Interdependent Web

UUCA recently had a sermon series on environmental issues, and Juniper was invited to read this statement as part of each service in the series. This really spoke to her passions and her interests, and I'm grateful that she is part of a community where people know her.

2017 Christmas Pageant

Our kids are now among the oldest in the pageant. This year, Juniper graduated from the masses (angels, friendly beasts, and shepherds) to the role of Innkeeper's Daughter, and one of the narrators reading the story.

A not-so-friendly beast.

This is our family's 7th year participating in the UUCA pageant. 

I simultaneously feel sentimental about the kids' participation in the pageant and am really looking forward to when we will be done with it -- so sweet, and so boring at the same time!

Vogel State Park

Last Memorial Day weekend, we went camping at Vogel State Park with some other UUCA families. There was a delightful gaggle of kids.

There was a bit of a hike to get to the campsite, but once there it was beautiful and private -- a great spot for the kids to run and play without any danger of cars or bothering other campers.

Our friend Todd introduced Hazel to the joy of soaking tired feet in a cool creek after a long hike. She approved.

Lucky kids to grow up in this community and this environment!

Christmas pageant

Friendly beasts, angels, and shepherds all illicitly stomping down the pews.

Too old for Baby Jesus, too young for a friendly beast...maybe next year, Fern.

Cutest sheep, ever. Hazel explained to me that the best thing about the pageant is that it lets her know when it's Christmas Eve.

Hazel insisted that the Storm Trooper tattoo on her forehead was fine, because her sheep mask would cover it up.

I guess the angels were more interesting than the action down below. Juniper was among the angels for the first time in this year's pageant. Apparently, she and Violet worked out a deal to rotate between angels and beasts each year, so that they can be together in the pageant. Forever. Juniper seems to think that she and Violet are on track to being the only middle-aged beasts/angels in the show.

Merry Christmas, sisters.

Camping!

We recently went on our first camping trip since having kids. We had a fantastic time and are wondering why we waited so long to get the kids into a tent. (Many thanks to Katie for the hand-me-down grown-up tent!)

 

Our campsite was next to Lake Hartwell. We had a lovely view and a great spot for the kids to play.

We were expecting cold weather, but when the day turned out warm and sunny, the lack of bathing suits didn't stop the kids from enjoying the lake.

  

Juniper was excited that some of the other parents on the trip fish. No one caught anything, but Juniper enjoyed learning how to cast.

 

 A gaggle of kids, getting ready for s'mores!

 Happy family by the campfire.

Eli brought glow bracelets, which delighted the kids and made them easy to spot at night. Juniper was especially proud of following the instructions to make the amazing glow ball all by herself.

 Sunrise by the lake...



...documented by two family photographers.



Happy, happy girl. We're looking forward to the next camping trip.

More after the jump if you haven't seen enough photos of smiling girls by the lake. (Click Read more at the bottom of the post.)

Christmas Pageant 2013

Friendly beasts getting ready for the pageant.


I suppose it's better to post photos late than never at all...

 ...but 10 months later, I can't actually tell you what Hazel was. A Christmas camel?

To the top!

Harry Potter in the Butterfly Garden

This year the girls got to wear their Halloween costumes twice; we attended a family costume party/potluck the Saturday before Halloween. Consider this a preview of the Halloween photos to come soon!

Irrepressible

A few weeks ago Juniper had her second turn as the UUCA chalice lighter. She carried out her responsibilities calmly, efficiently, and with as much poise as this particular kid can muster. Once the chalice was lit and she had led the congregation in saying the chalice lighting words, she starting walking back to her seat. As she left the main floor of the sanctuary to go up into the pews, she burst into a giant smile and loudly proclaimed, "Well that was fun!"

As part of our bedtime routine, I often sing the simple hymn "Come, Come Whoever You Are." One of Juniper's earliest experiences in the UUCA sanctuary was being amazed to hear this bedtime song sung by everyone in "the big church" (as opposed to the nursery). She and Hazel still often call it "the big church song." Saturday night as I was singing to Juniper, she suddenly got something new out of the song. She excitedly interrupted my singing: "Hey, this means that whoever you are, you can come to church! And, and, even if you're on a different path, you can still come!"

Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend we went to a pumpkin patch with several UUCA families. Of course, there were scads of pumpkins...

 ...and wagons (for pumpkins or kids)

 ...and a fire pit. Moving stones and logs from point A to point B kept the kids mostly occupied...

 ...while we waited...

 ...for a hayride!



We got to feed goats, cows, geese, a pony...

...and catfish!

Juniper was inspired by the prices written on the pumpkins. When we got home she covered our pumpkins with equations and proclaimed, "They're math pumpkins!" The nerd is strong with this one.

Chalice Lighter

At many Unitarian Universalist congregations, including UUCA, we begin worship services by lighting a flame inside a chalice. At UUCA, children and youth light the chalice and lead the congregation in reciting our chalice lighting words. Juniper has seen other kids lighting the chalice and has observed that one day, when she's a big kid, she's going to light the chalice.

By at least one measure, Juniper is now a big kid. She lit the chalice for the first time today. I cannot be modest or humble or circumspect. She was awesome. She was cheerful, excited, and focused. When it came time to ask the congregation to "please say the chalice lighting words with me," she spoke clearly and projected with a big voice that everyone in the sanctuary could hear. I was proud of her and grateful to be part of a congregation that gives even young children the opportunity to be responsible for an important part of the service.

It's been a good month for our family at UUCA. Last week, I was inspired to write a little about Juniper's connection to UUCA. It makes for a much longer blog post than we usually have, but click on "read more" below if you're interested.


Juniper was excited about the heart stole and proclaimed herself "Peace Girl." Most days, she is some sort of superhero. Peace Girl seems like a pretty good fit for UUCA.



Juniper wanted me to come down with her, but she did the actual chalice lighting almost all by herself. She needed a little reminder to put out the candle once she was done, and she was so pleased about having successfully lit the chalice that she almost forgot about the chalice lighting words.

In case you're curious, there are two chalice lighters listed because there are two services. Our family attends the little-kid friendly early service.

A bat in the manger

On Christmas Eve, Juniper had her first public performance as one of the friendly beasts in the UUCA Christmas pageant. Was she a donkey, a sheep, an ox? No, of course not.




That's right. It's the traditional Christmas bat.



She first said that she wanted to be Batman in the pageant, but quickly agreed to be a bat instead.



During the rehearsal, she was upset when another kid told her that she couldn't be a bat, because bats aren't friendly. I comforted her by pointing out that bats eat mosquitoes, which is a very friendly thing to do. When the music director called for all the friendly beasts to come down, Juniper loudly proclaimed, "I'm friendly! I'm friendly! I'm friendly!"



We are pleased to report that the pageant was a success. Juniper stayed with the other friendly beasts and moved in and out of the "stables" when she was supposed to. Baby Jesus was not bitten by any mosquitoes. And there were no proclamations of friendliness during the actual performance. She had a great time, and her parents were probably more touched and proud than is justified by such a simple performance.

At the park

Ducks, a waterfall, and popsicles. What's not to love?









Juniper and her friend Kieva. With one girl who is big for her age, the other who is small for her age, it's hard to believe that they are only half a year apart.

Dedicated

Most Unitarian Universalist congregations (including ours) conduct a child dedication ceremony to welcome children into the church community. It’s a lovely ceremony, the gist of which is to say, “Hello, you’re here, you’re one of us, we love you, and we’re going to look out for you.” At our church, the heart of the ceremony is a gift from the parents to the child. Each family picks out a special gift that in some way represents their hopes, wishes, or blessing for their child.

This Sunday, our church had a child dedication service for Juniper and Violet. Our gift to Juniper was a globe, described below. In addition to the individual child dedications, we also recognized the extended family relationship that has formed between our two families. Aaron and I committed to the joy and responsibility of always being a part of Violet’s life—as mentors, role models, and friends—and Cheryl and Jason made the same commitment to Juniper. Both of these girls are unimaginably lucky to have an extra set of practically parents, and we can’t begin to describe how lucky we are to have Violet (and her parents) as part of our family.

From Juniper’s child dedication service:
Our gift to you is the gift of wonder, represented by this globe. Right now, it’s a fun object that we can use to explore colors and shapes and textures. As you grow up, we will use it to teach you about continents and oceans, places you’ve been, and places you’ve never heard of before. We hope to fill you with curiosity about the world and everything in it. You already know that every single rock or piece of gravel is a little treasure to be explored. Take that sense of wonder and discovery with you as you grow up, look for the unique special thing in every rock, every person, every place—and most of all, in yourself. You won’t be disappointed; when you are looking for wonder, the world will always provide it.