christmas with most of the trimmings

with maturing children, stover parents realized that christmas 2010 must be done with more frills and fuss than past celebrations.  thus...

 in the spirit of all the trimmings, we spent a lot of time doing family activities. 

(the tallest tree in the nation)

(a hike on Christmas Eve)

in the spirit of all the trimmings, we invested our time in 3 advent calanders.

(day 23- celebrating Jesus' birthday)

in the spirit of all the trimmings, we introduced our kids to classic holiday characters like cindy lou who and mr. kreuger.

(coloring some grinchy pictures)

in the spirit of all the trimmnings, mom spent a delirious amount of time in the kitchen making flavored caramels and drinking hot cocoa.

and in the spirit of all the trimmings, we even bought that one extra present (despite it being exhorbitantly priced pillow pets).

(much ado about a ladybug)

(insistent that he's done with his old pillow)

 at times, stover mother (excuse me, stover parents- because we shared christmas responsibilities exactly half and half!) was exhausted by it all and wondered if stover kids were acting a bit spoiled from all the excitement.  but on christmas eve as santa and mrs. claus did the final wrappings and reviewed the season--- we sensed all the trimmings were worth it! 

and in the morning, we got more confirmation that all the trimmings were worth it!

(the scooter that was hidden in plain view)

(stover girl is sure THIS Aurora's hair and shoes will stay on!)

(this candy cane overshadowed all other christmas gifts)

(stover boy loving his 'red racecar')

a quiet, separated moment

'Maybe the purchasing and the making and the wrapping and the decorating—those delightfully generous and important expressions of our love at Christmas—should be separated, if only slightly, from the more quiet, personal moments when we consider the meaning of the Baby (and His birth) who prompts the giving of such gifts...  I, like you, need to remember the very plain scene, even the poverty, of a night devoid of tinsel or wrapping or goods of this world. Only when we see that single, sacred, unadorned object of our devotion—the Babe of Bethlehem—will we know why “tis the season to be jolly” and why the giving of gifts is so appropriate.'  (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, Maybe Christmas Doesn't Come from a Store, 1977)

(temple lights 12/18/10)

mr. black and blue

stover boy has gone through a rather funny phase lately- all colored pictures are done in ONLY black and blue!

7 yrs and still no itch

our 7th anniversary has me inevitably evaluating the time cute hubby (other adjectives to describe him are: fun, adorable, nurturing, silly, protective, athletic, humble, smart, achieving, patient, and reliable) and i have had together. 

...our whirlwind stover street days and the joy of finding true love in such odd circumstances. 
...our silly golden living days and the chance to really get to know one another. 
...our new little family days when we held on tight through all the relationship changes that life with a baby brings. 
...our growing family days when kids take up the majority of our energy but we delight in the time we have alone at night. 

the review reveals not even the tiniest scratch!
 


(at lake powell 7 yrs after our engagement there)



we have a name...

stover girl has quite decisively designated 'bora' as her top pick for stover baby's name.  sure, it sounds a lot like dora.  yes, it also sounds like the polynesian vacation getaway.  and yep, her 4 year old peer said it sounded a lot like boring.  but (for now).... she is lovingly referred to as baby bora!  

thank you friends of the stover street fam

today, a post dedicated to the friends who have improved our quality of life this week... 

thanks to a friend who picked up my children for 4 hrs today just because she sensed my business.  thanks to a friend who made an otherwise aweful trip to the maternity clothing stores so bearable and fun.  thanks to a friend who threw together a fun kid's christmas party with such seeming ease.  thanks to a friend who is 100% committed to park day chats and even completes roll call.  thanks to a friend who hosted a like-minded group of crafting mommies for an exchange.  thanks to a friend who let my kids interrupt her children's bedtime routine in the name of church service.  thanks to a friend who offered not only to share her top-secret christmas treat recipe but also to demo it for me.

...we are so blessed to have you!     

santa ambivalence

after disagreeing about the right approach to a variety of holiday scenarios, stover mom (who prefers a christ-centered more practical christmas) and stover dad (who sees no harm in a magical day filled with santa, elves, and reindeer) have compromised by offering information about santa claus only as asked.  last christmas, stover girl knew little about jolly old saint nick.  in fact, while traveling in the airport on christmas morning, a lady asked her if santa brought lots of toys and presents.  stover girl giggled at her and said 'no, santa just brings candy canes.' (what she'd surmised after having sat on his lap and being given a candycane.)  since then, stover girl has become quite street savvy about santa.  she knows all the basics about santa and has now moved on to trying to figure out those peculiar reindeer and any family relationships he has.  this year, she was more than ready to give him an earful of christmas wishes and even colored a picture for him- hoping that 'doing something nice for santa will mean he'll be nice' in return.

stover boy on the other hand has heard the whisperings of a big sis and was more than prepared to tell santa his deepest desires for a red racecar.  he stood in line literally jumping for joy ready to meet him.  but, as is true of most toddlers (no discrimination between those with varying levels of santa awareness), the pressure was too much and he began screaming. 

  

... looks like mom may have one more year of his undivided attention to learning terms like manger rather than sleigh!

fit for a princess

after saving the dimes she recieves from helping out at home, stover girl asked to go pick out a toy at the 'toy store'.  unfortunately, the toy store that correlates with the meager earnings of a 4 yr old is the dollar store.  stover mom always takes a big breath with a sacriligious prayer in her heart when entering the store- please let the toy function for more than a day; please help me steer her towards a toy that will hold her attention; and most importantly, please find a toy that will reinforce allowance-earning behaviors.  this time...a treasure found in the final moments at the register!  she was filled with glee for the 5 hours it successfully operated!

snips and snails

this little guy just can't get enough of the dirt and requires his special goggles to dig!  (the most use this ski accessory has gotten since mom lived on stover street!)

random musings from a hustle bustle mind

this post is dedicated to the fragmented and hurried feel we all get with the holidays...

stover boy (aka diego) and stover girl (aka alicia) have really figured out how to play well together while mother's been busy.  'diego' and 'alicia' have spent hours hanging acrobatically from the swingset ropes pretending to save endangered animals.  of note: their aliases were quite cute until i overheard stover boy introduce himself as the alias with his real surname attached.

stover girl has a new friend- a next generation friend.  her little friend is the daughter of mom's college friend from 10 yrs ago.  it's so exciting and a bit odd when old lives and friendships reunite under completely different circumstances.

stover mom has been battling stover boy over his automatic use of the phrase "what?" after any comment is directed his way!  it started as such a cute little catchphrase but has now become a bit of an annoyance...

for family time, we've spent a considerable amount of time out driving in search of christmas lights.  both kids yell 'lights out my window' every few feet and they each have their preferences.  stover girl loves anything up on a rooftop and pays particular attention to the color of the lights while stover boy pretends to eat the candy canes and loves santa on a motorcycle (that seems to be so ridiculously popular this year).  it's time together that everyone can enjoy. *last night we went out a bit late after having hyped up the kids on sugar from decorating cookies!

stover mom is wearing more and more maternity pants and stover kids both laugh so hard when they discover her 'funny pants'. (not pictured!)

there's snow place like home for the holidays

 

stover boy now grasps the usefulness of keeping a sweatshirt on ('so i don't be chilly') and stover girl obtained a skin rash after too many hours of playing in the snow.  stover boy went down the snowhill by himself for the first time and stover girl giggled with delight while eating snow for the first time.

other home for the holiday delights:
stover boy loved meeting his two new infant cousins and stover girl loved another matching skirt with cousins.

stover girl played and stover boy slept while the adults enjoyed an incredible scavenger hunt. 

stover girl and stover boy enjoyed a thankful family home evening with their extended family. 

and of coarse, stover girl and stover boy loved their time both with their grandparents and with android.

...one last inevitable home for the holidays treat: stover boy threw up on thanksgiving morning and stover girl complained of a sore throat. 

london and paris- june 2010

this post is random.  this post is from the past.  this post is just because i always want to remember...


silliest attraction: jack the ripper tour

most loved: tower of london

funniest moment: a gargoyle surprise at notredame

unexpected love: the eiffel tower (it really is neat!)

best food: Laduree macroons (especially salted carmel)

best memory: chuckling together in 'the transporter' reminding the driver to stay on the left

 

most ironic moment: loving every minute away but crying each phone call home

...this post only tells some of it.  this post has me longing to go back.  this post makes me grateful for the family i shared this time with.

*and for the family who watched the kiddos!

'uncle green' comes to visit

the kids (and mom) were thrilled to have a very quick and quite unexpected visit from their uncle today... he came just long enough to witness stover girl bearing her primary program testimony all within one very long breath!  he came just long enough to help with one rowdy little boy during our 1:00 sacrament time.  he came just long enough for a stroll around the block.  he came just long enough to share pics among cousins.  and he came just long enough to enjoy a legendary family sloppy jo recipe for lunch.

deja vu

while putting stover girl to bed the other night, i re-arranged her blanket and discovered some stuffed animals hiding underneath.  i glanced at her and she said 'i was going to hide them; i wanted to have more than just my baby with me tonight.'  i immediately chuckled remembering my own bed full of animals all situated neatly in a row.  i remembered my stuffed animals net which held all my treasured friends.  and i thought of my own mother's sympathy to my cause as a child... her many nights of rescuing animals that had drifted from my bed.  with a smile i said 'i used to sleep with about 7 or 8 stuffed animals when i was a girl...go ahead!'

and while we're on the topic... any deja vu moments evoked by this little man's nighttime outfit?

family of four...

...plus a girl makes 5!  (stover fam will be expanding mid april)

speaking her love language

almost daily over the past year, stover girl has endowed stover mom and dad with an onslaught of pictures and crafts that she's lovingly made throughout her day.  often times, mom and dad can set their clocks to the timing of her pictures.  for instance, dad always gets one that she's completed during quiet time to enjoy after a long day of work.  and when mom leaves the home for more than an hour, there is a guaranteed picture at her bedside quietly waiting to be found.  sometimes her artwork surprises us showing up in cute hidden spots like our underwear drawer.  all of her artwork is delightful- particularly the pictures of mommy with outstretched arms and a smile on her face (giving mom the reassurance of knowing that she is mothering well).  and sometimes her artwork is humbling- like the time mom wore an unflattering dress to church and was drawn 5 x larger than usual renderings.  i'll admit that during practical moments, mom thinks 'argh- another piece of paper i have to slyly discard when she's not looking' or 'what a great therapeutic treasure to keep in my clinical box for when and if i wear a therapy hat again'.  however, in my more connected moments, her art brings me to tears and i'm aware that they contain all the forgotten thank yous and outgrown i love yous we still want to hear.

...last night, while stover girl slept, mom and dad decorated her door with some artwork.  we woke to hearing little giggles of hee, hee and enjoyed having her sound out and read the love notes we'd made for her. 

you win some, you lose some

it seems that no matter what lunch or dinner entre is prepared... one of my kids is happy about it and the other is not.  stover girl loves turkey sandwiches, stover boy does not.  stover boy loves chicken nuggets, stover girl does not. etc, etc, etc!  tonight's dinner was no exception; stover girl got her favorite cream cheese chix recipe and she was ecstatic.  (see proof below)

stover boy, on the other hand, was not.  he bowed his head in prayer and said 'Father, don't like it.'  then immediately left the table. 

 *of note: breakfast is an exception at our house- go figure, they can both agree on quite a variety of sugary cereals!

a quick update

stover boy has taken to sleeping on the floor rather than on his bed.  the first incident is believed to have been an accident.  however, the next time, he was on the ground sleeping complete with pillow, sheet and blanket.  and stover girl has taken to locking her bedroom door at night.  at first, she played stupid; however, she then acknowledged doing so to prevent a little boy from visiting while she sleeps!

a scary, scary halloween

this black cat got a big boy bed just in time for halloween!  (oh how stover mom had cherished his crib- the security of having children confined to a well-defined sleep schedule is the hidden joy of parenting.)  as much as i didn't want to threaten his established sleep habits, i had a realization that stover boy will soon visit his grandparents for both holidays and will need to be acquainted with a big bed in order to manage his holiday sleep.  with only a few weeks before departure, plans had to be made hastily.  there could be no mulling this one over as we did for stover girl with carefully made plans to include a family night about sleeping rules, gift-wrapped incentives, and predetermined consequences.  instead the planning process was a bit scarier: we hastily bought a new bed with an ensured same-day delivery, set up the bed amidst halloween party preparations, allowed one last nap in the crib, ran to the store to search for an incentive that would get good sleeping results, and waved the fancy incentive in front of a very tired boy at 9:00 pm as we put him to bed. 
has it been as scary as i thought it might be?  no...black cat has come out of his room a few times when he was supposed to be sleeping but is easily coaxed back to bed.

...i'm still a bit scared though!
 

a shmorgishborg of fun

stover fam loves the fair.... what's not to love?  love trying crazy food like a donut burger and grazing the usuals too like corndogs and funnel cakes.  love the automatic smile from a thrilling ride.  love the constant buzz of people and loud, blaring music.  love trying to win at the impossible carnival games.  and love an evening out with hubby at the demolition derby.  this year was accompanied with another love.... love having omi (another sucker for the fair- especially the bearded lady) and grandpa here to share it with.