2007 Highlights (Year, not quantity)

I like to look back at each year and list the highlights. Every year I'm surprised by how many great things have happened in the last year. I thought I'd share a few with you. Let me know if I blew it and missed something really grand.

Family

• Savanna, a niece born in January
• Diana, a niece born in May
• Colette, a niece born in June
• Steven and Rhonda's wedding
  
• Kathleen getting into the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
• All of the GBLs being in town for Christmas
  

Education

• GRADUATION!!!! Eric and I graduated from BYU this year. We walked together in April, but I didn't officially finish until August.
• Eric got accepted to the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand, and we are going there SIX WEEKS FROM TODAY!!!!

Work

• I got a grown-up job, and I get to keep it when we live across the planet.
• Eric joined the Crisis Team and then became the manager of the Crisis Team.
• Eric got a couple of raises.
  

Travel

• We went to San Diego to watch Michelle run (and win!).
  
• I went to Texas for my brother's wedding.
  
• We went to Jackson Hole in June to canoe the Snake River with Gordon, Kathleen and Andrew and to see Colette.
• We went to Jackson Hole in August for Colette's blessing.
• We went to Seattle to visit Matt and Michelle for Thanksgiving.
• We went to Jackson Hole for Bridger's baptism.
• We bought our plane tickets for New Zealand.

When we were sitting over dinner a few weeks ago we thought of many, many other highlights for this year. This is just a recap of some of the best reasons to be grateful for 2007!

2007 Books (year, not quantity)

I've read a lot of books this year. I hope to read more next year. I've listed the books I read in 2007 below. I would bold my favorites, but almost all of them would be bold. They are in no particular order - just the order I remembered them in.

1. Suite Francais by Irene Nemirovsky
2. Life and Death in Shanghai by Nien Cheng
3. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
4. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling*
5. Roots by Alex Haley
6. The Ladies' Paradise by Emile Zola
7. Band of Brothers by Stephen Ambrose
8. Ella Enchanted by Gale Carson Levine
9. Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
10. New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
11. The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
12. Two Lives of Charlemagne
13. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
14. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy*
15. Silas Marner by George Elliot*
16. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley*
17. Chicagoland: City and Suburbs in the Railroad Age by Ann Durkin Keating
18. Only a Few Bones: A True Account of the Rolling Fork Tragedy and its Aftermath by John Philip Colletta
19. Get a Financial Life by Beth Kobliner
20. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte*
21. Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar
22. Candide by Voltaire
23. The French Revolution and Human Rights: A Brief Documentary History by Lynn Hunt
24. The French Worker: Autobiographies from the Early Industrial Era by Mark Traugott
25. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
26. The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway*
27. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
28. New Zealand - Culture Smart by Sue Butler
    

*I listened to an audio-version of this book.

Out of the Mouths of Babes...

Christmas is over, and all the little kids are gone. It was so much fun to play with the nieces and nephews while they were here. It's weird to think how big and different they will be when I get to see them again.

Cute things the little ones have done/said:

• "Grandpa, I don't like girls. Well, I like some girls. I don't like Sherry." -James (4) (Shalissa tried to explain that he was talking about liking girls not just liking them. I'm not really sure why he wouldn't like me because I had just finished reading him a book about whales. Well, hmph!)
• After Gordon told a funny joke and everyone laughed, Caleb (3) chimed in with a forced, gut-busting laugh. Then we all laughed at him. Then it got quiet and Caleb whispered, "Grandpa, that wasn't funny."
• When Caleb sat at a stool at the island and said, "Hey you're cutting veggie-tales!"
• Michael (2) completely freaking out during picture time. Especially in the grandparents/grandkids picture. Which then caused Caleb to commence freaking out. And then the babies (11 mos and 7 mos) to freak out. It was hilarious. A pure meltdown. In fact, I think the picture below pretty much captures the whole experience, although it was actually taken before the melting down really got melt-y.
• When Michael remembered my name as "Not Andrew" on Saturday after training him while throwing the basketball on Friday. Fortunately by Sunday he could remember my name as "Say-ee." A week later he had again forgotten my name, but he at least recognized me and lit up when he saw me.
  
• Little Michael saying "I can't get you!" then running away from me as I chased him saying, "Yes, I can!" and he would respond, "No, I can't!" Then I would get him and he would say, "Don't want get you! Go away!" Michael, are you 2? Clearly.
• Katie asking me if Eric knew that God didn't want him to work on Sunday.
• Michael not wanting to open any more presents after his first present on Christmas morning.
  
• Katie saying in the prayer over Christmas breakfast "And thank you for all of the presents that we couldn't even imagine!"
• Caleb saying "Look Dad! It's a train. But it's not a real train, it doesn't chugga."

Also, the babies? So adorable. They don't talk yet, so they didn't say anything funny. But they are both really cute.

I tried to keep track of the funny things they said and did, but I'm sure I missed a few. It would be a lot easier if they weren't so darn funny!

Note: I posted this a few days ago, but I have since made some updates, and I thought it was worth reposting it with a new date.

It's Totally Worth It

While they were in town, Shalissa and Bri and I had some great conversations. I really like those two. We've married brothers who grew up as best friends, and it's fun to talk about our husbands and how alike they are.

Shalissa mentioned that when she goes somewhere with all her kids (4) she gets strange looks and sometimes even rude-ish comments. Sometimes the comments aren't intended to be rude, I don't think. But sometimes they are. Usually people say something along the lines of, "Wow! You've got your hands full!" Fortunately, Shalissa has come up with four perfect words for the disapproving looks, or even the concerned looks: It's totally worth it.

I thought about that last night when I realized that I'm pretty sure both Nate and Shalissa kids AND Bry and Bri's kids got me sick. Because, wow. I'm pretty sick when you put it all together.

However, it's totally worth it. I wonder if that phrase is reserved only for dutiful moms and not fun aunts. In which case my saying it doesn't have quite the same impact. But playing with the kids this break was certainly my highlight of their coming out here. And I won't see them again for a loooooong time, so getting sick really isn't that big of a deal.

Christmas Music Preferences

I mentioned before that I needed a post about Christmas songs. I don't know that this will be the best post. After all, it is CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!

I love they hymns. Hands down, they are the best, primarily because they are about the real meaning of Christmas, the birth of Our Savior, Jesus Christ. I particularly enjoy The First Noel, Silent Night, and the music from The Messiah (which was actually written for Easter, not Christmas!).

I enjoy many secular songs as well, especially the more sentimental ones like I'll be Home for Christmas, White Christmas and Let it Snow.

I also really like some of the fun ones like Sleigh Ride and Baby, It's Cold Outside.

I am not crazy about the silly songs and most of the Santa songs. I rather dislike Santa Clause is Coming to Town, All I want for Christmas (is my Two Front Teeth), I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas, and Rudolph the Red-Nose Reindeer. I haven't always hated these songs. I enjoyed them as a child, in fact. But somewhere along the way the started to bother me. Perhaps because of all the pop renditions of them? I'm really not sure. Anyway, there you have it.

My Take on Santa

It must be the holiday season because most of the blogs that I read rarely have new posts. I probably fall under that category too.

I've been thinking a lot about Santa recently and different parents' theories of Santa and the ages of discovery about Santa and that sort of thing. And here's my take:

We'll do the Santa thing. We'll take the kids to visit Santa. We'll have them write letters if they so desire. But Santa only brings mediocre gifts. The good gifts come from Mom and Dad. And when the kids are done believing in Santa, we'll be okay with that. I don't want my kids pretending to believe in Santa until they are 16 because they are worried they won't get presents. And I don't want Santa to get the credit for the cool things I get the kids.

And I don't believe the idea that if kids believe in Santa they may think Jesus isn't real. With that argument, you may as well get rid of ALL fictional characters, because it's pretty much the same thing. I've heard a story of a kid who told his mom, "If we pray, then God will send Superman to help us." All fictional characters can confuse kids because kids have a hard time understanding the difference between real and pretend. I understand the argument that Santa distracts from the true reason of the holiday, but I think EVERYTHING distracts from the true reason for the holiday. Nixing Santa isn't in my plans.

Hopefully Eric and I will find a balance and enjoy watching our little ones wonder about Santa but still not get carried away with the gimme-gimme aspects of Christmas.