Pang....

I just re-enrolled kids for school next year... and Evelyn's one of them.  I'm sad to see my one on one time with this little girl coming to a close, but she is sure excited to be a big kid like the other two. She was bouncing up and down next to me when I told her what I was doing on the computer.  I'm so glad that Heavenly Father chose to give us one more so that I'm not a complete wreck this year... I have another 3 years before that happens right?  Don't get me wrong, I'm very active at the kids school, and at home teaching them.... it's just that it feels like Kindergarten is the end of my baby and the beginning of my kids.  I'm not ready to be done with my babies ever....

Babies

Gabriel, Fawkes, Cora, Christopher... all babies that are loved and gone within the last few years.  As one of 12 sisters and sister in laws, there have been many miscarriages, babies and infertilities.  Each situation is unique and definitely guided by God.  I've felt closest to my Heavenly Father when I was a missionary, when I made covenants in the temple and when I've carried these babies that he's sent to us.  But sometimes these sweet babies don't have a chance to live here for a while.  We still love them.  They're still my nieces and nephews, and if you know me... I love every single one of my 48 and counting nieces and nephews.  We love all these sweet lost ones and their parents, siblings and grandparents. 

The Violin

My Mom was in the Utah Youth Symphony.  She played the violin (so did her sister Diane, but I'm not sure if that was in the Symphony or at school).  Her violin was given to her on her 10th birthday by her Grandpa... who saved up to buy it when he was young.  My Mom got it fixed up and ready for Ada because she loves music and she told her how she wanted to learn to play the violin when she went to Ryan Shuppe and the Rubber Band with her and Grandpa.  When Ada opened up the box with the violin in it she, Sharon and I all teared up pretty good.  I wish I had gotten a picture of her face!  You'd think she was given a million dollars!  My Mom is going to be a good teacher... I just need to be a good helper at setting things up and reminding Ada to practice. 

My Mom also put together a scrap book page for the book that Ada and her started that had the history of her violin.  It has a picture of my Mom playing the violin, my Mom and Ada playing her violin together when Ada was 3 or 4, and a picture of my Mom's Grandpa.

Along the same note, my Great-Grandpa (Ada's Great-great Grandpa) that bought the violin married the owner of this violin.  They sat together in orchestra.  His wife died and he remarried to my Great-Grandma.  This violin was given to my Mom's sister, Diane, and then was re-gifted to his first wife's side of the family.  My Mom was thrilled that her the "sister violin" was also refurbished as a Christmas present for her cousin Lisa Killian Cook this year. Fun history. 

New Year's Eve

New Year's we spent at the Robertsons to help the Hansen kids have a fun time while their parents were gone cleaning their house in AZ.  Ggma's birthday is the day before New Year's eve, so we also sang Happy Birthday.  I think she's 96 because Seth was their 94th grandchild when they were 94... and he's 16 months old now.

Ggpa totally ignored the celebration until everyone teased him into kissing his wife for New Years... This was the awesome conversation:

Judy: "Aren't you going to give your wife a New Year's kiss?"

Ggpa: "Well, I have to find her first." (she was on the other end of the table)

Everyone: "Well go on then!"

Ggpa: "Happy Birthday Jane."

Ggma: "Nah uh...." (wouldn't kiss grandpa til everyone told him that she wanted a New Year's Eve kiss instead of a birthday one...)

Various pictures

All us girls at the Nutcracker Ballet

First time making our own sushi.

The chocolate party prep.

We took the kids on $5 Tuesday to see the new Star Wars movie.  Baby did pretty good until the last 20 mins... and there were 4-5 other families there with babies, so I didn't feel bad standing in the aisle and letting him run back to the entry door and back to me... The kids liked it.  Evelyn kept saying, "Hurry! Hurry!" whenever they were trying to get away.  Sam was literally on the edge of his seat the entire time.  Ada loved BB8.

Ada and Jer got to go ice skating with Ggma and Ggpa's new ward.  They rented out the rink and you only had to pay for skates.  Ada had a blast with Mariah.  She did well for her first time out there.

Trains!

And my sister Nella bought a new house.... exciting! (She's only 5 minutes from my house....yay!)

Trains!

Trains!  (Must run in the family... by the way, take a look at the new trestle bridge that Grandpa built during the Christmas holidays).

Shopping for Nellies house before my mom's knee surgery.

Ice skaters.  Grandpa hadn't been for a while, but was there to make sure that Ggpa didn't get hurt.  Ggpa has been trying to get everyone to take him ice skating for weeks now.  He pulled out the skates he got in his 20s even.  They had fun, but now he wants to go practice every day.

Christmas Day

After Christmas morning, we spent the afternoon and evening with my parents, brothers, and sisters.  I'm so glad when we can get everyone together.  It's so fun.  We all brought a white elephant gift for the adults and my parents got the kids each a gift.  Sam got a battery powered train that goes around his whole bedroom.  He loves trying to get all the cars in line and honestly does a fairly good job of it and very much entertains Seth in the process.  Evelyn got Frozen themed stuff... Elsa and Anna finger puppets (which she insists on keeping next to my bed so I can keep them safe) and a picture to hang in her room.  Seth got (gasp) cars and a car book.... happy baby, that's for sure.  The big one deserves a blog of it's own... but Ada was given my Mom's violin.

This was my mom giving Ada and Aubrey a violin lesson. Ada was sooooo excited.

Mom and Dad got a new couch and everyone was in heaven.

It was fun to go sledding with everyone.  They had a blast, no one cried (except Seth a little), and Seth even loved going down with Dad a few times. 

Amazingly, Sam who never willingly agrees to any part of the Nativity decided he'd be okay with being the innkeeper.  Evelyn was my shoulder angel.  She decided that was the only way to go after Daddy did it with her and Millie last time.

Ada Mary with Lance Joseph.

Christmas morning

This Christmas, my camera is broken yet again... so yet again, I'm very grateful for my phone.  Each of the older kids got legos as their santa gift and lots of books from mom and dad. Overall it was fun.  Ada wasn't too thrilled that she didn't get roller blades, but she didn't make a fuss about it.

Evelyn got a tea set from her brothers and sisters... she's used it almost daily since.  She even sets out "tea" for Seth to share... he likes that there's food and plays right along.

Evelyn completely loves the Pig and Elephant books... she got a new one and carts it all over.

Dad got a waffle iron and Mom got picture frames for my Grandma Wilcox's paintings.

Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve with our Grandma, Grandpa, Ggpa, Ggma and Hansen cousins.

Evelyn and Millie are good buds. It does my heart good to see my anti social child play with cousins.

My favorite two activities of the evening are the yearly Christmas story readings by Grandpa and the second was that Ggma took a turn.  She read the kids "The Night Before Christmas" and gave each of us a handful of random words.  Then she would pause in our reading and we would fill in her gap with one of our cards.  "The night before Christmas and all through the ______.  Not a ______ was stirring, not even a ______."

I had one more picture, of me playing with Baby Seth but can't for the life of me find it anywhere.

Robertson 2015

Ada

So we were reading our daily scripture study with the kids and stopped to explain the word 'bondage'.  I said kind of like slave and Ada piped up, "Like in Ben Hur when they made him a slave." Dad would be proud.

Funny kids

So a couple of funny stories over the last week. 

1 - Sam had a hard time getting to sleep the other day.  He came in to our room whining that he was having nightmares. (He'd been in his room 5 minutes)  He said that in his nightmare, a video game broke and everyone became man eating cheese.  I couldn't help but giggle.

2 - Ada and Mariah have been playing a lot in the last week or two.  Mariah and Ada went into the back yard to take care of their dog, Mavis.  They didn't come back for a while and eventually we heard Ada crying.  She came in with her tongue sticking out.  I asked her what happened and she said that Mariah had dared her to stick her tongue to the tether ball pole.  I just started laughing.  I couldn't even help thinking about The Christmas Story and the kid stuck to the flag pole.  After I got more out of her, it turns out that Mariah wanted to try it, so she licked the pole softly.  It looked like it didn't hurt, so Ada tried it and stuck her tongue on there and Mariah did it again.  They both came in with pieces ripped out of their tongues and embarrassed at what they'd done.