The Rise and Fall of Skippidy

Maybe it's not good to need to dedicate another entire post to just one of my children but....Skippidy has had a lot of really memorable moments over the past month and I am just going to go ahead and do it.

Let's see...what are the things I want to remember?  Lets start with something positive.  Skippidy is starting to figure out how to text.  I know this really isn't a very big deal, but her first text ever to me was so cute that I had to screen grab it and save it forever:

Yes, I know - the spell check did a number on her spelling but I thought it was adorable.  And then on a drive the other day she got ahold of my phone and left me this very sweet little note.  I'm going to have it framed: 

Keeping it forever!  And I'm going to need it because my next story is also about her leaving notes for people but is slightly less charming.  The other morning Skippidy and Bitty got into a fight and got pretty nasty with each other.  They both got in trouble and I decided that as part of their penance they had to do something nice for each other.  Bitty took a few minutes to settle herself down before finding a little treat and bringing it to Skippidy and saying something nice to her.  Skippidy, however, was much more stubborn and stayed pouting in her bed for a very long time.  I finally suggested that she write a note to her sister to say she was sorry and she agreed, so I brought her a notecard.  Skippidy carefully wrote her note and delivered it to Bitty before heading off to recover and play.  Remind me next time to read her notes of apology before offering her forgiveness.  It wasn't until the next day that I came across the note and here's what she had to say:

In case you didn't get that, it says "I said sorry like 100,00 times and you didn't listen! from Emma. P.S. Did you listen?"

Very apologetic I'm sure.  Little stinker.

Luckily our little gal has many more adorable moments than stinky ones.  One of the best ever was a day early this month when her class celebrated their 100th day of school.  In her class, her teacher has the kids dress up like they are 100 years old.  Skippidy took right to it and absolutely threw herself into her aged character.  It was HILARIOUS.  She instantly started hobbling around with her little umbrella/cane, glasses perched on the end of her nose, and for some reason speaking in a British accent.  Oh my heart, it was so funny.

Her wrinkles were done by her big sister and a washable marker.  It was actually quite impressive!  

And now a confession.  Almost every night, little Skippidy crawls up into my lap as we're having family story time.  She curls up like a baby and falls asleep.  And I do nothing to stop her, I just rock her like she's still one year old.  I can't help it!  At some point I know she'll stop, and until that day, I'll let her get rocked to sleep as much as she wants.

Going on Dates

We are having some warm weather now that we've hit the end of February, and although I'm sure we'll get more cold and storms, looking back on the wintry month of January, it sure feels like we've accomplished something just by making it through. Troy and I have been really making a conscious effort to be more active and actually leave our house with the kids, taking them on little outings and dates.  We've had some fun times over the past few weeks.

Here are a couple of our favorite excursions:

One fun evening was when Troy took the girls out to go spend their Christmas money from Grandma.  Skippidy couldn't make up her mind but Bitty only needed one glance at the BB8 mug sitting on the Disney store shelf before her heart was won.  We have since discovered that BB8 holds a very large amount of liquid.  It's really more of a family mug.  Bitty has found that a pint and a half of hot chocolate really is a bit too much at any one time.

Another really fun outing was the night that I ended up driving some girls to a birthday party in Draper and I brought Skippidy with me. I needed to find a way to kill two hours that wasn't staying with her at Boondocks because my brain would have exploded.  I'm so sorry if this comment is offensive to anyone but those indoor arcade game pizza party places test my will to go on living.  So. Loud.  Anyway, I decided that Skippidy and I needed to check out Scheels - the giant sporting good store in the south of the valley.  Not that we needed any sporting goods, it's just that that place pretty much has all the attractions of a mini amusement park.  A ferris wheel, a shooting gallery, a bowling alley (although the place is so huge I couldn't actually find it), a little restaurant, treats everywhere.  We had so much fun.

Skippidy finally spent her grandma money by picking out some Shopkins toys and this wretched little game called "Beanboozled."  We had heard it was a fun and daring game played by flicking a spinner and eating a jelly bean of the color it lands on, each color of jelly bean having the possibility of being one of two flavors.  One would be a normal flavor like pear and one nasty flavor like booger.  We thought it sounded silly.  The next day when we gathered around our new jellybean game with excitement.  We hit the spinner and each popped a jellybean in our mouth.  And then the game wasn't fun anymore.  My first bad flavor was moldy cheese and the only good thing I can say about this game is that the makers really went above and beyond to make some seriously nasty flavors.  This is not a fun game.  Do not play it if you ever come across it.

This is the gang of girls at the birthday party who were bravely enduring (aka LOVING) Boondocks

Another sunny but cold Saturday afternoon Troy and I really wanted to see ourselves as a happy active family who goes on outings together.  We were kind of thwarted as we tried to head out, finding a few destinations on our idea list to be closed.  We ended up bowling.  Skippidy beat me.  I am not a good bowler.  Of course, she had the bumpers up, but still.  We munched on french fries and fried mozzarella (a revelation of a snack to our kids).  The only sad part was that we didn't discover until the shoes were rented that our darling daughter Bitty really hates bowling and refused to participate.  She bravely endured the sidelines while the rest of us did our best to knock the pins down.

I have a feeling that some day she is going to really hate me for posting this picture.

So yes, we did our best to get out and about a time or two in the winter months.  Now the sun is shining and the kids are all off with friends and don't seem to need us to provide activity and entertainment quite as much.  I'm glad we put in a little extra effort during those chilly days!

Little Bro Turns 40

So my younger brother Adam turned 40 over the weekend.  Which is weird since I'm still in my late 20's....just kidding.  I don't really want to be in my late 20's.  I  like being in my 40's.  Anyhow, for his birthday Whitley asked his friends and family to write him a note or a memory and I enjoyed writing my memory so much that I thought I'd log it here....as well as his awesome senior year picture that makes him look like a Kirk Cameron-esque teen of the 90's.  If you don't know who Kirk Cameron is, well, I guess you missed out on Growing Pains.  That's a tv show.  That you had to watch on your tv on the night and time it was on or you missed it.  Which means it was on tv a really long time ago.  Okay, enough tangents...here's my story:

It was a summer night, deep in the middle of the 1980’s.  The greater Romney family was gathered on the porch of a Park City condominium enjoying the enticing combination of breezy evening air and a barbecue picnic.  I, however, was sitting huddled in the corner carefully watching my younger brother who was currently sporting a crooked grin and a dangerous twinkle in his eye.  I was watching for signs of squealing.  I had made the terrible mistake earlier in the day of revealing to my brother the name of the boy I had a crush on.  In my 12 year old mind, I could only classify my feelings as true love. After all, it was Jace Mihalopolous.  He may have been a little younger than me, but he had dark curly hair, olive skin and big brown eyes.  My heart was lost.  Lost so completely that I could not contain within my own lovesick head his name or the fact that he was indeed the boy that I LIKED.  I found myself furtively sharing my secret with Adam, only recognizing my mistake after the words had left my lips.  I was horrified.  How could I have so willingly handed over my secret right to him, just handing him ammo on a silver platter?  And I could see it on his face that he was just waiting for the perfect moment to strike. The cousins were gathered. The conversation had come to a lull.  Adam perched casually on the steps leading to the lawn, leaning against the railing, and watching carefully.  I saw it coming.  Just at the perfect moment he made his announcement.  “Guess who Rachel likes, you guys?”  Silence. All heads turned his way.  And he said it.  He TOLD.  Instantly a flame of fury ignited within me.  I hated him.  I was going to kill him.  Before I could even think I launched myself off of my chair and barreled into his chest, throwing him off the porch and into the grass.  In my head I pictured all the epic movie fights I had ever seen, and I began pummeling him up an down his torso with my balled-up fists, feeling satisfying thuds as I punched.  Finally I was getting the upper hand in this fraught sibling-hood. After all the punches I could deliver, I rolled away, waiting to hear his tears begin.  To see him at least curl into a ball and cradle his aching sides.  Instead, to my absolute horror, I looked to see Adam laughing his head off.  My hardest punches had been little more than gentle tickling to my brother.  There was nothing left to do but give up all hope of ever gaining the upper hand over this pre-teen monster.  I slumped back to the house, winding between the chairs of cousins and aunts and uncles who, it turned out, were not at all interested in my brother’s betrayal. They just went on chatting and munching away.  I could only retreat up to my room to contemplate my lameness and comfort myself with thoughts of the long eyelashes of Jace Mihalopolous. I also began forming possible revenge methods on my brother that needed no public display of strength. Who knew that a short 30 years later I would look back to find that this same brother had come to be one of my favorite humans on the earth, one whom I respect and trust and strive to be more like.  Will wonders never cease. Happy Birthday Adam!

The Teeth (or lack thereof) of Skippidy

Oh this little girl of mine.  Skippidy began losing her teeth at the end of her kindergarten year.  Just those bottom two.  It wasn't long after that that she lost her two front teeth, in rather rapid succession I believe, over the summer.  Eventually her bottom two permanent teeth grew in, but not her two front teeth. We waited. And waited. Then around December she lost the two teeth on either side of her upper two front teeth.  And still we waited for those two front teeth. Christmas came, and boy oh boy did poor Skippidy start to hear a lot about that song All I Want for Christmas is My Two.....you get the idea.  Although it was often altered to her FOUR front teeth.  It's been slightly comical to watch her attempt to eat.  She just has to gnaw on things from the side.  The gap in front has been so very very large I almost just started calling her gummy.  It's been pretty funny.

I'll admit that at her last dentist appointment I had them x-ray her front gums to make sure she even had those front teeth.  I mean, seven months is a long time, right?  They assured me that those two front teeth were actually there....and then told me to prepare myself.  I was told that little Skippidy's two front teeth might be rather on the large size, and just hadn't been able to descend because they were being blocked by the next two teeth.  Well, those next two teeth came out and now we're watching and waiting.

As of today, one of her front teeth has finally broken through the surface.  We are cheering it along in hopes that her giant new teeth will help her be able to eat apples again, and maybe her new lithp will dithappear one of these days as well.

And in other Skippidy news...someone wanted a new hair do.  She begged me to call Jeannie and set up an appointment - Jeannie was able to come over that very same day and just do the deed in our kitchen.  Skippidy told Jeannie exactly what she wanted, which was to have very short hair in back that pointed forward to her chin like a slide.  Jeannie did a darling job, which Skippidy agreed with since she declared more than once, "I am ADORABLE!!" Well, she's not wrong.  She's adorable.

 

Christmas, In Three Chunks

Looking back on our holiday I believe I can pretty easily divide it into three chunks, each quite separate from the others.

Chunk the First - School let out a full week before Christmas, which is just how I like it.  I'd rather have more time with the kids before Christmas rather than after, even though it forces me to have more things accomplished earlier since I won't have hardly any alone time once the kids are out of school.  Fine by me - I like to have a few days together to really enjoy the holiday spirit.  We had a lovely week before Christmas - not only did we attend Star Wars, but we went to the annual Christmas singing party our friends the Bucherts throw every year.  It's so divine - signing has got to be just about my favorite part of Christmas and I don't get much of a chance to do it.  This was our fourth year going and I really look forward to gathering around the piano while we sing together, no matter how I struggle to hang on to that alto part. I also got to go see my friend Becky play in her neighborhood's performance of the Messiah.  I was grateful to sneak out on a Sunday night and do that.  And we had lots of other fun with friends, going on Christmas light scavenger hunts, watching every Christmas movie we could think of....well, that's not quite true.  We draw the line at Ernest Saves Christmas.  The youth in our church had a caroling night that was a lot of fun - although I spent most of it hosting a viewing of Home Alone for the younger siblings who didn't want to brave the cold.

Finally Christmas Eve arrived. We were lucky enough to enjoy a formal breakfast with the Bucherts for the second year running - once again we made heaps of delicious food, gathered in the Buchert's beautiful home and listened to the King's College Christmas Eve Broadcast.  Those boys make it sound like the very angels are accompanying our meal.  I just love this time we get to spend together.  After breakfast when we left we fell into a bit of a lull - most years we try to spend the day doing something active, especially sledding or something.  However, as we left the Buchert's, we found that no one really wanted to go - it was quite sunny and we suspected that many of our favorite sledding hills would be quite icy or perhaps even grassy.  Instead we headed home and the girls played in the back yard for a while.  

The day even began to drag until I decided that I had to be very brave and do one of those things that you just HAVE to do at Christmas, no matter how big of a mess it makes.  Yes, it's true.  I called the girls in and we made sugar cookies.  Not my favorite.  But I can't deny that putting on new Christmas aprons, playing some happy sing-along Christmas Carols and making cookies with my daughters was a great way to spend Christmas Eve.  We had a lot of fun, and finished up just in time for my parents to come over and join our quiet evening.

We had decided to hold our annual Waffles and Wassail evening on Christmas Eve itself - there wasn't another good night to do it, and we couldn't think of anything else we'd rather do on Christmas Eve.  So we whipped up our waffles, plus I had made an egg casserole just so there was something with protein on the menu.  Mom and Dad came over and we made a few more cookies, enjoyed our breakfasty-feast, and watched the wonderful Muppets do A Christmas Carol in that special way that only the Muppets can.  And then it was off to bed.

Luckily I had managed to get all the wrapping done a few days before Christmas - there is, for some reason, almost nothing more depressing to me about my Christmas preparations than wrapping presents on Christmas Eve, knowing that they will have less than 24 hours to stay wrapped up in their beautiful paper. It exhausts me to even think about it.  So happily, the wrapping was all done, and Troy and I were able to enjoy a calm Christmas Eve with a movie and some egg nog.  

On Christmas morning, as Troy and I were snuggled lazily in bed and the kids, one by one, made their way upstairs to begin the pestering process we were horrified to learn that Cap had been awake since 2 am.  I guess being an official teenager hasn't put a dent in his Christmas excitement.  Happily he didn't start bugging us until 6 and I think he may have even stayed out of the living room, though I kind of like the image of him sneaking in for a peek in the wee hours of the night.

There were many wonderful surprises this year - an over-abundance of legos and action figures for Cap, lots of clothing and new clogs for Bitty and Skippidy was thrilled by her little pile of Shopkins and baking equipment.  I can't deny, however, that the gift of the year was this purple fleece kitty cat that Skippidy had made in her sewing class for Skippidy.  Bitty was really nervous about giving it to her, and was really hoping that she'd love it.  She was not disappointed.  Skippidy not only went totally berserk with adoration but she even started crying she was so happy.  She named her new kitty Hope, and snuggles with her every night.  I also received a gift from Bitty's sewing classes - this darling little pouch for all of my purple pens.  It was made all of purple fabric and has a snap-shut top made by inserting measuring tape (the metal kind) into the seam.  She was so thoughtful and was absolutely glowing after seeing how happy her gifts made us.  Great morning.

This is Skippidy right after she opened a cookbook by her favorite YouTuber, Ro of Nerdy Nummies.
She went insane with joy!  

And here is Skippidy in tears because she was so moved by Bitty's gift to her

I gave Troy a book of our blog - just year 2....I have a long way to go to catch up!

For breakfast I made Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls....they were wickedly delicious.  Absolutely sinful.
Can I have more?

Once the presents were opened, the kids set to playing while I set to cooking and cleaning because Christmas Chunk the First was over, and it was time for....

Chunk the Second - Bring on the relatives!  I spent much of Christmas day preparing for family get togethers.  I was so happy because not only had Peter and Sheri and kids decided to come up north on Christmas Day itself, but Adam and Whitley had made the treacherous journey from Bainbridge Island to Whit's parents' home in Woodland, Utah.  They thought it would be fun to have a snowy mountain Christmas, and I'm sure there was a lot that was fun about it, despite the fact that they had multiple driving delays due to weather, they couldn't drive to the house due to no snowplows...and basically seemed to face serious obstacles all along the way.  I'm still really glad they came.  And on Christmas Evening every single member of our Romney family met up at Margaret's house to enjoy a feast of Mexican food - all the favorite traditional stuff we have loved eating together in years past, like posole, pulled pork, great salsas and guac, and of course fried sopes.  We weren't sure we were all going to fit into Margaret's house (and all I could think of was better your house than mine!) but somehow we were comfortable and cozy.  (I'm sure it was the Ghost of Christmas Present showering us with his blessings.)  We ate, we talked and laughed, and we had one MASSIVE gift exchange that was just really really fun.  I made Margaret a hat I'm really proud of, Whitley gave me a really neat framed piece of art that looks like a quilt square - and it just so happened that it matched perfectly a quilt of my great-grandmother's that Margaret had but couldn't find a place for, so I came away with an antique quilt as well as art to go with it.  Troy got an awesome UofU sweatshirt and Cap got a Star Wars t-shirt that he pretty much hasn't taken off since he got it.  Bitty got a great movie, Totoro, with a stuffy to go with it, and all of Skippidy's dreams came true when she opened up a chocolate pen. Yes, that's right.  A pen that writes with chocolate.  

  

I was so grateful for that evening, and it kicked off several days of family time, mostly with Peter and Sheri.  My parents joined us for as many outings and meals and activities as they could.  It was a hard week for my dad since mom's care centers were closed for the holidays.  It kind of wore him out.  We were happy to have lots of Oma and Apa time.  The Romneys and the Preslars had lots of fun outings - our favorite probably being a big excursion downtown to see the new Church History Museum, visit the candy windows at Macy's and see the lights at Temple Square.  I have some advice.  The lights at Temple Square are AMAZING and should not be missed at Christmas time. But go AFTER Christmas.  That way you won't feel like you're in some type of holiday mosh-pit about to get trampled by hoards of families out for both shopping and blood.  Seriously.  It was so peaceful and beautiful.  And very very cold.  So we didn't stay long, just enough to take in the sights, snap some pictures and get out of there.  Fun evening.  

  

Oh the piles of coats - they were intimidating and numerous!  

 We also enjoyed a family party with Troy's family, which doubled with cousin Lucy's baptism.  It was a seriously full weekend.  We just crowded together in our tiny house and enjoyed being together for a few days.  We wrapped it up and packed off the relatives so we could be ready for....

Chunk the Third....

Which involved puking. Much puking. We were all sick for days.  (Kids with the pukes, Troy and I both were fighting off colds.) Even over New Years and our anniversary.  I'm not going to include many details.  I'll just say that for our anniversary, we left our somewhat miserable kids home for an hour to go grab a quick dinner at Porcupine Grill and marvel that 18 years have gone by.  We don't feel old enough to have been married for that long, but I suppose that feeling will only intensify as the years go by.  EIGHTEEN??  Our marriage has reached adulthood!  

I love you, Troy.  

New Year's Eve was very quiet - Troy stayed home with a sick Bitty (she was the tail-end of the puking train) and they watched Lord of the Rings while Cap, Skippidy and I went to the ward building to hang out and chat and eat appetizers with other families from the neighborhood.  It was really fun, but pretty mellow, which was just what we needed after that marathon.  Cap stayed up late with friends to ring in the New Year while I sat at home, alone at the couch, everyone else tucked in and sound asleep, enjoying the Christmas lights for a few more hours before the holidays really came to a close.