Our Newest Dancer

Once Bitty started taking cello lessons it seemed like her artistic void was being filled and I stopped feeling bad that she didn't go to dance class any more.  I still kind of wish she did but she didn't always love it - she put up a fight regularly about going.  I miss seeing her in her cute ballet hair and leotard with her strong little legs.  But she seems to adore cello.

Last spring I decided to try Bundle in a parent-and-child dance class and oh man did she love it.  We skipped the summer session and by the the fall she was old enough to be registered in Miss Kim's Pre-Ballet class; no more mommy-n-me!  I wasn't sure Bundle would dig going to dance class without me - she seems so little still sometimes but let me tell you, from the first moment she stepped foot in the studio on her very first day, she has been in heaven and hasn't had a moment of dismay or resistance.  She loves Miss Kim, she loves dance. And I love her.

Forgive the over abundance of photos, I couldn't resist.

Quite the Festive Weekend

What a lovely weekend I enjoyed.  It was a busy one for me, and thus for my husband, but I hope it was fun for all! (Mostly me.)

It started Friday night - we saw the Hobbit that evening and it had already been a busy day. But The Becky, who is a very talented violinist, plays in the Orchestra at Temple Square - isn't that what it is called, Becky?  Anyway, they are the folks who play with the Mormon Tabernacle Choir for the big Christmas Concert every year, as well as doing tons of other things like the weekly Music and the Spoken Word broadcast every week and any other big musical event at the conference center.  It's a very big deal.  I have been lucky enough to go to the concert several times over the past few years and I have loved all of them.  I think my favorites have been to see the King's Singers and Audra McDonald.  But this year topped them all by a long shot, and I'll tell you why in a bit. But first, on Friday night, The Becky got in touch with me to let me know that this year's guests, Alfie Boe and Tom Brokaw, would be at Deseret Book after the concert to sign books and CDs and things.  I am such a nerd.  I have loved Tom Brokaw since I was a little girl, and I don't even know how that started or why a 10 year old girl would feel connected to him, but I always have.  Anyway, after the Hobbit and our return home, I practically hurled the children into bed so that I could zoom down town and get in line to see them.  I was so happy I did.  I didn't get a chance to have a nice long conversation with Mr. Brokaw or even cry and hold on to his legs like I wanted to, but I did get a book signed and a quick little snapshot  as well as a smile and a "Thank You" after I expressed my appreciation to him for coming and signing books.

The Becky was much more twitterpated by Alfie Boe and she wasn't the only one.  I had to stand in line for quite a long time to wait my turn and as I did I listened in to many conversations among women who absolutely ADORE Mr. Boe.  I really enjoy his singing very much and was excited to meet him but I was impressed  by the hoards of women were there to see him and were almost literally shaking in their boots. Okay, after seeing him sing I get how he turns people to jello with the power of his voice. Also his very cute British accent.

Oh man I do get so star struck.  But it was really fun.

So on Saturday I got to sneak away a couple of times as well, thanks to my dear husband.  For starters the soccer mommies, or at least as many as could make it, got together for a little Christmas lunch.  The friendships I have formed in that group are as valueable in my life as are the kids Stomper has made friends with.  I love them dearly.  We decided to have a little gift exchange/lunch at a yummy little place called Cafe Niche which is right by my house and which I was completely unaware of.  So tasty!!  And the gift exchange was fun although only a couple of us were brave enough to actually steal one another's gifts. It was a lovely time together.

But the highest highlight of my weekend was Saturday night when I got to attend the Christmas Concert from the MoTab Choir with my friend Krista.  I think I need to write down my favorite details from this concert because it was the most amazing ever.  This is for my own remembrance, so feel free to not continue reading.

For starters, Krista and I had the great pleasure of enjoying a well planned evening.  We parked in the right place at the right time, we picked the right restaurant (Settebello - where else?) and we made the right choice to walk there, although it should be noted that one poor choice we both made was to wear the wrong boots - we looked cute but our feet were killing us by the end of the night.  We had the good luck to get seated at the busy restaurant just in time to keep us from feeling anxious about missing the concert.  It also helped that the pizza maker delivered the correct pizza to the wrong table (ours) within 30 seconds of us ordering it.  We had taken a bite before the waiter figured out that the pizza belonged to the table next to us but we didn't feel too bad about it seeing as how the other table got their pizza in about another minute.  It did help to have the fastest service EVER. After dinner and a pleasant walk (despite the boots) and non-stop conversation, we arrived at the conference center to find that The Becky's tickets were prime beyond prime.  We were on the ground floor just 15 or so rows back from the very front.  Wow!  Holy Smokes! (These were the phrases we most commonly mouthed to each other as we made our way nearer and nearer the front.) I found out later that we were seated very near Mitt Romney, but I wasn't aware of this until later. Should have said hello to cousin Mitt!

Then the program began. Now, it's hard to go wrong when you're in an incredible room filled with people all excited to be there, holiday decorations sparkling everywhere you looked, and a choir singing to raise the roof.  That in and of itself would have filled my cup for the night.  But the tone was especially tender seeing as how the Newtown tragedy had occurred just the day before.  Lloyd Newell, the announcer for the choir, came out and shared some tender words before the entire congregation shared a moment of silence in remembrance that had at least me if not every person there in tears.  Even the opening prayer was especially sweet and heartfelt and brought a special spirit there.  Then out comes Alfie Boe, this amazing tenor with the most adorable shy demeanor and the most belting powerful voice.  He swept us away, especially with the very tear-jerking "Bring Him Home" from Les Miserables.  I tear up a lot when I listen to singers but this was full-on coursing tears.  Beautiful beautiful.

After his glorious singing I wasn't expecting that I could be any more blow away by Tom Brokaw; maybe he would just be reading the Christmas story from the bible or something simple, but how wrong I was.  I hope I can convey this experience well in words; likely I will not be able to but I'm going to try.

Tom Brokaw, to great applause and cheers, walked out onto the sweeping stage and began telling the story of a young air force pilot, Gail "Hal" Halvorsen, who in WWII was stationed in Germany just after Stalin built the wall around Berlin. He was near a barbed wire fence one day which was separating him from some children who were trapped behind it in terrible conditions.  He did what he could to get to know them and passed out the only treat he had with him; two little sticks of gum. Mr Brokaw went on to share a very touching story about this pilot finding a way to drop candy which was a part of his own army rations to these children via miniature parachutes as he flew overhead.  His idea caught on first to other pilots and then to a larger then even larger group until finally people all over Europe and America knew about him and were sending him supplies to make more parachutes to drop down to these kids trapped behind the wall.  You can find the whole (and probably more correct and certainly better-told) story in the book The Candy Bomber. It was a very tender story and as Mr. Brokaw began telling it a HUGE shimmering white length of  fabric came dropping from the ceiling all the way to the floor of the stage just in front of the choir to serve as a screen, showing film and still shots of this amazing pilot, the children he met, his plane as he flew over and the parachutes he dropped.  As the story came to its sweet and emotional conclusion, lights high in the roof over our heads slowly lit up, and a misty cloud of vapor began flowing followed by a gentle shower of snowflakes.  It was an impressive sight and as we raised our heads to watch the snow come down, we heard the sound of a plane as if it were flying over and then to our shock and delight a shower of about 200 parachutes each bearing a small treat began drifting down to our outstretched hands.  The effect was not only breathtaking but profound as we felt what it might have been like to receive a gift so beautifully delivered.  Just that sight alone produced further tears and new appreciation for those people in this world who take the time and make the effort to give to others who need them no matter what side of the fence they are on.  And just when we thought we had been filled to bursting, we saw the length of fabric release from the ceiling and begin to flutter to the floor. As it floated gracefully down, Tom Brokaw, to our total shock, proudly introduced Colonel Hal Halvorsen himself.  The fabric hit the floor and there he was, 92 years old, standing there in his original flight suit with a huge smile on his face and his arms raised in the air.  If I was crying before, I was sobbing and sobbing loudly after that.  I couldn't contain myself.  The entire audience roared in delight, surprise and joy as we lept to our feet to cheer for a solid five minutes for this man who had made a difference in the lives of so many. 

Did I capture the experience at all?  I'm not sure. I have never purchased a DVD of a Christmas choir performance before, but I might just have to.  I feel blessed to have taken part in the experience and am so grateful to those who put this production and experience together and to The Becky for getting me there.  Couldn't have asked for a better experience to celebrate the Christmas Season.  I just wish the rest of my family had been there, along with I guess every other person on the planet.  

Feeling Hobbity

I am so happy right this very moment.  Just picture.  The Salt Lake Valley is actually getting a little pre-Christmas white stuff on the ground, though I am not going to allow my emotional well-being and holiday spirit to count on it hanging around all the way until Christmas.  I'm just going to really really hope it stays.  I am sitting on my cozy green couch with my feet up on the ottoman, the lit tree beside me, medieval carols playing on the stereo and a fire in the stove.  The fire is even being so good as to crackle merrily as I type along.

I was going to comment on the fact that the kids are all out and about at the moment and I'm enjoying the quiet, but I can't quite bring myself to enjoy that overmuch seeing as how it was just yesterday that such a tragic tragic shooting happened in Connecticut and I am dwelling in the gratitude of having my sweet little family while also praying for each family and friend affected.

Yesterday Troy and I were lucky enough to have a date with our big kids. We dropped Bundle off at a dear friend's home for a long babysitting stint so that we could take the big kids to go see The Hobbit.  (I owe my friend BIG TIME.)  The theater we went to was quite a ways away, and so was the correct theater which we drove to next. As we were driving I decided that it would be a good opportunity to talk to my children about what had happened that morning in Connecticut.  My kids were deeply shocked and sweet Bitty started crying and didn't stop for a half hour.  I must say, however, that the conversation became one that I will never forget, as we talked about faith and hope and how it all connected to Christmas. I hope that perhaps for the first time ever my dear children (at least the older two) have a deeper understanding of just what it is we are celebrating each year.  It was a conversation I will never forget, and I hope that they will not either.

Once we made it to the theater and into our seats, all was well and we settled in to enjoy pretty much every single moment of the picture.  This past fall, Troy got excited about the upcoming movie and decided to read The Hobbit to Chase and  Romney.  You know, we don't always have a family book going but when we do it is just the best.  The kids look forward all day to daddy's evening reading and even though sometimes they don't seem like they are paying attention as they play quietly on the floor it turns out that they are catching everything.  They had so much fun seeing the book come to life, even though there were several goblin moments in which Bitty dove for cover under my arm or behind her fingers.  This is certainly the most intense movie she has ever seen....oh my gosh, I hope you're not all judging me for taking her to a PG-13 movie!!  I just couldn't leave her out after she had been every bit as much into the story as her brother and parents.  (Okay, Stomper isn't 13 either...)  Oh well.  So be it - we had an awesome time and frankly I can't wait to see it again.

And now I feel as though I am all snugged up in my Hobbit Hole and ready for afternoon tea or diner or supper (I already had elevensies).  I am grateful for a moment alone to enjoy this Hobbity little scene, and I will be even more grateful when my kids are back in my arms.

Going Huntin'

In the words of Bitty, "This is one of my all time favorite favorite I mean the best ever totally wonderful Christmas traditions we have!"  This phrase or one very like unto it was repeated on average forty three times per hour for one entire weekend early this December.  And I thoroughly agree.  What would Christmas be without our trek to Bear Lake to hunt down and capture our wild tree?  It just wouldn't be the same!

We haven't had a snowy December in the valley for a very long time and our trip to Bear Lake always felt extra Christmassy because it was like going to the North Pole.  It's always been snowy up there! Sadly, this year even Bear Lake was empty of snow.  I was sorry for its absence because lately it seems like it can be the only Christmas snow we get but I have to say....it sure makes packing for a trip and going tree hunting easier. I didn't have to have an extra packing case just for the snow clothing.  On our drive up the mountain we weren't packed in the car like sardines all stuffed in our gear.  It was kind of nice.  I just had boots and gloves for everyone and that was it.  Of course...that means there was a serious mud problem at the tree hunting sight but my kids stayed out of it.  Mostly.

We always love being with our friends the Burnetts who are such kindred friends through we only manage to see them once or twice a year.  Plus this year we had the added bonus of being joined by one of Mary's old mission companions and her family.  I was super excited to welcome them because they HAVE BOYS.  Poor Stomper every year is the lone boy in a sea of little girls....okay, the Burnetts do have a sweet little toddler boy but he isn't quite into legos and dragons and super heros and stuff quite yet.  This new family was delightful to get to know, though I had a lot of sympathy for them as all three of their boys exhibited their manhood on the tree hunt by practically leaping into the mud and sliding around like penguins. It was all fun and games until they all started crying, poor things.

It was a weekend of uninhibited munching on delicious food, chatting late into the night, watching A Christmas Carol with the oldest kids, knitting happily away by the fire, and of course, tracking down and capturing possibly our favorite tree ever.

The Knitting Crew

Steve located a nice little severed elk leg.
Little did we know that he stowed it on the roof of our car and we
didn't find it until we were back home again. Yummy.

Many Thanks to Give

Quite a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday....last week?  The week before?  Well, whenever it was, it was wonderful.  Here is the first thing I loved about it.  On the day before Thanksgiving I had cleared the family schedule assuming I would be super busy and way too overwhelmed to do anything but hustle and bustle in the kitchen, and most of the neighborhood friends were the same way.  We even turned down a couple of play dates.  And though the morning was indeed rather busy, the afternoon got really quiet and kind of long, and then the funniest thing happened.  Suddenly several friends in the neighborhood quietly reached out to spend some pre-Thanksgiving time together before we were with our families the next day.  Not that families aren't great, because they are.  But friends are pretty great too and though of course I couldn't see every single friend on the block, I did witness kind of a funny migration - one friend called to invite my girls over and as I was taking them there, Troy was taking Stomper to the park and they watched some other neighborhood kids walking to the house of still another friend.  After I got back there was a little knock on the door that brought the happy surprise of yet another friend stopping for a visit when she was supposed to be out getting exercise.  It was so nice to just quietly sit and laugh about stuff and sort of touch base with several dear friends.

Other things to love: cousins!!! Both of my brothers came in town for the holiday and truly there is nothing like getting our kids together.  My sis-in-law's family was all gathering here as well, so we didn't get Adam's family for Thursday, but we still had a great day.  I headed over to my parent's house nice and early with the girls so I could get the turkey in the oven.  I've never made a turkey before and I'll say that it turned out....fine.  Pretty good, room for improvement.  So we puttered and cooked all morning while Troy and Stomper stayed home for a bit.  You see, Stomper had been asked to babysit a friend's pet hedgehog for the holiday weekend and he couldn't bear to part with the prickly little thing despite its temperamental nature and extremely sharp quills.  Troy read Roald Dahl to him while he snuggled with Poky via a thick fleece blanket. Our meal was a lovely time together and somehow everyone stayed happy long enough for me to be on location for almost 12 hours. Whew, I was tired!

Oma did a lot of swing-pushing in her back yard due to the lovely lovely weather.  Bundle got hit the face only once with the swing, yielding only one little tiny black eye.  

Me and my first (almost) cooked turkey  - we were flipping it onto its back for the final minutes of roasting

Cousin Hannah and her first apple pie - deeelish.  (I mean the pie, not Hannah.)

Friday was our WHOLE family get-together, and we decided that since this would be our only time to be all together we would make the day an early Christmas party.  We really did make it a day-long party, boy.  We started at the zoo, committing my dad to join us no matter what since he usually lets just mom tag along with one of us.  I knew he was going to love it, and watching him watch Rizzo the polar bear who was doing her swim-up-to-the-window trick right in front of him was the highlight of the trip for me.

After the zoo we ate some lunch at my  house and sat around the living room chatting away before we took the kids (okay, and ourselves) to see Rise of the Guardians, which I thought was just delightful and included possibly my favorite incarnation of Santa ever.

And no, we were not done yet.  After the movie came pizza, pictures and presents at my parent's house.  I was so glad we had our little early Christmas gift exchange.  As each of us siblings has grown up, married and started having kids we have traveled less and less at Christmas time. It's just good to be HOME when you have little kids, partly because it's too hard to make Christmas morning mobile, and partly because...it's just good to be home.  I'm all in favor of that except that we don't get to see our nieces and nephews open their gifts and we have to stress out about getting things to the post office in time.  I so enjoyed just being together.  I wish we could do it this way every year.

The rest of the weekend continued on since Peter and Sheri stayed with us through Sunday.  We had a really fun day chilling out a bit, letting one another go on errands while the kids cluelessly played together through our assorted absences.  In the afternoon we braved the crowds at the new City Creek Center because Sheri found out there is a great Santa there this year. He's great partly because he was adorable and very authentic as was his wife, the honorable Mrs. Claus.  He's also great because you can SET APPOINTMENTS for what time you want to meet with Santa thus eliminating a long, boring and whiny wait in line.  Love that.  Didn't love so much not being allowed to take our own pictures....but Sheri and I decided to split the cost of one package.  Suckers we may be:

We ended the day with our fourth annual showing of The Muppet Christmas Carol whilst munching on the traditional Waffles and Wassail.  I especially enjoyed the evening because Sheri brought me a surprise awesome mug from the Disney store since she had heard that in one crazy day a couple of weeks ago I lost my three favorite drinking vessels to breakage and melting.  (Not everyone is as attached to their drinking vessels as am I, so you may not understand the great comfort I took in the receipt of a cool new villainous mug.)

By Sunday....we were about all wrung out.  We tried to hang out and relax on Sunday but we were too tired.  Doesn't make sense, I know, but it's true.  So Peter and Sheri packed up and we fell over dead but happy.

OK, Fine, I Confess.

I didn't think I was even going to blog about this. I was going to keep it a quiet little secret, but since there are details I want to remember I am going to have to go ahead and cop to having gone to see the new Twilight Flick...on opening night.  And guess what.  It was super fun.  I got to go out to dinner with The Becky and The Misty and I got to sit in a big theater munching on a white chocolate cinnamon caramel apple which I snuck into the theater and I got to watch the exciting conclusion to the series which awakened and kept thriving my dear little seventeen-year-old inner self.  And it was really really fun.  Except for this one little part where a lady brought her too-big-baby to the theater who wouldn't stop fussing and some people across the theater started shouting at her to take her baby out.  Awkward.....

But the real reason I am forcing myself to write is because a lady walking up the isle past us had the greatest Twilight T-shirt ever.  (Yes, she covered her face when we asked if we could take her picture...don't know why she felt she had to do that....) 

Behold.

Best. T-Shirt. Ever.

Wanna See a Funny Picture I Found On My Phone?

This was probably a year ago.  As far as I can remember, Bundle kept doing this lovely little gesture through most of our shopping trip.  I think the fingernail on her fourth finger was bothering her quite a bit so she kept playing with it, and she just had to get that third finger out of the way.  It doesn't help that her eyes in the picture make her look possessed or something.  Anyway, it makes me laugh every time I pass by it so I thought I'd share.

And a happy day to you as well.

What a Difference a Week Makes

Troy has spent the morning outside clicking away with his camera, taking pictures of our kids rollicking away in the fresh-fallen snow.  FM 100 is already playing Christmas Carols with fervor. (Not that I listen to FM100.  Usually.  Ahem.....moving on!)  I am sitting at the table hanging out waiting for my kids to come tromping snow all over the kitchen while crying because their fingers are so cold, but for the moment they are having an absolute ball playing in the snow.  We have about five or six inches out there, which I swear is more than we ever got at one time all last winter.

We just started flipping through pictures on the camera and were shocked to see what we were doing last Saturday.

Here, take a look.  Last Saturday:

And....
This Saturday:

Now, I am not condoning the use of Christmas Carols before Thanksgiving, but I will tell you there is some holiday excitement fluttering around here.  I'm sure by next week when it is warm and dry again and we can rake up all the leaves which are currently dampening under the snow we'll be feeling more fall-ish again.  I would just like to let Mother Nature know that if she wants me to feel lots of holiday spirit this year all she needs to do is bring on the snow. Because I am tempted to get out the Christmas decorations today.  I'm not going to do it, but I am thinking about it.

Just Wondering...

So....let's just say, hypothetically, that someone you know has vowed to not eat a single piece of Halloween Candy this year because she has this horrible habit of eating just one teeny tiny piece which of course is just a gateway treat leading to her children's hard-won candy disappearing by the handful on an hourly basis.
This unnamed person is staying strong and truly hasn't opened even one wrapper for herself, has barely even had a sniff of Reeses or Almond Joy.... and then yesterday morning, as she is cleaning out under a desk, where every mobile bit of trash seems to congregate, she finds a single candy coated chocolate egg, a leftover runaway treat from Easter.

I ask you. Would you condemn her for a) eating something that may once have been delicious but was now a nasty bit of refuse and b) would that be a violation of her vow to eat not a bit of Halloween candy?  I mean, it was EASTER chocolate, not Halloween.

Verdict?


Just so you know, I didn't actually eat it.  But I DID think about it.