Merry Christmas!

This is our last minute Christmas card this year. I have a few left so fill out this form if you want to be on the list...while supplies last!

Andrew has the day off today and unlike most of his days off, he feels no pressure to study or work on research for a few hours. He is completely here and all ours....we couldn't be happier.

This year we survived a big move to a new state (Michigan), Andrew started training for his specific avenue of medicine (Ophthalmology). Lauren finally learned how to spell Ophthalmology without using spell checker.  We purchased our first home, a quaint little brick 3 bedroom house on a quiet tree-lined street. Together we finally went to Italy, which seemed a little crazy and spontaneous at the time but is actually something we have been talking/thinking about for almost 10 years. We also visited Miami, Disneyworld, Charleston SC, Folly Beach SC, Utah, everywhere in Ohio (it feels like), South Bend IN, Frankenmuth MI, and a couple scary trips into Detroit (I'm mostly joking). I feel like I've left something out. We like to see new places. But just so you get a more well-rounded presentation of our lives, we also haven't purchased a brand new piece of furniture in years (if ever), never buy organic, and still sometimes wear clothes we owned when we started dating 12 years ago.

Cameron transitioned from a non-sleeping, somewhat cranky infant, to a boisterous, delightful one-year old (two in a few weeks) who talks up a storm and is incredibly independent (we hear "I do it!" a lot). I think it is my favorite age because everything he does is just so cute! He might be a genius, but more on that later. Luke has continued to be the happy, energetic kid he has been since birth. He is a great big brother and sometimes I am shocked at how quick he is to make sure Cam is well taken care of. This age might also be my favorite as Luke's imagination has absolutely taken off. He is quick with a joke, incredibly artistic and creative, and as you can tell from the picture, he is a quite impish as well.

Christmas is always a favorite time of year for me, even though I do have moments of getting caught up in the  less-important aspects of the holiday. But what makes it feel the most like Christmas for me is thinking about all the blessings I have because Jesus Christ was born. Feeling grateful for the power of the Atonement in my life and then trying to think of ways I can follow Christ everyday, is really what it is all about for me. Service to others is the present I want to give back to my Savior. Hopefully I can do a better job of keeping that focus every Christmas.

Merry Christmas!

And the cutest nativity video in the world...

Address please

May in Charleston, SC...the only "family picture" we took this year :( That is so sad.

As usual, I am trying to throw a Christmas card together at the last minute. Christmas just creeps up on me every year! Just in case it actually happens, please take a minute and give me your address (if you already did this last year you don't need to do it again. Thanks!

Teased

Today Luke told me that another kid was teasing him. He was calling Luke a 'baby'. Luke said that it wasn't very nice and the boy should go to timeout for teasing.

My heart broke.

I'm not trying to be melodramatic, but he said it in that sweet, innocent, "I have no idea why someone would call me a baby when I'm clearly 4" kind of voice. It was heartbreaking. I'm not going to be good at this part of parenting. I'm dreading my children being teased with my WHOLE HEART. Honestly, I took it much harder than Luke. I don't even think he cared all that much. I think he didn't like being called a baby and he probably will never like that kid very much, but it's not like his ego was severely wounded or anything. For example, when he was done telling me the story he said, "Teasing it not nice. If he will tease me, I will throw him in the sky [laughing], or pick him up and EAT him [laughing more]".

Since this is the first time I've ever heard of Luke being teased (and actually being aware of it) I tried to give him some pointers and I told him how he can't always control what other kids say, all that matters is that he knows he is not a baby, etc., etc. But really what I wanted to say is that everybody gets teased at some point in life and it just STINKS! Period. I'll save that talk for when he's in 6th grade. Middle school is the worst.

The good news is that he was the one being teased and not the teaser. Far worse to find out that your child is the mean one. When I look back I realize that although I would have preferred to never have been teased, or misunderstood, or friendless...those times actually helped me become a better person. I feel like I'm more aware of and sensitive to the people who get left out because I know what it is like. But even though I know that, it is hard to want that for your kids or to watch it happen to them without interfering too much or fighting their battles for them.

I'm kind of overreacting. I just am thinking about the future and realizing how hard it is going to be to help these little people grow into strong, confident, good men. Last night, a woman asked me how I keep busy staying at home with my boys (she didn't mean it in a demeaning way at all --but I almost burst out laughing). The question took me a little off guard so I said something lame like, "sometimes we go to the YMCA" (I should definitely NOT be a spokesperson for motherhood :)). What I should have said is that when I'm not doing dishes, laundry, or cleaning up and wiping messy faces, I'm thinking about who these little boys are and how I'm going to teach them everything they need to learn. I'm playing with them and listening to their (occasionally endless) chatter. I'm patiently waiting while I teach them to do things for themselves over and over again like make the bed or wash their hands (even though I could do it much faster for them). I'm trying new recipes to find healthy meals they will actually eat :). I'm answering their questions and making about a million decisions. I'm praying earnestly that I don't miss a crucial opportunity to teach or show them love because I am distracted or caught up in things that don't matter. I'm trying to create a home that they will always want to come back to, especially if they have a rough day at school, being teased. And yes, sometimes we also go to the YMCA.

I hope, in the end, that will be enough. If one of my kids does have it rough and gets teased a lot, I hope they will at least know that they can come home and find people who love them and believe in them and will help them be the best they can be. I hope they love being with their family and that it gives them strength and confidence to go back into the world, grow up, and know they can overcome all the hard stuff and be better because of it.

Lago di Como - DAY 2

A cold rainy day in Michigan seems like the perfect time to look back through some Italy pictures and remember more beautiful days. But don't think my kids aren't punishing me as I write this. Oh what a mess I will  we will have to clean up afterwards as a price for such indulgence :)

The second day of our trip we traveled north to Lake Como. I decided that Lake Como was where I would want to live if we ever move to Italy (I didn't realize I was going to say the same thing about almost every city we went to). Andrew served 8 months of his mission in Lake Como and it is probably the place he is most attached to.

We went to church since it was Sunday and watched a little bit of General Conference. The church  house is literally a huge ancient villa with a great view of the lake. I wouldn't mind going to church there every Sunday. 

We also took a little stroll over the border to Switzerland. I really appreciated the signs (probably for lame Americans like me) that made it clear we were no longer in Como.

From the little I saw of Switzerland, I can definitely see why people describe it as being so clean. I didn't see any overgrown shrubs or a single piece of trash in the street. I liked it but I still preferred Italy. It is a little more romantically messy (if that makes sense).

Back in Italy...

We went and visited the Rosetti's, a family that Andrew taught on his mission. This was one of my favorite parts of the entire trip. It was so fun to see how much they love Andrew. I didn't understand much of what they said but it was obvious how important he is to them even after all these years.

Below is rumored to be Santa's workshop

Here is the mailbox where you put Santa's letters:

The Rosetti's own a clothing shop in a little town called Cernobbio. I wanted EVERYTHING in the store. Italians have great taste. Since I didn't understand Italian I pretty much spent most of my time ogling over all their clothes. If you're ever the neighborhood, check it out and bring your euros.

Ricardo's rockin' skinnies made me want to get Andrew a pair of purple pants. But if there is anything that would probably never ever happen, it is Andrew in purple skinny jeans.

This was Andrew's mission apartment. He focused a lot on showing Marika and I a good time, but I'm sure his mind was flooded with memories the whole time we were there.

The Duomo in Como

Yeah, I could definitely live here. Nestled up in the hills with a view of this beautiful mountain lake. There has to be a way to make this happen.

We started to drive to Lezzeno where we were staying for the night, but we had to stop for some sunset pictures. We just pulled over randomly and caught this amazing view.

I have some more pictures from this night but they are on Marika's camera (she had a great low light lens). So I will have to add them later.

When we got to our bed & breakfast (more on that later) we walked down the street to a little Italian restaurant and had the most amazing pear-stuffed raviolli. It is one of my goals in life to replicate it. Perfect day.

Other Italy posts here and here

Up Next: Bellagio, Varenna, & Bergamo

Fall Leaves

I have been dreading this post a little because I know I have absolutely no ability to narrow down my selection of pictures. I CAN'T DO IT! I just love them ALL. Andrew just saw all the pictures and even he thinks I went overboard. Sorry. I'm in love with these boys. I think if you scroll through them quickly it might actually play like a movie :).

 These little men love fake glasses.

Cam: I'm a doctor
Mom: Don't let Daddy hear that. He doesn't want you to be a doctor
Luke: Why doesn't Daddy want us to be doctors?
Mom: If you really wanted to be a doctor he would be proud of you. He would be proud whatever you wanted to be.
Luke: I want to be a dog.

[silence.]

And now for a LOT of pictures I took while our family raked leaves last month. I was a little nervous when we moved to a street with a lot of trees. I thought that raking leaves was going to be annoying. But turns out it is my absolute favorite thing to do in the Fall. Little boys + crunchy leaves = LOVE.

Cam. is. so. cute. He is also as strong-willed as an ox. He is so vocal, I can hardly believe the things that come out of his mouth sometimes. I feel like I can communicate with him so effortlessly.

About 100 times a day, Cam says, "Look at me Mommy! Look at me!" and then he will do something cool like jump or dance a little jig. He makes us all laugh.

Luke adores his little brother along with the rest of us. In fact, Luke has been rallying for more siblings. A recent conversation:

Luke: I want another baby. We should go to the baby store and pick one out.

Me: You think it's that easy?

Luke: Yeah, we go to the store, the girl babies are in the back and the boy babies are in the front.

Me: [trying to ignore the part about girls being at the back of the store] Hmmmm...which one would we get?

Luke: A girl baby. We already have boys.

If only it were that easy.

"ta-da!" He says that a lot lately.

Luke was not so interested in being photographed.