a soliloquy: December 2010

November 2010

It has been a busy year and I am still wondering where the time has gone and how it can already be the week before Christmas 2010. It seems like yesterday that we were putting the Christmas decorations away and preparing for the arrival of Sadie...and now not many months down the road and our little Sadie is becoming a more independent-then-ever almost 10-month old who has just started to crawl (i.e. rather slither) across the floor to get what she wants. Today, I went to get her out of her crib after her nap and she was standing in her crib, throwing her pacifier at her rocking horse. She also decided (this week) that she is done nursing and just this morning I noticed she is getting a mouthful of teeth.

Speaking of teething, Maggie is teething as well. She is losing teeth as fast as Sadie is getting them. She wiggled and pulled, and "twisted" as she referred to it, all day and worked another tooth out. It is crazy to me how quickly they change, really from one day to the next. Sam is getting so tall, all of his pajama pants are floods and his size 4 T-shirts have been donated because he fills them out. I have to stop and step back everyone-once-in-awhile to realize that they are really growing up right in front of my eyes.

So what have we been up to...Maggie and Sam just completed an art class offered through the Draper Art Council and we attended their art show where they displayed 5 of their works of art, Brian and I were very impressed and it was fun to see them so pleased with their pieces. Along with all the homework Maggie has at night, she has been busy with school choir, piano lessons and ballet, which she seems to enjoy most of the time and both Maggie and Sam are gearing up for another season of soccer and ski lessons.

We are always excited when it snows and it looks like more of the white stuff is headed our way which may also include a White Christmas. The Christmas's I remember the most were the ones when the earth was blanketed in snow. I remember many winters looking out our front windows and watching the snow pile up on our lighted, brick pillars outside the front door. There is something very beautiful and simple about new fallen snow. I love the quiet, stillness it brings as it falls.

I've tried to get my shopping done early this year so I can focus on the importance of Christmas, that of Christ and the simple, grandeur of His birth...the hustle and bustle of Christmas can be so distracting at times. A friend of mine expressed a thought to me a few weeks ago that I have thought about a lot lately. She said to ask myself the following question: how do I make room for the Savior in my life? I've thought about this a lot and I am looking forward to the new year as a good time to recommit to goals and set new ones. I am grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ and for his birth and his life. I am grateful for beautiful music that testifies of Him at this time of year. I am grateful that He lives and that we can feel His love.

May your days this holiday season be truly Merry and Bright...and hopefully not too crazy!

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind of events. Enjoy the photos.

Maggie celebrated her 8th Birthday. We threw her a Favorite Things party and she chose to do two of her favorite things for the party: pedicures and pancakes. We took the girls to get pedicures (I have never seen them so quiet and so relaxed, it was hilarious to watch them sink deeper and deeper into their chairs). Then we came back to the house for the eating of pumpkin pancakes...yum!

A day after Maggie's birthday, we flew to northern California for the week of Thanksgiving to visit friends and family and some of our favorite places. It was a memorable, enjoyable trip for sure.

The beach trail in Half Moon Bay

Tidepools

A little bungalow at Indian Springs in Calistoga, CA

Indian Springs Seahorse and two barnacles

The hot spring pool at Indian Springs

Brian and the kids on the pool stairs

A little window shopping in St. Helena and yes, that turkey is all chocolate!

Sadie loving her carseat for once

Wine Country

Anna and Sadie, cousins!

McKayla and Maggie, cousins!

After we got back there was of course all the laundry, but then also Christmas decorating and preparing for Maggie's baptism. Her baptism day was full of joy for her and for us.