MONTH OF THE BIRTHDAY BRAT!!

Em will be turning "28" on February 9th! Unfortunately I will not be able to be with her this year, so since she is such a prolific talented blogger I will dedicate a blog a day until her Birthday! So Em, check each day for your Birthday Blog and maybe I'll bring you back an elephant from Thailand!

Some background on birthday traditions: The original Dubs hang birthday signs in the kitchen. Most of these were drawn with the help of Ed Emberly how to draw books. They were usually a little silly and a bit corny but fun and creative.

HAPPY BIRTHMONTH SWEETIE!

I May Have a Little Bit of a Problem...

I made a small purchase a few weeks ago.

The goods just came in the mail.

I don't know if you can tell the scale of this Box o' Tupperware, but it's half the size of my kitchen table.

Like I said, I may have a little bit of a problem.

When I told Doug I was going to buy some (more) "Modular Mates" to organize the cupboards and pantry he said "with what money?" (Typical response!) I said, "I'll fire Mamasan and use my pottery money!!!"

Yes, I really meant business. (But for the record, Mamasan was losing her luster a bit. She had stopped deep cleaning and started doing mostly laundry and putting it all away in the wrong place. Which is, shockingly, not very helpful. And for the OTHER record, Modular Mates were 40% off at the time of my purchase!!!)

So Mamasan has been let go, and I'm in debt. For Tupperware. And since I make so stinkin' much money teaching pottery, it'll only take me like say...three months to get out of the hole.

Doug is not sure what to make of me. But then I reminded him of my last large purchase of Tupperware Modular Mates: I was about 7 months pregnant. With Gabe.

(Just for the record, my large rectangle Modular Mates will NOT be filled with Cheesy Puffs or Pretzels.

Think whole grains! Totally worthy purchase, right?!?!?!)

I'm going to blame it on nesting. (One more reason in favor of adopting the next one!)

And that is all I'm going to say about THAT!

I have some organizing to do.

Things I Hate

I'm in a bad mood. Not so much bad as just...not good. And I've been thinking about things I hate.

See, I'm not a big hater. I don't hate people. That's too exhausting. And generally, I'm pretty much okay with life. But once in awhile, (January) I get ticked off...at myself, or someone else but mostly just at an annoying behavior or thing.

My neighbor told me when she thinks of me, she thinks I'm "all sweetness and light."

HA! I'll show her!!!

So, here it goes: My list of sourness and dark:

1. January. I hate January. It's cold, gray, and anti-climactic. Even if it's not cold (I'm talking to you, San Diego) it's STILL anti-climactic. What is there to look forward to in January? Nothing, that's what. Poop on January.

2. Dell computers and India-based tech support.

(But I do LOVE my Mac... NO stop it! This is a NEGATIVE post.)

3. Boy Cargo Pants. I've blogged about them before.

4. Hair. Hair that is detached from the head. Hair in brushes and combs. Hair on the floor. Black hair on my things. (Because I know without a doubt it's not mine.) Just HAIR! ICK!

Just say YES to Universal Laser Hair Removal!!! It's a fundamental RIGHT!!!

5. Allergies. I've been sniffling and sneezing ever since I got to Japan. All.Year.Long. Allergy meds help, but only a little. I still sniffle and I still go through a box of Puffs every few days. I'm allergic to Japan!

6. Sometimes I hate the halls after church. I'm not a big fan of loitering to begin with. But you put me in a cramped church for three hours, deprive me of protein, give me three or more kids to wrangle, and you can expect me to exit said cramped church as quickly as possible after 1 o'clock...Must get home. Must remove painful shoes, tights, slip, and skirt. Must eat. Must nap. In that order. Must NOT loiter or be sociable! (Sorry friends. It's a personal problem.)

7. Cereal fused to my kitchen counter/table/floor with dried milk. It takes a hammer and chisel to remove that crap!

8. Whiny bloggers who complain about stuff they hate.

I could go on but...

my neighbor just called.

She said she adds Vitamin D to her daily smoothies and she hasn't gotten seasonal blues this year.

*tortured sigh*

FINE! I'll try it.

...but I'll still always hate January!!!

P.S. After grocery shopping today, I have two more things to add:

* Maternity pants that don't stay up. (all maternity pants)

* And raw tomatoes. Yuck. (Had to buy some for Doug's salsa.)

P.P.S. Not to ruin the feel of this post, but I have to say this. Right after writing this cranky rant, I clicked on THIS link from THIS blog. I must admit...I LOVE this video of Susan Boyle's first performance.

It made me cry. (Dang pregnancy hormones! I HATE pregnancy hormones!)

Items of Note/Notorious Items

*Gabey gave me his first compliment yesterday:

(While petting my just-out-of-the-shower, still wet and uncombed hair...)

"Mama! Yo heh so han-some!!!"

Yep, he's pretty cute. Think I'll keep him.

*Doug is going to Thailand soon for a three week long humanitarian mission. (He's very excited and I'm sure he'll blog all the details soon.) At the end of his trip I'm going to fly down and meet him for 3 or 4 days. (Leaving the kids here.) I'm excited not just to see a cool new country, but to get out of the COLD, WET, YUCKY weather for a few days!

On the way home we're going to try to fit in a visit to the Tokyo L.D.S. temple (my first time) which is an added bonus!

*Yesterday, here in Misawa, it alternated raining and snowing all day long. This created an enormous amount of SLUSH...which I had to walk in and drive in (since Tuesday is Commissary/grocery shopping day.)

I didn't like it.

--End of complaint--

*Last Friday Doug and I went on a date and got really yummy tempura rice bowls. They were REALLY YUMMY! (We also ordered sushi. Unfortunately, we forgot to ask for "no wasabi" so my first (and last) bite burned out my entire nasal cavity. But I learned an important lesson: I still don't like wasabi.)

*Doug got us the latest season of "24" for an early Christmas present and we started watching it over the break. We're about half way through. I'm really worried about Jack. And Tony really let me down. Sometimes I worry about it during the day. Evidently, I can't take this kind of drama when I'm pregnant.

*Speaking of pregnancy, we got the results of the Amnio. (We got the Amnio because an early screening showed an indicator for Down Syndrome.) The results are; Baby is healthy! And still, definitely, 100% a boy!

*Speaking of pregnancy again, Doug said the other day "This pregnancy is so different, if I didn't know we were having a boy I'd think you were having a girl."

So it has been with all my pregnancies. Different morning sickness, different cravings, different symptoms. This time, I'm emotional. See, in my normal life, I'm not a crier. But lately, I cry at the drop of a hat. Hearing a sad story, reading a sad e-mail, (or a happy e-mail) talking to Janeen about Merrill, (who is deployed) watching "24"...all can make me tear up.

Doug thinks it's hilarious. So I punch him in the arm and feel better. (Plus, with this kid I'm gaining weight exponentially. The holidays were not easy on my bottom. I AM trying to eat better but did you know they make CHRISTMAS Cadbury Mini Eggs now? Only they're balls not eggs? It's TRUE! I ate half a bag just last night!)

*We are almost half way through our time here! Woah! Time flies. Better get your visit in SOON! (I'm talking to Call's, Gibson's and Whitacre's. I've given up on the rest of you.)

aaaaaand....

I think now I've covered everything.

--The End--

Christmas Re-cap

Christmas Eve:

Our first Christmas away from extended family, (while living in San Francisco) we went out for Mexican food on Christmas Eve. We liked it so much, we've been doing it ever since. (We don't go out here, though. We make it at home. But who's to say whose version is more authentic...the American or Japanese...??)

We had two awesome (very healthy vegetarian) families, as well as a set of missionaries, over for dinner. (See Doug's blog for the cultural lesson we got from the Australian missionary.)

Our Mexican feast included: Vegetarian Enchiladas, Spanish Rice, Bolillos, (Spindle Rolls), Salad with Hicama, Fruit Salad, Mexican Hot Chocolate to drink, plus Tres Leches, Flan, and Sweet Rice for dessert. YUM!!!

After dinner, we had a spiritual thought from the missionaries, Christmas carols, the Nativity enacted by the kids,

and the traditional Opening of the Jammies:

It was a great night with great friends!

Christmas Day:

Christmas Morning was the best one I've had since becoming a mom eight years ago. Here's why: (It's not even because I got a new piano, Snoopy Sno-cone Machine, Samurai Sword back scratcher, Sushi Play-doh set, sea glass jewelry and lots of books. Those were just bonuses!!!)

My oldest man-child, Maxwell, takes after his father, who takes after HIS father in the area of "present opening reaction".

All three have the same response when opening gifts, and the reaction is...NO reaction.

Or maybe a smile and one-word response.

An exclamation of surprise or happiness is extremely rare, and a joyful jump is entirely out of the question.

So for Maxwell's whole life, I've watched, the following scene unfold:

--Christmas Morning--

Door opens...

Boy (or boys) run(s) in.

Max see's his BIG, MAIN Santa gift, unwrapped, in front of him.

Max looks at BIG, MAIN gift. MIGHT let out weak "cool!", then, IMMEDIATELY moves on to see what else he has. (Once he even uttered the horrible phrase "Is that all?")

This happens EVERY.SINGLE.YEAR!!!

THIS YEAR, however...HE DIDN'T MOVE ON! He didn't look for more!!!

He saw his HUGE pile of loose Lego's (purchased by a thrifty Santa on e-Bay) and with big eyes, moved in and started building!!! And KEPT building happily not even ASKING to open his wrapped presents under the tree!!! Not even bothering to raid his stocking for candy!!!

It seriously warmed this jaded mother's heart!

Sammy, thankfully, is a lot easier to please. He saw his "Ho town of Gee-o Twax*" (Purchased by a thrifty Santa on Misawa's Virtual Yard Sale) and yelled and jumped for joy.** And ALSO played happily without asking to open his wrapped presents under the tree!

And THAT is how I judge a successful gift-giving year! Great job, Santa!!!! You really earned your cookies this time!

(For the record, Gabe got a Little People airplane, and some rhythm instruments, which he liked, but he was mostly interested in playing GeoTrax with Sammy.) (Here he is showcasing some Anpanman finger puppets.)

Later in the day, another of our favorite families (not vegetarian) came over for another delicious meal. (Made mostly by Erin of said favorite family.) Turkey, Potatoes, and Gravy, Stuffing, Rolls, Salad, Martinelli's to drink and Chocolate Mousse Cake for dessert. After which the kids watched a movie and the adults played "Sequence". (Thanks Shad and Kellie, for introducing us to Sequence so many years ago!)

Anyway, it was a busy, exhausting, friend, food, and fun filled two days and I wouldn't trade a minute of it. (Except those minutes when I had to tell Erin we had no other side dishes because Doug had taken a nap and I lost track of time reading my novel...ehem.)

I feel very very blessed that in the absence of extended family, we have such great friends here. We really seem to luck out every where we live when it comes to meeting really cool people. (Who accept us for the sarcastic, irreverent, half carnivore/half vegetarian weirdos that we are.)

That's enough of THAT!

Hope YOU had a Merry Christmas too! Your card is FINALLY in the mail!

Happy New Year!!!!

*Note to all parents with boys: We've been through a lot of different trains and train sets. We like Fisher Price GeoTrax the best! Buy 'em on Craigslist!

**The BEST and my favorite reaction of the day: Sam opens a gift. It's two "Pigeon" books. He YELLS gleefully and then says "These awe by Mo Willems! My favowit awe-tho!!!"

Evolution of a Pinch Pot Snowman

I saw a really cute snowman on Etsy and decided to see if I could turn it into a project for Homeschool Pottery in December.

So working from memory, I made this guy:Not cute. Kinda creepy.

I tried again changing the proportions:
Better, but still "eh...!"

Later, I made another one with my students adding a "pickle nose" per Samuel's instructions.

(From a favorite Snowman story book of Miss Judean's.)
Getting cuter!

(Both arms have already been glued back on twice. I'm thinking next year I'll just poke two holes and use real twigs that can be removed for easier storage.)

Finally, I looked up the original and copied it almost exactly:
Now THAT'S a cute snowman! Thank you for the prototype, Etsy potter! (I promise not to start selling these!)

Christmas Songs to Rock Out To!

We have numerous Christmas playlists made in i-Tunes: D's Christmas mix, (includes Country. BLEH!) Kid's Christmas mix, (Listen only if you want a nervous tick) Sunday Christmas mix, (Go MoTab! Just added the Christmas Devotional music to this one. Loved their version of "Oh Holy Night")...and the master "Christmas Songs" mix which has EVERYTHING--all the old stand-bys and favorites. Every single song.

THIS list is MY mix. These are the songs I never hear enough during the holidays. (Although a few are new additions and a few are strictly included so I can learn the words to sing them to my kids.)

Mock my choices if you must, but right now all the boys are out building a ginormous snow fort, and I'm rocking out to Wham! --about to make myself some Stephen's Gourmet Hot Chocolate. (I'll make SwissMiss for the boys later.)

I love Christmas time!!!!

Silent Night (Intro) Boyz II Men--Ultimate Christmas

Silent Night Sarah McLachlan--Wintersong

Oh Christmas Tree GrooveBarbers--Glory (This one is for the kids)

Gabriel's Message Sting--A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 1

Song For A Winter's Night Sarah McLachlan--Ultimate Christmas

Wonderful Christmastime Jars of Clay-- Christmas Songs (Bonus Track Version)

Christmas By the Bay Tim Hockenberry--Christmas By the Bay (Makes Doug and I both nostalgic and possibly a little teary.)

Christmas Song Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds--A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 3

Christmas (Baby Please Come Home) U2--A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 1

Christmastime Smashing Pumpkins--A Very Special Christmas, Vol. 3

Christmas Wrapping Waitresses--Now That's What I Call Christmas! Vol. 2 (ONE OF MY VERY FAVORITE OF ALL TIME!!!! DOWNLOAD IT NOW!!!!)

Last Christmas Wham!--Now That's What I Call Christmas! Vol. 2

Santa Baby Kylie Minogue--Now That's What I Call Christmas! Vol. 2 [Disc 1]

Nuttin' for Christmas The Re-Bops--Oldies for a Cool Christmas (Because I learned it in Elementary School and always sing it to my kids in December.)

That Was the Worst Christmas Ever! Sufjan Stevens (New addition. Just 'cause it sounds cool. Admittedly, it's a little depressing. But PRETTY!)

Last Christmas (Glee Cast Version) Glee Cast--iTunes single (I like "Glee". Doug does NOT.)

Snowfall Ingrid Michaelson--Snowfall

All I Want For Christmas Is You Mariah Carey--Merry Christmas

Go ahead. Download all of them. Make your own playlist. Then put it on "REPEAT ALL".

Merry Christmas!!!

P.S. I LOVE my new skinny Christmas Tree and all our pretty vintage looking glass ornaments plus the new Japanese additions. (And I love the vintage Block Island prints (background-left) Doug gave me for Christmas last year.)

P.P.S. See some awesome pics of Gabey-boy on Doug's blog!!!

...And Blank-O Was His Name-O

So, you know we're having a(nother) boy, right? I've mentioned that? Well, I'm having a little problem. I need a name. See, we've already bestowed 6 total boy names. And frankly, I'm out of favorites. Add to that the fact that we unwittingly started a tradition and now we have to stick with it. (Lest boy number four feel like the ugly step-sister of the family.)

The tradition is this: For better or worse, all the boys have names that end in "L". Not only that, they have names that can be (and are frequently) shortened and/or abbreviated.

Let's review:

Maxwell=Max/Maxer/Maxer-boy. (We avoid Maxi for obvious reasons.)
Samuel=Sam/Samers/Sammy-boy/Hey You Little Punk!
Gabriel=Gabe/Gabers/Gabey-Baby/Gabe the Babe/Gabey-boy.

Initialized, we have MSG. Not good for your health, but that's what we've got.

That's where we're coming from. Now we need to name boy child number 4 and I'm a little stumped. Not that there aren't plenty of options, it's just that I don't love any of them.

Take the name Michael for example. I really like this name. However, I don't like Mikey, and I'm not overly fond of "Mike". (And lets face it, Miker doesn't work.) And so he would have to stay Michael. And that hardly seems fair...! PLUS, I don't want another "M" name! I want to branch out!

(See all of the above reasons for why we will now eliminate "Mitchell".)

Next, we have Nathaniel and Daniel. Both fine names. I don't have a problem with either one. It's just that I don't LOVE either one. Do I really have to use a name I don't love just because it "fits"? I don't know. Maybe one of them will grow on me, but they're not currently at the top of my non-existent list.

So now we start to dig a little deeper and get a little more creative.

My friend Roxanna offered "Lemuel" as a suggestion!

Well, HEY, that works! It ends with "L" and it's not common at all, which is a bonus! The only problem is Lemuel is one of the biggest "bad guys" in the whole Book of Mormon. And I happen to be Mormon. Therefore, Lemuel=Mormon Party Foul.
(Roxanna thinks she's so funny!)

Now, for awhile there, I was leaning towards Dashiel. Yes, I did steal it directly from "The Incredibles" and yes that is a strike against it. But "Dash" is a really cute name!!!! (Don't deny it!)

So I threw it out at a dinner party the other night with two other families present. All three men in attendance gave it a big thumbs down. And as one pointed out, "What if he isn't FAST!? He'd HAVE to be fast! And BLOND, but what if he ISN'T??? Then you have Name=FAIL!"

Well. I can't guarantee he'll be fast. Or blond. (Non-fast, non-blond=Sammy) And I don't want the mean kids to trip him. So Dasheil is off the table. (Plus, it looks funny when I type it out...like a breed of dog.)

Last but not least, inspired by the recent Christmas songs playing constantly at our house, we have Israel and Emmanuel.
Problems: I'd always be singing "Oh Come, Oh Come Eeeemmahhhhhnuuuuel".
And I'd be forever pronouncing Israel as "Iiiiiihhhhsssssss-RRRiiiiii-Ellllllll!!!!"

But, what other choice to I have? I'm out of alternatives.
Emmanuel it is. A little pretentious perhaps, but he'll grow into it.

In the mean time, I'll call him "Emma".

I've always liked that name!!!

War on Cavities

When Doug said he wanted to join the Armed Forces to pay for school, I said "NO! Absolutely NOT! What if you have to go to WAR?!?!"

But there was no war. Just the potential for a lot of debt. So we kept thinking about it.

Then there was 9/11 and I said, "Okay, now you REALLY can't join! We're going to go to WAR!" And he said "Now I really WANT to join and serve my country!!! Besides, what are the odds I'll be deployed?!" (Slim to none, according to the recruiter. That was when the war was just a baby.)

And I was proud of him. And I didn't want all the debt. So we joined the Air Force and went merrily on to Dental School.

(And in case you think we're debt free because we joined, think again. In fact, think in the 200k range. We went to school in San Francisco.)

Fast forward to now. Turns out, had Doug not decided to do PEDIATRIC dentistry, there are very good odds he would be deployed to a war zone at some point. BUT, since he's the only Ped Dentist on base here, he's not going anywhere. (Except on a humanitarian mission to Thailand. But that's only for three weeks.)

Unlike his office mate/sponsor/best buddy Merrill. A Dentist. Who is--right now--getting combat training in America before being deployed to Afghanistan.

Merrill gave me permission to reprint this letter he sent us. (See below.)

I thought it was a good reminder to everyone back home that there is, in fact, still a war going on. And families who are already serving their country in BFE, I mean JAPAN, still have to have their spouses deployed for LONG periods of time!

(Deployed spouse + living in Japan = not a lot of help available from family back home and a long lonely deployment! Currently, there are three families in our church branch with deployed spouses. And more deployments coming in the new year. Our Branch President was deployed months ago and had to be released. He's still gone. His wife and four kids are still here dealing with it.)

Anyway, here is Merrill's letter:

(FYI, he is in the Air Force, but being trained by the Army.)

My wife loves me so much! She would fly around the world to
potentially only spend 30 minutes with me. Some may call it crazy,
but I call it love.

I graduated my Combat Skills Training at ______,__ and have moved on to Detainee Ops Training at ______ in _____,__.

We are in the middle of nowhere. Not the most scenic
place but probably the best place to be simulating a deployed
environment in the Middle East.

Our unit had to get special permission to bend the rules of "General Order #1" (the rules you live
under when you are deployed; e.g. no civilian clothes, no riding in
anything other than a government vehicle, no going off base, etc) so
that several of us could see the family members who came to see us.

We didn't know until we got there on Friday that they were going to "let
us off" until Saturday night at 10:00 PM. The Army is so generous!

Janeen knew she might only be able to see me at the airport before
I was taken away to our new "home". At least we got to spend a day
and a half together. I felt like I had been let out of prison.

Janeen was able to come out to Camp _________ a few times to meet me at
the little recreation center they have there. At least I didn't have
to talk to her by telephone through a glass wall. Although it was
short, it was a huge boost to my morale. It was so nice to be with
Janeen and have some snuggle time with Emma. I really hope Janeen's
travel goes smoothly back to Japan.

Our last week at __________ was a lot of practical exercises where we
would put together all the skills we had been learning the previous 4
weeks. We went out on convoys to small villages, interacted with the
"local nationals" (actors they had hired who dressed the part and
could speak the language), searched homes, were attacked by IEDs,
mortars, and snipers (the Army instructors love setting off their
pyrotechnics).

Most of the people in my class thought it was a lot of
fun, but it seemed a little too realistic to me and I didn't enjoy it
that much. The whole month just made me very thankful that I will not
be doing those things over there and gave me a much greater
appreciation for the soldiers who are doing those things. Every time
they leave that base, they don't know whether or not they will be
coming home that night.

These are some very brave men and women.

I would send an address here to you but I don't know what it is, and I
won't be here long enough to get any mail anyway. Looks like I will
be spending Christmas in Kyrgyzstan in route to Afghanistan. Sounds
like a great time. I will send along an address once I get settled at
_______.

Thanks to all of you for your prayers and support for me and my family.

Merrill

Items of Note/Notorious Items

(Warning: I use a LOT of capitals and exclamation points in this post!!!)

*Last Friday the kids were off school so we had Maxwell's birthday party at the Weasel's Den*. He liked his Lego cakes, so all went well. (In my mind.)

He had a blast with this buddies and got some great gifts.I'm glad he enjoyed it because we only get "friend parties" every other year in this family.

* We got our first batch of Christmas cards yesterday! HOORAY! I LOVE CHRISTMAS CARDS!!! (Especially the ones with pictures.) My friend leaves her Christmas Card Pictures up on a closet door all year long. I think I'm going to leave mine up on the closet door all year long, too.

* Incidentally, our Christmas cards will be going out late this year. Very, very late. They've been ordered and shipped, but who knows when they'll get here.

(Unfortunately, this is not the picture we used. Just the picture we SHOULD have used. Long story. Thank you for the awesome photo shoot Therese!!!)

* I had an amniocentesis this morning. This means I got a really long needle shoved through my belly and into my uterus to withdraw amniotic fluid. Our neighbor (and former friend) is also my OB. He had to stick me twice. It hurt. A LOT!!! I told him he's off the Christmas Card list. Then I demanded more of his homemade Baklava.

* We just got through babysitting a two-year-old (same age as Gabe) for a week. His Mom (My friend Janeen) went to America to see her husband (Doug's friend Merrill) before he deploys for Afghanistan. He's a Dentist. And yet notice the very large gun he's learning to use.

(They live here, but he's getting training in the states. More about them later.)

I pretended Gabe and "Little I" were twins and dressed them the same all week. Turns out, two isn't much harder than one. The house ends up messy either way.

* I have a new church job. I'm the R.S. 2nd Counsellor over the Activities-formerly-known-as-Enrichment. I haven't been to Relief Society regularly for over 6 years. It's scary being with grown-ups again! And there aren't even any Primary songs!!!

*We (finally) got (a little) snow. And it stuck! The boys are THRILLED!

(They kept trying to force Gabe onto a sled. He wasn't having it.)

* The Japanese do not plow, or salt, or sand their roads. So driving to the church -off base- on icy roads was less than thrilling for me this evening.

* I am now 23.5 weeks along.

* I've already gained 18 pounds. (Whoops!)

* That's about it for us! Life is good here in Japan!!!

Now SEND ME A CHRISTMAS CARD!!!

(Call it "supporting the troops"!!)

Merry Christmas!

*The Weasel's Den is a converted airplane hangar. It includes a huge indoor playground with awesome equipment, two party rooms, a small miniature golf course, an indoor soccer area, pool tables, video games, a theater for playing "Rock Star" and the Outdoor Rec. Department. (Where you can buy and rent sports equipment, plan ski trips, etc.) A guy in our branch is mostly responsible for putting it all together so we praise his name every time we're there. (Which is often. Especially in the winter.) THANKS BEN!!!

Dear Mormons...

Did you happen to see THIS article in the October Ensign?

Or read this talk give by M. Russell Ballard?

If not, I'll give you the low down:

You should all be blogging!

PUBLICLY!

(Un-privitize your blog so I can read it in Google Reader, please!!!)

That's all I have to say.

Amen.

Maxwell's Baptism

Saturday was a big day around these parts. Maxwell turned EIGHT and was BAPTIZED a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The baptism was held at our local church building here in Misawa and the room was packed! Lots of friends from church and four of Doug's fellow dentist's came to show support and love for Max and our family. It was really really cool. The talks were great, the music was great, the baptism didn't have to be done twice because of un-dunked clothing or hair...so, in other words, GREAT...!

Max was on top of the world all day. He bustled around doing chores without being asked (so unlike the Birthday Brat I turn into on MY birthday) and was acting so mature and grown up all day. On Sunday he even fasted and bore his testimony for the very first time. I'm so proud of him!

If I wasn't absolutely POSITIVE I'm only 24 or 25, I might think I was getting old or something. I have an EIGHT year old!!!

Now indulge me as I take a quick jaunt down memory lane...

Our first family Christmas picture: (Notice the drool-wet shirt.)

Do you see the beautiful Golden Gate Bridge in the background? Well, it's there. Quite close, as a matter of fact. (We're at Baker Beach. In the fog. Obviously.) You'll just have to trust me.

Max and his girlfriend (and betrothed) Ani. Easter Sunday 2006.

I just love this picture. Taken In our tiny San Francisco apartment with the beautiful Eucalyptus trees in the background. ...Before my fear of him falling out said window became too acute.

Holding Gabey after church in Rhode Island.

Dave's wedding in Mesa. Look how white his hair is!

He made quite a name for himself in our neighborhood in S.F. (This is what happens when you go camping shortly after potty training.)

I love you, Maxer!!!

Pinch Pot Turkeys

Made these as examples for Homeschool Pottery in November.

The body is a pinch pot placed either upside down or right side up. I learned not to make the feathers too thin or they broke off...repeatedly.

The kids did a great job and amazed me with their cute and creative turkeys!

I Am Thankful for Pot-Lucks!

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving this year.

Yes, Thanksgiving Dinner in the High School cafeteria may seem unconventional to some, but my philosophy has always been "The More, The Merrier." (Doesn't seem like very good grammar now that I type it out.)

(FYI--The 12,000+ kids in attendance-not pictured-spent most of their time either in the "Movie Theater" (a large utility closet) or the gym (which was filled with toys)--leaving the adults free to chat, relax, and play card games after dinner.)

It probably stems from my upbringing. Every other year we got together with my mom's family for a huge meal at a local church cultural hall. The "off" years, we were home with anyone and everyone who didn't have another place to go. Cousins attending BYU or Ricks college, random roommates of said cousins and siblings, visiting relatives, Honduran refugees...

One year we even hosted two inmates from the local prison. I still remember them smoking out on our porch swing. Good times.

(At least for me. My only responsibilities were eating, playing, and occasionally arranging the gourds in the cornucopia. My mom got to do all the cooking and all the cleaning up. Poor woman! I appreciate you a lot more now Mom!!! And I'm thankful for Doug who can cook. And clean!!!)

Anyway, that's why a quiet Thanksgiving at home doesn't appeal to me. I like to be surrounded by lots of people. And lots of pies. Fortunately, there are a lot of cool people around here to be surrounded by. And they brought lots of pies!

A good time (and a full belly) was had by all!!!

(Doesn't seem like very good grammar...again.)

And on an unrelated note, here are a few reasons I'm okay with having a(nother) baby boy:

And a few reasons I still plan to adopt a girl:

Happy Thanksgiving!!!