Christmas Celebrations

Nick and Meadow's family arrived at our home on Sunday, and we opened gifts and were entertained by the kiddos. Nicky sang us several renditions of Killers songs mixed in with snowman lyrics, replete with his own vibrato effects. Tressa led the singing from the top of the stairs and kept asking throughout the day when we could open the gifts. Her favorite was a porcelain Indian doll from Mom. We made a teepee for it out of tissue paper and kabob skewers. Hyrum was elated about a shirt I gave him, which was a surprise for me. What kids like getting clothes? He couldn't get it on fast enough, and it ended up upside-down with the collar at his waist, but he was still happy! Meadow made gorgeous, intricate paper flowers to decorate the packages. I think mine and Corey's favorite gift was a coupon from Mike good for house cleaning and dish doing- awesome!

Hyrum and Adam Jack getting into treats in the pantry- the one thing they can share! Most of the time, they did not get along well. Doesn't Hyrum look like Gabie here?

Adam Jack was 90% asleep, but insisted that Missy finish feeding him his Cocoa Puffs- so hilarious!

Adam Jack's stylish 'do.

Zachary Ammon's blessing day.

An Alexander Country-Style Christmas-- YEE HAW!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Alexander Disco-MANIA

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Happy Christmas

Have a Magic Christmas!  

Love, Us in Maui

Zachary Chronicles- Week 4

For awhile, I kept waiting for this kid's real parents to come pick him up, but I guess they're letting us have him for keeps. I guess it's finally feeling like he really is ours. I suppose the pregnancy hormones and pain and healing clouded my thinking for a few weeks, but it really felt like, "Where did he come from? How long does he plan on staying?" I don't know, it just took some getting used to after over thirty years of not being a parent to realize he's here for good, and I'm on duty 24/7 for the next 18 or so years. It'll be fun, right?!

So today marks 4 weeks. Weird. It feels like I was just in labor yesterday. I think Zachary likes to commemorate his entrance into the world by being wide awake every Tuesday morning at 4am. He wants to relive the experience, or just remind us of when he came, or something. That's what pictures and journals are for, son. He still has sleep struggles. Last night he slept from 1am-4am. That was nice. He's starting to smile more and more, which is a joy. It makes those late nights worth it. He is super strong and always trying to lift his head and upper body. I think he'll follow in his cousin Katie's footsteps and be doing sit-ups by 9 months (or was it 7?).

Another fun thing he does is sleep with his arms sticking straight out in the air, like Superman about to take flight. I can barely hold my arms out for 30 seconds before they are too tired to stay up. I guess it's easier when they only weigh a few ounces each!

Corey had 4 days off this weekend and spent every moment with Zach while I was able to rest and run errands. I was gone for several hours a few times, and I missed the baby fiercely. I read this magazine article about a mom going back to work after her baby was born, and I almost cried. I'm sure there will be more tears to come in that arena. . . I now feel so bad for hustling Corey out the door back to work when Zach was only a couple of days old. Corey was fighting it, but didn't have enough paid leave to take much time off. It is mean that hardly anyone offers paid maternity/paternity leave. I would be happy to pay a few more tax dollars to ensure that all new parents each received at least one week of paid leave following their child's birth. It is vital to their emotional and physical well-being. In Canada and much of Europe, parents are given from 6-12 months off paid after a baby's birth. They pay a ton in taxes, but at least it is an aim to helping society. Okay, I'm off my political soapbox. Happy 4 weeks, Baby!

Christmas Plans

We decided the family's getting too big and we are too poor to buy everyone individual gifts, so we are going to start a rotation that will change every year. This year it will start with giving a gift/gifts to the couple just younger than you. Next year it will be the sibling younger than last year's, and so on. Just give whatever you can afford and are comfortable giving- no minimum, no maximum. Some of my very favorite gifts have been when others share their talents through song, art, or handicrafts. Or a new car, what have you. We just want it to be as stress free as possible while still keeping the giving spirit.

Also, everyone is invited to spend as much time at Noelle and Corey's as you wish. We will probably be going to Idaho on the eve of the 23 or the 24th, and returning the eve of the 26th or morn of the 27th, depending on weather conditions and health factors, and what everyone else's plans are.

We will be blessing our baby on Sunday, December 28 here in Pleasant Grove at 9am, so please make plans to be here.

Happy Holidays!

Noelle and Corey have Nick and Meadow's family
Nick and Meadow have Natalie and Ryan
Nat and Ry have Missy and Adam
Missy and Adam have Mike
Mike has Noelle and Corey

If you want to contribute to a group gift for Mom and Dad, let Missy or Noelle know.