Silly Boys

We had a small crisis after school today.

*

While walking to my classroom after Jacob and Dylan's Big Brothers/Big Sisters activity, Dylan threw his brand new cap high into the air.

*

And it didn't come down.

*

I mean, it was way, way up there. Stuck on a window sill in the hall outside my classroom.

*

The custodian and maintenance men said their tallest ladders were only 6 feet tall, so they couldn't help.

*

Dylan was not happy.

*

The boys came to my room and put their heads together. They borrowed the stepladder I use for bulletin boards. They took 3 meter sticks out of a cupboard and taped them into one very long stick.
*

I followed them out into the hall. This I had to see!

*

After several unsuccessful attempts and a few arguments over who should control the wobbly stick, Dylan took over. It was tricky getting the stick to approach at the correct angle to snag the hat, but after a bunch more tries he did it!

*

*

Dylan was ecstatic to get his new cap back.

*

Hopefully he learned a few lessons as well. Like how to solve problems creatively; how two heads are better than one; how teamwork can accomplish seemingly impossible tasks.

*

And like how caps belong on our heads and not tossed up on very high window sills!

Come Meet the Family

Allow me to present the many, many group pictures of the smaller families that make up our large extended family. Pay attention, because there will be a quiz at the end. (Just kidding!)

Our family patriarch is my dad, Myron, shown here with his wife Kathy. They've been married for 6 years now.
My parents had 4 sons and only 2 daughters: Mary (that's me!) and Karla. Here we are together, the lone sisters.

The 4 siblings at the party: Karla, LeRoy, Jeff, and Mary. In birth order that would be Mary (age 55), Gerald (died at birth but would be 51 now), LeRoy (age 50), Karla (age 49), Jeff (age 48), and Darryl (age 46). Sadly, Darryl was unable to travel from his home in Missouri this year.

*

This picture was taken after the guys had played basketball for a long time; hence the sweat stains.

As the oldest, I guess I get to go first. Here we have me with my children: Jacob (age 18), Dylan (age 12), and Sarah (age 20).

Next, LeRoy's family: Nate (age 13), LeRoy, Katie (age 11), and LeRoy's wife Lori.

Some of Karla's children are grown and on their own, so they get their own photos. Here we have Karla with the youngest 6 of her 10 children, who still live at home. Left to right: Brianna (age 18), Gabrielle (age 9), Addison (age 5), Karla, Mariah (age 15), Julien (age 12), and Celesta (age 21).

Karla's oldest is Jeremy, shown here with his family: Analyce (age 3), Makayla (3 months), Jeremy (age 27), Jaren (17 months), and Jeremy's wife Cami.

Next comes Karla's daughter Genevieve and her family: husband Scott, Brooke (age 4), Jaycee (age 2), and Genevieve (age 25). Baby #3 is due the end of February.

*

After Genevieve comes Josh (age 23), but he was in California and unable to attend.

Then we have Karla's daughter Elyssa (age 22) and her husband Ross.

Brianna was included in the picture above with Karla, but we wanted to show off her boyfriend Bryce!

After Karla comes Jeff and his biggy-sized family. The youngest 10 of their 13 children are in this shot. Left to right: Hayden (age 7), Jeff, Callie (age 2), Dana, Burke (age 14), Emma (age 11), Elsie (age 15), Brinley (age 5), Micah (age 21), Marcus (age 17), Amber (age 19) with her new son Ian, and Haley (age 9). Micah and Amber have been living on their own for awhile, but the 8 children younger than them still live at home.

Jeff's oldest is Justin (age 25), shown here with his son Aiden (17 months) and wife Alisha. Their sweet daughter Rhionna would have been 2-and-a-half, but she passed away after a tragic accident a little over a year ago.

Jeff's second child is Ashley, seen here with her family: Gage (age 3), Ashley (age 24), Garrett (18 months), and husband Matt.

Next comes Jamison (he turned 23 the day after our party), his son Trenton (20 months old), and wife Monica. Monica and Ashley's husband Matt are sister and brother.

Another shot of Amber and her beautiful 10-day-old son, Ian.

This is a rare shot of Jeff and Dana's entire family, with the exception of their grandson Trenton, who was napping.

*
My brother Darryl's family would be next, but unfortunately they weren't with us (except in our hearts). Darryl has 3 children: Brittany (age 20), Savannah (age 17), and Rhett (age 13). He also has 4 step-children with his wife Tamera, all of whom are married with families of their own: Chris, Glenn, Tanya, and D.J. We miss them all!

My step-mom Kathy has 6 grown children, as well. Most of them live in other states, but her youngest child, Rebecca, lives in the Valley so we get to see them at family events. Here we have Becky with her husband Dylan and their son Dale (19 months old).

*

Are you ready for the quiz? No? That's okay, sometimes I have to stop and think for a minute before I call someone's name, too. We have a very big family, but it's only more for us to love!

Let's Be Candid

Yesterday's event, the annual Butler Family Christmas Party, was great fun! With the exceptions of my brother Darryl's family in Missouri and my nephew Josh, who was in California, everyone from our family was there.

*

For today I will just share candid pictures from our gathering. Tomorrow I will post the family group shots. There are many!

At any family gathering, food is always front and center. Ours was no exception. Everyone lined up for subs, salads, chips, sweet treats, and other goodies.

Dana and Jeff thoroughly enjoyed their luncheon.

Our Callie girl wore much of her food on her face and her dress.

The children's table was always busy.

Visiting was an ongoing event throughout the party, which lasted from noon until 10:00 pm.

Babies and children were cuddled and passed around. That's always one of our favorite things about family get-togethers. This is Sarah with baby Ian, just 10 days old...

...Scott with his niece (my grand-niece), 3-month-old Makayla...

...Monica with her son Trenton, nephew Garrett, and sister-in-law Haley...

...and my step-sister Becky with our Callie Jayne.

The guys and a few of the gals have a long-standing tradition of playing basketball at every family Christmas party. Here they are deciding on the game and the rules. I believe they settled on playing "Knock-out." The toddlers always want to play, too, so diligence on the part of those of us off-court is a must!

Then came time for the gift exchange. Jeff and Dana are the winners of the Most Creative Gift award this year! They drew LeRoy and Lori's family, who were the proud recipients of inner tubes, hot cocoa, and hand-knitted caps (by Dana). These were clear hints that LeRoy needs to bring his family to our mountain this winter for some snow tubing!

Lori was just too cute not to share when she modeled her inner tube for us. You know how we all have that little "spare tire" around the waist we'd like to be rid of? Actually, I was impressed that it fit her--it would never have fit around my middle!

And LeRoy, what can we say? That cap is SO you!

After the gift exchange, the children stayed busy for hours, playing with their new toys together.

While the kids played, the adults found other pursuits. Lori, Alisha, and Micah were intent on their card game.

Callie watches her parents and sister Amber assemble a 300-piece puzzle. And, of course, the visiting continued on.

*

Later in the evening, some families said their good-byes and started their homeward treks or headed to the Suns game in Phoenix. Others hung out until it was time to clean up and lock up the church building. My family didn't get on the road until about 10:15, so it was almost 1:30 in the morning when we arrived back at home.

*

We were tired but happy to be back home and curled up in our own beds. But we were even happier to have our heads filled and our hearts warmed by new family memories!

First Day of a New Year

We've enjoyed 3 days and 2 lovely nights here at the Marriott in Mesa, Arizona. Sarah stayed here with me on the first night. The boys joined us last night.

The balcony of our 5th floor room overlooked the pool and palm trees. The beds were comfy and the Internet connection was complimentary. $40 per night on Priceline.
*

We'll be checking out in about 2 hours, since late tonight we'll be heading home. The family Christmas party starts at noon.

Yesterday was New Years Day and we kept busy. The kids were glad to spend a few more hours with their dad in the morning. Mark is living in a residential rehab facility for at least 5 more months and has been clean and sober for about 4 months now. He seems happier and more relaxed. He enjoyed the time with Jacob, Dylan, and Sarah.
*
I met them at the Fiesta Mall around 1:00. I had $60+ Disney Dollars to burn and the Disney Store was having a great tee-shirt sale. We got a sweatshirt for Dylan plus 6 assorted tees for the family for $55 (which cost me exactly $0.00!).

Here's Dylan in one of his new tees and a cool cap he bought at the mall with his Christmas money from Great Grandma Helen. He also bought a teen-rated video game before I joined them at the mall. We returned it and got his money back. I don't allow bloody games in my house!

Left-to-right: Julien, Brianna, Karla (and Sarah is the shadow behind her), Jacob, Dylan, and Celesta.

*

It was 4:00 before we reached Karla's house. She and I went shopping for the groceries to make a potato salad and a broccoli salad for the family party. Then we went back to her place for a yummy dinner of chicken, rice, and green salad.

Around 9:30 my oldest nephew Jeremy and his wife Cami arrived from their new home 2 hours away in Prescott Valley, along with their 3 young children, Analyce, Jaren, and Makayla. Sarah and I were so excited to meet 3-month-old Makayla for the first time. She has a very different look from her parents and siblings. I teased Jeremy and Cami that she's an adorable Elf-child who should come live in the forest with Legolas and me!

*

Makayla was actually sweet as can be for the first 2 hours, but it was nearing midnight by the time we took this picture and she was very tired!

Left-to-right: Brianna and her boyfriend Bryce (in the background), Analyce, Cami, Jeremy, Jacob, Karla, Julien, Addison, Gabby, and Celesta.

*

Just before midnight we again cheered the New Year with sparkling cider (remember the 2 bottles I'd left behind in my hotel room on New Years Eve?). Then the kids, including the adult kids, arranged a card game of Apples to Apples.
*

When I suddenly realized it was almost 12:30 and I'd need a good night's sleep before tonight's long drive, I dragged my grumbling children away from the game and back to the hotel.

*

Today was a very pleasant start to a New Year. So far, so good!

Happy New Year!

Happy 2010! I can't believe we're at the start of a new decade! Wasn't it just a few months ago we worried that all the world's computers would crash when the date rolled over to 2000?
*
We saw in the New Year in the very best way, with family!

*
After Sarah, Jacob, and Dylan spent 3 hours with their dad, we all headed to Organ Stop Pizza (above photo), where my nieces Celesta and Brianna work. That's Celesta at right, on the job.
*
We left my car there for them so they could join us to party after their shifts. Then we piled into Karla's suburban and drove out to Queen Creek, a tiny little town on the fringes of the Valley. That's where their sister Genevieve (Karla's oldest daughter) and her husband Scott live with their 2 little girls, Brooke and Jaycee.
*

We enjoyed visiting and munching on taquitos, chips, and crackers with homemade bean dip, guacamole, and cheese ball (my mom's old recipe we adore).

*

The girls had fun on Brooke and Jaycee's new trampoline. I love this shot of Jaycee (bottom), Brooke (top right) and their Aunt Addison flying through the air.

We ventured into the cold to admire Scott and Genevieve's new garden. They've built garden boxes and a fence, and their radishes have already sprung up!

*

Side note: Their dog Lady, who is our Diego's litter-mate, jumps the new garden fence. Guess who else now has a shiny new shock collar?
*

Next came a rousing card game called "Swap." I'd never heard of it before, but it's a fun game that can be played with up to 10 people.

*

It also involves a lot of slapping and the danger of large, sharp-edged rings!
*

We paused at the end of the game to turn on the TV and see in the New Year with Dick Clark and Ryan Seacrest. Hey, it's been 37 years of tradition with Dick Clark!

*

We toasted the New Year with sparkling cider. A very little sparkling cider, since Karla only had one bottle and I left my 2 bottles in the fridge in my hotel room! We'll enjoy them today, I guess...

*

After the midnight festivities, Scott treated everyone to delicious chocolate malts. At least, I presume they were delicious since everyone was sighing with pleasure as they drank them. Sarah and I stuck with our MacTurtles. We even passed up the tortilla chips, crackers, and taquitos, so we were good!

We hung out for about another hour before heading back to Mesa.

*

By the time we dropped Jacob and Dylan off at their great grandma Helen's house, and Sarah and I returned to the hotel, it was after 2 a.m. By the time I took off my makeup and crawled into bed, it was almost 3 a.m. (Groan...)

*

Then my dad called at 9:00 (extra-long groan...) to say he and Kathy were loaded up and heading to the Valley this morning.

*

The family Christmas party is tomorrow, so the gathering has begun. My niece Amber and her new son Ian are also in town. They stopped by yesterday and Karla fell in love with our beautiful new grand-nephew!
In these final three shots: Karla with Gabby; Celesta with Sarah and Dylan; and Brianna with Addison.

*

The world is a scary place right now. I hope 2010 will be a year in which balance and reason are restored, but as long as we can look forward to see faith and family in our future, the New Year will stay bright!

Preparation

We've spent the past 3 days madly preparing for our trip to the Valley. We hope to be on the road by about 10:00 tomorrow morning.

*

We took down the Christmas tree yesterday. The ornaments were packed away this morning before we dusted, vacuumed, and swept the entire house.

*

Last night I spent some time in the kitchen. Planning ahead helps me be a little wiser when faced with holiday goodies.

*

Our favorite sugar-free treat each Christmas is the ever-popular MacTurtle.

*

It begins with little mounds of quartered macadamia nuts, usually 3 nuts per pile.

*
Next I melt 8 Ross dark chocolate bars in the microwave. Ross chocolates are a bit pricey, but I wouldn't use anything else. Not only are they made of the best Belgian chocolate, but the sweetener doesn't cause the gastric distress created by most sugar-free candies.

*

Then I drizzle chocolate over each pile, coating the nuts well. Each bar makes about 3 MacTurtles.

Allow the chocolate to set for a few hours and voila! You have 2 dozen beautiful MacTurtles!

*

We plan to spend New Year's Eve with Karla's family in Mesa, and the annual Butler family Christmas party will also be held in Mesa this year. After the party on Saturday, we'll return home quite late that night.
I also made a pan of roasted walnuts last night. Melt a little butter in a saucepan, add 1 tbsp cinnamon and 3 packets of Splenda, and stir in 4 cups (12 oz) of walnuts until well coated.

*

Transfer to a baking sheet and bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes. It made the whole kitchen smell yummy!

*

With the MacTurtles, the sweet walnuts, and the sugar-free cheesecake still in the freezer from Thanksgiving, we are prepared to face the barrage of sweetness we will meet in Mesa!

*

Today Jacob and Sarah spent a couple of hours out in the cold, wiring our fence. Diego learned to jump the fence last year, until we bought him a shock collar. Sad, but it worked like charm.

*

Yesterday he rediscovered his jumping skill, so we dusted off the shock collar and replaced the old wiring.

*

As soon as he approached the fence and the collar gave its warning beeps, he remembered last year's lessons and backed away. Now we won't be worried about losing him while we're gone for 3 days.
*

Today Jacob couldn't wait to set up the GPS.

*

I told him we don't need it. I lived in Mesa for 10 years, and we've made multiple visits every year for the 20 years since we moved here, so I know the locations of all the places we'll be going.

*

Still, he's a technology junkie and he insisted we needed to try it out. I guess that's wise.

*

(Notice the footprints in Sarah's freshly mopped kitchen floor above? Funny!)

*

Now the laundry is done, the suitcases and totes are almost packed, and all that's left is to set the alarm and go to bed.

*

I will be taking my laptop along to blog our visit, so stay tuned!

Gingerbread Houses

A realtor in our town hosted an interesting display before Christmas. Businesses and other buildings from Show Low to Pinetop-Lakeside were invited to submit gingerbread houses representing their properties. They got a huge response and set up the little "community" in their offices for the public to view.

*

I didn't go myself, but Jacob went and took pictures for me. Here are some of his favorites.

Jacob actually helped make this gingerbread barn in his Culinary Arts class. This old tumble-down barn is probably the most famous landmark in Lakeside. Located on a hill above a curve in the highway just before you come to the tiny downtown area, this barn and a crumbling round retaining wall (see the m&m wall to the left) have been captured on canvas by hundreds of painters. You see them all the time at craft fairs and in restaurants and other businesses...and now in the gingerbread house display! And yes, the old horses still use the barn. Nice job, students!

Some of the gingerbread houses are great replicas of the actual businesses, and some bear no resemblance at all. This one gets my award for best likeness. I'd have known it was Skier's Edge even if it weren't identified by the sign!
McDonalds also captured their building's look quite well.
The Lakeside Fire Department's gingerbread firehouse is beautiful, but it looks a little different. For instance, the door is on the left instead of the right. Love the fire engine, though!

KFC looks pretty good, but I think McDonalds trumped them.

This gingerbread business is the spitting image of Darbi's Cafe. How many times have we walked up that ramp and through their front door? I like how they managed to work their phone number into the piece!

Another restaurant we frequent is Mama Bears. In fact, Jacob worked there during the summer of 2006. It is owned by our friend and local celebrity, Jineane Ford Ross. She was Miss America in 1980, had a brief acting career, and then became well known in Arizona as a TV newswoman in the Phoenix area for about 20 years. She is now "retired," but still active in local events, as well as running the restaurant and the lodge to which it is attached (the oldest log lodge in Arizona).

*

Having said all that, this cute little gingerbread house bears absolutely NO resemblance to the actual restaurant! (And, oh yeah, her husband Kerry is a firefighter at the Lakeside Fire Department, seen above.)

Our Child Development students observe at the Montessori School every semester, but I've never been there, so I have no idea if it looks like its gingerbread namesake. I like their clever use of gum for the roof. It looks like the metal roofs many buildings are now opting to use, since they won't ignite in the event of a forest fire.

I've never eaten at Cafe Bocado, but this looks like the building I see from the highway as I drive by. It's a fairly new establishment in an old building. Nice job on the porch railing!

This is the radio station. I haven't been to their new building yet, though Jacob has been there many times to do radio spots to advertise SADD Club events. My friend Crystal and another friend Cam also work there. I'll have to ask them sometime if this is an accurate representation of their new station.

Finally, White Mountain Recreation Center in White Mountain Country Club. It's been ages since I've been there, probably when I chaperoned Prom there back in the '90s. I seem to recall it looked something like this, but I can't say for sure.

*

I hope you enjoyed this little visit to our community!

HCG: Maintenance Week One

Our first week off the hCG/500-calorie diet has been completed, and it has been a learning experience.

*

I was worried about staying within the "don't gain more than 2 lbs/don't lose more than 2 lbs" limits for 6 weeks. As it turns out, it's a valid concern, particularly during the week before Christmas!

*

The week began well enough...

Day 1: No gain or loss

Day 2: 0.8 lb gain

Day 3: 0.4 lb loss

*

Sarah did even better. She lost 2.6 more lbs during the first 3 days off the diet.

*

Then came Wednesday. Jacob decided to make one of my favorite foods, chicken enchiladas in green chile sauce. The rules say NO starches or sugars for the first 3 weeks, but I bought low-carb tortillas and told myself it would be okay. I also taste-tested several hand-dipped pretzels that night, plus some banana pieces dipped in leftover chocolate.

*

The next morning I was up 2.8 lbs! Sarah was up 1.6 lbs.

*

We reined it in for Christmas Eve, but we had planned to cheat on Christmas day, sort of like we did on Thanksgiving. I ate a couple of small cookies and candies (pre-Christmas gifts from friends), plus 5 pieces of my all-time favorite, English toffee. Our dinner was exactly the same as Thanksgiving dinner, except no candied yams this time, and I ate lightly. I did indulge in peach pie for dessert.

*

Yes, I was baaaad!

*

The next morning I was up another 1.2 lbs, putting me 4.8 lbs above my lowest weight from Sunday and Monday.

*

I was kicking myself and thinking, "You worked so hard for this! What, are you crazy?"

*

Fortunately, Dr. Simeons had worked out a solution for this situation. I reread the final chapters of his book, Pounds and Inches, to make sure I got it right.

*

I quote: "As long as their weight stays within two pounds of the weight reached on the day of the last injection [of hCG], patients should take no notice of any increase, but the moment the scale goes beyond two pounds, even if this is only a few ounces, they must on that same day entirely skip breakfast and lunch but take plenty to drink. In the evening they must eat a huge steak with only an apple or a raw tomato."

*

I had already expected I'd have to try this method the day after Christmas dinner, but the words I typed in bold letters leapt out at me. I was thinking I'd gained 4.8 lbs, but that was incorrect. I had actually lost 2.2 lbs after I stopped the hCG (but while still on the 500-calorie diet). Apparently that is unusual. Most people quit losing as soon as they stop the hCG.

*

That meant I was only 2.6 lbs over my weight on the day I stopped the hCG. That made me feel much better! I only had to take off 0.6 lb in order to stay within the 2-lb boundary.

*

As I said, it's been a learning experience. Yesterday I did the all-day fast followed by steak and a raw tomato, and this morning I had lost the 1.2 lbs gained on the previous day! Sarah has stayed within the 2-lb range, but she decided to try the fast-and-steak method with me. She had gained 1.4 lbs on Christmas day, and this morning she was back down exactly 1.4 lbs. Amazing!

*

So it seems at this point that Sarah and I are maintaining, even if we broke some rules and came dangerously close to blowing it.

*

For those who are wondering about the claim that the hCG diet changes your relationship with food, the jury is still out. I do see some positive changes, but the whole Christmas goodies theme has made it difficult to judge.

*

I cannot deny that I am loving eating the foods I missed during the diet.
*

Oddly, what I'm enjoying most is being able to eat eggs for breakfast again. To me, this spinach, cheese, and red onion omelet is heavenly!

*

Yet I haven't indulged myself as much as I'd expected I would after 7 weeks of deprivation.

*

I find I'm satisfied with less food and not inclined to want to snack. (The inability to resist Christmas sweets falls into another category, I think...)

*

When I sat down to Christmas dinner, I looked down at the small portions on my plate and thought, "I don't want this." And I didn't. I left food uneaten, but my belly still felt like it would burst!
*

So maybe there is a change. We still have 5 weeks of maintenance left to find out!

Holiday Fun

The last few weeks before Christmas were filled with fun holiday activities.

*

They were also packed with last minute extra credit assignments, final essays, and assorted end-of-semester school chores, making it hard for me to get near a computer to blog about all the fun!

So now we'll look back at a couple of the activities we enjoyed.

*

The ward Christmas party was an evening of music. Sister Kroupa played Christmas tunes on her trombone, and later Sister Snow accompanied us on piano while we sang carols.
*

Rather than a dinner, we enjoyed hot cocoa, apple cider, and sweet treats.

*

In the top photo it's just Jacob, Sarah, and me since Dylan went to a friend's birthday party that evening.

*

In the second picture it's Sarah and her friends Emmi, Reyna, and Gina.

*

Above, Sarah sings a Christmas hymn with the Relief Society ladies. At right, Jacob performs with the other teens in the Young Men program.
*

We all shared a good laugh watching the bishopric and their wives on stage, as the wives wrapped their husbands head-to-toe in toilet paper to turn them into "snowmen."

*

Santa also made a visit, listening to the children's wishes and handing out small bags of gifts.

*

The sweetest moment always comes near the end of the evening when the Primary children reenact the Nativity, while the audience sings "Away in a Manger" and "Silent Night."

*

*

Dylan's orchestra concert fell on the final week of school. We are always among the first to arrive, since he must be there early to tune up his instrument and whatever else it is they do backstage!

*

Here we have Jacob and his friend Christal waiting with Sarah for the concert to begin.

*

Dylan is one of only three cellists in the middle school orchestra, and they all did an outstanding job.

*

The performance was beautiful. They did something new this year. At the end of the concert they combined all the orchestras, bands, and choirs (from the middle school, junior high, and high school) and had a sing-along of carols. It was unexpected fun!

*

Dylan's new teacher is Theresa Bailey-Dick, who is also the conductor of White Mountain Symphony Orchestra. Sarah auditioned with her last week and is now a proud new second violinist in our community orchestra!
Christmas is such a joyous time of year, on so many levels: faith, family, food, fun, and the simple joy of giving.

*

I love the feelings of peace, hope, and love in the air. If only those feelings will continue throughout the year.

*

Christmas, I shall miss you!

Scenes of a Carter Christmas

Sometime during the night, Santa stopped by to fill the stockings with goodies! Dylan started trying to get me up to open presents around 4 a.m. I managed to keep sending him back to bed until 8:00. Once we were all up, he volunteered to play Santa and pass out everyone's gifts. Once the presents were piled up, the kids waited for Mom to get the video camera ready, and then they tore into their piles. After the wrapping paper carnage ended, they gathered their gifts neatly to pose with this year's haul. Here is Dylan with his pile of goods. His favorite gifts were the rip-stik, the remote-controlled motorcycle, and especially the Guitar Hero game for his Nintendo DS.

Oh yes, and we must not forget the ring. Dylan has been begging to wear some of my rings these past few weeks. I told him he didn't want to wear my girly rings, but he said he didn't care, he just felt like wearing rings lately. To prevent mine from getting lost outside or at school, I got him his own ring for Christmas. He loves it. Dylan's birthstone is ruby and he likes the reddish color of the gemstones.

Jacob sitting with his presents. His favorites are the remote-controlled boat and new bedding. He was tired of the old Batman quilt from his pre-teen days. Jacob also got a very nice tie from Trisha, a sweet young lady he's been dating, so he's particularly fond of it (for obvious reasons).And Sarah with her prizes: she loves the TV series Kyle XY, so she got seasons 1 and 2 on DVD; we both love the new TV series Vampire Diaries, so I got her a poster of the two vampire brothers from the show (whom we both think are very hot!); and her favorite is the new doll that makes adorable cooing sounds while sucking on a pacifier. Dylan got her the cute little ceramic puppy.Finally, here are my gifts. Dylan gave me the beautiful green earrings, Jacob got me the Water Horse DVD, and Sarah gave me the Star Trek DVD. They know what I like!

Most of the day was spent playing with and enjoying their new gifts. Above, we have Jacob assembling his new boat, Sarah learning how to play the new Phase 10 Twist game, and Dylan playing Guitar Hero on DS. When Dylan didn't have the DS in his hand, he was racing the motorcycle around the house, terrorizing poor Diego! There was also a lot more foot-stompin' to the Dance Dance Revolution game.
Jacob and Sarah playing Phase 10 Twist.
At 3:00 we had an early turkey dinner. Jacob made us a peach pie for dessert later tonight. (So much for no starches or sugars!)

After dinner we drove over to Show Low Lake to see if there was any part of the lake unfrozen enough for Jacob to float his new boat on, but no such luck. He'll have to wait till warmer weather brings a thaw. It was 24 degrees outside while we were there. Brrrr!

*

Below is a short video taken at the lake. The ice isn't strong enough to walk on yet, but it's pretty tough. Instead of skipping stones across the water, the boys (Dylan's friend Justin had joined us) skipped ice across the ice. It produces an eerie sound, almost like the sound of a boomerang. The camera didn't pick it up too well, but maybe you can hear it...

Christmas Eve

I love Christmas Eve. It conjures up images of a peaceful evening, a quiet hearth, and visions of sweet things dancing through our heads. With teenagers in the house, though, it doesn't always turn out that way.

*

It all started sweetly. Last night Sarah and Jacob spent a couple of hours hand-dipping nearly 100 large pretzels. So many wonderful people from church have given gifts of service to our family throughout the year, and at Christmas time we try to think of some small token of appreciation to give in return.

They put blue sprinkles on the white chocolate...

...and clear sprinkles on the chocolate chocolate.
*

This morning we wrapped pretzels in blue plastic bags, tied them with ribbon, and attached notes for each family. Then Jacob spent all morning making deliveries.

My children spent the afternoon in pursuits like sledding and watching The Santa Clause. After dinner they asked if they could open one gift. I allowed them to open the family gift I'd gotten for them: the 3rd incarnation of Dance Dance Revolution.

So much for a quiet, peaceful evening! They spent the next 3 hours stomping out dance moves while the nick-nacks on my shelves shimmied dangerously near the edges.

I have to admit, it's fun to watch them. And I do approve of the new video games that encourage physical activity. (My personal favorite is Wii Fit.)

At 11:00 I called a halt to the dancing so we could observe our annual tradition of filming the kids while they hung their stockings. You can see that they became creative this year, hanging their stockings on the clock. Interesting, but odd...
*

By 11:30 they were all snug in their beds, waiting for Santa to come. I'm sure they'd be dreaming of sugar plums, if they only knew what they were!

And so, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good-Night!

Christmas Nephew

My newest grand-nephew decided to make his grand entrance during the snowstorm that dumped about a foot of snow on us last night and this morning.

*

Ian Thomas was born at 9:42 this morning after his mother, my niece Amber, spent a very long night laboring.

*

He weighed 9 lbs 6 oz and was 22.5 inches long. That's a tall little guy!

*

Isn't he just gorgeous?

*
Sarah and I got to stop in for a visit with Mom and Son early this evening.

*

*

We ran into Daddy Ethan in the parking lot on our way in. He was making a quick trip home to make sure their house hadn't frozen. (Frozen pipes are no laughing matter...)

*

Ethan told us he has fallen in love with his "adorable" new son. How many times do we hear tough guys use the word "adorable"? It must be love!

*

Of course, we couldn't leave without spending some time with this cute little man in our arms.

*

When Sarah snapped this picture, she said it was a bad one because my hair was in the way. I told her it was perfect. It's best to conceal as much of my face as possible when I'm not wearing makeup!

*

Besides, Ian is the center of attention today!

*

He loved it when I spoke to him. He started out very fussy but calmed down as soon as I spoke close to his face. He clearly enjoyed listening to the voices of his parents from inside the womb.

*

*

We practically had to pry Ian from Sarah's arms when it was time to go. Just a few minutes ago Sarah said, "Mom, let's go back to the hospital!"

*

By the time we left, Amber had been offered free babysitting services for at least the next 3 years!

*

*
Then we headed across the street to WalMart to buy our forgotten potatoes. (See last post!)

*

This shot of the hospital will remind Ian that he arrived on a snowy morning. Amber and son were in the brand-new maternity wing on the 3rd floor of the new building at right.

*

Welcome to the world, little Ian! Your extended family already adores you!