Obligatory Bath Pictures

We figured we'd better document the radical bathtub hair before it gets too long to be so awesome.

P.S. Man, I love this munchie-kin.

P.P.S Merry Christmas!

When in Doubt, Take a Nap

My mom tells me that my Grandma used to say, "I have so much to do...I think I'll take a nap first and get it out of the way."

Nothing makes me want to take a nap like the current state of the kitchen sink.

 Good night, folks.

Cooking with Frankenstein

In the words of Richard Nixon, "I am not a cook."

Indeed, cooking is not something that I do exceptionally well. (Believe it or not, there is a whole litany of areas in which I don't particularly excel, but let's save that list for another moment when we have more time.) For this reason, I can't make a meal without a recipe, I shy away from doing anything experimental in the kitchen, and I avoid anything resembling challenging kitchen tasks at all costs.

It is also for this reason that I never make a pie crust. While I have many fond memories of hovering over my mom while she very adeptly mixed, rolled, and executed beautiful pie crusts filled with yummy goodness, my own attempts never come close to what her talents seem to have effortlessly produced.

Sadly, my own pie crusts resemble something that only Chef Frankenstein would be proud of-- painstakingly pieced-together catastrophes that barely pass for pie crusts at all:

And yet, when leftover turkey and gravy persistently beckon my hungry family's post-Thanksgiving taste buds, I have no choice but to don the surgical gloves and perform this unpleasant procedure, which typically involves a huge mess of flour, an increasingly grumpy Mommy, and 2-3 phone calls to my mom and/or sister. 

Until next year, adieu, ugly pie crust.

(The final product: it's a wreck, but man, it sure tasted good.)

Raise Your Glasses

Looks like Julia has unofficially inherited my horrible eyesight. For the moment, she is far-sighted, but the eye doctor said that it will likely progress into nearsightedness as she gets older. (I have no idea how this happens. Good thing I'm not an eye doctor.)

She could hardly contain her excitement when she found out she was destined for a brand new pair of glasses. Little does she know that she will shake her fist at her bad eyesight for many years to come.

Is it sad that Craig and I don't like her glasses because they make her look so much older? As far as we're concerned, she is plenty old enough already.

(working on boring homework with
her fashionable new accessories.)

More Quotables

They're cooky, they're funny, and oh, so quotable. Here are a couple of recent gems from the girls.

Julia, after being forced into an early morning clean-up last weekend: "I wish you and Daddy were still asleep so that we didn't have to clean our room right now."

Savanna, in response to my mention of a "super-cute" ornament that my friend left on our doorstep: "Uh, sometimes I'm super-cute..."

Lexa, excited to answer my question of "who's Mommy's big girl?" responded with, "I do!"

The Trouble With Volunteering

As a kid, I was super-clingy and had a ridiculously hard time adjusting to my new surroundings at the beginning of each and every school year. As a parent, I worried that those innate fears would be passed on to my children and that they would get to school age and be...well, like me. Thankfully, Julia adjusted really well to both kindergarten and first grade, so my worries have, thus far, been alleviated.

But alas, volunteering in Julia's classroom has shown me that a portion of my genes--however small--has indeed been passed on to my oldest child without my consent. When it was time for me to leave after spending an hour volunteering with her class on Thursday morning, Julia told me that she didn't feel well. I knew this was her attempt to get me to bring her home with me, so I dismissed her complaint. When I walked over to her desk to kiss her goodbye a few minutes later, I found her with her head on her desk softly crying into her sweater. 

Gulp.

 I'm not sure which was worse...her heartbreak, or mine. I did the responsible thing and left, with a quiet mention to the teacher that she was having a hard time, and I crept guiltily back home.

I knew she would be fine, and, of course, she was. When I picked her up that afternoon, I asked her how long she had felt sad after I left and she told me that it had lasted until snack time. After some thought, and, I'm sure, a keen remembrance of that morning's heartache and suffering, she tells me, as serious as can be, "Mom, if you're going to volunteer in my classroom, then you need to stay all day." 

This kid. Thank goodness she's only a tiny bit like me. 

Breakfast the Lexa Way

Never one to enjoy the old-fashioned way of doing things, little Lex has developed a peculiar way of eating her delicious Strawberry Frosted Mini-Wheats. (Have you noticed that I always use the word delicious when referring to cereal? It simply can't be helped.)

Here's the process: First she takes every piece of cereal out of her bowl and lays it on the highchair tray. Then she drinks the strawberry milk. Next she puts all the cereal back in the bowl and eats it like nothing happened. And, when appropriate, she gives me a pouty little look when I try to take pictures of her Royal Quirkiness.

(did we mention they're delicious?)

December Moments

December is here in full swing, my friends, despite the fact that, here in Phoenix, it is barely cold enough for our heater to kick on once a night.

We may not be traipsing around in any winter wonderlands, but we still know how to celebrate the season. Here are a few of our favorite moments so far:

(okay, so this picture is from last year but it's noteworthy nonetheless.)

Decorating gingerbread houses with our friend Holly:

Sugar cookies with mommy:

(man alive, this rolling pin is a blast!)

Savanna's winter ballet recital:

(the recital, not unlike Savanna, was so cute I could cry.)

Ward Christmas party:

Riding a bike sans training wheels for the first time:

Tickles with Mommy:

Stories with Grandma:

Sitting on "Santa's" lap:

Merry (20 days 'til) Christmas, everyone!

What A Difference A Year Makes

About a year ago, this little nut was wrapping herself up in the vacuum cleaner cord. Now, thank goodness, she's old enough for us to put her to work.

Now if I could just get her to empty the dishwasher...

Thanks-remembering

True to my nature of skipping over holidays that aren't Christmas, once again I let Thanksgiving come and go without so much as a peep. (Or should I say gobble?) In the interest of posterity, (and because I truly am thankful) here are some pictures of my favorite things to be thankful for:

Since these sweet girls are so happy to help, it was natural 

for them to swoop in and give me a hand with the rolls for

 Thanksgiving dinner. At first, Savanna claimed that she could 

only make snakes out of the dough that I was asking her 

to roll into a ball.  After they both got the hang of it, though,
they made the most adorable baby rolls for

 themselves in a mini-muffin pan. 

Yummier than rolls, that's what Alexa is.

Kind Craig set up shop in the playroom 

and kept me company during my last-minute 

cleaning and dessert-making on Thanksgiving Eve. 

I have been trying to focus more lately on recognizing (and taking the time to enjoy!) all of my wonderful blessings, particularly my children, who are the biggest sources of joy (and utter frustration) in my life. As a very welcome answer to much prayer, little moments of joy have been popping up all over the place. I am grateful beyond grateful to say this. Thanks to a tiny focus on my part on trying to be more in the moment with them, they have responded with full heart and I am finding myself blessed exponentially. 

Snuggling up with Savanna has yielded me a "favorite favorite favorite Mommy" status. Singing one or two extra songs with Lex before bedtime has given me some extra moments to soak up all her fleeting, adorable baby-ness. And sharing childhood stories with Julia has allowed me to begin to see the beautiful, caring person that she is turning  out to be. 

Utter, unreserved gratitude. That is what I am feeling every single day. And I couldn't be more thankful for that.

P.S. We Love to Eat

Us Monson girls know a good thing when we see it...
And then we put it in our mouths.

...And Then There Was Halloween

You would think that I would give Halloween a little more attention, seeing as how I like free candy so much. And yet, it has slipped through the cracks once again, leaving all the uneaten Dots and Mike and Ike's in its delicious wake. Since we're in the brief pause between Thanksgiving and Christmas, I'll squeeze in our Halloween fun and try to do better next year. (No promises, folks.)

We'll start with the GCU carnival:

The girls thought this giant slide was great. I concur.

Lex was feeling a little protective of her candy.

Our little rock stars.

Cutie #1

Cutie #2

(messy) Cutie #3

Next was the school carnival:

(Lex loves her Cheetos)

(Mommy loves her Vanna)

She ain't afraid of no cupcake

She liked the animals in the petting zoo about 

as much as she liked the Disney characters.

Craig, having a cow. (As usual.)

(Just kidding.)

The girls and their friends, Ermanie and Kekoa along 

with a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle that we don't happen to know.

Then there was actual Halloween. We went trick or treating with friends and the girls stayed up so late past their bedtime that Julia fell asleep twice at school the next day and took a two-hour nap when she got home. (These girls need their 11 hours, that's for sure.)

"Uh...hey guys...can someone open this 

delicious peanut butter cup for me?"

It took Lex a while to get the hang of trick or treating, 

but she figured it out. They always do.

I just love her royal cuteness.

The whole gang.

This is cute Gentry. He's Alexa's age. I love that he was 

amused by our friend Frank's creepy half-man zombie 

while all of the other kids ran away screaming.

The after-party at Holly's was a happenin' scene.
No wonder Julia was so tired.