9 a.m. and LOVING it!

Oh Hallelujah!!! Yeah, I’m that excited about 9 a.m. church! 

I love mornings and I love early church. Today was a fabulous Sunday, not only because of the early start time, but Chuck was not gone all day with meetings. I even got a little Sunday nap because Chuck was home for a change. We had a Nerf gun fight with the kids and ate chocolate fondue for dinner, really how could the first day of the New Year been any better? 

And this guy is now a sunbeam. He wasn’t a big fan of nursery so hopefully going to primary will be better for him.

It’s fun to play the piano in primary and look out to see my 3 kids sitting so reverently (or something like that) in their seats!

Here’s to a New Year and early church!!!

Sunrise, Sunset–50 Years!

Chuck’s mom and dad celebrated 50 years of marriage this December.

We had a yummy dinner at the Lion House in their honor. Chuck and I were a little uptight during dinner because everything was fancy and breakable – a deadly combination with little kids!

Good thing for smart phones to keep little hands occupied!

No Gillette family get together would be complete with out a program and this was a program to rival all others! It was a musical walk down memory lane and I must say these two sing a pretty good rendition of Like A Rhinestone Cowboy! Chuck’s parents capped off the evening by singing Sunrise, Sunset from Fiddler on the Roof. I Love the song and it’s message of how quickly time passes. 50 years has brought quite the posterity to Paul and Luann – 6 kids, 22 grandchildren and 2 great grandkids. Looking out over the sea of loved ones it makes you grateful for eternal family bonds.

The day after the big celebration we took the kids downtown. Samuel was super excited to see the “skyscraper” where I once worked (the big building right behind Chuck’s head). Samuel kept saying he wanted to do exciting things like mommy did when he grows up like work in a skyscraper and drive a TRAX train (it’s true, when UTA was testing the TRAX line I actually got to drive one of the trains). It was kind of fun to have Samuel so fascinated with a past “season” of my life, which really was exciting during the time even for myself! 

We even had to see the library downtown. I love libraries especially interesting ones!

The highlight of the library was riding up and down the glass elevator. The kids loved it! All except Jenna who went into a little bit of  melt down mode. I’ll admit it would scare you to death to be a baby and just see the floor rising and falling not really sure what was happening.

We walked around temple square since the night before it was a little too chilly to see much more than a few lights.

We played in the kids area of the Church History Museum until Jenna drove a few people to tears.

We looked at the amazing waterfall of the Conference Center.

And simply enjoyed strolling together.

Christmas Day

Excited to get the present opening under way.

Smiles all around.

And cheers as presents were opened.

Hugs from kids who loved their presents – especially when Grandpa gets them a real sharp Swiss Army Knife. Hope we don’t loose any piano playing fingers!

Grandma was finally able to get Bella an American Doll. She’s been wanting to buy her one for years, but I knew the expensive doll would probably just end up with a hair cut and a crayon colored face so I’ve had to hold Grandma off until this year.

Jenna loves her baby and Bella is so sweet to help dress her.

Ready for epic battles of good and evil.

The jury is still out on if buying 15 lbs. of Lego's is really a good idea!

On to church and turkey dinner. A wonderful, magical day indeed!

Christmas Eve

We were excited to have Grandma, Grandpa, Trina, Wes and the kids stay with us for Christmas. We were a little hesitant about all getting together because the sickness curse gets us every time! At Thanksgiving we had strep and earaches so we were dreading something worse this time. Well, Trina’s family got the flu a few days prior to the big get together so we hoping she wasn’t going to be spreading any left over puck germs. Samuel was running a fever and Jenna had a one day fever which the doctor said was a virus and they were contagious until the fever was gone. Despite the odds we still all got together. And wouldn’t you know it Grandma got sick late Christmas afternoon throwing up. I hate to say it, but we were pretty relieved when after going to the hospital at 4 a.m. the doctors said her ulcer was bleeding and it wasn’t the flu. (Now I know that sounds bad on my part that we were excited she didn’t have the flu, but we were going to Salt Lake the next day for Chuck’s parents 50th Anniversary and can you think of anything worse than having kids possibly come down with the flu while driving long distances – been there, done that and it is not fun!)

On to a little snippet of our Christmas Eve celebration.

Shooting guns.

Who do you think the better shot is?

Jenna is always thrilled to have extra people around to hold her.

Dinner and nativity “fun” or more like nativity craziness!

Singing Christmas songs around the piano. Samuel and Bella even accompanied this year with their renditions of Away In a Manger and Jingle Bells.

Traditional Smore making on such a beautiful mild night. We looked up at the stars and used an app on Chuck’s fun to identify constellations and the planet Jupiter.

Opened new pajamas.

The kids gave each other the Dollar Store toys they had bought for each other.

Played our new game – Angry Birds

Took our Christmas Eve family picture.

Kids were in bed and the real work had just begun for Santa’s Elves!

Traditions and Tears

I love all the different holiday seasons because of the fun traditions we try to do as a family. Christmas of course has that little extra special feeling in the air. This year I did have to laugh a few times because somehow all of us shed tears in the process of creating these fun memories.

 

The kids made their yearly stockings. As I got the Christmas decorations out this year, we looked at all of the stockings they have decorated over the past several years and we laughed together at their creations.

But as I said, we did have our tearful moments. Jenna was blazing mad during most of the stocking making. Luckily she was strapped in her seat because she was swinging away at anyone that got to close. She couldn’t understand why she didn’t get to have all the fun decorations for herself.

Isaac was climbing on the table and sat on the glue gun. Don’t worry it’s just a cool melt and it didn’t really burn him, he was just upset that glue was stuck to his pants.

Bella wanted her gingerbread girl to look like it was baking in the oven.

Samuel made me laugh because it was his idea to do the gingerbread men this year and then he cleverly turned his into a gingerbread reindeer.

Isaac’s creation of course had to be blue – his favorite color.

And Jenna, despite all her tears, did manage to have fun gluing beads on her gingerbread man. I tried to get her to put a bow on the head, but she refused. She doesn’t like to wear bows herself, so I guess it should come as no surprise.

Samuel’s class had a fun activity where parents went into the classroom and read a holiday book and then brought the kids a treat to put in their mittens that would remind them of the story. Samuel decided we needed a new book to read to his class and found this one called Gingerbread Pirates that he really wanted. So when we made our gingerbread cookies this year we had to make a pirate crew.

Decorating their pirate crew.

Samuel shedding a few tears because his Captain Cookie’s head broke off while I was telling him to hold it up for a picture!

Bella’s girl pirate with her sword.

Isaac’s pirate with his sword.

The full pirate crew. We had to make a few with peg legs and peg arms (toothpicks) just like the story.  The kids also wanted a pirates ship, which is difficult to carve out of gingerbread especially when you’re drawing impaired! I told the kids this was the pirates submarine. Samuel also wanted eye patches and crossbones. I didn’t think I was doing to bad until Chuck got home and decorated his own pirate and made an awesome eye patch that the kids were quick to point out was much better than moms.

 

We made a cake train instead of a gingerbread house this year. And Bella called me the “Worst Mom Ever” during the process. That would have made me shed a tear except for the irony of the situation – up to my eyeballs in cake batter, frosting, and candy. When I looked at her and said, “I’m pretty sure I’m not the Worst Mom Ever because there’s no way the Worst Mom Ever would help you make a candy train.”

Response: “Why, because the Worst Mom Ever only makes her kids eat healthy foods and they can’t have any treats?” “I guess you’re not the Worst Mom Ever.”

 

Bella digging into one of her decorated trains.

Samuel with his creation.

The finished product. I did feel like the Worst Mom Ever a few days later when the kids would not stop fighting over who was eating candy off the train so I took it to the garbage. 

And I felt like shedding a tear or two after another cooking disaster. My sister and I always make Christmas candy together, but this year she spent 2 weeks soaking up the sun in Hawaii so we ran out of time to get together.

I decided last minute to make some candied almonds that my friend assured me were super easy and quick. As she gave me the recipe I asked her if there was anyway I could ruin these and she said she had never ruined them. Well, she’s a fabulous cook and I’m a little cooking impaired so that should have tipped me off!

While I was stirring away Chuck came over and said something to the effect that I was being brave to try out a new recipe to give to people (after 14+ years of marriage he knows me well!). A few minutes later I asked him to stir the almonds because I needed a stronger arm at this point. A couple of minutes passed and he kept asking me if they were done. No, I assured him we had to wait until the sugar caramelized. Then he said he thought it smelled a little burnt. No, I don’t smell burning just keep stirring. Finally in exasperation he turned the stove off and said they had to be done. I was a little huffy telling him I hoped he hadn’t ruined them by not cooking them long enough.

As they cooled I tasted one and to my horror it tasted a little burnt! I asked Chuck to taste one and he said it tasted a little burnt to him. Just GREAT! I tried another one trying to convince myself they didn’t taste too bad. I asked Chuck to try another one at which point he just said, “You can’t give these to people.”

Now Chuck and I have to eat 4 lbs. of slightly burnt almonds! Yum, Yum!

So here’s to fun traditions and a few tears that were shed in the process!!

Always the Baby

Just a few quick funny stories I wanted to record.

A few days ago we were decorating our Christmas stockings. When we were done, everyone hung their stockings on the entertainment center. Jenna was so cute because she would point to each stocking and say whom it belonged to. She made us laugh when each time she pointed to her own stocking she would say "Baby".

Today Jenna was eating her breakfast cereal so well with a spoon that I told her she was such a big girl. She gave me her famous crusty look, patted her head and said, "Me baby". Yep, she knows she is the baby and always will be!

******

This afternoon it was such a lovely day that I took the kids to the park. Before I knew it, I was watching Samuel run around chasing two girls. I sat there wondering how in the world my boy had gotten so big that he was chasing girls. Granted the girls were egging him on, but he seemed to be delighted to participate in their little game. I was also getting a good chuckle hearing Isaac give Samuel encouragement as he trailed behind. It was highly entertaining. When the girls left Samuel said, “Oh, I hope I see them again.” All this from my boy that each night at bedtime asks his dad to explain all sorts of scientific questions his latest fascination wanting to know how electricity works and how planes fly. Good thing he has a smart daddy!