Christmas Lights

There have been a lot of things that I would have liked to do with Kiersten and Tanner this Christmas, but decided that they were still a little too young. One of these years we're going to ride the Polar Express, and I think next year I'm going to let them decorate cookies (I'm sure they would have loved that this year, but I just wasn't ready for the mess! Next year, though . . . !) But, one thing they have both really enjoyed are the Christmas lights. Every time either one sees lights anywhere they squeal, and then usually the other joins in as well!

So we started the Christmas season by going to see the lights at the Mesa Temple with Nate's family who was here for Thanksgiving. Everyone loved it. It's not Temple Square in Salt Lake, but it is quite impressive, and it's a whole lot warmer!
(Tanner didn't care who held him that evening, as long as they cuddled him and kept him warm, so Grandma Larsen and Aunt Kathryn fought over him!)

A Tucson holiday tradition we hear about every year, but hadn't actually tried yet, is going to see the lights at Winterhaven, a community in Tucson. Their light displays are amazing - it's as though each house is trying to be bigger and better than the next. I'm really glad we don't live there, because the pressure to compete must be pretty strong!) We figured that this was something the kids would appreciate and enjoy, so we bundled up (ok, so it wasn't snowing and frigid cold like we're used to braving in Utah, but it still was cold, especially for our Tucsonian children . . . and their mom!).


(Kiersten dressed herself that night. We suggested they wear their warm "snuggle" footed pj's, and we told her she needed a hat to keep her head warm. This wasn't quite what we had in mind, but she was adament that this is what she was wearing. )

One house not only had their lights timed to music, but also had water jets synchronized. Here's a short video - but they seemed to be encountering technical difficulties as we got there, because everything went black and quiet, and stayed that way!




The kids loved it, as did Nate and I, and even though we only made it through a fraction of the houses, we felt it well worth the drive. (Tanner could have stayed longer, it was Kiersten who was done first, and very vocal about it!) We've decided to make it one of our family traditions every year - to go check out another part of the lights at Winterhaven.

Relief Society Christmas Dinner

Since I made reference to my "decorating monster" and blamed it on my Relief Society calling, I thought I would share a few pictures from our Christmas dinner. Our president is amazing when it comes to decorating, and Kiersten has learned quite a lot from her! :) The cultural hall was beautiful that night.(Yes, that is a Christmas Tree hanging upside down from the center of the ceiling.)

(The serving table.)

(One of many tables the sisters ate at. This was the first time we didn't have enough seats and had to hastily set up another table after the dinner started.)

Mommy's Little Terror

I am constantly amazed at the differences between Tanner and Kiersten. I know some people will say it's the difference between boys and girls, and while that may be some of it, I am firmly convinced that a big chunk of it is the personality they come with! Tanner is a much more creative problem solver, takes a lot more initiative to gets what he wants, and is much more independent than Kiersten ever was.

Two days ago I left him alone for two minutes while I went to the bathroom and when I came out I discovered that he'd brought a small play chair in to the kitchen from one of the other rooms, pushed it up to the counter, pulled the phone charger off the counter (in case you don't know, he LOVES plugs) and let himself into the garage and found an extension cord Nate has in the garage (it is usually up where Tanner can't reach it, but since we had the ping pong table out over Thanksgiving, it was sitting on the ground) and plugged the phone charger into the extension cord. And I was only gone 2 minutes!

Later that afternoon when I had gone into the other room for less than a minute to put laundry away I come out and find that Tanner has pushed a kitchen chair over to the counter and has climbed up on to the counter and is standing on the counter playing in the box of pens, scissors and keys that I keep out of the reach of little hands. When I come out he proudly shows me a set of keys he's found in the box, and gets mad at me for picking him up off the counter!

And then yesterday morning I had a pan of cornbread sitting on the stove waiting for me to make the main dish for our Relief Society dinner which is tonight. Here is the sight that greeted me:

Tanner pulled a chair over to the stove and was helping himself to cornbread.

Maybe I ought to start by getting rid of all the chairs in my house. You don't think anyone would mind always having to sit on the floor, do you? It may not solve all my problems, but it might slow Tanner down some!

Oh well, it's a good thing we think he's pretty cute, especially when he smiles at us or who knows what would happen!

Safe From Little Hands

On Sunday Kiersten was "helping" me set up my Nativity set, which just makes me cringe. Last year when she "helped" me she broke Joseph's staff off because she thought it should come off like the shepherd's does. But, I get in trouble if I try to do any sort of decorating without her help because she loves to decorate everything and anything! (I'm raising a decorating monster, in case you didn't know, and I blame it all on my Relief Society calling!) Anyway, she asked where we were going to put it, and I told her on top of the entertainment center so "it would be safe from little hands." She jumped right on that, and immediately wanted me to help her find a place to put her special nativities so that they would be "safe from little hands." When I suggested putting them on the piano, she told me no, because Tanner can climb up and reach on the piano. If she put it on the piano, she explained to me, it wouldn't be safe from little hands. And ever since then, she'll find something she thinks Tanner shouldn't touch, and she'll tell me that we need to keep it safe from little hands."

While Tanner's are 2 of the 4 little hands I want to keep my Nativity set safe from, it makes me laugh that she never even considered that hers might also be little hands I need to watch out for!

Picking Pumpkins

Our clubhouse had pumpkins for the kids to choose. Since Kiersten had chosen "her pumpkin" the day before on our fieldtrip to a farm with a pumpkin patch, I told her that the pumpkin we chose this time would be Tanners. Since it was going to be Tanner's, Kiersten was very insistent that we choose a smaller one than she chose the day before! And since we'd walked to the clubhouse with the kids in a stroller, I was only willing to cart home one pumpkin.

She was pretty funny that morning - she wanted to pose on all the different pumpkins. Tanner, on the other hand, didn't want his picture taken at all, and was only happy when we left him alone to do his own thing.

A Brave Girl

We've been taking Kiersten to the dentist with us since she was about 1 year old. When she was 2 she let the hygenist look at her teeth (from the safety of mom's arms, of course), when she was 2 1/2, she sat in the chair and got as far as letting the hygienist put the "necklace" around her (the napkin on a chain) neck before she was done. At 3 she let the hygienist take some x-rays of her front teeth (she'd done a face plant on the tile not too long before that!) with no "necklace!" At 3 1/2 she let the hygienist polish 4 teeth before she was done. And finally a few weeks ago she let the hygienist scrape the plaque off all of her teeth, but no polishing, while sitting on mom's lap in the dentist's chair. We were so proud of her and how brave she was.

Of course, it helped that we'd gone to the store that morning and she'd spent (what felt like) hours going up and down the isles trying to choose the perfect "reward" (not a bribe, a reward!) for being brave at the dentist's office. She finally settled on a Snow White doll with several dresses and shoes to change. When she got scared and was ready to be done, we talked about how we would have to take the Snow White doll back to the store, but if she could just be brave for a few minutes more she's be able to open the doll and play with it on the way home. Thankfully it worked, and a very patient, wonderful hygienist managed to clean all Kiersten's teeth. Thanks, Ms. Valerie!

(Oh, and just in case you're wondering, Kiersten added the headband after I'd done her hair and hairbows!)

Father's Day . . . in September

For Father's Day one of the things we gave Nate was a family camping trip. Now, those of you who know me, know that camping is pretty far down on my list of 101 favorite things to do. It's not that I hate camping, it's just that there are so many other things I would rather do, that we never make it far enough down the list to go camping!

However, Nate really enjoys it, and hasn't gotten to do much since he was released as the Young Men's president a couple of years ago, so I figured it was about time to brave it! Thankfully the kids really enjoy camping, even if they don't sleep all that well! Unfortunately with how busy we've been we had to settle for an over night trip in Madera Canyon (and no, we didn't see any illegals and yes we felt perfectly safe.) in September.

Kiersten felt like a pretty big girl because we put Tanner to bed and she got to stay up and watch Dad build a campfire (for roasting s'mores). And, while we waited for the campfire to get just right (I learned you don't roast marshmallows over the flames but rather over the red hot coals that come after the fire has been going a while. Who knew?) she got to play a card game with Mom and Dad by lantern.

As soon as Tanner woke up the next morning, he went straight for his shoes - he was ready to start exploring again!

The view from our tent!

Kiersten and Tanner enjoying Dad's yummy breakfast of blueberry pancakes, eggs, sausage and hot chocolate. Why is it ok to eat like that when you're camping? I'd never make that much at home on a regular Saturday!

After we cleaned up camp we decided to hike a little bit before heading back home. However, things weren't looking good for our hike when we had to stop for our first break after hiking from the car to the trail head! To keep Kiersten entertained and willing to go on (she wanted to stop about every 50 feet!), we stopped at each and every sign posted along the way and had her read the letters and try to sound out the words. She didn't get too many of the words, especially when there are abbreviations, but she did a fantastic job with the letters.

After completing this "rigerous" 1/3 mile we decided we had had all the fun we could handle. The trail was supposed to get quite a bit steeper from this point on, and Kiersten just didn't think she could make it any farther, she was just so tired (oh the drama!). So we turned around and headed home.

It was fun, and VERY nice to spend some time as a family before Nate started back to school! Kiersten is already trying to plan our next trip, so I doubt I'll make it another 5 years before I go again!