Oh Christmas Time, Oh Christmas Time!

What a nice Christmas season we had at the Anderson house. Really, I think it was one of the best in all years we've been celebrating Christmas together.

I was listening to a NPR podcast about Christmas a couple of weeks ago (I am typing this on January 22nd but post-dating it for December 31st) and the story teller was talking about how disappointing Christmas is. He talked about how much pressure we all put on having "The Perfect Christmas" and how all that pressure of perfection only leads to disappointment.

I was surprised at how much I disagreed with the NPR guy. Sure, I feel the pressure of Christmas, it is a lot of shopping, decorating and giving all while trying to maintain sight of the Savior and teach that to my kids. But I never feel disappointed with Christmas. It always feels wonderful--perfect or not. The Sunday before Christmas the speaker at church talked about how disgruntled he had become with Christmas. He was annoyed with the mass marketing that started in August and how all these stores that make so much money on Christmas greed cannot say "Merry Christmas" to their shoppers.

He was pretty disgruntled.

Again, I disagreed. I don't give a hoot if the Target check out person says "Happy Holidays" or "Merry Christmas" when I grab my bags of loot and head for the door. I am celebrating Christmas, and I am merry.

Anyway, this year (despite hearing about other people's disappointments) was really great for us. I got the shopping out of the way nice and early and I took the massive pressure of extended family gift giving off my shoulders by deciding not to give presents to extended family.

Easy-peasy.

Maybe that was my Grinch moment this year but it felt great. I just let all of those panic stricken moments of trying to figure out what-in-the-heck to get all of those people go. I decided I didn't ever have to set foot in the Post Office this year. I decided I did enough to make my siblings dislike me in childhood and they couldn't dislike me more for not giving them a gift this year. I decided, if my husband wanted his siblings to like him more, he could do the shopping and mailing himself.

It was awesome.

Moreover, with that pressure removed I got to focus on my kids and doing little Christmas things together.

So, without further rambling, here is a recap of our Christmas 2011.

We got a Christmas tree and made our home all festive-looking.

Our new place isn't huge but it is the biggest place we've ever lived in. Our Christmas decorations fit really nicely. I didn't feel overwhelmed by holiday decor two days after it was all up.

We went to two different church Christmas Parties. We crashed our old ward party one Friday evening--they were serving free food--we could not resist. The kids really loved seeing their friends and easily fell into old habits of behaving like hooligans. They did pull themselves together long enough to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. Except for Adell. Who we learned has a deep and incurable mistrust of any man dressed in red, with a white beard, offering to hold children on his lap.

I think her very wise.

The next ward party was at our new ward and our children figured out how to behave like hooligans there too. Will and I played in a "closet instruments" band and Adell cried whenever she came within sight of Santa. Weeks later, if Adell sees a Santa on TV, on a sticker, on wrapping paper--anywhere--she says "I don't like Santa, he makes me nervous." We did the charitable thing and not tell her that any of her presents came from Santa Christmas morning.

We sent out Christmas cards. With plenty of child-labor on my side I managed to get the cards in the mail before Christmas day (miraculous)! Wyatt really wanted to help lick and seal the envelopes. I warned him that licking all those envelopes would not taste good. I told him I could only lick about three envelopes before getting a damp sponge to do the dirty work. With the goal of licking every. single. gluey. envelope. he set to work. I think he made it through 30 envelopes before caving to a glass of water and damp sponge.

Then there was the gingerbread house saga. We make gingerbread houses every other year. Some times I buy the houses pre-made and other years I make the gingerbread by hand. This year I made the dough. It was time consuming and nerve wracking. I doubled the recipe but there still wasn't enough dough to make the four houses we hoped to make. Adell ended up with a house that only had 1/2 a roof. She did not seem to mind.

I gave the kids a tally sheet of all of the parts we needed to make gingerbread houses: 8 roof pieces, 8 house front pieces and 8 house side pieces. The picture up there is of Wyatt figuring out we were not going to have enough dough to finish all the houses.

And of course, there was the actual Christmas day. We opened presents, went to church, opened more presents and had our traditional "wrapping paper-snow ball fight". I loved going to church on Christmas. It was an easy and pleasant way to remind the kids (and myself) that Christmas is not all about Santa and presents.

Like I said, it was a pretty great Christmas. One for the record books--the record books of awesomeness.

Somebody get me a paper bag to breathe into...

I just got home from school with Clare and Adell. The girls are eating lunch while I am trying to figure out where to get some photos printed--quickly.

Clare just came over and stood by my side with a big shy grin on her face.

Clare: "Hey Mom, do you remember that guy Sam?" (Sam is not a guy--he is a little boy in her kindergarten class)

Me: "Yhea...why?"

Clare: (Grin getting bigger, shoulders creeping up to her ears) "Well tooooooday he told me he was in LOVE with me!" (Hands fly up to cover her giggling face)

Me: "Ohhhhhh."

So--do I pull her out of school today, right this very instant or what?

It's Great to be Eight...

Wyatt was baptized on Saturday.

I wish my kids would stop growing up.

I mean, where do they get the idea that it is OK to grow up and get all accountable and stuff?

I certainly didn't say it was OK.

I squash my kids into clothes that are two sizes too small and let them drink caffeinated soda for a reason--it stunts their growth.

Happy Baptism day Buddy.

I am proud of you--but don't tell Clare or Adell. They'll only think they can grow up too.

November 25th...

Oh baby. My baby is 2.

Here are a few things I know about 2 year-old Adell.

She has recently fallen head-over-heels for Disney Princesses. Her top two favorites are Bell and Cinderella. We watch one of those movies just about every day.

She is ready to be potty trained but her Mother thinks it is easier to have a child in diapers than to teach one to use the potty.

She loves to eat turkey soup, the milk in the cereal bowl--but not the cereal, candy, oranges, strawberries, frozen blueberries, crabby-patties (hamburgers) and french fries.

She loves to sing, all the time. She sings primary songs, princess songs, children's songs and made up songs.

She loves to dance.

She loves her Daddy and squeals "Daddy!" the loudest when he walks through the door every night. She likes to play "Where are you going" and "high jumps". The first being a game where she sits in Daddy's arms and when he asks "Adell, where are you going?" she flings her body backwards while he holds onto her legs. The second having anything to do with being thrown high in the air by her Daddy.

She loves to play hide-and-seek.

She is very opinionated and demanding.

She does not like other small children or babies to take any of her Mother's attention.

She is tolerant of her older siblings and some times she loves them.

She is a turkey and we tell her so all the time. Usually when she is spilling salt on the table, spilling water on the floor or spilling dinner on her high chair tray.

She is funner than a barrel of monkeys and we all love her--very much.

Where are their Super-Hero capes?

So, I've been wanting to put a couple posts up about Adell's birthday and other holiday happenings around here. But every time I open my blog I go to Dave and Angela's blog instead.

I just think Angela is Super Woman. Seriously, if you don't know this family you should. I just read over Angela's telling of Sadie's diagnosis. She wrote it really well and I was bawling by the end of it. This whole process with Sadie has been something out of a dream--or nightmare. Every time I visit Angela I am blown over by her composure and strength.

She is Super Woman--I am telling you.

Her husband, Dave, is really super too.

Enjoy!

Here are some freakishly awesome dance moves brought to you by The Robot and dinner at McDonalds...very classy stuff.

PS don't try and drink a beverage right as you hit play--you will only end up spraying your beverage all over your computer screen, probably through your nose.

Peace out.

Sadie Baby...

I got to visit Sadie in the hospital on Wednesday. She is doing better. Angela started blogging about Sadie's story and she can explain it all so much better than I can.

I am not sure if their blog is private or not, but if you are interested, check it out:

http://www.ourfamily-forever.blogspot.com/

Honesty...

Clare bit the dust on her way into school one morning. She smacked her face on the sidewalk pretty hard and got a big red scrub under her left eye. When she came home from school I told her she should tell Daddy that she was in a fight. I also encouraged her to say the kid she was fighting limped away with a broken arm and two black eyes.

I thought this would be hilarious.

She looked at me with a stern expression and said:

"I'm not gunna lie!"

Yay, for honesty.

Well, imagine my surprise when Clare called her Dad over to the family room couch saying "Hey Daddy, come look at my face!" When Daddy responded with the appropriate shock and worry, Clare said: "I got in a fight!"

"WHAT!!!" both Will and I chorused at the same moment.

"With the sidewalk!" Honest-Clare responded as she laughed at our shock.

I guess honesty can be pretty funny some times.

We put her hair in sock-curlers the night after her face plant. I thought it would help distract from her face scrub. However, when she got home she complained: "All day people kept saying 'What happened to your face?!?' and 'Why is your hair so curly?' I had to tell people like a million times!" Distraction failed.

Reactions...

Here are few quick picts of my big kids opening their birthday presents. I always expect my kids to jump with joy at the reveal of every present. Some times I am disappointed and some times they nail it.

Here is Lorien...what do you think she opened?

Did you guess a fist full of diamonds? Well, it was a digital alarm clock--for sure, my favorite reaction.

Here is Wyatt opening up the present he has been dreaming about for weeks. The present he specifically guided me to at Target three days before his birthday--a not so subtle hint, hint.

His reaction, the most bland "Oh." you could imagine. Not my favorite reaction.

A Little Love...

Have you ever been delivered bad news so scary you thought your heart might burst through your chest cavity al-la the alien in the opening scene of Aliens?

I don't think I could really answer "yes" to that question--but last week it felt pretty close.

Last week, on my kids birthday to be exact, I got a phone call from Will. I had missed several texts and messages from him earlier and so was blissfully unaware of what he, my brother-in-law and sister-in-law had been going through.

Last week, my little niece was diagnosed with Leukemia. Here is a darling picture of Sadie from the 4th of July.

******************************************************************

Isn't she adorable? I am telling you, you have never met a more cheerful-rosy cheeked-cherub than Sadie. This little doll smiles at every one and every thing. She is a love, through and through. She has sparkling blue eyes and a personality to match. So it was heart-breaking enough to hear that Sadie had been sick for a month with what seemed like one severe cold after another.

Here is a picture of Sadie, Luke and Adell from August. I think this picture was right before Sadie started getting sick?

I am not this baby's Momma--I am this baby's Aunt--but I sure love this baby (all those babies up there really...and all those babies and big kids down there...).

If you love babies, and big kids, and grown-ups or anyone send a prayer up to heaven for Sadie and her family. They have received some scary news and need all the prayers they can get to keep their hearts inside their chests.

They have also received some "good-Leukemia" news? Sadie's Leukemia is very treatable and has a high success rate. Hopefully, she will get to go home before long and all this will be something that happened to her when she was a baby.

What were you doing at 2:30 this morning?

New born baby Lorien

New born baby Wyatt and his birthday-bumped sister, Lorien.

I hope you were sleeping. I wish I was sleeping at 2:30 this morning. Instead I woke from a peaceful sleep to the sound of childish chit-chat. I thought one of the big kids must be talking in their sleep--a biological tick they get from one of their parents. (Their Mother!) However, the chit-chat went on much longer than the usual slurs and mumbles that constitute our family dream conversations. So I walked down the hall to find Lorien and Wyatt snuggled up in Lorien's bed talking excitedly about the day.

Some how Wyatt woke up in the middle of the night and confused the light from our outdoor house lights for the rising sun. He hurried into Lorien's room to wake her up so they could get started on their Birthday.

At 2:30 in the morning.

They just about didn't make it to see the rest of their birthday. Instead of murdering them I wished them a happy birthday and sent them back to their own beds.

I know Wyatt did not fall back asleep. I heard him get up and down several more times before the sun was actually up at 6:00 am. He is so excited, but I predict a serious emotional crash some time around 2:00 in the afternoon. It is going to be a good day.

Happy 10th birthday my darling Lorien.

Happy 8th birthday my handsome Wyatt.

Happy Halloween...

From the most awesome Kitty Cat, Salsa-Dancing-Peacock-Princess, Indiana Jones, Fairy Princess and Jack-O-Lantern on the planet.

Turkish invasion...

This morning, while Adell and I were waiting for some new friends to come over and play, we started hearing this strange shrieking sound coming from outside. When we pulled open the curtains we saw about 15 grown turkeys hanging out on our back patio. A few minutes later when our friends came over they said our front yard was full of turkeys too! The turkeys only stayed for about 5 minutes before jumping the fence and heading out. It made for an interesting morning--and made me want to eat some mashed potatoes and cranberries.

Saturdays are for football...and futbol...

Wyatt has been playing soccer since the very end of August. His soccer skills were pretty rough at the start of the season but by mid-season he had a couple of shots-on-goal and seemed to be more focused on the game rather than the grass growing around him.

Wyatt is #10 and his Dad is "# the Ref". Wyatt usually does a great job of telling his other teammates where to be (silently, with hand movements) and Will does a great job of coaching Wyatt from the field (under his breath, with his back to the opposing team).

Additionally, STANFORD FOOTBALL SEASON STARTED! In case you've been living under a rock for the last several weeks...or don't live in the bay area...Stanford is doing really well this season. As always, we got a family pack of tickets and have been to every home game. We all have a good time, even if some of us need cotton candy to make it through the games.

Having moved all the way across the bay between this football season and last has changed our appreciation of the team. This year we make it to the game well before kick off. Also, we did not pony up the cash for a parking pass so we have to park some where in downtown Palo Alto and hoof it to the stadium. We are much better time managers now that we live farther away. Getting to the game early enables us to see more of the Stanford band (a good and bad thing), stand for the national anthem and cheer when our team comes on the field. We've also witnessed this little pregame ritual of some of the Stanford players.

I think it is cool to see all those college aged boys taking a couple of seconds to say a prayer before the game starts. Maybe they are asking the Good Lord to protect their bodies and dedicate their performance to their Maker. Or maybe they are praying that their opponents wont cry too hard when Stanford kicks their butts... Either way, it is a nice thing to see and I try to point it out to my kids when we make it in time.

**Even though this post is dated for some time in October, I am typing it in November. I don't have any posts up for October and all of these games happened in October. Also, Wyatt's soccer season just ended and I am so happy I could cry. Kid's activities are taking up waaaaay too much of my precious "sit-around-and-do-nothing" time.

Happy Birthday to Me and My Sister, Jennifer...

Hey, did I tell you I went to Maine last weekend?

I didn't? Silly me.

For my birthday, Will sent me to Maine to celebrate my older sister's birthday. We share the fabulous birthday month, September.

I made the flight out with out throwing up all over the plane--yay for me! Last time I flew home, I picked the cheapest flight with "no layovers". I should have been suspicious when the flight time was over ten hours. What "no layovers" meant was that the plane made five stops across the country and I never got off the plane. They unloaded and loaded the other cattle and we were off. The result, by the third stop I was sweating like a sinner in church and barfing like a frat boy. It was horrible. I had to pull my hair around my face for some privacy while I barfed up every thing I ever ate in my entire life. Sad, sad, sad story.

It was so lovely to see my sisters for the weekend. I was only there for a couple of days but they were fabulous days! We did some antiquing, we went to my home town's Apple Festival, we had a wicked birthday party for my sister and we went to the beach--wonderful! Here, mostly just to put a smile on my own face, are the pictures and a quick re-cap of the trip.

Antiquing in Maine can mean looking at cheap junk, expensive junk or fine collectibles (really old junk).

Look at that picture up there. Can you see what is hanging from the ceiling? That's right, a cork screw ice pick, a three pronged whale hook, a post digger and variety of pots and pans. Don't accidentally bump into any thing here and certainly don't trip into the barrel of newly sharpened awls.

This is my just-a-little-older sister, Camie. We were in the same grade in school and got married a few months apart. She is ballsy and anxiety prone--a combination that is hard to find. When we were in the second grade she told some kids at the lunch table that white bread was made with spit. A story I think we invented at home because my Mother never, ever, ever bought white bread--she made her own whole wheat bread. Anyway, Camie even pointed to the flour spots on the bottom of a piece of bread saying "See, that's the spit." Well, this didn't go over well with the white-bread eating student body. One little girl went and told a teacher, Mrs. Farrington. When the girl came back to tell Camie that Mrs. Farrington said there wasn't any spit in white bread--Camie said "Well, Mrs. Farrington is an old wind bag." "I'm telling Mrs. Farrington!" the antagonist responded.

"I don't care, I'll tell her myself." and with that Camie marched right up to Mrs. Farrington and said "You're an old wind bag!" right to her face! Mrs. Farrington was so stunned, she didn't say a word. Nobody at the lunch table would eat their white bread after that.

**post edit** Now my sister is a grown woman with two darling boys and a crippling fear of highway driving. She can handle being a passenger on the highway (and offers helpful driving tips from the back seat) but give her the opportunity to be the driver on a highway and she breaks out into hives. Highway driving is way too stressful for her. It gives me the giggles every time her fear of the highway comes up. Is this the same girl who was not afraid to tell a teacher off in the second grade?

The second antique store we went into was much nicer. It is every one's favorite antique store. It is in this big old Maine house with three stories of tastefully arranged stuff. It is lovely and was named one of Yankee Magazine's Best Fun-tiquing in 2010.

The evening of the same day we did our little antiquing was Jennifer's birthday party. We ate delicious food, shared beautiful company, laughed about facial hair and stayed up too late. It was a great party!

We went to one of my family's favorite beaches on my last full day in Maine. I was time-warped and so exhausted I couldn't talk. My younger sister took offence...what could I do? The beach was beautiful despite my exhaustion.

Hubba-hubba, look at those hot beach bodies.

We stopped at Dairy Queen on the way home from the beach. I forgot, in Maine, if you want sprinkles on your ice cream you had better call them "jimmies" or you aren't getting any.

I bought gifts home for all of my kids. Adell and Clare got these adorable ballet skirts Jennifer made. Wyatt got a Nerf dart gun and Lorien got a locket I bought at the classy antique store.

I had such a great time. Even if I came home so messed up time-wise it took me a whole week to recover. I wish I could go back more often.