Blogging Might Not be on my To-Do List

I really think blogging has simply lost it's appeal to me. It's either that, or I'm just really busy. Maybe a little of both? At least it's a good busy. God has provided Jesse and I with 4 different part time jobs. One of mine isn't really a job, but I kind of feel like it because of how much time it's been taking lately. Are you curious yet? Are you wondering if I'm going to tell you what it is? Well considering I'm usually such a discreet person . . .

My Spanish school is actually really taking off! Little Amigos has it's first set of classes in 2 weeks and my K-2 class is FULL! I even had to turn away 4 different kids. And they were kids from off campus which means they don't get the really really really (really-we're all broke here.) cheap price I'm giving seminary families. So I'm trying to work it out to add another K-2 class in the morning for the on campus homeschooled kids. I'm not sure if I have the time to do a 3rd class though . . . we'll just have to see.

Because of this "job" and my other super part time job working for an awesome organization that helps Christ followers connected with other Christ followers who live and work in Europe, I've just been busy! And I'm also having to be super scheduled with my day so that I can maximize my time with my kids. I'm learning that I have to designate certain times of the day to each job otherwise I could spend all day replying to emails, and spend none of it with my kids. Or cleaning my house. Or couponing (yes I still do that-it's so much easier now!). Or being a stellar seminary wife. I'd prefer not to fail at the wife and Mom thing so managing my time is a must. I can't say I finish every day perfectly. Some days, I break of my rule and get online before my run and devotions. Bad idea. It always ends up sucking me into something that I have scheduled to work on later. Or sometimes I'm just selfish and lazy and I get sucked into the internet just because!

So if you think of it, pray for me. Pray that I'll be good at managing my time, and that I'll stick to my "rules." When I stick to them, I get to enjoy my kids, and I get to enjoy the times when I DON'T have something scheduled, better. I really think that once classes get going, it will be better because I'll have my curriculum in place by then, and I won't be email 20 different parents.

I have some fun pictures to post of Renae's birthday party. I can't take credit for any of them as my awesome mother-in-law worked her magic and caught some precious moments. Gag. I just said precious moments. So hopefully I'll get those pictures up soon. After that, I can't promise many blog posts. If you are wondering why, re-read this post, you blog skimmer!

Tattoos

Baby nap problems to tattoos? Welcome to Jesse's world as he tries to follow along with my brain . . . Thanks for the tips everyone. I'm still working out the kinks to figure out why Sammy has started waking up from naps ridiculously early, but I think we're turning a corner.

Moving on . . . I read this blog on a regular basis and really enjoy a lot of what is posted. The most recent post about tattoos was a really great take on why some people get tattoos. For the record, I do not have a tattoo, nor do I ever plan on getting one. Mostly because I've vain and I don't want to be that old lady with saggy tattoo arms someday! But I loved this post and I think you should read it too. I'm wondering if any of you out there who have tattoos can relate to his post. Let me know!

Picture Stealing

Apparently I'm in the apology business lately. My camera bit the dust, kicked the bucket, went 6 feet under, you get the jist. So I can't take pictures unless I use our camcorder which currently has a full memory card and I guess I'm just being lazy about downloading pictures and videos form there. So first I'm going to apologize about being lazy in downloading stuff from the camcorder.

However . . . I came up with a brilliant plan to steal my sister-in-law's photos from Facebook. Last weekend, almost my entire family came down and we had a fun weekend swimming at the hotel pool, eating and enjoying being together. I got to play host for a few meals too which I always enjoy. And no, I didn't have to break the bank to pay for the food- I stayed UNDER BUDGET for the week, including our normal food plus the extra food for our weekend. I love not spending tons of money on groceries! Oh . . . and now I have to apologize for stealing pictures.

Now onto pictures and a little update about each of my kiddos.



This boy loves food so much he'll gladly suck on not 1, but 2 lemon slices. Crazy kid.

Sammy's newest thing is keeping me from getting anything done. He's totally mobile now and loves to climb on, climb in and grab whatever he can.

Sammy's twin (I mean uncle)

The boy is also into waking up way too early from his afternoon nap to stand up his crib. Thankfully today he finally fell back asleep . . . after I caged him into his pack n' play where he had nothing to hold on to.

Poor pitiful boy . . .

When Renae was this age, she was shaking her head no, waving and "talking" more. At this age Sammy is clapping, grunting, screaming and saying the one syllable he knows: Da da.

Although it may not be obvious, we DO feed him . . .

Heyo!

You'd think they were a bunch of 13 year olds . . .

Renae and her cousins

Little Miss Renae is one funny little girl. She's really into "reading" (usually her own language) out loud and repeating everything we say back to us as if we're hearing for the first time from her mouth.

Check out my hat.

She's pretty excited about her birthday "In August. I get gummy worms at my August." Can't believe she'll be 3 so soon . . . We are enjoying our times in the morning when Sammy is taking his nap. After my run she likes to count for me while I lift weights or do crunches. After counting to ten she sounds as worn out as a marathon finisher.

OK, one more picture of each. And there are no pictures of me. And it's not because I've gotten embarasingly fat that I don't want you to see how I've let myself go. Remember, I run in the mornings. :)

Eat Mor Chikin!

I'm finally posting pictures from our Chic-fil-a day. My camera kicked the bucket so I've had to use our camcorder to catch any moments lately. The quality is not the greatest but hey, our cow costumes weren't the greatest either.


This cow already knows how to pose for pictures.



Renae desperately trying to get the attention of "That Purple Cow!"



Someday she'll go into marketing.



Me and my Calves.



And Sammy's latest trick.

Naps and nighttime have been a little disrupted lately as he's learning to crawl and sit up and stand up on his own. He still sleeps pretty good but occasionally we have to go in and lay him back down since he doesn't know how to lie back down from whatever position he got himself in. Silly boy.

Transition

Renae has not been herself this week. I think I know why . . .

"When your family moves, your preschooler may feel as if his comfortable, predictable world has turned upside down, as if someone had jerked the rug out from under him, and he has been thrown off balance. Nothing is familiar anymore; nothing is comfortable; a bewildering time for a preschooler.

Claudia Jewett Jarratt states in Helping Children Cope with Separation and Loss, "When a child moves..., everything changes: the way the light comes through the window as the child goes to sleep or wakes up, the smells and sounds of the house, the colors and furniture the child sees, the food the child eats, parental expectations, routine, and tempo of daily living. It is much like being in an unfamiliar country. Nothing is the same. Remember that for children, the loss of their familiar home can seem like the loss of a family member, because they tend to identify themselves with specific spaces, repeated events, and familiar people. Moving can cause disorientation."
A preschooler's response to a family move is usually similar to grieving. To a child, a move is a loss, and the human response to loss is grief. Preschoolers don't have the emotional vocabulary to put into words how they feel. Even a highly verbal preschooler may not know the specific feeling words to use. Behaviors may take the place of words. Here are some transition symptoms you may see:

• Attempts to control parents and other adults. Check.
• Grieving for previous house, friends, etc.
• Defiance, tantrums, crying. Check.
• Clinginess.
• Sleep disturbances. Check.
• Easily distracted, hyperactive OR unusually lethargic, shy and quiet.
• Prefers the familiar and comfortable. Doesn't want to try new foods. Resists potty training. May regress. Check.
• Nervous habits such as thumb sucking, twisting hair, chewing on clothes, stuttering.
• Arguing and not getting along with siblings and friends.

Preschoolers grieve off and on. They don't get it all over with once and for all. Grieving is too intense for them, so they have to intersperse it with playing and other aspects of life. A preschooler can grieve and play at the same time. She may be very sad for an hour about a friend left behind, then not even mention the friend for a week, and then go through a day or two of sadness about the same friend. "

Just what I needed to hear as I began to fear my daughter had all of a sudden forgotten all of our rules and expectations for her. Whew. This is normal. And as Jesse so kindly reminded me, this is just a season of life.

So, I decided I needed a list for myself too as my behavior this week hasn't been normal either!

Transition symptoms you may see in a 27 year old:

• May cry a lot.
• May cry while on a walk in her neighborhood for the last time.
• Tantrums.
• Nervous habits such as checking airline requirments for luggage over and over.
• May cry when dealing with a 2 year old's crying fit.
• May cry when she overeacts to her 2 year olds mess.
• Sleep disturbances.
• May cry a lot.
• Grieving for previous friends, city and food.
• Meals may become premade, frozen and made in less than 10 minutes.
• Grieving for chocolate. (This one is unrelated to transition but I'm still grieving it.)
• Arguing with spouse.
• May cry a lot.
• Sleep disturbances.

So if you think of it, be praying for our family these next few weeks. I'm older so I can handle the transition better than Renae can. For her, we'll be letting her watch and listen to the Spanish vidoes and audio CD's that she enjoys here. It will be interesting to see how she handles only English from everyone she meets. I think I'm grieving her lack of Spanish friends more than she will!

All Alone . . .

Renae's only little girl friend here . . .

For the first time since we've had Sammy I'm pulling single mom duty. Jesse is visiting our friend Fede in London. Our first night alone resulted in one potty accident (on OUR bed), and Sammy having a very restless 2 hours early (really early) this morning. Renae rarely has accidents. Sammy has been sleeping through the night for a few weeks now. I guess we all miss him. So I'm praying for extra patience this week, and I'm trying to remember that Renae is still not old enough to consistently tell us each time she has to go potty so I need to take her often.

Did I mention we are also in the middle of moving back to the US?? Our place is a disaster right now. The past two weeks we've been packing, organizing and doing a LOT of throwing/giving things away. A lot of the major stuff is done and now it's mostly just getting things back to our company storage, packing up the trunks and suitcases and cleaning. Thankfully, we'll be in a hotel our last 2 nights so we can clean without having to also clean up after our daily lives.

So if the blog posts are lacking this week you know why: I'm a single mother with 2 small children, and I'm attempting to move this family of 4 back to the states with (hopefully) only 8 pieces of luggage. This should be an interesting week.

Santa Has Been Fired . . .

Kids tell Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar what they would like as gifts.

January 6 is called Three Kings Day here in Spain. It marks the end of the Christmas season and represents the Three Kings or Wise Men who came to visit Jesus when he was born. Every year on January 5th, there is a large procession, or parade in every city, neighborhood, and town in Spain. The three kings deliver the gifts and on the morning of January 6th, children wake up to find gifts next to a pair of clean shoes they left out the night before. However if the shoes aren't clean . . . they get a lump of coal!

Just like our traditions with Christmas, no one actually gets lumps of coal (although you can buy candy coal as a joke!) and they also receive gifts that are much larger than their shoes. I've been told that some parents will put little candies in the kids shoes and set the bigger presents next to them.

This year, the Masson family is finally going to a Three Kings parade! Because I like to experience large crowds and big events we're off to the biggest one in the city tonight. I think Renae will really enjoy it. Of course we'll take pictures and I'll post them here later.

On a similar note . . . (Spoiler alert-this might ruin your enjoyment of the nativity scene or Matthew 2).We once heard a man speak who had interviewd hundreds of modern day persecuted Christans around the world. One man from an African country told how in his culture, they call the Three Kings/Wisemen the Three Witches, or the Three Sorcerers.

In any kingdom, the most dangerous position to be in is 2nd in line for the throne. Kings are always worried about coups or being killed so the person next in line can take the throne. Therefore, when the Three Kings showed up at Herod's palace announcing that they had come to seek the new king, Herod obviously became nervous. Although he kept quiet to his 3 visitors and told them to go and find this new baby king.

Thankfully . . . God intervened and told the Three Kings to go home a different route so that Herod would not know where Jesus was. Subsequently, thousands of innocent boys, ages 2 years old and younger were killed.

This is why one African man said his culture calls these three "wise"men the Three Witches because they were "dumb enough" (the presenter's words) to announce to the current King that a new King had been born, causing the deaths of so many little boys.

How's that for our nice little Christmas story? ;)

In Preperation for Christmas . . .

. . . we did some baking!!!



Sugar cookies . . .



I have many memories of making these with my Mom growing up

Decorating all those sugar cookies using paint brushes this year.

After awhile Renae just decided to play with the salad spinner.

We also taught some friends how to make a Jesse Tree.

Sammy didn't help bake but he enjoyed wearing his cute outfit from Aunt Tarica.

Of course we had to be silly . . .

That's how we roll in the Masson household.

A rare moment. Jesse reading a book, and Renae snuggling. Ahh . . .

Renae Reads in Spanish

Renae is reading a book about counting cheerios. She's saying: "Here there are 2, "Here there are 3, etc etc." Each page has a different number of cheerios on it. And then she just wanders away from the book and starts counting to 10. My personal favorite is her 4, "quackta"

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

And speaking of languages . . . .

Most countries have a place where their language is spoken "without accent," or where it's spoken clearly. Here in Spain, it's in a place called Valladolid. My university used to send Spanish students there so they could learn clear and correct Spanish. Here in Madrid, I think the Spanish is also pretty clear and easy to understand (especially compared to the south of Spain!!) so I'm glad Renae is learning her Spanish here.

So where is English spoken without accent in the United States? A long time ago, I had heard that Nebraska and Iowa were accentless. I believed it because as I listened to national news anchors they all sounded like people from my state. Then I noticed that people in the movies and in television also spoke like me (unless playing a character that specifically needed to have an accent from another part of the US).

Now you can imagine what some of the southerners I've met along the way have had to say about this tidbit I'd heard awhile ago. :) I'm the one with the accent according to them. Well a few days ago I was using good old Wikipedia ("If it's on Wikipedia, you know it's true."-Michael Scott) to see how English in the US changed from the British accent, to what's now called the American accent. It was really interesting to read about and I found that there is something called "General American" English. It's the accent people in the national media are taught to speak in. It's accentless. It's clearly spoken.

And guess where this General American is spoken?

That's right! So some crazy tidbit I'd heard forever ago turned out to be pretty true. Therefore:

• Kari, be glad you are married to an Iowan because sometimes you may need to be reminded how to speak correct English since you grew up speaking French and Georgian English.
• Valerie and Kristi, I told you us Iowans are good for something.
• Bea, you get to practice English with someone who speaks clearly. (And you speak clear Spanish for me too!)
• My family who grew up in Wisconsin . . . we TOLD you, you had an accent. :)
• All of you ex-Iowans who emigrated to Minnesota-beware . . . that Northern Midwest accent will be in your bones before you know it, don't you know.
• To all of my Southern friends . . . when we went back to Iowa after being around a bunch of you in Virginia, my family said I was speaking with a southern accent. So I guess the General American accent can be changed into the "true" accent. Bless your heart . . .

Let the verbal jabs begin . . . P.S this General American has nothing to do with written English, just spoken. So, ignore all of the poor gramar in this post . . . did I even spell gramar write?

Cortylandia and a Visit to Bethlehem

Cortylandia!

Today Bea and I took our kiddos to a famous Madrid spot at Christmas time. El Corte Inglés
is a large department store chain (think Dillards times 10) and each year they make a mural with characters that sing and talk. People who grew up in Madrid have memories from their childhood of coming to see Cortylandia each year at Christmas time. If Renae can remember it, she'll remember that she LOVED the music and the story! (And probably understood more than I did!)


Two friends enjoying the show



Renae could hardly take her eyes off of the show!

Jaime on the other hand . . . he got bored with it real quick.

As you can see, Sammy felt the same way.

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

The Three Wise Men crossing a bridge . . .

After a quick stop at a Starbucks, we walked from Sol to the Plaza de Colon to see the city of Bethlehem! In Spain, each family puts out a Belén (Bethlehem). It's a Nativity scene, but way more detailed. Bea said her Mom's Belén even has a river!! This particular Belén is HUGE. You know those people who have train models in their basement along with a very detailed town? Imagine that.

Just without the train.

And without the modern towns.

And add in Jesus, Mary and Joseph.

Oh, and the local weaver.

Bea y su hijo precioso . . .

And me with a very tired Renae (she walked the whole way!)

"Ruth, we have a new customer, and I thnk she's a Philistine."

"Come. I show you my rugs."

Bea gives out snacks if you ask really nicely.

Dos amiquitos

Awwww . . . .

The Real Reason You Come to this Blog . . .

Date Night!

I can count the number of dates we've had since arriving in April of 2008 on 10 fingers. Can you guess how many dates?? (Answer below . . . . )



Galician food market in Chueca

OK, so I don't know if we've been on exactly 10 dates, but the number is an estimate. You get the idea-we don't get to go on dates very often! So when my friend Paula came to visit/spoil us, we were excited to have a baby-sitter so we could head out. It was the first time we'd been on a day without my baby belly so I was happy to put on cute jeans instead of maternity jeans. We had no problem forgetting about the kids and just enjoying ourselves!

Queso tetilla

Chueca is a neighborhood in Madrid known for it's great restaurants, boutiques and clubs among other things. We've only been to 2 restaurants there but both were really really good. Luckily our good friends Bea and Jose provided us with many tried and true restaurant recomendations.

3 different flavors . . . all so yummy

After dinner Jesse knew I'd need something sweet and this heladeria hit the spot. The ice cream was made right there in the shop!

Ahhh sweet goodness in a waffle cone . . .

Thanks for the hot date Jesse!

I Love Fall . . .

Unlike our home state, we are still able to enjoy fall weather here. On a nice day the Masson family of 4 decided to head to our favorite big city park, Retiro.


Renae shows her Daddy the proper technique for fish? bird? horse? riding.



I'm proud to report that my hooter hider works GREAT!



Again, Renae is demonstrating a skill to Daddy.



"Let's go that way!"



Almost got a smile.

Mother and Daughter 1. . .

Mother and Daughter 2 . . .

Father and children. Wow. Still so weird that we have to say that.

Renae spotted a duck which makes the same noise as a chicken apparently.

And I had to post this one.

It's a very cute Mom dressed nicely, wearing roller skates. Not roller blades, skates. Love it.

Other random news:

• Sammy weighed 3.9 kilos at his 2 week check up. That means he weighs 8.7 lbs already! Considering Renae didn't even weigh 12 lbs at 6 months . . . I think Sammy is already a bigger and better eater than his sister.
• My brother and sister-in-law are coming this month!!! Can't wait to show them our city and their newest nephew.
• My France (not to be mistaken with French) sister-in-law is the voice of a cartoon character. Her evil laugh is amazing. Click here to check it out.