Christmas to New Years to Tonsils...oh my!

I've decided I blog about as well as I kept a diary in high school...which is not good at all. I apologize in advance for the jumbled post. There is no rhyme or reason to the order of the photos...nor is there an end in sight. It might be the single longest post ever.

To start, we have #2's Tonsillectomy and Adenoidectomy which took place on Monday. This is the first surgery for any of our kids and was a little nerve-wrecking for mom, even though I help surgerize patients for a living. #2, on the other hand, was giddy with excitement to have his tonsils "pulled" out. After a sweet father's blessing, the kid and I headed to my place of employment for a little early morning cautery. Here's #2 in his oh-so-embarrassing "I see you" (ICU) gown. He held the backside shut and walked backwards everywhere to guard his little bum.

My stud and I waiting for his turn to go under the knife.
Coloring intently while waiting for the Versed (sleepy medicine) to kick in.
Attention! The Versed has kicked in.
My little trooper in the recovery room. He never cried once, even when coming around out of the anesthesia, which is where most kids get to howling. He's downed 44 popsicles in the last two days and asked when he'd be "recovered" so he can start eating real food again. Today he asked if he could go back to school tomorrow, to which I replied,

"Sure, but you'll have a note saying no recess this week."

To which he replied,

"Never mind then. There's no point."

I'm so proud of this little guy and so grateful that it all went so well!

Now to the next logical synopsis...the bath after the Shelton family Christmas gathering. Duh! Here we have #4, #3, baby Leah and #2 taking aim in Grandma's tub Christmas night. Christmas night we traveled up to Lindon to see my side of the fam. We had an INCREDIBLE dinner prepared by my incapable-of-smiling-brother-in-law. The dude's got a knack in the kitchen, even if he can't flex his lips. Here's a random group shot at Lisa's.
Bro-in-law Chris and my dad in the background, totally enthralled; my sister Lisa in the foreground, equally enthralled...
Another random group shot...
Then, back at the homefront (we'll get to Christmas morning sometime here) Hubby played good dad and helped #4 apply her new "Naiwl Powish", a favorite gift from Aunt Lisa. And yes, she's in a swimsuit just for the heck of it.
Showing off Daddy's artwork. He may have a future in nail design.
And before we ever made it home to paint the nails, we spent an evening in Salt Lake at Temple Square with my parents and brother's family. This is my favorite shot of the kids gazing up at the Christus.
The reason for the season.
Because it was our first trip to Temple Square in several years, it happened to snow that night and hit record low temps. AND only a fraction of the lights were on this year. #1 was not impressed with the evening's chilly activities. Either that or his face just froze into a frown...
Yep...must be a frozen face. Anyway, here they all are with little Leah in front of a miraculously unfrozen fountain.
Our frozen family.
Josh, Kristen, Leah and unnamed baby in womb.
My dad with Leah the red-nosed niece. It was sooo cold!
#1's face thawed but #4's froze in it's place.
Seeing this at Christmas time makes the frost bite worth it.
Mom and Dad Kristen and Leah Beah.
Now on to warmer times. #3 asked for a dinosaur for Christmas. And he got one...but not this one. This is the dinosaur we traded for when #3 woke up Christmas morning and realized Santa brought the WRONG dinosaur. After gazing down from the top of the stairs, he went back to bed crying that he wanted "The one that eats the weaves!". Stupid Santa. As luck would have it, the wrong dinosaur didn't even work (adding to the Christmas morning nostalgia) and we had to return it the next day. We happened to find this "weave" eating dino on clearance at Target for $200 less that it was being sold for the day BEFORE Christmas. Bingo! Happy kid at last.
Last Saturday Josh, Kristen, Leah and our clan headed to Fillmore to soak in the natural hot springs. My kids were so excited to get to go swimming in the middle of a 17 degree day. The water temperature was PERFECT and I couldn't believe how clear it was. You can see my pasty white legs underwater from the street. This was #1 and 2's second time here. Uncle Josh brought them last year, too. Josh is sooo cool. At first #3 and 4 weren't sure it was safe. The dog ate #3's life jacket at the end of the summer so he didn't have the confidence his brothers had. It didn't take long for everyone to "warm" up though. A few of us (by us I mean the people in the group that aren't scared of drowning which doesn't include me) tried diving to the bottom but the pressure on their ears was too much. It's approximately 30 feet to the bottom. By the time we were ready to leave it was getting pretty crowded. Everyone else in the pool was from out of town, just driving through. Who knew a pond in the middle of a field in Fillmore, Utah would be so popular?Group shot Oh yeah...this was going to be about Christmas! Here's the kids in their Sunday best the Sunday before Christmas.

If you look closely, you'll notice #4 says "Cheeeeeese" every time a camera is pointed her direction. Every year we have one set of parents over for Christmas Eve/Christmas morning festivities. This year was Hubby's parent's turn. I love, love, love having the family over for Christmas. We always open Christmas jammies and new ornaments on Christmas Eve.

Here's #4 checking out the goods. She was pretty disappointed that PJ's were the only thing she got her hands on that night.

#3 was quite pleased with his pajamas. Of course, this was before the big Dino Disappointment.

I just thought this was a great shot of me with my eyes closed. Oh, and #2 checking out the goods.

#1 with his ipod-wearing-snowman ornament. Cool.

Grandpa and Grandma admiring their new ornaments.

#4 with her Cinderella ornament...a titch disappointed that it didn't play songs like #1 and 2's.

And now...drum roll please...CHRISTMAS MORNING! It was a wonderful Christmas, and even with the Dino Drama, I think everyone was pleased. #1 got a Loving Family doll house with all the trimmings, a Pet Shop something or another, a Rose Petal Cottage and a puppet theater, along with other odds and ends. She's such a fun age where everything is super exciting, especially the candy in the stockings!

Grandpa in his new jammies, enjoying the excitment of the morning.

Once #3 got over the initial disappointment, he enjoyed everything about the morning...especially his Tag body spray at the bottom of his stocking.

The boys got a Wii and all the widgets, gadgets and games we could afford (including Wii fit for me!) They didn't even ask for it so it was the biggest surprise of the morning. They got Guitar Hero World Tour (the Rockband equivalent), racing games, football games, baseball games, snowboarding games, golf games, etc. It was the first year they didn't want to leave for Grandma's when it was time to go, even knowing there were more presents waiting for them there!

More fun...

and more...

#3 has the cutest smile when he's giddy about things. I love this shot of my boys!

Grandma gave #4 a birthstone ring that fit perfectly on her middle finger!

Grandma also made the boys new quilts for their rooms...one of their favorite gifts. #1 got a Boston Redsox quilt, #2 got a SS Rams quilt and #3 got a Dale Earnhardt Jr. quilt. Here's #1 wrapped up in his.

And #3 showing off his. He's always been a blankie boy!

#1 showing off his new LT jersey. #3 and his new Earnhardt Jr. race car.

#2 was SUPER excited about his Reggie Bush jersey. Both boys got Reggie Bush Fatheads for their rooms, too.

I don't know who likes the Wii more...the hubby or the kids. There have been many a night that I've worked since Christmas where he's stayed up WAY past his bedtime playing Tiger Woods golf. He thinks he's a pretty sweet drummer, too (although looking at his mom's face in the background you might guess otherwise!).

And lastly, we get some more shots from Lisa's house. (I told you there was no rhyme or reason to the order of the pics!)

A tradition that my own grandpa started when I was about my boys' ages was to give us money for Christmas. Last year my parents started the same tradition with my older two. It is truly a highlight of Christmas for them. We took them shopping the day after Christmas and they were able to pick out whatever they wanted. They both bought a pair of new shoes, #1 bought a couple of shirts and a hoodie from Aeropostale and #2 bought an ipod, among other things. And amazingly, they both still have some money leftover, saving up for a rainy day!

#3 and 4 opening up some exciting treasures.

#4 with her prized "Naiwl Powish" kit.

PHEW! If you made it, all I can say is congratulations and maybe you need a new hobby or two. You have a LOT of time on your hands!

Dancin' Shenanigans

Months of dance lessons: Expensive.

Stage fright right before first show: Aggravating.

Puppy dog eyes when Mom tells you to be a big girl and dance: Heartbreaking.

Pretending to be excited for second performance after refusing to go on stage during first performace: Endearing.

Knocking our socks off with the cutest little performance ever: Exhilarating.

Shaking your tail feather with twelve other 3 year olds: Entertaining.

Big smiles with your best friend after a performance of a lifetime: Priceless.

Weekend Getaway and Piano Recital!

Last weekend we had our annual trip to Mesquite with our very favorite people, Mike and Cath. Mike is also a football coach and it has been our tradition to take off once football season ends. The boys sit around the sports book all day watching games and the girls catch as many movies as possible, throwing in a little shopping here and there.
This year the four of us saw "Four Christmases" together and Cath and I spent most of our time laughing at our guys. They cracked up through the whole movie.
Then the two of us hit "Australia" (second time for Cath) and "Twilight" (second time for me). We both THOROUGHLY enjoyed ourselves. I just wish we lived closer so days like these weren't so few and far between!

Last night #2 had his first official piano recital. He was super nervous about it, even though he's already played in front of the entire ward! He said this was much harder because people could actually see him at the recital, whereas during church he was pretty well hidden by the piano.

Here he is, front right, with the rest of Mrs. Peterson's students. He's her youngest and newest.

They each had to say their name and the numbers they'd be playing - this is what he was the most nervous about! He had both of his songs memorized and did fantastic!

We were tickled to have Grandpa and Grandma Shelton come down (through a blizzard) and Josh, Kristen and little Leah. Thanks for supporting him!

The Faith of A Child

I've been meaning to write this down for a week now. It's actually been nagging at me. It's just one of those experiences you learn so much from that you don't want to let go of one single detail.
A week ago, #1 was having a sleepover with his best friend. For whatever reason, he went to look for his secret stash of money and couldn't find it. It was a significant amount of money, especially for an eleven year old, and he'd been saving it for the better part of 2008. He and his friend turned his room upside down looking for it before he came upstairs to tell me about the missing envelope. I questioned him in detail, all the while having the distinct impression to tell him to pray about it. He said he specifically remembered replacing the envelope on Sunday afternoon, right after retrieving some money for his tithing. It was Tuesday evening and he hadn't touched the envelope since. After helping him look in some of the less obvious places, I finally suggested he pray for help. He agreed that he would and then returned to the basement to finish his sleepover.
I, however, panicked. I knew the amount of money was more than I could just replace for him, especially at Christmastime. I worried that the sticky fingers of #3 and #4 might have mysteriously come across the loaded envelope and dispersed the loot among themselves. After #1 and friend retired for the night, I scoured his room, the toy room and all the drawers, closests, nooks and crannies in #2, 3 and 4's bedrooms. I looked EVERYWHERE.
Exhausted, I finally got on my own knees right before bed and essentially begged my Heavenly Father to help my son find his envelope of money. I sheepishly explained to Him that it would be such a faith builder for my child and his young friend, as if He wasn't aware of all the implications entirely. I wrapped up my prayer with the resolve to corner the other kids first thing in the morning and find out where they'd hidden the cash.
#1 and his friend were upstairs playing when the little kids got up and I immediatley started my interrogation. Not five minutes had passed and my sweet son came downstairs and nonchalantly announced he'd found the envelope.
What?
I turned to him and asked where it was. He went on to tell me that after he'd prayed he had the feeling to completely remove the drawer where he'd last seen the money and sure enough, there it was, tucked in the back of the dresser.
Then with a sheepish little smile he added, "Weird, huh?"
I told him he should probably go downstairs and thank his Heavenly Father for the help, which he did without question. Then I returned to my bedroom and did the same.
How silly of me to think the Lord needed my suggestion to teach my child about faith and prayer. Even sillier that I thought the lesson would be just for him.
I am so grateful for the pure faith of my child and a loving and LISTENING Father in Heaven who is very aware of even the most minute concerns in our family. I'm grateful for His insight and His ability to teach me while teaching my child.

McAllister Family Photos

We were lucky enough to have the whole family together a week ago and took advantage of the day by having some long overdue family photos taken.
I'm super happy with the results and thought I'd share.
I have to say, that uploading all of these and seeing the wonderful family we've been blessed with is very humbling. The fact that I'm doing it on Thanksgiving Eve probably intensifies the feeling. I'm so grateful for my amazing husband and all he does for me and our family. There's no one in the world I'd rather spend my life with. I'm grateful for my wonderful in-laws and how much easier (and funnier) they make my life. I'm grateful that we're all (relatively) healthy and fortunate to live where we live, when we live. We're all blessed beyond measure.
And even though these pictures don't include my side of the family, I'm equally thankful for them. I have the greatest parents, brother and sister that anyone could ask for. I feel so blessed to live close to my brother and his family. It's such a treat for me. And being a short drive from the entire family is a blessing most don't enjoy. I hope to never take for granted the miracle that we ended up where we did.
Lastly, I'm grateful for my beautiful, happy, kind children. They take care of each other and bring a happiness into my life that I didn't know existed before they came along.

Grandpa and Grandma McAllister and all the kiddos

Cutest cousins...one of my very favorite pictures of the day.

Hubby's sister and her cute, cute family

Good lookin' grandparents!

Feel free to visit the link for Real Life...Captured to see more of Shannon and Jalee's work.

Weekend Synopsis

Well, the much anticipated Twilight Premier was this last weekend. I took #3 and 4 up to my parents' house in Provo and spent the night with my sister, Lisa. We went to Thanksgiving Point with her friends Kim and Heather where Heather's friend had rented out the entire theater for the 5pm showing. They had door prizes, cookies shaped like apples and drinks and popcorn for everyone.

Here's Lisa and I right before the movie. We both agree that movie theater lighting is NOT very flattering!

Me, Lisa, Kim (and baby #5) and Heather

The much anticipated moment...

A bunch from our group right after the movie. Most of us liked it, agreeing that there were some definite "cheesy" scenes - but hey - we're talking vampires and werewolves here. There's bound to be some cheese. To be honest, I can't wait to see it again!
After the movie, Lisa, Heather, Heather's mom, Kim and I went to Macaroni Grill for dinner.

In the meantime, #1 and 2 spent the day with Hubby up at the U of U for the 3, 4, and 5A State Football games. They hung out with their VERY best friends Payton and Cade and even got to have a sleepover at the Bowrings that night. #1 and Payton have been friends literally since the day Payton was born. #1 was 15 months old and I tended Payt for a few months that first year of his life. They haven't lived in the same town for six years now but you wouldn't know it when they get together. #2 and Cade are honestly just friends by default since we had already moved from Monticello by the time Cade came along but they are just as close as their brothers. They had a great weekend...Thanks Bowrings!!

Saturday morning we got up early, picked up the older kids from their sleepover and booked it home to get #1 to his Jr. Jazz game. After THREE overtimes, our little team was handed their first loss of the season, only going down by ONE POINT! It was intense!

From the game we headed home to finish putting up Christmas and start the lights on the house. I went to get my new tree out of the box only to discover that it was missing a section! UGGHHH! And since it was purchased at Tai Pan 2 hours away, it's not like I could hurry and exchange it. Double UGGHHH! I called Tai Pan, threw a little fit, and came away with a gift card to make it all better. Hubby will have to exchange it for me over Thanksgiving break while I'm at work. He's super excited to do it, too!

We wrapped up the day with a BYU-Utah party with a few friends and family. We tried to be impartial, having red AND blue plates, cups and bowls since my brother Josh is a DIE HARD Y Fan but it didn't help much. The poor guy was terribly outnumbered. Even his wife, who tried to support him, is a U alum (she cheered there for crying out loud!) and secretly wanted the red to prevail. Needless to say, he left quite frustrated and we can't wait to see what bowl game the Utes end up at.

Nerdy dudes, Tuesday 'Tudes and watercolors

My little Picassos have been burning through paper like crazy lately. They are both obsessed with painting, drawing and coloring. Unfortunately, this is the only time in the last week that it's been an activity isolated to paper.

My little arteests have been decorating their doors, walls and headboards with "washable" markers every time I turn around. Which is where my late Tuesday 'Tude comes in.
This week, I am grateful for Magic Erasers since "Washable" markers really aren't so washable once the ink dries.

Bless my little #1's heart, today we had a follow up appointment at the orthodontist. He was hoping for braces (little does he know...) but came away with HEAD GEAR for the next 6 months until all of his molars come in. Luckily, he only has to wear it 12-16 hours a day which means he's off the hook anytime he has to go out in public!

He agreed to let me take this picture after I promised it wouldn't end up on the blog. Mwah-hah-ha.

This last treat is yet another surprise that showed up on the camera when I downloaded the pictures. It's a dandy taken by #4 (aka Ansel Adamsita). In #4's defense, #2 told her to take it so he could show off his post-shower-slicked-back-mafia-hair-do.

It's only fair. If I torture one, I must torture them all.

Sacrament Success

After I opened my big mouth, we were asked to speak as a family for the first time since we've moved into our current ward...nearly three years! While some wards won't allow children younger than 12 to speak, our entire family was included on the soiree. We had nearly a month to prepare and decided that #3 and 4 would do a tag team effort with pictures and a few lines, #2 would play a duet on the piano with me to avoid speaking and #1 would be brave and give a real talk.
Two days before the event, #3 announced he would have nothing to do with any speaking parts, he was only going to hold the pictures and #2 decided that playing the piano in front of the ENTIRE WARD wasn't terrifying enough, he wanted a talk, too.
After a few last minute adjustments, we were able to put together a relatively nice program (in my own humble opinion!). #3 refused to hold the pictures come show time and after #4 said her first line into the microphone and scared the daylights out of herself, she refused to say the rest of her lines. I got to stand there, pictures, quivering children and all and give the first talk of the day.
#2 and #1 gave STELLAR talks (written by yours truly) without even the slightest hint of nerves between the two of them. AND THEN...#2 and I got behind the piano and performed "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief" together. #2 didn't miss a SINGLE note, despite the fact that it was his first ever public performance and only the 4th week that he's actually been playing piano! I, on the other hand was shaking so badly I missed quite a few notes but managed to keep up with my little Mozart. (Might I add that I haven't played the piano in front of people for over a decade??? Yeah, I know.)
We ended the program with me and Hubby, who gave an incredible talk himself. He always impresses me when it comes to these things because it's a side he doesn't show very often. He brought me (and most of the congregation) to tears.
All in all, we survived and hopefully get another 3 years before our next showing!

The four munchins pre-sacrament. #4 is trying quite hard to get #3, who was not in a posing mood, to smile.

And then...almost a smile there...