STOP in the Name of LOVE

The morning after Valentine's Day, I woke up thinking, "Did I get hit by a bus yesterday?!?!"  I felt like I had been run over.  But I had no recollection of being plowed by a semi.  I didn't know at the time, but it was the FLU.  I tried to get through my day.  But it wasn't working.  I didn't make it to teach my class.  I drove Gracie to Preschool, and it took me 50 minutes to get home.  I had to keep pulling over to the side of the road, because I kept whiting out.  The steering wheel felt like it weighed 200 pounds.  I could barely make a left hand turn. 

The Flu is awful.  It stuck around for 2 weeks.  Two LONG weeks.  Jody and the girls were so lucky not to catch the nasty bug.  We all got flu shots (just like we do every year.)  I have had a great deal on my plate.  I think my body was just run down enough, that it couldn't ward off the virus.

During this time, Jody was really helpful in taking care of the girls so I could rest.  The girls love having Daddy Playtime.  It always consists of squealing, running, wrestling -- a bit more crazy than our Mommy Moments.   On Saturday, I was in bed with a fever and all other sorts of icky symptoms.  I woke up to Sienna bawling.  She had a huge swollen lip.  Sienna had slipped, in a game of tag around the Center Island in the Kitchen.  Her two front teeth broke her fall against the tiled floor.  Those teeth  have since turned grey.  I have taken her to two different dentists.  One thinks the teeth are dead.  The other says there is not infection, and from the X-ray it appears the root is strong...but could be dying?!?!   We do know the grayish color indicates damage to the teeth.  She is not in pain, and I will continue to watch for signs of internal infection.  Thank Goodness they are baby teeth.  I just feel terrible they are a different color, and I hope they won't get infected and need to be extracted.  

So the Flu Bug and Teeth Trauma. 

Ugh.

Here's a fun February recap of what we did before all of that. 

Red Velvet Valentine's Cupcakes

Jody and I celebrated EIGHT years of marriage in February.  He's a catch.  He genuinely wants to do the right thing, without himself in mind.  He is selfless.  He is a supporter; a "keep working until I get it right" type of a guy.  He makes me laugh.  We have fun together.  We balance each other out.  Goodness!  I love him.  We celebrated with a night out at the Little America Hotel, Downtown.  It was beautiful.  I had never been inside the Little America, until this stay.  The GIANT fireplaces were so cozy -- especially when it was freezing outside.   




We also had a Surprise Birthday Party for my Mother in Law.  What a fun moment to have these four little dolls waiting to jump out and yell, "Surprise".



We had fun bowling and eating some pizza!

These Valentine Unicorns were on Gracie's and Sienna's radar for weeks before the Holiday of Love.  There were so happy when they got them on Heart Day.  My parents brought over a bouquet of balloons, which were a big hit!

Notice the TuTu over the jammies.  Yep, that's a big trend with Sienna right now. 

All You Need is LOVE...

We love this time of year!  Time to appreciate a little more, give a few more hugs and share compliments more freely.  It's the season of LOVE.  I am going to share a few things that our girls LOVE:

Gracie loves Storybooks, "Step, Passe, Kick" from dance class, making cookies, stomping in the snow, writing her full name, dinosaurs and applesauce. 

Sienna loves the Brown tutu pictured in the photos (she finds it everyday and puts it on over whatever she's wearing), puppies, balloons, lipstick, music, doing everything by herself (she yells "Self" if you try to help her with tasks.)  She still loves warm milk, "Little Einsteins" and tissues.  (She is obsessed with wiping her nose with a Kleenex, even though she rarely has a runny nose.)



The first picture:  "Wait, you want us to do what?  Stand by each other?  Smile?  This is all too much, Mom!"

Goodness!  I love these sweet cheeks! 

 Little Sister with a snowflake stuck to her eyelashes! 

And Yes, even I got a picture with the LOVE Banner: showcasing my new hairdo.  Back to the bangs.  I can't promise they'll last.  I LOVE Bangs.  (We've come so far since the 80's/90's in the Bang Category.)  But bangs, to me, are a lot like babies.  They are both darling, and so fun to look at.  But they're also both a lot of work.  Wish me luck that I can keep them!

 

When Daddy is Gone...

 ...The kidlets take over the bed. 

Jody travels to Phoenix each month to visit clients for work.  The days get long, and we miss him lots and lots.  By day 4, we are all VERY ready for him to come home.  The girls do, however, look forward to the larger sleeping accommodations.  They insist we all snuggle in the bed together -- that makes for some squishy nights.   

Sometimes the girls cuddle up with the movie "Aristocats" on the ipad, so that mom can clean up after dinner.

It can be discouraging when dad is away on business...

 

 But Sienna copes by playing hide n' seek in the pantry. 

I have an outpouring of respect for those mothers and fathers who take on the responsibility as a single parent EVERY day.  Being a parent is a never-ending job, and playing that role with somebody supportive by your side, makes all of the difference.  When Jody is gone, I still wake up each morning to teach my classes at the High School.  That means there are student news scripts to be reviewed and corrected each night, quizzes to grade and parent-teacher conferences to attend.  It makes for late nights when he's away.  But we are so thankful for the dedication he puts into his work.  He is really good at what he does.  We are grateful he is such an admirable provider.  And better yet, when he is home -- he is a 100% DAD.  Piggyback Rides, Putting Puzzles Together, and just Playing with the Girls.  It's another reason they miss him so much when he's gone.     

Nothing That Some Sugar Can't Fix...

To help get us through the Winter Lull and Freezing Temperatures -- we thought of the solution that works like a charm every time -- Cupcakes.   

  

I used melted white chocolate to create these sugary snowflakes for toppers. Gracie helped decorate the snow flurries with edible sparkles and sprinkles.

I used the Wilton 1M cupcake tip to decorate.  I made Cream Cheese frosting, verses my go-to butter cream.  The Cream Cheese was a great consistency for decorating.  We popped them (covered) in the fridge, and the icing was chilled enough that it tasted so Yummy! 

Some plates to share..

And of course...Mommy's Little Helpers!

 

Let it Snow!

We have received a great deal of snow this winter!  The girls are getting good use out of their gloves, hats and snow pants.   

 On New Year's Day, Papa Wiscombe took the girls for rides on the tube and 4-wheeler.  Gracie liked riding on the ATV the best.


Sienna was giggling on the tube with daddy. 

Thanks Uncle Michael for letting Sienna borrow your Dan Peterson School Sweatshirt.  Every layer helps...because BRRRRR....it's been cold this winter! 

Then Jody decided he would let my dad have a chance on the tube.  So Jody drove the 4-wheeler...and he was driving a bit CrAzY...Papa Wiscombe got the RIDE OF HIS LIFE, and a ton of snow glued to his mustache. 



When we were done playing in the snow, we went inside for a hot and yummy meal that Grandma Wiscombe had made for us. Thanks for the fun day!



All I Want for Christmas...

...is a Hippopotamus! 

Gracie wanted the game -- Hungry, Hungry Hippos for Christmas.  To our delight, she learned the song, "I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" in her preschool class.  She sang that song and other Christmas hits and hymns for us this season. 

Gracie gets really excited about doing the "actions" when she sings.  I hope she never loses that enthusiasm. 

I really love her little singing voice.   

Merry & Bright

The Christmas Season 2012

 was filled with so many fun events and memories. 

*We did some Holiday Shopping at the new outlets.

*We made lots and lots of Rudolph Cupcakes. 


*The girls looked sweet in their matching Christmas Dresses the Sunday before Christmas. 

*I helped with Gracie's Pajama Christmas Party at her Preschool.

Jody and I had the opportunity to attend the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert featuring Alfie Boe and Tom Brokaw.  Our friends the Jensens invited us, and it was an amazing night.  The Conference Center is always exquisitely decorated for Christmas, and the orchestra and choir sounded beyond perfect.  

We enjoyed Christmas Parties with Family.  Gracie adores my cousins Natalie and Courtney.  They are so sweet to her every time we get together.



Gracie and Courtney

Something I really like, that my side of the family does each year, is choosing some names off of the  2News Angel Tree.  A few years back, among my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, we decided rather than buy gifts for each other, we would spend that money on families who really could use some support during the Christmas Season.  During our Family Christmas Party, the kids get to share their experiences about shopping for and helping other children.  It's always really special to hear.  This year Gracie chose a little boy -- her same age -- off of the tree.  We picked him because he has some of the same interests as her.  She helped us pick out a blue (Gracie's favorite color and his too) coat, three shirts, some pants, underwear, a Thomas the Train set and some puzzles.   She told us she was happy she could help and that she thinks he would want to be her friend.  I bet so too.  I'm sure they would be great friends!  We also adopted an older gentleman this year from the Angel Tree.  It was really nice to shop for him and know he wouldn't be overlooked on Christmas Morning.

Christmas Eve was super magical.  We spent the evening at Grandma and Papa Tait's house.  We had a delicious dinner and enjoyed a visit from Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus.  How cool is that?  Santa had both Gracie and Nahla come up and help him sing some songs.  When it was time to sing  Rudolph the Red nosed Reindeer, Santa had some plastic antlers for the girls to wear.  However, Gracie came prepared.  She stuck with her trusty pair of antlers from home -- the ones she has been wearing all Christmas season since July.  Gracie even got to wear a red blinking nose -- talk about a dream come true for a kid who LOVES Rudolph!!

Both Gracie and Sienna were fine to sit on Santa's lap.  Santa shared some notes from his "Nice List Book" about each of the girls...things that the elves had written down.  He reminded Sienna to work on her "inside voice" and Gracie to be extra kind to her younger sister.



Cousins: Nahla and Gracie in their New Christmas Slippers

Sienna loves the "Rocking Moose" at Grandma & Papa Tait's house.

On Christmas Morning the girls were excited to see that Santa had brought treasures while they slept.  Gracie wouldn't come out of her room until she got the "ok" from us...because in her words, "I don't want to ruin the surprise!"  How sweet is she!? The girls had so much fun going through their stockings. Grandma and Papa Tait came over to visit while the girls opened a few presents from under the tree.

Santa brought Sienna a plush "Lambie" from Disney Junior's Doc McStuffins. That is Sienna's favorite show. Santa also brought her a little Doc doll. Gracie was thrilled with her Hungry, Hungry Hippos Game, a purple "locker" with a real key and lock, and that sparkly pink reindeer she saw days before Christmas. I wouldn't buy it for her, even after she performed a song and dance in the store singing about WHY it needed a home at OUR house...Good Thing Santa Claus hears the wishes of little ones. She was SO excited to see it on Christmas Morning!!

It snowed on Christmas Eve, leaving fresh powder to play in on Christmas Day!!  The girls had a blast being pulled on a sled behind one of the neighbor's 4-wheelers. 
And Gracie perfected her Snow Angel Abilities. 

Later on Christmas Day we enjoyed a really yummy dinner with my parents and Michael.  We exchanged presents.  Grandma and Papa Wiscombe got Gracie an Art Easel with paints and markers.  They gave Sienna more "Little People" Princesses to go with her Castle.  

 

I love my parent's home at Christmas time.  My mom and dad decorate their home so beautifully.  Under the Christmas tree is a village my Grandma Wiscombe made.  The girls have a good time playing with that snow-covered village and exploring all of the other fun decorations at my parent's house. 

Before the New Year, we visited Downtown Salt Lake to see the Macy's Christmas Windows. Each display was completely made of candy. Gracie wouldn't leave her reindeer in the car. So they were able to enjoy the window display as well. If you haven't noticed..."Reindeer" have really been trending at our house.

The lights at Temple Square looked especially spectacular this year. The snow was gently falling as we walked around the Reflection Pond. It was truly a beautiful sight!

Oh, Come Let Us Adore Him...

Oh, come, all ye faithful,
Joyful and triumphant!
Oh, come ye, oh, come ye to Bethlehem.

It was a busy night about two weeks before Christmas.  I was hurrying around cleaning up dinner dishes, and my mind was in about a billion places; trying to organize my "what I need to do in order to be ready for Christmas, check off list."  Gracie caught my attention.  However, she wasn't tugging at my shirt or yelling.   She was talking in a hush -- almost reverently -- and it wasn't even me she was talking to.  She had gathered up a handful of her toys out of her room.  She had carefully placed them around the Baby Jesus in our nativity set.


"Can everyone see the baby?"  She whispered. 

"This is a very special child...His name is Jesus."

She was careful in arranging the toys -- making sure they each had a good view of the Christ Child.  I stopped what I was doing, and just watched.  She didn't see me observing her play.

"Did you know He was born to save the world?" 

She quietly asked her toys. 

It was so sweet. 

And she was so diligent in sharing her testimony of this special little baby.

And suddenly lists didn't matter -- tasks were meaningless. 

Perhaps someone other than Mr. Duck, Tinker Bell, and Clarice the Reindeer needed a reminder.  I smiled to myself.  Yes.  Gracie, this baby did indeed come to save the world!  And that is why we celebrate Christmas.  Hearing it from the mouth of a five-year-old made the season a bit sweeter.