To all a good night...

I wrote this post a week and a half before Christmas.  I suppose the reason I didn't publish it right then is because I was too tired to organize and edit the accompanying photos.  Well, I've remedied the situation and inserted said photos, so, 3 months later, enjoy!

ORIGINALLY WRITTEN DECEMBER 15, 2011 at 9:08pm...

The last few days have been busy (what else in new), and I've found little time to sit and relax.  Tonight however, with the hustle and bustle of today behind me, I was able to catch my breath and enjoy a few quiet moments with the kids before bed.

Among other things on today's agenda, was Chloe's Christmas singing program.  Two ladies in our ward who are mother (Bonnie) and daughter (Jennifer), put together a program each year for the children nearby (mostly those from church).  Then after seven weeks worth of practices, Bonnie hosts a performance for the parents in her home.  It was a pretty sweet little gathering this evening.  Bonnie and Jennifer did an amazing job.  In addition to reciting a line from a poem, Chloe ended up singing a solo last minute (it was literally determined at their dress rehearsal just an hour before they performed).  She and a couple of other little girls were going to sing both verses to Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, but she was the only one who had the second verse memorized, so Bonnie asked her if she just wanted to sing the second verse by herself.  She could not have done a better job!  She sang the melody on key and kept with the rhythm.  She also remained calm throughout her solo and didn't allow her nerves to affect her performance at all.  Very well done.  I saw several moms and dads with video cameras, so hopefully I can hunt down her little spot light moment and insert it in. 





After the performance, a few treats and some socializing, we headed home.  Today has been COLD, and so Neil built a fire.  It was the first fire we've had since moving into our home 14 months ago.  The kids each grabbed a Christmas book and together we sat by the fire and read.  Chloe brought me The Polar Express - the very copy, in fact, that my dad gave to me on Christmas in 1989!  And Ryan brought me Carl's Christmas - the very copy that my mom gave to me on Christmas in 1990!  That book was timely back then as our dog, Bogey, was a rottweiler, and to this day, my absolute favorite pet ever.  Anyway, it was really sweet sitting by the fire, reading to the kids while they rested against me wearing their cute jammies, making cute and funny remarks and asking interesting questions.

Don't mind the grain.  Thank you, 2500 ISO!!

I told the kids that both books we'd read were very special because I'd had them since my childhood and they were given to me by my parents.  Chloe informed me that she wanted to have Polar Express for her daughter, and that she was planning to name her daughter Valeri and so it was only fitting that she get the book since the name Valeri was already inscribed in that book. 

I love simple Christmas traditions like this.  I can hardly believe it's only 9 days away!

December in a nutshell

Is it just me or has December flown by? It seems like Thanksgiving was a week ago, and yet Christmas has already come and gone! It's kind of sad. I am relieved to have the craziness out of the way, but bummed I didn't give myself more chances to just relax and enjoy. There were moments of bliss, don't get me wrong. Christmas music, Christmas smells, baking, watching the snow fall, planning out gifts for loved ones, admiring the tree, and most of all, seeing the magic of the season shine through my children's eyes. But for some reason I was extra stressed this year, and as a result, more vulnerable to the pressures of the season. What's ironic is that we didn't travel this year, nor did we have guests! So what really should have been the most relaxing Christmas yet, wasn't. Needless to say, I've reflected lots, and come to the conclusion that I was the one creating the pressure. After a good slap on the hand, I am ready for next year, to put my focus on the simple pleasures and off the still good, but less important things.

December was a full month! Here are some of the high lights (in no particular order).

Zippy, the elf made his appearance shortly after Thanksgiving and stuck around until Christmas Eve night when he flew home to the North Pole until next December! If you aren't familiar with The Elf on the Shelf, you need to be!

Each morning, Chloe would come racing out of her room asking, "Where's Zippy?!! Where's Zippy!?" Then the second she'd spot him, her eyes would get big, her jaw would drop, and out would come an exuberant gasp. It was so fun watching her excitement and enthusiasm. I love the faith and innocence of a child. Chloe was sad to see Zippy go on Christmas Eve, but I suppose he wouldn't be so special if he hung around all year.

We had a preschool Christmas party, where the kids each brought a wrapped up book to exchange. It was a little chaotic, but a lot of fun! Reese is missing from the pictures, because he had already left. :(

It was impossible to get all 5 kids to look at the camera at the same time, but I gave it my best.

As many of you know, a good part of my youth was spent in ballet class. I performed in Vacaville Ballet's own rendition of 'The Nutcracker' for more years than I can count, and as cheesy as it sounds, it became a part of me. I could hum the music from start to finish if you asked me. I love the story, the music, the magic and the tender memories all of those things bring back. Since I was a teenager, I have dreamt of taking my daughter to see the Nutcracker ballet, and this year that dream became a reality. It was much more special for me than it was for Chloe, but I know as the years pass and we make this a tradition, she will grow to appreciate it more.

We went to a local performance. It wasn't spectacular, but then again I'm a Nutcracker snob. The important thing is that we had a good time! The first ten or so minutes engaged Chloe, but after that she couldn't sit still, nor keep her mouth shut. Strangely enough, she was more interested in the Nutcracker and soldiers than she was the dancers who were all dolled up in tutus and shimmery costumes. That's especially weird for Chloe, who is about the girliest four year old I know! When she saw the soldiers with guns, she asked, "Are those guns real? Are they going to come after me?" While it wasn't exactly what I envisioned, it was a precious time with her, and I'm so glad we did it.

Daddy took our picture before we left.


Here's Chloe anxiously waiting for the show to start.


Afterwards they had a 'tea party' for the guests with treats to munch on. While Chloe and I enjoyed some goodies, the dancers wandered around greeting the guests, and these 3 stopped by to say hello to Chloe. She felt like quite the VIP!

Here's a little peek at our Ward Christmas party. I took a handful of other pictures, but, thinking I'd already copied them to my desktop, I deleted them off the memory card. Naturally I realized this after the fact, but our friend, Andrew was able to retrieve this one photo for us. I had a pretty hilarious one of terrified Ryan on Santa's lap. You could hardly even see his face because he was trying so hard to crawl out of his arms! I am mad at myself that I wasn't thinking more clearly when I emptied that memory card because it would have gone perfectly with a certain picture I have of Chloe when she was Ryan's age doing the exact same thing.

As you can see, Ryan was pretty traumatized!

Neil and I were able to sneak away last Thursday to Winter Park for a day of skiing. We scored two free lift tickets when we attended Warren Miller's show in November, so it didn't cost us a dime! I'll be honest. I wasn't excited to go, mainly because I didn't want to burden someone else with my kids for an entire day, but by the second run, I was quite enjoying myself! It was a beautiful snowy day, and the park wasn't crowded at all.



Thanks, Dan for joining us! And thanks, Allison for taking both of the kids for a full 10 hours!

Chloe and I had fun baking Christmas cookies, fudge, popcorn balls and other holiday goodies! We read Christmas stories, watched Christmas movies like Charlie Brown, Rudolph, and Elf! Chloe has now seen the movie Elf so many times that she recognizes not just the Christmas songs from the movie, but the actual recordings! The other day we heard Ella Fitzgerald sing, 'Sleigh Ride' and Chloe immediately said, "Mommy! That's from Elf!" She's a smart one that Chloe girl.

On Christmas Eve we went to our dear friend Cindy's for dinner and an early celebration. To say Chloe loves Cindy would be an understatement. She absolutely positively ADORES this woman! Luckily Cindy adores Chloe too. And on several occasions she has taken Chloe on little dates, which has helped me out greatly! A couple weeks ago, she took Chloe out for her birthday. First stop was Build a Bear, followed by dinner at Chick-fil-a, complete with an ice cream cone! She has been very good to us. She might as well be part of the family.

Isn't this a great picture!?


Thanks for the jammies, Cindy!

The other day, Neil was taking a rest on Chloe's chair. Concerned that he might be cold, Chloe let him borrow her blanket and a couple stuffed animals too! Neil was very appreciative!

She loves her daddy. There's no doubt about it!

Here are a few other random December pictures.

More pictures from Christmas morning to come. I think this post as about reached its limit!

Easter festivities

Here are some pictures highlighting our Easter week!

Hunting Easter eggs at the park


Evaluating the goods

Saturday Chloe went to an Easter party at church, did another egg hunt and made some cute crafts. I didn't get any pictures, but she seemed to have a great time.

Here's Ryan on Easter morning.

Don't worry, buddy, you weren't the only one disappointed by the blizzard.

This was taken right when we got home from church. What a joke! Don't get me wrong, I love snow. But in the middle of April? And on Easter? Come on! Where's the sunshine and tulips? When we left church, it was snowing sideways and by the time I got the kids buckled into their car seats and brushed off the wind shield (with Ryan's blanket, I might add, since I had no other option), we were soaking wet! Good times.


Chloe opening a gift from Grandma Jill

And Ryan opening his...


Easter kisses from sister


Apparently hunting eggs never gets old...




Ryan observing...

My babies

This girl loves her brother. There's no doubt about it!


Daddy letting Chloe beat her in her first game of Candy Land. Thanks, Mr. Easter Bunny!

The last two years I've had every intention of coloring eggs with Chloe, and somehow it's just never happened. Maybe next year I'll get my act together. Neil's sister, Lori and Jared drove down for Easter dinner and we enjoyed a relaxing evening together. Hope your Easter week was great too!

Conference weekend

I love General Conference weekend. For those of you not familiar, General Conference occurs the first weekends in April and October. Rather than attending our normal Sunday church meetings, we listen to or watch via satellite the leaders of our church give its members instruction and guidance. I love it for a variety of reasons. First, it's a break from the norm (8:30am church and 2 small children - need I say more?). Next, there's always great food to munch on, and usually more than we could ever eat! The best part of Conference, however, is the spiritual rejuvenation I gain after each session. As always, the talks this Conference were uplifting, comforting and truly inspired. I was especially touched by Robert D. Hale's message about living within our means, Jeffrey R. Holland's message that we never walk alone, and President Thomas S. Monson's reminder that while we sometimes have it rough, it could always be worse. Ain't it the truth?

During Saturday morning's session, Neil L. Andersen was named a new Apostle. To clarify, my husband is in no way related to this man. It's simply a coincidence that they share the same first and last name (spelling and all). Lots of people had fun with this, congratulating Neil on his "new calling". It was funny at first, but got old fast. Still, it is a pretty cool honor to share a name with an Apostle. Elder Andersen seems like a wonderful man who will teach us many things in years to come.

Like every other Conference weekend, we did not lack in the food department! For the last couple years, we've spent Sunday's sessions with our friends, Dan and Stef. And without fail, we've always planned for and prepared way more food than we'd ever eat, including last weekend! Hey, better to have too much than not enough, right? :)

Chloe is beginning to grasp just a tinge of what General Conference is about. I pointed President Monson out a handful of times so she'd begin to recognize him, but it got to the point where she thought everyone who stood at the pulpit was President Monson. :) She did recognize the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, who both she and I love. Can't blame us girls. Who wouldn't want the sound of angels serenading their home?

Hope you all had a relaxing weekend. Until October...

Easter Story Egg Hunt

With Easter just around the corner, I thought I'd share a neat activity idea. We did this yesterday with the 8-11 year old girls I work with at church. We read the scriptures only, but for the sake of my young family, my own version includes a summary to accompany each scriptural account. This is a great way to combine the spiritual aspect of Easter with a fun traditional egg hunt. We will probably start this tradition next year when Chloe's a little older.

Easter Story Egg Hunt

You will first need 12 plastic eggs. If you prefer, gather several more and fill them with candy, but make sure to reserve 12 for this activity. Number the eggs 1-12 with a sharpie and fill the eggs with the corresponding scriptures/summaries and props. When the egg hunt is over, gather everyone in a circle to open the eggs.

#1
Prop: 3 dimes
Scripture: Matthew 26: 14-16
Summary: Judas betrayed Jesus, revealing to the chief priests Jesus' whereabouts in exchange for thirty pieces of silver.

#2
Prop: sacrament cup
Scripture: Matthew 26: 39-44
Summary: Jesus prayed to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane. He pleaded to be relieved of His suffering, but only according to His Fathers' will. He had just been betrayed by Judas. His other disciples, who promised to stay awake and wait for Him, had all fallen asleep, leaving Jesus entirely and utterly ALONE! In these final moments of His life, Jesus was literally taking upon himself all the sins and sorrows the world had ever and would ever committ and endure. His agony was so extreme that He sweated drops of blood.

#3
Prop: knotted twine
Scripture: Matthew 27: 1-2
Summary: When morning came, the chief priests and elders of the people decided to put Jesus to death. They bound Him, led Him away, and delivered Him to the governor, Pontius Pilate.

#4
Prop: small piece of soap
Scripture: Matthew 27: 24-26
Summary: Pilate believed Jesus was innocent, but due to the pressures of the Pharisees, he handed Jesus over to them, then washed his hands clean, as if to say, "I want nothing to do with this."

#5
Prop: square of red fabric and thorns
Scripture: Matthew 27: 28-29
Summary: Jesus was stripped down and put in a scarlet robe. A crown of thorns was placed on His head, and He was mocked and whipped.

#6
Prop: nail
Scripture: Matthew 27: 31
Summary: After they mocked Jesus, they took the robe off Him and led Him away to be crucified. The soldiers nailed His hands and feet to a cross.

#7
Prop: dice
Scripture: Matthew 27:35-36
Summary: The soldiers took Jesus' garments and cast lots for them.

#8
Prop: small rocks, pebbles or dirt
Scripture: Matthew 27: 50, 51 & 54
Summary: Jesus died. The ground shook and there was a great earthquake. The people, in fear, then realized that Jesus truly was the son of God.

#9
Prop: strip of white cloth
Scripture: Matthew 27:57-59
Summary: Joseph, a disciple of Jesus took Jesus' body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, then placed Him in His tomb.

#10
Prop: stone
Scripture: Matthew 27: 60, 65-66
Summary: Joseph rolled a large stone in front of the tomb and "sealed" it to ensure Jesus' body would be safe.

#11
Prop: bay leaf
Scripture: Mark 16: 1-4
Summary: After Jesus had been in the tomb for three days, Mary Magdalene, Mary, and Salome brought spices to Jesus' tomb so they could anoint Him, only to discover the stone had been rolled away.

#12 {this one gives me chills}
Prop: leave the egg empty
Scripture: Mark 16:5-6
Summary: When the women entered the sepulchre, they saw an angel, who told them Jesus was no longer there. He had risen!

Because this activity leaves out some of the other important aspects of the Easter story (in my opinion), it may be worth reading it in the Bible from start to finish, and then pausing to open the eggs when those points of the story are reached. Either way, I think this is an awesome idea. Props to whoever came up with it!

No matter the fun activities we each have planned with our families this season, may we all remember why we're celebrating.

Along came a spider...

Chloe got plenty of use out of her costume this year, and frankly, I'm glad to finally be putting the darn thing away! What a week!

For months Chloe has had an unexplainable fascination with spiders. Terrified yet obsessed all at once. She points them out (from a distance) whenever she sees one, draws pictures of them, and has even included "our spider" in her prayers on numerous occasions. This habit started a good three months ago and I still have yet to understand where it came from. Either way, I am hoping it's all in her head. The thought of finding a pet spider in my house makes me want to cringe. Anyway, when October rolled around and I started to contemplate Chloe's Halloween attire, a spider just made sense. She was an immediate fan of the idea and has thoroughly enjoyed announcing that she was going to be a "scary spider, not a funny spider" this Halloween.

Hate to say it, but this spider looks a little too cute to be "scary". Just my opinion.


Wednesday we took her to a local high school's carnival, which she lasted a whole 10 minutes at. I think the crowd overwhelmed her. Thursday night our church hosted a carnival and trunk-or-treat, which she did much better at. She was initially intimidated by the chaos, but once we got out to the parking lot and she realized that walking up to each car and holding out her treat bag (whether she said "trick-or-treat" or not) resulted in getting candy, she quickly perked up.

Stephanie and me. We are due the very same day.


Getting the hang of trunk-or-treating


Not even strapped into her carseat and already examining her candy inventory!


Enjoying a few more treats before bedtime


Friday morning we went to Walmart for even more trick-or-treating! Chloe enjoyed herself, and was quite proud of the stash she'd acquired by the time we left.

With her little friend, Emma


Chloe leading the way


A spider in action


Taking a breather between candy stops


By yesterday afternoon Chloe was about Halloweened out. I think we all were, to be honest. A few too many timeouts and meltdowns were had, and Neil and I eventually came to the conslusion that we would be staying in for the evening. I was kind of bummed to put Chloe to bed early, having to explain that we didn't get to go trick-or-treating because of some choices she'd made. It's sad when you have to enforce tough love parenting, even on Halloween night.

Despite the minor frustrations, I'd say we had a fun and full week! Hope you did too!