Christmas Morning

Christmas morning we awoke at my parents' home and all piled onto my parents' bed to open stockings, per the Dunford tradition.

 Excited to see what's inside . . .

 My lovely parents.

 Then we line up on the stairs from youngest to oldest to go down and take turns opening presents. Robbie didn't quite get the whole thing, but he will next year!

 Carefully opening his first gift.

 Michael going into Duplo world, unfettered by any other concerns except to build Build BUILD!

 Oh boy! A Duplo train!

 Clara giving me a hug after receiving a gift.

 Me and my mom--she has always gotten dressed before Christmas morning begins. I like that tradition but my hair takes too long to dry.

 Clara was excited to receive a mechanical puppy, something she has requested for about six months.

We then enjoyed cheesy scrambled eggs, orange juice and chocolate milk, Amie's cinnamon cake, and sausage. Delicious.

Christmas Eve

We traveled down to Georgia for Christmas this year. We had a good time!

On the 23rd, we had the Dunford Christmas Eve buffet with my Georgia siblings at my parents' home (they sold their house in the fall and are renting until they find the right new house).

 All the grandkids are getting so big. Here is Lia, Rowan, Grace, Faith, and Clara, ages six (seven?) to nine.

Here are the older grandkids, who are also growing up so much--Kendall, Cailey, Eden, Brooke, Preston, and Clay, ages 10 to 17.

 The grown-up table. Notice the traditional Christmas crackers we have every year.

 Candid shots aren't the most exciting but I didn't want to interrupt everyone's eating. Notice my brother, Matt, at the head of the table, who is a year over his cancer. Awesome.

Wearing our Christmas crowns.

Eating out for Thanksgiving

We decided as part of our trip to Baltimore for Thanksgiving break that we would eat out for Thanksgiving dinner. I normally enjoy the menu planning, cooking, and company that comes with Thanksgiving, but this year I was just not feeling up to it. Michael really wanted to go to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner, which he arranged and to which I somewhat hesitantly agreed.

On our way up to Baltimore (a three-hour drive which we had strategically arranged to fall during Robbie's nap time), Robbie refused to go to sleep. Of course. So when we arrived at our hotel, I (essentially) asked Michael, "So what is our plan going to be should sleep-deprived, potentially whiny and tantrumy Robbie flip out in the middle of this very nice restaurant?" We decided I would walk around with him or take him outside. Michael really wanted to enjoy this dinner, and so we got all dressed up and I mentally geared up for it. We prepped Clara a lot and talked about good manners and role played a little about how to speak to a server, etc. We've been to restaurants before, but never this nice with our children.

 Purty chandelier.

 You know it's a nice restaurant when they only serve the kids' drinks in glassware. Miraculously, nothing was spilled.

 The turkey was super tender and the sweet potato casserole was divine. The dessert was pumpkin cheesecake, which was very good, but I confess I did miss sampling apple and pumpkin pies. With ice cream and whipped cream.

Michael ordered a really yummy steak, which has always been his Thanksgiving wish (not a big fan of turkey).

 Our server even took our picture in front of the Christmas tree.

All in all, the kids did pretty well. There was some fork-pointing in the face and some jumping on the bench. There was some walking around with Robbie. (He was the youngest one in the restaurant, I'm pretty sure, although there were some other young children.) There was some not super polite speech from Clara to the server about what she wanted to drink (GINGER ALE!!!). However, both Michael and I enjoyed our food, Clara did a great job of eating most of the foods, and we had a good time.

That's not to say I wasn't relieved when we were done, however. But I was glad I didn't refuse us going and freak out too much about Michael's choice. It was a good lesson in kids rising to (realistic) expectations and also lowering my own a bit.

And the fact that I didn't have to do dishes? Well, that was a big bonus, too.

Baltimore for Thanksgiving

Our original plan was to drive down to Georgia for Thanksgiving. However, because I was still feeling yucky and to avoid a long drive for a short trip, we decided to stay in Harrisonburg. However, that option wasn't particularly appealing either because I was not in the mood to cook and bake and deal with shopping and smells and fatigue. 

Michael suggested we go somewhere else, so he planned a trip for us to go to Baltimore. Even though it's so close (about three hours), we hadn't yet been there since we've moved up here. So, we drove up on Thanksgiving day, went out to eat (more on that in a separate post) and walked around town.

 The day before we left, however, it began to snow. It was magical as we set up the Christmas tree with snow falling outside, a fire in the fireplace, and Christmas music playing.

 The kids enjoyed watching it fall (although this idyllic picture lasted only a few minutes, of course).

 It finally stopped snowing in the afternoon, so we got geared up and went outside. I was grateful I could zip up my snow pants, which unfortunately are unwearable now until next year (hope it doesn't snow much this winter!).

I love this mid-throw shot of Clara.

 Robbie loved the snow.

 It was very cold but we walked nearly everywhere, which was great to avoid parking, see the city better, and get some exercise. Of course, Michael had to climb on the random city art sculpture.

 Robbie wanted to get up there but then immediately wanted down--he is a little fearful of heights.

 Our first stop on Friday morning was the National Children's Museum. It is very big and a lot of fun. A lot of it was overwhelming sensory-wise for Clara, but it was great when she felt comfortable doing and trying new things. For example, this water room (which was totally awesome) had crocs and rain coats that you could wear if you wanted to protect your clothing. At first, Clara refused (which was fine) but then she went back to it and decided to wear them.

 I loved this giant bubble-maker. Clara got it all the way to her head! Michael did it as well. I love having a husband who has energy and enjoys playing and getting into all the kid stuff with the kids. I am more inclined to stand back and watch my children do things, which is fine for some things but not super helpful for children's museums.

 Amazingly, Clara's love for non-talking mascots (as she calls them) was fulfilled when Curious George showed up at the museum. She gave him a hug and was super happy to see him. Too funny.

Later that day, we walked back down to the Inner Harbor and visited the National Aquarium. That was fun--we enjoyed a 4-D IMAX version of The Polar Express, complete with snow and evergreen-scented pine trees. I am not really into marine life, but I loved--we all did--these dolphins! It was fascinating watching them as they were trained. So many amazing creatures in this beautiful world.

We drove back home to Harrisonburg the next day and looked back glad that we'd taken the trip. And then we took a nap.

Robbie Says . . .

Robbie is getting so talkative lately that I need to make a list of all the funny things he's said lately. Here are a few I want to remember from the past couple of months:

(Upon looking at himself and Michael in the mirror after they finished getting dressed for church) "We're
handsome!"

"I no like it."

"Why not?"

"It's tasty!" or it's opposite, "It's not yummy time."

About a month ago, Robbie and Michael were playing outside and Michael was trying to help him catch the ball (or do some coordinated action). Michael kept saying encouragingly, "Almost!" Robbie then responded, "I no like 'almost.'"

"Fuge" for "huge" and "teeny wheats" for Frosted Mini-Wheats

"Hebicopter" for "helicopter"

Very creative in the things he's thanked Heavenly Father for: "for Addy" (always for our neighbor's dog), "for the water in the Sacrament," "for fan on" (his ceiling fan), "for Charlie," "for Elden," "for Vivian" (all kids in his nursery class at church), "for red ice cream" (raspberry), "for candy at Daddy's office," always various family members and neighbors, "for donkey," "for watermelon."

The other night I was having a rough time and was lying in bed and couldn't help but cry. Robbie climbed up on the bed and said, "I'm sorry." Then he proceeded to scrub wipe my eyes with the blanket. So sweet.

He is very aware and thoughtful. He will sometimes just announce, "I'm happy!" or its opposite, "I'm feeling sad," or after he's been hurt he'll announce cheerfully, "I'm okay!" or "I had a fun time at . . . [the ward Christmas party] [the doctor's office], etc."

"I have a baby in my belly button."

"I have a baby in my neck." (He said another day)

"I love that!"

"You puking?" he asks as he watches me with interest.

 This morning we were reading about the birth of John to Zacharias and Elisabeth in preparation for Christmas. I asked, "Who did that baby grow up to be?" Robbie said enthusiastically, "Child God baby!" Clara then helped him out with a more specific answer.

 Robbie is also very independent and strong-willed. I know this has the potential to be a great blessing, but it makes for some interesting/challenging times, too. If I cut his food and he wanted to do it, he throws a fit. If I shut the door and he wanted to do it, he gets upset. If I zip up his jacket instead of him, he gets upset. If I zip up his pajamas, he will unzip them and do it himself. If I lift him into his car seat, he often gets upset and will climb down and then climb back up himself. It is pretty funny. He is also growing more aware and obedient (or purposefully naughty). He and Clara had been hitting each other a lot--often just to pester but it was getting out of hand--and we really had to be consistent about time-out. He knows exactly what he shouldn't do and he'll say, "No hit Mommy. No hit Daddy. No hit Sissy. No hit Hyrum. No hit cousins. No hit Grandma" all in a row.

Dang, we love this boy!

Kidnastics

Clara participated in JMU's Overcoming Barriers program again this fall, which is a program that a wonderful Dr. Tom Moran, who himself has cerebral palsy (I believe) created where they pair up JMU students as mentors with special needs kids to work on various skills. Clara's was an adaptive gymnastics class. They practiced walking on the balance beam, jumping, doing hand stands, etc.

Here she is on the balance beam with Lindsay, her mentor, whom she totally loved. (Weird lighting, I know--the combative room (the wrestling room) had very bizarre light.)

Jumping off onto the mat.

The other mentors were so cute with Robbie--of course he wanted to come play, too. We'd go off and kill time for most of the hour and then come back at the end of her class. They would play with Robbie and he loved running around.

Here she is at the final showcase where she practiced her routine and tried out other activities. It was kind of overwhelming to be in a different space with lots of other kids and people there, and at first she was very reluctant to participate, but I was so proud of her for doing it.

 

She was proud of herself, too, and I loved how supportive and encouraging her mentor was. It was challenging getting there after school each Thursday, but it was a good experience for her and I'm glad we did it.

Family pics

We didn't get our Christmas card photos taken before it got super cold, so we didn't really want to take them out by the trees as was my original plan. And of course, the day I picked turned out drizzly, so the front porch it was.

 This is my very favorite picture of Clara. It just makes me happy looking at it.

 At least there was initial enthusiasm from our kids (especially motivated by the candy we'd promised them if they participated well for the photo shoot).

 Robbie looks so chunky here even though he's a bit of a scrawny guy in real life. I love those chubby cheeks and am sad that they are thinning out as he gets older. Clara's real smile makes me so happy!

So grateful for our kids. It is truly a blessing and privilege to be their mother.

Wrastlin' with Pa

Both the kids love wrestling with their daddy after work. He'll come home, change his clothes (so Robbie doesn't get him all dirty from dinner), grab a few bites of his dinner, and then play with the kids. Clara loves it as much as Robbie. I remember loving tickle wars with my dad, too.

Michael's birthday

2014 brought Michael his thirty-sixth year of awesomeness.

I made him waffles with whipped cream, strawberries, and egg nog for breakfast. He ate before Clara woke up, so unfortunately we didn't catch a picture with both.

Don't you just love Robbie's face?

 Family selfie attempt.


Michael's birthday fell on a Saturday, and we had planned to go to the temple that day. We invited ourselves over to my friend Karisa's house on the way back from the temple. They fed us a delicious lunch and accommodated our busy children.

Karisa made Michael feel like a king and even made cupcakes in his honor.

 Eating all the cupcakes at once.

Benson and Clara modeled their cute smiles for the picture.

Happy birthday to the love of my life.

Halloween 2014

This year there was quite a bit of drama about what Clara wanted to be for Halloween. For some reason, we began receiving a catalog for children's upscale costumes, which Clara really enjoyed perusing. I should have just thrown them away immediately, but alas, they filled her mind with all sorts of ideas and she was constantly changing her mind. She really likes the Count from Sesame Street for some reason and wanted to be a "vampiress" or a "countess" along those lines, so we bought a used purple dress that she could wear with her bat wings from last year. Perfect. Then she wanted to be a "fab 50s girl," but I'd already spent money on the dress and didn't want to waste more. My mom also tried to help out and bought her a boa to be a movie star instead, still utilizing the purple dress. However, she wouldn't have it. Anyway, after lots of emotional huffs and puffs (and fortunately the boa was returned), she decided on being a bat like she was last year. She looked great.

Robbie is still at the age of oblivion about costumes, and a friend offered to let me use a cute puppy costume for him. Since he enjoys pretending to be a puppy with Clara, I thought that would be great. However, before the ward Halloween party, he wore it for five minutes and then proceeded to unzip it, informing me, "I no like it." I knew there was no way I was going to force him to wear it.

On the night of Halloween, however, I debated. Should I let him go trick-or-treating without a costume? How lame would that be? But should I force him to wear it? Should he just stay home? I felt the irony of "making" my kid go walk door to door to get free candy. Fortunately, Michael persuaded him to put it on, and he was fine with it once he was outside. He was pretty much the cutest puppy ever.

 Robbie smiling.

 Clara smiling. (It was a chilly night, but fortunately her black jacket matched her outfit.)

 Look at that cute tail. I also like this pic because it catches a very common face from Michael--jaw clenched, lips pursed, and in love with his boy.

We didn't get our pumpkin carved until Halloween morning. Michael gallantly did the entire thing, which was fortunate because the smell was too much for me right now.

 I can't remember why Robbie was upset, but this face is classic.

 Happier now! I don't even have a finished product photo. Bummer. But Happy Halloween! Actually, I'm glad it's done so we can look forward to Christmas. (I like Thanksgiving for the gratitude part but not so much the food part.) Yippee!

Playing in the Leaves

We love the trees behind our house, but their presence always means lots of raking and blowing. This year, we had the added bonus of thousands of acorns and black walnuts (apparently they drop their goodies cyclically), which have provided hours of "fun" for Michael and I and true fun for Robbie. Many days he asks, "Go pick walnuts?" Mostly he enjoys dumping them behind the fence, but he also is good at spotting them, and Clara has also helped with picking up nuts as well.

 Robbie's getting ready to throw an armful. Love this dontmakemesmile smile of Clara's.

 Who wouldn't love to have air blown in their face? The kids thought this was very funny.

 Clara gets a taste . . .

. . . and enjoys being on the other end, too.

This leaf day was the first of three several-hour leaf rakes this fall. Phew! Even though it's a pain, I love that the work gets us outside and enjoying these gorgeous days.