Christmas is Coming . . .

Joseph as Joseph.

James as a sheep, 

and I might add,

he took his role quite seriously.

James conversing with Santa.

Joseph not ready to give up the magic of Christmas yet.

Even Erik gets into the holiday spirit.

What did you say?

Oh, yes, we do have another boy in the family.

Well, you see,

Jalen Andrew opted out of being an angel in the pageant,

afraid of everyone looking at him,

and instead of sitting on Santa's lap

(which obviously is a traumatic experience)

he insisted on coming with me to pick up his

sister from work.

Oh well, he'll think that it's fun, one of these days.

Could Someone Hit the Switch, Please?

Erik, and his pneumonia, have been home now for 2 weeks straight. I took Joseph to the doctor on Wednesday, the 1st of December, and he too has pneumonia. He has now been home for a week and a half (half of that was Thanksgiving break, but a week of it was days missed from school, and he missed his 1st band concert). James has joined the fray, with a nasty cough, a fever, and an aching ear. Even sick, he's still James though, and has a ton more energy than the rest of us. When the energy burns down, then he looks and acts sick, and he cuddles up on my lap, and lets me hold him, and kiss his hot forehead. We've had a lot of kindnesses, well wishes, and prayers sent our way, and we appreciate so much the thoughtfulness of everyone. So many friends have asked us how they can help. There's really not anything that anyone can do. We're just trying to keep the boys well rested, well hydrated, warm, and on schedule with their antibiotics. I probably sound flippant most of the time, about their being sick, but in truth it scares me. Joseph's fever should have broken by now, since he's been on antibiotics for 5 days, but it just keeps persisting. I'll need to take him to the doctor tomorrow to find out what's going on. And although Erik is doing better, no fever anyway, he's just still so tired - he and Joseph both. I feel so discouraged. It's the Christmas season, and I should be filled with hope & joy, but I feel despair - despair that someday pneumonia will rob me of both my boys - not this time, but I know that it will always be lurking around waiting to claim them. And despair that the issues with James (not his fever & earache), but the other day to day things that we deal with, will never get better - that no matter what I do to help him, that those issues will rob both he and I of the joy in living. I get glimmers of hope, tiny feelings of peace, but they're fleeting, and they are dashed by his behavior, almost as quickly as they come. Yes, I'm still taking my Zoloft. Yes, I know that I always feel depressed this time of year. Yes, I know that the darkness doesn't last, that the light will come back, that the warmth will return. I know! But still . . . it's so dark, and I can't seem to find the light switch. Maybe tomorrow will be better! All I can do is hope . . .

40-38

Joseph was in charge of dessert for Family Home Evening this week,

so he made our birthday cake.

I know it doesn't have 78 candles, for our combined ages.

We just decided to do 4 candles and 0 candles for Erik's BIG 40.

Jalen Andrew was very helpful in blowing out the candles,

as well as unwrapping the presents.

He also took time to model the earrings just like he had seen me do.

Shhh. It's been a long day - not because he's 40 now, but because it was another full Sunday. Let the poor Bishop sleep.

Thanks for the surprise chiffon cake, Mom.

I decided I should take a picture, but didn't think of it until after I had already eaten a slice, and suffered my yearly hiccups.

The Trekkers Return

Sometimes it's hard to begin . . . to find a place to start the story . . . even with the pictures in place, there is just too much to write down. So pardon the brevity . . . I simply can't write it all. Erik left on Monday the 8th; Christine left Friday the 12th to participate in our Stake's Pioneer Trek. Erik and I were both supposed to be up there helping with site prep, but I simply couldn't leave some of our kids (not to mention some of their issues) for someone else to look after. So, Erik went alone, to dig holes, to chop firewood, to cart water, to sleep on the ground when his air mattress went flat, to get stung on the tongue by a bee. (This is a good time to remind yourself not to drink out of a juice can that has been setting out). He was able to call home several times, and reported how cold it was (36 degrees at night), how windy it was (non-stop from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.), how wet it was (rained every night), and how tired he was (hitting the sack just as soon as dinner was done). Hard worker or hardly working - it's not for me to say. Pioneer Trekking Christine, ready to push a handcart, but not ready to say good-bye to little brother. All showered and clean, and ready to start walking. The Aloha Bucket, equipped with all her basic needs (not to include deodorant, makeup, electronic devises, etc.)

That was the BEFORE . . .

And this is the AFTER . . .

Look at this brown beauty - I'm talkin' about the skin not the dress. Lesson from the Trek #1 - brown people really do burn - Mom wasn't lying all those years she insisted on the use of sunscreen. Lesson #2 - walking in the dirt and not showering for 4 days produces a pretty layer of dirt in the ears, and a great amount of dirt encrusted under the fingernails. Welcome home weary travelers!

200 Balloon Salute

Happy Birthday, Erik! Just before going inside tonight, after a full day's worth of yard work, the kids exclaimed in excitement, "Look up!" We did, and right above us floated hundreds of helium filled balloons. The kids all said that it was for Erik's birthday (more likely they came from the Peoria Sports Complex), but it was quite the sight. The wind had been blowing energetically all day long, and it sailed those colorful balloons along, and then up and out of sight. We had some German Chocolate cake in Erik's honor tonight, but because of James' nut allergy he had chocolate Teddy Grahams (he was ecstatic). In celebration of Erik's last year in his 30's, here are 39 things that I love about Erik: 1) He is great tech support, and acts very thrilled for me when I figure computer things out on my own. 2) He surprises me by making the bed, when he rolls out of it. 3) He makes really good scrambled eggs, and pancakes. 4) He has really great hair (after all, I did fall in love with the back of his head), and then there is that distinguishing white spot in the front. Nobody forgets who Erik is once he tells them the story of his white spot.5) He helps me "even out" when I'm upset. 6) He works hard for our family, each and every day. 7) He helps me with my "little projects." 8) He makes me laugh, and he laughs at the things I say. 9) He is really smart, and knows all kinds of crazy words (I don't love that about him when we're playing Boggle or Scrabble - well, I do love it about him - I just pretend that I don't). We like to spar when we play games together.10) He still plays Boggle and Scrabble with me, even though he's pretty sure that he'll win. What a good sport! 11) He generally loses to me when we play the game Set. (Ready for a re-match, sweetie?) 12) He is a good looking man, especially when he's wearing his suit! 13) Our kids love him!14) He sings well, and loves to sing. And he smiles at me from the Bishopric stand when we start singing a hymn as a congregation. The hymns of the church, mean as much to him as they do for me. 15) How creative he is - decorating gingerbread cookies, painting eggs, drawing, writing poetry, making his own slippers out of yarn, etc. etc.16) He loves the Lord, and always has. I love it when he tells the story of refusing to go hunting anymore with his uncles on Sundays, after he received the priesthood at the age of 12. 17) His hands. I might have fallen in love with the back of his head, but it was his hands that clinched the deal. I had gone to the singles ward to see if I could find him and meet him, but I couldn't introduce myself to him, or sit near him because he was at the Priest's table preparing the sacrament. I knew then, at that moment, that he was one who honored the priesthood and his responsibility in carrying out Christ's work here on earth. I have watched countless times over the years, as his hands have blessed other people's lives - through a handshake, a blessing upon their head, shoveling rock or painting someone's house. I love Erik's hands! 18) The way he holds my hand. 19) Watching him wrestle with the boys. 20) Watching him play basketball - or badminton - or frisbee - or take a bike ride with the kids. 21) When he "holds down the fort" so that I can have some much needed "Jeanette Time." Thanks. 22) Hiking or camping with him. He does like to be in nature.23) The way we "argue" about things - Utah mountains vs. Arizona mountains, New York City vs. upstate New York, etc. 24) The fact that he wanted to be with me forever, for eternity, here and now, and after we die, so he took me to the temple to be sealed together forever. 25) That he values and agrees with me about important things like parenthood, finances, religion, and our goals.26) His backrubs. Oh, my word. I swear he should have been a masseuse. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. My back and neck LOVES you, Erik. 27) He gives some really great foot rubs too. 28) What a thirsty reader he is. Can't ever keep the man stocked with enough books:) 29) What a good friend he is to others. He's still very close to many of his childhood friends, and still acts like he's the Home Teacher to friends that he made in the Glendale First Ward, and checks up on and keeps in contact with many friends that he's made through the years. 30) The ability he has to connect with others. He accepts everyone for who they are at the moment, but can also see the great potential that is waiting to blossom. 31) Listening to his missionary stories. 32) The smile and the light in his eyes that he reserves only for me. 33) The fact that he will help clean the house. 34) Canning applesauce with him in the heat of Arizona's June.35) His understanding for my need for personal space. 36) His 51% Swedish blood.37) The selfless service he gives: donating blood and platelets all those years (until he had to take blood thinners), taking food for the homeless people he knew he would see on the way to work, and the other secret acts of kindness that he does behind the scenes.38) How he's not afraid to act like a little kid when he's with our kids - like skipping through the parking lot. AND 39) The way he completes me in a way that no one else has ever done. He truly is my other half, and I count myself blessed to have him for a husband, a friend, a father to my children, and a soft place to fall yesterday, today, tomorrow, and always. HAPPY 39TH BIRTHDAY, ERIK! I LOVE YOU. Love, J.

Bishop Brewer

I won't say much here because most of what I would say is very personal, but I would like my friends and family to know that yesterday Erik was ordained the Bishop of our ward. Our former bishop, who served for about a year, was made our Stake President last weekend. Both Joseph and James slept through Sacrament Meeting, and never even saw their Dad leave our pew and head up to the stand. They didn't hear my testimony or their Dad's. If every Sunday is going to be like that, we ought to do just fine! Jalen Andrew, who wasn't feeling well at all yesterday, wasn't too thrilled with the new call for his Dad. He was missing his Dad pretty bad. He is, after all, a Daddy's boy. He and I wandered the halls of the church, and to every man dressed in a suit, that would pass by, Jalen Andrew would lift up his hands. They all picked him up, and held him for a little bit. I won't lie, there will be times when it will be tough not having Erik around as much to help with the family, but with all the kind "fathers" in the ward, it will all work out alright.

Some Guys Have All the Luck

Yes, he loves his Mama, but I think it's safe to say that Jalen Andrew is a Daddy's boy! The way he cries in the mornings when Erik leaves for work, is almost comical if it weren't so sad. He pines for his Dad to be home all day long. He often directs me over to the family picture, and then points at his Dad and then points at himself, adding a little whimper to get the point across that he wants his Dad back home. The other morning when I came over to him and Erik to take him so that Erik could leave for work, he handed me his blanket like he always does first, and then promptly turned his back on me to lay his head back down on his Daddy's shoulder. Well! That said it all. Enjoy your daddy time, but I get him later!