Joy to the World

Yes, I am finally getting out a December blog in the middle of Jan.  I put my Christmas décor away this week, too…

We had a variety of fun activities in Dec!  We went to the Creche (nativities from around the world), we had a crazy stomach flu (only symptom was an aching stomach, which would only happen in the evenings for 1-9 days!), we went to the Franklinton High School Band Concert (thanks to the Duncans for inviting us!  The kids got to see a variety of instruments.   Even Baby # 9 enjoyed it.  Or hated it.  I am not sure, but it moved around A LOT.)

Mark with a red-bellied water snake he caught early in December.

The highlight of the month for me:  we made Christmas baskets and went caroling with the missionaries to take them to our neighbors!  We asked our neighbors if they would like to hear a Christmas message from the missionaries.  It was the scariest and most enjoyable thing I have done for a long time!!!  We got to know several neighbors better, and I was really happy.  The vast majority were very sweet to us and listened to the message.  We weren’t able to go to all of our neighbors, but we will probably do something similar again next year.

Joan and James helping me put the baskets together.

James being awesome in December like normal.

(Making venison roasts!)

We have played a lot of games as a family.  One of my new favorites is "Werewolf"- a version of mafia.   John is addicted to Boggle now, and Mark is hooked on Hero Quest (80's board game).

My mom puts on a nativity with the grandkids every year.

Mark, KK, and Sarah enjoyed themselves a little too much.

Eva was baby Jesus and put up with it surprisingly well.

(I was surprised she didn't squawk when they put her in the manger/basket.)

They gave her a gold box full of jewelry and that helped.

All the cast.

(Ammon and Noah were not interested this year)

Kate and Adalyn as angels, as they usually are.

It was cute to see them flap their wings when my mom told them to exit.

Joan enjoyed being Mary!

Yes, and then there was actually Christmas.

One of our traditions is....to not do very much!

Our sweet kids being happy anyway!   Minimal presents on purpose...

Still gleeful with their minimal candy.

(I tried to not give them more than I could bear for them to eat all at once.)

Aunt Laura was very thoughtful and sent knitted us hats!

We have enjoyed and worn them a lot!  They are pretty cute, and it is fun to match.

I have no idea how long she spent....thank you!!!

I gave a talk in church in Dec.   It went really well.  Especially once it was over.   Topic was-  Pres.  Uctdorf-  “Of Things that Matter Most”  During times of stress:  slow down and focus on what really matters.   Take time to   1) connect with the Lord  2) relationships with others  3) relationship with yourself  4) Set healthy media boundaries.   I love conference talks!!!   I get so much truth and peace when I read them, and I try to read one every day (and almost always at least read part, or listen to one).  It is a great mental-reset button.

We try really hard to get to church super-early, so Sarah can go to choir practice.  Sometimes we actually make it.  She works super-hard to help me with feeding and clothing everybody.  Sometimes she is a bit over-zealous in waking everyone up early (6:15 am one time).  She will walk down the hall singing loudly, if she thinks I am still asleep…

Studies

I am not studying....

 (MUCH. I have found a new love in the Ancestral Health Symposium videos...  I listen while I walk.)  

I AM decluttering everything.   Want to come and see my attic?   You could tell me how great it looks and how amazing I am…I could use some pats on the back!

I get into cleaning mode every pregnancy.  Once the baby is here, I am mostly delighted to snuggle, nurse, read, REPEAT.  But pre-baby, I feel like - I better get the house in order while I have time!!!   My babies usually want to nurse 24/7 the first 2 months.    It takes all their energy (and mine) to get them so gianormously fat and cute!

We did finally finish reading "To the Rescue", and that was a bit too heavy for us, so now John is reading us "Michael Vey" books in the evening.

Cute Kid stories:

Joan and the TRUE meaning of Christmas

Joan was asked last minute to give a talk in Primary.  They had apparently asked her to talk about Christmas, and she was going on and on about Christmas trees, ribbons, and presents (She likes giving FHE lessons, too, like her mama!). 

The Primary president said “OK, can you talk about the TRUE meaning of Christmas?”

Joan said “OK!   You go to bed, and go to sleep, and if you are really good, Santa will come and give you presents!”

(We thought this was particularly funny, as we don’t hype up Santa to the kids at all.)

She heard us tell this story over and over, and one time James stood up to give the FHE lesson, and she prompted him  “The true meaning of Christmas is:  Jesus was born!”

Grandpa Mark’s Train:

Grandpa Mark set up 2 trains at his house-  one that was very fancy, taking up their massive  dining room table, and that the preschool grandkid boys were fascinated with.    They would sit on his lap and watch the trains go round and round.   Ammon wanted to push the buttons very badly, and is NOT supposed to touch it (the engine breaks easily).

Grandpa Mark showed Eva the train.  She watched for a few seconds, and then gestured-   she preferred the sparkly ornaments Grandma Cindy had hung over the table, and wanted to get to hold them.  She couldn’t care less about the train.

   

A few days after Christmas, John had taken the younger kids to the science museum to give me a break.   It had been very impressionable on Ammon- there were sharks, dinosaurs, bugs, etc.   We were at my parents house to play games, and I said to Ammon  “Tell Grandma Cici what you did today.”   He turned to her and nervously said  “I-I not touch Grandpa Mark’s train”  

Joan and Junk

I have been cleaning out lots of stuff.  John has been recruited sometimes.   I usually put things in black bags so the kids don’t see them as they go to Goodwill/the dump (so traumatic!  Once when Sarah was 7, I asked her to choose her 8 favorite shirts, and we would get rid of the rest.  She said tearfully “That is like asking me to choose which of my children to kill!!”).  

John had been going through his electronic/computer stuff, and was walking out the door with a tangle mass of old cords/anteanas, etc.   Joan saw him and let up a wail  “Awwwwww!!!   I was gonna keep that!”

Eva’s 2^nd word

Eva’s 1^st word was “Hi!  Hi!  Hi!”  usually accompanied by grins and waves.   She has been doing this for several months.  She has said Daddy less than a handful of times, and will say uh-oh on occasion.

But her 2^nd word/phrase that she uses FREQUENTLY is:   (accompanied with an astonished, eyebrows lifted face    “ * GASP* Wha-dat?!”

This is also usually accompanied by a “Bring it hither” hand gesture-  she gasps and reaches up for the lights hanging high in the church ceiling (and fully expected me to be able to lift her up to touch them-  I appreciate the confidence, but…).   She has gasped and gestured to starts in the sky, birds singing in trees, and tries to launch herself towards what she wants if it is something on the ground  (dogs or neighbors lawn ornaments we see when walking).   She would literally try to climb up my arms and launch herself out in the air towards what she wants.

We have figured out a NEW meaning to this word is  “I WANT THAT”  since she has been applying this to bananas in the kitchen (dessert for her)-  accompanied with gasp and astonished facial expression   “What IS that?!  I have NEVER seen that before!  Can I hold it?!!!”   It worked the first time!

She isn't walking yet, but she does LOVE to hold hands with us and walk around as we do "ring around the roses".  A few weeks ago she couldn't take the steps sideways to walk in a circle, but has figured it out now.  She has said "Ashie Ashie" a few times when we ask her if she wants to play.

She also folds her arms when she hears someone praying.

She also slaps her hands over her eyes when we say "Where's Eva?"   And reveals herself with a "surprise!" face.

And I could go on and on about how cute she is, but I am going to stop now!

I hope all of you enjoyed your holidays and are on your way with a great New Year!

Truth Eternal

Our Thanksgiving was really excellent because John’s sister Joan, and her husband Joe, went to the trouble of driving 10+ hours with their 3 little kids to come and see us.  The kids and I hadn’t seen them for 4 years!   

John and I enjoyed hanging out and talking with Joan and Joe the best.  We got to go out to eat gyros and custard-  YUM!  

I am really kicking myself for not getting a pic of their whole cute family.  I didn't even bring my camera to Thanksgiving!  This is all I got:

Joan helping Joan make PBJs...

Blurry River and Joe showing off helicopter stuff to our kids...

and Rivers feet.  (Joe is showing the kids how to chart a helicopter route. 

He also showed them some other cool pilot gadgets.)

No pics of Ezra or Cora!!!  Boo.

Joan and Joe were both patient and kind to all of the kids. I was especially impressed with how kind they were to Noah, listening to him and enjoying his honest nature  “Wait a minute!  You are joking!”  

I was impressed with how calm and mature Ezra and River are.  Ezra especially was very grown up (and had his 13^th birthday while here!).  They both got on my good side by adoring Eva, and she thought they were pretty neat, too (would actually lean to them).  Cora was cuter than I thought she would be (besides being a little genius)- and I had thought she would be pretty cute.  The only problem with craziness was our kids were so excited to have them here, OUR kids would not calm down and go to sleep.   Their kids all came down to our early morning devo and read scriptures with us (and Cora tolerated us dictating to her what to say- we didn’t know she can read proficiently). 

We were able to go to my mom & dad’s house for Thanksgiving-   bonus of not having to cook the whole meal myself, plus I got to show off my extended family to Joan and Joe.    Joe was impressed with the cooking in general, and especially the pies.   Mom and Kim cooked spectacularly, as usual.  And Ryan made a really yummy sweet potatoe pie. 

Everyone humored me by playing a few rounds of Mafia (during half-time).  Yay!  I was one of the mafia with Adalyn on the last round. 

(Side note:  We later played a game of mafia as a family, where Noah was one of the mafia.  I asked him if he was it, and he said “NOOOO” while holding the corners of his mouth down, as his eyebrows twitched, and then he grinned an evil grin.  I laughed so hard I could not breath.)

It was weird the next few days after Joan & Joe left-  we kept feeling like we were missing kids and recounting heads!  We were pretty bummed they were gone.  It took Ammon a bit to notice.  The 2^nd day after they left he was eating his breakfast and suddenly asked “Where’s Tora?”

Studies

The little kids (under 8s) favorite books to browse are the submarine book above (lots of pics of torpedoes and some helicopter pics), and several Audubon guidebooks (we have learned the most from the North American mammals book).   Ammon likes to stare at the star book (I am not sure why, as all the pics look similar to me!) and Joan likes to stare at the shell book (ditto!).

The boys recently finished the Hobbit, and are on to the Lord of the Rings series  (Mark is reading it out loud to James and Noah).  Noah is reading Sense and Sensibility.  (Books that we have the movie to are some of his favorites).

Sarah and I are finishing up listening to "Little Women" and have had some good discussions.  We are both disgusted with Jo for not marrying Laurie.  Growing up, I related well with Jo's character, and could not fathom why she would not marry him!  I think in reality I married a nice mix of Laurie and Mr. Bauer-  handsome and humorous, but also generous and kind!  My main thoughts as we listen are:  "I am so blessed!" 

Now Let Us Rejoice

My mom and dad stopped by on their way back from a bagpipe event (fulfilling the request of someone with terminal cancer).   He walked up to the house playing the bagpipes (Surprise!  We didn't know they were coming).

G. Mark asked Ammon "Do you want me to play another song, or be all done?"  Ammon said "Play another song." and then covered his ears.

It was VERY loud-  I am pretty sure all of our neighborhood could hear it!

The Dr. Dolittle play is over! (!!!)

The kids worked hard (LOTS of practices at the end) and did a great job.

The FACT directors and all the moms and dads did a LOT of free volunteer work,  just for the kids to get to have this fun experience.

Here are some Dr. Dolittle pics:

Katie & James were background animals-  in Dr. Dolittle's office and at the circus. 

Mark was half of the pushme-pullyou, and a villager and warrior.

Sarah was in lots of villager scenes and a warrior.

They had to learn a lot of songs and dances, and they worked pretty hard!

Mark and Sarah on the far right below 

Mark as the pushme-pullyou (he is the half on the left in this pic).

You could tell which one he was during the play, because he would bite anyone that pet him:

Sarah looking pretty and moving props around, which she did a lot of:

She worked very hard to do a good job, even though she did not have a speaking part.

She sang loud, and was EXTREMELY expressive.

She said she would try to think of something that would make her feel how she was supposed to feel for that particular scene.

Here she is, 3rd from the left, fist in the air during a gleeful protest scene

(Kate is also in the very front, under the duck):

They would not hold still afterwards for very long for me to take pictures.  

Cupcakes with their names on them had been promised, as soon as they got their costumes put away!

One of our good friends was very sweet and brought them bouquets-  flowers for the girls, candy for the boys.   Kate and Sarah enjoyed sticking flowers in our hair throughout the week!

James informs me he is desperate for the bathroom, not a cupcake, in the above photo.

___________

Other highlights of our week:

BURIED TREASURE...

We had the septic tank pumped (supposed to about every 3-5 years).

The septic tank guys would charge $25 less if John went out and removed the caps before they came.

The caps are 1 1/2 foot concrete square lids with small metal handles.

Joan was sitting at the window watching John dig in the yard, brushing dirt away from the edges to expose a lid.

She hollered  "GUYS!!!   Dad found a treasure box in the backyard!"

(She added smugly to herself later  "OUR Dad knows how to find treasure!")

Ammon was also very impressed by the huge truck with a straw (I carried him out and let him watch.  LARGE EYES.  He really likes cars.), and he requests me to tell him stories of the "poo poo tank" repeatedly.

____

LITTLE MIRACLE

My miracle of the week was the inspiration to feed Eva her baby food in a cup and not a bowl.

It was taking me 45 mins to feed her, and now it is about 20 (she gulps it out of the cup).

It may seem like a small miracle to you, or maybe even idiotic that I didn't think of it myself earlier.

Logical as it may seem, the idea did not occur to me.

I knew Heavenly Father would know a way for feeding her to take less time, if it was possible (which seemed IMPOSSIBLE to me), and I got the idea to feed her from a cup that same day.

Endless little sips turned into manageable gulps.

THANK YOU!!!

____

SIT & BE FIT???

We had fun doing this activity earlier this week:

simple-sitting-test-predicts-longevity

You are supposed to sit down on your bottom on the floor, and then get back up again.

If you can do it without using a hand or a knee, and no wobbling, you get a total of 10 points- 5 for getting down, 5 for getting up.

Minus one point for each appendage you half to use, minus a half point if you wobble.

It supposedly an accurate predictor of how long you will live.

(OR how likely you are to die!)

It was A LOT harder than I thought it would be!

It was fun to watch John and the kids try to do it.

Yes, if you use the side of your leg, that is minus 1 point.

I sat down easily, but was stunned I could not get up without using my knee.

Kate was the only one who got a 10.

(she figured out to get up with her legs splayed in a wide squat, leaning far forward)

The point is not to freak out that you are going to die, but to get more active ( & limber!) so you won't!

____________

MY STUDIES

I haven't been getting to study or read to the kids as much as I would like.

I have been listening to little snatches health podcasts, and classic books, when I can though.

John is reading "To the Rescue"  (Pres. Monson's biography) to me in the evenings, and Sarah and I listened to "Persuasion" on audio book  (*SIGH*  ROMANTIC!  I am turning my kids into Jane Austen junkies.)

I have a goal to read each of current conference talks before the next one comes up, and write notes of the main points of each, and then study the 5-6 ones that ring for me.

It isn't working out so far.

I have been LISTENING to one talk a day, but that is a far cry from reading it and looking for the main points!

Working on it!

_______

The Morning Breaks

I have decided to use hymns as titles, mostly randomly, to avoid  “Some cute pics from Nov.”  “Some cute pics from Oct.”  which is all I can usually think of.  (although this one fits.  The toddlers are still adjusting to daylight savings time. 5:15am, anyone?)

I have been trying to not feel frustrated at the little I can get done each day.  I know Heavenly Father does not expect more of me than I can do, but I get impatient with myself.   

I am a human do-ing, John is a human be-ing.  I am mostly happy when I get stuff done!  (see John L. Lund   For All Eternity  - our favorite marriage c.d.-  he is just funny in general!  Thanks, Joe, for introducing us!)  "How can you be so calm when the house is a mess?!"  "It's just a talent I have."

We are pretty organized-  laundry gets done (thanks, Mark!), meals are mostly on time  (Thanks, Sarah, Mark, and James!!!), things are mostly picked up  (thanks, me!).   But I feel pretty bummed if I don’t get at least a little extra (papers sorted, blog posted, pants mended, etc.).   So I am bummed most of the time!

(I get lots of snuggles, though, and that helps!)

(Baby Vampire!)

I SHOULD be super-grateful!  I was only nauseous for a month, and I only need a little extra sleep.  I made some small dietary changes, but I don’t know if that is why.  I still ate stuff I shouldn’t.   I am really blessed, but not as grateful as I should be!  .   Walking around and NOT feeling exhausted or like throwing up is something you take for granted really quickly!

I should probably change my expectations, per Virginia Hinckley Pearce .(She had 4 kids under 4, I think- 1 set of twins).   YAY!   The kids are all alive today!  I am a great mom!!!

I was buckling Joan in her car seat yesterday (the Barnes’ gave us some lovely cut deer meat we picked up.  Yay!) and I was singing “It’s a jolly holiday with Joanie!  Joanie makes the sun shine bright!”  (it was chilly (50?) , but very sunny)   She looked around at the bright sky and said “I DO?!”   

(I explained she makes the sun shine bright for Mom and Dad because we would be sad if we didn’t have her, and she was happy with that, too.)

Eva is adorable.   Quick to smile and super-snuggly (at least with me, anyway!)   Very cheerful and easy going. (I have gotten several of those in a row.  I don’t mind!!!)   If she is crying-  she is usually hungry, tired, or needs a diaper change!

Her favorite word is “Hi!”, which she says “Hieeyiyiyi!” going up and down in pitch.  She also barks when she hears dogs on our walks.  Squeals, jabbers, and barks when she sees any animal, including cats and squirrels.  She can do the “more” sign (she always wants more food!)  She has said “Uh-oh” a few times.    She will sometimes give kisses and give high-fives, but if you are a brother (or a silly grandpa) she will probably grin and smack you in the face.

She is eating super-gourmet baby food (homemade Paleo).   She WON’T drink much water (my kids usually don’t, until they are around 1), so I have to mix it with her food and it takes FOREVER to feed her.  I spend most of my time doing this (except when other adorable people help me!  Thank you!!!):

I got to take a salmon-pumpkin-bellpepper soup bath this morning because she was over-eager and pulled the bowl into my lap!  

(Mark pretending to be electrocuted.  Pretty convincing, I think)

Eva with my Dad at Trunk-or-Treat.

James is the skeleton behind

(I did his face paint.  Hurrah for me!)

Joan and Ammon are unseen, sitting on the sidewalk behind.

They sat still for 30 mins (rare) munching out of their own little pretzel bags.

Mark, Sarah, James and Kate have all been in a play-  “Dr. Dolittle” with Franklin Area Community Theater.  I don't have any good pics (not totally dark) of them yet. 

Maybe next time...

Eva's Blessing

Eva received her baby blessing on March 3rd.

John gave the blessing, and Bishop Davis, Grandpa Mark, and Uncle Michael got to be in the circle, with Mark holding the microphone.

There are other friends in the ward we would have invited in, but we didn't think ahead.

And of course, another Grandpa and lots of brothers and brother's-in-law we would have loved to have there!

Grandma CiCi made the dress.  

Out of a curtain she found at Goodwill, of course!

After church, we had a break-the-fast at Grandpa Mark's, and played 'Farkle'- a dice game Grandpa Mark likes (and John is getting hooked, too).

What else exciting this week?  We have a raging stomach flu!

Want to come over and play?!

(NOT a plague-protection face mask:  Joan is playing ninja.)

Winter things.

It snowed.

We got 2-3 light snows.  Just enough for the kids to run around in, eat, and throw a few snowballs.

Every time it snows, I am more grateful to live here!  Because I know the snow will melt soon :)

We have a gorgeous backyard.

There are 4 undeveloped acres with a small creek running through it backed up to our house.

Most mornings, if we choose to look out, we can see a 'First Vision'-  sunbeams breaking and sparkling through the trees.  

The kids are still learning how to work hard.

(And so am I!)

James, the little engineer/surgeon, made a lego man with joints.

Grandma Cindy had a FANCY tea party for all the girls.  She had fancy snack plates with tea cups, herbal tea and juice, sugar cubes.  She had hats for everyone to wear.  They worked really hard and served lots of fancy foods.  Then the girls made Valentines (even the adult girls had fun making shrinky-dink Valentines).

Kate has fun whenever Adalyn is around!

She picked this goofy hat:

It was very thoughtful of Cici-  the little girls felt very special!

Mark read the Book of Mormon all the way through for the first time!  We were very impressed.  He kept telling me where he was at, but it didn't click what he was doing.  He was reading a chapter a day, without us asking him to (!!!).

He got so much positive attention, and Grandma Cici and Grandpa Mark took him on a date to Burger King (where he picked), he is on track to finish it for the second time soon.  And Noah and Sarah are trying to catch up (they have been reading the scriptures for a long time, also, but random and by topic, not front to back).

Mark gets a kick out of swordfighting with Ammon.  "Hiya-hiya!" is what Ammon calls it.  He is very lucky to have Mark as a big brother.

(He is nice enough to give Ammon a wooden spoon, and himself a toothbrush).

Eva is still gorgeous in February!

I have enjoyed dressing her up, and wrapping her up!  I got her outfits and cozy blankets from consignment sales this past summer.  Most have embroidered edges, and little 'shoes'.

Sarah has been a lifesaver (as usual!).  She does the things I ask her to do, and then notices what else needs to get done and helps some more!  She is great at getting Eva to fall asleep (doesn't usually wear the Moby wrap, but wanted to try it on):

And Eva still loves to 'talk'.  She makes a kind of purring coo in the back of her throat that sends me into raptures!

She will talk and smile at any of the kids, if they sit and talk to her.

Ummm, unless she is hungry.  Or tired.

Noah is excellent at being in tune with the Spirit.  He sometimes says JUST the right thing.  The first time he held Eva, he handed her back to me with a grin and said "She's beautiful, Mom."

I agree.