't know how to deal with it.

But then, one morning, I woke up and my Happy Pants were back on. I don't know how that happened! We were starting to worry that I'd left the Happy Pants in Orlando when we went to visit with Nana, Poppy, and Bo. Whew! We were so glad that they weren't still in Florida. None of us were terribly happy while they were missing.

So, now that my Happy Pants are back, I feel really sorry for making your visit fussier than necessary. I hope you were still able to enjoy Cambridge and Boston College and the Reservoir and Regina's and Mike's (technically, I was in a pretty good mood for pizza and cannolis. Remember how I kept trying to touch all of the dirty surfaces and Mom got wipe-happy?). Mommy and Daddy enjoyed having you here very much! And, I know you don't love baseball just a whole bunch, but all those games you watched while y'all played Ticket to Ride paid off, because the Red Sox won the World Series! I'm so excited that my home team won (even though Mommy and Daddy wouldn't let me stay up to watch. Rats.)!

Thank you so very much for my animal puzzle. I play with it ALL the time! I love to look at them and chew on them and hide them from Mommy by sitting on them. It's just one of my very favorite things to do. Mommy also showed me the pictures in my new book. I loved them and want to hold them! But, sadly, Mommy wouldn't let me. She said I would probably tear Fancy Nancy's face off...even though I wouldn't mean to. I promise I wouldn't!!

I hope you'll forgive my bad attitude and visit me again one day!
XOXO,
Bearsy

Letter to my Little Bear

Well, Bear, it's that time again.

Another month has rolled around, and we've just passed your 8-month day. It always sneaks up on me. We just have so much fun that time flies right on by. 

You're doing some really funny things these days. One of my favorite things you're doing is experimenting with different sounds. It cracks me up! Yayaya...dadada...gagaga...mamama. It's especially funny when you're crying/fussing and throw in random sounds. It doesn't seem to help your mood, though, when I giggle at you while you're so frustrated. Sorry about that. #momfail.

You said your first word last week (right before you turned 8 months)! At first, I kind of thought you were just babbling, but you did it twice. You saw a picture of Daddy on my phone, you reached for him, and you said, "Dada." And then you did it again. It was sad that he wasn't here to hear it...and you haven't done it for him since. Cut the guy some slack, Bear. 

You still aren't showing any interest in mobility, but that's ok. Sitting up is mastered, but your anatomy is your nemesis: your head is in the 94% for size, so you have to fight gravity in order to stay upright. It's a frustration to you. I feel for ya. I do.

Eating is still a favorite. Apples still win as your most favorite. Your food repertoire is continuing to expand, and I'm very proud of you! Just today, you tried spinach for the first time. Without complaint! You go, girl.

We took a trip to Orlando a few weeks ago and met up with Nana, Poppy, and Bo at Universal. You had a blast! And were so very good. I was very proud. You also won the hearts of all of our fellow travelers on our flights. Woo! Way to be such a big girl. You really thrive in social settings, so being surrounded by so many people as your audience makes you so happy and cheerful

You're still a toy minimalist, which works fine for us (we don't have tons of room for too many toys). The current toys on rotation are: a minky made by Gran, a chain of those ubiquitous baby rings, a soft crinkle book from Nana, a pair of rattle socks from Auntie, and a few stuffed animals that we trade out periodically. I recently introduced you to a jingly ball, and you've been having a big time with that. You love to play with tags on anything. It's amazing how long you can entertain yourself with tags. We're still reading books. You love them, and I love that you love them. 

We still think you're getting cuter and awesomer all the time. You're the best bear that there ever was.

Kisses. The dry kind...not the slobbery kind that you've been bestowing upon us (although we love them from you).

Week 31

"Hey...what are you doing here?"

"Mom, did you know this matroshka has been sitting in on my photo shoots?"

Week 32

"You're still here, I see."

Week 33

"Excuse me, but this is my show."

"Seriously, matroshka. I got this. Nobody likes a spotlight hog."

Week 34/8 months

This is my sweet face.

I'm coming to get you!

And...Mrs. Tidwell came to town!

Allow me to apologize for the lack of pictures for this post. It's shameful, really. It's, apparently, not my strongest area as a blogging mom. Also, this post is two months overdue. Yeah... 

Anyway, one of my favorite people, Mrs. Tidwell, made a point to come to Boston for a day trip in August! She was up in our neck of the woods, visiting with family, so she hopped on a bus and traveled through three states before 10:00 am in order to meet up with us in Boston. Sidenote: It still blows my mind how tiny and close all of these New England states are. Seriously. You can be in New Hampshire in an hour and in Maine about 10 minutes after that. Rhode Island is 45 minutes from here. Crazy.

Firstly, Bear and Mrs. Tidwell got to meet. It was a joyous time for Bearsy. Although, she showed her joy by making a mess all over the outfit I'd put her in (incidentally, an outfit given to her by Mrs. Tidwell) approximately 2 minutes after meeting our guest. The best laid plans, y'all. The bumble bee outfit that she's wearing in the two (2) pictures I have of them (what is wrong with me??) was the back up outfit. 

I met Mrs. Tidwell when I was 15 years old. We (along with her son, Ben, who became one of my best friends through high school, Senegal, and college...you can find the link to Ben's and Molly's- his wife- blog on my sidebar) met on a mission trip to Brazil. We've all been friends ever since. 

It was so fun to show her around our Hobbit Hole, visit our beloved Boloco for lunch, walk around the reservoir, and show her Boston College. It was a bummer that it was really warm that day, but there's only so much I can control. 

We love having friends and family come to see our new home. Somehow, when we have our loved ones here, it feels less like we live at the other end of the country (going north to south, obviously). 

Thank you for making time to see us, Mrs. Tidwell! We love you!

Uncle Tim visits Bearsy

Dear readers of Mommy's blog,

I'm supposed to be napping, but I'm not. Mommy is very busy doing things. I don't know what she does. I don't think she does, either, because when Daddy gets home after work, she always tells him that she knows she's been busy all day but can't remember what she's done. She should probably take notes so she can remember.

Remember that one time my Aunt Rachael came to visit and I told you all about it? Well, this time, I'm telling you about when my Uncle Tim came to visit! I love Uncle Tim. He's my only uncle (besides Uncle Karl...but I don't share DNA with Uncle Karl.), so I had to make sure that he had a good time.

This is Uncle Tim.

He had already been to my Boston before, so I didn't take him on very many tours. We went to Cambridge, and I showed him Harvard and the Curious George store. I don't know for sure, but I think he liked George better than Harvard. It's much more interesting and colorful in there with George. I don't know why everyone wants to see Harvard so much. Boston College is better.

Mommy and Daddy took Uncle Tim and me to the RMV. Mommy says that normal states call the RMV the DMV, but Massachusetts is a silly state and has to be different. Mommy and Daddy did not look like they were having fun getting new drivers' licenses, but I had a blast hanging out with Uncle Tim! We'd talked while I sat in my stroller.

We played mirror games. Those are my favorite!

He and Mommy and Daddy played some games at home, like Dominion and Ticket to Ride. I'm too little to play, but I think they had fun. Well, mostly. Mommy says that playing games with the Boswell boys makes her feel very tired and unintelligent. I don't know what that means, but I think I want to be on the Boswell boys' team. They seem to win a lot. Sorry, Mommy.

We had a little trouble getting a picture of the three of us...

And! I got Uncle Tim to watch some Duck Dynasty with me! The Duckmen are my FAVORITE! I love introducing my tv friends to my real friends. Oh, and Mommy just told me to ask you not to judge her for letting me watch the Duckmen. Why would you do that? Don't you love them, too? I thought everyone loved the Duckmen... Come visit me and I'll show you!

I love you, Uncle Tim! I'll see you at Thanksgiving! I hope we can find some mirrors to play in. 

Love, 

Claire Bear