Our First Christmas in Maine

I have noticed a pattern in myself each year as the holidays approach. A week or two before Christmas I get extremely homesick, wondering what on earth we are doing living in Iowa/Connecticut/Arizona/Maine. I dream of dropping everything and flying the family home to Utah to recreate the childhood Christmas of my dreams. Which, of course, isn't possible and doesn't really exist anywhere but my memory. 

This year was no exception. I did make a more concerted effort to focus on the true meaning of Christmas, listening to Christmas devotionals and simplifying this crazy time of year as much as I could. It really did help. But I still found myself wishing we could be with family as Christmas Eve crept closer. But then those feelings of loneliness and longing went away (they always do) and, despite having a few isolated moments of missing family, we had a really wonderful holiday. 

The hospital where Ryan works put on a great holiday party for employees and their families. They really catered it to children, complete with face-painting, crafts, cookie-making, and Santa.

The entire family driving a gingerbread car at the resort where the party was held. 

Talking Santa's ear off.

A couple of days before Christmas, Isaac got new glasses and Maddie got a new smile. Both of them are pretty proud of their new looks. 

On Christmas Eve morning, the energy in the house was through the roof with excitement. Since it was 55 degrees outside, I finally banished the kids to the yard so they could run off their anticipation. I caught Nathan in this picture drinking a bottle of sprinkles. Heaven help me. 

Google's Santa tracker was a big hit.

Hands down, my favorite part of Christmas Eve was watching how excited the kids got when they gave the gifts they had made/purchased to one another. Maddie typed this letter in school for Isaac. 

One of our Christmas Eve traditions is watching a slideshow with pictures of our year that I put together. Its' always worth all the work when I see how excited the kids get as they remember the memories we've made throughout the year. 

We started a new tradition this Christmas Eve by attending the evening service of a local Baptist church down the street from our home. Some friends invited us to watch their children perform in the Nativity and many friends/neighbors from the community where there. It was a really sweet program that I hope we can make a tradition. The only time I got nervous (really, really nervous) was when they lit candles one by one as we all sang Silent Night together. Davis leaned over to me and said, "I've never been this close to fire before!" Ryan and I both imagined the headlines of the local paper: "Mormon Children Burn Down Baptist Church on Christmas Eve." Luckily no hymn books were set ablaze during the carol singing. 

And Christmas morning was everything I hoped it would be and more. The kids were thrilled with their presents (a wii! it was a dream come true!) and everyone got along great for at least a couple of hours. :)
We were able to talk to family and I admit that I missed being close to them, but overall I felt so grateful to have such a wonderful, loving family. 

A Few of My Favorite Things

Here are a few of my most recent favorite things. I can't call myself a true friend and keep these goodies from you:

This book by Philip Stead (Author of "A Sick Day for Amos McGee") is such a sweet book about change and friendship. I love it. 

This beanie means I don't have to do my hair unless I want to for the next 4 months. I have it in olive and beige and I wish I had every other color as well. You can get them here on Amazon for less than $10. Boom.

Confession: My exercise clothes are pretty stinky (read: unbearably stinky). I have tried lots and lots of detergents and nothing has worked to get them clean and fresh except for Downy Fresh Protect. At the risk of sounding dramatic, this stuff has changed my life. I add it along right to the load with my regular detergent. And the best news is that it only takes about 1/3 of a cap full to get my clothes smelling great. I love this stuff. 

These honey mints from Trader Joe's have only three ingredients: honey, chocolate liquor, and peppermint extract. Everyone in my family loves them. Like a peppermint patty, but fancier. 

General Conference a couple of months ago might have been my most favorite conference ever. President Uchtdorf''s talk was one of my faves. 

And this quote by Sister Stephens brings me so much hope and comfort when I get bogged down by my weaknesses and imperfections. I love it. 

An Update for My Poor, Neglected Blog

Hello?

Anybody out there?

I've neglected this poor blog over the past year. Neglect due partially to Instagram and partially to the fact that I don't have to spend nearly as many nights alone (not complaining, not complaining. Residency, I do not miss you. I'm just acknowledging the fact that you did give me ample time to put all my lonely energy into updating our little life on this internet space). Now that we got that out of the way, in no particular order, here are some of the visual documentations of our life over the past month or so:

Every once in awhile, we get a really spectacular sunset. This particular night Maddie took this picture of our backyard. 

Gobble Gobble! I've never been a huge fan of Walmart but I must say that, given it's the only big box store within an hour of us, it makes shopping so much easier.

I just love Davis' kindergarten teacher. So does he. This drumstick headdress that they made during the week of Thanksgiving makes me love her even more.

Santa arrived by boat via the Coast Guard last weekend. We were there to greet him. 

We ran into Ryan's coworker while waiting for Santa last weekend and she offered to snap a picture of the two of us together. In a small town, you run into people you know A LOT. It's one of the things I love about this place. 

Last weekend we spent Saturday doing "Christmas-y" stuff. The art museum downtown hosts a big Christmas party each year and opens it up to the public. We decorated cookies, saw a model train exhibit, and took a horse-drawn wagon ride. I love this time of year. 

Cookie decorating at the art museum. That face!

More cookies! The Apple Jack eyes are my fave.

We took the kids to a Christmas parade of lights last weekend downtown. I have to laugh when I think about it. I mean, a parade of lights for Christmas at Disneyland in California? I get that. A parade of lights in Maine in December? Outside?Whose idea was that?? Lobsters in lights were abundant.

Isaac's class at school got to participate in an art program where they worked with a bunch of different mediums. Here he and his partner are explaining the process that they went through to create their work of art. One of the things that I love about Maine and particularly our county is that it attracts many artists, writers, and creative minds in general. Something about being close to nature fosters creativity. It's pretty cool. Because of this, there are more opportunities to explore art, meet local artists, and participate in programs like the one Isaac just completed at school. 

Isaac and I went to the Nutcracker together last week when I got to be a chaperone for his class field trip. It will be a really sad day when they ask me to stop coming to stuff like this. 

Chocolate Mousse Cheesecake graced our Thanksgiving table this year. This dessert almost ended up on our kitchen floor right after this photo was taken, but somehow I saved it (the shirt I was wearing did not survive, however. It turns out that chocolate ganache doesn't come out of cotton very easily). 

I've been really trying to focus on the true meaning of Christmas this year. For the sake of my children, but also for myself. It is so easy to get caught up in the stress of the season. The LDS Church has released several videos about Christmas and watching them each day, along with listening to the First Presidency Christmas Devotionals from years' past, has helped remind me of what is most important about this time of year. 

"Mom, can I take a selfie of us looking at each other?" I got to be Maddie's date to the movies the other night. She chose "The Good Dinosaur." I love this girl so very much. Sometimes I just look at her and can't imagine what my life would be like without her in it. She doesn't have any sisters but at least we have each other. And I love telling her that she is my favorite daughter. 

I see this red boat in the harbor every morning when I head home from my early morning workout. I just had to take a picture of it on this particular day. Seeing the ocean on the daily never gets old.

The sun sets in Maine just before 4pm this time of year. I'm not going to lie---this limited daylight we are currently experiencing really zaps my energy! I need more vitamin D!

Isaac learned to ice skate this fall through a series of field trips to the local rink. Ice skating skills really come in handy around here. Photo credit: Christine Miller. 

 There you have it: our life in pictures, or more accurately put, a tiny part of our life in pictures. I look at Ryan quite often and tell him that I just can't believe we have it so good. It's not perfect but there are so many things to be grateful for.