Cute, Dancing Christmas Jonesies.

Merry Christmas, Jonesies!

Our Christmas was wonderful this year!

We started a new tradition- Jones Family Shopping Day! On the 23rd, we got everyone ready and went out for a fun day of shopping for each other! We took the kids to a really huge dollar store and let them each have a turn picking out gifts for their siblings. This proved to be a really fun thing to do- they were so proud of their selections- and they even wrapped them themselves! Then, we went to lunch and finished the day doing a little last minute shopping for other gifts. The kids were pretty great, all things considered. And the snow kept coming.

Our Christmas was WHITE- an unusual occurance for Washington, but very lovely and fitting for the holiday. We were blessed to spend Christmas Eve with Grandma and Grandpa Obray and Eric. Grandpa made the YUMMIEST Prime rib dinner and we followed the meal with a Christmas story with Grandma and some carols. The kids were tired and anxious to get in bed for Santa (weird- I wish EVERY night was Christmas eve...) so we went home and donned our Christmas jammies, laid out Oreos for the big guy (Santa's favorite cookie, you know...), and went to bed praying Santa would come after a day full of threats that he wouldn't if behavior didn't improve... (I'm not sure what it is about Christmastime- they could be angels the rest of the year, and during the most logical time to be really good, they are demons... hm.)

Christmas morning we awoke to the pitter patter of little feet, running around our room. We all went downstairs and very systematically opened our presents. (We were organized this year- mess was very minimal!) Highlights included a pink guitar for Annie, Two-wheel scooters for Charlie and Soph, a CD boombox for Henry and another ride-on toy for Mags. Each kid received what they wanted and everyone was happy...

Then came Christmas Number Two. Grandma and Grandpa Obray edition.

They arrived around lunch time with insane quantities of gifts for the kids. We have so many new games, puzzles, toys and books that I think we could successfully run our own Boys and Girls Club. It was wonderful. The kids are in heaven. Thanks G & G- we are so so excited about our new things!

It really was a wonderful holiday. Everyone was happy. Jim was home with us most of the week, which was a lot of fun. I'm always a little sad when the holidays are over, but I'm already thinking of my list of home improvements to start in January, so the sadness is minimal! :)

12-21-08 Happy FIRST Birthday, Maggie!

So, those of you who are Mommies, remember when your oldest child was a baby, and the first year of his/her life seemed so exciting? You anticipate the changes in their development- you can't wait until they can eat food, or crawl or walk and every little moment is amazing?

Now, fast-forward to your youngest child and think about the same things.

All I have to say is:

SLOW DOWN, BABY! MAKE IT STOP! PLEASE STAY LITTLE AND LET ME SNUGGLE YOU AND NIBBLE YOUR CHEEKS AND SQUISH YOUR LEGS AND ROCK YOU TO SLEEP AND DRESS YOU LIKE A DOLL! LET ME CHERISH EVERY LITTLE MOMENT OF YOUR BABYHOOD! DON'T WALK YET! DON'T TALK! PLEASE JUST BE MY BABY!

I know it sounds silly. I know it's a little crazy. I have adored everything about this year- about this sweetheart that Heavenly Father surprised me with a year ago. She is so loving and so angelic and I know our family was not complete until she joined it. I love you, Baby Mags. Happy birthday.

Soph/Fia Pictorial

SOPH.

FIA.

Soph/Fia.

We have a strange phenomenon in our house. I wouldn't try to simplify it by calling it "multiple personality disorder", or "schizophrenia"-rather, maybe, some sort of paranormal event that happens on occasion when the planets are aligned a certain way, (or perhaps when our middle daughter hasn't had enough SLEEP...) or the moon is in a certain stage...

I call this phenom the appearance of FIA.

Sophia- or SOPH as she is generally known, is a very sweet, fun-loving little lady. Yes, she has more sass in her than most four year olds (it can't be easy being the only female triplet AND the middle daughter...)- she holds her own pretty well with the brothers.

But sometimes, we find that our sweet little Soph has been replaced by the maniacal and completely irrational FIA. Fia is not a popular person around the Jones house. She has been known to create some substantial messes- usually involving water, fingernail polish or lip gloss, pen or crayon, make-up on occasion... and Fia ALWAYS heralds her appearance with a monster-sized fit.

We have learned to be patient with Fia. At times, she needs to cool off in her room for a bit and take a breather. Sometimes, when we ask Fia where Soph went, we find that Soph wasn't far and she's more than happy to find her way back. In fact, in a conversation I had with SOPH the other day, I found out that Fia often appears "when I don't get enough attention". (How's that for perceptive!)

It isn't easy to be pulled five directions and try to meet everyone's emotional needs- but we do the best we can and I don't think that the occasional visit from Fia will leave any lasting damage on anyone (well, unless you count the HOUSE...).

We are so blessed to have our little Sophie- even when Fia rears her mischievous head. I can't imagine our family without her.

Amazing.

Check this out- this is our niece Jessica (at BYU). She is so talented! She's trying to enter a contest- watch:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B9zn2hewCiw.

Smooth Jazz.

There's nothing like a little SMOOTH JAZZ to soothe the soul before bedtime. Keep your eye on Henry (yellow headband, Buzz jammies). I almost peed my pants laughing. Cutest kids ever.

Press "pause" on the Playlist while you play this one- you need the background music from the video for the full effect... enjoy.

Into the Woods.

Happiest Baby. Ever.

GORGEOUS view.
The giant tree beside Jim? Yeah, Ours. We had to shave it down a bit... :)

Cute little troopers.

Does anyone else know that play? I loved it- had the soundtrack once upon a time. Great show. Good songs. "Into the woods, and out of the woods- and home before dark!" Anyhow...

So, like true Northwesterners, we look forward to the excitement of visiting the tree farm each year to select the lucky little Douglas that gets to come die a quick death at the Jones house. (Okay, no offense to my artificial tree-owning compadres, but I just can't do fake. Sorry. Hate me if you must. And yes, we do kill the tree within days. Still not an argument for going fake.)

This year, however, Jim decided we needed a little more adventure in our lives. We purchased a $10 permit at the ranger station in Enumclaw and set out into the forest to find our next victim, ahem, Christmas tree. (Um, BARGAIN, by the way!)

Oh the fun that awaited us! (No sarcasm in that tone! Seriously fun!)

We bundled everyone up and started hiking (yes, it was relatively arduous with 4 small kids and one in a backpack), navigating around stumps, fallen logs and lots of densely packed trees. The kids LOVED it- nary a complaint among them (even though they fell like every two seconds climbing the hill)! I loved it! The view was amazing. Breathtaking even.

We found our tree- our first Noble Fir- within about 1.5 hours. It was great.

Next year, we will definitely plan it out better- we'll take a lunch, build a fire, spend the day, convince as many of our B-L friends as possible to caravan with us and make it a party! Woo Hoo! Seriously, it make the little rec major in me feel so glad to be in the outdoors- and what is more breathtaking than Washington mountains? (Don't answer. Let me bask in the memory.)

So, you artificial tree aficionados, give it up, swallow your pride and join my merry brigade next year. Seriously, SO fun.

Epiphany.

So, I'm driving in the car today, enjoying my 2.5 hours of child-less (read: no one over 11 months) time, when I find myself thinking about my blog. I planned out a post about Twilight (which I may, or may not revisit at another time...), even thought through the wording, the clever quips, the tag line, when suddenly I realized, for the first time EVER...

I Am A Dork.

Truly. I am a bonafide dork. I'm not saying that folks who think out speeches in their minds and mentally compose letters in the shower are dorks (phew Candi- I think you're okay...). What I mean is, the way I use language- the wordy, lengthy way I explain things... I have always been blessed with a mind that easily recalls and uses vocabulary. At times, I am a bit overzealous in my use of words. Often, I find the most ridiculously ambiguous ways of explaining things. There are times my dorkiness has worked to my advantage (mostly involving academia), but for the most part, it's a scarlet "D" that I must bear.*

Thankfully, I was also blessed with a pretty solid self-concept as a youngster, a trait which often protects those of us who call ourselves dorks from really realizing or fully acknowledging it.

Other signs I am realizing are indicative of dorkdom:

matching socks, shirt and scrunchies. (A favorite past time of mine in bygone days- scrunchie days)

sleeping with a blankie. (Yes, I do still have it. Yes, I do still sleep with it. It's soft- don't judge me.)
reading embarrassing amounts YA lit.(Guilty. I do have a good reason for this, but I won't explain now.)

being overly melodramatic. (see * above)

having a psychotic tendency to become enamored of and obsessed with things of questionable dorkiness (ie: Harry Potter, Twilight, Strawberry Shortcake, etc.)

having the word "dork" written upon your forehead. (Okay, that one isn't true, but you get the point)

I think I am willing to not only accept my dorkiness, but embrace it. I think we dorks of the world make more "fun" mommies and daddies. I think we express ourselves well and have a finger on the pulse of what makes us happy. Not really such a bad thing, don't you think?