Spot On

"This joyful season brings to all of us a measure of happiness that corresponds to the degree to which we have turned our minds, feelings, and actions to the Savior, whose birth we celebrate."

—Thomas S. Monson, "A Bright Shining Star"

My view from the couch as the tree was being trimmed.

Nativity Scenes

Well, so much for my well-laid plans to blog more often.  It's kind of hard to do extra things when you are trying to carefully plan and spread out the preparations for Christmas without overdoing it and making yourself miserable.  Well, anyway...

The first weekend of December, our church hosted a community Nativity Event.  It was really cool.  There were hundreds of nativities on display and performances from community and church groups going on during the day.  It was fun.  Snow White decided in the summer to do a drawing for it.  She worked hard, and I was so impressed with the final product. It's beautiful, and I am so glad I get to hang it in my house every Christmas Season.

It's only the second charcoal drawing she has ever done, and I am proud of her for taking it on all by herself, without guidance from her art teacher.  Of course, King has some artistic background, so he had a way of encouraging Snow White when I had no clue what to say. In case you wonder where SW got that artistic talent, check out the soap carving King did for the event.  It's amazing.  (I need to take a better picture.  It's about four inches high.)

Not to be left out, Sleeping Beauty decided to make some ornaments for a tree.  They were simple and fun and she had a good time.

We're already trying to decide what we can do for next year.  King might add to his soap set, and Snow White might try a color drawing.  Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella might work together to do something, and I will be a cheerleader and buyer of art supplies.  I love the focus it gives our family during the year leading up to Christmas, and I love the art in our home.

Hopefully

Yesterday, we sat down to dinner, and King said, "You girls are getting all so old looking.  So grown up."  The girls looked at him like he was crazy.  But, it's true.  We have three young ladies around here.  They are looking grown up, and sometimes they act like it.  :)

This week, my goal is to take a snapshot that can be used on a Christmas card, so everyone can see how grown up they are.  The problem is, we have no pictures that all three girls are smiling or don't have dark glasses, or think their hair looks good enough to be shown to other people.  Seriously, it's a big fight.  But, we will do it.  No matter what.  Just another part of them being grown up, I guess...actually caring what the Christmas card looks like.

Also, we are planning to set up the Christmas tree this week.  Why do I feel like everyone but us is finished with this project?  I really feel like Christmas would be just fine if we didn't set up our tree, but others in my family are opposed to this idea.  So, what I have decided to do is wait until they put it up.  That plan worked last year, and it will probably work this year...except everyone is a little busier with homework and activities, so it could be December 23rd when it makes its appearance.

Jail Time?

Can you get in trouble for severely neglecting something if it's not really alive?  I feel bad I have been neglecting this blog so much.  I feel like a punishment is in store.  I do, however, have a nice, long list of excuses as to why you have not seen much of me here on the blog lately.  Some of them may not be good excuses, but I swear on a stack of the whole Harry Potter series books (and the Hunger Games trilogy thrown in for good measure), that they are all true.  Do you care what they are?  Probably not.  But here they are anyway...

1.  I bought this really great Groupon for photo books.  And it expired last week.  So, every time I sat down to the computer, I was putting together a few pages of our 2010 and 2011 photo books.  By the time I did that for a few minutes, I was all "computer-ed out" and didn't want to sit here any longer.

2.  It has been really busy around here.  King was asked to be the interim Department Chair this year, while they try to hire another one, plus the head of the committee to hire said person, plus the head of another committee, plus his regular teaching and researching, which all adds up to a very busy Daddy.  Which means Mommy has to be more careful about using her time and energy on things that don't matter as much as clean clothes and gourmet meals like mac and cheese and cold cereal.  (Pretty sad that cold cereal gets ranked up there above this little blog, but it does. See what I mean...grounds for neglect!)

3. I am so behind on blogging, it's overwhelming.  I think I have posted pictures from about 1/10th of our summer adventures.  Plus we have a couple of birthday parties and fun things thrown in there.  I have a hard time picking up where we are now and leaving those big chunks of memories in the camera instead of in the vast emptiness of interwebness.  I know that doesn't make sense, but, I swore I would tell the truth, so help me, Harry.  And Ron.

4.  I am tired.  Very tired.  I have been working with a new doctor group for a couple of months now.  They promise that they will not give up until they find some relief for me.  Which is great.  But, this means that I need to gear up physically and emotionally and financially for a new onslaught of treatment every week or two.  Plus weekly (and sometimes twice a week, like this week) drives to the doctor an hour away that sort of drain my energy and time.  So far, some of the things tried have been really yucky with no relief or mildly yucky with some relief, or not yucky and undetermined relief.  I have had a couple of good days, and there is hope that we are moving in the right direction.  But, I am still tired...it is an emotional roller coaster and also a physical one.  But, we are plugging along and will hopefully find something that helps more than a teensy bit.  And we will pray the insurance will pay for it (almost all of the things we try are considered "off label" or "experimental" since everything that traditionally helps migraine patients has not really helped me) and my body can handle it.

5.  I use my iPad more than I use my computer.  It's more convenient when I feel lousy.  But, I don't like to type a lot on it, so that means no blogging.  Sad, but true.

6.  Holy homework overload.  All the girls have had a lot this year, but Cinderella has had so much more than normal.  It's like finally school caught up to her.  Everything has always been very easy for her, but this year she has found that she actually has to study.  Which is tricky, since she doesn't have a lot of practice doing it.  So, that means more time for me to try to help her, plus she needs the computer often.  (Thankfully my wonderful in-laws gifted us a laptop this summer, so we have more than one computer to do homework on, or we would be in trouble!  All three girls need the computer almost nightly.)  It would be a whole lot easier for me to help the girls study if I knew anything, but, in case you are unaware, I know NOTHING.  It's surprising I can string sentences together and dress myself, if you ask my children.  Never mind that I did this high school thing once, and also college, and know a few tricks to studying.  I am worthless. Nothing I say matters much, especially if any hormones are involved.  Sigh.

7.  And just in case you forgot, I have chronic migraine.  For some reason, this does not always mesh with spending long times on the computer.  (Imagine that.)  However, there are other days when it does not bother me.  I never know which it will be, and sometimes the pain is enough in the beginning to not ever want to find out if it will be a "computer aggravates it" day or not. Surely most days are best spent gearing up for the hour when #6 (above) comes into play.  I need my thinking power to try to convince my children that I do have a brain, and I know how to use it, and not to convince the blog-land that we are alive and well.  :)

I think that pretty much sums up the reasons for neglect.  I will try harder to blog more often, but most of the things on this list are not going to change any time soon.  So, don't hold your breath or anything.  Unless you want to.  I hear that it isn't good for your brain cells, though.  But, I am probably wrong, because, remember, I know NOTHING.

And I swear this all is true.  May Katniss Everdeen strike me in the heart with a magic wand if anything above is false or exaggerated.  (Except maybe #6.  Occasionally something I say gets through to the children, but considering the tears and the heartache, and gallons of milk we must go through to get to that point, I am not sure it counts. (And, by the way, I know teenage boys are supposed to be expensive to feed, but seriously, we went through FIVE gallons of milk this week.  Five.  And I hardly had any. Someone forgot to tell me that girls eat a lot, too.  And cry a lot.  But I guess I knew that part.)) 

Halloween

Halloween was pretty low key around here.  Only the twins wanted to carve pumpkins.  And Daddy.  They did a great job. I think.  We had the missionaries over for dinner and had our traditional green brain casserole, dead man's meatloaf, and ghostly mashed potatoes.  Then, we decided to do something different this year and go see a movie.  We had so much fun, it just might be a new tradition.  We saw Hotel Transylvania, and the girls loved it. 

Well, Hello

I have been severely neglecting this blog.  I'd like to blame it on something worthwhile, but it probably has more to do with spending my short down time playing Words With Friends and WELDER Wars with my friends and sister than anything else.  That, and it's busy around here.

I actually write many, many blog posts that never get published.  All of them lovely, detailed and informative, and only in my head.  I do my best writing, in my head, when I am lying in bed with a migraine, or trying to sleep at night when I have slept all day with a migraine.  Luckily for you, I never actually write them all down, because I fear that while I think they are brilliant, they would actually come out sounding more like Alice in Wonderland than The Queen and her Crew in Realityland.  Because thinking with a migraine is not always the best plan.  (Although, Lewis Carrol, who is reported to have been a migraineur, did very well thinking and writing while having a migraine...or at least kind of describes what it is like to have one through Alice's adventures.)

So, I will try to do better.  I still have to catch you up with summer adventures.  And beginning of school.  And Cinderella's birthday.  But today, I have a King in bed with a fever; a Cinderella sent to school feeling lousy, but she has the PSAT to take, so could not miss school; a Snow White with a fantastic slice out of her thumb because she washed our sharpest knife without being supervised; and a marvelously healthy but grouchy Sleeping Beauty off to school with darling hair that is somehow "hideous" (?!); and me.  I have been seeing a new doctor group that promises not to give up until they can help me feel less pain.  So far, we are 3 and 0, with The Headache winning.  I am beginning to feel like a lab rat, and am extra exhausted.  But hopeful that someday we will find something that says "eat me" or "drink me" that will not make me feel like I am ten feet tall or ten inches tall and will get rid of the nasty feeling that I am communicating with a cat that disappears in parts, or people that can't formulate sentences and like to golf with animals.  Or something.

Sixteen

This cute girl turned sixteen.  I can't believe it.  Time flies when you are having fun, I suppose.  She had a Super Sweet Sixteen party with some school friends (one of these days I will get around to posting about that) last weekend and we had a low key celebration with the family on the actual day.  We are so grateful to have Miss Cinderella in our family.  She is bright, funny, beautiful and a blessing.  We love her so very much!

Nice One

I should be blogging about our trip to Utah.  I promised people I would post pictures.  But, I'm tired.  And it's overwhelming to get all those photos organized.  So, how about a tiny little story instead?

Sleeping Beauty was out of school one day to adjust her retainer and fix her broken tooth (that extreme dance story told here), so we stopped at the public library after her appointment.  While looking for another book, I came across the intriguing book Have a new teenager by Friday : from mouthy and moody to respectful and responsible in 5 days.  

"Look, Babe!" I said to Sleeping Beauty, "This looks like a great book.  I think I will get it."  She rolled her eyes.  Well, not mouthy, but clearly, we have some issues that could be helped by this book, right?  We continued on to the next aisle to find my other book, where SB took a book from the shelf, and with a coy smile said, "Look, Mom!  I think I should get this book."

The Complete Idiot's Guide to Caring for Aging Parents.

Oh, touche, Babe, touche. :)

One Less

One less brace face around this place.  Sleeping Beauty is done with braces!  She is so excited.  I am, too...except, I think she looks too old without them.  What a cute, smart girls she is.  More grown up every day.

Learned

Here is a sampling of things I learned on our trip west this summer.  Definitely not a full list, but you will get a small picture...

1.  I love the mountains.
2.  I love the rolling hills.
3.  I love the flowers.
4.  I love the daffodils.
5.  Boom-dee-ah-dah. Okay. You get the picture.  But really, I love the mountains and hills and rock formations in Utah.  And I wish that where we lived there was some of that.  Even just a tiny bit.  I miss them terribly.  They make me feel all safe and tucked in to my living space.  It's so, so flat here.  So flat.
6.  But we have great sunsets here, and I love them.
7.  My bed is nice.
8.  My family is awesome.  All of them.
9.  God is good.  We saw so many of His creations that are awe-inspiring.  I don't think one can visit Yellowstone, Zion, or Bryce Canyon National Parks and not marvel at His greatness and power.  We were so blessed to enjoy it.
10.  We have many wonderful friends.
11.  If you replace your regular breakfast of a green smoothie with other delicious options, say, all-you-can-eat French Toast, whipped cream, donuts, orange rolls, and muffins, you might gain just a teensy bit (ahem) of weight.  But it will be worth it.
12. On that note, it is possible to stuff yourself sick with Kneaders French Toast but still somehow manage to want it again a couple of days later.  Oh my heavenly breakfast.
13.  Sinus infections and driving up to 8,800 feet above sea level do not mix so well.  I wouldn't recommend it.  I also wouldn't recommend a migraine at 8800 ft.  Or at 100, for that matter.  Stupid head.
14.  I have the cutest nieces and nephews that ever lived.  I really don't think there should be that much cuteness in our extended families.  It's really not fair to all the other families out there.
15.  I miss my sisters.  And my brothers.  And my parents.  And my in-laws.  But mostly, I miss my sisters.  I need to live closer to them someday.  (Before we're neighbors in heaven, preferably.)
16.  I like the summer time.
17.  I managed to shop way, way less than I have on any other trip to Utah, yet still came home with almost a suitcase full of new clothes.  I guess that's what happens when you have three growing teenagers that are getting better and better at spotting a good deal.  And generous grandparents.
18.  I need a clone.  I really wanted to see so many more people and talk more in depth with some that I did see, but my body just wouldn't let me. I think I am still recovering, two weeks later.  All worth it, though.
19.  If you manage to make it to a family reunion at the park, it is probably a good idea to not just sit yourself on a chair and not move around.  You may not even see some of your cousins and aunts and uncles.  Whoops.  (Well...see #18.)
20.  It is a very, very good idea to send your girls to an amusement park with their aunt and cousins.  You get to nap, and they get to ride roller coasters.  Perfect.
21.  Did I mention my family is awesome?
22.  I love that the Church is the same wherever we go.  Same doctrine.  Same format.  Same Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Just different people. What a blessing it is in my life.
23.   Cafe Rio is still the bomb.
24.  I should take more pictures.  I took some, and the girls took some, but I think we always forget when we are having fun.  Some of our greatest memories...just playing games and hanging out with family, never get recorded.  I hope that our siblings will share their pictures.
25.  Speaking of pictures.  Even when you trespass on really cool property, family pictures are pretty fun.
26.  And if you make tie-dyed shirts for a picture, make sure you wear the gloves.  Unless, of course, you like having your hands blue for a week.  I kind of don't.
27.  Once your teenagers reach their tired, grouchy, been on vacation a while selves, they could care less what grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins think of them.  It's quite unfortunate.  They really can be sweet when they are rested, fed, and kept away from each other.
28. If you think that running downstairs at a hotel in Las Vegas to use the free internet in the cafe is a nice, relaxing idea, you'd be wrong.  Unless, of course, you like breathing second-hand smoke and enjoy the constant chorus of slot machines.  I kind of don't.
29. If you plan to hike up to the "Y" on the mountain near BYU, be very clear about where you are going.  It's not actually a "YMCA" like some may assume.  (Ahem..Sleeping Beauty.)  (I still smile whenever I think about this mix-up.) :)
30.  I need to visit the west more often.  Imagine what I would learn if I went to Utah more than once a year?!  It would be astounding, I tell you.   ;)

And So It Goes

It's almost impossible to believe that summer is already over.  We blinked and it was gone.  And speaking of blinking, I think last time I blinked a couple of times, the girls grew!  I really can't believe that they are in the 8th and 10th grade. 

I think the twinners, especially, have grown a lot this year.  (They look so much older to me than they did at this time last year.)  When we went to their school physicals, for the first time in many years (or maybe ever), they were the exact same height and weight.  When we measured on Grandma's measuring board this summer, it appeared that in a year and a half that both twins had grown nearly three inches.  And Cinderella is now just as tall as me!  All of them grew out of every pair of jeans they owned over the summer.  So, they all got lots of new school clothes.  Which was great for them, but bad for my pocket book.  (Please ignore all of the dead spots on our lawn.  We have a drought this year, and all of it used to look brown like that.  It's kind of a miracle any of it is green, actually.  Remember, no one here actually waters their lawn...including us.  We just pray for rain.  For reals.  (Yes, people that don't live in the desert pray for rain, too.))  :)

Anyway...so, they've grown.  And summer is over.  And it's back to another school year.  I suppose time flies when we are having fun!  (And, we're sure having lots of it.  Hopefully some day I will be able to pause in the fun and take time to update you on our summer adventures!) 

Some "Low Key" Fun

We left Idaho after our visit to Yellowstone, and stopped on the way down to visit several people.  First stop was my Grandma in Pocatello.  The girls marveled at her collection of Nativity Sets.  They really are beautiful, and since it was July, she only had a few of her extensive collection out on display.

Next stop was at Arby's to visit our friends that moved west a couple of years ago.  It was so fun to see them again, even if it for a very brief while, and in a grimy restaurant. Their girls are adorable, and growing up so fast.

Then it was a quick stop to see some more friends that now live in Chicago, but were also visiting Utah.  It was so great to catch up for a little bit. And, again, their kids are growing so much.  When I see these little ones only once a year, I feel like I am living in a time warp, because surely, I am not getting older so quickly....right?  

We then settled back into my aunt and uncle, D and D's house.  They are the most gracious hosts.  I think I took a nap while they fed my family.  It had already been a long day for me.  They even found me a basement room in their home and blocked out the window so it would be a dark resting place for me. I have such a wonderful extended family!  The few days we spend there I was able to rest and gear up for more adventures, and that was so, so nice.

That evening, we met an old friend of King's for ice cream.  Nielsen's Frozen Custard, actually, which shouldn't be called ice cream, it's too yummy.  It was fun to meet their little girl for the first time.  She was darling, and our girls were in love.

The next couple of days we sort of chilled.  Well, I did.  My sister, K, and her kids were staying at D and D's house as well, and she took my girls to Lagoon with her and I stayed home to sleep and rest.  King went flying with his friend Charlton, who has a small plane.  We met up with my friend from college and her girls at the new mall in SLC, City Creek Center.

We had some time to just hang out with the ladies on my side of the family.  It was a great time.  Good food, good talk, delicious pie for dessert.  And seriously, I think my belly button still hurts from laughing so hard. ;)

King and I also enjoyed a nice dinner out with Mom and Dad, some aunts and uncles and a concert by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Pioneer Memorial Concert.  It was fantastic.  I only wish we could have convinced the girls that it was a good way to spend their time.  But, roller coasters called, and Mom and Dad were glad to fill in for our girls.  

Yellowstone

We flew into Las Vegas and Grandma and Grandpa picked us up.  We headed straight for St. George and Em's house to bed.  The next day, we went to church with half our cousins and then celebrated our cousin, E's, birthday before we headed to Kaysville to stay a night with D & D.  

The four oldest grandkids.

We made our way to Rexburg to see our friends, the J's.  It was so great to see them!  I think it had been about eight years, but we picked right up where we left off and had a great time.  C was kind enough to arrange for an official tour of BYU-I for E and Cinderella.  Cinderella loved it.

We enjoyed our few days with the J family.  Lots of laughing and talking and playing games and great food.  They are the best.

And we had a lovely time on our day in Yellowstone.