Today, I fulfilled my recent daydream of sleeping in. I do not think I got out of bed until 10:45. Lily, on the other had, was being productive from early on by helping the kids with their music practice. I eventually wandered into the music room and enjoyed listening to Mary and Lydia practice. They are getting so good! The low notes of Lydia’s “Watching the Wheat” just melt me, and “Linus and Lucy” which Mary is now playing is so fun to listen to. All three kids worked hard on their instruments (Ammon had his practice before I arrived) and it was awesome that Lily helped them to knock their music out early so we could enjoy the rest of the day as a family.
Basil is loving his new alligator stuffy!
After Lily and I worked out, we decided it was time to explain Santa Clause to Clarissa since she has been asking about magic and what is real and what is not lately. We captured everything on video.
After explaining everything to Clarissa, we asked how she felt, and she said, “alarmed”. We had her repeat it on camera since we thought that was so adorable.
We then all packed up and went to Ikea to get desks for Mary and Clarissa (their Christmas wishes) as well as a table and chairs for the basement so we can always have a puzzle going. Clarissa fell asleep on the way to Ikea. I assume her sweet brain was heavily processing all her new information about the world!
We LOVED our meal at Ikea as we always do, and all the kids really enjoyed interacting with all the displays. Lily and I compared it to going to Lagoon (and for roughly the same cost, only we end up with furniture) in terms of how much fun everyone had.
The desks were out of stock, but now we know which ones we want. Everyone had a really good time!
At home, Lily worked on Christmas shopping by the fire, while I assembled some new chairs for the basement. Today was a really happy and fun family day!
Before I get into Basil’s birthday festivities, I will first report on all of the medical activity we had today.
Mary, Georgia and I all had dermatology appointments today. Georgia had some moles check, and had some precancerous skin on her nose treated. Mary had a couple of moles looked at to make sure they were healthy, and I had a mole on my back removed. We all loved our Dr. very much. He was friendly and informative, and I think he removed my mole for free (since it didn’t qualify for insurance coverage).
After the dermatologist, I dropped off Georgia and some couch cushions for repair and Lily took Mary to an appointment to get her blood drawn to make sure she is OK since she weighs so little. Clarissa weighs 42 or 43 pounds, Ammon weighs 49 pounds, Mary weighs 53 pounds and Lydia weighs around 75 pounds. Mary was incredibly brave during he blood drawing, which was huge improvement over her last flu shot in Target which was a high-drama activity.
After my work day was over (and it was very stressful from a very demanding and complex brand and customer experience deal that I’m working on), we all got to enjoy Basil’s birthday!
First we sang to Basil, and let Clarissa blow out the candle on his slice of pizza. Basil LOOOVES pizza. In the past I’ve had to chase him around the yard to try to get back a piece of pizza he stole from a family meal.
Then we gave him apple and whipped cream for desert.
Then it was time for his gifts! A new alligator stuffed animal toy!
And a dog cookie (desert #2)!
Basil, we love you and you look great from your recent grooming! You fill us with laughter, comfort, and warm fuzzies. Happy 2nd birthday buddy! All I can say (in the spirit of the Sia Christmas album which we have continued to enjoy this season), puppies are forever!
In the evening, Lily and I had Daniel and Amanda Olsen over to play games. We played San Juan, and had a complete blast. It was a perfect blend of being a fast and simple game, yet still very strategic. They brought over cookies and chocolates and Lily ordered from Crumble, and the treats were delicious too!
Over the weekend Clarissa had a double-ear infection that was so painful for her that she was writhing in pain and did not sleep well (neither did Lily or I). Lily got her on an antibiotic quickly, and Clarissa was doing way better today, but we still kept her home from school just in case.
Clarissa was very well behaved today and spent a lot of time coloring. She’s so cute!
Work has been particularly stressful for me lately, so it is really nice to have a fluffball to pet when I am stressed. It really calms me down, and I get the feeling that Basil likes it too…..
With all I have going on at work, I stayed up until a little after 2:00 the previous night working (a little after midnight Utah time). Needless to say, Lily was up before me and did yoga while I was still stuck in bed. We were both ready for the day by 9:30 or so, and snapped this picture of ourselves twinning in our Cotopaxi jackets before heading out on our adventure.
We had a cab drop us off in Georgetown, and we walked all around together. Some fun memories are Lily’s coffee with way too much peppermint syrup, the cat cafe where you can get food and coffee and pet (even adopt!) cats and also visiting the Georgetown campus.
Then we created another really fun memory when we visited a park next to a historic park. It was so pretty! Even though it was small, the vegetation was so lush and pretty, that we felt like we were in the heart of nature even though we were really in the heart of DC.
Lily had the fun idea to make out on a prominently featured bench in the park. We had fun kissing, and then wanted to take pictures to commemorate. We kept getting the pictures wrong, so we kissed a really long time, lol. But here are a few of the better ones we took.
Also, throughout our walk, I was enjoying the beautiful groundscapes such as the gorgeous brick walkways speckled with golden leaves and red mushrooms poking up through lush forest dirt (that was in the park). I took some pictures.
We walked from Georgetown to Foggy Bottom (where George Washington University is) and we ate at a really fun restaurant called Beefsteak. I was delighted to see they had a beet burger, which used a pickled cooked beet for the patty of a hamburger. It was delicious and my favorite thing I ate all trip (of course, I do love beets!). Lily got a type of grain bowl/salad and loved hers too!
Lily marveled at the lush red foliage we saw while walking and took a picture.
We thought the Mexican Embassy was so interesting because of the houses it is built around.
We passed by the White-house on our way to the Willard hotel.
After our long walk we went to the Willard hotel for a reception where we had refreshments and got to know different people from the National Parks organization and other donors. One really fun person we met was Adam Yenser, the actual Kevin the Cashier from the Ellen show. See below:
He and his mother were so fun to talk to. All of the national parks people were so nice and interesting and it was really fun to geek out about the parks.
After the reception, we walked to the entrance of the White House campus where the tree lighting was going to be. At the gate we were told that we need identification, and neither Lily or I had considered that we needed ID. I fortunately had mine, but Lily’s was back at the place. I ran quickly back over half-mile to the hotel and then ran back. I arrived just as we were being told they were closing the entrance. Once we got through the gate, security never checked our ID even though the lady at the entrance insisted they would (forcing us to go retrieve it). Anyway, it all worked out. Here are some beautiful photos Lily got wile I was running my heart out.
Because of the ID situation, we arrived to our seats after everyone else. In fact Biden was taking the stage as we were pushing past many people to get to our seats in the middle of the row, and just before Biden lit the tree.
I had so much fun with my sweetheart, and we were warm enough thanks to our new Cotopaxi gear!
The first singer was Andy Grammer, and his rendition of the little drummer boy was one of my favorite numbers of the night.
Then a gospel singer named Yolanda sang a truly beautiful rendition of Silent Night.
Then Gloria Estefan and her daughter Emily, and her grandson Sasha sang a song about gratitude that the family wrote. Emily brought the house down.
Then Joss Stone, one of my new favorite vocalists, braved the cold in her outfit, and blew us away with her vocals.
Then Ariana Debose, who also has an incredible voice, sang.
And then Joe Biden spoke for a few minutes. I’ve never seen a president in my life (just George Bush’s hand when he passed by my high school and waved out the window of his car) and it was really neat to see a President speak in person.
After an incredible day, Lily and I weren’t finished. We ate light back at the hotel, and then went to Louie and Ginny’s house to chat with them and eat a bit more. Louie just got off a plane from Turkey and filled us up with the most outstanding Turkish Delight. We talked all about his job in international law as well as topics that touched Ginny’s job progressing social initiatives through giving financing with requirements to countries. They are both so knowledgeable and good natured that we felt we could talk politics with them for hours. Eventually it was time to go, but Lily and I had such a fun visit we felt it was a highlight, if not THE highlight of our entire trip. It was also so great to see their sweet daughters, and it put us to conspiring on how we can get all our kids together soon!
What a wonderful wonderful day Lily and I had. It was truly one for the annals. It would be impossible to capture the magic Lily and I experienced and felt on our adventure today, but hopefully this blog jogs some memories and takes us back a little. We are so grateful to the National Parks and my dad and Suzanne for making it possible.
Because of the donor relationship that Lily and I have with the National Parks, we were invited to attend the 100th Annual Christmas Tree Lighting event at the White House. We got the invitation last week, and scrambled to make arrangements. It never could have been possible without my dad and Suzanne who stepped in to watch the kids.
I wrapped up work by 10:00, and then Lily and I finalized preparations and left for the airport by 11:00, soon after my dad came over to watch Clarissa.
One the way to the airport, we bought Lily a winter coat at Cotopaxi as well as some winter accessories to keep her warm at the concert, and a purse to help carry the cookies she made for Louie & Ginny.
When we arrived at the airport, I was delighted that Lily got to try my favorite Salt Lake Airport restaurant, Garbanzo (Mediterranean). We loved it!
In Chicago we saw a sign for the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. That made us happy!
We got into our hotel around 1AM DC time. It was fun to arrive in DC!
Today I was very busy working and getting things in a good place before my trip with Lily tomorrow.
Lily and the kids had a play-date with Amy and her kids. For the play-date, Lily put out an incredible cheeseboard etc spread which was absolutely delicious.
I also caught a picture of Lily reading with Ammon later in the evening.
Today I slept in and blogged while Lily put major effort into cleaning the house in preparation for us to leave and my dad and Suzanne to babysit the kids here. Then I helped her while we listened to church together. Brittany Mangleson gave a great sermon lamenting the recent shooting, and inspiring me to focus on peace and what matters most this season.
Then Lily worked out while I did more odds and ends, and then we drove to my mom’s house for our Thanksgiving dinner with her. She had a wonderful spread of steelhead trout, prime rib, salad, green beans, yams, rolls and mashed potatoes with gravy. For desert she had rhubarb and peach pie with ice cream. David and Olivia were leaving as we arrived (we were running late), but it was fun to see them. It was so fun to chat with my mom, Jay, and Jere and the food was so good. We chatted about a book Jere has been reading about the era of the Spanish Armada and we also talked about how gravity does not exist (but the curvature of spacetime does), which is one of my favorite topics. We got on the topic of our old dogs Lucy and Ethel, and Jay told the story that when Ethel was put down, he was waiting with Lucy in the car, and she started to bark. When my mom arrived at the car 10-15 minutes later, Jay asked how long ago they put Ethel down and it seemed to be the exact time Lucy started barking. Those dogs were very special to me, and they also had a very special bond with each other. We also talked about the house two doors down that my mom is under contract for, their new paint in the front room that looks really nice, as well as other life updates.
One life update is that my mom just got braces! It was so fun to get a picture of her next to Lydia!
Then the house started smelling like poop. To our great dismay, we learned that Basil had found poop to roll in and it was all over his body. His rolled in poop before, but this eclipses all of his other poop rolling situations. It was all over him. We didn’t know what to do. Finally, we threw him in a shower, and I just stripped down and got in the shower with him and scrubbed him and scrubbed him and scrubbed him with 3 or 4 shampoos. Even then, I was worried if I got it all, but he smelled good at the end of it all, so it worked out.
After that, we went to visit my grandma. She is not very happy where she is staying as says they are not taking good care of her. The family is looking to move her into a new facility. But she is still doing much better than she was when she first moved in and had her UTI. It was very fun to visit with her while she at the dinner my mom brought over for her. We told stories about childhood trips Jere, David and I went on with mom, like four corners and Angels landing, and all just had a fun time chatting.
On the drive home, we listened to the Sia Christmas album which is Amazing. At home we let the kids hang candy canes on the tree, and then we all cuddled while listening to Christmas music. It was divine.
We then put the kids down, and I looked everywhere for my wallet. I hadn’t seen it in a day, and I was starting to get worried. The more I looked, the more difficult it was to not let worry creep in. I even went to target to check their lost and found. After about an hour of searching, I found it in the crack of the couch cushion. I don’t know how it got there. That couch is very mysterious. We lifted only two cushions before finding my wallet and there was also a full magazine, cards, money and other lost items. I just don’t get how it gobbles things up so mercilessly. Anyway, I’m so glad my wallet was found!
Then Lily and I decompressed over season 2 of “Yellowstone” and that was a ton of fun. I’m nervous about how heavy of a workday tomorrow is, but these last four days were heavenly.
Today started with Ammon taking a cute video of the sunrise.
Lily and I had a slow start today, but once we got rolling, we went running together again. We even did some sprinting which was a lot of fun. When we got home, we got all ready to go get our tree. We told the kids to dress warm and Clarissa put on four dresses. We changed her out of them, but it was a cute idea.
Once everyone was ready, we went to Sun River Gardens to get our Christmas tree. At home, we broke out all the decorations and got to work.
Lily put out fruit, crackers and cheese which made a delectable dinner. I couldn’t get enough of the goat cheese.
We put Ammon and Clarissa down earlier in the evening, and finished up the decorations after they went down. It was a lot of work, and afterwards all four of us relaxed on the couch and enjoyed our work while listening to Christmas music. Then I had some time with just me and Lily.
Happy Thanksgiving! Today was a truly happy day in our home. Lydia certainly caught the Thanksgiving spirit and she made a scavenger hunt for the younger kids that involved notes she had us all write that complimented others in the family, and a turkey named Turkey Tom. She made such creative magic for her siblings.
To reciprocate Lydia’s scavenger hunt, Mary also made a scavenger hunt for Lydia. It was very cute to see them trying to solve the clues.
Below are the clues and compliments (that scavenger hunters would find) from the activities this morning:
Compliment Cards
Lydia’s Clues
Mary’s Clues
After that, Lydia choreographed an entire dance routine with Mary and Ammon! See below! They would later perform this dance for our Thanksgiving guests.
Meanwhile Lily was hard at work preparing for Thanksgiving. For some of the items, she started preparing yesterday. And today she was a true soldier, making dish after dish, happily. Even though it was a lot of work, she was enjoying herself, and she loved listening to Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield while she cooked. I spent the day helping her with preparations.
And here are the results of what she made! Only the turkey gravy, stuffing and green bean casserole were from Harmon’s. Everything else was made from scratch!
Turkey gravy, Mushroom gravy, creamed spinach.Sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, stuffing.Cheese board, assorted meats, pears, crackers, stuffed pumpkins, persimmons and tangerines (thanks Jere) and turkey.Assorted bubbly drinks, cornbread muffins, mashed potatoes, Brussels Sprouts, and honey butter.
Here is a quick video tour of the food.The meal was delicious!!
For desert we had pumpkin pie from Costco (our favorite! Thanks dad and Suzanne!), chocolate cake from Magleby’s (So good! Thanks Georgia!), pecan pie from harmons, and a beautiful apple pie that Lily and Mary made yesterday. We had ice cream to go with the deserts.s
We had such a good time with our guests. Present were David, Olivia and Oslo, my dad and Suzanne, Jere and Georgia. Conversation and laughter flowed, and a really good time was had by all. It was fun learning about everyone’s life updates and we got some good laughs hearing about the old children’s songbook that David is playing songs from on their piano. Back in the days, not all kid’s songs were very kid friendly, lol.
After David and Olivia left, Suzanne and my dad played Apples to Apples with the kids.
Then Mary, Lydia and Ammon played music pieces for everyone.
We chatted until late. It was hard to say good-bye to everyone on this truly happy day.
Lily said this might have been her favorite Thanksgiving ever. Also, I drove Georgia home, and she was glowing, and spontaneously mentioned how happy she felt. She almost didn’t think she would make it, but a medicine she took helped her to feel better, and then she spent 5 hours with us feeling good. We all had such a great time. Lily, thank you for hosting such magic as you always do, and guests, thank you for coming and bringing your magic to our home. It was a great, great time!
