Christmas Eve Festivities

For over a year, we'd planned on spending this Christmas on the east coast with Dustinn's side of our family.  Not long before the holidays, we realized how difficult it would be for our family this year.  We were definitely caught between a rock and a hard place, fretting endlessly about disappointing/saddening Grandparents while wanting to do the right thing for our family.
Of course, everyone was very understanding but we MISS being able to see how baby Amelia has grown, acting out the nativity, and being able to spend quality time with everyone.  Most of all, we miss the opportunity for our kids to develop their relationships with their aunts, uncles; grandparents.

Thus, this is the first year we've celebrated Christmas as just our little family.  It was a sweet and tender experience for us.

In mid-December, Dustinn and I sat down and talked about the many wonderful Christmases we've shared with our families and realized, "this year it's up to us to make it magical. What should we do?"  We decided this year was a wonderful opportunity to gear all activities towards our little children.

On Christmas Eve, the kids watched the 1970's Santa Claus is Comin' to Town while Dustinn and I got the festivities ready.  Then:

• We had a Back-to-Bethlehem dinner and ate fish, grapes, olives and we were going to do unleavened bread but I made butter-flake rolls instead because we like them.
• We read and talked through the story of Christ's birth then the children acted it out.  

• Then we opened a package from my mom containing the traditional first gift of Christmas--matching pajamas! (Well, all the adults match.  Even Lindy in Montreal.)

 

(apparently, thats how Dustinn thinks I pose
for pictures.  lol)

• We sang The Friendly Beasts with paper bag puppets.  The kids were very animated with the puppets and requested encore after encore.  (Success!)  

Chubby fists began rubbing tired eyes and in record time both kids were fast asleep.

Questions

Bradshaw is at the age of questions.  We hear sweet "why?"s all day long.
The other day we were talking about Jesus and Heavenly Father and how they are related.

B:     So Heavly Fadur is Jesus' Dada. Hmm, who is him Granfadur?
Me:  I don't know who His grandfather is.
B:     Jesus dudn't had a Granfadur!  Oh poor Jesus.  Dats so sad.

*Bradshaw adores my Grandfather (his Great Grandfather).  I don't remember precisely when it began but "Granfadur" is a regular character in our daily conversations.  I think the affinity began when we lived with my Grandmother and Grandfather in 2009 while waiting for ICPC clearance (ie legal permission to travel with Olivia from her birth state to our home state.)  One evening, Bradshaw snuggled up with Grandfather in the La-Z-Boy for an old b&w western and they became lifetime comrades.  Last Christmas, my Grandfather spent hours lying on the floor with Bradshaw working on a toy train.  Needless to say, when I told Bradshaw he'd be seeing Grandfather over Thanksgiving he clenched his fists in giddiness and squealed "Me so lucky!"

Pulling out the big guns

Tonight the kids were sitting at the table and I was explaining what everyone needed to do to get ready for bed.

Bradshaw was playing with a couple of people from the Fisher Price Nativity.  He held the baby Jesus toward me and speaking for him said, "I tink Bwadshaw should stay up!"

He lowers the figurine and with a very grave expression said, "hmmm, dats what baby Jesus tink, what you tink Mama?"

Baby it's cold outside

Believe it or not, yesterday was my first time driving in snow.

(I didn't have a car at BYU and everything'd shut down when there was snow in Virginia.)
And Dustinn's out of town, or he'd likely drive.

Church is at 9 and the snow was coming down heavily.  They hadn't plowed or salted yet.  It was so icy that I was sliding all over the place even though I was going ~10 mph.  I was choking back the tears when I arrived at church and suddenly I became aware that no one else was even flinching at the snow!  I was the only one frozen in terror while everyone else was busily carrying on as usual!

Our prayers for safety were answered twofold.  A friend's husband kindly offered to drive us home. And by the time church was over plows with salt had come through and was I able to easily and safely drive home.

Today's forecast: Staying in!  Christmas music, hot chocolate, long bubble bath for the kids and dance party on Mama's bed.  

Miss Clever - 14.5 months

If we say we are "getting ready to go" or even if I start packing a diaper bag, Olivia will run to the shoe closet, grab her shoes, and plop on my lap to have them put on (and sometimes she tries to put them on by herself.) Then she fetches Bradshaw's shoes for him.    

She loves going out.  Anywhere.

She also loves getting dressed.  Sitting up very straight, with a lil' miss diva face of contentment, she'll stick out one leg at a time and point her toes for us to put on leggings.
Once she's dressed, she'll turn around once or twice for us to see then become bashful.

She's learning animal noises and names of the facial features.

Bradshaw and Olivia both like to push the elevator button and compete to push it first.  He runs faster so unless he's distracted he pushes it first.  Anyway, as soon as I step outside our apartment, Olivia fully extends her arm with one little finger pointing (in other words, she's elevator-button-pushing ready) even though we're still several turns and long hallway away from the elevator.  

Take my word for it, it's insanely competitive and funny for a 1-yr-old.

the asking-for-a-bite-of-whatever-you-have face

Bradshaw-isms

Today we got home from church and there was a little spider smushed on floor in our kitchen.  Bradshaw sees it and begins to moan, "it died!  it died. poor widdle guy.  You didn't a-surve (deserve) it.  We never play a-gether again."  [Little cry sounds]

Last night he was sitting on my lap while I was reading to him.
Me: "I am holding something very precious on my lap.  What is it?"
Bradshaw, without guile: "my bottom"

Whenever he means to say, "it's my fault" he says "it's my fart." He's been saying this for months but it still makes us laugh all the time.  In public:
"oops, that's my fart"
"sorry, my fart"

Tonight he sat at the table after dinner, blowing against his hand and moving his hand progressively further from his face.  When he determined the furthest distance his breath could be felt, he showed me, "Mama, my air is this big."

In the car: "Mama do you drive more with your hands or your feet?  Which more?

When Bradshaw's giving kisses, he'll say "now on you eyes" and kiss each eye, "and now you nose" and kiss my nose, and "on you little holes" (nostrils; yes, he wants to kiss my nostrils...), "and on you falishes (eyelashes, he insists on his made-up name for them).

To Olivia, while giving each other repeated hugs on the couch, "you best ever, Baby!"
 (He addresses her by the nickname "Baby" most of the time.)

Rummaging through the fridge, looking for strawberry yogurt, "another peach, and another peach, another peach....errrr!  Me angry and fwustwated!"
He expresses himself, then he's over it, and skips off to play.  Does this reflect toddler emotions or male emotions? lol

(This was on my sister's blog.)  Isn't that cool that her friend is Santa's helper?!

At first Bradshaw gasped and said, "Santa know me!"
Then he was exasperatedly trying to get Santa to hear him "Santa...Santa...I a nice boy!"

(Background: Bradshaw saw a remote control car at Walgreens several weeks ago and has been asking for it since. Back in August, Dustinn's MBA program handed out the exact same remote control car to students with young kids.  We put it in the closet and forgot about it until the day Bradshaw fell in love with one at Walgreens and that sneaky smile of "knowingness" passed between D & I.  Fortuitous.)

PS  Olivia loves to say "Ho ho ho"

Turkey Time

*Note Olivia's reflection*
Olivia's petrified of animals (in fact, she panics when we past the
fish tank in Walmart.)  Olivia warmed up nicely--as long as there
was glass between them.

Mexican restaurant on the river where Katy gave an awesome rendition of Guacamole

Everyone indulged Bradshaw by playing Loopin Louie again
& again & again.

Hiking with Grandfather.  The picture doesn't convey it but we
were standing on the edge of an insanely high cliff.

BYU vs. Utah game.
My Grandmother was quite boastful afterwards.

Fog every morning, sometimes so thick it felt like the house
was perched in a cloud.

  We also had almost nightly expeditions to the church to play basketball.  (I love that even though we're all at varying skill levels it's so fun to play together.)  And we spent a lot of time playing eights, Gin with a Tail, Golf, and Bang.  Then hot-tubbing at night.  Thanks Mom & Dad!

Playing Chicken

pretty adorable siblings, imho

the face of concentration

Thanksgiving break was...

waaaay too short!

the taste testers

More pictures to come.

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Today, in honor of December 1st, Livy & I painted our toenails glittery red.
Tonight, we're going to our friend's place to celebrate with them the first candle of Hanukkah.
Then we're coming home to listen to listen to Christmas music and put up the tree!
AND delicate little snowflakes have been twirling in the air all day (first of the season).

I love this time of year.

Musika

 This evening my sister Katy was gracing the household with beautiful piano music.  It's no surprise to Dustinn and I that Olivia loves music and quickly found her way to Katy at the piano.  Katy pulled out my mom's box of musical instruments and almost immediately they drew a crowd that jammed together for the next hour. 

Good times.

 

 

 P.S. Bradshaw was displaying the recorder's shrillest notes at the dinner table, when my Grandfather with a grin said, "Maybe we should give him a hammer and ask if he knows what's inside that whistle."  lol.

P.P.S. This man deserves some sort of award:

Yes, my 1-yr-old is busy texting her friends

Portland!

We're in Portland!

Dustinn has been wanting to visit the northwest (specifically Washington & Oregon) for several years.  So naturally he was very excited when my parents moved out here.  Queue Thanksgiving holiday and the rest is history.

They live in rural suburbs (but surprisingly just 20 minutes from the airport).  There are so many waterfalls you could spent 2 weeks visiting different ones.  They also live along the Columbia river where my dad has seen sturgeon 12 feet long.  Lewis & Clark ventured here as well.

Columbia River

Multinoma Falls (you can only see a portion here.  The falls are larger than Victoria Falls and Niagara Falls.) See the bridge behind us?  Several years ago a bridal party was taking pictures there when a 460 ton chunk of volcanic rock broke off from the cliff.  No one was seriously injured but you can imagine the amount of water that displaced.   They were soaked!

view from the neighborhood

Navy Pier Ferris Wheel

Today we went to Navy Pier (the Santa Monica Pier of Chicago.)  It was a cold, rainy day but we still had a good time.  We were surprised how much Bradshaw & Olivia enjoyed the Ferris Wheel.  Bradshaw said "This is fun!" probably twenty times.
Lately, I been daydreaming about taking the kids to Disneyland/Disney World (maybe to celebrate when D graduates?) and this added fuel to the fire.

family picture attempt #1

attempt #2

happy girl + skyline

Them Bones, Them Bones...Gonna Walk Around

(does anyone remember that preschool song?)

Walk For Adoption

If you run in the some of the same blog circles we do, you know November is Adoption Awareness Month.  :)

Last Saturday, we went to a Walk for Adoption (put on by Holly & Christy of Families Supporting Adoption).  There was energy in the air.  There's something really special about a group of strangers being united by gratitude.

So I thought it would be cold.  Boy howdy, was I wrong.
We were all drenched with sweat when we got in the car afterwards.

the reason

He wanted to enter the raffle...but he couldn't pick up a pencil with his mittens on.  :)
Our very own Randy Parker.  Can you name that movie?

See the ribbons?
Yellow=Adoptive Parent
Green=Adoptee
White=Adoption Supporter

Thatta boy.
Run after those other kids with your big stick.  J/k