Kids are so random

Last night during dinner Kenley looks down at her shirt, sniffs, and announces, "I smell... perfect!"

Hampton Family Christmas - eating dirt, a Snow White Virgin Mary, and other adventures

The riveting details of our holiday? You know you want to know...

From earlier in the week...So the box of gift from the in-law Hamptons contained these silver pots with dirt pods and seeds so you can grow your own spruce tree. Parker REALLY wanted to play with Kenley's and was actually throwing a ginormous tantrum about it for some reason, but of course I couldn't find his. After a 20 minute search, I found it on top of my computer armoire, handed it to him, and said, "Here! Geez!" or something similarly loving. And he grabs the dirt pod out of the bucket and takes a huge BITE out of it! I guess he thought it was a cookie the whole time. Oh man, the expression on his face was awesome. I mean, sad, but seriously awesome.

Christmas Eve morning we had Santa and Christmas with our own little family so that it wouldn't be too rushed on Christmas. All went well. Kenley decided that what her little heart desired was Princess Dress-ups. A fabulous coincidence since that's what Santa had already gotten for her. So the kids loved their gifts. They're easy to please. Then James headed off to work and we went to San Diego to spend the day with my family.

We have been searching for a new Christmas Eve tradition for the past few years. We used to go to a fancy party but it either got cancelled or we were uninvited, so we've been left tradition-less. This year we were lucky enough to have Kathleen Muir and my cousin Calvin with us, so even though we were missing James, we had enough of a crowd to feel compelled to do something. My mom decided we were going to do a talent show (?) and have my two young children act out the Nativity story. The talents were wonderful. Kenley's talents? She "sang" Away in a Manger, and danced with Parker. But she announced that her real talent was going to be to lay out all her new Princess Dress-Ups in matching outfits and change into a new one for each talent. Which she did. So before anyone did a talent, we had to wait for a three year old to go put on a shirt, skirt, bracelet, headpiece, and clip-on earrings. All by herself in the downstairs bathroom. I'm afraid it held up the proceedings a little, but she was quite proud of her "talents." I was quite impressed that she could put on the clip-on earrings by herself. Here she is with her clothes all laid out.


Then it was time for the ill-planned Nativity. You know how some families have props and costumes and a reverent spiritual experience? That's not really how we roll. We had no baby Jesus, so had to debate which would be the least sacriligious substitute: my mom's old dog Bailey, her angel bear tree-topper, or Meow the mangy stuffed cat. We finally decided none of them really compared to the fact that the Virgin Mary was being acted out by a three-year-old in a belly-baring Snow White costume, so we went ahead with the bear tree-topper wrapped a towel. I look forward to continuing the tradition and this was definitely a memorable first year. I tried to upload the video but it didn't work, and wasn't actually all that riveting so I didn't make much of an effort. But here's Mary like you've never seen her before:


Then Christmas morning we were off to celebrate with Dad and Joanie, who were so sweet to get us tickets to go see Wicked. We can't wait! It was a really fun and relaxing day, although Kenley threw up all day and four times that night. Good times. And we haven't even celebrated with my mom and Kirk yet, so stay tuned for more awesomeness.

I love these guys:

A few of our latest little stories

Oh, my little Kenley. She is so sweet and funny. She says things every day that just make me so happy. She has such a tender little heart. Yesterday Parker hit her on the head with a plastic golf club and she was crying her little eyes out. I put him in a time-out in his room and then had him come in to say sorry to Kenley. She kisses him and says, "It's okay, buddy." Then she looks up at me with these red, tear-stained eyes and says, "I know he not mean to Mommy." Awww... Then also yesterday Parker inadvertently hurt me as well, and she's patting my back and saying, "It's okay. You're alright Mommy. He not mean to. He not mean to."

Then today we had one of our funniest Kenley moments ever. There are still a few words she really mispronounces, and "poodle" is one of them. She thinks it's called a "toodle." So I let her wear a poodle barrette today just so I could hear her say "toodle" all day, and when she was telling my mom about her toodle barrette, I told her, "Hey Kenley, did you know that Bailey (my mom's dog) is part poodle? His mommy was a poodle." And her head jerks around to my mom, totally confused, and she goes, "Gwandma? You was a toodle?!" After I stopped laughing I had to explain to her that Grandma Kerry isn't Bailey's real mom, that he has a dog mom out there somewhere, who, incidentally is/was a poodle. Or toodle.

Kenley always gets embarrassed when I tell stories about her, so tonight when she overheard me telling my friend Jaime this story, she had to quickly think of something to upstage it, so she shouted from the backseat, "No! Tell her the bad story about the Animal Park!" So at her request, I'll tell you all as well.

Saturday night we met some friends at the Wild Animal Park to see the Festival of Lights. I was really debating because it was FREEZING, but decided to go. So I gather coats, mittens, and hats (don't laugh, it was seriously cold), load the kids in the car, drive an hour to the Wild Animal Park, set up our double jogger, load the kids and winter gear into the stroller, stand in line to shell out $100 for our new passes, finally meet up with our friends (an hour late), where we proceed to first go down to this area where they have these little turtle shells for the kids to play in and on. And then Parker proceeds to fall into the nasty, stinky, cold duck pond, and I have to fish him out. Within our first ten minutes at the Park. Possibly our first five. Yes, he went totally under. Yes, I had a freezing, stinky boy. No, I did not leave the Park. Did you even read all I went through to get there? I changed him into a different jacket on top, then stole a jacket from the Lost and Found (with the Park's permission), stuffed his legs through the arm holes, and tightened it with my hair tie to make him an awesome pair of "pants." And then I told him that he'd dang well better smile and enjoy the night. And you know what? I don't think either of them even liked the Festival of Lights all that much. I love being a mom.

She's home!

Okay, I'm done with my blogging hiatus. My sis is back, we had an exciting night welcoming her home. She told us later that she almost missed her flight to San Diego; she had a really short layover and RAN from one end of the airport to the other and got there just as the door was closing. We're so glad she made it. I think I would have hyperventilated if I had had to wait any longer to see her. Not to mention it would have messed up our dinner plans. :)

We had a great crowd down at the airport - immediate family, some close friends, and the added bonus of having some additional family in from out of town. Then we met at Scott's apartment for a big dinner from California Pizza Kitchen, where we all got to visit and chat a little bit more.

To answer the most common questions:
*What is she planning on doing now? Getting married to a guy she met on the plane! Just kidding. She's just riding it out through the holidays, spending time with family and friends, and then she'll figure out her life. No rush.
*Did Parker and Kenley remember her? Well, Parker was a mere 6 weeks old when she left, so no. Kenley.... I don't know. Andrea has just always been a part of our lives, through pictures and stories. I don't know whether or not she remembers life when Annie was here, but she definitely knew who she was, and remembers going to see her in Nauvoo.
*Is she adjusting okay? Mostly. She is very much her normal self, other than the fact that she keeps proclaiming how cute her bedspread is at Mom's house, and it's this total country bumpkin print that is so not her style, I think she's confused. But other than that, her personality hasn't changed a bit. She is still just going about her life figuring out how she can cram the most into each day, hanging out with the most people, and being the most productive she can be.

Ready for picture overload? Here you go:

Still doing missionary work as she exits the plane:


Apparently amazed that we all came to meet her:


Parker was not too sure of how to respond to all the madness:

I am Thankful

For this:

For some reason, my thoughts lately keep turning to the group of girls I grew up with and how thankful I am for their friendship. We moved to San Diego in 1987 and quickly became friends with the Muirs, Drakes, Fishers, and Humberstones. Along the way we added a few more families and friends, and in the years that passed, we spent countless hours together. As we got older, the line between my group of friends and Andrea's was blurred as some of us went to college together, got married, and had babies. How lucky we are to still share our ties with these same families.

The morning of Thanksgiving we ran a 5K with the Drakes, and Tara mentioned to me that she thinks that Kenley looks a lot like Andrea at that age. It's really just amazing to me that I now have a child the same age that Andrea was when we moved here. I remember when Jana was born, and now she's in college. Later that day we had Thanksgiving dinner at the Muir home, and as Erin and I laid on the floor together, watching our collective five children play together, I was just so happy to have this, to have these girls. For some reason I thought when I went to college I might lose these friendships, or when I got married, or when I had kids, but here we all still are.

We've all been through trials in our 20 years of friendship, but these girls have supported and sustained me and my family through so much. We have so many wonderful memories together. I love that they know me in the context of my whole family and basically my entire life, that they know where I came from and what has made me who I am. I love that they can pinpoint facial expressions that my kids make, and it's not just me who notices that it looks like a face that Scott or Annie made when they were a kid.

In honor of so many good memories with these girls, I'll share one of my favorites. I was sleeping over at Erin's house, and Alan Sabin was having a sleepover with Devan. Erin and Devan's bedrooms shared a wall, and late that night we had the idea to listen in on their conversation, doubtlessly expecting to hear something like, "Hey, do you like so-and-so?" "Yeah, she's hot." Instead, we heard.... silence.... silence... silence.... and then Alan asking, "Do you ever sleep with your socks on?" So much for the profound conversations of teenage boys. It still makes me laugh.

I love all you girls. You are the best.

Oh, and tomorrow? My sister comes home! We will keep everyone posted on the many parties and get-togethers that I'm sure are forthcoming!

This awesome class I'm taking....

So last night after her bath, Kenley was insistent that we all attend "Robe Class." What is Robe Class? I'm still not sure. It involved all three of us sitting in chairs, with robes over our clothes, staring at each other, with Kenley periodically saying, "Sooooo...." She also wanted all her stuffed animals out there in chairs as well, for more class participation I guess, although I lovingly nixed that idea. Soooooo, anyone else out there ever been to Robe Class?

Great bargain!

Well most of you got this e-mail I sent to like 50 billion people, but I will toss it up here even for my blog-stalkers. Current catalog (www.currentcatalog.com) is having a big clearance sale on their crafts for kids. They're marked down to $2, $3, and $4, but that is for a pack of 12, so super good deal! And also, almost all the clearance stuff was showing up in my cart for $1.79, regardless of its original clearance price.

I will say I read this on a Bargain message board, so participate at your own risk, but I think it's legit. Some of the girls on there were having a hard time getting their order to go through so they called them in to Current and it worked fine.

Soooo... knock yourselves out! Then come back and post what you bought! I believe I have about 250 crafts coming my way (unfortunately not kidding), and I paid less than $20. These would be great for preschools, daycare, playgroup, or even donating to a shelter or something, which I may have to do with some of mine unless my children want to be doing the same crafts every year for the next 10 years. :)

Oops, I almost forgot the best part! Use VIP in the coupon portion for an additional 25% off. Then use UE8 in the promo portion for free shipping.


I know you want to see what I bought!
Item # NAME QTY GIFT PRICE SUBTOTAL

089289 Dress-the-Turkey Magnetic P... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089345 Design-It-Yourself Puzzles 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089741 Photo-Frame Ornament
Craft... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089655 Scarecrow Clothespin Magnet... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089264 Witch Paper Plate
Craft Kits 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089306 Wooden Scarecrow
Craft Kits 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089742 Reindeer Ornament Craft Kits 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089547 Elf Ornament Craft Kits
Se... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089649 Halloween Lantern Craft Kit... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089537 Holiday Lantern Craft Kits
... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089706 Beaded Ornament Craft Kits 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089648 Halloween Sticker
Scene Act... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089848 Fall Weaving Placemat Kits 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089775 Leaf Ornament Craft Kits 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089040 Beach Party Sticker Scene A... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089329 Count-Your-Blessings
Trees... 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089546 Santa Door Hanger Craft Kits 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089338 My Biography 1 No $1.69 $1.69
089300 Design-It-Yourself
Kids
... 1 No $1.79 $1.79
089344 Design-It-Yourself Totes 1 No $1.79 $1.79
089343 Fabric Paint Pens 1 No $1.79 $1.79
089576 Scarecrow Pants Treat Holders 1 No $2.79 $2.79
089495 Give Thanks Word Art 1 No $5.19 $5.19
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Discounts
|You saved 25% off your order, $18.69
Thank you for your order - you $6.27
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Totals
Subtotal = $18.81
Shipping Total = $0.00
Tax Total = $0.00
Order Total = $18.81

A conversation with Kenley

Me: "We just can't have treats every night?"
Kenley: "But why?"
Me: "Because they have lots of sugar. And fat."
Kenley: "CAT?"
Me: "Uh, no. Fat."
Kenley: "Oooooh, fat! I know all bout dat! Iss when all your buttons dest squirt off your shirt!"
Me: "Um, yeah, kind of. I guess. Where did you learn about that?"
Kenley: "From a cartoon."

And today I totally saw the cartoon she was talking about, in a Thanksgiving ad on Noggin! It made me laugh.

1 giant box of Gobstoppers + 2 unwatched episodes of Grey's Anatomy = perfect working-husband night

Olivia

Some things about being a mother to a little girl were easy to anticipate, others not so much. I have loved the book "Olivia" for years, since way before I had Kenley. I envisioned myself curled up with my little girl, reading it together and laughing at Olivia's silly antics. It took a while, Kenley has had no interest in it until now, but it's her current favorite, and she chooses it every single night. We do laugh together at the funny parts, and she mouths all the words along with me, her eyes shining.

What I didn't anticipate was having a daughter who is so absolutely horrified by any sort of naughty behavior, that when it gets to the part where Olivia recreates a Jackson Pollock painting on her wall, Kenley is so traumatized by Olivia's naughtiness and consequent time-out that she has to go sit in her chair and stare at the wall - her back ramrod-straight, breathing shallowly, until she hears the words, "Then it's time for a nice bath...." And then she comes scurrying back to my lap.

I try so hard not to laugh, because it really embarrasses her, but oh my goodness. I wish I could capture it on film for you all. I'll try - it's that funny.

Today is the day we find out what day is the day

FINALLY! Seriously! My mom finally called the mission office in Nauvoo to find out when my sister is coming home. Andrea apparently doesn't particularly care, because we just kept getting these vague, "I'm not sure. Sometime in the beginning of December. So my investigators...." Not going to cut it. So you wanna know? December 2nd! Woo hoo!

I had this dream about my sister where after we picked her up at the airport, after all the chaos had passed, I just sat down on the curb and started crying because it was finally all over. And that's how I feel right now, like I just want to sit down on the floor and cry because I am so happy that we are reaching the end. Hundreds of days I've wanted to call her, thousands of things I wanted to tell her, and millions of moments I've wanted to share with her, and she is finally coming home.

One thing I've learned about myself is that I don't fare well when my support system is shaken. I think I probably seem independent, but in reality I cannot function without a shoulder to cry on and a listening ear. I am lucky enough to have a huge support system with wonderful friends and the best family ever, but I need my sister for things to be complete.

Soooo.... three more weeks! Hooray!

Happy Election Day!

As you may or may not have noticed, I prefer to keep my blog personal about our family and don't generally discuss politics. But I did have to hop on and say how happy I am tonight. Prop. 8 is looking great, and my eyes kept welling up with tears watching the election results come in tonight. To me tonight was historic, hopeful, and a beautiful statement from our country. Watching both McCain and Obama give their speeches was really emotional to me - I've been sort of a grump about this election and how pompous and untrustworthy I feel both these guys are, but I'll admit, they both had me tonight. I really could feel the love that they have for their country and it made me feel optimistic for the first time in a while. Both of them gave me goosebumps. I know that some are nervous, but tonight let's all start praying for our new President and for all of us, that four years from now the country will be better off than it is today.

And now imagine an inspirational picture of a flag, because my computer is being crabby and won't let me put one up.

Happy Halloween!

Side note: I've been on a posting blitz today so make sure you scroll all the way down for lots of good times!

Anyway, we have a fun tradition of having my dad and Joanie join us for Halloween. Scott came up also this year, and we had a fun night together. Kenley proclaimed, "DIS is a fun night!" and even said "Trick or Treat" at each house (I was doubting - she's pretty shy). Parker also got into the spirit of it all, running up the houses and pounding on the doors, and even signing Thank You. Unfortunately, James had to work. Boo.



This is Kenley and our sweet little neighbor boy she loves. Isn't he just the cutest?

Carving the pumpkin!

We had a great time carving "Pumpy" the pumpkin together. We tried to be noble and include Parker, but he only lasted about 10 minutes before he was carted off to bed.

There was actually a cuter picture than this one, but I kind of like Parker on the brink of destruction in the background:


Parker hanging with us, not even aware that we are carving a pumpkin. I totally just typed "pimpkin" at first. Heh.




Kenley cleaning it out, yet she wouldn't pose with it afterward, telling James in the third picture that it was "too slimy!"




Random picture of Kenley that is so not cute that it cracks me up each time:


And finally, posing with the finished product.

Disneyland again

I just decided to stop posting so many Disney pictures, but I had to squeeze a few more in here. We had been gearing Kenley up for months for going on some "scary" rides while Connor was here, warning her that endless rides on Winnie the Pooh and gazing at the princesses was not going to cut it. So she was so super brave - she LOVED the Haunted Mansion ride all set up like Nighmare Before Christmas. In fact, she announced that her favorites of the day were "Jack Skellington ride and Winnie the Pooh ride" because you know, you can't get more polar opposite than that. She also went on the little roller coaster in Toon Town, and she was sooooo exhilarated and terrified at the same time. I love this picture of her and James in front of the roller coaster:

Okay, can I just say that I LOVE our Joovy stroller? It is so small that if you have one kid in it, you don't feel lame, but we can fit three if we need to. Also, they can just hop on and off at places like Disneyland. It's so great. So the three cousins spent much of the day all snuggled together on the stroller like this:

And then just miscellaneous cuteness and Kenley exhausted on the walk back to the car. Well, I guess that's not really exhausted as much as it is actually asleep.

Trunk or Treat!

I feel like every blog is the same in the month of October, like we are all just living various incarnations of the exact same life. :(

For Halloween this year, Kenley was a witch (or a "ballerina witch" according to her) and Parker was a train engineer. We went to Trunk or Treat with my mom's ward so that James could go, and so my mom and Kirk could see the kids all dressed in their costumes. Of course both kids LOVED getting so much candy! We were lucky to have James' sister Holly, and her husband Mike and son Connor visit us this past week. Connor is the scary skeleton in these pictures.

Pumpkin Patchy

Here are our obligatory pumpkin patch pictures. They had a cute corn maze, racing pigs, and tractors and trains the kids could climb on.

Kenley's rocking a side ponytail in these pictures, which she absolutely insisted upon when I was doing her hair. Parker was also in a crabby little mood (he missed the memo that the trip would be more fun if he SLEPT in his crib for his nap instead of babbled for an hour and a half before falling asleep for 20 minutes). Anyway, we went with our Playgroup, so the extra friends in these pictures are from our ward here in Murrieta.




I just liked this picture. It's sort of....artsy, or something. It's actually kind of a weird one of me, but I like it anyway.



Parker and his buddy checking out some pumpkins.



Kenley and her friend Samantha in the corn maze.



The kids watching the racing pigs. They took their cheering quite seriously.