baby of record

Yesterday we christened Myles- he's now a "baby of record." Meaning, he's officially on the records of our church. But it was neat to have so much family here for that. Jared spoke the prayer over him, and both his father and mine assisted. My grandfather also stood with them- we gave him my grandfather's name as his middle name- and I wasn't expecting him to come. He's doing all right, but doesn't travel well, and so it was extra special to have him present to hear us name Myles after him. After the service, we headed home for a feast and some family time. And thankfully the roads were clear for everybody to drive home. We did get an inch or so late last night.

This year I made up an advent calendar, of activities centered around Christmas, for us to do each day. And I have to say we've not done everything on the days I'd planned, but that's okay. I'm being flexible! Plus, since moving to Utah, I've discovered a few things unique to this area for us to participate in. The Festival of Trees: people decorate wreaths or Christmas trees, then donate them to the Festival, and other people buy them; the money goes to Primary Children's Hospital to cover care for children without insurance. This was awesome- I didn't take pictures, but it was a great experience for the kids. Another experience I've yet to have elsewhere is visiting Temple Square in SLC. Every year they light the entire grounds of the temple with lights. There are also creches all over, and they pipe music [Mormon Tabernacle Choir, of course!] so the whole experience is centered around Jesus Christ and his birth. I love the special calmness we feel there. Even with so many people around us, it is quiet and solemn. Also up in SLC, they put on free concerts in a building next to the temple.

Another Christmas activity that I started this year focused on gift-giving. I have a stash of presents for birthday parties, etc. that I stock whenever I run across a good sale. And this year, I decided I would have my kids shop for each other in this stash, and anything they picked out would be a dollar. [of course, most of the stuff in the stash is a little more expensive than that, but not by much] A few advantages: no trip to the mall/store with 4 kids in tow, limited selection, no worries about siblings peeking at their purchases. And their shopping is done- no fussing, or fighting, or picking out an extravagantly expensive toy. I know this won't last, but I'm enjoying every minute while it does!

Oooh, better go- I have two screaming kids. Well, H is screaming because he was sent to his room. He was caught raiding the chocolate Advent calendar. But Myles just woke up screaming hungry. Yeah, we never feed him LOL.

Merry Christmas
j