Christmas Warm-Up

I've written often about Barbara and Allison.  Although they are not technically related to us, they are family.  They have been friends to my family since Allison and I were 13 years old.  Barbara is a Grandma to my children and Allison is an aunt.  For several years they have spoiled us all at Christmas time.  This past Saturday was our traditional Christmas meal and gift exchange.  Barbara has been so kind to my siblings and I by celebrating Christmas with us in much the same ways my own mother did.  She loved my mom and we all enjoy sharing "mom" memories.

The most remarkable gift of the day for Brig and I was a beautiful book Barbara put together of pictures of my mom and memories written by her family and friends.  The tears flowed freely and I was mesmerized reading the stories.  

Do you ever feel like you cannot possibly keep up with all the good things other people do for you?  I'm feeling that way a lot these days.  I am amazed with the good people in our lives.  

I'm feeling a little mushy right now.  I think I might cry.  

The girls with their matching jammies, crocheted hats, beaded watches and webkins.  See what I mean?  Spoiled rotten.  And that wasn't even everything. 

Cannon got this firetruck.  BIG HIT!  All 2-year old boys need a firetruck to play with.  And the cars?  He loves them, sleeps with them, eats with them and refers to them by name.  The boys all got matching ties.

 

Does George look like one of my babies or what?  There's a pretty strong family resemblance.  

This picture is priceless to me.  My kids won't get to know my mother here on earth, but to have a dear friend of my mother's who loves my kids and can help them know of her is a blessing.

She crocheted this sweater.  Can you believe that?  Precious.  And Georgie looked so yummy in it on Sunday.

On Sunday my family was sporting the Barbara and Allison collection of church wear.  She made the girls skirts and gave them matching shirts as well.  George wore his new sweater and the boys had their matching ties.  

I'm telling you, spoiled rotten. And not just gifts, but really, really thoughtful gifts. 

Christmas morning might be a real disappointment after Christmas with Barbara and Allison.  I'm afraid Santa isn't quite as talented or thoughtful. 

Do you understand why I am feeling overwhelmed by so much goodness and generosity?

Barbara and Allison:  Thank you!  We love you!

Flying Monkeys

Bethany was a flying monkey in the Wizard of Oz ballet this evening.  She was great, but it was rather tricky to pick her out among all the other flying monkeys.

But it would have been really tricky if they had opted to wear the monkey masks.  A few mothers complained after the dress rehearsal that they couldn't pick "their" monkey out, so the girls folded the masks under the fur.

My sister came with her little girls.  Here is Abe with cousins, Emi and George. Both the babies were very well behaved.

Faith and Takara loved watching the dancing and loved being together.  They were excited, but they did well.  But, I'll tell you who didn't get to come tonight.  It's the same person who has cost me quite a bit in babysitting this week.
Yep, it was Cannon. 
Cannon was not welcome at the piano recital on Wednesday or the ballet recital this evening.  He got to go play with a couple of different families in the neighborhood and he was thrilled.  It was funny as we were driving home tonight we were all telling funny Cannon stories.  I think we all missed our "Little Buddy". 

Christmas Recital 2010

I had a recital for all of my piano students this evening.  Including my own kiddos, 13 children performed.  They all did beautifully and I was so proud of each of them.
Clark is a worrier, so he always thoroughly prepares.  He did have one funny moment at the beginning of Joy to the World where he couldn't remember where to start the song.  But he figured it out and then it was perfection.
He certainly doesn't look like a little boy anymore, does he?  Sigh.

 Faith played in her first recital---we did a duet of We Three Kings.  Her instructions were to play as loud as she could and to play as fast as she could (she tended to play it very slowly).  She did so well and didn't have any nerves to deal with.  I guess that doesn't come till you get older.

Elinor played The First Noel.  I've always loved that Christmas song, but it is actually pretty tricky to play.  Elinor has practiced this song so hard for so long, that I think we're both sick to death of it.   Maybe next year we'll be able to enjoy it again.  I am very proud of how hard she's worked on it and the progress she is making.

  Since Bethany missed her recent violin recital when we were out of town, I had her play at my piano recital.  Such are the perks of having a piano teacher for a mother!  She played Suzuki book 3 Bouree by Bach.  Man, oh man, did she play fast!  Too fast.  But she did it without mistakes so I guess that's all right.  Bethany always plays her best when she is performing.  She gets laser-focused and rarely makes mistakes in recitals.  Lucky girl!

Everyone did great and now we all get to take a little break for the holidays.  Happy day!

If You Invite Them, They Will Come

In the past I have really enjoyed getting out and about during the Christmas season---light displays, temple square, family parties, Festival of Trees.  Not so much this year.

Please understand, I am feeling very much in the Christmas spirit.  I'm loving the music, the food, the family, and the twinkling lights (on my own tree).  I just don't have it in me to drag my littlest people around the town.  I figure there will be other years for venturing forth.  This year is a stay at home Christmas season.

No complaints from me.  I'm loving it.  I guess it might get old around the middle of January, but I can't get enough of home right now.

The great thing is our family is coming to us!

Daniel and Lori's family (Abe's brother) joined us for a festive dinner on Friday night.  Abe discovered a cranberry Sierra-Mist drink at his sister's house in Spokane over Thanksgiving.  He has been hunting it down all over town and I estimate we went through about five 2-liter bottles over the course of the evening. (Abe note: 1st usage of the season of Betsy's Mom's wonderful Christmas dinnerware)

The kiddos played some Apples to Apples.

 Abe recently got me a subscription to the magazine Family Fun.  Although I did appreciate that he had thought to get me a gift, I was less than enthusiastic about his choice of gift.
I do not like parenting magazines.  I occasionally look at them in a doctors office, but mostly they just make me feel like I'm not doing something I "should" be doing, or I don't have something I "should" have for my child to have a happy life.  And sometimes I disagree so strongly with an article, that it makes me want to argue with someone.  So, I generally avoid such magazines.

But, in all fairness to Family Fun, besides having WAY too many advertisements, there are some really cute ideas and my kids are old enough to pull some of them off on their own.  One such idea, was these cute reindeer cupcakes we made with our cousins. 

 

I was happy to get to do a fun crafty project with my little people.

Three cheers for staying home more!

 

We had a little talent show and Faith and I played our duet of "We Three Kings".  I am doing a piano recital for my students this Wednesday night and Faith is going to play in it.  CUTE.  I probably would not have started her in piano quite yet, but when she sees kids coming to the house almost everyday for lessons and she says in her cute Faith voice, "Mommy, when can I do piano lessons?"  

Well, what would you have done?

We take it very slow, and I try to be exceedingly patient. 

 

This evening was our Clark family Christmas gathering, also at our house.  This is my mother's family-- and here I am with my cousin Christy, who is a couple of years younger than me.  We had lots of little babies and toddlers over, but if there's one thing my house is good for-- it's lots of babies and toddlers.  It was a very enjoyable evening and to top it off...

Grandpa and Grandma Cannon stayed late to play games.  Do you see that glass of red drink at the bottom of the photo?  It's that cranberry Sierra-Mist.  I think we've now consumed seven 2-liter bottles. 

Tomorrow is a sugar-free day at our house.

You may feel sorry for me that I've hosted 2 holiday parties in 2 days.  Don't.  Truly, it is easier for me to host a party here, than to take all my people to a party somewhere else.  It's Cannon.  We don't blame him, but he's not very portable right now.  It was a wonderful weekend and Abe and I quite enjoyed ourselves.  Here's to more parties next weekend-- but I don't think we're hosting any of them. 

The Family That Laughs Together...

My people have recently discovered reruns of the show "America's Funniest Home Videos".  Who cares that they are a decade or two old?  Funny is funny and my children are in hysterics.  This video had them rolling in the isles:

While the family was enjoying an evening at home watching we came upon this scene.

I LOVE moments like this!  I think Mark Twain said he could live for two months on a good compliment.  I could live for two months on a moment like this. 
Eventually Clark wanted me to take him because George kept getting startled awake when Clark would laugh really loud watching America's Funniest Home Videos. 

I was viciously tired this afternoon and fortunately we didn't have anything on the schedule (bedsides the usual upkeep of little people). Cannon was napping and so I gratefully snuggled up with this delicious little butterball and took a happy nappy.  Good times.

Maybe Christmas Means a Little Bit More

      (Abe and Clark were Shepherds in the Ward Nativity Program)

 This past Saturday (after the Ward Breakfast Christmas activity) I went out and about for most of the day getting some Christmas shopping done.  Sadly, it didn't do much for my Christmas spirit.  Shopping is overstimulating, overwhelming, and unfulfilling to me.  So many decisions to make!  Maybe it is this way for everyone, but I find it very challenging to pick out the perfect gift (for the perfect price) out of SO MANY choices.  Is there such a thing as shopping ADD?  Not being able to pick out the right gift from all the other gifts.  I think I might have that. 

Fortunately for me, I went to church on Sunday and got a good healthy dose of true Christmas spirit.  Then on Sunday evening, with my people, I watched the First Presidency's Christmas devotional and it was marvelous!   "Oh Martha!  Oh Christmas!" (quote from The Grinch movie with Jim Carrey).

It's not "cute" when a ten-year-old who "knows" about Christmas, relentlessly rattles off lists of Christmas wishes.  But it's DARLING when a two-year-old starts to grasp the idea of Santa Claus.  "Santa bring me tractor?  Santa bring me guns!  Santa bring me cars!  Santa bring me legos?"

  Oh it's going to be a fun Christmas morning at our house this year.

We had several doctor appointments this week.  Elinor had her arm mole removed.  George had his four month check-up.  But the biggest of all-- Bethany had an appointment with the cardiologist to check on her heart murmur.  It was good news and the doctor was very doubtful that surgery would ever be needed.  With our family history, they'll still check it every few years, but so far so good.  

George at four months.  He still loves to be burrito wrapped to go to sleep.  Don't worry, he's strong enough to get out when he wants to. 

More Thanksgiving Adventures

Abe's parents live on top of a small mountain (or large hill).  Under the best circumstances, it is an adventure to get to their house because the road is very curvy and steep and there are a couple of large gates to get through.

But when there is snow on the ground it can be downright treacherous. 
Our car made it about  2/3 of the way up the mountain, but then we weren't able to drive any further.  Abe's dad has a truck with great tires that can pull another car up the rest of the way, but he wasn't home when we got in and wouldn't be home for another 3 hours.  So we hoofed it up the mountain in the snow.  Talk about adventurous!  I was on the lookout for cougars and wolves.  

Giant icicles are fun.  Dangerous, but fun.  I think Grandma will find this one in her deep freezer.  Surprise!

Grandpa shows no mercy in air hockey. 

And no mercy in checkers either.

They saved two wishbones for the kids to pull.  Faith vs. Elinor.  Elinor has the height advantage-- does that matter-- I don't know.

Clark vs. Bethany.  Yikes, Clark-- you look so fierce!  Where do you get such a competitive nature?

I mean, really Clark,  it is just for fun!


There's no reason to get so bent out of shape about a simple wish bone. 


For the record, my son is undefeated in wishbone pulling.  Is your kid?  I didn't think so.

Pick a Little, Talk a Little

Our trip was fun all the way around, but what did I enjoy the most?

 VISITING!!!!!!

I like to visit.  I love to chat with my sister and sister-in-laws A LOT.  Grandpa Fox wondered late one evening if we ladies would ever run out of things to talk about.  Nope.  We can go on indefinitely. 

Abe regularly had to drag me away.  
He wonders what do we talk about?  LIFE.  That covers a whole lot of territory, and it's always changing, so there's new material to cover.
For Marj and I, between home school talks and Primary President talks, there was some good visiting. 

 

Nursing babies is prime time for visiting.

I missed going to the reunion this summer, so I was soaking my time with family this go round.