'Twas the Day of Christmas

Things were so peaceful last night. Today, on the other hand, . . . well, let's just say that there are red feathers and wrapping paper pieces strewn throughout the house, and there is a helicopter flying around my head--I'll explain more in a minute. But Greg took these really cool pictures last night of the Christmas tree and the condo with snow outside.

You can see the candles better in this picture than in the one I took. I do love our little condo. In this next picture you can see the entrance to our condo complex with the woods behind it--what a beautiful winter scene!







This is going to sound really cliche and possibly a little cheesy, but Greg and I took the dogs for a Christmas Eve walk last night, and the only word to describe it is magical. It was snowing and it was so quiet outside! The snow was up to Little Spike's belly, and the dogs were loving playing in the snow. It was the perfect Christmas Eve stroll.


Tiger Lily was the first one to wake up on Christmas morning. She started playing with the blinds at about 6:30 a.m., and then she jumped on my face. I don't know if she just wanted food or if she knew it was a special day. The dogs were very excited when we started opening presents. Here are the ferocious beasts with some of their presents. Lily somehow evaded all pictures, but she was thrilled with the red Santa boa feather toy she received from Pam and Greg. That's where all of the red feathers have come from. (Big Spike has decided he likes the red feather toy too.) Come to think of it, Big Spike has tried to play with everyone's toys.

Here's the toy I got from Greg: an Amazon Kindle--just what I wanted! I spent the entire day searching for and downloading books to read--and, of course, reading. As Greg so aptly put it, giving me a Kindle was like giving crack to a crack addict. But books are better than crack.



And here is Greg with his present: a football signed by the Kansas City Chiefs! Now we just need them to win the Super Bowl so that we can sell it for millions of dollars ;-) One present Greg received that I'm not so sure about is a remote control helicopter--it will surely be used for no good :-) Notice that Big Spike is in every single picture involving presents. Thank you so much to the Taylors, Bowles, and grandparents for the wonderful and generous money, presents, and cards! That's what Christmas is really about--the love of family and friends and remembering the true meaning of this Christmas season. We hope you all had a Merry Christmas today!

I'm Dreaming of . . .

. . . a white Christmas! It started snowing a little last night, and then today we got quite a bit of snow, just in time for Christmas! I love it when it snows on Christmas Eve. We have the condo all decorated--the latest touches are the wreath on the door and the candles in the windows (I know they don't show up too well, but they look really cool when it's dark). This is the perfect evening to sit by the Christmas tree and drink hot chocolate and egg nog.

And then, there was a Christmas miracle: these two sleeping in the same kitty bed :-) Ever since Lily grew to be bigger than Little Spike, he hasn't liked her much. So she doesn't like him much either and sometimes tries to antagonize him. But I looked down the other day and saw this--both of them snuggled together sleeping! It was a true Christmas miracle. We hope that you all have a Merry Christmas tomorrow!

A Visit to St. Nicholouis

I know that's kind of a cheesy title, but I was going for something similar to "A Visit from St. Nicholas," trying to incorporate the fact that Greg and I had visited St. Louis. But anyway, this past weekend Greg and I had a wonderful Christmas trip to St. Louis! It was kind of our Christmas present to each other. The trip was prompted by the fact that the St. Louis Rams--my favorite NFL team--and the Kansas City Chiefs--Greg's favorite team--were playing each other in St. Louis. We stayed downtown at the Hyatt, which, as you can see, is literally right next to the Arch and the Mississippi River. This was the awesome view from our hotel room! The hotel was really nice, except that our room was right by the elevator, and at about 2:00 a.m., some drunk people got off of the elevator and were being really noisy. Just as Greg was about to call the front desk, we heard a hotel employee confront the rowdies. He said, "Hey guys, do you see that sign on the wall?" They said, "What sign?" He said, "The one that says shut up!" :-) It was so funny! Props to the hotel guy. We had some yummy St. Louis BBQ sandwiches for dinner at the hotel, and then the morning of the football game we had a delicious breakfast buffet. Mmmmm, all you can eat waffles . . .

Before the game we walked over to the Arch. It is always amazing to stand right underneath it--it is SO BIG and quite an engineering marvel. Leave it to a Finn to come up with something like that.






After checking out the Arch, we walked over to the Edward Jones Dome for the game. It's pretty amazing to be so close to an actual NFL field! It looks a lot smaller in real life than it does on TV.






I thought that Greg, in his Chiefs gear, was going to feel very outnumbered. But there were actually as many Chiefs fans as Rams fans there.






Before the game we were watching the teams warm up, and I was able to get the attention of #86 Michael Hoomanawanui (yes, he officially has the longest last name of anyone on the team), and he came over and signed my hat! He played at the University of Illinois, and this is his rookie year in the NFL. I also hoped to get the attention of Rams quarterback Sam Bradford. I thought it would be funny to tell him that I went to BYU and see if that made him mad (the BYU football team busted his shoulder when he was still playing at Oklahoma), but I didn't have a chance to talk with him.



As you can see, we had pretty sweet seats! Here is Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel making a play. He played a really great game, which is amazing considering that he had his appendix removed just over a week before the game! I thought back to how I felt one week after my gallbladder was removed, and I could barely get out of bed, let alone play in an NFL game. The chiefs ended up dominating the game and won 27-13, so Greg was very happy. It was okay with me though, because I also like the Chiefs. It was such a fun game! Then Greg and I came back up to Springfield and are now trying to get ready for Christmas.

Also, I forgot to post this picture that Mom took the other day when I did my blog about Utah. The mountains were so beautiful with the sun setting last Wednesday, so Mom took this picture of me outside. I've only been gone from Utah for four days and I already really miss the mountains!






Mom also wanted to see a picture of my former boss, Laura. I couldn't find a better one than this, but this gives you a good idea of what she looks like. If it appears that all of the wires in her head aren't connecting, it's not the picture's fault--that's just how she always looks :-) I must say, I don't miss working with her one bit!

Bonus Day

Thanks to Wednesday's delayed flight, I got a wonderful bonus day-and-a-half with the family in Utah! We enjoyed Sid's party on Wednesday evening, then on Thursday the Agates came from Illinois for a Christmas/New Year's visit! As you can see, Leo thought it was pretty great to see Grandpa again. He loves Utah! I had a lot of fun with Eliza and Leo, and I'm glad they'll be able to be there with Mom, Dad, Rich, and the Barretts for Christmas. I wish Greg and I could be there too! Also for my bonus day, Mom took me to Five Guys Burgers and Fries, which I LOVE!!! It was so delicious. If there is a Five Guys near you, I highly recommend a visit.

Yesterday evening we had another birthday celebration for Mom with the Agates (birthday celebrations are meant to last all week!). They and the Barretts gave her, the collector of nativity sets, a cute Fisher Price nativity set that she and the kiddos can play with together. And we had more delicious pumpkin birthday cake. I had such a fun visit to Utah!!!! Today Mom and Dad took me back up to the airport, and this time my flight went out as scheduled. I flew to Chicago and from there to Springfield. The flight to Springfield only takes 35 minutes, and it is on a small jet. I guess it's not one of Chicago's most important flights because they stuck our jet out in the hinterlands. We seriously had to walk for what felt like a half mile from the airport out to the tarmac, and it was FREEZING. Luckily I had my coat--welcome back to Illinois! But I made it back, and it was great to see Greg and the animal children. I think I will have a purring cat on my head all night tonight :-)

Fly Another Day

Well, I had planned to fly back to Springfield today, but things don't always turn out as planned :-) But, it worked out great because I got to be here in Utah for Sid's big #4 birthday! When I was originally planning this trip, I had wanted to leave Utah after Sid's birthday, but after December 15, tickets went up by $100+. So when I went to the airport today and found out that my plane, which was to leave at 3:02 p.m. was still in Washington, D.C. at 2:15 p.m., and that I wouldn't make my connection to Springfield tonight, I was happy to have them re-book me for free on a Friday flight instead. The travel agent helping me seemed really surprised that I wasn't mad at her about the flight being delayed (she had a lot of mad people on her hands). Mom and Dad were kind enough to wait at the airport with me while the ticket hulabaloo was worked out, and then they brought me back to Orem. So I get an extra day-and-a-half here! (I checked tonight, and my plane didn't end up leaving Salt Lake until 8:45 p.m.--now that's what I call a delay!)



I was very excited to attend Sidney's birthday party--especially because it included a special showing of "The Nutcracker Puppet Show" at the Barrett Theater.









Riley greeted everyone entering the theater with Free! gumdrops.








The girls' put on quite a show. It was definitely a unique rendition of "The Nutcracker," involving piggies, horses, and ducks :-)







Then it was time for presents and cake. Can you tell that this girl was pretty excited about it all?










Baby Ben is getting quite used to this whole birthday party thing. It's a good time to snuggle with all of his favorite people!

Pups and Parties

This is one of the many reasons why I miss living in Utah--the mountains! Mountains protect you from tornadoes, and they look pretty at any time of year--but especially with snow on them. Here is beautiful Mt. Timpanogos this afternoon as seen from Mom and Dad's backyard. It was a gorgeous December day today. Sorry to all of you stuck in Hellinois--I mean Illinois--who are experiencing a blizzard today. :-)

Yesterday Mom, Dad, and I went to see some cute puppies that some of their friends are giving away. We went to check them out for Aunt Karalie, who lost sweet little Cooper earlier this year. These pups are Miniature Pinscher (the Spikes' breed) and Pomeranian (Cooper's breed) mixes. Their real name is Pineranians, but that sounds kind of like Iranians, so we like to call them Pin-Poms. Isn't this the sweetest little face you've ever seen?! When I sent a picture to Greg, he wanted me to bring one of the puppies home with me :-) but we realized we already have a pretty good house full.

Yesterday evening Mom, Dad, Rich and I went to the Shops at Riverwoods to see the beautiful Christmas lights. It was magical! The picture doesn't do it justice. They had horse-drawn carriage rides, music, and lights galore. It was very Christmasy. They had these really cool moving lights that looked like raindrops, and it smelled delicious outside because of all the restaurants. It was perfect.

And this evening we went over to the Barretts' house to celebrate Mom's birthday--Happy Birthday Mom! (Her birthday is actually tomorrow, but we'll be at a dinner party tomorrow evening with some people Rich works with, so we celebrated as a family tonight.) Ben thought it was all quite exciting, even though he did sleep through most of the party. He really liked it when we sang Christmas carols, and he loved snuggling with Grandpa and Grandma.

And here is the birthday girl with her favorite birthday present--Ben! Four years ago she received a fun belated birthday present when Sidney was born. It's nice to have so many birthdays in December. We had a delicious birthday dinner, a tasty pumpkin birthday cake, and played some exciting rounds of Apples to Apples--sounds like a good party to me. I'm so grateful for my wonderful family and for the time I've been able to spend here in Utah. I only have three days left here, so I'll have to make them count. Happy Birthday tomorrow, Mom!

Gingerbread Rock

Things have been rockin' around here lately--gingerbread rockin', that is! Today was the Highland Elementary 1st Grade gingerbread program, featuring our very own Riley Barrett. You can see her singing here in the front row, third in from the left. She did a great job! I know I am biased, but I thought she was the star of the show.

Here is the Gingerbread Princess after her big performance.









And here are all three Gingerbread Princesses with Grandpa and Grandma.







And here, at just six days old, is the Gingerbread Prince! Isn't he cute??? He loves to snuggle with Grandma.






















Yesterday Mom, Dad, and I went over to the Barretts' to watch the BYU game (great!) and the Utah Jazz game (not so great). Baby Ben was doing his favorite activity: snoozing :-) He makes such cute little faces when he's sleeping.







But he's not always sleeping--here he is on Monday checking out his new grandpa and grandma. He thinks they're pretty great. But keeping your eyes open is hard work!








Also this week, on Tuesday, Mom and I had a fun lunch at our favorite place: Gardner Village, after a doctor visit up in Salt Lake. We had a great lunch and enjoyed checking out the shops and enjoying the Christmas atmosphere. I also had a great time with Mom and Dad on Tuesday night when we went to the Christmas party at the Bean Museum at BYU (not to be confused with the Bush's Baked Beans Museum in Tennessee or the Museum of Baked Beans in England). The dinner they had was delicious! Dinner did include green beans.

Also I forgot to mention, amidst the excitement of Baby Ben's arrival, last Thursday Mom and Dad took me to see the movie "Secretariat." It is SO good!!!! It might just be the horse lover in me, but I absolutely loved the movie and highly recommend it to everyone. Mom and I also had lunch last week with Aunt Karalie at the Left Fork Grill and with our friend Yevon at Zupa's. It's been a fun week so far, and we're looking forward to more fun before I head back to Illinois!

What a Week!

We have a new addition to the family!!! This is Mr. Benjamin Driggs Barrett, born yesterday, December 3, and weighing in at 7 lbs. 14 oz. Isn't he a cute little guy? I was lucky to get to be here to welcome Baby Ben--I flew home to Utah from Illinois on Wednesday for a visit, and two days later Ben came along! Greg had to stay home to work--I don't do stuff like that anymore :-) I live a life of leisure.

Here is Ben with Mommy Lindy. She was very brave even though Ben wasn't sure he wanted to come out into this funny world. He was quite content in Mommy's tummy! But now he likes being out of Mommy's tummy too.







When he came out, he had his loving family waiting. His three big sisters were especially excited to have a baby brother!








And here he is with Grandpa Taylor. He is such a sweetie! He loves his binky, and he has this soft little cry that is so cute. After going to the hospital to visit Ben, the girlies came and had a sleepover extravaganza with Grandpa and Grandma Taylor, Auntie Tiff, and Uncle Rich.






Today while Lindy, Nate, and Ben were recovering at the hospital, we took the kiddos up to BYU for the annual family Christmas party. It was very exciting! I remember when I was little I loved going to the BYU Christmas party. The girlies played a lot of games, went ice fishing, and we all got our picture with Cosmo. Sid wasn't too sure about Cosmo, but she decided he's pretty nice, and she was even brave enough to give him a high five.

The girls made some cool stocking lanyards--here are Grandma and Cam showing off their handiwork.









What a great day we had at BYU! Lindy and Ben were able to come home from the hospital today, so now the big sisters are at home with Little Brother. I am looking forward to the additional week-and-a-half that I get to spend with the family here in Utah!



Before leaving on Wednesday, I had gone down to Carbondale, Illinois to talk to one of Joel's classes about working (or not working) for the National Park Service :-) Leo, Eliza, and I had so much fun. Thank you, Agates, for the fun Giant City adventure, the delicious lunch, and the fun time! The Agates will get to come to Utah later this month. I love the holiday season because it is filled with food, family, and fun!

Happy Franksgiving!

Yesterday we celebrated "Franksgiving" with Sarah, Joel, Eliza, and Leo. Franksgiving is when you celebrate Thanksgiving on Friday instead of Thursday :-) We had planned to have the Agates over on Thursday, but the weather was crummy here in Illinois, so we're glad that we waited until Friday. The Agates made the journey from Carbondale to Springfield, and then we had a delicious Thanksgiving feast for lunch! I realized today that Greg and I forgot to make the stuffing--but we didn't really miss it because we had so much tasty food: turkey, ham, yams, corn pudding, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, rolls, and pumpkin pie. Yummy!!

Leo thought that his baby food sweet potatoes were really delicious, although he did try to swipe some of the big people food.

After lunch we headed over to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum. Here are the Agates and the Bowles with the Lincoln family. Eliza wasn't quite sure how she felt about the wax people.

Eliza's idea of fun was dressing up in Mrs. Lincoln's Attic! She worked very hard to prepare a Thanksgiving feast of her own using the period-style utensils in Mrs. Lincoln's Attic. She is quite the cheffer! After the museum we had some turkey sandwiches (quite possibly the best part of Thanksgiving) and made some gumdrop turkeys before the Agates headed for home. It was such a fun day! I'm glad that even though we are far away from most of our family, the Agates live out here in the middle of nowhere with us :-) It was so nice to be with them for Franksgiving.

Today Greg and I put up the Christmas tree. We're ready for the Christmas season!