New Year's Eve

We are not big New Year's Eve people in our family.  Only Gavin stays up until midnight and even he admits that it is nothing special, just an excuse to watch TV.  Yeah, we are boring.
Since we had 9am church the next day and we needed to get ready for that, we started our celebration early.  We invited my family over for dinner, games and festivities.  Uncle Jarom and the Kellys came over about 4pm (Fords had other plans).  We ate dinner at Emmett and Ethel's in Lehi.  It was so good.  After dinner we came back to our house and played a couple of games.
We started by playing Snorta, a very fun memory game (not so good for the lady with the baby brain).  We then we opened one of our new games, Curses.  This was hilarious!  Wow!  We couldn't stop laughing.  And everyone was such a good sport.
After games we let the kids do a few sparklers.  I have had these for about three years, so I was happy to use them up and the kids thought it was great fun.  It was cold, but still worth it.

After sparklers, we warmed up inside while decorating gingerbread men.  They were super yummy and the kids ate as much candy as they did cookies.

We had a fun night.  It wasn't late or too exciting, but we spent it in good company.

Christmas Morning

Our Christmas morning was amazing.  We had so much fun together as a family.  We laughed, played, gave, received.  It was great!
We started by opening our stocking upstairs in the family room by the tree.  Santa brought us some fun things this year.  The favorites were remote controlled helicopters for the boys and Bendaroos for Kate.

 

After stockings we ate a yummy breakfast of cinnamon rolls, fruit and breakfast casserole.  Everyone enjoyed it, Gavin especially because it involved food.  After breakfast, Greg said, "Okay, let's go downstairs and open presents."  Enoch said, "Wait, there's more?  More presents?"  He was happy with his stocking and couldn't believe there was more.

Everyone was very happy with what they opened.  Gavin got a Nook.  He was so thrilled.  He also recieved his traditional BYU sweatshirt and a few other things.

 

Enoch received some Zibits, a remote controlled Star Wars pod racer, a BYU jacket and a few other things.

Kate was beyond ecstatic with her pink camera and case (can you tell?)  She has been taken pictures non-stop.  She also got a dress, game and a few other things.

 

As a family we decided the kids would give homemade gifts to each other.  They had so much fun coming up with ideas and making them with Mom and Dad.  Kate gave Gavin a wallet made from a keyboard circuit board.  Enoch gave Kate some matching games that he cut out the lamination.  Gavin gave Enoch a cockpit control panel.  Enoch loves it.  He was so excited when he opened it.  He immediately sat down at started yelling out phrases like, "warp speed, full throttle and engines down!"  This is a picture of Enoch and Greg in the escape pod.

 

Our Christmas morning was wonderful.  We skyped with Grandma and Grandpa Randall (who are serving a mission in Sierra Leone) and it was so fun to see and talk to them. We were able to attend church at 1pm and listen to the choir's program.  The kids opened new church clothes in their stocking and they looked great.

After church we visited with Grandma and Grandpa Fowler and open more presents.

It was a perfect Christmas. 

It's a ......!

We have been telling some little white lies lately.  People kept asking when we would know if we were having a boy or a girl and I kept telling them in a few weeks.  Okay, we found out on December 19.  But, I really wanted to tell the kids on Christmas and I knew I couldn't keep it a secret if people asked me.
The kids knew the baby was getting a present from BYU because they saw the BYU Bookstore bag under the tree labeled 'Baby'.  I bought a cute little white winter hat for the baby.  On Christmas morning I added a onesie with a 'Y' on the front that I made. 
We let Dad open the present and show the kids the onesie.  We told them blue for boy, pink for girl and green for we don't know.
As you can see, it's a BOY!!
We are very excited.  I know a lot of people were hoping for a girl, but we are thrilled to be having another brother, even Kate.  She seemed completely okay with it and is excited to tell everyone she is having a brother.  The boys are happy and didn't seem very surprised. 
We can't wait until May.

Christmas Eve

I think I enjoy Christmas Eve almost more than Christmas.  The anticipation is so much better than the letdown on Christmas day.
We took it easy during the day.  We watched some TV, cleaned up a bit and went to a movie, Arthur Christmas (very good).  I also made some rolls for the Fowler Christmas party.
We spent the evening at the party eating dinner, visiting and acting out the nativity.  Enoch was a wise man and Kate was an angel. 
When we got home, the kids were anxious to open their Christmas Eve present.  They just assume they are getting pajamas and a book.  Maybe one year I'll shake it up and give them underwear. HA!  They were correct this year - the kids got pajamas and a book.  They loved their pajamas - so soft and warm.  I made them from a microfleece blanket. 

 

They also really enjoyed their books.Gavin got Brotherhood:  a Companion to Ranger's Apprentice, Enoch got a boxed set of Encyclopedia Brown and Kate received a very cute and funny book, A Porcupine Named Fluffy.

 We hurriedly bathed the kids and got them into bed.  While Kate was in the tub, I had to alter her pajamas with a small insert in the front to make them more modest.  Kate was screaming at this point she was so tired.  Luckily for Mom and Dad, everyone fell asleep quickly - including Mom and Dad.

Books, books, books

We have taken a break from our Christmas activities and advent calendars to work on a project.  Why we are projecting the week before Christmas, I don't know, but we are.
We have cleaned out Greg's office downstairs in anticipation of Enoch moving in there, so we have made many trips to DI, cleaned out a bunch of computer things and went through books and books and books deciding which ones to keep.  We kept a lot - we just can't get rid of books.
We used an IKEA gift card we got as an early Christmas present from my parents to purchase some bookshelves for the living room.  Greg was going to built some custom bookcases, but realized that wasn't happening any time soon and we were anxious to get this done, so IKEA it was. 
Gavin made a deal with us that if he could watch TV, he would assemble the bookcases.  Deal.  He put together all the bookcases and then they were just sitting in the living room.  Enoch and Kate immediately made dog houses out of them (of course).  I was worried that the kids or the bookcases would get hurt, so we made plans to put them up.
First, Greg painted the space just behind the shelves.  Then, he attached them to the wall.
When I first saw all the bookcases put up, I was nervous that we wouldn't have enough to fill it up properly, that it would look too empty.  No need to worry - we filled it up just fine (and that wasn't including about 100 paperbacks in the drawers).

I love how it looks, so clean and organized.  And all our books in one place.  The kids still have books in their rooms and some in the living room.  Now I just need a plan of how to dust this!
I told Greg that after this painting project was over, we were retiring his paining pants.  They are so crusted with paint that they can practically stand up on their own.  It is fun to see so many different paints on there and remember where in the house or yard that project was.

Bowling at BYU

I have been waiting for December 19 for a month now.  That is when BYU alumni get 20% off at the Bookstore.  We always get BYU sweatshirts for the kids to open on Christmas morning (all part of the brainwashing, you understand).
Greg had the day off, so he was able to go with me and we took the kids as well.  We met Uncle Jarom at the Game Center and everyone went bowling, except me who braved the crowds at the Bookstore.
Everyone had a great time bowling.  Kate was so excited to go and really excited to see Uncle Jarom.  She was really looking forward to it.  Once she found a pink ball, she was ready.  The boys had a good time too.

 

After I was done in gift wrapping and the boys and Kate were done bowling, we enjoyed some yummy ice cream at the Creamery.  They have a new flavor, mint brownie, which is amazing.  It was a fun day and we always enjoy visiting BYU.

Candlelight Christmas

We tried something new this year. 
I've heard about the Christmas celebration they have at This is the Place Heritage Park and have wanted to try it every year, but it seemed a bit pricey.  In the summer, we bought a Groupon to This is the Place Heritage Park and it expired soon, so it worked out perfectly for us.
We met up with the Kellys and ate dinner at Hire's in downtown before heading up to the activities.  We all bundled up because it was quite chilly.  They did have little fires randomly placed around the park (and Enoch was obsessed with them), but we were all glad to have our mittens and hats.
The first thing we did was ride the train.  The kids liked this and even though it was cold, it was still fun (although I thought it was - I'm not sure what Enoch is thinking).

 

We then visited different houses throughout the park.  We did a craft, watched a puppet show, printed a Christmas card on an old fashioned press (the kids really thought that was neat), walked through a live nativity and warmed ourselves by the fires.

 

The highlight of the evening was visiting with Father Christmas.  I think that sounds so much nicer than Santa Claus.  Father Christmas was amazing.  He was so kind and spent time talking to each child.  I wasn't sure how Kate would react, but she was very excited to see him.  When it was her turn, she sat on his lap and smiled at him.  She didn't say a word, but she wasn't scared.  I leaned over and asked Greg when he thought she would get over her fear of speaking in public.  Greg said, "When will she get over her fear of speaking to strange, old men?  Never, I hope."  Too true.

 

Enoch was next.  He had no problem telling Father Christmas what he wanted - a gas powered remote controlled helicopter with a video camera attached to it and a screen on the control to watch where the helicopter was going.  Yep, he's six.  Father Christmas told Enoch he would think about it.

Father Christmas tried to give Enoch a candy cane and Enoch refused because he hates mint.  Father Christmas was shocked!  He tried and tried and tried to convince Enoch to try mint in hot chocolate, but Enoch would not be budged.  They agreed to disagree.

Gavin wouldn't sit on Father Christmas' lap, but he did get in some gentle sparring with him about his BYU hat.  Apparently, this Father Christmas wears red for a reason.

It was a wonderful night.  We had a great time and it was a nice break from all the crazy commericalism of Christmas.

kate (Kate wanted to help me, so she typed her name by herself!  What a smartie!  Of course, it helps to have a short name.)

A Joseph Smith Christmas and a Surprise Missionary

Every year when Christmas is past I feel badly that our family did not do a service project.  We usually donate money to the Food Bank, but I want to do something that the kids can help with, be a part of and feel like it was their project.  Additionally, I have been brainstorming ideas of how we can make Christmas more spiritual.  I had an idea of using the book, Christmas with the Prophets, to learn about a different prophet each year and do an activity that corresponded with their their life.  Luckily for me, this year both happened.
This year, our family learned about the prophet Joseph Smith.  While reading these paragraphs, I knew exactly what we were going to do.
"On December 1, 1838, the Prophet Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and several other brethren were imprisoned in Liberty Jail in Missouri on trumped-up charges of murder and overt acts of treason, none of which was ever proven against them.  The Prophet and his companions found themselves in very difficult circumstances.  Liberty Jail was a basement dungeon of approximately fourteen feet by fourteen feet with only a trapdoor entrance from the main floor.  The ceiling was so low that the men couldn't stand fully upright and were forced to sit or lie on the dirty, straw-covered floor, their legs shackled.
There was no stove for heating, and when they used an open fire, inadequate venting caused the room to fill with smoke, which made breathing difficult.  They had few blankets - certainly not enough to keep them warm in the freezing winter conditions - and the food was so bad they could hardly eat it.  It was a difficult time.  Joseph endured five months under these trying circumstances, including Christmas 1838.
The prisoners had suffered a week in the jail when Emma brought her six-year-old son, Joseph, to visit....Emma was able to make a return visit on December 20, just before Christmas.  In the midst of such dire circumstances, the prisoners were cheered by the presence of their loved ones.  Joseph asked Emma if she could possibly bring some blankets for him.  But the request reduced her to tears because the mob had recently attacked her home and destroyed all but two of her blankets.  If she brought those to Joseph, then their children would go without.  Emma's visits were the closest the family got to a Christmas celebration that year."
Christmas with the Prophets, by Laura F. Willes

By the time I was done reading these paragraphs, I was crying (it doesn't take much these days!).  How easy it is for us to put together a quilt, but how much would it mean to someone who was cold to receive it?  I already had a quilt top ready to go.  I pieced together a back and sewed it up envelope style.
For Family Home Evening, we read the story and tied the quilt.  I don't have quilt frames, so we just did it on the floor.  Kate was in charge of the yarn, Enoch was in charge of the needles and Greg, Gavin and I tied.
It was wonderful.  The kids were so happy and excited to have a quilt to give to someone who needed it.  Kate kept asking if a little girl would get it and how much she would love it.  What a great activity for our family.  When we finished, I took it to our Ward Humanitarian Specialist to take up to Salt Lake.  It felt good!

 Enoch was technically on lesson tonight and he was a bit put out that he didn't get to give a lesson.  About half way through the quilt, Enoch disappeared.  A few minutes later we heard a knock at the door.  It was Elder Fowler (isn't he cute?).

He asked Greg if our family would like to learn more about Jesus.  We invited him in and he told us about Jesus and what happens to us after we die. Then Elder Fowler bore his testimony.  Okay, I was crying then too.  What a sweet spirit he is!  I completely credit his Primary teachers for this.  Brother and Sister Larsen have lit a missionary fire in Enoch.  For years he has been nervous and scared about serving a mission.  Since they have become his teachers, he speaks of his mission, he prays for the missionaries, he prays that he and Gavin will be a good missionaries.  It is incredible.  We love it.

Dec 13 - We read of the miracle of the fishes and the loaves.
Dec 14 - We read of Jesus casting out devils and healing.
Dec 15 - We read the story of Peter being called to catch men rather than fish.  Enoch also had his Christmas singing program at school.  He did a wonderful job and had fun songs to sing - Angel Band and Swingin' Holiday.  Mom and Kate enjoyed listening to all the grades, but especially first grade.  I did take video, but it didn't turn out very well.

Dec 16 - We read of Jesus healing the man who was stricken with palsy and lowered through the roof by his friends.  Enoch also had his Polar Express day at school, which he was very excited for and had a great time.  He was so amazed he got to wear his pajamas to school.

Frosting and Sprinkles

Today we made cookies.  This is a favorite tradition and we can't let Christmas go by without baking and decorating sugar cookies.

I'm more of a minimalist when it comes to sprinkles, but the kids like to see how many they can get to stick and stay on the cookies.  It really is an art form for the 16 and under crowd.

The cookies were delicious and disappeared quickly.

Gavin's Ears

When I mention to people that Gavin is having a procedure done on his ears to pin them back, most people looked a little baffled and say, "I never noticed his ears stick out".  Maybe it's Gavin great personality or beautiful blue eyes, but many people don't pay attention to his ears.  Truthfully, they didn't bother Gavin too much either, but he was having a difficult time hearing out of his left ear (it was echoey he said).
We are not sure why Gavin's ears are shaped the way they are.  His pediatrician believes that his left ear became folded over in the womb and developed that way.  The cartilage it there, it is just misshaped.


We decided it was time to do something about it.  We had talked to ENT surgeons twice before when Gavin was younger, but it just didn't feel right.  We felt like now the time was right.  We didn't want to wait any longer.  We were referred to Dr. Harlan Muntz by our pediatrician.  Dr. Muntz works out of Primary Children's and the U of U Medical Center.  We met with him at the Riverton Primary Children's hospital a few months ago and immediately liked him.  He went over the surgery with us, the cost ($8,000-$10,000, not covered by insurance!) and the recovery time.  When he was done, we were all feeling a bit overwhelmed.  He then said, "But, if you are interested, I have another option for you."  Yes, we are interested.
Dr. Muntz had just been approved to conduct a trial study for a new procedure called, Cartilaze, in the United States.  Specialists have been doing this procedure for about 30 years in Europe, but Dr. Muntz was the first in the states.  It involves lasering the cartilage in the ear with a low level laser and then reshaping the ear.  The doctor makes a mold of the ear in the shape they want the end results.  After about 20 minutes of lasering, they place the molds on the ear and keep them in place with a headband (like a fleece ear warmer).  Patients must wear the mold 24 hours a day for three weeks and then at night for three more weeks.  It involves no surgery, no cutting, no risk of infection, no anesthesia.  Another benefit - because Gavin was one of the first in the study the total cost to us was a whopping $0.  Yep, nothing!
Although Gavin wasn't thrilled about wearing the molds to school, we all felt that the benefits outweighed the cons and we signed Gavin up for a December date.  A laser specialist flies into Salt Lake from Europe once a month, so the procedure is only done one day a month.  We snagged the December date so Gavin would only have to wear the molds to school for a week and then have two weeks of Christmas break to finish out his first three weeks. (He received permission from the principal to wear a beanie to cover the headband while at school.)
Today while we were driving up to Riverton, I'm sure I was more nervous than Gavin was.  Gavin just wanted to get it over with.  We met Greg at the hospital and after much confusion and time on the phone, we realized that Dr. Muntz was up in Salt Lake that day.  We rushed up to Primary Children's, wandered until we found his office, only to be told that he was over at the U of U Medical Center today.  Okay.  We ran over there and were only an hour late for Gavin's appointment.  They squeezed us in because they didn't want to put it off another month.
The actual procedure went well.  Gavin said the laser pain was minimal and he spent most of the time reading a book.  They fit the molds onto his ears and put on his headband and we were ready to go.

I wish that was the end of our story.  Unfortunately for Gavin, he has developed some nasty blisters and sores on his ears from wearing the molds.  I'm not sure if this is normal, but we weren't expecting it.  Dr. Muntz has prescribed Augmentin for infection and also some Lortab for the pain (it was that bad).  Between the Lortab (which I dose out very carefully) and Advil, Gavin is able to make it through the day.  The blisters are slowly healing and Gavin is being such a good sport about it.
We are hoping and praying that this works and the procedure was successful.  We will keep you updated.

Shocking Discovery!

We saw something tonight that we have never seen before.  It was shocking!

This year the boys are opening their Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar every night.  It has been a lot of fun for them because we love Legos at our house.
We have tens of thousands of Legos - really, we are probably approaching a million in our home.  We are seasoned Lego veterans.  We have never seen the likes of this before.
What is so shocking?  A DEFORMED LEGO!!!
Lego probably has the tightest quality control in the entire toy industry - probably out of any industry.   They are legendary for producing and shipping quality products.  That is one of the reasons we enjoy Legos so much (that and they can entertain Enoch for at least an hour!).
When the boys opened their package tonight, they we excited to find a fighter pilot in there.  Even more excited to realize that the head was printed wrong and it had a divet in the neck section (so it wouldn't attach to the body).  How could that be?  They weren't mad, they were excited.  Gavin proclaimed it a collector's item and balked at Greg's idea of sending it back and getting a replacement.  Enoch suggested that maybe this pilot had his head blown off and that was the problem.

It's always fun to find something different!