December 26th

Tuesday morning we spent three hours in the yard cleaning up leaves and yard debris.  Outside of worshipping together, singing together, and reading together, working together is my favorite.  Maddie was for sure the best worker, but Maisie isn't feeling well, and Nick is just fun.  Eddie and Ryan hid from me, and Molly moaned and grabbed water.  Luckily we pulled Andy's huge speaker around the yard to keep The Killers blasting.

Here we are almost done.

Eddie met with the bishop today for his priesthood and temple recommend interviews.  He will receive the priesthood in just a week.  This guy is so street smart, but also sensitive to promptings from the Holy Ghost.  We are thrilled for him.

Tuesday night I invited friends to my birthday party.  We ate Mexican food in Sedona and chatted the night away.  "No man is a failure who has friends."  Thank you, Clarence.

Grandpa and Grandma 

December 25th

While the rest of the world opened presents and celebrated Christmas Day, we spent our morning talking with Elder Babcock -- we helped him decide what to keep and what to throw away as he packed to come home.  The buzz in the air has nothing to do with presents this year, but everything to do with Andy coming home.

Then, we went to the theater to see "Wonka."  I was certainly entertained and loved the music.  

Eddie trapped the children out of their rooms.

No-device December is so real and so good.  We played lots of card games and sat together.

"I just want Andy to come home."  

"I just want Meg and Elijah and the babies to get here."  

Those are the phrases we pine aloud and within our souls.  We are so close.

December 24th

I was up early and found Meg in my conference talk.  Her little babies are growing, because of the tender care of their parents.  

Our worship in the chapel today was quiet and tender.  We shared our voices through song and our hearts through joyous rapture in greeting family and friends.  My children SING the hymns, and I love it.

Everyone napped, so we listened to Jim Curry's audible version of "A Christmas Carol" and puzzled.  (Austin wrote his last email to Elder Babcock today.  He comes home in four days!)

Austin smoked a ham today; it was practically bacon.  Ryan went for seconds and came back with his mouth full of ham and his plate piled high with potatoes.  Eddie immediately asked if he could have a scoop.  Nice Ryan let him.

Grandma and Grandpa came for dinner and the movie.  We watched, "It's a Wonderful Life," a Christmas classic that always makes me tear up.  It was so cozy watching the best movie ever basking in the lights of Christmas.

Austin came to family choir with a bald cap and headband, Friar Tuck, he called himself.  We every Christmas HYMN and then moved on to the secular Christmas songs.  Maisie was home, and her voice/guiter were epic.  Maddie sight reads music with her recorder, and it's so good.  Everyone sang loud and clear --  my soul filled right up.

It feels like Christmas around here.  I came to this conclusion today while pondering in church:  That line from Dickens about keeping Christmas in your heart all year, looks so much like how we do CFM as a family.  We sing, we pray, we testify of Jesus Christ, we ponder about how we can be like Him, how we can live like Him, and it happens everyday, not just once a year.  That realization feels really good.  Jesus Christ is the center of our home, not just the center of one season.  And yet, I still allowed my feelings to be really hurt.  Progression comes so slowly for me, but that's okay, because I'm not alone in my daily worship or daily fails.  I walk with Him, so successful progression comes everyday not just during the holiday season.  I keep Christmas in my heart when I consistenly make CFM a priority and consistently lean into and depend upon His grace.

Christmas Adam

Clean sheets for all six beds = children gathering on my bed for a nap.  Eddie and Ryan throw backflips on my bed.

Maisie was very generous and gave me the assitance required to clean out the medicine cabinet.  Of course we had a grand time.  Austin concluded, "I'm glad you did that."  The best bit is that the bandaids are opened and the wrappers are left in the cupboard.  "I totally do that," Maisie fessed.

We spent the morning pretending that we didn't have chores, the afternoon playing games, the evening eating pasta and listening to "Italian Dinner Party"music (because mostly everyone around here is sick of Christmas music, but not me), and night time playing a new word game.  We did manage to scour bathrooms, vacuum bedrooms and sweep floors.  

December 22nd

Maisie and I were up and out the door to HIGH fitness -- I love it when she comes with me.  I wore jingle bells on my arms, and I jangled during the cardio songs.  That funny.  I'm clever.

I baked nine loaves of bread to take caroling.

I also had to try Emily's new shortbread making skills.  "Ooh, what's this delciousness?"  both Nick and Maisie asked.

"It was dreary enough to be cozy."  A line from my current novel that fit perfectly with our dreary day.  Our indoor Christmas lights shine brighter when the sun stays hidden.

We suprised ten families in area with a few songs, lots of bell ringing and a loaf of bread.  That felt like Christmas.

Austin and I sat together to make a schedule for our upcoming week.  IT'S GONNA BE SO GOOD!  All of my posterity will be together. 

We watched several nativity movies for CFM last night.  At one point the camera shows baby Jesus crying and Molly remarked, "I thought 'no crying he makes.'" I laughed so hard,  "I'm a good thoughter."  Maisie corrected her, "Thinker.  You're a good thinker.  I would know.  I'm an English major."

December 21st

Today was the last day of the outside world for two full weeks!  Austin and Maisie were out the door early for work.  Nick and Maddie left to take finals, and we finished up our math.  

Our packages looked sad and naked without any trimmings, so I spent a few minutes to add bows and tinsel.

The Legos are in full force around here.

I've been putting together a list of Christmas activites that I want to make happen, some seem a little far-fetched.  But, we're gonna give it a go.

School's out for the season.  (Nice Nick brought home Taco Bell for all his little friends.)

Both of these teens finished the semester with top marks.  I didn't disturb them during their long winter's naps.

We spent the evening helping Grandma B. wrap packages and fill stockings for the eight missionaries in our stake.  That hour of "elfing" really pushed us into the holiday spirit.  

December 20th

Early this morning I found this water color painting on my table -- Maisie's home!

The children locked me out of my bedroom and told me that they were hiding in plain sight.  Molly was hiding in the wrapping paper bin.  

Nick's summer locks needed to go; his highlights are lovely, though.

On the way home, he dried his wet hair out the window.

 Evening hours always mean working together in the kitchen; I have quite to little posse of chefs now.

Post dinner wrestling match.

Molly pulled out the Legos.  Naturally, Eddie made a flying machine decked out with massive mutilated-bombing capacity, naturally.

Our weekly p-day call was so fun.  Elder Babcock comes home in 8 days!  Maisie is home with us, and she's nice.  Nick stopped studying for finals and joined.  Meg was in fine mothering form, "This baby kicked out of her blankets."  Austin and I sat together and reveled in our children's interaction.

Andy concluded: "I need Jesus Christ in my life so I can be successful."

Meg questioned: "Maisie's going on a mission?  She opened her mission portal?  I could cry, mostly because I don't sleep."

The best story of the evening was the ingenious plan to tape Glide, the elf, to the inside of the toilet lid.  Word on the street is that Ryan kept a kleenex over Glide's face, because he didn't like Glide peeking at him.  Austin's chuckle was the best response.

December 19th

My four sons all want long hair?  What?  Nope.

Twice a year we journey to to office to get our teeth cleaned.  It's a four hour event (six children needing their cleanings), which seemed like eight hours today because I'm still holding out for no devices this month.  Here we are post event.

This pretty little Christmas cactus hangs in my car.  I think she's one of my favorite crocheted pieces to date.  

The evening was horrible -- I'm still exhauste