Our little Lucia!

December 13th is Santa Lucia day in Sweden, I think this is one of my favorite traditions from Chris' family! Santa Lucia is celebrated for bringing light and food to Sweden during the long, dark winter. On Lucia day, the oldest daughter dresses up in a white dress with a red sash and the crown of lights, and she brings Saffron bread and ginger cookies to her family while singing a delightful little song...we have combined it with a mini-smorgasbord and voila...it is a wonderful night! We also read a Lucia story that Grandma Inger sent, Brielle loved it! We had such a fun night! The only thing that could have made it better would have been the rest of our family! We miss you all!

Prima Ballarina!

Brielle is the one squating...hmmm...They were supposed to start on their knees, but nobody else is doing it, the next thing she did was stand up...then everyone else knelt and she was still standing...lots of confusion! Do you like the lady helping them get to their "mark," it does not look like this little girl wants to be right there!
Brielle and Chris...when I went in the room to pick up Brielle, the first thing she said to me was "Mommy, I don't have any flowers!" Luckily, we had some out in the hall for her! Where did she learn so quickly that she should get flowers after a recital?
Brielle and "Miss Bethany" (her Ballet teacher)

Tonight was Brielle's first ever recital! She has been practicing this performance for weeks, in front of ANYONE who will watch! On Monday, she went to the bank with Chris -- stood in the center of the bank, knelt down, waited until most of the eyes in the bank were on her (she knows all the tellers b/c we go to the bank twice a day for work), keep in mind Chris was waiting in a long line -- so there were lots of people -- then she started singing "Ding dong, ding dong...Have a Holly Jolly Christmas..." She did the whole dance -- everyone clapped (which she loved), so then she decided to do the Pledge of Allegiance! Who is this little girl? I was a performer too, but my parents said (after hearing about this bank experience) that this is a lot more "outgoing" then I was! She is such a crack-up! Did I mention that last week she was at Nordstrom with my parents, and had a similar "performance"?

Anyway, back to the recital...we arrived at 6:25 (the recital started at 7pm)...there was already a long line of people waiting to get in! They held the recital at a Middle School and the auditorium was NOT large enough, because by the time we got in...there were no more seats! I ran over to the other side and found 4 seats on the LAST row! It was unbelievable..people were standing all along the side and back walls of the auditorium! Chris was having serious anxiety because there were so many people with out seats! The first half of the recital was the "company" (performing groups or serious dancers), luckily more than half of the people left at intermission because the "company" was done and the "Beginners" were all that were left. The recital was hilarious...most of the kids were awestruck at being on stage, and spent the whole time waving! Brielle did a great job, but I must admit it was pretty comical! The theme was "Polar Express," which is why they are wearing these little elf looking costumes.

Christmas shopping tradition...

Tonight I realized that we have a Christmas shopping tradition. Every year, Chris and I have the exact same conversations...there are two topics and we usually discuss each several times during the weeks leading up to Christmas.

Topic #1: Chris' siblings and their spouses all draw names and we are supposed to only give a gift to the person who's name we draw. Chris does not get this concept AT ALL! Every year he ends up buying something (even if it just something small) for each of his sisters and brother. He tells me every year that he does not get to see them all year and at Christmas time he wants them to know that he is thinking about them. I cannot complain about this because it simply shows how thoughtful he is! However, it kind of defeats the purpose of the whole drawing names thing.

Topic #2: We have TOTALLY different 'gift shopping styles.' I am obsessive about giving people something that they want...I think of it as 'the perfect gift.' I will obsess over each gift for days and weeks trying to figure out if it exactly what they want, something that they would never want to return or be without. I write down things that people say they like and try to give them these things for special occasions. I got this from my mom...she is exactly the same way. Chris' technique is different. He likes to give people what he wants them to have, thinks they should have or thinks they should like.

Case in point: Tonight we went shopping for his parents. He wanted to buy his mom clothes, which I thought was a good idea...she'll like that. We got to the store and I started searching for 'the perfect gift,' something that Inger would pick out for herself, feel comfortable in and love. I found a few things, showed them to Chris...he liked them, but then it happened...he saw his 'perfect gift' the outfit he thought his mom should have. Inside my head I started to panic, this was not an outfit that Inger would pick out for herself...I explained that to him and said that I just did not know if it was her 'style.' He said "I know, but she has lots of outfits like the ones you were picking out, she does not have anything like this." I started to laugh...as I realized I was having deja vu. We have this same conversation every time we shop for a gift together (we'd had it two days before while shopping for a gift for his nephew!) Chris got a smile on his face and said: "I think my mom should like this." So there you have it...if you ever get a gift from Chris, know that he thinks you should like it and that is all there is to it. I should mention that the outfit he picked out is very cute and I think it will look darling on his mom, I'm just not sure it is something she would pick out for herself. But, who knows...maybe she will love it and it will be her favorite outfit and Chris' technique will win!

Inger--if you are reading this--I put the gift receipt in the box, and Chris said on the way out of the store "She can always bring it back if she does not like it." Again I started to panic because that totally defeats the purpose of 'the perfect gift!' (Yes, I'm just a tad bit crazy, obsessive and controlling! :)

We are probably going to have this same conversation every holiday and birthday for the next 50 years...

Once there was a Snowman...tall Tall TALL!!!

Last weekend, our friends Mitch & Lindsay came to visit us from California...we had a great time! Friday night is snowed (obviously), so Chris, Mitch, Brielle and Micah (their little boy) decided to make a snowman! This was the biggest snowman I have ever seen! The snow was really wet and heavy, not to mention these balls are HUGE...to get the middle ball up, Chris got down on the ground...Mitch rolled it on top of his back and then he stood up and the maneuvered it on top of the bottom snow ball! Brielle had a fantastic time! She LOVES the snow...every time she gets out of the car she asks me if she can go run in the snow 'just really quick'! What is so exciting about running in the snow? I don't know! Anyway, they had a great time! However, Frosty cannot stay forever and yesterday(Monday) he was leaning heavily to the right and today when we came home...he had fallen over! Brielle said "I guess Daddy will just have to help me build another Frosty!"

update update update!

Linda keeps asking when we are going to update our blog...sorry...we've been too busy getting ready for Christmas...we had all our decorations up by the time Thanksgiving weekend was over and we are well on our way to completing our Christmas shopping!

The first couple of pictures were taken by Chris. I was not home and supposedly she used a pen to give herself a new look. I was REALLY surprised that she wrote all over herself like this, because it is totally uncharacteristic of her...she rarely does mischievous things...she never really has! I kind of wonder if Chris was in on this 'drawing party'.... hmmm, I guess we'll never really know!

The next picture is from Thanksgiving. Danielle has been asking me for pictures...sorry it took so long! We went to my Uncle Mike and Aunt Lesli's house. They just got this new table...it is 18 feet long! My cousin made it for them! It was amazing!

The last picture is of my two darlings!

Baby Blessing

He wore blue rather then the traditional white...why? I guess because I thought all the little boy blessing outfits were cheesy and I liked this knit outfit and when I asked Chris if he should wear white or blue, he said blue...probably because he thought it would match his eyes (Chris'), I'm kidding!

All our family that was able to be here -- except Brielle because she takes off for Nursery right after Sacrament meeting...she has NO time for pictures when her friends are waiting!
These are all of the men who helped bless baby Dean (with the exception of our Bishopric). Ben (brother in law--Sarah's husband), my dad, Dean, Chris, Tyler (bro. in law--Nat's husband) and Mackay (our good friend--he is the one that has 'helped' Chris become obsessed with biking)

Baby Dean was 'blessed' on Sunday. Chris gave him a beautiful blessing, and Dean did not make a peep! We missed all of you in California and Maryland that were not able to be here! Dean is such a sweet little baby! This morning I was holding the baby (he was smiling and cooing) and Brielle was cuddled up next to me (looking at a toy magazine and telling me all the things she wants Santa to bring her), and I was totally overcome with joy! I can't believe how much I love them both! I thought it was going to be so much harder to have two children, but it is not as bad as I feared. Of course it is more work and it takes me twice as long to get anything done or go anywhere, but they are both so good! Chris has also been a HUGE help (with everything except changing Dean's diaper...he has probably changed two diapers in the last 7 weeks and I am NOT exaggerating at all!), it is amazing to see how much he loves them. I've been going walking in the mornings and I love coming home to find Chris, Brielle and Dean all snuggled up in our bed watching TV (usually Brielle is the only one awake)! Brielle LOVES her daddy, they are becoming quite the little buddies -- sometimes he takes her to dance or preschool and he even takes her to the stores (The Italian Place) occasionally! Lately they have been having dance parties every night -- this means that they go down to the basement, turn up the music (from Linda's blog) really loud and dance around the whole basement! Chris is teaching Brielle all kinds of bizarre moves! I love my little family!

"Bobpa pounds more than you"

I had to add this one last picture because I thought she looked so cute in her Halloween outfit. I am one of those crazy moms who will not let their child wear their costume all day because it might get dirty and I just think it is weird to wear costumes out and about... Anyway, she had this cute little $9.00 outfit from Target and looked like a doll!

I also have to mention something she said today...Chris had just helped her use the bathroom at my parents house and we were getting ready to leave. She kept saying "Bobpa (my dad) pounds more then you, daddy"....WHAT? we kept asking her...and she repeated it over and over. We could not figure out what she was talking about...maybe pounding a hammer or the floor or something, but it still did not make sense...especially because I doubt my dad can pound a hammer or the floor harder than Chris! Tonight we were at my parents house again and I told my dad what she had said and we asked her what that meant...all she did was repeat herself "Bobpa pounds more than daddy." After repeating herself 4 or 5 times, she finally took my dads hand and said "Come on, I show you." We were all dying to know what this meant, so Chris, my mom and I all followed them into my parents bathroom...where she led us to the scale on the floor, pointed to it and said "Bobpa pounds more than daddy!" We all laughed hysterically that this is what she was trying to tell us and that she thinks my dad weighs more then Chris! Bobpa quickly cleared that up by making Chris get on the scale and showing her how much further the thing goes around when he is on it. She is such a crack up!