Spotlight on Abby

Abby showing off the duds we brought her from Guatemala

At just over three, Abby is coming into her own. She loves school and is becoming much more social. Almost every day she asks, "What friend can I have over today?" Here are some of her favorite things:

Color: pink
Friends: Eliza that's at church and Lucy
Favorite thing to do: color
Favorite animal: stripey (her webkinz tiger)
Game: Cariboo from Christmas
Song: Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
Family Activity: Making a fort

Family Fort Fun

Person I want to be like: Daddy
Story: Daddy's Rupert the Frog stories
TV Show: Dora the Explorer
Movie: Lion King
Book: No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed
Thing to do at School: play duplos
Trip: New York City
Favorite Person in the Scriptures: Jesus
Favorite food: Chicken and chicken nuggets
Favorite treat: licorice
Favorite thing to do outside: slippy slide
What I want to be when I grow up: a big kid


Well on her way to becoming a big kid -- Abby's first day of Primary at church.

Spotlight on Millie

Millie is such a fun and energetic five-year-old (six in March -- I can't believe it!) and I thought it would be fun to post some of her favorite things at this point in her life.

Favorite Color: blue
Best friend: Kayla G. at school and Mae outside of school
Favorite thing to do: build a fort
Favorite animal: dolphin
Favorite toy: Duckie (stuffed duck -- any of her stuffed animals actually! She cherishes all of them, gives them names, tucks them in, talks to them, puts them in seatbelts in the car . . . In her mind they are real.)
Favorite game: Cariboo
Favorite song: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star (which she loves playing on the piano)
Primary song: Jesus Wants me for a Sunbeam
Favorite thing to do as a family: Family Home Evening

Millie roasting marshmallows for FHE last week.

Person I want to be like: Jesus
Story: Goldilocks and the Three bears
Book: The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes
Favorite Thing to do at School: have recess, run around and play
Favorite trip: Disney World
Favorite person in the scriptures: Nephi, because he's a righteous man
Favorite Food: Mac and Cheese and pizza
Favorite Treat: Chocolate ice cream
Favorite thing to do outside: Play in the snow
What I Want to be when I grow up: a cowgirl


Some recent Millie-isms:

When Mark was telling her about a class tour of Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's house): Oh, I know, he wrote with a feather he dipped in octopus ink (apparently the source for all ink)."

Mark: Millie you grow more every time I see you!
Millie: That's what happens when you eat and sleep!

Pizza Night

I just thought I'd post a few pictures of our Sunday family pizza night from last week. This tradition evolved this past year when our church schedule moved to 3:30-6:30 (insane!). We wouldn't get home from church until about 7:00, which is the girls' bedtime, and we'd still have to have dinner and go through our bedtime routine. So in an effort to streamline things, we decided to make every Sunday night pizza night. I would make the dough before church, and then when we got home, the girls would change, roll out and top their pizzas, and they'd be in bed usually no later than 8:00. It's been a really fun family tradition that we've decided to carry on even though we now have church at 12:00 (hallelujah!!). Every week the girls make the exact same pizza for themselves. Millie likes cheese, no sauce, and turkey pepperoni. Abby favors sauce, tomatoes, and basil (no cheese for this dairy-allergic girl).

Christmas 2007

Christmas Eve dinner

The men at work in the kitchen -- what great guys!

The Christmas Eve puppet nativity re-enactment. We just had to laugh because the only doll we had for expectant parents Em and Ike, who were Mary and Joseph, was Millie's bright blue baby doll which she has dubbed Diamond. Abby was a sweet, earnest star.

Christmas morning -- the girls are wearing nightgowns Mrs. Claus made for them and left them the night before. Fortunately, the picture doesn't show the details since Mrs. Claus was desperately trying to finish them the night before she and Santa left on their cruise. The girls loved them, though, and they are comfy, warm, and snugly.

Millie's favorite gifts: A puppy that grows (from Grandma McLaughlin and named after cousin Emma -- a huge honor in Millie's book), a play mobile magic castle (Mrs. Claus just has to briefly sing the praises of Ebay!), her Dalmatian Webkinz puppy named Spot (Millie adores anything to do with animals!)

Abby's favorites: her webkinz tiger (originally named Stripey, but then had to be changed to Spot when we accidentally used Abby's tag to register Millie's animal), the play mobile Magic Castle, her Dora puzzle (she is the puzzle master!)

Jane's favorites: Her musical cell phone and keys, her piggy bank, whatever toys her sisters are currently playing with

Jane in her, rather voluminous nightgown (in Mrs. Claus's defence, it was rather hard to do any fitting while the children were sleeping) -- either eager to help out with the cooking or enjoying a spatula as a teething toy.

Uncle Dave with Baby Jane

Puzzle Time! How I love to see kids on Christmas morning!


We returned home to Virginia to three extremely happy, well-cared for little girls (thanks McLaughlins, Wards, and Hawkins!) just in time for Christmas and we had a wonderful week with my family in Alexandria. We had such a fun time together and are currently going through withdrawals. It was amazing that all of my siblings except for my youngest sister Miffy -- who is on a mission in upstate New York -- could be there. Even Jennifer was able to fly in for a few days after Christmas with her daughter Emma (we missed Matt and the boys) and it was so good to see her. Our highlights were the Christmas Eve puppet nativity re-enactment, many dinners around the table full of mom's delectable food and fun conversation, seeing the girls' excitement on Christmas morning, touring the White House (the girls especially liked the perfect replica of the White House made by the chief pastry chef out of gingerbread and white chocolate), playing Guesstures (a family favorite), watching movies, getting to know Matt's wife, Sara, better (couldn't be more wonderful!), shopping, and just hanging out. It was such a precious time especially given the fact that everyone is now becoming more scattered all over the country!

Cruise Pics

Not much of a tourist attraction, but we couldn't pass up getting a picture of Millie's conveience store. We shared a great key lime slushie and visited Truman's "Little White House" here, but returned to ship a little early to sleep off the effects of the Drammamine we took the night before for seasickness (one lady who had been on multiple cruises said that it was the worst sea she had ever felt). Fortunately, we had no more rocky seas after the first night.



Our ship, Holland America line's Veendam. On the whole we really liked it -- it's amazing how there can be 1300 people on board without it feeling crowded. We were surrounded by the newlyweds and the nearly deads (some people thought we were newlyweds and one lady thought that I was 24! She will forever be kindly and graciously remembered by me!), but we did meet some very nice people.

Mark taking part in the ship's tee-off challenge. He got the ball in the ring on his first try, much to the admiration of everyone watching. I was proud to say, "I'm with him!" Look at that form!

A couple of nights they had formal night for dinner -- for some reason as we walked around the ship on those nights I was reminded an awfully lot of the Love Boat. Needless to say, my closet is sadly lacking in the formalwear deparment (a little hard to chase after three kids in a strapless, sequined, floor-length gown) and so a black dress had to do.


Mark looking great despite the fact that he forgot a tie and wasn't wearing a tux.
The Mayan ruins at Xunantuich (shoo-nan-tun-eech) in Belize. It was raining a light misty rain and anyone who knows me well, will know that I love the rain and misty days. It made it rather mysterious and magical.

On top of the main temple at Xunantunich.




Auga de coco -- such a familiar taste from Brazil!

Mark posing on the steps of a Mayan school in the jungles of Guatemala.


In Guatemala on the Rio Dulce -- it made me rather homesick for Brazil.


Our last night on board -- the flash made it so we didn't capture the fading sunset on camera.


Wow! What a great couple of weeks we've had! After scrambling mightily to get all of Christmas ready before we left, Mark and I took off for a week to the Caribbean (and lest there are readers out there thinking that we are living high on the hog while in graduate school, the cruise was a very generous gift from Mark's parents who won a free cruise on their last cruise). Mark's parents so nicely offered to come and watch the girls while we were gone and it was exactly the kind of relaxing trip we needed. We had a great time visiting Key West, Belize, Guatemala, and Cozumel, Mexico and taking it easy in between times. It was a first for both of us and we enjoyed the amazing service and utter relaxation (it was a pure luxury not having to think about making meals or even making our bed). Did I mention that the trip was relaxing? We especially enjoyed a river excursion in Guatemala -- it reminded me so much of Brazil and Mark loved getting to use his Spanish. We also loved reading (and doing Sudoku) while sitting on the deck of the ship. I think, however, that Mark's overall favorite thing would have to be the chocolate ice cream waffle cones available anytime his heart desired. By the end we were ready to return home for Christmas and while I must admit to some bouts of separation anxiety for my girls, they had a rip-roaring good time. In fact, when my dad picked them up from Mark's parents for the last two days of our trip and asked them if they missed their mom and dad, Abby promptly responded with an resounding, "No!" and Millie more diplomatically replied, "We've been having a great vacation!" I should just be grateful for well-adjusted kids, right?

Ho, Ho, Ho, Merry Christmas!

The girls and I had a great time at the Darden Family Christmas party on Thursday (Mark was out of town). It was Jane's first real exposure to Santa and as you can see, she is not too pleased.

Not much new . . .

Not much new to report these days. The story of our lives the past little while has basically consisted of poop and vomit and vomit and poop. We've had a virus going around the family -- I'm the only one that has been spared so far (knock on wood). Hopefully it will pass quickly.

I remember as a child not being able to hardly wait until Christmas arrived. Now I find myself wishing that the Christmas season could last longer so that I can savor the feeling and the spirit of it all more. It seems to pass more quickly each year (especially in the years, like this one, when I've been a little late starting my Christmas shopping). It's magical, though, to have children and see Christmas through the eyes of a child again!