Festivities

Christmas Eve

 

 We played, watched movies, and listened to Christmas music to kick off Scott's three (yes three) days away from work. 

 

Each year, we eat Mexican food on Christmas Eve. This year, we picked up pork tamales and sides from El Gallo Giro in Kuna. Yummy! I highly recommend not cooking the day before Christmas. Next year, I think we'll dine out to also avoid dishes.

 

Afterward, the kids took baths, then we loaded everyone in the van to check out Christmas lights. Once cookies, milk, and carrots were placed by the fireplace, the kids went to bed. Scotty and I set out the family gifts and exchanged stockings.

Toiletries, goodies, magazines... and a Wii. The Wii was technically from Santa (he let us open it early).

 

Christmas Day

 

The boys woke up at 5:00. Scott sent them back to bed until 6:00. They weren't too thrilled about that. But it gave us the chance to peek at what Santa left:

 At exactly 6:00:

The rest of the day included a big family brunch, a failed nap attempt, lots of time assembling and playing with toys, Christmas movies, tasty leftovers, more time with family, pie, and a phone call from Sean (on his mission in Wisconsin).

We hope you had a very merry Christmas!

Eyes all aglow

6:00 AM. Slam. Silence. Slam. Silence.

I stumble out of bed, confused that Travis isn't yet climbing on me. The sounds of whispering and giggling lead me to the living room. Jamin and Travis cuddle together in an armchair next to the Christmas tree.

"It's Christmas Eve!" Jamin shouts when he sees me.

"Yeah, Santa!" Travis follows.

 The kids are soaking up every minute of this most magical day of the year. Except for a couple of lingering grocery items, our shopping is finished. We plan to spend the day wrapping presents, watching movies, baking, and laughing.

Merry Christmas!  

My birthday

I turned 28 yesterday. Here's how it went: 

Travis woke up at 4 AM to celebrate. 

We ate double chocolate biscotti for breakfast. 

I ran errands with the kids for 3 hours, and they were angels the entire time. 

We visited with family and friends throughout the day, including phone calls from loved ones. 

I was diagnosed with acute bronchitis. The doctor thought it was pneumonia, so that's actually a good thing.
  

Scott smoked rosemary salmon and baked butternut squash for dinner. We topped it off with mud pie ice cream cake.

I was spoiled rotten with gifts, flowers, and cards.

Scott gave me a full-body massage before bed.
 

All in all, it was a pretty darn good day.

On a lazy Sunday...

Me: Travis, did you take all these ornaments off the tree?

Travis: No.

Me: Then who did? 

Travis: [pause] Baby Jesus.

Nice try.

1-year portraits

Yesterday, the fabulous Charlotte See (also my fabulous sister-in-law) took studio portraits of Libby to celebrate her first birthday. She posted this sneak peak on her photoblog:

 Wow! We can't wait to see the rest!

Libby's day

 Libby's birthday began at 6, when all three kids woke up to celebrate. First, she opened presents from our little family:

 Next, she dressed up for her party:

Due to a change in Scott's work schedule this week, her party was at 9 AM. We kept it small with immediate family only.

After her guests arrived, Libby opened more presents: 

 Then, she blew out the candle on her cupcake:

 The birthday girl was such a dainty eater (a far cry from her brothers)! She gently dabbed her fingers in the frosting and licked them:

Meanwhile, the boys were fascinated with her new tea set... until they noticed we were watching:

 We ate cupcakes and chatted until it was time to go. Thanks to everyone who made Libby's day extra special!

One year ago...

...our Libby entered the world. We've been smitten ever since.

 While she looks like a 6-month-old, she has quite the personality. Libby laughs at everything. She especially loves when people mimic her sounds & facial expressions. When she crawls --still her main mode of transportation--she pants and giggles. Libby asserts herself and has no problem wrestling with big brothers to get what she wants. Overall, she is happy, sweet, social, wiggly, and silly.

 

 We love you, Libby Jean! Happy first birthday.

'Tis the season

 We've been making the most of this snowy Christmas season. 

I am not a snow fan, but I try to indulge the kids in their love of the stuff. Jamin and I spend one-on-one time every evening. The other day, he suggested building a snowman. We bundled up and headed out.

The snow was too icy to pack easily, so we made a little guy:

 "Now I need to take a picture of you!":

 True to 4-year-old boy form, Jamin then "killed" the snowman... and ate his nose:

 I even played reindeer:

 In the meantime, Libby picked up Travis' winter cold. She seems to feel very yucky:

 Travis is generally better, other than a residual cough. His favorite activities now include playing in the snow, stripping ornaments off the tree, and coloring pictures of baby Jesus:

He has actually adored anything nativity for the past few months. We're guessing he picked it up at church. Now that Christmastime is here, he begs me to "color baby Jesus!" several times each day. Free online printables rock.

Halls = decked

The dining room, kitchen, and living room also have some holiday touches. We kept it fairly simple this year.

There's something magical about decorating for Christmas-- even when the ornaments mysteriously migrate off the tree.

Snow days

Last Tuesday, I looked out the window at the disappearing snow. I realized that-- amidst recovering from surgery-- I hadn't yet taken Travis out to play. Jamin was at school, and Libby was napping, so we enjoyed some playtime... just the two of us.

 Who says you can't golf year-round in Idaho?:

 Travis probably ate his weight in snow, and he laughed while throwing handfuls at me.

 I was especially glad that I'd taken him out to play when the next day called for rain and 40-degree temperatures. Imagine our surprise when we woke up to this:

The patio table gives a clear picture of exactly how much we got:

The snow kept coming... and coming... and coming. Schools closed all through the valley, including Jamin's and Scotty's. Jamin spent most of his day outside.

I stayed inside with the babies. Travis had a fever and a cough, and Libby didn't have a snowsuit. But they still managed to have plenty of fun:

 Despite daily forecasts of rain, we keep getting more and more snow. It's definitely a winter wonderland here!

Letters to Santa

Yesterday morning, we had a bit of a lull. The Christmas music and chilly air told us this was the perfect time to write letters to Santa.

Jamin is our long-time Christmas veteran, so he jumped right to it on his own. "Dear Santa, I have been really good this year. -Jamin." Then he drew a picture of the camera he wants:

Travis and Libby are still learning about the man in red (and they can't write), so they needed a little help from Mama:

 Jamin also helped Libby by writing her name (backwards, just for fun) and tracing her hand:

 The letters-- stamped, addressed, and ready to go:

They can't wait to see St. Nick in person on Saturday!

Self-portrait

Jamin asked to use my camera the other day. Among the many pictures of toys, he snapped this self-portrait:

 While it isn't the most flattering photo, there are a few things I love about it. First, it captures the green in his eyes. Jamin inherited Scott's gorgeous hazel eyes, and you can occasionally see that hint of green. It totally melts my heart. 

Second, the angle of this picture shows the bone structure through his nose and cheekbones. My brother, mom, and I have those same features. They haven't been as prominent in Jamin's face in the last couple of years, so this photo was a neat reminder. 

There's something special about seeing your family in your children, whether it comes through their looks or their personality. Those traits meld together with their individuality in such an incredible way. I think that's what I love most about this self-portrait of Jamin: it highlights the balance that makes him unique.

Jamin also took this adorable picture of Travis:

 Gosh, we love these boys.

Look who's walking... kind of

 Libby took her first step about a month ago. Unlike our boys, she wasn't overly eager to advance to full-blown walking. She stands independently often during the day; sometimes she takes one or two steps, and sometimes she doesn't. Most of the time, she takes one step, intentionally wobbles to all fours, and crawls.

For the past few days, Libby has also really tried to walk. She steps five or so times before losing her balance. 

Oh, and she has two more teeth (with another two on the way):

 Our teensy baby is turning into an extra teensy toddler.

Gratitude

This has been one crazy blur of a week. Throughout it all, we have felt a strong sense of gratitude. We're thankful for...

1. Mutti (my mom). We don't see her often, so her week-long visit was a real treat. She helped with the kids and the house while I was a doped-out slug. I only wish I'd felt better. The kids had a blast with her! Travis keeps asking, "Where's Mutti?" Jamin actually cried when he found out she left this morning. Thanks for coming to visit! 

2. Jeannie & Charly. They also helped a ton! We truly appreciate all that you did, from watching the kids to picking up the slack at Thanksgiving. You're amazing!

3. Libby's first official word. She says, "Uh-oh" all the time and knows what it means. Kind of a strange first word, but we're counting it!

4. Travis' sense of humor. His funny antics brighten our day.

5. Jamin's imagination. He is just so creative and smart.

6. Toradol. Vicodin made me feel awful, and over-the-counter meds didn't help at all. My new prescription is making such a difference.

7. Thanksgiving. It was great to spend that time with friends and family. Thanks to everyone who came!

8. Leftovers. Specifically, Thanksgiving leftovers. Mmm!

9. Christmas music. We upgraded to Pandora One and are decking the halls to unlimited carols, jingles, and hymns.

10. The end of the semester-- followed by a 3-week break-- in a few weeks. Scott is working his tail off, and we can't wait to spend more time with him.

Happy belated Thanksgiving!

Gobble, gobble, gallbladder

On Thursday evening, I went to the ER suspecting a kidney infection. I fully anticipated leaving an hour later with some antibiotics. Several labs, three rounds of morphine, and one CT scan later, I was admitted to the hospital. 

Turns out my kidneys were fine, but my gallbladder needed to be removed as soon as possible. 

I came home late Friday night. Charly, Clarke, Jeannie, and my mom have been kind enough to help us while I recover. My abdomen is still sore, and my meds keep me in a sleepy fog most of the time. 


I'm on strict orders to rest, rest, and rest this first week-- which will be more than a little interesting with Thanksgiving falling smack in the middle. After this, I'll need to take it easy for the next three weeks (specifically no hefting children) since I'm at high risk for developing a hernia and pneumonia. Fun times.


Crazy as this has been, I'm grateful that they were able to identify what was going on and take care of it quickly. The doctor even says I should be "with it" in time for Thanksgiving. My health and my family put this holiday in perspective... even if I can't indulge in all the yumminess.

The ends justify the means

As I hinted a few posts ago, our recent family photoshoot was a challenge. That's putting it lightly. When Charlotte handed me our proofed disc, she warned, "They're 90% outtakes." Considering the effort it took to have everyone calm their tempers, look at the camera, and act somewhat happy at the same time, this came as no surprise. Even so, those frame-worthy gems made the battle worthwhile. Here are a few of my favorites (click to enlarge):

 Though the outtakes may never grace our walls, they are seriously hilarious. Charlotte managed to capture to the humor during these moments of pure frustration:

Book your shoot with the fabulous Charlotte See here.