Still Not the Christmas Post

We drove to NY today to celebrate New Year's Eve with some friends. You might have heard about the crazy storm New England got hit with today...

What could make Blake make this somewhat horrendous face?
This Semi-truck

In our lane!

Is it Wednesday Already?

Meet the Ropers

The following Friday Blake invited me over to his apartment for a homemade dinner. I was definitely impressed that he was going to cook for me. I got to his apartment and he was a little distraught. He tried to prepare fettuccine Alfredo, but there were weevils in the pasta! I’ve always been quick thinking, so I suggested a quick trip to Macey’s to buy some more. Dinner wasn’t ready until about 8 PM, but it was delicious.

Blake seemed really tired after dinner, so I asked him if he needed to go to bed. I never really expected him to cut our date short for that, but he did. That was my first clue into how big of a priority sleep is in Blake’s life.

The next evening Blake came to pick me up for our date with a gerbera daisy. That is one of my favorite types of flower. I thought it was so sweet! We were heading up to Salt Lake City for dinner and the Mormon Tabernacle Choir concert. From my journal:

“On the way there he informed me that we would be meeting his brother and a date for dinner. He’s warned me about this brother a little and he seemed kind of nervous about things. He also told me that we’d be meeting his parents after the concert. I wouldn’t have minded being made aware of that before so I could feel more prepared but I’m crazy about the guy so he’s forgiven. Then his car engine over heated so we had to stop on the side of the road for a little while. We let it cool, he put more antifreeze in and then it was fine. He was a little embarrassed about it but I don’t know why, it’s not like it reflects back on him or something. It’s a car. They do things like that.

“Dinner with his brother was interesting. It wasn’t the greatest experience of my life but it wasn’t awful. Maybe just awkward. Brandon and I have a lot of differences and he and his date entertained themselves by mocking me. Learning to get along with his brother will be a challenge but it can be done.

“The concert was great. We were late so we were way over to one side and couldn’t see very well, but the music was beautiful. And Walter Kronkite was there. They did a short video special about his life and then he conducted the “Hallelujah Chorus”. He’s pretty good. He came out again later and told the story of Christmas during WWI when the troops had an unofficial truce and celebrated and sang together. The choir sang intermittently throughout the story and there were some amazing soloists. And if that wasn’t enough, I got to sit with the most amazing guy. It was very nice.

“Afterwards we met up with his parents, Brandon and his date, and his two youngest brothers Trace and Casey. I met his sister at a football game, so now I’ve met everyone except his brother Chris. We didn’t talk to them long after the concert, but they all seem very nice. His little brothers are so cute. Then he and I walked around Temple Square looking at the lights. We saw some people from my ward last year (including Lane)—that was interesting. We took some pictures too, of us and the lights. I’m excited to see how they turn out. Then we walked around Salt Lake a little. I decided that I really like winter when I can share it with someone. There’s something romantic about walking in the cold together.”

That was definitely an interesting night. I was not at all pleased to be meeting his family without warning. I hadn’t had a ton of time to do my hair and while I liked my outfit, it wasn’t my very cutest—which I would have chosen had I known I’d be meeting them. Dinner wasn’t quite what I had expected. But the good news is, I have learned to get along with Brandon.

Cheryl Meets My Family

Just because it’s been so long since we posted, we are resuming the story the week after our first kiss. From my journal: “Things really started to pick up after that kiss. I made dinner for her on Friday night, but I was so tired that we ended the evening early. Weevils sabotaged my first effort when I found they had made a nest in my fettuccine Alfredo noodles!”

That really was a bizarre event. I opened the box to dump the noodles in and bugs came pouring out everywhere! When Cheryl arrived I was a little down, but she had such a positive attitude and didn’t appear to be grossed out by what happened. I’m glad she was patient and not too judgmental. I was really tired afterward (probably from staying up late studying) so I called it an early night. Sleep is a big priority for me, but that was probably one of the few times in my collegiate single life that I actually went to bed before midnight.

More from my journal: “On Saturday I studied most of the day with Nick. At the end of the studying we stopped by the flower shop and I bought Cheryl a Gerber Daisy. She was really happy. We then drove up to Salt Lake to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert. My car overheated on the way up, but I was able to fix the problem (embarrassing). We met Brandon and his date Jackie Lee at The Old Spaghetti Factory. Good food, but Brandon was really weird to Cheryl (trying to shock her by saying bizarre, random things).”

I knew Cheryl really liked Gerber Daisies. My car did have serious issues. Many of the coolant hoses leaked big time. I always had to monitor the heat gauge. It would stay level until the coolant ran out and then the needle would jump up to the hot zone really quick. We had to pull over on the freeway in Lehi. I had the refilling procedure down to a science, but I was embarrassed because I had my nice clothes on and we were running a bit behind.

If anyone knows my brother Brandon, they know he loves to go for the shock factor. Brandon used to tell me that old girlfriends were too “stiff”. Not sure how he came up with this label; maybe because he went to the U and I dated girls from the Y. Anyway, before he even met Cheryl he was convinced she was stiff as well. I was more worried about Cheryl meeting Brandon than meeting my parents.

Brandon and his date were pretty tough on Cheryl, but she held her own pretty well. Here’s a small sampling of the questions he asked: “I bet you are one of those girls who always does her visiting teaching?” “Are you my marrying my brother for the Roper Family money?” Note: we hadn’t talked about marriage and what family money? Also, “is Blake a good kisser?” while I was using the restroom. Thanks Brandon!

“After dinner we took TRAX up to the Conference Center. The program was great and featured Walter Cronkite. Following the production we met up with my family for a moment and then Cheryl and I walked around Temple Square and took a couple pictures of the lights. I dropped Cheryl off at her roommate Linsey’s house in South Jordan and drove home alone listening to one of Cheryl’s CDs.”

The meeting with the rest of the family was brief, but positive. I enjoyed walking around Temple Square with Cheryl and considered the evening a success.

I Miss My Grandpa

My grandpa died last Tuesday. He turned 93 in November. He's had poor health for most of the part of my life I can remember. Time and again he would go through something really serious and then rally and pull through it. And I think that a part of me belived that he would continue to do that forever. So, when he was diagnosed with colon cancer a month ago, I tried to accept the inevitable, but I couldn't. Not really.

My earliest memories of my grandpa are of him "biting" my ears. It was a game we played that I loved. He had a mustache and it tickled. One day every year he would take all the granddaughters in the area bowling. He was a very excellent bowler. We're talking 300's. I didn't inherit that. But high scores weren't what this day was all about. He also took the grandsons on another day.

I have many memories of playing games with my grandpa. Perhaps the best was the time he got 13's in all four corners in a game of Six-Card Golf. He was so pleased with himself. It really was quite impressive.

Whenever I asked him how he was, he'd say, "Hangin' in there." That was very true. Every time he saw Kayli, he'd say, "She's a sweetheart." I can still hear it just the way he said it.

Grandpa was in the military and often shared amazing stories from his experiences during WWII. He served a mission as a young man and then served at least 4 more with my granma. He also shared many amazing stories from these times.

One of the most significant things I learned from my grandpa is how to love. The relationship between him and my grandma is the most pure I've ever witnessed. The bond that is between them is indescribable. They never seemed to let selfishness have any place in their marriage. My grandma was always serving him and he was always saying the sweetest, most flattering things about her.

The funeral is tomorrow. I'm not going--for several reasons I don't feel like going into here. This has allowed me to remain somewhat in denial about the whole thing. I'd like to think I'm completely in denial because I don't want to deal with it or believe it. But I know I'm not because I keep feeling this horrible pain in my chest. I thought something was wrong with me, but now I'm realizing that it's just the pain of grief.

I am so grateful for the knowlede I wrote about in my last post on my Abiding Joy blog. I know that I will see my grandpa again. I know that he and my grandma will be husband and wife for eternity. Without this knowledge, my grief would undoubtedly be accompanied by a horrible sense of finality and desperation. But this is not the case, because I know Jesus Christ provided a way for us all to be together again.

I love you, Grandpa. I miss you.

Merry Christmas!

It's been a very eventful last few days, but I will have to post about that later.

I'm still working on our family newsletter, but I will have to post about that later.

I'm trying to get Blake to write his latest installment of How We Met, but I will have to post about that later.

On Sunday I wrote a post about my Savior Jesus Christ on www.abiding-joy.blogspot.com. Go to the link and you can read that now.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Oh, The Weather Outside is Frightful

We don't have a fire, but it's still delightful inside our house because guess what we do have--Blake!!!

That's right. You read correctly. It is light outside and Blake is home. He's working. But he's home. He'll be here for dinner and bedtime preparations tonight. So, unless this snowstorm messes with my sister and her husband's flight tomorrow, I love it. I really love it. I am not a big fan of the cold, but there is something really fun about a serious snowstorm. As long as the whole family is safe and snug at home. It just feels cozy.

(Snow Update: I just looked out the window and my neighbor is shoveling his driveway. We're supposed to get 6-12 inches and it just barely started. Does he really think that's going to help?!)

Anyway, did you know that Santa has a workshop here in New England? Not too far from us, actually. So, we met up with some friends there earlier in the week to pay him a visit.

It's hard for Santa to keep track of what each child wants, so his Head Elf was there to take notes

Do you think this is grounds for a lump of coal?

Kayli was pretty excited to be there, but forgot what she wanted. At least that's what I thought. Turns out, she just forgot what it was called. A magnadoodle. That is a tricky name to remember. She recently broke hers and would really like a new one. Fortunately for Santa, Grandma's already got that one covered. Shh! It's a secret.

Speaking of secrets, Kayli already blew one with Blake. When he got home from his trip last week, she went upstairs to unpack with him. As they were coming back down I overheard the tailend of their conversation:

"But it's a secret, so I'm not going to tell you."

Turns out she already had. We're still working on what "secret" means. But in the meantime, she's not going to have anything to do with anyone's presents. Except maybe Bryce. She's already told him what he's getting at least a dozen times. But it's a secret, so don't tell!

Oh well. We still told Santa that she's been a good girl. Turns out I've been a good girl too.

Santa invited me to sit in his lap. It's been a while since I've been there. Maybe that explains the eccentric look on my face?

Next stop: Mrs. Claus

Santa gave the kids each an apple and a cute letter. Mrs. Claus offered cookies and hot cocoa. Yum!

People are always commenting on how tall Kayli is. She's two years older than all of these boys, but I still think she looks like a bit of a giant next to them!
We ended the visit with a seat in Santa's sleigh. Kayli kept asking where the reindeer were, but I guess they must of dropped this off and headed back to the North Pole. Darn. No sleigh rides.

I thought it was really fun. Santa was very kind and patient--even with terrified toddlers. When Kayli couldn't remember what she wanted, he told her to go home and write him a letter. He just had such a caring manner about him. I was very impressed. And amazingly enough, the whole thing was FREE. It's refreshing to interact with people donating their time and services just for the sake of making kids smile. And doing the whole thing so cheerfully!

Thanks, Santa.

And lastly, I'm trying to teach the kids to be multilingual--just like me. Haha. So, Feliz MamiDad, everyone!!

And you get to see Bryce's favorite lovey in the whole world--Bahnkie. It's not allowed out of the house, so we often have very long good byes full of hugs and kisses. The second we walk back in the door, he is rolling on the ground with it, repeating "Bahnkie! Bahnkie!" Ah, young love.

Busy Bees

When your preschooler parties too much

We've had a few late nights over the last week and this is how I found Kayli one morning. She was still sound asleep. Poor little lamb.

Start bracing yourselves for it, my friends. I make no promises about a "How We Met" installment for tomorrow. I am trying! But post or no, you can listen to the Christmas CD I made as part of Blake's Christmas present that year. I was able to find all but three of the songs from the original CD. It is missing "Cover You in Kisses" by John Michael Montgomery, "Hold Your Hand" by The Beetles, and I can't remember the third one right now. Oh, it's a great CD. I'll explain more about it when we get there. If we get there...

Speaking of Blake not having any time for anything, he had to go out of town to Massachusetts again last week. At first he told me it would just be for a day, then that became a night and a day (so they could get a bright and early start on Thursday), then he got up there and, just as I suspected, they wouldn't let him go. In a way that was a good thing because we had this horrible storm Thursday night. And it was even worse in Massachusetts. Click here to see some unbelievable photos and here to read about it. Pretty crazy stuff. Blake was supposed to come home Friday night, but when he called to tell me he wouldn't be, I was disappointed but a little relieved. Road conditions looked pretty bad.

Our road conditions were fine though, so we headed to the church for a Christmas party. There was a lot of good food, but I thought the party was a little weird. That could just be because I was really really missing Blake and I was sitting behind an affectionate newlywed couple.

This was one of the highlights of the evening

I was also watching Kayli's buddy Joe while his mom helped out with the Nativity (very nicely done!). Thankfully, we were sitting by some friends who helped me keep track of my three little ones and contain the chaos at least a little bit.

Joe showing off his Rudolph necklace. Each of the kids made one. Very cute. But notice the bells? That was really fun when they all decided to shake them during the Nativity.

Saturday was spent getting ready for the shindig we were hosting that night. It was a fairly busy day for me and I kept wondering why it didn't feel like a Saturday. Then I would remember, oh yeah, because Blake is working just like every other day. He finally got home at 6 PM. Our party began at 6:30. Yeah.

Fortunately, everything went pretty smoothly and I feel totally comfortable around all the good friends that were able to make it, so it was a surprisingly stress-free day.

We had fun eating and playing Apples to Apples and then did a White Elephant gift exchange. That got a little heated at times. Blake kept picking the "good" gifts and getting them stolen. I think everyone was positively delighted with what they took home. Especially Christy. Just ask her.

Beforehand, I envisioned the kids playing happily upstairs in the toy room. Oddly enough our laughter and the table full of food kept enticing them back down the stairs.

The cute little girl on the left is Bryce's new love. He randomly says her name all the time. But she's adorable, so at least I know he has good taste.

But he still hasn't given up his first love--food. That's my boy!

We thought the get together was a great success and had a ton of fun. But Sunday we really enjoyed just being together as a family.

The kids love pulling all the stuff off of our couches and making forts. Yesterday they set up this little makeshift bed while I was vacuuming. They were totally oblivious to me and I thought it was really sweet.

I do dress them in pants, by the way. Bryce has hit the stage of loving nudity. He's always trying to take his clothes off and succeeds more all the time. Last night he mastered the diaper removal and absolutely would not keep it on after that. So, we might not be having people over for a long long time. If you do drop by, be warned that I will not be held responsible for what you see during your visit. The upside is that he is also obsessed with the "potty" chair. He's succeeded and few times and hasn't had any accidents. Could we be on our way to an early potty trainer? I don't dare get my hopes up.

Six Quirky Things

So, I've been tagged again. This time it's 6 Quirky Things about me. Isn't that kind of like the random facts? Do you people just think I'm weird? Just kidding. My s-i-l Mel who tagged me knows that I'm weird. Thanks, Mel.

I'm not sure which is freakier in this picture--my gnawed off finger or my eye

1. My Triathlon Training blog is private and Blake is the only person I've invited to view it. I haven't posted on it in over a month. Sometimes I still check it. Why?! What do I think will have changed on it?

2. I'm very forgetful and I love my black H&M jacket. Last week I kept forgetting to pack essential items in my gym bag. First socks, then my bra, then my shirt. Fortunately, it was just one item per day. The day I forgot my bra, my sports bra was way too sweaty to don. And I had to go to the mall and Target on my way home. Fortunately, I had my favorite jacket. The day I forgot my shirt I had to stop at the grocery store on the way home. Fortunately, I had my favorite jacket.

3. As I go through my day, I blog about what I'm doing in my head. And I picture all of you reading it and being so entertained by my wit. But by the time I actually sit down to my computer, I can't remember any of it. Obviously.

4. I'm a back sleeper. But I can't sleep if my head falls to the side, so I have to sleep with something wadded up next to my head. Usually a blanket. But when I'm traveling, sometimes I have to improvise with a sweater or something.

5. When I was younger a couple of my siblings and I were diagnosed with "tongue thrust". Meaning we place our tongues at the floor of our mouths instead of the roof. Apparently, this is unacceptable. So we had to do "tongue therapy". It involved pudding. I don't like tapioca pudding.

6. I like hospital food. Sometimes I wish I could get really sick or injured so I could stay at the hospital and eat their food.

I Can't Believe I Forgot

A couple more things about Cindy's visit.

Blake was able to take Monday off. Because he was scheduled for Jury Duty. But then we all lucked out and they didn't make him go in. So, we got to keep him all to ourselves. It was fantastic. I dragged him and Cindy to my hour of Power (a weight lifting class) for the second time in 3 days. So fun!

I asked Kayli what her favorite part of Grandma's visit was while we ate dinner Tuesday night. She thought about it for several moments. I expected her to say Bethlehem, or staying up late to get donuts and hot cocoa at Dunkin Donuts.

Her response?

"She played wif us."

It was one of those moments when I felt truly humbled to be the mother of such an amazing little spirit. First, I am impressed that she values time with people she loves more than the silly things you would expect an almost 4-year old to focus on. And that's a reminder to me to keep my priorities straight as well. I think I did better on this visit, but usually when we have company, I'm so busy trying to make everything perfect, I don't really get to enjoy them.

And second, I need to remember how much it means Kayli to just spend time together.

Thanks, Cindy, for doing so much of what Kayli likes best. And for inspiring this moment.

Let's Hear It For My Man

Well, it's time to be brutally honest.

I'm pretty sure there will be no "How We Met" installment today.

Blake has been working his cute patootie off, but the work just keeps on piling up. So, let's all cut him some slack and resist the urge to toilet paper his house. That would only create more work for him and prolong the wait.

Plus, it's my house too and my version has been patiently waiting in Microsoft Word for over a day now. So, that would be entirely unfair.

Fret not, my reader friends, there will be entertainment. You now get to catch up on "Grandma Cindy's Visit"!!!

We started her trip off with a bang. First, we were late picking her up from the airport (Blake was going to do this since he was working not too far from it, but then he had to work late). Then we got stuck in some serious traffic on the way home due to a semi breaking down in the middle lane. Smart. Anyway, we finally made it home and hurried to get dinner ready. Then I inhaled my food and left Cindy alone with the kids. Blake was still working and I had a presidency meeting. (I may have failed to mention that I recently got called into the Relief Society Presidency in my ward. I'm the Education Counselor). Blake got home probably about 45 minutes later. My meeting ran REALLY late. Ahh.... what a great first day.

Thursday we tried to make up for things. We missed her birthday by a couple days, so we declared this her "honorary birthday". And boy, do we know how to do a birthday. Blake took Thursday and Friday off to spend with her, but he ended up having to work anyway (You're beginning to pick up on the theme here, aren't you?) She humored me in joining me at my spinning class in the morning. She's a cyclist, so she did great. Then we picked up some groceries, went home and did other really exciting things.

She started reading Kayli a story while Bryce was playing behind the cushions.I thought he wanted to join them, but then he did this.

So, we thought he wanted to be closer to Grandma.

Then he did this.

Turns out he was after his car that Kayli had unknowingly sat on. Once he had it, then he was happy to sit with Grandma again. Priorities, people.

We had paninis for dinner. And then finally began the celebration.

What is a birthday party without birthday torte? My mother-in-law is a little older than 2, but that is how many days we had missed her birthday by. Actually, it was three by then. You can see why I married an accountant.

The anticipation is almost tangible, isn't it?

We're really good at giving gifts

(Thanks for the help, Kensey!)

Friday we went shopping and she got Christmas presents for the kids. They are going to be beyond excited Christmas morning when they open them. Keeping them a secret with the kids shopping right along with us was a bit of a challenge, but they seem to have forgotten them now. That evening we packed up and journeyed over to Bethlehem.

Bethlehem, Connecticut, that is. I had read about the Bethlehem Town Festival a few weeks earlier and thought it looked like fun. Everything kept saying to "Follow the Star".

I think this is what they were referring to. Santa arrived in time to light this tree. Blake had to work, so we didn't get there in time to see him do that. We were privileged to stand in line for probably about 5 hours (give or take) to see him later. To his credit, he did spend a lengthy amount of time chatting with Kayli about the real dog she'd like him to bring this year. He probably would have chatted with Bryce too, but Bryce wanted nothing to do with him. Nothing.

They had this nice Creche set up. Earlier they did a re-enactment of Mary and Joseph looking for room in the inn. We missed that too.

But we did get there in time to visit the Bethlehem Post Office and mail out our Christmas cards. We really scaled back on those this year in an effort to be green and eliminate stress. Sorry, to those of you not receiving cards from us. We do still love you. For the few who are getting them (think "immediate family"), get excited. They have stamps from the Little Town of Bethlehem. We ended up stamping them ourselves. I thought the Post Office did something cool. Maybe they did after we left. You should all take a picture of your envelope and post it on your blog, so I can see. Thank you.

They were doing hay rides too. If you look closely you can see two things. 1. Bryce is not too happy about standing next to this huge horse. 2. The horses lips are wide open. Wide. The lady in charge of him said that it's a nervous habit of his. It was funny in a sad sort of way. But he kept popping his lips really loudly in rapid succession. I should have taken a video because it's really impossible to describe. Later that evening I heard him as I was walking among the crowd on the opposite side of the street.

It was FREEZING that night, so we were especially grateful to take a break for dinner in a warm spot.

And some yummy hot cocoa to top it off. Mmm... good to the last drop.

Then Blake and Cindy started dancing to some Christmas music we were playing and they were like angels. Or I might have had the camera on a weird setting.

And of course, Bryce wanted to join the fun

Dancing with Grandma makes him this happy

It snowed on Sunday so Kayli and I went out for about 10 minutes to play before dinner

Blake and Cindy did all of the dinner prep. I didn't lift a finger. Not one. Thank you both!!! Cindy also made herself the designated dishwasher while here. She really knows how to take a vacation. But I appreciated it so much.

My Snow Angel

Then Cindy made her delicious butter cookies with the kids. The kids helped a lot.

They licked the beaters

And their thumbs. Cookie making is a messy messy job. I'm really not sure what Kayli is doing here.

There we go. Look how happy making cookies with Grandma makes her.

Bryce gazes on in wonder at Blake's cookie cutting prowess.

Bryce kept trying to blow bubbles with the snowman cookie cutter

A visit from Grandma + Cookies + a Mess = A Very Happy Bryce

We also did a couple weightlifting classes, went to Bertucci's, went to Dunkin Donuts, chatted, and stayed up late playing games.

Bryce's smile in that last photo really captures the essence of Cindy's visit. It wasn't the most exciting trip to New England anyone's ever had, but we loved having her come. We were so sad to leave her at the airport yesterday. Bryce keeps going to the front window and saying, "Wan Gramma". Don't we all. Hopefully, we'll live closer someday and get to see her much more frequently.

Thanks so much for coming, Cindy! We love you!

If This Doesn't Brighten Your Tuesday...

I'm still editing all the photos from the fabulous time we had with "Grandma Cindy", so that post is yet to come. But here is a quick teaser:

Okay, it's not really a teaser, but it was one of my favorites! Please notice where he gets his good looks.

More to follow...

Family Fotos!

These were taken on our way home from Thanksgiving weekend, so forgive the sleepy faces!