New Years Resolutions

Last year I didn't even bother to make any, but honestly... I always have something that I'm trying to accomplish... the difference is that I'm usually trying to accomplish something rather than better something.  So I will have the "to accomplish" list that I always have, but I want to make some "to better" goals too.

To accomplish
1. Official potty train Sam  (He has already peed in the potty, but I haven't tried to put him in underwear yet... I kept saying, "After the holidays." Now it is... so now is the time I guess.)
2.  Teach Ada how to write the whole alphabet. (She knows about a third...)
3.  Finish at least 4 projects before I start another one


To better
1.  How we manage finances
2.  How I clean the house (I keep it okay, but I'd like to step it up a notch)
3.  How I explain things to Sam. 
4.  How well my family eats.  (we don't eat junk, but I want to get them used to a bigger variety of things.  Especially my picky Sammy... the girls will eat pretty much anything I give them, but Sammy... we need to work on that a bit.)
5.  My cross training.  (I do a lot of the same exercises, but I need to cross train so that I can stop putting my hip out.)
6.  The kids scripture reading.  (We already read scriptures together, but we've missed the last couple of crazy weeks... I just want to get back in the habit.)

Well since I'm behind...

The end of the year holiday's are the busiest time of year for everyone... including us... followed closely by the 4th of July time.... but before I catch up on everything here, just a funny side note.


We were trying to put Evelyn down for bed at the Robertson grandparents... but since there were two other families there and we were too lazy to run and set up the port-a-crib we just made Evelyn a makeshift bed on the floor in the corner while we played games.  Put the other two in bed, put Evelyn to sleep and laid her on the floor... and of course she woke up and started looking around.  We thought maybe she'd go back to bed if we just left her... we heard some wiggling and then it was quiet... success!  Or so we thought.  When we went to pack her in her car seat we found her happily chewing the edge off of a kids book.  Luckily the book had been taped together and only really had two pages left in it... but I still felt bad.  I wasn't quite sure what to think because neither of my other two demolished things like books.  They liked cords and toys. 


As for the holidays.  It was a blast!  Jer's sister Marg and her family (3 kids, one on the way) came to stay for Christmas as well as Jer's brother James (3 boys), Jay and his new fiance (yes that happened over the Christmas vacation), and of course John and his family (8 kids, one on the way), and Becca (2 kids) came.  And all 5 of my brothers and sisters were around as well. 

Every night for two weeks there was some kind of party, game night, etc...   The most memorable ones.... Watching Sherlock Holmes 2 with Seth.  My parents moving and getting settled in.  McKay and Sophie moving back to Utah.  Jay and Emily getting engaged.  My camera lens breaking.  Games with James, Emily, Emily, Jay, John and Diane.  Movies with Jim.  Chocolate dipping with the our friends and my family for Jer's birthday, and then again with Jer's family when everyone had come into town.  Taking James, Em, Henry, Wesley, Jay and Emily fencing with us.  Rock climbing with Jer.  Seeing the lights and Nativity at Temple Square.  Performing both the Nativity Story and the Nephites story.  Taking cousins Joe and Eli to the Children's museum.  Caroling with neighbors on Jer's birthday.  Sing along at Jer's parents.  Hearing Jim tell about his mission.  (Jer and I scanned and restored all him mission slides (he went to Japan and Okinawa... I'm sure that's not how you spell it.) about 5 years ago for his birthday/father's day present and finally we get to hear all the stories behind the pictures!)  Singing at the Messiah Sing-in at the Orem library.  Having Jer home for a whole week and a half!  A cousin game night with my Wilcox cousins and Aunts and Uncles.  And of course... the  most fun of all.  Christmas Eve. 

We went to my Grandma's house for a Christmas Eve party.  We tried to do it like we've always done.  Family news, caroling, dinner, etc... but it's different when she can't remember who you are but is just pleased that you're there. It was still fun though, just different.  Then we went to sleep over at my parents house.  That was fun because all the kids got to sleep together... It was also a lot harder to get them to go to sleep but they finally did.  Then we stayed up to play games with McKay, Sophie, and Seth.  In the morning we did Santa presents (Ada didn't realize that the My Little Pony castle was for her... she just walked right by it... but when she figured it out, her face was spectacular, and Sam saw his new Lego's all built into a tower and said,"Yay!"... went over and smashed the tower to pieces... so for him, success... for me... not so much.)  Then we went and all got ready for church and opened a couple more presents until it was time to go.  Church was exciting because Sammy was extremely wiggly compared to what he usually is in sacrament.  Came home, made the traditional Wilcox Christmas breakfast, yum... and finished opening presents.  After that we played my mom's Christmas game... you do races at different things like stacking plastic cup towers, putting together a 25 piece 3D puzzle, throwing balls into a hoop, etc... and winning prizes.  Anything from a $1 bill or a picture frame that was laying around the house to a dinner voucher.  It is a fun game... And she has activities that the little kids can participate in as well.  Then we said goodbye, packed EVERYTHING and went to see Grandma and Grandpa Robertson for an hour or two before we went home and crashed. 

Jer made me a shadow box this year.  I'm not sure about everything that I want to put in it... but I have enough stuff that I think I can fill it without too much thought!  I have a piece of my Great-grandma Hardings' china, or doilies from my Great-Great Grandma Brooks... or I can help kids make paper machete things to hang in there... we'll figure something out!  Love you Jer!  Thank you for being thoughtful and creative!  I never would have thought to ask for a shadow box, yet it's something that I could definitely find a use for!  Love you!

Christmas Previews

So, Jer was forbidden to tell anyone about these really neat videos... because they wanted to be able to surprise everyone one with them with an announcement at the Christmas Devotional.  He said he watched people testing these and doing the CGI.  His favorite was a shot of Goshen, UT that said: "CGI Egypt" on it.  They really did turn out really well.  They were made specifically for an ipad app, but here's a link to the internet ones.  I think that my favorite one is The Christ Child Presented at the Temple.  Merry Christmas.

Funny story

So we went to the second Sherlock Holmes movie today.  We had baby with us, but there weren't changing tables in either of the bathrooms... so I improvised.  There was a dry spot on the counter and I changed her there, but when I leaned over to wash my hands in the sink next to her, she rolled the other way... right into the other sink.  She just sat there looking around at her new perspective and I didn't catch her in enough time to keep the automatic sink from turning on.  She was wet all over!  I was glad that I had extra clothes for her and glad that she thought it was fun.

Precocious 6 month old?

So, Evelyn's been crawling for about two weeks and I've already had to rescue her from underneath countless chairs, tables, desks, and beds.  She particularly likes power chords.  She has also atempted to digest a book cover, Ada's hair bands, several papers and coloring books, and any crumbs that she can find.  I don't remember either of the other two getting into nearly as many things until they were about 18 months old.  I have two minds about it.  It's fun to see how different all kids are and what their talents are in, and I'm a little nervous that I can't watch her more fully.  Maybe time to pull out the porta crib?  I don't like pulling it out at home though... it mostly gets in the way, but that way I'll know that she isn't choking down someones "homework" when I'm changing the laundry.

All worth it in the end

Yesterday was "interesting" to say the least. It started about 4pm... We were supposed to go to the doctor to see if Ada had a bladder infection... the appt was at 4:40... I woke kids up from naps at 4 in hopes of getting them there on time... In true 4 year old fashion, everything I asked Ada to do ended up with her finding a toy to play with and not getting whatever it was done.  I had 2 year old Sammy asking me to play angry birds every time I turned a corner, and I had to wake up and wrap up a 6 month old Evelyn.  All in all we got out the door 5 minutes too late to make it on time.  Sammy cried in the car the whole way... nothing I said would help.  And Ada was really cute and singing the whole time but it made it really hard to hear what Sammy was trying to say.  When we got there, complete with the urine sample that they had me get from Ada... which they didn't tell me had to be within the same hour and that it had to be refrigerated.  Thanks for not telling me the two important details.  Very helpful.  So we had to get a new sample.  Which, despite what the nurse said, was fairly simple.  Ada thought peeing in a cup was very funny.  The hard part was keeping Sammy away from the trash can and the sink while I helped Ada.  When we'd washed all three of our hands and gotten all four of us and the urine sample where we needed to be I was done with a certain 2 year old.  So I let him play on my phone.  And he played until the battery died and cried for the next half hour at the doctors and the half hour after that in the car.  Thanks Sam.  He thought I was being so mean to him... how many ways can I say that the phone isn't working?  Ada turned out not to have a bladder infection but does have overactive bladder, so I have to have her go to the bathroom every hour on the hour until she can feel her bladder muscles again.  Then I didn't have time to make dinner, so we ran through the drive through and got hamburgers... which Sammy asked for but wouldn't finish the little half of one that we gave him.  We got to the library where we were going to a Messiah Sing-in and there were no chairs available even though we were 20 minutes early and we did get to say hi to my cousin Elliot.  Figured out that Evelyn had pooped all over her back and car seat.  I went and changed her but wasn't sure what to do about the car seat, I didn't want to put her back in it.  Sammy kept wandering off to knock books off shelves, not to read them.  And we kept having to get after Ada for stepping on books and crying when she got in trouble.  Not the easiest outing we've ever had. 

But it was all worth it in the end when we walked out of there and the kids were both humming tunes from the Messiah.  Too cute.

In tribute

In tribute and because of... 

My parents moved this weekend.  They moved, and all four of my brothers and sisters moved.  Needless to say it was a very busy time.  So, Ada and I decided that we'd invite all the cousins over to stay at our house for a couple of days.  It was a blast!  Thanks for letting me take them McKay and Sophie!  Everyone is all moved in, my sister's surgery went well and she's all moved it (Sharon, I really enjoyed talking to you!  Thanks!), and Seth and Jer are so sore that they can't move... I have the remedy guys.  Kung Fu Panda 2 shipped today.  How long til it gets here do you think?  So, out of everything... having 5-6 kids around the house isn't that new for me... but having 4 sets of hands trying to help me pour milk and chocolate powder into sippy cups is.  I think that was the hardest part for me... They all wanted food at the same time, and as soon as any of them suggested food, they were all ready for me to give it to them.  But here's something else we did.  I had taken pictures of a friends kids really quick and before I took down the backdrop and took some funny grandkid pictures.  I didn't photoshop or crop any of them... just wanted to get copies out to family members.

Cute Christmas Video

Way cute Christmas video... found it on the a blog I follow...

I love

I love that when Sammy is excited he says, "Try Again!" instead of do it again.

I love that when Ada saw Aubrey and Devin last night (they haven't seen each other for 6? months) Devin screamed, Ada opened her arms as wide as they'd go, and they all three hugged till they fell over on the floor giggling. 

I love the Evelyn has started to crawl but it's so tiring for her that she just starts bawling after a few feet.

Nuts

Yes, these are my children... I tried to take a picture of them all dressed up in their nice clothes for our Thanksgiving dinners last week... and this is what I got.  Can you tell that they have their own personalities?

And this was at BYU in the Tanner building.  We were headed to BYU Library because I was trying to get at some history books... and this is what we found on our way.  And I saw Harriet Gummow and her hubby too!  She was my piano teacher 15 or so years ago.

Then we went to a fundrasier breakfast.  Ada LOVED hugging Santa, she said that she was giving him great big hugs!  And it so turns out that Mrs. Claus' first name is Ada.  She was thrilled to meet another one.  And told Ada that she can spell her name backwards.

Saw this pretty scene on the way to Evelyn's 6 month doctors appt.  She's 17 lbs!  So cute! I had her on the exam table and she didn't want to sit still... She sat up there turning herself in circles.  I just made sure she didn't fall off.  It's funny... when she was born she was in the 54% for height and weight... now she's 60% for weight and 17% for height.  My dad said that there was no way I'd get giant children.  (I'm 5'4" in a family of 5'8" to 6'2" and Jer is 5'8".)

Ada has been thrilled with this new little set!  She says all the people are friends and that they're there to take care of the baby.  Thanks mom for this find!

And this was one of the things I found in the library.  My Grandpa Wilcox is one of the people talked about it R. Lanier Britsch's book on Mormon's in the Pacific Islands.

And some things that I've missed blogging about: 

Thanksgiving was busy but awesome!  I got to spend the day with my little family and then went to pick up my friend Carmen for dinner at my parents house... then back to the Robertsons for pie and a movie.  What a joy to have our families so close!

My Great-Uncle Bob Rollins died.  He was always open and friendly with me.  Showed me all his rocks (he's a rock collector as well as a jeweler and artist), let me play with his cats, was our family's home teacher, and sold my hubby my wedding ring.  Love you Bob and family!  Thoughts are with you!

Also, we missed the funeral for my friend's mom.  Emily Marble's mom died of lead poisoning.  Emily, my heart aches for you and we love you so much!  If you need anything, especially a hug, call us and we'll be there!

Our kids have enjoyed doing all the Christmas decorations around our house... including snow flakes on our ceiling and windows.

We got all three of our pets fixed so I've been trying to keep them as comfortable as I can where I can... Two of the three look okay, but Viper is sure sad.  She looks at me with her red rimmed eyes and just mews pitifully.  Sorry kitty.

My house is a mess.

We went to the Robertsons' last night for the family fast dinner and to watch the Christmas devotional.  So much fun!  And the devotional was amazing.  The one down side was someone had let Teela in the house (probably because the kids were in and out playing with her kittens) and she got into the turkey casserole that I made for the dinner... for some strange reason, no one wanted any of it after that and we brought it home to feed to the dog.

Tis the season

6 month old Evelyn!