Ringing Out The Old Year

We decided to celebrate the end of 2009 in style - with pizza, soda, and a shrimp ring. To top things off, we invited the Cheney family over (with their apples and fancy fruit dip). Odds are, this evening will end before midnight. After all, the new year is going to come whether we're awake when it begins at midnight, or choose not to acknowledge it until around 7:00 a.m. (give or take an hour - depending on when the kids wake up)!

Anyway, the purpose of this entry is to announce that Analeigh is on her way to becoming a very expensive daughter to raise. She loves shoes and, as of tonight, she loves eating shrimp too. She even passed over fruit to get more shrimp. It could be a long 17 years to go before we kick her out of the house!

Play Tent

The past few days have involved the kids huddling together with their parents and a blanket. Occasionally, David and Analeigh will duck their heads under the blankets, essentially playing a lazy version of hide-and-go-seek. Its cute though, because Analeigh doesn't get the concept of hiding, so as soon as someone says, "Where's Ana?" she pokes her head out and joyfully screetches to announce her presence.

David, on the other hand, loves hiding under his "tent," where no one can find him. Today, Ben decided to teach David what a real blanket "tent" is all about. So with a set of folding chairs and a couple of blankets, the tent building began. Analeigh didn't really understand the instability of the structure, so she often climbed up on the blanket, crushing the tent. However, it was still a load of fun!

Christmas Night

We spent most of Christmas Day lounging around the house. It was nice to not have to be anywhere and to simply enjoy one another's company.

Later, we were invited to dinner at the Cheney residence. Dinner was delicious, but rather uneventful. The most interesting part of the evening was Dedra Cheney giving her daughter's Barbie doll a mullet haircut. As Wikipedia explains, a mullet is "business up front, party out back." You can read more about it on the Cheney's blog. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of the back of Barbie's mullet haircut.



Ben offered to try to sell it as a rarity on eBay to see how much it would go for. However, Dedra was on a roll and ended up shaving Barbie's head. Looks like Dedra owes her daughter a pair of Barbie's (since she shaved another Barbie head later).

Christmas Morning

Ben and Liz woke up before David and Analeigh this year, yet again. It helps that the kids don't really understand the concept of Christmas - which helps everyone get a good night's sleep. We decided to capture some video of David and Analeigh's initial reaction to seeing presents in the living room. We particularly enjoyed that Analeigh's first instinct was to run towards David's presents, instead of seeing if there was anything around for herself.



After David and Analeigh finished unwrapping all their presents, Liz arranged them in order to take a picture. David's reaction was priceless - he began to pout, thinking his mom was trying to take away his toys, when all she wanted to do was get a picture. Alas, David didn't have many reasons to be sad today. He scored big with trucks this year: a bulldozer from Ben's work party; a garbage truck, cement mixer, and combine harvester from his mom and dad; and a front loader and dump truck from Liz's parents. Once he realized he would get everything back, he was quite happy and proceeded to line up nearly every truck on the mantel.



Analeigh didn't do so bad herself either. She got horses, a baby, a princess dress, and lots of music to dance to. It was quite an exciting day for her. So exciting, in fact, she has a little dance to share with you, courtesy of music from Fisher Price's Dance Baby Dance CD.

Christmas Eve Presents

Growing up, Liz and Ben's families both had a tradition of opening one present on Christmas Eve, before going to bed. This year, David and Analeigh got to open their presents from Ben's mother - pajamas.



After putting the kids down to bed, Liz assisted Santa is setting up the kids' stockings, along with a couple of unwrapped toys for them to wake up to in the morning.

Our Annual Talent Report

As we've done in years past, we spent Christmas Eve at the Carlton residence, where we participate in a Family Home Evening. During this time, we go around the room sharing our talents, which serves as our gift to Christ.

The past two years, Ben has created videos: The Story of Ammon and a fake commercial for a song about "The Sections in the Doctrine and Covenants." Brian Carlton, the youngest son of the family, informed Ben that he needs to show off other talents, as God has given each of us more than one. So, Ben decided to show off his photo-editing skills, as developed using The GIMP. The two examples he shared have been previously discussed in this blog. One was his combining of "The Second Coming" and "Two Thousand Young Warriors" and the second was expanding the backdrop in one of Analeigh's 18-month photos. In spite of Ben's talent in photo-editing (which still leaves something to be desired), there were some who called for Ben to make another video. So, Ben's mission is to create another video - though he can't quite say when he'll get around to it.

Liz's talent this year was her work on Project 365. Project 365 is the brainchild of one Becky Higgins. For more details about the project you can check out many of Becky's blog entries from December 2008 and January 2009. Essentially, Liz took a picture of something out family was doing every day for the entire year. Then she put the pictures in a binder, using a two sheet layout for each week, with a short journal entry of what we were doing. Liz's was very dedicated to this project, which she claims is easier than regular scrapbooking, and she only missed a few days of pictures during the year.



David's talent consisted of singing "I Am a Child of God" and "I Know My Father Lives." As a backup, we had loaded the videos we previously recorded onto the Carlton's computer - just in case David was camera shy. Fortunately, David overcame his nerves, and gladly sung for the gathered crowd.

Analeigh's talent was supposed to be her riding her daddy like a horsey. However, she was far too involved in playing with the Carlton's nativity set, causing her to cry when we tried to pry her away from it. But, at least it goes along with her other talent: getting in to things she isn't supposed to (not even Kjersti Carlton could stop her)!

Worst Blizzard Ever!

On Monday we were warned of an impending blizzard that would drop at least a foot of snow in our area - if not more. Combined with powerful winds, travel was going to be treacherous from Wednesday night through Friday morning. On the plus side, we would have a white Christmas.

On Tuesday, the amount of snow promised fell to around 8 inches. Wednesday morning, it fell again to 3-5 inches. Wednesday evening, the "blizzard" was going to give us a trace to 2 inches. Even though the snow amounts were going to be less, the wind was going to pick up whatever fell and make driving horrendous.

Well, it is windy right now - but we're still waiting for even a trace of snow. As you can see, this is the worst (i.e. - weakest) blizzard ever. So much for dreaming of a white Christmas!

2009 Family Photo

We went to Picture Me Portrait Studios inside our local Wal-Mart last Saturday, the 12th, to have our family picture taken. Having learned our lesson from last year, we emphasized that we wanted only a family photo, nothing more, nothing less.

The only downside is that the photographer was running an hour behind - causing our children's sunny natures to wane quickly. Fortunately, Analeigh was willing to smile without much prodding. David, on the other hand, wanted to stand when he was asked to sit. When we offered him the chance to sit, he wanted to stand. We ended up having Ben hold him. David then tried to lay out straight, like a board. So, while we captured him smiling - it is a devious smile. Ben, as you may notice, appears to be straining, as he tries to smile while keeping David from falling out of his arms. Overall, it is an interesting photo:

David's Choir

This evening David's story time group had a Christmas party at the Library. For the party, the children wore hats and sang carols. David's hat was too big, so it dropped over his eyes, causing him to tilt his head back to see. David failed to catch on to his mother motioning to lift the hat up. Eventually Liz had to sneak up to the choir and take off his hat so he could see.



Santa made a visit towards the end of the party. David was happy to sit on his lap and told Santa he wanted a tow truck for Christmas. We believe this is because we watched Extreme Makeover: Home Edition (episode 712: The Ward Family - in case you're interested) yesterday and he saw a pair of tow trucks pull up a semi that had fallen on its side. Since that time he has been re-enacting the scene using his front loader to fix his fallen firetruck (a scene which has repeated it self many, many, many times).

Curious Christmas

PBS recently aired Curious George: A Very Monkey Christmas. Since that time, David and Analeigh have been enthralled by the movie. They can watch it for the entire duration without deviating their attention. This allows Liz approximately an hour to do whatever she needs, knowing she will not be interrupted. With any other movie, the kids will inevitably come to her needing something. But when Curious George is on- not a creature is stirring (not even a mouse).

Ceramic Santa

Back in November, Liz participated in a ceramics class at the Great Bend Recreation Center with some friends from church. She started painting a Santa during the two class sessions, but never finished it until now (it seems that children keep one busy!).

Anyway, for your viewing pleasure, here is Liz's ceramic Santa:

I Love Nursery!

Analeigh has been in Nursery class for many months now. Gratefully, she has never experienced any separation anxiety from going there without her parents after Sacrament Meeting. Instead, she finds the toys and other children to be a lot more fun than hanging out with her parents.

Children's Christmas Party

Every year, Ben's office hosts a Christmas party for the children in foster care. This year it was held at Camp Aldrich Conference Center. Since biological families, foster families, and staff employees all come, every child gets a toy (since it would be unfair to single out just one group.

Ben helped serve a dinner consisting of hot dogs, chili, and chips. After the line for food began to dwindle, Analeigh hung out with him.



Analeigh was first to see Santa. She was not nearly as happy to see him as she was last year. Whereas, David, who was terrified last year, was more than happy to be with Santa this year. One wonders what their responses will be next year.



Analeigh remained terrified, even after getting off Santa's lap, so we had to put together her gift immediately. Then, and only then, was she happy again. David, on the other hand, was filled with joy from the moment Santa handed him a bulldozer. His face lit up and he wanted his toy pulled out of the box immediately as well.



Ben's connection with Santa's elf seems to have paid off, since the kids both got what they wanted.

Snow!

We've finally had the first big winter storm of the season. Ben got out of work 30 minutes early to help avoid "rush hour" traffic (which equals about ten cars in Great Bend, KS). Once home, Analeigh was awake from her nap and David was rearing to get out and play. So we all bundled up and headed out.

David insisted on taking his front loader out to dig in the snow. Analeigh was content to just ride the tricycle around (though she seemed surprised it wouldn't move anywhere).



Ben made a few snowballs, which was rather difficult since the snow was rather powdery. Analeigh loved holding them and eating them, though she was surprised at how cold they all were. However, they were very fun for her to hold in her lap.



Lastly, Ben tried making a snow angel. David and Analeigh did not seem to recognize how delicate snow angels are and how you're not supposed to walk on them. Analeigh walked right into the one Ben was making.



Towards the end, the wind was picking up, so we went inside. Hopefully it will be warmer (not likely), when the kids go out again tomorrow.

Christmas Wreath

Liz helped David and Analeigh make a wreath out of paper with hand prints made with green paint. It is cute, adorable, and you should buy 20 of them (just kidding, we're not actually selling them)!

Ben in Pittsburgh

Ben had not seen his younger brother, Tom, in a very long time. His wife and kids went out of town to see her family for a couple of weeks, so Ben stepped in to console him for a few days.

Outside of Tom spending time at Dental School, he and Tom also took a drive around the town. There Tom showed him the Duquesne Incline, a train that travels up a mountain at a 30° incline. Even steeper than that, Tom let Ben drive his '93 Toyota Corolla up Canton Avenue. It is the steepest public street in the United States (and possibly the world). It travels up a 37° incline, which kind of feels like you're traveling straight up (especially when you're doing it in the dark). It is so steep that there are two "Do Not Enter" signs at the top of the hill, giving ample warning to any motorist crazy enough to think they can drive safely down it.

Finally, Tom introduced Ben to the deliciousness of Giovanni's Pizza & Pasta. Tom had the Chicken Carbonara. Ben had the Chicken & Roasted Peppers. Both were crazy delicious. If you're ever in the Pittsburgh area (specifically the Borough of Dormont), stop on by.

From the Mouth of a Child

David has taken a special liking to two particular Primary songs, which he requests during Family Home Evening, or any other time we feel like singing (like, bedtime). David will now sing both of these songs for you.

The first is, "I Am a Child of God" (lyrics are here and here).



The Second is, "I Know My Father Lives" (lyrics are here).



Why David chose to sing about letters in the second line, rather than, "and loves me too," we're not quite sure. Oh well, it makes sense to him.

Riding to Bethlehem

"And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city" (Luke 2:3).

We generally assume that, when Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem, that Mary rode on a donkey, being led by Joseph, as seen in this painting. However, Luke never actually says Mary rode a donkey - though there is some debate as to whether Rebekah was smoking when she saw Isaac and "lighted off the camel" (Genesis 24:64).

Anyway, back to the story at hand. Liz made a wooden nativity puzzle a couple years ago, which David and Analeigh thoroughly enjoy playing with. In fact, David may have stumbled onto how Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus actually got to the manger:

Daddy's Home

One of the wonderful things about Thanksgiving is that Ben's office is closed, giving him a four-day weekend. So, although he would have been home today anyway, there's just something nice about not having been at work the past two days either.

David and Analeigh have loved having him at home. They continue to utilize him as their personal beast of burden, getting him to provide them with horsey rides all around the house. As you can see below, Analeigh has become increasingly comfortable in the saddle since the last time we saw her (and, yes, Ben just woke up).

O Christmas Tree

Shortly after the untimely suicidal hanging of our last Christmas tree, we went to Wal-Mart for their After-Christmas sale and scored an awesome deal on a 6-foot fake tree. Today, we decided to put it up. For safety, we placed it inside of our Pack 'n Play. Our plan is to place the children's presents within the setup, thus preventing premature opening of presents, while also salvaging the tree from premature destruction. So far the plan is only partly going according to plan, as David and Analeigh are being sorely tempted by the lower-hanging decorations. It should be an interesting season of teaching them to look, but not touch!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving we stayed in Great Bend, as much or our vacation time was spent in April and May going to various weddings. Thus, we ended up at the Cheney's, enjoying every moment of the day.

The highlight of the evening was playing "Suck Fish," a game Liz learned from Jody Kitchen when we lived in Logan, Utah. The game is played with a pair of dice, a straw for each player, and a bowl full of Swedish Fish. Basically, you take turns rolling the dice until someone gets a predetermined number combination (we chose 3 or 7 - some people choose to wait for doubles to be rolled). When a player has rolled the number, they get to use their straw to try to suck up as many fish out of the bowl as they can - until someone else rolls the right die combination and gets to steal the bowl away. It is quite the lung-strengthening game.

Here is a picture of us playing. From right to left we have 1) Part of Nicole's face; 2) Ben's arm; 3) Brother Nelson; 4) Sister Cheney; 5) Matthew's arm and a hand.



Having no knowledge of how the game was played, Analeigh sat on the table sidelines, eating her mother's winnings. David, who was seated by his father, took the same approach to the game by taking pretty much everyone's winnings.

"I Will Go Before Your Face"

As a child, Ben always loved the song, "We'll Bring the World His Truth (Army of Helaman)." When he became a missionary, he loved the Lord's promise, "I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up" (D&C 84:88).

When Ben went to the Missionary Training Center, he saw that someone had taken the time to combine two things he loved. The anonymous artist took the paintings "The Second Coming" and "Two Thousand Young Warriors" (both seen below) and cropped them to fit each other with an X-Acto knife. The person then laminated the pictures together and placed the finished piece on the door to their classroom.




Ben always liked the idea, but never got around to making one for himself. Since the images are now online and easily edited on a computer, Ben has created a digital version for everyone to enjoy. So, enjoy!

Counting Trucks

David has recently taken to lining up various toys and counting them out to us. Of course, he won't do this unless he has our complete attention - which involves us repeating whatever number he is on. In the example below, we counted to nine (the four in front and five behind him).

Preparing for Turkey Day

Today David and Analeigh drew turkeys on paper, using their hands. David felt he did such a great job that he gave his to his daddy to put on his work wall. Analeigh had no desire to part with her picture and cried when Ben proposed taking it away. So Ben's wall at work has David's turkey picture. Analeigh's remains at home, crinkled and torn by the child who made it!

Congratulations Tara and Luke!

Ben's primary co-worker (since he shares most cases with her), Tara, decided to get married today. The wedding was wonderful and David got a kick out of the vehicle they decided to drive off in:



Alas, the kids were getting tired and hungry by the time the reception got going, so we had to leave before getting any other decent photos of the happy couple. So, in lieu of sharing more pictures, we'll just provide them written congratulations - Congratulations Tara and Luke (even though Tara's honeymoon will leave Ben doing her job and his for the remainder of this month)!

Ben's Stunning Victory

Today is Veterans Day. For much of the world's workforce, it involves a day off. In Ben's world, his employer gave him the day off but made it mandatory for him to come in for the annual employee appreciation banquet. The banquet involves a speech from the agency president, some other things, and then an "Outstanding Service Award" ceremony. The ceremony is divided into two parts - one for "old timers" and one for new comers (those who have been employed less than a year - which gives you an idea of the turnover rate for the agency!).

The awards are based on nominations from your co-workers. For Ben's first banquet, he had been employed for less than a month, which was not enough time for him to make a positive impression. Last year Ben was sadly overlooked, which left him with little hope that this year would be any different.

So Ben did what any crazy person would when they have nothing left to lose - he nominated himself. Apparently, in the five years that Saint Francis Community Services has held the banquet, no one has ever thought to nominate themselves (which is why it was not a stipulation on the nomination form - though it is a safe bet it will be on the form next year!). Although the committee designated to choose winners allegedly threw out Ben's self-nomination, it seems to have kept his name in their minds. That, combined with the nominations of his co-workers, resulted in the following victory:



However, Ben was also slighted at this year's banquet. The company had proposed a talent show - which Ben signed up for with his friend Todd (to perform a comedy routine). Apparently only one other guy (also doing comedy) signed up, so the talent show was canceled due to lack of interest. This would have been fine, except for the other guy was invited to the stage to be acknowledged for entering as the ONLY contestant, while Todd and Ben sat in the audience with gaping mouths.

This resulted in Ben acting out to get attention. The award ceremony is a rather long and drawn out affair. In fact, it can really be quite boring to sit through. So Ben decided to liven it up by kneeling down on stage, as if to be knighted, to receive his award. That, and having a name tag that read "Captain Awesome," brought laughter to the show (although another employee opted for the name "Balloon Boy," which was really quite clever). However, no one else followed suit, so the ceremony proceeded as the long and drawn out affair it was meant to be.