Images of Christmas

We had a wonderful Christmas. I love having the kids home for 16 straight days. I love the excitement of Christmas morning. I love being around family. And I love the traditions. It's pretty sad that Evan will only be home for one more Christmas. At least this year, a good time was had by all.

The Good, The Bad & The Ugly, 2009 Edition

For those of you who don't get our Christmas card, here are the particulars for the Parrys this year:

The GOOD: Craig & Becky: Watching Game 1 of the World Series at new Yankee Stadium, 20th Anniversary in Paris and Normandy, Becky reading 52 books this year. Evan: Batting clean-up at the high school, finishing the football season 9-2, receiving acceptances to seven colleges including offers to play baseball at Lewis & Clark (Portland), Whitman College and Southern Virginia, kindly lifting his feet while watching TV on the couch so that someone else can vacuum under them. Jake: Playing BHS baseball as a freshman with Evan, starring at SAM linebacker and Captain of the sophomore football team, Sophomore Class VP, taking AP classes. Caroline: Making Honors Society in 7th grade, sitting by Hilary Duff on an airplane, New Moon and Jacob crazy, Disney World with Dad, Newport Beach with Parry relatives. Sam: Playing centerfield, pitcher and catcher in competitive baseball, getting a hit on a pitch meant to intentionally walk him, playing wing back and cornerback in football, being a BYU fan when they beat Oklahoma and Utah. Isaac: Sitting in First Class while Hilary Duff sat in Coach with his sister, playing on a 10-under baseball team and hitting a walk-off double in the championship game, playing center, tight end, fullback, defensive end, tackle, and middle linebacker in his first year of football. All: Welcoming Thomas as our All Poly-brother, together with a dozen other football players and BHS students who share our home, Kauai for Thanksgiving, seeing games at Camden Yards (Baltimore Orioles), CB Park (Philadelphia Phillies) & Nationals Stadium (Washington Nationals), 27 stadiums down, 3 to go.

The BAD: Craig: Using his Harvard Law education to fight Evan’s traffic tickets (2 for 2), spending his birthday at the hospital with Isaac. Becky: Feeding Isaac Craig’s German Chocolate birthday cake which contained walnuts, suggesting that she and Craig go on a tour of the sewers of Paris (and regretting it when she found out it was actually a sewer), getting out of the shower mid-school day and never knowing which of Evan’s friends (without Evan) has stopped by to “get something to eat”. Evan: Standing next to Jake and looking up to him, getting bit by a Copperhead snake while at a college baseball workout in Virginia, BHS football’s second loss of the season coming in the first round of the State playoffs, claiming to see a topless woman driving by while working at his part-time summer job (Evan wanted to include this in the “good” section). Jake: Asking to go to Hooters for his birthday, being called for 8 fouls in his first teachers basketball game, size 14 feet, his driving (Isaac wears a bicycle helmet, “Just in case,” whenever he drives with Jake). Caroline: A concussion at school when she sat down and missed her chair, painting her face at BHS football games with Evan’s friends’ numbers, but not Evan’s. Sam: The annual July diet to make football weight (lost 11 lbs. in three weeks), asking, “Why do I have to go to the maturation talk at school, I already know it all? Evan and Jake taught me.” Isaac: Having his favorite baseball bat taken away and hidden during a game by the opposing coach who thought he hit too well, walking into urgent care for the third time in 3 weeks and being greeted with, “Welcome back”, adding walnuts, salmon, shrimp, and crab to his list of deadly foods, giving up cookie dough for a month to make weight for football.

The UGLY: Craig: Being a Redskins fan, telling Isaac to go to bed and being told in reply, “You are my ex-Father!” Becky: Feeding Isaac not only a “poisonous birthday cake” but also Cream of Mushroom soup which apparently contained “packed soy protein,” feeling enabled by Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side and asking for all her sons’ coaches’ cell phone numbers . Evan: His left foot after being bit by the snake, having an infected blister the size of a silver dollar, being broken and having surgery, the annual defacing of his hair for football, telling the young woman who cleans the house, “My mom said that today you need to bake me cookies,” (which she did). Jake: Going from brunette to platinum blonde (football) but accidentally including his eyebrows in the bleaching, trying to repair the eyebrows with a Sharpie, his face after falling asleep on the team bus on the way to San Diego (Evan had a Sharpie), the smell of size 14 feet, organizing weekly shenanigans in choir like “juice box Tuesday, wife beater Wednesday and toilet paper roll Thursday”. Caroline: Bedroom walls covered with pirates and vampires, being the first Parry to be sent to detention. Sam: Attending the BYU-FSU game, being a bit OCD about neatness and having to live with Isaac, wishing Mom didn’t come to some of his ball games (or at least didn’t speak during them). Isaac: An ambulance ride, two stays at the hospital, wishing he had a Day of Amnesty at school where he could say all the mean things he could think of to people (“I could make at least 6 people cry”), asking Jake to write “I love the Red Sox” on his forehead and instead getting “I am a Dunce”, which he must truly be to make that request.

Merry Christmas from the Parrys!

Too Tired to ... Do Anything!

Grandma Davis had a sleep over the first Sunday night after Christmas vacation started. Caroline played with her girl cousins. They watched movies, made stuff, played games, chased each other, and got a little bit of sleep. Caroline pushed a red button on Grandma's smoke alarm in the play room when it began to chirp. Instead of quieting the smoke alarm, the button sent it into full alert mode. I believe this happened around 3:00 a.m. Glad I wasn't there.

The boys only wanted to play Halo on X-Box in the home theater all night long. Jake was skiing the next day, so he responsibly (?) went to sleep around 4:oo a.m. Sam had basketball practice the next morning, so he responsibily (?) went to sleep around 3:30 a.m. Isaac had nothing, so he just never went to sleep.

The next day he fell asleep in the car on the way home (while Grandma was looking at him asleep in the car she rear ended someone). Then he had a friend over and fell asleep while his friend was here (asking me later if his friend had even come over or if he had dreamed it). Then he fell asleep on his bed, walked in his sleep up to the mudroom and fell asleep on the bench.

I hesitated to include the photos of Isaac sacked out in the mudroom because of the absoluately filthy handprints and fingerprints all over the door behind him. I included it anyway, but in my defense I did have surgery this month. I'm not sure the surgery is really an excuse for my housekeeping, but I will use it anyway.

Cookie Houses and White Elephants, Oh My

This is my favorite perspective of the white elephant exchange at my mom's house. We're all together and it gets a little crazy. Usually people don't go home crying (this year Isaac had some sort of unfortunate breakdown though).Fun facts about this year's party:
1. Caroline was a big hit with all her cousins (as always).
2. Evan's cookie house had to be destroyed because of a pornographic, sunbathing, gingerbread woman.
3. Jake's house was definitely the best (don't have a picture of the finished product). The candle was a great finishing touch.
4. Sam cleaned up at the white elephant exchange. He had the last number and he picked an unopened tin that sounded like money when he shook it. It turned out to have $21 in change and a $50 bill in it. Grandma always likes to throw in a really, really good white elephant.
5. Isaac was in constant entertainment mode, making everyone laugh and sassing people. For some reason, he really, really wanted one of the "coloring packs" at the gift exchange, but didn't get it, had a complete emotional breakdown and then felt stupid when an elf brought him what he wanted the next day.

Ice & Lights

Ice: Note that only two Parrys (and dad, the photographer) braved the freezing temperatures to skate this year.

Lights: (Note that Craig looks even better than he did 20 years ago when we were married here.

Note: We can NEVER EVER take a picture without someone goofing off and note that Isaac, not one to hide his emotions, is ticked about having to go with us to see the lights (he wants to swim with his best friend, whose family was also staying at the Marriott).

Sam's 12th Birthday

Sam turned 12 today. I can hardly believe it. Sam was the cutest baby in our family. He was born with lots of beautiful black hair and has always had the cutest little face. It's a pleasure to be his mother. He's a great example to me and wants to make everyone around him happy.

Sam's birthday happened to fall on the night we stayed downtown at the Marriott before Christmas. We followed tradition by eating at Benihana's, seeing the lights at Temple Square, swimming and ice skating. This year we also added a matinee movie, The Blindside, on Friday. Along with the annual traditions, this year we also celebrated Sam's birthday.

It's always hard to find a great present for Sam's birthday because it's so close to Christmas, but this year he wanted an iTouch, which was a great idea. He's using it all the time, and loves to look at the scripture app (along with the golfing apps, the game apps, the iPod...)

A Little Pick-Me-Up

So, obviously I was feeling a little down about the high school. I even told the kids I wanted to move (which caused them to shun me). I'm still not delighted and might even entertain moving if someone would move with me, but then Craig and I went to parent teacher conference at the high school this week and I did not hear one negative thing about my children. In fact, I heard things like, "I love your son" and "you are great parents" and "I love having your child in my class". Anyway, I'm not tooting my own horn or anything, but when I was talking to Jake about it later he said, "that's just what you needed mom, a little pick-me-up". I just hope it sticks.