WE'RE GERMAN NOW

Going AROUND the leaf.

2012-01-26T01:19:00.000-07:00

I'm having a funny kind of week. I just realized something about myself... sometimes.

Sometimes I'm just like the ants in the movie "A Bug's Life." Do you remember that opening scene where the ants are all in line carrying their nuts, fruits and leaves, all following each other smoothly, each step of the way in a procession to the end-- an altar of food for the grasshoppers? That is... until a leaf drops and there's... gasp!... a gap in the line. The ants freak out and don't know what to do. They just stand there, jumping around, screaming, and totally confused.

It isn't until one of the manager ants (manager ants? is that what you would call them?) runs over yelling, "Do not panic! Do not panic! We are trained professionals! Just stay calm! We are going AROUND the leaf! That's it. Good! Good! You are doing great. There you go! Watch my eyes. Don't look away. Aaaaand there's the line again. Great job everybody!"

I've just recently realized that sometimes life is like this for me. I have all the steps laid out for a certain project, or event, or even just the day-to-day routine and while most of the time I'm fine and finish everything smoothly AND on schedule... there are just some of those times where if one thing goes wrong, if something hasn't been quite finished, or I'm waiting on someone else to mail me something or finish their step of the way, I get stuck.

And can't move past it.

And when I say "can't move past it," what I mean is--- everything in life just seems to stop.

I stop answering emails, I stop blogging, I get annoyed if someone tries to sidetrack me by wanting me to do anything else besides this one step and I can barely focus on anything else (besides, of course, getting dressed, feeding my family and the basics.) I get so focused on how to finish or solve the problem that I almost forget everything else. I sort of feel like Princess Atta--- Stressed and can't move forward.

The thing is I can't believe I have this quality sometimes. Because most other times I have a pretty cool head. I'd say 85 % of the time (at least that's what I believe of myself. Others might think differently) I feel I am pretty cool headed. But then there's this other 15% that just stops all the presses.

I can't really tell you what project it is that I'm working on right now that is causing me to stop life, but just know that it is one of the reasons I haven't blogged in two weeks (and I even get this way with blogging when I have to sort through pictures from a big event), haven't registered my kids for soccer, or haven't sent out my New Year's cards I wanted to send out two weeks ago... I can't tell you because it'll give it away to the person I'm making it for.

But it was this project that, in my morning fog and ultimate focus on how to ~~obsess about,~~ ~~devote another one of my entire days to~~ make it work somehow... I had a realization, a dawning, and a shake-your-head-embarrassment insight into a laughable and pretty ridiculous quality about myself. That I needed to just let it go, go "around the leaf," move on, and possibly (is there such a thing? whew. I'm learning there is) do some of the other steps of the project that could be done while I'm waiting.

I get this way about my "To Do List." Sometimes I get so focused on crossing things off the "List" (yes, with a capital L... at least that's the way it seems since I give so much power to it) that I barely emerge out of my ~~hibernation~~ house to run errands or go to meetings. Sometimes I literally have to pull my brain away from the "To Do List" and just relax.

Case in point-There is a project I was working on yesterday (no, this isn't the main project I'm referring to above... this is ANOTHER, I guess, stoppable project... sheesh). I really needed to make some little baptism bags for a few children who are being baptized THIS SUNDAY. I couldn't cut them out because I needed pins to secure the material from sliding around. But I had no pins. And every time I sat down to my sewing machine, I also saw the shirt I have needed to take in (something I also needed pins for) and fix a rip in the side of Brian's white shorts, that I, too, needed pins for. But again, no pins. Oh, and both projects have been sitting on my sewing machine for... about 6 months.

Where were all my pins, you ask? Well, I'll tell you... stuck around the outside of a quilt that I've been trying to make for oh... about 4 years (since I found out I was pregnant with Spencer What the heck is wrong with me!!!!). A quilt that is only ONE PIECE OF MATERIAL... a simple piece of green material that I was trying to put some ribbon-like binding around the outside. Should be easy, right? Wrong. It kept slipping when I tried pinning it on the past 3 years. So it sat... for 3 years. I set it aside and didn't work on it but it was in my "projects" pile and I just couldn't let it go. So when Brittany came, I asked her to pin it on... 6 months ago.

Then I tried sewing it and the thread kept pulling out and not grabbing the underside of the ribbon.

So I set it aside.

Then came yesterday. I knew I needed pins for these bags so I attempted to sew the dang thing again. It didn't work AGAIN so I tried hand sewing it. See? Trying to find solutions to plow THROUGH the leaf.

It looked horrible.

I picked it all out and just sat there, thinking, all I need are these dang pins, but I can't get them out until I sew this, and I don't want to NOT sew it cuz I'll waste all this material (mind you... it probably only cost me $10 and it was so long ago I don't even remember how much it cost me), and even if Spencer won't like it when it's finished cuz he hates fleece material and will only sleep with flannel I'll just gift it to someone but who maybe Katie but would she even like it if it doesn't look professional and why can't I just sew this dang thing aunt dianne makes it look so easy maybe I need a new sewing machine but I don't really need a new sewing machine cuz I don't sew enough and my serger is great it's too bad I don't know how to use the serger without the cutting mechanism dangit why can't I do this i'm such a loser....

(you know all the runon thoughts that just stream through your head... the best were the great self sabotaging ones).

Then I stopped.

Christy... Go around the freaking leaf!

Just freaking take all the pins out, roll up the ribbon/material and GIVE IT AWAY TO THE DANG THRIFT STORE!!!! Be done with it and call it a day.

So I did. I ripped all those pins out so fast, tossed them on the sewing table, rolled the ribbon around my hand haphazardly, threw it into a grocery bag and chucked it... into my "extra material/play with" bin. (Haha-I couldn't bear to give it a way just yet, right?. :) Maybe someone will want it that I know and can give it a good home).

Then I took the shirt I wanted to take in and just hung it back up in my closet (it wasn't that bad) and threw Brian's shorts out into the Thrift Store box (sorry Brian, they were old shorts and would look funny if I tried stitching them up. Maybe someday... if you really need it... but not til summertime... it's too cold anyway. :) Maybe I should have just gone and bought more pins. hahaha.

Baptism bags. 20 of them sewn and finished.

Victory!

(I do, however, need to sew the buttons onto my coat... that one there's no giving up cuz it was a new coat, which irks me even more).

Now onto going around the leaf for my other ongoing project. I'll for sure post when I'm done. I'm gonna have to do some serious channeling to imagine going around the leaf on this one. I still keep thinking I can fix just that one problem, but alas, I keep running into obstacles.

Here's hoping to fixing the gap in the line and moving on with life! I gotta remember to be like Flik and follow my heart, focus on my bigger Plan (I should make it a capital "P" and give more power to that, right?) to make life better and someday conquer the world AND the grasshoppers!

Oh, and P.S. the caterpillar, Heimlich, is my favorite character!!!!

(Remember my little caterpillar?

Halloween Costume Contest- October 2008)

Farrell's Ice Cream Shop

2012-01-16T09:09:00.003-07:00

(I asked Xoe if I could use her school report she had to write about an event during her vacation. It explains everything pretty well. Couldn't have said it better myself)

A Trip to Farrell’s

By Xoe Villa

While we were in California for Christmas, we visited a new old-fashioned restaurant and ice cream shop called “Farrell’s Ice Cream Shop” that had just opened in the city my grandma and grandpa live in called Brea. A bunch of my aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents and friends were going to be there. We were very excited to go, but were a little bummed when the lady taking names told us the line to wait for a table was two hours, and it was all outside. Instead of getting sad and leaving, everyone in my family took turns waiting in line.

When it was our turn to take a break from waiting in line, my sister Xanthe, my cousins, Max and Ollie, and I, went across the street, to a movie theater to watch a medical emergency. We also played on a piano outside of the movie theater and played a game called “planking.” We took pictures and laughed. When we ran out of things to do, we went across the street to the clothing store “Old Navy” to make up dances and take funny pictures.

When we finally got to the front of the line, they told us we still had to wait another 30 minutes because we had over 20 people in our group. We didn’t want to so we decided to sit outside even though it was cold. We were tired of waiting and really wanted to get inside to experience this new restaurant.

This is us at the front of the line. You can't see but behind us is a counter with old-fashioned candy and toys. We were dying that we were at the front of the line but still had to wait.

Making secret plans. Can't tell you what it was. They're secret.

Once we sat down, we ordered food from our crazy waiter. All the waiters are crazy. I think they have to be to get a job there. They dance and sing and make people dance if they have a birthday. Soon, a man came to our table and started making balloon hats for our family. Some of my family members got hats like spiders and dogs, but I got a hat that looked like it had a microphone, as well as a ray gun. My cousin, Ruby got a pink flower, Ollie got a character from Yo Gabba Gabba named Brobee, and Xanthe got an alien. The person making the balloon hats was really talented.

Because “Farrell’s” is known more for their ice cream than for their restaurant, you have to get their famous ice cream. Since we got there, we really wanted to get something called, “The Zoo.” It was their largest bowl of ice cream and contained thirty flavors. It had stick animals coming from it and it was so big it was a foot and a half tall, a foot wide, cost $50.00 and said we needed 10 people to eat it. My grandpa paid for the whole thing cuz he's the best grandpa in the whole entire world!

The waiters are so funny when they bring it to the table because they run around the whole restaurant with the huge bowl on a stretcher until they get to your table. You can’t get embarrassed easily if you’re going to order this. We broke the record of four kids eating the entire “Zoo,” which was Xanthe, Max, Ollie, and I. The last record was ten workers eating the whole “Zoo.” We felt sick afterward, but we didn’t care because we wanted to run the victory lap. They let you all hold the bowl and run around the entire restaurant. They even play a siren when you run.

The waiters bringing it to us on the stretcher.

Auntie Katie had a birthday so this is the restaurant singing to her.

It was so funny that she stood up on a chair and danced cuz she's 8 months pregnant.

Digging In!!!

The four of us kids ate the whole thing!!!

Our victory lap!!!

It turned out to be a fun night and I wished it would never end. It was a great thing to do with my family and I will never forget it. I think I will have to visit “Farrell’s Ice Cream Shop” every time we visit our grandma and grandpa.

2 Advil PM's & Our Non-Traditional Christmas Traditions

2012-01-13T21:30:00.000-07:00

*** Disclaimer: this is another long post, but I'm having so much fun thinking of what our family counts as our traditions and remembering the things I do every year when I go home. Schultz Family, can I print this off as my Schultz Heritage that I didn't write this year?

It's a little weird being up right now. To most of you who will read this first, it's the middle of the day so it won't seem that odd, but to me it's 2:09 a.m. Brian and I are taking shifts to get through jetlag. I know I've talked about this a lot lately so forgive me if you're getting sick of hearing it. It's just rough.

I realized two years ago, after probably our fifth round trip to/from the states, that it would be easier if I just expected not to get over jetlag until Spencer and the girls did. It's made a world of difference this time cuz I haven't had a frustrated (well, not overly frustrated at least) feeling even though we're on Day 4. Each day Spencer is sleeping less during the day and a little more at night. I've had major insomnia, which you'd think would be non-existent from how tired I've been. I've gotten about 2-4 hours of sleep each day, including the two nights before we left, and it's been rough. So, yesterday I asked Brian if we could take shifts. I go to bed early around dinner time while he takes care of Spencer (cuz Spencer has just woken up around dinnertime) and puts him to bed. Then Brian goes to bed and sleeps in the next day. I wake up in the middle of the night when Spencer is up for the day. Does that even make sense?

Anyway, my shift started at 6:00 p.m. I quickly & happily took 2 Advil PM's... I was not gonna have a repeat of the night before where during my given sleep time, I was awake every hour and never properly fell into a deep sleep. If that's not one of the most aggravating things, I don't know what is. :) I woke up just now at 1:30 a.m. and actually feel like a million bucks! Spencer's not awake yet so I figure I'd write something. Maybe this is turning out to be my most productive time. :)

As I was lying in bed waking up out of my stupor (PS, I love Advil PM so much more than Tylenol PM), I started realizing it's already Day 4 from being home. Being out of whack with your sleep makes the days and nights all mesh into one. It really does feel like only yesterday I walked in the door from having to say our goodbyes and venturing out for a 20 hour travel day.

It's an odd feeling coming back after 5 weeks of being gone. Have you ever been gone that long? Some things have changed, some things haven't, and sometimes, even though it was really sad to say goodbye, all you want to do is be home. To sit on the couch and soak it all in.

Coming home in January, after leaving in December, is kind of surreal too. I realized that there are similar things that happen each year, and I realized they're becoming our own holiday traditions, seeing as though we can't really follow our own while being away. We don't get a tree (because we're always leaving the first week of December) and we don't do things like read a story every night or put straw in the baby Jesus' manger for good deeds like we used to do. We have our own traditions, and I guess you could call them non-traditional, but they're ours:

Before the Trip

-We always decorate for Christmas in November so we can enjoy the decorations long enough. I've posted pictures of our decorations throughout this post. But they are truly of some of the decorations in my house. (All the pictures are taken by Felicity Photography for my magazine. Lots didn't make it cuz the lighting wasn't right, or we had too many pictures to work with. I thought it'd be fun to use them here. I hope you don't mind, Felicity.)

A sample of some of the German traditions on my entryway bench.

We try to do Germany traditions instead of our American ones. St. Niklaus is one of them. It's where on December 5th night (the eve of December 6th) St. Niklaus visits each house to see if the children have left their shoes on the doorstep. He will then leave candies, nuts, fruit and always a chocolate St. Niklaus in the shoe. Some Germans actually take the old shoes and leave brand new ones. This year because I have a friend who wrote an article for Polite Society Magazine on German traditions (since we featured Germany) told us of a few other ones, we decided to do the Adventskalendar (you light a candle each Sunday of the month of December... okay we bought it but didn't light them) and bought a pickle to put in our little tree we used to have our own Christmas (another post another time).

-I don't love German Christmas Markets, but we go to them before we leave. They're a German staple. It's always too cold for me, but I still love the ambience when I'm there. I know I'm posting a lot so I'll only post a few German Market pictures and post more another time. I'll steal them from the magazine photographers. :) (these two photos are not us in them... just some random people that give you a feel for the markets)

-We almost always miss out on our church party (except for this last year), and all the school and community Christmas parties, Cookie Exchanges, school parties and adult get togethers.

-I always fly home with the three kids around the 7th of December. Brian always stays behind.

-He usually arrives the 3rd day before Christmas (sometimes it's not... like last year when he got stranded because Heathrow was shut down. He arrived 9:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve) and flies home with me the second week of January.

-Brian always takes care of the electronics while helping me pack up. That's just his job and I never have to worry about it. He makes sure all of us have charged batteries, movies on our iPods (and our recently acquired iPad), chargers for our devices, computers in the bags, extra computer batteries, camera batteries and DS batteries, the navigation system with the US SIM chip, camera SIM chips, movies (ripped and in a format we can use on our iPods), etc. You have no idea how many electronics we now take on the flights and on vacation. And it may not seem like a lot, but it's a huge burden not having to worry about that. I'd much rather worry about packing clothes and toiletries and finishing up mail and Christmas presents for those we're leaving behind.

-Brian always tells me not to worry about the house. He tells me sleeping before the plane flight is more important because no matter how in advance I prepare, I'm always up really late trying to get last minute things. He knows that I now choose not to sleep on the plane because I always get woken up by one of the kids or a flight attendant.

-He vegges for about 2 or 3 days after work and on the 4th day, he always cleans up the house spotless so when I come home I have a clean house to walk into.

While on Vacation

-We always go to Utah when we're home. We fly to California, then make a Utah trip, even if (like this year) I didn't go, Brian did. He absolutely loves Utah.

-The girls have like 3 Christmases when they're there. And they always go to Utah for at least 2-3 weeks to visit their dad, one of their favorite things to do.

-The girls would rather spend more time with their Grammy and Grandpa, than me. :)

-The girls would much rather spend time with their cousins and aunts and uncles, than me and Brian and Spencer (totally fine with me. I love seeing how happy they are. And I love that my family is just as excited to see them. They take them for days and I hardly ever see them.)

-I always sing in my parents' ward choir. When the previous director was leading it, he hit me up the first Sunday I flew in. He always made me feel special by counting on me and being genuinely happy to see me. My dad now leads the choir and he locked me in weeks before I even left. :) He doesn't count on me much cuz his choir is much like a smaller version of a professional choir, but it's nice to know he likes seeing me there and I like seeing all my choir friends. Truly I do. (Dad, don't feel like you need to do anything more to make me feel good after reading this post, cuz I know mom might think she needs to guilt you into stroking me more. I really love that you love having me there.) I also think my dad is an amazing choir director. He was born for it and it's just something that comes naturally to him, even though he may not think so.

-The last two years I've sung in my brother Ben's church choir. Their choir is much more different than my parents and it's held in the same building. This ward is made up of a lot of young parents and there are only about 10 people in his choir (not quite enough for there to be enough people in each section). He got me and my sister Amber to help with the soprano section. Our really good friend Ryan leads it and I think he's really got a talent. I was really impressed with his leading abilities. Seriously, Ryan, I was. It was quite funny because both Ben and Ryan recruited my whole family (including my parents and Ryan's inlaws who are both in the other ward choir) to come to his ward choir. It was like a professional choir. And when we all sung for the Stake Choir Concert, there were a few chuckles by audience members seeing so many familiar faces in both choirs. :) It was so much fun though and some great memories.

-I always visit Nanette's B&B. Her house is so amazing to stay at. She's the most awesome host, makes the most amazing food, shows you amazing epiphanies she's had you want to become a better person, and makes you feel totally at home, but doesn't make you feel like you are getting in the way with her daily life. You sort of just join in with her goings-on (you actually become a part of it... she has you come to her block party craft days, school singalongs, and drives around to see their Christmas lights). She also tries to help you get stuff crossed off your "list", gives you coupons for buying presents, and on top of that plans extra fun outings. I might get stressed out with hosting like she does, but if she is, she never lets on. I love her kids with all my heart and I love hanging out with her husband Myles cuz he's seriously a cool cat and so laid back... yet such a task accomplisher as well.

-Brian always gets sick.

-I never get enough sleep (except like this year when he took the kids to Utah and I was in California by myself. Glory Hallelujah).

-I'm always stressed and up too late the night before Christmas wrapping gifts and finishing projects, no matter how prepared I am.

-I never stay up for New Year's (except the year I helped with Sam's Newphoria party, or my dad's Rose Parade parties), and I like it that way (see "never get enough sleep comment above"!)

Coming Home

-I always come home to Christmas decorations still up. It's January, and there is our house... still decorated for Christmas. I love it. I never take it down for at least a week after we get home. These pictures were taken for the magazine, so that's why there are only 2 stockings. the other 3 didn't match.

-I always walk into a clean house. While we're away, Brian always logs in a ton of time at work and watches movie marathons... because when we're home he values the family so much that he gives up what he loves doing. (and yes, logging in hours playing on computers is something he loves too).

-Getting the mail at our PO Box is like Christmas all over again. There are like 200 Christmas cards to open (who cares about the stack of bills and mailers, right?), a plethora of magazines that have been stacking up for months (cuz they don't always deliver them right away, they come in I think quarterly batches) and yellow cards for notices for packages that have stacked up too! Mail is one of my most favorite things in the world.

-And when I walk in the door, there is always a huge new project Brian has taken on to surprise me. He did this even before we moved to Germany. The first year we were married I went home in October (after being married in August). For the 10 days I was gone, he had taken the stucco off the sealing and re-plastered it, painted four of the rooms really cool colors (cuz he hates white walls), including our living room that has 12 foot ceilings, fixed things that needed to be fixed and built us computer desks. I know there's more, I just wish I could think of them. He's done things like painted the outside of our Sierra Vista house and bordered the windows with white wood. Redone the backyard. Replaced the entire kitchen sink. You get the idea, right?

-This trip I came home to a completely rearranged front room (I know the picture is bad and doesn't look like much but he moved everything 90 degrees, unmounted everything, including the TV and hooked everything up, moved the piano to a different spot. I know it sounds weird, but it really was a new homey feeling and I love it!

-He also built a brand new train table for Spencer to play on. It's not one you buy. He got the wood, cut it, measured it, screwed it together, rounded corners so it fits perfectly next to the fireplace, painted it, etc. Spencer's love for trains outgrew any table we had for him and I was frustrated having to walk over, under and around train pieces all over the floor. You have no idea how amazing this was and the more I look at this table the more floored I am at the work that went into this, especially because he was working 14 hour days at the office.

-I've never come to expect it because I don't want it to become an expectation. Hopefully by documenting it it hasn't become that either.

So... there are my thoughts this early in the morning. It's now 5:21 a.m. It really didn't take me that long to make this post, but not only was I having fun finding pictures again for it, but I am the major culprit of ADD and getting sidetracked. Facebooking, Youtube, reading other blogs, making my Christmas card address list, emailing people back, etc. Do you ever get that? Spencer's now up and I'm going to post this baby.

Dangerously Blogging at 2:30 a.m.

2012-01-11T18:26:00.002-07:00

It's 2:36 a.m. here in Germany. The house is oddly quiet for being only two days out from landing in Frankfurt. Spencer is usually awake for hours during the night and the girls are normally up and out of bed each hour. Jetlag is rough, I'll admit it. I used to try to deny it but I unabashedly and unapologetically scream from the rafters how horrible it is. Maybe I'm making it worse if you believe in the Law of Attraction, or a self-fulfilling prophecy... but I don't care. I used to have a positive attitude about it. It wasn't until I finally acknowledged the reality that it sucks, it's been easier for me to handle. I have learned over the years different things to help (can you say drugging your kids at night and on the plane... I unabashedly and unapologetically do that too) but it still happens, and it's the consequence we know we face when we decide to fly 5,320 and something miles to see our family and friends. And something we know we have to face for living in as amazing of a place like this. Yes, it is something that is totally worth it, just not while I'm in the moment.

My trip home this last Christmas was more amazing than all the other years. Don't get me wrong... the other years were great too, but I think this year I spent more quality time with so many more people, that it just made the trip that much more special. I wasn't a great prioritizer of time. (I never have been though. Are you?) So because I spent so much quality time with lots of people, I got really behind in other major important things like packing up double the stuff we already brought, to fly 5,320 and something miles back home to Germany, or to find time to visit with all my other friends I really wanted to see too (Nina? Helga? Crystal? Alicia? Nicole? etc., etc.!).

There were so many people to visit, and I was overwhelmed with my "to do list" that I just sometimes just holed up in my room and watched the only thing that was recorded on the TV in my room upstairs... The Closer. It's a pretty good show, but after awhile I realized it's definitely no CSI, Alias, or Law & Order (a few of my favorite crime-fighting, murder-solving shows... there are more, don't you think much more worthy of Emmy nominations than The Closer). This show is just not even close to reeling me in even like a cheesy show such as The Ghost Whisperer does. (The girls got me a little hooked). Don't get me wrong. I love me some Kyra Sedgwick. Loved her in Phenomenon with John Travolta. I just don't like her character in this show, or many of the characters, or a lot of the story lines.

So, enough about The Closer. You can tell I was desperate. But I eventually tackled my "to do list" and got packed up to leave. I got about 3.5 hours of sleep the night before we left. Went to bed at 1:00 and woke up at 4:30. Not happy about it. Anything before 6:00 a.m., in my opinion, is a sin against mankind. I'm not a morning person. I also had insomnia on the plane, but then again one of the things that has made the plane rides a lot easier for me is to expect I won't get any sleep. It makes being woken up right when I'm about to fall asleep by the 3rd kid, much more bearable. I also have lots of alone time to watch movies in the dark and brainstorm new ideas (see below). I've had some pretty amazing realizations while on the long plane ride.

I'm sure a lot of you are wondering why I'm just writing so much. It's because of the reason I realized why I haven't been blogging lately. I'm bored with myself... well with my blog. I can only imagine you guys are too. Just reporting things that happened so long ago aren't as exciting sometimes. I will still blog them for my own memories, but I want a blog where I can just write. Cuz I'm a writer. Yup. I can now not feel embarrassed saying that out loud (I get embarrassed bragging... you wouldn't know it by this blog post, though, huh?). I've gotten to the point where I can actually admit that and believe that about myself. Have any of you read the magazine I co-own with my cousin (If you haven't, tsk tsk. Do it. You'll thank me)? www.politesocietymagazine.com? I write a crap load (and yes that's not very "PS" Polite Society of me to say, but it's true). From the articles I research and write, to the ones I edit for others with a fine-toothed comb before sending them to the professional editor, I write a crap load. And then there's the emails back and forth to our huge team of writers and photographers, to potential network contacts and to our blessed readers. It's a lot. But then it's stopped.

Well, for the most part. We've stopped making issues. Well, at least for December. We needed a break. A huge break. And now we're ready to start again. But we won't be writing or putting together issues. We're focusing on the promotion and acquisition of a publishing deal. Did you like those big words? It's cuz I'm a writer. :)

I've missed writing. I've also missed writing in a candid way. As all of you PS readers know, there's a certain standard our articles are written in, but sometimes I like to write candidly. I need to. It's in me. But as my sister Heather sometimes laughs at me, I write a little too much. It's cuz I type really fast. Like 120,000 wpm. Well, take off the last 3 zeros. But I type pretty fast. So I write what's going through my head and can usually say everything without having to censor. Too much? Maybe.

Maybe this post needs to be finished. Ruth, is this what you were talking about writing late at night after taking a sleeping pill? :) Does a Melatonin count? :) That should have worn off hours ago when I was trying to sleep during the day while Spencer slept for 11 hours because I knew he was going to be wide awake tonight... or so I thought. He's fast asleep and now I'm wide awake. How's that for funny? And ironic? And for trying to be too prepared. I love being prepared but sometimes it bites me and I should just go with the flow.

Okay, I'm ending this post. The bath is hot, bubbly and ready. Yes, I love baths. Much more than showers (even though don't worry I still take showers.). It's where I can relax, and think, and rejuvenate myself. I have dawnings there too. I also can uninterruptedly read a good book. It's a bit of a gift to myself to be able to take a bath. Diet Cokes are too. Well, that's more like an addiction. I like to think of it as a gift. Have you ever had an ice cold Diet Coke IN the bath. Amazing...

One last thing-I'm thinking of starting another blog. Something that hit me on the plane ride over here (see above). It would be a parenting blog sort of like a forum for parents to share their advice and I can give my reviews of things I've used and have had an opinion on. I have lots of people asking me for advice all the time and I think it would be a good way to practice and have an outlet for my writing at the same time. My mom (a Bachelor's in Child Development) teaches a parenting class and has been trying forever to get me to teach one. I'm still debating it, but I think it would be fun to have my sisters and mom and other people write posts for it. I know there are lots of parenting blogs out there but many of them are product websites with forums, and the other Mommy blogs I've read are more like candid takes on parenting and/or product reviews. What do you think?

Oh, and after I had decided I wanted to do it in the darkness of the airplane two days ago, my decision was re-affirmed by the flight attendant who whispered in my ear, "The parents of the other 43 children on this flight (no joke! It was pretty ridiculous how many kids there were, lots of crying and tantrums and running up and down the aisles) would probably like to know how you've gotten all three kids to sleep for at least 5 hours of this flight and will probably be sleeping longer, among all the noise. Your children have been wonderful, polite and it's been a pleasure having your beautiful family on this flight." Wow. What a compliment. Thank you very much!

Give me your thoughts.

And PLEASE hit "follow" on my blog. I get a little sad that I have like a ton (okay maybe not a ton, but quite a lot) of people reading my blog but only 14 actual "followers". That doesn't say much for my popularity even though I know people read it. Where's the love? If it's because I still have a Halloween background, never fear... it'll be changed soon. Would you like to believe it's because I love Halloween so much? Even though I do... it's not. It's because of (insert all the reasons I mentioned above of not prioritizing my time well while on vacation regarding "to do lists"). As soon as my husband gets over jetlag, he'll do it. He has made so many updates to my blog, I'm afraid to ruin them by trying to do it myself. And he was sick the entire Christmas vacation. Boo for me, huh?

Nighty night. I'll be up probably the rest of the night. It's just too quiet in this house to not take advantage. I'll sleep during Spencer's nap tomorrow. See, Heather? I just can't stop. Haha. Good night.

Family Pictures

2012-01-07T17:52:00.000-07:00

I've been trying to take family pictures for a couple of years now... since we took them with my sister Heather in Germany two years ago. Life just gets so busy and it seems like we can never find a good time, especially with all my great photographer friends, it just never worked out.

I was so happy when my sister-in-law Ruth offered to take pictures of us on our special day. ( I won't go into what the special day was because it has to do with our church, and quite a long explanation. Just know it's one of the most special things we can do in our church as a family. I plan on journaling it all and maybe one day I'll post it.) But for now I thought you guys would love to see the pictures of our beautiful family. This is just a sample of the few great ones. It was really so hard to choose. Thank you so much Ruth and my sister, Heather, (for doing our makeup and styling our clothes) for taking so much time out of your busy day to do this for us.

Christmas Day

2012-01-01T14:45:00.000-07:00

Christmas Morning!

So exciting!

My kids can't get enough of it and they were so depressed when they thought none of the cousins were going to be there to "run down the stairs..." a tradition we have had since even I was a child. We would always have stairs in our house and would have to wait til all the kids were gathered to take pictures. It felt like forever when they made us wait even a few seconds. Xoe & Xanthe have had this tradition too since they were little and is the main thing they look forward to. So you can imagine how happy they were to share it with their little brother, and their 7 other cousins who were there over night.

I've posted a few pictures that seem redundant, but it's so funny for me to watch the shenanigans from picture to picture. Most of all, look at Spencer's face. He's staring into the living room at all the presents under the tree. (Little does he know the goods are in the other room). Look at the sequence of pictures. He slowly is looking to see what is for him.

He hasn't noticed yet...

Kind of gauging what's going on. "Sissy" Xanthe is explaining the process of what's happening.

Hey...what's in there?... and the sequence starts...

Trying to get a serious look...

All the kids!

Let's get this show on the road!

... and they're off

(I swear I put spencer's pants on right after he ran downstairs)

...already putting the presents to use. Xanthe's painting designs on her YoGabba fabric with her enamel art kit and has already broken out the ice cream making machine.

I'm sad I didn't get pictures of the rest of the festivities. Here's what else happened that day:

-Went to church and almost all of us sang in our siblings' ward choir

-Fancy Dinner with Chicken Pillows (another tradition that my mom has sworn off after this year)

-Kids' Gift Exchange (we pick names each year. The kids have a really good time exchanging gifts)

-Adult Gift Exchange (same as kids exchange. We really take our time opening presents seeing what each other received. We take our gift giving seriously.)

-White Elephant Gift Exchange (the adults attend so many of these during the season that the kids started to wonder what it was. So we had them do one... without gag gifts... didn't think those kinds would be well received.)

-Schultz Heritage Stories (About 9 years ago, my brother Ben started a tradition where each family member writes a memory and we assemble into a book. This has become one of our favorite times as many of the stories keep us in hysterics as we either walk down memory lane, or someone graces us with something that happened during the year that they purposely kept secret just so they could retell it at Christmastime).

Christmas Eve Festivities

2011-12-31T21:46:00.000-07:00

Christmas Eve is always a big event at my mom's house. She has a bunch of traditions that the kids and adults look forward to every year. Since this was our "on" year (meaning the kids were in town, not with their own in-laws), everyone was in town and X&X were able to be here as well. They most look forward to the traditions at Grammy's house I think the most out of anyone.

Normally we do caroling, drinking hot chocolate/apple cider by the fire as we listen to a Christmas story, then all the kids open their pajamas from Grammy. We did, however, change things up a bit because Nanette was in Camarillo (about 2 hours away) for Christmas Eve and would be coming Christmas Day. This year we did those things on Christmas Day and on Christmas Eve had a great Soup Dinner with everyone who was in town. Then we loaded up into cars and went driving over to Eagle Hills to see all the Christmas lights.

Afterward, we all came back to the house and Grammy gave the kids her pajamas to open. We've now deemed them "Grammy's Jammies." All got dressed and we sat to watch The Nativity Story.

I only got pictures of us sitting down to watch the movie, can you believe that? Hopefully I can some day get pictures from someone else.

Heather and James

Ben & Katie, their daughter Ruby, and Scott

Spencer, Lulu & Ollie waiting to watch the movie.

Max, Xoe & Porter

Spencer & Xanthe

Grampa & Eliza

Spencer-I know it's a bit redundant of a picture but I love this picture. He was having a good time playing on the bean bag with Lulu (only 7 months younger than him).

Amber, Lily, Brian, Max, Xoe, Porter, Xanthe, Michael & Grammy (sorry this isn't such a great picture of everyone).

Then we put all the kids to bed (including Brian since he was really sick) and I helped Heather finish my dad's present. We had to make four of these pairs of Yo Gabba Gabba pajama pants, one for my dad and 3 for other presents Heather was giving. This project had gone wrong the past two days so we were hoping we were actually going to get it done.

At about 12:00 a.m. I started to be Santa Claus. I pulled everything that I had out and realized that I had wrapped EVERYTHING, whereas my other sisters had laid quite a few things out. But mine looked boring so I started adding bows to everything and figuring out where to lay it all. It took longer than I expected but I think the kids would like it. Amber's family's stuff is on the left, mine is on the right. Ruth and Scott's are across from us (you can see it in another picture below).

I never explained my wrapping system. It's a pet peeve of mine when children count gifts under the tree and whine that so-and-so got more gifts than the other. Many years ago before the girls were even old enough to know about Santa, a friend of mine shared with me her system, something I've adopted over the years. This year I wasn't going to do it because X&X no longer "need it" (if you get my gist... can't say it out loud just in case a child reads my blog.). But before I started wrapping they asked if I was going to still do it this year. Those girls just really love traditions.

The system is this (stop reading if you'd get bored)--- Choose wrapping paper for each child and wrap all their gifts in that same wrapping paper. Don't label them. Then the second child has all their presents wrapped in a different wrapping paper, kept unlabeled. The kids have no idea which ones are theirs until the day of. I used to hand them an envelope where they would find a swatch of their wrapping paper and then run to find the gifts. This year I just put them all out on their couch. I also started numbering them... there were gifts I wanted the girls to open at the same time because they were the same gifts. I didn't want one of the girls opening something and giving it away to the other one. But I never number it consecutively. There may be a #"1" gift, and there may be a #"518" gift. If I did it consecutively then they'd know how many gifts they got.

Kind of a duplicate... but wanted to show how I set out their clothes and rolled their pants with ribbon.

Spencer's loot. I didn't even do a stocking cuz he didn't understand. All he cared about is the unwrapping. I literally wrapped EVERYTHING. A little bag of Teddy Grahams. Two already opened bags of Oreos. And a couple of bouncy balls. He was in heaven. You'll see tomorrow.

I finally went to bed at 3:30 a.m.

Blogging Again

2011-12-30T20:38:00.002-07:00

So I've been away awhile. I just took a break. It was needed. With Polite Society Magazine, getting ready for a trip 5,350 miles (or something like that) away, and wrapping up the festivities of Christmas and a really important family event two days after Christmas, blogging fell WAY down on the priority list.

Once we got here, things were crazy. I was anticipating a trip to Utah as well, but it was clear this year that it was better if we opted out of doing it this year. I think Brian was pretty disappointed because his parents and sister live there and Brian really loves it there as well. But because his parents were already traveling down to California for said-important-family-event-mentioned-above, we decided that it was just too expensive to make the trip. We didn't have a car to travel in (which meant spending the money on a rental), as well as gas and other expenditures... the $1,500 would have been better not racking up in debt (cuz let's be honest, right now we're putting everything on credit cards and paying it off slowly through the months. Our states trips end up costing about $8,000 total so that's not money we just have laying around).

I think Brian still really would have liked to have gone, but wasn't too bent out of shape. Except the night before his parents were supposed to leave, he got this grand idea for us all to hop in his parents' van and fly back. Well, after checking flight prices, it wasn't looking like a good idea until he asked if I would be offended if he just took Spencer to Utah and I stayed here. I just blank-stared.

Are you kidding me?!

The girls would be gone at the same time and I'd have days away by myself.

Are you kidding me?!

So, this morning he did it! We packed up Spencer, packed up the girls and this morning at about 7:30 a.m. I stood waving to a van full of my family driving off for five days (which in a way I was a little nervous that my whole.family.was.driving.off.in.a.van. But I got over it quickly cuz I just knew they'd be alright).

I haven't known what to do with myself. My initial thoughts were to start tackling my "to do list," but thanks to my friend Jessica, she reminded me that I needed to take some serious "me" time. This is what she said:

Take yourself out to lunch. Go to Nordstrom and try on fancy shoes. Go for a walk. Find a bike. Take a bath. Go to a movie. Craft something. All by yourself. Remember when we went to Cafe Harmonie recently? I'll never forget how you sat down, exhaled, looked around and said, "I need to do this more often. It feels good to just sit down." And go to Sprinkles for me.

How awesome is she? I had a few others suggest Pinkberry, sleeping, lunch with friends and going to movies. The flood gates just opened and I had a slew of ideas, a bucket list, if you will, come pouring out so I set to work making a list (in true Christy-style) of all I wanted to accomplish.

Lots of fun things, and lots of "responsible" things were on my list. I started stressing where and what to do first! I just sat there. Then I realized that I didn't want to waste my time worried that I was wasting time.

I decided that today I would clean up and get ready for my fun days, but I did a few fun things too. I went out to lunch with my mom to an amazing little place called Alicia's (and ran into an old friend as well), took a guilt-free two-hour nap, helped my mom clean her house and secure tilted pictures (that bug me when I walk into her rooms), had an extended conversation with my sister without being constantly interrupted, watched episodes of Modern Family, and was able to read blogs and leave comments (something I haven't done in a loooong time).

I'm currently trying to find new blog templates for Brian to change since Halloween is a bit outdated. :) But it overwhelmed me so I am stopping.

The night is young. Maybe a movie?

Oh, and did I mention the two hour nap? That was amazing!

Tomorrow? Not sure.

But one thing on my list is to start posting on my blog. I can't promise that they'll be in any semblance. I just want to get them done!

Crossing things off right?

This sounds like a good Sunday activity.

Do I even have readers anymore?

Spencer Hates Haircuts

2011-11-27T15:15:00.001-07:00

Yup. I was desperate. Spencer refuses to have his haircut, screams with the sound of clippers and refuses to let scissors come near him. The first haircut he had from a real hairstylist, he cried and almost cut his finger and moved his head away and buried it under my arms so hard that the hairstylist gave the haircut for free. She knew she didn't get a good haircut. haha.

If you'll remember my mom gave me some pointers on how to keep his attention with a high chair. So for my first solo haircut, I did that but he still wasn't happy about it. I still got a haircut out of it but it wasn't great. The hair in the front was way too short and almost laughable. I should have just shaved it off.

Haircut #2, my hairstylist sister, Nan, gave me some more cutting pointers on top of what my mom had told me, and then she told me to put him in the bath and give him a popsicle. He doesn't love popsicles but I still put him the bath. He was playing (so not staying still) but he was contained so it made it easier. He still was swatting at the scissors when I'd come near him. I was getting a little better at the haircuts, but I wasn't that great still (I don't think I'm that great still, but then, I was really struggling). If only he'd just stop moving so I can perfect the haircut. :)

Haircuts #3 & 4 I was nervous to cut his hair again. I really felt like I didn't know what I was doing (I still don't!). But I had waited too long and it was summer. You all know how sweaty Spencer gets on his head. So one day when he was out playing in the pool, I realized it was the perfect opportunity. I grabbed my scissors and surprisingly he was okay with it. I was talking to him the whole time and trying to make silly jokes. Plus I was getting a little better so it went faster.

Haircut #5- the temps were just a little too chilly to put him in the pool so I had to come up with a new strategy. My new strategy is pictured below. It worked like a charm...

I'm sorry. I loved every single one of these pictures. He was being so cute. We had gotten a new Signing Time video from a friend and I he had asked for a bag of candy at the store. Rolos, Reese's Mini PB Cups and Hershey's Kisses. And all he wanted to do was unwrap them. He didn't even eat one. :)

Do you not just LOVE his smile this picture? :)

None of these pictures actually show the haircut. I had done some, and did some in the back, but had to get pictures of him while he was unwrapping.

He actually loved the haircutting so much, the next day he ran and got the big cup I had used for water, and the comb, and brought them to me. I think he just wanted more chocolate. :)

I think I'll save the next haircut for my sisters when we go back to the states for Christmas though. :) Leave it to the professionals.

Funny Pictures of Spencer

2011-11-26T01:02:00.000-07:00

Spencer's a super silly kid. He reminds me of one of my brothers (one whom I will not name). He giggles a lot and plays silly tricks to make us laugh. (They're not all that tricky to us, but to a 3 year old, he thinks he's "getting" us.) He likes to do odd silly things. Well, you'll see in these pictures. I think he's a crackup.

This one doesn't look silly, but might I explain? Anywhere we find a train table, Spencer has to play on it. This is the stupidest train table but he asks to go there all the time. He does the sign for bookstore with the trains.

Kid! Where are your pants?

Finally Flying to the States

2011-11-25T07:25:00.000-07:00

Continuing Travel Saga of Traveling to the States

Old Post: 7/5/11

Will be moved soon

Guest Writer: Xoe Villa

I know there is a lot of writing and not a lot of pictures, but I asked Xoe to tell me about the trip as I typed along with her. There were some funny moments and I tried to capture her version of what happened. I love hearing kids' descriptions. I decided to keep it even though it's wordy. I want to remember it.

Quick Introduction: After the girls' flight was cancelled to the states the first time (remember? we escaped to Holiday Park), they were rebooked for the next day-- same time, same plane. Luckily, we were all packed! It kinda felt nice going to bed early and NOT stressed. Probably won't ever happen again. We usually are up all night the night before, no matter how prepared we thought we were.

Interview with Xoe Villa

Mom: So, Xoe... first you had a ten hour flight with a layover in Dallas. How did the long flight go? Did you have enough to do on the flight and did they have movies on the backs of the seats (cuz it's always a toss up each time we get on the plane even when we check in advance)?

Xoe: Noooo! (in a "can you believe it" voice!) We were so bummed! But... (and then she changes her tone) it didn't really matter. We took our Melatonin and Benadryl with dinner and slept for 8 hours. (I'm rolling my eyes and chuckling at this point)

Mom: So what happened when you got off the plane? Did you stay with the flight attendant?

Xoe: Of course! They never let you go anywhere by yourself! (She's thinking this is a bad thing? I'm so glad). We were attached to them.

Mom: Where did they take you?

Xoe: They took us into a special room and told us our next flight was cancelled AGAIN and they had to come up with a whole new one to put us on cuz there wasn't one. We were so frustrated and scared cuz we didn't know what was happening and we were all alone. But the flight attendant we were with was really nice. We were really tired and really hungry. There was this Indian guy who was a flight attendant who gave us $20 but took us to McDonald's. We could have gone to a restaurant, but I didn't want to. Xanthe was mad cuz she didn't want McDonald's. But when we got there, he made us spend all of the money cuz it was a one-time offer. We had 3 milkshakes, 4 chicken nuggets, 2 burgers, 5 things of fries and believe it or not we got to take it on the plane. hahaha. We felt SOOOO sick afterwards. So much junk food. Oh and then we each got a Coke.

Mom: What did you do the whole time while you were in that room? Were you bored having to wait the extra time because of the delay?

Xoe: Played our DSi's, we played on our cell phone, we watched "Adventure Time," played with the helium balloons (we breathed them in to make funny voices and then filled them back with our own breath and played "don't let it touch the ground.")

Mom: Were there other kids?

Xoe: Ya, there was a 17 year old, 12 year old, 10 year old and 11 year old and then there was the 10 and 11 year old were with the 12 year old. There were others who were coming and going. But they didn't fly overseas. Their parents just brought them cuz they lived in Dallas. We were the only ones super tired cuz it was the middle of the night for us. There was another girl who was kind of annoying cuz we was acting super fake.

(Mom's Side Note: I was kind of freaking out because their flights had been cancelled once while they were in the air and then they got word when they were waiting in the kids room that their flight was cancelled again. It was 1 a.m. and I was really tired from all the late nights. I had handled it okay up until that point. I also knew the girls would be tired because it was late for them, and I was worried no one would worry about feeding them and making sure they could lay down. I made a Facebook post saying how frustrated I was with American Airlines and an amazing friend of mind who lives in Brea and knows my parents, Andrea Thompson, happened to be in Dallas at the time visiting her mom. She pretty much just took over calling my mom and getting information for me. The best thing of all? Her mom is Operations Manager of American Airlines and her dad was Head of Security at the airport. She told me to go to bed and they would make sure the girls were taken care of, and that if anything happened, they were 10 minutes away and she would go pick the girls up. Her mom knew the people and she worked with my mom to make sure the girls were taken care of. Bless her! It couldn't have been more perfect that she was there and had such great connections. I really acknowledge how blessed we were.)

Mom: Did you get to talk to anyone to let them know how you were?

Xoe: We were so happy cuz we got a call from Grammy. It was really late back home and my mom didn't know the number. Mom had given me a list in our important documents wallet of all our family's numbers. We called Uncle Ben and Nanette, Daddy, you but no one answered. Finally we got a hold of Grammy. I think we tried to call Ruthy or Amber but I can't remember. Grammy said it's okay she's so glad we're responsible when we called her. She said she'll make sure she'll be there on time even though we were dealyed.

Mom: What else can you remember?

Xoe: We had to pee really bad because of all the Coke. Then we handed out the food to half the people in the room and the workers outside cuz we had so much. We barely drank any of the milkshake. It was cool. On the side they had this white board calendar thing that said the flight schedule, times, and it had the kids' names and what time their flights were, their flight number and what time they were supposed to come into the room. They had all the kids names and ours was last and it said "xanthexoe villa" and all our information. They meant to squish our names together because there wasn't a lot of room.

Mom: So, when you were ready to go to your flight

Xoe: they took us on a cart and they drove really, really fast and we gotta sit next to a bunch of old people. we made friends with them they said they live in L.A. and they were visiting germany cuz that's where their parents live. so then when we had to stop at theirs and they were like, "goodbye, little sweeties. I hope you have a good time in L.A." (cuz they had to fly out to somewhere else to visit the husband's sister, I forgot where).

then we had stop at another guys' stop. i didn't understand what he was saying cuz he spoke another language. finally we got to our stop and we were sitting next to the door. she was the same stewardess we had made friends with before at our long flight. on the plane, there was this whole school of kids visiting texas and they were going to L.A. for some field trip. so then me, Xanthe and Koby...

Mom: Wait... who's Koby?

Xoe: He was another kid. The only other (unaccompanied) minor. first when we were sitting we had to sit next to this really annoying woman and thankfully so we didn't have to sit by her. the stewardess said maybe we should have all the minors sit together. the minors would fit perfectly here. so she switched Koby's seat with the woman but she still had to sit across from us. He's from L.A. but lives kind of near Santa Barbara. He was cool to hang out with and we still keep in touch with him (even when we were in the states we would text and skype with him).

Mom: Wait, why was it dark? Your flight was in the day.

Xoe: no it wasn't cuz remember it was the 4 hour delay. it was completely dark when we got there. I remember the parking lot being dark. remember those big cylinder things outside of lax with the colors? those were on and they were really bright.

Mom: So, when you got off the plane, what happened?

Xoe: Umm... Grammy was there waiting for us. so when we were at the 2 hour delay, we called grammy again to tell her and she said that was okay and we asked her for sure who was picking us up. she said "ohhh either me or grampy or maybe both of us. but none of your cousins could come. everyone else was busy. we're trying to figure it out cuz all of us are kind of busy (she was trying to trick us)." and believe it or not we actually believed her. we were kind of disappointed cuz we wanted to see all of our cousins on the day we got there. we were going to california, whoe wouldn't want to seee all of their cousins.

anyways, so then when we got off the plane there was grammy and grampy. so we were relieved cuz when we thought it was going to be only one of them so we were happy we got to see them. so then.... we were walking and we went on those moving platforms. that was so fun. xanthe and I were running back and forth on them while grammy and grampy were taking forever. after going on like five of the platform things, the last one which was the 6th one, and the 6th one we saw people running back and forth across behind the revolving doors. we didn't know who it was. we thought it was another people's family. we were kind of tired anyway. as we were walking, we made out the facesof Max running, then saw Ollie running, and Ruby, Piper and Rocky. We were freaking out!

Mom: What did you do at that point? You bolted through the doors?

Xoe: No, no no, just wait! this is the funny part. So then we were running and we ran to the middle where there were some revolving doors but it wasn't turning and the janitor wouldn't let us go through. so then we were like, what's going on? So then he said go that way and he was speaking a different language i couldn't understand. so finally we went through the other revolving doors and they were those ones that you had to push really hard and we were getting really frustrated. so we kept pushing and jumping into them and finally opened and we ran to everyone and started hugging them. the other cool thing? they got us balloons and made us a sign.

we were so excited they came. we were sad it was gonna be just G&G and so we had fun and played with the kids. they helped us get our baggage and I played with archer. then we all got in the car and went back to grammy' house. surprisingly we weren't jetlagged tired. that was an awesome way to start our trip. We love our aunties and uncles and cousins and grammy and grampy! they're the best!

Trunk or Treat

2011-11-18T00:48:00.000-07:00

Old Post: 10/29/11

Yes, I know this post is old. But wanted to post it still anyway.

This was our church Halloween party. I didn't get many pictures of the inside but they had a chili cookoff and a pumpkin carving contest. And then they had a trunk or treat, which is similar to trick or treating, but everyone opens their trunk out in the parking lot after adding a few decorations) and hands out candy to the little ones walking by. It's a really great time. Plus I wanted to get pictures of the hat I jimmy rigged for Spencer last minute. I drove all over trying to find him a hat and couldn't find one. Of all place you'd think I'd be able to find one. But I couldn't remember where the souvenir costume shops were at a time when I needed them the most. :) Oh well. It still turned out great and he wouldn't wear it anyway.

Xoe realized I didn't get a full body shot of her whole Party Rock Anthem outfit. Oh, and they corrected me from my last post. The outfit wasn't from the actual LMFAO video. There was a flash mob that everyone was dressed like this. oh, and they have a video online where you can learn the dance. Ya, they did that with their friend and they actually looked really good. These girls are super talented. If I can get it on camera someday, I'll post it. :)

Soccer- The Golden Chaos

2011-11-10T02:39:00.001-07:00

Soccer, Again!

From now on, just know that the girls are obsessed with soccer! They're playing year round, two and three teams at the same time, and possibly going to Austria for a World Cup (it's pretty likely actually.)

These are the only pictures I got from the Fall Season of Soccer. They were on the Golden Chaos.

I've marked a few of the pictures so you can see which of the miniature people are the girls. Memorize what they're wearing for the next few pictures. Xanthe has on white socks, and Xoe has on some funky navy with blue checkers and frogs on them. Gotta have some fashion in there somewhere, huh?

This is Christine, the girls' best friend. I have posted about her before. She's seriously so amazing! And amazing at soccer too. Spencer is in love with her as well. He saw me circling the girls in some of the pictures and insisted I circle her too. :)

Xanthe is #67

The girls, even though they are sports obsessed, they still have creativity in their bones. They made this sign at the Youth Center for the team to run through at the beginning of the game, but they didnt' want to ruin it so they just took a picture of it. It's currently hanging outside our house now on a big wall we have.

And now it's off to Winter Volleyball. :) Oh joys. Especially for a parent who doesn't love sports... I blame my brothers and sisters for their love of sports. Ironic isn't it that I would get the sports kids?.... :) Oh well. Gotta love it.)

Happy Halloween!!!

2011-10-31T14:33:00.001-07:00

Sorry for those who already got this in email. I added another photo, so I wanted you to get it again.

Our Halloween is over (it's 10:22 p.m. in German). I'm saddened to my core. Did I ever mention Halloween is my favorite holiday? My Halloween decorations will probably remain up for awhile. I have pictures of the parties we've been to the past few days, but for now I'll just post about our actual Halloween day.

This Halloween was super fun because it was the first time Spencer actually caught owhat was going on.

ACS Trick-or-Treat

Over here on the army base, they have tons of groups that give support to the American military community. One of those groups is the ACS, or Army Community Services. They hold classes for new moms, parent play groups, classes for those looking for work, early development services, German language classes, family advocacy, adult/child abuse services, etc. This year they offered a small trick-or-treating event through their halls for the young kids to participate in. Spencer had only trick or treated at our church event so he was still unsure at this point. But the ACS, THIS place was where the magic happened. Check out the video. You can tell he's LOVING the concept of Halloween. A boy true to my own heart.

This is us outside right before going in. He's not too thrilled about skipping his nap and it being so sunny (although most of us are ecstatic to see the sun). Oh, and he's a little German boy, if you couldn't tell. He wouldn't wear his hat, although I got pictures of him in it at the church party. I'll post those later. And his jacket will go on in a few pictures.

Here we go through the halls. This was the best picture I could get. Oh, and don't hate me. I totally forgot my nice camera. I'm still pissed about it.

BOWLING CENTER

After the party, I had to run up to pick the girls up from school and take them to piano lessons. When I got back, Brian had crossed the street to the Bowling Center and paid for a few games for Spencer since we had some time to kill. He played three games without even getting tired. Spencer, and only Spencer. He rolled the ball down the kid roller, watched the balls come out of the return, and had fun picking out a rainbow of colored balls and pushing them all down the lane. It was quite funny to watch. And how cute are those shoes? I want me a pair for him. So did Spencer. He didn't want to take them off.

GIRLS TRICK-OR-TREATING

After the Bowling Center, Brian and I went to pick up the girls at piano practice. They had already gotten ready, so we took pictures of them with their friends.

Are you wondering who/what they are? Well, they're Party Rock Anthem girls. If you don't know what that is, watch the video below. They told me there was this girl in the video that looked exactly what they are dressed like for Halloween (with a few minor changes) but I don't see her. I got a glimpse of one, but they made it sound like she was a main focal point. Either way, this video is hugely popular, and all their friends knew who they were. If you watch the video, just skip forward about 2 minutes.

The thing is, the girls had no idea I had this style down! Please! I LIVED this style... well, not me personally, but I was in that era and LOVED this style. If you know me, you know one of my all time favorite movies is Xanadu. Remember the roller skating scene? The rocker vs. big band theme? And the end Xanadu scene where she sings the song in different music genres. It was all this style. Help me! PLEASE I had this down. But they wanted NOTHING to do with it. I tried talking them into so many things (hair and makeup) but they didn't trust me cuz I was the "out of style" mom (they didn't say that, but I know they think that). Xoe came up with her hair on her own, but Xanthe was kind of "over it" by this point. This was their 3rd time dressing up. But Xanthe eventually let me try and smooth out the curls in her hair, rat it a bit and put some makeup on (with what I had in my own stash in the car).

BEFORE

I promise, it didn't look this "up-do-ish" as it does in the pictures.

This is the group of friends they walked around with. A few more joined them along the way, but that's Katryn back left, then Grace and Christine (with the nerd glasses).

DINNER

After dropping off the girls, we ran to get some dinner, and ran into Spencer's old teacher's aide, whom we adore. She's leaving back to the states soon, so we were thrilled to run into her at the Food Court. She has such a sweet heart and we are really going to miss her. She has been a wealth of information for us and Spencer's development. It looks like he isn't into her, but he's just embarrassed, super tired and hungry and didn't know how to react after not seeing her for so long. He went running up to her to afterward to show her his ice cream, his sandwich, and all of that. We love her!!!

TRICK OR TREATING

...and then it was off to trick or treat!!! They don't celebrate Halloween here in Germany so we all have to go onto the army base to trick or treat where the stairwells (apartments) all get together and set up camp at the bottom of their stairs. And because that housing area isn't gated or secure, the Germans also come to trick or treat (those that want to participate) so it gets really crazy. It was super fun, a big ol' party. As you can see from the picture below, some went all out to decorate for Halloween, and one apartment building had speakers outside their window where they were all dancing and throwing candy for the kids to catch in their bags. Another one had a huge canopy set up with a fire under it and they were all drinking Gluhwein (a German traditional drink... hot wine). There were just a ton of people walking around, and it was actually really fun.

I just couldn't get a good picture of spencer holding up his pumpkin. He just stuck his arm straight out in front of him and did this sort of "trick or treat" that sounded like the first consonant was left off of each syllable. It was super cute. Thank you was said the same way. He was REALLY trying and it melted my heart.

Oh, and as the jack-o-lantern got heavy, this is how he walked around with it...

Happy Halloween everyone! I can't wait to see how you all celebrate yours... And now it's time to bid adieu to Halloween. Until next year.

Girls Camp 2011

2011-10-21T02:09:00.001-07:00

Summer Post: 06/28/11
Will be relocated

The week after school was out, the girls left with about 6 other girls to go camping. It was an organized camping event with our church here in Germany. There were campgrounds about an hour away so Brian and I volunteered to take a few of the girls, all their stuff, and then hit up Trier which was nearby. The girls really thought they'd be roughing it so we prepared for the worst. Plus, rain was in the forecast more than it actually rained. We were pleasantly surprised to see that it was actually a lot more lush than the mud we expected, and the bathrooms that were rumored to be a mile's hike away were, in fact, only a short walk down the hill. Ticks were the only real threat and it only rained one day of the whole camp.

I have been saving this post for awhile now because I really wanted the girls to run a commentary and write about camp, seeing as I wasn't there. So, I've finally been able to pin them down and get them to be my first guest bloggers! :) Woohoo. Can you believe it? I'm professional now. :) We kind of just went through and just described the pictures, but there really was so much more that went on. If there are holes and we left an explanation out, let me know and I'll get them to add something in.

So, on with the show! Presenting, Guest Bloggers: XANTHE and XOE VILLA

XANTHE: These were some of the Young Women (YW) in our own ward that helped set up the food canopy we ate under for our meals. The other girls were off setting up the tents we would sleep in and then setting out all of the sleeping bags and getting ready for devotionals. Our camp site was in Baumholder (Its name stands for "The Tree Protector") and took us about an hour and a half to drive there.

XOE: Setting up the canopy we ate all our meals under. It was actually easier than it looked but they were missing some pieces so in this picture they were figuring out how to make it work.

(MOM'S NOTE: a "ward" is the actual church group you meet with based on the proximity to the ward building. Because of the number of people in the area, they split them up by location. Our ward is called the "Wiesbaden Military Ward)

XOE: Blowing up our "beds." We were "roughing" it compared to all the other wards because they had cots and mattresses. The pool floaties were actually durable and didn't lose air or pop at all.

XANTHE: The Beehives (the younger girls) and the YW leaders bought pool floaties to sleep on and they were O.K. to sleep on... not the best, though.

(MOM: but who likes camping mattresses anyway?! Can't beat $2.50. We bought two just in case one of them popped. And none of them did! I'd say they were a pretty good buy. Everyone caught on to the trend and even the leaders used them.)

XOE: Our little sign we had in front of the campsite.

XOE: The flag we made. Every ward had to pick a theme and ours was "Lovely." We all got to paint our names on the flag in a flower.

XANTHE: (From left to right) Haley, Xoe, Xanthe, and Ashley. The Beehives (the younger girls) of our YW. Before camp we all made pajama pants and wore them almost every day. As you can see, Morgan from our ward and was the YCL (Youth Camp Leader), is holding an axe in the background. We didn't even know she was there. Funny.

XOE: In front of the canopy. Every ward had to make a "flag" and had to hang it in front of the campsite. In the back, Morgan, holding an axe....

XOE: Everytime somebody said lovely, we would have to yell "woo" and throw our hands in the air. Morgan again...

XANTHE: All of our lovely (wooo...!) YW in our ward. We all took a picture together.
All of the young womens in our ward.

XANTHE: One of the activities that the Beehives got to do at Girls Camp was to use coordinates to find objects that helped us to a specific place that we had to get to. And, also, with every object you find, there is a scripture.

XOE: For one of the activities we had use clues to teach you to read coordinates and find your way through tough things. After we did the activity we sat down they passed out packs of gum.

XANTHE: Every time we found a clue with the coordinates, we all stamped out "coordinate cards" with a stamp that was sort of similar to the object we found.

XOE: Stamping our coordinate cards.

XANTHE: This is me, Xanthe. Xoe came up really close and go a picture of me, but i didn't know that it was that close....

XANTHE: Xoe, Me, and a girl named Ashley Busby that has the same birthday as us (Weird, huh?). We went around together to find the objects with the coordinates they gave us.

XOE: Xanthe using her compass to figure out coordinates. Everytime we find a coordinate we get a stamp on our card.

XANTHE: Once again, the beehives still doing the coordinates.
MOM: They forgot to tell you about the cool t-shirts and lanyards they received when they got there. They all got camp t-shirts and a lanyard with each of their camp schedule on it so they knew which activity to go to next. As you will see, it started to fill up with pins, pens and papers.

XANTHE: I got a turn to read a scripture aloud and then we moved on with the next clue.

XANTHE: The field we did the coordinates in. Far into the picture, with all the tents in the background, that was the whole stake's campground. The stake is what is called when more than a few wards come together to do things. Every ward came from all over Germany. Ramstein, Heidelberg, Wiesbaden, and more. The little red and blue canopy to the right were the arts and crafts tables.

XANTHE: The mid-day activity where a guest speaker would come give us a lesson each day. The Girls Camp sign has the name of each ward that was there.
XOE: One of the pavilions we had lessons in. The sign has all the names of the wards.

XANTHE: All the stakes beehives and YCLs (Youth Camp Leaders) doing arts and crafts. We were making necklace boards.
XOE: Painting necklace boards for one of the crafts. The vinyl sticker that went on the front said "We seek after these things".

XANTHE: Ashley and I doing our necklace boards. Mine was lime green and Ashley's was black (I think).
XOE: Painting necklace boards. The Art's N Crafts part of the days were our favorite.

XANTHE: All of the Beehives at the devotionals in the morning.

XANTHE: Xoe, Sarah, Savannah, and Katrina at Devotional

Morgan

XOE: All the Beehives of the stake went on a hike to a lake that we could swim in. It started pouring rain.
Getting ready for a hike

XANTHE: All the pretty flowers that we passed by on our hike.

Ashley and her mom, Miss Sarah, one of our YW Leaders.

XOE: It rained on our hike and we forgot our umbrellas. So when we got to the site where we were going to go swimming, a lot of girls still went, but a lot were cold. The leaders started taking people back to the campsite. Here is Xoe, Xanthe, and Ashley. We were all to cold so we went back to the campsite.

A lot of us got our hair braided by Morgan and Ms. Sarah. What they did on us was super awesome! (Okay, from here on out, it seems like Xoe did most of the commentary since she wrote first. Xanthe didn't comment if hers would have been the same. So if there isn't a name, it just means both of them were writing.)

A slug Hayley found.

All of our dishes from dinner. It was raining so hard so we just set out our dishes to be cleaned.

The place we would meet at for devotionals.

Another activity where we had to go through different obstacles like pioneers.

Some of the girls. Two of the girls in the front are in another ward. Hayley is from our ward in the back.

We had to use a huge long straw to pick up marshmallows by sucking in our breath.

Xoe trying to hold a marshmallow with the straw.

The place we did the activities

Sarah Anderson holding the bucket from the water game.

Xoe, Ms. Sarah, and Ashley.

Part of our campsite. Our tent is the one on the right. All the beehives slept in that one.

Sitting around reading our parents notes, they gave us. We also got treats and stickers. Reading our parents notes was one of my favorite parts.

Notes we made. We had Secret Sisters but I didn't get any pictures of the presents she gave me. Secret Sisters were an awesome part of camp.

Xoe eating the ice cream the bishop gave to us on Bishop's Night (when the "bishop" from our ward came to camp to share a message, make dinner and sleep over. He made us laugh in his little tent. We also played a trick on him by putting string in front of his tent door so he would trip in the morning. He thought it was funny.

Bishop Meyers. Our bishop is Morgan's dad.

Xanthe helping to cook the fajitas we had for Bishop's Night. We got to wear aprons, customized chef hats, and cooking jobs and supplies.

Xanthe helping to scoop the fajita mixture.

The dutch ovens we used to cook the fajitas and the dessert we had.

Bishop Meyers setting up the fire.

Xanthe making the chicken mix for the fajitas and wrapping them up to put in the dutch ovens.

Setting up a fire.

XOE: This was Ashley, Hayley, Xanthe, my tent.

Somebody in another ward had got their hair braided but did it backwards, from the bottom, instead of top.

Our fajitas in the dutch oven.

Xoe

Morgan and Xanthe cutting brotchen

Xanthe, Morgan, and Brittany.

Our chicken from our fajitas.

Ashley eating her fajitas

Xoe eating her fajitas

Xanthe and Xoe eating.

Xanthe full from eating.

Our dessert....Peach cobbler. Xoe was super sad because she didn't get any because everybody ate all of it.

The dutch oven we cooked the peach cobbler.

We had so much fun at Girls Camp. We made friends with people from the other ward and can't wait to go back. We got to read our scriptures, sing songs and it was the best time ever!!!!!!!!!!

Speyer Technik & Going Away Party

2011-10-20T01:14:00.000-07:00

So, two days later... after "Holiday Park", the girls went with the Youth Center to a place called Speyer Technik. This was also a place we had been to before and the girls really liked it. They were stoked to go back but then it kind of was a little boring the second time around. They didn't take any pictures except for on the way of... guess who? Yup, self portraits of Xoe. haha. This post is totally going to embarrass her.

She told me this one was because she liked how she did her makeup and wanted to be able to do it again. I love that girl. :)

Speyer Technik Museum was on a Thursday. The next night they went to a going away party for a friend Noni (pronounced Nawny). It was full of friends, junk food and, of course...

...Justin Bieber. These two pictures are only 2 of probably 15 that were on their camera. They don't totally swoon over him like their friends do, but I thought it was funny they took pictures of all the presents Noni had received.

And guess who???

All the friends!!!

The Holiday Park

2011-10-19T00:33:00.002-07:00

Summer Post: 6/23/2011

Will be relocated...

Brian was gone again for work this week and it was the girls' last week before they went to Church Girls' Camp and back to the states. I didn't want them to be bored so I signed them up for a few outings with their Youth Center. The first one was to an amusement park that we've been to before about an hour away, and they were gone all day. It was beautiful. :) For them, of course.

Anyway, this amusement park has one of the fastest roller coasters around. When the family went, I only could go on it one time because it literally lifted me out of my seat for a few seconds... the reason it's called G-Force. Well the girls were all excited because this time they were tall enough to go on it by themselves.

Their camera ran out of battery right when they got there so they only got a few pictures of the bus ride and their lunch. But it's still fun to see them with their friends.

Xoe and Shailen

Xoe ummm... takes a lot of these pictures. It's kind of fun to find them on her camera.

Xanthe and... I think Makayla. They'll have to correct me.

See what I mean? :)

I know this picture is kind of random but it makes me laugh seeing this bottle actually full of what it was really intended for. Cuz they brought it home and used it for a long time for a lot of random events... soccer, outings, etc. I finally got sick of looking at it so I threw it away but when I came across this picture I was like, Oh, THAT'S what came in it originally.

Typical German amusement park/festival/Christmas Market/etc./etc. lunch.

I'm so glad they had fun. It was great for them to be around their friends, and great for Spencer and I to have some time to do something as well.

Father's Day

2011-10-18T11:55:00.002-07:00

Old Post: 6/19/11

Will Be Relocated

This is an old post... I never posted anything about the summertime, which was a very busy time of year. I don't have pictures from everything so I'll post what I can. I know a few of you have asked how the girls' trip was back to the states so I'll try to get as many pictures off of all the sources they were taken from.

The girls' last day of school was June 16, Spencer's actual birthday (but we didn't celebrate until later... but if you'll remember, this was the same day I took Spencer on a day of his own.) They had an "end of the year celebration" that I don't have pictures from, but they said it was boring so no biggie. The next few days they just hung out at the Youth Center.

June 19 was Father's Day. Wanna hear how we celebrated? Brian and I used the concert tickets I bought him for his birthday a month before. To none other than "The Eagles." Brian told me a few years ago that he really liked the band and my sister Amber helped me get him their new CD at the time. It's been in his car since and I knew he would love to see them in concert, especially since it was happening right in our downtown area.

It really was a great time. We ate dinner across the street at one of our favorite restaurants downtown. All the streets were blocked off for a street fair so the whole place was packed. And as much as I don't know all of their songs, The Eagles are a timeless band and put on a really great concert. Perfect way to spend Father's Day.

Cowboy Poetry Winner

2011-10-17T23:15:00.000-07:00

Old Post: 12/13/08

Will be relocated.

Here is a throwback. It's only a few years old, but these girls sure have grown up since then. In 2008 (4th Grade), there was a Cowboy Poetry contest where all the students from the Arizona schools submitted poetry. Winners were chosen within each area. Xanthe had just won the Art Contest (see the post here) so we were thrilled when Xoe got her chance to shine by winning a spot in the Poetry Contest for her grade. We missed the actual celebration when each contestant was able to get up on the big high school stage and recite their poem, we were in New York at the time, but she still received the honor and the chance to be photographed by a professional photographer.

This was really fun as it was at a horse ranch. This photographer was really great to work with and was able to get some amazing pictures from her. These pictures are me taking pictures of the photographer taking pictures.

Keep in mind that this was December, a very crazy time for us, as I was doing Showbiz Kids, a little children's performing group. We had two shows this day and had to rush to get these pictures done in between the two shows. For those of you who have been in any version of our Showbiz Kids, can anyone tell what is leftover from the show? :)

I know there are lots of pictures but I really want all of these for my own memory's sake.

Have you wondered where Xanthe is? Well, she was still all dressed up in her Showbiz Costume sadly waiting in the car. She was a little jealous. My heart was sad for her, but like I said, she had just won the Art Show award and Xoe had been super supportive for that (read the blog post). So I just was letting Xoe have her time.

Well, the photographer didn't realize Xoe had a twin until she came to talk to me in the car. When she saw Xanthe, she was totally amazed and asked to take a few extra pictures of them for her own portfolio. Xanthe was thrilled. How amazing are these pictures? Beauties, aren't they?

And without further adieu, here is her poem she won with. (Remember-- it's 4th Grade poetry.)

Shakey Shakey

2011-10-04T01:58:00.001-07:00

Xanthe's Photog Skills

2011-09-28T11:15:00.005-07:00

Xanthe and Xoe are serious budding photographers. I know I've posted pictures that Xanthe has taken before, but I just have folders and folders of random ones both of them have taken. I decided to just put a bunch into one post for Xanthe, one for Xoe.

Let me just say, that for photography skills, I have been seriously impressed. I even showed the pictures to our magazine photographer and she had some amazing things to say. You can tell they both just have the eye for it. So, here you go. A smorgasbord of Xanthe's pictures. Some are great and some may be blurry, but still look because you can see the angles she was going for or the cool shots she was trying to get.

(This is a closet mirror that is open and she is standing in a doorway in its reflection. The radiator behind it is actually on the other side of the closet)

I've even used a few of her pictures in the magazine, they're that good!

Ummm... can you say amazing?!

This one she was trying to so hard to get him to do put his tongue to the side but he kept getting distracted. She had so much patience and tried for so long. I want that here as a memory.

It's funny because a few times I've wanted a picture of something and I've said, "Xanthe, can you take a picture of this whole scene." All my pictures and angles turn out totally wrong. I even once said to her, after she had already shot a table full of frames, to maybe shoot it from "this angle." She shrugged her shoulders just appeasing me, but I'm sure she knew it didn't look good. Then when I saw the picture afterward, I was like, "Ya, that stunk." haha.

They've got a lot to learn but like I said, they have the eye for it. Xanthe said she doesn't want to take classes cuz she doesn't want someone else telling her how to shoot pictures. I'm still trying to teach her she needs to learn the basics, such as lighting. She's thinking someone's gonna mess with her "art."

Great skills huh? I'll post Xoe's, if I can just sort through the amusement park ones. There are like 300. They went a little hog wild taking pictures of fountains and running through sprinklers and driving the cars. :) Til then!

German Soccer Game

2011-09-24T10:58:00.001-07:00

The girls had a friend who won tickets to a local German soccer game and gave them to us. The arena is across the street from the army base so we just walked over there. Since the girls are super into soccer this year, they were way into it. I think this was our last warm day of the summer so we were all really hot. The girls had a few layers on and had to shed a few towards the middle of the game. This was a pretty exciting game. Brian even suggested getting season tickets.

They painted their faces with red and black eye liner pencil. Xoe's was the only one that didn't get wiped off. She kinda looked like she had chicken pox. :)

Xoe, Christine, Katryn, Xanthe

Another Day at School

2011-09-23T23:57:00.000-07:00

I just couldn't resist snapping these pictures of him going to school. I took him one day, rather than riding the bus because he just needed to sleep in.

This is him looking for cars when we cross the street. I say "Look left. Look right." and he does! He looks both ways and then reaches up for my hand. He's such a good little boy.

I know this looks like the exact same picture but for some reason I love it. I love that you can see the back of his head and his ears... I just needed to post this picture. I also love this backpack. It's a different one than his first day of school. the style is the German style of backpack that I have loved every since arriving here. It looks so much more ergonomical and the because of it's hard shape, the books seem to fit better and the kids' back don't hurt. What do I know? I just love the design and seeing these German kids walking around with them. They're super expensive for the older kids too... like 60-100 Euro (about $100-$150). Kerstin... help me out on this... I've heard they buy a backpack and lasts them for a few years. Is this true? Well, anyways, I couldn't handle that Toys R Us had miniature sizes. :) It's great for storing toys in there too cuz the shape doesn't collapse. I kinda wish it would be okay for me to get an adult one but I don't think it is. :)

Going in with his class. They all have to hold hands. It's the most darling thing I've ever seen. And they "talk" the whole way there. They see the same pictures so they talk about the sun and the weather and they look up in the sky. Then they use simple words for opening doors... "Key In, Turn, Pull, Open". I learned a lot from the day I attended their class. I'll post more about it later but all of our houses should be set up with this way for those with young kids. They teach so many amazing things through play... part of doing their jobs they have matching pull cards, as well as shapes and colors on the CD player buttons to help change and start the CD. I'll have to ask if I can come in and take pictures of it so you can all see. It totally opened up a whole new world for me (Yes, the Aladdin song just went running through my brain).

Spencer loves the little boy he's holding hands with... Joe Joe. Too bad Joe Joe doesn't reciprocate. He's a cute little boy but hasn't learned to play with other kids yet.

I'll post more about his school inside the classroom later. But for now...let's just say he's been doing amazing! He's already speaking a few sentences, albeit not quite super clear, but he's doing it. Yay! for Spencer.

Oh, and one other update... I've been talking to a few people about his shaking hands and a few teachers have said they think he might have some sensory issues (where he needs pressure massage and other ways to calm himself down rather than doing the shaking thing with his hands... Just as another option). Then it just so happened that a few days ago, the Occupational Therapist noticed him doing his shaking while she was in the classroom for another child. She's going to test him and we may get some extra help in that area so he may be able to sleep better at night and it might also help with his speech (since he may get a little overly excited but not know how to calm down, he may get sensory overload and his brain can't focus on speech). His shaking is just like how some children scream when they are excited. It's normal... they're just going to give me ways to assist... without us having to pay for it and him getting it inside the classroom. Awesome, huh? So there's everyone's update. :)

Makeshift Train

2011-09-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

About a week and a half ago, Brian flew to a conference back in the states for a week. Spencer and I took him to the airport. We got there early so we had some time to kill. I realized that this might be his favorite place, more than when we sit for hours watching trains at the train station or riding the train into downtown Wiesbaden to go to the "bookstore with trains" (He does sign language to tell me that every.single.day)

Here they not only have a seating area where he can play in a ball pit and climb up into the rocket ship, but it's huge floor-to-ceiling windows are right along one of the runways so we could see planes taking off and landing. There is also a main train station underneath the airport that is a major hub for trains going in and out of Frankfurt.

But to top that off, they have a shuttle that runs from one terminal to the next. Sort of like a smaller version of the monorail at Disneyland. But this one looks like a train. For all Spencer knows, it is one.

So, after Brian had to say goodbye and go through security, Spencer and I sat on this shuttle going around and around the airport. HE.WAS.IN.HEAVEN!!! It took some major bribery to get him off.

(Don't judge! It was way too early in the morning for makeup and this picture of Spencer was just too cute NOT to post.)

This was his favorite part... when we got to the switchtrack. Looks just like the bigger version of his Thomas train track. :)

Good thing the only cost for all of this is either a train ticket to the airport or the cost of parking. Not bad for some cheap entertainment. :)

Decorating for an OCTOBER Holiday

2011-09-21T02:21:00.001-07:00

On Sunday, SEPTEMBER 18, 2011, you can absolutely bet we decorated for Halloween!

It made my whole Sunday brighter! I wait all year for the oranges, blacks, greens and purple colors of this holiday. The mere mention of it as I was making lunch sent my girls into a flurry and they brought all 8 storage bins... yup, you read that right... 8!

And I'm still thinking my decorations have never had much rhyme or reason. I need to fix that. My sister, Nanette's house is amazing at Halloween time. I need to embrace my obsession and do some serious decorating. Too bad Germany doesn't celebrate Halloween. I may need to put on my thinking cap and get creative.

I am now in the process of planning another Murder Mystery Party and a Pumpkin Carving Dinner Party (can you say, Dinner in a Pumpkin?).

And thank you to my resident in-house photographer, Xanthe Villa, for taking all these pictures. She and Xoe are the most amazing photographers. Way better than me. I just handed her the camera and she went to town. Girls of many talents!

Spencer's First Day of Preschool

2011-09-19T01:54:00.008-07:00

Warning: LONG Blog Post

Many of you know Spencer has an extreme speech delay. As of August 2011 when we visited the developmental pediatrician (a doctor who diagnoses developmental delays), he only spoke between 3-5 words. As a contrast, most children his age are having full conversations with their parents.

The doctor prescribed private speech therapy 120 minutes per week with an American Speech Pathologist, as well as being around other kids his age, using a picture augmentative system (computer/ipod programs or homemade pictures to help give him another way to communicate), continuing sign language and be accepted into a special education preschool for kids under the age of 5 to help their developmental delays.

We went through the whole process of IEP meetings (special committee meetings to approve him to receive care, as well as figuring out what goals the classroom will have to meet by the end of the year), more doctor and pathologist tests and closing out meetings with EDIS (the specialists who were helping us with him until the age of 3).

We also went through a process of getting him "ready" for school. We knew he was going to get on a bus with total strangers so the school and our family did as much as we could to get him ready and not so scared about transitions (which is something else he doesn't like, moving from one activity to the next). I'll post the little books we made to do this, and about the classroom's orientation, which was so darling. But for now, I'll post about his first day of school.

We wanted Spencer to see his sisters get on their bus. Here he is with Xanthe right before we walk to their bus. His bus was coming shortly after.

His backpack (the options were slim pickings by the time we were told we needed a full size one, but I actually love it.)

Here he is after we've buckled him in. This was the only day he hasn't cried. I told him I was following the bus and would meet him at school. All the days after that he has cried getting on the bus... probably because he has a 20 minute bus ride until the other kids get on the bus. We've since gotten approval for him to bring activities on the bus and a little school book of all his classmates and teacher that helps him look forward to where he's going.

Here he is on his bus. So cute, huh? They pick him up and drop him off every day. He's on the bus for about an hour but one of the boys he knew before is the first pick up so that makes him happy.

The bus and I arrived about 30 minutes early because the other kids who usually ride the bus with him had their parents take them to school for the first day. So, Spencer and I kind of just hung out waiting for the rest of the kids to arrive and the bell to ring.

His little preschool is inside the bigger elementary school so there were lots of kids around. All the older kids already started a week before, except for the preschools and kindergarten classes. So, there were a lot of other excited little ones, as well as their excited parents, which made for a very exciting day. I cannot tell you how excited he was. He was SOOOO excited. He had already visited the classroom and met his two teachers so he just couldn't wait to get in. This is us sitting in front of the school waiting for the bell to ring.

Standing by the front door ready to be the first in line.

When he realized it was taking a long time we decided to go explore and find friends.

We looked for his sisters but they weren't off the bus yet (their middle school is right next door, attached to the elementary) and by the time they got off the bus and their bell rang, we had been in the bathroom and missed them. His school starts later so we just wandered more. A lot more kids we knew from church and the community started to show up.

At one point he just stopped and started staring at the murals on the wall. I thought it was pretty amazing he just stared at each mural like he was in an art museum.

Spencer has a crush on these two little girls from church. He usually only sees them at church and when Sophie (the one above) ran up to him and got in his face, and Spencer realized who she was, he almost had a heart attack. Then Ciara ran up to him and they were chasing him around and he was in heaven.

When the bell rang, we still hadn't seen his class. We must have missed that "Memo" of where to meet his class outside so we just headed inside to the classroom.

This video is long but I have realized I really want it there. My reasoning-If I don't put it there and just leave it in a file on my computer, I'll never go back to look at it. So this is for my enjoyment, as well as yoursm if you can sit through 2 minutes of him walking through school, and want to see a good video of Spencer's personality and excitement for school.

Part of their day is finding their locker with their own pictures on it, taking off their coat and hanging their backpack all by themselves. They learn to take care of themselves from day one and it's pretty amazing how well Spencer does it now.

The teacher is very thorough teaching them instructions with pictures. Spencer is a total visual learner so this has been a great strategy from Day One.

Hanging up his backpack

Hanging up his jacket

Getting his folder out of his backpack to give to his teacher

Since Spencer has been there two weeks, he has already advanced amazingly. He is copying and imitating words a lot, and all on his own will speak about 10 words to us without any prompting. It's so cute to see him try and know that by speaking words he can get faster. We know he is frustrated with one-word sign language and is ready to speak sentences. He puts two or three signs together to form his own sentences, but you can tell he really wishes he could talk. The main speech pathologist in Landstuhl (the huge famous American hospital an hour away from us) has told us we need to get him to try repeating words after us and praising him even if they sound funny. So... we're making progress.

I know many of you have asked what our plan is for coming home since our last comment from the doctor was that if we didn't find a speech pathologist by the end of the year we would have to go home to the states. The status is this-- we don't have very many options over here. We don't have any American Speech Pathologists, except for those an hour away... and traveling there two or three times a week just isn't fair to a 3-year-old... and we haven't found one "on the economy" (or German) that feels could teach him what he needs to catch up or make a lot of progress. We'll still be trying to find someone but their way of education, etc. is different from ours so we have to do a lot of question asking and filtering. The language barrier can be a big hindrance in this case.

Blog Catchup

2011-09-17T07:35:00.000-07:00

So, I finally got all my pictures organized. It's amazing how many devices we have taken pictures on. 4 different cell phones (remember, the girls had a phone in the states for their summer trip), a professional camera and 3 point and shoot cameras. This isn't counting pictures other people have taken for us.

I figured instead of starting way back, my favorite way of doing things is jumping all over the place, not going in order. Maybe changing my tactic will help me not feel so overwhelmed about how much I have to journal/blog about.

I decided to start with a few recent events. I'm not sure anyone even reads this anymore but I realized after seeing some pictures of my siblings and friends' kids growing up so fast, or hearing about lots of things going on in the states, I was missing out in their lives because many of us don't blog anymore. And a few of them have also mentioned they don't know what is going on in my life because I don't blog very much anymore either. So, here I go.

First Day of 7th Grade

2011-08-29T12:51:00.000-07:00

Token first day of school picture. :) They look great don't they! :)

With their friends Ashley and Emma Busby. Ashley is the one that has the same birthday as the girls I've posted about before.

Tired girl. :) Still getting over a little bit of jetlag and waking up early. :) But she still looks beautiful!

She was really excited to go to school.

Making Pizza

2011-08-11T11:57:00.000-07:00

Before the girls left for the states, we only had about one week in between the end of school and their Girls' Camp. Then they left a few days later. I wanted to do just some "at home" activities, and making pizza was one at the top of the list. The girls, as usual, immediately assume it's not going to be fun... until I show them how much fun it is. That part came when they saw me rolling the dough out, throwing it up in the air like a real Italian pizza maker and singing in an Italian accent,

Whatsa Matta You, Hey!

Why you lookin so sad, Hey!

It'sa not so bad, Hey!

It's a Nice-a Place, Hey!

Shut-up-a Yo' Face!

These were kind of fake smiles. I was teaching them how to knead the bread (even though the Kitchenaid mixer had done most of it for them, I still wanted to teach them).

Passing the time while waiting for the dough to rise...

Wanna know what they were watching? They are the silliest videos, but Spencer LOVED them. They watched this same one about 10 or 15 times.

This is where they started really getting into it because I had thrown some up in the air. They were learning that they couldn't roll it too thin or when they threw it, a hole would open up. :)

Xoe's BBQ Chicken Pizza

Xanthe's Traditional Cheese & Olive Pizza

They turned out so good. Great job guys. Here is what Xoe posted on her blog about pizza making.

So for the summer we decided to do all sorts of fun crafts and other things. And so we made pizzas today. At first Xanthe and I didn't really want to do it, but then when my mom started throwing dough around and throwing flour on our faces we changed our minds. Making pizza is actually way funner than I thought and it is a good chance to get messy. One of the best things though is that Spencer was sleeping so it was a lot easier. It was SO much fun!

Date Night

2011-07-21T01:00:00.000-07:00

The night Pirate's of the Caribbean came out, Brian and I had arranged with Brittany and the girls to go on a date. Before we left, the girls had surprised us and made us this awesome basket. There were free movie tickets, popcorn, sodas, candy and a bunch of fun notes. Isn't this cute? They really are such sweet girls.

A few of the pictures were taken with my phone so they turned out blurry. This is when they brought us up to show us.

Then I found all these pictures taken on the girls' camera. Xanthe and Spencer had a fun time of it.

Dirty face! Yay.

Aren't these pictures awesome?

These girls are just so beautiful, it floors me. It was fun to come home to see all these pictures. Thanks girls for the awesome date night and for helping to watch Spencer.

Spencer with friends

2011-07-19T02:44:00.000-07:00

Spencer stayed at Addison and Cambria Davies' house while Brittany (our friend/nanny) was babysitting them too. It looks like they were having a good time, don't you think?

Railroad Tracks

2011-07-17T03:06:00.002-07:00

On one of our trips to Downtown Wiesbaden, I decided to have the family ride the train. So, everyone walked to the little train station down the street from our house. The girls were upset at the idea thinking it was going to be no fun... that is, until I shared with them the fun of putting coins on the track. It all changed from there. They had so much fun that they ask to go quite frequently. Once I schooled them with the "train track rules," they have been walking down there very chance they get. How fun are these photos?

Smashing Coins

Cancelled Plane Flight=Amusement Park

2011-07-04T00:19:00.000-07:00

So, after the girls got back from Girls Camp, that was when I had planned a huge Going Away Party with their friends that started at the Army Base's Independence Day Celebration. You'll see the post here.

The next day was Sunday which we spent packing and packing and packing. The girls were scheduled to leave early Monday morning to fly back to the states for the entire summer. By Sunday night, their bags were already in the car, they were showered and dressed in their traveling clothes. Their passports, traveling documents, unaccompanied minor passes, Melatonin and Benadryl, money and Emergency Phone Numbers were already organized and packed into a nice little organized coupon wallet. And we had already set the alarm to make sure we were up by 6:30 a.m. to be out the door by 7. The excitement and nervousness had already been set and everyone was ready to go. So, to get a call at 4:00 a.m. that same morning from the airlines stating that their flight would be delayed an entire day was extremely disappointing to the girls who were so excited to see their dad, his little family, my mom and dad, aunts and uncles, all their cousins, . They were SO disappointed. I didn't even know how to break the news.

So, who swoops in to the rescue? Brian, of course. He announces that we're all going to Holiday Park! Remember the amusement park the girls love and went to with their Youth Center I posted about a few days ago? Yup. He wanted the girls to get their mind off it so he took the day off and we all went to Holiday Park.

Get ready, there are quite a few pictures. You'll see why.

So, Xanthe got a hold of the camera and started taking some cool shots of Spencer and Brian, as well as Xoe and the water fountains. Xoe took some that I posted awhile later. This is where the tons of pictures come in. Check them out. And as always they surprise me with how great their photography skills are without any training yet. (Keep in mind that it looks like Blogger compressed them a lot so some of them appear darker than the original).

I love this set of pictures. She caught some great emotions and moments.

This is Xoe now taking pictures. She does a super amazing job too. Although I deleted a bunch of the water, just like I did with Xanthe's. There are like 75 pictures of the water up in the air.

Spencer LOVED to watch the roller coasters. He kept calling them trains. Which, I guess if you think about it, they're on a track, cars hooked together, so I guess they are.

Brian and the girls went on the big roller coaster so Spencer and I played nearby. We found a place that was central to the roller coaster so he could see it racing by. Check out the video I posted.

This next picture was near where Spencer and I were. I had to take a second look as I was walking by. Anyone guess what I thought I saw. Haha.

They had this amazing car ride that all 3 kids, including the 12 year olds, did NOT want to get off of.

Okay, and those of you who have lived in Germany before, or Europe for that matter, this next set of pictures totally crack me up EVERY TIME I SEE THEM. Cuz this is exactly what happens EVERY TIME we are at a light. Germany is notorious for putting their lights far lower than we have them in the states, and sometimes there is no rhyme or reason to when they are going to change. Sometimes you could be sitting at a light for a very long time, and everyone does EXACTLY what they did. I still crack up scrolling past this sequence. haha.

Xoe waiting at the light for awhile.

Xanthe rolling up next to her. Maybe swap a bit of chit chat.

Still waiting.

Ummmm, what's happening? Why isn't it changing?

I love this traffic circle. This whole car place was spot-on with the signs and one way streets. We have amazing traffic circles which alleviates many 4-way stops. Traffic flows so much better. Wish the states would adopt this.

This next sequence of pictures I am posting mainly for my brothers in the states, even though they'll probably never see it. These characters were so random to me. They probably aren't that random to the Germans, but we had no idea who they were or what they were saying. And even though I posted pictures of many scenes, it was kind of funny that most of the little boat tour was barren and then a random scene. I think it was supposed to be scary, it probably was for Spencer's age, but it was a little silly to us. We started making up our own story. Just take the time to analyze each picture. It's kinda funny. Snow bombs by riding a bike. the evil snowman freezing the boat riders and the dragon saving the day by blowing his hot air on you (via a heater). Pretty funny.

This is what it looked like most of the way.

After we ate a late lunch, we were all kind of tired so we killed some time in this little playhouse for the babies. We ended up making an obstacle course that got us laughing so hard. Well, at least me. i won't post all the videos but these ones give you an idea. Sorry for my giggling in the background.

All in all, it was a very fun day! Thank you Brian for cheering us all up by surprising us with this. You rock!