Festivity

Merry Christmas, y'all. Have you ever seen a cuter crew?

Sleepy

Lila enjoyed her first trip to the zoo. She was excited. . .

. . .but it just plain wore her out.

Relevance

Being a frequenter of the neighborhood 7-11, I've seen this poster about 721 times. In the corner, it says GO-GO TAQUITOS. Get a clue. . .Sherlock Holmes. . .go-go taquitos. What the what?!? I like to imagine the meeting at the advertising firm for this one. What says convenience store Mexican food better than a British detective?

Tradition. . .Tradition!

The holiday season is upon us. We love ourselves some holidays here at the Bingham household. We kicked off the Christmas season with our annual trek to the Christmas tree farm two days before Thanksgiving. As we passed the pre-cut Christmas tree lots on the way to pay for the privilege of cutting one down ourselves, we briefly rethought the reasoning behind this tradition. But the nice man at the U-Cut actually cut it down for us himself, which was far less amusing than watching Josh do it, but also far more effective. The boys completely ignored the whole tree-choosing process in favor of playing with the dog that lived on the farm and of whom they were both terrified and highly entertained. Also, since we were early in the season and the tree guys were pretty bored, they took the boys for a four-wheeler ride around the farm. In retrospect, this maybe wasn't the best idea. . .but hey, it's Christmas!

We brought our pretty tree home and, a couple of days later, after we could build up the enthusiasm, we decorated it and the house. This is my children's absolute favorite day. We can get out all of the obnoxious decorations that make a mess and sing a song and they're entertained for days. This is also why I have had a steady stream of "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" in my head since last week. And since my mom requested it, I'll post some pictures of our meager decor. Probably the rest of you will be bored, but don't some of you, like me, like to see what peoples' houses look like?

Our tree:

Our mantle: (Something to note: Jonah's self-chosen stocking hanger-thingy that is a very ornate, special looking house among the other simple, silver ones. Also, Jonah's really annoyed that Noel has his name all over the place at Christmas time. We've explained it to him, but he won't hear a rational explanation. It makes it super simple when we're buying a personalized stocking hanger-thingy. I figure it, in small part, makes up for the fact that all of his teachers will pronounce his name NOELLE, like a girl, on the first day of school.)

Our banister: (We copied this idea from Real Simple magazine. We bought all of the stuff at the Dollar Store so, in total, this cost us $4. Some of you probably think we paid too much.)

We do love getting out our decorations, even if it becomes a bit "cluttery" for my taste. We bring out our many Christmas books and our personalized ornaments (which we then have to yell at the children to leave on the tree 72 times a day) and our stockings and all of the decorations that my mom has given us over the years because she feels bad that my kids love them and I don't buy them. And once we do this, the Christmas season has officially begun.

Then, on December 1st, we celebrate again. (Technically the Dec. 1st party was celebrated on Nov. 30th, so I don't know if we can rightfully call it that.) Anyway, my mom likes to kick off the season with a party, with new Christmas shirts, pajamas and books! And since we don't get to be with my family, she sends us the gifts and we celebrate it anyway (I know I'm/we're spoiled). I tried to remind us of "the reason for the season" by bringing up the Baby Jesus, but let's be honest, we all just want the presents. So here we are. Thanks, mom!

What the thumbs up?!?

Happy, Happy Christmas holidays Friends and Family!

Skateboards and Jesus

Here are things I am thankful for: a warm home, a happy, healthy family (well, mostly happy and mostly healthy), and a husband who makes the entire Thanksgiving dinner and actually enjoys it. This Thanksgiving was spent at home with our little family. We miss being around extended family for Thanksgiving, but the retail world prevents any sort of travel. So we tried to make the holiday as memorable as possible. We spent the morning watching the parade and watching the rain fall outside -- a perfect day to be trapped in the house. Oh, and while we were doing that, Josh was cooking. . .all morning and afternoon. Much to his dismay, we only had two pies -- pumpkin and pecan, which technically fulfilled his rule of "a pie per person," but was still disappointing to him in its limited selection.

Before dinner, Jonah and I made some crafts (napkin holders, place setting cards and centerpieces) and set the table. I don't remember where Noel was, but I can guess he was watching TV or complaining. Finally, we sat down to dinner. It was delicious. Noel particularly enjoyed the entire can of olives that he ate, as it was the only thing he would touch from the dinner. Jonah claimed to be most excited for the stuffing, but I think he really only ended up eating some potatoes and rolls. But he could eat anything he wanted because, at one point, he said to his dad, completely unprovoked, "Dad, thank you for making this beautiful meal." And if you know Josh, you know that a little validation will get you a long way.



Right before we started the meal, we went around the table and told what we were grateful for, followed by a toast. Jonah's really into material things, and Noel's really into saying things that he knows we want to hear. Which led to the best toast of evening (and perhaps in all of history): "To skateboards! To Jesus!" To skateboards and Jesus indeed.

Happy December!

Return to the Living

So we're finally well. The swines have left us. I think the whole thing lasted about 12 days. In order to avoid a repeat performance, the boys received vaccinations for both the seasonal flu and the H1N1 while at Noel's well-child check. It was an experience to remember. The boys wailed and flailed and screamed as though we were stabbing them with 1000 daggers. In their defense, since I was there on my own with the three kids, it meant that one of them had to watch while the other was vaccinated and writhing in supposed intense pain, and then get vaccinated themselves.

After we were flu-free, Jonah lost his second tooth. Boy is the tooth fairy a disappointment. Josh blogged about our close-call with the first tooth. This time, we totally forgot. Jonah's heartbroken cry woke me up in the early morning: "Mom, the tooth fairy didn't come!" I panicked and tried to think quickly. The best I could do was tell him the tooth fairy is a very busy lady, pay him $3.00 in hush money, and talk him into making a sign for that evening. Here is his sign, which is an almost exact replica of the one that I made, with a few words out of order:
While Jonah was losing his teeth, Lila was growing some. Here are her two new teeth:
And here she is in a hat that seemed like a better idea when I ordered it from etsy. Strangely, the too-tight, flesh-colored hat made her look like her dad.
A much better hat. She looks a little Blossom-esque in this picture, doesn't she? And why do I feel such a compulsion to put a hat on my bald little baby?
In other, non-Lila related news, Noel recently performed in his Thanksgiving recital at school in a turkey costume he had made. Who doesn't look adorable in a turkey costume? Here he is wishing us a Happy Thanksgiving. Are you noticing something unusual about this picture? Is it the fact that the other children come up to Noel's knees? What a sweet, slightly crazy giant.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Feel free to celebrate in your own turkey costume.

Swine Flu 2009: Day 11

This little one has it now. I mean, really? Is there no justice in the world?

17 Minutes

Lately, it seems like everything I read on blogs these days is about how someone has just finished a marathon. Or has 32 years of food storage. Or just whipped up a 7-course meal from organic produce. But how many people can write about something that I consider supremely important -- TV??

I've thought a lot about the purpose of my blog. Besides posting photos for the grandparents who miss their grandkids terribly, this is an online journal. And shortly we'll be printing it so that all of my posterity can read it for years to come. And while they may find the anecdote about the tooth fairy amusing, wouldn't you rather read a journal about what your mother/grandmother watched on television? I know I would. I wish my pioneer ancestors would have kept better track of their TV log.

If you've been reading this blog for awhile, you know that Josh and I watch a lot of TV. We've had our Tivo since it's inception, when our great friends gave it to us as a wedding gift over 6 years ago. We mourn the end of season, store up for the drought that is the summer, and rejoice when the new season arrives. It's almost like food storage, but much more pointless.

Lately, though, I've been delighted with the state of television comedies. I haven't figured out why, but TV comedies go through peaks and valleys. We had the "must-see TV" days of Friends and Seinfeld, and of course the unbeatable night of The Cosby Show, Family Ties, Cheers and Night Court before that. But since then, the TV comedy has been a little bit lacking (17 seasons of According to Jim, anyone?). Sure, there are notable exceptions like Arrested Development, but the quality ones were few and far between.

So do yourself a favor and start watching yourself some comedies. You'll laugh. I promise. Obviously, unless you're some sort of masochist, you won't want to deny yourself the 30 Rock and The Office. But hey, while you're at it, you should watch Parks and Recreation too. It was mildly humorous last year, but laugh-out-loud hilarious this year, especially if you like Amy Poehler and funny stuff. Also, don't forget the Monday night combo of The Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. I've been a fan of the super-clever HIMYM for awhile now, and have only recently tuned in for The Big Bang Theory. You should tune in as well, if only to appreciate the deep-vee/turtleneck combinations of Howard Wolowitz.

And don't forget about the newcomers. We love Community and Modern Family, even if I can't take Joel McHale (The Soup) seriously as the super-suave popular guy. And I even recommend The New Adventures of Old Christine, which isn't new per se, but new to me and also worth the half hour. But really, if you indeed live under a rock and haven't already, get yourself a Tivo and you can knock these out in about 17 minutes. And who doesn't have 17 minutes?

I know what you're thinking. How do you find time to watch so much TV? Well, I'll save you the trouble of wondering. Here are some things that I don't do: talk on the phone (save a bi-weekly call to my mother); go shopping for fun; go out with friends; scrapbook; run marathons; bake; do member missionary work; etc. It's all about priorities, I suppose. And while I just made myself sound like a super-unsociable loser, I do manage to get a lot done. And still watch TV. And folks, this is just the beginning. Stay tuned for my blogs about TV dramas, reality TV, and TV's guilty pleasures.

This is going to be the most awesome journal FULL of dated TV references! You're welcome, posterity!

Oh, and even though this says it was posted by Josh, it wasn't. It's all me. Though I imagine he would've posted the same thing, if he wasn't busy with a "job" and stuff.

Hallowed Out

If we had entered a Most Awesome Halloween contest this year, we would have lost. Horribly. We really, really tried but we ran out of steam before the big day and barely made it through. Next year, I promise, we will be much spookier, much more evil and much quicker to fulfill the wishes of the devil. Let me walk you through how Halloween tried to happen...and failed.

We started out strong. Another trip to Bagstow's Pumpkin farm for pumpkin picking and hay rides.

And hay mazes.
The day was perfect. I was able to duck out of work early one day so it wasn't crowded and it was sunny and nice. Lila loves any outing where she can ride in the bjorn.
Does it surprise you when you see a picture of me how little hair I have? It surprises me...EVERY TIME. Denial, anyone?

Amy and I always laugh that the pumpkin patch is not a patch at all. It isn't like you are climbing through the vines and cutting your fresh pumpkin free. They drive you out to a field where they have evenly spaced out a gajillion pumpkins that are all nearly identical. Is this how they grow in nature?
Despite the stepford pumpkins, Noel took a long time trying to find the right one. Mostly he wanted one that he could carry, which we eventually found.

So far so good. Halloween celebrations were off to a festive start. A week or so later, we did some carving. Jonah drew a picture of how he wanted his pumpkin to look and I had to carve to match. Here is the drawing:
Seems a little tricky, no? I also had to scoop out every single pumpkin gut. My children are apparently wusses when it comes to pumpkin gutting. When I was a kid, I don't remember not gutting your own pumpkin even being an option. My kids are spoiled.
Here is how the pumpkins turned out. Pretty awesome, I thought. We don't believe in fancy pumpkin templates at our house so that our pumpkins can have Marilyn Monroe on them. We like straight up faces. Can you figure out who's is who's?
So far, so spooky, right? Well, this is when things started going down hill. Jonah's school was having a "carnival" one night and the kids were stoked, so we put costumes on and headed out. Just as a matter of note, Jonah's costume has been picked out for weeks and Noel decided about 7 minutes before we left.
There was a lovely photo-op as we came through the door...and that was about it. There were a couple of crafts, which took about 4 minutes to do. And I think there was some trick or treating, but it didn't start for about an hour and there wasn't enough to keep three hyper kids occupied. But the kids were so excited...and were REALLY mad that we were leaving, even though they were complaining that they were bored. So we bribed them in the car with powdered donuts.
"Don't worry," we told them. "There are several more parties and festivities this week leading up to the big day!" And then the swine flu hit...Jonah first...and then Noel...and we skipped all the parties and festivities.

By the appointed night, Jonah had gotten though the worst of it and was ready for trunk or treat and additional trick or treating as well. He was going to be a ninja turtle (in a much too small costume) for Trunk or Treat and then come home and change into his Darth Vader costume for Trick or Treat. Noel, who was in the Valley between Ibuprofen doses, was adamant that he would not be going.

So Jonah and I hit Trunk or Treat, (is it just me, or is Trunk or Treat kind of annoying because the same kids come by your car about 30 times?) and then headed home to change. Jonah decided not to change, and Noel, who's medication had finally kicked in, rallied and decided to come. So we threw a costume on him, and we were off.
Things to note: Noel is wearing pajamas (which he had been wearing all day,) shoes on the wrong feet, no socks and looks a bit like the living dead. Jonah's pants are a bit tight and stop about 5 inches above the ground. And they were much more excited than this picture implies.

We hit quite a few houses in the neighborhood and were duly impressed. THREE houses (3!!!) gave out full size candy bars! That did not happen when I was a kid! Fantastic. The kids thought it was the greatest night ever, and only wanted to trick or treat at houses with decorations. (Make note.) We made it home and hour or so later, with fevers creeping back up and exhausted, but happy kids and lots and lots of quality candy (which Amy and I have eaten much of.)

And to wrap it all up, Noel slept a total of about 45 min last night. Back to reality.

Here We Go Again

Jonah w/ swine flu + Noel, Lila and I w/ colds - Josh in Idaho eating at the Cheesecake Factory = New Blog Posts!

Here are some of the proofs from our latest family photo attempt. Some good ones. . .







And some not so good ones. . .

The Daily Grind

Here's what my baby girl looks like when I'm sitting at the computer, writing a blog. Is it any wonder that I haven't written a blog for a month? Who can resist, instead, spending every spare second enjoying her cuteness? But here's a few things we've been up to at the Bingham house.

I've been teaching the baby how to eat. If there's a stage worse than the baby-food stage, I'd like to know it.
I think school is the best thing ever, and luckily both of my boys seem to think so too. That blessed five minutes between dropping Jonah off at the bus for school and picking up Noel from preschool is so quiet and peaceful. In between facilitating homework, looking for seeds around the neighborhood for the latest school assignment and spraying my son's hair blue for "Crazy Hair Day," I even found time to buy this fantastic Peg Perego high chair off of Craigslist for $55, which may be a tad bit big for her at this point.

Josh has been working. And helping me when he's not working. But in between all of that fun, he has managed to do some canning. Aren't these bread and butter pickles pretty? And I a little bit make fun of him, but man are they delicious. And his strawberry jam is heavenly, too.
Noel's had a birthday (for another post) and has stopped chewing on his shirts, which I consider a victory for the whole family. He has yet to pick up another strange tick, but I'll let you know when it happens.

Jonah's become an adult. I don't know if you know this, but when you're 5, you don't need adult guidance anymore. He has decided he's old enough to ride his scooter around the skate park,


and learn how to ride a bike without training wheels. Strangely, he never really took to riding a bike WITH training wheels, but is doing pretty great. He now wants to be one of those really awesome, disturbingly middle-aged BMX-bikers with way too small skinny jeans that he sees at the skate park. We bought him some Vans, but we draw the line on the skinny jeans.

Lila's been busy, busy busy. She's been watching a seriously inspiring General Conference:
drinking some Diet Coke with her Papa:
Growing a mustache:

And discovering her tongue:
In short, she's spending a lot of time being really stinkin' cute. And I can't get enough of her. If you don't hear from me for another few weeks, you know what I'll be doing.