Dazzling December

It's the most wonderful time of the year...wait a second when did that happen.  I'm so confused and mostly I blame it on the weather here in Utah.  This year has not seemed like winter or the holiday season in any fashion as we've had maybe a handful of small storms that have left NO SNOW at my house.  And I know some of you natives may be in love with this weather but I need snow in order for it to feel like 'the season' around here.  And we barely even have any in the mountains which means we'll have concerns for drought come spring.  (Would you rather have concerns over drought or flooding? We've had both as of late in recent years past.)

At the beginning of the month we had hurricane force winds in northern Utah.  Most of the damage was done in the county in which we live - so much so that the National Guard was even deployed to help take care of damage control and clean up and in a state where Sunday is a day of rest when most people are at church for a good portion of the day there as shortened church and people cleaned up the debris and all things that shouldn't be laying around.  It was pretty neat to see people helping other people even though the devastation was a little bit much to handle at first. We had no damage to our home or fencing but we did lose a beloved member of our family - the poor lonely backyard tree.

This month we've had loads and loads and loads of fun events as is pretty standard for the month of December.  This year we were invited to stay in Lava Hot Springs with Chris' family to get ourselves in the holiday mood.  We stayed overnight in an A-frame cabin with 15 people.  It was a little cramped but we made it work and we did crafts and watched movies and hit the hot springs which I'd never been to - or at least don't remember going to.  The kids loved the pools as they were not very deep so Elizabeth could even walk around in without her life jacket.  We also had a surprise celebration for Chris' birthday while we were there - nothing too fancy but I think he was totally shocked.

I spent a short getaway with a friend working on some more crocheting projects.  Here is another owl hate that I think is absolutely amazing.

As this is the month of Chris' birthday we went to his favorite restaurant for dinner - we normally do this every year - Rodizio Grill (if you've never been I'd highly recommend it, go for lunch - it's half price - and go hungry because it is an all you can eat style buffet but they bring the food right to you at your table. It is definitely an experience).  We like it so much we've even been to the one in Denver. Chris asked for special exercise clothing this year as he has been attending they gym very diligently every day at 5:00 am.  He's turning into the Terminator.  One of my favorite things to eat at Rodizio is only brought in small portions so after years and years I decided I'd attempt to make it - Pao de Qeuijo - and thanks to one of my treasures on the internet there was an easy and quick recipe that made these our new addictive treat. See for yourself.

I have spent a lot of time this month working on home made gifts for the girls for Christmas.  And really isn't the focus of the month just on the end of the year holidays anyway.  Who really does anything else besides plan for and prepare and attend events geared towards holidays this month.  We did plenty of Christmas planning, preparing and attending.  I made little wooden princesses, magnet dress up dolls from paper dolls, fleece no sew hats, crocheted head warmers and scarves and I think that is it.  Here are a few.  The princesses were a copycat from something I saw online - there is also a boy version of super heros painted if you have boys.

I think the girls really enjoy Christmas this year.  This is the first year Santa really entered the picture.  We watched a Charlie Brown Christmast episode and in it one of the characters writes Santa a letter.  All we heard all month long was the girls writing Santa a letter that went something like this: Dear Santa.  How have you been?  How are your reindeer doing?  Please bring me a...and then the list would continue with things that they wanted.  Chris wins the prize for picking this years most prized Christmas possession - The Big Big Puppy. I'm not sure I've ever seen the girls so excited!  And the Christmas day frenzy hasn't worn off.  They carry the four foot beasts around.  They watch tv on them. They even sleep on them.  I'm not sure they Big Big Puppies will be going away any time soon.

In case you weren't able to make it to our house for the Christmas season here is a little look at what Christmas looked like at Casa de Wheeler this year. You might even be able to find your card on the inside of our front door. The girls absolutely loved everything about Christmas and it was even more fun to celebrate with them this year as they opened every gift and gave presents to others.

 

 

 

 

 

We'll be bringing in the new year in a few days and it seems somewhat strange that another year is over.  We've learned a lot of life lessons this year.  We've watched our children grow and change in ways that were never imaginable.  We've had a few tears but mostly joy and for that I'm very grateful.  I want to note that I've stuck with my New Year's Resolution for 2011 - it was to blog every month and therefore have a record for our family. I hope to continue it on for many years to come in the future.   I'm so excited to be able to print the words and pictures and have them to review in the future.  As we part ways for 2011 I'll leave you with some family photos from a recent shoot.  It was hard not to include all of them but here are some of our favorites. Have a Happy New Year!! Love the Four Wheelers.

 

 

 

Nothing November

I am sitting down to blog for the month of November and I literally have nothing to go on.  We have no photos on our computer for the past month.  What? You read that correctly.  I'll need to take a short hiatus to go grab the cameras and cell phones to see if we really have no photos or if we just haven't taken the time to back them up properly.  Hopefully when you continue to read this it will be filled with wonderful memories including some visual aides...

Luckily I was able to salvage some memory from my brain, with the help of a handful of photos that appeared after looking a little bit deeper.  Thank goodness for modern technologies to jog my memory or seriously this would have looked like a super nothing a la Never Ending Story. Upon further review it wasn't really nothing that happened - I'm quite certain there was just so much that I haven't even begun to process it.

The month started off with the celebration of my grandpa Sam's life.  He didn't want to have a funeral so we had a big Italian party including loads of family, truck loads of food and just a wonderful overall time.  Here are a few shots of my family at the party.

Marge, Lois and Cathy (my sister and mom)

The Four Wheelers (at the party there was a kid table with crayons, crafts, playdough, anything and everything to keep the little people entertained.  Ingenious idea that I will reuse)

Olivia at the after party eating some pizza, mostly we just love the picture due to her baby blues.

And here's a group shot of my family, Marge, Cathy, Dave and Lois - aren't we a photogenic bunch!!

Elizabeth had the pleasure of visiting the doctor for her 5 Year well check-up.  If I haven't mentioned it before here is another one of our favorite things to do at the doctor's office while we wait in the room for the actual examination from the physician.  Because even if you make the first appointment of the day you still are kept waiting for the doctor since he takes care of new babies and inevitably someone has a baby and the same exact time you are supposed to have an appointment.

We bring crayons and we sit on the doctor's chair and we color all kinds of things on the itchy, scratchy paper that they use to cover the bench with.  It keeps the kids occupied and gives them something to talk to the doctor about when he comes in.  Elizabeth did very well at her check up, she is something like forty pounds and forty-two inches.  She knew most of her shapes and colors and she read the eye chart like a champ.  She did however have the unpleasant opportunity to receive five vaccination shots (she won't be in kindergarten until fall 2012 but instead of just putting it off we did all the shots at that time).  Olivia was a good sport and joined in on the shot fun just to make her big sister feel better - she only had one shot though, the good old flu vaccine.

I spent a lot of time making things for other people, including a white baby blessing blanket from a free online pattern, a few hats for newborns that look like little owls (again from a free online pattern) and some trendy head bands or ear warmer - which you guessed it, also another free online pattern. Some of the things were made by request but mostly it was just due to my new found online addiction that can be found at Pinterest.

 

 

 

Somewhere in the mix we also did that fantastic holiday Thanksgiving.  Forgive me if I've nothing more to say than that.  It was a great time but we do a lot of running around during a holiday since we have 'blended families' so sometimes they aren't exactly our most favorite time of the year.

I know we all had fun.  Elizabeth and Olivia had a lot of fun thanks to their cousin Daisy.  She brought her pet bird Mr. Bean to grandma's house (yes that's a real, live bird on her shoulder) one day and the bird is nice enough to let other people hold it or rather use you as a perch.  Olivia helped me rake leaves up while Elizabeth was at pre-school a few days.  And lost but not least we did go on a carriage ride as a family around Temple Square with all the beautiful Christmas lights.  

 

 

 Last but not least I'll leave you with a mystery photo that helps me remember the most exciting thing going on in my life right now.  Recently I started allergy shot treatment to hopefully help alleviate my ever present allergies.  After being tested it is noted that I'm allergic to all pollens, spores and molds present in Utah.  Not enough to kill me.  Just enough to keep me stuffed up all year round.  The overall treatment consists of once a week shots in both arms tapering off to shots every three weeks for a period of three to five years.  Man I know you are jealous.  I am going to stick with it though in hopes that it improves my breathing, smelling and congestive head.  Hey maybe that has something to do with my lack of memory.  Oh yes, back to the mystery photos.  One day at the parking structure of the Allergy Clinic we found this little gem...

Opposites October

We have had a month of highs and lows, ups and downs, ins and outs.  It's been a very mixed up month.  However, that means we are more equipped to appreciate the good times and celebrate all we have been blessed with.

We started the month off we a trip to the local pumpkin patch with Elizabeth's preschool class and Mrs. Rogers' Neighborhood.  This is always one of Elizabeth's most favorite field trips - there is a small corn maze, the pumpkin patch owners read a story and teach the children all about  the different types of pumpkins and gords and then the kids get to pick their very own pumpkin.

In preparation for the upcoming winter season we have been completing some outdoor projects at home.  I tackled both flower beds in our front yard (we don't have any flowers, just shrubs and trees but I'm not sure what else to call them).  I spent one part of the day pulling up the cement mow strip, removing the old weed barrier we had put down when we first moved in seven years ago and getting rid of any and all weeds.  When Chris came home we put down new weed barrier, then reinstalled the cement mow strip like a puzzle and the put down new bark.  It looks beautiful.

Chris has spent some time up on the roof replacing shingles and making sure that there will be no leaks when the rain and heavy snow begins and then he also decided that he'd like to have outdoor Christmas lights this year (purchased last year on clearance) so he put those up as well.  We can't wait to be able to actually turn them on, but don't worry we won't be doing it any time until after Thanksgiving.

October usually signals a big change in the weather in Utah.  We have seen leaves start to change colors and fall to the ground.  The girls and I took the chance to go for a drive and to enjoy the scenery. We took a short hike and had a picnic lunch in the back of the car.  It was a great day and one of the many reasons why we love the four seasons in Utah.  Only 20 minutes from home and we experienced all kinds of fun things like jumping in puddles, throwing rocks in rivers and listening to a wood pecker.

 

Elizabeth celebrated a momentous occasion this year...she turned the big 5.  We had a little bit of a drawn out celebration as her birth date October 26 was on a Wednesday but Chris would be out of town for work training.  So we had a small party with friends and family the Saturday before where we decorated the basement with all things Hungry Caterpillar including a neat sign, balloons set up to look like a caterpillar, cupcakes, apples cut and layed out to look like a caterpillar and gummy worms and m&ms. Everyone brought a favorite book as a present to add to our home library. It was a lot of fun.  On her actual birthday we had her cake and a few presents and then when Chris came home the next day we did a few more gifts.  I'm not sure the poor girl actually knows when her birthday is due to all the extra days of fun.

 Then of course when you think of October you might automatically think of this instead

Chris took the girls trick-or-treating this year while I went to the grocery store - seriously the store was empty - it might become my new Halloween tradition.  I was able to not feel rushed and got everything on my list and nothing extra.  Elizabeth was a lady bug and Olivia was a monkey.  This picture doesn't have the kids looking at the camera but it shows me that they were having the time of their short lives with their dad.  We had lots of candy and visited family.  And it was great weather.

That brings us to the end of the month and the opposition - my grandfather on my mother's side passed away and while I'd like to say that he lived a great life and he was old and he had been sick for a while so it is all for the best it's been a little bit more than difficult.  When I keep busy and don't think about it too much then it isn't so sad but if I have some down time and think about it then I'm sad to know that I can't go visit him and that my grandma who was married to him for sixty-one years doesn't get to see him every day.  Good thing I believe that I'll see him again one day - it makes me happy to know that he isn't in any physical pain anymore and that as my cousin Quate said 'He's playing golf with John Wayne'.

As part of my grandfather's life celebration, I was able to help make slideshow with pictures from his life.  We talked as a family about all the wonderful memories we have of grandpa and in a way we were able to remember that he is still with each of us in all that he taught us and when we remember him.

1924 ~ 2011 Salvatore Sam Mele, husband, brother, father, grandfather, great grandfather, uncle, cousin and friend passed away peacefully at his home in Salt Lake City on October 28, 2011.  He was born in Sunnyside, Utah on September 7, 1924 to  Salvatore and Rosina Oliveto Mele of San Giovanni in Fiore, Italy.  He married Marjorie Jane Stringham on July 15, 1950.  Sam and Marge raised ten children.  The core of their relationship was sincere affection and friendship that centered on the family.

Sam served in the US Navy during World War II.  He received a Bachelor's degree in Metallurgical Engineering from the University of Utah in 1951 and worked as a metallurgist for over 30 years.  Sam had an amazing talent for designing, building and fixing anything - and a garage full  of implements to prove it.  He was also a skilled jewelry maker, designing and handcrafting jewelry for his children grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  Sam enjoyed the simple life - talking with Marge, gardening, bowling, golfing, eating Sunday dinners with the family, solving the daily JUMBLE puzzle and watching western movies and TV shows.

I remember him as a gentle and caring person.  He was always interested in my life and took time to teach me the proper way to do things, whether it was spelling words correctly, making delicious food, starting to sing the Happy Birthday song or learning a new skill.  I miss you.

Sightseeing September

September began with another 'S' word at our house.  Now I know what you all must be thinking but that's not exactly it.  We were all given the awesome opportunity to be sick at the beginning of September.  Chris started us off, he was light headed and dizzy and said to be feeling a little bit nauseated but never threw up.  Then Elizabeth offered us a full day of vomit followed by her sister Olivia (thankfully waiting until mom was out of the house) only heaving once.  Mom rounded out the sequence but two days later with her own visit to the porcelain thrown.  Chris was nice enough to bring the girls and I home a ray of sunshine with some nice flowers.  The girls loved the bright colors.

After we were clear of the big, bad bug we went back to life as usual.  Elizabeth started back up at pre-school for her second year with Miss Teia (who really is a Mrs.) but she has the cutest school name, Mrs. Rodgers' Neighborhood (awesome huh?).  Elizabeth really enjoys going to school, twice a week for a few hours.  She loves to see her classmates and is really taking off learning new things this year.  Olivia is sad to drop her off every day but has decided that she'll go to school too when she gets bigger.

 

 

In the middle of the month we commemorated the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York, the Pentagon and in Pennsylvania.  I was in Virginia the morning of the attack.  Chris was set to fly home from Utah to Virginia after a hunting trip.  I can hardly believe that ten years have already passed.  Yet it is another opportunity for us to be reminded of how lucky and blessed we are to live in a free nation and to those who have and who continue to fight to keep those freedoms.  We didn't discuss it in too much detail with the girls but Chris was able to put up our flag post on the house, we talked about how important the flag is and were very proud to have it at our home.

Our biggest moment of the month was when Chris left for work training in Costa Mesa, CA at an IBM facility and I planned a secret trip with the girls to meet him there.  Chris left on a Sunday evening and the girls and I left Monday morning to drive to Henderson, NV to spend the night and then on to stay with family in San Diego, CA.  If you are ever having the opportunity to road trip it along I-15 in Utah you must stop at the Maverik gas station in Fillmore if you have children.  The gas station has a playground right next to it and it was the perfect pit stop.  We filled the car up with gas. We emptied our bladders.  We played for a bit so we weren't right back in the car again.

I planned to drive for about two hours at a time and then stop so we could take a bathroom break and get out of the car.  Luckily about every two hours thereafter there was a McDonald's close by so we could have Happy Meal and play on the playground equipment indoors and run around like crazy and then get back in the car for more driving.  The girls actually did really well in the car.  We had lots of snacks.  We looked for livestock such as sheep, cows, pigs and horses on the way.  I packed secret wrapped surprise to open every few hours or when we were a little bit cranky (best secret ever, save all of your Happy Meal toys, either ones you don't open or even ones they just aren't interested in again - I packed 20 wrapped items and the girls totally thought they were super neat).  Of course best child entertainer of the years go to the in-car dvd players that we have which allowed us to pretty much watch 3 movies per day of driving and therefore not drive the mom driver super crazy. 

We made it to Henderson, NV where it was a balmy 90 degrees and stayed at a local Marriott.  The girls wanted nothing more than to swim so we broke out the suits and went swimming for about two hours.  Just enough time to wear them completely out and then head back to the room, get some grub and crash.  I had intended on waiting until we were in California to surprise Chris but I couldn't wait any longer so I had a friend send him a text message that I had lost my phone.  Chris then used his handy, dandy technology on the iPhone to locate my phone.  To his surprise it was in Nevada.  At first he thought my phone was stolen but then realized when I called him that we were also in Nevada.  I think we really shocked him.

On Tuesday we woke up and drove the rest of the way to San Diego to stay with my Aunt Chris and Uncle Andy Joe.  Best way to vacation - at a free residence.  Sure allows for doing more fun things on the trip then just paying for a hotel.  And to boot they even have a pool so it was even better.  The girls never wanted to leave the house.

While in San Diego we did lots of fun things.  We went to Birch Aquarium. Elizabeth didn't want to leave, they let you touch live sea creatures like start fish and sea cucumbers. 

We went to the beach near the famed Torrey Pines golf course.  The girls loved the sand. We made small castles and chased the waves out to sea. It was a little cold so we didn't really get in the water but I don't think the girls even noticed.

We went to a very cute Puppet Show at the Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater in Balboa Park, another must if you have grade school age kids or younger.  They rotate the shows constantly so there is always something different.  We saw Goldilocks and the Three Bunnies. And of course bought some of our own puppets to take home.

On Thursday we we were able to go pick up Chris after he successfully completed his training course and obtained his certification.  We drove about an hour north and picked him up and then come home.  The girls were very excited to see him and I was glad to have another driver so I could enjoy some of the sights along they way.  Our big destination spot was Sea World.  So on Friday we loaded up and hit the park.  It is off season so it wasn't too crowded.  The park is only open from 10 am - 6 pm which is more than enough time.  The weather was overcast so it wasn't hot (my biggest fear).  Here is some of what we saw and enjoyed.  I would definitely recommend a visit.

 

 

While we were gone we checked in on the house a few times and caught Ted doing this...

that's right, taking a cat nap on Olivia's bed.  She thought it was pretty funny.  I think he looks like just another stuffed animal.

Apparently there is a maximum to how much stuff you can put in one post - and apparently I've reached it.  If you've stuck with me this long then you'll get to see one of my new favorite pictures.  On the drive home we stopped over in Henderson, NV again and this time we went to a Bass Pro Shop, outside there were what the girls call their very own.  They really, really wanted to buy them...but trust me they are still sitting on the lot.  We had a really great time making memories together.