Christmas 2009

It was an amazing Christmas this year - exhausting - but amazing for sure.

We started off Christmas Eve day at a break-neck pace - doing what every year I swear I won't do again - running last minute errands, delivering gifts and double-checking our Christmas card list to see if we missed anyone.  (Maybe next year will be the year that I get organized before Christmas Eve rolls around.)

This year we had Christmas Eve dinner at Grandpa and Oma's.   It was a yummy dinner followed by three Christmas traditions:

1. Reading "The Night Before Christmas."

2. Reading Luke 2 while the kids acted out the Nativity - a needed reminder of what the focus of Christmas should be.

3. The opening of the Christmas jammies from Oma and Grandpa.

(Everyone but little Lila.)

It was a great evening, but by the time we were done with these three events, the kids were wound up and it was time to go home.  (It didn't help that the kids kept checking the internet to see where Santa was on his route, and it became increasingly obvious that we had better hurry if we were going to be in bed before he made it to our house.)

We came home and read in the Book of Mormon about the night before Christ was born.  We said a family prayer and all the kids said good-bye to Winston, our dear Christmas elf.  It was late when we finally got the kids in bed, but Abby and Isaac were determined to stay up and watch for Santa this year. I don't know if they ever did see his sleigh - all I know is when we woke up the next morning, he had been there and had definitely lightened his load.

All our kids are young enough, that we haven't really reached the video game/ ipod stage, so everyone just got fun toys: race tracks, dolls, puppets, a teepee, and games.  Christmas morning was magical as the kids discovered what treasures had been left.

Once the goodies from Santa had been reviewed and played with, we moved to the presents under the tree.  Abby let out a squeal when she opened a new camera and said, "I didn't think I'd get a new camera this year." (Peter broke the one she got last Christmas.)

When Isaac opened the book, "Owen and Mzee" he tackled me with a hug and said, "Oh Mom, I love this book!"

Henry opened a gift that had been wrapped in a light bulb box.  When he saw the box, he lowered his head and very dejectedly said, "No, not light bulbs." We told him to open it and when he did his depression immediately changed to elation and he yelled, "Yes! Yoda!"

Peter was pretty uninterested in the presents under the tree.  He was so excited when he found the snow shovel that Santa had left he immediately said, "Boots time!" and put on his boots and coat so he could head out and shovel the patio.

Andrew got a desperately needed new watch and the game Bananagrams and I got a new camera lens and a pair of earrings.  It was a perfect Christmas morning - pure joy, so much fun, and totally magical.

My family came over for Christmas brunch and we had a wonderful time opening presents and being together.  This was the first Christmas in three years that we were all together and it was great.

On Christmas night, we went to Andrew's brother Nathan's house and the kids did the Nativity again.  It was the perfect way to end the day - to again be reminded of the birth of the Savior.

There is a quote by Robert Louis Stevenson that I thought of several times on Christmas day:

May the Christmas morning make us happy to be thy children,

And the Christmas evening bring us to our beds with grateful thoughts...

As I fell into bed on Christmas night, I was wiped out but filled with gratitude - so thankful my beautiful children, to be surrounded by family and friends and especially for the Savior, whose birth we celebrate. After an amazing Christmas season, I drifted off to sleep counting my many blessings...

The Children

were nestled all snug in their beds....

while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.

For Hire:

If you are in need of some sidewalk maintenance this winter, we've got the man for you.

Cheap rates.  Results NOT guaranteed.

The Lottery

One of my favorite Christmas events each year is the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Concert.  I love this event for two reasons:

1.  It is always an amazing show with talented singers and dancers.  My favorite artist so far was Sissel, who was here a few years ago.  She was A-MAZ-ING!  But no matter who the guest performer is, it's always a great show.

2. The other reason I love going to this concert is that there is a real rush being among those who get tickets.  Seriously, the selection process for this thing is nuts.  It is strictly through a lottery and I am the unluckiest person I know.  I have never been selected to receive tickets.  Fortunately, I have siblings and in-laws who have better luck than I do, and luckily, they are often willing to share.

This year my sister-in-law who lives in Chicago/Colorado, was lucky enough to get tickets - and she was also kind enough to give them to me.  This is the first year that Abby has been old enough to go, and I was so excited to take her.

The guest performer this year was Natalie Cole and she did a great job, but Abby's (and Andrew's and my) favorite song of the night was when the choir sang, "For Unto Us."  That became our song of the season.  Almost daily, Abby would put it on repeat on the ipod and our house would be filled with that beautiful music.

Anyway, we had so much fun with Abby at the concert.  She is so enthusiastic and upbeat about everything.  She is curious and excited by new experiences.  It was a great night.  Abby loved the singing, she loved the dancing and she loved Natalie Cole's bedazzled microphone.

It was the perfect thing to get us all into the Christmas Spirit.

We had so much fun with this girl - and it didn't hurt that she looked like

a character out of a Dickens' novel.

Christmas Day in the Morning...

Last night when it came time to open our Christmas book, it was Isaac's turn to pick.  He gingerly looked through the stack of books that hadn't yet been opened, until he found the one he was looking for.  He picked it up and unwrapped it - and the room was filled with knowing murmurs:  "It's the one that makes Mom cry," they all said.

I looked and sure enough, it was "Christmas Day in the Morning" - the one Christmas book I have never been able to read without crying.  "Maybe this year I won't cry," I said hopefully, but we all knew what was to come.

We sat down next to the Christmas tree to read.  The kids seemed to snuggle a little closer on this night, as if trying to protect me from the wave of emotion that was ready to crash at any second.  And then, somewhere in the last three or four pages, it hit.  It started out with my voice starting to quiver - just a little.  The kids all looked at me nervously - yet hopefully.  "I'm fine." I assured them.

But a few paragraphs later, a tear leaked out of one eye.  Henry looked up at me and gently brushed it away.  Isaac put his arm around my shoulder and Abby patted my knee.

I pressed on, but it was a lost cause.  I finished the book with tears running down my face - yet trying to maintain the slightest bit of composure.  I can't help it.  This book does it to me every time!  When we were done, the kids dog-piled me with hugs and kisses and understanding giggles and I soaked it all in.

After everyone had calmed down and they were tucked in bed, I thought about "Christmas Day in the Morning" and about my kids' reaction to it and to my emotions.  I realized that although my kids aren't really comfortable seeing me cry, the fact that I cry every time I read this book to them, is as much a tradition as the reading itself.  And they love that book - and me - for it.

Christmas with Henry

There is nothing quite like a four-year-old boy at Christmas, and this year, I am loving my four-year-old Henry.  He has really caught on to the spirit of Christmas.

When I came into the family room and saw this:

Henry explained to me that he and Peter were playing Joseph and Baby Jesus.  Peter was quick to disagree with Henry and told me that he wasn't Baby Jesus, he was a baby elephant.

Henry spends much of the day singing Christmas carols.  My current favorite is:

Have a holly jolly Christmas,

It's the best time of the year.

Say hello to brands and load

And havansgup of jeer.

The only part of Christmas that Henry isn't grasping is the Santa Claus part.  Last week, when he sat on Santa's lap, he wouldn't say one word to Santa about what he wanted for Christmas.   (He wouldn't say one word about anything actually.)

(Still wearing his cow costume from the Nativity.)

Later, when I asked Henry about how it went while sitting on Santa's lap, this is what he said:

Mom:  Henry, did you tell Santa what you want for Christmas this year?

Henry: No, I didn't tell him anything.

Mom: Well, do you know what you want from Santa this year?

Henry:  No, but I know what I want from Target this year.

So, although Henry is really into the spirit of Christmas, for him, Target still has better options than even the North Pole.  What an endorsement for Target!

Like I said, there is nothing better than a four-year-old boy at Christmas, and as far as I'm concerned, Henry is the best one around.

Lucy is almost seven months old and still sleeps in the same bassinet, right next to my bed, that she slept in the day she came home from the hospital.

I know it's probably time for me to move her out, but if I did, where would she rest her foot?

I guess I'll keep her close by for a while longer.

A New Member of the Family

We live in a pretty great neighborhood.   That much we've known since we rented a house in this neighborhood when we first moved back to Utah.  In fact, we loved this area so much we bought a house so we could stay here and raise our kids here - even though the house is way too small and was way overpriced.  (A different post for another time.)

In any case, although we've always known this neighborhood is something special, it has recently come to our attention, that it is special for a different reason.   Since moving here, we have learned that Santa sends special Christmas elves to many of the homes in our neighborhood.  In fact, Abby recently reported to me that we are the only ones who don't get a Christmas elf.  Well being Abby, she took matters into her own hands and wrote a letter to Santa:

Well, imagine our family's delight when we woke up this morning and found that Santa had sent our family a Christmas elf too!  He brought with him a note, by way of introduction, and included the rules for having one of Santa's elves in your house.

Basically, he is here to observe what goes on in our house between now and Christmas and will report back to Santa.  He moves around the house at night when everyone is asleep - so everyday we need to look for him in a different spot.  He can't talk to us, but if we have questions about him or Santa or about the North Pole, we can leave notes for him and he will write back to us.  The most important rule, is that no one is allowed to touch the elf.  If anyone touches him, the elf magic will be broken and he'll never be able to return to the North Pole.  All his elf magic will be gone.

The kids were beyond ecstatic (yelling, shouting, jumping up and down, and generally freaking out) when they spotted him - perched high on shelf, sitting next to our alphabet blocks which had  a special message:

We are all so excited about welcoming this elf to our family and look forward to learning more about him over the next  24 days. Hopefully, he'll have great things to report back to Santa as he observes our family this month. (Fingers crossed.)

So, while we are always grateful for our great friends and neighbors, today we are grateful to them for letting us in on the secret of the elf.

Ready to Read...

Andrew and I were up well past midnight last night wrapping books for our annual "Christmas Book Countdown." Today, they are all under the tree ready to be  inspected, picked through and unwrapped.

I am keenly and painfully aware that there are only a few years left in which our house is completely filled with magic this time of year, and I am trying my hardest to make the most of every moment.

So today, Andrew and I are sleepy but lighthearted as we look forward to the rest of this month.

Happy Reading and Happy December to you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our family to yours.

Isaac's Thanksgiving Art...

"A Turkey Eating a Chicken"

How awesome is that?

Gratitude Jar

This Thanksgiving season, instead of making a blessing tree as we've done in the past, we decided to have a Gratitude Jar which we filled with all our blessings.  I put the jar near the kitchen with a stack of papers beside it, and everyday (or whenever the Spirit moved us) we could write something down and stick in the jar.

Over the past few nights we have been reading through the dozens and dozens and dozens of blessings our family is thankful for.  Some of the entries are hilarious, others are tender and sincere.  It has been a great experience to read through these and to get additional insight into what our children are thankful for.  As we have read through them, it is clear that as a family, we have much to be grateful for.

Henry's contributions to the jar were comprised of almost any three-letter word he can sound out by himself.  They included everything from Mom and Dad, to BYU, sun, max, bed and boy.  He also included several entries of "Laura" (his aunt whose name he has learned to write) and "burger".

Abby and Isaac both expressed gratitude for Mom and Dad, great teachers, good school, toys, church, family and books. Abby is grateful for candy and the beach and Isaac is grateful for "pilgrums and Indeeins and Thanksgiving." He is also grateful for "food and meet."

Andrew is grateful for his job, for good friends, for Peter's talking, Henry's writing and drawing and for healthy kids.

My list is long this year.  I am grateful for our new baby girl, healthy kids, a wonderful husband, amazing parents and siblings, my testimony and Andrew's job.  In addition, I am grateful for hot showers, a warm bed, a dishwasher, a computer, good books, kids who LOVE to read, amazing school teachers for my kids and a great piano teacher.  I am grateful for Sunday dinners with family, for good friends and neighbors and for this beautiful world.  The list could go on and on and on....

We have loved focusing on our blessings this month.  I hope I will continue to remember all the things I have to be grateful for and hope that I can teach my children to do the same. We have loved our Gratitude Jar that has inspired each of us to count our blessings and name them one by one by one.

On the Mend...

There is nothing - but nothing - worse than having a sick baby,

and my little Lucy has been one sick baby lately.

After a whole week with a high fever, and body aches and chills...

After feeling grouchy, uncomfortable and irritable,

and being misdiagnosed by a pediatrician, (it wasn't "just a virus")

After a looking so pale and sad and going a whole week without a smile or a coo...

After stressing me out and making me worry that we were missing something really serious....

Andrew came to the rescue and finally figured out what was making our girl so miserable.*

Now, after a couple of doses of IV antibiotics, Lucy is finally starting to feel like herself again.

Thanks Andrew for being our knight in shining armor.

No matter what it is, dads just have a way of taking care of their little girls.

WE LOVE YOU!

*After a chest x-ray, blood work and a urinalysis Andrew figured out it was an UTI that had spread to her kidneys and had made her one really sick baby.

Thank heaven for Andrew and for antibiotics.
(only twelve more days to go,)

This Morning...

To say that I am not a fan of winter is the understatement of the year.  I have about a 40-day tolerance of snow, ice and cold.  Those 40 days start right about now, and last until about a week after Christmas.  After that, I am done with winter.

That said, there is nothing more spectacular than the morning after a good snowfall.  How can I hate winter when I look out my back door and see this:

or when I look down the street and see this:

The dark branches draped with pristine snow against the brilliant blue sky is nothing short of spectacular.   That it lasts only a short time, (it melts as soon as the sun hits it) makes it even more breathtaking.

So, although I may struggle with winter now, if I could wake up to fresh snow, blue skies and sunshine everyday until March, winter could well be on its way to becoming my favorite season.

High School Football (circa 1996)

All across the country this time of year, our thoughts and minds turn to...

High School Football Playoffs!

Okay, so maybe not.  But every year at this time, I can't help but remember the high school football playoffs of 1996.  Seriously.

In the fall of 1996, my brother Richard was a senior at East High School.  Since the time Richard was eight-years-old, he had played on a football team with the same group of guys.  And every fall for nine years, I had watched Rich and his team play.  More often than not, I had cheered them on to victory and loved every minute of it.

Now, they were seniors and it was their last season to play together.  Even before the season started, there was talk that this was a team that could take the state title.  Everyone in my neighborhood was pumped about the season and was excited to cheer this team on.

Rich and my sister, Emily (their biggest fan.)

There was only one problem.... I was moving to Washington, DC on September 1st and would miss the entire season.  Two days before I left, I went to watch Richard's game.  As I watched East beat West I wondered if that would be the last time I would see Rich play football.  As I got ready to leave a few days later, I told Richard that I was going to buy a return ticket to Utah for the weekend before Thanksgiving so that I would be home for the State Championship game.   I told Rich that I wanted East in that game so I could watch him play football one last time.

Well, I made the move to DC, and every Friday night, I would call home to see if East had won their game that night.  And, every week my parents reported that East had won.  There were a couple of games that were too close for comfort, but there were several in which East didn't even let the other team score.

East finished the season undefeated and the playoffs started.  The dream of going to the championship game was starting to become a reality.  The day of the quarterfinals, I was a nervous wreck in DC.  I was so emotionally invested - even from across the country - that I was pacing my apartment waiting to hear the score.  Finally, my mom called to tell me that in the final minutes of the game, East had almost lost to Spanish Fork - but in the end had won by 2.  I remember jumping around my apartment yelling.  I was so excited.  They just needed to win one more game and then they'd be playing in the championship game.

The next week, East played Box Elder in the semi-finals and beat them 13-0.  When I found out, I couldn't believe it.  East would be playing Timpview in the championship game - and I was going to be there to see it.

When I flew into Utah, the night before the big game, Richard had already gone up to Ogden with his team, where the game was to be played.  I wouldn't be able to see him before the game, but I called him that night to wish him luck.

"Rich," I said, "I won't see you before the game but I'll be there in the stands cheering.  I came all the way from DC to watch you play this game and I want you to score a touchdown for me."

(I'm sure he was rolling his eyes at me.)

As Rich and I talked, he said that he would give me a sign after scoring a touchdown - something that would symbolize that I had flown all the way from Washington, DC to watch him play football for the last time.

The next day my family piled in the car and drove to Weber State to watch the game.  We were nervous but so excited for this game.  This was the culminating event of nine years of football and we knew they were a good enough team to win.  I know prayers were said out loud and in our hearts the whole way to the game.

Finally, it was game time and what a great game it was.  Early in the first quarter, my cute brother Richard, the boy I had been watching play football since he was eight-years-old,  caught a pass and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown.  And then, as he ran off the field, he held up his hands to make a "W" - a sign that he knew I was there from Washington watching him and cheering him on.

For some reason, my eyes still well up with tears when I think about that.  My sweet brother, in his ultimate moment of high school glory, greatness and excitement, remembered me.  Now that is a sweet brother.

East went on to win the game 37 - 0.  It was an amazing game.  We were waving flags and screaming until our throats were sore.  We cried and hugged all the other families there.  It was such a fun day and a dream come true.

So really, every year at this time, I can't help but think back to that football season of 1996 and feel the thrill of it all over again.

Thanks Rich.

Really, six months?

The calendar tells me that it has been six months since Lucy was born, but I have a hard time believing that.  On the one hand, it feels like she just got here, but at the same time it seems that her gentle and familiar spirit has always been a part of our family.

Oh, we love this girl.  Honestly, I thank my Heavenly Father everyday for sending her to our family.  What a gift.  What a miracle.  What a joy.

I have to say I love six-month-old babies.  This really is the perfect age.

Here's what I love about six-month-old Lucy.

Her smile lights up any time someone walks into the room.  She loves everyone and smiles at anyone who makes eye contact with her.  I love it when she smiles so big, she looks like she's ready to turn inside out.

She is strong enough to hold her neck up and keep her back straight while I carry her on my hip, but she is small enough (almost 13 pounds) that she can still sleep in the bassinet next to my bed. (I have a hard time letting my babies go.)

Lucy is able to roll over - but she's not really mobile yet.  I can put her on a blanket to play - and she stays there.

Her eyes have turned dark brown - except for one little triangle on the bottom of her right eye, which is still blue.    She also has the most perfectly shaped little lips.

Lucy loves doing crunches.  Whenever she is lying on her back, whether it's in her bed or while I'm changing her diaper, she'll lift her head to look around at what's going on.  That girl is going to have some serious abs.

She takes two great naps during the day.  At church, she is still able to fall asleep in my arms, which I absolutely love.  She also sleeps 12-13 hours a night which helps me be a happy mom.

She talks and gurgles and coos.  She blows bubbles and sticks out her tongue.  She watches her hands and nibbles on her own toes.

She is all girl.  She is delicate and dainty and gentle.  When I hold her up on my shoulder she gently plays with my earrings - holding them in her finger tips - studying them as if she is inspecting the craftsmanship.  She also loves feeling buttons and lace trims and the ties on blankets - and is delicate as she examines each of them.

She is a dream to have around and we all adore her.

Yes, six-months is definitely my favorite age.... at least until she turns seven-months.

Lucy (6 months) and cousin Lila (3 months.)

These girls are going to be great friends - as soon as Lila wakes up.

twenty years later

I was a child of the '80s and as such, one of the things I spent a lot of time thinking about was the Berlin Wall.  I was too young to understand the political history that brought about the creation of the wall, but I knew the wall had divided families and had taken away basic freedoms and I knew it was wrong.

In 1981, I saw the movie "Night Crossing", a movie which depicts the escape of two families from East Germany to West Germany in a hot air balloon.  I loved this movie and for weeks I would lie in my bed at night, imagining if I were stuck in East Germany, what I would do to escape.  (I never came up with anything better than a hot air balloon.)

I didn't know much about Berlin, but I knew that someday I wanted to go there and see the wall for myself.   I wanted to see and understand what kind of structure could divide a city and keep families apart.

I vividly remember twenty years ago today, sitting with my family watching the news coverage of the Berlin wall coming down.  It was one of those moments during which I was keenly aware that I was witnessing history.  My heart swelled with emotion as I watched people streaming through gaps in the wall where, the day before, there had been a concrete barrier and guards with machine guns preventing any trespassing.  It was a day I will always remember.

A couple of years later,  I finally got my chance to see what was still standing of the Berlin wall - but it was under much different circumstances than I would have ever dreamed when I was a little girl in the early 80s.

I was called to serve as a missionary in Berlin - and that is something that wasn't even possible just a few years before.  I remember the first time I ever went to the Brandenburg Gate and to Checkpoint Charlie and saw the museum dedicated to the history of the Berlin Wall, I realized more strongly than ever, that being in Berlin as a missionary was part of a miracle and an amazing privilege.

Berlin is an incredible city with a unique history.  It didn't take me long to fall in love with it and with all of the former East Germany.  I met wonderful people who had endured so much.  I fell in love with the food; Doners, Rotkohl, Rote Grutze, Sauerbraten, Apfelstrudel, Lebkuchen and Springerle.  I loved the Christmas Markets that were in every town - where I smelled "chestnuts roasting on an open fire" for the first time. I loved the sights and sounds and museums and architecture and history and the people of Berlin.  It is an amazing city and it was a momentous time in my life.

This week, as I have read about the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall, I have thought so much about my time there.  I still can't believe how fortunate I was to serve a mission there.  The fall of the Berlin wall was a huge moment in the history of mankind, and a huge moment in my own life.   As I watched the news on November 9, 1989 there was no way I could have known the person I would become because of experiences I would have where the Berlin Wall once stood.

To celebrate, I made a German dinner tonight - a roast, potatoes, rotkohl and Rote Grutze for dessert.

It was fun to make and was a hit with the whole family.

All I need now is a trip back to Berlin.

Halloween Costumes 2009

Last year, when I was pregnant and as sick as could be, the last thing I had energy for, was figuring out Halloween costumes for my kids.  So, when Abby found a costume she loved in a catalogue, I was more than happy to fork over my credit card number and pay through the nose for a complete geisha costume.  Yes, it was a cute costume, and yes Abby looked darling, but there was something about it that bothered me.

For me, the fun part of Halloween, has always been the creative process in figuring out a costume.  I love looking through old clothes and costume bins until inspiration strikes and a Halloween costume materializes.

So, this year, I told the kids I wasn't buying any costumes.  A couple of weeks ago, I took them to my parents' house and told them to look through their dress-ups and figure what they wanted to be for Halloween.  It turned out to be a successful venture.  Amazing costumes were discovered and pulled together, and with a little sewing expertise from my mom, all the kids looked great.

And so, I present... the Halloween costumes of 2009.

Now, let's break them down, one by one...

Abby was a gorgeous gypsy.  She looked darling decked out in bright colors.  And when I put a little blush on her cheeks and mascara on her eyelashes, she looked stunning.  (And I decided it would be the last time she wears make-up until she's 25.)

As Isaac rummaged through the costumes at my parents, he found a gray wig.  I told him he should be an old lady for Halloween - but Andrew told him he looked more like George Washington.  Well, Isaac took that idea and ran with it - and how lucky that my parents actually had this coat hanging in their costume closet!  He looked awesome.

This was Henry's second year talking about being a vampire.  Last year, I didn't have the energy.  This year my mom made him this great cape, and with his own incredibly vampire-like teeth, he was ready.

Peter was a pumpkin for the second time.  Why?  Because I love this costume and because he's two and doesn't have strong opinions about Halloween costumes.  There are two things I love about this costume;

First, I bought the pumpkin hat when Abby was about five months old.  I found it at the Gap Outlet in Leesburg, Virginia.  It cost around $10.  I remember feeling so extravagant and slightly irresponsible for spending that much money on a hat Abby would only wear for four weeks.  Well, the great thing about this hat, is that it has been worn every fall, by every one of my children since then.  Easily the best $10 I ever spent.

The outfit itself, was bought by my mom, the day after Halloween when Isaac was six months old.  She paid about $5 for it.  Since then it has been worn for two Halloweens by each of my boys.  That equals 83-cents a year for that costume.  That is easily the best $5 my mom has ever spent.

I think this may be the last year for the pumpkin costume - but it breaks my heart to finally retire it.

Lucy got to be a leopard this year.  This is the same outfit Abby wore when she was Lucy's age.  Andrew's aunt Betsy gave us the leopard print outfit when Abby was born and Andrew made the ears...

and the paws.

Andrew comparing his two girls.

(Hopefully this will never show up in People Magazine under "Who Wore It Best?")

We have had a great October.  We had a blast putting together these costumes and showing them off at the school parade, the preschool program, trunk-or-treat, the neighborhood party and, of course, trick-or-treating.

(Whew, I'm exhausted.)

Twas A Few Days Before Halloween...

and all through our house, the girls were doing girl things....

(two sisters reading American Girl books)

and the boys were just being boys?

(Is this football practice or the only way to keep our boys dry?)