Christmas 2010

Since it's almost New Year's, I figured I'd post some of our pictures from Christmas.

Santa was generous and pretty much amazing this year.  He really stepped it up.  Every kid got exactly what they asked for.

Matt asked for a remote control monster truck.  Does it matter that that's exactly what he got from Santa last year?  Nah, why would it? 

Abby got a unicorn Pillow Pet.  Abby was wishy-washy all December about what she wanted for Christmas, but there was one thing she continually asked for: a unicorn Pillow Pet. 

Millie hasn't had a lot of experience with Santa yet, so she didn't really know that she needed to ask for something.  Besides, even if she had, I think she would've only asked for a shoe, sock, book, or snack since those are most of her favorite words.  However, Santa did think about how she loves cars and when we told him that she loved the ride-on cars at Cindy's house last month, he put two and two together and got her favorite gift of the year.

And the number one gift Santa brought was the tortoise that Emma has been asking for for a little over two years.  He's so cute and little, but he has the potential of growing to be 18" and 40 lbs.  Eventually he will be an outdoor pet, but for now he lives in the tank Emma's sitting in front of.  She named him Dribble, like the turtle in the Judy Blume book Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing.  But this little guy is a tortoise, not a turtle.  Emma has happily taken on the responsibility of being a pet owner and everyone loves to peek in at him all throughout the day.

There are a few other pictures, but I won't bore you.  It was an awesome day and we had a great Christmas weekend. 

Millie's 2nd Birthday

Yesterday was Millie Marie's birthday.

Her brother and sisters had gone to the neighbor's yard sale last week and bought her some birthday presents.  (I didn't get shots of Abby's and Matt's gifts.)  Emma got Millie a little drum set.  Millie LOVES to play the drums for Rock Band.  Nearly every morning Millie will come into my room and head to my closet where the drum set is stored.  She'll grab the drumsticks and begin singing, "We Will Rock You."  Millie is a Queen fan.



Pay no attention to the fact that the birthday girl is pant less.  She deliberately stripped right before the festivities began!



Aunt Tara came by and had some gourmet hot dogs and mac and cheese for dinner.  She brought Millie this cute elephant with a blanket.  Millie loves the blankie.  It's hers.  Don't forget that.

Poppy (Josh's dad) and his wife Karen sent Millie a doggie that talks.  Not only does it talk, but Josh programmed it and now it calls Millie by name.  The first time it said, "Hi, Millie!" her eyebrows shot up and her mouth gaped.  She likes her new doggie.

Mommy and Daddy cheated and let Millie pick out her own gift.  We were at the store doing Christmas shopping and Millie found Sleeping Beauty in the Barbie aisle.  She looked at it, grabbed it to her chest and yelled, "P'ease!!  P'ease!!  P'ease!!"  How can you say no to that?  So when the confusion of check out hit, we took the doll from her, wrapped it and gave it to her several days later.  I think her sisters like it even more than she does.

Millie was a rock star with her birthday cake.  She didn't really know what to do at first.

Mommy stood by in case she needed to help Millie blow out the candles.

Even Daddy expected her to take a few minutes to finally blow out the candles, but she didn't.  She got them both on the first try.  Rock star.

And what's a birthday bash without a dirty bowl on your head?  Millie promptly ate her cake and ice cream and created her own beret. 

Millie is learning how old she is.  If you hold up your own two fingers and ask her how old she is, Millie will tell you that she's "Twoooooo!"

Millie has had a major year of development and I look forward to what she will do this next year.  I'm thinking we will begin using big kid cups, the potty, longer sentences, less pacifiers, a big kid bed, and lots of other big kid adventures.

Happy birthday, Sweet Girl!!

The Mark of the Birth.....mark

I think we all have those things about us that are different.   I have a somewhat bright red birthmark on my upper lip.  It sort of looks like a bloody nose. 

The kids I grew up around were the pretty typical mean ones.  Not all of them, but enough that I got called names, told I was ugly, laughed at, and even treated as sick (in a "what's wrong with you?" sort of way) all because of my birthmark. 

When I was younger, a woman that worked with my parents told them about laser surgery and how it could remove my birthmark.  I wanted it!  No more comments of, "You're nose is bleeding," "Do you have a cold sore?" or "What's with your nose?"

But as I got older, I didn't mind my birthmark anymore.  My family and friends didn't notice it, people around me began to mature and stop making stupid comments about it, and I realized that it's a part of me.  It's not something that I can just get rid of.  My birthmark has helped form me into the person I am today.

Me, 2009

But now that I'm in the nursery, I get to have little kids around me a lot.  Every week I seem to have someone ask me, "What's that?" as they point to their own, smaller, upper lip.  I explain that it's a birthmark and it's just where my skin is a different color and it's been that way since I was born.  They kind of nod in acknowledgment and we move on with whatever we're doing. 

Yesterday was no exception.  I was asked by one of the girls (not the same one from my previous post, btw) about my birthmark.  I explained and she nodded.  During music time, the music leader added some Christmas songs to our list of singing.  She turned to the group of 3-year-olds and asked, "Who has a red nose?"  My little friend from earlier turned around in her seat and pointed at me, saying, "She does!" 

Yes, yes I do.

Potty Mouth

It is difficult to find a play without swearing in it.  Unless it was written many, many years ago.  But even that is no guarantee.  In college, I did take my kids to theatre class with me every so often.  It wasn't too often that the girls came with me, but my classes were such that a quiet little girl would not even be noticed. 

There was one time when we had a performance day and several classmates got up to perform.  I had one of the girls with me.  Maybe Matt.  I honestly don't remember.  I just know that the child was just starting to talk, but when a group of adults were talking s/he would tune them out because they were boring.  Unless they started making a big deal about the kid sitting there.

One guy got up and had several naughty words in his monologue.  After he finished he looked over at me and noticed my child.  He began to freak out that he had used such language in front of my child.  I immediately stopped him.  If he didn't make a big deal about it, then my child would have no idea that something bad had happened.  And I was right.  The kid had no idea what was being said and s/he went on with their business without any issues.

I didn't take any of the kids to performance days after that.  Once I could get away with.  Twice?  Better not press my luck.

So it's been a while since I last had to worry about little kids and swearing.  Until today in nursery.  I don't know what the whole story was, but as we prepared for snack I heard one girl say, "And I just said, 'What the hell?'"  I quickly said, "Let's talk nicely" and got the snack passed out, purposefully avoiding singling out the girl in front of everyone. 

And I tried really hard not to laugh.

A Letter

Dear Migraine,

Thank you so much for stopping by.  It's been a while!  I'd like to say I missed you, but honestly I forgot about you.  Not that I don't absolutely love when you show up.  Especially when your visits coincide with extra stress on my part.  You always remind me how much I love my bed.

You see, Migraine, when you are around it is really hard to keep my eyes open or even stand up straight.  I really just want to lay around and hold my head in a vice grip.  But your impeccable timing allows me to crave bedtime more than usual.

I love that tonight you showed up right before Josh headed out the door.  Trying to get four kids bathed and ready for bed with you hanging around is quite a feat.  The kids were actually pretty good after they realized that when I said, "I'm not feeling good," I actually meant it. 

Oh wait.  Except for when Millie grabbed the tube of toothpaste, squeezed the thing nearly empty and rubbed it all in her face and eyes.  Her screaming nearly inflated you twenty times, Migraine.  I thought you were going to make my head bust.  Luckily, I was able to flush the toothpaste out of her eyes and she's okay now.  She does smell nice and minty though.

Also, Abby's favorite key chain slid underneath the oven.  Do you know what that means, Migraine?  That means that I got to pull the huge oven away from the wall.  Something that made my head spin.  Well, you know that.  You were there.  Especially since I had to bend over and sweep up all the GROSS STUFF underneath it.  How could I sleep tonight knowing all that was there?  Ignorance was bliss.  But, thank you, Migraine, for giving me the peace of mind that under my stove is now clean.

By the way, Migraine, have you been working out?  I think you're even stronger now than you were last time we hung out.  I'm just sayin'.

And now, Migraine, I bid you adieu as I attempt to sleep tonight before I prepare to tackle the nursery at church tomorrow.  My bed invites me and I happily accept.  I truly hope we don't see each other again for quite a while.  No offense.

With Love,
Shelly

Holiday Concert

The girls had their holiday concert the other night.  I tried to upload the videos I took so anyone not on facebook could see them, but Blogger is not working right.  So if you want to see them, and we are friends on facebook, check them out.  If we are not friends on facebook but you still want to see the videos, I'll upload them as soon as I can.

Emma and her band.  There are a total of seven members.  One flute, one sax, one trumpet, one percussionist, and three clarinets.

The band played very well, especially for being several brand new members.  They played mostly Christmas songs and it was very fun to watch.  Emma did great and we are very proud of her!

Abby is in the choir, which is much bigger than the band.  Where the band was available only for the fourth and fifth graders, the choir was open to kindergartners through fifth graders.

The choir was very good.  One of the final songs featured a few soloists, including Abby.  She did so well!  It nearly made me cry with pride.  Literally. 

It was a great night!

Merry Creepy Christmas

Christmas is definitely my favorite time of year.  I love the actual meaning, first off.  The birth of our Savior is the greatest gift of all.

But I also love the other aspects of the year: the lights, the tree, the stockings, the movies, the music, the TV specials, the gifts, Santa, the goodies.  All of it. 

Well, most of it.

I really don't enjoy the song, "Baby, It's Cold Outside."  Have you ever heard the lyrics?  Let me enlighten you.  It's a duet between a man and woman.  Basically, she says she has to go.  He says the storm is too awful to be in so she should just stay.  Sounds cute, maybe a little flirty.

No.

It starts out all nice:

I really can't stay - Baby it's cold outside
I've got to go away - Baby it's cold outside
This evening has been - Been hoping that you'd drop in
So very nice - I'll hold your hands, they're just like ice
My mother will start to worry - Beautiful, what's your hurry
My father will be pacing the floor - Listen to the fireplace roar
So really I'd better scurry - Beautiful, please don't hurry
Well Maybe just a half a drink more - Put some music on while I pour

Then she starts to question what's in her drink.  Um, did he slip her a mickey?  He's definitely moving in on her....

The neighbors might think - Baby, it's bad out there
Say, what's in this drink - No cabs to be had out there
.....
I ought to say no, no, no, sir - Mind if I move a little closer
At least I'm gonna say that I tried - What's the sense in hurting my pride
I really can't stay - Baby don't hold out

Then comes the definitive line.  No means NO, Buddy.  But it sure doesn't stop him.  If nothing else, this dude needs to be cited for sexual harassment.....

I simply must go - Baby, it's cold outside
The answer is no - Ooh baby, it's cold outside
This welcome has been - I'm lucky that you dropped in
So nice and warm -- Look out the window at that storm
My sister will be suspicious - Man, your lips look so delicious
My brother will be there at the door - Waves upon a tropical shore
My maiden aunt's mind is vicious - Gosh your lips look delicious
Well maybe just a half a drink more - Never such a blizzard before

There's more to the song.  I've heard it beautifully sung.  The melody is great, I love the harmonies, but the lyrics are a bit creepy.  I'd think the ideal guy to sing this song is the guy in this commercial:
 



I couldn't remember which jeweler did this commercial so I went to YouTube and looked for "creepy diamond commercial."  Yep.  Found it. 

Creepy, creepy, creepy.

I Wish It Was Christmas Today

In case you, like me, need a holiday pick-me-up.

Debbie Downer Days

I've been having some "down" days.  Debbie Downer days, if you will.



I'm not a good enough mother.
I'm not disciplining my children enough.
I discipline my children too much.
I don't have a clean enough house.
I'm not close enough to being ready for Christmas.
I don't give enough of myself to my husband.
I don't give enough of myself to myself.
I'm not exercising consistently enough to feel good about myself.
I need a haircut.
I eat too much junk food.
I don't feel guilty enough about eating too much junk food.
I feel like I'm barely staying afloat in my calling at church.
I feel like I'm overly invested in my calling at church.

The last one is the thing on my mind tonight.  Mostly because I've been working on stuff for church for the last several hours.  In January, 25 of my 52 nursery kids are heading to Primary with the older kids.  (We'll only have 27 kids, whatever will we do?)  They will be in a class called the Sunbeams.  Because they are 3 years old, there are plenty of worries for these little guys to be able to sit still for nearly an hour before they go to class and have to sit still again.  That's a lot of stillness for such little kids. 

So we've been practicing.  We've had Sharing Time and music time.  The kids have been sitting in their chairs and raising their hands and offering answers.  They are smart.  And they know who Jesus is.  Really, isn't that all that matters?

Tomorrow we are going on a field trip to the Primary room where some of the kids will see their brothers and sisters.  Even some of their parents.  I'm excited for them.  It's a fun change.

I've taken it as a personal challenge to make sure these little ones are taught what will be expected from them in Primary.  You can imagine how big Junior Primary will be if there are 25 3-year-olds.  Not all of the age groups have 25 kids, but they are all large.  If we sent 25 rowdy 3-year-olds into a room with 100(?) other kids, what sort of learning and sharing could occur?  Not much, I can tell you that.

So along with our practice Sharing Time and our field trip to Primary tomorrow, I also made necklaces for the kids to have tomorrow.  They have a picture of a sun and the middle of the sun says, "Sunbeams in Training". 

I sat there looking at my creations and thought, "This is fun!  I really hope the kids like these!"

Then the Debbie Downer in me popped up again.  "Why am I putting this much energy into something no one will appreciate?  98% of all handouts end up in the garbage."  Yes, that's a scientific fact.... I'm guessing.

So I hope that the things I've struggled with all day end up being worth it in the end.  I'll know by tomorrow morning.

As for the rest of my Debbie Downer list, check back with me in about 60 years.

Millie's Favorite Commercial

It's nearly Millie's second birthday.  Well, in 12 days, but still.

If I were to sum Millie up in an image it would have to be this:



This is Millie's favorite commercial.  She stops to watch it.  Then she laughs as the baby zooms across the country.  I think Millie relates to this baby.  She gets it.  I think because she moves that fast too, but without the walker. 

"God Is Not Dead; Nor Doth He Sleep"

Last night my sister took me out for a date.  We went to listen to the Christmas concert for the East Valley Mormon Choral Organization. 

It was beautiful.  Music is truly the universal language.  I loved the whole thing. 

The program ended with the director challenging the audience to discover the heartaches that Henry Wadsworth Longfellow experienced as he penned the words to "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day."

I accept your challenge, sir.

According to Tom Stewart, Longfellow and his wife, Fanny, were married for nearly 20 years and had five children.  In 1861, the Civil War broke out.  That June, Fanny cut their seven-year-old daughter's hair and decided to save the cut hair in an envelope sealed with wax.  The wax from the candle dripped onto her dress.  Her dress caught fire.  Fanny tried to save the two little girls who were in the room with her.  She carefully ran with them to Henry's office and he tried to extinguish the flames with a rug.  When that didn't work he threw himself on her, burning himself in the process.  She died the next morning.  Between grief and his severe burns, he couldn't attend her funeral.

Two years later his son was shot while in battle.  The bullet entered under his shoulder blade and injured his spine, however, the wound did not kill him. 

Holidays were the hardest for Longfellow to endure.  Life was difficult to survive without his wife.  And the injury of his son seemed to haunt him as well. 

Yet, somehow, Longfellow found some hope:

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
"God is not dead; nor doth he sleep!
The Wrong shall fail,
The Right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men!"

This story touched my heart.  The choir's performance was beautiful.  I wish I had a recording of it. 

Longfellow must have been a strong man to have endured so much trial and pain and yet still write one of the greatest carols of hope for the Christmas season. 

I've been a little afraid of Christmas this year.  I had some weeks of envisioning the mini-stocking we'd use this year for our unborn baby, the one we used for the other kids when we were pregnant with them.  That stocking is back in the box with other unused decorations for the season. 

But this carol is a wonderful reminder.  God has not left us in our sorrows.  He loves us, despite the trials and heartaches we experience.

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

I realized today that everyone has a Christmas tree story.  Whether it's the imitation tree you grew up with or the fantastical glory of chopping a new tree every year. 

So I thought about it.

What is my favorite tree story?

There's the tree we have now.  I bought it two days after Christmas a few years ago.  It was 75% off and pre-lit.  Bonus.  (If you did not read that word in a high pitched sing-song voice, you need to go back and read it again.)



December 2010
Emma convinced the kids to pretend they were watching a movie....



I think the tree was supposed to be the movie....

They are weird kids.

There's the tree we had back in college.  My roommate Tara and her dad picked up a tree for our apartment.  It was tall and a bit sparse.  A tall Charlie Brown-ish tree.

December 1996
Pardon the crop-job on this one.  It was the only pic I had of it.

There's also the one from when I was a kid.  We had one year in particular that our family just struggled.  I'll never forget it.  I was in second grade.  My mom took me and sat me down to explain that there wasn't enough money for very many presents and we wouldn't be able to have a tree that year.  I was disappointed, but I didn't want my parents to feel bad so I put on a brave face.  I got home from school one day and there was a decorated Christmas tree in our living room.  I said to my mom, "I thought we couldn't have a tree this year!"  She told me that this tree had been sitting on our doorstep and someone had ding-dong-ditched it.  That was a pleasant surprise during a difficult holiday season.  I don't have a picture of that one.

But I think my favorite memory (this year, at least) will be the tree from Josh's and my first Christmas.  I've probably already told you the story, but I can't remember for sure.  So I'll tell it again. 

Josh and I had gone to his parents' house to go sledding a few days before we got our tree.  They lived on this huge hill and it was ideal for such an activity.  Yes, the hill had slope, snow, and, unbeknownst to us, huge boulders hiding underneath the snow.  Josh and his sister went down the hill, hit one of these huge mounds of rock, and CRASHED!  The plastic sled they had flown down on splintered and busted into thousands of pieces.  Josh, who was in front, hit the rock with his butt.  His sister (who was about 11) slammed into Josh's back so hard that she was knocked unconscious.  The ride to the urgent care was perilous with Josh occasionally fainting out of pain.  The doctor told him he had a bruised tailbone, but we both wonder if there was a hairline fracture there that they missed.  (His sister was fine, btw, Josh gave her a blessing right there on the spot and she had no lasting problems.)

And yet, he still went trekking out into the Pike National Forest with me on our quest for the perfect tree for our first Christmas.  And he cut it down and even hauled it back to our Bronco II to bring it home.  He then took pain meds and went to bed.

December 1999

It's not a pretty tree.  I don't know that any of the trees you cut down from the forest really are beautiful.  They don't fit the ideal description of a large, bushy, full pine.  They're more mutt-ish.  But when the man you love trudges through the snow (and every time he lifts his leg high enough to clear the several inches of white stuff it causes severe pain in his rear) just to attempt a new tradition with his blushing bride, it's got to be a favorite memory. 

Granted, we have not gone to cut down our Christmas tree since, but it was a lovely thought.