Down to GA

After enjoying our Christmas morning, we ate cinnamon rolls, smoothies, sausage, and egg nog and hurried to clean up before driving down to Georgia. The drive was long, but the roads were clear, which was great. The only downer was that we forgot it would be tough to find a place to eat dinner on Christmas. The options were Denny's, a Hibachi grill, a Chinese restaurant, Hardee's, or Waffle House--all of which were packed. QuikTrip sandwiches it was. Awesome.

 Michael's parents were our gracious hosts, and it was so wonderful to see them and Melody. I unfortunately don't have many pics of the Weilers because I accidentally left my camera at my brother's home.

 Look who's home from their mission to the Dominican Republic!!  Having not seen my parents (except via Skype) for nearly two years, it was so wonderful seeing them again.

 I sure am lucky to have such a terrific mom.

 Robbie wasn't quite sure what to make of his "new" grandparents. He'd only seen them living inside our computer screen. But what kid isn't entranced by Bapa's horsey rides and funny faces?

 Another big highlight of our trip was being able to go to the Atlanta temple with a few of my siblings and my parents (pictured here are Bryan and Emily and Clay and Amie). I felt the Spirit so strongly and it was a beautiful glimpse into what it might be like in heaven when we get to be with those we love.

 I also got to go to breakfast with some high school friends. It was great catching up and enjoying these ladies' company and sense of humor.

 A hazy cell phone shot catches a glimpse of the hilarious game night we enjoyed at the Weiler's with friend Dennis Bischoff. Sure do love these folks!

 And another treat was hanging out at the home of my oldest brother, Matt, in honor of his birthday.

 Matt, who continues to do well in his recovery from cancer, and his wife, Tana, quickly won Robbie over with Cheetos.

 Bapa love.

Every good trip must end with Michael and some roughhouse play. My nearly ten- and eleven-year-old nephews weigh nothing for this superman.

Christmas fun

After enjoying our Joseph and Mary dinner on Christmas Eve--a Weiler tradition--(baked fish, hummus, olives, goat cheese, dates, homemade pitas, and grape juice) with some friends and the missionaries, we awoke bright and early on Christmas day.

We opened stockings in our bedroom first--a Dunford tradition--and then lined up from youngest to oldest.

The fact that Robbie stood there of his own accord while the self-timer was going was miraculous.

 Requisite sibling photo.

 While I think this photo might have been slightly staged, Clara was very thrilled with her Samantha doll. (She is watching me as I type and just whispered in my ear, "Thanks, Mom, for Samantha.")

The one bummer is we discovered her arm needs to be fixed. But she is a welcome addition in Clara's heart and I am happy to see her used and loved.

My favorite gift was a whole box of socks from Michael. Not that I needed them or anything.

 Another highlight for Clara was the Rapunzel dress that "Mickey Mouse" and "Santa" gave her in preparation for our trip to Disney World in January for her birthday. She wore it down to Georgia (we drove down on Christmas Day).

My favorite people in the world. Merry Christmas!

Spend out (but not with money)

One of my favorite reads of this year was The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin. It's her experiences and journey through a year of trying to improve her overall level of happiness in a methodical, thoughtful way. One month she talks about her efforts to "spend out," meaning to stop waiting for a special occasion or reason to give or do or use something. Instead of saving the china or the stationary or whatever the precious item is, spend out. Use it. Enjoy it. Don't keep waiting for the perfect opportunity, only to have the years pass without ever finding perfection.

I love that principle because it is liberating and empowering. The sheets of cardstock, for example? Sure, why not let Clara use it? The beautiful quilt from Michael's great-grandmother? Hang it up for all to admire and enjoy.

Well, this concept has come around again this Christmas season with my American Girl doll, Samantha. I got Samantha on my eighth Christmas and was so excited. I had read the books about her and poured over the catalogs (which at that time only had Molly, Kirsten, and Samantha) for a long time.

My mother made her--and me--beautiful dresses from the catalog patterns. We slowly accumulated accessories for her--not the Pleasant Company's, but ones that we found and made ourselves (I had a collection of food magnets that we used for her kitchen). My mother and brothers (I think?) painted doll furniture for her. She was my best friend. While I knew she wasn't real, my brothers would tease me, "Samantha's not real!" and I would yell back, "Yes she is!" Or they'd threaten me when I was annoying me by saying that they'd "go get Samantha" and I'd quickly acquiesce or chase them up the stairs before they could get to my bedroom. (I don't really remember if they ever did take her--I think it was just an empty threat since they were actually pretty nice big brothers.)

As the years passed and I played with her less, I still kept her on my shelf in my bedroom. When I finally boxed her away when I went to college, I felt slightly uncomfortable putting her in a box where she couldn't breathe, even though I knew she was just a doll. Silly? Yes. Juvenile? Yes. But really, I lived through the stories (and also loved some of the other doll stories, too) and Samantha was a person, not just a doll. She was a friend.

And so, I am finally ready to spend out and give Clara my Samantha doll. She has asked for her before, but I wasn't willing. Now I am. Will Clara love Samantha the way I did? I don't know. Will she mean the same to her as she did to me? I don't know. But I DO know that if I always keep Samantha in a box for when Clara is "ready" for her, or if I never share her, then I will regret it. If she gets dirty or her hair gets tangled, if she's thrown on the floor (gasp!), I will be happy knowing that my little girl has the opportunity to love Samantha like I did.

So I had to take a picture and give you a sneak peek of what this looked like before I wrapped it up.

 It was very special and memory-evoking as I put on her little tights and bloomers, fastened her black boots and put in her original hair ribbon. She still needs to be taken back to the shop to have her hair redone, though.

Since Clara loves pretending so much, I thought she'd appreciate this note that Samantha kindly left for her to see upon unwrapping it.

I can definitely relate to Andy on Toy Story 3. I think he definitely made the right choice by giving his beloved friends to someone who could continue to enjoy them. "So spend out," is what I say.

We'll see what Clara says on Christmas morning. I think she and Samantha will be very happy together.

A moment

One thing I am not very good at but am going to set a goal to improve upon is being in the moment. Being mindful. Being present and truly there.

Today, there was a moment of about five minutes, maybe more, when I was really there. There are other moments, to be sure, but it was worth recording. As backstory, I got a nasty stomach bug--along with many others in the area--this weekend and spent Sunday night and Monday feeling like I'd been run over by a truck. Today (Wednesday) I feel nearly one hundred percent and ate with gusto and gratitude at a healthy digestive system that could handle a virus and then recover so well. I also felt grateful because it wasn't until today that anyone else in our family got sick--Robbie began throwing up this morning.

Poor kid--there are few things worse than seeing someone you love deal with an illness, but he was such a trooper and pretty happy--and snuggly--throughout it all. This morning after throwing up several times, he rested in my arms and began to fall asleep. This is such a rarity that I really wanted to consciously savor the moment. Wrapped up in his bright fleece blanket, he dozed off while I read aloud Luke chapter one. I felt the Spirit and suddenly felt grateful for sickness because it forced me to slow down, however briefly, during this busy time of year. After hosting the main course of a progressive dinner last night and hosting a few other engagements this season, feeling behind on a variety of things, not having gotten my Christmas cards all sent yet or entirely finished Christmas shopping, I have felt a little tired. I felt so grateful for Michael's taking care of me on Sunday and for being able to lie down for much of the day on Monday while Robbie played around and on top of me. I felt thankful to be able to have a moment of stillness with this sweet boy in my arms. I thought about Mary and her humble trust in God, about Elisabeth and her faithfulness throughout years and years of barrenness. I felt peace.

And then I remembered that the phone might ring at any moment with Clara having gotten sick at school. My mind started wondering how I was going to take care of two vomiting kids. I thought about the things I "needed" to do still. And I was disappointed that the moment of peace had gone. I was mad at myself for losing it and allowing my worries to push it away. I said a silent prayer that Heavenly Father would help me deal with whatever came. And He did. He does. And a tender mercy is that Robbie took a wonderful nap and (despite throwing up an hour ago) is feeling much better. Another mercy is that Michael and Clara have yet to be sick. I am SO thankful that I got sick first so that I can take care of them should the need arise.

So now, at the end of the day when I should be in bed, I wanted to stop and remember that moment and recognize that there can be a moment every day--many moments every day even--when I am there, present, alive, grateful to be there. Instead of beating myself up about when the moment leaves, I can be thankful that I recognized that there was one in the first place.

Covered: A poem by Brittany Weiler

A boy covered in crumbs
With a grin on his face
The ink on his hands
Arduous to erase.
Covered with sauce
While covered with clothes
Keeping them clean is a job
That just grows.

Slathered with Desitin,
Body wash, lotion,
It's tough trying to cover
A body in motion.
Runny mess covers a little red nose
Covered in tissue too late when he blows.
Little toes hiding
Inside little boy shoes
Running and climbing
No new height to refuse.

Blond hair covered
By a lumberjack hat
Leaves me in awe, thinking,
"Whose boy is that?"
Covered with blankets
Nestled close to my heart
This boy's got me covered
Never from me to part.

NYC, there's something about you

This past weekend, Michael and I had the opportunity to go up to Manhattan for a short visit. We attended a very helpful business seminar all day on Friday, but that didn't prevent us from doing a few other things while we were there.

 We used the discounted TKTS and saw Phantom. A classic.

 The Majestic Theater was old, which lent some charm and mystique to the musical, for sure.

 We debated going ice skating at Bryant Park, but we decided not to based on our skating skills. I was surprised at how small the rink was (and how crowded, too).

The tree at Rockefeller Center really is amazing. It is incredible how huge it is, especially being a real tree. I feel kind of sad that they chop such a beautiful tree down every year, frankly.

Even though New York City isn't really my favorite speed or scene, it was a wonderful trip thanks to great conversation, productive plans for the future, good food, an easy drive/train ride up, and good babysitters at home.

Family pics

So we finally had some family photos taken for our Christmas card, courtesy of Erika Lassen. I thought I'd share some of my favorites.

Thanksgiving awesomeness

For Thanksgiving, we were thrilled to have Michael's sister, Tabitha, her husband, Tommy, and their four beautiful children come up to visit.

It's great to have a cousin to share with, isn't it?

The spread sans desserts. Michael's grandparents and one of his aunts and cousins came down from Pennsylvania, which was really special. His aunt and cousin are gluten- and casein-free, so I made sure several of the dishes were things they could eat. It was tricky, but a friend of mine who is allergic to those gave me some suggestions.

You might notice that a giant bird is missing--Michael is not a big fan of turkey, so he grilled some chicken and steak instead.

 Tabitha, Eryn, Great-Grandma and Great-Grandpa.

 The whole fam! For some group pictures, one shot is all you've got.

 The weather was not the greatest, but that didn't prevent us from going outside. I love Robbie's look of wonder at those bubbles.

Michael also gave Clara a few grill cleaning techniques.

 And of course he taught Adam the technique of eating apple pie straight from the dish.

 He is also a magnet for small people. The twins--Ian and Emmy--and Robbie loved climbing on him.

 Their last night here, we got a sitter and went out for pizza and glow-in-the-dark indoor putt-putting.

With the camera flash. As predicted, the place was pretty darn ghetto but it was fun to make fun of the weird paintings on the walls and laugh as we played.

The only big downside of the trip was that their three-year-old, Hannah, slipped on the hardwood floor and gashed her chin. After a brave trip to the urgent care center, however, she was glued up and sent home with Rapunzel stickers.

Other memories to record:
blanket rides for the kids (sliding around on the hardwood floor)
playing catch outside, with Michael showing Clara how to throw in one fluid motion (and she responding and enjoying it)
going to the Green Valley Book Fair with Tabitha

It was so nice of them to drive up; their visit just added to the list of things for which we were grateful.