Christmas 2009

This Christmas was so enchanting. Our kids are the perfect ages to be totally excited about everything. They get wide-eyed at any mention of Santa, reindeer, elves, or the North Pole. They love singing all the little songs. Our favorites this year were "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and "Rudolph" (see previous post.) We have sung them both many dozens of times in the car, in the bath, eating dinner, anytime.
I am also very proud of my girls and actually quite surprised at how little they ask for. They are so excited that Santa will come, but they don't expect the world from him. (Although, Santa did surprise them with a giant laminated map of the world, complete with the location of the North Pole - Grace was so thrilled when the first thing she noticed was the North Pole on the map!) Anyway, their lists are very small and very simple. Any elf could accomplish the task in a quick minute. I love that they always ask Santa to bring them a surprise too. They want to get something that they never thought of or expected. It can usually be heard on Christmas morning, at least a few times "I'm so lucky!"

AND, I do know that Christmas isn't all about Santa. We do try to teach our kids about Jesus' birthday and why we really celebrate Christmas. But I don't think you have to stomp on Santa to do it. I get a little annoyed with people who think that they can't believe in Santa unless they set aside thoughts of Christ. For me they are one and the same. I really like the little mix of both we have. Totally on their own, both kids are actually pretty plugged into the true spirit of Christmas. Hattie loves nothing more than the baby Jesus. I'm sure she'll be a collector of manger sets like her Grandma. Grace loves them too, but not because of the baby, since babies are her least favorite thing in general. But, she really likes the story and, of course, the barn. Grace's favorite Christmas carol is Silent Night. I think it is really calming to her. My favorite thing to do with them is to take tags off of an Angel Tree and have the girls choose and wrap a gift for someone who might not get as much as they do. They like thinking of themselves as Santa's helpers.
Well, this Christmas was pretty similar to the last few we've had in New England with a few exceptions. I took the girls for a Christmas Eve ride. It was pretty special to spend some time with our favorite pony. We hadn't seen her since Halloween.

Then, we honored our standing invitation to spend Christmas Eve with the Bahe family and loved being surrounded by their musical talents. The Johnson family was there too. We had a super cast for the nativity scene. My favorite cast member is Brinna as the angel (it's one of those things you just have to be there.) Hattie brought her beloved "Blue Baby" to be baby Jesus. Grace was a shepherd, and Hattie wore her Eeyore costume to be the donkey. It was sweet and hilarious at the same time. (Hattie wouldn't let Grace hold the sheep, so Grace brought her German "Shepherd" to be her shepherd animal.)

We spent Christmas day with ourselves. Grace woke up first and peeked to see if Santa came. I had to wake up Harriet.

(not sure why this video looks so black now...)

Watching the girls as they opened their presents was so much fun. Seeing their faces as they saw something they had asked for in a box was priceless. For some reason, Velvet seemed totally interested in every present too. She practically sat on our laps as we opened things.

(yes, Grace did ask for a snake. who knows, her cousin Sean asked for a spider. what's wrong with kids these days?!)

The girls get so excited about their presents for Daddy. Hattie can still tell you what she gave to Daddy LAST year!

The grand prize of the day was Hattie's leapster. Now she can sit with her hand-held technology and game it up next to Grace on her DSi and Daddy on his iphone. Mommy is happy to not have a pocket computer.
(Hattie won't even let me talk on her princess phone.)

The sweetest gifts were the ones Grace and Hattie made and wrapped at school. They were so excited to put them under the tree and open them.
We stuck to our family tradition for Christmas dinner. Since we have lived here, we have cooked a big fancy dinner just for ourselves and eat it in the dining room in jammies. (mom and dad actually showered this year though...)
Eventually we ended up at the Hangen's house. They invited us over for dessert. Dessert turned into a long evening of relaxed chatting and kids playing nicely with each other. I broke down and made my favorite Christmas dessert - a Buche de Noel - haven't made one in years. They are pretty challenging to make, but totally worth it if you are up for it.

(the Aunts never fail to send the CUTEST clothes.)

All in all, a very Merry Christmas was had by the Chapman family. We are thankful this year that we were healthy and together and surrounded by great friends.

some Christmas cheer!

We were lucky to get a visit with S.C. himself this weekend. Hattie wouldn't sit on his lap, but at least she had a little conversation with him. Grace would have sat on his lap all night. We are so excited for Christmas at our house!!!
(p.s. I should give credit to Derek Veliz for the Santa photos. Thank you!!)

I already posted this video to facebook, but I have to put it on the blog too. It's too cute.

And, here are my two shy girls who never get up in front of anyone, but volunteered to get up in front of our whole ward to sing a song on the spot!

After all, the best way to spread Christmas Cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

Snow Day... later in the day

Well, I'm feeling a little guilty about venting so much in my last post. So, here are some FUN pics and videos from the rest of our snow day today. We went over to our neighbor's house across the road. They live RIGHT on the river. Yes, we did what your mom told you to never do - point your sled downhill in the direction of frozen water with a few giant solid trees in the way. No worries - we stopped before water's edge and didn't hit any trees ;-)

(ok, see the little posts leading out with a little Christmas tree off to the left... that's the boat dock; the water (ice) starts right behind the trees.)

(how many people can you fit on a whamo sled?)

(Hattie trying to sled without a sled.)

(Velvet actually went down the hill with David. But, her real problem was that she thought the sled was a giant frisbee complete with tug of war rope and wouldn't stop trying to take the sled away from us.)

(Daddy pulling everyone home down the lane.)

Snow Day... after the flu.

All snowed in by a classic winter nor'easter... we're having a snow day from church today. I am kind of sad. I always look forward to the Christmas sacrament meeting and there's nothing better than dressing up 2 little girls in Christmas dresses to go to church. But, I guess that will have to wait for next week.

But, it has been a super relaxing day to just watch the snow fall, know we don't have anywhere to go, and sleep in while David made me a yummy huevos rancheros breakfast. We're planning to hit the sledding hill at across the street in a little while.

Also, this gives me a little time to putter, and to catch up on the blog. I have been wanting to say something about poor Gracers this week.

Last Saturday, Grace and Hattie went for their swine flu booster vaccine in the morning. (They had both already had a seasonal flu shot and a swine flu shot.) About 2 hours later, Grace started running a fever. I figured that was a normal reaction to a vaccine so I didn't worry too much and we went on with the day. But, by Saturday night, it was clear that this kid was SICK. She basically came down with the swine flu. After doing quite a bit of reading, I'm totally convinced that the live vaccine she got actually gave her the flu. There's that 1 in whatever tiny chance that a vaccine will actually make you sick, and it looks like we drew the short straw.

I can only think of one other time when I was as scared about a sick kid as I was about this. Her fever stayed between 102 and 105 for at least 3 straight days. She was limp and hot and completely miserable. Then, she got a secondary sinus infection when she was just about better and we did get her treated for that. But, it made her miss even more school.

Now I say all this because 1 - I am SUPER grateful and overjoyed that she has finally recovered and is back to her healthy self. It is such a relief to see her back at school, eating, playing, and sleeping. It is also a relief to sleep myself. But, 2 - it must be said... after all of this... I would still get her vaccinated.

I rarely get preachy or controversial on my blog. I keep it low-key and mostly a book report of our lives. But I have had SO many frustrating conversations this week with people. I've got to vent. When I am asked what made Grace so sick, I say she likely had the swine flu (her doctor didn't test, so we really don't know for sure, but all signs point to it.) I also feel like I want to clarify myself and emphasize that I did my best to vaccinate her and didn't just leave her sitting there, unprotected. Then, that turns into these maddening comments like "well THAT'S why I DON'T vaccinate my kids." Or, "see, those vaccines don't really work and they do more harm than good."

Oh no, on the contrary. If I could go back to last Saturday, knowing exactly what I know now, I would still choose to vaccinate her. I would still choose to give my kid the chance to be safe and well. Now, maybe I would have fought with her a little harder to get the injection rather than the live virus up her nose. (I do find it extremely interesting that 2 days into her sickness, a huge batch of vaccine was recalled!) But, still, I would choose to give my kids a chance to dodge a tough and dangerous illness like this.

For me, it's like a seat belt. Sure, there are cases where people have died in car accidents BECAUSE of wearing a seatbelt and if they hadn't been wearing it, they might have survived. But, it's stupid to erase all the good a seat belt does just because of the few cases where it doesn't work out.

I am truly grateful for vaccines. I don't think people realize what our world would be like without them. We don't live in a time when people STAY HOME when they are sick. 100 years ago, people were quarantined! No one could come and go from a house where someone was sick. And, even when they did, thousands, millions of people died from simple things like the flu (instead of the much smaller numbers we see today.) Schools closed for 2 months in the winter when there were outbreaks. Seriously folks, we can do all the things we do because we have immunity from all the hundreds of people we see every day. People who don't get vaccinated take advantage of the fact that most people do. That's the only reason that there aren't really too many illnesses out there to be scared of.

Well, enough said. Go ahead. Blast me in the comments. I think it's really great that parents have the right to do what they think is right for their OWN kid, so I try not to judge people who choose differently than I do. I just wish that my right was more respected too. Why can't people just say "oh I'm so sorry that Grace got so sick."

Christmas Vacation

Well, technically, it's not Christmas vacation yet, but we have already had our holiday visitors come and go.

My Mother AND my Grandmother came to my house! This was quite the treat for us. Grandma hasn't been on a trip like this in many years, and I still can't quite believe that she actually came this far to see me. Talk about over the river and through the woods. She took a shuttle for 4 hours from Cedar City, UT to Salt Lake, then she flew the RED-EYE with my mom to New York, took a commuter plane from New York to Boston, took a cab to the train station, and then the commuter rail train from Boston out to my neighborhood. Incredible. It makes me tired just thinking of it. I just put them back on the plane this morning and they haven't even left New York yet as I write this - still a long way from home.

I do know what a big deal it is to make that kind of effort to travel, and so her visit meant so much to us. The girls and I were absolutely spoiled the whole time they were here (I mean, come on - TWO Grandmas at the same time?!) They took us shopping, on outings, showered us with Christmas and gifts for my birthday. They helped us make Christmas cookies and a gingerbread house.

(Is there sugar in it? Then, YES!)

They even took me to see the New Moon movie. Seriously, I went out on Friday night with my mom and my grandma to a vampire romance movie!!! (they've both read the books too... crazy!)

We packed so much into 4 days that I can hardly remember what we did. I wish we had a little more down time to just hang out and play, but it felt so wasteful to sit around when my grandma hadn't ever seen this part of the country and when there were so many fun things to go and do. We did our best to get her around to a few places in the freezing cold.

I think my top 3 favorites had to be:

1- visiting Orchard House (again) with the women who taught me the same life lessons that were taught in the Alcott house (and the little women who need to learn them.)2- taking my grandma to see The Nutcracker ballet, for the first time in her life. It was also Hattie's first time.(four generations of Heyborne family girls)

(two little Christmas angels)

3- sitting around sipping orange tea and nibbling on Christmas cookies late at night after the kids went to bed. This (sipping tea and chatting) is something my mom and I always do whenever we stay with each other. It's something I definitely miss when she leaves.

(then, we'll snuggle...)
I loved listening to Hattie and Grace talk to their grandmas. They were so happy to have them here. There's so much that you just can't duplicate in a phone call or over a skype chat. You just have to visit people in person, and I'm super glad to have had a visit. Thanks Mom and Grandma!!! Miss you already.

A virtual Christmas Card

Just realized that we put our blog address on our paper Christmas cards and people might be checking out our blog. (or, maybe you have better things to do with December.) Either way, we owe our virtual friends a virtual Christmas greeting too!

We wish you a Merry Christmas,
and a Happy New Year!

(apparently, this is the only decent picture of the 4 of us this year. New Year's resolution: take more pictures with whole family.)

Much love,
David, Michelle, Grace, and Harriet

A few more thankfuls:

To finish up the Thanksgiving weekend, I thought I'd comment on our trip "over the river and through the woods" to eat Thanksgiving dinner with family. Or, shall we say, over MANY rivers and through MANY woods? Our weekend was packed with lots of "thanks" and "FULL"s.

We made the trek to Pittsburgh to be with David's brother, Brian, and his family. David and Brian love being together, Wendy and I get along famously, Grace and Jeremiah grew to be fast and inseparable friends, the teen-agers graciously entertained Hattie, and the dogs even have fun with their doggie cousins, so we all had a great time. These are the things I was most thankful for:

*a very reliable and nice car with a luggage box on top to travel in
*getting there and home safely and in under 12 hours each way
*kids being pretty darn good in the car on the way
*dogs also being extremely good the whole time
*my gut instinct that Grace had strep, almost as soon as we got there
*my insistence to take Grace to a minute clinic for a strep test
*antibiotics that were finally granted to us, allowing Grace to feel better before leaving and also to go to school tomorrow
*my kids' cool taste in music allowing me to listen to my own playlist in the car
*beautiful, traditional, Thanksgiving dinner made by the whole family (Wendy - turkey and potatoes, Clare - desserts, Alec - stuffing, Jeremiah - rolls, Me - random side dishes)
*eating Thanksgiving dinner with family
*chances to go on lots of outings - Fantastic Fox movie, dinner, Frick museum
*Grace and Jeremiah playing endlessly and happily with each other
*getting up early enough to nearly avoid the New York traffic on the way home today
*the brain power to think to bring lots of paper towels, wipes, and plastic bags, especially for the return trip (our little Hattie seems to be prone to car sickness. ugh.)
*very few squabbles in the car, even when I took a turn driving
*the gps and the iphone (ok, so I don't want my own iphone, but I do love that David has one when we travel.)
*I am also thankful for the start of the Christmas season. I love it.

(the kid table)

(the big people table)(Brian and David checking out a sun dial at The Frick)(Jeremiah, Grace, and Harriet doing an I Spy scavenger hunt in the green house at The Frick)(Hattie should have asked Santa for her own iphone)(Grace says "the sun is in my eyes!")

one quick thankful

Before I do my last one for the month, I want to put in one quick thankful post about our little outing in Boston last weekend. I have wanted to see The Old North Church (you know, one if by land, two if by sea) the whole time I have lived here, but have never made it to that part of Boston in 5 years. Thanks to some great new friends who live in the city, and who graciously hosted our family for a fun afternoon and night, we were able to eat lunch in their awesome neighborhood, see the Museum of Science, and eat dinner in the Italian NORTH end, where we fortuitously walked right past THE OLD NORTH CHURCH! YAY!! Thank you Jon and Elisa! You are definitely the coolest. I am thankful for new friends, and for kids who are old enough to explore Boston!

(my little brainiac)

(the mommy/biology teacher couldn't pass by the cool DNA without a long pause)

(my little bird watchers found stuffed varieties of all their favorites, I didn't have the heart to tell them they were all dead)

(and FINALLY, the Old North Church. ahh....)

Being Thankful

A friend of mine posted on facebook that "counting your blessings does NOT mean making a list of your personal property", or something like that. While I agree with her that we should be thankful for MORE than material possessions, I'm sure God doesn't mind that we are also thankful for the STUFF we have too. We sure have a lot and I know so many who don't. I know we're lucky and blessed in lots of ways.

But, truly, infinitely more than personal possessions, these are a few things I am most grateful for:

A very, extremely awesome husband who makes a pretty darn great Daddy too:
Two little princesses (Grace, you ARE a princess whether you like it or not, and Hattie thrives in her princess role):

Two adorable, sweet, loyal doggies:

(I am especially grateful for their current health after a scary month.)

An incredible and loving family:

(forgive the old, outdated, and blurry picture, but it's the only one I've got)

And friends. If I posted one picture, I'd have to post a hundred, so I won't even try, but I have the most amazing friends. You know who you are. Whether it's only little comments on facebook, or people who call and text me, those I see a few choice times a year, or those who live near enough to enjoy things like vacations, dinner, book group, and other outings with, I love my friends.

I think that's what it all boils down to, right? The creatures in our lives are the real stuff that blessings are made of. And, I'm thankful for every, single, one.