Looking Back at 2014

As we rang in the New Year tonight (at about 8pm) we raised our glasses of sparkling cider, watched fireworks from Dubai on YouTube, and popped open some fun surprises.  We also talked about highlights from 2014.  Here they are, in no particular order.

Ben
- Camping at Dinosaur National Monument
- FSU's National Championship win
- The Great Salt Lake
- General Conference with Cat

Brett
- Camping at Dinosaur National Monument
- Visits from family and friends
- The house getting painted
- Ben's new job
- Trip to DC
- Luke learning to walk
- Peter Pan with Eliza
- Cat's progress on the piano
- Jack riding a bike
- General Women's Session with Cat
- The Great Salt Lake
- My new (very small) book club
- Family History

Cat
- Softball
- Ziplining with Ben & Suz
- The Olympics
- Grammy's Visits
- 9th Birthday
- Trip to Washington, D.C.
- John & Sarah's visit
- Andy & Amy's visits
- Swimming
- Being with friends
- Starting 4th Grade
- Camping at Dinosaur National Monument
- The Aquarium

Jack
- Playing at the homes of friends and neighbors
- Swimming
- The Great Salt Lake
- Seeing a gopher snake at Dinosaur National Monument
- Camping at Dinosaur National Monument

Eliza
- Seeing Peter Pan with Mom
- Playing with Mom
- Starting preschool
- Beginning to read
- Music class
- Swimming at the Rec Center indoor pool
- The Aquarium

Luke (according to Mom)
- Turning 1 and all the things that come along with being a big kid: milk, real food, shoes, just one nap a day
- Learning to walk
- Getting his first set of Duplo blocks
- Playgrounds
- Learning to open doors
- Discovering markers, pencils, crayons, and anything else that marks up the floor or books or his body
- Dogs
- Having such great playmates as siblings

Eliza Lately

Eliza is such a joy to be around.  (Except when she's not.)  She can be fun and sweet and full of adorable girly happiness, but she can also cry and scream for 30 minutes when I won't let her have what she wants for breakfast because she had an upset stomach the previous day.  That may or may not have happened this morning.

I'll give you a few examples of the many sides of Eliza, all from the last few days.

One night at bed time I was with Eliza in her bedroom, encouraging her to get her things cleaned up before she went to bed.  She did not want to clean up.  She sighed, exasperated, and said, "My life is just not what I wanted."

"I think your life is pretty good, Eliza," I told her.

"I should be the oldest," she said woefully.

And I understood what she meant.  She likes to be in charge as much as Cat does, and she wishes she could do all of the Big Kid things her sister gets to do.  Sorry, Eliza.  You'll just have to make do as #3.

Cat and I have started trying to teach Jack and Eliza how to play piano.  Eliza has really enjoyed this opportunity and is learning a few songs already.  Also, she seems to prefer that Cat teach her instead of me.

*****

This morning Eliza was in trouble and needed to have a time out.  After serving part of her sentence, she decided a vicarious punishment would be better.  She asked me, "Could my penguin have time out instead of me?" referring to a beloved stuffed penguin she received as a Christmas gift from cousins.

*****

Last night I was reading Eliza the first story in a book of children's literature we gave her for Christmas.  The story was "Goldilocks and the Three Bears," which I guess she hadn't heard before, or just didn't remember.  When I got to the part where Goldilocks ate all of the baby bear's porridge Eliza interjected, "Oh, he's gonna be SO angry."  Yup.

Eliza has LOVED the makeup set Santa brought her for Christmas.  She particularly enjoys putting on the various colors (shades of purple and pink) of lip stick, then kissing people on the cheek to see her lip marks.  She did this to me tonight, multiple times, while we had some friends over.  I didn't mind.

*****

Last night when Eliza was getting ready for bed, she put on footie pajamas.  With sparkly red shoes.  And a flowy black ballerina skirt.  Tonight when she went to bed, she accessorized her footie pajamas with a tiara, which was still perfectly in place when she'd been asleep for 3 hours.

Oh, how I love this girl.

PS> Photos by Cat.

SUZ - DON'T READ THIS POST!!!

When the Salt Lake Valley got a new aquarium earlier this year, lots of people were clamoring to see it, but Ben and I were not on the list.  We've been to two of the aquariums recognized as the best in the country (Georgia Aquarium in Atlanta and Florida Aquarium in Tampa) and we figured this one wouldn't be quite as good.  But when a friend gave us tickets to this new aquarium, we started talking about a good time to go and take the kids to see what the aquarium had to offer.

We thought Saturday would be a good day, but the boys were sick in the morning, so we weren't sure it was going to work out.  We needed to go to Salt Lake to pick my Mom up from the airport (yeah!) later in the afternoon, and when the kids seemed to be better after Luke's nap, we decided to make the aquarium happen.  I thought I might just walk around with the family for a bit, then go pick Mom up and come back to pick everyone up afterwards, but the aquarium was small enough that we felt like we could see pretty much everything before it was time to get Grammy.  We managed to do it - and we all had a really good time.

The shark tunnel was the first stop.  I never saw a list of the number of species in the tank, but there were at least 4 different kinds, and a lot of them.  It was fun to watch them and we got a kick out of the shark that was napping on top of the tunnel for most of the time we were there.

Penguins!  Eliza and I laughed at how the penguins swam so fast under water
and looked like they were playing tag.

That big fish is the Arapaima, which is an air-breathing fish
that lives in the Amazon and can grow to be over 8 feet
long and weigh over 330 pounds.  Whoa.

Pat yourself on the back if you can find the basilisk lizard.

Electric eel.

14-foot anaconda in front of the kids, piranha at the bottom of the picture.

The Amazon exhibit also had a rope bridge to walk across.
Jack was really eager to do this, but a bit scared when the time came.
He walked over like a champ, though!

Otters!  These were in the Utah exhibit.  I had no idea that otters are
indigenous to Utah.  Now I kind of want to go find one in the wild.
Apparently they were re-introduced to the Provo River a few years ago...

And with that, our trip to the aquarium was over.  We had to scurry to pick up this lovely lady so that she could make her appointment with our in-house makeup artist.

Christmas Day, Part 2

We haven't had much snow this year and there was quite a bit of speculation in the weeks leading up to Christmas as to whether or not The Big Day would be a White one.  Well, it was lovely to wake up on Christmas morning and see a beautiful blanket of snow that had fallen overnight.  It continued to snow all day, so after Luke's nap we took the opportunity to go sledding as a family at a hill near our house.  Everyone had a great time.  When we were finished sledding we ended the outing with a friendly snowball fight.  So fun!

Christmas Day, Part 1

We had such a great Christmas Day at our house.  The kids were so nice to wait until 7:30 to begin the festivities, just like we asked them.  They were thrilled with the surprises Santa left them and so excited about the gifts under the tree.  Everyone was patient through the process and grateful for the things they received and just happy.  It was just lovely.

Then, since we received almost no electronic gifts (the exception being a couple of DVDs we gave Jack), we spent the rest of the morning just playing.  Ben and Jack worked on the new LEGO set that Jack got.  Cat and I played her new Monopoly game.  Eliza tried on all of the dress-up items she received, and practiced putting on make-up with her new make-up set.  Luke took advantage of the unsupervised candy left in the living room and got good and sugared up.  We all had a great time.

Cat was so excited that Santa brought her the kid-sized picnic basket she wanted.

Santa brought Jack Heatwave, the last Rescue Bot he needed to complete his collection.

Santa brought Eliza a fancy Hello Kitty make-up set.
If that doesn't prove there really is a Santa, I don't know what does.
Because that's exactly the kind of thing Mommy would NOT buy.

 

 

Luke was precious on Christmas morning.  For a while, all he cared about was

sweets.  But then he showed interest in some of his other gifts: a book, a hammering table,

and a t-ball set (which we will definitely teach him how to use properly).

Santa's Little Helpers

We had a good time delivering treats several nights leading up to Christmas.  The kids really LOVE caroling, and this year we kicked it up a notch by bringing BELLS.  Our rendition of "Jingle Bells" has never been so festive.  Between Ben's work schedule and the work being done on our house, we mostly ended up leaving the house at about the time we try to get the kids to bed, so we had some late nights, but it was worth it.  We enjoy getting to spend time with our neighbors, even if it's only a few minutes, and we had a great time together.  We found that there is wisdom in the Code of the Elves rule: 

The best way to spread Christmas cheer

Is singing loud for all to hear

We even received a request to come caroling to one family, after they heard us caroling at a neighbor's house.  Of course we were happy to oblige, and ended up visiting with them in their house for half an hour, drinking hot chocolate and eating cookies.

Then on Christmas Eve, Cat and Eliza were called upon to help a neighbor deliver treats to the whole neighborhood.  Pat wanted to share goodies with all of her neighbors but has a hard time getting in and out of her car, so she invited Cat and Eliza to be her delivery gals, roles they were happy to fill.  We got a kick out of spotting them from our kitchen window.

We were also the recipients of some fun Christmas visitors: a group of women from our ward and neighborhood who were the Christmas Tree Inspection Committee.  They had their clipboards and everything, and checked everything off on their checklists to determine whether our tree was up to standard.  I'm happy to report that they gave us a "Best In Show" award, even though there wasn't a single present under the tree, haha.  (We waited until Christmas Eve to put anything under the tree because we knew Luke would get into things, and possibly his older siblings as well....)

Yes, it is the most wonderful time of the year, with kids jingle-belling.

TBT - Ben & His Brothers Remember Christmas

Ben kindly put this blog post together, and I didn't even have to twist his arm.  I wanted these memories to be shared in his words.

Ben made this ornament at about age 5.

Brett recently asked the brothers and I to recount some of our Christmas memories growing up. All of the brothers contributed some thoughts and I've compiled them. This was a wonderful exercise that brought back many wonderful memories. 

Christmas always involved reading the Christmas story from Luke 2. We all waited as patiently as possible while dad read from the bible. It was a great moment to focus on the reason for the season and enjoy being together as family. We often had a fire in the fireplace as well. We had a wood burning fireplace that all of us brothers spent many an hour splitting wood for. That fire seemed mesmerizing during a cold day. You could just sit by that fire forever and soak up the warmth. We would often stand as close as we could in our pajamas to the fire and hold our clothes up to warm them up before we put them on. Mom also would make Chex Mix during the Christmas holidays. This was a staple during cold winter fishing or hunting trips. It seemed like it had the ability to warm you a little when you ate it. Mom always made a huge batch of it and it seemed like a lot of work. I think appreciating where it came from helped it taste that much better.  

As for specific holiday memories we all had a few that stood out. Josey shared one about a present for mom that stole the show. In his own words; "One year, after all of the presents had been opened, Dad snuck out back.  I remember looking out the window to the backyard and saw Dad pushing a dolly with a very long rectangular box.  This was before we had the back porch and there were just two old steps to get into the back door.  Dad hoisted the dolly up the stairs and rolled it right in the middle of the house.  Seems like Mom kept asking what in the world it was.  I'm pretty sure the box said "Yamaha" on it, as Mom said afterwords that she was convinced that Dad had bought an outboard motor for himself!  -That just made the surprise that much sweeter.

"So Dad finally, slowly opened it up, milking every anticipated minute he could with his silent, mustached grin.  Mom looks in the box and sees what it is and immediately bursts into tears: it was the electronic piano that now sits in the dining room.  They hugged and cried together for what seemed like forever."

Mike remembered a certain present one of us boys got one year. It was a battery powered robot toy. We loved that thing. It would whirl around in a predetermined pattern and flash its lights and blow smoke. Then it would declare in a classic robot voice "I am an atomic powered robot. Please give my best wishes to EVERYBODY." We would listen to that thing over and over and over. I'm sure it must have driven mom and dad crazy. We probably wore the batteries out within the first couple of days we had it because we would run it non-stop. 

John remembered getting a bike for Christmas along with a bonus story. He recounts; "I remember the year distinctly that myself, Michael, and Benji all got identical black bikes. We loved those things!  They replaced a single bike that all of us had to share. That bike I had received from a neighbor when we lived at the trailer, so I was either five or six years old when I got it. I remember riding it there. It was a big white Schwinn. It even had a banana seat. The back tire was Square (flat), and it had ape hanger handlebars. it also had white plastic captain America armor that you could put on and off the bike to make it look like a motorcycle. I'm sure it was awesome when it was new, but we were sure grateful to get our own bikes. The old captain America bike then got stuck in the shed where it sat for the next two decades.

"I also remember the year that I got a bow and arrow for Christmas. We set up the target in the backyard and had a great time. Then I shot Mikey in the arm (on a dare, he bet me that I wouldn't shoot him), and got it taken away."

Most of all I remember being together and that we all loved each other. Christmas was about family and being together (except for that year when John had a high school job working at McDonald's and they called him in on Christmas day. I distinctly remember that should have been against the law or something because Christmas was about being with family not frying egg McMuffins). We never had a bad Christmas. We spent it together and had some great memories. 

BONUS: Christmas Music Video

This year the kids learned a new Christmas song in Primary.  I love the song and have enjoyed hearing it from the kids throughout the month, and singing it to myself.

Last night Ben went to a neighbor's house for a quick visit that turned out to be a lengthy visit, and while we waited for Ben to get home to continue our family Christmas Eve traditions, the kids and I made this video using the kids' singing as the soundtrack.  I hope you enjoy the video as a sweet reminder of the true meaning of Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

Decorating Gingerbread Houses: A Christmas Tradition

On Sunday, the kids finally got to decorate gingerbread (read: graham cracker) houses.  Ben helped me whip up a batch of Royal Icing and it worked really well.  It only took a short time to dry, but Jack just couldn't wait for the icing to dry.  So he kept playing with his gingerbread house while I was doing other things in the kitchen, and after multiple repairs, the house just came apart.  I was able to save enough bigger pieces to make Jack a new (smaller) house, though, so it wasn't the end of the world.

All of the kids were really into this this year, except Luke.  Ben got him to put a few items on one side of the house, but that was all he was interested in.  That meant I got to finish decorating the other side of the house.  Fun for me!

                                                                                                                               

Also, as a bonus family history reference, I thought I'd share this photo my Oma showed me earlier this year.  She and her sister-in-law, my Great-Aunt Irene, used to decorate gingerbread houses together every year.  She told me that Irene would bake two sets of gingerbread house pieces so that they could each have one to decorate.  (They also did candy-making, and we LOVED their pecan rolls.) 

Christmas 1987

Oma and Irene were very close friends for many years.  They loved to be together at their homes or traveling to exciting places around the world with their husbands.  Irene was a bright, cheerful woman, whom I always enjoyed being around.

After suffering from dementia for several years, Irene passed away a few days ago.  Her funeral was today.  She is truly missed on this earth, but I am thankful that she is now released from the illness that took over her life.

Christmas Programs

It's always fun to attend the kids' Christmas programs and see what they've been working on.  Eliza's was super cute.  She was an enthusiastic participant, singing and dancing along.  The reindeer name she gave herself was Purple Flower.  And I loved it when they sang "Feliz Navidad," wearing great big hats.  I could hardly see Eliza for the first half of the song because of the girl's hat in front of her.  It was hilarious.  I made several videos but I'll just include my favorite - when she's dancing around the Christmas tree.  Look for the girl in the red sweater twirling like a proper ballerina at the very beginning.

Cat and Jack had their Sing Around the Tree event the last day of school before Christmas break.  Each grade prepares a song to share with the school, and everyone sings a couple of songs together.  Cat's grade sung "Santa Bring Me a Dinosaur"  (listen to it HERE) and did some groovy dance moves along with it.  Jack's grade sung "All I Want for Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth" which was super cute.  I made videos of them, but there are so many kids in the videos that it's hard to find Cat.  I think you can't see Jack at all in his video.

Below is a picture from the whole school singing "The Twelve Days of Christmas" with different groups singing the different days.  The whole school sang FIVE GOLDEN RINGS, and Santa (the director of the school) sang The First Day and tossed things out to the kids.  Very fun.

Merry Christmas To Us!

This December brought two big gifts to our family - the first takes precedence in the blog post simply because I have pictures.  Ladies and gentlemen, our house is getting painted!  We first talked to our landlady about painting the house before we even moved in, and a few months later she offered to pay for professionals to do it.  Well, it took a year, but it's getting done.  The kitchen/dining area/family room are all being done, plus the office and play room downstairs.  There are a couple of contractors in our ward who are doing the work and Ben helped them out this weekend to move the process along a little quicker.  I'll show you how it looks once it's all done and the house is put back together.  As you can imagine, things are a bit of a mess right now...

The kids and I had dinner in Cat's room one night this week so that we could
get away from the work being done in the kitchen.

The second exciting event is that Ben started a new job!  It's a little start-up and he's enjoying helping them build up the business.  It's exactly what he was hoping for after finishing his MBA.  We're so excited, and very thankful for this blessing.

That's a Mouthful

We've gotten into the habit over the last several months of moving the chairs and stools away from the counters and table, because the Toddler in Residence loves to climb and get into things.  Sometimes he manages to move the chairs or stools despite our best efforts, but usually if they're against the walls, he'll leave them there.

One day last week someone had left a stool by the counter, right below the snack & gum cupboard.  Luke seized the opportunity to raid the cupboard and by the time I discovered him, he had at least three, if not four, full-sized pieces of gum in his mouth.

He wasn't very happy about me placing him on the floor, and throwing the gum away.

The Homemade Look

Since our teacher gifts were lacking in the homemade department this year (it just wasn't going to happen...) the kids painted white gift bags to package the presents in.  The Bigs enjoyed the Sunday afternoon project and Luke had a great time finger painting.

C-C-C-J-J-J-E-E

TBT - The Grinch in the Family

I wanted to share these pictures but wish I had a more detailed story to accompany them.  I'll have to come back to this post once I get more information so that I can fill in the gaps.

When they lived in Alexandria, Virginia, my Oma and Opa performed How the Grinch Stole Christmas during a ward Christmas party.  Opa played the part of The Grinch and Oma was the narrator.  They did such a good job that they were asked to do an encore performance the following year.  And the following year, I believe.  I don't know how many times they did this, but it was enough times that Opa will forever be linked to The Grinch in my mind.

c. 1986

And it makes me smile that my kids enjoy The Grinch as well.

Finger Time

When Luke burned himself on Sunday, the two blisters that developed at the bottom of this thumb and in the area between his thumb and index finger didn't deter him from sucking his thumb. But I decided to take him to the doctor yesterday just to have someone look the burn over, and the doctor wanted to pop the blisters and remove the extra skin, then bandage the wound, all in an effort to lessen the possibility of an infection developing.

The bandage completely covered his thumb, but instead of switching to the other thumb, Luke started sucking his index finger. The bandage is off now, but the raw areas where the blisters were must still be sensitive enough that Luke continues to suck on his finger.

One of the thoughts I had in the immediate aftermath of the burn was that perhaps this would break Luke of his thumb-sucking habit. (He has come to love that little thumb so much that I think he spends about as much of his waking time with his thumb in his mouth as out.) But it seems Luke will not be deterred by something as insignificant as a second-degree burn. As long as he has accessible fingers on his left hand, he will use them as he sees fit.

The Annual Gingerbread Person Decorating Event