Andrew is 10

 Our darling Christmas-time baby is now two whole hands old.

Andrew loves Star Wars, so when I saw a Baby Yoda on sale on Amazon months ago, I ordered it. JB saw one at Costco and bought it about the same time. We returned one, thinking one would be enough.

Spoiler alert .... it wasn't enough. Who knew Millie, with her strong opinions of boy toys and girl toys, would fall so deeply in love with this green child? She insisted on being in the picture with him after he opened it.

And ever since his birthday, she has clung tightly to it and has to be bribed and cajoled to let Andrew have a turn with his toy. 

Andrew gets turns with it, thankfully, and loves to read to it and make up adventure stories. 

He also got an RC car from Nona and Papa.....and spoiler alert...James has been trying to take it over as long as he can. I took them up to the church gym, and James wanted to run the car only himself. I have video of Andrew getting a turn, and I'm glad he is so easy-going and patient with those two younger siblings. But he also deserves to enjoy his toys, and we are trying to help him.

Here's his cake!

Christmas Prep

We put up our tree on Thanksgiving and JB put up the outside lights when the weather was nice and I must say I just love all the cheer.

Nona and Papa sent the Christmas Eve PJs early and these kids wear them all the time, they are so comfortable and cozy.

Well, except Millie. She likes to wear the bare minimum of clothing and strips as soon as she is inside the house. Then when she is cold she just snuggles in her blanket.

The little boys have been wrapping a couple of things for their siblings, and begged to have them under the tree so I agreed -- as long as they didn't whine and cry or try to peek early. 

I love some of the new ornaments we have this year, from home-made ones to gifts.  I'm in the primary presidency, and we put together a bag for each child with treats and a Hear Him ornament. We included our testimonies on how we hear heavenly guidance and promptings. We've been trying to do something once a month and drop it off at their homes. I hope and pray our primary teachers will be able to do more for their classes in the New Year, until the kids are finally able to meet in-person. 

We didn't do our yearly Christmas smoked pork this year for neighbors. There seems to be a reluctance to have any treats here because of the pandemic. I guess it's good not to have a full counter full of sugary things. 

There are still plenty of Christmas family traditions we've been able to do, like driving to see the lights, and reading our special books and watching holiday movies together. I'm trying to remember to play  more music -- I remember certain records playing a lot when I was young, like the Tabernacle Choir and Muppets Christmas and Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby.  

Here's one of the amazing houses we saw.

I know there are people who are sad and struggling right now, and the Christmas season may not feel so cheery for them. I pray a lot in my heart and out loud for things to improve. I forget sometimes to not get discouraged....but I am grateful for reminders to lean in to faith and hope in Christ. 

A new teenager

Benjamin John is 13! I started this blog when he was 2 months old and he was the CUTEST baby.  These are the first two pictures I posted of him in early 2008.

I'm pretty sure I took those photos with a flip phone. 

He's growing into such a tall, fun, kind, smart young man.

New Chiefs sweatshirt and a bike. I hope for a New Year's present they let him go back to school! At least small groups or something. Ben and Max are all alone downstairs in front of their computers. He diligently attends every class, even playing the violin in front of a camera.

Max and Ben also diligently go to Church early and stay after every Sunday to help with the sacrament. We had to get Max new pants and give his church pants to Ben -- both boys were showing a lot of sock!

He is able to play now on his basketball team again, after a halt to that. But only JB can go because he helps coach. So I haven't seen Ben play in months and months (also some games are late so I have to sleep, but still -- I'd like the opportunity).

He likes to bake and cook and wants to learn how to do more. He is really good at science and math. He was assigned to read "The Goose Girl" in English class and it was fun to talk to him about one of my favorite books. He adores Star Wars and knows the whole canon. When you are not allowed to go to school or anywhere else, you watch a lot of TV, so he's seen Star Wars Rebels and Clone Wars a few times and helps me see the deeper layers of The Mandalorian. 

He can't help but tease Millie and get her riled up at bedtime when I'm trying to get her settled. He loves to play chase or hide and seek with her and hear her laugh. The brothers' relationship isn't as lighthearted sometimes (ie they can squabble like bear cubs) but he is often looking to help out and be a peacemaker.

Christmas Movie Recommendations

Traditional

JB and I watched It's a Wonderful Life together last weekend, and I cried and laughed in all the right places again. I get something new from this movie in every stage of my life. People have often quoted it to me, because the girl's name is Mary ("Of course I like her, she's a peach!"). 

White Christmas. I have to watch this again soon, I can feel it in my bones. From doing the "Sisters" song with my sister Rebekah when we were young, to laughing & quoting it with my friend Autumn in our single days, to trying to get my children to love it now....it's the best. 

The boys and I watched Elf on Sunday, it's another yearly quotable favorite. Max enjoys the Home Alone movies. JB likes to catch A Christmas Story when it plays on TV. The little boys like Arthur Christmas and the Grinch movies. 

I also recommend Christmas in Connecticut (Barbara Stanwyck) and Shop Around the Corner (Jimmy Stewart again), Holiday Inn (Bing Crosby again and my fav Fred Astaire -- speaking of peaches, "These are great on, uh, or even plain!") And Scrooge is one I watched every year with my mom ("That's the nicest thing that anyone's ever done for me!")

I never got into the Peanuts specials or Rudolph that much when I was young (DON'T BE MAD. I was too busy watching the other classics above)

While You Were Sleeping is one I've loved since 1994 ("Should have gotten a blue spruce, they're lighter"), and you could argue Princess Bride is a Christmas movie because I spied a Santa decoration in the boy's bedroom.

Netflix

Operation Christmas Drop was fun because it is military and it is in Guam. I loved the actual drop over the islands and atolls.

Knight Before Christmas was ok. Funny lines from the guy suddenly finding himself in the future. Probably won't watch again. Same with Princess Switch from last year. 

I hear good things about Christmas Chronicles and Holiday in the Wild.

I have not watched the Christmas Prince 3. I have to draw the line somewhere. And I heard Holidate starts with the worst of bad words, so it's out.

Hallmark

I've been watching Hallmark Christmas movies for weeks now. I have no shame in this. Most of the time it's on in the background on my phone while I do other things.

Of their new movies this year, I highly recommend One Royal Holiday. There are so many different mashups of this title or prince/princess theme, but this one has Broadway stars and it's just cute, there's no other way I can say it. 

Christmas by Starlight and Five Star Christmas this year also made me laugh. They felt different, with snappy dialogue even while kind of following the formula. 

Here are some others from past years that I enjoyed that are replaying in the rotation:

Check Inn to Christmas has the similar, "girl from big city goes back to home town" plot, but it was more well done than the others. It had lots of fun Christmas feels. Plus it was filmed in Utah.

Double Holiday was nice to learn more about Hannukah and see the importance of family. Christmas with Holly also shows brother bonds and was sweet.

Dashing Through the Snow combines a Christmas road trip with FBI intrigue (I love a good police drama), and though this was pretty hard to believe, it was still fun. 

A Veteran's Christmas, Homecoming for the Holidays, Holiday for Heroes, Operation Christmas, and The Christmas Card all deal with the troops and faith and I like that.  USS Christmas from this year is on a naval carrier, go Navy! But as I told JB, it wasn't realistic. The guy was way too tall to be a fighter pilot. (JB: you're saying a Hallmark movie isn't realistic? haha)

A lot of people love Nine Lives of Christmas. Maybe because the cats are co-stars.

Once Upon a Christmas Miracle and Godwink Christmas: Meant for Love are both based on true stories. Anything on Hallmark Movies and Mysteries is going to be a little deeper than regular Hallmark. 

My Christmas Love is over the top and campy but fun. Same with Holiday Date if you want pure escapism. 

Lifetime

Christmas Around the Corner and Christmas Pen Pals I saw last year, and they are worth watching if they come up in the rotation again. 

This year's offerings have been less than stellar from Lifetime, but A Sugar and Spice Holiday was really cute. And Once Upon a Main Street had some ok moments. 

I have no time to list all the duds from Hallmark and Lifetime. Best of luck, haha.

Give Thanks

I really needed the Give Thanks invitation from President Nelson, where for seven days I focused on what made me grateful, big or small. And it was great to see what other people posted. The whole tone of social media changed.

I know this is still hard, and people are still sad. But maybe this can run parallel to that, in giving us hope that bad times will end again.

First and foremost, our family is healthy, we have a home and comforts, and we have the gospel.

This makes it a good time to share pictures from our recent photo session with Wallin Photography.

I am grateful for the resiliency and strength of these children as they navigate a strange school year, no primary or Young Mens and rarely seeing friends or cousins or grandparents. 

I am grateful for a recent 17th wedding anniversary with this handsome man.

I even posted about the neighbor's trampoline and swing set, about my sewing machine, and about fun shows to watch. 

And I'm grateful for news a vaccine is coming. Let's get this pandemic over!

Sundays

 

I was obsessed with this puzzle. Our neighbors gave it to us, and I brought it out on a Sunday as a possible family activity. But soon it was just me struggling to find where the blue oceans fit together and where the tinier pieces of countries all went. 

Got it all put together after three days, and a teeny tiny piece is missing -- the piece containing three New England states. I probably swept it up accidentally.

On another Sunday, the kids and I curled up with Disney+. Often during naptime/quiet time they are all watching different shows on different devices. But some of my best memories with my family were when we all watched a movie together.

I am always trying to make Sunday a different kind of day than the rest of the week. I want it to be a joy for the children, not a "we can't do this or we can't do that" kind of thing. 

But I pray every single night that we will be allowed to go back to Church full-time soon -- especially primary. 

JB snuck this photo of me using the Come Follow Me primary lesson online to show the kids a scripture video while trying to expound on our reading from this week. They scattered pretty soon after.

Hopefully, they will remember the good about this time together.

 

Be of Good Cheer

I had a draft I wrote in August that I don't think I should ever post. It was written in a time of a lot of anger and frustration and sadness over decisions by our city and school board. I picked myself up and kept trudging along.

This past week and a half was rough again. I have done lots of crying over politics, the pandemic, school board decisions, and sad things happening to family members.

"How can we love days that are filled with sorrow? We can't, at least not in the moment," said Joseph B. Worthlin in 2008. But he said we can say, "Come What May and Love it," when we remember an eternal perspective.

I spoke Sunday in church about how we can be of good cheer during trying times. And it was all I could do not to cry the whole time. I know I am not alone in these feelings, which helps. But also makes me sadder when I know we are all sad, and I can't control it!

I started the talk by telling the story of our adventure on the Route of the Hiawatha (blog post here).  Andrew and I were nervous on the high trestles. But when we focused on pedaling on the path, and didn't obsess over the perceived danger, we got through it. Sometimes James was nervous in the long tunnels. But Max would encourage him, "It's almost over, it's only dark for a little while."

I'm trying to focus on humor and gratitude and remembering how I can be a good influence in my own home, even when I cannot change anything happening in the city, state, country or world.  

But most of all, I repeat, "This too, shall pass." The trestle and the tunnel will end. 

And in the end, while leaning into faith and hope, we will have a changed nature. We will be more empathetic and compassionate for others. And the next trial will perhaps be easier to bear, knowing we got through this one.

 

Halloween

I am really glad to keep traditions going during the pandemic. Traditions and rituals keep children sane. It helps their mental health when everything else is so uncertain. 

Millie was Sleeping Beauty from the dress-up bin, Andrew was Cal Kestis from the Jedi Fallen Order (he had to keep reminding me) (and the fabric came from cousin Aaron's birthday party last year), Ben was a multi-sport fan (that's my Cardinals jersey from high school), and James went back and forth before deciding on Spider-Man from our bin.

We went trick or treating and felt completely safe.  To make sure others felt safe, too, we all wore face masks and I had hand sanitizer in the stroller. Some homes were dark and undecorated or had a message to skip them. Many homes had a bowl of candy out or a table out with packaged treats. We knew of a couple homes where they said we could ring the doorbell. Two neighbors who skipped still had some treats they brought by our house for the kids. They were so nice to do that, because these kids had huge bags of candy.

I've been picking up wrappers for days.  I saw a post online that said if you want to take from your kids' stash, leave the wrapper behind. They'll think they ate it because they never throw those away.

Max is not in any of our Halloween pictures, but he got to see a couple friends that day and I'm glad.

And Millie carried that skull with us. She has tried to put it inside a dress, too, and call it her friend.

Fall Break at the cabin

 October is a great time to be in Southern-ish Utah. Nice weather for hiking, and beautiful aspen leaves. And the cabin wasn't rented, so we got to be there with cousins! 

We stopped at Bryce Canyon National Park on the way there and back for a quick look at the views. Andrew is in 4th grade so we have a free national parks pass.

One day we went over to Grosvener Arch and Kodachrome Basin State Park.

The next day the older cousins and dads hiked the Willis Creek Slot Canyon.

While they did that, the youngest went with the moms on a ride through Dixie National Forest. We saw lots of yellows and pretty views, but I think the brilliant reds and oranges had already faded, and at the top the leaves had already fallen. But the kids love to ride in the side-by-side. Millie and Spencer even got drowsy.

The best part of the cabin is the kids just play and play. They build with sticks by the creek and imagine new games on the big rock by the driveway.  

We roasted marshmallows and played games inside at the big table. We ate great and I read books and talked and laughed.