Every six months our number comes up and we get the assignment to clean our ward building. This year our number came up on Christmas Eve.

I wont lie to you, I was bummed.

I actually said to Jan, “Honey, you are in the bishopric. YOU make the assignments. Are there NO perks?”

I am a fool and must stand rebuked.

Who would have thought that cleaning the church would be one of my favorite experiences of the Christmas season???

It helped that we were cleaning the building with one of the most darling families in our ward.

At one point I had six kids trailing after me with paper towels in their hands while I squirted Windex on all the windows. I was singing and clicking my heals (I really was, I am not making this up) as they ran behind me laughing.

The kids were SO cute! We had the iPhone playing the sound track to the new Muppet Movie as they emptied trash cans and dusted.

It was a total BLAST.

AND we walked away with these disposable gloves.

Millie and Clara decided they were Santa and Rudolph. Oh, how we laughed!

Tonight, for the fourth year running, we watched, “It’s A Wonderful Life” and the girls are sleeping next to the Christmas tree. As I type this I can hear their beautiful, deep, heavy bedtime breathing. It is so sweet!

I think this film is perfect. It is just jam packed with TRUTH and so full of LOVE and the SPIRIT.

I also think this might have been the first year that Millie actually started to “get it”.

And you know what I love most, because I believe this film is packed with goodness and truth, it will never get stale or boring or worn out — and the reason why, is that when something is true it grows with you. It keeps giving and teaching and helping you as the years roll on.

Like that awesome nun, Sister Wendy, explained – art that is true will always surprise  and enlighten you. As you change and mature, it does too!

This year, for our treat, we shared a box of chocolates.

(check out the chocolate on Millie’s upper lip! How cute is that?!)

If you are looking for some Christmas magic, may I suggest you make a nest of blankets and pillows (it doesn’t need to be fancy) next to the Christmas tree, in a perfectly still house and then lay down next to your three year old and let them talk.

Just listen.

You don’t need to say a single thing.

It’s pure MAGIC!

Clara told me how much she wished she could have a goat, “like the people in the movie” and how much her heart longed for a “stuffed animal parrot that she could call Bella & that it would be her favorite parrot in the whole wide world” and she would “share it with Millie.”

It is a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful life!

Just wanted to report that I really felt the Christmas spirit while making this here trifle

for our wonderful Jewish neighbors, to celebrate the first day of Hanukkah.

This glorious trifle was made of several layers: homemade chocolate cake, German chocolate frosting, chocolate mousse, and whipped cream. It was absolutely tasty, if I do say so myself.

Get ready for a cutesie story (’tis the season) after all:

When my family moved from Utah to New York we had never met a Jewish person and never heard of a holiday called Hanukkah. So one of the kids said, “Merry Christmas and a Happy Harmonica” because that is what they thought everyone else was saying when they heard people wishing each other a Happy Hanukkah.

Ah, bless! Isn’t that sort of darling?

Yes, that’s it, bless! God bless us – every last one of us!

I just LOVE this time of year!!

A few days ago Ellis pulled a full length mirror off the door in his sisters’ bedroom.

I know.

I know.

He’s a boy.

And yes, I am shaking in my boots.

There! I admit it!

If you are snickering to yourself that I have given birth to The Incredible Hulk and my once serene lifestyle will never be the same, well, you are not very nice, are you?

[J/k]

Go ahead!

Snicker all you want.

We Dawson females know how to make the best of a bad situation.

Just look how we used the mirror that Ellis pulled down:

To capture our church attire!

If it weren’t for our little Hulk you couldn’t clap eyes on the world’s most awesome yellow skirt and two of the cutest girls you ever will see.

the end.

(for now)

Ellis, my good man,

You are seven months old. I’m gobsmacked, it felt like just yesterday you were brand spanking new. As I heft your 22.5 pounds around town, you make sure that I know you are getting older (and bigger) every, single day.

I just love you.

I love getting to know you.

Lately, as you have been learning to crawl, there has been much frustration. I sense that you want to get going. I want you to get going for your sake and I am positively frightened for when you do start motoring around the joint, because I am going to have to be constantly “on duty”. I have been in this place before with your sisters, but something tells me this time it’s going to be more intense. 🙂

Sometimes when you look at me I feel like we are sharing a joke or a secret. I don’t know how to describe it but I hope for it and wait for it every day. I just love it when we lock eyes and it happens. Ive got it bad.

I wanted to be sure to remember something you did recently – or at least how I perceived what you did. We were over at a dear friend’s house. A week prior she had suffered a very hard and sad thing, having to do with a baby. As we said good-bye she asked if she could hold you. I passed you off and you put your hands up to her face, you looked right at her, smiled then leaned into her and rested your head on her shoulder. It was as if you knew how much she needed that most wonderful “baby love” unique to babies the world over. It was so sweet and such a gift. It was as if you sensed how much a snuggle would mean to her. It was just neat to be there and watch the two of you.

If you ever read this I want you to know that love is the most powerful thing there is. And you, my little baby boy, you give this powerful stuff to us by the bucket loads ever single day. As long as we can give and receive love – our lives are not insignificant.

I think you are doing a fine job.

Good work, my boy!

Keep shining, and I will try my best to keep up with you.

I love you and am so glad you are here and that you belong to us, and we belong to you.

Love,

Yo Mama

…Christmas

around these parts.

And we don’t mind it one little bit!

P.S. Every year I try to add a little something to the decorations. Slowly but surely building up the old stock pile ‘o decorations, as it were. This year I added the simplest thing to the girls room:

These white and red felt garlands, and then a glitter covered letter ornament, one “M” and one “C”, because remember how much I like things when they are monogrammed?

Last year we decorated the girl’s doll house, but I didn’t post about it because I think I barely had the strength to do it in the first place, let alone blog about it. Jan was out of town, I was pregnant and I remember thinking, “What am I doing?! This is nuts!” and then I remembered the blood of Kevin Kelly courses through my veins and it all made sense. You should see the way my dad decorates the house at Christmas, and it would make sense to you too.

PPS Isn’t Millie a cute Mary? And how about that Joseph! Have you ever seen a Joseph with that much “zip”, just look at his eyes, they are twinkling!

HOORAY FOR CHRISTMAS!

The other night our family went on a Sunday walk. It was so pleasant.

At one point I looked up and this is what I saw,

Then I looked down and saw this,

I just felt blessed.

I’m so thankful for these people.

The demands of young family life can feel so relentless at times. It bugs me when old ladies say things to me like, “Enjoy them, they don’t stay this way forever.” I just want to say to them, “I’m guessing you got to go to the bathroom by yourself today, and have been for the last 30 years or so.” (I love my mom because she REMEMBERS how hard this time is and can be – thanks, mom!) But, the old ladies do have a point, and that is part of the challenge – enjoying when you are constantly interrupted, when you can’t get anything done, when you haven’t had more than 15 mins of time to yourself, when you have given, and given and given and nobody appreciates a single thing you’ve done and there is still an endless list of demands and laundry.

I don’t want to be a downer, but the truth is, it’s not easy.

But it is also true that it is positively wonderful.

In the midst of the struggle come shining through the sweetest moments.

So gentle and simultaneously, so powerful.

…My pal, Emily.

This darling, dynamite girl who used to be my neighbor moved 2,000 miles away.

She was back on the EC this week. But I couldn’t break away from my stinking, stupid responsibilities for long enough to clap eyes on her and put my arms around her (like I have been known to do in times past – see photo above).

She is so wonderful. She flew all the way from Idaho to help a dear friend who just had a baby.

When I am with her I turn into my best self. (I also have lots of fun.)

I miss her terribly.

I love her lots.

And when she reads this blog, I just wanted to her to know how much!

Next time, Em – I am breaking away, come what may!

If you have children then you will know what it feels like to be DROWNING in their creativity.

ART WORK, people! I’m talking about their art work. I swear my girls go through a ream of paper a week.

Our fridge is COVERED in their stuff and it is piled up on top of the fridge too.

A lot of it is, well, superfluous.

But some of it is

down right

BRILLIANT.

And some of it is ironic, funny, heart warming and just plain wonderful.

Allow me to show you what Millie put on the fridge last night:

There’s more!

Here is a flier advertising Millie’s “Speling School”. Those of you who know this blog well might be thinking, “Liza, did you attend the Speling School? because it certainly seems that you have. Your spelling is rather, well, unique!” TRANSLATION: You can’t spell, woman!

Just so you know, I know that I am a rummy speller. I very aware of it, but even though I stink at it, I don’t let it stop me from trying to communicate with you, dear readers. You lucky ducks, you!

Happily, Millie is OBLIVIOUS to the rules!

(“Dear you, pless bring pensls and papre. P.S. Look on Back)

Don’t mind if I do!

This is a sign up sheet for the classes, which reads:

“This way. Send this back. Fill in plees”

It is sad to say, but more than likely, these will end up in our trash can as we make way for MORE — there is a finite amount of space on a fridge — but I just wanted to honor the wonderful little heart that beats in Millie’s chest and that great little brain that is buzzing away in her head.

This is me stopping and smelling the proverbial roses.

They smell sweet.

Or should I say, suwet?

A few weeks before Halloween, I made a call and made an even cheekier request to one of the world’s nicest ladies. Her name is Shauna. We’d never met, but I knew she had to be great because she is Vickie Cutler’s best bud. Here’s how our conversion went:

Me: “Um…would you make a Queen Victoria costume for me? I know that it is only two weeks until Halloween and all, but will you?”

Shauna: Of course, I will do that for you. Do you have fabric? If not I will run right out and get some for you! I will buy you the lace and line the dress, and DON’T YOU DARE PAY ME.”

She didn’t even know me and this is what she was willing to do for me!!!

When she spoke one could hear a faint choir in the back ground. 🙂

I thought perhaps I had died and was having the conversation with an angel.

I overnight-ed her some raw silk my mom bought me when we were last together in the garment district. Showed her some photos of images from the film, The Young Victoria.

Here is what she sent to us!

Ah, you want to see details, do you NOT? You would like to see this work of art more closely?

The broach was my Nan’s and the hat is something my mom bought for me when I was in high school from Laura Ashley Mother Child, long before I had a child. But my mom knows me so well and that I would look after that hat until it was needed. Also, the blue sash comes from my mom and her noble efforts to help me in my creative endeavors

A close up of Shauna’s lace.

I put her in these gray polka dot tights and gray slippers

It couldn’t be any more perfect!

And it is lined and every last stitch is meticulous. It makes me want to weep!

I wish you could have seen her walking up to school, she seemed like a queen!

Thank you, Shauna you are simply, “the best”!

And yes, I remember that I have other children, who also wore Halloween costumes and trick or treated 🙂

Clara was Cinderella.

Ellis was a toasty little butter ball of a baby, or in other words, he was “himself” for Halloween.

We had a crazy snow storm here which meant that Halloween was not celebrated here until the first weekend in November. Which is part of the reason this post has taken so long to get itself up.

Anyway, a belated Happy Halloween to one and all!