Tis the Season

We've been really enjoying the Christmas season this year. With two little boys, and one in particular with an enthusiasm for all things Christmas, it's been an especially magical holiday season so far. And with the boys' birthdays smushed in with all the festivities, they are going to wonder what happened to the stream of gifts come January! Our mailman has become known to us as our own personal Santa, as he's had to come to our door with packages a handful of times already - and he even has a gray beard! Ho ho ho!

Putting up the tree after Thanksgiving was full of excitement. "Oh, my Chri'mas Tree! A beautiful Chri'mas Tree! You made me a Chri'mas Tree" was all we heard out of Eli. He also helped me hang a few lights out on our deck and in the front bushes... he was right underneath me with excited chatter the whole time. At one point he exclaimed, "Oh, I'm so HAPPY to see this!" Since we were preparing for his birthday at the same time, I think he presumes all the hoopla is JUST for him! Both boys got a kick out of playing in the tree box and hanging ornaments - they rearrange them on a daily basis. The tree is also the main delicacy for Eli's dinosaurs right now...



This past weekend we went to see Santa at Bass Pro Shops. It was both of the boys' first experience with the jolly elf. I'm not huge on promoting Santa and have tried not to focus on him very much (I think Santa represents some good things, but I don't want him to overshadow the celebration of the Savior's birth, or to promote the rampant disease of materialism that is getting harder to avoid these days), but it was fun to share a whimsical tradition with our kids. The store was decked out like a winter wonderland, and they had all sorts of activities for the kids. Owen tried really hard to climb into the enclosure with the remote control monster trucks - he was sure he needed to hold one! Eli saw the electric train and stopped dead in his tracks - so you can guess what we stood around watching for TWO HOURS! Oh well, the line for Santa was long anyway. We finally pulled him kicking and screaming from the trains to go get a quick picture. Neither boy would sit with Santa, but we did get Eli to tell him what he hopes to get for Christmas - A TRAIN. Specifically "Stepney" from Thomas & Friends - of course the one that is hard to find. Thank goodness Santa knows how to use ebay =).


Besides the excitement over the Christmas tree and lights, and all the ornament re-arranging that's been going on, probably the BEST thing about this year is having Eli really get into the Christmas Story. We talk about it every night during family scripture study, and do a little something different for our Family Home Evening lessons each Monday night. Eli loves learning about Jesus, and he also likes talking about babies coming out of mommies' tummies... so learning that Jesus was once a baby IN a mommy's tummy and he came out in a stable full of animals has been exciting for him. He can't get enough of hearing the Nativity story.

We put a little basket under our tree with a baby wrapped in it, and Eli likes to hold and kiss him and tell me "You're Mary and I'm Joseph" and "I love the baby Jesus." He also likes to pretend he is the baby Jesus and makes me wrap him in his towel and lay him in a "manger" every night after his bath. Owen really likes the fact that there is a donkey in the Christmas story, and he can even "eee awww" for it. The new favorite song around here also is Away in a Manger. While Eli seems to understand the general idea of Christmas, there are still a few gaps.... last week when we got a dusting of snow overnight, he looked out the window first thing in the morning and proclaimed "It snowed! God gave us Christmas!"

One of our recent FHE lessons was about the Wisemen and the gifts they brought the baby - we put a treasure box under our tree (and will not put any wrapped gifts there until Christmas morning) and filled it with pieces of paper on which he wrote/drew things that we could do that would be like giving gifts to Jesus (sharing, being kind, reading scriptures, helping others etc). It's been fun to review and add to it every week. We still plan to play Santa and have him leave some special things in the boys' stockings, but we try to emphasize that the reason Santa gives us gifts is to REMIND us that it is Jesus' birthday! To remind us that Jesus is the greatest GIFT we've been given. To remind us to give back to Him and to each other. So Merry Christmas everyone!

It's a Boy!

No I'm not pregnant... but my SISTER is! I'm going to have a nephew in early May! Aub, you are going to be one super awesome mama! Her ultrasound video is on her blog, but it's a private blog so ask for an invite if you know her and haven't linked up yet =). It seriously gives me the chills to see a little baby wiggling around in utero!

And not to leave anyone out - my sister in law (married to Brad's brother ) is having a boy as well just a few weeks before! We plan to make it out to UT for the babyboom and stay a while....

Thanksgiving in Columbia

We spent another Thanksgiving away from family this year, but thankfully shared a lovely meal with some great friends! I am extra thankful that we celebrated with them because Brad was on-call for the holiday. He went in to the hospital all morning, came home in time to follow us over to their home in his own car, answered call after call during our visit, and even had to go back in for an emergency at one point. I would have been bummed to have all that going on if we were home alone. So in spite of the work craziness (he also worked all Fri, Sat and Sun as well - with calls into the night), we had a lot of fun eating yummy food, watching kids play, and dancing off some of the turkey and pie before we went home. On Saturday Brad even got to watch a BYU game in the evening at a friends' house - a nice break for him! The kids were starting to get sick so I stayed home with them and we watched Horton Hears a Who. Sunday Brad worked and the kids and I stayed home from Church because I was starting to feel sick - we watched home movies from when Eli was born, and he was totally tickled. It reminded me just how much I wanted to be a mother, and how thankful I am to be one.

We are also grateful for the good brothers and sisters in the Gospel that we manage to meet wherever we go, and for having good friends who haven't tired of hanging out with us, for having a job that is secure and promising, for having each other, for having our family whose love is felt from far away, and for having our knowledge and faith in God and his watchcare over us. It's been a full year, and we are thankful!

For a Family Home Evening we wrote things we were thankful for on leaves. Eli enjoyed hanging them out of Owen's reach, and reciting every night what was written on them.

Hand turkeys, and a fall tree - painted by Eli.

Playing with Lexi and Tanner - two of Eli's favorite friends.

Dancing with Lexi - she says she is going to marry Eli someday -
we'd be just fine with that =).

Dancing with Daddy!

Everyone was worn out by Sunday afternoon.
This reminds me of a pile of sleeping puppies - love my boys!

Almost Three

Dear Eli,

I will probably begin every birthday letter to you in this way - "I can't believe you're 3 (or fill in future number)!" It is amazing how fast you have grown from my precious little baby, to my delightful little boy. You keep me endlessly entertained with newfound vocabulary and innocent wit. I love to watch you when immersed in your parallel universe of pretend play - the dinosaurs, trains, and cars, oh my! Your mind is always on the go - if we hear an unexpected sound, you might say "Did you hear that? Maybe it was a Dinosaur!" The other day you climbed to the top of our boat playhouse and said "I'm tall! I'm a Brachiasaurus! I eat leaves!" You also told me that you have a baby Brachiasaurus in your tummy... that one still cracks me up! You really bring so much laughter and fun into our lives these days. You have been very excited about turning three, and when anyone asks you "what is your name" or "how are you" or "how old are you," your answer is the same to all questions - "I'm almost free! (three)." I'm having a hard time convincing you that now you ARE three!

You are an active, bright, and caring little boy. You definitely have an internal sense of order about things, and can really dig in your heels when things don't go accordingly (I think this is called being stubborn). You especially do not like to be told what to do, or be forced into anything (ie. when/how to get dressed; when/how to get in the car; when/what to eat etc) - this used to really frustrate me, but I can see it now as a positive trait - one that will help you navigate this world of pressures and negative influences without being swayed from what you know to be true. It has also helped me to learn to be more creative in my parenting approach, and more positive. The happier, more cheerful, playful, and kind my approach, the more likely I will get cooperation from you! So, I have you to thank for helping me to become a better person and mother!

You have become so much more active and independent this year, but I also appreciate your continued need and desire for closeness. Whenever we sit and read, you slip your little hands into mine. You love hugs and kisses, and getting cuddled to sleep at night (though you have completely switched to wanting Daddy ONLY for this). You also like to be wrapped occasionally, and it's not uncommon for me to end up in the rocking chair with both of you boys in my lap fighting for space. You and Owen have the typical sibling rivalry, but I can clearly see that you both love one another as well. Owen always wants to be where you are and do what you are doing. In fact, he kissed you for the first time on your birthday! You often tell me how much you "love the little baby" and you hug and kiss him frequently (you also take his toys and push him down just for fun, but you are still learning!). You help me cheer for Owen when he learns new things (ie. going down the stairs alone, or saying new words) and you always remind me to get Owen when we are heading to the car (as if I might forget!). You are learning to be helpful in ways such as fetching diapers, taking things to the garbage or hamper, or picking things up for me when I'm holding Owen. These are little things, but I really appreciate the help!

As always, this year has brought much change, though I have to say it was an unusually bus one. This year you finally agreed to feed yourself with a utensil (though you still ask me to help you now and then), you became interested in climbing and fell in love with the park, you willingly tasted ice cream for the first time and are now a fan, you weaned from breastfeeding at 2 1/2, and started potty training about a month ago. You got tubes put in both of your ears (also at 2 1/2) and except for the awful initial infection, things have been going well. You've really learned to sing, and you make up your own songs sometimes - you also have the ability to repeat memorized stories, and to make up your own stories. You visited Utah once and Arizona twice, as well as Washington D.C, New York City, Boston, Cape Cod, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New Jersey, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Maine. You also moved with us for the second time in 12 months from Massachusetts to Columbia, Missouri. That is a lot of activity and change for such a little guy (especially one who likes order) but you really hung in there! It has been nice to settle down as a family the past few months, and you have really enjoyed having a bigger house and a yard of your own to play in. You made your first best friend in Massachusetts, only to have him move away a few months later. You have blossomed socially and though are still a bit slow to warm in new situations, you are very receptive to the offered friendships of kind and respectful children (no pushy, aggressive friends for you!) and you LOVE to play with friends. You will often insist that I must leave you there when I tell you it is time to go home from a playgroup - this is a turnaround from the little boy who used to hug my legs and scream - even at library story time that we attended weekly for months.

Overall Eli, it has been a delightful year. We've had our ups and downs as we always will, but I'm so thankful to be your mom, and I Love you!

Love,
Mommy

The Carousel Ride

Gifts and Balloons

Dinosaur Train Cake!

Wrapping and Pizza Making

Your Celebration

We celebrated a few days early so that we could have the entire Saturday to enjoy it. We all went to the Columbia Mall and rode the Carousel - you even got a second ride for free! We had lunch at Chipotle (a RARE treat) where you had your favorite - a quesadilla. Then we came home and opened presents - though you opened your first one all by yourself while no one was looking! "Oh look, it's Thomas the Train!" we heard you say... you were so thrilled by your find that it was difficult to get you to focus on opening the rest. Thomas was from Mom and Dad, as well as a book called Dinotrain, and Thomas-aurus Rex. and you got a train track set from Grandma and Grandpa K. You also got a "Potty Monkey" with his own toilet, and a sticker chart from Aunt Aubrey (which is working great by the way!). Grandma and Grandpa and Great Grandma K also sent you money that we are setting aside for Christmas. Your cake by request was a Dinosaur Train! I had to really think about that one - luckily I found directions online for a train cake and added the Dinos myself. Your favorite TV show is a PBS cartoon called Dinosaur Train... I will never forget the look on your face when you saw the cake - you'd been talking about it for weeks and the pure excitement at seeing it made the 3+ hours it took to make it worth it! Grandma and Grandpa K and B called to sing you happy birthday. But, we ended up eating cake "scraps" (cut pieces from cake construction) and saving the actual train cake for your bday. You were so wound up from all of the excitement that you didn't go to bed until 11pm! You were half asleep sitting on the floor, driving trains off the track as your head bobbed, but you still threw a fit when we took you to bed! It was a wonderful day!

The next day (Sunday) you had a terrific time in Nursery, and we got to have home made pizza for dinner! You were thrilled to get to be wrapped on my back while I cooked. We skipped cake yet again because we went to a friend's house for dessert... when we got there you saw the toys and said "oh the beautiful toys!" and had the time of your life!

A week before your birthday I pulled out the home video from when I was pregnant with you and you were first born - you were mesmerized and completely tickled by it. You talked on and on about being in my tummy, about "oh baby E-I so cute! I love baby E-I." And seeing all of us and your grandparents fussing over you really just made your day. On your actual birth day, we had a low key but nice day at home full of playing with your new train. That night your Nursery Teacher Sister Rachael came by with a gift for you, and she joined us for another round of candles and the official cake eating. You'd think we would know by now not to give two little boys chocolate cake before bedtime.... Then we had family home evening and talked about the baby Jesus, the gifts the wisemen brought, and we put our treasure box under the tree to collect gifts for Him. It was another wonderful day, and we let you stay up far too late again!

Your Favorites at Three

Toys: Trains, Dinosaurs

Food: Your food tastes have not expanded much since last year. You do now eat ONE vegetable - carrots! Sometimes I can sneak mashed bean into your quesadillas, and you eat yogurt. Food you LIKE is toast with cream cheese, cheese, yogurt, bread products, apple dipped in Nutella, pizza, and chocolate chips!

TV: Dinosaur Train, Superwhy! Caillou (all PBS)

DVDs: Elmo Potty Time, Signing Time, Cars

Books: You LOVE books and your favorites change often. Current favorites include Dionsaurumpus, How do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight/Eat their Food?, Stellaluna, Dinosaur Roar, Dino Train, Dino Pets, and of course, The Little Engine that Could.

Play: Slides, Running, Climbing the playhouse, Trains, Dinosaurs, Knocking Owen Down, Being with Friends, Holding your baby in a Sling

Places: Nursery, Library Story Time, Playgroups

Best Friends: I wouldn't say you have a "best" right now, but some kids you really like to see are Lexi and Tanner, Andrew and Ally, and Oliver

Most used Words/Phrases: No I NOT!, It's kinda too hard , Oh no! What's happened to me?, Just be friends!, Be nice mommy! You're a nice Mommy!, No Owen!

Songs: Away in a Manger, Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Stats: 32+ pounds (I need to measure your height), size 4T shirts and 3T months pants (you are tall and skinny) and size 9-10 shoes.

Perfect

This conversation occurred today while I was getting the boys dressed. Eli has a pair of adjustable waist jeans, and I noted out loud that they were getting tight and I actually had to loosen them up a setting.

Brad: Eli, is mommy fattening you up?

Eli: No! Mommy is NOT fat!

Me (gently sarcastic): Yeah Brad, geez!

Brad: Eli, is mommy pretty?

Eli: No! Mommy not!

Me: Well what am I Eli?

Eli (looking right in my eyes and with a serious voice): You're PERFECT.


You had better believe that I scooped that boy right up in a hug and wiped a tear or two from my eyes. He doesn't know that I've been struggling lately with doubts and discouragement about my own parenting; that I've been trying really hard to be a more patient and joyful mother; that I've been frustrated and worn out a lot. But apparently whatever I've been trying to do is good enough for him. Thanks for the pick-me-up Eli! Maybe 3 years old won't be so bad... =)