Dickens Holiday

Every year on the Friday after Thanksgiving Fayetteville has a fun festival downtown. The theme is always a Victorian Era Christmas. People dress up like characters from the Dickens story "A Christmas Carol". Here's Scrooge and Jacob Marley roaming the streets.

There are carriage rides, gingerbread, cider and carolers. There are also live musicians and a gingerbread decorating contest. At dusk people light candles and proceed to the town square where we listen to "Charles Dickens" extend holiday wishes and thank yous. Then they light the tree in downtown. This is all followed by the finale of fireworks. It is a great festival and I look forward to it every year.
Brendan got his picture taken with the "bobbies". He was kind of nervous about them and it shows on his face.

On our way to get some hot cider we ran into friends from teh ward. Monica is a friend and neighbor that has a very musically talented family. She gives violin lessons to many children in the ward. Almost all of these kids are my Primary kids (four of them are her own kids including the adorable tiny one on the end who is only 5). They played beautifully and everyone was impressed. Jason called them her minstrel minions.

My kids really look forward to the gingerbread contest and the opportunity to decorate Christmas cookies themselves.

The two older got into it.

However, Darby (ever the pragmatist) just ate the candy that was supposed to decorate the cookie while Dad put the frosting on.

She later ate the cookie, getting frosting ALL over herself and in her hair.

I love the feeling of community that comes when the crowd proceeds to the town square singing a Christmas song. Thankfully none of my kids singed themselves with the candles though Darby got hers taken away and Eva was too scared to hold one.

The fireworks were great too (not too long but pretty).

We met up with some friends afterwards for pizza. It was a great time!! A wonderful start to the holiday season.

Thank Heaven for Little Girls Part 2

Darbs, top to bottom:
Fleece jacket with hood up: 10 bucks
Lollipop in mouth: 15 cents
Pretty-pretty bead necklace (thanks Bostyn): not sure
Nightgown: 10 bucks
Skirt (stolen from sister): 10 bucks
Pajama pants: 5 bucks
Being the best dressed McDaniel EVER: priceless

9 Months

Paige turned nine months old the day we left for Utah. She just had her check up. Developmentally she is great - very mobile, extremely social and has good fine motor skills. She can cruise along furniture and clap. We still have some napping/ sleep issues but that is mainly my fault and as a result of our busy days. Her height is over the 95th percentile (all my kids are that way) but her weight took a dip. She is now at the 55th percentile and even lost a few ounces from last month when I weighed her at home. The doctor seemed concerned about this. I think its a combination of factors - increased mobility, distractible nursing, starting solids, and our crazy schedule. I made a resolve to nurse her more frequently and not to let her snack/come off until she's drained the breast. I am sure we can get her weight back up.
She is still the light of our world. Everyone in the family ADORES Paigey!!

Utah Trip - The Conclusion

It was still snowing the day we flew out of SLC. We made a quick stop by the grandparents to say goodbye. I wish we had gotten to spend more time with them. I wondered if we might be able to due to snow-caused flight delays but our flights were only delayed 10 minutes or so.

Jason wanted a picture of him in all his "domestic warrior" glory. Baby carrier with child in hand, carry-on over one shoulder, spare car seat over the other, herding kids through the airport. That's my man. :)

The flights home were not as easy as the flights in. Both flights were packed. Luckily we still got to sit together due to family boarding. Yay!
We got into Baltimore at about dinnertime so we had another lovely airport meal and the kids watched Looney Tunes on the terminal TV until we boarded.

All of us were anxious to get home. Paige did not want to sleep on either flight and I was so tired of holding her. She did fall asleep twenty minutes before we arrived in Raleigh. Boo!! In fact, all the kids were pretty cranky.

We made it to the parking garage, to our car and finally home at 10:15pm. We were pooped! It was a great trip but I am glad to stay home for a while. Much love to all family and friends we saw on the trip and apologies to those we didn't. Hope to see you again in the future, Utah!

Utah Trip - Day 6

On the last full day of our trip it snowed . . . A LOT. Brendan said, "Its like we are in a snow globe". Also, please remember that my kids have never lived somewhere it snows regularly so they were very excited. Here's the view down the street from the car at noon.

We spent the morning inside. Bostyn has tons of dress up stuff and my girls loved it. Fynn agreed to be Queen Eva's knight and donned a tie. Daddy Jason even got a "make over". Darby just put on anything that interested her.

Jason taught Bostyn some magic tricks with coins and cards. She thought he was the coolest ever. He was teasing her a bit much though and she threatened to throw all the cards at him.

When Danica got back from work we had a tough time deciding what we were going to do. The snow really threw a kink in our plans. But in the end we chose to brave the icy roads and go the Museum of Ancient Life at Thanksgiving Point. It proved to be worth it. I think everyone had a great time. I even learned some things.

On the way to dinner, Eva was so tired that she fell asleep like this. It looks pretty uncomfortable.

Eva sat by Danica at dinner. Aunt Danica is convince that Eva has a slight Southern accent. Brad even taped Eva's "Yay-uh" for his text notice. The funniest thing was when Danica asked Eva what her middle name was, she responded, "Mc."

The remainder of our time was spent playing and talking and laughing. Uncle Brad does a mean game of tickle tag. :)

We were all pretty worn out so most of us went to bed early (read: everyone but Jason who stayed up to watch the Jazz).

Utah Trip - Day 5

After Aunt LaRae fed us a breakfast of yummy waffles (thank you Aunt LaRae!!) we packed up and headed to my alma mater, Brigham Young University. I haven't been back in years and wanted to see campus and visit old stomping grounds. As we got closer everything seemed so familiar. My college years were some of the best years of my life. I felt very nostalgic taking my family around campus. I was very sad to drive by where my old dorms were and see that they had been torn down. Freshman year was awesome in those dorms!

Not my picture but how I remember T Hall and the Morris Center.

We went to the bookstore in the Wilkinson Center and each kid got some BYU memorabilia. Then we visited the Games Center, where I used to work. Now that was a great job! It is very different but I recognized parts. I would have liked to visit more of campus (so many memories in so many buildings) but the kiddos just would not have made the trek on their little legs. So our last stop was the BYU Creamery where we had ice cream and I met up with a former classmate of mine. Katie and I were in the dorms together and have kept in touch all these years. I hadn't seen her since graduation. It was so nice to catch up. I wish I had taken a picture.

Jason suggested a drive through the canyon after lunch to give the kids some downtime (and maybe Darbs and Paige would nap) so that's what we did. We talked about where we wanted to end up after retirement. It hard to find a place we both like.

We tried calling his parents to see if we could come over early but they didn't answer so we went to the Salt Lake Public Library to waste time. I had never been. That is one AMAZING library. The glass elevators are awesome but the best thing we found was in the children's section. They have a few reading rooms. But these aren't ordinary reading rooms. One was made up like an ice cave. The main one has life size stuffed animals. We ended up in "Grandma's Attic". It was a great place to let the kids roam and to sit ourselves. I was really impressed.

Still not having heard from his parents Jason decided to take us on a driving tour of his old haunts in Salt Lake. He took us up in the Avenues, where many of his high school friends lived. As we passed by a certain street he told me that he had two friends who lived next door to each other there. He decided he wanted to stop by and see if they still lived there. I would have been nervous to do it but Jason is spontaneous like that. I figured it would be someone else that answered the door. As I watched form the car, a woman answered, smiled broadly and hugged Jason. It was his friend's mother. They still lived there and she was very happy to see him. We all chatted for about fifteen minutes. This was a family who was very kind to Jason at a time when his family life wasn't so great. Mrs. Langland told Jason all about her son and the gang he used to hang out with. Most are not making great choices. She cried when Jason hugged her goodbye. She was so pleased to know that things had worked out well for him in life. It was kind of a spiritual experience for me. I guess we always need to heed the small promptings we get.
Next we headed to Red Iguana, a unique Mexican restaurant to meet up with Jason's parents.

It was an eclectic place with a different sort of menu. I wasn't sure what to order. I ended up not really liking my dish but adoring the cheese dip appetizer. And the horchata was pretty good too. Darby was pretty naughty the whole time (I don't think she cared for her food either) and fed the baby a tortilla chip, causing her to choke. Eventually I had to take her to the car for a time out just before the meal ended.

Next stop was his brother's house, where we were to spend the night. Jerry and Nancy were coming over later. My oldest nephew on the McDaniel side, Drew, was there to let us in the house (Brad and Danica were at parent teacher conferences). Drew is almost as tall as Jason now. He was in his football jersey and had to leave soon for practice but it was nice to catch up briefly since we wouldn't see him the rest of the weekend.

When everyone arrived at home it was a mass of hugs and excitement. My kids were so excited to see Bostyn and Fynn and vice versa. Mostly, Bostyn wanted to see Paige. Danica told me that she planned on pretending she had a baby sister for the weekend. :)

Jerry and Nancy sat back and basked in the glory that is grandchildren. They looked very content and it made my heart smile.

I'm so glad Nancy was able to see her grandchildren. She's losing her sight (part of the reason we made the trip).

I always enjoy my time with Brad and Danica and this time was no different. I have some great in-laws. I only regret that Fred and Alisa (Jason's other brother and his wife) couldn't be there. That would have been so much fun.

Utah Trip - Day 4

This was the day we drove to Payson to visit my brother, Thomas and his family. I had never met Ethan until this past Sunday and it was so fun to play with him. I also enjoy getting to know my sister-in-law Elen since I get to talk to and see her the least of all my family. I recently was able to send them some cloth diapers to try out on Ethan and to see if they like them for the new addition coming next year.

We played Wii fit (which was super fun), took the kids out to the backyard park, ate pizza and generally hung out for hours. I love these times.

My kids love Uncle Thomas, especially Brendan since I always tell stories about him as a kid (being the only brother in a house full of sisters).

We had to leave them in the evening to drive to Cedar Hills to have Taco Night with Jason's aunt and uncle. They have always been very sweet to us. Uncle Vic even called me monthly when Jason was deployed to check on me.
Due to missed naps and time schedule craziness, the two youngest were especailly tired. Here is Darby's face at dinner.

She had no trouble falling asleep. One of Jason's cousins came to visit and brought her daughter. Here is Paige with her second cousin, Brooklyn.

Vic and LaRae have a media room in their basement - small movie screen, stadium seating recliners, stereo sound, etc. Jason and Vic watched the Jazz game down there. My husband was IN HEAVEN. I think the Jazz even won. I don't remember; I fell asleep in one of the recliners. :)

Utah Trip - Day 3

The next day was my brother-in-law's day off (and election day). Jason enjoyed the time to talk with Ryan. It was laundry day for me (part of the packing light philosophy I tried to have on this trip).
My oldest nephew, Camden, is quite the enterprising young fellow. He has several chickens that he raised form chicks. He sells the eggs. (Side note: before we left, Jason convinced Cam to let him hypnotize on of the chickens using a technique he found on You Tube. My husband is just a big kid).

Camden also has a job at a nearby dairy. He takes care of the calves and does various other odd jobs around. He invited Brendan to go with him to feed the calves. They were gone for about an hour and Bubbs liked it. However, he told me he was "grossed out by the things that are dirty there" and the poop. Ha ha ha. He's not destined to be a farmer.
My niece, Evie, enjoyed having Darby as an all too willing participant in dress up. In fact, when we tried to get in the car to go to Aunt Amanda's house, there was a knock down, drag out fight to get her into her own clothes, rather than Evie's "get up". Sigh, I may not survive age two with this one.

Amanda just moved to Utah to finish up her schooling at Utah State. She has a new apartment as well in a great neighborhood. She loves it. I always love the chance to talk to her. Paige liked her too.

My older two loved the chance to play with the Fairbanks cousins. Canyon got home from school and he and Brendan had a great time playing. Dane played nicely with Eva. It was so nice to see those boys. They have grown so much.

Amanda made some yummy gumbo and a special cake with purple and blue frosting (as requested my my kids). It was homework time after dinner. Brendan tried to "help" Canyon. It was cracking Amanda and I up to listen.

I was sad when we had to leave to put the kids to bed.

All the adults were on high alert as we kept watch on the election results. When the race was called, we were all more than disappointed. I don't want to to get too political on a family blog but I am concerned about the direction this country is taking. I am worried about the policies being put in place by government and the fiscal irresponsibility of leaders. Jason and I have a new resolve to prepare ourselves in many ways, to take care of our families in the coming years.