Christmas

We had a wonderful, relaxing Christmas this year. We were pleased to spend Christmas Eve with the Johnsons and the Burtons. The kids were in heaven, as they were the only two grandchildren present and had two sets of grandparents, one set of great-grandparents, and five aunts and uncles to dote on them. They are in for a shock when we finally go home and only have their mother to give them attention.

We have a tradition every year of getting new pajamas Christmas Eve. This is the only present we open before Christmas, and it is always one to look forward to.

Everett and Ashley are sitting with Joel's youngest two siblings while they open their pajamas. Everett was too young last year to remember what the present is, so it was a complete surprise to him.

They were thrilled! It has been a while since Everett wore footed pajamas, and I think he really likes them.

Everett left out a plate of homemade, hand-dipped chocolates for Santa Claus. When he got up in the morning he discovered that Santa left him a card thanking him for the treat. This was almost as exciting to Everett as actually seeing what was in his stocking.

Joel's family had the tradition of getting soda pop in their stockings each year, and we decided to continue this tradition with our kids. There are few things Everett loves more than soda pop, and I think he would have been satisfied just to get that solitary bottle for Christmas.

But, he didn't. He also got a black and decker tool set. It wasn't fancy but it is easy to pack up and take home--a must, since we're flying. I am glad we have children who are young enough to not care about getting expensive presents, and we took full advantage of that this year.

Ashley had fun opening her stocking, too. She didn't care about the juice I gave her in place of soda pop, but she was thrilled about the dum-dum suckers.

(Ashley had fun opening her stocking with Grandpa)

Here she is with her Santa gift: a baby doll, stroller, and blanket. The doll is all plush and machine washable, and has a pacifier that magnetizes to her face. Ashley wasn't too thrilled about the doll (fine by me; I got it for her to grow into), but she was in love with the stroller.

She has been pushing it around ever since. Even Everett has taken some turns, usually loading up the seat with trucks before roaming around.

Both of the kids have been having a blast. They loved being with the Johnsons for a few days before Christmas, and they are loving being here with the Burtons. I found Ashley like this the other day. She is playing with her Uncle Nick's toys and enjoying a sucker.

This picture clearly displays the reason Grandma's house is so fun. They never get to do this at home!

Going on an Airplane

I'm sitting on the couch next to Everett, who is absorbed in his favorite TV show (Caillou). I'm not sure why he loves this show so much, when there are lots of other shows on about dinosaurs, trains, cars, and Mickey Mouse. Even though Caillou's voice annoys me sometimes, it is not nearly as annoying as Syd the Science Kid. Does anyone know that show? I can't stand their voices. I think Everett likes Caillou because the narration is very easy for him to understand. The grandmotherly voice will explain that Caillou is sad because of such-and-such, or that Caillou really wants to do something-or-other.

The kids have been watching TV all morning in anticipation of our trip today. I didn't want them to get out any more toys, so I haven't felt guilty about the extra TV time. We leave around nap time to get on the airplane, and Everett couldn't be more excited!

I am not nervous about traveling with these kids. I have Joel with me, so we can each take a child. Everett gets his own seat. He is old enough to watch movies or play a computer game I got him, and Ashley is a gem and can sit still arranging animal figurines or coloring for a very long time. I think I've thought of everything; I've even wrapped up a few little things I got at the dollar store as a last resort. We have snacks coming out our ears. I figure that at the very least, if I keep their mouths busy they can't be too obnoxious. I have a change of clothes for each of the kids and a change of shirt for me, wrapped up individually in grocery bags. Joel is out of luck :).

Last time I flew with Joel, he got sick on the airplane and had to sit with his face in a trash bag. If this happens again, I don't think I will think it's very funny.

We're excited to see family, especially Everett. He is excited to play with cousins and visit his many grandparents. I think Joel is just excited that his finals are done.

Even Though I Know I'm The Only One Who Finds This Amusing. . .

I'm posting it anyway. I hope you don't mind. Wait, who am I kidding, here? This is my blog! I can do whatever I want.

Everett and I were messing around with the camera tonight, and on a whim I decided to shout out expressions. He obliged (stopping ever so often to check out the pictures) and I got a good variety. There is a reason I am loving this three-year-old year, and this is part of it. We have so much fun!

"Big smile!"

"Silly Face!"

(this was accompanied by rolling his head around, which you obviously can't see from a still frame.)

"Sad Face"

"Scared Face"

"Sad Face"

"Surprised Face"

"Angry Face"

. . .And, the most genuine and candid of all:

"Having Fun With Papa Face"

All this from the boy who is old enough to understand his digestive system, get on a bus and go to school by himself, and pretend to tie his shoes ("the bunny goes in the hole and around the tree. . ."), but small enough to love hugging his mama. We've hit perfection. If four gets even better, I don't want to know--I don't think my sentimentality can take it!

COMFORT-able

I found Ashley relaxing like this today:

She had found her pacifier, her special monkey, and a box, and got all nestled up in front of the portable heater. Where did her hand go? Right to its favorite spot, the belly button. This picture says a thousand words, and they all mean one thing: comfort.

Feeling Christmasy

The kids sure have had a lot of Christmas fun over the last couple of weeks. We've gone to three Christmas parties, all including a visit from Santa, and we've done a few fun things as a family as well.

One thing the kids enjoyed was making picture cards for my sister who is on a mission in Taiwan. Everett had a great time drawing things on his, and I was impressed with how his drawings are beginning to be more recognizable:

He has also been very excited about Santa Claus. He thinks it's great that someone is going to come leave him presents and candy on a certain day. When it comes to actually visiting with him, though, Everett is a little reluctant. Out of our three parties, Everett decided only once that he wanted to sit on Santa's lap. This was perfectly fine with me, so I didn't push it.

We got a very brief smile.

Everett was a boy on a mission: the only reason he actually sat on Santa's lap was because of the treat bags he saw the other kids get. Poor Santa tried to ask him some questions, but all Everett did was avoid eye contact and point at the treat box. Santa finally gave him his bag and Everett hopped down without hesitation and without a good-bye. He had fulfilled his purpose, and I enjoyed watching the entire scenario.

Ashley only sat on Santa's lap once, too. I didn't really see the point in having her sit with him since he is just a large, hairy stranger to her, but I decided to sate my curiosity and see how she would react. She looked a little shy at first--for about two seconds. Then she was beaming and showing off for the camera, and having an all-around good time. I don't know how Ashley is so comfortable with everyone all the time and it is more of a struggle for Everett, but it is fun to see my children's personalities develop.

Ashley decided she liked holiday parties--at least, she liked the buffet tables of food. She spent most of her time trying to wander around, hoping to get samples of anything she could. Fortunately she is extremely obedient and easy to reign in.

We have had a lot of fun, but we're looking forward to our long trip to Utah. It will be nice to spend the season with family!

It's Another. . .

BOY!

And wow, was he comfortable in there. He had his legs spread wide open, so we were very sure of what we saw.

So sorry, all of you who predicted girl, but you're wrong! We are very excited. I knew it was a boy and I was hoping I was right. Next order of business: to find that small box of newborn boy clothes I know I have around here somewhere, but couldn't find for the life of me when I looked this morning. Where could it be? We only have so many places to put things around here.

We were able to get some good ultrasound images, including a nice profile. While we were waiting for the pictures to be printed, Joel and I talked to some nice women who work at the hospital. They gave us the ins and outs of the new hospital we're going to deliver in, and boy did they ooh and ah over those images once we finally got them. It was kind of fun to have someone besides me excited about the pictures, as grainy and alien-like as they are.

For those of you who like to see ultrasound pictures, here they are.

Nice profile picture.

The face pictures always look so skeletal, but this one isn't too bad.

The technician put two pictures together so we'd have a full profile. I thought it was nice of her, so I'm including it here.

Seeing the baby is always fun, especially now that I can plan for his arrival. I picked up a bouncer seat the other day because that is all we have room for, and I don't have one anyway. I could have gotten one with lights and sounds, but I thought about it and I just know the kids are going to go in and turn them all on while the baby is sleeping. I settled for simple vibration. The best part about this one is that it has a mesh screen that zips over the baby. It will be good for keeping Ashley out!

It's That Time Again. . .

I had my 24 week doctor's appointment today and we were finally (and by that, I mean Fi-Na-Lly!) able to schedule our "20 week" ultrasound/gender check. We had some insurance issues and the doctor's office wouldn't schedule the ultrasound until we were back on, even though they should have scheduled it at my last appointment when I was 17 weeks along and the hospital would have taken my old insurance anyway.

Needless to say, it has been quite the wait. But we're happy it's finally here, and everyone is excited to find out whether the baby is a boy or a girl. At least, I thought everyone was excited.

Last night I was comparing my schedule with Joel's so I'd know in advance what days wouldn't work for the ultrasound. We have such a support system out here, I knew we would have no problem finding someone who could watch the kids for an hour so we both could go. Joel missed Ashley's because he had to work. I decided he was not going to miss this one.

"Why do I need to go?" Joel whined asked.

I was taken aback, and couldn't think of what to say for a minute. ". . .Because!" I spluttered, "it is your child, and you only got to see Everett in utero because you were working when I had Ashley's!"

"Well, I don't need to go this time, either." Joel replied, more unemotionally than I would have predicted.

"But this is the interesting one. You get to see all the parts, and you get to find out what the baby is."

"Well, I've already seen all the parts of a baby, and I get to find out what the baby is as soon as you get home." Joel's lack of sentimentality, like a gaping hole, filled the room and sucked all the words out of my mouth.

So I just kissed him, told him that I was dragging him to the ultrasound whether he liked it or not, and patted him sweetly on the rear end for good measure.

Friday at 9:30 we get to go find out our baby's variety. We also get to make sure the heart is working properly, among other things, but I'd be lying if I said that is what I'm most excited for.

On that note, I'm putting up a poll. What do you think the baby will be? We will have two of something. Boys? Girls? Do we need another Joel or another Elise in this house? Do we have too much sentimentality or not enough? Look in the upper corner of the blog and cast your vote, if you have the time or inclination. All the votes in the world won't change anything now, but it sure is fun to predict!

(for those of you who like the old wives' tales, the heartbeat today was at a steady 140 bpm.)