A Few of My Favorite Things: 2008

My dear friend Raechel wrote a fun post a few days ago recapping her favorite things of 2008, and she gladly gave me permission to copy her idea and do my own "favorites" list. (Go here to read her original post. I have read through it no less than four times. I just think she and her family are the greatest things, and I wish we lived closer. Ryan, Raechel, and Oliver, the Cases love and miss you greatly.) Anyway, I like to copy Rae lots (she was the reason I started blogging), so you may see some similarities between the posts. Feel free to ignore that fact and believe that I am an original person. You'll be living in an alternate reality, but you're entitled.

And so here are my favorites, in no particular order.

A Few of My Favorite Things: 2008

1. My New Haircut

One of the greatest decisions I have ever made was to listen to my forward-thinking husband and cut my hair again. I have had short hair for the majority of my life, but after the boys were born I decided to give longish hair a try for awhile. I liked the bob resurgence and wore it well, but as the time for Charlotte's birth grew nearer, it became apparent that the 20+ minutes I took every morning to blow dry, straighten, and style my hair were not going to be available for much longer. So I went to Kim, my trusted hairstylist, and, in true Christine, "It'll grow back" fashion, had her chop off several, several inches in an attempt to look like one of my idols, Audrey Tautou:

 

Granted, Audrey's hair is naturally wavy and mine is as straight as spaghetti, but still, I am pleased with the results and especially with the fact that doing my hair takes less than 5 minutes. Thank you, Stephen, for being such a good guy.

2. The Kankakee Farmers Market

We love, love, love farmers markets. We were pleased and delighted to find that Kankakee has a thriving local market during the summer months (May-September) that reaches fever pitch around July. Never have we known such juicy cantaloupes, such a selection of gourmet cheeses, such healthy, long-blooming cut flowers. We love supporting local harvests and eating in season, and we enjoy making the Saturday morning ritual trek downtown to shop for produce during the summer.

3. Rick Steves and His European Travels

If you aren't familiar with Rick Steves, tour guide and travel writer extraordinaire, then you need to run to your library right now and find one of his European travel DVDs. I promise, you will fall in love. Yes, with Rick, but you will also fall in love with his back-door approach to traveling in Europe. He emphasizes historic sites, local eateries and customs, sites that are off the beaten path, traveling off-season, local foods and drinks, speaking some of the local language, and staying in family-owned inns or hostel-like accommodations instead of gigantic chain hotels. We love Europe, and we love Rick and his down-to-earth approach to seeing it. Also, we love his goofy sense of humor.

Here is a picture of Rick on a bike in Amsterdam:

4. Pedipeds

I copied Raechel here, too. She first suggested Pedipeds, and the boys nearly wore theirs to shreds this summer, when they first started walking and I first started putting them in shoes. Really, they are fantastic shoes for toddlers. Obviously bare feet are best for learning to walk, but a pair of these leather shoes are the next-closest best thing. Here is a picture of Jack this summer, wearing his brown Pedipeds while playing in the dirt:

5. Richard Scarry

Remember Richard Scarry from your childhood? Remember such books as Cars and Trucks and Things That Go and Best Word Book Ever? My friend Katie gave the boys a couple copies of his books when they were first born, and Stephen's mom gave us a copy of one of his books that used to be Stephen's when he was little. The boys LOVELOVELOVE looking at all the detailed drawings, pointing out various animals, and helping us find Goldbug on each page. I am rediscovering the joy of Richard Scarry.

6. My Vampire Love Saga: The Twilight Series

If you even read my blog on a hit-and-miss basis, then you've probably picked up on the fact that I am a loyal rider on the Stephenie Meyer bandwagon who will fiercely defend the concept of vegetarian vampires to the bitter end. I am going to marry Edward Cullen (among others) and I'm hard-core enough that I even took my nursing infant (whom I breastfed halfway through the movie) so that I could see the movie version for the second time without my husband going insane. My favorite fanpire bumper sticker reads like this: "I didn't get my letter from Hogwarts, so I'm moving to Forks instead." Move over, Harry.

7. Cover In Style Nursing Cover

No, that's not me, but that is my beloved nursing cover. I am a big believer in breastfeeding, and while I faithfully nursed the boys until they were a year old (it can be done!), I always had to do it in private because of the nature of nursing two at once. When Charlotte came along and made it very clear that she would never, ever, ever drink from a bottle, I had to accept that I would be nursing anywhere and everywhere. Thus I purchased this handy nursing cover which has been, quite possibly, the single most useful purchase I have made this entire year. I would highly recommend it to any mother who needs to be able to nurse at the drop of a hat without embarrassing herself or making everyone else uncomfortable.

8. Little Einsteins

We rent Little Einsteins DVDs from the library on a regular basis and just recently bought a copy of one set of episodes at a used bookstore. Stephen and I know the theme song by heart and sing it frequently, particularly when we are attempting to soothe cranky boys in the car. Baylor and Jack will periodically raise their arms in the air and shout, "Blast off!" and their Grandma Case gave them a Rocket and Leo bath toy set for Christmas that was an immediately hit. I love the real scenery used in the cartoons and the fact that well-known art and classical music are taught in each episode.

9. CrockPots

I know CrockPots have been around for a very long time (shoot, I've had one since we got married almost four years ago), but I have just recently discovered how handy using one on a regular basis can be. I put a little effort into preparing a meal in the morning, wait eight hours, and presto! by dinnertime we have a hot, warm entree waiting for us. The CrockPot Lady has given me lots of ideas and inspiration this year, and I salute her on a New Year's Resolution done well.

And just for fun, does anyone else remember when Ramona's mom and dad had an argument over the CrockPot? She ended up swatting his bottom with a pancake turner, and Ramona and Beezus were terrified that they would get a divorce. I absolutely cannot hear or think of the word "crockpot" without that particular scene coming to mind.

10. Having a Baby Girl

Don't get me wrong--I love having boys, too. But having Charlotte as my near-constant companion for the last four months has given me a new appreciation for the joys of being the mama to a beautiful little girl. As you may remember from my early blog entries in August, she came after many months of anticipation and impatience... and contractions. And I can honestly say that she was worth the wait. I just love her.

11. Blogging

I'm with Rae: I have got the blogging bug. I was never one to journal, but I was always one to write, and having and maintaining a blog has proven to be a truly exceptional way of documenting our day-to-day lives, sharing these mundane details with interested parties, and providing me with a creative outlet. Hey, I'm at home all day with three kids under the age of 2--I need something to keep me in touch with the outside world.

12. Being Back in the Midwest

Mississippi, please don't take offense. Our time with you was sweet and precious, and Oxford will always hold a piece of my heart. As long as there is sweet tea, Faulkner, Ajax Diner, and Square Books, we will be loyal Oxfordians. But as much as we love the South and its inhabitants, we are Midwesterners to the core, and making our way back to Illinois was the best decision of 2008. One year ago today we watched as friends and co-workers moved us into our temporary rental house, and we wondered what in the world we had gotten ourselves into. (People, it was cold. And snowy. As much as I love it here, I assure you that I hate that aspect of the North.) But we gradually got back into the swing of the Midwest, and we haven't looked back since. Now we ice our walks and proudly ask the waitress for "pop" with the best of them, and we are proud to call Kankakee our home.

13. Not Having a Television

We've done it for a couple months now, and I can say with certainty that we aren't missing anything. We instead fill our time with music, books, blogging, and, most recently, knitting (on my part, not Steve's), and we are proud to be completely out-of-the-loop with current movie titles, advertisements, and sensationalist journalism. And the boys quickly caught onto the fact that they need to run to the laptop if they want to watch Little Einsteins, so we've got that important aspect squared away, too.

14. Family

I know #14 is a weird place to stop, but it's almost 10:30 at night and I'm tired. (And no, I'm not staying up until midnight to ring in 2009. I haven't done that since high school. I figure it will be there in the morning when I wake up, no need to tire myself out.) So I'll finish by saying that 2008 has been a great year of family. I have wonderful in-laws just a few hours away who make an effort to see us regularly, love on us, and spoil our kids rotten. My parents live across town (a situation that even my husband was praying for) and give us constant support, help, and love, not to mention watch our pets and kids for us on a regular basis. We have two beautiful sisters with two great (if slightly goofy) husbands with whom we get along swimmingly. These same sisters and brothers-in-law are exceptional aunts and uncles to our children. And of course, I always have my loving and in-love husband and my three beautiful, zany, kissable babies.

What more could a girl ask of in a year?

Here's hoping that you are able to identify your "favorites" of 2008. It's been a very good year filled with some of God's richest blessings. I only pray that we can find as much, if not more, joy in 2009.