Retraction

I would like to print a formal apology to my father. After a little more digging, it turns out that he was not as far removed from the game as I thought. When he spoke of the 'Christmas Devotional,' he was not making reference to the Church wide Christmas Devotional given on the first weekend in December, but instead to our family gathering on Christmas Eve, when Tyler read from Luke 2 and my Dad read The Three Trees.

That makes more sense now.

On the previous Christmas Eve we dressed up as the characters in the nativity. But this time around, the kids had dressed up in primary the Sunday before, so I didn't feel as great a need to dig out all our bathrobes and headbands.

However, because of a change in callings, I am now in primary with the kids, and I happened to have my camera that day, so I took some pictures. In Junior primary, Ivory and Daisy weren't involved, but in Senior primary, they had to use every last kid to fill the parts.

Robyn was chosen as Mary. She did a good job and was very reverent. (Except maybe she was a little irreverent when she and Gabriel were laughing back and forth.)

I thought it was really touching as Mary and Joseph shared a hymnbook.

June was an angel among the hosts.

I liked this last scene when everyone was gathered around the sweet family. The kids all did a fantastic job.

So Dad, I love the story of the Nativity as well. And that was a perfectly good memory to choose from your time here with us. Please accept my apologies.

Memories of the Dargans

As you may know, one of our favorite games is 'My Team.' Right before my parents left at Christmas Time, we played a special game of 'My Team.' Our category was what was your favorite memory while Grandma, Grandpa, Tim, and Miranda were visiting? I think we had such a good range, I figured I would write them all down as our memories. In parenthesis is who wrote the memory down.

Just Spending Time (Robyn)- Of course, this was the best one. We just don't get to see my Washington family enough. Mainly because of the distance between us and the cost of travel. I have to hand it to my family. They are fabulous about coming out to see us. They come this way more often than we travel there. And I really appreciate it every time.

Color Me Mine (Ivory)- We love Color Me Mine. It is evident from many a post. And painting with Grandma is a favorite. We made sure to go out there first thing, so we could get all the pieces back before they left. Grandma decorated the adorable Santa, and Tim did the mouth watering ice cream cone and wand.

Our crew (oldest children) came along. June painted the owl. Robyn designed the long snake, and Ivory colored the curled up snake, that is actually a box.

I did another dessert plate. (Okay, I know that only makes two, but now it is an official set.) I love how it turned out.

We hung them both on the wall. They aren't exactly the same, but I don't want them to be identical. I hope each piece has its own style. (Two down, six to go.)

Gift Exchange (Grandma)- I wish I had gotten pictures of the stacks of gifts before we passed them around. There were a ton. And the exchange was so fun. My beyond-creative mother wrote a poem which had us picking, passing, stealing, and distributing gifts between all of us. The most heart rending moment was when Daisy had to put back the only gift she had. She was so sad, but she was so brave about giving it up. (And don't worry, everyone ended up with three things, so Daisy got her fair share.) It was really a blast. The gifts ranged from everything from Kool-aid to Trivial Pursuit. And everyone could trade at the end if they wanted. Although I'm pretty sure Vicki went home with the toothbrush.

Doing Puzzles with Grandma (June)- We almost didn't get a Christmas puzzle done because I hadn't picked one out specifically this year. Plus, with extra space, puzzle-making has become more commonplace. But I dug one out so we could put it together. Grandma is a whiz at puzzles, and the kids really enjoyed helping her.

The Pool Ring Incident (Tyler)- Ha ha. So...Grandma was staying at a hotel, and she invited the kids to come swimming one day. This was really fun for the monkeys in the middle of winter. The pool was deserted. We had it all to ourselves. The kids were jumping back and forth between the hot tub and the pool. Eventually this cute young couple came in. They kept to themselves and were usually in the hot tub or the corner of the pool. At one point, June was standing at the opposite end of the pool from them. She had a pool ring that she was going to toss in the water for me to retrieve. I was a little worried about her throwing it, but it seemed unlikely that she could hit anyone. Oh, I was wrong. She chucked that thing at a crazy angle, and naturally it soared right for the couple. I was watching it, thinking, 'Please don't hit them, please don't hit them.' Well, she didn't hit one of them. She hit BOTH of them. In the FACE. It bounced off one person's face right into the next. Awesome. She couldn't have planned it if she tried. I felt so badly for them, but at the same time, it was really funny. Admittedly funnier for us than them. Really, sorry cute couple. (They might wait a while to have kids.)

The Penguin Game (Tim)- I know little of the penguin game. It was on Tim's ipod, and he was very nice to let the kids play often. I did not play because of my lovely desire to throw up after watching too much motion on a screen. But the kids had a lot of fun.

Fairy Story (Maleen)- Grandma wrote another Fairy story for the children. She always says that she has to rush to get it done, and perhaps it won't be that good. (Ahem...total modesty.) They are always phenomenal. We love them. We sit around riveted and want another one as soon as she finishes. If she doesn't put them all in a book someday, I will be very disappointed.

Playing With Us (Daisy)- We played and talked and played some more. We went to see Frozen one day. We played cards, and did puzzles. Miranda colored with the littles and we watched movies. Grandpa, Miranda, and Grandma all read stories to the kids. It was just fun. Also, Tim was a trooper. First off, he had foot surgery a bit back and still had the boot on. Let's just say, he didn't move very fast.

But by the time he left, he was off crutches and moving at a fast limp. Way to go Tim.

Wreck It Ralph (Miranda)- One of the movies we got for Christmas that was a must see. I don't know why I like this movie so much, but there is a emotional attachment somewhere for me. Plus, it is just cute. And funny. Love it.

Christmas Devotional (Grandpa)- This one made me laugh the hardest. Grandpa wasn't very interested in playing 'My Team' that day, and I don't think he listened very closely to what the category was because the Christmas Devotional happened a couple weeks before they visited.  But....Grandpa is Grandpa. I'm still glad he came to visit. And condescended to play a few games with us.

***I feel like I should edit this even though Grandma did make the correction in the comments. Grandpa was referring to our family reading of Christ's birth that we did on Christmas Eve. That makes a lot more sense, although Grandpa is still absent-minded sometimes.

It is good to have family. Thanks again for coming, Dargan's.

The Other Half of Christmas

My parents were already with us for Christmas, but Ty's parents (Barry and Vicki) have made it a point the last couple years to come down and see us on Christmas day. It is always a great time and we love having them visit. We switched rooms to Carnegie Hall and the other tree for more gift opening.

I love that the Grandpas were loving on the dogs.

The kids really love having family visit. It is probably because we are so far away from everyone.

Tyler captured some great expressions. Here is Robyn receiving season tickets to the a Youth Theater.

And June was pretty excited about Battleship. (Which reminds me that I still need to beat her at it.)

The girls got some practical things like socks (they all needed them) and underwear. Robyn and I gave it the good superhero test. Seems to be a winner. (The underwear...not us.)

There was some forehead writing, as is to be expected. But Robyn feels it is better to give than to receive. She got Grandpa. (Ha ha. Love that she spelled it bErry.)

She got Grandma.

And even Aunt Miranda. (Name that songwriter.)

One of the coolest gifts was a cupholder that Grandma made for us. I'm not sure if I will ever have 25 people over at the same time who need to keep their cups distinguished from one another, but if I do...I am covered. In the meantime, the girls just like to move their cups around to different spots.

Each cup pocket has a different picture, and they are all so fabulous and original from the artist. (Grandma.) Here are just a few of the details I love.

I naturally put my cup in the queen spot. (It must be done.)

Wonderful Christmas. Pearl still is talking about Christmas Eve. I always feel bad when they have no idea how long they will have to wait for it to roll around again. Luckily, her birthday is just around the corner.

New Stuff

I think you've already heard about the New Year. (People can't keep anything a secret now days.)

But have you heard about the new do? Not mine. But one certain Daisy has been anxious to shed her locks, donate them, and take on a new persona. I told her that although her hair was getting long, it wasn't quite long enough to donate unless she planned to have short hair. She was okay with that. In fact, she wanted her hair just under her ears. Somehow when she sleeps, her hair rats right under her neck, so I have taken to braiding her hair at night and that helps, but whenever we forget, we have to do an epic brushing session, enjoyed by neither of us. Daisy was sure that cutting it short would help.

This is her before we left. I'm not sure if it really portrays her accurately. Daisy's hair is very straight. I had just taken it out of small braids (hence the waves) and this is not how she normally looks. But you need a before picture.

Daisy was very excited and brave.

They took a lot of her hair.

Looking good little monkey.

She LOVES her hair short, and she predicted correctly; no more snarls in the morning. That makes both Mom and Daisy very happy. And she is just as cute as a button.

One more new thing. A phone. My phone. Mentioned earlier was the unfortunate collision of phone with bathroom floor. Like I said....the phone still worked, but the glass shards were annoying. Tyler was sure he could fix the screen. He watched many tutorials and bought all the right equipment.

Apparently, as viewed in tutorials, it is easier to take screens off if they have minor cracks and not a mosaic of glass pieces. He did manage to get it all off.

However, once under that first layer, it was clear to see that the digitizer was just as damaged, and a new screen wasn't going to solve the problem.

So...new phone. And notice the lovely protection coating it now sports. Just in case the bathroom floor gets feisty again.

Cazier 2014 Resolutions

Now comes the time when we fess up to all the things we didn't accomplish, but try to make ourselves look better by expressing all the things we plan to do this coming year to make up for our inadequacies. Happy New Year!

I'll start. I didn't do too badly on my intentions. Let's evaluate:

1. Run 3 races. PASS (Although during this year I have decided that I enjoy boot camp a bazillion times more than running, I still made my three races. I ran the Hale Freezes Over, the Vineyard 5k, the Temple to Temple race, AND the Extreme Rhythm 5k. I don't think I ever even blogged about the last one. Becca and I ran it in September. I hadn't been running for months by then, so I was ecstatic with a 31:57 time. And I had a soft goal of running a 5k in under 30 minutes and I achieved that with two of the other races. Score.)

2. Read the Book of Mormon. PASS (Signed, sealed, delivered, I'm yours.)

3. Kid date once a month. FAIL/PASS (I did well for the first part of the year. Then the move happened and everything went haywire. Once we settled in the new place, I picked up where I left off and have been hitting every month since.)

4. Attend the Temple 12 times. PASS (Knocked that one out of the park. In the Fall I was going once a week for several months. Success.)

5. Track my spending. FAIL (I did really well, right up until June 1st. Then the move was eminent and my organization fell to pieces never to be recovered. You win some, you lose some.)

6. Stop biting my nails. FAIL/PASS (Remember how I didn't even care about this one? Well, I left my nails alone until May sometime. Then the move was stressing me out a bit. ((Yes, I know....broken record about the move.)) I started biting them again because I actually enjoy biting them. It may sound gross but I don't like nail clippers or files. It is just easier to trim them my own way. However, I do bite them less and that is good for me.)

Now for 2014. What great endeavors have I planned for myself now? I'm keeping it simple this year as well. But I'll go last this time. Let's start with the family. We had a fun FHE where we talked to the kids about making realistic measurable goals. They did some tentative resolutions last year, and some were accomplished.We'll keep working at it. Practice makes perfect.

Let's start with the kiddos. They all organized their thoughts a bit differently, but I will try to write them down just like they wrote them, spelling included.

ROBYN
1. Brush my teeth (in the morn) 300 days of the year.
2. Brush my hair 3 days a week excludind Sunday
3. Read my scripcers on Saterdays
(Lots of brushing going on this year.)

IVORY
Spiritual Goals: Read Book of Mormon
Personal Goals: Room clean once a week
Edicational Goals: 20 books, pass off Raz-kids, finish Fairy story, 15 new words
(I'm not sure about the 15 new words? Hopefully she won't learn them from friends at school.)

DAISY
Spiritual: Memorize 6 articles of faith (One every 2 months)
Educational Goal: Level 'D' of Raz-kids (Read seven books a week)
Personal Goal: Skate by yourself (Go skating 15 times this year), Wash dishes by yourself (Practice 2 times a month.)
(I definitely support her dish washing goal.)

JUNE
Goal #1: I want to keep up in my journal. I've been writing since October 2013, and I want to continue writing all this year. I'm setting a goal to write at least four times a week. After writing in my journal thirty times, I will reward myself with time with Mom and Dad, maybe going out for treats or for lunch with them.
Goal #2: I also would like to have daily prayer. I've been doing this for a year or two and I want to continue with it. I'm going to reward myself only once, at the end of the year, with a treat. It's a regular thing for me, so I don't want to reward myself too much, but I still want to reward myself, just a little.
Goal #3: I have never completed this goal before, so it's going to be hard for me, but I want to stop biting my nails. I want to paint my nails five times, having my nails long enough. Each time I paint my nails I want it to be when the first painting is worn off. I will reward myself every time I paint my nails with a treat.
(You can see that June is more explicit about her goals and the rewards that come with them.)

PEARL
(We chose this one for Pearl. Hopefully she gets the 'K' sound this year, although I really like when she says Chum- ere. {Come here})

And the adults?

TYLER
-Gospel study at least 3 times per week. (reward after 30 times)
-Fully trained in scouts. (reward: New scout shirt?)
(Should I add on here: Take wifey out on a date every week??)

MALEEN
(Yes, I have resolutions too. In categories, mind you. It just sort of happened that way, this year.)
Personal: Make bread once a month (or more)
Relationships: Send birthday cards to family
Spiritual: Read Book of Mormon and one commentary
Financial: Plan personal budget, stick to it each month
Home: Grow Herbs (Oregano? Basil?)

It should be a great year. I took the pictures because I felt bad for the girls who had no way to remember what they had written down last year. Some of them were rather surprised when I read their goals from last year. So, this time, I will give them each a picture to keep in their room. Maybe they will see it every once in a while and try to do a little better. Isn't that how it works for all of us? Every year we try to be a little better. I admit this is getting hard for me since I am pretty stellar to begin with, but we all have room for improvement. Apparently, I need to grow herbs.

Peace out 2013.

Book Review 2013

I feel that I didn't read as much this year, but when I totaled up my books read,  I hit 23. I don't think I can count all of them really. I didn't do summer reading, but I did read plenty of kids books and put them on the list. At one point I was reading to Robyn to get her interested, and I think it worked in a way. So, you can see them all here, in no particular order.

And now I'll tell you my top picks. I enjoyed many of them, but I require myself to narrow it down. Here they are.

TOP 5 PICKS

5. The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba: This was a very inspirational book. It is a true story about a boy who builds a windmill in his village in Africa. This is made more amazing by the fact that he figured out how to build it on his own by reading books from the library and finding pieces one at a time. The first half of the book was hard to read as it talked about the deprivation in Africa, but getting to the end was well worth it.

4. The 5 Love Languages by Gary Chapman: This book is just interesting because you learn a lot about yourself and hopefully those who you love. We all enjoy different things, and it is foolish to think that your spouse or children will want to be loved just like you do. And over time, I think my love language has changed. Good to reevaluate. This studio C skit made me laugh since it talks about the 5 love languages.

3. Emerald Atlas by John Stephens: This book was the one that sparked Robyn's interest in reading and helped her read two rather large books on her own. (The third one is not out yet.) It is a fantasy story of three children and the hardships they face as they try to recover three magical books. It is a little scary in parts, but a fun story. (I haven't read the second one, The Fire Chronicle, but Robyn recommends it.)

2. What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty: Loved this book simply because it made me realize how great my life is and how I should treasure what I have. Alice falls while exercising and forgets the last ten years of her life. While her last memories are of her honeymoon and expecting her first child, things have drastically changed in ten years and not in a positive direction. This books makes you contemplate that perhaps you don't have all the answers right now. ALERT: Lots of swearing. I was disappointed in the vocabulary used, but I edited my copy and if you would like to borrow a 'clean' version, feel free.

1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer: I'm sure someone has recommended this book to you at some point. Listen to them, and go read it. It was fantastic. Riddled throughout with realistic pictures of the occupation of the Channel Islands during WWII, it is still a lighthearted book that makes you laugh and cry all in one. Simply splendid.

Things to note:
* Insurgent didn't make the list because I read it too long ago and haven't read Allegiant yet (which I heard was not as good). Sadly, I have already forgotten much of the story. Stupid swiss cheese brain.

* You may have noticed several of the Lemony Snicket books. June told me to try them, and I could only get through four before I had to stop out of sheer annoyance.

* I would love for you to tell me your favorite book of 2013. Unlike last year when I filed the titles away and never read them, I will really try to search them out this year if you bother to comment.

Oops. Totally missed one. I read this right around Christmas. Fast little thriller. Haven't read many of her books before. It was fun.