A New Kind of Holiday: Handmade and Homebound

For only the second time since we were married, Matt and I got to spend Christmas in our own home this year (the other time being the year that I was extremely pregnant with Claire and couldn't travel).  Every wish I had for my own family came true, but not without a lot of hard work and preparation.

I organized and orchestrated;

I prepped and planned; 

I baked and bundled;

I caroled and cradled;

I hosted and hand made;

I sewed and soloed;

I dined and designed;

I toasted and tested;

I invited and attended;

Finally, I wrapped and wrapped....and wrapped.... and wrapped...

(counted a total of 83 gifts that were packaged by yours truly). 

At Claire's Christmas Program: Mt. Olympus Presbyterian Preschool

After months of preparing and performing Christmas programs, working on creating gifts for family members and trying to choose things that would bring joy to my three little babies and my sweet husband, everything came to that monumental apex on Christmas morning. Matt and I had so much fun setting the stage for our little theater that day. Two of our three children experienced their first Christmas.... they were too young to fully embrace it, but they were certainly curious enough to try to rip paper and pull on ribbons. They loved all of it... and, of course, since Claire is their favorite person, anything she did was fabulous to them. This was Claire's fifth Christmas, but it was, in many ways, her first. She is now an older sibling, she woke up in her own home on Christmas morning where Santa came to visit, and she celebrated with just us: mom, dad and twinnies. Perfection... having that time together and seeing her excitement and what Matt and I have built for ourselves brings indescribable joy to me. 

Getting to meet Santa at a neighborhood party.

Christmas Jammies

Trying to restrain the wild beasts before we let them loose under the Christmas tree.

Twinnies' First Stockings

All I need for Christmas.

Funny moments on Christmas morning were when the twins tried to open presents bigger than their own bodies, and when Claire received a gift about which she was not enthused... ski goggles. "Noooooooooo, not these! I don't want to go skiing today!"  She did, however, adore her big present from Santa Claus: an adorable tiny kitchen with all the modern appliances she could want.

Beyond the gifts, Christmas was special to me because it was just one more arena in which I could watch my young children experience something new; an opportunity for us to build memories as a family and strengthen what we are together.  

We visited the Ice Castles in Midway, Utah (www.icecastles.com) and they were utterly breathtaking. August was miserably cold until Daddy Matty put her in his jacket. Miss Claire was freezing and said she didn't like Ice Castles, but then after she warmed back up, she changed her mind. We went out for a family dinner afterward, with Grandparents Mike & Becky and Matt's Brother, Dan, and his adorable girlfriend Leylen. I thought it would be a great idea to give the twins their first bite of solid food in a restaurant... not so much. After trying to chew and swallow an impossibly small, soft piece of biscuit, August began to throw up, then Sam followed suit. I had two twins vomiting, one in my  hands, all at the dinner table of a nice restaurant. Additionally, my food had just been served, and my hot fish and chips were calling my name (but not as loudly as my glass of wine). Collectively we handled the myriad of bodily explosions, posthumously dubbed "Chernobyl" by Cam, the funniest of the uncles. Poor Leylen (originally from Argentina, a resident of the states for just the past 5 years)... her adequate and accurate response was very simple: "That was... intense." (in her gorgeous Argentine accent). 

The Ice Castles in Midway are man-made, from 20 million pounds of ice. One of only three places in the US you can see this. It was breathtaking, and not just because of the freezing temperatures.

We made fudge, over and over and over... Matt was the main fudge chef this year, and I have to publicly admit that his fudge was the best we've ever had. We use the same super secret recipe that my mom made for years... it is divine and I look forward to this tradition every year and I think now my children may begin to view it as tradition to them as well. 

We played games; Claire was Millionaire Tycoon at the end of a long game of Life... I was so proud. She's getting old enough to play games with and really enjoy it. Sam and August are good sports and along for the ride all of the time. They rarely complain (although August has been just a touch fussy these days, but I think it's related to teething). 

Claire winning Life! Uncle Cam is to her right, and sweet Sammy in his helmet to Cam's right.

The holidays had one component that must not go without recognition. We, unfortunately, had to say goodbye to Matt's sweet grandma, Jolene Catmull (on his dad's side).  She was a lover of mankind, someone who adored nature, and took people in... no matter their status. We were crushed to see her go so unexpectedly, just days before Christmas, but grateful that she went peacefully in her sleep.  

Jolene meeting August (left) and Sam (right).

This laced the holidays with planning a service to honor her in a way that would match the respect and admiration all of us have for her. I ended up performing prelude and postlude music from a wide variety of classical and romantic composers. We had a request to honor Jolene's wishes that the music remained secular, so I had to revise my standard funeral repertoire somewhat, and it lead to a beautiful rediscovery of some old music that I hadn't played for years.  I also performed a piano solo: "Lullaby" by Billy Joel.  

Uncle Dan, hanging with Sammy and Daddy Matt after the service

Left to Right: Leylen, Dan, Me, Matt, Cam, Sam and Bree. Taken after the services at Uncle Jeff's house.

After that, my dad and I performed "Somewhere Over the Rainbow." If you haven't heard my dad sing, you don't know how chilling and sacred this performance can be. I'll maintain to my dying day that he has a voice unlike any I have ever heard. It is an honor to perform at his side, and accompany his instrument... I have been doing it since I was just 12 years old, and I hope to be doing it as long as he is singing.

This holiday season was filled with a wider variety of emotions than I planned to embrace, but I'm thrilled to say that the family weathered it all very well. I am looking forward to every day of this next year. As my mom always says, "These are the good times, and we're smart enough to enjoy them." 

Six Months... and it keeps getting better

 

 

I think the twins have hit the peak cuteness of their life up to this point. They roll over, laugh, play games with you and, they act like I am the only thing in their universe. It's hard not to adore someone when they look at you like you make them happier than anything could. I cherish these moments, I know it will not be like this forever... but I am eating up every bite of their deliciousness right now.

Yes, they hold hands, even when I don't make them.

Real Christmas elves live at our house.

August has her arm around her big brother, Sam.

They are starting to get too big for this little basket... a far cry from the little 4 lb preemies that we were nursing to health in the hospital.

This month there have been more firsts than any other: they have eaten solid food, seen Christmas lights, decorated a tree and had their first Thanksgiving. As we enter the holidays, we have also started some of our family holiday traditions. Having a school age child opens up a whole new realm of activities that we are thrilled to participate in. Her school had a Thanksgiving feast that they made and all the parents were invited. The best part of it was seeing Claire interact with her friends, and proudly introduce them to us. 

Thanksgiving Feast at Mt. Olympus Presbyterian

The twins' first Thanksgiving.

All of the kids get a Christmas ornament every year. The twins got porcelain booties, and Claire got a Utes rocking horse, to commemorate our move to Utah (and she fell in love with horses this year).  I made my mom's world famous fudge (with the help of my very patient husband), and Claire helped me deliver fudge to the neighbors. She insisted on wearing a crown and a princess dress, as though the world has an expectation that she is in a perpetual state of glamor.

Ready to open their first gifts. Of course, they had a very seasoned gift opener there for onsite assistance.

We took the kids to a tree lighting in Holladay, where they got to see Santa and sing carols. It was freezing and so fun to be bundled up, celebrating our first Christmas in Utah. We had a snowstorm that night, and the feeling of waking up to the first snow of the season is no less exciting than it was when I was a little girl. 

We also did a special presentation in Claire's class about our family holiday traditions. She and I had so much fun putting together a poster of her 4 Christmases to this point, and the traditions that we share at each one. At one point in making the poster, we ran out of room for a picture of her playing our friend Tim's violin. She got upset and said, "But Mommy, we have to use this picture. This is my Christmas Sharing Board and this is a picture of Tim sharing his violin with me." Needless to say, we made room for the picture immediately. We made ornaments for her whole class and gave them to each child. It was such a special activity as mother and daughter. I am also playing the piano in her school's Christmas program. I am thrilled to be involved with the school / church and contribute to them, as they are so important to our family. It's been a fantastic way to get my fingers back in shape, and experience the holidays in a more religious setting, in a beautiful sanctuary (accompanied by a motley crew of 5-year-olds).

 

The twins are both extremely healthy, and we are grateful every day. Sam is tipping the scales at 15 lbs 5 oz, and August is a little sprite at 13 lbs 1 oz. Sam is short and round (5% for height, 33% for weight), and August is tall and lean. However, they are the exact same height / length and their growth is steady, which is most important.  They are sleeping through the night more and more frequently now... and go to bed around 8:30 which means that we have a semblance of sanity back in the evenings. Yay! 

Sam is well fed.

August is more delicate.

Our life has a new normal. This means our hands are always full, our house is always noisy, someone always needs you for something and we are world-class "multitaskers".  This is also the happiest we have ever been.

August is a big help when it comes to the heavy lifting around the house. Here she prepares to help dad shovel snow.

Gotta get creative when both twins are screaming for attention. Daddy is cleaning up the kitchen from dinner, with one twin strapped to him, and then had to grab the other one because she felt left out. Here is how I found him scrubbing counters.

Twins at 5 Months

Every day's a great day when you're a twin!

Happy 5 Month Birthday to my sweet twins! They have made great strides in the last month in developing their personalities and their physical skills.

What-chu lookin at?

Miss August proudly rolls from her back to her belly with ease -- and then screams when she gets stuck on her belly and can't roll back over. Matt calls it the "reverse turtle" maneuver. Sometimes she rolls right on top of Sam - it's pretty funny to watch. Sam can roll from belly to back, but has a little more "heft" to manage and can't quite get from back to belly.  

August also has a new game she loves to play, and she actually initiates it with anyone that holds her. She starts spitting t them like crazy - people ask me what she's doing, and I just tell them to spit right back. She thinks it's the coolest thing ever that you can spit. She also mimics you a lot if you look at her and open your eyes wide and raise your eyebrows. She's becoming very attached to people and, unfortunately, a bit of a cry baby if you put her down. She still looks just like a little pixie or brownie and I'm pretty sure her eyes are going to stay a beautiful steel blue.

Mr. Sam is a "Man About Town" as Grandpa Judd puts it. He is constantly charming everyone he sees and is quite a flirt. If he is upset he is easy to appease and is truly the happiest baby I have ever seen in my life. He loves to talk, so much so that it's hard to feed him because he needs so many chat breaks. He loves to use his hands and feet and is constantly marching in place like a chubby little smiley soldier. 

Grandpa and The Man About Town

Sam is getting pretty good at "sitting up" when we prop him just right. He has a great belly to support him so it's kind of cheating... but we'll count it anyway. August is getting pretty good at it too, but doesn't enjoy it as much. 

Sammy so proud of sitting up

I'm sitting up, but I'm not sure if I'm comfortable.

Babies are outgrowing all of their newborn and many of their 3 month clothes. I try to take my mom's advice and not mourn this but be proud that they have grown so well, especially considering they were premature and had to work so hard to grow.

Time to retire these PJs...

Both babies sleep pretty well and get up around 4 or 5 for a feeding then go back down until 8-9. We have started last night feeding at 8pm in hopes of getting them to bed closer to 9 so we can have some peace and quiet and go to bed earlier. 

I found the babies holding hands in bed when they woke up one morning.

Claire remains a fabulous big sister - she is really good about helping feed the babies, entertaining them or trying to comfort them if they are sad. She also helps August out of her reverse turtle maneuver when she is stuck.  

Sweet sister feeding Sammy

Last but not least, there is a small army of people who help us keep our family machine running.. they make our lives easier, but they also make our lives richer and I am appreciative beyond words. Thank you to Grandmas, Grandpas, Cousins, Sisters and friends... We love you so much. I may not have pictures of all of you - please don't be offended, and know that every single gesture of support is priceless to us. These pictures are in no particular order :)

Auntie Erin loves her twinnies.

Grandma Tam and her posse

Grandpa Mike and his patented dual burping method

Saint Wendy - my cousin who helps every single week. She is like a sister, friend, nanny and mom all in one.

Grandma Becky!!!! The kids love to play with her and she has even taken them overnight so we can sleep. BLESS YOU!

Grandpa Judd helps Sammy hold his bottle and takes Claire to school for us to help out!

Halloween - Part Two

Part Two - We are on time and Claire gets plenty of candy

On actual Halloween Night, things went much more smoothly for the family. Everyone got into their costumes again, Matt still complained about the silver face paint (but wore it because Claire loved it... he's a softie), and we were ready to go. 

As I mentioned, we were the Wizard of Oz cast. I made the twins' costumes and had an absolute blast doing that. August was the world's tiniest scarecrow - I made her hat, booties and collar out of burlap. I think they were pretty itchy, but hopefully she'll forgive me. 

Sam was the cutest little Lion ever-- I just glued a bunch of crazy yarn to a hat from the dollar store, and made his paws out of booties that I put little paw pads on. Both babies got make up for the first time - what a milestone :)

Claire loved being Dorothy, and had a little black bear as her dog "Tuto / Pluto/ Toto" (different every time she says it). She adored trick-or-treating, but was much more selective about the houses she chose to visit, rather than the quantity of candy she amassed. If a house wasn't "spooky" enough, she wouldn't go to it... funny little set of rules she has for anything and everything she does in her life. (Wonder where she gets that...)

Halloween... Part One

Part One - All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go

I got the family dressed to the hilt as the crew from The Wizard of Oz. Claire was a darling Dorothy, Matt was a VERY reluctant Tin Man, I was Glinda the Good Witch, Sam was a very Friendly (not cowardly) Lion and August was a teeeny Scarecrow. 

Finally ended up at Grandma and Grandpa Stout's for a family picture, at least.

I made everyone's costumes except for Claire's and had been preparing for a week. If you know me at all, I never miss a chance to dress up, or dress-up those around me. Now that I have twins, I have added greatly to my prop department and my cast in my own little Lauren theater, and I'm delighted beyond words.

After about two hours, the family was completely ready to go Trunk-or-Treating at our friend's church. We were walking out the door when we realized there was a serious mess at home that we had to clean up (long story, won't bore you with the details), but it made us an hour late and we missed the entire thing. I was desperate to make it up to Claire, as I heard her sitting in the back seat, all dressed up with tears in her voice, ask me "Mommy, is it over? Do I not get any candy? Did we miss it?" 

A big mess on our hands

Matt and I had to think on our feet quickly. As soon as we arrived to the parking lot, Matt said I should hurry and take Claire as quickly as I could to any cars that were still giving treats and he would handle the twins. Over and over people said, "Sorry, we're all out. You should have come earlier..." I told them it wasn't her fault and we were late and the sweetest thing happened. Children started coming up to Claire and giving her their candy from their own basket. As we all know, candy has quite high value, as your only currency when you are that young. So, to see these children understand that my little girl was sad and there was a need there, was precious. It is a simple thing, and I know people have much greater problems than this, but anytime I see someone show an example of love and kindness to my child I count it as a gem in her life path.

After only 10 minutes of "Trunk or Treating" we went over to Matt's parents so someone could at least see us all dressed up, and maybe we could get the family picture we didn't have time for in our rush to leave the house. We had a wonderful time with them and I was sure to make Claire recognize the example of love and kindness she saw tonight. Definitely not a loss at all....