December Busy-ness

 We kicked off the holiday season by taking the kids to City Creek with my parents. Eve loved the water fountain show.

 Lights at Temple Square. So beautiful. The kids loved guessing where all the nativities were from. Kate saw one and guessed (correctly) New Zealand. When I asked how she knew, she pointed to a little kiwi bird and said she saw that on our Children's Map of the World hanging in the loft. Which is funny because that things been hanging there for months and I never noticed the kiwi bird, but Kate really does study it a lot. So I guess I'm glad I bought it at that yard sale over the summer since it's expanding my children's mind powers. :)

 Decorating the tree was lots of fun, even though we did break some ornaments this year. It's just that they looked so much like balls that Max had to throw them.... sigh.

First time Evie got to be the one to put the star on top. She was thrilled. And for the next couple days, any time anybody came to the door, she made them come inside to see our tree. All season long she said that was her favorite part of Christmas.

For some crazy reason, our family was asked to sing a song (When Joseph Went to Bethlehem) for the ward Christmas party this year. In case you didn't know, we are not qualified to do that kind of thing. But we practiced as best we could and it went fine. I loved that singing the words together as a family everywhere we went really helped to bring Christmas into our lives. I would even overhear Eve "reading" to Max saying "Now this is when Joseph urged the donkey forward with Mary on its back." Music is a powerful thing, even for those of us who lack in that arena.

 I had a birthday. Hooray! Trav took me to dinner at Tucano's (the best!) and then ice skating at the Gallivan Center. That was on my bucket list so I was so grateful that he thought of it. We had a great time, and it turns out ice skating is much easier when you're not doing it with your little kids!

 Sure do love this guy!

Eve had a birthday too! Since her favorite thing in the world is swimming, we took the family swimming at the Lehi Legacy Center and she had the best time! She is still asking every day if we can go back!We had to do cupcakes in the car afterward but she didn't mind!

 and Max thought it was a great system!

We also got together with Trav's friends from high school. The children now outnumber the parents and it was a bit chaotic, but so fun to be around these great people that we don't see very often. Wish I had taken a picture that included grown-ups!

 I was fortunate to have a girl's night with my two best friends from high school (Kristi and Stefanie) as well. it was the funnest time ever! I love that there are some people in the world that know all about you and when you are with them you can just completely be yourself-- or maybe even act like the self you were 15 years ago as a sophomore. It was a blast!

 We drove down to Meadow to visit Trav's dad and grandma. The kids love to walk out by the farms and see the animals.

 Max was intrigued by the horses. He sure wished they would get a little closer so he could pet them, but they kept a distance.

Fun, fun season! We also had a bunch of snow and built a snow slide in the front yard which was super fun to go down. But Max kind of hates being cold so I haven't been out as much as normal, I better work on that for next month.

Because You Never Know

I am dying inside over what happened in Connecticut on Friday. Because those twenty precious first graders, they all belonged to someone like me. They all had families that love them, Christmas presents hiding in closets, probably some even had sisters who need them for games of school, restaurant, house, etc. I cannot imagine the pain that those families are facing right now. My prayers are with them.
A couple weeks ago we had a hard morning. It's always tough to get the kids motivated to get dressed, brush their teeth, get their shoes on and everything else required for getting ready for school, but this morning was particularly awful. And particularly Kate. She's just never in a hurry about anything. I found myself yelling at her to get it together, and then yelling again two minutes later because she was still dawdling. Finally, all the kids were in the car, but I was yelling again because they had neglected to wear coats. (Honestly, if the weather would just make up its mind!) Anna ran in to grab the coats, and Kate stayed in the backseat, tears pooling in her sapphire eyes.
I knew I'd gone too far. I apologized to my girls, but I could tell Kate was still feeling bad. When I dropped her off at school, she jumped out of the car without giving me a goodbye kiss. I was stung. And as I watched  her walk into the building, my own tears started to flow. Because how could I do this to my sweet little girl? How could I start her day off in such an angry, caustic way? School can be a nightmare sometimes, but home should not be. When she leaves my presence, she should leave knowing that she is loved, knowing that she can come to me with problems, knowing that she is valued and safe in our family. And I had taken that away.
The good news for me is that Kate forgave me (become as a little child....). And I have redoubled my efforts to be patient, kind, and .... well, mostly patient. Because you never know. You never know what they may face at school that day, and it may be something more horrific than you could imagine. Let her leave my side protected with the armor of a mother's love.

Fall in a Nutshell

Here's a sampling of our fall, in no particular order because that is how blogger is working today...

Anna's Baptism was such a happy day. I love her. I love him. Glad she chose to be baptized, glad he is worthy and honored to perform the ordinance. 

 We've been trying to play with our friends at the park every Wednesday (early out day). One day a nice random lady shared Creamies with everyone. This picture sums up what I love about Spanish Fork-- my friends (sorry, Kelli, I think you left about 45 seconds before the Creamie lady showed up!), the awesome friends my kids have, and the beautiful mountains around us. It's a good life.




 Kate got glasses and is so stinkin' cute in them. Love that sweet little face! Also, we finally mailed off the medical supplies for the orphans that she collected for her bday. In a tragic twist of events, the original orphanage that we had selected had been overtaken by some mean guy so the American company that serves as their liason no longer supports them, which meant that we couldn't send the supplies there. So I spent several weeks scouring the internet to find another orphanage that accepted in-kind donations (rather than monetary only) and finally found one that had a liason in Miami. It was a happy, happy day to send those out. I love my little Kate and the goodness of her heart.

 My parents and our family at Anna's baptism. I am the WORST at remembering to take pictures at important events. So, by the time I remembered to get my camera out, only my parents were left. (and my neighbor Marci who took the picture. :)

 We carved pumpkins and Max loved eating the raw, goopy pumpkin seeds. He must have been lacking some important mineral that day.

The girls wanted to be the Disney Fairies this year, and yes, I made the costumes-- without patterns. Kate was Fawn, Anna Tinkerbell, and Eve Silvermist. And Max was a monkey that I got on clearance at Crazy 8 last year for $4.

 Soccer Time! For six weeks we had soccer games four nights a week. It was hectic, but super fun for the girls. Turns out we really like soccer.

Kate was on the same team with Allie, our backyard neighbor and BFF. Fun to see these girls growing up together.

You Better Watch Out

To any new parents out there, this serves as a warning. You had better watch out because one day this

will turn into this

and it will happen in the blink of an eye.

I am so grateful for my daughter Anna. In some ways, I pity her because she is our first, and therefore our "experiment" child. She came into our lives and we knew nothing about caring for a baby-- about how they cry and fuss for three months straight, about how they poop in the tub, about how they throw themselves on the floor shrieking in anguish when Daddy leaves for work, or wake up screaming in the middle of night terrors. She's been patient with us as we've learned the ropes of parenting.
And now, she's eight, and she is big and has definite opinions and dreams and can do so much on her own. She loves Taylor Swift and Little House on the Prairie. She does her after school chore without complaining anymore. She can see when I am having a hard time and will be kind and offer to take Max out to swing in the backyard. She was baptized a few weeks ago and I just hope and pray that we taught her well enough before she made that big decision. I am so proud of this little/big girl and all that she is becoming.
Life is going by so fast, and no matter how I try, I cannot get it to listen as I scream Slow Down! Slow down so I can hold her, so I can sing her lullabies at night, so I can be the one she comes to when she is having problems with a friend, so I can be the one to paint her fingernails and braid her hair. Slow down so I can savor her laugh, her creative stories, her fantastic drawings of monsters and heroes that save the innocents. Slow down before my baby grows up.

CHICAGO BABY!

We have this fun plan to take all of our kids on a trip when they turn eight years old. Just Mom, Dad, and Kid. A little one-on-two time.

Since Anna just turned eight, the three of us took a fun, quick trip to Chicago/South Bend/Waterloo. It was awesome! 

Getting ready for her first plane ride!

 I love visiting big cities because there's always something unexpected. Like this orange fountain. And I found myself wondering if they change the water color for every holiday, you know, red for Valentine's, green for St. Patrick's...

 At the top of the John Hancock Observatory. It was crazy high!

 Anna was unfazed, but Trav and I had a hard time stepping close to the window. Talk about vertigo!

 I'm telling you, it was flipping high!

 On the subway. Which is another thing I love about big cities-- the subway.

 Our first night was quite rainy, so after getting soaked, we hit the hotel pool/hot tub. Then we ran out for a quick hot cocoa to sip in our room while snuggled up in bed.

 Crossing the river to get to the Field Museum. Oh, wait, the Field Museum was on the other side of the river. Oops, we only walked a mile out of our way. :(

 From the museum, "Without Traditions You Have Nothing."

Sue, the T Rex is about to devour Anna.

 Cool transportation we saw in South Bend for the BYU vs. Notre Dame game.

 Go Cougars!

 Can I just tell you that I love Chicago? I always thought of it as a dirty, crime-ridden city, but it was absolutely beautiful. Loved the crimson leaves, the blue lake, the bright sunshine. Loved the whole thing!

 Fun times at the Lincoln Park zoo after we went to church. They rent out a school building in downtown for Sunday services. It was fun to have sacrament meeting in the auditorium!

 Up to Wisconsin to hang out with one of my BFFs, Jen and her girls. (which somehow, I managed to forget a picture of Jen and I together, even though I promised myself I would get one. We've been friends since our oldest girls were newborns and we love their whole family.)

 We went to the Best.Pumpkin.Patch.Ever. There were all kinds of farm buildings, animals, toys, games, etc. I love Wisconsin!

 Trav's kind of funny about animals. He really likes to hold them, although this pig did not like being held.

 The goat didn't mind though.

 The girls were mostly concerned with the kittens. They hardly set them down the whole time we were there.

 This might be the funnest thing I have ever done in my life. It's a human sized hamster wheel. It was awesome. There were also two set up so you could race them down a track and when Trav and I did that I about died from laughing.

 We love kitties!

 Apparently I am incapable of making a straight face. Probably because I was still laughing so hard from the hamster wheel.

 Talk about an action shot! I love this one of the girls in their gunny sack race!

 And what would a trip to a Wisconsin farm be without a giant tractor? Approximately 23 seconds after we took this photo it started to down pour and we spent the rest of the day inside with our friends. Still had a great time. We love you guys!

Plane ride home.
It was so fun to do this little adventure with just Anna. She is growing up so much and I am so amazed at the person she is becoming. I know I will cherish these memories and I hope she will do the same.