Favorite Things 2, or, Thank goodness January is over

Who else was ready to be done with January like, three weeks ago? I'm soooo over January. After surviving all the crazy of December, we got caught up in the communal sicknesses getting passed around Provo. First Rosie got a nasty cold, then Georgie got the flu (I hope it's a long time before I get to clean up that much poop/throw up again), then I got the flu, then Rosie got an echo of the flu. I ended up getting zero sleep for about two weeks. Meantime, Tim had to interrupt a new semester and work schedule to take days off to take care of us all. It was the worst.

Thankfully, the end of the month got progressively better (Rosie sleeps through the night!) and last week was back to normal with the pleasant addition of daily walks in our new double stroller, thanks to the abnormally warm weather.

And in the spirit of back to normal, I am trying to clear out the blog drafts that I've accumulated over the last three months. And so I present the 2nd edition of Favorite Things, also known as The Gift List:

1. The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name. For her 2nd birthday, Georgie got a personalized book called The Little Girl Who Lost Her Name. Initially we were more excited about it than she was (love love the illustrations!), but it has since become a favorite of hers. Her very favorite part is shouting "GEORGIANA!" at the end of the book when the little girl finds her name again. If you're looking for a fun, personalized gift for a little one, check it out: lostmy.name


2. BabyLit. Probably everyone knows about the BabyLit books, but in case I can be the bringer of fun thing, BabyLit books are classics from literature adapted into board books for babies. Not only are they clever and beautiful, they are actually a great way to introduce kids to these classics. One of my favorite things in the world is to heard Georgie "read" Jabberwocky at bedtime. They are expensive, in my opinion, but our collection is growing all the same: babylit.com


3. Carry On, Warrior. Another Christmas present, one I was really hoping to get. This book is by Glennon Melton, whose blog I started following about six months ago. Her writing is a mix of inspirational, parenting, self-help, and hysterical. I came away feeling so much more secure about being who I really am. She's hilarious and very real and inspiring, and I recommend this book to everyone. Even though a lot of what she writes is specifically for women and moms, I read chunks of her book aloud to Tim and he loved it too, so really, everyone.

4. Walking with the Women of the New Testament. Another Christmas present and another book by a blogger I follow. Heather Farrell writes the Women in the Scriptures blog and I love her insights, so it's no surprise I love her book. It has made me feel so connected to the women of the New Testament, and the historical and cultural information is completely fascinating. I actually haven't finished it yet because I read just a few stories at a time and then digest it all. Lovely, lovely book.

5. eShakti. This fabulous website has dresses/skirts/tops in lots of styles, colors, fabrics, etc., but the coolest part is that you can customize each dress to not only fit you perfectly, but to be as long as you want, have the sleeves and neckline you want, etc. It's awesome. I just ordered my first dress (pictured above, except I added sleeves) and I cannot wait for it to come in the mail!


6. Annie Henrie art. One of the companies I work for it Altus Fine Art, which produces inspirational and LDS art. Through working with them, I became familiar with Annie Henrie's work and I love it! I love the texture and warmth of her style, and I got the painting above, which now hangs where I can see it every day. 

7. Building a fort. My amazing sister-in-law Bekah made us a fort kit for our family gift exchange. Best. Idea. Ever. I make a fort for the girls at least twice a week when it's not quite dinner time and I am done entertaining for the day. Our forts are different every time as we experiment with the best way to make it work, but regardless of how stable or "cool" it is, Georgie and Rosie think it's pretty much the best thing ever, especially once we get the flashlights out.

Christmas-ing

This year, we turned Christmas into a verb. Whenever we got to borrow Tim from his homework/studying/class time to do traditional Christmas activities, we'd say, "Look at us! We're Christmasing!" I was pretty proud of the Christmasing we managed to do before my annual"There's too much to do!" stress-out Christmas-meltdown (the one the causes us to scale back all our elaborate plans), and I am especially proud that I remembered to take pictures of our excursions.

We decided to hit up Provo's Christmas market and inadvertently got there exactly in time for the lighting ceremony. Like, we found an incredibly good parking space, walked over to the huge crowd and they started the ceremony. We could not have possibly timed it better. There was a little skit and then they turned on the lights along Center Street and did fireworks. Georgie was pretty enthralled and it really just delighted us that we were there for it. As a bonus, we found some cool wrapped metal ornaments from one of the vendors.

Then of course, we had to go get pictures taken with Santa, as per Maryon family tradition. (As a side note: This tradition goes back twenty-eight years. My parents took me to see Santa when I was just a few months old, and there is a photo of the kids in my family with Santa every single year since then. Every. Single. Year. This means that there is a photo of me, Tim, Rachel, Jase, and Ethan - as grown ups - visiting Santa at the mall. Ridiculous. But tradition. Luckily, now there are grandchildren to take the fall.) We met up at the Riverwoods with Rachel and Jase and their adorable Eleanor to get a picture of all three girls with Santa. Georgie actually talked to Santa and told him she wanted "Baby Eleanor" for Christmas. And she was absolutely in love with the lights. It was, by far, her favorite part of Christmas in general.

And then for actual Christmas, we stayed home and had my mom sleep over on Christmas Eve. This is the first year that Tim and I have been at our own home for Christmas and we loved it! We also loved getting to play Santa for Georgie. So thrilling (and a little stressful!). 

The girls in their new jammies from my mom.

Christmas morning - Santa brought more Christmas lights that magically appeared in the living room and hall. Santa also brought Georgie a baby doll (which she named Eleanor) and brought both girls a little table and a set of chairs. The table has a dry erase marker top so Georgie can color directly on it. It's been a hit so far!

The rest of the day was busy. We went to my grandparents' house for lunch and presents, then to my mom's for my family's gift exchange and Christmas dinner. It was strange not to get together in the morning, but it worked. And I think it was different enough that it made my dad's absence less glaring. We still shed some tears and wished with all our hearts that he'd been there to take pictures and turn on the music (we never did find the Peggy Lee CD), but it was a new way for us to celebrate together that worked. Overall, it was a really wonderful, long day.

The next day was spent getting ready for Herrick Christmas. Tim's parents rented a townhouse in Cottonwood Heights and we all gathered for a weekend of more celebrating. I didn't take nearly enough photos, but here are all the cousins (minus the babies) lined up and waiting to open their presents:

Doing Christmas for this number of people is a challenge but Tim's parents pull it off spectacularly every year. Here are all the "stockings":

Before the mess. We had the kids open their gifts first, which ended up being a really good idea because it would have been utter chaos to try to hand out and open everything at once. Plus, then the kids had new toys to entertain them the rest of the day. Win!

The adults got to open gifts and play a White Elephant gift game that night while the kiddos watched a movie. It was almost perfect! Tim and I also squeezed in a mission homecoming (my cousin Lizzy) which we sang at and a girls' night (for me) on the Sunday following Christmas. It was a crazy, busy, wild weekend filled with all the best parts of Christmas!

P.S. The painful part of the weekend: Tim and I bravely (stupidly?) decided to try and stay the night at the townhouse. It was our first attempt at sleeping anywhere other than home since the previous Christmas, and the first time as a family of four. Long, sleepless story short, it was a disaster. I mean, we knew it'd be bad, but it was exceptionally bad. The girls normally sleep in separate rooms for a reason. In fact, the only reason they went to bed at all is because we were able to initially put Georgie down in a different room. None of us got anywhere close to a full night's sleep, and I spent most of my time "sleeping" on the floor with Georgie before she woke us all up at 6 am. Awful. The only upside is that it made Rosie extra snuggly the next day and Georgie took a great nap (after fighting me tooth and nail to keep playing, mind you). But between the missed naps, the late nights, and constant stimulation, it took us a solid week or more to recover from the whole Christmas weekend. All I could think was, let's not do that for another year, yeah?

The sparkly part of Christmas

All the hard things, emotional breakdowns, and exhaustion aside, we had some good times this Christmas. In photos:

A tad unconventional, but decorating a houseplant sure beat going out to get a Christmas tree in a blizzard! Plus my dad would have really liked this - he disliked spending money on Christmas trees.

We didn't get a tree until almost the middle of December and it took us about another week to decorate it at all (no lights on the tree this year), but we did have a tree!

As per tradition, we took Georgie to see Santa Claus. (We went to the Riverwoods again - waiting in line was totally worth not paying anyone to take our own pictures!) She was a little unsure of what to think about it this year and stared him down good.

Presenting the 2013 cast of the Maryon family Nativity play! Georgie actually sat still for most of it, go figure. (Not pictured - Tim got to help out as a narrator and I played the piano for the songs between narrations.)

Christmas morning was very laid back and we all enjoyed watching Georgie still not quite grasp what was going on but love the attention anyway. She mostly wanted to be held by Nana and/or Aunt Rachel (no shocker there).

And finally, post-Christmas Herrick Christmas. Crazy as always, but especially now that the littles are all walking and climbing stairs (which is all Georgie did when left to her own devices, as pictured with her cousin Lillian), it was hard to get anything coordinated with us all. But fun as always, too!

Almost the whole Herrick group at once!

Family photo time - Georgie was not interested in smiling at. all.

And that about sums it up - lots of family, celebrating, traditions, and fun watching Georgie experience Christmas a little more than last year. Can't wait for her to be 2 and really get it next year!

"Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting light"

Christmas has been a bit subdued for us this year, as you can imagine. I started out strong, wanting to celebrate fully in spite of everything, but it got to be too much - too much work, too much emotional energy, too much brain power (I am seriously limited lately). We did finally get a tree and we did finally put up a few decorations and I've about worn out Pandora's Christmas station, but overall, very subdued. I will post some happy pictures and stuff later, but right now I need to write out some things. 

I've been thinking a lot about the meaning behind Christmas; not in a "the true meaning of Christmas" cliched way, but in the sometimes hard meaning behind Christmas. 

It's very hard to think about celebrating Christmas without my dad. He and my mom were partners in everything that Christmas morning is/was. Traditionally, once we were all awake, the kids would gather at the bottom of the stairs and sing "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" at the top of our lungs until Mom came to bring us upstairs. Then we'd be forced to wait while Dad stalled. Sometimes he'd take a shower but usually he made us drink a cup of juice each; one year he used the juicer to make fresh orange juice while we impatiently howled from my parents' room. He was the one with the camera, the one to turn on the Christmas tree lights and the Peggy Lee Christmas CD so that when we marched out to the front room (youngest to oldest), the magical moment was there. It really really hurts to picture all of that without him.

But Christmas is about Christ's birth, and because of his birth, he was able to fulfill his mission, conquer death, and promise hope and life forever. Because he was born, I will see my dad again. Because he came to earth, my family can be together forever, and that is worth celebrating - that is the hope that we hold dear, at this time especially. When I was in England on my Study Abroad, I remember Karla (our program director's wife) describing it as a "terrible hope" as she told us about losing a child. At the time, I turned that phrase over and over to try to understand it. Now I do. Now I see how it is at times a desperate hope; a hope that on bad days, you cling to reflexively; a hope that only becomes so strong and powerful when you have a terrible reason to need it. 

The phrase from Luke 2:10 has rung in my head over and over as I've thought about the hope that Christmas represents: "good tidings of great joy." But oddly, I've also thought a lot about and taken comfort from the not so joyful aspects of Christ's life.

We don't focus on it much, but within two years of that miraculous birth in a stable in Bethlehem, other babies were killed senselessly at the hands of Herod's soldiers. Maybe it was only a dozen or two; maybe it was a hundred or more. No matter how many or few, because of that birth, Bethlehem's mothers lost their baby and toddler boys and had their hearts broken suddenly and without mercy. In a way, they were the first to suffer because of their association with Christ during his lifetime. But even still, "good tidings of great joy" - because of Christ's birth in that tiny town, those mothers could have their hearts healed and be with their sons again.

Though Christ taught and exemplified peace and love and forgiveness, his life was anything but. Once he began his ministry especially, he was often the subject of contention. He was misunderstood, condemned, reviled, hunted, and in the end, killed in violence. And yet, "good tidings of great joy," for that end brought an end to all ends.

My scripture reading coincidentally has placed me at the beginning of 3 Nephi in the last week, so as we've built up to Christmas, I've been getting closer to the coming of Christ to the Nephites. I've been very aware of the timeline during this reading - each year brings the people a little closer to the destruction, the darkness. Even the righteous who do not lose their lives will know the terror of destruction, will lose friends and family, and will not be able to create any light for three days. They will suffer, too, but "good tidings of great joy" await them. Their Savior will visit them personally, will heal every kind of affliction, will pray for them and bless them.

In her talk at my dad's funeral, my mom shared that my dad's view of suffering was that we are mortal, so we suffer. We live in a fallen world, so we suffer. We are friends of Christ, so we suffer. This phrase stayed with me and strangely, perhaps, brings me comfort. Sometimes it feels like it should be the opposite, that as friends of Christ we should be blessed with an easy path, but no. Even Christ's disciples will have to know pain and walk in darkness. And yet - "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."

Being pregnant this year, I expected to feel a connection to Mary but it is Christ to whom I have turned again and again. We are friends of Christ, so we suffer, but because of Christ, we hope. That is the meaning of Christmas to me this year. That is what I am celebrating. 

Yet in the dark streets shineth the everlasting light.
The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas, parts 1 through 5

Somehow, Christmas has come and gone and I still feel like I'm trying to catch my breath. The last two weeks have been crazy, wonderful, stressful, and lots of fun. All part of December's magic! Christmas really came in several parts this year, so I've cataloged it accordingly.

Christmas, part 1
First of all, now that Christmas is over, I can finally reveal what I've been doing with my free time over the last three months. Every spare moment I had, while Tim was doing math and we were watching "Stargate", I was working on quilts to give as Christmas presents. Not one or two or even three; we're talkin' EIGHT quilts!

In what is quickly becoming a tradition of "go big" when it comes to projects, this all started with the idea of making a quilt for Tim's parents with all his siblings' help. Then it multiplied and we bought sheets at IKEA, gratefully accepted sheets from my parents (who had no idea they were going to get them back), and got to work! The total count: 1 king-sized quilt (400 squares), 3 queen-sized quilts (765 total squares), 1 twin (165 squares), one half-twin (70 squares), and two baby quilts (60 squares total). It was so much work and made December extra-specially stressful, but I kind of love how all the quilts turned out. Never again, but it was fun this once.

Christmas, part 2
Tim's parents and newly-returned-home-from-a-mission-younger-brother Mike came to stay with us for Christmas which meant we hosted Christmas Eve and Christmas day for all of Tim's family at our house. We had everyone together for the first time in two years and it was wonderful! For Christmas Eve and Christmas morning, we had Tim's parents and his four unmarried brothers sleep over. So much fun! I'm lucky to have so many great brothers now.



Christmas, part 3
Then later in the day, Tim's grandma came over as well as his married brothers with their families and the real party began! There were fifteen of us in our little apartment, including two semi-cranky toddlers, but we made it work. We had a massively wonderful dinner and lots of time to chat and play, exactly as Christmas should be.



Christmas, part 4
The next morning, Tim and I drove up to my parents' house for "Second Christmas" with my family (no photos, sorry). We got to open our gifts from them and watch them open our gifts (they were so surprised by the quilts!). Then came the biggest Christmas surprise of all: Mom and Dad told us that their friends, the Wagners, who know about my dad's health situation with the cancer and all, had offered to fly all of us to Hawaii for a week. HAWAII!!! For a WEEK!!! We couldn't believe it! I actually started crying, it was such an overwhelming moment. We picked our dates for the first week of March and by the end of the day, we had flights booked! I still can't believe it; it was definitely the Christmas miracle none of us expected!

Christmas, part 5
After spending half of the day after Christmas with my family, Tim and I drove back to our house for "Second Christmas" with the Herrick fam. Brian and Erika are some of Tim's psuedo-siblings and they drove up to be with the family, so we celebrated with everyone all over again. Christmas is so much fun when there are little kids to watch open their presents. Sarah's face was priceless!

Christmas just kept going and going, full of surprises and lots of great family time. Next year I am definitely going to try to schedule fewer parties and events so we can take more time to enjoy December. I feel like I'm still trying to recover from having so many people over but luckily, I've got time to do that. Merry merry Christmas!

My very own Joseph

Instead of a Christmas party this year, our ward decided to do a musical program, a cantata of sorts. I was put on the planning committee and I volunteered to help with the music thinking it would be nice and easy. Mistake! It was so much work! I ended up putting together several small group numbers, picking songs for the Primary and Young Women to sing, coordinating who would play for the congregational hymns, etc. It was crazy! Plus I was asked to play "The Holy City" as an organ/piano duet with another girl in the ward, which turned out to be a really cool song, but was also a lot of work to practice.

In addition to all the music, people from the ward were asked to be the Nativity characters, including my own Tim who was asked to be Joseph, mainly because he can grow a beard. Seriously. He shaved the day before they asked him and they were very disappointed, but he told them not to worry, a month was plenty of time to grow it all back and then some. And boy howdy, did he.


He looked so good! So completely the part of Joseph. I was clearly not asked to be Mary (I'm very much the wrong color) but everyone looked perfect for their parts. I ended up taking over as a sort of stage manager the night of the program too, making sure the Nativity characters went out at the right times and helping them look good in their groupings. It all turned out really, really well but I'm quite relieved it's all over.

Good work Tim! Way to grow a beard!

Christmas spirit overload

For whatever reason, I have been SUPER excited for Christmas this year, even more than usual. So excited, in fact, that I started listening to Christmas music the week of Thanksgiving. Not just after Thanksgiving, but the week of! And we got out our Christmas decorations the Sunday after Thanksgiving. I usually make it a point to wait until it is officially December, but not this year. I don't know if it's because I have been doing some Christmas crafting or because I finished editing our Christmas-themed magazines in October, but I am absolutely in the Christmas spirit already. Sometimes Christmas comes and goes so quickly that I feel like I missed it by the time January rolls around, so I am determined to really enjoy every minute of this holiday season.

And in that spirit, we already have our tree up. Both Tim and I love real trees, so we make it work to fork over the money every year. (Last year we cut down our own tree, and though I would have repeated that experience, the rest of my family vetoed.) And since the Herrick family is spending Christmas with us, we thought it only fitting that the brothers waking up here on Christmas morning should get to participate in the tree-decorating too.

Before we got started:


These boys can be so silly sometimes...


It took three of them to put on the lights: Christian to throw the lights on the tree, Tim to place them carefully, and Rob to carry the slack. It was a three-ring circus right in our living room, especially when Tim got dizzy from staring at the tree while moving in a circle and fell over.


With all of us (and Matt) decorating, it got done really quickly and the results were simply lovely:



And then inspired by the projects I work with for our magazines, Tim and I made this easy wreath for our door:


We got the ornaments from IKEA and just used an old white wire hanger we had around the house. Very easy, and the ribbon at the top is the same ribbon we wrapped around the tree for a nice coordinating touch.

I love the twinkling lights and special traditions and keepsake decorations that mean Christmas. I love the music and the smells and the projects. I love spending time with my family and I love all the goodness and kindness that this season celebrates. And believe me when I say, I am going to celebrate!