Shall I Say, "HAPPY NEW YEAR"

Merry Christmas 2010 and Happy New Year 2011

It is a wonderful season. Our hearts are fullest right now to have our family surrounding us. How grateful we are for life. A month and a half ago, our youngest child, Noah was stung by a scorpion and had a severe reaction. It was a very close call for him. Our hearts are full of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for answering our prayers and sparing his life that day. We’re also grateful for medical professionals who have prepared and sacrificed and given so much of their time to provide medical help in our time of need. It is in moments such as these when seconds feel like hours and life hangs by a delicate thread that we quickly assess what is most important to us in our lives. We both have found it much easier to set things aside to focus on our family. We have found ourselves hugging our children a little tighter, snuggling them a little longer, reading just one more story and singing just one more song... laughing more and loving deeper.

Most especially this time of year, our hearts and thoughts are turned toward our Savior, Jesus Christ. We think not only of his humble birth, but his miraculous life and glorious resurrection. We learn from the example of His selfless life and find hope in His atoning sacrifice and resurrection which makes possible for us the greatest of all of our Father in Heaven's gifts: Eternal life with Him, with our Savior Jesus Christ and with our families. How it warms our hearts when we realize the love we share in our families and the joy we feel with them surrounding us can last forever. What a gift! How comforting it is to know that we will one day be reunited with loved ones who have passed on. Larry and I find our greatest joy in having a family… welcoming each of our children into this world, growing, learning, loving and laughing together in this journey called life.

Catherine is our angel. She has the most tender, loving heart. We call her our baby doll because when she was born she was about the size of a baby doll. She turned 5 a month ago and is growing into a tall and very beautiful young lady. She is quite the little sponge and has started teaching herself to read over the past few months. She is a natural with numbers and math and is quite the little artist. Our house is covered with her detailed depictions of animals, people and everyday life. Her patience and persistence surpasses that of my own. I will watch her spend an hour and a half to 2 hours completely focused while working on just one picture. She is imaginative, inventive and an endless fountain of ideas and questions. Catherine loves animals… ALL animals: real, toy, stuffed… Rather than "princesses" and "dress up" she will dazzle you with playtime ideas such as: “Mom, let’s play kitties (or birds). I’m the kitty at the pet shop and you come buy me and take care of me...”

The whole “animal pretend play” is right up Ethan’s alley but you’ll find him deciding to be the dragon or the tiger that’s going to chase and hunt down all the poor innocent animals, tormenting them until they’re screaming for me to come to their rescue! Ethan, almost 3½, is the pure definition of a 3 year-old BOY. Ethan is Mr. Independent, who loves to climb everything, scream, laugh, run and play from BEFORE sunup ‘til WAY after sundown. Ethan loves sports. We have discovered he has a natural talent in all sports: football, basketball, track and field, baseball, soccer, swimming, skateboarding, bike riding... you name it; he can do it -- effortlessly. From day one we have seen that he definitely takes after his Uncle Taylor in his personality and athleticism. Though tough as nails when it comes to sports and wrestling with other boys, Ethan is also one of the most compassionate, tenderhearted people I know. He definitely takes after his Uncle Ben Donner in that sense. He is always aware of people, their needs and feelings. If he notices you are feeling down or discouraged, you’ll find him quickly returning with one of his toys, ample hugs and silly faces to cheer you up. He is a natural friend and always goes out of his way to include everyone in his fun. Ethan is a ham and finds great delight in making anyone laugh.

Noah is still our “little” baby who is more of a tank than a baby and already starting to wear his older brother’s clothes. He’s growing up so fast and finds delight in everything we do. He is the happiest, most pleasant 1½ year-old we have known. We think of Noah as being JOLLY and often joke that he’s “Santa’s child.” Noah is wild and loving, snuggly and independent all rolled into one! He’s a curious little fellow and keeps us on our toes!

Larry and I are truly enjoying these three precious gifts from Heaven! We have had a full and busy year with a lot of sacrifice but far more blessings than we could hope for!

We hope this is a wonderful season for you and your family and that you find an abundance of health, love and laughter this Christmas and throughout the New Year!

Merry Christmas from The Reeves!

We wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Food conversation

Ethan: I don't want any because it's spicy.

Me: Green beans aren't spicy

Ethan: but i don't eat it if it has squash because squash is not good for kids.


Catherine:
Hot dogs are squishy, like pillows.

kid talk

I just listened to the funniest conversation between Catherine and her friend, Sydney Viramontes this afternoon while they were watching "The Sound of Music." (one of Sydney's favorites, I'm sure)

Sydney, "Why do you have this movie?"

Catherine, "Because it's a church movie."

Sydney, "No it's not."

Catherine, "Yes it is."

Sydney, "No it's not."

Catherine, "Yes, it is."

Sydney, "Why?"

Catherine, "Because at the end of the movie Captain Von-Trap and Maria get married."

Sydney, "No they don't."

Catherine, "Yes they do."

Sydney, "No, they don't."

Catherine, "You'll just have to watch the movie, and you'll see at the end of the movie..."

Sydney, "Are you toes painted?"

(smart girl... can't agree? Just move on to a new subject.)

I was running along in the cold damp air of La Verne this morning... totally loving life and barely resisting the impulse to immediately move back to Hawaii to enjoy this typical weather all winter long! Still running along trying to decide whether that smell was In-N-Out's grilled onions or B.O..
I REALLY LOVE vacation!
but i guess it is about time to shower...

what could possibly be better than a trip to Disneyland?!

what is honestly better than Disneyland?? A character dinner! no crazy lines to wait for rides that kids bail out on at the last second... no crazy lines to wait to see the characters, no additional over-priced fees for food. no worries about losing a child in the crowds...
rather...
characters coming to meet and greet YOU individually!
amazing food, as much as you want! no extra charge!
top-quality entertainment that Disney is famous for!
and less than half the price!

Thanks, cousin Ryan for turning 6 and having the coolest birthday dinner ever!

WE are so happy we got to celebrate with you!

be nice

I LOVE LOVE LOVE when I hear my children repeat phrases I have used in my exhausting efforts to teach them values that will help them develop Christ-like qualities and testimonies of Him.

I was delighted when I heard Catherine talking to Ethan in the other room as they were playing...

"Be nice."

"But if you don't love each other, that's okay; you can still be nice."

I hope the phrase I used was, "if you don't LIKE each other..." But either way, it was sweet to hear.

Those are the moments that make it all worth it!

I feel like I'm raising a husky puppy

A couple of days ago the kids and I went to a park about a mile and a half away... I pushed Catherine and Noah in the stroller. Ethan wanted to ride his bike... not only did he ride all the way there and back but he rode around and around the sidewalk loop while we were there.

This morning as I was going for my run, he (of course was up) told me that he wanted to go with me. I told him he could later. When I got back I took him out running and he just kept going! We probably ran about a half mile together!

Not only that, but he's fast. REALLY fast.

aw

oh, my sweet baby!

So, when I got out of the shower today, I went to check on the kids... I usually do, just to be sure everyone is still alive and kickin. This time I couldn't find Noah. There weren't many places he could have gone... I had locked the gate in the hall. Catherine and Ethan didn't know where he was. I was beginning to panic, especially since he usually shows up pretty soon after calling his name. I had the thought to check my closet... the door was closed and I wasn't sure if it was closed or not before I got into the shower. I opened the door... thunk. right into his little sleeping head! My poor baby! He had shut himself in there with the light off, and apparently thought since he couldn't figure his way out and couldn't see anything to get into, he might as well catch a few winks until someone came around to rescue him. What a little doll. It was the saddest and cutest thing ever! He's so darling. I just can't figure out why he can open doors when he wants to get into something, but can't figure out to open them to get out... maybe because it was pitch black?

my new running buddy

i have a new running buddy...

Ethan really wanted to go running with me this morning... he woke up just as I was about to leave. I told him he could come with me after a little bit. So, I went out for a quick run, about 2 and a quarter miles, then came back and got Ethan all suited up to go with me. He wore his little dark grey cotton pants, new plaid tennis shoes and his family reunion t-shirt. When we got outside I asked him where he wanted to run to...

"COST-CO!"

haha

I suggested we run to the fountain... he liked that idea too. So we did.

Then he wanted to run some more... I asked him if he'd like to run to the mailboxes.

And we did.

Then he wanted to run back to the fountain.

Then he wanted to run back to the mailboxes again.

He sounded a little winded so I asked him if he'd like to walk a little.

He said, "Ya, (and a split second later) AND LET'S RACE!"

And he was off again!

After the mailboxes he consented to "racing home."

I was really impressed. We probably ran a total of about a half mile.

When we got home he told me, "I'm a good runner." and "I make lots of good choices and bad choices... That's because I'm a good boy."

I love my new little running buddy!

We need to get some good running shoes for him!

a new chapter...

Noah can now reach the door handles, and hasn't wasted a second figuring out how to open all of the doors now....

So, like it or not, we are on to the new chapter of baby/toddler hood...

first it's the crawling phase where every tiny speck on your floor has to be cleaned up and monitored at all times and every available counter/tabletop space is occupied with everything but the kitchen sink... your furniture is now resembling some form of Picasso's artwork to hide all of the dangerous plugs and lamps...

Then it's the walking phase... removing lamps and other objects from the lower table tops and scooting everything in from the edges of the higher counters and tables... out of reach of the curious little fingers appearing at the edge of every ledge...

so now we are onto the opening doors stage... back to the baby gates! Heaven help us! And Heaven HELP ME! stop this vicious cycle of clutter invading my house and get it all picked up and away from curious little fingers before it's all in vain!

food for thought...

SO, all you physics majors out there.... i still SO wish I had minored in physics....

we know that darkness is just the absence of light....

we know that energy is found in various forms... kinetic, potential, thermal, gravitational...etc. and these energies can be converted or transferred into other forms of energy... such as electricity.

This is really mundane, I know... but what got me thinking on this was my bottle of water....

haha.

I had about 10 ounces of warm water in a bottle, and added about 24 ounces of cold water (to fill it up) As my sensitive teeth are not a fan of super cold water, I thought about how nice it would be to drink the "not very cold, but not warm" water.... I thought to myself, "should I shake it up to mix the temperatures well?" then I remembered about diffusion and thought about how quickly the like elements at different stages of energy would diffuse to meet an equilibrium.

And as I thought about this diffusion of thermal energy, I wondered...

and i pose my question,

If HEAT is an indication of the presence of energy, is COLD merely the absence of it?

ain't much to do when it's RAININ' out!

except go to swimming lessons!!!!!!!!

WAAAAHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

one more day!

Noah Robert

Our happy little chum has been having a rough month. He weaned himself in the past couple of weeks and has discovered so much independence that it frustrates him to no end when he finds a limit to his abilities. He developed a high fever last week and hasn't been able to sleep very well. We think it was the stomach flu which was then followed by a respiratory infection. On top of it all, he cut his 5th tooth last Monday.

On a more positive note, he took his first couple of steps yesterday! The expression of wonder and excitement at his own achievement was classic! It's almost like a glimpse of the future and what it will be like as he realizes his own talents and abilities.

Ethan Paul

Root for Captain Hook!

My little man may seem like a rough and tough boy through and through.. but he has a very sensitive and tender heart.

He has been crazy about Peter Pan's captain hook for months now. His birthday is next week and he has been planning an adventurous Captain Hook birthday party for months! I keep trying to teach him not to hit as he just itches to "hook and sword" everything and everyone in sight! Today he told me that he doesn't want to be Captain Hook any more because Captain Hook is mean... and for the first time (the "captain hook birthday party" is less than 2 weeks away) I found myself encouraging him to love this evil villain rather than praising him for not wanting to fight any more. sigh. what's a mother to do?

Catherine Victoria

my little lady is growing up so fast!

She is 4 1/2 years old and discovering new talents everyday!

She loves to tell stories... she is very creative and the stories usually include one of us... as royalty... always beginning with "once upon a time... there was a...."

She loves to draw and color, and is an amazing little artist. She loves to daydream and wish for things for the future. She continually tells me about all the toys she is wishing for for her birthday... and since that list has become so long, she is now moving on to her Christmas wish list.

She is my very best helper. She helps Ethan put diapers on but now that he's potty-trained, she can even be found occasionally wiping his poopy bum! what a saint! she helps him get the soap when he washes his hands, she sets the table, dusts, vacuums messes and cleans her room to perfection! she makes her own bed, and even helps Ethan make his bed as well as helps him get dressed. she picks up Noah for me and moves him to safer places... She is an endless fountain of imagination and new possibilities. Her favorite colors are still orange and blue, and she has changed her mind for her birthday party theme in the last month or so from Tinker Bell to Mickey Mouse to Princesses to a "fishing" party. For the longest time she felt like she had to pick the theme of her party according to what toy she was wishing for, so she would wish for a dolphin party and then a whale party... once i told her how she could wish for presents regardless of what kind of party she had, her list quadrupled and she was pretty set on a princess birthday party until most recently.

She knows all of her manual alphabet in American Sign Language, and has learned to spell several words. She is also picking up basic concepts of math. She has an amazing memory and will tell us names, places and details of events from years ago! She loves to learn and has a very keen mind.

My favorite thing about Catherine is how noble and Christ-like she is. She is a very gentle, sweet girl without a mean bone in her body. She can be completely pummeled by her brother and just sit there crying without fighting back because she can't bear to hit anyone. I love my little princess and am so grateful for her wonderful example to all of us.

Sedona

What a memorable first Robert Reeves family reunion!

special time to get to know my nieces and nephews a little better.

cousin love!

swimming lessons!

splish splash!

forever friends...

we met in Hawaii while attending BYU-H. We gave birth to our first babies... We established a friendship that will last forever.

DISNEYLAND

way too much fun! it will always be one of my favorite places!

Sweet baby

My cousin Katie and her husband, Mike Byers blessed their first baby, Cayden the next day, which was extra special because it also happend to be Father's Day. We were so happy to be there and be a part of this special time in their lives. It reminded me so much of when we had our first baby, Catherine, and her blessing was so special for us as well. It is a special time to have family around... and there was a lot of family there with us that day. We enjoyed each other's company at a nice luncheon afterward.

It was an extra special Father's Day as we were able to celebrate so many wonderful fathers together... Larry, my dad and my grandfather. The best part was being together as a family and celebrating Larry and the wonderful, fun, loving father he is to our children.

Together Forever

My cousin, Julie married her sweetheart, Scott in the Los Angeles temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Everything was exquisit. The ceremony was beautiful. The weather was perfect. The reception was gorgeous and a perfect blend of romance and fun! It was wonderful to see their love for each other and to be there as their life together began. We are very happy for them, and grateful to have been a part of such a special celebration. Tons of family came in from far away. It was like a family reunion for such a special event.

California... WE LOVE YOU!

i like hot on my chicken!

Ethan made me laugh this morning... he has said this same phrase before, but I had forgotten, and this morning I just had to write it down.

He was getting dressed, and brought a pair of pants and short-sleeved shirt into my room...

Oh, not pants... it's too hot outside for pants.

Ya, I don't like hot, do you, Mom?

No, I don't like it when it's hot either.

But do you like hot on your chicken?

Isn't it entertaining how children's minds work?!

a little shout out!......

DREFT STAIN TREATER!


Goodbye to the strawberry stains...
goodbye to the chocolate stains....
goodbye to the wedding punch stains...
and for everything from formula, spit-up to poop...


HUNDREDS of dollars saved in a little bottle of clear liquid for FOUR dollars!

really? a two-year-old?

I'm watching Ethan from the room across the hall. He's getting his church pants on...

he had them on backwards... so after taking them off and turning them around... he shakes them out, checks them out, sits down to put his feet in... dances around as he pulls them up... and as i watched him... put on his pants almost like any grown adult, I thought to myself... he's only 2... not even three yet... articulates like a 5-year-old... he's been doing this for AT LEAST 8 months... and I couldn't help but thinking... really?? A two-year-old?!

but he was just a baby!

Have I mentioned Ethan's fascination with Peter Pan's Captain Hook lately? He LOVES captain hook... he loves the hook, he loves the sword... he loves the coat, "beard" (aka Mustache) and pistol.

He's only 2 and a half...so I didn't know whether to laugh or to cry when he saw my mom's beautiful statue of Christ as a shepherd with His sheep and exclaimed:



Mom! Jesus has a hook as Captain Hook!

polite kids

sometimes my kids surprise me in a a nice way....

last night at dinner, Catherine:

"I don't care for it."

tonight at dinner, Ethan:

"I ate so well."

me:

sigh....

seriously?

where does this kid come up with it?

it's always a scramble getting ALL three kids down for naps... yes, that's what happens when you birth 3 babies in less than 3 and a half years... you have moments when they all take naps at the same time.... but back to the scramble... all three kiddos are in swimming lessons, and unfortunately, the only time available for all three of them at the same time in June was 11:45 am... so by the time we are done with switching swim diapers back to regular diapers and getting three kids buckled into three car seats across the back of one sedan, it's usually around 1 pm or later by the time we get home (rather than 2 pm...thankfully with our new routine of having lunch BEFORE swimming lessons)

so amidst my scrambling, i put ethan into bed and told him i would be back with his drink... this kid is like a camel when he sleeps!

wellllllllll i had to pass the computer on the way to the kitchen, and i just couldn't help myself... my good friend is in labor with her baby, and i just can't wait to hear the news, so i had to jump online for a quick sec to see if there was an update. ANYONE who knows me, knows i have absolutely NO CONCEPT of how much time has passed, and so although i'd love to say it's all ethan, it's only obvious that it's my fault that he was waiting too long for his drink, and came pattering out of his room... the best part though, is it took me a few tries before i made out his whisper....

"mom, my blanket came off."

ya think? i guess that's what happens when you climb out of bed!

i just have to laugh, seriously, what will this boy say next?!

morning love

we hear the first little squeaks of our youngest love this morning, and the resounding exclaim from Catherine and Ethan:

NOAH'S AWAKE!

They barrel through his door, and

"GOOD MORNING NOAH!"

Ethan climbs up on the side of his crib and gives him the sweetest, most endearing little kiss on the side of his face...

"Aw, that was so nice, Ethan."

"Don't worry, I won't bite his finger again."

"You bit his finger before?"

"Ya, but it's okay. It's feeling better."

persistence

Ethan talks very well for his age. I always know what he is talking about, but I'm not always certain of what he's trying to communicate.

Mom, is that a Frisbee?

No, it's a lid. The lid to the vegetable tray that we used for Noah's birthday party. Remember?

Is it a lid or a Frisbee? (meaning, can it be a lid or a Frisbee?)

No, it's just a lid.

but i think if it's a Frisbee or not.

(can you tell he's just itching to throw that thing like a Frisbee? watch out!)

BIG ONE-YEAR-OLD!

our baby noah turned a year old on Thursday. it's still sinking in for me. he had the best birthday and party thanks to wonderful friends and family who shower us with love. i'll try to post more about the party later.

enjoy!

Noah's last day as a "baby"

Now an official "one-year-old"

This is how he was the whole day, ESPECIALLY when we would sing "Happy Birthday" to him... all smiles, giggles and dancing!

He LOVED his very own ball!

It was the funniest thing... he was crawling around and around it in circles looking for the "handle" because the giant bouncy balls he is used to at our house are his brother's and sister's hoppers (and they have handles on them).

He loved his cake!

and even loved getting cleaned up in the bath afterward!

my Catherine

Mom.

Even when I'm not being nice, the Easter Bunny STILL brings me treats!

You must have done something good, huh?

I was smiling in my sleep.

check it out!

Check out the finished product and how nicely my kids clean up. I just love my kids, and I love the Spring, and I REALLY love my kids in the Spring!

take a look:

Larry's Blog

because it makes me feel like a professional...

i can't even tell you how excited i am about this sleeve. who would have known... it just worked.

AND not only is it more modest for a little girl who is growing up WAY too fast, but just look at what a soft, feminine touch it adds to the stark edge that used to exist.

i used the back of the trim around the hem... it was doubled, now it's just rolled and stitched...

i've made a little girl's sleeve for a dress before...ONCE... about 6 or 7 months ago... at an enrichment activity... with a pattern, and it turned out O.K.

i guess that's my blessing and dilemma with sewing, i always forget the possibility of using a pattern. 95% of the time, i just make it.

i was just tickled to death that the hem turned out okay and the dress wasn't ruined when i got the hem back on last night around midnight after two evenings and about 5 hours of work. i thought,

"well, at least i'm back to where i started, and i have some fabric to try a sleeve... but if the sleeve doesn't work out, i'm not any worse off than where i started...nothing lost."

i completed the sleeve last night as well.... and i LOVED the way it turned out... but i wanted to wait until Catherine tried it on this morning to be sure it looked okay on her.

it did.

it does.

success.

(perma-grin)

it makes me feel like a professional!

o.k.

o.k.

i can't take all the credit.

thanks to my mother-in-law for the idea of using the back half of the hem rather than making a new hem from a different fabric. AND a big thank you to her for suggesting to line the back of the sleeve the way i did... i'm almost POSITIVE i wouldn't have thought of that myself, and that would have been disastrous!

thanks to my darling friend who kept her aching pregnant body awake into the late night hours as she tickled my not-so-creative spunk and we laughed at how absurd it all seemed as i spent hours ripping out the perfectly beautiful hem on the dress. AND definitely more THANKS for her raw honesty about how she definitely would not attempt what i was trying to do. she would have just put a little shirt under the dress and called it good. it was just enough temptation for my stubborn determination to take over with the added blessing of absolutely NO expectation for the end result. hence, my delight in the outcome.

AND

thanks to my tried and true husband who not-even-the-slightest-bit-resentfully snoozed on the couch to keep me company into the wee hours of the morning. i love you.

and, yes. i plan on making the other sleeve.

it has been way to long. what can i say. we are just loving life and loving each other, and there's not much time left to tell about it.

but i'll try...

;)

so without further adieu, this is the start of what we have been up to:

Melanie

I was just looking through our photo collection...it's late and I can't sleep. I found a bunch that I recently took of Melanie. I'm so grateful for her and don't think I give her enough credit for what she does here at home. Thank you, love, for your sacrifices. I love you. I'm sorry for the times when I'm impatient or don't understand. Thanks for putting up with me and all my craziness. Love, me.