I Swear! Other Stuff Happened, Too!

I've been a bit absent, the last couple months.  The late stages of pregnancy will do that.  Things happened, though, I promise.

I planted bulbs, and though only the paperwhites came up they were my favorites anyway.   One of then even bloomed!

We had the usual Easter party at my Mom's.  I missed having Dad there, especially with it being a new house and all.  So much change, but having family together will always be the same.

We colored and hunted our own eggs, at home.

The kids decided to film their own movie, a thrilling adaptation of Little Miss Muffet.  This would be one of the stills from the set.

The Aztex are back!  And we got tickets!  We've been to a couple games and it's always a good time.

We got a car, too.  It is a Mazda5, but not the one from the other post.  For $5k less we got 2 years newer, 50k less miles, leather seats and tinted windows.  Yeah.

A sunflower sprouted up in our back yard, fell over, then produced blossoms all up the length of the stem.  There's probably 100 or more flowers on it.

Joseph turned 6!  He asked for a square cake that was chocolate with chocolate and M&Ms.  He wore his Super Cape to the soccer game, too.

Yes, Lucy came two days later.  Several people asked me when I was due, at church.  I told them "Technically, a week and a half.  In all practicality, any day, now."  I was at that very moment having contractions that never actually went away.  Here she is at home, getting all settled in.

She makes the big kids (all 3 of them!) look enormous.

And finally, today, at about noon, Joseph lost his first tooth.  He's so excited!

Remembering, With Love

Ten years ago we went from this:


to this:

Despite the pain and suffering, we found amazing things in the depths of our souls. All over the country, Americans gave everything they could. We served, we lifted, we donated, we consoled.

This week, my parents' home went from this:


to this:

This was my home for about five months. It's where my husband proposed to me. It's the only place my kids have ever known as Mima And Popa's House. More than 1,500 other families now have similar stories, similar losses.

Just as before, I've seen our community do amazing things. We've given money, clothing, toiletries, food, time, and shoulders to cry on. In the weeks to come, there will be lunches, rides, places to stay, furniture, and help cleaning up.

I wish that we could keep those moments with us forever--those times that prove our humanity--when we lay aside bitter differences, because they really don't matter in the end, and get on with the work of helping our neighbors, building a stronger, more peaceful and loving community.

I am my brothers' keeper. He deserves more true Charity than he's probably used to getting.

Break

Whew! A crazy Christmas break. And not a single picture because I'd only remember that I'd left the camera behind after I'd been driving for half an hour and I wasn't about to turn around and go get it, either. I love you guys too much to ditch spending time with you just so I can get pictures of you.

So, Elena got out of school on the 16th and we had a day and a half before launching into my family's Christmas Extravaganza. Everyone was here, this year, the first time since Joseph was a wee tiny thing. We're up to 32, now--my parents, six siblings and six spouses, and 18 grandkids. It was so good to see everyone together, again.

We started with my nephew's Eagle Court of Honor. He's worked really hard getting everything done, and it was so good to see him in a new neckerchief and the eagle on his chest. Congratulations, Michael!

The next morning, most of us went to church with Mima and Popa (the two families with infants went to later services at home before joining us in the afternoon) and took up what seemed like half the chapel. The kids all have cousins the same age as them, so everyone had someone they knew to go to Primary and Sunday School with. After church was an enormous lunch, cookie baking and gingerbread house making, Wii games and general merriment. A few of the moms made really cute hair bows for pictures the next morning. Jonathan needed to sleep, so he went to church at home and sang in the choir, but caught up just in time for everyone to go see the Christmas lights down by the river.

After days warmth, picture day was surprisingly chilly and windy, but everyone was generally cooperative and I think the pictures all came out looking really good. One can hope, at least. I had a few more things to finish up, that afternoon, but we all got together again for Family Night. Nate made these fantastic applewood smoked pecan chicken enchiladas for dinner (they taste like bacon!!!), we read the Christmas story while various family members acted it out, everyone (including James) got to play in the White Elephant game, and we opened presents. Poor Joseph had his choice for the white elephant picked out from the very beginning, jealously guarding it each time someone picked, and it turned out to be a picture frame. He was so upset that his precious box had betrayed him like that, especially since the other kids were unwrapping toys and puzzles. Uncle Rick took pity on him and traded gifts (thank you!), saving the day. Later in the evening, Joseph was playing Duck, Duck, Goose with... Tess and Paige, maybe? I told him it was time to go and that he'd see his cousins in the morning, so he popped up, tapped himself on the head, shouted "Goose!" and ran out the door.

Tuesday brought Gattiland--we'll have to bring Jonathan, sometime--and all the adults got to go out for dinner together at Rudy's. Wednesday, our last before people had to start heading off, was a PJ Birthday Party for Paige, who turned 6.

We had a couple quiet days to ourselves before Christmas. Christmas morning, Jonathan stayed up after work so he could open presents and dig through stockings with the kids. In the evening we visited his parents.

Joseph got a workbook to get him used to Pre-K work, and Elena had homework to do over the break, so they spent the next week working on those . Elena re-read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, and a couple Magic Tree House books.

Jonathan had New Year's Eve off--maybe to make up for having to work Christmas Eve, maybe so there wouldn't be anyone using the machines as they cycled over to the new year--so we headed downtown to the celebrations there. We got to see the Biscuit Brothers, and then had 4 hours to kill before fireworks. We hula hooped, we watched the fire dancers, we rode the butterfly bike and the rattlesnake bike, we stopped at Whatabuger to warm up. The fireworks were fabulous and I liked the lower array. They haven't really done low-altitude/ground displays before, but it was nice to mix it up, high and low, like that. The boys fell asleep before we got home--James slept through the fireworks, even--so they went to bed and Elena begged to watch Harry Potter, since she'd finished the book again. The three of us watched the neighbors' antics, at midnight.

Tomorrow the school year starts again, and we'll all have to remember to write 2011 on things.

James' First Real Christmas

Since we spent last year in quarantine, this was James' first year having Christmas with cousins and Santa.

This was before we got the stockings hung on the banister, but all five (good gravy! there's five of us?!?) are there. Also, the lights are red and white, a la candy canes, and I really really like the effect--not as plain as just white, but not as busy as multi.


One of our nativity sets. We've also got a white ceramic set (still packed up) and a vinyl cling set (on the window to the immediate left).


Here we are at the ward party, hanging out with one of our favorite families. The pageant was very sweet, too.



Mike and Jeri hosted the extended family at their house again, though a week early, and it was so good to see everyone. Elena was sooooo excited at the very thought of seeing Bridget and Paige.


James is very into phones, right now, and everything he touches turns into one. This phone used to be a computer mouse.


Ha hasn't quite figured out wrapping paper, either.


Christmas morning was simple but cozy. We made a lot of the kids' gifts and I think they've come to appreciate the effort that goes into them. Certainly, they were excited to see them when they got unwrapped.




We spent the afternoon with Jonathan's dad and sister (his mom is in Georgia with our brand new baby niece) eating delicious catfish and watching movies.

July 4th

My brother and his family hosted a fabulous 4th of July party with food, swimming, and lots of family. We had a great time. So great, I forgot to get very many pictures.



We had a date for the symphony, though, and couldn't stay the whole night. We drove down to the library by our house so we could take the bus. Unfortunately, the bus decided, on a whim, to use a detour, and we waited a hour for a bus that was supposed to be there in two minutes. We ended up walking the rest of the way, getting to the top of a little rise at the edge of the park just in time for the fireworks. We missed the concert, and our view wasn't the best, but we still enjoyed the show, and that's what counts.

Easter Fun

The day before Easter was the annual egg hunt, feast, and general merriment-that-comes-with-getting-family-together at my parents' house. It was a little rainy, but we all had a good time.





Both the kids had won egg dying kits during Bunny Bingo, the day before, so we paused on Sunday afternoon to enjoy some arts & eggs.

6th Photo

I'll take that tag, Marin!

The 6th photo in the 6th folder under "pictures" is:
That would be part of Joseph, bits of Will, and most of Danielle. It was a gathering--and quick snapshot fest--of The Summer '06 Babies (Danielle is an honorary member, being Jan. '07).

I've said before that I keep my pictured filed in a weird way, and the 6th photo of the 6th folder of the 6th folder under "digital camera photos" doesn't exist yet--it's only February, peoples--so here we have the 6th photo of the 1st folder of the 6th folder:
James is testing out a baby gift for a friend. Miss "Sunflower" is due any day, now.

Mischeif Managed

I'm a little slow on Thanksgiving, I know, but these were by far the best photos of the day and I just had to share. One of the cousins had a toy phone that Joseph appropriated and "talked" om while he ate dinner. Very Corporate of him.



Rick went to get Oma, and we got pictures of her with all of her great-grandchildren.


Shortly after Joseph got sick, the kids and I went to Gramma's to visit (and clean the mountains of laundry that always come with sick kids). As usual, Joseph got put in the port-a-crib for his nap, even though his bed at home is open, because Gramma's house doesn't have rampaging 2-year-olds living there and is decorated accordingly. Apparently Joseph is more clever than us, though. I went to wake him up for dinner only to discover that he'd climbed out; opened nearly a half dozen Christmas presents (none of them his, not that it matters); scattered receipts, papers and stickers around the room; then climbed back into the port-a-crib with a pile of old floppy disks from the desk.



I love my boy. Yes, I have white hairs. 'Nuff said.