Here's to the New Year

It's that time of year again- time to look back on what has happened over the last 12 months and look forward to the next 12. The overwhelming feeling I have looking back on this year is gratitude. I feel so grateful for the miracles that have occured this past year. From Darreck's new job and graduate school to our beautiful home, we've seen so many wonderful things happen in our family this year. Looking back even further to when we lived in Moscow, I never would have predicted so many of the things that have happened to us since moving here. Our Heavenly Father has looked out for us in more ways than I could ever write in one post. From the small, every day blessings to Darreck's amazing job and Max's sweet personality, life is really good right now.

This next year my only goal is to remain worthy to be blessed so abundantly. I want to do better with my calling, be a more patient mother, and be less judgemental of my fellow beings. I want to become an even better steward over the resources we have been blessed with, and I want to eat more vegetables. Okay, so I'm not good with specific resolutions, but my goal this year and every year is to become a little more like Christ everyday. Lucky for me, I have a whole lifetime plus eternity to get there. Heaven knows (and only heaven really knows, luckily!) just how very much I need that much time! Here's to small steps in the New Year, and even more things to be grateful for this time next year.

Beautiful Baptism

I know that I sometimes joke about the amount of playing I do for church, but the truth is that I really enjoy getting to use my talents to bring the spirit into church meetings. Today I got the privilege of playing prelude and waiting music for a girl in first ward- Jenavieve Giles. She was in my class in first ward, and I'm her piano teacher and her brother's violin teacher. There entire family holds a very special place in my heart, and I was flattered that they wanted me to provide music for such a special day. I absolutely love attending baptisms; there is no sweeter spirit than when someone decides to accept Christ and join His church. It is especially neat when that person is a young child with their whole life in front of them. I am amazed by the strength and faith of children, and I know that children like Jena will do much to build up the church throughout their lives.

I was also impressed by the amount of people who braved the horrific weather today to attend the baptism. It goes to show that good, strong families really do build up a presence in a town after generations. I really hope that we can continue this legacy in our family. It's nice to be home, surrounded by people who know and love our family. The importance of having connections, especially connections in the church, was really apparent to me today. We're really blessed to be in such a great place, and hopefully we can stay for years and year to come.

The Big Day

We've finally gotten there- Christmas! It only took three posts...

We woke up early (of course) on Christmas and did our presents from Santa here at the house, and then we made the trek over to mom and dad's for family presents. Way, way too much stuff later (including totally awesome purple cookware!) we ate breakfast and settled in to admire our new stuff. Max loved playing with his toys, and I'm glad he's finally at the age where he does care more about the toys than the boxes. Darreck also got his dream popcorn maker, but his quest to make the perfect popcorn is fodder for another post. After a few hours of chilling, we took Max home for a nap, followed in quick secession by going back to mom and dad's for dinner. I made dessert this year- a two layered red and green jello poke cake- and have a feeling Gram would not approve because it wasn't pie. She also wouldn't approve that mom made pork loin instead of ham, but that is precisely why we love Gram so much :) After dinner we went to Hale's to see how there day had gone, and it was fun but low-key.

VERY, VERY early in the morning!

Probably the most memorable part of this year was getting to spend it in our new house. It was fun to have enough room for all our decorations and getting to hang lights and make a fire. I think it really made it feel like *home*. That's the problem with living in apartments for so long; nothing seems very permanent. We're so blessed to be living where we are.



Telephone from Grandma Great



More toys and even a "Max" book

 And, last but certainly not least, I am most thankful this Christmas season for the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Without his miraculous birth and infinite Atonement, we would have no purpose here on earth. We praise, adore, and seek him still, and this coming year our wish is to continually become more and more like Him- our exemplar and perfect elder brother.

A Few Weeks Before the Night Before Christmas

Around here we believe in Santa. We believe in giving generously, and we also believe that sometimes Santa gives others the opportunity to give for him. We were lucky enough to have one of those experiences this year.

Max has been in love with trains for some time now, and every time we would pass one in the store he'd get excited and say, "choo-choo, choo-choo!" We assumed this was 1 year old speak for, "Mommy, Daddy, I want that for Christmas!" However, getting such a little guy a full train set all in one year is a daunting task, even for Santa :)

However, a last month we got a very random call from a family who were moving out of our ward, the Doyles. Jenn Doyle said that they were looking for a good home for their son Tyler's old train set, and would Max like it. I was astounded; completely floored. I had not told her about Max's train obsession, but she was in-tune enough with the spirit to know who she could serve this Christmas. It seemed like a huge answer to one of our Christmas problems. But, there's even more.

This particular family has had a trying few months. They have a situation I know I would not handle with grace, because I've been there and didn't cope too well. That they would even be thinking about someone else at a time like that (let alone our family, whom they'd only known a few months) really affected me. It brought the Christmas spirit into our home in a way I'm not sure we've ever had before. I think that's really the true gift.

I know that Tyler's train set meant a lot to their family. You can't develop a collection of that magnitude (this set is huge!) without a lot of sentimental value. That knowledge makes this toy even more special to our family. We may not have a lot, but we've always been provided for, quite often by angels like the Doyle family. Every time I look at the train-set, I'm reminded again of our Heavenly Father's love and watchful eye for my family.

<>

<>

 

A small part of the collection we set up for Max



Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas, and I had a head-cold. However, it didn't manage to stop it from being the best Christmas Eve ever, just meant I didn't get any sleep! Lucky for me everyone else in the family was healthy, and everyone had a great time. I gotta say that Christmas Eve is probably my favorite day of the year. Something about the mix of anticipation and stillness makes it perfect, and this year was one of the best.

We started out the day by trying to catch up on all the cleaning I'd failed to do sick. Not very glamorous, but these things have to be done. We spent the afternoon at my mom and dad's eating our normal (and very yummy) appetizer dinner then opening pajamas. This year Kayla and I also got mukluk slippers we begged and pleaded for back on black Friday. Hehe.

We met Darreck's family at our house about six and exchanged present with them. Later we played Catchphrase (hilarious) and ate even more food. It's amazing the amount of junk food I can justify eating by saying, "well, it's Christmas!" My mom and Kayla joined us right as Darreck's family left, and we even got a surprise visit from the law (well, dad at least). We went out and looked at lights, but it was pathetic this year. We had a really cold early December, and no one seemed brave enough to put out much of a display. We got back to our house around ten with Max dead asleep in his carseat. Then the real work began.

Darreck and I made our first ever fire in our fireplace with none too little effort. It took forever to get going but was well worth the time in the end. It was so relaxing. Then we had the long task of finishing up some assembly work for Santa. We finally fell into bed around one, exhausted, and I proceeded to not sleep the rest of the night.

More Music (Surprise, Surprise)

Today was our ward Christmas program, and I got the awesome opportunity to play a violin duet with Engra Perterson accompanied by Julie-Dee Alt. This is the second time we've all played together, and I really enjoy the experience. The song we did in Sacrament meeting was a juxtaposition of The First Noel and Pachelbel's Cannon. Totally cool piece! Then we did the opening song in Relief Society- a mash-up of Still, Still, Still and a Bach aire. I love combining the classical with traditional Christmas carols, and this one book of arrangements is the best I've ever found. It actually made playing in church fun, whod've thought?

Now we're preparing for Christmas (duh) and Darreck singing next Sunday in church. He's going to do awesome, but his obsessing about it being perfect is starting to drive me a little bonkers. People can laugh at me and say I'm a little up-tight, but they don't know Darreck well enough! He hides it well...

Crazy Christmas Week

The week before Christmas always seems way crazier around here than the actual week of Christmas. Darreck is trying desperately trying to finish everything up before he goes on break Friday. Today he got to be the "signing Santa" for the MSDB Christmas party. I know he was a little nervous about it, but he's holly and jolly enough to pull it off. I've been crazy busy baking- 9 total types of cookies on 10 trays. Yikes! I tasted so many of them to make sure they weren't horrible that now I can't even look at another cookie. My favorite of the year was cake balls- a crumbled fudge cake mixed with a tub of fudge frosting then dipped in white chocolate. Died and gone to heaven.

One other little thing, Darreck got all his grades back, and he got all A's in his first semester of grad school. He worked so hard and did so incredibly well. He always gets worried about starting a new school, but I knew he would rock at grad school. He's a wonderful writer, and that's most of what he's been doing. I'm so proud of him for his willingness to improve himself to support our family. He's such a wonderful provider, and I'm lucky to have such a great husband.

SANTA!!!!!!

Max and I had the opportunity to go to the 1st Ward Christmas party tonight. Since dad and Darreck were both working, I got to be mom's wing man while my sister sang in the angel choir for the nativity. Their very brave primary presidency had the kids put on a living nativity, and it was a hoot. My personal favorite was the sunbeam boys dressed up as sheep! Classic.

Max also got the chance to meet Santa for his second year in a row, and he still was a little nonplussed by the whole circus. He was actually really mellow for the entire party, just like he was when we went to our ward's party. He's at that shy, won't let mommy too far out of my sight stage right now. That, combined with his overall laid-back personality, make him a pretty shy little guy. It didn't help that it was also after bedtime. But, he didn't cry and that has to count for something. Still, one of these years I'm determined to get a pic of him smiling with Santa.

The Big 5-0

One last post for the day, and I saved the best for last! Today was dad's 50th birthday, and we're so happy for him. Although we had his big party back in July, today we had a fun, low-key family day. After the concert, I went back to mom and dad's for spaghetti (dad' fav) and then chocolate cake and spumoni ice cream. We got dad a Joshua Bell CD to pump him up for the concert in April. Mom got him a very cool musical clock, which was an inspired and very unique gift. Mom has a knack for that.

I'm thankful for having such a wonderful father. Him and I are so alike that it's scary sometimes, but I've been lucky enough to learn a lot from his triumphs. I hope that this year ends up being the best yet because he defiantly deserves it. Happy birthday!

Music and More

While we're doing marathon blog updates, I thought I would mention all the music events this Christmas.

Last night was our ward party, and I had the chance to play in a violin-violin-cello trio. It's so much fun getting to play with serious musicians at church. The women I was fortunate enough to play with are not only great musicians, but they also play with the spirit. I love playing in church, but it's even better when I get to play with others who are trying to convey the same spirit I am.

Today we played the holiday symphony concert. This is my favorite concert of the year, and this year's song selections were great. Sometimes working with the choir creates some additional challenges, but the effect on the audience is always worth the extra hassle. Tim and Pennie got to come to this show, there first one here in Great Falls, and I really hope they enjoyed it. There is no greater way to show gratefulness for the talents we've been given is to use them to praise our Heavenly Father. I especially like playing this concert because it introduces music about Christ to those who might not otherwise not go to any religious services during the Christmas season. What a wonderful way to spend the Sabbath!

Trimming the Tree

Thursday we finally got around to setting up the Christmas tree! It should have been a fun and festive experience, but Max was kind of in a mood which then led to Darreck being kind of in a mood. I turned up the music and instituted a no whining policy, and the day got better from there on out. What counts is that the tree looks great, no one got hurt, and we can officially say that Max helped with the tree. It's a start!

This is the ornament of the year. It's hand-made and I found it for Darreck, knowing that he loves Nutcrackers.



Memories in the Making

I know that I never use this blog for product placement, but I have the chance to get 50 free cards from Shutterfly, and that’s an offer way too good to pass up. If any of you have had the pleasure of getting one of our Christmas cards or Max’s birth announcement or birthday party invite, you’ll know how cool Shutterfly cards are. I’ve told almost all my friends about Shutterfly, and many of our family members have gotten photo books from us for Christmas, all made by- you guessed it- Shutterfly.


I love making photo projects for the same reason that I love blogging. I keep a copy of everything I print, and post, for the future. Especially with kids, life seems to go so fast, and even now it’s hard to remember exactly what Max was like when he was really little. My blog books are my own little journal and my photo books are my nice and neat little albums. That and I have no time or patience for scrapbooking!

So, here’s the plan. I’m going to get my free Christmas cards this year and combine them with the ones from last year. After a few years of doing this, I’m going to compile my own Christmas card album. It’s just one more way to remember and pass on those memories to future generations.

Here are links to some of the products we've personally used for you to check out for yourself:
Christmas card (such as our fabulous black and red one from last year!)-

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards  
Birth announcements like the one we did for Max-
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/birth-announcements 
And, last but not least, photo cards like the fab one we did for Max's first birthday party-
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

You’ll have to wait and see which one we decided on when we send them out! Happy memory making!

Goodbye, Hello

We were sad today to see Grandma Necia go to Utah, but very excited for her to be starting her mission. We know that she is going to be wonderful at the work, but it'll be hard here without her! However hard it may be for us here, we are so proud of her decision to go. She'll do an amazing job, and I know that our entire family will be blessed for her willingness to serve the Lord. I'm so thankful for her wonderful example of selflessness.

In less serious news, we're 99% done on the tiling in the front entry-way. We still have to caulk trim seams and do some touch-up painting, but the tile is in, grouted, and sealed. A big thanks to Pennie and Tim for all there hard work! It's so cool having in-laws who 1. know how to do everything and 2. have all the tools. They brought over an air compressor to run their nail gun today. Seriously, how many families do you know who own their own air compressor? So cool. In case you're blind and can't tell which are the before and afters, the lovely afters are on the left-hand side, and the coming apart at the seams *literally* afters are on the right :)

 

 

Sledding and Shopping and Sleeping, Oh My

Black Friday is a big deal around here, as I eluded to in my last post. Friday went well, overall, if you don't count spending over an hour in line at Target at 5 AM a bad thing. Actually, I found some pretty good deals and really enjoyed breakfast at Perkins (Eggs Benedict, mmmm). While I took a long winter's nap in the afternoon, Darreck took Max sledding. Sorry I missed it, but I kinda felt like an extra in Night of the Living Dead, if you know what I mean. At least they brought back pictures!

Just thought I would share one more of Max's recent achievements. I have always been too chicken to give him his own cup and silverware, but Darreck braves messes better than I do and he's been giving him more independance eating. He was obvioulsy ready because he's been doing just fine and hardly spilling at all. It has also improved his behavior at the table! This is him eating his very own cereal with his very own milk all by himself.

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving, all. I must admit, as horrible as it is, that I usually look more forward to Black Friday than Thanksgiving, but I really enjoyed this year for some reason. Not that I don't always like giving thanks, but the food makes me sleepy and I have zero interest in football. Shopping the next day is much more my style! However, I do enjoy Thanksgiving just because I get to spend the day with family, however, this year was a little weird. We started out planning on having Pennie's sister, her husband, their 8 kids, and one son-in-law here, but they had to cancel due to a broken down van. Then, Gram's sister Marilyn and Uncle Ralph cancelled due to weather. We were going to combine mine and Darreck's family together, but dad and Tim ended up having to work opposite schedules. So, Darreck and I did Thanksgiving twice for, astonishingly, the first time since we've been married. It was fun, but I doubt I'll ever be hungry again.

Sunday in primary, Mandy Lowe said that her family makes a thankful chain each year that requires them to think of non-stereotypical things to be thankful for- you know, beyond family and faith and all those good things. I've been trying to do this all week and here is what I've come up with:

I'm thankful for:

1.  My garage!!!!!! Especially since this is the first day it hasn't been below zero for a week now.
2. Access to competent, affordable health care.
3. That we have options for shopping beyond Walmart here in Great Falls. Moscow was rough that way.
4. Purex 3 in 1 laundry sheets. I hate spilled laundry detergent and these solve the problem nicely.
5. Farkle, Phase 10, and Battleship. Darreck and I like to play games after Max is in bed some nights.
6. Flip-flops in the summer (and spring and fall).
7. Fuzzy socks in the winter.
8. Having a name that everyone can spell and pronounce. Darreck will tell you what a blessing this truly is.
9. Netlfix instant streaming for Wii and Hulu. 
10. Okay- sorry to go back on my word- but I'm most thankful for my wonderful husband, sweet little boy, and all the rest of my crazy family.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Another Half-Birthday

My not-so-little boy turned 18 months today. It's crazy how fast the time has gone by; it's all just one big blur. The first year went by really quick, don't get me wrong, but this past six months especially have just not seemed to exist. I can't even trace where the time has gone, and that scares me a little!

More about Monster Max:

• His weight today was 25 lbs. 6 oz (43rd percentile), length was 33-1/8 inches (75th percentile), and his head was 46.5 cm (17th percentile)
• His favorite activities are looking at books on his own and coloring. He's getting more into toys, and he loves playing with cars on the floor. He also really likes sitting down and "playing" the piano.
• He's a total monkey! It amazes me the places I will find him when I have to finally go to the bathroom. So far he has swung from the chandelier over the table (literally), climbed out of his crib, and fallen off the back of the couch more than once. We joke that I'm no longer allowed bathroom breaks.
• Max is super socially aware and loves being around kids. However, he's pretty shy and gets tense when he's in a new situation and doesn't know what is expected of him.
• He can be a total marshmallow. He won't defend himself if another kid pushes him down or takes his toy. He also gets upset if another child or our cat Tana is scolded in front of him.
• Most nights he goes to bed like a charm, but staying asleep is sometimes an issue. Also, like most toddlers, food is either an all or nothing affair. Some days he'll out-eat me and others he won't touch anything.
• His vocabulary is really taking off right now, and it's so fun to watch! His new saying is "what's that?" and he says it about 2 million times a day. And, if you don't answer, he'll start saying it louder and louder and louder until you give him an answer.

We're so lucky to have such a sweet, good-natured little guy. I can't wait to see what he does around Christmas- every time he sees a decorated tree he stares and says "pretty" over and over. I know that we'll have many more years to watch him grow and learn and become an amazing young man.

A New Challenge

I received a new calling at church today! I will be the new 1st counselor in the Primary presidency. I'll still get to do the music, at least for awhile, so I'm still happy. My biggest fear when I got the call to meet with the Bishop was that I was being taken out of Primary. I love working with the kids, especially during singing time. The only problem with this calling is that I'm replacing Super Woman! You know those women who just get kids, how to make them laugh and listen and feel the spirit? This is one of them. Her family is moving to Utah, and I'll be stepping into her very large (figuratively) shoes. It's going to be a challenge, but one I'm really looking forward to.

This and That

Nothing big to report, just a few little things- most of them bad, sorry :(

• Took the car in to have its oil changed and ended up also needing to get two belts replaced. Fantastic. I kept reminding Darreck that the total cost was less than one month's car payment, so we should just be thankful we have a paid off vehicle, which we are! But it sucks coming this close to Christmas.
• Someone tried to steal Darreck's bank account info! He got a call from the bank (and they did have the right bank, our address, and phone number) saying that his debit card had expired and to type in the sixteen digit code to reactivate it. Being smart, he hung up and called our bank's fraud line. Luckily they didn't get any info, but our bank still had to reissue all our cards and reassign new account numbers. It was a pain, but at least we knew what to do.
• Snow, lots of snow.

Now for something good, you'll see a new badge on the side of my blog with the heading "more about what I believe". Click on it and check out my new mormon.org profile. It just tells a little about my beliefs, and the website is also a good place to find answers about our doctrine and teachings. Check it out and stay warm!

Looking More Like Christmas

We took advantage of the unseasonably warm weather today and hung Christmas lights. I was SO ridiculously excited to hang lights this year. Something about home ownership and decorating for Christmas is all tied up together in my warped mind. Actually, when we first walked through our house in May I commented how perfect it was to hang lights on. Luckily for Darreck, our budget prevented me from going to "Clark Griswold" on the house. When choosing between presents for Max and lights for the house, Max wins out every time, rightfully so.

I also got my nativity fix for the year in my favorite store in the world, Real Deals. After seeing a nativity collection in Moscow, I decided that I also wanted to be a crazy nativity lady. I got my beloved Willow Tree set last year, and this year we added two small additions. I figure if I add one or two a year until the day I die, I will develop one crazy collection. We're off to a good start!

Primary All-Around

Today was our primary program, and I was so excited to show off what the children had learned. I'm the chorister, so we've been working really hard on the songs these past few months, and the kids did a wonderful job learning them. I love, love, love my calling! Not only do I get to use my musical talents, but I also get to work with kids- my two favorite things combined into one. Every week the kids inspire me with their strength and their testimonies. The young best see the influence that Christ has on their life, and they are also the most apt to following promptings of the Holy Ghost. I completely understand why the scriptures admonish us to "become as little children". They could leave me in primary forever and I would be a happy camper.

It was also Max's first day of primary, nursery at least, today. I have been counting down the weeks for months now until he was able to start, but it was surprisingly hard to let him go. All the kids looked so much bigger than him, and you could tell he felt a little overwhelmed. He did okay so long as Darreck or I were there, but he was not about to let us leave anytime soon. He'll adjust, but it's a little sad to know that we won't be attending all of church as a family anymore. I'm not sure why this is sad because Darreck and I are never together the second or third hours, but something about having to leave Max is eating at me today. It's a mom thing, I guess. One of those slightly annoying, catch you by surprise, emotional mom things. C'est la vie.

Great Day (Mostly...)

Grandma finally got her mission call today! She will be serving in the Family History Center in Salt Lake City. She reports December 3rd and, while we'll miss her, we're all so happy and excited for her. I know that she'll serve the Lord well, and I'm grateful for the wonderful example she sets for her family. It's such an amazing thing having strong, spiritual women to try and emulate. I know that she leads her life by the spirit, and that following that spirit has blessed our family in innumerable ways.

I also got to play an awesome concert today for symphony. We hosted a jazz combo fronted by a kick-butt clarinetist. The night was crazy, but so so so much fun! I was born in the wrong era- swing is my music! Unfortunately, I also developed a not so fun flu today, and I wish I had been feeling better for the big show. Oh well, I still played my best (albeit in a medicine haze) and now I'm off to bed.

Halloween, Part II

Well, today was the day, and it was a busy one at that. Halloween started very early this morning. Sundays always start very early, relatively speaking to our family. Because Darreck works in the afternoon, anything before eight is very early, but Sundays I'm up by seven getting ready. Ugh, but worth it. Church was great, Max was relatively good, and we're still counting down the weeks until he gets to go to nursery (3, by the way). I let him wear an orange and cream t-shirt to church today in honor of Halloween, but next week we're back to Sunday best :)

After a good afternoon nap, we met Darreck at work and got to enjoy the party he's spent the last few weeks planning. We had a barbecue dinner and then they did a fun carnival. I played musical chairs holding Max and ran the booth where kids had to eat a cookie off a string without their hands. Hilarious. We also went through the (very tame) haunted house, and Max spent the whole time trying to figure out why the giggly girls ahead of us kept screaming. Darreck did a great job with the event, and I really hope he gets the credit he's due.

We made it in time to Grandma and Grandpa's to eat the last of the waffles (the traditional Sangray Halloween food) and then help hand out candy. I took Max and Kayla to a few houses, but it was more to show off Max's costume to friends than to get candy. We have PLENTY of candy around here. I don't even want to think about how much I've consumed today!

 

It was a great Halloween, and I'm looking forward to next year when it will: A) not be on a Sunday, B) Max will be able to say trick-or-treat himself and C) I won't have to get that cute but completely non-stretch lion costume over his head. Oh, and no face paint. Remind me next year, no face paint.

Halloween, Part I

We started off Halloween celebrations today with the ward party and trunk-or-treat. After getting dressed and pinning him down to paint on whiskers, the parted started with a carnival where Max (with Kayla) made a bracelet (his favorite accessory!) and then made a popcorn hand. He didn't win the costume contest, even though his grandma was one of the judges. We were robbed! He was the cutest little lion ever. The only disappointing part was that he wouldn't do the roar we've been practicing for weeks. Tonight was perfect for doing the trunk-or-treat, as well. It was clear and in the fifties. Not bad for Halloween weekend! Check back tomorrow for more pictures and a run-down of Halloween, Part II.