Happy birthday, Cora and Mom!

Tuesday, December 27th-

Happy birthday to us!

Cora said we needed 6 pictures because she is 6 today!

Silas took the afternoon and we went to St. George. We took the kids to the Children's museum and then to McDonald's. Mom met us there and hung out with us for a couple hours, which was so nice of her. After she left we went to Costco and then to Kneader’s for my bday present of a chicken salad sandwich. Haha.

Enjoying the warmth of St. George

Happy to see Grandma Rowley

Birthday girls in the "castle"

Love this photo. Ryan is being cool and making a peace sign so
Molly decided to show us her cool age.

Add caption

Mom pointed out that the museum is in the
old college and James G. Bleak, my 2nd Great-Grandpa
was on the Board of Education

We got back to Cedar after 8pm but still had present time and cake. Cora was so fun to watch. She loved everything she received but her best reaction was for the ream of computer paper I got her. She yelled, "200 SHEETS!!!" like it was the most amazing thing ever. Her second best reaction was the Hershey bar we got her. haha.

Present time

Handcart book from my mom

Cake!

Dec 25 & 26

Sunday, December 25th-

Well, I officially have the stomach bug but for some reason it has hit me differently. I have had sharp, stomach pains all day.

Christmas morning, 2016

Despite that, it has been a good day. Our Book Christmas was a success. The kids loved their books, didn't complain or compare, and seemed pretty grateful. They spent a couple of hours just reading and looking at books before Silas sent them down to watch Veggie Tales. He decided it would be best to leave the kids home from so the big kids could help me as well as the little kids. Today was only sacrament and a musical program so I was bummed to miss it but there is no way I could have gone.

Taking turns opening presents

Christmas morning, 2016

Molly and her books

Molly brought me breakfast in bed after I
went back upstairs to lie down

Monday, December 26th-

Still feeling weird so we are being lazy again today. We did get out of the house for a while this morning. Silas took the boys to Rogue One and I took the girls to Moana. I am still feeling weak and gross even though I'm done "being sick."

This evening we got out some of the chocolates that Uncle Jack and Uncle Bob sent us. The kids were super excited to eat chocolate dinosaurs from a chocolate dinosaur egg.

Dec 21-24

Wednesday, December 21st-

This morning I took balloons and chocolates to the gym for Amie's birthday. It was fun to suprise her. She's been a blessing in my life the last few years and more especially the last year.

Last day of school for 2016! I love not having to worry about getting kids to bed early. We were super lazy this evening, playing too much computer and watching the BYU vs. Wyoming football game.

Mom and Dad stopped by on their way back to Vegas. This time they stayed for a couple hours so the boys played their instruments for them and we chatted. Grandpa even took a nap.

Thursday, December 22nd-

Sick Ryan

Around 3am Ryan started throwing up and didn't stop until after 8:30am. Poor guy. We were hoping it was a one time thing due to eating too much junk but it definitely seems to be more of a stomach bug. Darn it.

Cleod and Grant were able to spend some time outside in the snow with neighbors. The girls were awesome and stayed inside with me, painting and playing

Poop pillow. Photo by Molly

Friday, December 23rd-

Silas and I had our date at lunch time today. We stuffed ourselves at Brick House. Yum.


I ruined 2 batches of Divinity. I've never done that before. Then I realized that it is too humid. Not happy.


Had to cancel getting together with the Warbys tonight since Ryan was sick yesterday. It was a good thing too, because Molly and Cleod started throwing up after dinner time tonight. Cleod is a champ and doesn't need much attention but Molly will be sleeping with us tonight.

Cora's birthday card from Great-Grandma Aitchison

Saturday, December 24th-

Christmas Dinner

My husband is so great. He took care of Molly until she was done throwing up in the night. Luckily he got to sleep in a little bit into the morning.

Then he let me rest and watch a movie all by myself while he made most of the Christmas dinner himself. I helped a little bit he really did mostly everything.

During dinner I started feeling sharp pains so he let me go downstairs to read while he cleaned up dinner. Then we watched It's a Wonderful Life with the kids. We hadn't seen it in a while and the kids haven't seen it, so it was extra nice. Cleod and Ryan really liked it. What a great show!

Dec 18-20

Sunday, December 18th-

• Still feeling weird from hitting my head on Friday. It seems to be affecting my left arm and leg. Or maybe that's a different thing. It is a weird sensation though.
• Last Sunday morning taking care of Grandma. I'm kind of relieved. It has worked out because we have church at 1pm but it takes up a lot of an already chaotic morning. I am beyond excited to have church at 9am in two weeks.
• Church was good. I love seeing Cleod sitting with the deacons, being anxious to help. Primary was good too. Today is Cleod's last day of Primary class and Molly’s last day of Nursery. When did my kids get so big?
• Quick Jambalaya leftover dinner and choir practice for me while Silas was home from church and then when I got home he left to deliver Christmas gifts to the widows in the ward.

Monday, December 19th-

Ryan got his braces off today! He was so excited to get them off but right when we got out to the car he asked how soon he could get his full set of braces on. Oh my. That silly boy. He probably will have to have a full set in a few years, but needs to lose some more baby teeth first. Cleod will most likely be getting his full set of braces in June. Crazy.

For home evening we had a game night with the Rushtons. Silas made his yummy nachos and we ate Christmas goodies. The kids all got along well and we all had a great time!

Photo by Cora

Silas and Molly napping during lunch

Tuesday, December 20th-

• Girls and I woke up Grandma Warby.
• Mom & Dad stopped by on their way to Salt Lake.
• Silas watched Molly while I went to lunch with Amber at Costa Vida. Yea!
• After Cleod got home from school I went to the elementary to see the choir concert that they perform for the students and teachers.
• In the evening, we all went again to watch the choir concert. Ryan and Grant are both so fun to watch. They both get into it so much! Frank came tonight too, which was very nice.

Selfies while waiting for the concert to start

Ryan in the choir. Couldn't get a
good photo of Grant

Cleod playing Christmas music on his
clarinet, just for fun

Dec 15-17

Thursday, December 15th-

Cleod played in the middle school beginning band concert tonight. It was a good concert and the band is improving a lot. Cleod is doing really well and is enjoying the bass clarinet.

Frank Heiser came with us to the concert. He is a thoughtful home teacher.

Friday, December 16th-

Another great Friday! The van's battery was dead when I went out to start the car before going to yoga so instead of going to the gym I caught up on some things around the house. Cora went straight for some paper and scissors and started crafting and Molly just was Molly. Sometimes she is the easiest kid. She will just sit and watch Cora or go off and read of play by herself.

Silas jumped the car during his lunch break so I was able to take Cora to school and stay and help. After helping in her class I helped the orchestra teacher tune and get ready for their concert. Ryan is quitting orchestra after this week which I am sad about, but he just doesn't love it. He already plays the guitar and the piano and loves those instruments so I'm not going to force him.

The concert went well, like any squeaky 5th grade orchestra concert. Haha. After that the music teacher got up and all the kids sang Christmas songs for about 15 minutes. Molly was getting whiny but I wanted to stay. It was super fun listening to all the kids single their hearts out.

We brought Grant home with us after the assembly because he wasn't feeling well, although he was fine once he was home. Haha. I do think he gets overwhelmed at school sometime. The noise is hard for him.

A storm was rolling in all day and it started snowing toward evening. Silas and I finally got to go on a real date tonight. It was supposed to be for our anniversary. We did a little shopping and then met Brett and Deruchette at Sweet Basil for a yummy Thai food dinner before going with them to the new Star Wars movie, Rogue One. Before going into the theater I was getting into the trunk to get some candy and the wind pushed the trunk down onto the top of my head. It was bad. I was surprised it wasn't bleeding, it hurt so badly. I had a weird headache through the movie, although I still enjoyed the movie...it was so good.

Saturday, December 17th-

Mom and Ryan at Pizza Cart

We had another lazy Saturday today. My head hurt all day so I just wanted to sit and it is frigid out so it was a cuddle up and watch football kind of day. The kids did their chores and had their computer time.

Ryan and I did go out in the afternoon for a little date. We ate some dessert pizza at Pizza Cart and then went to Wal-Mart to get some goodies for their teachers.

Ryan's note to his teacher

In the evening we wrote thank you cards to teachers, made goodie bags and watched Elf. Silas made Jambalaya for dinner. Afterward Silas and I went to the Stake center for a few minutes to congratulate Savanah Bryant who got married today.

Today at dinner Silas taught the kids about the game “20 questions.” I don't know why we haven't taught them about it before but it was pretty fun. We have smart kids!

Dec 13-14

Tuesday, December 13th-

Today was a good day for me. Silas was dragging a little bit, poor guy. The holiday season has been crazy for him with church stuff. It has definitely contributed to my bad attitude lately too.

Having fun at Relief Society!

Anyway, today was better. Cleod and Grant stayed home from school because of sore throats. I totally could have sent them to school anyway, but I want my kids to know that their home is a safe place and that they are welcome and wanted here. It was nice to have them home. I made sure they read some but mostly let them watch movies and whatever. Sometimes we just need lazy days!

Tonight was the Relief Society Christmas Party and it was really fun. Silas ended up having to come to the church for some Bishop stuff and Cleod was helping with Gavin Puckett’s eagle project so the evening was a little bit crazy but good.

I'm grateful for good friends in our ward. Tonight I chatted with Emma and Megan in the kitchen and I just feel really grateful for them. Amber is usually my buddy at RS (and in general) and she wasn't able to come so that was weird. But it made me feel grateful for her too. Melissa came and she's always a hoot.

Wednesday, December 14th-

I had a lot of ah-ha moments today. I feel lighter and not so down-in-the-dumps as I have been feeling so I think I have a better opportunity to see things more clearly.

So here are a few of them:

*It is OK for me to not be the same person I used to be. I have been so focused on the fact that I can't do as much as I used to, mostly in my service in the church and to those around me but also in the amount of tasks I can check off daily. I have felt overwhelmed with visiting teaching and the pressure of serving others during the holidays and it has made it harder for me to serve my own family. I realized that my husband and my children need me THE MOST and I don’t have any energy for them some days. I need to focus my efforts on what I CAN do and not worry that it isn’t the same as it used to be. For example, up until about a year ago I would clean all the bathrooms (FOUR!) once a week. Now I am lucky to do it once a month. Gross! Well, I do have the kids wipe the toilets down with Lysol wipes regularly but they still need a good cleaning. I have felt like I should be able to do the same things I used to do and when I don't it causes me to feel overwhelmed. Today I finally really realized that I can't do everything I did a couple years ago and I can't always be the help-everyone-in-the-world person I felt like I could be. And it’s OK. I have 5 kids, they are bigger and busier. My husband has a busy calling and can’t always help pick up the slack for me around the house like I would like and that’s OK too. He is working hard for us and for the Lord and that is GOOD ENOUGH.

*The pressure of the holidays is real. I have, for many years, felt horrible during this time of year. I have felt like I am failing to give enough to those in my ward or my community. I have felt the pressure to go over and beyond my capabilities. We see so much good during this time of year, which is wonderful, but this is the big thing I have noticed. We (Silas, the kids and I) serve on a regular basis. I was so excited to do the 25 days of Christmas thing but when we haven’t had time one day to do it, I felt like a failure. But I started to see that we do the things on the calendar as part of our normal lives. For example, one day it was suggested to visit someone who is sick. We help Grandma Warby at least 3 times a week. One day was take a treat to a neighbor...Cleod does that regularly. One day suggested praying for someone who is sick and although we could teach the kids more specifically, Silas and I try hard to remember members of our family and ward that need extra help and we often remind the kids before family prayer of who they could add to the prayer when it's their turn. Silas and I fast for people and counsel about families in the ward. This is part of our life ALL YEAR long. We are trying to be like Christ all year. It is wonderful to be helpful during December, but I want to Light the World ALL YEAR! So I am going to keep the "Light the World" calendar and we are going to use to for ideas for Home Evening or Sunday activities throughout the coming year.

*I AM ENOUGH. I am enough for God’s grace and I can give myself grace. Grace is love and mercy when we don’t deserve it. I might have moments (or days) when I am not the person I should be. Maybe I'm a grumpy or mean mom and I feel like I'm not worth loving. But I am. And I can keep trying. I don't have to feel like a failure and I also know that the Lord is RIGHT THERE for me. That is one thing I haven't felt. I have felt blocked from the Spirit and the love of the Lord during the last few weeks but I know it is there, I just need to see it. It just doesn't always show up in the way I expect...or the way I THINK I need.

Anyway, these concepts are a big deal for me right now and I am grateful for the flood of understanding I received today as I talked to friends, as the thoughts came to my mind and as I pondered on them.

Cleod

This afternoon we were getting ready to take Cleod and Grant to the dentist. Cleod had to have teeth pulled and Grant had a cavity. This was the conversation right before leaving.

Me: Grant, go brush your teeth. You’re going to go get your cavity filled in a minute

Grant: Yesss! (runs down to his bathroom)

I love that my kids love the dentist!

Cleod was supposed to have his top 2 canines pulled to make room for the new ones that are coming on outside, but the dentist ended up pulling another one that was really loose right next to one of the canines. Cleod was so calm and collected the whole time. When we got home he had a small moment of sadness but I gave him some meds and we had ice cream so that helped.

Oh and Cora pulled out her second tooth this morning! She pulled out the first one too. She's a trooper!

Grant's selfies while Cleod was getting his teeth pulled

My cute boys at the dentist

Dec 10-12

Saturday, December 10th-

Molly selfies

Cute, happy girl

Today was the best, lazy day we've had for ages. We didn't have anything planned today except for bell ringing tonight that Silas signed up to do at Wal-Mart.

I am a much not pleasant person when I don't have time limits, I think. So the kids had more play time and more time with neighbors and less nagging from Mom. Yea!

Having hot cocoa in new mugs from Linda and Sammie

Sunday, December 11th-

Tonight was the annual Creche Festival at our Stake Center. It is a beautiful event where there are hundreds of Nativities as well as musical performances, art and a live Nativity. The primary kids (Ryan, Grant and Cora) sang a few songs and then were in the live Nativity.

It was a little stressful but OK. Even when Ryan got pail up on the stage and looked at me and pointed to his head and then his tummy...and then I went and got him off the stage, helped him out of the warm costume and followed him as he RAN to the bathroom to throw up. Wow. That was fun. Poor Silas had to go clean up a little bit in the boy's bathroom. Luckily by the time we were home and reading, Ryan's coloring was normal and he seemed to be feeling OK. So hopefully it's not a stomach bug.

Live Nativity

Amber playing lovely music at the Creche Festival

Before bed Silas read us a bunch of Christmas stories from the book my mom made me. It has a story, song and scripture for every day and this year we haven't gotten to it much. It was lovely to sit and listen to different stories, especially when Silas reads them. He is a GREAT reader and he gets emotional when the stories are tender so it makes everyone FEEL it even more.

Monday, December 12th-

Today is our 13th anniversary but it was just a normal day...

Well, except for the fact that the “bug car” was towed away today! Yea! The garage looks huge and I'm very happy about having some space. We found a ton of leaves and 21 balls in the space where the Bug was!

Bye-bye Bug Car

Molly playing on the stage after Ryan's recital

Ryan stayed home today to rest but didn't throw up again after the one time last night. It must have been his headache and the hot costume.

Tonight Cleod and Ryan both had their piano recitals. Cleod's was on the other side of town at 6:30pm and Ryan's was at the middle school at 7:45pm. It ended up working out perfectly and both boys did great!

Deruchette came to Cleod's with Kianna and Leksi and then just Leksi to Ryan's. Super nice of her.

I'm grateful that our kids love music and that we have found teachers that are so great!

I forgot to take photos of the boys tonight but they both looked nice and did so great!