Zoo Lights

One of my favorite Christmas activities in Mesa is Zoo Lights.  We took the kids to zoo lights with their cousins and Eli loved it.

 However this is pretty much how Isabelle felt about the whole thing.  She was tired and hated being in a stroller, so made this grumpy face frequently.

Here is what Eli loved most about zoo lights:

1. Hannah was there - he was so excited to see his cousin

2. He got a glow-in-the-dark light saber

Looking in awe at the talking giraffe

A Mesa Christmas

We went up to Mesa this week for Christmas fun.  We got a little more than we bargained for with me having bad migraines and Isabelle teething and being up frequently every single night.  It did put a damper on things, although we did almost everything on our list - except see Santa. Other than that we got to do lots of Christmas activities, see friends, do some shopping, eat at my favorite places (Oreganos and Joe's) and Isaac and I even got to squeeze a date in and see Sherlock Holmes.  

 My mother-in-law helped me take the kids to Mesa Temple Lights.  We lucked out and hardly anyone was there and the kids had the place mostly to themselves.

 Isabelle showed off her mad walking skills

Isabelle showing off her Christmas spirit.

Sure miss Mesa.

Busybody

I've been following a great blog lately.  The writer has a daughter with Downs Syndrome and is an amazing writer, photographer and mommy.  Reading her blog makes me laugh, think and often she writes so many things I am thinking and feeling, as I walk this new road with Isabelle, navagating therapies, appointments, insurance, people, etc.  

I was reading her blog last night and she wrote an entry called "Busybody" that I loved.  Being busy and telling everyone about how busy I am is a trap that I can sometimes fall into.  Using busy as in excuse to not help someone or to get out of doing something.  Assuming that because I'm busy with an above average number of appointments and communting to appointments, that I am in this world of busy that no one else can possibly be in.  But the reality is, most people are busy.  Most of us have a lot we are trying to juggle, they're just (as the blog writer says), " not so jackass to have to shout it from the rooftop."  And I know how frustrating it is when you talk to someone who can only tell you how busy they are, how they are so much busier than you will ever be, don't even have time to talk to you, etc. and so on and so on.  So, I'm going to take a tip from this writer and try not to be so busy and take more time to spend on those I care about and less time telling those I care about how busy I am.

Here is what she wrote, and I love every word:

"Busy becomes this black hole that mysteriously abducts us away from the humble land of availability. I've lately been reminded though thatevery one's busy. They're just not so jackass to have to shout it from the rooftop.

I think we often make the mistake of assuming that our worth somehow corresponds with how busy we are. I've done it myself--advised dating friends that if a guy calls, tell him you're busy. You're in demand. You're just sooooo tied up with fabulous things that make you busy, busy, busy.

I'm tired of the word busy. Try saying it over and over--it's annoying. I've been busy all year (I swear I'm going to stop saying busy), and it's time to take a tip from old people and take some time to slowly shuffle, fold wash cloths, knit booties and maybe even play a game of cribbage or two. That makes us significant just as much as crazy schedules, if not more.

I stopped myself yesterday before I answered. You know what? We're not busy right now. Our December is full of opportunities to connect--calendar dates that call for both Out & About as well as Idle & Home. Busy is far too cheap a word to depict the ever changing harmony of opportunities, responsibilities or whatever it is that makes the clean grid of a December calendar swell.

And whether your life right now is really challenging, really great or somewhere in between, everyone has the opportunity to connect."

If you want to read her whole entry, click here.  Her blog is wonderful.

Christmas Traditions

I LOVE Christmas, the whole month of December, celebrating, Christmas traditions, Christmas lights, special treats, everything about Christmas, I LOVE! One of my favorite traditions is Christmas Eve Jammies.  Every year growing up my mom got us Christmas Eve Pajamas and we took pictures in our new PJ's in front of the tree.  And even now that we're older, mom still gets us all our Christmas Eve Jammies - my sister and I, our spouses, our kids, we all get our fabulous Christmas Eve PJ's and take pictures in front of the Christmas tree.  I have pictures from years and years of Christmases, my sister and I in front of the tree in our new pajamas.  Eventually Erin, my brother in law joined the pictures, then Kaden, then Isaac, then Eli and so on.  Even if we're celebrating Christmas late, like we will this year, because we're coming home after the actual holiday, we still get our Christmas Eve Jammies and just pretend we're opening them on Christmas Eve (the kids don't know the difference - they just think they get 2 Christmas Eve's, and 2 Christmases.  Even more fun for them).  

But I still can't resist the cute PJ's I see as I'm out and about.  I see them and want to get them for the kids and take their picture in front of the tree.  So many cute PJ's, not enough days!  But I limit myself to one pair and follow the tradition.  However, since I know I can count on mom for the Christmas Eve jammies, this year I felt fine about letting the kids open their Christmas jammies from us early and wearing them to go look at Christmas lights.  

 So here they are in their Christmas jammies from Isaac and I.

 And there will be more cute Christmas pajama pictures to come, thanks to mom.

 I love this face.  It just sums up Eli's personality.

I love Christmas traditions.  And speaking of Christmas traditions, I better go because Isaac and I are watching The Christmas Story tonight.  Fa la la la la, la la la la.

Christmas Parade

What a busy, fun, Christmasy day (yes, I know that's not a word).  This morning Isaac took Eli to see Santa fly in on a helicopter with Mrs. Clause (or Grandma Santa, as Eli likes to call her) and waited in line to see her, while listening to carolers.  Izzy and I stayed at home, since I've been sick and it was cold out.  We had the missionaries over for dinner tonight, made my favorite Christmas cookies (peanut butter blossoms with Hershey kisses in the middle), ate a lot of my favorite Christmas cookies, and went to the biggest Christmas parade in Arizona!  Yup, Sierra Vista hosts the biggest Christmas parade in AZ.  I don't know if it is the biggest Christmas parade because it is the only Christmas parade in Arizona, but it did seem long.  With the army Post here (I used to call it the army base, but if I do that I get corrected and am told that the army doesn't have bases - they have Posts), there were lots of army stuff in the parade - the army band, soldiers with flags, etc.  It was a great parade.  Eli drank hot chocolate, waved, cheered and collected candy, while Isabelle danced to the music, waved, yelled "HiYa!" over and over and tried to practice her new walking skills.  All in all a great day.

 Izzy and daddy at the parade

 All bundled up