Holidays

 December 2016

 Christmas Concerts... 

Everyday sillies

The room IS the view!

What do you get for a guy who wants nothing?
A new bedroom, of course.

Our Christmas gift to one another was to re-do our bedroom-- and it took a few months to get it done.
So with no further ado--
Merry Christmas!


Before-- Dark walls and no trim. (No curtains or blinds, either. This made the overnight stretches less than fun. We had an elaborate system of pinning up blankets to achieve a dark bedroom)

Our goal was to lighten the room up, so it felt open and airy. We wanted a peaceful retreat.

Christmas trip

We had the privilege to travel to Utah and visit lots of family over the Christmas break.
In all honesty- the more times we do this, the more I struggle with the visiting. We only get to see these awesome people a few times each year, so when we get together we try to cram as much as possible in, logically. I love seeing them and spending time together.
Sadly, with children, trying to spend long hours in cars for days on end, and spending time with people doing lots of crazy fun things quickly turns into a nightmare of grumpy kids, little to no sleep (thus resulting in a grumpy mom) horrible eating habits (that mom gets to take care of/clean up after) and ridiculous expectations for when we get home again.  (ie: "Why can't I eat more chocolate orange for breakfast? I don't want to to CHORES! I'm not getting up for school." to name a few direct quotes from the last few days)

I'm very glad we went. Don't get me wrong. We made some brilliant memories and loved on some dear, dear people. I just need a vacation to recover from my vacation.
(My work trip, lets be real. I was working on this trip)


Things we want to remember:

Before this trip our darling aunt Amanda came to AZ to visit us. We loved every minute of it- we just didn't take any photos. Boo. It was a delight to have her here, and we'll hopefully take better pictures next time! While she was here there was some crazy weather and my kids ended up having some school cancelled for snow days. We also had church cancelled- so there was lots of hanging out in Jams and being together.

Amanda flew from Phoenix to Utah with us- and our adventure began!

We got together with the Doctor's father's extended family for a Christmas dinner- I didn't take great photos there either. BUT-- I caught Feta hamming it up with our sweet Cousie E and Aunt Amanda and Grandma Jen.

Life As We Know It

I posted about our Christmas. (Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?)
But the rest of December- the regular life and family craziness- effortlessly glided into January.
I want to remember it, so I'm sharing with you.

We'll begin with Pencil.
Because with this monkey there are always a zillion tell-able tales.
He asked for cinnamon toast for breakfast almost every day one week. This is how he ate it:

After all, there's only one more sleep 'till....

Christmas!

Family Pictures at Christmas

What good Christmas card is complete without a family picture?

Although I didn't include them in the actual Christmas card, I think the outtakes are usually better.

Merry Christmas and Joyful Holiday Feelings!!

Love, The Whitings

Better late than never...

I know today is New Years Eve...

but I thought I would share a little of the last holiday before things got too far out of hand.

We decorated!

Singing the Songs of Christmas Joy

 

Christmas sentiments and holiday joys are at an all time high at our house.

While Sunday was a day to remember the reason for the season, my monkeys decided to celebrate with a little bit of a different point of view.

 

Because what kind of true-love wouldn't give you  4 biting dogs or a bomb to blow up China?

Merry Christmas!

A Christmas in Review

My mother-in-law's Christmas decor leaves me inspired every year!

We have returned to good old Arizona after a wonderful visit in the winter wonderland of Utah. Christmas and all of its accompanying events and activities kept us delightfully busy with still offering some rest and relaxation. Magical holiday, that.
Christmas to us is about being with family, and this year, that was what we did best. SO much family!

My monkeys with the favorites: Uncle Jared and Baby Bradley. (I hope he outgrows the Baby title, or he may dislike family get-togethers in a few years)

 Aunt Natalie gained new found favorite status this visit, and I hope she liked it. (I can't quite tell from this face...)

 May-May (the eternal favorite) and again with the Bradley face. (I could just eat him up!)

 More favorites came. Uncle Tyler and Aunt Amanda.

The Doctor's extended family got together for dinner and catching up. I was in charge of the photo. Thankfully it turned out OK. (Whew!) 

Grandpa took my big monkeys sledding. They lasted for hours, and loved every minute of it.

My Arizona kids have been winter deprived for so long that every clump of snow or ice (if only one inch in size) was fascinating and magnetically compelling. More photos and Christmas to come!

It's beginning to look like Christmas

 

We're thinking Christmas thoughts at our house. Music is blaring and lights are shining.

 

 

 

And minty Grinch cookies are being gobbled...

 

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Christmas Shopping?

We usually spend too much time at that Target place.

It's a fact.

 

But this time of year it gets complicated. How do you shop for kids, WITH kids?

I'm learning the virtue of online shopping, but I do so with trepidation. Am I the only person who is a hold out? Does no one else see the value of man-handling the merchandise? How can a girl know if she loves it if she can't feel it up? (dangerously scandalous!)

What can you tell me? Do I leap over my fear-ish gap into the unknown or do I stubbornly cling to convention for convention's sake? And whichever I do, HOW do I get it done before Christmas?!

*Also, what am I going to do when my monkeys and I travel to Utah for Christmas and experience temperatures below 70?? My blood is officially Arizona thin and I'm afraid! I think I need to buy myself some socks and dig out my actual shoes....hm... wish us luck!

In the Spirit of Giving...

This Christmas Season was one of laughter and happiness.
My mom, brothers, and sister came to join us for the crazies and the fun.
I was so thankful that they were willing to travel so far (that many hours in a car shouldn't be legal, really) and put up with our crazy kid schedule/life that is so different from the lives they live. It was so great to be reminded of why family is so important (because we love them SO much) and how very great it is to be all together. It also made me miss my dad.
I am so thankful for the REAL reason for Christmas- a Savoir who has provided a way for us to have a life after this one, and not any kind of life- the kind where we can return to be with a loving God and our families forever. Brilliant!!

We made Santa Face Cookies and watched Muppet's Christmas Carol on Christmas Eve. (a perfect blend of both family traditions) (We also ate pizza Hut Pizza and went to the movies to see the new Muppets movie as a homage to the childhood Christmas Eve tradition with my dad)

Don't you wish you were here?

Christmas Cards...

People usually send out darling cards this time of year. You know the ones. Perfectly dressed kids with sumptuous photography and lighting.
Well, not us.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas at our house

What have you been up to?

What have I been up to lately?

Well, Friend, I'm so glad you asked.

I've been taking Grapes to soccer. She loves it. She's a natural, and it is so fun to watch her play.





















I've been playing FlingSmash with my kids. (Wii game- kid friendly and a bit addictive)





















I've been chasing Pencil monkey. He broke the already chewed mouse, so now the battery 'lid' doesn't close. Do you see the chewing hole on the side, there??
He also got hold of my sewing scissors and cut his new shirt from Aunt Kelsey. Thankfully he did not cut himself.
































I've been using my new Christmas gift(s). I am giddy with anticipation. Obviously, there will be more pictures to come.

















Do you see those sweet pocket holes?? How great is that!?!
















I have also been enjoying The Doctor's clinic schedule this month. He has been home at dinnertime and on weekends, and I have just relished it.
The Doctor and I have also been making the most of Netflix (my pseudo gift to him).
X-Files, Veronica Mars, Heroes, the movie "2012" and AstroBoy at least 50 times(that was the kids, though, not us) And it has only been one week!!
Ah-luv-it!

We Wittnessed a Wonderful Wedding

The Doctor's younger sister got married on Dec. 30th.
We were able to fly to Utah and participate in a whirlwind of wedding and family activities. It was breath-taking. (in the imaginative and beautiful way as well as the literal, I-NEED-A-REST way. Traveling with three kids seems to do that to me.)

The heart break for me was when we returned home I realized that I had not taken any pictures. I HAD remembered my camera- but I had NOT used it. Brilliant, I know!


We flew in on Tuesday night, arriving at 10:30 pm. Pencil did not sleep on either flight, so he was FRIED. So was I.

Wednesday morning was a whole family extra-Christmas. My kids were SO very excited to see Grandma's tree still up (and not crusty brown with death) and the stockings and presents. Sock looked out the window to see the newly fallen snow and shouted "It's REAL Christmas!"
I wish we had taken pictures. Pencil figured out how to open gifts. Grapes was SO antsy and impatient to open every one for her (in a cute, 'I love Christmas' kind of way.) Sock got a Super-Hero-Squad movie so he was thrilled. And all the siblings and spouses (and soon to be spouses) were there and I loved it.
Wednesday night was the 'groom's dinner' (I don't know if it was really called that, but that's how my brain thought of it) and we met the new brother-in-law's family and ate and enjoyed watching those two cute people be in love.
Thursday was SO cold. I enjoyed the temple ceremony SO much. It was sweet and thoughtful and so special for me to remember my own marriage commitments. (More on Celestial Temple Marriage here)
We took pictures afterward, but I was so cold, and worried about my frozen monkies that I did not take ANY of my own. Shame.
(As a side note, I think our brief time as Arizona residents has completely weakened my years of carefully honed cold weather resistance. It is tragic and a bit embarrassing.)
(As a second side note, this was my first visit to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple, because it is fairly new. I fell in LOVE with the beautiful architecture and wonderful way light was invited into the rooms through carefully placed windows. There was also an abundance of circles in the decor- symbolizing eternity and unity to me. I did not want to leave!)

The reception was beautiful. I loved the white flowers and green accents. My sister-in-law looked ravishing (did I mention that I was present when she found "the dress"? it was SO perfect for her) and her cute groom was all smiles.

My favorite part (again, weeping inside that I didn't take pictures or bring my flip-camera) was the dancing. My kids were anxiously awaiting the last half hour of the evening, and when the music began they went WILD. Seriously, I know I'm the mommy, but My Sockie is one RIDICULOUSLY good dancer. He had an audience, and he ate the attention up. It was so fun to dance and enjoy my kids. (oh- and the married people were good too)
Sockie wept when the music ended. He was red in the face and had swallowed nearly a gallon of water, but he wanted nothing more that to keep dancing the night away.
Grapes was also looking a bit windswept by the end of things. She had been dancing her heart out.


Thankfully, my sister (who came with my Mom and brother to the reception to help us manage three roudy monkies) took a few pics at the reception. (and Sock used her camera to take one too!) So I can share those with you now.

Christmas, Finally

A new post? Do I even remember how to DO a new post?? It has been too long, my friends.
So, Whit, where ya been all my life?
Why, Friend, I've been in the not-so-sunny state of Utah. But more on that later...

First, let us think on that loving season to be jolly and joyous. The season when the saints can employ us to spread the news about peace and to keep love alive. (name that beloved Christmas movie!)

Yes- we are finally getting to Christmas. At our house there was some debate about WHEN Christmas would happen. The Doctor had to work overnight from the 24th to the 25th, and was scheduled to work until 8:00 that morning. (which means he wouldn't be home until around 9:00) But he didn't want to miss that Christmas moment when the kids see Santa's gifts. (*Side note* At our house, Santa leaves the big gift out and unwrapped for instant Christmas gratification. All other gifts are wrapped, but Santa's obviously can't wait)
We asked Grapes and Sock if we should invite Santa to come a day early to our house so Dad could be there. We were met with blank stares from Sock and an immediate and very assertive "NO" from Grapes. She did not want to mess up the advent calendars that she had already diligently begun. Plus- then it wouldn't be real Christmas.

Any other kid would have had a party at this possibly once-in-a-lifetime chance. I'm just sayin'.


So, we waited. Mercifully, the doctor was able to come home early Christmas morning, and we actually had to wake Pencil up in order to open gifts at a respectable 7:00.

Good morning.














The big kids got Bikes for Christmas. Yay Arizona!






























Pencil's stocking did not have any treats in it. He found a way to take care of that discrepancy. He took one of Sock's treats out of his stocking, and chewed it through the wrapper until a sufficient amount got into (and all over) his mouth. Funny baby.





















All in all, Christmas was wonderful. We lounged in PJ's and did a whole lot of toy playing and the like (while the doctor slept in the other room)
The next day began a whole new batch of mommy-crazies, because we had a wedding in Utah to go to. I had not even thought about packing, preparing or ANYTHING because Christmas was a bit all-encompassing. So the 26th was a slap in my unprepared-for-air-travel-with-three-children face.


When I got out the suitcases, this is how I felt:

Dangerous Chores and Christmas Prep

We have had a bunch of mini-events this week, and I hope I can convey to you fully the chaos that is this life of ours. Not that I'm complaining... I just wonder, you know, if people really get the whole picture of this residency thing... The fact that The Doctor works the equivalent of two full time jobs (yes, people, 80 hours a week) and I'm the mom at home... often alone.

I finally got myself together and sewed some Christmas stockings and a tree skirt for our annual holiday celebrations. (Don't worry, I've only been meaning to do this for about three years... ok, maybe more than that, but who really needs to be counting these things anyway.) Mission finally accomplished.
















I LOVE them!
Do you like how there are no ornaments below the three foot mark?




















But while I was distracted by sewing, my sweet Sock decided to do his one chore for the day. "Oh bless him!" you think, and rightly so. Except, his one chore is putting the clean silverware away. He got his little stool and climbed up to sort so carefully, and then he pulled the drawer more out instead of putting it back in.

It came crashing to the floor and broke. The front of the drawer came all the way off. (now, in the drawer's defense, the previous owners had beaten it to a woody pulp once before, so the fact that the front was even there is remarkable) SO- we had a broken drawer and a nifty hole where the drawer once was.













Pencil liked the hole. (What is it with little boys and the fascination with finding/making messes and hiding stuff in secret spots?)















My mixer is down there, and when I got it out to make cinnamon rolls, I was STUNNED at how much Pencil had managed to stash away. Little monkey is a raccoon!
(The cinnamon rolls turned out great!)




















The Doctor was able to fix the drawer after a quick trip to the hardware store. He's my hero.


We have also had sick kids this week. Pencil has a horrible cough. He gets so miserable, and he just wants to sit and be held. For an active and busy little boy to want that is unsettling for his momma.
Grapes also was diagnosed with Strep yesterday. Yay. Highlights included a tedious and detailed call to the nurse a the pediatric office because it is Saturday... then getting told to go to the urgent care. Slow urgent care visit with two very busy boys who were fascinated by the stirrups of the exam bed. AND the cabinet under the sink (Pencil climbed inside and got stuck, twice) AND the drawers full of gowns and drapes and swabs. So fun! Sick Grapes just rested on the exam bed in a little ball. Poor, sweet baby. (but he was a great doctor! So, worth the wait, I think...) LONG visit to the pharmacy. (we were the only people in line, and it still took 25 minutes for ammoxicillin after they told us 10-15...) She asked to ride in the cart so she didn't have to walk. It was one of the tiny carts so she didn't really fit. She didn't care. Then she puked in the ladies room while we waited. I asked if they could speed it up at all so she didn't have to puke at the store any more (and so my boys would not ransack anything else) and they still took their merry time. (not impressed, Walgreen's. Happy Holidays to you, too!)
I laughed when she asked me what "barf" meant. I told her it was the same as puke, and she said, "OH. the kids at school said barf and I was confused"
When we got home she asked if she could take a bath. I let her get in and started dinner. I asked if she wanted to come eat her taco so we could give her some medicine. She asked if she could stay in the bath. She needed food for her meds, but I figure, "humor the sickie...right?" So she had tacos in the tub. Oh- you see it coming, she dropped it into the water. "Mom! My taco is floating!" And indeed, it was. Sorry, no pics on that one. Funny girl even when she's sick.
She was pretty sick- but some ibuprofen and antibiotics and I think she'll be ok.



And Finally-
this morning at breakfast I looked over at Sock, and this is what I saw.

Me a book, mom.







I guess Grapes was reading him. This is when they finished.

I love my kids!

Eeeee End!