First Smiles

Totally made up for the diaper blow out a few minutes earlier.

Yet Another "Best Christmas Ever!"

Christmas morning our kids told our parents, "This is the best Christmas ever!" They've said that before, but I think this Christmas they might be right. Katie said, "I'm so happy I think I'm going to cry." And for the record: Will got the almond in the rice pudding.

We had a great day on Christmas and Christmas Eve, but we don't have many pictures. Instead Jer used the camera to record video of our annual Cragun family Christmas program and of the kids reactions Christmas morning. I was going to try to load them here (and I did get two added), but it was taking SO long that I opened a YouTube account and posted them there... much faster. So if you need some comic relief go to www.YouTube.com/jerandjill and you can watch the Cragun "tribute" to the Lawrence Welk show and some EXCITED kids on Christmas morning. Note: The lighting is terrible... especially in my mom's living room. But she did get a new lamp for that room for Christmas. Yeah!

Here are a few pictures and a couple of videos... the good stuff is on YouTube.

Not the best picture of Cal, he wasn't cooperating, but we had to get a picture of him in his "Baby's First Christmas" jammies on Christmas Eve

Sweet Baby on Christmas Day wearing a new bib from Grandma Cragun.

Matthew and Katie spent Christmas night playing with their cousins and sleeping at Grandma Cox's house, but Will and Ashton were happy to come home and play with their jeeps.

Ashton and Will were so excited for jeeps that they started putting them together by themselves. In fact, when Ashton saw the jeep he said, "Yes! We get to build stuff!"

The day after Christmas the boys decided to play in the snow while they waited for Matthew and Katie to get home.

It was SO cold they needed hot cocoa to warm up.

Ohhh... My Heart Hurts

Today was the Reflections assembly at the kids' school. For the second year in a row Katie won the literature category and will be going on to Region. She got an awesome medal. We are so proud of her! (I'll share her poem at the bottom of the post.) Matthew entered a photo of Calvin (his teacher made entering Reflections an assignment) and he got a certificate for participating. They both got passes to the Clark Planetarium... yeah!! Jeremy and I are excited about those.

So, Katie was on-stage after receiving her award and after they read the photography winners she started crying on stage. My mom thought it was because she couldn't see us and she could see all the other parents taking pictures. I thought it was because her photo (she also entered photography) didn't win and I was a little put out thinking she should be grateful for her talents, she doesn't have to the best at everything, etc.

Anyway, after the assembly I had to run my mom to her Statistics final and so Jeremy stayed to take pictures of the kids. When I left he was trying to get Katie to smile, but her eyes were red and she wasn't happy.

When I returned Jeremy said that Matthew was excited for Katie and trying to put on a happy face, but Jeremy could tell that Matthew felt bad that he didn't win. So my heart broke a little for my sweet boy.

Then, Jer said he found out the reason that Katie was crying on stage was because she also felt bad that Matthew didn't win. She told Jeremy, "It's not fair that I get to win twice and Matthew hasn't had a turn to win." Now I really wanted to cry because 1. I totally misjudged Katie and thought the worse of her when I, her mother, should have thought the best and 2. I was so touched at her empathy. In fact, her love and concern for her brother makes me so much more happy than her cute award winning poem.

Now for that poem...

When I Think of Beauty

by Kathryn Cox

When I think of beauty

I think of the moon at night

I think of the stars so bright,

The daffodils, the violets

The sunshine and the blue sky.

I think of the trees so high

They almost touch the sky.

I think of the world.

I think of my home,

My family and friends

And that is why I wrote this poem.

Four Weeks...

The Kids on Thanksgiving

The last four weeks have been a whirlwind!

Four weeks ago today I was sitting in stake conference with a headache, watching my feet swell, and wondering if my doctor's appointment the next day would be my last prenatal visit. (And it was.)

In addition to recovering from childbirth, experiencing sleep deprivation, and helping kids adjust to some life changes, we've been BUSY. Here are a few of the things that have kept us hopping the last four weeks:

• Three Usborne booths
• Thanksgiving and Christmas preparations
• Reflections projects
• Jer finished Organic Chemistry and got another "A." Is he brilliant or what!?!
• Black Friday... shopping and book selling
• The Holiday Gift Boutique with the accompanying planning and phone calls, parade float, advertising time, etc. and then worrying.
• Exclusively nursing. This is the first time I've had a four week old that I was still only nursing. Why? He doesn't like the taste of formula and won't eat it. So, I feel like I spend over half of my day feeding the little darling. And he doesn't sleep as good as a baby who has a bottle of formula at night. And the two times I've left him have required extra preparation to make sure he has a bottle of milk in case he gets hungry while I am gone. On the upside... he hasn't stained any clothes with formula spit up and he always has that delicious nursing baby breath and baby smell. Thank goodness he will still take a bottle.
• Regular life stuff... homework, piano practicing and lessons, karate, etc.

Here are some pictures from the last four weeks...Katie's Thanksgiving decorations on display at my mom's. I love little kid spelling...

Loving our cute baby Calvin...
Decorating the tree...

Making gingerbread houses with Kiersten...Also, in the last four weeks we've fallen more and more in love each day with the little boy Heavenly Father has blessed us with. We are so thankful he was sent to our family. This holiday season we are also so grateful for the birth of another Babe whose life and atonement make every good thing in life and happiness in eternity possible.

Skip to My Lou

Conversation tonight...

Me: Katie, it's time for bed! Go potty!
Katie: I'm looking for a book.
Me: Read your chapter book for school.
Katie: No, I just found the perfect book: Skip to My Lou.
Me: I think your school book would be perfect.
Katie: No. This is my perfect because I have to go to the bathroom and this book is called Skip to My Lou and the toilet is a loo.
Me: Okay. Fine. (Go into the other room and laugh.)