Like just about everyone else, the holiday season is always busy for us. This year, though, it seems even more so. Maia’s birthday has gone on for what seems like weeks now. We celebrated it here at the ned of November, on the day of, quietly, then up in Sacramento with The Petersons after Thanksgiving. Then again, yesterday, with her friends from school. Oh. My. Lamb. We had a house full of about 10 kindergartners and their lovely parents. Throw in a cousin and a couple more from ballet class, and you have the energy for an actual whirlwind.

One thing that was sort of different than your standard birthday for a six-year-old, was that we took the opportunity to work on Maia’s “peace project.” She’s supposed to be doing something that represents peace for her community, so we played a game where the kids got to practice “acts of peace” by playing together and if you were “it,” you gave hugs and smiles to “tag” another person. We also asked all our guests (parents too) to do little art projects that were representative of what peace means to them. Two-and-a-half hours later our house was empty and we only had a vague recognition of what had just hit us.

Right at the end of the party I had to then whisk Keana away to Nutcracker rehearsal, which was the first of five rehearsals this week before the four performances next weekend. Yes, it is crazy-busy around here. It’s weeks like these we wonder how much longer we can be a one-car family. Right about now I’m thinking of revised lyrics for the 12 Days of Christmas, something with “Three kids fighting colds, Two major school projects, One ballerina in a show, and one work trip for papa right before break.”

And somewhere in all this is our sweet, feisty, little Aliya, just bobbing along and holding her own. I think she enjoys all the activity and she’s pretty adamant about being involved in everything and doing as much of it for herself as she can. Even with two very busy older sisters, there’s no way that child is getting lost in the fray. And of course, we love it. She’s the one that will actually take a nap when she’s tired, so she takes of herself in all the stress, too.

So that’s basically it. The next two weeks are going to be a practice in breathing, staying in the present moment, and doing our best to take care of ourselves along the way. It’s an exciting time and I don’t want all the joy and goodness of this time of year to get lost in a stressful schedule.