Christmas Season Part 1 (and Merry Christmas Eve Eve)

yes, yes, I should be baking and wrapping and cleaning.  blah, blah, blah.  But, I haven't posted a single thing about Christmas yet, and it's like TOMORROW?  Why haven't I?  Because I have been "chicken-with-my-head-cut-off" running about trying to make everything awesome.  Just like every year.  But THIS year it WILL be awesome, right?

The truth is - every year, Christmas is awesome.  One thing I have started thinking about since reading "The Happiness Project" is that it's the process of planning and preparing for, and the acts of doing, that make you happy about the event, not usually the actual event itself.  Opening presents on Christmas morning takes, what, 45 minutes?  Are you really hinging your happiness on those 45 minutes?  (well, a grand portion of my happiness DOES come from that one moment when I see my girls' faces as they come down the stairs to the tree....)  But, mostly, no, the happiness comes from thinking about pretty much every individual person who has touched your life in the last year and trying to acknowledge that in some way that does it justice.  The true gifts are those people in your life and your gift of acknowledging that they are in it.  Where the eating 5000 calories per day became a part of it, I don't know.  Jesus didn't have a plate of fudge by the manger, but I bet Mary wished she had one.   Or not.  She did have, literally, the best child in the known Universe.  She probably didn't need fudge.


We waited a bit to get our tree.  As much as I love the tradition of heading out for the tree the day after Thanksgiving, the distance between Thanksgiving and Christmas was just a week too long this year.  No one wants to throw that grand tree out on December 20th because it couldn't last, so we waited patiently.  It turned out very well though, because that gave us time to get Cowboy Max to call his tree guy in Oregon and ask him to throw "a big one" on the truck for us.  You may remember the GIANT BIGGEST TREE AT GALLOPING GRACE last year that we ended up taking home.  It was so cool and we enjoyed the heck out of it so much, we want to do it every year.

 (the girls in front of the gingerbread house in the Galloping Grace Christmas Corral)

putting the tree on the trusty old Subaru, who needs a truck when you can put a 15 foot tree on a Subaru?

This one isn't quite as big as the last, but it is still the biggest they could get this year, so we'll take it!  Being a couple feet shorter DID make it a tad easier to decorate.

Then, December first - Nutcracker.  I'll write about it every year because we go every year and I hope to keep the tradition going as long as I can.  Pink is the new Christmas Red this year, (so the mall says) so Harriet and I did what we could.  She looked like a jewel that should be hanging from the Christmas tree.  Grace obliged and wore matching sliver sparkles.  She even let me turn the edges of her hair under with a curling iron.  Christmas miracles all around.

We were finally able to see the Nutcracker at Pope Joy Hall.  This is the only Nutcracker performance in NM with a live orchestra.  I think it was the kids' first experience with a live orchestra.  I lucked out and got some really affordable seats in the orchestra section.  I really wanted them to be able to walk down and look at the instruments and musicians up close.  They spent a lot of time gazing down into the pit.

I really can't believe that was 3 weekends ago.  This month has evaporated.  Harriet doesn't think so.  But, she has been patiently and methodically counting down every day and asking in her prayers every night that Christmas will be soon.  Well, tomorrow, she will get her wish!  I will have to catch up on the rest of the month later.  Because, well, I kind of have a few things to do.  

Merry Christmas to all!!!

 

Teeth and Ears

A short pause in posts about holiday festivities to bring up the icky things in the life of a first grader.

TEETH.  Harriet has given new meaning to the song "All I want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth."  She has set a family record for number of teeth lost in one week.  That would be FOUR.  Four teeth!  I'm telling you, the magical creature activity at our house this month has been very high.  Between the arrival of a new Elf (now we have a boy and a girl - Red brought his friend, Candy, to live with us, but that's another story...) and the tooth fairy working over-time, it's a wonder that everything has been straightened out each morning.  Gold stars to all the magical creatures for getting their jobs done and not forgetting anything!  Sheesh.

Let's see, Harriet had already lost the bottom two front teeth (and permanent ones in) when she started working on one of the top ones.  They have both looked very silly and uncomfortable for a while in their skewed positions as they have gotten loose.  In a moment of bloody gore, she finally ripped it out. Her cheeks and chin were covered in blood.  She looked like a vampire in a bad movie.

Then, the next one came out at school the next day I think.  I got a message from the school nurse to call her back.  Love those - never know if they are on the way to the hospital or went back to class with a band-aid.  No, she lost the second top one at lunch at school.  So did her class-mate - lost the same tooth too, within about 2 minutes of each other.  Man, I'm glad I don't work at an elementary school.  At least they didn't vomit at lunch together.

Harriet was so excited to have lost one at school.  Grace lost one of hers at school when she was in first grade too and has the "cool" tooth box from the nurse's office.  Harriet had just read a Fancy Nancy story about the same thing and couldn't have been more thrilled to have earned her own nurse's office tooth box.

I think 2 days later, she worked a bottom one free at night one night and then promptly lost the matching one at school again!

I have no idea how she really eats.  She kind of shoves things into the side of her mouth to bite them.  Her speech is totally messed up too.  She has a giant lisp, but it's so stinking cute and her smile is even cuter.

She lost the teeth so fast, I barely had time to grab pictures of her in between.  Some were just by chance, but I think I have the progression:

first top one

second top

now missing the bottom right (on our way to the Nutcracker - that post later)

and now the bottom left

Onto EARS.  Remember how the little darling got brave and got her ears pierced right before school started, back in the FIRST week of AUGUST?  Well, that has been what is now going on a 4 month project.  The piercing place told us to keep that first pair of earrings in for 4 weeks and then after that she could wear what she wanted and take them out and such.  She was dying for Hello Kitty earrings, but couldn't have them pierced with those because they weren't 100% gold (only gold plated on the posts.)  I promised her the second the 4 weeks was up, we'd go buy some Hello Kitty earrings.  When the blessed day came, the lady at that store told us no way.  She needed to keep piercing earrings in for 2-4 more weeks, so we bought the expensive, mostly gold, Hello Kitty earrings.  

She kept those in for another 4 weeks and her ears just got so bad I figured that we needed to go back to the all gold earrings.  Her ears just rotated through one infection after another.  I would get one cleared up and the other would flare.  It was a nightmare.  If you took her earrings out she would scream bloody murder.  I have never seen ears so bad before.  

David and I decided to get more scientific about it and investigate the cause of these terrible ears.  We decided that these piercing earrings she had been wearing must be the root cause.  Because they have sharp piercing points, the backs are closed backs so that the earring doesn't poke the skin behind it.  We decided the backs must be filled with bacteria and re-infecting her ears over and over.  We're smart.  Done.

So, when Black Friday came around, I went to the fine jewelry counter at the mall and bought REAL pearl and solid gold earrings at a generous 70% plus 20% discount - the only way I could afford them.  You know, the kind that are so expensive, the backs screw on so you don't lose them?  I don't even own a pair that the backs screw on.  But, I wanted to get something that would be totally smooth on her ear (pearls) and leave no reason for her ear to get irritated.  Open backs - room to breathe, 14K gold.  These HAVE to work, right? 

The best part was - when I brought home the pearl earrings and Harriet opened the box, she absolutely swooned like a girl in love and said "oh mommy, they are so romantic!" Excuse me?  1- How does my 6 year old know that word.  2 - How does my 6 year old know that pearls should be associated with that word?  Freaky and adorable at the same time.  At least her first set of pearls came from Mommy.  She's wearing them in the teeth pictures above.  

A couple weeks with the romantic pearls in, and her ears were worse than ever.  I joked that maybe she was allergic to gold.  I had heard a friend of mine trying to tell that "story" a while back and thought it was so bogus.  Gold is one of the most inert elements in the universe.  You can't be allergic to gold.  Oh, wait.  Duh, chemistry professor, 14K gold is not solid gold.  It has NICKEL in it.  People with gold allergies are allergic to nickel.  You're welcome for the PSA.  So, we joked that Harriet would have to insist that her future fiancé presented her with only platinum and diamonds.  Nothing else for this princess.  

Her ears were so bad last week, I finally called the pediatrician to get an antibiotic.  As we were sitting in her office, she basically confirmed our jokes.  No testing done to be sure, but it looks like Harriet is allergic to nickel.  The doctor said the same thing!  Only platinum engagement rings for this one. 

Now, after $Ireallydon'twanttothinkabouthowmuchIspentongoldearrings, we've got a $10 pair of surgical steel and amethyst earrings in.  We've also got some plastic pearls on hypoallergenic generic metal from Claire's - 3 pairs for $8.50.  All seem to be treating her better than the gold.  But, the jury is still out.  She's got 2 days left on antibiotics.  I am praying that her ears stay clear after she's done so that she can keep wearing earrings.  It will be SO sad if she has to take them out.  And, Baby Girl doesn't get platinum earrings until Mommy gets platinum earrings.  

The end.  First graders are gross, but at least they are still unbelievably adorable and sweet. 

Thanksgiving 2012

Well, I haven't done many "I'm grateful" posts this year.  But, I am thankful for quite a lot of things including my husband, daughters, family, friends, my house in sunny NM, our dogs making it through one more year in mostly good health, food to eat, my volunteer jobs, David's paying job, horses and the therapy they provide, supportive teachers and staff at the girls' school, just to name a few.

I'm also thankful for small moments like these:

enough leaves to rake and play in on a spontaneous afternoon at the bus stop

fall weather, nice enough for shorts and t-shirts

Red's face to greet me in the morning, even if he hasn't brushed his teeth

a giant bareback horsey hug, complete with winter fur for the best snuggle ever

Snuff's sweet and eager eyes every time I take him out for a ride

a very tiny person, leading a very big, but willing and sweet, horse 

(Dodge is the girls' new GGYR favorite)

2 sisters who love each other, despite daily effort to avoid it

2 big tables set for Thanksgiving dinner at our house.  

We hosted our own Thanksgiving for the first time.  

friends filling the tables to the brim...  I only got a picture of the kids' table though.  

Having no relatives in town for the holiday, we invited The Merrill Family, Pond Family, Tanner Family, and David's single friend, Bernie, from work to join us.  

Harriet practicing her piano in her pretty dress just before church last Sunday.

And, a lot of other things just like these.  

1991-ish

The 90's were the last years I really "let my hair down."  The week of Halloween, some friends of ours hosted a 90's retro alternative music dance party.  (Can you hear David groaning?)  Dance and fun are not synonymous for him.  He can tell you about the last time we went dancing together.  It was nearly relationship-ending.  We were engaged.  It was the NBA finals.  There was a Jazz game that night.  He was in a dance club in downtown Salt Lake with me instead.  Fill in the blanks.

It's cool, he's not a dancer.  I got over it.  Just like he is mostly over it that I am not a cyclist.  (right?  right?)

Well, he was a trooper and knew that I could not resist going to this party, especially considering I had newish cherry red doc martens in my closet from our trip to Seattle last year.  So, he ponied up and put on his best 90's outfit - sweater vest with plaid shirt tied around the waist.  SO sterling scholar style ;)
I, unfortunately, JUST got rid of my last good flannel shirt from the 90's, so I had to head to the second hand store to find one for the occasion.  Everything else was still firmly in place in my closet.  Man, it's been a long time since I wore a baggy concert t-shirt as the main part of my outfit.  I was most pleased by how long it took me to get ready to go out - 5 whole minutes, most of which were spent lacing up my boots.  I miss those days!

Bottom line - we let loose and danced and moshed the entire night.  It was so awesome.  But, I think I may have passed the age threshold for those kinds of things being acceptable, or recommended.   What's the line from Singles?  "Somewhere around 23, bizarre becomes... immature."  I was completely exhausted after moshing to just one Nirvana song.  I barely made it to the end of Smells Like Teen Spirit.  The next day, my whole body hurt SO bad.  I could barely move.  Don't worry kids, your mom won't embarrass you by ever doing that again. The dance floor is all yours from now on.  I'll come chaperone your high school dances, but I won't try to bust any moves.

more fall school stuff 2012

These posts are so out of order, but I keep finding pics and little moments that I want to be sure to include in my book (whenever I actually decide to sit down and make another one.)  Plus, the grandparents always appreciate bragging about the grandkids.

This one just makes me so happy.  Grace has the best teacher this year.  He does the most amazing things with the kids.  One random day he decided to have the kids build drinking straw rockets and measure how far they went based on angle of launch and fin design.  I was there to take pics because, well, I sometimes spend so much time at school I have considered having my mail delivered there.    

setting up to launch

(you can see the tail of Grace's rocket on the far right side)

And, Miss Hattie Marie was chosen as student of the month for September.  They have a new deal this year where they give the award for a specific area of citizenship.  She got it for being trustworthy.

Taking on supporting the kids at school has become what feels like a full time job for me.  (Not really, but it's several hours a week.)  Even though they do have great teachers and wonderful staff, there is so much to be done to support the teachers, make sure that the kids are getting what they need, and keep track of the curriculum.  I could probably sit back and do nothing and my kids would get a similar education, since they are largely self-sufficient students.  But I like knowing what they are doing and who the kids are in their classes.  Frankly, I like seeing them during the day too.  I also hope that if I can take a tiny chunk of work off of a teacher's plate that they can take that space and use it to improve what they do, help one extra student that day, or even just have a little less stress in their life so that they are then a better teacher.  I know that when I was teaching, if I could leave a half hour earlier than planned because I didn't have to finish some menial task,  I would be a much happier person.  

Still, I leave the school, grateful every time, that I am not a teacher anymore.  I love getting to dabble in it, use some of my old skillzz, and be connected to the school, without having that huge amount of stress and responsibility hanging over my head.  Thank heavens for all the people who are willing to do that job.  I'm happy being the pit crew.

Tent Rocks

These kids have the best dad ever.  While I was away doing a baby shower in Salt Lake in October, David took the kids on a totally awesome outing to Tent Rocks.  Again, I really don't know what all these pictures are, but maybe David or Grace or Harriet can add some captions.  Looks like they had a super fun time!  What a cool spot.  

Moab 2012

Remember when Bret came out from MA and he and David had an epic week of mountain biking?   Like in September?  Something about Grand Junction and Moab.    I have no idea what they really did, but here are the photos.  Babe, your time is up for making your own post.  Feel free to caption the photos :)

Well, I was there for this one.  Finally got the cute picture of Bret opening his birthday present from the girls.  Purple streamers for his bike.  Or his new career in rhythm gymnastics.  Whichever.

I think they did some night riding?  

Is this Whitney?  They took Whitney with them and met up with a bunch of other dudes in Moab.

 Lots of King of the Mountain pictures.

Friends here include David Meredith, Abe Sego, Whitney Reynolds, Bret Bahe, Tim Rauch, and some other guys I don't know.  David is on the right in the sweet Ute jersey.

You could not pay me enough money to ride my bike around this corner.  Good thing I don't really know where these guys ride their bikes.

Well, they really did have a rad time and I'm so glad they went.