UP

Last year's Christmas present

reinvented

Chewing

food

with only

eight

front teeth

is REALLY

hard.

The Shopping Event of the Season

Around mid-December out whole family went out for a day of Christmas shopping.  Brik had $5 to spend from a birthday card that was burning a hole.  Layne had earned a handful of quarters from doing extra work and found a few pennies for a total of $1.27, which pretty much was engulfing him in flames.  With two die-hard savers for parents, these boys were itching to experience the other side.

Our first stop on the trek was to Power Square (formerly VF Factory) to the kitchen stores.  A man overheard Layne blubbering about what he could buy with his measly $1.27 and quarrelling with his brother to share some of his dough.  This man proceeded to had Layne a $10 bill and told him to split it with his brother.  Layne was all about to give Brik all of his money and keep the 10 for himself.  The man set him straight and the cashier split the money for them to share.

Brik spent most of his now $10 on a miniature cheese grater, measuring cup and a plastic straw with spoon.  As we walked between stores, Layne wanted to spend all of his money on stupid ride-on toys.  Luckily he only had two quarters and that is all they took.  He decided to hold out for toys which he found later at Big Lots a.k.a A Lot of Junk.  He took forever looking down every isle asking if he has enough for this or that.  Once he found what he was looking for (a complete piece of junk) his heart was set.  So, toy in hand, I told him to get out his money -- which he was explicitly told ,at least 5 times, to keep it in his pocket after seeing him transfer it between ever crack and crevice known to man. He looked up to me with guilty eyes and said it was under Roxwell’s seat.  Roxwell was sitting in a shopping cart and was brought in by dad, while I came in with my own cart with Layne and Brik, later met up with Jarom and ditched my cart.

Layne bent down and looked up under Roxwell and of course it wasn’t there.  TEARS.  We retraced out steps all over the store looking for an abandoned cart.  Layne was checking other customer’s carts as they strolled by.  Hopeless.  We made our way to the checkout counter.  A woman was standing there by a cart looking at the wrapping paper, I leaned down to take my first glance at someone’s cart.  There it was, folded and tucked in between the metal and plastic flap of the child seat was the $5 bill.  That is insane.

Layne got his stupid toy that didn’t even work and I had to return it the next week anyway.  We walked that returned $5 directly across the parking lot to the dollar store where he spent every bit of it.

Out With the Old, In With the New

9 Significant Bagley Family Records From 2009

1. Brik is allergic to dogs.
2. We enjoyed an increase in visits from my parents.
3. Completed our bathroom remodels.
4. Jarom and I attained regular free bimonthly therapeutic massages!
5. We entered the realm of cloth diapering.
6. Discovered Brik’s inborn ability to water ski.
7. I was called to serve as Primary President.
8. Our household transitioned from eating factory farmed meat in moderation to eating wild game/pastured meat sparingly.
9. Accomplished my first year of blogging.

10 Things I am Looking Forward to in 2010

1. Growing a garden that produces like gang busters.
2. Replacing the carpet with wood flooring.
3. A 7 day cruise alone with a hunky guy.
4. Roxwell’s first steps.
5. Brik starting kindergarten
6. Reaping the rewards of cloth diapering by easily potty training Roxwell and having 0 children in diapers.
7. Starting up more cooking classes.
8. Katie moving to Arizona.
9. Enjoying a backyard complete with grass, a play set and swimming pool.
10. Dancing on Dancing with the Stars

Merry Christmas To Me

Me likes me a nice slow, quiet Christmas. No chaos, no rushing around, not a lot of show. My dad used to have this thing with opening gifts, he would draw it out as long as possible. I can appreciate that now. It is the event for the night, so we revel in it.

This year we had a dinner at our house with Errol, Elaine, Reachel, Andrew, Coco, Leisel, Sterling and our family. Simple potluck with salad, roasted vegetables, ham, baked potatoes and apple crisp. The kids did a cute story telling of The First Christmas, we sang songs and enjoyed the gifts. I thought this year was modest. Jarom and I are planning a cruise this year for my 30th birthday, so our goal was to apply for passports by Christmas and call that our gift to each other; check. Roxwell got all regifted items from storage. I gifted Layne and Brik with their own stuff they had lost months prior because of bad behavior...How did we end up with so much stuff!? I was astonished with the pile that towered beside me as we finished. It was a great time and I am grateful to feel abundance and love through my friends and family.

Layne wasn't sure what to expect from Santa. We never got out to have the kids sit on Santa's lap and ask him for anything. Everyone who asked Layne what he wanted received the answer "a trumpet." Layne also is very aware from all the songs that Santa brings toys to good boys and not bad ones...uhhh. He knew he may not qualify. My favorite was when we were delivering Christmas gifts to friends and one asked "Are you on Santa's good list or bad list?" Layne replies "I'm on his kinda good list, but my brother (pointing to Brik) is on the REALLY good list."

Brik was also asking for a trumpet and sometimes would decide he wanted a new battery for his power wheels. He was pretty sure that Santa would not be leaving any gifts for Roxwell because he wakes mom up in the morning (big no no in our house.)

Christmas Day I got up and fed Roxwell. Brik was up with me, his room faces the living room where all of Santa's loot was laid, unwrapped. He never even noticed, it all blended in with the piles he remembered from the night before and all he was thinking about was the new toys he knew and had dreamed about through the night. Once Layne was up we lead them in and checked out the new stuff. We spent the morning finding batteries, playing games and planting my indoor starter plants.

For lunch we went to Grandma and Grandpa Bagley's. The kids got to sit at the adult table since our numbers were so few. Layne asked why there were little rugs on the table (place mats). He is really funny when he is not throwing a fit. Earlier that day, he walked by Jarom as Jarom was pointing at something. Layne said "Oh, I though you were going to give me a high five. That's disappointing." We laughed and he retracted "Actually, that doesn't make any sense, since you laughed." We assured him it did make sense and I was kinda sad that he is becoming so perceptive. Soon he is going to grow out of using his childish verbage that is so endearing.

I did miss my family, but it was so nice to stay put and not be thrown around from place to place. Travel is not my thing. I like to be home, I like to be warm, I like to relax. So this year -- Merry Christmas to me.

Rewind

We need to rewind and cover Brik’s birthday before we do Christmas as he is a pretty special little guy. He always wears a big smile and his excitement is contagious. Brik has been talking about “when my birthday comes up,’ since Layne’s birthday in September. For a while he though he got to choose what age he would be turning and he chose 5. He eventually came to terms with a year of being four, but is still looking forward to the golden age of five years old.

The week before and the week after the big day we had gone out to eat and both times Layne told our server when Brik’s birthday is/was and they brought him a dessert, so he got in some extra celebrating. On the day of his birthday, Brik was so excited to do a Krispy Kreme run in the morning to get doughnuts for breakfast. Apon awakening, Jarom was able to take a 15 minute break from work that we utilized to open presents. Once the presents were unveiled there was no parting him from his new toys. Layne was distraught when he learned I was abiding by Brik’s wishes to play instead of go. All day of offering a trip to get doughnuts and he never wanted to until bedtime.

Usually Layne is able to talk Brik into doing what ever he wants, like the day before when he talked Brik into a lemon cake for his birthday dinner dessert instead of cinnamon pizza, which Brik had originally chosen. It went like this… “Brik, cinnamon pizza is not even cake, you have to have cake for your birthday. Mom, Brik wants to have lemon cake for his birthday instead.” I asked Brik again what he wanted and he said cinnamon pizza. Now Layne is whining, “Brik, you are a mean brother. I don’t want cinnamon pizza for birthday cake you have to choose something else.” Brik says no and an all out fit breaks loose with stomping and crying. Quickly Brik says in a submissive voice “Okay Layne we can have lemon cake for my birthday.” Sad isn’t it?

So the lemon cake was delicious, I made it with sprouted flour, the filling was lemon curd made with honey and the frosting was powdered rapadura and kefir cream cheese. A recipe for the books! Brik wanted his name and the number 4 on it and Papa had sent licorice so we used that for the letters. I am not a good cake decorator and it is hard to make a pretty frosting with natural sugar and no food coloring, but I sure felt good about my family eating it.

I love that the day felt special even though we stayed home all day with no parties or friends, just the family, a few toys and a lemon cake.

A Christmas Story

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Where does the time go?  December has been full of great memories.  Mom came again for another quick, but very productive visit.  I learned that having her here to prepare for Christmas is just as good as having her here for Christmas.  Decorating the tree has never been more enjoyable, that’s for sure.  Brik was our typical kid decorator that only saw one branch fit for ornaments.

We also got in a good shopping spree at Macy’s.  I have not been much of a shopper in the past two years and tried hard to make up for it.  She even squeezed in a patience-trying gingerbread train project with the kids between a pedicure and a nice dinner out.  All that in two days with three kids; what a feat!

Our long loved Canon point and shoot has laid to rest.  Our first replacement was terrible (Nikon CoolPix).  So we went straight back to Canon and have a lovely orange camera that we are very happy with.  These two pictures were taken at the same time from the two different cameras.  We messed with the settings and could never get the Nikkon to take good pictures.  They were blurry with the kids and had bad color with the food.

Adventures in Self Feeding

Eating broccoli is just stinking cute!

2 raspberries + 1 baby = a really big mess!

Check me out, I'm a rockstar!

U want some?

Spoon optional.

After meal clean up.

Gobble, Gobble

Jarom is thankful for job security.

Layne is thankful for as much freedom as he can scrounge up.

Brik is thankful for a Mom that lets him talk her ear off.

Roxwell is thankful that his brothers are in bed so he can finally play with their trains.

I am thankful it is orange season.

Wrap It Up Already

Here is the rest of the pictures from our photo shoot. Roxwell was uncooperative as all he wanted was to be put down so that he could eat the rocks, in a few pictures that is what he is chewing on. When he was sitting on that rusty ladder I was freaking out that he was going to fall, but he didn't. Layne and Brik were great with posing for about 15 minutes, that is when all their best pictures were. The farmer whose farm we were trespassing on came to kick us out when we had barley started, but Jarom talked him into letting us finish and we promised to never come there again. Brik loved holding his acorn squash that he had selected at the market the day before, while Layne oogled over the lollipop that came and went with the photographer. A big thanks to Ashley and Marcus who gave of their time and talents, we love how they turned out.

Pics of Briks

Kiddo Portraits

Pic-a-Portrait

Just Eat It