Christmas Tents

Sometimes I completely bomb with the presents I give the kids.  This year, we did pretty well.  I found these Discovery Toy fort systems on clearance and bought two.  They have been well-loved.

The best part about them is that they can be built any way you'd like.  Here is a double igloo:  the two domes share an entrance in between.

Everett and Ashley love to build a fort and sleep in them with the little lanterns we gave them.  Those lanterns are complete battery killers (we should definitely get re-chargeable batteries), so more often than not, they are dead when the kids try to use them.  

Ashley tries to remember to turn hers off after a few minutes, but she usually forgets.  At any rate, she creates a pretty cozy space in there.  I don't know how she has room to sleep once she gets all of her stuffed animals in there, but she is happy as a clam and it is fun to see her so bubbly.

Everett is more methodical.  He is really careful to save his batteries, and everything he brings in has a specific place.  I wish his room always looked as neat as the inside of his fort does.

Sometimes Ashley likes to build a castle.  I have to help her, but it doesn't take too long.  Once we cover the structure with a sheet, it turns into a pretty fun hideout.

Ashley decided to make flags to place at the top of each tower.  She just doodled these out very quickly.  I wonder what her drawings would look like if she really took time on them.  Sometimes I wonder if I should try to find some kind of art class for her.

I thought she'd make rectangular flags, but apparently she wanted this shape.  Even though Ashley still doesn't know all of her letters (for whatever reason, she really hates talking about them still), at least I know her cutting and drawing skills will be up to par for kindergarten.

On this particular day, Ashley decided to make a watch-cat for her castle.

I asked her why the Cat has two dots on its eyes, and she said, "So it can look cute!"  I think she has been watching too many Japanese cartoons!

Movie Night With Our Little Beggar

Sometimes, especially during the cold, dark, winter, we have a family movie night like we did a couple of weeks ago.  We watched Legend of the Guardians: Owls of Ga'hoole, which was excellent all around.  We all enjoyed it.  Ashley swooped around the house like a mighty owl for days afterwards.

The kids especially enjoy the snacks.  Joel took them to the grocery store and let them each pick out a kind of candy.  William went by color and chose orange Reeces Pieces, Ashley chose sparkly Sweetheart candy, and Everett chose Jolly Ranchers.  (Needless to say, I banned William from the choke-able Jolly Ranchers.)

The kids love sitting by Joel, especially if he is holding the popcorn bowl.

James, if he is awake during the fun, goes nuts trying to get ahold of the snacks.  He tries his best to climb up onto the couch, but he is just a little too short.  Mostly, he just gets ignored.

But William seems to feel that James gets too close for comfort.

This is what James looks like from my side.  Here, you can clearly see the five stages of begging:

1.  Hope

2.  Indignation

3.  Desperation

4.  Anger

5.  Dismay

Poor James.  Fortunately he can usually find someone to share with him, and when we get tired of hearing the yells, grunts, and whines, off to bed he goes with a belly full of snacks!

Everett doesn't mind the distracting baby.  He has a weak spot for our little James.

And so does Ashley, but if she is interested in the movie, no one and nothing can break her focus.

On Love: Quotes and Stories from the Kids

Ashley and William get along well.  Ashley commented, "I just love playing with my brother William because I love him." 

William says, "I love him too!"

When ever I tell William that I love him, he grins and says, "No you don't!!!" as though the whole concept is ridiculous. 



Sometimes I say "I love you!" to William just so I can see his bemusement.



******

Ashley and I were listening to "Tale as Old as Time" from Beauty and the Beast.

"This is from Belle's movie!!!" she exclaimed.
"I always loved Belle. She was my very favorite," I said.  "She loved books and so did I."
Ashley paused before stating, "you know, Mom, Belle isn't real."
"She isn't?" I asked, "How do you know???"
"She is just from a silly old movie, that's how.  But you can still like her if you want." Ashley gently reassured me.



(I'm glad she protected me from feeling utter devastation.  Someday I may need her to do this for real.)

******

One day Joel and I were conversing with the kids about our recent anniversary. 
"Papa and I got married, and it was the best day in our lives."  I said as Joel and I hugged.
"Yeah, and then I was born, and that day was even gooder!"  Everett added enthusiastically with a fist punched into the air.

******

Everett got married this summer to our neighbor's granddaughter.  She had visited several times and each time she and Everett built on their affinity for one another.  She is a whole head taller than him but neither of them seemed to mind.

Together with Ashley, they found a vast collection of fake flowers in the basement and decided the thing to do would be to hold a wedding.  I came down to find Everett and his new wife sitting closely together on the ground in perfect companionship.  Niether spoke or looked at each other.  I don't think they knew what was supposed to come next. 

I didn't particularly want to give them the chance to get creative (after all, Disney itself teaches that a kiss is a post-requisite wedding activity), so I spurred them on to a different activity.

"This looks boring," I said light-heartedly.  "Why don't we go upstairs and color?"

That pleased the newlyweds and third-wheel-Ashley, so we all went upstairs.  I left to get supplies and when I returned, I saw that Everett had scooted his chair against our special visitor's and had his arm around her shoulders.  They both looked contented in their new set-up.

I am not quite ready to deal with this,  I thought.  They're five years old for crying out loud! I tried my best to hold back my laughter.  I succeeded.  I also succeeded in putting some distance between the love birds. 



Alas, the relationship was doomed from the outset.  A two-hour-plus living distance for children who cannot drive or even make phone calls well greatly hinders any hope of a successful long-distance relationship.

The next time the girl visited, she and Everett seemed to have forgotten all about their summer wedding, as I knew they would, for there is lots of other fun to be had.

******

Considering the summer nuptials, I was not too surprised when Everett began talking about a girl in his kindergarten class.  I don't remember how he initially spoke about her, but his embarrassment gave him away.  As soon as he told us her name, he immediately regretted his candor.  His ears flushed red and he couldn't stop himself from grinning embarrassingly. 

For weeks afterwards, Everett would cover his ears and say, "I'm not going to talk about it!" whenever one of us mentioned her name.

"What do you like to play at recess with her?" We'd occasionally ask.  "What kind of snack did she bring today?"  "What is on her backpack?"  "Does she ride the bus?"  "Do you sit with her at lunch?"  "Is she taller or shorter than you?"

These were all questions we ask about all his other friends, but Everett blistered each time we brought her up.  He'd also still grin from ear to ear and turn bright red.

One day, Everett opened up and explained that he does, in fact, love her.  "How do you know when you love someone?" I asked.  Everett didn't have a good answer.  (How many poets have struggled to answer this same thing?)  But he did tell me that she loves him because he found a cat book for her one day in their kindergarten classroom and she really loves cats. 
"How do you know that she loves you?"  I wondered aloud. 
"Because she told me." Everett shrugged simply.  And that was the end of the conversation.

Partway through the school year, I found an envelope with a heart on it in Everett's backpack.  It was from the girl.  The card in it had "Love, {girl}" written in a kindergarten hand.

Everett wrote a note back (with an illustration of the two of them) to give her but chickened out at the last minute.  "I'm changing this," he announced to me.  "Here.  This is you and me now."
"Why don't you want to give it to {girl}?"  I wondered.
"Because if I did it would be SO embarrassing."

So it stayed on our refrigerator for a few weeks.  I wish I had scanned those notes so I could include them with this entry.

A few weeks later, I discovered that Everett would answer any question about this girl if I asked it in a whisper.  I don't remember what I asked, but Everett suddenly felt the need to elaborate on his feelings.  But he refused to tell me unless he could say it with a whisper in my ear.




"I can't help it," he whispered, "Whenever I see a beautiful girl I just fall in love with her."

And that is that.  I had always wondered what drew Everett to this particular girl.  Everett is friends with many girls in his class; in fact, he may have more girls as friends than boys.  But as soon as I found this girl in his class photo, I understood completely.  She is probably one of the only girls who is around Everett's height, and she could easily be considered one of the cutest.

It has almost been 100 days into the school year, Everett tells me, and his interest in his special friend has not decreased.  While we don't condone girlfriend/boyfriend relationships (maybe when I am 18, Everett tells me), it is nice to know that he has so much love to give.

"Gingerbread" houses

My hat goes off to all you people who make gingerbread houses from scratch.  I do not think I have it in me.   So, we used graham crackers and a hot glue gun!

It worked very well.  Since my family was here, we had plenty of adults to help my over-excited and sugared-up children.

William was fine with whatever his Aunt Maddy chose to do.  "How about putting a life saver here?"  she'd ask.  "Yeah, that's right!" William would say, over and over again.

Ashley and Aunt Amanda worked together in perfect harmony, as always.

William lost interest in the house (cabin?  bungalow?) after a while and focused completely on how much candy he could siphon from everyone's building supplies.

Everett was especially proud of his rainbow swimming pool and high dive.  He refused to eat any candy off his house; instead he picked over everyone else's house and complained indignantly over the next few days whenever he saw candy missing from his house's facade.  This of course encouraged Joel to specifically target Everett's creation.  

If we use graham crackers next year, I am definitely using my hot glue gun again to put them together.  They were easy and turned out pretty cute!

Christmas Eve

We had a wonderful Christmas.  My parents and all of my siblings came to visit, except for my brother who just left to serve a mission in Alaska.

In the days leading up to their visit, my kids and I were wiped out by the flu.  Included in our sickness adventures was an otherwise happy-looking James projectile vomiting all over himself and the floor when I was running a mandatory errand at Menards (Ashley and William were in tow.  They took the craziness well.).  Surprisingly, it was my first experience with public vomiting.  On the upside, it was also the first time I did not have to clean up the mess.

I had one day after we were all feeling better to sanitize the house in time for my family to arrive.  After their harrowing drive through three snowy states, we embraced them and that was the beginning of our apparent leftover germ-sharing.  One by one over the next few days, every single one of them was wiped out, too.

Only a few of us were in the mood to eat our traditional Christmas Eve feast, so we pared it down as much as we could.  We still had too much food.

However, we did still have a Christmas Eve devotional and we opened new pajamas and books.

One of my kids smiled consistently through all photos.  Guess who?

Yep.  The Baby.  

William and Everett love their Batman pajamas.  Everett announced that they were the "Batman Brothers" and William really took to that term.  Now he frequently asks to wear his Batman Brothers pajamas.  Ashley, of course, loved her nightgown, which came with a miniature version for a doll.  Given Ashley's distaste for dolls, it went right onto her cat and they both looked quite pleased. 

My Mom also bought my sisters and me matching pj's.  It was fun.  We haven't dressed alike in years!

Even though my sisters were sick (and still look pretty good in this picture), they were still fun aunts and the kids have really missed them.  So do I.  It is great to visit with sisters!

Christmas morning was relaxing and wonderful.  I believe the kids woke up around 6, which is not too much earlier than normal.  We put most of the gifts out after they were in bed (I love to display the wrapped presents but that is not a possibility right now with my baby and toddler!), and we barely had room between the couch and the piano.  Our family members were all incredibly generous.  All of the Grandparents spoiled my kids and bought them exactly what they love, and some of the Aunts joined in on the fun, too.  No present was a failure.  We've had a lot of fun playing new games, reading new books, wearing new clothes, and playing with new toys.

Even though I felt bad that my kids were being spoiled while other children may not be receiving anything this year, I was grateful they have so many people in their lives who continually bless them with love and fun.  Because of all of you, my kids will not grow up starved for either of those things.

In November, the kids, Joel, and I, wrote down some things Heavenly Father has blessed us with.  We wrapped those papers in a little box and opened it during our Christmas Day dinner.  It was nice to reflect on the blessings and gifts we've already received from a loving Father in Heaven--the blessings that come daily, no matter the holiday or occasion.

Bon Anniversaire, extraordinary gagfest

Joel and I celebrated our seventh anniversary on Sunday, December 30th.

Our celebration was fancy, as it always is this time of year in our post-Christmas stupor and general exhaustion.  Instead of an intricate meal or a paid night out, we relaxed and filled up on many extra kisses, I Love You's, our usual bouts of laughter, and mystified "has it really only been seven years???" wonderings.  Our shameless flirting, while already a daily occurrence, punctuated an already serene day.

We conflict on where to put clutter (Joel says kitchen counters; I say the side pockets of car doors and anywhere we can stuff in a closet), and are not deeply interested in many of the same things.  We are more different than we are the same, and I am glad.  Those differences are what have sharpened me, improved me, made me worthier of spending forever by his side.

Each year on our Anniversary, the thought flutters around in my mind that our love can't possibly swell beyond what we are already enjoying.  And each succeeding year, I am proven wrong.

We're settling into each other with the comfort and familiarity of a well-cherished book. 

"I love you, really a lot," I effused quietly the other night as Joel and I were going to sleep. 

"I know that, you know," he smiled and held me tighter.  

"Really, you do?"  

"Really."

I knew he knew it.  But I said it for me, anyway.  Like opening a box and fingering a secret, glowing, treasure, I discover a new part of my soul each time I use those words with meaning.

We've accomplished a lot in our lifetimes and the last seven years together:  schooling, jobs, moves, children.  But I think my greatest accomplishment will forever be getting Joel Johnson to marry me for eternity.

Ashley Dear

Ashley is a lot of fun.  While many girls love baby dolls, Ashley can't stand them. She can barely even tolerate looking at a baby doll.  In fact, she balked in a major way when I made a comment to her last week about how maybe someday she will have her own babies.

 

"Blech!" Ashley shuddered with distaste, "I don't want to ever have any babies!"

I laughed at her insistence.  Later she changed her mind and decided that if she "has a baby just like James and names him James, that would be all right."

 

 

 But Ashley loooooooooves stuffed animals.  She has quite a collection.  Sometimes I wonder where they all came from, because we do not make buying them a habit.  However, since they are about the only toys she ever plays with, I don't mind too much.  Her preferred animals are cats, horses, and unicorns. 

 

 



 (Ashley set up the animals and posed just so I could photograph it all)

Ashley's preschool class just did a gift exchange. Ashley helped me pick out a delicate little plastic tea set, which we wrapped in silver paper with an enormous purple butterfly adorning the front. Unfortunately, she was sick on the day of the class party, but her teacher sent along the present one of the girls bought for her.

 

The box was very large, and Ashley was excited to open it at home. As soon as she tore the wrapping paper away, her face fell. It was a baby doll and stroller. "Oh, I just really don't like baby dolls," she said sadly. All of that anticipation for a gift she truly could never imagine using.

 

But it did cause us to have a good lesson on finding something nice to say about a gift someone gives you, and I felt grateful that she hadn't opened this in front of the person who sent it to her.

Ashley also looooooves picnics and tea parties.  She often sets up a picnic for the two of us to share.  One day I just finished a large salad for lunch when Ashley announced that she had a surprise for me.  When I opened my eyes in the living room, I saw a spread of sandwiches and fruit that Ashley worked diligently to prepare.  I didn't have the heart to tell her that I was full, so I had a second lunch that day.  We did not make it through all three oranges she peeled and the four apples she washed, but we tried!

We are working on developing good social skills.  Ashley prefers relaxing at home without too much pressure from social interactions, so school is somewhat of a challenge for her.  Sometimes church is as well.  This past Sunday, Ashley found me immediately after she was done in primary and begged to go home.  Just then, a friend of hers from her class found Ashley and started to talk to her.  It was too much for Ashley to bear, so she plugged her ears, closed her eyes, and turned away.  I had to pull her hands off and compel her as kindly as I could to give the friend a very reluctant greeting.  Fortunately Ashley's friend and her mom were understanding and there were no hurt feelings.

Again, we had cause to have a good lesson about social interactions when we were home and relaxed.  Ashley is not at all mean-spirited; she is actually quite sensitive and empathetic.  But since sometimes she feels an overwhelming need to shut out stressful situations, we are working on positive reactions so people don't misunderstand her intentions.  Ashley and I agreed on a goal for next week.

I really love my Ashley.  I love that she is a little quirky and beats some of the typical girly stereotypes.  I love that she is passionate about horses and cats and drawing, and that she loves wearing dresses and tights, and that she also loves fighting and racing and building and spiderman and riding her bike like the wind, and making "no boys allowed" signs to post all over the house.

James is One

James had his first birthday on December 3rd.  We are so glad he is a member of our family!  He gives us all a reason to laugh each day, and his place as baby gives William a reason to always insist on being a big boy.

 

James gets along well with everyone.  He sparkles with a special smile whenever he sees his siblings.

 

 

 

I recently flew with James to Utah for the weekend to see my brother off on a Mission to Alaska and Canada.  Even though it was late at night when we were reunited with Joel and the kids at the airport, the moment I began strapping James into his car seat and he laid eyes on his buddy William, he let out a loud giggle.  It was the first time in days I heard him laugh.  I think he missed his brothers and sister.

 

James is loved on by the kids all day long.  Sometimes he tires of it and would prefer to just be loved on by me.  Several times a day when he gets too wound up and starts to get upset, I take him to a quiet space and just snuggle with him.  He still melts into me the way he did when he was a newborn, and he still sucks his thumb contentedly.  After a few minutes of this, he is recharged and ready to face the chaos.  (So am I.)

 

And there is chaos quite often.  James has developed a taste for roughhousing with Joel and the kids.  His small size does not deter him.  But he will always stop to laugh at a rendition of This Little Piggy, or to "converse" with me when I mimic his sounds.



 

 

 

James embraces a major attachment to his moose pillow pet.  We bought this for him last year for Christmas merely as a formality; the other kids were getting one from Santa Claus and we thought they might notice if he was left out.  They didn't.  It took James a few months to notice the moose at all, but once he did, it was love. 

 

He sleeps with the moose every day.  James lays on it and twiddles the antlers with the spare fingers on his thumb-sucking hand.  When he wakes up, I hear him babbling and laughing to the moose.  He loves to pick it up and throw it, then collapse into it, and then throw it again.

 

 

 If it were up to James, he'd take this moose with him everywhere.  And he would bring it everywhere.  Two weeks ago, he taught himself how to scale the ladder up to Ashley's bunk.  He was so proud of himself I thought his little grin would pop right off his face.  Now when I catch him partway up, he hurries to complete his ascent while bursting out with loud, gleeful laughter.  I think it is time I retire the ladder during the day, although he is surprisingly steady on the climb down. 

 

James has begun to try to put his own shoes on, talk on the phone, and reorganize all my cupboards.  He took a few steps a week before his birthday but has since decided walking is overrated and hasn't been willing to try again.  However, he pushes anything he can across the living room and keeps up well with the kids by racing along on all fours.

James has developed an endearing way of kissing: he licks!  The little monkey sticks his tongue out and licks me on the face.  I will be sad when he stops doing this but my face will be free of slobber.

James loves all food, except for green beans and certain kinds of crackers.  He loves to sort through the dinner on his tray, eating what he prefers and throwing the rest on the floor.  When he is finished drinking his cups end up on the floor, too.  If you give him round crackers or saltines, he stacks them up neatly and eats them like a sandwich.

I am trying to teach him baby signs like I did with my other kids, but he whines each time I do because it means his food service is being delayed.

He laughs more easily for the kids than he does for any adult.  Ashley, Everett, and William love this and milk it whenever they possibly can.



We had a few rough weeks while James was working on growing some molars, but we have our happy guy back now.  He's still got some fire in him, though!  He is guaranteed to throw a very loud fit if:

• He has to wait more than 1.5 seconds for his milk to be warmed up
• He wants to be held and no one is picking him up (you can be crouching right next to him with your arms outstretched, but he will still collapse dramatically on the floor, yell and cry, and wait for you to finish the gesture)
• He wants to be held by Mommy and is not getting her
• He gets put to bed without his Moose
• You try to give him a bath

And, he is still my second-biggest Mama's baby.  No one could possibly top Everett in that regard, but sometimes James comes pretty darn close.  Fortunately I have learned to enjoy it.  There is a special feeling associated with a snuggle meant for only Mommy.

I was dreading James's first birthday for a long time, and I had to finally force myself to resign to it.  Where did my cuddly little newborn go?  I am not ready for my sweet little infant to change into a toddler!  James is a lot of fun and I'm grateful we have him, but sometimes I sure wish time would slow down so I could enjoy this forever. 

Baby Quilt

A few months ago, when the leaves were still on the trees and my blood sugar level was at a pre-holiday low, I decided to make a baby quilt.  No, it wasn't for one of my rascals (sorry kids; guess you got gipped again!).  It was for a friend of mine who just had her third baby in less than three years. 

 

She is a saint.  An absolute saint.  And I, being a good friend, instead of giving her a night off or a third arm or a clean house, gave her a regular old blanket.

 

What's more; this particular blanket was the second quilt I've made in my entire life.  Welcome, mistakes!

 

But, from a distance it did turn out kind of cute.

 

Front side.  I wanted to do a zig-zag quilt but I realized during the planning stages that it was waaaaaay over my head.  So stripes it had to be.  My trick is to buy a package of little flannel receiving blankets (which can sometimes be found on clearance, even) and supplement with plain colors.  That way, the patterns are guaranteed to work together for inexperienced sewers like me!

 

I copied a cement truck from one of the patterned pieces and appliqued it on the back.  Not sure if what I did was technically appliqueing (that word does not look right but the spell check assures me that it is), because I have no idea what the proper way to applique is.  However, it stayed on there well enough and I'm hoping it lasted through the first wash.

 

I thought I would record this for posterity, so when they wonder why I don't sew quilts, I can point them to this entry and tell them they simply missed the boat.