Family Fun

The Monday after Christmas we headed to Utah. I didn't think Baylie was going to be able to wait a second longer. I think she was more excited to go to Grammy's and play with her cousins than she was to open presents.

Being around family is always a bit overwhelming, but also so much fun. I especially love watching my kids interact with their cousins. There are four little girls that are close in age and they are such great friends. Three of them are staying at Grammy's house and there is a lot of squealing going on around here.

Everyone was very excited to wake up to Utah snow, which is a bit more substantial than South Carolina snow. The grandkids ganged up on Grandad.

We went to Pirate Island for Aunt Shanelle's birthday. Baylie loves to say "Aaargh!"

Lauryn combed her hair with a "dinglehopper."

Jalen threw back a pint.

And the family had a snowball fight in the parking lot.

The girls sang and laughed and squealed all the way home. At one point, Baylie squealed "Weeeee!" To which Lauryn replied, "We have a Wii." (They got one for Christmas.)

Other passengers were not as thrilled with the squealing.

That night Grammy set up the popcorn popper and took the lid off so the popcorn flew everywhere.

Then the girls decided to eat the popcorn like Tanis (cousin Ava's dog).

Grammy read the girls a bedtime story.

And eventually the house quieted down. I hope that Baylie and Jalen grow up with family memories like the ones I have. I love my family!

The Reason for the Season

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Lights at the Zoo

I have blogged before about how AWESOME our zoo is. We love it. At Christmas time they light up the zoo and we got in free because of our membership. It was a really fun night with carousel rides, toasted marshmallows, hot chocolate and lots and lots of lights.

We are having fun just staying home this Christmas. We'll be heading to Utah shortly afterwards, but it's nice to be home for the build up and actual holiday.

A Christmas Miracle

If you've read my blog for a while, you know I love old buildings. They fill my soul and fascinate me. My parents live in Provo, Utah, a town that is home to some beautiful old homes and buildings. There are two that are stunning: Brigham Young Academy - precursor to BYU and current home of the city library - and the Provo Tabernacle.

The tabernacle was originally constructed from 1883 to 1898. It is a symbol of pioneer artistry and sacrifice. In 1909, U.S. President William Howard Taft spoke at the tabernacle. It has memories for most citizens of the city. In my case, I attended meetings and concerts there, my dad's graduation when he received his doctorate degree was held there, live nativities are acted out there every year and I used to work in a historic building located diagonally across the intersection from the tabernacle. I saw it every single day. It was beautiful inside and out.

In the early morning hours of Friday, December 17, the building caught fire. Because the structure is primarily made of wood, it had little chance of survival. My mother called me in tears later that morning to tell me of the fire. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I have been drawn to the internet ever since to see photos and read updates. The pictures are difficult to look at.

But these two are remarkable.

Especially this one.

Coincidence? I think not.

Pictures taken from ksl.com.

Christmas Fun

My mom sent us a paint-your own nativity. I told David that he should paint it (he's the artistic one in the family) and let Baylie paint one piece. Apparently, he heard just the opposite. Guess which piece is David's? I'm all for encouraging children in art, but my Type A personality will have to do some touch ups on this one.

Baylie had a blast.

Jalen tried his first popsicle - to mixed reviews.

We had a church Christmas party themed around Bethlehem. Our kids were adorable in their costumes - while they lasted.

Jalen actually got excited dressing up, but the head piece only lasted about two minutes.

And there was no crying this year with Santa. Baylie agreed to stand by him, but told me in advance she would not sit on his lap. I'm fine with that. Why do we tell our kids not to talk to strangers and then ask them to sit on some strange guy's lap?

Baylie has always said she was going to ask Santa for a candy cane, which was great with me. All of a sudden right before we got up to Santa, she said she was going to ask him for a bike. I said "What's a bike?" She said, "I don't know."

12 Days of Christmas (some of them anyway)

Watch at the end for some of Baylie's awesome toe dance moves she learned at the Nutcracker ballet.

It Seems a Little Too Quiet

We were sitting visiting with the missionaries when all of a sudden we realized we hadn't heard from Baylie in a while. According to her, she was making soup.

"I don't want to take a nap."

You gotta love a man who will wear his daughter's sleeping cap.

Daddy Daughter Date

Today David and Baylie went to see the Nutcracker Ballet (gotta love $5 balcony tickets, especially when after intermission you get to move close up). We are hoping to make this an annual tradition.

We were worried that Baylie would be too little and wouldn't like it, so we reserved tickets at the end of a row. But she LOVED it. She was so excited to go on her special date with her daddy. They both got dressed up in their very best clothes and Baylie spent quite a bit of time practicing her twirls. We had a hard time helping her realize that she wouldn't actually be the one dancing.

When I asked her what her favorite part was, she said the candy canes. After the show, they let the children go back stage to meet the dancers and they handed out candy canes.

I think David is thrilled he finally got to introduce one of his children to culture instead of sports.

As for Baylie, she's still twirling.

Gross Me Out

If you're squeamish, you should probably skip this post...

David's been nagging me to see the doctor about a couple of things. So I am now scheduled for a sleep study this weekend (creeps me out to have someone watch me sleep...). Apparently I stop - or almost stop - breathing while I sleep.

But that's not the gross part of this post. I have had a weird spot on my arm for a while, so I went to a dermatologist. Turns out my arm is fine, but I had two moles on my back that had to come off. After having them removed yesterday, the doctor told me not to do any lifting or bending. Um, yeah, I have a 2 1/2 year old and a 10 month old.

So today David changed the dressing for me. The first one looked pretty good (well, relatively since it's still gross).

But upon seeing the picture of the second one, I realized I probably shouldn't have done the laundry or the cleaning. Whoops!
Now that's gross.

P.S. Could I be any whiter?

Baby Steps

On Thanksgiving day, we were sharing what we were thankful for - family, friends, etc. when Baylie informed us that Jalen was thankful for the blinds. I guess that's true since he's already loved the ones in his bedroom and the living room to the point of breaking.

And here's our big boy walking. Before the camera started rolling, Jalen took four pretty good steps.

Melt My Heart

Today I was feeding Jalen when someone came to the door. While I was at the door, I could hear him crying in the background. At some point he stopped and I didn't think much about it until I came back inside and saw this.

I love how much my kids love each other. This just melted my heart.

I think there was as much on the bib as in his mouth. Also, note the overall strap.

Disney Analogies

I watch too many princess movies. So many that I'm starting to over analyze them. For example:

• After Eric and Ariel got married, did everyone in the kingdom stop eating fish? If so, what about the fishing industry? It seemed to be pretty big there in the kingdom and I would think all the fishermen would resent the new princess. (BTW - Does any one else see a concern in the fact that Ariel's seashells leave little to the imagination? I like Ariel, but she comes across as a major airhead to me.)
  
  
• What is the name of Snow White's prince? Does the fact that he has a nice singing voice really make him marriage material since he doesn't seem to have any other redeeming qualities?
  
  
• Prince Phillip is a studly prince while I think the Snow White prince seems wimpy. If I had to be woken up by a kiss, I'd definitely want Phillip over the other.
  
  
• Why don't the princes have mothers? Is that to avoid problems with the mothers in law?
  
  
• Why if the kings are short and fat are their sons tall and handsome?
  
  
• Does anyone else think the princesses are kind of easy since they kiss even before the first date and get married right away?
  
  
• I think Mulan and Tiana are the best heroines because they are smart and have some skills. They also end up with hunky guys, which is only fair. Plus, their men have to do more than just wake them up with a kiss or put a shoe on them.

I had more deep thoughts, but I have forgotten them. I'll have to come add them later as I think of them.

Photos Not Making It Into the Christmas Card

1. tired kids + frustrated mom + hungry dad = less than desirable photos
   
   
2. it does not help when a picture perfect family is taking awesome pictures with a professional photographer right next to your family meltdown