Christmas Morning 2011

This is how our Christmas' typically go: Kids wake up at some unheard of early time, sit in one of their rooms together until the clock strikes 5 am.  Then they call my cell phone to alert me to it being 5 am which is the earliest they are allowed to wake up on this morning.  Then I jump out of bed, grab the camera and a cup of hot chocolate and head out to the living room.  They are not allowed to come down stairs until I am set up and ready with my camera.  Then they come down two at a time to see what Santa has brought them.  Obviously they have clued in to the fact that I take their picture as they come around the corner so this year I got a few snazzy poses.  Whitley even woke up early to do her hair and make up. My kind of girl! 

I guess Bo forgot the rule about girls first, he left Katy in the dust.  He is 6 now and still doesn't quite get how the Santa thing works.  Santa leaves their gift by their stocking with their name on it.  It is unwrapped and away from the tree.  He zooms right in every year and kneels in front of the tree trying to figure out what is his.  We have to direct him to his stocking and explain again that this is where Santa leaves his gifts.

Love love love the look on her face!

Brooklyn

Dalin never ceases to come up with some great face for pictures.

Rhett

Stephen

Nick used to be shy....

Whitley looks like she's walking the runway..

Chelsey... the one who protested this early morning rise time.  I'm pretty sure she was the orchestrator of this many years ago. Reap what you sow honey!

Once everyone has had a minute to check out their stockings, we divvy out all the gifts and get to it.  This year it took us about an hour and a half to get through it all. 

Dalin picked up a gift and mentioned that it felt like a book.  He then repeated several times "it better be the Throne of Fire!"  I guess I did good.  It was a last minute idea and obviously a good one!

While the kids were shopping at the Dollar Store for each other, Bo found this sparkly blue hat.  He got one for Stephen and then cried pitifully when I wouldn't let him buy himself one.  How could we not have one waiting under the tree after that?

Brooklyn was tuff this year because her list mostly contained different kinds of candy she would like.  I found this adorable watch and decided she must have it!

The only thing the three younger boys consistently asked for this year was a Wii game called Skylanders.  They pretty much suspected they would get it since they asked everyday and left me a note on the fridge.  When they saw the box marked to the three of them, they couldn't wait to open it.  It's all they've done since.

Stephen's Christmas didn't go that well.  His pj's didn't fit right, he hated the shirt I got him, his watch was too big and the Van's he thought he would love felt weird when he walked.  Lucky for me he's pretty easy going.  We were able to fix most of it and after walking around a while, the Van's felt fine and he's worn them ever since.

All Chelsey wanted was a good camera.  I'm pretty sure this is the third year we have gotten her one but apparently the other two weren't good.  So pretty much that's about all she got this year.  I did find a super cute shirt for her that she loved (the picture), but it was too small. 

In a last ditch effort to not buy Nick a Morphsuit (the only thing on his list) I decided to buy him a rope and some boots.  He seemed to like them and is now itching to go try it out.  He says the boots are better than his DCs.  Wow!

Whitley saw this purse while we were at a boutique and mentioned I should get if for her for Christmas.  I happened to have a friend working at the boutique so I slipped her a check and had her get it for me.  I'm pretty sure Whitley hadn't given it a thought since.  Surprise!!

Katy just wanted a new doll.  This is what she asked Santa for and that's what she got.  An Arowa doll.  We are still working on getting her to say "Arora", but it just doesn't seem to be in her.

Whitley got this shirt for Rhett.  Fitting I think. 

 

After all the gifts were opened, we let the kids play a little and then it was time to get ready for church.  I love when Christmas falls on a Sunday.  It's totally appropriate.  We only had sacrament meeting which was an hour of beautiful Christmas music done by the choir, which included several members of my family.  Katy slept through the whole thing.  I loved being able to hug all my friends and wish them a Merry Christmas.  

Christmas Eve 2011

I took a seriously low key approach to many things pertaining to Christmas this year and today was no different.  I spent the morning with Whitley doing a little last minute shopping and going to pick up all the gifts from my mom's house.  Took a nap and everything.  We cleaned and got things around for dinner, but I didn't even make everyone get all nice looking or anything.  Unfortunately my potatoes didn't cook enough and the kids didn't like the store bought rolls we had.  So, the dinner kinda sucked. 

I had planned on watching the Christmas Devotional together but the DVR is only in my room so we did jammies and ornaments first before we all jumped in my bed to watch.  Every one's jammies worked but Stephen's and I was able to get all their pictures printed and into their ornaments without too much trouble. 

They were really restless watching the devotional, we only did part because of the whining.  I guess it's just really hard to sit for an hour when you know Santa is getting close.  I guess I should just stick with a book.  After we let them off the hook with the devotional, the jumped right back on the computer to find out where Santa was via the Santatracker.  Some watched Arthur's Perfect Christmas, which is tradition and some helped Glade wrap my presents.  That left me stuck in my room for a while so I did paperwork. 

Of course they were all more than willing to go to bed, not to mention it was 9 already so that's normal bedtime.  We were done getting things ready by about 10:15.  They get up by 5 am so we needed to get our rest!  The night didn't go as I envisioned, but I don't think anyone will really remember the bad rolls or long devotional, but they will remember our traditions and the way they felt on that night.  I'm always a little sad on Christmas Eve to know that it's now over.  Another year gone by and Christmas 366 days away again.  It's not the day I love, it's the build up to the day.  Don't get me wrong, the day is great.. but it's the season that's the best!

Sometimes They Listen

Last night we had our Smith Family Christmas party and we were in charge of doing the program.  When I took the kids in a back room to get them dressed into their nativity clothes, Bo had on two long sleeve shirts and two jackets.  I guess when I reprimanded him at the Temple, he listened.  When I saw that he was only wearing a tshirt and lightjacket that night, I told him "anytime we go somewhere this time of year, you have to dress warmly.  It's cold right now."  He did just that.

the Forgotten Carols

On Wednesday we went to see the 20th Anniversary of the Forgotten Carols with  Jake and Jenny.  We dressed in our nice clothes, left early and went to dinner at Macaroni Grill beforehand.  We were arriving just a tad late (10 min before start time) so we had to hurry through the parking lot to get in in time.  We entered the doors with 2 minutes to spare.  We have seen this show one other time and it was just as wonderful this time.  It's just a really great story about what Christmas is really about.  And the music. Oh the music!!  I can't help but declare this show  inspired.  Absolutely beautiful.  The best part is the end where he comes out and talks and we sing and the spirit is so strong you don't want to leave.  I remembered that from last time and didn't expect to feel the same way this time since I already knew what he would do but I did.  My heart was warm and I never wanted it to end.  I'm so glad we went, I highly recommend it.

Temple Lights

Hmmmm, to tell the truth or to not??  This was the worst activity we have done this season.  That's the truth.  It reminded me why I didn't make a special effort to do it last year.  It's a little bit of a drive to the temple and the kids were awful in the car on the way there.  So much fighting over nothing.  AND they're too big for me to remind them that Santa is watching!

Once we got there, we gathered, made a plan and headed out to see the lights.  For starters, no one listens when I tell them to dress warmly.  Well, Rhett who brought the snow parka cuz he lost his expensive sweatshirt I just bought him this year... he was warm.  It started to rain as soon as we got there and everyone was freezing.  Little Bo only had on a tshirt and a really light jacket.  We were meeting some friends so we went inside to wait out the drizzle and to try and locate them. 

It didn't take long for the rain to stop, it is Arizona after all, and we found our friends so we trekked out to see all the wonder of the lights.  At least that's what I did.  The rest of the children just wanted to see how fast they could get to the next stop.  They climbed, jumped, twirled, slid down a wheelchair ramp, and were way too loud.  I thought I was going to lose my mind.  It's always crowded this time of year but luckily for us, it had thinned out a little because of the weather.  Obviously I have not taught my children well enough, but I never thought I had to say the words "it's not appropriate to baseball slide down a wheelchair ramp".  Who does that?? 

Once we made a seriously fast loop around the grounds with very little looking at lights, I told Glade "we need to vacate the premises!"  He brought donuts and our friends family brought hot chocolate so we went to the parking lot for a treat.  That was better,  at least they were somewhat contained.  I will say that I love our friends!  That part was good.

On the way home, the fighting started again.. this time about stinky feet and if you cared about your family you would put your shoes back on.  I turned up the music and decided I was just not going to listen.  Finally, I could take no more so I turned the music down and yelled "you are ruining Christmas!!  There will be no more talking unless you are telling someone you love them!!  Nothing, No. More.!"  Then Katy says in her sweet little voice.  "Nothing.  No. More."  Thanks for having my back Katy.  The kids giggled and the tension was gone and we then drove home in peace. 

Good to the End

Yesterday was one of those days that pretty much started good and only continued to get better as the day went on. 

Visiting Teaching
I had made VTing appointments for the morning so that's where my day started.  Sometimes it's just like making a big check mark when you're done "OK, that's done."  But this day it was like I felt like each visit had a purpose and that THIS is what visiting teaching is about. 

Running
While I was VTing, my good friend Jenny texted me and asked if I wanted to go running.  I have only run twice, sprints on the treadmill, since  Thanksgiving.  Bad, I know.  Once I was finished with my sisters, I changed and we headed out for a run.  The weather was beautiful and the run was... well, it was a run.  We only made it 2.5 miles and they were a little slow, but hey... I RAN!  She committed me to Wed and Fri of this week as well.  Thanks Jenny!  I needed that.

The Package
That afternoon, a very special arrival came in the mail.  A package from my Dad and Step Mom.  Holy. Wow.  They sent me a beautiful, and I'm not just using that word for fun... beautiful bracelet for Christmas.  It's absolutely gorgeous.  I can't exactly describe it, but it contains my birthstone, a little inscription of "daughter" and lots of other sparkly things.  Along with that came their check they send every year for the kids for Christmas.  That was a great relief because finances are so tight this time of year and since my next paycheck comes only 2 days before Christmas, this was great timing.

Concert
The elementary kids had their Christmas concert that night.  Bo and Dalin got all dressed in their Sunday best, including their Christmas ties, and we headed out.  These are my favorite concerts.  Cute and fun and short and totally filled with nothing but warm familiar Christmas music.  After, we went to pizza with Mom, and the other couple of kids who wanted to go watch.

Service
While getting pizza, I got a text from Kelsee, my horse friend, saying they needed Nick last minute to go feed their horses.  Yeah!!  We went home, grabbed him and headed over.  It was dark and cold so we didn't spend a lot of time with them, but he got to have his first experience with them and know that they actually trust him and are going to count on him.  Awesome.

Giving
When we got home, we had a family meeting.  Normally we do a service for some family close by that could use a little help for Christmas.  This year time has flown by and unfortunately, I haven't spent the time I should have figuring it all out.  I called our Ward Mission leader to see if he knew of anyone and he gave me the name of an older gentleman who is having a hard time.  He is in his 60's and takes care of his elderly stepfather.  He has had bad health and not able to work much so they are not doing well financially.  After checking with his neighbor, she assured me that cash would go along way for them and that it wouldn't be used for inappropriate things (drugs, alcohol, etc).  She said he had just mentioned to her that he could really use a miracle right now.  I presented this idea to the kids and suggested we all give a little of the money that was allotted to us from Grandma and Grandpa Whitley to him.  They were all very willing so we made a plate of treats, added a cute Teddy Bear, and made a card to put all the money in.  Chelsey decided we could use a little more money in there so she added what cash she had in her wallet, which wasn't just a tiny bit.  I was so proud of all my kids, they didn't even flinch at the idea.  We drove to his house and speedy Nick took it to his doorstep, rang the bell and ran for cover.  How great would it be to be able to witness the reaction when he found his little package.  But we can't, so we drove aways discussing how he might be feeling knowing someone was thinking of him and loved him enough to give to him. 

Today felt like Christmas.

Bettin on Horses

I saw a clip on Disney Channel about a boy being raised by a single mom and they were worried about where he was headed.  She sent him to work on his uncles Ranch and instead of just being a farm hand, he learned to ride and do some roping.  It was a positive change for his life and gave him something to focus on and to have a passion for.  It occurred to me that we have several available "ranches" where I live and maybe this would be something that was good for my son.  I hadn't given it a lot of thought past that until we were at our Ward party and he sat for a long time just holding a lamb.  While watching him, it also happened to be that the girl I serve with in YW was standing right by me and she and her husband do Rodeos for a living.  They also live about a quarter mile from me.  All the ducks seemed to swim right into line!

I mentioned to them about what I had seen and what my idea was and asked if they had anything they could offer for him.  They both seemed very willing to let him come help take care of their horses and to let him learn to rope a little.  When I mentioned it to my son, he was as excited as he ever gets.  Which isn't very, but he didn't oppose at all.  I think he will be really great at it!  They said they could start working with him right after Christmas, perfect!

I also happen to visit teach this same gal and while I was there talking with her yesterday, she told me that her husband had said that he felt a really strong impression to help and be involved with this boy while we were talking that day.  That made me so happy!  I was afraid they might see it as me pawning off my at risk teenager to them.  I know there's a lot of research out there about the healing power of horses, I'm just hoping it will work here as well.  He is really a good boy with so much potential, but just no drive to get anything accomplished.  He loves animals and he's so good athletically that I think this is the perfect thing to give him "something".  This would be the only time you would ever here me say "I can't wait till Christmas is over!"

This Week

Soooo, this last week was spent without my mom.  My Uncle Chet died suddenly the week before , so she went back for his funeral.  I really loved Uncle Chet and am so sad for all the family that will be without him, he was much too young.  While she was gone, I mostly stayed in jammies, but while I did that, I got a little movie watching done.  It rained for 2 straight days here, unheard of!!  I took full advantage... clicked on the fireplace, turned on all the Christmas lights, got some hot chocolate and put on a movie.  So great!! 

Rhett and Brooklyn had another race and Rhett finally stepped it up.  It was only 3 schools but he got 8th place this time.  I think he was like 24th before.  When I looked up his times from last year, they were much better that what he has run so far.  This time he did much better and actually looked like he was running hard when he came through.  He beat his last time by 40 seconds.  That's a lot for only a mile and a half.  I was really proud of him for trying so hard.

We had our Christmas Bunko this week.  It was a really good time.  We had discussed discontinuing bunko for next year but decided to keep it going but only 4 times a year.  I hope it works out and that it goes better than it has been.  It was still a really good night.  I have great friends!!

Sniff, Sneeze, Cough

Right after Glee ended, I finally got what everyone in my house already had.  The snotty, coughing, sneezing goo.  Blech!  I was truly grateful that it waited till I was done with the show so I was trying to look on the bright side, but I'm a really bad sick person.  I'm not exaggerating when I say I didn't comb my hair for three days.  I washed it, didn't even dry or straighten it and then didn't touch it for the next 2 days.  I pretty much just stayed in my jammies that whole time and didn't go anywhere.  Crazy.  I did have to make a trip to the store for something my kids needed last minute for school.  I made him go with me looking all nasty and told him that was the consequence for not telling me sooner!

Luckily it only lasted a few days and now I just have a tiny bit of it left.  Very grateful for that!  I didn't run or anything this week so I seriously need to hit it this next week.  I actually feel like it right now so we'll see how it goes Monday.  I'm running out of time for excuses.  This however is the main reason I got behind on my blogging, I didn't want to come out of my hole. Ü

Where are You Christmas?

I really love that song, but that's kind of what I'm feeling this year.  Last year I thought I was missing out cuz I was too busy.  I wouldn't say that was the case this year.  I still feel like it's not here yet.  Like the month went by and I didn't FEEL it.  So I started thinking about what could be causing this.  The only thing that made sense to me was my kids.  I believe it's because my kids are big now.  Our Christmas' were always spent in awe and wonder.  Just driving past lights would get oooh's and aahh's from everyone.  We would spend many evenings watching goofy little Christmas movies and talking about all the exciting things coming up.  Now.... they're just big.  I still have Bo and Katy, but they have been ruined.  Silly little cartoons are not cool enough for them.  Now it's big kids who make fun of Christmas songs and give no heed to the little things.  Sure, they all like Christmas, but it's just not the same.  The magic of it has kinda gone away.  Some how I need to figure out how to get it back for myself.  I miss that part.  I want everything to be a wonder again.  I am reminded of my SIL's blog title.. Treasure These Moments...  I guess I didn't realize it wouldn't always be like that.  Life sure would sure be easier if we could live it backwards!!

Glee

Well, I think I can finally blog about this.  The show went really well, pretty much exactly what we expected.  We had a full house and the kids were all really excited to finally perform.  Only a few tears before the show, a little nerves from a few.  They all sucked it up and performed anyway.  It was weird to watch it from a different perspective.  I thought I would sleep really well that night, but instead I woke up often with songs in my head and visions of different choreography.  It only took a couple of days to get all that out of my head.  It was an experience like none other that I've had.  Some was really good and other parts weren't.  I learned a lot and have a new respect for many different things.  I have no idea if my future has any more directing in it!  I only posted pics of my kids (Rhett and Dalin) here.  All the pics are on FB. 

Nick helped with the lights again for this show.  We got pizza right before so all the "helpers" could eat.

Whitley was going to help with lights, but ended up as photographer instead.  Thanks Whit!!

Before we opened the theater to the audience, we had a little dance party to get everyone loosened up.

This was my favorite number, The Boys are Back. Not just cuz it was one I did, but also because my boys were in it and they are just plain cool!  The girls went crazy every time they performed it.  I even saw phones out videoing it during rehearsal.  Short story about Rhett.  When Glade went back stage during this performance, the girls were all giggly and talking about Rhett and how talented and cute he was.  They didn't know his dad was right there in the room.  Glade said he has reason to have a big head.  Too cute.

They also sang Take Me Out to the Ballgame.  Dalin was hilarious.  He's just funny even when he's not trying.

Molly asked each of the directors to get up and say a few words between a couple of the songs so the kids had time to change costumes.  This was me blabbering away.