VA Christmas Highlights

During the holidays at my folks' house, there was much flying of remote-controlled helicopters. See it? (Cool new sunroom, too, eh? My parents added it on this past year.)

Kt-pants got this wicked awesome shot.

Those of us who were not flying had fun watching.

I loved spending time with J-rock and kt. They are so stinkin' awesome ...

... and so stinkin' cute together.

Jared was excited to spend time with his new little niece, Charlotte. 

So cute!

And on Sunday, kt and I whipped out the boots. Yeah, baby!

Who can forget Trent's catalog-worthy gorgeous and yummy apple pie, which has now become a Harrison tradition when we're out there. Doesn't it totally look like a pic out of a cookbook? My hunny is the man! 

Plenty of time for the Granmy and the Boo to spend time together, too, of course.

They are such good buddies. Great pic, eh? 

Christmas Morning in Virginia

We spent Christmas with my fam this year. And although everyone didn't make it and I missed those who weren't present, it was fun to be home for Christmas.

I love me some cozy pants. And all my boys ... 

... especially this one.

Ohhh, Uncle Party!

For some reason, it has become a Harrison tradition to decorate the Christmas tree on Christmas morning. I think it's mostly because we are all so lazy when we get together for the holidays. :)

(They funniest thing about this shirt is that he does know karate ... and is extremely talented at it.)

I love Uncle J-Rock.

Early Christmas in Colorado

At the ward party. The smirk is my favorite.

We worked on Santa-phobia this year for weeks in preparation for this moment. As a result, when Santa came in the door, Cam made a bee-line and practically tackled him. No problems sitting on his lap this time around.

Not a bad little gingerbread house, eh? We had fun making it together. He's so blasted cute. I adore his happy grin.

Early Christmas morning at home, before our travels. I about peed my pants lying in bed listening to him sneak into the front room to took through his stocking. For about 10 minutes, he sat there emptying it and whispering to himself: "It's WOODY, it's Woody. Santa got me Woody! (jumping up and down)... Stickers! Wowwww! ... Trains! Wooooowwww! I got trains ..." He's so much fun.

As you might guess, there was a good deal of galloping around the house the rest of the morning.

O Christmas Tree: The Journey

What a beautiful day for a hike in the mountains!

Such a little trooper.

Eureka! We have found her!

I love me some rosy baby cheeks ... or not-so-baby. :)

My manly-man gettin' the job done.

Tired, but happy. And so dang cute.

Voila!

The True Meaning of Christmas

I don't remember ever feeling so "hum-bug" about Christmas as I have today. Don't get me wrong. I love it. I really do. I just don't love the shear volume of everything that surrounds it. Sometimes it just feels like too much. It's only Dec. 12, and I'm already exhausted and ready to run away ... far away. In the past 12 days, I've had something every single day. And I feel as though in the midst of all the shows and parties and shopping and singing and chores and decorating, I've lost the essence. It's almost as if I've been too busy and worn out to feel the Spirit of the season. And that makes me sad.

There have been a couple of moments, though. One was during "The Nativity." For the past two years, I've participated in a fully-staged live nativity/musical -- lights, full 8-part choir, actors, the whole bit -- during the first weekend in December. It's a lot of work to be in the show (actually the 11 shows in three days last year, reduced to 8 this year), but I know it's worth it if we touch even one heart with the true meaning of Christmas. Christ was born for us. It is such a simple, beautiful message. I know the Spirit was there at the show. And it felt good to seize it, even for a moment.

Another moment was the Joy School Christmas Program. On Tuesday, we trudged through snow and 7-degree weather to take our boys to the assisted living facility where Camden's Great-Grandma Tronette lives. Our little guys worked hard preparing their hand-made cards in class the week previous. According to the Joy School curriculum, we're supposed to go all out and have a full-fledged pageant, but we wimped out a little and just sang songs instead. (Also in part because we have 4 boys in our class, and therefore no Mary.) As the boys handed out their cards and the people beamed, I thought, just for a moment, "This is what it's all about."



And one other moment was during "Christmas with the Colorado Children's Chorale." Trent is currently serving his fourth year on the board for the Colorado Children's Chorale, and it has become a tradition for us to attend this special concert each winter. This year, they began by blacking out the entire hall, and then a young boy soprano came onstage with a candle and sang an a capella solo, "Once in Royal David's City." The Spirit of Christmas touched me in that moment in a way that only music can.

December is crazy, but I'm doing a lot of great things. I guess I'm just learning that as the years pass and my Christmastime schedule gets more and more packed, I need to be able to step back and be in the moment once in a while. Because Christmas is really about the little things, isn't it?

Camden Jingling All the Way

He was at it for about 30 minutes, and I finally went and grabbed the camera.

I'm Grateful

I feel differently about Thanksgiving this year. I really needed it. I feel like I've been complaining a lot lately, and I really needed a day to think about all my blessings instead.

Here are a few things I'm grateful for today:

a bird
Trent and Camden built a beautiful bird feeder together a couple weeks ago, and Camden has been plastered to the window since then, and has been praying, "Please help birdies to come to eat at my bird feeder." Today one did.

my boys

I adore them. They make me smile. They make me a better person. We waited so long for Camden to come to our family. Sometimes I forget about those 5 years of pain and patience. It really is a miracle that he is here.

boot camp

I finally took a week and stayed in the house with the boy to push the potty-training issue. And he did it. He's all potty-trained. Actually, he's been practicing for more than a year, and one day and 80 skittles were apparently all he needed to master the skill.

my parents

They really are amazing people. I have found that as the years pass and I gain more life experience, I gain even more appreciation for them and all they have done for me.

the gospel of Jesus Christ
I love my Savior. The concepts of his gospel give me direction, clarity, peace, and hope that I've never been able to find anywhere else.

freedom

My grandparents, Mima & Pipo, emigrated to the U.S. from a Communist country and became citizens almost 50 years ago. In fact, I was the first person in my line to be born on American soil. I can't take my freedoms for granted because my family members worked so hard to make sure I could enjoy them. I am so thankful for their sacrifices and the lives they have lived so that I can be here and have a good life.

my siblings

All of them. Adam, Jared, Joseph, Rebekah. I love them. We have journeyed through so much of life together, and I'm excited about what the future holds for all of us. And I couldn't have ever anticipated the joy that has come into my life with the additions of Nora and Katie to our family. They are my sisters. It is so fun to have them in my life.

this world

I am continually in awe of the beauty that surrounds me.

my nephew
Sammy. What a sweet little boy he is. I love to watch him grow and change, even if it's usually from a distance. He is my only nephew, and I'm sure just the first of many. But he will always hold a special place in my heart because he was the first.

laundry

I know I whine about it and how much time and energy it takes to get it all done. But in reality, it's really amazing that we are blessed enough to have so many clothes. I think about the poor and about people in the old days, who only had a few outfits that they'd just wash over and over, and I feel immensely blessed to have so much.

my paternal grandparents

I miss them. I was in college when both of them passed away. I try to keep them fresh in my memory by reflecting on the special times we had together and by talking about them with my little boy, who never knew them.

my home

We scrimped and saved for this house, and I think it means even more to me because of that. I am warm in the winter and cool in the summer, and I know others are not so blessed.

extended family
My aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides. I miss them and wish I could rewind time and have spent more of my life in close contact with them. I treasure the memories I have of them when I was a little girl. I am so thankful for internet and travel so that I can at least keep tabs on them and see some of them once in a while. Arizona was so fun, and I can't wait 'til March in St. George!

my body

Sometimes I take it for granted, and I shouldn't. It really is a miracle in all its intricacies.

the Feists
They really have taken me in as one of their own. I love being part of their family.

a steady job

Trent is such a hard worker and wonderful provider. Especially at this time in history, I feel very blessed that he has such a good job and that I am able to stay home with our son.

my education

It makes me feel good to know that I finished college with a degree that I can use. I enjoy working from home and the flexibility and mental exercise it provides me. It's really the best of both worlds.

my marriage

Trent really is an amazing man. Neither of us are perfect, but we are both okay with that. I am sealed for eternity to my best friend. It is difficult to put into words the serenity and stability that allows me to have in this sometimes tumultuous lifetime.

a warm bed
Slipping into bed at the end of the day really takes on a different meaning during this cold time of year. I love the soothing feeling of the warm blankets around me.

a feast

How many people in the world are able to sit down at a beautiful table and feast on such glorious, plentiful food? We are truly blessed.

On that note ... I should probably go get ready for dinner! I wish all of you a wonderful day and a beautiful holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Cam's 3rd Birthday

Happy Birthday to our little man. I can't believe he's three already.

I've never seen a little kid his age get so excited about clothes ...

... and books. (Thanks for the great gifts, Grandma & Grandpa.)

And of course he asked me to read him all the cards.

Great-Grandma Tronette, Grandma, Camden, Grandpa

He was completely enthralled with this monkey on a spring and probably would of sat there playing with it for hours if we'd let him. Funniest thing was that it was a recycle from his baby shower. Hah!

Buzz Lightyear, from Mommy and Daddy. We've heard a lot of "To infinity -- and beyond ... To infinity -- and beyond ... To infinity -- and beyond ..." this week ... times a million.

And of course, more trains for his collection. Sweet.

Mr. Potato Head! (Thank you, Uncle Bee-bo!) Camden totally digs anything from "Toy Story," his favorite movie right now.

Animal crackers from Great-Grandma are definitely a tradition.

Cam loves his uncle. They're so cute together.

Bustin' out Mr. Potato Head!

In line with Feist family tradition, here's the character cake I made this year. This one is Lightning McQueen from Disney's "Cars." ("Toy Story" might be his favorite movie, but CARS are definitely his thing lately, and he's got quite the collection.) Last year was a Thomas cake.

Blowing out the candles.

And finally, time to chow down! Dad asked him which flavors of home-made ice cream he wanted, and he requested "buh-stacio" (pistachio) and chocolate. Crazy kid.

Halloween!

So, the Camdy-man was old enough to have a major opinion on the Halloween costume this year, and he demanded -- read: DEMANDED -- to be an astronaut. (As my sister-in-law said, "Ah ... Halloween costume or career day?" Hah!) No other cute, commercial costume would do. We tried. He just wasn't buying it. Why did we try to sell him on something else, you might ask? Because, of course, we couldn't find a commercially made white astronaut costume that didn't cost a small fortune (only the orange ones). Consequently, Trent took on the project and made an amazingly cool home-made costume. My big contribution was finding toddler-size white gloves (not as easy as it sounds, okay!), and thanks to Grandma for the perfect little helmet!

My little astronaut.

First, a visit to Great-Grandma Tronette at her assisted living, which brought smiles to everyone present.

Then, off to the church for our Trunk or Treat. Suffice it to say that it was not quite as balmy as the one the week prior in AZ. It was fun to have Grandma and Grandpa with us in spite of the fuh-reezing weather.

Here we are, momma and kiddo, "on parade."

Here are some of my Joy School boys hanging out in the gym with Cam: Jackson aka Spiderman and Ethan aka fireman. (Check out that side-view of Cam's costume. Great detail, eh?)

Then the boys were off trick-or-treating in the neighborhood. Good thing we designed the costume to go over his puffy coat, snow pants, and boots! A typical CO Halloween costume.

They are so stinkin' cute! Love my boys!

Not a super-great shot, but at least you get a feeling for the details. For instance, Trent found the "NASA" font, and put "Commander Feist" on the lapel, and the patch is from a shuttle mission our friend, Rick Searfoss, commanded. I'm pretty sure it's the first shuttle that docked with Mir. So cool! Trent found all the patches online and printed them out on iron-on inkjet paper. Ingenious.

Overall, a very fun Halloween.