Happy Now--December 2018

With Thanksgiving falling earlier in the month of November, our official "Christmastime" did not feel as rushed as in years past...and we relished it.  Here are 10 Happy Now moments from the month of December 2018.

1.  December 1 (Decorating the Christmas Tree/Putting Lights on the House/December 1 Dinner)--December 1, 2018 was a busy day at our home.  We dove right into Christmas decorating with the purchase of our Christmas tree and putting lights on our house.  Darren braved climbing on the roof of both stories of our home to put up the lights, and within a matter of hours our halls looked decked for the season.  I think it filled us all with anticipation for the festive plans we had in the weeks ahead.  We ended the night with our traditional December 1 dinner which included the introduction of our "giving manger", advent calendar, and new ornaments and Christmas pajamas from Nana and Papa.

Darren had a couple of special helpers while he put the lights on the house:

 All of the decorating wore Claire out.  She fell asleep like this while watching "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer":

The girls were proud of their new ornaments, tree, and Christmas pajamas!

2.  Twins' PreSchool Christmas Program--The twins' PreSchool Christmas Program "Santa's Workshop" was one of the sweetest (and most impressive) things I have seen in a long time.  I am still amazed the school could get that many 3 and 4 year olds to do anything resembling an organized program, but they did!  It was also fun for me to watch how the twins responded to being on stage.  I wondered if they would get stage fright or start to act "goofy" with all of the attention.  Instead, they did neither of those things.  They followed directions and sang well and showed a sweet amount of enthusiasm.  It was wonderful!

Before heading to the program (with Claire showing off the Rudolph on her shirt):

Playing outside the library where the program was held:

 Scenes from the program (taken from video):

3.  Ward Christmas Party--Darren took the girls to our Ward Christmas party early one Saturday morning at a nearby neighborhood park.  The girls had a pancake breakfast, played "football" with some boys in the ward, and got an early visit with Santa (Claire opted out of having her picture taken with Santa despite her excitement at seeing him).

4.  Skateboarding with Dad--All three girls developed a new hobby in the month of December--skateboarding!  This was all initiated by Darren, and I am so glad the girls have a Dad that introduces them to fun and challenging new things.  I was impressed with the girls' balance and how natural they looked.  They are a joy to watch.

 The following pictures were taken from videos and, therefore, are not the best quality, but they were too cute not to include:

5.  Santa Party--We hosted our 2nd annual Santa Party with neighbors on Friday, December 14.  This was a tradition started by my parents when I was young.  I LOVED them as a girl and have had fun seeing my girls enjoy them as well.  All three of the girls helped me decorate "Rudolph" water bottles before the party and were brave enough to sit on Santa's lap when it came time to give out gifts.  The girls received Disney dolls with matching rings from Santa (Jane got Pocahontas, Claire got Cinderella, and Paige got Merida).  Upon opening her gift, Paige made the confused comment that she didn't remember asking Santa for a Merida doll.  I had to smile when she reasoned that this was a different Santa from the one she had seen at the Ward Christmas party and, therefore, he must have gotten confused.  I reassured her Santa knew what she wanted and that there would be more gifts coming Christmas morning.  She seemed satisfied, and my heart grew another size.

 This was as close as Claire would get to Santa ... until he brought her present out of his bag.

 The whole group:

The girls with their dolls:

 We are blessed to have so many wonderful people in our lives.  These are some of the girls' favorites (our babysitter, Gabi, and her mom, Iarley, and our next-door neighbor, Emma):

Gabi and Claire:

6.  Polar Express Day at PreSchool--One of the things I love about the twins'  preschool is the effort that is made to do unnecessary but fun things for the kids.  An example of this is the Polar Express Day the girls had on their last day of school before Christmas break.  They were allowed to wear pajamas, sat in a cardboard train made by the school, and had chocolate milk and cookies.  When school was over, they greeted me with big smiles and waving their "train tickets" in the air.

7.  Gymnastics Performance--On the last day of gymnastics before the holiday break, I was surprised to find the coaches had organized a performance for the parents.  The twins have come such a long way in their coordination and it was fun to see them master the balance beam and "seat-drops" and "open and close" jumps on the trampoline.

Paige and Jane posing with their gymnastics group:

8.  Chris, Christy (and Nugget), Nana, and Papa Arrive--With all of the fun "Happy Now" moments I have listed up to this point in December, by far that most happy moment was when Nana, Papa, Chris, and Christy (pregnant with Nugget) arrived to our home.  No amount of decorations, parties, or programs could make it feel as much like Christmas as having these people I love so much in my home for the holidays.

The whole group (minus Papa taking the photo) upon their arrival:

 The day after Christmas making donations at the LDS Giving Machine in downtown Gilbert:

At the movie theater seeing Mary Poppins Returns:

9.  Christmas Games--My family was here from December 23 to December 27, and we planned a few games while they were here.  The night of December 23, we walked around our neighborhood, each armed with a bag of candy, and delivered the bags of sweets to the homes we thought had the best Christmas light displays.  On Christmas Eve we had snowman bagels for breakfast, a performance of "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" with fun props provided by Nana, and a few winter-themed Minute to Win It games in the afternoon.  I am grateful for such fun-loving (and easy-going) family.

10.  Christmas--Then came the big day!  The girls were all pretty good about taking turns opening presents and were grateful and gracious with the presents they received.  It was a wonderful morning and day worthy of the month-long anticipation!

New vests:

 Making cupcakes with their personalized aprons and stirring spoons:

Christmas morning scene as I explain that their last present is in garage (PonyCycles from Aunt Sue)!

 I have realized over the past couple of years that Christmas as a Mom is, in fact, more fun than Christmas as a kid.  Not only am I on the "inside" of all the planning and preparation, but the excitement shown by Paige, Jane, and Claire allows me to feel the childlike wonder of the season, as well.  It truly is the best of both worlds and "the most wonderful time of the year."

Happy Now--September/October/November 2018

I have a lot of catching up to do!  I love the fall season, and as I begin to write this it is already December 2 and we are in full-blown Christmas mode (edit: I am just now publishing this at the end of January)!  I need to recap all of the fun fall festivities we had in 2018.  Here are 10 highlights from the end of September through the end of November.

1.  Praying for Bows--One Wednesday morning in September, I was getting the twins ready for preschool.  While doing their hair, Jane asked for pigtails with the specific request to wear our crayon pigtail bow set.  When we went into my closet to pull out the bows, however, the crayon bows were nowhere to be found.  It seemed that the harder I looked and the less hopeful the situation, the more adamant Jane became that she get to wear those specific crayon bows.  Eventually I asked the girls to go downstairs and put on their shoes while I continued to look through my things for the bows.  Jane left pretty sulkily.  When I went downstairs still sans bows, I ask Jane how she was feeling.  "Better," she said.  "I just said a prayer that Jesus would help me find the crayon bows for school today."  I have to admit ... I panicked.  I told her it was wonderful that she thought to pray and that I was sure Heavenly Father would help us, but since we were about to get in the car to go to school she shouldn't necessarily expect the bows to be found in time for school that day.  We would wear them to school another day once they were found.  I was trying to be comforting and reassuring, but Jane didn't seem to need that.  She was calm and confident her prayer would be answered.  I loaded the girls into the car and ran back upstairs to tear my room apart.  Still no bows.  When I got in the car, I reiterated what I had said earlier---I didn't think we would find the bows in time for school that day, but Heavenly Father would answer her prayer and we would find the bows to wear to school another day.  We arrived at school and, though I normally leave my backpack in the car to walk the girls in, that day I decided to grab my bag.  I locked the car and reached to put my keys in the side pocket of my bag when I felt something ...something that, when I pulled them out of the pocket, made my heart swell.   Sure enough, there were the crayon bows.  Jane looked thrilled and floated up the sidewalk after I put the bows in her hair, but she also recovered quickly as if part of her had expected that outcome all along.  I, on the other hand, was humbled and touched and amazed and grateful for the reminder of the power that exists in childlike faith.  It made my day just as much as it made hers.

Jane with the crayon bows in her hair at lunch after school that day

2.  Alyssa Chaffee's Wedding--Phil and Stephanie Chaffee were a young couple when my parents asked them to start babysitting me and my brother.  They very quickly became an important part of my life--I loved spending time with them (they were so creative and fun) and looked up to their examples of faith and optimism.  When they had their first daughter, Alyssa, I felt like a member had been added to my own immediate family.  It was such a privilege, therefore, to be able to attend Alyssa's temple sealing and reception in September.  She was stunning, and the joy that was felt that day was so fitting and deserved by all of the Chaffee family.  I can't wait to see what all is in store for Alyssa in the future! 








        

3.  Cookie Decorating Party--Over the twins' Fall Break from school we hosted a Halloween cookie decorating party with our neighbors.  We turned on Halloween music and pulled out way too much candy and frosting.  In other words, we had a blast!

 Neighbor Eli Hirsche is a favorite among the girls

4.  Imagination Station at the Library--We had never been to an Imagination Station at the library when we went in mid-October.  The girls were big fans of the idea immediately upon entering the room, and I loved sitting back and watching what caught the attention of each of the girls.  Claire gravitated toward the veterinarian station and had at least one puppy with her the entire time we were there.  Jane was drawn to the baby doll and baking areas.  Paige tried on a variety of "career" costumes and often mixed and matched their accessories.  I realized watching them that my reference to them as "the girls" is certainly efficient and correct as a group label, but that I relish moments when I can bask in their individuality.  I can't wait to see how they continue to travel their own paths into the future.

5.  Nana + Papa Visit--Nana and Papa came to visit the weekend of October 19.  We visited the fall festival at Vertuccio farms (a tradition that is running 4 years strong now) and the girls were able to show Nana and Papa their Halloween costumes at the Disney Store Halloween Party near our home.  It was a wonderful weekend that went by much too quickly (as always)!

Jane as Dorothy:

Paige as Snow White:

Claire as Ariel:

Bedtime story in pumpkin pjs from Papa:

6.  Dentist Visit--I was so proud of all three girls at their dental appointment (it was Claire's first)!  They were friendly and brave and surprisingly relaxed.  They were also thrilled with the tokens they received for prizes at the end of the visit.

7.  Grandma + Grandpa Myler Visit--We were lucky enough to have Grandma Lexie and Grandpa Joe visit for our Halloween.  They brought with them a plastic picnic table for our backyard that the girls love and that necessitated many outdoor meals during their visit (and since).  Alexis has a great eye with photography and captured great images of the girls (most of the photos I have included here are hers).  So grateful for memories like these.

 Getting ready for school on Halloween:

 Playtime and picnic in the backyard:

Other fun moments:

Claire posed like this (above) completely on her own.

8.  Halloween--The twins were old enough this year to really enjoy the anticipation of Halloween.  They all helped me take the rings off of our paper chain as we counted down to the "big day."  Halloween night, all three girls certainly enjoyed trick or treating and accumulating mounds of candy (naturally).  The first picture shows the girls with another girl in the twins' preschool class, Naomi.  Naomi's mother took this shot of them a few days before Halloween, and I love the way it captures all of them.  Many of the other pictures were taken by Alexis.

Halloween night dinner included Halloween-shaped pasta, salad, and fruit:

A cute story accompanies this last picture.  A little girl approached our house to trick or treat.  Instead of heading toward Alexis on the porch with our bowl of candy, however, she came up to Paige's pile of candy that Paige had dumped on the driveway and took a piece from there.  A split-second look of concern passed over Paige's face and then she just laughed, willing to let the piece of candy go.  The little girl's parents saw what happened and had her return the candy, but Paige told the story with a smile on her face several times over the next few days.

9.  Christmas Pictures--My mom put me in contact with a photographer, Abbie Nichols, who recently moved from my parents' ward in Huntington Beach to Gilbert.  I had not planned on getting Christmas pictures taken this year, but I am so glad I did.  Abbie made our half-hour photoshoot fun for the girls and captured the beautiful, playful stage the girls are in right now.  The pictures (and their subjects, of course) are treasures!

Loading up on fruit snacks before heading to the photoshoot:

 

Donut reward after pictures:

10.  Thanksgiving Holiday in CA--We traveled to California for Thanksgiving.  We enjoyed beautiful beach time and spent the holiday with Sonne relatives at Marc and Barb's house.  The girls still (in January) talk often about the cousins with whom they spent Thanksgiving and ask when they can see those cousins again.  We all hope it won't be long.  We, truly, have so much for which to be grateful.

Second generation of Sonne (and Proctor/Hyde/Myler) cousins: