Bedtime Sweetness

The night before last, Dolly said, "I want to sing John."  (She and Mr. Denver are on a first-name basis now.) We started out with her head on my shoulder, but she had a hard time getting comfortable.  I shifted her down so I was holding her like a little baby in the crook of my arm, rocking a little as I sang.  She reached up and put her hands on my cheeks, and she held my face like that until I finished singing.  It was the sweetest thing ever.  Made me cry.  It's crazy how into her I still am after two years.

Jim came in while I was singing and crying.  He thought I was crying because he had just sledgehammered the brick at the base of the fireplace in the living room and covered the entire downstairs (and partway up the stairs) with red brick dust.

(Yes, the piano was in the thick of the action.  This picture was taken after I dusted it.)

My distress over the state of the house might have amplified my emotional response, but I'm pretty sure the crying was because of Dolly.  I have to say, though - I can't wait until our downstairs is done.  And maybe I never want to live in a house while doing major renovations again.

Probably Blowing Kisses

I love having a toddler who talks.  I'm still a little amazed that Ever and I can have conversations.  I find the things she says so cute.  For instance, one word she doesn't quite grasp yet is the word "probably."  She uses it a lot, as in, "I probably take my lawn mower downstairs" or "I probably gonna get the ball."  She also likes to tell me what she's going to do and then say, "I'll be right back."  Lately there's been a lot of Band-Aid fetching.  She says, "Ima go get a Band-Aid for Mommy.  I'll be right back."

When Jim leaves for work in the morning, Chava generally says something like, "Ima blow kisses to Daddy" and runs to the door.  She stands in the doorway and blows kisses, waves, and grabs at the air to catch Jim's kisses back to her.  It's impossible to do it justice in words.  I should try to get a video.  It's pretty much my favorite.

December Festivities

To recap the remainder of December:

We had a Relief Society Christmas dinner early in the month.  Amy Thompson (RS Second Counselor) and Kristi Rondo (head of the RS Meetings Committee) did so much work.  The cultural hall and tables were beautiful.  Kristi made these little doohickeys to use as silverware holders:

Photo far away, with writing sideways, for a reason.

Partway into the dinner, Jane Oddou called Carolyn Johnson (who is on the meetings committee) over and asked if she knew what the deal was with the silverware holders and if they had any significance.  Jane showed Carolyn some of the more exciting ones on their table.  Turns out Kristi had been given the book Act of Marriage as a wedding present and had never read it.  She ripped out all the pages to use for crafts and thought they were the perfect size for this project.  So the silverware holders contained graphic language about one particular act of marriage.  I have no idea how Kristi put all those things together without noticing some of the words.  I mean, there are certain words that really pop out at you. 

In any event, Carolyn pointed it out to Kristi, who was mortified.  Thereupon began an undercover operation to remove the doohickeys without making their contents known to those who were still oblivious.  Carolyn tried to pick up one at an elderly lady's place; the lady told her not to, that she was going to keep it.  (Clearly she had not read it yet.)  So when she got up to get dessert, Carolyn snaked it and replaced it with a clean one. 

Carolyn and I were giggling about the whole thing in the kitchen as we were cleaning up.  Diann Voordeckers (our feisty, wonderful, 72-year-old RS President) came in and asked what we were laughing about.  Amy, Carolyn, and I filled her in and showed her some of the gems.  Never in your life have you seen a woman laugh so hard and so long.  It was the funniest thing I have ever witnessed.  Kristi came in partway through and said something like, "No, you are not telling the Relief Society President!"  But she couldn't be mad at us when she saw how very much Diann enjoyed the whole thing.  Kristi said next time she'll ensure her termination as head of the committee by including pictures in her porn. 

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The Saturday after the RS Christmas dinner was the ward Christmas party.  We did a dessert party, complete with hot chocolate, whipped cream, and marshmallows.  We debated the hot chocolate, but it was a hit.  Dolly wore a fancy outfit that somebody gave us when she was born.  It's size 12 months, but the pants are huge around the waist.  I safety-pinned them, and they were still falling off her.  She looked cute, though, and I was glad the outfit was finally worn.

The Primary kids did a great job with the nativity.

Ever was terrified of Santa and refused to sit on his lap.  She had more fun playing with the church balls when the party was winding down. 

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We got our Christmas tree later than I would have liked.  Chava was more interested in sweeping up the Christmas tree lot than anything else. 

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Melanie Karner and Stephanie Alvarez (my visiting teacher) brought their kids over to make gingerbread cookies one afternoon.  Everyone had a good time, despite the fact that Ever and Charlie Alvarez fought over Ever's new lawn mower.  (For a few days afterward, Ever kept saying something like "I take Charlie lawn mower.")  I really wanted to do a reading of The Gingerbread Man, as that was my inspiration for the whole thing, but it got too late. 

Mel, Alina, Christian, Ever, Kara, Stephanie, and Charlie:

Christian and cookies:

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Once when Jim was watching Ever, this happened: 

 

Chava likes stickers.

 

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Jim finished building a new little pantry.  One Friday, I was moving canned goods to the pantry from the old bookshelves we've been using for storage.  I did most of it before Dolly got involved, but then she wanted to help.  I let her carry a few cans.  She dropped one on her right big toe.  Underneath the nail filled with blood immediately.  She cried some but stopped before too long.  She began hobbling around, walking on the outer edge of her right foot so she wouldn't have to put her toe down.  But she didn't make a fuss about it, and I didn't give it a second thought.  When Jim got home and learned what had happened, he was concerned - and bummed that I hadn't contacted him when he was at the office and could've taken care of it.  We took her in to San Marcos the next morning, which was Saturday.  (Kaiser is amazing.)  No fracture, but getting the x-rays to confirm that was really awful.  Chava was screaming the whole time, and I had a heck of a time trying to pin her down.  The doctor made a hole in her nail with a hot poker thing to let the blood out and relieve the pressure.  It looked so much better, and we were relieved.  Jim took this picture at the doctor's office:

 

 

The wounded warrior and her negligent mother:

 

 

It appears that despite our efforts, she's going to lose her nail.  So I guess maybe I shouldn't let Dolly carry heavy things? 

 

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It was our first Christmas home alone, but it was nice and quiet.  Our family room/kitchen area isn't designed for a Christmas tree, but we put it the only place it could go. 

Christmas morning:

Santa brought Dolly a bike.  She's has been asking for one for a while.  I don't think the helmet fits properly, but she wore it through much of the present opening.  It's going to have to do.

Daddy got Ever two "John Denver books" - Take Me Home, Country Roads (which is really cool, actually) and Sunshine on My Shoulders (which is less cool, partly because the lyrics to the song are super-redundant).  Dolly, looking at the picture of John Denver in the back of Take Me Home, Country Roads:

We took an intermission from present-opening to enjoy some homemade cinnamon rolls.  It was my first attempt, and they turned out pretty delish.

After a clothing change, we finished opening the presents.  Jim had the genius idea of printing three pictures of John Denver he found on the internet and putting them in this frame:

 

 

After presents, we took the bike out for a spin.  Jim lassoed it so he could pull it from the front (uphill) or from the back (downhill, to slow her down).  Teaching Ever to steer is first priority; pedaling will come next. 

 

We had Christmas dinner with the Bunnells up the street.  Annie Bunnell is a gourmet cook, so the food was delicious and the company was nice. 

 

Friday, December 27 we had the missionaries over for dinner.  While cooking, I ate a bunch of the chocolate-dipped shortbread cookies Mamo sent for Christmas.  My stomach started hurting.  I thought at first it was sugar overload.  I didn't eat dinner.  That was probably good because there was a french-bread shortage.  One of the elders declined to take the last piece because he didn't want to be "that guy."  The other elder said, "I'll be that guy," and took it.  Then Ever asked for more bread, but alas.  Anyway, as soon as the missionaries left, I lay down on the couch and succumbed to the discomfort.  Jim put Ever to bed.  Eventually I had a violent vomiting episode that was really, really awful. 

 

Jim took care of Ever all day Saturday so I could remain as immobile as possible.  To help with my pain, Ever kept trying to put a bandaid on my knee (?).  At one point, they were outside watering plants when the doorbell rang.  I was afraid it was someone who needed to see Jim, so I got up to answer it.  I found a big box containing about eight loaves of bread and a note that said, "Dear Ever, We are sorry we ate the last piece of bread.  We hope this makes up for it.  Love, The Elders."  Pretty cute.  Ever enjoyed the whole thing and kept saying, "Elders ate my bread." 

 

I stayed home from church Sunday because my stomach was still aching.  (No puking after Friday night though, thank goodness.)  We had discussed going to see the lights at the temple that afternoon and went ahead with the plan, figuring it would be our last opportunity.  I felt pretty good by that time, and the lights and nativity scenes were fun. 

 

Jim and Ever eating sandwiches in the stable:

 

 

 

My main goal was to get a good photo of us in front of the red trees.  Dolly was throwing a fit.  I did the best I could:

 

I love Christmas.  It is such a magical time.  I wish I could figure out how to feel all year round as I do in December. 



Dolly Turned 2

We celebrated Dolly's second birthday on Saturday, December 14.  Karen and Carl Wilson (Nanny and Papa) came, along with Trish and Jeremy and their kids.  Ever's super into the Wilsons and was excited about their coming.  We had pizza and dessert - carrot cake cupcakes, "thrusters" (chocolate chip cookies baked in mini-muffin tins with mini peanut butter cups pushed into their centers), and M&M/chocolate chip cookies - and opened presents. 

We enjoyed a wonderful sunset during dinner:

 

Ever seemed a little scared of our rendition of "Happy Birthday," possibly because we never managed to find the tune.  (Later she talked about it fondly, though.)  She snuggled with me while eating her birthday desserts, which was amazing for me.  As always, the camera meant she should clap her (dirty) hands to her face:

 

 

Again, after she opened her first present:

 

Lukey and Dolly played for a moment before moving on:

Dolly got a lawn mower from Nanny and Papa.  She was pretty excited about that one.  She loves lawn mowers.

 

On her real birthday, Chavalyn opened presents from family.  She got all sorts of neat things from aunties and uncles and grandparents.  We were grateful for the additions to her collection of toys and activities.

 

It's crazy how fast she's growing.  Her speech and her memory amaze me every day.  A guy who checked us out in Target recently asked her age and then said he has "hair envy;" he's got a three-old-year who has not nearly as much hair as Dolly.  Then Dolly said something, and he said, "Wow, she's advanced!" 

 

I tell her I love her about 100,000 times a day.  Sometimes I quiz her, "Who loves you?"  In response, sometimes she says, "Mommy loves you."  But often it's "Anders," or "Clara," or even "John Denver loves you."  (She's gotten a lot better, but she doesn't quite have the me/you distinction down yet.)  She really has a lot of faith in her relationship with the late Johnny D. 

Thanksgiving Weekend / Cornyee and Dun Dun's UT Reception

We were invited to Mark and Pam McEwan's house for Thanksgiving this year, along with Jeremy and Trisha Wilson and their kids (Pam is Trish's mom) and some other family.  I asked for a food assignment and was told I could bring my favorite traditional dish or nothing, since all the food was covered.  I couldn't go empty-handed, so I made a sweet potato (or yam? - we did some research but still can't tell the difference) dish that Tatum made for one of our Thanksgivings a couple years ago.  Of course someone else brought a giant sweet potato dish (since all the food was covered), so Jim and I were the only ones who ate mine.  It was delightful, in any event.  Dinner was really nice.  I can't complain about getting a lovely Thanksgiving meal and not having to make any of it.  After dinner, Jeremy played Jeff Buckley's "Hallelujah" on the ukulele, and we sang together, which I'm sure everyone else thoroughly enjoyed. 

The Friday after Thanksgiving, Ever and I left for Utah.  (Jim had to work.)  It wasn't easy hauling Ever, her car seat, our big suitcase (because we don't own a medium-sized one), my backpack, and the stroller around, but I did it.  The flight was a snap compared to the one we'd just taken to DC.  Mamo and Papo picked us up at the SLC airport.  We stopped very briefly at Grandma's place in Orem to pick up leftovers for lunch because Pod was highly concerned that they otherwise wouldn't get eaten, and then we went to the Springville condo so I could put Dolly down for a nap.  Rob, Clarice, Cornyee, and Dun Dun came over to hang out.  We played pool, and I was mostly really awful.  Rob, Pod, and I played a game that Rob won when Pod and I still had all our balls on the table.  We had gotten some in but had to take them out because we kept scratching.  Pretty amazing.  Clarice was mostly bored because she had come over to see Ever, but Ever was napping the whole time. 

We met Anna and the kids at Café Rio for dinner, which was delicious.  Then Mamo and Papo went to pick up some things for Grandma and take them to her while the rest of us hung out at the Taylors'. 

Lizzie (Anna's niece) entertained Ever downstairs while the other kids went with Dustin to play night games at Kiwanis Park.  Apparently they had an amazing time.  Dustin's really vying for the "Favorite Uncle" title.  After Grandma's, Mamo and Pod picked up Ever and me, and we headed back to Springville so Dolly could go to bed.  Bags and Dun Dun came later. 

Saturday morning we tried a new breakfast place in Orem - Joe's Café.  The owner's adorable little daughters took orders, served food, and won our hearts.  Then Pod had a brief visit with Normie while Mamo, Cornyee, Dun Dun, Ever, and I went to Bridal Veil Falls. 

Ever had the time of her life feeding the fish in the pond below the Falls, with Dun Dun's assistance. 

Bags and Dun Dun posed with Deanie:

 

That afternoon/evening was Court and Dun Dun's reception at Thanksgiving Point.  Dustin's family had everything set up by the time we got there, and it was lovely.  Some old friends of Mamo and Papo came, along with Liz and Alan, Normie, Elsie (Mayo was sick), Julie and Rob, Emily and Jeremy Curfew, some Taylors, a few people I had met once or twice before, and lots and lots of people I didn't know. 

 

The food (pulled pork sandwiches and desserts) was really good.  Unfortunately we ran out of pulled pork sandwiches at the tail end of the party - before the newlyweds got to have any.

 

 

Jill and Jayna tried to set up the candy table as much like the DC party as possible:

 

 

I tried to curl my hair with a flat iron after a very brief tutorial by Bags, so I was feeling pretty fancy.  It doesn't look too amazing in these pictures, although it looks a lot better than it did when I tried to do again after I got home.

Sisterhood (sans traveling pants):

 

Court with Lu, Ever, and Clara:

 

 

Bags gave me her camera and asked me to take some pictures.  I figured she wouldn't mind that I spent the beginning little while trying to get a good one of Dolly girl:

Then I mostly took a zillion faraway pictures of the line.  I knew that was a bad idea, but I didn't want to go up to random tables and get closer-ups of strangers.

 

Rob, Anna, Rob (Lee), Andrew, Julie, Elsie, and Grandma:

 

Grandma, Lucy, and I:

 

Another Hastings shot, this time with Liz and Alan:

 

Toward the end, the parents (minus Mamo, who claimed she would've gotten too emotional) said nice things, and then Dustin and Courtney said nice things:

 

It was fun to see family.  I especially enjoyed chatting with Emily and Jeremy Curfew since I never get to see them.  I wish they lived in Oceanside so we could be friends.  At the end, somebody took Ever outside to feed reindeer that were right there at Thanksgiving Point next to our building.  I never saw them, but Dolly talked about feeding fish (at Bridal Veil Falls) and reindeer for a while after the trip.  Apparently it was a highlight. 

Sunday morning we went for a walk up Hobble Creek Canyon.  Bridal Veil Falls had been freezing, so we put on as many clothes as possible this time and were glad about it. 

Cornyee (looking stylish in Dustin's big flannel), Dustin, Pod, and Mamo:

Dolly and I substituted in for Cornyee:

 

I put my beanie on Chavalyn, and it fit amazingly well.  She did more of her crazy posing:

 

 

Dun Dun and Pod had some serious bonding time.  I hope there wasn't too much politics talk:

We crossed a bridge and saw a bunch of pumpkins in the stream.  It was like a pumpkin graveyard.  The camera couldn't really capture them all, but there are small whitish ones and a big orange one in the foreground and then about five more orange ones downriver:

Little Miss can only be contained in her stroller so long.  Then she must run free:

 

It was nice to have others around to shepherd her and help her push the stroller:

 

She loved the leaves along the side of the road.  It was hard to tear her away from them.

We saw a dead deer on the way back, so that was exciting.  Chava was really tuckered out and started losing her mind toward the end.  Finally she fell asleep while I was holding her.  She's too heavy for me to carry very long, so I passed her off to Dun Dun.  He carried her the rest of the way and said he didn't mind.  Bags pushed the empty stroller.  I felt spoiled.

 

Back at the ranch, Chava gave me good snuggles.  I felt like we really loved each other on this trip.  She seemed to ramp up the cuddliness.


We went to sacrament meeting at Liz and Alan's ward.  Mamo and Papo stayed for all three meetings and enjoyed a Sunday School lesson by Alan.  I took Ever back to nap.  She slept until the time we were supposed to be at Liz and Alan's for dinner.  We had a lovely dinner and visit with Liz and Alan, Andrew, and Amy and her family.  Ever enjoyed the new toys and gravitated toward the bags, of course:

Bag Lady and Dustin had to rush off to the airport right after dinner.  The rest of us had some really interesting post-dinner conversation.  We had to tear ourselves away so we could fit in a visit with Grandma that night.  I was sad to cut our Hoffman time short.  We went back to the condo so I could put Ever to bed, and then Mamo stayed with her while Pod and I had a nice visit with Normie.  Again, just wish we had a little more time. 

 

We flew out Monday morning.  When we arrived in San Diego, we watched from our seats as the luggage was unloaded.  This is how the conversation went: 

 

Dolly:  "That's our suitcase!"  [She said this about every black suitcase.]

Me:  "Really?"

Dolly:  "Nope." 

Dolly:  "That's our suitcase!" 

Me:  "Is it?"

Dolly:  "Nope." 

 

And so on.  Pretty funny. 

 

I was so glad we were able to take the trip.  It was nice to see family and join in the celebration of Coco and Dun Dun one more time.  Mamo and Papo were probably a little relieved when it was all over because they could stop listening to my John Denver Biggest Hits CD.  They were sports and played it in the rental car the whole time we were there, much to Dolly's delight.