christmas-the second half

One of the greatest overt demonstrations of love and affection that I've ever made for my oldest son was to sit through a three hour 3D movie featuring blue, naked, ten-foot aliens. Wilson's date turned he, Tony and I into official Avatards. It was a great night remembering how to enjoy a 13 year old teenager.

Eliza's date was a little disappointing. The ice skating rink was closed for the hockey team so we did a little rock climbing then let Eliza spend the ice skating money on herself. She bought a locking diary. It was purple and included a feathered pen. I don't think she was disappointed at all.


Between the gingerbread men and the rocky road the house smelled delicious the week before Christmas. Tony did the mallow and I dipped the chocolates. It's my favorite way to remember my Grandma and Grandpa. Poor Grandma Abuelita fell and broke her hip and arm this week. At 96 I'm not sure she really wants to do a big rehab ad I'm sorry she has to be in so much pain.


Grandma and Grandpa flew in from Arizona for a week this Christmas. We took them to dinner and a movie and enjoyed a whole evening of having them all to ourselves. We've figured out that Dad works in the same office where we picked Wilson up 13 years ago. He has been busy and both Mom and Dad are clearly enjoying their time in Mesa.



Christmas Eve was beautiful and traditional. Marcos was our Joseph, Max was a wise man (he thought I said white man and disagreed) and Eliza was an angel delivering the tidings of great joy. Cooper and Wilson were the monotone teenage Heavenly Hosts. I have perfected the vegetable Christmas tree and would like to attempt to try a fruit tree next year.









Santa came this year despite the children's general naughtiness. He'd asked the boys to pay for half of their gifts because the ipods they wanted were out of budget. There was a parent-pleasing amount of gratitude this year. It has helped me remember that less is more when it comes to Christmas gifts.

Wilson plays ball

Wilson has been playing varsity basketball this season with a fair amount of success. He plays the game with a lot of football moves thrown in, but so far he hasn't sent anyone to the hospital. We hope it will continue to be the motivation he needs to do his homework.

lovin Max

Max created this robot with the wooden letters that hang on the wall in his room. He is one creative boy. When he noticed a boy in the office with a bloody nose today he informed the principal that "That's what happens if you pick your nose too much." Max chose to go to McDonalds for his date. He pretended to have fun, but I think he was really bored without some siblings to play with. He did get to pick out a treat at the grocery store and determidly selected a whole pack of watermelon flavored Hubbabubba bubble gum. Wild Max-always living large.

half way to Christmas

We are getting close to the big day. The month of December is painfully filled with activities for the kids. I'm so grateful that some of our traditions are so entrenched, they happen despite the extracurricular craziness. I've also discovered two secrets to a successful Christmas. Focus a lot of effort on Sundays. The first week of December we went straight from church to the Nativity exhibit in Spokane. It was beautiful. My favorite room was the one Andrea had organized: "the Life of the Savior." There were pictures of the Savior with artifacts such as sandals, a crown of thorns, a pot of clay. She had borrowed Grandpa's big copper pot to represent washing the disciples feet and the symbolism made me cry. I know my Grandpa would have been touched. We watched the nativity movie in the car to and from Spokane and we were all in tears by the time it ended. We finished the night at the Bishop's house for the Christmas broadcast from Salt Lake at what the kids call the "Peppermint ice Cream Fireside."

Last Sunday we were asked to speak in the Potlatch Idaho Branch. Tony, Wilson and I spoke and then we again attended the Nativity display in Moscow. My favorite creche was the one Betina dontated. She'd purchased it in Ethiopia from the orphanage where Ivy was. Again, the symbolism was so sweet. After the Nativity display we went to visit some of Tony's patients. One man we visited had lost his health, his family, his ability to work and drive and was suffering from a lot of pain. We talked to the kids about what we could do for him and Max suggested we get him a Christmas tree. I'm going to trust that it is inspiration from a 5 year old boy and follow through. Another of Tony's patients invited us in for hot chocolate and cookies and we spent the afternoon playing with their pet mouse, "Whiskers". It feels very cozy snuggling a baby mouse and sipping cocoa, even I must admit.

The second success we've had this Christmas has been our gift to each of the kids: a date alone with Mom and Dad. Only Cooper and Max have had their dates, but so far it has been my favorite part of the month. One on one it is easy to remember how much I like my kids. It's just when they are all together in a chaotic mass that I sometimes forget.

Tonight was the kids program at school. I led the 5th graders in "Santa You're Too Fat." Very cute. It brought tears to my eyes to end the program with the teachers, students and parents joining together to sing Silent Night. Reason #543, 999 that I love St John.

Tony squeezed in a raquetball tournament this month but got his butt kicked by his nemesis. He had a great time anyway and it turned out to be a cheap date.

Happy Birthday Bunuelo

Little Marcosito turned 3 this month. For the first time in 5 kids I bought birthday theme napkins, plates and party whistles. He's been talking about "Lightning McQueen" for months and I just got suckered in. He was thrilled. Marcos is the brown eyed unifier of our family. I know each of his siblings think they are his favorite. In the mornings he starts his rounds, crawling in bed with Cooper or Wilson to snuggle, waking Max with offers to share his toys or soliciting Eliza to help him in the kitchen; ("eat?" "banana?" "toast?"). His most used phrase is, "me come?" because he hates to be left out of anything, even a trip to the bathroom.
Marcos will be a sunbeam after the first of the year and will even start a day of preschool. Despite Eliza's best efforts he isn't a baby anymore. His personality is emerging everyday. He teases Max mercilessly. He laughed himself silly the the other day when I asked what he wanted for lunch and he responded with, "POOP!" We are thankful every day for the chance to enjoy our little Guatemalan.

Thanksgiving this year started with fresh pressed apple cider and homemade doughnuts at Cam and Jill's. A new tradition has definately been established. Nancy and Dale graciously hosted Thanksgiving dinner and it was very beautiful. Sadly, it was Tony's turn to be on call and honestly, without him, it isn't the same.

We would also like to thank Cameron for hosting the first annual wrist-rocket marshmellow battle. Despite stinging buttocks from rapid fire marshmellows, we had a great time.

When we took turns saying what we were thankful for, Cooper said he was thankful for the boat. (Parting with it will be painful for all of us). Max was thankful for his bike, Wilson for his Aunts and Uncles, and Eliza for her Mom. Marcos' thanks is anyone's guess. I was thankful that my Mom was able to go for a bike ride in sunny Arizona for the first time since college. It was odd not having them for the holiday, but as the cold wind blows in single digits, I'm thankful they are right where they are. I've never heard my Dad sound so happy.

panic confession humiliation

This week Tony and I suffered a financial panic attack. Poor planning? Yes? Circumstances beyond our control? Yes. Overwhelming? Yes Yes Yes. I reacted in my usual bare-my-soul approach to crisis. I called Dave Ramsey and announced our financial situation on national syndicated radio. In my defense, I did attempt to disguise my voice with a clever southern accent, but that didn't stop several people I know from recognizing "Kelly from Spokane." Davey (we are now on first name basis) gave sound advice: take out a small loan and pay the bills, stop the project, and never, ever make this mistake again. This means no carpet or banisters on the stairs until we are solvent again. For peace of mind, I can live with that. At least my reaction wasn't as bad as Tony's. He was doing crazy talk and suggested we cash out the 401K at 50% penalty. Not an option.

The Bishop cancelled church today. It was puzzling, because it didn't seem like the roads were that bad, but we did enjoy having a sacrament meeting with our little St John branch.

Tony has been on-call all weekend. Thanks to the unreasonable demands of power hungry nazi-nurses, he has the pleasure of staying in the hospital for four days straight. To his surprise, the same partner who publicly betrayed his trust and questioned his medical prowess, offered to "cover for him" so he could go home for a few hours on Saturday. Tony responded very much out of character with, "are you kidding me? After our last meeting I wouldn't leave the hospital unless I was dead!" I love my sassy doctor.

Jeff came down yesterday and helped me finish spackling and sanding trim. I was really grateful for the help. Cam says we paint next week. I think I won't have ever enjoyed paint fumes so much.

blessed by friends

My friend Patti came on Monday and within the space of a little over an hour, lifted my spirits immeasurably. She walked through my house and yard with a steady stream of ideas, compliments and validation. The overwhelmed feeling I've had for six months abated (for at least the day) and was replaced by anticipation for spring and the end of the construction. Later that night I joined friends from book group for a charming evening of dinner and a lecture by a Northwest author. Adult conversation and intellectual stimulation paired with really good French Onion soup nearly brought me to tears.

On Thursday Andrea came and in two short hours validated my whining and complaining with total empathy. Like a true best friend she confirmed that I should be crazy living in the destruction zone. Plus, she helped me pick out paint colors, an invaluable service.

Yesterday the Workmans came for our first annual "Greedy Pilgrim Feast." Betina took our family pictures (the woman has the patience of Job) and then we played games until the feast. We ate chicken pot pie, lemon merengue pie, coconut cream pie, chocolate chip mint ice cream pie, Hershey Bar pie, pumpkin pie, and of course, apple pie. I think it was the first pot pie my kids have ever had and they were in heaven. It felt so nice to be having a fun night with friends who never once mentioned how disgusting my floor was, how dusty every inch of the house was, or the fact that shoes had to remain on so no one got a nail through their foot.

Of all my blessings, friends were the things I was most grateful for this week. That and a beautiful first snow on Friday.

apples

What would possess a person to borrow a 45 foot trailer, beg the services of a busy farmer to fix the errant brakes, bother the local welder at 7:30 in the morning to fix a heavy duty hitch, extort a friendship for the company of a passenger, drive 5 hours round trip to Royal City Washington and purchase 7200 lbs of apples? Two words: meaningful work. I honestly would go to unbelievable lengths to provide my children with opportunities to do the kind of hard physical work that makes a person fall into bed at night bone tired and deeply satisfied with the day's labor. For me that thing is apples--bins and bins of them. The kids have peeled apples until they blister and cut apples and pressed cider until their muscles hurt. It has been a great service opportunity and I have been relieved to see them endure to the end, even when it was cold and windy.

We've also eaten and drunk enough apples to clear our bowels for months. Apple muffins, apple crisp, apple pie, apple pancakes, apple chicken sandwiches. . .

home alone on halloween

I've never hired a babysitter before for Halloween night, so this year was a first. Frankly it's not a bad idea, except that Max and Marcos ate literally all their candy in a two hour block. Wilson was in charge of handing out candy but played video games at high volume and surprisingly, never heard the doorbell.

The reason we hired a babysitter this year was because I was asked to speak on family unity at the Saturday night session of stake conference. Ironic. Not only were we missing trick or treating with our kids, but also the wedding reception for Kelly Frederickson with all the extended family. I accepted the speaking assignment thinking I needed to prepare a talk for someone else. What I now understand is that Heavenly Father gave me a speaking assignment to ensure our attendance at the meeting. It had to have been one of the top 5 most spiritual meetings we have ever been to. It was a powerful compensation for a small sacrifice. It felt like a spiritual booster shot. Hope a spiritual "H1N1 Swine Flu" is not imminent.

Although we missed the reception, we were able to attend the endowment session and temple ceremony for Kelly and Holden. It was an amazing blessing to have been able to attend the temple twice in a week, especially while trying to prepare for a talk. Today the temple president quoted Elder Kikuchi saying, "after you grasp the iron rod it will lead you directly through the open doors of the temple to the tree of life." We are inspired to learn in the Lord's university more often.

Marcos said a crystal-clear four word sentence this evening that we all understood perfectly: "Bye Bye stinky butt face." We are so proud of his emerging language.

Auntie Jill had a very creative costume this halloween. She was a pregnancy test stick-- a Positive! Two new babies coming to our family right on the heels of sweet Kolby. What good news.

Tony has been overwhelmed with work. I know we are being blessed to pay for the remodel, but it's been a tough couple of weeks. We are back to living like we did at the beginning of practice. The hospital insists that he stay within 20 minutes; no coming home to sleep and long weekends without Daddy for call.

Reason #1006 I love living in St John: We have a wonderful new bakery where Tony and I could get a gourmet dinner (shrimp alfredo, quiche, lemon merengue and pecan pie) on our way to the temple for $20.00. Reason #1007: Last weekend I sent all my kids down to the park for the annual Fireman's picnic. The volunteer firemen fed the kids hotdogs and marshmallows and took them on rides on the firetrucks while I sat at home in a quiet kitchen that stayed clean during the lunch hour. I love this town.

Mom and Dad are in Arizona. They've been gone just over a week. At least on the phone, they sound like a couple on their honeymoon. I hope it lasts.