Clothes!

I just thought I would take a minute and post some pictures of what Macy looks like at this moment (mid-December with a storm coming). She actually has her swimsuit on, but put her hat, jacket, and snow boots on when she got cold. She and Tanner wanted to go outside and play, but after we got the picture (it took maybe 30 seconds), they decided it was too cold to play outside in swimsuits. See...three-year-olds can make intelligent decisions. These two are hilarious! (She insisted on standing in front of the post for her picture.)

This girl changes her clothes 5-6 times a day. Yesterday, she started out in school clothes. She came home from school and put her pink pajamas on. Then, I gave her "Dorothy shoes" (red sequence) that I bought her to go with her new sparkle, froo-froo dress ($15 bucks from Costco that she absolutely fell in love with - what's $15 when you're in love?!?). So, she immediately changed into her new shoes and new dress. Then, Claire came over. Claire was Dorothy for Halloween this year. So, Macy changed into her Wicked Witch Halloween Costume (with her Dorothy shoes), and they headed to Claire's house to play Wizard of Oz. On the way out of the house, Macy said (under her breath), "I'm so wicked." After play time, she was in her new Christmas jammies from Nana and Papa. All of these wardrobe changes end up in the middle of her bedroom floor. Lovely!

Yea!

As of yesterday, I'm DONE Christmas shopping! Yea! I'm also done with Christmas programs, parties, visiting teaching, etc. so I get to try to just enjoy the week before Christmas!

Exception: Neighbor gifts


By the way...I took some pictures for my cousin, Annie for a Christmas card last week. I am having so much fun with my camera, even though I can't figure out how to do low-light. I can't wait for my new lens for Christmas (hint, hint, honey). The lighting wasn't great on this day either, and Josie didn't exactly want her picture taken (neither did Ed for that matter). We really needed another adult there to help distract Josie. Oh well...I hope we got a shot for you guys. I had fun! Thanks for your patience.



We stole this idea from Jen. Annie had seen some pictures like this on Jen's Photo Blog, so we tried it for a minute (even though there was a foot of snow on the ground).

Pure Joy

Austin has been a pure joy lately! He has been doing so well, and I enjoy every minute that I am around him. The other night, my sister's and I were practicing for our Christmas program and Greg had gone home teaching. I put the girls to bed early, and Austin came in the front room and sat on the couch and listened. Did you hear that??? Austin SAT! He didn't bounce, jump, leap, or fly off the couch, constantly interrupting. I was enjoying him so much that I didn't even want to put him to bed. Then, I got a phone call about "church business" that I had to take in my bedroom, and he snuck in, kissed me goodnight, and put himself to bed around 8:30. Amazing! I wrote him this note and taped it on his door nob (it got ripped coming off the door nob, so we taped it back together the best we could). In response, Austin wanted to draw the same picture for Greg.

My note (as for the drawing, just know that Greg has banned me from drawing pictures in church because it makes him laugh too hard):

Translation: Austin, Thank you for being such an amazing boy! You were so fun to be around tonight. You got in the bathtub, washed, and got pajamas on when I asked. You also did the silverware so quickly. It was amazing! Lisa, Alexie, and I really needed to practice our songs. Thank you for sitting so quietly on the couch and coloring and reading Christmas books so we could practice. It was so fun to have you listen to us. I'm so happy that you're my son and part of our family. I love having you around! I love you! (picture of us swimming in the ocean)

Austin's note:

Translation: I (heart) You Dad, and I (heart) the way your zoo [Greg was playing Zoo Tycoon on the computer at the time]. It is amazing. It is cool. You have lots of ****'s (star's).

He has been so sweet and thoughtful lately as well. Today, while we were in the car, I tried guessing his favorite Christmas song. It turned into a list of his favorite 6 Christmas songs. It was just a nice, pleasant conversation. When I asked him what he was going to ask Santa for, he said, "I'm just going to tell him to surprise me!" I love it that he doesn't have a long, detailed list of all his fondest desires (like his dad and I did at his age). And yesterday, when he said his prayers, he thanked Heavenly Father for his mom and that he got to spend time with me. Do you know what he usually prays for? He usually says, "Please bless my mom to have patience and not yell or scream today." I looked at our newly-ordained deacons that came to their last Primary Activity today, and they are such amazing kids. I am really impressed with their group of friends. I teach most of them piano, and they are really great kids. But, they are growing up. They tell me all about friends, the latest high-tech gadgets that they want, even girls! I don't want my kids to grow up! I'm really trying hard to just relish these years when my son actually shows gratitude that he gets to spend time with his mom, and Macy tells me that besides Tanner and Claire, I'm her best friend!

Family Christmas Party

We had our Christmas Party with Greg's family on Monday night. We met at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building for dinner, a program (my mother-in-law would be lost without her talent show), and cousin present exchange. It was a very pleasant evening. Everyone was there, and Grandma Morgan joined us (42 people in all). As always, Grandma was well-prepared and had coloring books and crayons to help the little kids stay quiet during the program. Brilliant, as always! Austin played his piano solos, and Macy did her dance. Paige just dropped silverware, bread, toys, etc. out of her high chair and said, "Uh-oh!" (This is her new game. Funny, she didn't throw the chocolate mousse overboard! Smart girl!) It was quite enjoyable listening to the older cousins as they performed. They are getting quite good. Then came the presents! Greg's brother commissioned a genealogical chart with pictures of all the couples and grandchildren, complete with birthdays and wedding dates. It was matted and framed beautifully. It really turned out to be gorgeous. And the best part was that we just gave them money and we were done - no shopping for my in-laws! Thanks Mike and Annie! It was a very nice evening!

I tried taking some pictures, but I don't know how to manage my flash very well. Whenever I try to get fun and creative pictures indoors, I just get frustrated because uninvited shadows ended up all over the picture. So, I took a few wide (but kind of boring) shots. But, it kind of gives you an idea of how many people attended. Then, I just got too frustrated and quit. I've got to figure out how to take indoor pictures with poor lighting. Hmmmm...

Macy's First Dance Recital

Macy had her first dance recital last Saturday. Saturday was a crazy day! We woke up to a foot (or more) of extremely wet, heavy snow. I hurried and took 5 minutes to shovel (j/k, j/k, j/k), and we went to the Ward Christmas Breakfast. We left early and Greg took Austin to Tae Kwon Do while I got Macy ready for the performance. Of course I could only find one ballet slipper, so I had Greg meet me in the Target parking lot so I could leave the kids in the car without getting the police called on me (that's happened in the past), and I ran in as fast as I could to purchase yet another pair of dance slippers. We got to the performance, and Macy did a great job. She danced to Barney's classic, "Suzy Snowflake." Her class was very first, and then she got to sit on Santa's lap. Santa gave her a ballet medallion. She got to wear stage makeup, and she was in heaven! This is just a preview for the arguments we are going to have in a few years when she thinks she's ready for makeup, but I will undoubtedly disagree.

The batteries to my camera died, so I didn't get a picture of her on stage (she has another performance this coming Saturday, so I hope to get a picture then). When we got home, I thought it would be a great idea to take her picture with the beautifully new fallen snow as a backdrop. I knew it would be cold, but I tried to talk her into standing there for just one minute. It went well:She wasn't too happy once she got inside either. All the noise of her tantrum woke Paige up from her nap (thank you very much), so we went in Paige's room to get some pictures. We had her dance around, and we just looked at the snow. It went a little better. My sister says that these look like Glamour Shots because it she has all that fur, glitter, and makeup on.

We ended the day with a trip to the Timpanogus Temple with Greg's family while the kids stayed with my parents. Austin also played in his piano recital on Thursday, December 6th. Since I was the teacher, and in charge of the entire recital, I forgot to bring a camera. Sorry, Bud! But, Greg got it on video. He played "Hymn of Praise" (memorized) and "Jingle Bell Boogie." He did a great job!

Elfed

This seems to be "all the rage" this season. I went ahead and "elfed" my kids. You can click on the link if you want to see it. Merry Christmas!

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1272586536

My mom liked ours so much that I did one for her:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1473270906

And this one is just to freak Greg out (he despises it when animal heads are on human bodies):

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1467456289

Kids

AUSTIN:

I have to give him some credit - He is trying so hard lately. When he gets up in the morning, he gets dressed, makes his bed, and does his piano before school. He has been so diligent. At night, when I'm putting him to bed, I say, "Do you remember the three things to do in the morning?" He always says, "Mom...I don't need you to tell me." He's also been trying so hard at school. The other morning, he blessed his breakfast oatmeal, and in his prayer, he said, "Please help me to be good at school so I don't get sent to the office." Everything's not perfect (is it ever with any of us), but I am so proud of him for trying so hard. Great job, Bud!

He is also so thoughtful. He really has a gift for thinking of other people. We went to my grandparent's house for Sunday dinner, and we were celebrating my aunt's birthday. Austin didn't know that it was her birthday until we got there, so he asked for some paper and some markers and escaped into the other room. He created a birthday card for her. He drew a picture of my aunt with a bow in her hair (she turned 56) holding his hand. This was his message:

To Aunt Jeri

Frum Austin

Hapy Brthday

I Luv Yoo

Can I just tell you much I LOVE these phonetically correct notes that he is always writing. His teacher at school doesn't really stress "spelling words." Instead, she teaches "rules" of spelling. For example, this week they are working on "ck" words. She also encourages A LOT of independent writing. She doesn't want them to be stifled in their writing because they don't know how to spell something correctly. I know this goes against some people's fundamental beliefs, but I love it. It is going to be so boring when he can spell all of the words correctly. Again...he tries so hard, and I think it's wonderful!

Here is a book that Austin wrote for my mother for her birthday. He is constantly writing books (staples a bunch of papers together and then writes). It's funny because he chooses how long the book is going to be (10 pages, or 12 pages) before he writes it. He puts a lot of thought into it. (You have to follow the arrows which is why some words are spelled backward. It's kind of hard to read because the pages are back-to-back, and he used marker so it ran through. My scanner also cut off some of the sides of the paper, so all the writing didn't make it on the page. But I think you can get an idea. I've included a "translation" under each page. Enjoy!)

Cover Page: Written & Illustrated by Austin (picture of Nana and Austin - Don't you love my mom's hair!!!)

Once upon a time there lived a dragon. Lived in a cave. The cave was filled with bats. The bats were the dragon's food.

The Mommy dragon had a baby. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah! The next day the baby was one and ready to hunt.

The Mom was not pleased with her baby.

The baby was breathing fire at a horse.

The dragon was eating the horse.

The dragon was having dinner.

The dragon was eating the lizard.

The End!

MACY

This girl is a constant crackup. I have more stories about her because I am with her ALL DAY, and she talks nonstop! Macy is my child with a couple of funny quirks. For example, she has an obsession with magnetic numbers (the colorful plastic ones that you stick on the fridge). She likes the ones with "holes" in them (like 6, 8, 9, even 3). She used to do this more, but we've since lost most of the numbers. At bedtime, she would cry for "her number." We would then search the house for one and she would suck her left thumb and put the "hole" of the number over her left pinkie. That's how she comforted herself. She also had a spoon quirk. She holds spoons under her chin and sucks her thumb. Like I said...a little quirky.

One of her quirks is that she has to touch things. When Paige gets up, Macy says, "I want to touch her." Then, Macy runs her hands over her face or rubs the back of Paige's hand. Once she's "touched her", she's fine and goes about her business. Yesterday, we drove by a house that had a ton of blow up Santa's, elves on a ferris wheel, etc. I pointed it out to her. In a very matter-of-fact voice, Macy said, "I want to touch everything at that house."

So, we started talking about Christmas. I asked her who Jesus's mother was. Without missing a beat, Macy said, "Moses." I started laughing hysterically. Knowing that she made mistake, Macy asked if Moses was a boy or a girl. When I told her that Moses was a boy, she said, "Well then he can't be a mother." We talked about it a little more, and how Mary is the mother. She said, "Why did Mary put baby Jesus on a stage?" I explained that it was a stable. She said, "I know...but why did she put baby Jesus on a stage after he was born?" I couldn't understand what she was talking about. When I got home, and looked at our nativity set, I realized what she meant. Our nativity set is from Jerusalem, and it kind of looks like a stage. Excellent question, Macy! I can see that we need focus on this again at Family Home Evening.

While we were in the car running errands, we drove by a T-Mobile store. There was a man outside dressed in a huge pink phone costume to advertise. Macy said, "Mom! I want to be that pink phone for Halloween next year!" Who knows, maybe she can get paid for advertising!

PAIGE

This girl cracks me up! She's figured out that we talk to her whenever we enter a room, and she starts talking right away. Whenever we get her up or get her out of the car, she lights up and starts "talking." "Da, da, da, da...Na, na, na, na...Ma, ma, ma, ma." She's also become a real Mama's girl the past few weeks. She cries whenever I leave or put her in her crib (this really only lasts a couple of minutes). She also "whines" for me when she sees me (she does this for Greg, Austin, and Macy, too). She also LOVES real food. I opened a banana for Macy today, and Paige came crawling from across the house as fast as she could. Then, she sat at my feet and whined until I fed her.

I took her in for her 9-month check up today. She weighs 15 pounds 2 ounces (2%). Incidentally, this is EXACTLY what Macy weighed at 9 months. Macy was a quarter of an inch taller and had a much bigger head (Paige's head size is 8%, Macy's was 40%). This is so unusual, because Paige eats A LOT more than Macy ever did. Macy refused to take a bottle until 10 months, so she was stuck with my watered down breast milk, whereas I quit nursing Paige at 6 months. Oh well...I guess it just proves that they will grow at their own rate.

I love you three little munchkins. I just know that I am going to desperately miss this stage of life! I sure do relish these great moments! Thank you so much!

Daily Phone Call

I get a phone call from Austin's teacher daily. She usually has me talk to Austin about listening, sitting still, working independently, etc. So, I was not all that surprised when I got home from picking Macy up from preschool and there was a message from Austin's teacher. But...it was a good thing! She was calling to say that Austin was having a fabulous day at school. I've been thinking about a fun way to reward him all day!

I know this isn't the end of all our trials with this little guy, but we are going to enjoy and celebrate today!

I'm Doing My Best (A Combination of a Gripe Session/Pep Talk)

Okay...So I was asked to sing "O Holy Night" at tonight's Christmas Enrichment Night. Normally, this would not be an issue, but I've kind of been freaking out about it the past couple of days. When I studied voice, I actually studied this song and performed it (that was about 14 years ago!!!). So, as I've been practicing, I've been trying to remember everything I learned...once upon a time. In all honesty, I haven't had much time to practice. Correction: I haven't taken much time to practice.

I feel like I am doing my best lately to just keep my head above water (this is the "Gripe Session" portion). The end of the year is an extremely stressful time for Primary. We are still trying to throw one more activity together before the end of the year, we are arranging special lessons for the last three weeks of the year because the manual ends next week, we are still short teachers for two classes, and we have to prepare all new classes for next year (organizing children, teachers, and manuals). In addition to this, I am figuring out the budget to make sure all the receipts have been turned in and to ensure that all our money has been spent...wisely. It's just a lot at this time of year. In addition to Primary, I'm trying to keep up with school stuff, prepare for Christmas, and I just can't seem to stay on top of the housework.

Also...The accompaniment is not the traditional arrangement of the song. It is actually a very pretty arrangement, but the cues are just a little bit different. Also, we are using the CD with the accompaniment already provided. This works great, but I need a CD Player to practice. The kids have CD Players in their bedrooms so they can listen to music at bedtime, but they are not exactly state-of-the-art models. Considering it is a CD Player for a three-year-old, I walk into Walmart, walk down the CD Player isle, and pick out the cheapest one possible. It doesn't exactly come with all the bells and whistles, so I can't rewind within the song - I have to start from the beginning each time.

Much of my frustration came on Sunday from the very sweet lady who asked me to sing. She is a very accomplished singer. On Sunday, she mentioned that every time she sings a solo, she practices for about an hour a day and memorizes everything. So...I have been feeling pressure for three days thinking that I need to memorize this piece and try to practice an hour a day. (I know I should be able to easily memorize "O Holy Night," but it is all three verses and it is the music that is difficult to memorize. It's just a little different every verse.) Why do I feel like I have to live up to this other woman? It is so ridiculous. I think it is wonderful that she can prepare so well, but it just isn't realistic for me. So, while Macy was at a friend's house and Austin was at school, I decided to put in some good practice time. I put my sweet Paige on Austin's floor and proceeded to practice. Apparently, I really need to vacuum Austin's room. I probably had to bend over and dig something out of her mouth...oh, I don't know...15 times. There were pieces of paper, bark from the school playground, legos, magnets. Keep in mind that all of these items are incomprehensible to the human eye, but a crawling baby can dig anything up. I'm trying to focus on breath energy while chasing Paige down and digging things out of her mouth. But, I didn't want to stop because I would have to start at the beginning of the song.

As I was practicing, I realized that I am not going to have this song completely memorized and "polished" by tonight. I also realized that my technicality as a singer is not what it once was. But, that is okay (this is the "Pep Talk" portion). On my fifth or sixth time through the song, Paige sat up and started clapping for me (keep in mind that she claps when the Hallmark Snowman sings "Let it Snow" when the kids push the button), but it made me feel better. I admire this woman so much that will be singing tonight, and there is no doubt that her song will be better prepared and performed much better from a technical standpoint. I simply can't compete with that, and I need to stop feeling like I need to compete. I just need to sing from my heart and try to portray my testimony through this song. It is a beautiful song, and I absolutely love the wording in the second and third verses. All the notes will not be perfect, and all the breathing will not be correct, but I can try to portray the emotion.

This has been kind of a strange post. I just hate it when I allow myself to get all worked up trying to "compete" with other people or live up to unrealistic expectations. I get frustrated with myself.

Fancy Macy

If any of you have little girlie girls, you have to read the Fancy Nancy books. We've read them before, but over the weekend, my mom read them again to Macy. We were in a store, and I ran to look at some things for Greg, so my mom took the kids to the book section and read these to Macy. She's been obsessed ever since.

On the way to dance class today, Macy said, "Mommy, do I look fancy in my dance clothes." I told her that she was very fancy. She said, "Do you want to name me 'Fancy Nancy'?" I told her that I already named her, and that her name was Macy. She said, "Do you want to name me 'Fancy Macy' then because I am very fancy?" We will survive the "fancy" stage!