Family Traditions

I find that we are starting some interesting and unintended (and in some cases unwanted) holiday traditions. Here is the 2009 version of three of these traditions:

1st tradition: 182 Reasons Not to Run a Red Light

Last holiday version was 185 Reasons To Slow Down. At least this time it was $3 cheaper. That's progress. And at least we are shaking things up a bit for fun. Last time speeding...this time running a red light. Gotta keep things interesting. And hey, I want my bumper sticker that says "We Back the Blue." We make a donation every dang year during the holidays and have no bumper stickers to show for it. Next time they call for donations, I'm telling them we've donated every year for the last several years and that I want my bumper stickers.

2nd tradition: Holiday Visitor

Not sure why every year this time of year this guy finds his way back to his home under our deck. Have I ever mentioned that I do not appreciate wildlife. At. All? Please, little buddy, go find someone who can appreciate you. I hear my neighbors love your kind...or something.... (By the way, some time I really need to combine all my Wanna Be National Geographic Photographer husband's pictures together in one post. We have a surprisingly large number of them from our Texas Wildlife Kingdom also known as our backyard. My favorite being those of the skunks. Who chases down and takes pictures of skunks? Hey, what was this post about anyway? Oh yeah...traditions. Next!)

3rd tradition: Caleb's I Spy
Caleb has kept the tradition of hanging random stuff on our Christmas tree.
Past versions here and here
And now we are unveiling the 2009 Edition of I Spy:


Find:
1 random red stocking
1 random set of antlers
1 random bell on a red string
1 random burgundy bow
1 random wreath hanger
1 random small lit tree
2 random small wooden trees

And yes, Caleb still has a couple spots available for interior decorating consultations. But spaces are going fast.

Here's to fun family holiday traditions! :) And to discontinuing a couple of them starting 2o1o. :) But then maybe it just won't feel like the holidays without them, huh?

Merry Christmas!

As we celebrate the birth of the Savior today we also celebrate His sacrifice for us. I used this quote in a talk at church a year or two ago and it has had a profound influence on me. My awesome sister-in-law recently sent it as well and it was a great reminder and with great timing.

"Well, my dear sisters, the gospel is the good news that can free us from guilt. We know that Jesus experienced the totality of mortal existence in Gethsemane. It's our faith that he experienced everything--absolutely everything. Sometimes we don't think through the implications of that belief. We talk in great generalities about the sins of all humankind, about the suffering of the entire human family. But we don't experience pain in generalities. We experience it individually. That means he knows what it felt like when your mother died of cancer--how it was for your mother, how it still is for you. He knows what it felt like to lose the student body election. He knows that moment when the brakes locked and the car started to skid. He experienced the slave ship sailing from Ghana toward Virginia. He experienced the gas chambers at Dachau. He experienced napalm in Vietnam. He knows about drug addiction and alcoholism. Let me go further: There is nothing you have experienced as a woman that he does not also know and recognize. On a profound level, he understands about the hunger to hold your baby that sustains you through pregnancy. He understands both the physical pain of giving birth and the immense joy. He knows about PMS and cramps and menopause. He understands about rape and infertility and abortion. His last recorded words to his disciples were, "And, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world." (Matthew 28:20) He understands your mother-pain when your five-year-old leaves for kindergarten, when a bully picks on your fifth-grader, when your daughter calls to say that the new baby has Down syndrome. He knows your mother-rage when a trusted babysitter sexually abuses your two-year-old, when someone gives your thirteen-year-old drugs, when someone seduces your seventeen-year-old. He knows the pain you live with when you come home to a quiet apartment where the only children are visitors, when you hear that your former husband and his new wife were sealed in the temple last week, when your fiftieth wedding anniversary rolls around and your husband has been dead for two years. He knows all that. He's been there. He's been lower than all that. He's not waiting for us to be perfect. Perfect people don't need a Savior. He came to save his people in their imperfections. He is the Lord of the living, and the living make mistakes. He's not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or shocked. He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief. You know that people who live above a certain latitude and experience very long winter nights can become depressed and even suicidal, because something in our bodies requires whole spectrum light for a certain number of hours a day. Our spiritual requirement for light is just as desperate and as deep as our physical need for light. Jesus is the light of the world. We know that this world is a dark place sometimes, but we need not walk in darkness. The people who sit in darkness have seen a great light, and the people who walk in darkness can have a bright companion. We need him, and He is ready to come to us, if we'll open the door and let him. "

-Chieko N. Okazaki, Lighten Up, Preface; p. 174

We hope you had a very Merry Christmas!

Just in Case...

Just in case you were wondering...Carson will grab food from anyone anywhere. He is no respecter of persons or flavors.



Just in case you were wondering...it does get cold in San Antonio every once in awhile. We were putting fliers up on all the doors for our neighborhood party and my little Texas boys were freeeeeeezing.

Good thing we had some old gear from our trips to Utah to keep us warm for the one cold day.


Just in case you were wondering...Carson is ready to play some serious ball.



Just in case you were wondering...we are a bit behind on our holiday shopping this year. But at least we're having fun, right?!?



Just in case you were wondering...Caleb is quite good at maneuvering the cart through the stores. People look at us funny because I am letting my three year old push the cart. But it keeps him busy and he is very careful.



Just in case you were wondering...because stores are so busy at the holidays, I haven't been letting Caleb push the cart by himself as much lately. Hence why I love stores that have such things as this:

Ingenious. I go out of my way to shop at these stores.


Just in case you were wondering...I also love stores with those rides out front for 50 cents. Such a great place to spend my spare change.

And a great bribe to behave in the store.


Just in case you were wondering...Caleb is outgrowing everything he owns. I just bought these socks:

Doesn't seem to bother Caleb in the least.


Just in case you were wondering...I love when my boys laugh and play together.



Just in case you were wondering...if needed, this double stroller can be made into a triple stroller.



Just in case you were wondering...do not ever shop for presents for your three year old while they are with you. Oh, you already knew that? I have to learn the hard way sometimes. See that movie in his hand?

I was so proud of myself for getting it slyly buried in the cart. We made it all through the store without it being discovered. It made it up to the check stand where I quietly told the cashier that the item under the bag of cheese needed to remain under the cheese. The cashier started to tell the bagger boy. But the bagger boy couldn't hear him because he was too busy not bagging it, but handing it to Caleb to hold instead. Sigh.

Just in case you were wondering...Lulu's in San Antonio has the biggest cinnamon rolls I've ever seen in my life. And they're delicious too.



And just in case you are wondering...all these pictures were taken on my iphone. Love that thing.

I know you were wondering. Now you can sleep better at night without all that wondering. Merry Christmas from me. :)

Thanksgiving Fun

Once upon a time.... Thanksgiving feels like it was soooooo long ago. But I'm still allowed to do a Thanksgiving post because it's not yet Christmas, right?!? At least this time I'm not two years late, like my last post. That's progress!

We had such a good Thanksgiving!!

My sister, Kaylyn (a.k.a. Nyn) came for most of the week. We loved having her here! Caleb was her constant little jibber jabber shadow. That boy can talk nonstop. :) Just ask Nyn. But I'm sure she enjoyed it. :) I know Caleb did. She is always so nice to my boys and sure knows how to spoil us! Caleb loved that she would watch movies with him and do puzzles with him and play every game on the planet with him and all sorts of fun stuff!! I love my sister! And I love how much my boys love her too!!

We made some good food, went out to eat some good food, went to the temple, did lots of Black Friday shopping, bought some stuff so we could do some fun projects that we ran out of time to do--we had so much fun and I'm sad our time is over. I love love love when she comes to visit!!

Let's see--the actual Thanksgiving Day. Chris decided to start a new tradition on Thanksgiving. A Big Breakfast. I thought he was joking. He was serious. We had some family over first thing that morning and had a big ol' breakfast.

That afternoon we got to go to our adopted family's house for the other big meal. We just love them. I love them. Chris loves them. My boys absolutely love them. Always so fun! Thanks again, guys!!

On Friday we were also able to go downtown to the River Parade that they have here the day after Thanksgiving.




And then we rode the boat around the Riverwalk so we could see all the lights


(Another one of those pictures where you need to just use your imagination and pretend you can tell this is a picture of the boys riding that boat... :)


That week we also hit Seaworld. Carson got to finally meet the dolphins. That boy gets SO excited about animals. I think it is SO cute!!

Aren't you glad I provide so many opportunities for you to use your imagination? See that dolphin right there?

This year our family did these turkeys for the whole month of November.

Every time someone did something nice for someone else, we would write down what they did on a feather and add it to their turkey. As you can see, Caleb got just a little bit into it. Ur uh...actually--that boy was SOOO into it! Now everything is discussed in our house in terms of feathers. Caleb will tell me..."Mom, you don't get a feather..." when I tell him he can't do something. But when I tell him he can do something he wants to, he says, "Oh mom! Thanks! That's so nice! You get a feather!!" It's pretty funny now.

As a side note, Caleb has been really into writing words and drawing and coloring pictures lately. He has notebooks just filled with words and drawings. He wrote everyone's names on their turkeys for us. He is also doing a lot better about coloring in the lines and coloring the entire picture.



We were pretty much chomping at the bit to decorate for Christmas this year. Caleb had a countdown chain until Aunt Nyn came and until we could put up our Christmas decorations. Here is the annual picture of Chris and Caleb putting up the tree:

Nice touch in Halloween pajamas, right? :)

The tree went up with Carson's careful supervision



And the annual picture of Chris and Caleb putting up the lights outside



With Carson's careful supervision:

(as a another side note--that rock pile in the background is Caleb's prized possession. And it must be kept right there front and center on our porch for all to see. :)

Carson has especially enjoyed the lights in his window. This is how I found him the other day after his nap

He must have done quite the Houdini act to get these from the window to his bed. We've since made sure that even a Houdini act will not allow this to happen again. Crazy kid.

And that's all I remember. That's why I like to do the post soon after the events...my recollection of things seems to be fuzzy after just a few days. :) Not that I'm getting old. At least that's what I keep telling myself.

Good Quote

I know...I know.... I'm going all serious on you. Don't worry--the Thanksgiving post and all the usual silliness is coming. I know you're anxious. But for now, the awesome D'Nell posted this quote on her blog like two years ago or something. But I still think about it all the time. You know it's a good quote when you think about it that long.... So here you go!

"Our Father in Heaven needs us as we are, as we are growing to become. He has intentionally made us different from one another so that even with our imperfections we can fulfill His purposes. My greatest misery comes when I feel I have to fit what others are doing, or what I think others expect of me. I am most happy when I am comfortable being me and trying to do what my Father in Heaven and I expect me to be. For many years I tried to measure the oft times quiet, reflective, thoughtful Pat Holland against the robust, bubbly, talkative, and energetic Jeff Holland and others with like qualities. I have learned through several fatiguing failures that you can't have joy in being bubbly if you are not a bubbly person...I have given up seeing myself as a flawed person because my energy level is lower than Jeff's, and I don't talk as much as he does. Nor as fast.
Giving this up has freed me to embrace and rejoice in my own manner and personality in the measure of my creation...Somewhere, somehow the Lord blipped the message onto my screen that my personality was created to fit precisely the mission and talents He gave me...The moment I indulge in imitation of my neighbor, I feel fractured and fatigued and find myself forever swimming upstream. When we frustrate God's plan for us, we deprive this world and God's kingdom of our unique contributions, and a serious schism settles in our soul. God never gave us any task beyond our ability to accomplish it. We just have to be willing to do it our own way. We will always have enough resources for being who we are and what we become." (Patricia Holland, LDS Women's Treasury: Insights and Inspiration for Today's Woman P. 104)

Good, huh? It's not an excuse not to work on things and try to become better. But it's a good reminder that I don't necessarily need to be more like other people. There are just some personality traits I have not been blessed with. But there are others that I have been blessed with and for a purpose. They are needed too. We don't need to compare ourselves to other people...we only need to do the best we can with what we have been given!! Love it! Yet another thing like this one (that was posted here--haha still makes me laugh) that I should probably read each and every day! :)

Thanks D'Nell!! (Two years late! :)

Made Me Laugh

Here are some things that made me laugh this week:

My little plumber in the making



The kid LOVES water and will play with it with or without my help. Sick!



Caleb LOVES to go watch Krispy Kreme make donuts when the hot light is on. It's funny because he is SOOOOO excited and then eats like one bite of his free donut. But whatever. It's cheap entertainment. So the other night, I decided to take just Caleb so we could spend a few minutes together. He kept insisting that he needed to bring his computer. Fairly normal--he usually brings a toy with us wherever we go. But when we got to Krispy Kreme, I said my usual--leave the toy in the car. But he insisted that he NEEDED to bring it and kept saying, "Mom! That sign says you need to bring your computer in and work!" I saw no such sign. But finally, just thought, what will it hurt. Pick your battles. Fine. Bring the computer. So in we go. We watch them make donuts and I laugh at how giddy Caleb is to watch those donuts being made. We get our free donut and Caleb goes to find a place to sit down. He looks and looks and looks and finally runs for a spot. He shows me--THE sign.

Ah yes. What do you know. It does say bring your computer in and work. When will I learn not to question the boy?!? I hate being wrong. Every stinkin' time! And yes, we HAD to stay until ALL his work was done. At least he leaves nothing undone, right? :)

I decided to snap a couple pictures of the boys on our way out the door for church on Sunday. When I went back and looked at them, I was cracking up at this series of pictures....:

Awwww...brothers gotta hug!!



Hmmm...what's that you have there, Caleb?!?



I'll take that! Thank you very much! (The look on Caleb's face made me laugh out loud! Priceless!! Like..."Mom! Did you see that?!? The nerve!!!")



"And now you can have it back, brother. Thanks for sharing."

Love those boys.

Changed My Life

Man, my blog posts are feast and famine lately, huh? No posts forever and them bam bam! Right now Caleb is at Joy School and Carson is napping and I'm just not sure what to do with myself. Clean? Nah. Blog? Sure. I am actually being a good citizen and sending you important needed information.

I was just giving advice to a friend on facebook about an issue we recently faced and thought I would pass it along to all of you as well. The issue? Iphone adoption. It's not a decision to be made lightly and one must be sure to consider your options carefully. Iphone adoption is not for everyone. You bring them home and suddenly you get no sleep anymore, your house is a mess...productivity is all out the window. You spend all your money buying accessories and toys for them. You have to feed them every couple hours with new apps. I'm just saying--be prepared and know what you're getting into. I felt a little unprepared for the way it has taken over my life 24/7. :)

Isn't he cute? This is his one week picture. He has certainly changed my life. :)




And then there is this little guy:

Wow! Has he ever changed our life. Best. Invention. Ever. Ok, except maybe the iphone. Maybe. This clock is the bomb. It turns blue and starts singing songs and/or telling a story (for a specified amount of time) at whatever time you set as bedtime. Then when it is time to wake up, it turns yellow. Your kid needs a time out? Just push the red button and it stays red for the amount of time you specified as a time out. As soon as time is up? It turns yellow again. There is a setting for quiet time and nap time too. It is so great! Caleb hears the music start playing and tells US it is time for bed. Yippee! For awhile, Caleb would get up at like 3am and come into our room and say, "Good morning!" Uh. No. It's not time to get up yet. Now he will now stay in his room in the morning until it turns yellow (you set the time). He also stays in his room during quiet time until it turns from green to yellow. A couple times I have wanted to cut quiet time short to go do something, but Caleb insisted that he cannot be done with quiet time yet because his clock is not yet yellow. Best. Investment. Ever. I'm serious.

Both the iphone and the clock? Worth. Every. Penny.

Halloween. Finally.

We celebrated Halloween all month long!!


We stole and combined a couple traditions from some friends of ours. Caleb and Carson woke up on October 1st to a card from us that sent them downstairs for some fun surprises, including Halloween music, new matching Halloween pajamas, Halloween window decorations and an early Halloween treat. And man did we have fun decorating the house for Halloween!!!! I love it! I have fond memories of decorating our house growing up for different holidays and I love continuing that tradition with my boys and love that they get so excited about doing it too!!

Let's see...what else, what else. It was all so last month--I can't remember what all we did!

Caleb and I made these fun Halloween puppets


He spent the rest of the month doing puppet shows from behind the couch. Very entertaining to say the least.


We went to the South Texas Corn Maze with our Joy School friends and had a blast.








We were also able to go to the Austin Dial's awesome fall festival. Already blogged about that (see here). Suffice it to say, we had a great time!

We were lucky enough to be able to host a Halloween Party for Joy School at our house. We had a lot of fun. The kids had a costume parade for their parents, grandparents and other friends. After the parade, they danced around to the song, "Monster Mash" for everybody, and then they sang three songs for them. It was soooo cute!! Unfortunately, I was busy herding kids and turning on music etc and I never did turn the video camera on. It was all set up and ready to go...just never flipped that little button. Dang! But later I got Caleb to give me an encore presentation of one of the songs. They sang two Halloween Songs and then this one:

Love the interpretive dancing thrown it too. And please just pretend Carson's room is all nice and clean. :)


We went trick or treating in our neighborhood






We also drove around and saw some great friends and went trick or treating at their houses and also went to a party that night. Whew.

And last, but not least--you can't forget the pumpkin carving. Oh wait. I guess you can. This year we ran out of time. Here is one of the pumpkins we would have carved.

Nice, huh? Luckily, I had gotten these little pumpkins as part of a lesson for Joy School and had the kids put these cool faces on their pumpkins. That counts, right?!?

They're like Mr. Potato Head pieces except for pumpkins. And yes, my friends, that bucket of plastic faces fun is now 90% off at Walmart. A whopping 35 cents for the bucket right now. Yes, we've stocked up again for next year in case we never get around to carving those pumpkins again next year.

And you'll be glad to know that those pumpkins weren't a total waste. They are very fun toys:



And they also come in quite handy when you want a place to chill and drink a soda

So there you have it. That's the November edition of our Halloween fun. Had I done the post in October, there probably would have been a bit more. You're probably glad I waited, huh? :) Oh well. All that matters is that we had a lot of fun and are looking forward to all the fun upcoming holidays as well! We have a paper chain counting down the days until Aunt Nyn comes and another until Thanksgiving. Love all the holidays!!