A Little of This and That in December

December was busy but laid-back, loud but quiet, festive but routine, energetic but contemplative. We filled it up with lots of simple things that brought us joy. I was so grateful for all of the time we got to spend together. These are my favorite people. The month was a mix of . . . 

Building . . . the Home Alone Lego house. Aaron got so many big Lego sets when he was in the hospital that our basement has become something of a Lego museum. I told him not to expect any more big sets because 1) we don't have room for more and 2) it is not an economical activity since he can do a set that has thousands of pieces (and costs hundreds of dollars) in just a few hours. But just because I said we weren't getting any new sets didn't mean he wasn't still regularly checking the Lego website for new releases. And what did he find? In November, Lego was going to release a 4000-piece replica of the Home Alone house, which would feature tons of little details from the movie. I had to admit, the photos on the website made it look really cool. And then Aaron informed me that it was divided up into 24 bags, effectively making it a giant advent calendar. I didn't reveal my true feelings to Aaron, but I was sold: yes, it was big and expensive, but the fact that it would be guaranteed to take 24 days (instead of less than 24 hours) was a huge selling point for me. So on the very day it was released, I bought it. But I didn't tell Aaron, and he continued to badger, plead, and cajole me throughout the rest of November. December 1st rolled around, and I presented the kids with a Harry Potter advent calendar, and I'm pretty sure I dashed all of Aaron's hopes at that point because he was certain that was his consolation prize. But then that evening as we finished up all of our advent activities for the first day, Mike said, "We have one more advent countdown. Follow me." When he pulled that big Home Alone set out of the box, I have never seen Aaron more excited. He gripped the box, and everyone jumped around; he hugged me and told me thank you over and over. It was so fun. But that was only the beginning. Aaron, Max, and Bradley rotated through the bags during the weeks leading up to Christmas. It was the first thing they did when they got home from school or got up on the weekends. Because they only did one bag per day, we got to fully appreciate every fun little detail in each new addition. Slowly the house came together until it was finished in all its glory on Christmas Eve. It might sound a little silly, but it was one of the major highlights of December. I'm so glad I just decided to go for it even though it seemed rather extravagant and unnecessary (I was especially glad I hadn't waited when I found out that it quickly sold out and then doubled in price). And on New Year's Day, the boys actually disassembled it section by section and put it back into 24 bags so that they can do it again next year, so they're maximizing the fun from it even more. 

Bumping . . . shoulders with thousands of people at the German Christmas market. Mike, Aaron, and I went to the Christkindlmarkt on an early Friday afternoon. I thought we would beat the crowds, but I was so wrong. Mike and I have been going to this market for years, and we have never seen it like it was this year. Normally, we leisurely stroll down the path, popping into booths that interest us. But everything was so crowded, I didn't even look at any items and consequently didn't buy anything either. We did squeeze in to get some food (waffles and stroopwafels) and then walked far away from everyone to eat it. I think too many people have heard about the market, so this might be our last year trying to go. It was a disappointment. (Don't be deceived by the lack of other people in these photos.)

Earning . . . Peeps. I'm not talking about the gross marshmallow Easter candy. A couple of months ago, Ian was at the toy store and saw a little white chick. As you might remember, he already has a yellow one (Peck) that he earned when he gave up his binky. I have mentioned Peck (as well as Waddles) many times on the blog because they have been Ian's near-constant companions. Anyway, he saw this other chick that looked like a brother to Peck, and he wanted it so much. I told him he could have it if he finished all of his reading lessons from the book How to Teach Your Child to Read in 100 Easy Lessons. He talked about this chick all of the time as he finished up the last ten lessons and even picked out a name for him (Peeps). He was thrilled to finish off the last lesson and finally get a new little friend (who, admittedly, has kind of given Peck and Waddles the boot). For my part, I'm more thrilled about the reading progress than the new stuffed animal, but to each his own. 

Babysitting . . . for the first time. Maxwell has been babysitting his younger brothers for quite awhile, and he really wanted to hire himself out to other people. One of my friends gave him his first chance and let him watch three of her kids for a couple of hours. He took this job very seriously, and at the end of it, he said, "I have a new respect for parents. I'm exhausted!" He loved earning his own money and feeling like he had a real job. (So if anyone is local and wants a babysitter, Max is available!)

Winning . . . Reflections in the music category. Clark entered an original musical composition in the Reflections Arts competition this year. The theme was "I Will Change the World By . . . " and his song was meant to show the way he and another person came together to form a friendship. His composition won at his elementary school, so then it went onto the council level where it also won. He got to go to an awards night where they played a portion of his piece and he received a little plaque. This was quite thrilling for Clark. He hasn't ever won anything like this before, and he was all about the recognition and award. (And, spoiler, we just found out that he won at the region level as well!) 

Receiving . . . a dumping of snow. At the beginning of the month, we got a few inches of snow. It was our first real snowfall of the season that amounted to any accumulation. Then, just a few days later, more snow came. It started in the late evening, and by the time I went to bed, everything was white outside and our bedroom was bright with that magical snow light. It didn't stop overnight, and by the next morning, we had over a foot on the ground. This led to . . . 

Moving . . . school to virtual for the day. Our district decided to switch to a virtual learning day because the roads were impossible to navigate until the snowplows could deal with them. I was a big fan of this option and hope they continue to utilize it this winter as needed. The boys spent several hours in the snow--shoveling, digging out snow caves, and building a sledding run. Then they came inside to warm up, drink hot chocolate, and do their schoolwork. The snow stuck around for awhile, and they took advantage of it by going sledding a couple of times. I have a volatile relationship with snow, but I quite like it in December. It definitely added to the Christmasy ambiance. (Too bad it had all melted by Christmas Day, and we didn't get any more snow until the day after Christmas.)

Attending . . . a Christmas band performance. Aaron and Max had their band concert at school. The program was full of fun Christmas music. Max played his saxophone with the foundations band, and Aaron played his trombone with both the concert and jazz bands. This was the first time we brought Ian to a band concert. As I expected, he was a bit wiggly but eventually settled down and actually fell asleep. I was so grateful that he went to sleep . . . until he started coughing up a storm. It has been very typical for him this winter to cough a lot at night but then be fine during the day. But no one sitting around us knew that, and I was pretty embarrassed to have brought a coughing child to a public event. My parents also came to support the boys, and it was fun to have them there.

Skipping . . . a Christmas band performance. In contrast, we actually ended up not going to Bradley's very first band concert. He started learning the trumpet at the beginning of the school year. His first concert conflicted with the swim team Christmas party. Normally I would say that a performance gets preference over a party, but I've been to elementary school band concerts before, and they're a certain form of torture, so I wasn't exactly anticipating it with much excitement. So when Bradley expressed a lot of disappointment over missing the party, I told him the choice was up to him: concert or party. He chose the party. Maybe I should have encouraged him to be committed to band, but there will be many more opportunities, and I'm actually really glad that he's enjoying swimming so much (and I'm happy to give the elementary band a few more months to practice before I have to listen to them). 

Wondering . . . why my kids can't seem to remember that it's winter. I am continually baffled and amazed at the attire (or lack thereof) they think is appropriate for this time of year. One example: Mike and I were walking Ian home from preschool, and Clark saw us coming. He ran to meet us in shorts, a T-shirt, and no socks or shoes. And yes, there was snow on the ground. (I had to document it because it was so unbelievable.)

Trying . . . to track down a missing package. I'm sure we're not the only ones who had a package disappear this month. I ordered a stroller for the new baby and got a notification that it had been delivered, but I couldn't find any evidence of it. At first, I thought it must have been stolen, especially since it had been signed for by a person named Kevin and it had come at a time when Mike and I were gone. But after doing some investigating and sending multiple messages, it seemed more likely that the FedEx driver had gotten behind on his deliveries and prematurely marked it as delivered (that, or he delivered it to the wrong house). Either way, it showed up a few days later. Crisis averted.

Going . . . to not one, not two, but three church Christmas functions. Apparently, our ward has some long-standing Christmas traditions (something we were not fully aware of last year when many activities were still virtual). They do an adult-only dinner, a youth choir program (and fundraiser), and a family breakfast (and service project). At first, I thought it was a bit overkill, especially during such a busy month, but I have to admit that I thoroughly enjoyed each event. I loved being able to talk to other adults in our neighborhood during the dinner; I marveled that all of the teenagers in our ward participated in the choir (Aaron played a piano solo at this event as well); and I was grateful for the opportunity to donate much needed items to people in our community at the breakfast. All in all, these events just really helped me feel the spirit of the season in a variety of ways, and I appreciated the efforts of so many to make them happen. 

Sending . . . ugly Christmas cards. Instead of ugly Christmas sweaters, we did ugly Christmas cards. Not really on purpose, but we hadn't had real family photos taken this year, and I wasn't about to go to the trouble of it at eight months pregnant. So we decided we better just use our family photo from Halloween. And as long as we were wearing costumes, we went all in and totally played up the theme of Emperor's New Groove . . . from the design to the font to the little blurb on the back. As I addressed all of the cards and sent them out, I laughed when I thought of our card sticking out like an eyesore amid all of the beautifully curated Christmas-themed cards. Also, I realized that probably a third of the people we were sending them to wouldn't even understand all of the movie references or costumes, and so not only would it be ugly but also terribly confusing. Regardless of all of these things, it was still fun (and this was maybe our all-time favorite Halloween theme so it need to be immortalized somehow).

Sledding . . . in Neff's canyon. Mike had a bunch of days off over the holidays. He took advantage of all that downtime to take the big boys and a couple of their friends up Neff's canyon to go sledding. They hiked up quite a distance and then had the thrill of a good, long run all the way down. 

Playing . . . the piano at my parents' musical Christmas party. This is always a highlight of the season for my kids. They love taking their turn playing a piano piece along with their aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents (it's totally just for fun--not a performance for other people). They like playing the traditional games of pass-the-present and charades afterwards. And they love the treats. 

Performing . . . for an assisted living center. My sister-in-law scheduled a time for her kids to perform Christmas songs on the piano for residents of a local assisted living center. She invited my kids to perform as well. It was so much fun. The audience of seniors was very engaged and appreciative. Each of the kids played two songs, and I ended up performing too (a duet with Aaron and a solo). My kids were a little nervous to go, but it ended up being a very positive experience for them. We only had one mishap when the digital piano randomly turned off in the middle of Addie's performance of, "I'll Be Home for Christmas," but other than that it was a seamless program. 

Making . . . Christmas ornaments. The boys made macrame stars this year. They ended up being slightly more involved and complicated than I thought they would be, so I had Ian make a simple Christmas tree instead (which was still a bit too hard for him). They were the perfect addition to our rustic Christmas tree, but I failed to get a picture of them. On Christmas Day, I settled down with my knitting (as has become a tradition) and made a new Christmas ornament. It was a Scandinavian Santa Claus this time. Even though I only knit one new ornament each year, at this point, I'm getting quite the little collection of ornaments, and they bring me a lot of joy. 

Sleeping . . . under the Christmas tree. Every year I think my kids are not going to want to do this, and every year I'm wrong. This time, Mike and I were actually gone for the evening, and when we got home, we found that they'd found all of the sleeping bags and set up everything on their own. 

Acting . . . out the nativity with cousins and participating in a service project. We had a Christmas party with Mike's family, and as part of that, we assembled weekend food kits for a local school district. The younger nieces and nephews also reenacted the nativity. Mike's mom and one of his sisters painted a cool backdrop, which really upped the effect. Bradley was a sheep (his costume consisted of a white piece of fabric thrown over him), Clark was a wiseman, and Ian was a shepherd. Seeing these cute little kids act out this beloved account was just really beautiful.

Watching . . . Disney's Encanto on Christmas Eve. It has become a tradition for us to go see a movie on the afternoon of Christmas Eve to help pass the time. We were planning to see Encanto in the theater, but when we realized it came out on Disney+ that same day, we decided to switch venues to Mike's sister's newly remodeled basement. Best. Decision. Ever. It was so cozy and comfortable with a great new TV and sound system. Also, we absolutely loved the movie. My kids have been listening to the soundtrack nonstop ever since and have at least three of the songs memorized. (After the movie, we stayed and had dinner with them; Mike cooked prime rib, which ended up taking longer than he expected, so we didn't get the kids to bed very early on Christmas Eve.) 

Dubbing . . . this the year of "Functional Christmas." Because we had Aaron's Make-a-Wish in August (which was basically like five Christmases), I told the kids to try to ask for useful items and things that they actually needed rather than more toys and games. Because of this, they ended up with such things as camping chairs, a music stand, bathrobes, a swim parka, dressers (which they all helped assemble), pillows, bedspreads, clothes, and a Gabb phone and watch. Of course, there were a few fun things thrown into the mix, but amazingly and thankfully, no Legos (we are at capacity here). 

Having . . . a nice, slow Christmas Day. It was actually so lovely. No snow, unfortunately, and the big snow from the week before had all pretty much melted, but we were still cozy (and Mike, Clark, Ian, and I actually went on a walk later in the day because the weather was so nice). All of the presents had been opened by mid-morning, and after that, everyone just played new games, read books, ate treats, and lounged around. In the afternoon, we watched a movie (The Man Who Saved Christmas), and we finished off the day with a simple shepherd's meal. Such a nice way to spend Christmas.

Sending . . . off 2021. We had our friends over for the evening, and we counted down the hours by eating, playing games, chatting, reading Dave Barry's annual recap, watching movies, coloring, and playing. At about 11:30, Ian said he was just going to "take a little rest" in his bed, and of course he was completely out within five minutes. But the rest of us made it all the way to midnight. We threw confetti, made a lot of noise outside, and watched some fireworks before heading to bed. Although 2021 was not my favorite year, it was a great way to finish it off.

And that wraps up not just this month but also this year. I have a lot of things I've been thinking about in regards to 2021 as well as thoughts and goals for 2022. Hopefully I'll have a chance to write about them soon. 

By the Month: A Photo Documentary of Mt. Olympus

I never wrote anything about my 2021 goals. I actually had decided on a focus (Be Still), and I had a bunch of goal contenders that I was giving careful thought to. I even had a few goals that I had already finalized and started to implement and work on. But before I could get a definitive plan in place, Aaron's bone marrow crashed, and all of my ambitions seemed rather trivial, and I honestly didn't have the mental bandwidth to even think about them

But I had one fun idea at the beginning of the year, and rather amazingly, I stuck with it throughout the entire twelve months. I chose a location (two, actually), and I took a photo from this same spot during each month in 2021. The idea was to just be more observant of my surroundings and appreciate the subtle changes that happen throughout the seasons.

The first location was just a little private path that I often walk or drive past. My favorite photo is actually the one from March. It doesn't look like much, but I can actually feel the season changing from winter to spring when I look at it. The ground is giving off that awakening scent and the buds on the trees are swelling and the sunshine is tinged with warmth, and everything feels like it's right on the cusp. 

The second location was my beloved Mt. Olympus. I chose a spot that had a clear view of the mountain, unobstructed by houses or buildings. The interesting thing about these photos is that they are only representative of one day out of an entire month, and I have found that the mountain looks very different depending on the day as well as the time. For something that stands so still, it is surprising how many looks it has. It is a living testimony to me of the craftsmanship and creativity of God. The saddest photo in this roundup is August. I waited all month to try to get a clear photo of the mountain, but it was covered in smoke from fires for most of the time.

I'd highly recommend this little exercise to anyone who wants to give greater attention to the transformative beauty of the things right in front of you. I know I picked up on lots of little details I never would have noticed otherwise, and it was amazing how gratitude naturally followed. I love where I live.

A Little of This and That in November

November was surprisingly warm and free of snow. It felt like we really got to enjoy a full-length fall this year instead of two weeks between summer and winter. This month was a good mix of normal days and out-of-the-ordinary activities. We spent our time . . . 

Finishing . . . off another Great British Bakeoff season. As has become the tradition, we watched the finale with our friends and enjoyed trying some of the bakes from the episodes. We are actually an entire season behind due to slowing way down with our watching while Aaron was recovering from his transplant.

Watching . . . the boys in the Primary program. All of them memorized their parts, and I was especially happy when Ian confidently approached the mic and said his part without prompting because that never happened when we tried to practice at home. Max got to be one of the narrators who spoke before each class got up to say their parts. He took this role very seriously and practiced quite a bit of his own volition. Afterwards, he got a lot of comments from people saying he should be a news anchor or on the radio. (He probably owes all of the credit to his fifth grade teacher from last year who was very good about coaching the kids to speak slowly and clearly.) 

Going . . . to the park. We had such a warm November that Ian and I met up with another mom and her son almost every week for a little park date. Ian is sometimes shy around other kids, but this other little boy has become a great friend of his. They just seem to get each other and spend the entire time playing in the sand with trucks or scampering up the slides or pushing each other on the merry go round. (The added benefit to this is that his mom and I get lots of uninterrupted time to chat!) Hopefully we'll have some nice days this winter so we can continue to get outside and play. 

Going . . . on a field trip with Bradley's class. They went to a production of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang at Hale Center Theater. These are the best kinds of field trips to go on because you only have to keep track of your group of kids on the way in and on the way out, and the rest of the time, they're just in their seats enjoying the show (and I thoroughly enjoyed it, too!). 

Holding . . . my annual piano recital. I hadn't done one since our virtual recital in the spring of 2020. It was so nice to be able to have it in-person this time. I have thirteen students right now (that number includes my kids, except Ian), and all of them performed. It is really rewarding to work on and perfect and memorize pieces in order to make them performance ready, and it is also such a pleasant relief when it's all over and you can move onto other things (in this case, Christmas music!). 

Coming . . . this close to being diagnosed with gestational diabetes. At the same time Aaron was being told he no longer had diabetes, I was flirting with my own diagnosis. At 28 weeks, I had the 1-hour glucose test. It came back high (194, for those interested). I was absolutely positive I had gestational diabetes and immediately went on a low-carb diet (this was the weekend of Halloween, so no candy for me). My midwife said to come in a few days later for the 3-hour test, but this seemed like it was merely a formality since I had read online that anything over 190 was an automatic diabetes diagnosis. But I did the three-hour test anyway. As I drove home from it, I started getting a hot flash (very typical for me during this pregnancy). I was also feeling very hungry at this point. By the time I got home, I was feeling pretty sick and breaking out in a cold sweat. I felt like my blood sugar was low, so I did a quick finger poke to check it. It was only 45. At that point, I started eating as quickly as I could. When the official results came back from the test, my fasting glucose was normal (86), the first hour was high (184), the second hour was normal (136), and the third hour was low (46). So they said I didn't have gestational diabetes after all. However, I've been continuing to monitor my glucose, and it seems like I have a hard time coming back down quickly. So I've been trying to move after I eat and also avoid candy (which was way easier in November than it has been in December).

Getting . . . their first (and second) Covid vaccines. Maxwell, Bradley, and Clark were finally eligible for the Covid vaccine, and we didn't waste any time getting the jab. They were mostly excited about it. Max always gets a little nervous about needles, but he was able to talk himself down and hold still for it, and the other two didn't have any problems. I feel extremely grateful for this added protection for our family and only wish Ian was old enough to get it too.

Wishing . . . for chickens or a dog or rabbits or a parakeet or a bearded dragon. My kids beg for a pet all of the time. Every time we visit cousins or friends that have any sort of animal, they talk about getting their own. Sometimes, I wish I could be that kind of mom for them--the type that would welcome the opportunity to add any number of furry (or scaly) animals to the family. But I'm not. It is something of a miracle that I ever even said yes to a cat (and I kind of regret it every day). I always remind them that when they are adults, they can have any pet they choose (and at that point, they might realize how much work having a pet is and decide not to). In the meantime, they'll have to get their animal fill from other sources (and much thanks to everyone who is always so generous with sharing their pets with them!). 

Seeing . . . a physical therapist. True to my usual pattern in pregnancy, my hips began hurting right around 26 weeks. I decided to make an appointment with a physical therapist to see if there was anything that could be done to lessen the discomfort. This was my first time seeing a physical therapist. The one I chose to go to has a private practice and creates a very meditative environment. After the hour-long session, my hips felt better than they had in weeks. Unfortunately, in spite of my diligent efforts in doing the exercises she recommended every day, the relief hasn't lasted. The pain is worst in the middle of the night after I've been in a stationary position for a long time. 

Cutting . . . off his curls. Aaron's hair came back in super curly. After his first transplant, it was wavy, but this time, it was definitely curly. Unfortunately, he is not really a fan of curly hair and was anxious to cut it in the hopes that it would go back to its normal texture. We'll see. So far, it's still not straight but less curly than it was. 

Gagging . . . at the dentist. Ian loves the dentist. He looks forward to going every six months. He loves watching a show on the ceiling and getting a new toothbrush and using his little tokens at the end to get a couple of prizes. So I didn't feel the slightest trepidation about what was to come on his most recent visit (and neither did he). He'd been counting down the days until his appointment, and he cheerfully hopped up into the chair when it was his turn. The hygienist asked him if he wanted "birthday cake" or "cookie dough" toothpaste, and he chose "birthday cake." He opened up his mouth wide and was already laughing away at an episode of Loony Toones when the hygienist inserted the tool. And then, without warning, it happened. Ian gagged and vomited all over himself. The hygienist and I scrambled but were too late. Ian looked just as surprised as us. I cleaned him up as well as I could, and then the hygienist asked if she should try again. Ian was game (and actually quite cheerful about the whole thing), so he laid back down and opened his mouth again. The hygienist started with his front teeth, but as soon as she moved to the back, it happened again. More vomit, although this time I was at least on high alert. After that, we called it quits. Unfortunately, Aaron was having his teeth cleaned at the same time, so Ian (without a shirt) and I had to hang out in the waiting room until he was done. The happy ending to this story is that we rescheduled for a few days later (I made Mike take him this time), he went with mint toothpaste (in case the birthday cake flavor was the trigger last time), and he didn't have any trouble. 

Swimming . . . at a swim meet. Ever since Bradley's foot healed, he has been very dedicated to swim team. He had a swim meet early in the month and improved all of his times. I love individual sports where they mostly just compete against themselves. It's really motivating to him to see his hard work paying off. 

Creating . . . a baby names bracket. Trying to figure out what this baby's name should be has been hard. Nothing is standing out as the perfect name for him, and our kids are all very opinionated with their own ideas. I actually love that this has become somewhat of a family affair as we hash out ideas and debate the merits or drawbacks of each name. Aaron desperately wants to name the baby after a favorite character from a Brandon Sanderson book (Kalidan). Clark loves it when I add one of his suggestions to The List. After feeling like we were getting nowhere, Mike created a bracket, which each person filled out individually. There were 32 names on the bracket, and I was very discouraged by the end when Mike and I did not have any crossover in names in our final four. A couple of days later, Mike created another bracket. This one only included the top 16 from the previous bracket. This time we discussed and voted on each pair of names before moving on. This was much more helpful as we tried out each name with the middle name (which we've decided on), our last name, and the other boys' names. By the end of that bracket, I felt really good about the eight names that came out on top. So even though we haven't made any actual decisions yet, I think we're getting there.

Having . . . another quiet Thanksgiving at home. For the third year in a row, we chose to keep Thanksgiving small--in terms of people, but not in terms of food. Everyone in the family was involved in the preparation, and the kitchen was a continual busy hive of activity. Because we had so much food but not very many people to consume it all, we decided to break it up into four courses: appetizers, salads, main, and pies. This made it so that we were able to try everything, but we avoided that overstuffed/overfull feeling that often comes with Thanksgiving (except for Max, who wasn't able to show much self-control when the mashed potatoes came around). This also meant that we spent most of the day in the kitchen since it was a lot of cleaning up and preparing for the next course in between eating. My very favorite part of the day might have been between the salads and main course when Ian, Clark, Bradley, and I went over to the school parking lot to ride bikes/scooters and enjoy the gorgeous sunshine. We finished off the day by enjoying our last course (pies) with our good friends who live across the street and watching A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving with them. 

Taking . . . a million Covid tests. That might be a slight exaggeration, but ever since the start of school, our kids have come down with an array of illnesses (even though their schools actually mask pretty well). This especially applies to Ian who is like a toddler all over again and seems to have a perpetual stuffy nose or cough. Every time they get something new, we take them to get a Covid test since, for Aaron's sake, we really would like to know as soon as possible if we're dealing with Covid. So far, we've managed to avoid it (I really don't know how since it seems like they're catching everything else). Ian has probably had the most tests out of all of the kids, but luckily, he actually seems to like them.

Cutting . . . down a Christmas tree. We tried something new this year. We got a permit and went into the mountains to find our own Christmas tree. Even though we live right by some mountains, there are only certain areas that offer permits for Christmas trees, so we actually had to drive a couple of hours to the designated spot. Mike was careful to read all of the rules ahead of time so he knew the approved places for tree cutting, what size/type of tree we were allowed to take, and what we needed to do to legally take it out of the forest. He also made sure he had the correct tools and gear to successfully chop down a tree. He was the real MVP of the day for sure. There wasn't any snow in the canyon we went to . . . but there also weren't a lot of small pine trees, at least not in close range. These are mountain forests, not flat forests, and all of the good trees tended to be at the tops of ridges (at least in the area we were in). Mike and the older boys scrabbled up to the top a few times, lured by a tantalizing tree, but they always returned empty-handed, mostly because the terrain was tricky enough to navigate without a tree, and they didn't know how to safely manage the descent with a tree in tow. Eventually, we settled on a tree we'd found early on in our search. We'd passed on it at first because it was a bit scraggly, but after all of the other attempts, we decided it was the best one. And we ended up falling in love with all of its imperfections (and affectionately naming it Willoughby after one of our favorite Christmas books, Mr. Willoughby's Christmas Tree).  There is definitely a feeling of pride and accomplishment that comes with searching and finding just the right Christmas tree. I think we're all pretty attached to it. 

Decorating . . . the tree. We only put up about half of our ornaments because our little Willoughby was smaller and less robust than our artificial tree. Many of our ornaments are just filler ornaments anyway, so I didn't mind. Ian was so tired from the Christmas tree excursion earlier in the day that he fell asleep before it was time to decorate, but he got in on the action with some of the other decorations. 

Resuming . . . a favorite tradition. Mike's family goes to a performance of Messiah every year--usually at Abravanel Hall with the Utah Symphony, but not always. We've had to miss the last two years due to Aaron's health and Covid, but it happened again this year. Sadly, it wasn't a sing-in and we definitely missed the energy that comes from uniting our voices with hundreds of other people in this beautiful music, but it still worked its magic on us and made us feel the Christmas spirit. 

Putting . . . up the Christmas lights. Last year, Aaron helped with this task. This year, Bradley did it. My kids will take any excuse to get up on the roof. 

The year is flying by. As much as I'm looking forward to saying goodbye to 2021, it has been filled with a lot of good, and I'm glad to have a record of it here. 

The End of an Era: Harry Potter #7

I read aloud the first Harry Potter book to Aaron and Maxwell when they were seven and five, respectively. 

It was always my plan to read one HP book every fall until we were finished with the series. And amazingly, we stuck with that plan. My kids never read ahead, even as their friends methodically spoiled every single plot point over the years. 

It has been something we've looked forward to with great anticipation at the beginning of every school year. Harry's adventures have been as distinct a part of the season for us as pumpkins and crunchy leaves.

If you've done the math, you know where this is going, right? One book a year, starting in 2015, meant that we were up to #7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, this fall. Aaron and Maxwell are now 13 and 11, respectively. When we cracked the cover and read the opening line ("The two men appeared out of nowhere, a few yards apart in the narrow, moonlit lane"), it felt momentous--the beginning of the end.

To be honest, this seventh book was bittersweet, right from the start. I felt myself holding onto this sweet, fun tradition with my kids. We were excited to finally see how the series ended (especially me, since I had somehow managed to avoid most spoilers) but also so sad to know there wouldn't be any more books after this. 

Also, I know this won't be news to anyone, but this last book was intense. It was a continuous stream of battle followed by near-death (or death) followed by confrontation-with-Voldemort followed by battle, etc. What would have been the climax in any of the other books was just getting things going in this one. It felt a little relentless and exhausting, especially with so many favorite characters dying. My kids already knew about most of the deaths before they happened, but I didn't, and they took an emotional toll on me. 

And yet, despite it not being at all carefree or pleasant, this book was absolutely masterful. I was amazed with the way everything came together: pieces from past books suddenly returned with a purpose that was unseen before. Additionally, the complexity of the characters--their many layers and mistakes and triumphs--left us questioning our previous loyalties: Dumbledore so beloved but also selfish; Snape so despised but also loyal. 

As Harry himself grappled with combining what he thought he knew with unpleasant revelations, I found the following scene rather profound: Hermione said, "'But you know how much truth there was in everything Rita wrote about you! . . . How can you let these people tarnish your memories of Dumbledore?' [Harry] looked away, trying not to betray the resentment he felt. There it was again: Choose what to believe." I feel like this is the type of decision we all face at some point (sometimes over and over again): How are we going to move forward with the evidence we have about someone? Will we let the good in them overshadow the bad or vice versa? Will we give them the opportunity to become a better version of themselves? Or will we do all we can to keep them trapped in a self-made box of mistakes? As Kingsley later said, "Every human life is worth the same, and worth saving." 

We finished the seventh over Thanksgiving break. After reading a combined total of 4100 pages over the course of seven years on beautiful late-summer evenings on the front porch and chilly fall evenings around the fire, we finally read the words, "The scar had not pained Harry for nineteen years. All was well." It felt good. It felt satisfying. It felt right. But it also felt so, so sad. It is hard to see a good series come to an end, especially one that literally accompanied the coming of age of my kids. These books encompassed a significant part of their childhoods, and they will always remember them.

But as this annual tradition comes to a close, you might be wondering, "What about your other kids?" 

I'm kind of wondering the same thing.

You see, when I came up with this idea of reading one HP book every fall, it seemed so perfect. I wrote about all of my reasons for reading them aloud and spacing them out in this post from 2016. Everything in that post worked perfectly for Aaron and Max. From start to finish, the experience was dreamy and magical and just so fun. 

But you want to know who got the short end of the stick? Bradley.

This is how the Harry Potter series went for him:

2015 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone): He was barely four years old and not interested in listening to a long book. 

2016 (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets): He had a longer attention span and joined in the listening with his brothers.

2017 (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban): He thoroughly enjoyed listening to the book.

2018 (Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone): He was barely seven years old; I thought he was too young for the dark themes in #4; Mike started the series over with Bradley and Clark.

2019 (Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets): Mike read aloud to Bradley and Clark while I read #5 to Aaron and Max (side note: biggest slog of the series for us).

2020 (Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban/Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire): Mike attempted to read #3 to Bradley and Clark; Clark got bored and complained about it every time they tried to read; Bradley got frustrated that they couldn't even make it through a book he'd already heard before; I compromised by letting him listen to the audio version of #4 on his own.

2021 (Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix/Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince/Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows): It was a bumper HP year for Bradley as I realized that things hadn't worked out for him. I let him listen to the audio versions of #5 and #6 so he would be caught up and be able to read #7 with Aaron, Max, and me.

Although the series ended on a high note for him, and it was so fun to have him back with us for the last book, I feel like his experience with the series was much different from the other two. And I feel really sad about that. For Aaron and Max, it was this seamless, predictable, comforting experience. For Bradley, it was a disjointed jumble. 

Looking back, I don't know what I should have done differently. All I know is that my "perfect plan" wasn't very perfect for him. Having a bigger family makes some traditions harder to navigate when you're trying to cater to different ages and needs. 

But looking forward, I'm making plans for what to do now. I can't imagine next fall without some Harry Potter in it. And I think Clark might finally be more on board with it and probably Ian, too. So I might just start over with the series, reading specifically to those two but knowing that Aaron, Max, and Bradley will most likely be pulled into the story again if they are home in the evenings. It might be even more of a family experience than it was the first time through, which might make it even better.

But I think I might let Jim Dale read #5 for me because I just don't know if I can do that one again.