The Winds of Change

When David took a job at Rexburg Nursing and Rehab 9 years ago, we felt like we had found the job he'd retire from.  He worked with great people in a wonderful community in the only nursing home in the city.  We were close to family, we bought a nice home, and we felt like we could just be here forever.  The name of Dave's employer has changed a couple of times as large health care companies bought each other out, but the day-to-day job seemed very stable.  His boss, Eric is just a few years older than Dave so we knew they'd retire around the same time.  Dave was perfectly happy being a staff therapist and letting Eric handle all  the messy managerial stuff.  Of course, there have been times when things weren't great and Dave felt unhappy, but never enough of a discomfort to do anything about it.

Well, things have been changing slowly for a while and last week, things started changing very rapidly.  It's now all but certain that Dave will have a new job within the next few months.  We knew the facility was struggling.  In fact, a few months ago, they shut an entire wing of the building down because they just didn't have enough residents.  Eric has been using tons of time off and allowing David so see all the patients to try to keep his hours up, but even then he's had to pad his paycheck with vacation time.  That can only go on for so long before both men are out of vacation and need to make money.  It's been a little stressful, but for the most part David's plan was to ride out the storm. 

The nursing home hasn't been doing very well lately. My friend, Jeanette has been there for a while, but her family moved her to Ashton in December because they weren't happy with her care.  I think others are doing the same - going to either Ashton or Idaho Falls rather than Rexburg.  Earlier this month, Dave heard from some acquaintances in the community that they had heard the nursing home was closed.  Dave told them it wasn't, but the rumor is around town. No one wants to get their family member settled in a place that they think will be closing in a few months. The nursing home's administrator called a staff meeting and said the building wasn't closing and that the low census was due to the lack of snow and elderly people slipping on the ice.  What?  Of course, if they are planning to close they won't tell anyone until the day it happens.

Last Monday, Eric called a staff meeting for the therapy department.  He told them he was quitting.  He is taking a job with my good friend, Heather's husband.  He told them that his decision to leave was personal and had nothing to do with the facility closing.  Hmm - really?  This created quite a panic with the other therapists, many of whom love Eric to the point of idol worship.  No one EVER even considered the idea of Eric leaving - he's been there forever!  In the week following, David and I have heard stories of Eric feeling like the administration of the nursing home is somewhat unethical and that he had to leave based on personal morals.  Yikes!  Also, it's been told to us by very reliable sources that the property the nursing home is on has been sold and that there is another nursing home in the works for this area.  Eric's resignation is kind of the first domino - it's only a matter of time until ALL the therapists leave.   Of course, David was offered the job of facility manager.  It didn't take him long to turn that down - tons more stress and  a mass exodus of staff for a mere $1 raise.  Turning it down, however, means that he needs to find a new job.  The regional boss explained that there was only going to be room for one full-time PT (who would be the facility manager) and a part time PTA.  He probably has a little while since they'll have to hire these new therapists, but Dave said that he feels like he's pulled the plug on the bathtub and now its just a matter of how quickly it will drain.

So...the hunt is on.  At first, this whole mess was a little overwhelming.  It's one thing the say, "I'll get another job," and quite another to say, "I need to go get a job today."  We were right in the middle of refinancing our mortgage to a super low rate, but we're waiting on that until we know where we'll land at the end of this ride.  We're going to be great, whatever happens.  We've been very blessed to have gone this long without feeling the effects of the economic crisis.  For over a year, Dave and I have felt like we needed to prepare for this kind of thing, so we've been plugging away as much money as we possibly could.  It feels good to know that if he lost his job tomorrow, we'd have a few months to find another job before we were in trouble.  After a few days of stress, Dave started getting excited about the idea of looking for a new job and finding out what's out there for him.  He said it's kind of like how he felt when he was younger and breaking up with a girlfriend.  At first he was in shock and bummed, but after a while, he started to get excited about the idea of finding something better.  (I think that analogy would bother me, except I'M the something better he's talking about).  This could be a very good thing for him and for our entire family.

An Early Valentine

I saw this idea on the computer a week or two ago and I had to make one for David. 

It's just a picture frame that Nicki gave me for Christmas with pretty paper and the words "I Love You Because..." printed on it.  Then I bought a dry erase marker so that I could write on the glass.  Every day or two, I write something new.  It's so fun!  Dave gets a kick out of the things I write.  I think it makes him feel good.  Plus I'm always looking for stuff to write, so it makes me more appreciative of him.  Win-Win if you ask me!  Even Alison has been checking it to see what I'll write next.  I'm considering making one for each of my kids and hanging them by their beds.  It would make a nice Valentine gift that would last the whole year through.

Somebody Stop Me!

Warning: Some of my family members (Katie W.) are going to find this shocking.

This afternoon, I gave the boys their haircuts.  Not an easy thing to do, by the way.  Josh HATES getting hair on his skin and Bronson's hair is so fine and multi-directional that it takes a million passes with the clippers and I still miss major spots.  Anyway, while I cut I was musing over the fact that I've cut everyone in the house's hair except my own.  Suddenly I was taken by an uncontrollable urge to cut my own hair.  (I know, Katie.  You can stop reading now if you need to.) 

In my defense, I don't get stressed out about hair.  Never really have.  My best friend in high school went to beauty college so I let her do just about anything she wanted to my hair.  Over the years, I've had long hair, short hair, straight hair, curly hair, blond hair, red hair and everything in between.  I get excited about hair changes and even if it turns out bad, I figure it'll grow back.  I also knew that my good friend and hair dresser (when I actually get haircuts about twice per year) would either laugh or cry with me then save me if my attempt went terribly wrong.

So, I walked into my bathroom, flipped my hair upside down and cut my hair straight across. When I flipped my hair back up, it was layered. Tricky, huh? I took off a little length and played with it a bit more until I decided it was finished. Ta da! It really wasn't hard to do. I've watched my hair get cut many many times and I know what works for it. I'm not saying that I want to do it again...ever...but I've certainly had worse haircuts.

Nice to have the old, split ends removed.

Self portrait.

That's a lot of hair.  Not just a little trim!

Which reminds me of a story: the worst haircut I ever had was also the most expensive haircut I ever had.  I was in my early 20's, working and going to school and wanting to do something totally new.  I paid something like $75 to the "best stylist" in the "best salon" in town.  When I came home, my mom took one look at me and burst out laughing.  Seriously!!!!  It was that bad!  The stylist gave me a long bob with very short straight bangs.  I think she was going for an Uma Thurman super-trendy look, but it didn't go well at all.  My hair went out like a blond pyramid and the bangs were in a perfectly straight line across my face in the most unflattering, robot-like angle!  I looked like the Swiss Miss Cocoa girl on a BAD day!  I'd post a picture, but I didn't allow many to be taken and I hope I've destroyed any evidence of that horrible haircut.

 Imagine this, only blond and slightly uglier and on my face. 

Hair Cuts

Saturday morning, 9:30a.m. - 10 minutes 'til we leave for Grandma Shirley's funeral.  Ali has done something to her hair  - between sleeping on it and showering the tangles into even tighter knots  - that makes it impossible to get a comb through.  I've been working on it for several minutes and can see no end in sight.  She's screaming and crying and yelling at me.  I have HAD IT!!!

You guessed it - with 10 minutes until take-off, I cut about 9 inches off Alison's hair.  Man!  She needed it.  I'm not very good at taking the girls in for hair appointments so it was pretty long and dead and gnarly.  She started out protesting, but soon loved the look and feel of her new locks.  In fact, Nicki begged and begged until I finally relented and cut her hair as well.  They both look super cute.  Of course, I had to follow-up and fix a few things.  I'm no professional after all. 

Nicki

Ali

My favorite part of this story was that at the exact same time I was lopping Ali's tangles out, Amy was at her house dealing with hair issues as well.  I guess Isabelle was complaining about her hair style and Amy said something to the effect of, "You know, Isabelle, some moms get so fed up with their children's complaining about their hair that they cut it.  I think Aunt Kelley cut her girls hair once when they complained."  Ha Ha!!!  I'm sure Isabelle was shocked to see the girls short hair a few minutes later.  Maybe it will keep her from complaining to Amy for a while...

Nicki's Pins

On Monday, January 9th, exactly one month and two days after her accident, Nicki went back to the orthopedic surgeon to have her cast and pins removed.  It was a day she had been dreading for one month and two days.  All month long, she would ask me how many days were left until her pins came out.  She ALMOST cared more about that countdown than the countdown to Christmas.  As the time drew near, her tension began to mount.  By Saturday or Sunday, she was nearly panicked.  We decided to fast for her the day before, which helped her feel a lot better, but she was still pretty frightened.

Aunt Amy was nice enough to watch the boys for me so that I could concentrate on Nicole while we were at the doctor's.  Her appointment was at 9:00 a.m.  She liked getting the cast off.  The saw that cut it off was totally safe on her skin and actually tickled as it vibrated.  Once the cast was off, though, her demeanor completely changed.  I'm not sure if it was because she could see the pins sticking out of her arm, or the flaky itchy skin under the cast, or the feeling of being unsupported after a month of protection, or maybe it just really hurt, but she became very pale and very somber.  As she walked to and from the x-ray room, she held the arm close to her body with her good hand.  Everyone at the doctor's office commented on how amazingly brave she was being and they were right!  They had no idea how frightened and hurt she really was, but I could tell.  I could see in her eyes and hear in her voice how close she was to losing it and freaking out, but she never did -  not even when the doc came in and started removing the pins.  He basically uses a pair of pliers (or vice grips) to twist and pull the pins out - no pain relief of any kind is used.  He had a hard time getting the pins out, especially the one on the underside of her arm.  The pliers kept slipping off because it was so tightly stuck in there.  He was like, "Ha ha.  Wow!  She's got really strong bones!  You're being really brave, Nicole.  Most kids scream their heads off.  Maybe I should get a bigger pair of pliers..."  Okay, maybe those weren't his exact words, but they're pretty close!!!  I held Nicki in my lap on the exam table and she sat totally still and silently the entire time.  She even watched after a while.  I'm not sure if I could have watched if a piece of metal was being yanked out of my arm!

After all was said and done, I took Nicki out to the car. While we were walking, she said, "That hurt really bad, Mom!" Poor girl. She told me that she had prayed five different times in the doctor's office. She was pretty subdued for several hours. She even chose to wait out in the van at Aunt Amy's house while I picked up the boys. That's unheard of! When we got home, she laid on the couch for a while, then she wanted to have a bath. She soaked in the tub for a long time and held her arm under the running water. That must have felt like heaven. She really wanted to itch, but the doctor warned her that her skin would be paper-thin for a while and would bleed if she itched it too much (he was right - it did bleed a little that first day). Once we got the old sling back on her, she felt much better and even went grocery shopping with me. 

On the underside of her arm is a bump where one pin went in (the one that wouldn't come out).  You can see the holes from the other two.  She's holding one of the pins up to her arm.

Each pin is probably about 3 or 3 1/2 inches long.

One sweet story: After her bath, I was helping Nicki pick out a shirt to wear.  I suggested a pink short-sleeved one with the word LOVE on it so that she could show Ali her elbow when she got home from school.  Nicki said, "That's the perfect shirt for today because I have been feeling Jesus's love all day."  Cute.

I guess I was expecting that when her cast came off, her arm would be perfectly normal, but it's not.  It's very sore and weak and tight.  She can't straighten it all the way yet.  It's still bruised a bit from the surgery.  Its amazing to me that in four weeks you can lose so much tone and flexibility!  Luckily for us, her dad's a physical therapist so he's starting to stretch it and strengthen it a little. She seems to be getting better every day.

David's Tribute

David gave the grandchild tribute to Grandma Shirley at the funeral today.  Here is a copy of his talk for our posterity:

I'm a little overwhelmed by this assignment to give a tribute to Grandma Shirley.  I doubt I can do her justice in five minutes, but I will do my best.

Ever since I was born we’ve had a tradition of visiting my grandparents on Sunday evening. I can remember walking into her kitchen through the garage door and calling out, “Hi Grandma, can we have a treat?” My mother was mortified. I couldn’t understand why my parents made a big deal about that, because, of course, Grandma always had a treat ready for us. That tradition of Sunday evening visits has continued through the years and provided a great sense of stability and continuity for me. Even during the period when I lived out of state, I could count on the fact that any visit home included a Sunday evening visit to Grandma and Grandpa Shirley’s house. I always felt a sense of belonging there. Now that I have children of my own, the tradition has become part of their lives, too. Over the past year those visits have transitioned to my parent’s home, so Grandma could have a break from being the hostess. Still, last Sunday my six year old asked, “Are we going visiting to Shirley’s tonight?” Grandma’s passing has left a void in our lives, but I am grateful for the gospel knowledge that the separation is temporary, and someday she and Grandpa will be part of our family gatherings again.

In preparing for this talk, I made a list of memories of Grandma. When I was done I realized that five of the first seven involved food. One of my earliest memories of her is when we were small and used to take turns sleeping over at their house. I could always count on her making pancakes shaped like snowmen for breakfast. She was a great cook, and I ate many Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners at her home. I can still see her bustling around the kitchen with that concerned look on her face, pulling a turkey out of the oven, or whipping mashed potatoes to perfection. She may have been worried, but we always knew that everything was going to turn out perfectly. Her orange rolls were a favorite of mine, and of course, her homemade ice cream.

Grandma had some little contradictions in her personality. She was a very social person who loved parties and family gatherings, but she never sought the spotlight. She kept her home spotlessly clean, and always had her hair perfectly done, but she didn’t need to show off in front of others. While she loved to talk, she didn’t need to dominate a conversation. She was always interested in what others had to say, and always grateful for any act of service done for her, no matter how small.

One of my memories of Grandma was a time when Grandpa went to LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City for heart surgery. There were complications and he ended up being there for an extended period. I was attending the University of Utah at the time, so I would try to go up and see them each day. Day after day I can remember seeing Grandma just sitting there waiting for Grandpa.  As we would talk, I would ask her if she wanted me to get her a book to read. She would say no, she didn’t really read much except the occasional church book. Did she want to find a place with a TV to watch? No, she didn’t really like to watch much TV. Did she want to go do something? No, she just wanted to wait there. She wanted to be there in case Grandpa needed her. It was at that time that I began to realize just how much she had dedicated her life to serving others.

Grandma Shirley has been one of the purest examples of Christ like love that I’ve ever seen. As you know her youngest daughter was handicapped. For 37 years Grandma cared for Joyce. In all that time, I never once heard her complain or act bitter or disappointed. My impression was that Grandma considered it a privilege to care for Joyce, and my Grandpa’s attitude was the same. I can remember walking in her kitchen and watching her patiently feed Joyce bite by bite. Grandma never made a big deal about it, but you could tell that Joyce was the center of her world. Later my Aunt Ann contracted multiple sclerosis. She ended up moving in with Grandma and Grandpa for a few years before finally ending up in the nursing home. It must have been over whelming for Grandma taking care of both of them, but still not a complaint. Just a quiet determination to take care of her children.

John 15:13 says, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” Grandma did not “lay down” her life, but she certainly "gave" her life in the service of her family. Personally, I think this last 18 months was been hard on her. Not necessarily because she was alone, but because she no longer had someone to care for on a daily basis. Grandma spent her whole life caring first for her children at home, then her energy focused on Joyce, then Joyce and Ann, and finally on Grandpa. When he was gone she no longer had a daily outlet for all that love and concern.

Grandma never attained a lot of wealth, fame, or worldly success, but she was successful at the things that really matter. I feel comfortable borrowing a phrase from the Doctrine and Covenants. She lived great and she died great in the eyes of God and her family. We love her, and we miss her. She set the bar of love and service high for us. I feel truly blessed to have had her as a grandmother. And, again, I am grateful for the gospel knowledge that that relationship does not have to end now that she is gone. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Grandma Shirley's Obuituary

 

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Verna Browning Shirley, 89, passed away peacefully at Madison Memorial Hospital Sunday, Jan. 8, 2012, from a stroke.
She was born July 1, 1922, in Lewisville to Archie William and Neona Kinghorn Browning.
She always felt blessed to go through life with her twin sister and best friend, Verla (Clark). She also had an older brother, Archie Basil, and two younger brothers, Darwin and Jerry. She grew up in Annis and attended Midway High School.
All of the family helped on the farm, and she and Verla also learned homemaking skills as they helped their mother keep house.
Verna and Verla sang together on many programs as they were growing up.
Verna met Gordon Shirley from Salem at Riverside Gardens, the popular teen dance spot of the day. They married on Sept. 18, 1942, in the Salt Lake Temple. Three months later, Gordon was drafted into the army. He spent the next three years serving his country while Verna worked and waited at home, writing daily letters.
When World War II ended, Gordon returned and they settled near Rexburg to begin their life together. Gordon was a fine builder and Verna cared for their family. Five children were born to them: Marilyn, Linda, Ann, Lyle Gordon and Joyce.
Verna was a superb homemaker, and kept an immaculate house, sewed for her little girls and cooked delicious meals. She worked hard to create a beautiful yard that all who passed by could enjoy. She loved flowers! She also enjoyed music and sang with several groups over the years.
Life was good, but there were challenges to face. Many saw her and Gordon as examples of faith and fortitude as they cared for their youngest child, who required help for every need for 36 years. They also helped care for Ann, who contracted multiple sclerosis as a young adult. Her greatest sorrow was when Gordon passed away in June 2010.
During her life, Verna served in many positions in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including Primary, Young Women and Relief Society.
She enjoyed shopping, gardening, visiting with Verla every day, Lawrence Welk, family gatherings and supporting children and grandchildren in their activities.
She was a kind and gentle woman who gave the best she had in everything she did.
She is survived by her children, Marilyn (James) Gee of Sugar City, Linda Shirley of Provo, Utah, and Lyle Gordon (Laurelyn) Shirley of Boxborough, Mass.; as well as 11 grandchildren and 29 great-grandchildren; her twin sister, Verla Clark of Rexburg; and a brother, Jerry V. (Karen) Browning of St. Anthony.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Gordon; daughters, Ann and Joyce; her parents; and two brothers.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012, at the Stonebridge LDS chapel with Bishop Dan Hanna officiating. The family will receive friends Friday from 5:30 to 7 p.m. at Flamm Funeral Home and again from 10 to 10:45 a.m. at the church prior to services. Interment will be in the Sugar City Cemetery.

Grandma Shirley

Saturday, January 7th started out like a typical, even FUN Saturday.  We cleaned the house, went shopping, attended a stake baptism, and ate lunch at Pizza Pie Cafe.  Around 2:30 in the afternoon, we received a phone call from Suzette saying that Grandma Shirley had just been taken to the hospital.  It appeared that she had suffered a major stroke.  What a change that made in our day!  We had already started fasting, but we quickly added her to our fast and knelt down together for a special family prayer.  Then we waited to hear any news.  Soon after, Sue called again and said that David better get down to the hospital quickly.  He spent a couple of hours there with his family, learning what had happened and what was to be expected.

That evening, our whole family went to the hospital to spend one last visit with Grandma Shirley.  The doctors didn't know exactly how long she had to live, but they felt certain that it wouldn't be more than a couple of days.  Grandma Shirley's mother, Grandma Browning, had a major stroke at around the same age and lived for another two years afterwards, but it didn't seem like this stroke was the same kind.  As we arrived at the hospital, we could see Sue and Grandma Gee through the window of Grandma Shirley's room.  It was right in the front of the hospital, overlooking downtown Rexburg with all its Christmas lights.  As we walked in, we were met by Shawn and Amy and some of their kids.  Kristi and Terry showed up a few minutes later, and we all crowded into her room.  We talked a little about what the doctors had said and who had been contacted, etc.  Our family didn't stay long, only about a half hour.  We didn't want to burden Grandma too much with our rowdy kids and we needed to get the boys to bed.  I think everyone else stayed a while.  Grandma Gee stayed overnight.

As we were driving home, David and I talked about that last visit.  We both commented that it wasn't a sad thing at all.  I thought there was kind of a peaceful yet excited feeling in the room.  It was like we were all looking forward to the reunion that was going to take place soon.  Grandma had missed Grandpa terribly these past 18 months.  She also has two daughters waiting for her.  I couldn't help but wish that I could see her meet Joyce with a whole, healthy body and hear her speak for the first time.  I'm sure they have a lot to talk about.  Anne too.

Around 3:30 a.m. on Sunday, January 8th,  Grandma Shirley passed away.  Grandma Gee was by her side holding her hand.  At that exact same time, I was sitting in a rocking chair getting Bronson back to sleep and thinking about that wonderful, thoughtful, gentle, fun-loving woman and the impact she's had on my life this past decade that I've had the privilege to know her.  Of course, she's had an even bigger impact on David, and I'm grateful that my kids had these years of Sunday visits because she's had a great impact on them as well.  I'm so happy for her: as Neal A. Maxwell said, she's "safely dead with covenants in tact."  The rest of us have a big hole in our lives, but I know she'll be with us again someday.  I only hope she'll still make raisin filled cookies, banana cream pies and home made ice cream in Heaven for us all!

Where's The Snow?

What a strange winter for Idaho!  We've not had a big snow storm yet!  For a few weeks there, it felt like spring was in the air.  A few strawberry plants even started sprouting.  The poor kids want snow to play in!  It's half way through January and they can't sled, build forts, make snowmen, or even catch snow on their tongues!  I don't really miss it, but I know that snow means water for our gardens, so I'd like it to come some day. 

 Right before I took these pictures of Joshua, he'd found a tiny patch of snow dust in the shade of our shed and he tried to make a snow angel in it.  I'm sure his whole back is muddy!

My Hero!

Me: "How do we work?" Kids: "TEAMWORK!!!"  Have you ever heard my children and I yell this chant together?   It's how I try to motivate them while we're cleaning up the house, weeding the garden, tackling bedrooms, or the like.  I wouldn't be surprised if you haven't heard it, because we don't work together nearly enough.  But all that's changing, thanks to my hero!

I think David Gee is the best man on the planet.  Of course, you already knew that because I married him, but he saved me recently (yet again) and I have to tell you about it.

He's been working for about a month on a special family home evening lesson.  On the first FHE of the year, he gave it.  He started by pulling out a box and giving each person a chance to lift it.  The box was holding one of his Olympic weight plates (35 lbs. I think).  Josh couldn't budge it.  The girls could lift it, but not very easily and not for long.  I lifted it fine, but it was heavy and awkward.  Then, David asked us to all grab ahold of the box and lift it together.  It was very easy when we all worked together.

Dave read a few scriptures about establishing a house of order, then he talked about how hard it is for one person to clean up ALL the messes that six people make.  He presented a family chore chart, listing every person's name and the chores they are responsible for each day of the week.  There's nothing major in it - each girl takes a day doing dishes with each parent while the other girl straightens up the rest of the living area.  On Sundays and Mondays, when we've got somewhere to be in the evening, we all work together.  Ali also has piano and kitty litter duties (it's her cat!) and both girls have to do their homework.  Josh's chore is to pick up his toys and Bronson's chore is to be cute.  On Saturdays, Dad makes a special chore chart giving each person harder assignments like vacuuming baseboards or cleaning the stairs, bathrooms, etc. 

I have to admit, I was slightly pessimistic (or maybe cautiously optimistic) about this.  We've tried stuff like this several times and it never seems to work out.  I was surprised by how little resistance we got from the girls.  In fact, they acted like they thought it was a good idea.  I think the object lesson really helped them see that I need their help.  We started that very night. 

As I write this entry, it is ten days later and I can't tell you how much better my life is!  I didn't realize until now how hard I was spinning my wheels before!  We weren't living in a total pig sty, but it seemed like I was always a load behind in laundry, dishes and patience.  I barely got the basics done every day and the non-essentials were piling up (some things were literally piling up - like mail and school papers).  Now, I have more time to get other projects taken care of.  I think having the basic house clean gives me more energy to tackle the projects than I never had the energy to do before.  It's great!  It's just like the heavy box - its so fast and easy when we're all working on it together.  Plus, the kids have discovered on their own that it's easier to KEEP the  house clean than it is to get it clean when it's already messy.  They straighten up throughout the day and each night, there's less to do.  But the real blessing in all this is how much better the spirit of our home is when there is order.  Especially when we created the order together.   How do we work?  TEAMWORK!!!  Every night, I thank David for having the inspiration, determination, compassion, and willingness to implement this new pattern in our home.  He really is my hero!

That's One Way To Start A New Year

You know, nothing quite says "Happy New Year!" like a 10:30 p.m. message on your answering machine from your Primary chorister saying that she forgot to mention she won't be making it to church at 9:00 a.m.  It was way too late at night for me to call anyone for help, and I like music anyway, so I just did it.  Oh, but I was also doing sharing time.  It was a little Sister-Gee-overkill for the primary kids to start off the New Year.  Plus, our bishop called a training meeting with the new Primary Presidency at 8:00 a.m.  I had to have all the kids ready for church (you know, the ones who stayed up way past their bedtime the night before) before I left.  It was one wild Sunday.  On top of the first-Sunday-of-the-year chaos of trying to get all the kids and teachers to their new classes, our Primary President was speaking in Sacrament meeting, so she was super-stressed out.  The rest of us tried to help as much as we could.  After church, David took the girls on a long walk while the boys and I took a huge nap.  I needed it!  I love my new calling.  The women I work with are so great and being with the kids is a total blast, but I'm still waiting for things to settle down and feel natural.

Rockin' New Years Eve

We had a pretty awesome New Year Eve this year - at least it was for OUR family!  Our typical New Years celebration consists of a dinner at a Chinese restaurant, a rousing game of Go Fish or Memory and staying up to watch the ball drop...in NYC...at 10:00 p.m.  That's very late for our little family!

This year wasn't too terribly different from our typical celebration, but it felt different.  First of all, David went skeet shooting with Evan, and Shawn in the afternoon. Some of the nieces and nephews came, too. He LOVES shooting, but only gets out to do it when Evan's around.  He had a great time and decided that he loves his gun, but wants another one as well.  He also wants to buy a smaller gun so he can take the kids out.  Alison is totally appalled by the idea.

Nolan, Shawn, David, Caden, Evan.

Pull...

That evening, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Gee's house.  They hosted a party for us, Sue, and Jodi's family.  We ordered a LOT of Chinese take-out.  Yum.  I love Chinese food (of course, I love all food).  Then, we played games.  We even got Grandma and Grandpa to play Mad Gab for a while.  The kids went downstairs at some point to watch "Kung Fu Panda 2."  Then, I kind of bullied Sue and Grandma to join Jodi, Evan and I in a board game.  I felt really bad about it afterwards - they weren't too thrilled.  But they were good sports about it anyway, and they're still speaking to me.  I guess they have forgiven me.   At 10:00 p.m., we all went downstairs and watched the ball drop in Times Square.  We didn't stay too long after that.  We packed up and headed home.

Playing with their chopsticks.

Josh really liked all that food!

Nice dress-up outfits!

Bronson went straight to his crib when we arrived home, but the rest of the kids stayed up and toasted the New Year with sparkling apple juice in fancy goblets.  By the time they were settled in bed, it was 11:00 p.m.  Insanely late!!!  Alison said that she was going to stay up until midnight.  I told her that we weren't, but she insisted that she'd just lay in bed and watch the clock until midnight.  Dave and I had to do a few things to get ready for the next day at church and Ali came out a couple of times to see what we were doing.  By the time we were ready for bed it was so close to midnight that I decided to stay up a few more minutes - it's been at least 5 years since I rang in a new Year.  At exactly midnight, I kissed David, then went into the girls room to wish Ali a happy New Year.  She was sound asleep.  I tried to rouse her and tell her that it was midnight, but she wouldn't stir.  I think she only missed it by about 5 minutes.  Oh well - there will be plenty of other years to stay awake.

Cheers!

Happy New Year!

What a fun, crazy, WONDERFUL year 2011 was!  We've had many adventures and a few heartaches, but throughout them all, we have felt incredibly blessed.  I'm sad to see 2011 go, knowing that our kids will only get bigger and our bodies will only get older (or vice versa), but I have great hopes for 2012 too!!!

With kids like these, how can you help but be excited!?!?!

Cousin Slumber Party

Years ago, David and I decided to make our lives significantly easier by pre-emptively banning all sleep overs whatsoever. The exception to that rule, we've decided, is sleep overs at Grandma Gee's house with cousins.  Alison and Nicole participated in just such an event on December 30th.  Aunt Jodi was crazy...er...um...kind enough to host a sleep over at Grandma Gee's house.  She amazes me!  She's such a fun, energetic person.  She told me to go home and enjoy the break.  It wasn't until later that it occurred to me that she has a three month old baby and could use a break herself.  Suzette came over and helped.  What fun aunts!

My girls, Jodi's girls, and two of Kristi's girls met at Grandma's house on Friday evening.  Aunt Jodi had so many fun activities planned.  They made their own pizzas, played games, designed beautiful pipe-cleaner jewelry, watched a movie, painted their toe nails, and more.  They all slept in sleeping bags in the TV room.  Ali said she couldn't sleep much - I think she was just too excited.  Once, she attempted to wake up Abby, but all she could get was a little grunt.  hee hee.  The next morning, they had a huge breakfast and played out in the back yard for a while. They had such a great time!  Thanks to everyone who helped make that memory possible.

Making pizzas.

Playing "Don't Eat Pete!"

Even Hannah played!

Delicious!

Pipe Cleaner Bling

Ainsley, Abby, Alison, Nicole, and Grace.

Christmas 2011 Part 2

We finished up under the tree before most people normally wake up.  After opening presents, we always enjoy David's three-generations-back traditional Christmas breakfast: cheese-on-bread and V-8 juice (the V-8 is my twist - they always drank tomato juice).  The kids all took a pass on the V-8, but they LOVE cheese-on-bread and it's so sobering after a morning of stocking treats.  Once breakfast was over, we had plenty of time to play and organize before getting ready for church.

Playing with their new Zhu Zhu Pet toys

Josh loved watching Dad fly his remote control helicopter.

Sacrament meeting was the only meeting held on the holiday.  The girls looked darling in their new dresses, but Nicki had to wear her coat like a cape due to her cast.  The boys both had new white shirts and blue ties.  Dave had a new tie as well.  I didn't get any new clothes for Christmas due to my decision to lose weight soon, but I did have new shoes, make up, and perfume which is just as good!  I was heavily involved in the program, so it's difficult to tell if it was nice or not.  I helped lead the primary in their musical numbers, then led the choir for theirs.  During the first choir number, Bronson threw a huge fit and had to be taken out.  That left Josh un-restrained so he wandered up to the stand during our second number and held on to my leg while making faces at the audience.  Just livin' the dream...  Oh well, if they had released me from choir when they put me in the Primary it wouldn't have happened, right?

I guess I never took a picture of Bronson in his white shirt and tie.  Bummer.  Trust me, he was pretty cute.

That evening, we joined all of David's family (except Nathan's family and Aunt Linda, whom we missed) at Grandma and Grandpa Gee's house for dinner.  We ate a delicious meal, then assembled in the great room for a Christmas concert.  Each kid, from Nicole on up, performed a Christmas number, either on the piano, guitar, violin, or by singing.  It was so wonderful!  Then, Terry played a couple of numbers on his trombone.  I didn't even know he could play the trombone!  I was blown away.  Grandma Gee got on the piano and thrilled us all with a couple of amazing songs.  Ali couldn't get over how fast her fingers were moving.  We ended the concert by all singing "Angel's Carol" together.  What a fun night!

We went to bed with visions of sugarplums still dancing in our heads from all the wonderful memories of Christmas 2011!

Christmas 2011 Part 1

I love Christmas morning.  I always will.  Even before we had kids, I had a hard time sleeping on Christmas Eve!  On our first Christmas together, Dave and I both woke up pre-5:00 and whispered to each other until about 6:00.  I'm not sure why we were whispering - there wasn't anyone else in the house to wake up.
One of the best parts of getting married is blending traditions from both families.  And at Christmastime there are so many traditions to choose from!  We also made our own traditions and therefore custom-built our perfect family Christmas.  The way we handle waking up on Christmas morning comes from my side of the family.  We do it almost exactly the same as my childhood.

Before bed on Christmas Eve, I explained to the girls that no one could get up until 6:00 a.m. or until Bronson woke up, which ever came first.  Of course, Bronson came first.  He woke up at 5:30.  The girls were wide awake and waiting.  They all climbed into bed with us.  David tried to make them sleep some more, but it was clear that they were too excited for any of that sleep nonsense, so he dragged himself out of dreamland.  Josh heard us talking and climbed into bed with us as well.  I LOVE snuggling in bed and anticipating the "big reveal" with our little maniacs.  They (we) can hardly stand the excitement.  I make everyone use the restroom (or get a diaper change) and brush their teeth while Dad goes out to see if Santa remembered to come.  So far, Santa's never forgotten (growing up, my dad always tried to convince us that Santa hadn't come, but we knew he was joking: "Daaaaaaad!!!").  David also turns on all the Christmas lights, plays some Christmas music, and takes a "before" picture of the tree.  Then he calls to us and says he's ready.  We all line up by age and flitter down the hall to the tree.  It's the most intensely happy feeling on earth!

Before...  I wish you could see those pictures on the wall - they're of each of our children at 6 weeks old wearing Santa hats.

Blurry action photo of entering the room for the first time.

Checking out their Pillow Pets.

Since we started the festivities before 6:00 a.m. and church didn't start until 1:00p.m., we had plenty of time to enjoy our gifts from Santa Claus and open our presents under the tree as well.  We got SO MUCH STUFF!  I thought we were taking it easy this year because frankly, we're running out of space for new toys, but somewhere along the way, we abandoned that idea and ended up with more than ever. One of my favorite parts of the morning was when David opened his present from my parents - a Luggable Loo.  He was excited to get it because he's into emergency preparedness, but I'm sure he wasn't expecting to get a portable toilet for Christmas.  He laughed and said, "I'm gonna try it out right now!!!" which made us all scream!

I like how Josh stopped everything to read his new Cars book.

Dave got a lot of books, as usual and to his delight. 

Bronson got several fancy electronic toys, but he spent the whole morning playing with his $3 stackable barrels (and sneaking and eating chocolate).

The last gift we opened was a book I made for our family.  Alison read it to us.

The aftermath...