December 2010- Catch Up

I am always catching up.  It doesn't really matter what it is,...I am behind.  But, I can't skip over Christmas, so here is a fast summary of our Christmas activities.

This is how we were able to teach Bronson
how to ski this year.  Analise in backpack,
Bronson with a ski harness.  So far, so good. 

Landon had no idea snow shoeing was going
to be exercise.  He should know by now
that with me, ...there is always a workout.

We jogged down the hill- so fun!

A little sledding early on in December in our neighbors yard

The Roof restaurant in SLC

We all eat desserts while Landon fills up
on more of the healthy type food-  what?!

The view of the temple is gorgeous!

Done with dinner (Analise's face says it all...),
now off to walk around the temple and enjoy the lights

Feeling happy!

This is a statue of Joseph Smith-
some think we worship him.  Not true.
We love him, we are thankful for him
and his sacrifices in our behalf.
And, who do we worship?
We worship Jesus Christ, our Savior. 

This little princess did very well-
even with being so tired.

In the temple visitors center there is
a big statue of Christ.  It's so important to us
that our kids understand the real reason
we celebrate Christmas.  He is that reason.  
There really is a Savior that died for all of us.

We stayed at the Grand America Hotel.
We love that place, so nice...it's a true yearly luxury.
After a good night's sleep we headed to the
Santa's Breakfast that they have there at the hotel
with the best food EVER.  It's another dangerous buffet,
so dangerous that it can only be done once a year.  

Camden just may win the title of
"Kid Most Excited to Eat this Breakfast".
See all the little tables that are kid size?
(with chocolate scattered about ALL throughout?)
Kids can help themselves to french toast,
pancakes, bacon, eggs,...even mac n cheese and
mini corn dogs.  There are omelet stations for the adults, wassail,
hot chocolate, egg nog, all kinds of yogurts and parfaits.
 Can't even tell you all the mouth watering variety of
my favorite foods- just a glutenous time all the way around.

Landon is trying to walk around with Annie
so Eric and I can finish our breakfast in peace.
That kid is ALWAYS like that and always has been.
He is the most amazing oldest child ever.  We love him so much.

Then Santa and Mrs. Clause show up and visit
every table-then they go to the photo room where
the families wait in line to get a picture with them.  

We visited what the hotel calls the "Teddy Bear Room".
It's on the 20th floor in the presidents suite.  So cute.

Grandma Linda and Grandpa VarDee came to visit
about a week before Christmas to give the kids their gifts.
Earlier in the year the boys picked out the color of yarn they
wanted for their own personal blanket crocheted by grandma. 

The blankets turned out so cute.  They use them every
night on top of their quilts for added warmth.

'Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house,
just two creatures were stirring,...and sadly arguing.
But, they soon made up and were happy again.  

She loves her new baby stroller, and
soon figured out that it wasn't really for her.

Ethan loves his money safe.

Bronson is showing off the gun that Landon bought
as a group gift for his brothers.  Thank you, generous Landon!

And that sums up the most important events for December.  My next goal is to get this little guy captured on camera as he is skiing down the snowy Utah slopes.  He is doing well and just needs more practice.

Am I a "Safe Place"?

I have been struggling lately with something that I have never before had to deal with...having to do with people and relationships in general.  I have taken a step back to re-evaluate myself, my motives, and really my ability to love other people, and even how I might increase my ability to love those around me.  Tonight I read someone's blog who was talking about kids having a "safe place" to be comfortable in, how they are nurtured best in a "safe place" where they know they are loved unconditionally.  It provides a sense of security and the optimal setting for learning, growth, and building character.

This is the same for anyone young or old.  We all need safe places physically and emotionally.  We all need relationships that are "safe places" where we can feel comfortable being ourselves and showing our faults and knowing that the person still accepts us... maybe I need to learn how to forgive better when my "safe place" has been shattered.

Today I am going to try harder to make sure I am a "safe place" for my children.  I try hard to be that for them and to create the feeling of safety in their surroundings.  I want their home to be a place that they will always feel comfortable in and loved.

I am also going to continue to figure out how to be a better "safe place" friend.  One that is slow to judge and when I don't understand something or someone, I want to be quick to say, "I understand that I just DON'T understand...", that it's just a matter of me not seeing the other person's point of view...because I am not them and haven't had their experiences and so cannot completely understand how they feel.

That would be a true talent.  And so I will work harder on that.  And maybe someday soon, I will be able to record what lessons I have learned along the way.  Life is truly a journey, and I am going to try to enjoy it more, even when I am struggling to understand and learn.
 

Thanksgiving week

Oh, to have holidays last forever...just so fun and so relaxing.  There is nothing like family to hang out with!  Here is a picture of some of the cousins on Eric's family's side.  We all had so much fun when they all came up to our house for Thanksgiving.  Eric's mom prepared a fun scavenger hunt for the kids and we played some other games, too.  Mostly we prepared food, talked, ate food, talked, cleaned up food, talked, watched tv, talked, aaaaand, talked.  So enjoyable.

The cousins, destroying my bed (but having so much fun in the meantime...)

Me and two of Eric's sisters that I love

Ok, hard age for this little girl.  She is into everything which makes it hard to get anything done.  When I am getting ready in the bathroom, I have resorted to letting her crawl in the shower even though her pants will get wet.  I have been soooo careful with the shower door- so heavy and "finger-breaking".  I also know that I will not have folded towels anytime soon.  It's ok, I am loving it.  I may look back one day and say, "how did we do that?" But as of now, I am in the moment and enjoying it.  Except for the cheerios on the kitchen floor.  I won't miss the crunch of a cheerio on the bottom of my slipper.

She knows she is caught in her plaid Christmas pants!

Plummer bum.  "Say no to 'crack'!"  

Is it fun?

There are so many different kinds of "fun".  An easy fun, a challenging fun, a scary fun, a peaceful fun, Disneyland fun, exercise fun, going to a party fun,... 

I think this is fun for Eric, but I don't know what kind.  I am still figuring him out.  You hike up the mountain in order to ski down.  I thought that is what a person did BEFORE chairlifts were invented.  He is in great shape but compared to the few buddies he goes with, his heart can barely keep up.  Does it mean that the risk of an avalanche is good fun?  I don't know, but good for him.  It's just hard for me to understand when I think I would die both going up and skiing down.  At least I understand that I just don't understand, right?  To him I say, "Hey, go have some fun!"

He's Comin' to Town!

We love Santa and Mrs. Clause- they are the sweetest couple we know!

What is Making me Laugh Right NOW?

THIS picture of Ethan when he was one!!!  Ha ha ha ha!  I am laughing out loud.  I thought I would just share.  You know, he really did turn out to be a pretty handsome kid, but ...those Harry Potter glasses are NOT helping .  It wins for screen saver this month- cause I usually need a good laugh during the day.

Finally, the birthday photos arrived!

It was worth the wait!

Cute profile

Love the eyes

The pearls and ruffles are ok, but the knees and cankles ROCK

So thankful for her

Ahhh, the legs.

So serious

Perfectly posed

Kissable lips

Love the hat

"Ouch my ankle"

"Is this a real log that is snagging my tights?"

"Yey, for me,...I made it through a whole year!"

Done with the log.

Super sweet

What Does a Sunday Look Like?

There are a lot of catch up posts today.  Feel free to browse on down to see what we have been up to.

I would like to record what part of our Sundays look like.  I remember as I was just starting to have children there was a friend in Texas who always said how hard Sundays were for her with her kids at home.  We try to keep the sabbath day holy, meaning we try to use it as a day to honor the Lord in all that we do.  So, we don't shop, or go out to eat, or go play sports, etc.  We make this day different from the other days of the week by spending time with our family, taking naps, going for walks, deciding how we can help someone else and other things that remind us about how to be grateful for what we have.  Mostly it is a day to think about the Savior and what role he plays in our lives.  A big chunk of the day is devoted to going to church and learning new things.  So back to this friend.  I would always think, "Oh no...that sounds so awful, kids bored and fighting, etc."

So, anyway, I guess this friend had kids who just fought all day and complained about being bored.  But, Sundays were always enjoyable for me growing up and I have found that my kids feel the same way.  They play together so well, we bake, we rest and read, ...it's awesome.  Right after church Analise goes down for a much needed long nap.  Usually this is when I take a nap, too.  So relaxing.  The boys know it's "quiet time" until everyone is awake.  They are very good at playing/imagining in a very quiet way.  Here is a peek into what it looks like when Analise wakes up and follows the sounds of her brothers.  The bottom line is, I LOVE SUNDAYS at home with my family.  I have NO IDEA what she was talking about all those years ago- it's all a very different experience for me.

She hears their voices and heads downstairs

Getting closer to seeing what is going on

Oh, there they are!  How do I get there?

"Mom, will you help me?"

"Ok, now what are you boys playing, I wanna join."

"Annie, grab a gun!"

She has no problem feeling included.

And that is what much of our Sundays are like...