A Pinball Christmas

Since Forest's company shuts down for a week and a half during the holidays, we decided to make the most of that time back in Illinois, bouncing back and forth between various family members and friends. As a result, our Christmas spanned several days and comprised seven different celebrations.

Celebration #1: Just us Dixons in Iowa

A few bites of angel food cake french toast before packing up the van and hitting the road

Celebration #2: with Jii and Baachan in Bloomington-Normal
My parents didn't put up a tree this year, but they did get some gorgeous blooms on their Christmas cactusRamona got her hands on a violin-shaped music box while we were there

. . . and she joined me and Jii to play some Christmas carols that night.
The next morning was the 25th. Merry Christmas, Mona-Pie!



Jii really wanted to take Ramona sledding. And Baachan really wanted her to wear my old (20+ year) coat.
Yes, below she is wearing the coat I wore when I was her size. I guess my mother could never part with it.

Celebration #3: Cerro Gordo with Paca and Teresa

More tiny violins! But note: This was not mine or Forest's gift idea, below.
I almost wish I could take credit for the gift, though--Ramona's face lit up as soon as she saw it, and she could hardly wait to get her hands on that plastic fiddle. (Thank you, Crissy) Anyone notice she holds it more like a cello than a violin? Hmmmm . . .

A pony for Moni-Pony (as Paca calls her)

Celebration #4: to Decatur for brunch with Grandma

Celebration #5: at Dutch and Bill's house (Christmas Central)

Sometimes the bag is a bigger hit than what's inside. Especially the musical bags from Dutch.

Celebration #6: Back to Bloomington to visit Princess Jess
(Just Ramona and Mommy for this celebration, while daddy stayed back to do some cross-country skiing)

Whenever we get together, I feel fourteen again. That's not such a bad thing, right?
After that visit, we went back to Jii and Baachan's house for Ramona's naptime--which didn't happen. But this did:

Celebration #7: Back to Decatur to see Great-Grandma Rosanne

. . . where, believe it or not, there were even more gifts for Ramona

You might notice she is wearing different clothing in each of these pictures. She got into a pile of cousin Aubrey's hand-me-down clothes and initiated a fashion show of sorts. By the end she was actually wearing three different outfits at one time.

'Twas a very merry (busy) Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night('s rest)!

Swingin' in the Snow

Once upon a Thursday, a mommy and a little girl woke up to a calm, snowy morning with no biting wind. The mommy bundled up the little girl and took her outside to explore their winter-coated backyard.

At first the girl seemed apprehensive about the powdery whiteness, complaining it made her shoes "messy."
But her face was full of smiles once she re-discovered her swingset.
By then, she didn't mind getting messy at all. The mommy built up a pile of snow at the girl's feet and let her knock it over each time she swung by.
Perhaps the mommy should have picked up a pair of little snow boots for the girl before their outdoor excursion . . .

But at any rate, back inside, once all feet and socks were dry again, the two sat down to eat cookies while the little girl watched a video of herself swinging in the snow, from just moments before.

And they spent the rest of their morning happily ever after.
The End

happiness is a grateful heart

At church one of my responsibilities is teaching a class of 16 and 17-year old girls. A couple of weeks ago our lesson was on "Gratitude and Appreciation." As part of that topic, I asked the girls if they agreed with the following statement:

"Happiness is a grateful heart."

From my own experience, I have found this concept to be true. Most of the "bad days" in my life can be attributed to my own ingratitude and cynicism, while the truly happy days have been days that I simply find joy and contentment in the things that matter most.

Here are pictures from some happy days spent with family over our Thanksgiving break this past weekend:

Illinois skies had some snow on Thanksgiving day
Ramona was hailed as a princess at Paca's house . . .
. . . where she was served an abundant portion of turkey,
and pie.
Friday morning we went for a walk in the woods behind Paca's house,

where Forest used to go exploring as a kid.
Thank you for all you do, Paca and Teresa!

Friday night we visited Grandma's house in Decatur, where Ramona drove a little Mickey Mouse car around the living room enough times to wear out its batteries twice.
Grandma treated us to dinner at Fuji Restaurant,
where we had our own personal chef grill orders on the teppanyaki in front of us. He flipped and rattled his spatulas around between cooking food, and of course set things on fire as part of the performance.
Poor Ramona was so frightened by the flames that she insisted on being held the rest of dinnertime (although she applauded the fires that were set a safe distance away, at other tables).

Thank you for your love and support, Grandma!

Saturday we drove over to Ojii and Baachan's house in Bloomington-Normal. Ramona helped cool down a fresh batch of sushi rice,
which was promptly pressed into a Mickey Mouse mold,
and eaten by our little sushi monster.
Sunday we dressed up for church,
and afterward went outside to enjoy perhaps one of the last walk-worthy days of the year.

Ramona giggled and grinned when Ojii put her up on his shoulders,
and she giggled and grinned some more as Baachan played inai-inai-ba (peek-a-boo) behind Daddy's shoulders.
Come to think of it, she's always finding reasons to giggle and grin.
Osewa ni narimashita, Ojii and Baachan!

"Our realization of what is most important in life goes hand in hand with gratitude for our blessings." ~Thomas S. Monson