Bringing us so much joy

I'm the oldest child in my family of five and although oldest children often "suffer" the strictest rules of their parents and endured the ironing out of new family life kinks, we also get the benefit of being the first baby experience for our parents. A number of months ago my mom brought out my old baby book and had me look through it.  It is filled with milestones and pictures and (since I was at one time the only child of parents who actually had time to write stuff down) stories. In my mom's neat script are written stories about baby-me: who visited me when I was born, what kinds of toys I liked to play with, and how when I learned to use my voice I would yell and then cry because I'd scare the crap out of myself with it. Lots of cute and funny stuff.

There is one particular sentence I like most from my baby book though; the one where my mom wrote, "We love Jillian! She brings Irv and I so much joy."

There is something so divine about the way a child brings joy into the world because they don't do it on purpose. The joy that comes with them just comes along with them, through no choice of their own. And the gratitude we feel for their lives and the joy they bring us can't really be directed toward them because they didn't really author it.  It can only be rightly directed toward God, the giver of all children, our most precious gifts. Twenty-seven years ago this weekend I was born to my parents, bringing with me- through no decision of my own- great joy. This weekend I had the privilege of watching my own child introduce a new depth of joy to my parents, newly Omi and Grampi.  It was a beautiful birthday.

Omi and Grampi arrived during Arie's nap and their first words upon arrival were, "Well wake him up!!" Ha! Happily for them, Arie soon woke up and I carried him down to where they were waiting. Their mannerisms upon meeting him were much the same as mine were when I fist met him- softly repeating, "Hi! Hi there! Hi Arie.  Hi sweetie!" and touching his shoulders with giant smiles upon their faces.  Arie sat shyly on my lap for a while just watching, before hopping down to play. We spent almost the entire weekend after that just watching him play and remarking on how unbelievably adorable we think he is. His voice, his face, his expressions, etc., etc., etc. I'm surprised Arie doesn't have a big head after all the praise we poured into him!

I guess we've been giving Arie a lot of affection because all weekend long he was
making stuffed animals kiss one another... and us!

My parents came bearing gifts from friends and family "back home" in Ontario. Books, clothing, toys, and special new ornaments for our tree.  Christmas came early for Arie and me!

My parents also brought along this very annoying dancing turtle that sings loudly in Spanish. Apparently my mom fought her school principal for it at the staff Christmas party gift game. After Arie pushed the button to make it dance for the 47th time we all wished the principal would have won it instead.

You can tell this is when Arie first got the turtle because:
1. It is still in the box and
2. I am still smiling about it.

Thankfully my parents offered to take it home with them again so John and I no longer have to endure its "music." :-)

A couple years ago when one of John's friends was newly married he asked John, "So what do you do when your in-laws come to visit?" He replied, "We mostly just drink tea and go to Target."

It's true. We drink a lot of tea while we sit around and talk about going to Target and then we go to Target and my parents remark endlessly about how cheap everything is here compared to where they live in Ontario.  We also stopped at Lowes to pick up a new light fixture since ours burned out in the kitchen and my dad kept saying, "Marg these poinsettias are only five bucks! Did you see these? Five bucks! That's so cheap. I can't believe that!" If they were allowed to take them back over the border they probably would have filled the trunk and the back seats! 

After we purchase all our wow-this-is-so-cheap! goods at various American box stores, we head home to drink tea again.  Of course no tea time is complete without a little snoopje - which is their Dutch(ish) word for a treat.  So before Omi and Grampi arrived Arie and I went to work in the kitchen, making some snoopje pumpkin muffins.

I can't be sure, but based on his reactions I think this was Arie's first time baking.  I pushed his high chair up to the counter after I realized that even when he stands on a stool he only comes up this high:

So high chair it was.  He usually eats on the high chair of course, so I guess I should not have been surprised when I gave him the bowl and spoon and this happened:

I wish you could have seen the look she shot me when the flour was in his mouth. I am NOT eating an entire bowl of this, Mama.  Thankfully my crying-laughter relieved his disgust and he happily "mixed" for me after that.  Most of dry ingredients stayed in the bowl.  But not all.

I was a little... curious- shall we say- about how the muffins would turn out after we lost so much flour in the battle- er, baking- but no harm done.  Pumpkin muffins are remarkably resilient.

And of course since it was my birthday I opened my gift- a shiny new pair of TOMS!  Lined with warm fleece so I can wear them late into fall and early in the spring.

When we were at Target to oogle over all the cheap stuff with my parents, I realized I hadn't remembered to make any sort of birthday treat for myself. Normally I love baking and am all purist and quality and bake it with love, but I exhausted all those energies with the pumpkin muffins so we went with quick and easy and its my birthday so I'll forgive the HFCS just this once.

Spooned the icing onto those puppies with so much grace. Gorgeous.

 Perhaps the most surprising moment of the weekend came when we discovered that Arie does not like cupcakes! When I offered him one he shook his head no and dropped the cupcake upside down on our coffee table in disgust.

 I even spread some icing on his lips, thinking he's lick it off and enjoy it. But no. He just walked around with a furrowed brow, pointing to his "dirty" mouth and motioning for a cloth. So I ate his for breakfast this morning because you can't let homemade cupcakes like these go to waste.

Arie did, however, LOVE the happy birthday song and danced with his new little bear as my mom made us sing it over and over again "because look how much he likes it!" and who can say no to this face?

After a short morning together today we waved goodbye and Omi and Grampi left for home again. He had a good long nap this afternoon.

Near the end of our time together my mom remarked to me, "No wonder the nanny teared up when she said goodbye to him.  He just brings so much joy!"

Yes he does and for that- thanks be to God.

xo