Christmas Sunday 2011

Pre-Christmas

I changed the blog design, did ya notice? Now I need to add a picture. Baby steps, baby steps.

We got a new laptop a few months ago. I finally put Photoshop Elements on it. The old computer didn't have enough room. Anyway. So now I want to try editing Christmas pics before putting them up. (I am learning slowly- I have to do a guided edit. Full edit is a little overwhelming.) But here are a few unedited pictures from before Christmas for your viewing pleasure.

I got the animal hats at Michaels and the kids love wearing them.

Kadri is wearing a dress designed and sewn by her aunt Kaitlyn. She took a pattern-making class at college. That is talent!

And I just have to say that I love Pinterest. I am going to post a few of the things that I have made from ideas on Pinterest. It's awesome.

So maybe, just maybe I will post again soon.

Day 20

Today I am grateful for:
1. Microwaves. Leftovers for lunch are so fast and easy!
2. Kadri's words. She calls her brother Grantie, markers are markies, then there's blankies, doggies, you get the idea. And no one else outside our family would understand her word for popcorn, and I definitely can't spell it, but she uses the same funny word each time.
3. Spiritual thoughts, like this quote given by a speaker during our church meeting:

“Gratitude is deeper than thanks. Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts.”

—President David O. McKay

Day 19

I am grateful for:
1. Shopping, eating, and laughing with my sister
2. My husband who watched the kids so I could do the above.
3. Primary music. I have been lucky enough to be the song leader for the children in our church. (It's called Primary.) Music is powerful- it can teach truth, and children singing truth goes straight to your heart. Beautiful......And I am preparing the night before. Better than Sunday morning, right?

Day 18

I am grateful for:
1. My dad. It was his birthday today. He is a great example to me. I love him!!
2. Moments in parenting where I can laugh at myself. Grant was micromanaging Kadri- telling her to chew her food, do this, do that. I kept getting after him for being bossy. And I realized- I was micromanaging him. That's probably where he gets it from. Ha!
3. Tender mercies from the Lord that remind that He cares very much about me and my family.

Festival of the Trees

 Grant and I played a couple of Christmas duets at The Festival of the Trees, a local fundraiser. It was his first time playing somewhere besides a recital. We played:  "March" from the Nutcracker, and "Jolly Old St. Nicholas."

Day 12-17

Ha! I got a little behind. Here's some catch-up. I am grateful for:

1. Last weekend! Tyson and I went to Utah. It was our first overnight trip without kids, and it was so fun. The kids stayed at my in-laws house and loved it. I don't think they missed us at all. We visited the LDS temple in Salt Lake City. Even though all temples serve the same purpose, it was extra special to be in the one that was such a part of the early pioneers' lives. We met up with my sister, Lindsey, ate good food and laughed a lot. Then we went to the BYU game. It was a blow-out, so excitement ended with the first quarter.  But it was so fun to be there! Cold, but fun. We had great seats. Thanks Reeds!

2. Grant's prayers. He always thinks of the simplest and best things to express thanks about in his prayers. Playing hide-n-seek made the list earlier this week. I should be more willing to do simple things with him because they really mean a lot to him!
3. The couple who spoke in our church last week. They talked about gratitude, and how we tend to forget how blessed we are.  So true.
4. Music, again. I'll post a video of Grant and I playing some duets. I also played some with Tyson and my mother-in-law. We get to play again at the Museum of Idaho when their Christmas display is up.
5. Oreo truffles. I will have self-control. I will have self-control...
6. Family around the holidays. Well I'm always grateful for family, but even more so around the holidays.
7. Sisters who can cook and share their recipes with me. I'll let you know how the pork turns out, Brooke!
8. Is anyone still reading this? If you are, I am grateful for you.
9. Magic Eraser. That thing sure comes in handy around here!!
Have a great weekend! Maybe I will even remember to post.

Day 11

Today I am so grateful for:
1. All those who have served or are currently serving our country. Living in a free country is something I often take for granted. I truly am grateful for those who make this possible, and for the families who support those who serve.
2. I am grateful for the chance to reflect on the influence that veterans have had on my life. Many grandparents, great-grandparents, uncles, and cousins have served. Thank you!!!
3. Today's date. 11/11/11. And it will be extra awesome this morning at 11:11.

Day 9-10

Today (and yesterday, oops) I am grateful for:
1. Play-dough. Lots of entertainment for both kids. And me too.
2. An awesome younger sister. She is my hero. And I can't wait to see her this weekend! And eat good food, too! "I'd rather have good food than bad food any old day of the week."
3. Speaking of that movie, I might as well mention it. I am grateful for the "Ghost and Mr. Chicken." It's classic. Don Knotts at his best. When Tyson and I found out on our first (blind) date that it was both of our family's favorite movie, we knew we were meant to be! :)

Day 8

Today I am grateful for:
1. The Nutcracker Suite. Not just because it's awesome music, but because it is motivating my son to spend lots of time at the piano!
2. The Dollar Store. Sometimes there's really good stuff there!!
3. My mom. She is just great!

Day 7

For our family night activity (FHE), we wrote what we were thankful for on the feathers of Tom the Turkey. Tyson drew Tom a few years ago, and we keep up the tradition each year. I've written down what we wrote in past years. Last year, we wrote "white snow" on one of the feathers. Are you kidding me? This year, I am thankful that there is NO white snow yet!! But anyway. This was the first year that Grant could write on them himself. He even illustrated them. He's pretty funny. I'm counting this as my gratitude list! I am pretty thankful for these kiddos!

Day 6

Today I'm grateful for:

1. The time change. I love feeling like I've got an extra hour of sleep!
2. A husband who will laugh with the kids. It always makes me laugh, too.

3. Sunday dinners after a day of fasting. So good.

Day 5

Today I am grateful for:

1. The book Daughters in My Kingdom.  One of the first lines in the book is, "The world's greatest champion of woman and womanhood is Jesus the Christ." (Elder James E. Talmage). It is an inspiring book that helps me feel proud to be a woman.
2. Christmas music. Yes, we started that here!
3. Awesome sisters and sister-in-laws.

Day 4

Today I'm grateful for:
1. Children. They forgive so quickly, despite my nearly constant mistakes. I want to be like them.
2. Scentsy candles. Today my house smells like pumpkin marshmallow. Sounds interesting, but I promise it smells gooooooood.
3. A giant bag of dice. Who knew it could be so entertaining for a 4-year-old?

Day 3

Today I am grateful for:
1. Kid's crafts. Takes me back to my early years! I love coloring with crayons and getting messy with paint.
2. Long-overdue phone calls with awesome friends
3. A new niece!!!

Day 2

Gratitude today:
1. A warm house on a cold day
2. A new laptop. It's so much faster than the old one!!!
3. Good friends who I can confide in

Catch up?

So I haven't posted for a long time. But I think I'd like to start up again. Pictures to come. But I am going to start back in to blogging by doing something my SIL does: listing a few things I'm grateful for each day of November. So expect to hear a lot more soon. :)

Halloween 2011

I'm grateful for:
1. Grant helping Kadri take her last bites of lunch so she can have a treat with us.
2. Music- piano, violin, singing, any!

Grant after his piano recital. He played "The Dinosaur Song" and a duet with me-- "Hobbyhorse."  He did great!


3. Good health. We sure miss it when we're sick. I forget how grateful I am for it!

October

I did a lot of canning this month. I was so sick of canning by the time I was done! But the shelves are filled up now with applesauce, apple pie filling, peaches, pears, salsa, and green beans. No pictures though. One week during canning, Grant asked me to make cinnamon rolls. Since the kids had been neglected a bit amidst the peeling, filling, and boiling, I agreed. He has made them with my mom before, and when I first started, he said I was doing even better than Grandma. But by the time I was done, he told me he changed his mind, I wasn't as good as Grandma. Although misshapen, they were delicious.  Cinnamon rolls while canning made for a really crazy morning. Here they are, ready to help me make cinnamon rolls. These two crack me up.

 The House that Grant Built.

Grant intently carving his pumpkin during Family Home Evening, the Monday before Halloween. The kid has a lot of patience.... For some things.

Kadri watching while Grant carves her pumpkin for her.

Parker Pumpkins: Kadri, Grant, Mom and Dad.  I usually have no creativity for carving. I tried a little harder this year.

Face painting from playgroup. My friend Amber does an awesome job of organizing playgroup. We had a little Halloween carnival- she is seriously creative!

Tyson and I dressed up for Halloween this year, and it was fun! We usually wait til the last minute or do nothing at all, but this year we planned ahead and decided to dress like a 1940s couple. He is wearing his Grandpa's WWII uniform, and I am wearing a dress that my Grandma had kept.

The whole family

Grant has been really into drawing lately. I really hope he's inherited his dad's artistic talent, not mine! This is a picture of a dolphin. I bought that white board last week- totally worth the money!

Cousins. So cute!!!

Grant, Dallin and Parker

SLedding

I just found this post, unpublished. This was in February. Kaitlyn came with us sledding. It was fun! We went to Chilis afterwards. Delicious. We love Aunt Kaitlyn!

messy face

Just because we have to have at least one messy spaghetti face picture per kid, right?

Kadri May 2011

Grant May 2008

personal revelation

Excuse this personal aside...

As part of my church, I belong to a woman's organization called Relief Society. Its goal is to strengthen its members faith, personal righteousness, home and family, and to provide help to those in need.  The president of this organization is Julie Beck. Awhile ago she said this:

"A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently."

What a promise! I believe this applies to all women, no matter their circumstances. I look at my friends and family and admire the choices they make and the good and inspired things they do with their time. I want to be able to navigate my life confidently, too! It involves constant decision making which can be a problem because I can be so indecisive!  But I am going to trust that God allows even me to receive personal revelation through the Holy Spirit. One of my favorite scriptures is Proverbs 3:5-6 "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Nothing big is going on in my life. It's just the little things that can be hard sometimes.

Oh, I have a blog?

Since it's been forever, I'll just share some random tidbits.

- Thanks to my friend Stevie for her cleaning tips (I couldn't find the post to link to it, sorry Stevie!) I hate cleaning out the microwave. It seems like it's always dirty and it takes forever to scrub out. Well Stevie mentioned lemon juice and I'm converted!!! Just boil 1-2 cups water with a few tablespoons of lemon juice added. I microwaved mine for 5 minutes and let it sit for about 10. Then it seriously just wipes right out. Awesome!


- Thanks to my SIL who suggested eating stir fry over ramen noodles instead of rice. I fixed it last night and it was delicious. It's our new preferred method. The stir fry recipe is one of our favorites. Want it? Okay, I'll share.

1 lb meat, cut up (I use chicken because I always have some. You can use whatever you want.)
3 Tbsp soy sauce (more if you want)
1 Tbsp lemon juice
4 tsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp sugar
1/8 tsp ginger
Soak meat in this sauce mixture while you prepare vegetables.
Vegetables:
I've used broccoli, mushrooms, peppers, asparagus, yellow squash, onions, carrots, and bok choy (thanks bountiful baskets!). Use whatever you like. Chop up. Steam first, if desired. Then stir fry in oil until tender-crisp. Remove vegetables from pan, reserve oil. Cook chicken in oil. Add the vegetables back in. Enjoy!

-Okay, question for all you photography friends. I can see that lighting outdoors is a million times better than indoors. But a lot of times, I need to take pictures inside. And I only have an inexpensive point-and-shoot. Is there any hope for my indoor pictures?

-Kadri is one now and just a little thing. But she walks, climbs, squeals, and yells like the best of them. She is LOUD! But pretty cute. We'll keep her!

- I did my first craft/sewing project since Kadri was born. Yeah! I made a skirt and matching headband. Tutorials found here and here.

- The public library is great. Grant made this cool hat at story-time. You know what else is nice? I can put a bunch of books on hold on their website and then they are just ready to pick up! Easy! Thanks librarians!

- You are still reading? You are a true friend. I would promise that I will keep posting more consistently, but you know how that goes. And my last post about being a scaredy-cat? Thank you so much to those who commented. You made me feel validated! I will still avoid anything remotely scary, but now I can do it without being embarrassed. Thanks! :)

I am a Scaredy-Cat

I have a problem. It is kind of ridiculous, but maybe someone can really give me some advice!!

   Apparently I can't read or watch anything remotely suspenseful, intense or scary. I was reminded of this again last weekend. I was watching part of a Masterpiece Theater show called Daniel Deronda (rated PG). Masterpiece Theater, people. It wasn't scary, just really intense. I got so engrossed in the show that when it was time for me to go to sleep, I couldn't. I was so high strung that it seriously took me hours to fall asleep, and then I tossed and turned all night.
   This isn't new. I tend to get so wrapped up in what I'm reading/watching that I lose sense of reality. I feel the emotions of the characters acutely. Sometimes I feel like things actually happened to me and the sadness, anger, fear, etc. feels like my own. I cry and laugh out loud a lot while reading books. To give you a taste of what I mean, I'll give you some examples. I close my eyes the entire time of Terror Ride at Lagoon or Haunted Mansion at Disneyland. I conveniently take a bathroom break during parts of Pirates of the Caribbean and Muppets' Christmas Carol. My freshman year of college, the institute was showing Watcher in the Woods (Disney, PG) for Halloween and I could not watch it. I didn't want anyone to know I was scared, so I looked at something next to the screen and thought happy thoughts the whole time! Oh and last time I watched a movie that was really meant to be scary was The Sixth Sense. I was a teenager and the night after I watched it, I begged my mom to sleep with me in the family room. I had nightmares for years--seriously, years. It's really kind of embarrassing.  I can't watch exciting movies like National Treasure before bed or I won't sleep. I read and loved The Hobbit, but when I tried to read the rest of the Lord of the Rings series, I couldn't get past the first few chapters because I was already too scared. Hunger Games gave me nightmares. I made my husband read parts of Harry Potter #6 out loud to me in the daylight because I couldn't do it.

So do I just give up on reading or watching anything intense? What am I supposed to do? Is anyone else like this??

M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

Awhile ago I asked Tyson to draw some pictures that I could frame and put in Grant's room. It was several months in the making, but I finally put them up today. He drew them (free-hand, without looking at anything!) in pencil on paper first, traced them onto thick transparencies with a thin sharpie marker, and then painted each color layer by layer on the backside. (The front of the picture is not textured, because all the color and paint is on the back.) He painted the background for the middle picture, too. He has a lot more patience than me. I was impressed! Several of my sisters and sisters-in-law are really good at drawing, but my drawings are mostly stick figures. So I'm grateful to be married to someone artistic!

Grant sure likes it!

New Year

 I was looking at a list of my posts and noticed that I had about 10 different blank posts from the past few months that I had opened and intended to do, but never got around to. So I am catching up. Check below for some posts about the last few months.  


 Kadri likes to be on her tip-toes. Maybe she'll be just like Aunt Kaitlyn!

These next pictures crack me up because it's a daily occurrence here of Grant "helping" Kadri. But he really is a loving older brother.  

 

 

 

Tyson's trusty Oldsmobile died a few weeks ago. That car has been with Tyson as long as I have known him. A few months ago, he took a picture when it passed 200,000 miles.

We were sad to see it go. Tyson drives 1000 miles every 9 work days, so we needed another good commuter car. We found an '04 Toyota Camry in Utah. Hopefully it will prove as reliable as the old one! Sometime I will have to take a picture.

December

 We had the chance to spend a couple of days as a family in Salt Lake. It was so great to be together, even with the difficulties that come with traveling with 2 little kids.  We ate at some great places and Kadri loved being in a high chair pulled right up to the table. We were on our way out of the Lion House and wanted a quick picture. Kadri's eyes are always so wide open.

Grant LOVED the escalators. Isn't it great that such little things can make children so happy. Can you see the huge grin on his face?

We enjoyed the Christmas spirit all around Temple Square.

We also were able to listen to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir rehearse for their Christmas concert. Grant thought the conductor was so funny. Now, he'll wave his arms around like crazy and then say "Who am I?... Mack Wilberg!"

We love music, especially Christmas music. One of our favorite activities this time of year is to play tons of Christmas duets on the piano. Now it's even better to have little kids running around while we do it.

Kadri pulls herself up everywhere now. She can get around!

Grant uses Tyson's old shovel to help with the snow removal at our house. He really is helpful. He is always excited when it snows. I remember being like that!

 I like to make caramel popcorn around Christmas. That stuff is addicting!  But I learned that an air popper needs a break to cool down between a few batches, or the top blows off and popcorn goes everywhere. Lovely.

 

 On Christmas Eve day, my brother invited us to his neighbor's place for a sleigh ride! While we listened to the bells jingling on the horses reins, I felt like Mr. Kreuger and wanted to break out in song! We had fun!
(Wow, outdoor lighting makes a big difference to pictures! I know all my photog friends are like- duh!)

Christmas morning was wonderful and filled with magic. :)  Grant's favorite was a car mat that I made for him. It was a fun but time-consuming project.

Kadri was thrilled with this toy.

Here we are in matching jammies made by Grandma Parker. Thanks again!!  We spent time at both our families' homes. We are very grateful for them and their love and generosity towards us.

Christmas day was fun and happy and laughter-filled, but after the sort of let-down I felt later (anyone else?), I am grateful to know the real reason for the season!  I love this time of year. I was asked to speak about the birth of Christ at church the Sunday before Christmas. Although public speaking is NOT my thing, it was a huge blessing to focus on this topic. I am so grateful for Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!