Christmas 2010

Thanks Amanda and Family!

We love our presents!

Church Christmas Party 2010

As you can see from the pictures, the petting zoo was a big hit!

Dear Sadie,

Dear Sadie,

This is you and your Grandmama. We didn't get to see her very much on our trip to Utah because superstars just don't have very much extra time. But it's alright because she says she'll come and visit us soon. I wish I knew how to rotate this picture and make it stick, but oh well.

Last night, you shared your cookie with me. You were eating a snicker doodle and you decided I should have some, so you put it in my mouth.

Also, today at church, you were watching the chorister and I saw the wheels turning in your brain. Then you tried your best to lead music.

You are pulling up on everything now. You finally started drinking formula, once we mixed it with cream and strawberry Quik. (Don't judge me. My baby was wasting away.)

On Set...

During Christmas break, the Bryant Slade family made a trip to Utah to be in the new T.C. Christiansen movie, "Seventeen Miracles" with Grandmama. It was being filmed near Ogden at Snow Basin. As you can see from the pictures, it was quite an adventure for them. I forgot my camera, but Bryant was able to snap these with my phone and send them to my blog that way.

Needless to say, it was very cold. None of the snow in the pictures is fake. On the first day, it was so cold that Skyler and Sibley were done after lunch. They had had enough. Then, the next day of filming, they called and asked Skyler, Bryant, and Grandmama to come back because they didn't need any children for those scenes. They had figured out how to keep their feet warmer by then - feet warmers wrapped in several layers of socks wrapped in plastic bags wrapped in shoes. And the crew set up a warming tent, which helped out a lot. Also, the second day they filmed, they got to work with wolves, which was very exciting.

If any of you are interested in seeing more pictures, there are more, and better quality ones, on my facebook profile page under "profile pictures."

Sibley was so cold that she didn't even have to act like she was crying in the funeral scene. She really was crying because she was so miserable!

In this scene, the wolves were digging up a grave, which was really just some buried raw meat.

Skyler played a 15 year old girl. The first day she was a corpse in the snow. She said it was very difficult to stay still for 30 seconds at a time, especially when she was shivering from the cold. She said they would say, "Camera rolling...hold your breath...and action." Then she'd hear the buzz of the cameras. Then they would say, "Breathe." They'd give them five seconds to breathe and then start the process all over again.

The make up people painted the actors' faces to look like they all had hypothermia sores. The movie is based on stories of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies, so many of those poor pioneers really were hypothermic. It was tough enough for my little family to be exposed to the elements for just half of one day, so I can't imagine how difficult it was for the real pioneers.

Also, the actors' teeth were painted yellow. Grandmama, who has the most freakishly white teeth on the planet, loved that! She was threatening to sue if the yellow stuff didn't come off. Thank goodness it came off easily. Too bad I can't say the same for the grease they put in the girls' hair. That took several washings to come out, including some with Dawn dishwashing detergent!

Here's another one of the wolves. They had to leave a female wolf at base camp, and Bryant said she howled for the others to come back all day. He said it was the most eerie sound. The trainer warned the actors that if one of the wolves came near them to act very big and dominant to thwart an attack. Sure enough, one of them went into the tent and sniffed Bryant and Skyler, so he yelled at it and it went back out. The trainer also told Grandmama not to run away from them, because that just entices them to attack you.

The best snowman ever! We built this at Josh and Melissa's house in Sugarhouse. They had the best time. Sadie and I just watched out the window. Me hate snow.

Bryant napping with Jonah Bear after a hard day's work playing horsey.

Melissa set this cute table for us and Skyler snapped a picture with my phone. Thanks for hosting us, Josh Slade family! And Jacob Enslen family, thanks for being our would-be-hosts, if only your basement hadn't flooded!

Melissa getting Christmas dinner ready...yum! Thanks for everything!

Things I want to remember that happened this week with Sadie:

December 16 - Your first night in a hotel. You were mad because your sisters were sleeping and you wanted them to wake up and play with you. It was a miserable night.

December 17 - You stood up all by yourself for a few seconds at Josh and Melissa's house. You were playing with Sophia and you had pulled yourself up on a little stepping stool. Once you realized you were standing up, you panicked and fell down.

I had to wean you this week because of my diabetes medicine. You seem to be fine with it, even taking it better than I am.

Sibley's Christmas Concert

The third grade did a great job with the Christmas Concert this year. The songs were really cute and one of them was so sweet. We saw a teacher cry when she heard it. So, cock your head to the side and enjoy!

Merry Christmas Everyone!

As of this week...

Sadie is crawling, clapping, and waving.

My Early Christmas Present - Diabetes

Yep, it's back. And this time for good. Man, why did I have to find out just before Christmas? I'll miss you, Red Velvet Cake. I guess now I don't have a choice. I'll have to start taking better care of myself. I must say, this one really threw me for a loop. It was the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back. All weekend long...devastated.

Friendship

Last week I got the strength to look at pictures of Jaxon. This one's my favorite. This is Jaxon and his mom, Joy. She's beautiful on the inside and out. Ours is a friendship forged in trauma and sadness. I think that is the strongest kind. I love you, Joy. Your faith and courage inspire me. Even though you're younger than I am, when I grow up I want to be just like you.

Skyler's Christmas Concert

Thanks again for a great concert, Skyler! We're so proud of you!

[I'm not sure if it shows up on the video, but it even snowed on stage at the Christmas concert this year during "Winter Wonderland."]

Dear Sadie,

We figured out why you have been fussier than normal and not sleeping as well. Your daddy found two bottom teeth on Sunday during church. They were already out. I guess you had actually been pretty well behaved for a teething baby. That's a whole different category. [We weren't expecting you to get teeth yet because your sisters didn't get teeth until they were 10 months old.]

Yesterday, when you were sitting up and playing in the bathtub, you clapped your hands together.

This week you have been crawling a few steps at a time. Look out world! Here you come! Me and Daddy need to get busy childproofing.

P.S. Here she is ready for gameday. Thanks for the jersey, Grandmama!