Christmas

Christmas was good for us this year.  It started with Christmas Eve.  Ryan had to work and didn't get home until 8:30.  I went to a party with Vidalia in the middle of the day.  I was feeling glad to have somewhere to go because it already feels lame knowing it is a Saturday when Ryan is at work (what can I say, I'm brainwashed), but knowing it was Christmas Eve made it feel extra lame.  Eventually Ryan got home.  We spoke briefly to my family and then drove around and looked at lights and talked about how we felt lonely not being with family at Christmastime.

Part way through looking at lights, I climbed in the back of the car to try and help Vidalia see them.  Everytime she saw the lights she would point and say, "Da!"  She's a cutie.  After our little driving, we got over our lonely feelings and decided to have a good time anyway.

Then on Christmas morning, I made Christmas Quiche, we got ready for church and then showed Vidalia her stocking, which she was afraid to touch, at first.  We don't have any pictures of that.  I plugged the camera in on Christmas Eve before we went to bed, then when I went to use it, it said the batteries were exhausted.  Weird.  We pulled out the computer and got them charged, but we didn't actually catch too many pictures.  Once Vidalia figured out that she could touch the stocking and pull things out of it, she was super excited to see what was in there.

After the stocking, we started opening presents.  We didn't know if we'd be able to open them all before church, but we tried really hard, opened all but two, and were late to choir practice (yet still on time for church).  She was really cute opening presents.  She got a little stuffed duck from her cousin Aly.  When she was opening it and saw inside of it, she got really really excited, pulled it out as fast as she could and then promptly bit it on the beak.  I'm guessing she loved it so much she kissed it.

After Church we hung out at the building for a little while and talked to some friends that were also unable to go home for Christmas and another friend whose husband passed away a few days before Christmas.  They had been married less than a year.  I can't imagine what she's even going through now.

Then we went and picked up a single friend who had nowhere to go for Christmas and took him to Brother and Sister Smith's house for a potluck dinner.  (They are the ones Ryan lived with when he first moved out here.)

After we left their house, we met some other friends at an Assisted Living Center for caroling.  It was a lot of fun.  When we got home, we were able to talk with Grammy, Papa, and the Parks for just a little bit.  Vidalia had a couple presents left, so they watched her open them.  Then we talked briefly to my family.  It was a merry Christmas around here.  That's for sure.

Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhqlPNFdXls&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RT21-DDn8BY&feature=youtu.be

Ward Christmas Party

Our ward Christmas party was a lot of fun.  We had a dinner, the primary kids and young women each sang a couple songs and then Santa came to visit.  Vidalia was not particularly excited, but we made her meet Santa anyway...and I think made her is a very appropriate way to put it.  We did force her.  I think her personal objectives were different from ours.  She did pretty well though.

Sitting with her friend, Keen, waiting to meet Santa.

Almost V Baby’s turn.  (The little girl in line behind her is her friend Ava who is just 1 month older than her.)

Trying to figure out what Santa is showing her.

Who is this Santa guy and what do I think of him?

Looking to Daddy for reassurance.

Not feeling so reassured.  Getting nervous and scared.

Maybe next year Santa.

Playing with James

A couple weeks ago, Vidalia’s friend James came over to play while his Dad took a final.  Vidalia really likes James and James likes her too.  He was trying to teach her about soccer and playing different games.  She didn’t really get it and he got a little frustrated, but apparently he loved playing with her so much that he asked his parents if he could come over here everyday for the entire next week.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy2CuywfnFY&feature=youtu.be

This baby is cute...

and likes to be held by her Mama.

Tricks

Links: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spFPmEFihx8&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BRZuqBi0Z4U&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PMQvx8bJWs&feature=youtu.be

Thanksgiving

I think I already told you about our Thanksgiving (and even had pictures), but those pictures were from my phone and I just uploaded the good ones (well, better ones).  So, with few words, here are some pictures.

Sleeping

Sometimes this baby comes up with some very awkward sleeping positions.  Take this one for example.

What makes Christmas special?

About two months ago at church during Relief Society the Relief Society President mentioned briefly that there were some families in our ward who wouldn't be able to have Christmas and that if anybody wanted to help in anyway to let either her or the bishop know.  I took that to mean that if we thought we could provide a present or two for a child or two that that meant we were good candidates.  And then...I completely forgot about it.  Awesome of me, isn't it?

Eventually I remembered and we (along with some other families) were assigned to a family with four little kids that none of us knew.  We gathered all of the stuff together and today Vidalia, another Mom, and I took it to them.

We had originally intended to leave it for them and have it be anonymous, but none of us knew them and we didn't know when they'd be home or if there were animals or what.  On top of that, the address that we had for them was in the middle of nowhere.  (It ends up the time from any point in Nebraska to the middle of nowhere is no greater than 15 minutes, usually less.)  Of course, we got lost, so that didn't help.  

Eventually we found the address, and some chickens, and a house.  We knocked on the door and we asked them if they were who they indeed were.  We told them that we had something to drop off and then brought all the stuff to the porch.  I could tell by the way the mother looked at us that she was so grateful and a little shocked that anyone would think of them.  About that time, the three year-old walked out onto the porch.  She looked at what we were doing and then said, "Mommy mommy!  Look!  Presents!!!"  She was delighted.  The mother called her husband around to the front porch.  He apparently was in the back using what they had to make presents so that their kids could have something for Christmas.  We only had a few minutes to talk to them, but they were such nice people (and luckily in my ward, so I'm sure I'll get to associate with them again).  Before we left, I had mentioned something about presents that were missing (they had been moved) and told them I'd bring them over later tonight.

On our way back the other Mom told me she had put the "missing" presents in a bag, so they actually had made it there.  When I got home, I called the family and told them that the presents had actually made it and not to expect us tonight.  It ends up they were disappointed we wouldn't be coming tonight.  I told them we'd definitely come another time (if Ryan didn't have home teaching, I might have said we could still come).  Before I hung up, they told me how shocked they were and that they were so grateful.  I look forward to getting to know them better.  Who knows, they might end up being really good friends.

So, today I learned that anonymous is not synonymous to the best way to always do things.  I learned (for the billionth time) that you can serve others by doing very little (in your eyes) and it looks very big in others eyes.  I learned how gracious humility looks.  The gratitude you could see in their faces for what we did was a perfect reflection of humility.  I saw a family who lives a Christ-like life and I found myself wanting my family to be like their family.  I learned (another billionth timer) that Heavenly Father watches over all his children.  The giver and the receiver.  And I learned that the only reason we even participated is because it sounded like a good idea and that perhaps there are much much better reasons.  And my brain has gone crazy thinking of tons of ways we can teach ourselves to give needed service to people for the best reasons all year long and not just at Christmas.  

That being said, it's not really what I am currently pondering on.  I titled this post 'What makes Christmas special?'.  And I have answers too.  I only want to mention two.

Christmas is special because it's a time when people are given an extra opportunity to stop thinking so much about themselves and stop thinking so much about just their family and think about other people, much in the same way Christ thought of all of us through his entire life.  He did so much for everyone.

Christmas is also special because of the great lesson in humility it has to offer.  I've been thinking the last couple hours about how buying a couple presents (our contribution was really not that significant) meant so much to this family.  And it leads me to think of the best gift ever.  The atonement.  And it's given to each of us.  And I know the Savior is humble about his contribution.  He knows the significance and he gives all glory for it to Heavenly Father.  And I think to myself, "Am I grateful for this gift that He has given to me?"  And of course I am.  I really really really am, but do I accept it with a humble heart and use it to its fullest potential?  I'm sure going to try to.

Thanks humble family for going without so that I can receive some of what I lack.  You've probably already done much more for me than I did for you.

Vidalia

Vidalia has been doing more and more cool things all the time, so I thought I would give you an 11 1/2-ish month update.  Well, partial update.

She's been doing some pretty cute tricks for a while now.  It started mostly with clapping her hands and folding her arms, but it seems like suddenly she can learn multiple tricks in a day.  I think one of her biggest accomplishments lately is verbal cues.  And man, this little baby is one very cooperative little baby.  I think it's because she's a people person and likes attention.

This is how it goes (and someday I will upload a video for you with some of these)...

We say, "Vidalia, fold your arms."

Vidalia folds her arms.


We say, "Good job baby."

Vidalia claps her hands.  

(Clapping her hands happens whenever she does what we asked, so I won't repeat it over and over...you're welcome.)

We say, "Can you put your hands above your head?"

Vidalia lifts her hands up above her head (they do now reach above her head a just barely).


We say, "Baby, cough."

Vidalia coughs and sometimes coughs and coughs.  All fake though.


We say, "Say, Hi!"

Vidalia flaps her arm up and down and sometimes says, "Hiyayayayayaya."

We say, "Say, bye bye."

That baby says hi all over again.


We walk in the door.


That baby looks like it's the best day of her life and flaps her hi arm like crazy and giggles like you are the greatest person ever.


Ryan leaves to work.


Vidalia waves at the door.


I try to walk outside with out her.


She waves and starts to panic.  (Don't worry.  I don't leave her unless I'm just grabbing something from the garage, which is literally 5 feet from the door.)

We say, "Baby, give me a kiss?"

That baby bites me on the face.  We don't do this often.  And this baby...yep, a biter.

We pretend something is funny.


Vidalia fake laughs as if she knew what was going on the whole time.  (So funny.)


We say, "Baby, shake your head?"

That head goes crazy.  And with a huge toothy grin too.


We say, "Dance, baby!"

That baby bops up and down doing the baby dance.


We snap our tongue.  She snaps her tongue.


I poke her with my finger and say, "Poke!".  She grabs my finger and pokes herself again...and again and again.


And new as of today, I say, "Baby, can you blow a kiss?"

And that baby kisses her hand and quickly removes it from her mouth.  So cute!


I'm pretty sure y'all need to see this baby.  She's a charmer and has been known to be called pleasant and delightful to have around (and not just by me...or Ryan).

Snow

I'm glad it took it's time, but the snow has indeed come.  No real surprise.  We were at the church when it started and Ryan had to be at work before we were done doing what we needed to, so Vidalia and I trekked home in the snow.

I thought it might be exciting for Vidalia to experience snow for the first time.  To see it and feel it a little.  I unthought that after about 5 seconds outside.  She kept blinking and was really getting a face full (sorry baby).

Vidalia fell asleep in her little blanket head tent and I was glad because I wasn't so sure she was going to enjoy not being able to see anything so much.  The snow wasn't too much by the time we got home and I can't decide how much we have now, but if you are working with whole numbers and units of feet, it's gonna round to 0.  I have a feeling it's going to stick around for a while.  Now the question I have been debating is at bay...to drive or not to drive.