visions

...danced in their heads...

I have five in my room this Christmas Eve..

We had a visit from our home teacher and his elves.  Grant said our home teacher is "the real Santa." He came with "a pack."  We felt very blessed.

Some one is waiting to be discovered.  I need to speak to my therapist about this.  I thought I was a recovered pet owner,  but Christmas brings out my inner includer.

The children came home from their visit with Rob, each one excited to tell about his or her favorite part of the few days. I'd stayed up well past midnight each night, feeling to hesitant to go to bed without my little companions, and trying to get the wrapping done. And here I am again.

It's Christmas morning. I am grateful for the birth of our Savior. I am grateful for the friends who have reached out to me and my family this Christmas time, with gifts and kind words. I am grateful for friends faraway, you grace my memories, strengthen my children and me with your good influences. I hope you all have a Merry Christmas..a blessed holiday season. I pray that you feel the love of God in your life. I am grateful for the friends and family who have helped me recognize it too.

Merry Christmas!

holiday beginnings

Tuesday December 21, my mother's to blame for this.

Weatherman said rain. My mom had to want snow so she could get all booted and bundled up and slosh around Christmas shopping on foot for four hours Tuesday, just to prove she's still a Maine-uh.

Meanwhile, my Tuesday was all about the highly anticipated Christmas program at the elementary school, and the parties after, and I signed up to bring treats, that kind of a day.... the kind of day when you wake up and don't see snow with idyllic thoughts.  So I ended up getting the littlest kids loaded up and buckled in and even managed to pull out of that pile of snow plow refuse you can see there, though that's not my vehicle, before the school bus even arrived.  That gave me an unanticipated notch of credibility with the kids.

Did I mention that I don't love driving, particularly on partially plowed, slushy, icy, don't- let- me- get- stuck here- with- mine- and- the- neighbor's- kids- roads?  That was my Tuesday morning.  Won't give you the entire itinerary, but will admit, for biographical purposes, that for my (almost) twenty-five licensed years I've chickened out of any situation of stressful snow driving. I claim to be a California girl when the circumstances warrant it.  But, it felt pretty good to face my fears for a change. Anyway, I'm a die-hard about Christmas programs.

Olivia's back there somewhere.A great rendition of The Twelve Days of Christmas. I saw Olivia's head pop up for the two turtle doves.  Kyle's class also presented a jazzed up Twelve Days.  Mary sang in Spanish.  Bethany sang about Santa's cold.  William ran around the school while I tried to lure him back with a pack of sixty miniature candy canes.

Tuesday was also about getting ready for Rob's arrival.  I tried to clean and as usual Grant and William saw to a different agenda.  Kyle is always of the mindset that we shouldn't put on airs, since Dad already knows our house is always messy. And I just respond with...  Nonetheless.

So Tuesday was my first time to pack the kids up and send them off with Rob...call it the end of a chapter, or beginning of a new one. Co-parenting. How's that?  The kids couldn't wait to see him and couldn't wait to see their cousins up in Salt Lake. Thanks to Aunt Judy and Uncle Jeremy for agreeing to house seventeen children, our ten and their seven, for three days. I hope they survive.

I was grateful that Rob shoveled the back porch, that was thoughtful, while I saw to the packing that I should have known would take several hours, but tried to throw together in minutes.  So it was a chaotic departure, but that must have felt like a homecoming for Rob.  Standing in the silence after they left, I could feel the walls still vibrate from the excitement and kid commotion that had just passed through, like the ringing of sound waves after the final cadence of a climactic orchestral movement.

I went to the Relief Society dinner.  Was grateful for the opportunity to sing. And I'm not just saying that..so I guess I've made progress.  I wasn't too nauseous to eat and enjoy the company before the program. That's progress.

I guess Rob got worried that I'd died from the shock of too much quiet so he had Ben call to check on me Wednesday morning. I was just trying not to be a butt-in-ski (one of my favorite words, though I'm not sure how to spell it.) Just honestly enjoying handing all the responsibility over to Rob for a few days..a much needed break from the stress of wondering what William is getting in to.  By the way who got a hold of my camera?

I love this one. It looks like someone was having a near death experience.

I spent Wednesday cleaning and studying up about e-bay business, waiting for a call from the e-bay coach. So far no takers on the rubber chicken, so I guess Ben's getting it in his stocking after all.

december weeks

Have we really past the middle of the month?  I've been busy trying something new...e-bay.  Who knew you could make a living auctioning off  rubber chickens?

So here's a hodgepodge of December pictures...

Sledding...

and sunset...

Sophie, shadows, sunshine, smile...

Sophie and Caitlin...
and Caitlin and her preschool teacher on Pajama Day.  They took an imaginary field trip on the Polar Express.

It's the season of lists.

Here's the man.

Kyle's giving it some thought..

lights

Sunday evening we drove to Salt Lake City. Sam wanted to take pictures of the temple for his photojournalism assignment.  We arrived just as the Christmas fireside was starting so it was too crowded to park.  I dropped Sam off and he went in to Temple Square to take pictures.

We circled around, picked up Sam and then the rest of the kids wanted a turn. So Grandma Martha agreed to take the whole group while I drove around  the city again. I didn't know there was an ice skating rink by the Marriott.  Caitlin loves to ice skate...we'll have to do that sometime.

Monday I brought home a Christmas tree. We spent the evening cleaning and decorating the house.

We got a surprise visit from some friends from the ward.  They knew our townhouse has no coat closet so we had a big pile of coats in our stairwell.  They came to our rescue with a drill and coat hooks. We love the new system.

We're grateful for friends.

our day

My favorite thing about my birthday is sharing it with William.

Grandma Martha bought us lunch from Kohinoor Cuisine of India. It just opened up down the street.  It was wonderful...but made me a bit melancholy...missing Victor's in Shunyi and remembering  lunches and dinners there with friends...because the butter chicken was every bit as good.

William liked it too.  He has good taste.

After lunch William was ready

for a bath with the toy submarine that Rob sent him.

For weeks we haven't driven passed Chuck E. Cheese without someone reminding Will that we'd be going there for his birthday.

And that someone was usually Grant.

Sophie was happy about being three months old.

I tried to get the boys' picture with Chuck E.  but he wouldn't pause long enough.  I'm not sure why they pay him.

When we got home Grandad came by gifts.  Grant was helping.  Grant spent the day coming to terms with birthday envy.  I didn't get a Batman race car either.

The boys had spent the morning digging around and playing with the toys in the closet where I've made a vain attempt to hide gifts. But I decided to wrap them anyway.  This firetruck was from Grandma Martha.

 Grandma Martha also

 bought us a cake to share.

I'm grateful for William.