Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer. . .

Well, not really. But Joel ran over my camera with the car (it was mostly my fault), so our posting might be a little sparse from now on.

We were thinking of getting a new one anyway. Guess we have to now! Any suggestions?

Christmas

I know you're all dying to know what we did and gave and got for Christmas, in detail, with about a million pictures. Well, guess what? Wish granted!

Christmas Eve in my family goes about like this: huge dinner, dessert we only get once a year, spiritual family fireside, open new pajamas, eat freshly-baked cinnamon rolls and drink wassail. I never appreciated the effort my parents went through to do all of this for us until I became a parent myself. For a once-a-year-event, though, it is worth it.

Opening the pajamas is a highlight even though you know what it is you're getting.

I think the kids were happy with what they opened.

We found these cute slippers for Ashley that she liked, but no one could get them on her feet even though they are a size too big! I will have to take them back or figure out a way to slit the sides and put velcro on them or something. Ideas?

Everett has shark slippers, and was excited about them, but he was even happier that he and William matched. Go rocket ships! Ashley was a little doll in her ruffles and leggings.

Christmas morning was fun. The kids woke up around 5am but we told them to go back to sleep. They played around for a while but ended up sleeping until after 7:00. Perfect!

William got a little plush, jingl-y bowling set. I wasn't going to get him anything because he has no concept of what a present is, but I realized that Everett and Ashley would notice if William had been left in the lurch. Five bucks later, and everyone is happy.

Ashley woke up to find a whole bunch of horses and riders. Someday I will get her the doll house that goes with these, but for now she is happy with the horses. I assume she is, anyway--she's slept with some every night.

Ashley's favorite part of Christmas morning was looking through her stocking.

The one thing she asked for was suckers, and she got them!

Everett was thrilled with everything he got in his stocking as well. He was so thrilled, in fact, that he snuck into my room this morning, found the stockings we hadn't emptied yet, and unwrapped everything he could before anyone noticed.

But his big gift was this bad boy. It is called Blu Track and it is pretty interesting. It is a 24 foot long piece of bendable plastic with two separated lanes, and you can bend it and twist it any way you want. The box showed pictures of courses with four or five loops and bends, but we only put two in (you roll it all up to put it away which means we can pack it in a suitcase easily). It can fit any 1:64 size car, which is all the usual cars you can buy. The best part is: no batteries!

Everett was most looking forward to the soda pop in his stocking, I think.

Ashley had fun examining the loot.

This picture is terrible and over-exposed, but I had to include it because Everett loves this dragon so much. My parents gave it to him and he has been sleeping with it every night. Ashley got a little boy horse rider with all her others and Everett sometimes uses it to ride on the dragon a la How to Train Your Dragon.

My brothers and sisters got the new Xbox Kinect gaming system. I have been really impressed with it. Using your body as a controller is really fun!

The kids got some fun presents from both sets of Grandparents, who, as usual, were too generous. So did Joel and I. We don't have so much that it will be too much trouble fitting it into our luggage, which was the goal. Hooray!

We had a wonderful Christmas. We talked more about Jesus than Santa Claus, and that is the way I like it. Santa does come to our house, and the kids look forward to it, but when I asked Everett who gave him his racetrack for Christmas, he pointed to me. I think he really does believe that Santa did, but I am not going to make a big issue of it. The belief in Santa only lasts a few years. It is all the other important stuff that I am more concerned about him remembering.

Merry Christmas!

A Wedding and a Funeral (and a few other things, too)

We are currently on vacation in Utah, and what a whirlwind of events it has been! I can't believe it.

My grandmother passed away suddenly a few days before we left for Utah, and the funeral was held the Friday before Christmas Eve. I am grateful I was able to attend the funeral, and I am even more grateful that we didn't have to rearrange any travel plans to be there.

My grandmother was a giving, loving, faithful person. She was almost completely blind, her body was racked with arthritis, and she couldn't hear very well even with hearing aids, but she kept her spirits up even through the death of my grandfather two years ago. She once remarked that even though she can't see with her physical eyes, she can still see with her spiritual eyes. A few months before her death, I felt impressed that I should send her some letters, and I actually did. I am grateful that I took the opportunity to express some of the things I was feeling. She was a wonderful, although imperfect person, and I felt that my job as a granddaughter was to make her feel relevant and loved. I hope I accomplished that, even a little bit.

We decided to drive four hours to fly out of the Omaha, Nebraska airport. We would have spent at least that amount of time in other airports and layovers anyway, and I'll take screaming kids in a car over an airplane any day. I have an Aunt who lives in Omaha who was kind enough to drive us to the airport so we didn't have to worry about long-term parking, so the whole arrangement was a no-brainer.

They all ended up sleeping, so I took pictures to document the moment.

(Ashley is not pictured but she was asleep as well)

Was this A) A few minutes after lift-off?

B) Before the plane even started taxiing?

C) Right before we landed?

If you guessed C, you're right. It was only a two-hour flight, but William was a little sick so he was fussy the whole time, and the other kids were grumpy and running on fumes. Right when I was about to tell Joel that he was on his own because I was running to hide in the bathroom, the kids zonked out. Thank goodness. I have to say, I really enjoyed the last ten minutes as we descended into the Salt Lake Valley.

After my grandmother's funeral, Joel and I got together with some friends we know from the University of Notre Dame. Provo is a funny place for Indiana friends to meet up, but it worked out that we were all in town so we went with it.

The three of us had babies within six weeks of each other. William is bookended by two beautiful girls. The baby on the left is the youngest. The oldest baby is asleep. William was not old enough to understand the value in being outnumbered by such cute, charming girls. Someday he will wisen up.

Here are the guys. They were all in the one-year MBA program together and had a lot of the same stresses.

Next up, Joel's sister's wedding! I have to say, I have never had as much fun at a wedding as this one. The siblings and their wives shared a table at the wedding luncheon (hosted at the Lion House--all I can say is, it definitely lives up to the hype) and we were rowdy and loud. A few inappropriate jokes may or may not have been made, which means the rest of the luncheon guests loved us.

The reception was beautiful. They boys wore matching green ties. William did not have a white button-up shirt (I couldn't find one) so he just wore the tie with a plain onesie.

He still looked handsome to me! This picture makes me a little sad because sometimes I wish he could stay little forever.

Ashley got a beautiful yellow dress, which she decided was a princess dress, so she was on cloud nine the entire time. I think she will be thrilled to wear it again.

The kids were practicing their cheesy grins so they could copy Joel.

Speaking of cheesy grins, take a look at this guy. Ashley loved all this dancing.

After the reception we took the kids for an overnight party with their cousins. We let them stay up very late and eat plenty of sugar, because we are awesome parents. The next morning they were actually re-energized, but all the kids managed to sit still for a ring pop and an episode of My Little Pony.

Ashley loved it.

Since William was too little to play with the toys, he became a toy. The cousins took turns pulling him around the house in this little wagon.

He loved all the attention and I loved that I didn't have to worry about him swallowing someone else's legos.

Our trip has been great and a little emotionally polar, but we are glad we came out.

My heart has been full and a little extra tender this holiday season. I am so grateful for the blessings I have as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I wouldn't trade my gospel knowledge or my faith for anything. Funerals, weddings, family, friends--none of it would have the same meaning for me were it not for my membership in this Church. I truly have felt humbled as I have a lot to be grateful for this year.

Some People Call this Roughhousing

I call this "getting the kids worn out before bedtime so we can all get a good night's sleep."

The first indication that something is brewing: Everett catches a glimpse of Monster Papa.

RRRRRrrrevenge is sweet.

Very sweet.

But not permanent!

Now is when I step in and offer a few stories in order to calm these hooligans down. And do they sleep well? Oh yes, they do.

Guests

Spiderman and a Princess were our breakfast guests this morning.

We don't have our TV hooked up yet, so in place of cartoons they watched Cinderella. (It was the princesses turn to pick the movie, much to Spiderman's disappointment, as he was set on our Duck Tales dvd.)

It was this princesses first time watching it that she can remember.

Spiderman, as you can see, was not too thrilled.

I hope he comes back to see us again after all this girly stuff.

Angry Eyes

"I'm packing you an extra pair of shoes, and your angry eyes, just in case"

--Mrs. Potato Head, Toy Story 2

Ashley is a sweet heart, but she sure can give people a look of death.

She has also started giving Everett a very loud growling yell when she is mad at him.

Sunset

Our backyard looks out onto an empty, golden field. Today the sun is just starting to set and I snapped a few pictures.

I don't think I'll get tired of this view.

Daddy's Girl

Everett recently learned about the whole concept of having a best friend, and has since gone around and announced who is is best friend. This changes on a daily basis and is not limited to friends; family is part of the puzzle as well.

Ashley absorbed all of this and decided one day that papa was her best friend.

It has been a few weeks and she has not budged. "Papa is my best friend!" she will announce, all day, every day.

She wants to sit by him at dinner and she wants to play with him all the time.

If I am so bold as to suggest that I might be her best friend, she immediately sets me straight with words and an angry expression.

"NO! Papa is my best friend."

It's hard to say, but I think Joel kind of enjoys it. . .

Snow Day

On Saturday we had our first snow of the year. The kids were disappointed that the flurries only left an inch or two on the ground, but they wanted to go out and play in it anyway. After I spent too long finding their snow gear amongst our move-in chaos, the kids were ready.

Ashley was thrilled with her snow pants. She kept telling me how fancy they were. Both kids wore their snow pants for the remainder of the afternoon. "Aren't your legs hot?" I'd ask periodically. "Nope!" they'd say, shrug their shoulders, and return to their business.

The complete package, minus Ashley's gloves which she refused to keep on. She was persuaded to put them back on after she had her bare hands out in the snow for a minute or two.

The kids liked playing on our porch.

We've had some nasty, windy days lately so this was the first day they have really been able to explore the backyard.

Leaving many footprints seemed to be the activity of choice, as always.

Friday night we looked at the forecast and saw that it was supposed to snow, so we figured now was as good a time as any to buy a show shovel and some salt for the driveway. Joel was eager to go out and shovel, even though there was practically nothing to shovel. The next day we noticed that none of our other neighbors could be bothered to remove such a small amount of snow, but we (read: Joel), in our new homeowner's excitement, had been looking forward to one of our first chores.

This will get old fast, but for now I think we'll enjoy it.

Even though I gave the kids a snack before they went outside, and they only stayed out there for a few minutes, Ashley decided that she deserved another snack for all her ventures.

Seeing as it was a greater undertaking for me to round up all of her snow clothes than it was for her to go prance around outside, I told her she couldn't have a snack.

She was only mollified after I pointed out the hot chocolate I was stirring on the stove top.

It was a fun day. It is snowing again, and maybe this time the kids will have more snow to play in.