Images of Christmas

It's hard to believe that Christmas has come and gone, but while the memories are still fresh in my mind, here are some of the images I will always remember from Christmas Season 2011.

Our kids were so excited for the return of Winston, our Christmas elf.  He arrives every year on December 1st, and the night before, the kids could barely sleep as they anticipated his arrival.  We were so excited to have him back in our house and loved his daily updates about his family, life in the North Pole, and his Christmas countdown progress reports.  He is such a jolly elf, with twinkly eyes and a cheery smile, we were all sad when it was time for him to go home.

The kids sat on Santa's lap at the ward party.  Abby told Santa that she wanted an American Girl doll and Lucy told him that she wanted a baby doll.  I took nostalgic joy in knowing that my two girls both wanted dolls for Christmas.  Who knows when they'll ever have similar Christmas lists again. 

Peter had a Christmas program at preschool.  For weeks he had walked around the house singing the songs he was learning for his program.  The night before his program, he made us all sit down and listen to him sing (and do actions) just so he'd be ready.  His program was darling - and Peter smiled and sang through the whole thing.  He even got to play a chime during one of the songs and did a great job.  (My favorite thing was the way he kept time with his foot.)  I love the enthusiasm of four-year old boys and I sure love my Peter.

Abby was invited to a tea party with several girls from her grade.  The invitation encouraged the girls to wear hats if possible.  Luckily we had this darling hat that had at one time belonged to my grandma Lulu.  I loved the way it looked on Abby.  With the hat and the fur cap and muff, she looked like a perfectly elegant girl from a hundred years ago.  What a fun event it was.

Henry lost both his teeth this December which made for hours of fun singing "All I Want For Christmas" at our house.  He lost his first tooth at the beginning of December and we were all hoping he would lose his other tooth before Christmas.  Luckily, the week before the big day, we were at dinner with some friends, when their 12-year old son pulled Henry's tooth out for him.  It was a great moment - one Henry will always remember.  He looks so cute with that big gap in his smile, but man, it makes him look older - and that's not really the look I'm going for with my cute boy.

On December 1st, our power went out around noon and was out for the next several hours.  By dinner time, the house was dark and cold and we didn't know when the power would be on again.  So, we embraced our pioneer roots, and built a fire in the front room fireplace.  We snuggled together by the fire while the kids did homework and read books.  It was cozy and warm and even felt a little adventurous, but man oh man, were we ever happy when the lights came back on.  We all agreed that having electricity is NOT overrated.

Some of the best Christmas moments occurred when there was no camera available (or wanted.)

I loved sitting by the Christmas tree reading stories to my kids every night.  Amazingly, they are all still interested in listening to me read as they snuggle close to see the pictures and hang on every word.  These are magical times.

I'll never forget curling up together as a family and watching "It's A Wonderful Life."   Ever since I first saw it, years and years ago, this has been one of my all time favorite movies.  I was shocked when I learned that Andrew had never seen it, and several times over the past fourteen years, I have suggested we watch it.  Anyway, this year was the first time we finally got around to watching it as a family.  When it was over, after we all wiped away our tears, we all agreed it was one of the best movies we'd ever seen.  Ever since that night, Andrew has been on a mission encouraging others to watch this movie.  Somehow, he is repeatedly surprised when most people tell him that they have already seen it.  

I loved mornings in December when the kids would jump out of bed to find Winston and read his latest note.  I loved that every morning, someone would plug in the Christmas tree lights and the dark, cold mornings of December would feel brighter.  I loved watching the kids figure out whose turn it was to hang the next ornament on the advent calendar.  And I loved how in so many ways, we counted down the days until Christmas.  

It's such a magical month at our house, and while Christmas morning is the pinnacle, I love the whole season and the small moments each day that make it happiest time of the year.

Christmas Dresses

Three years ago at this time, I was pregnant with Lucy.  Only we didn't know it was Lucy.  We were still a few weeks away from that all-important ultrasound during which we would learn the gender of our baby.

With every prayer that escaped my lips and every prayer said silently in my heart, I pleaded with the Lord that this baby would be another girl.  I know I would have loved and cherished a boy - but I  really wanted another daughter and I really wanted a sister for Abby.

A few days before the ultrasound, I was looking through a catalog, when I came across a gorgeous Christmas dress, perfect for a little girl.

"If we find out this baby is a girl, " I said to Andrew, "I am going to be tempted to get Abby and this new baby matching dresses."  But after that initial thought, I set the catalog aside and didn't think too much more about it.

On December 18th, 2008, I  went in for my ultrasound and I heard the words I had been dying to hear.  "It's a girl!" the tech said.  I made her check three more times just to be sure, and just so I could hear those words again.  "It's a girl."

As far as I was concerned, Christmas had come a week early to our house. Hallelujah! I had everything I had ever wanted and was totally thrilled.  So, imagine my surprise on Christmas morning, when I found a large gift box under the tree with my name on it.  I opened the gift from Andrew, and inside I found the two dresses I had dreamt of buying only few weeks before.  They were even more exquisite in person than they had appeared in the catalog and I was amazed that Andrew had remembered.  (Yes, he really is that thoughtful.  Amazing.  I know.)

The smallest size the dress came in was a 2, and as I looked at that dress and thought about the tiny baby inside me, it seemed like a lifetime before that dress would ever fit her.

Well, here we are three years later, and my tiny baby girl is finally big enough to fit in her dress and Abby is finally big enough to fit into the dress bought for her by her cute dad.  I have to admit, my girls look even sweeter in those dresses than I could have imagined.

Also better than I ever imagined, is the relationship between these two sisters. As of a couple of months ago, these two now share a bedroom and they are darling together.  

At night, as they are going to bed, Abby's main goal is to get as much reading in as possible.  Occasionally this conflicts with Lucy's main goal of saying prayers as many times a night as possible.  It would be fine if Lucy would just say her own, but she wants Abby to say prayers too.  One night, after Abby had said at least five prayers at Lucy's request, Abby admitted, "Lucy is just too spiritual for me."

Besides that one difference, these girls have a sweet relationship.  Abby has taught Lucy about taking care of baby dolls, and about painting finger nails, and about being a princess.  Lucy keeps Abby entertained with her singing and dancing and jabbering.

Yes, three years ago, when I was saying my prayers and crossing my fingers and wishing upon every star, hoping for another girl, I dreamed of matching dresses and bows and frills, but I also dreamed of a sweet relationship between my two daughters.  Needless to say, these two girls have exceeded my hopes and dreams in every way possible.

Giving Thanks on Thanksgiving

Wouldn't it be nice before the holidays kick into full gear, to take a few days away from home, in your own private room, with people waiting on your every need: meals, warm blankets, drink refills, slippers, sleep as  long as you want, watch tv, read a book.  No cleaning, errands, meals to prepare, kids to clean up after or practice with.  Just a little get away is all.  

Not as great as it may sound when it refers to emergency surgery and hospitalization for three days.  Maybe next time it'll be a fine hotel on her upcoming 40th.

(Grateful for visitors, but in small doses.  Yes, we see you Lucy)

Elizabeth was in severe pain, it was pretty clear she had appendicitis, and we took her to the ER.  I promised to let her be a patient and let everyone just do their job.   Prior to leaving, we prayed for a good outcome, comfort, health and patience.  I soon realized the patience was intended for me.  Being on the other side of an ER visit is a good reality check.  Healthcare can be a slow process, and the ER is an especially good exercise in waiting. 

After being told it was indeed appendicitis, Elizabeth felt quite legitimized and that she had a good reason for her pain.  As she drifted off into anesthesia for a thirty minute surgery, she had no idea that the surgeon would have a lot more than just an appendix to deal with.

She was also found to have a 4 cm dermoid cyst on her left ovary which needed to come out.  These are also known as teratoma.  You may not want to google image this.  They are a non cancerous mass of tissue containing  all variety of human cells and can most disturbingly be found to occasionally develop hair and teeth.  

(dermoid cyst through laparoscope-white)

After the appendix was easily removed, and the Ob/Gyn on call came in to remove the cyst, her surgeon reported to me that the most serious issue was that her small intestine was found to be completely attached to her abdominal wall in a hairpin turn, scarred to the permanent mesh from her old hernia surgery years ago.  After carefully prying these apart, her bowel was in bad enough shape that he decided to remove 3 inches entirely.  While a simple appendectomy is a straight forward procedure, this had become an extremely complex process.  

Miraculously all three surgeries were done consecutively and all laparoscopically.  I still cannot express my appreciation for these two surgeons did everything right and so willingly.  The first OB recommended that she wait for a later surgery to remove the cyst, and the general surgeon wasn't even the one on call.  He came in at the request of the ER doctor, after getting a baby-sitter for his kids.  He happens to be specialty trained in complex laparoscopy.  Under different circumstances the other issues could have easily been missed, postponed, or complicated.

We had a lot to be thankful for this thanksgiving after Elizabeth endured a 3 in 1 surprise surgery.  She is still recovering well and was able to be home from the hospital early and able to have a few bites of Thanksgiving dinner.  We felt like her appendicitis was a blessing in that it led to the discovery of two other more serious concerns that we had previously been unaware of.  

We all missed her and were glad to have her home.  We were very well taken care of by all of our parents and well fed by our good neighbors.  Elizabeth's mom took off two days off work to spend at our house and Emily dropped everything and babysat during surgery.  We count among our greatest blessings, our families nearby, the generosity of our neighbors and ward members, and prayers and concerns from so many loved ones. 

(this will most likely NOT be our christmas card photo)

On an Afternoon in Fall...

The other day the kids came home from school bound and determined to play in the leaves.  You know, make a big pile - jump in it - throw leaves in the air.  There was only one small problem with their plan.

As Isaac and Henry looked around the yard, they decided that we were lacking in the fallen leaves department, and realized that they would have to look elsewhere for the needed leaves.  "Great, " I thought.  "Go play in someone else's leaves."  Little did I realize what the kids had in mind.

A little while later, I looked out the window and saw my kids walking back and forth carrying shovels full of leaves.  Instead of playing in the neighbor's leaves like I had assumed, they were scooping up leaves from our neighbors yard and carrying them into our yard.

For nearly an hour this continued, until finally they had created a suitable, jump-able pile of leaves.

It was a beautiful afternoon - probably one of the last sunny warm days until spring.  It was a day for my kids to soak in the warmth of the sun and jump in the leaves and enjoy the fleeting fall weather.  And, it was a day for me to watch my kids work and play together - even if the end result was an unexpected yard full of leaves.

Halloween Edition 2011

This year's Halloween costumes included some old staples, some new costumes and some last minute additions.  

I got a little sad watching Abby in her school parade, realizing she only has one left.  Boo-hoo.

Abby made and adorable pirate this year.  I especially love the striped socks with Isaac's red converse.  What a cute girl.

Isaac had a hard time figuring out a costume this year.  We talked through several ideas, but nothing seemed to work.  Finally, ten minutes before our ward "Trunk or Treat" started, I told him to put on Abby's fairy costume and asked my sister if she could bring over the wig for Isaac to borrow.

It worked out well. Isaac's friends were going as a cheerleader, a princess and the tooth fairy, so Isaac blended right in with all the "dudes" his age.  (As a side note, Isaac's long dark eyelashes are enough to make any girl jealous.)

Henry sneaks a piece of candy before Trick-or-Treating even begins.

Henry found an old pair of boots and chaps in Grammy and Papa's costume bin.  The boots were several sizes too big, but it was enough to inspire a great cowboy costume.  And, if he wore his Converse inside his boots, they stayed on pretty well.

Peter at his preschool program.

Eat your heart out Edward.

Peter decided to be a vampire this year.  He looked so cute with slicked back hair and dark eyebrows.  

Peter hit the jackpot during trick-or-treating this year.  When we got home at the end of the night and the kids were sorting through all their candy, Peter came running out of his room and said,

"Do you want to see a dream come true?"

How could we resist that invitation.  We went into his room and there in his pile of candy was a package of gum - fifteen pieces of orange Swerve gum all for him.  I have never seen him so excited.  It really was a dream come true for my Peter.  He was so happy with the gum, that when I went to tuck him in that night, I found him asleep with his gum lying on the pillow next to his head.

All along, I had planned to have Lucy be a pumpkin for Halloween.  She wore our tried and true pumpkin costume to Disneyland and looked cute in it, so I figured we were good to go.  On the night of the Trunk-or-Treat, I tried to put it on her, and she freaked out.  She wouldn't let me within ten feet of her with that costume.  I tried again the next day, and again she freaked out.  (Now, she is TWO.  I don't know why she thinks she gets to have an opinion about a Halloween costume.)

Anyway, I figured we could skip a costume for Lucy this year, but on Halloween Day, she and I were at Costco when I saw a $12 lady bug costume that I loved.  I held it up and Lucy immediately fell in love with it too.  We bought the costume and she hasn't taken it off since.  

Lucy was so proud of her costume and even slightly cocky on Halloween night that she couldn't be bothered to let me get a picture of her.  There was a lot of attitude in that little lady bug.

Lucy perfecting her very grouchy ladybug face.

The nonchalant trick-or-treater.

 Lucky for her, she made and adorable lady bug and even with all that sassiness, we all thought she was darling.  And, oh yeah, those shoes didn't hurt either.  (I forgot we even had them.  It was Peter who remembered the shoes so Lucy could wear them.

Finally, a decent shot of my girl.  

Anyway,  it was a fun Halloween; great costumes, cute parades and programs, too much candy and lots of yummy homemade donuts.  All in all, a successful holiday.  Now I just have to get motivated to put all the decorations away  - at least before Thanksgiving.

More Highlights from Fall Break

Our first night in Cali, we got to go to dinner with our dear friends Mark and Steph.  It's always so fun to be with them - in Utah, California or even Hawaii.

Cute Aunt/Sister Laura, who just moved to the OC, met us at Disneyland one day.  

Lucky for me, she loves Splash Mountain as much as I do so we rode it repeatedly - even after my kids whimped out.  

It was a blast having her there.

Abby discovered that she can rock a fascinator 

and realized she should have been invited to the Royal Wedding.

Peter found out what it feels like to be a Lego guy.

Isaac found inspiration for his next Lego project.

Peter discovered that he rocks 3-D glasses 

(and wasn't happy when he had to give them back - all three pairs.) 

On our last day there, we took the kids to Little Corona del Mar Beach (a great recommendation from Steph.)  It was a little overcast while we were there but the kids loved exploring the tide pools and learning more about marine life from a "Tidepool Ranger."

All in all, it was such a great vacation.  Can't wait to do it again.

Zippity Doo Dah....

This year for fall break, we made a last-minute trip to Disneyland.  A few weeks before the break, I started getting an itch to take the kids to the "Happiest Place on Earth," but it wasn't until a week before, that we made the final decision.

We've never been a "Disneyland family".  All our trips to California involve the beach house and the beach and that's about all we've ever needed.  In fact, the last time we went to Disneyland, was when we were visiting California from Minnesota.  It was the day before Henry's first birthday, Isaac had just turned three, and Abby was a few months away from her fifth birthday.  Our kids were babies and they were either too short or too scared to go on most the rides.

"We'll come back when our kids are older," we promised. I just never thought it would take over five years and two more kids before we made it back.

Anyway, after much debate, we ended up spending two days at Disneyland and one day at California Adventure with a few days off in between.  I have often been skeptical of the hype Disneyland receives, but after this past trip, I am a fan.  It didn't hurt when Abby, at the end of our first day, looked around with a dreamy expression on her face and said, "This place really is magical."  Cue the music and the fireworks.

The kids were so excited that as soon as we got out of the car, they started sprinting to the tram. 

This was a long dreamed-of event.

Peter got a little bored while we were waiting to get into the park,  so he just dropped to the ground and started doing push-ups.  Just part of his pre-Disneyland fitness regimen. 

The requisite castle shot.

Luckily, none of the kids cared about standing in lines to meet the princesses or villains or even Mickey himself.  They didn't really care about standing in line to trick-or-treat from the Disney employees.  We were there for one reason and one reason only: to go on rides.

The tea cups are always a hit - at least for those who have a stronger stomach than mine.

The three oldest taking advantage of no lines at Indiana Jones.

 

Two astronauts ready for take-off.

The carousel was a huge hit with the younger crowd.  

Lucy, refusing to get off, had to have her fingers pried from the horse every time.

Our kids were really brave about going on rides.  It took a few pep talks before we went and even while we were there, but they all tried the scary rides.  In the end, this is how the rides were rated:

Winners: 

Abby - Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Space Mountain

Isaac: Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain

Henry: Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain Railroad and Space Mountain

(there seems to be a theme here.)

Peter: Matterhorn (The Snow Monster "didn't scare me one bit!")

Lucy: carousel, Small World and Dumbo

As for me, my favorite ride of all time is Splash Mountain.  I love that ride and would have been more than willing to go on it 100 times in a row.  It was a little much for the kids, but I LOVED it.

Loser:

The unanimous loser in the ride category was "Captain EO" starring Michael Jackson.

Seriously, I get that this was cutting edge technology when it was first made, 

but it is so painful to watch now. We were all bitter that we spent 25 minutes of our life watching this.  

(Hey Disneyland, it's time to retire the Captain.)

This trip was the first time any of us had been to California Adventure and it was pretty dang fun too.  While Disneyland has the corner on the market in "cuteness," California Adventure has some pretty fun rides and lots to see and do.

We loved the view from the top of the Ferris Wheel.

We loved the "Bug's Life" movie.  So funny - the movie and Peter's dance moves.

We loved the "World of Color" show at the end of the night.

And Peter loved the ginormous turkey legs they sell there. (Gag.)

In fact, during the three long and exhausting days we had at the parks, the only meltdown from any of our kids occurred when someone (who shall remain nameless - mostly because I can't remember who it was) took the turkey leg from Peter.

Fortunately, for  the people around us, the turkey leg was quickly returned and harmony was restored to the park.

Anyway, it was such a fun trip.  Andrew was the master of the fast pass and made sure we maximized our time in each park.  We all gained a new appreciation for corn dogs.  We felt fortunate that in the three days we were there, we only lost a child once.  (Naturally, it was Henry and it was during the fireworks when Main Street was a zoo.  Luckily we found him a short time later in the Lost Child Center where a woman, dressed like Mary Poppins, was reading him a story.  Sigh.)

We all came home big fans of Disneyland and promised ourselves that it wouldn't take another 5 1/2 years for us to get back there.

Tired kids.

Happy Family.