Tree Decorating

Tree decorating got delayed a bit this year, due to a change in our lighting apparatus. We had several strands go out on us last year, and in an attempt to find a solution to both that and the regular hassle of stringing lights, I ordered some new ones from Amazon. They're tiny LED's attached to copper wire; super flexible, and bright, and the cord is almost invisible. I ordered something like 265 feet, thinking that would be more than enough. Turns out it only does about half your tree. I think part of that is due to the fact that you are able to wrap even the tiniest of branches with these lights, so you end up using much more than you might with the green-wired ones. I went to order some more, only to discover that they were back-ordered to Decemeber 10th. Needless to say, we had some disappointed kids. We finally got our lights though, and in all honesty, they are really cool. They're so tiny, they look like they're part of the tree itself.

 It is a big bummer though, to not be able to go out to any store and buy more if you run short. We got all the lights put on finally this past Thursday, and the kids were bursting at the seams to finally get the chance to hang the ornaments.

It doesn't feel quite like Christmas until you have your tree up, lit and decorated. I love that mellow glow from the lights, and the memories encased in each and every ornament. Merry Christmas to all!

Random Holiday Stuff

A lot of little things going on this time of year that I wanted to mark. First off, we had the Spencer party up at the Tracy Lodge, and Nate and Elle were able to join us, which meant that we were able to get a pic with my parents and all 18 of their grand kids.

Quite the impressive brood. I wanted to get one with our little family as well.

I even got a picture of me with tiny Will, who is a super snuggly kid. All the females of the family were fighting for a cuddle with Will.

Maisie had a piano recital where she played a very impressive "Oh Holy Night". Teag and I were laughing because we had no idea she could play like that. She practices on a keyboard in her room, and we often can't hear it. Honestly though, it was a nice surprise to be able to see how far she's come.

We worked really hard to try and get some family pictures this fall, but life seemed to take over and make that impossible. So we went with this for our Christmas card pic.

I love Christmas cards. It's so fun to get them in the mail, and hopefully these little monkeys can bring people a little holiday cheer as well. This next one isn't holiday related, but I just thought it was funny. Teag and I were able to play tennis the other day, December 8th! It was a gorgeous fifty-something degrees outside, and fun to be able to get a game in.

Stay tuned for more fun holiday stuff. Tis the season, after all!

Tree Hunting!

This year I finally snapped a picture of us poor souls who got up at an unholy hour to go get the tree permits at Soldier Hollow, prior to the actual tree hunting.

Notice how puffy we all are, as multiple layers are required to withstand the ridiculous cold. A brisk 17 degrees this year! After we get our wristbands (the step before getting the actual permit), we go get breakfast. Check out this cool shot I snapped of the fog coming off Deer Creek Reservoir.

Tree permits can only be purchased one weekend of the year, usually in early November. Then we go get the actual tree the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Before I get to that, though, take a look at this pick of Dany going to town on a turkey leg.

The Baylys experienced a Thanksgiving miracle when Teag's trip to Woodward was abruptly cancelled on the taxiway. That meant no last minute rush, and a whole lot of hassle for our family, so we got to spend a great holiday together, and then a few days later, we were up in the mountains looking for THE TREE.

The snow wasn't as deep as last year, which was lovely, and we only hiked about a mile round trip this time. I know because I tracked us. We had no desire to have a repeat of last year. Natey came along with us, and we both managed to find a tree fairly close to each other. Teag had the forethought to bring some rope and a tarp, which made transporting it back much easier. While we were away, the kids spent their time testing out the new sled we bought with their cousins.

Meg had the idea to get a picture of all the Rogers siblings. I don't have many pics with just me and my brothers now that we're older, so I'm glad to have this one.

We then got one with the folks too.

And of course, we got one with my little family.

And even though we planned to head to lunch later, Finn couldn't wait for food and went to town on a bagel.

Once everyone had their trees and everything was secured, we went to a little diner in Oakley, made from a trolley car.

The food was a bit spendy, but I liked the kids liked having their own private juke boxes to make selections from.

Another fun year of tree hunting for the books!

Motherhood

I've been struggling a bit lately with the whole concept of "motherhood".

See, for me, it was the only thing I wanted to be when I grew up. My main career choice was to be a mother, and a damn good one if I could manage it. That meant baking, and PTA. Laundry and story time, and late nights. I was determined to put in the time and be successful, to the best of my ability. And for the most part, I feel like I have. My kids are pretty good kids. We all make mistakes, but we're trying to be good human beings, and often succeed in being a little better than we were the day before.

Now here is the hard part. Motherhood is something that is really hard to quantify. There are no pay scales or salary bumps, no fourth quarter bonuses, or performance reviews. You just push along in your often thankless occupation, hoping with everything you have that you are making a positive difference in the world. But lately, that's been made a little harder by some of the things I've heard from my kids.

The other day, Danyn told us at the dinner table that she wanted to be a teacher, and when we asked why, her response was because she didn't want to be "just" a mom. I felt stunned. I'd be lying if I said it didn't hurt. With my head, I understand completely that she didn't say what she did to wound me, but with my heart I remember all those times I sat up with her when she had RSV, coughing and crying because she couldn't breathe. Those nights I worried because her O2 sats would drop, and we were concerned about how high her fever was. Those heart-wrenching moments are imprinted on my brain, things I'll most likely remember until age or senility take them from me. Was I "just" a mom then?

Then there are other, smaller things. The dynamic in our house tends to be different than most, as when Teag is not flying, he is home. That means that Teag takes on a larger share of household duties when he's home than the average husband and father might. Lately, no matter what the situation is, Teag seems to get the credit for all the good stuff happening in their lives. You liked dinner tonight? Thanks Dad! Got a special sandwich in your lunch box? Must have been Dad! Someone packed you an extra treat, wrote you a nice note, or ran an errand for you? Dad is awesome!

Now I agree, Teag is pretty cool, but I do wonder when our kids stopped seeing me as someone who looked out for them, too. Someone who tried to bring a smile to their face with a favorite dinner, or a special treat. The one who suggested the movie night, or eating at a restaurant to celebrate. Dad is now the cool, exciting parent, and I'm "just" mom.

I hope that one day my kids will understand how fiercely I love them. How much I do for them, and how much I've given up for them. I hope they understand that I have dreams too, dreams that have been put on hold to make sure that I am here when they need me. I have passions, and ideas, strengths and hobbies, and most of all? Most of all, a desire for them to be happy. To feel loved and supported, and to one day know the joy of doing all this themselves.

No, I don't have an exciting, work-outside-of-the-home kind of job. But my career is one I chose because I understand it will be the most important thing I ever do.

Halloween 2015

Halloween was a lot of craziness this year! Teag and I are learning very quickly that our kids are growing up; lots of parties, lots of dressing up, and Maisie's last ever year to Trick or Treat. Behold the passage of time.

Costumes this year included a Gypsy:

A Spider Girl:

A Fireman:

And Queen Amidala:

Teag was able to go to the kiddie parade on Friday at the school, and it was fun to see how excited the kids were to see him.

Then came Saturday, and pumpkin carving! Every kid had some specific ideas about what they wanted their pumpkins to look like, but some had a little difficulty in the execution. Finn hasn't been feeling well and had a major meltdown beforehand, so he didn't get to carve his. Below you will see Dany's ghost, Maisie's silly face, and Rory's Frankenstein. You'll also see my awesome TARDIS!

I'm a total nerd, I know, but I had a lot of fun carving this, even with all the tiny, precise detail.

That night, we went to my mom's for our annual Spooky Dinner. Once again, she outdid herself. We dined on Snake bread sticks:

Deviled Egg Mice:

Eyeballs:

Spider Pizza:

And Dirt Cups (my personal favorite):

Finny was willing to try an eyeball, but wasn't a big fan.

We managed to get a pretty decent picture of all the kids in their costumes too. There's always a first for everything!

The kids were a lot hardier this year with their Trick or Treating than they've been in the past. They traversed much more of the neighborhood, and came home with a pretty serious haul. I think they were all pretty pleased with themselves, and everyone slept REALLY well that night.

Happy Halloween!

Fall Fun!

This year, over UEA, we did our annual pilgrimage to the American Heritage Farm in Logan. This time Trajan and Lauren accompanied us up there, along with their four kids. We stopped at Pete's Patch in Brigham City, per our usual, to let the kids pick their perfect pumpkin.

Then we continued on to the farm. Nate and Elle met us there, and we got to hang out with them and their three boys as well, including tiny little Will. I even managed to coax a smile out of him.

We spent a lot of time wandering around the farm, missing activity times because we didn't have a schedule, or because the train was broken. A bit frustrating, but the kids all seemed to have a good time hanging out with their cousins, and gorging on cookies and kettle corn. And everybody that wanted to got a pony ride.

We had a lot of fun, and it was great to get out of the city for awhile. We're glad we could hang out with Nate and Elle, and Trajan and Lauren too.

I got to participate in a Party in Pink in the month of October as well. I'm racking up quite a few Zumbathons these days.

Teag was in charge of the ward Fall party again, and got a hayride all ready to go, along with a little help from Finny. He strung Christmas lights all up and down it, so that when it got dark, it looked downright festive.

And speaking of Finny, ever since we decided that he'd be fireman for Halloween, he hasn't stopped trying to dress up in all or part of his costume. 

October was a crazy, busy month, and November is shaping up to be the same. Hang on for more fun Fall stuff!