Christmas

I grew up with a lot of Christmas traditions. In December we would decorate the Christmas tree, put up the stair garland, make gingerbread houses, go caroling, watch "It's a Wonderful Life", quote "Elf" a million times, make and decorate cookies, and make Christmas caramels. We'd almost always do some sort of Christmas craft or cut out snowflakes (whether it was at home or school or church) and we'd listen to/make Christmas music all month long. We drew names for our family gift exchange and everyone would wait until Christmas Eve to wrap them (that part wasn't tradition, just bad habits). Then on Christmas Eve my dad would make dinner. We'd have some sort of yummy meat or chicken cordon bleu and twice baked potatoes. We'd eat at the only-used-on-Thanksgiving-and-Christmas dining room table and get out the only-used-on-Thanksgiving-and-Christmas china and candlesticks. After dinner we'd read and act out Christ's birth, my Dad would share his feelings about Christ or read a Christmas story, and we'd sing carols, play the piano, or showcase the current middle schooler's band instrument skills. My sister Brooke and I always had some new Christmas duet on the harp and my mom would always request at least one of our beginner's level duets we learned our first year of lessons. Then we'd say family prayer and have grasshopper pie for dessert.

Christmas morning we would wake up and congregate in my parents' room. When we were all awake and ready to go my dad would go downstairs, make sure Santa came, and we'd head down the stairs youngest to oldest. We'd find our stocking full of candy and the assorted nuts that nobody ever ate so my parents just reused them year after year. Then we'd check out all the stuff Santa left out for us and get started on the presents under the tree, opening one at a time, youngest to oldest. My dad would make crepes for breakfast and we'd spend the day playing with new toys, watching new movies, and finishing off Christmas treats.

This year was a lot different. We had a newborn so most of December we were just really tired. We didn't decorate gingerbread houses, we didn't make Christmas treats, we didn't go carolling and I didn't even participate in our ward Christmas program (first time since I think I was ten!). We did, however, manage to decorate the tree, put up some lights and stockings, and I cut a bunch of snowflakes to hang up. We also had a little Christmas "party" (I use the term loosely) with some friends. We bought one of those gigantic chocolate cakes from Costco, people brought a few more treats, and we just talked, passed Emma around, and watched Will and his friend Harrison run around on a past-bedtime sugar high. For Christmas, because Emma was only a few weeks old and because one of my best friends was getting married December 28th here in L.A. we decided to stay here. With my parents living in South Africa, my siblings spending the holidays with their in-laws and Taylor's family in St. George and Vegas we got to have our very first Christmas with just our little family. I kind of missed the chaos of the usual giant family gathering, but it was also kind of nice. We got to do whatever we wanted. We did our own version of our family's traditions. On Christmas Eve Taylor was going to make dinner. That day we visited friends, went grocery shopping and by the time we were done it was pretty late in the afternoon so we decided to save the big dinner for Christmas Day. So for Christmas Eve we got carry-out from Chili's, put the kids to bed and ate dinner and chips and salsa while we watched a Christmas movie on TV. In the morning we told Will the story of Christ's birth and watched a video on lds.org. Then we opened presents. Will struggled with that whole concept. Between each one we had to convince Will to open another one instead of playing with the presents he'd already opened (which was pretty much all cars and balls).

I snapped some pictures before presents and they pretty much perfectly describe our two kids. Silly, crazy, can't-sit-still Will and grumpy, serious, kissable-cheeks Emma.

Will used to be a serious baby too so I'm hoping that Emma will grow out of it. (I was too and I turned out all right.) She's smiling a lot more now but I'd be lying if I said this was not her default expression. But we love her so much. :)

And we managed to use the camera timer to take a picture of all of us and got Will smiling the very first try!

After presents, we ate Pillsbury cinnamon rolls for breakfast (Taylor's family's tradition), Taylor went for a bike ride, the kids and I skyped with my parents, Ryan and Tricia, Brooke, and my Grandma (all in South Africa) and we played with Will's toys until nap time. Then we had our friends Rachel and Brady Cox over for the rest of the day. Rachel was very pregnant (she had the baby on December 31st) and couldn't travel for Christmas so it was fun for us to spend Christmas Day with them. Taylor made the dinner he was going to make for Christmas Eve: chicken cordon bleu, baked potatoes and steamed broccoli. I made bread (in my fancy new bread machine I got for Christmas) and for dessert instead of grasshopper pie we had pazookies with mint chocolate chip ice cream on top. Will watched "Cars" while playing with his new cars and we played Acquire.

We also had the Coxes take some family pictures for us since the only picture I had of our whole family (besides our Christmas morning selfy) was in the hospital with me in a lovely hospital gown.

I love our little family.

And again, Emma's default. (It's so cute though right?)

So Christmas wasn't the same as most years, but it was definitely memorable. And most importantly, we got to celebrate our Savior, Jesus Christ. I know that He chose to come live on the earth, that He died for us and most importantly that He lives again. Christmas is one of the many reminders we have of his life and of our Heavenly Father's plan for all of us. I know that God loves us and I am so grateful for the countless ways he has blessed my life and my family. I hope you were able to feel His love for you this Christmas season and that you will carry it with you throughout the year.

Deerhill Park

It's been a few weeks since the holidays but I thought I'd start doing some catch-up posts. The Saturday before Christmas we decided to go to the park for a bit. We usually go to Deerhill Park just down the street from us. It's technically close enough to walk but we usually end up driving because with 2 kids it's easier. Plus it's usually just cold enough that I feel like I can justify driving (like 50-60 degrees--I've completely lost my Utah tolerance for cold). That day we didn't stay very long because it started to get dark but I brought my camera. Emma was bundled up in her stroller so I took some pictures of Will and Taylor. I feel like the pictures make our lives look unrealistically perfect--happy, smiling kid beaming with the pure joy of cars and swings and playing with Dad. All smiles, no tears, everyone laughing. And I know life isn't always like that but, honestly, sometimes it really is. Plus when we got home Wendy Hull surprised us with some homemade soup for dinner. 

Trying to give Daddy kisses.

Will: 10 Things

1. He calls Emma "Abby". I think it's supposed to be a hybrid of Emma and baby.

2. Sometimes I let him bring a book or toy in his crib for nap time. Yesterday his item of choice was a plate. He continued to play with it afterwards and again today. A plate.

3. He is a great helper. He loves to help me by throwing things in the trash, getting Emma's pacifier and sweeping (or trying to).

4. He's a really good sharer. He's usually pretty good about other kids playing with his toys and even tries to share with Emma sometimes.

5. On Monday we had a family night lesson about faith. At the end of our very short lesson (toddler attention span) I asked Will, "Do you have faith?" He copied me and said, "Fay." Then he smiled, brought his hands up to his armpits and said, "Pits!" Yes, Will, faith and armpits...

6. Today I gave him some milk and he said, "Tay" (thanks) without me asking him to! And he looked so proud of himself.

7. He loves to eat Wheaties for breakfast every morning like his dad.

8. My favorite words and phrases he says (this week): "omen" (open), "I Wan it!" (I want it), "I driding" (driving), "I beeding" (building) and "ah MAN!"

9. He likes to climb up on things, put his arms up and say "Tall!" then jump off.

10. He just figured out how to burp when he wants to.

Emma: 10 Things

1. The first thing people notice about Emma is her thick, dark, full head of hair. She is her mother's daughter, right down to the hair sticking up in the back that earned me the nickname of Heather Feather when I was a baby.

2. She is a chunker but I'm pretty sure it's all in her cheeks.

3. She's 7 1/2 weeks old but has been wearing 3 months sized clothes for a couple weeks.

4. She still spits up a lot... we do a lot of laundry and most of it is either Emma's or mine (because I'm usually the one she spits up on).

5. She is starting to smile. Not gassy smiles--real smiles. But they are hard to come by. She's a pretty serious little girl and furrows her eyebrows a lot. (Like I said--her mother's daughter.)

6. She snorts when she cries, especially when she's hungry. 

7. She's hungry a lot. Most evenings she eats every hour and a half to two hours.

8. Her neck is almost strong enough to support her head. She can hold it up for a while but then will wobble like a bobble-head and head-butt me in the nose.

9. She's not crazy about pacifiers but we've found one that will work most of the time. When that fails, my pinky finger almost always works to calm her down. (But not Taylor's for some reason.) And if that doesn't work, eating usually cheers her up. (Did I mention she's my daughter?)

10. She sleeps best in her swing or with someone holding her. 

We are so in love.

Will: 10 Things

I've decided to periodically make a list of 10 things about each of my kids. They are both constantly changing and it happens so quickly. Even while I count down the days until Emma sleeps through the night, part of me wishes time would slow down a bit, just so I could keep up with all the things they are learning and all the ways they are growing. It's amazing to watch and some days being a part of these little things is just enough to make my sleep-deprived, unshowered, exhausted self so so happy.

1. Will is kind of OCD. For example, he loves Life cereal but only eats the unbroken, whole pieces. He gives the broken ones back.

2. He copies everything we say (in his own way- usually it's not even close besides the inflection) and everything we do. Whenever he sits on the couch he puts a pillow behind his head just like Taylor does.

3. He loves to look at "pituhs" on our phones and will watch videos of himself over and over and over.

4. Every time Emma sneezes Will points and laughs saying, "shee" (sneeze) and "funny."

5. He loves to say "Hi!" and "Bye!" Randomly throughout the day he'll go to the window or front door and say "Bye! S'ya!" I'm not sure who he's talking to but I think he just likes to say it.

6. When he gets in trouble he'll come up to me and say "Hi!" so sweetly and with such a big smile he almost gets out of trouble.

7. He loves his sister so much. He loves to give her kisses and put her pacifier in her mouth. He also loves to show me where her hair is, her ears are, and her eyes are. Sometimes he pokes her in the eye but he's learning to be soft.

8. He likes to pretend he's a baby. He puts a pacifier in his mouth and fake cries, then he makes me hold him in my arms like a baby. And I do it because he's so cute and it's just extra snuggle time (which is rare because he's always moving).

9. He recently starting standing up on a bucket by the kitchen window so he can see outside. Somehow he knows what time Daddy comes home and what his car looks like. Two nights in a row I was making dinner and he start yelling "DADADADA!!!!!" Sure enough, there he was, just barely getting out of the car.

10. He is learning to pray. He knows how to fold his arms and how to say, "Amen!" He never closes his eyes and sometimes starts to play half-way through but a couple days ago he started to mumble and say his own little prayer (in his own little language) as we put him to bed.

We love this funny, smart, sweet little boy! I mean seriously, how could we not?