thoughts on a sunday- marathon!

A million pictures today...

• We put Layla's hair in a high pony and she couldn't stop looking at herself in the mirror.  When she sports this hairdo, we call her Nadine, which is a character from Arthur who has a pony tail right atop her head like this and it makes us all happy to have a little Nadine walking around the house.  

• We went to visit the giant snowman in Orem.  It was pretty remarkable and just huge.  We were all impressed.

• Layla came home from nursery singing "Once upon a snowman..." and that is just adorable.

• We tackled another project in our house a couple weeks ago.  We call it our ancestor wall, because, well, it has pictures of our ancestors.  So I guess we've been using that word more frequently than usual.  After someone mentioned the ancestor wall Ellery turned to me and said, "What about an-brothers?"

• The other day McKay and Ellery had done something to make me upset (not listening continually  probably) and I was clearly angry.  I was upstairs for awhile and when I came down, they led me into the front room and sat me down on the couch.  Ellery sang a made up aplogy to me, and then McKay sat down on the piano.  He played Away In A Manger but made up his own words to the tune, "I'm sorry dear mother, you are the best mom..."  How could I stay mad? I love those naughty kids.

• The girls playing mermaids in the kitchen.  I love that my girls have each other.  They play so well together and I hope that continues forever.  I want them to always be close and always enjoy each other.  

• The kids, especially McKay, have been super into Kid History lately.  It's cute to see them think they are so funny and I love hearing Mack quote lines from them.  It's even cuter to hear Layla suddenly break out in, "Kyle!  Kyle!  Kyyyy-le!"   

•  Look at this kid.  His tooth is gigantic.  Thankfully, the other one is on it's way down now, but it's been a long wait.  The sweet thing about him is that he knows how awkward teeth look on kids in this stage of...um...teeth growing.  He comments on his own from time to time, and many other people do too.  It's hard to ignore that chomper!

• All winter I've been asking McKay if I could cut his hair.  He's deflected by saying if he cut it, he would be cold.  The other day at Grandma's it came out what was really going on.  He told her he wanted to grow it out into a bowl cut.  Oh my!  Brian told him bowl cuts were kind of old fashioned, so now he's open to cutting it.  But now all I can think about is how cold his head is going to be.

• McKay came home from school and told me about a little dispute he had on the playground.  What happened was while playing chase, Kylee pushed him down and she said it was an accident but it wasn't and he and his friends all knew it wasn't and his socks got all wet.  They all went to talk to the recess guard and after hearing this whole story from McKay he ended with, "But mom, I won the talk.  I won it."  I guess that means that the guard sided with McKay.  Victory.

• Brian took McKay skiing a couple weeks ago.  It was the coldest day of winter- twelve below!  I was so worried they would be frozen to the mountain, but they had a blast.  Brian came home and told me how much he enjoyed being with McKay all day.  And it really was all day- they left at nine and didn't come home until five!  

• McKay took a half day ski lesson.  His instructor was named Jeremy.  He must have done a good job, because when Brian went down the mountain with him for the first time, he was shocked at what McKay could do.  He was flying down the mountain and Brian actually had to try to keep up with him.  McKay loved it and can't wait to go again.  Ellery was super jealous.  Brian told her she could go next year and she hasn't forgotten about that.  Whenever skiing comes up, she reminds us all that she gets to go next year.

• Mack also joined the Lego club at school.  The first day was super boring because all they did was sort Legos.  But the second class was a success and he's totally into Lego club!

• This boy is also reading chapter books.  He's read several of the Magic Treehouse series books so far all by himself.  I was absolutely shocked when one day he told me he had read one of those.  He loves reading, probably mostly because he gets to put off bedtime to do it, and he's improving all the time.  Proud of him.

• One morning Ellery and I decided that she needed a haircut right away.  I cut five inches off and she felt like the most beautiful thing in the world.  She kept looking in the mirror and telling everyone she saw.  Her hair was so long and I always know it's time for a cut when it won't stay untangled for more than five minutes after brushing it out.  She looks cute.

• She learned all about Martin Luther King Day at school.  She even learned a song and sang it often.  At dinner on MLK Day I asked her what it was all about.  She said, "He had a dream that little black girls and little white girls and little peach girls would all hold hands together."  When I asked what color of girl she is, she said, "I'm a peach girl.  But Miss Melva said there really are white girls.  Like for reals."  

• So yeah, I was feeling all proud of my color-blind peach girl who knew so much about Mr. King's dream, but that all came to a sudden halt when she told Uncle Alex that she didn't want to kiss baby Wayne's doll because he had black skin.  It just went downhill from there.  I guess it should be a constant conversation...

• We had Alyssa and Ashlyn over for a fancy tea party one Saturday night.  The girls got all dressed up and we talked like fancy British ladies and it was really fun.  We love living close to all our fabulous cousins!

• Ellery has been into snuggling lately, especially at church.  She fits right on my lap and fits like a puzzle piece against me.  This makes me happy and I remember doing this with my own mom at church.  I got sad though, when I imagined a day when my kids were too old to snuggle.  How tragic!  I don't like to think about it and I asked them if they would still snuggle me when they were teenagers.  Everyone agreed, but we'll see.

• I took Ellery to the bathroom during Sacrament meeting today.  She had a note, folded tightly, in her hand and asked me if I wanted to read it.  The note: "Dear Jesus.  Please bless that church will be short.  Ellery".  Amen!

• One last thing about this girl, because I don't think I've noted this lately- Ellery is absolutely our best sleeper.  She rarely comes out of her room after being tucked in, she sleeps in unless Layla wakes her up and she hardly ever complains about going to bed.  I am so glad that I have at leasat one easy sleeper, because McKay stalls and thinks of any reason to come out at night, and Layla is a maniac since her souci's been gone.  So I'm grateful for Elle. 

• So speaking of my little maniac, just look at her.  She is wild.  There's a lot to report about this one.  As I snapped this pic and asked her what she was up to, she said, "I'm just brushing my tooth."

• She is constantly trying (and usually succeeding) to get naked or changing her clothes.  We've had days where her outfit changes are in the double digits.  She can only reach clothes in Ellery's drawer, so often times they are either clothes from the hamper or Elle's 5T pants and skirts.    

• You know when you have a problem that is just weighing on you and no one really cares about it the way you do and your husband kind of cares, but not enough, and you ask sisters to pretend it's their problem and just care about it like you do for a second so they can feel what you feel and give you brilliant advice about your heavy problem and they try but they just can't?  Anyone?  Well, my little Layla is that problem for me right now.  Oh, there's so much to say here.  She is a different child since she's stopped napping and is sans souci.  She is just into more things- more destructive, more whiney, more cranky, more demanding.  Her sweet little self is being masked by this fussy, stubborn, exhausted child.  I miss her.  I see glimpses.  Like yesterday when she was all of those about mentioned things all day at our house and we were ready to sell her, but as soon as we got to my parents house to visit she was this sweet little perfect thing.  Glimpses like that are not fun.

Just some of Layla's handiwork

• Anyway, I don't know what to do to help her through this phase (please let it be a phase) except just give it time.  I find that that is true with so many things when it comes to issues that arise with my children.  It's easy to give that advice and have that perspective with others "It's just a phase.  It won't last forever.  It will be over and done with soon." But I have a hard time thinking that when I'm in the middle of an issue with one of mine.  In hindsight, I've learned that most difficult things that arise with my children are not long term.  They seem like these huge problems when I'm going through them, but they rarely are, and they almost always are gone and forgotten before I lose too much sleep over it.  I am hoping that soon I can look back on this phase of Layla's and say, "Wow, that was rough, but now it's over."  

• I write these things on my blog, hoping that whoever is reading will understand my heart as I explain the not so glamorous side of my mothering.  Like, hoping that whoever reads this understands how after a long Saturday at home with a cranky baby, you joke about selling them. (Layla can joke about it, she told us she was going for $2.50). The bottom line is, even with the difficult things I go through with them, I sure love them all the time.  I will go through this phase with Layla, and I will love her through it, and sometimes I will ask if anyone's interested in a two year old girl, and I will worry about how we're going to get through it.  But I know we will.  

• On a lighter note, this kid is growing up fast.  After potty training my two older kids I swore each time that I wouldn't potty train the next kid until three.  Ellery took like two years to fully train, so I was determined to stick to my three year old rule with Layla.  I'm afraid Layla is kind of potty training herself.  The last couple weeks she's gotten super into going potty and asks to do it most every day.  Always naked from the waist down, she sits atop the toilet like a pro.  In fact, Brian compares her toilet-top antics to the pommel horse- and that is a perfect description of what she looks like- her arms holding her up and her body swinging around the middle of the bowl, legs dangling in fron of her.  She doesn't go potty every single time I let her try, but she does it quite often, and today she went poop twice.  So I'm pretty sure I have to break my rule and go with this.  Wouldn't you say she's ready?

• With potty training comes the idea of putting her in a big girl bed.  I kind of wanted to keep her in her crib until she was five, but I might have to give up that dream too.  She can get out of her crib, although she doesn't do it very often, surprisingly.  The other day I was putting her in a time out in her crib and she threatened me, saying, "I'LL FALL OUT!"  It's a good way to put how she gets out of there- she kind of just plops onto the floor in a heap.  No wonder she doesn't do it often.  Anyway, a big girl bed is imminent.  Boo for me, but she's going to be SO happy. 

• She may be growing up, but she is content to be a baby, all day long actually.  She wants to play baby with anyone who's up for it all the time.  She's sometimes the mom, but usually she's a baby named Gabriella.  It's weird when your baby is doing baby talk.  

• Friday was a big day for me.  After probably twelve years, I went skiing.  Brian's work has passes that we can use, so Brian took me up to Sundance.  It was so weird being there- I haven't skied there since I was a kid.  This was a big deal for me because I feel old and I was scared that I wouldn't be able to do it.  I actually didn't want to go, but the fear in me was so strong that I decided I needed to do something hard- it would be good for me.  Plus, it was free!  Surprisingly, I wasn't as horrible as I had feared, and although I was slow, I could still ski.  Brian was patient with me, even though I would stop mid-mountian to just look around at everyone whizzing by me.  I reaffirmed that I don't love skiing, never did, but I actually liked it, which is more than I thought I would feel.  I think I might want to go again.  Part of what was so fun was that it was just me and Bri doing something fun together in a way different environment.  Maybe I'm a skier!

• This is Brian in my PopPop's hat.  I want him to wear it all the time- he looks so handsome in it!

• This winter has been extremely cold and snowy.  Consequently, our roof has been subject to icicles, and a newly learned term for me- ice dams.  Brian has kind of obsessed about the state of our roof for weeks- the melting, the snow, the icicles, and especially the ice dam.  Today was a great day- the icicles and ice dam are gone and Brian is breathing easy for the first time all year.  It was over thirty degrees today and as we walked to church it was like a spring morning- so warm!    

The willow tree is still beautiful, even in this frozen weather.

• It has been super cold but that hasn't stopped Brian from running.  People in our neighborhood tell me that they see him running in the mornings and they cannot believe their eyes.  Negative temps or the horrible inversion don't keep this guy inside.  He's crazy.

• I am extremely ready for a vacation to a warm, sunny place.  It's going to happen mid-February but I hope I can last that long.  I sometimes think back to the Oregon winters- and although they're quite rainy, the grass is green, the trees are alive and you get some days where you can play outside.  I can't think about that too much.

Happy Sunday!

thoughts on a sunday or whatever

• Most of these thoughts are older than this last week- but you see, it was Christmas time, and I didn't have time to blog.  

• I was tucking Ellery and she was saying her personal prayer.  Before she started she whispered, "Mom, can I say 'Father in heaven'?"  I told her she definitely could and then it turns out she was too embarrassed to say it. 
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• That reminds me that McKay will sometimes throw in "as we say these things" at the end of his prayer.  It's sweet that they are listening to others and trying it out in their own prayers.  

• McKay's been going a bit rouge sometimes with his prayers during the Christmas season.  Many times I heard him say this: "Congratulations that it's so close to your birthday.  I love you."  Awwww.

• Ellery is still obsessed with coloring.  Right now she's really into drawing her own pictures and also drawing many, many letters and then trying to read them like they're words.  This scene is a frequent one around here- her on the floor with paper and art supplies scattered around her.  I love finding her like this- it makes me happy.  It's about the only thing she does on her own lately, too.  Sadly, since we moved to Utah, her ability to play on her own has suffered a bit.  

• This coloring reminds me of another fun thing we've been doing lately.  Thinking of easy, quick and fun family home evening activities can be tricky.  A few weeks ago I got the idea do a rotating drawing.  We each start with a blank piece of paper and begin a drawing (we did Christmasey things) and then after a little bit we'd say "switch" and then pass the paper to the  next person and continue to add to their drawing.  We went all around the table until we had our original drawing back and then we'd show it and say what we started with and who added what. The kids really loved it.

• We went to the ward Christmas party a few weeks ago.  It was a really simple gathering, but the kids had so much fun seeing and playing with their friends in the church, not on Sunday.  Layla was soon adopted for the night by a couple of my beehives and she was eating up that attention like you wouldn't believe.  On the way home she said, "Mom, can you call my friends?"  I almost couldn't handle the cuteness.

• We had a death in the family.  Brian and McKay found Sparkles dead in her cage.  It was 4:30 p.m.  McKay had to be at the first grade Christmas sing at 5:45.  This is not a lot of time to comfort grieving children, make and feed them dinner, dispose of a dead guinea pig and make sure they have clean shirts and faces before leaving the house.  

• McKay wanted to tell Ellery immediately, but she was downstairs playing with friends.  He was pretty much hysterical at this point.  We found an empty Wheat Thins box and Brian put Sparkles inside.  I sent Ellery's friends home and broke the news to her down in the playroom.  She smiled at me.  She seemed kind of fascinated.  She wanted to see.  Brian insisted on throwing her in the trash.  He told the kids it was against the law to bury animals in your yard.  He got the Wheat Thins box out of the trash and Ellery peaked in.  After that, it wasn't fascinating anymore, and she fell apart- right there with McKay.  They were setting the table for dinner heavy with tears.  McKay had the idea to write "Sparkles" on our napkins.  We all appreciated the sentiment and had a dinner in her honor.  

• McKay had been so excited for his Christmas program, but after the traumatic event of losing a pet, he adamantly declared through his tears that he couldn't sing.  It took a lot of convincing, but we got him to the school and up on the stage.  He was this little, depressed lump of a child up there with all the other wiggly, excited first graders.  Several times- when I could tell that tears were coming- I had to make eye contact with him and remind him to take deep breaths and hold it together.  The people around me probably thought I was crazy doing these big, exaggerated breaths at my kid up on stage.  It helped him though and he made it through the program, although I really don't think he smiled at all during the whole thing.  But he did it.

• After getting home we knew we were in for a long, grief-filled night.  We were right.  Ellery went right to sleep, but McKay was up for hours, mourning his sisters pet or worrying that Smokey was dead as well.

• Smokey isn't dead.  I must admit, I would have been more sad had it been him.  Don't tell Ellery. We are all worried that Smokey might be depressed.  How can you tell with guinea pigs though, really.

• A few days after the death, Ellery was still struggling.  Grandma helped Brian see that a burial would be best for his grieving children, so in the ground she went.  It helped Ellery, and Grandma even made Sparkles and Elle matching blankets to remember and comfort one another. She still gets sad at times, but mostly she's fine, given that she really didn't care about Sparkles much when she was alive.  

• So that is all our old news, here's a few new tidbits.

• After visiting the dentist with the kids- and no cavities for anyone!!!- it was pretty clear to me that I really did need to take Layla's souci away. . .again. . . mostly because the dentist said the longer she had it the more we would pay for orthodontics later.  Hmmm.  So I made a goal for January.  You guys, it's so hard for me to take that stupid thing away.  Well, I didn't take it away, we cut it again.  So we told her that her precious pink souci- the one that she had discovered in the toy basket- was now broken too.  It broke my heart to see her face when she discovered it.  My other kids think we're so mean to cut her souci.  They don't get why we have to take it away at all.  So this is night two without it.  She's getting more attached to her blankie and her baby, so at least there is some comfort in that lonely bed.  

• Of course I worry that this will be the end of her naps.  That's the main reason why I gave it back to her the first time.  But lately her naps have been more sporadic and I can see an end coming, so it wasn't so hard for that reason.  I still plan on giving her rest time, but will probably allow her to have books to read.  She naps really well every few days, so maybe even without the souci she'll do that.  

• Lately, when Layla pretends to talk on the phone she says this:  "I'm going to call the queen.  'Hello, queen.  How are you?'"  It is my very favorite thing to hear her talking to that old queen.

• McKay finally- FINALLY- lost his second front tooth.  You know, those awkward ones on the top?  Yep, it came out tonight.  So now he has a full grown manly tooth on the left side, and a wide open space on the right.  Still cute to me.
• A couple of cute notes my kids made at church and gave to each other and me for Christmas.  

• Happy mid-week!  

christmas night ~ 2012

Christmas evening we got to spend with the Fuehrer side of the family.  My parents made something like five different kinds of soup and had yummy rolls and salad.  It is always crazy when ALL of us gather together- there are twenty seven of us!  But it's always fun.  

As the holiday wore on, I was not really into taking pictures.  I didn't take any of Christmas lunch at the Matthews house, and then at my parent's I pretty much only took pictures from where I was sitting.  Not too exciting, I'm afraid.    

These two work very hard to host such a big group.

 Our little family.

Non, opening her gifts.  I love her.

And now just pictures:

Always a fun time at the Fuehrer house.  And now I'm tired of blogging about Christmas so that's it.

christmas eve eve

This year we had quite a few discussions on what we want our Christmas to look like.  How to divide the time, when to go where, how much time we wanted at home, etc...  I think this year we both realized that we enjoy taking it a little slower than we have in the past.  We realized that we wanted less rushing around, and more enjoying where we are-wherever that may be.  We made some decisions for next year that will help us achieve that.  It's so great to be back around family and so great that we are able to spend time with both of our families at Christmas time, but we also have come to value that time we get to spend with our own little family.  That's why when I realized that the day before Christmas Eve was on a Sunday, I knew that would be the perfect time to do that.

Lisa has had a long time tradition of celebrating Christmas Eve Eve in a similar way- intimately with her family.  I like this idea, and although we don't have any traditions associated with it, I am happy to value that time with Brian and our kids in our cozy home, together.  

This year we made this Christmas tree pizza.  It was super easy and the kids loved helping.  I love the picture below because it just captures my kids perfectly.  Layla snitching raw peppers, Ellery licking her lips as she gazes at the the pizza, and then McKay already disgusted at the thought of a vegetable on his plate.  

We had a really low-key evening.  We ate our Christmas pizza, listened to Christmas music, and then I read all of our Christmas books to the kids.  It really was nothing special...except that to me it was really special.  

christmas morning ~ 2012

Christmas morning I set my alarm for 5:30 a.m. to stick breakfast in the oven.  It had to bake for an hour, so I wanted to make sure it had enough time to bake before we all got up.  

Ellery:

This year Santa went way beyond what he should have.  The wedding barbie set was exciting, sure, but what this girl was really smitten with was a $5 pad of paper and some Mr. Sketch markers.  Honestly, I think if that is all she got, she would have been fine.  That is all she did all Christmas day- color in her fancy pad of paper.  You see, each sheet of paper had a frame pre-printed on it.  This was fantastic for Ellery, because it meant that every little holly sprig or self portrait she drew was frame worthy!  Some other gifts that Elle got from us and other family members were Callico Critters, a purple bow and arrow, a jewelry box, a microphone and the Brave barbie doll.

McKay:

Santa brought McKay a sled.  He loved it.  One thing I seem to re-learn every Christmas morning is that they are so happy with so little.  I felt like after Santa gifts and stockings they would have been fine to just enjoy those things.  I seem to panic and feel like they need to have more things which really is so not true at all.  I realize that the more they have, the less they truly enjoy them.  I think it's easier to treasure things if they are precious and few.  Some of the things McKay treasured this year were a magic 8 ball, a bow and arrow, legos, new sheets for his bed (that turned out to be the most horrid sheets of all time), a gross, edible alien autopsy set, and a double-edged nerf sword.  This boy had a hard time containing his excitement.  It was a good morning for him. 

Layla:

Christmas is fun for a two year old because they don't want anything, and a third child doesn't need anything, so there's really no pressure.  She was thrilled about her "Mr. Totato" Heads,  Barbie car,  Play Doh, some Callico Critters and a Minnie Mouse purse/radio.    She also got the newest Llama Llama book which was a big deal since those are her absolute favorite books.  She has many of the pages memorized and because of those books, she calls trains "chugga choo's" which I never get tired of hearing.   

This dollhouse was a gift for the girls (and McKay if he wants) from me.  I had found the house at a garage sale during the summer and had spent the months leading up to Christmas planning, painting, wall-papering, shopping for furniture and making art to hang on the walls.  It was a lot of work to put it together, especially since I could only work on it when the kids were asleep.  But I love how it turned out!  Ellery hasn't been into playing with her girls, which is kind of what I had in mind for this house, but I still wanted to do it for them.  

Ellery was really excited about the dollhouse on Chrsitmas morning, but sadly hasn't played with it as often as I had hoped.  That's okay though.  Layla immediately loved it and it was hard to tear her away from it when we had to go.  She plays with it often even still, and the favorite room by far is the nursery at the top.  

After the unveiling of the dollhouse, there was one last gift- in the form of an envelope stuck in the tree.    Inside was a clue, leading them on a scavenger hunt to find the last present.  Brian was really creative in writing the clues- they even rhymed!- and they raced all around the house from clue to clue until finally they were lead outside on the back patio.

Where they found this:

This kids' reaction was pretty awesome.  He was SO happy and couldn't believe it.  It was freezing but he jumped on it and got comfy and started begging for a ride.

This child, on the other hand, took one look at it, ran back to the carpet and curled up in a ball asking if we could shut the door.  Not too impressed, this one.

And I don't even think Layla made it downstairs to even see the four wheeler.  She was too busy doing this:

I like to take pictures of what Santa brought and record their favorite presents because I think it will be fun for them to look back on.  I know I run the risk of seeming overly concerned with that side of Christmas.  That's why I feel like it's important to also record how blessed we are.  Not with presents, but with a loving family and the Gospel and a warm home and enough food and I could go on and on.  Thinking of ways to celebrate and focus on the true meaning of Christmas is always something I'm working on for our family and I know I have a long way to go.  I'm glad I have the chance to improve every year.  It sure is sweet to overhear my kids explain why we really celebrate- they know it's because baby Jesus was born and they are learning why that was and is important.  Some of my favorite Christmas moments are when we talk about that very thing.  

Sorry, didn't mean to get all serious on you there.  Christmas was great.  We are blessed.  The end.  

christmas eve ~ 2012

It's funny, going back and doing these posts about Christmas nearly a month after it actually happened. I find myself not having much to write about, and wanting to just let the pictures do the talking.  I know that words are important to document too, so I'm going to try.  I'm just glad I'm writing them down before January is over, given that I just blogged about Christmas 2011 last month.  Definite progress. Here goes:

This year we spent Christmas Eve with Brian's family.  It was tricky trying to get everyone together at the same time, but 2pm on Christmas Eve was the magic hour for us.  So we had a cozy dinner of clam chowder and yummy homemade bread.  

After dinner we had our annual talent show.  

Layla sang Jingle Bells (I think), Jenn and Darrell's family sang Little Drummer Boy- a tribute to her dad who had passed away the week before, Marilyn was angelic on the harp, Lindy did some magic, Silas stood in front of us, Grandad impressed us all by playing a duet with Grandma on the piano, Sharp sang a fun song about Santa, McKay played Away in a Manger, Ellery sang a Christmas song she learned in preschool, Jaynie and Tyler wrote a fun poem/story about Santa's stressful present mix-up, Wayne bounced and Layla joined him, and we all enjoyed the program!  Whew!  That was a long sentence!

After that, the kids acted out the nativity.  I love these pictures.  I love any pictures of our kids doing this.  I imagine that some day I will look back at them and just bawl thinking about how young, innocent and sweet these kids were.  I hope they always stay innocent and sweet, but I know that they won't always be young.  

We then did what we always do on Christmas Eve- watch How the Grinch Store Christmas.  

This year Grandma made an extra, extra long quilt just for the occasion.  It was exciting to all snuggle up under one giant grinch quilt.  

After visiting for awhile longer, it was time to head home and into bed for these three.  But not before opening their Christmas Eve presents.  It's always pajamas, although it seems like every year they are kind of expecting something else, even though they kind of know they will always be pajamas.  And they get crazy excited like they aren't getting pajamas.  Ellery had a really hard time not opening her present in the middle of the day.  It was a constant question she was asking in desperation all day long, "Please can we open our present right now?"