Merry Christmas!

The kids were up at 3:15.  We heard them around 4.  I told everybody they had to go back to bed at 4:20.  We got another hour and a half or so of sleep.

I love that my kids are starting to catch the feeling of giving.

In October, Talmage bought the Lion King Soundtrack at his classroom store with his "Ledford bucks."  He kept it a secret and was excited to give it to the family.  He also had some fun socks for Makaley, and a much wanted pencil sharpener for Sariah.

Bryant, our child who rarely spends a penny,

shelled out $5 to buy a pocket knife/tool for Damon.  He was so excited and kept the secret.

Sariah gave James and I this sweet little gift:  A box full of kisses and love notes.

It's supposed to say, "You can take a kiss out of the box."

                           

With the cruise being Christmas for the adults this year, it was a much simpler Christmas---kinda nice.  This was the fun one for me:

Late morning we got our first snow of the year.  (The kids had been wearing their pajamas inside out for two nights---a superstition to make it snow.)  We got enough that Vard took the kids tubing.  They had a blast.  Snow somehow just makes a perfect white Christmas. 

 Jhett, Bryant, Damon, Makaley, Talmage and Sariah. 

 Jhett eating snowballs.

Bryant and Talmage.

School Pictures

We tried something different this year and only ordered digital copies. 

Here are my cuties:

And my math team winners:

And my pianists:

 (after their recital.  Camera batteries dead, and I forgot my iPod.)

Here Comes Santa Claus

Last night was Santa night...

 Hyrum said he wanted a remote control airplane.

(He was pretty brave, not much coaxing to sit on Santa's lap.)

 Bryant asked for a paintball gun.

 Sariah requested a Friends Lego set.

(Hadn't heard that before.)

Talmage didn't make it because that was the consequence of not having his things done.  Bummer.  I was by myself and the twins had no interest in Santa so I wasn't going to push it.  Maybe next year.

Afterwards, we took the kids in for their last time at our house. 

We were tickled to watch Rex and Lyle eat pizza like big kids.

James and I sign papers this afternoon.

I'm so glad to have my happy babies back.  The only thing worse than a sick baby, is two sick babies.  It was a LLLOOOONNNGGG two weeks.

Darn that Nursery!!

Thanks to nursery I've been cleaning up vomit and diarrhea all week!!!

Maybe that's why my brother Vard sent me this thought tonight:

"All the honor and glory that can come to men or women by the development of their talents, the homage and the praise they may receive from an applauding world, worshipping at their shrine of genius, is but a dim thing whose luster shall fade in comparison to the high honor, the eternal glory, the ever-enduring happiness that shall come to the woman who fulfills the first great duty and mission that devolves upon her to become the mother of the sons and daughters of God."
(Hinckley, Sermons and Missionary Services of Melvin Joseph Ballard, 203-4).

Thanks Vard.

NURSERY!!!

James and I have been looking forward to, and counting down to, this day for a long time!

The drop off was smooth.  The report was positive. 

Then I realized...half of my kids are in nursery.  That's pretty crazy.

Our primary program was today.  The other half of my kids did a fabulous job sharing their testimonies through word and song. 

Talmage had the opportunity to help narrate and he did a great job.

Here's what else is going on around here:

 Grandma and Grandpa got all the grandkids water boots for Christmas.  Leave it to Bryant to figure out some creative joke with them.  It was pretty funny.

Little boots are so cute!

 Rex and Lyle are finally starting to take an interest in books.  Before naps, I'll tell them it's time for stories.  They both run to the couch and crawl up on each side of me.  They will listen for a few minutes before nap time.  I consider it a huge breakthrough!

Rex and Lyle have also taken to a family favorite... hot cocoa:

 

Rex stirred an unflushed toilet with his cast on Thursday...yuck!! 

Then, he did it again tonight. 

So glad it's coming off tomorrow!!

Thanks to my Mom and Sisters for making a "day off" possible.  And thanks to Lizza for lunch.  It was SO nice.

Feeling okay?

I don't know what got into my kids but they were all reverant and respectful during the entire 2 hour primary program practice today.  I was SO proud of them. 

It was a breath of fresh air for this mother.

Reflections

Some days cause us to think a little deeper than other days.  Today was one of those days.

Eigtheen months ago, while in the NICU with Rex and Lyle at Kadlec, I received a phone call with the news that Clara Woodward had been diagnosed with cancer.  She was the same age as Hyrum.  In the ensueing weeks, Natasha and I connected as we faced extremely challenging times in our lives.  Talmage was good friend's with Clara's oldest brother, and the kids had all played together on occasion.  Our families were experiencing "not normal" at the same time. Clara became part of our daily family prayers.

Today was Clara's funeral.  It was simple, beautiful, and powerful. 

As I held Hyrum on my lap, he sucked on my sweater, squirmed, picked his nose, and asked if it was time to go home yet.  I couldn't help but be grateful as my heart ached knowing Natasha and Brian would have loved to have Clara doing the same thing on their laps.

It's just been one of those days.  I'm grateful.  We need those every once in awhile.

The Day After

Yesterday my kids wore red, white, and blue to school.

Yesterday the people of our state elected President Obama.  They also voted to legalize marijuana and gay marriage. 

This morning in family scripture study we read Helaman 5:1-3 and verse 12.  We also read from the For the Strength of Youth pamphlet about agency and accountability and how sometimes standing for right means standing alone.

For Sale

Bryant made me laugh this evening when our of the blue he chanted,

"parents for sale, buy one get one free!"

My favorite moment of the day came when I handed Hyrum a warm loaf of bread wrapped in a linen cloth as we were headed over to Stacey's.  His eyes lit up and he smiled big and he said, "Now it will keep me warm."

To Infinity and Beyond!

After a night of trick-or-treating, our little Buzz is dreaming of infinity. 

 

Our evening included some festive tableware for Grandma's Bacon sandwiches:

 

Fury (The Avengers), Buzz, The Purple Ninja Turtle (Uncle Kioa),

she calls herself a "Bobcat", and Zorro.

Hyrum's jack-o-lantern:

 

Sariah's mimicks her own smile.  She lost another tooth after this picture!

Bryant, who gutted all by himself this year.

 

And James's and Talmage's campaign work.

 

Happy Halloween!

Rex meets kittens for the first time.

Rex has been able to say, "meow" for awhile now. 

Today he saw a real live one for the first time.

The kittens belong to the neighbors but have shown up at the house a couple times recently.  At the first sighting this place goes into full rescue mission.  Once all the kittens have been rescued from the lambing shed and surrounding area they are transported home where the kids linger for quite awhile.  These are pictures the neighbor sent me.

Friday, was Talmage's Class Halloween Party.  This costume was all of his accord.  He'll be a great one someday.

Parent Teacher Conferences

I told Talmage and Sariah  on the way over to conferences (Bryant wanted to stay home and read) that I love going to conferences and having their teachers tell me how wonderful my children are.  Tonight was no disappointment.

James spent the day in Provo with his family at Spencer Hales's funeral.  We think it is the first time all of his siblings have been together since we were married.  Although under unfortunate circumstances, he said it was neat to all be together again.

No more mud puddles.

I guess there won't be any mud puddles for Rex for awhile...or full on baths.

He decided to take a dive off the back of the arm chair.

Broke both his radius and ulna clean through. 

Doctor said at his age he'll be good as new in 4 weeks.

The only question...what's between now and then?!

 Fell asleep right before they casted it.

He doesn't like it much, but he did give me this grin. 

In a few days I'm sure he'll be throwing it around like nothing.

We try every night at the dinner table to share with each other our "positive thing" of the day.  This has to be mine. You can't see it very well, but in Sariah's cute little handwriting, with an arrow pointing at my face in the picture, it says, "I love you mom I hop that dusit chanj. love Sariah"  (I love you mom.  I hope that doesn't change. Love, Sariah)  How precious is that?!

"Good Mom"

This is when I deemed myself a "good mom" today.  I really didn't want to do the whole mud puddle routine, but we did anyway.

And of course, they had a blast.

Future duet?

 People ask me often what differences I notice between Rex and Lyle.  This is one obvious one:

Lyle ate his sandwich like a human, Rex ate his like an animal.

Lyle, clean.

 Rex, disaster.

Both happy.

And dare I pause to take a picture in the kitchen...Hyrum has an "assident."  Grape juice, up the wall, stains in seconds.  Thank goodness for bleach.

 Talmage finally got into a violin teacher today.  He just picked up that instrument and away he went.  I try to tell him he has a gift, I hope he sticks it out.

Dear Santa

 As I watched Sariah, barely out of bed, eat her breakfast this morning, I was struck again by how beautiful she is.  I suppose every mother sees her daughter that way, but she really is a beautiful girl with her long, sleek, golden hair.  She wore her hot pink trench coat for the first time to school today.  She has more taste in her pinky finger than her mother has acquired in thirty some years.

 These went out in the mail today.  Fun, fun!

(Kids are funny.  I could ask them 10 times to do something and it still never gets done.  James mentions that it might be about time to write Santa and within an hour on Sunday morning they've got typed, numbered, highlighted lists in stamped, addressed envelopes.  It's not that they aren't capable.  A matter of motivation I guess.)

And I turned around and I saw what the kids see every day before they get on the bus---a couple of really cute faces in the window.