01/06/2004 Newsletter

"yee haw!"

"Pretty lights..." View more picture from January (includes newyears eve) View more picture from December View pictures from The Lord of the Rings: Trilogy Tuesday

1-6-04

The Holidays were so fun this year especially because we have Seth to celebrate with. We spent Christmas eve at my sister Marrisse's house. We had a soup buffet and watched Sinbad the cartoon movie. Later on in the evening we watched a slide presentation of the nativity that my dad had made when Marrisse was one year old. This was the 30th anniversary viewing of it. It's a really great way to learn about the birth of the savior, especially for the young kids.

Christmas morning we woke up bright and early, packed up all our presents and headed to my parents house. We had to have all the presents opened by 7:30am when my dad had to leave for work. James and I got an electric griddle and a small vacuum cleaner from my parents. Seth got the cutest little snowman bathrobe that came with snowman face booties. We had fun dressing him up in it. We also got money from James' parents which we added to our washing machine fund.

I think Seth's favorite part of present opening was playing with the ribbons, he sucked on them for a good 15 minutes and didn't give a second glance to any of his presents. Later that morning we went to my Dad's fire station so that he could watch Marrisse's girls open their presents. James slid down the firepole and Seth's uncle Chris helped him have a go at it too. That evening we had a scrumptious dinner with my mom's family. The crowning dessert was a large platter of Baklava that I had made the day before. It was my first attempt at Baklava, but at least 3 people told me it was the best they had ever had. Those compliments overcame the tediousness of making it and I might try it again next year. It was a really lovely Christmas! We are grateful for all the presents and cards we received and were blessed to have the resources to give small gifts to loved ones.

Christmas night brought a huge storm! We had about 12 inches in the morning and 15 by midday. James was so excited! He's wanted to have a good Utah snow storm since he's been out here, but this is the first year the weather has cooperated. We went sledding in Logan the weekend after new years. James wanted to take Seth down the hill, but Seth decided that sleeping was more fun. It has snowed off and on since then and it hasn't gotten warm enough to melt all of it yet so we've had a nice snowy yard for a few weeks now.

On New Year's Eve we went to Marrisse's house and had a fondue extravaganza. The cheese fondue was delicious. We also played a really fun game called Cranium. It's a blast to play with so many people. We celebrated the new year at 8:30 by opening "poppers" that Marrisse had made out of toilet paper rolls and filled with chocolate money. Then the kids went to bed and the adults spent the evening snacking and playing games. Seth woke up just in time to celebrate the real new year and to get strapped into his car seat for the ride home.

James and John attended the Lord of the Rings all-day-extended-version-trilogy. They found out the night before that people were lining up to get their seats, so they decided to brave the 17 degree cold and spend the night out on the sidewalk outside the theater. At 6:00 in the morning they were allowed onto the theater property into the real line. John says that that was the coldest time of the whole experience. At 9:00 they were allowed inside the theater lobby and at 11:30 they finally got into the theater and claimed their seats for the next 15 hours. Each movie was shown in it's extended version and then they were given a two hour break between each show. James told me that it was totally worth it, but I have my doubts.

Seth is surprising us nearly everyday with a new laugh or coo or trick. He learned how to roll himself over from his stomach to his back. He also has developed enough balance to sit up unassisted for a few minutes. He started on solid foods the day after Christmas and seems to like the cereals we've given him so far. Soon he'll be moving on to fruits and veggies. He is healthy and strong although still short for his age and a little on the chubby side. He loves to smile and screech at the top of his voice. We call him our little nazgul baby, which makes sense if you are a Lord of the Rings fan. He weighs 15 pounds 9 ounces and is 25 1/2 inches long. He's the best baby in the whole world and James and I are totally spoiled. We love him so much!

We are all doing well and were glad to spend our holidays with family and friends. We hope that everyone had a great christmas and a happy new year.

Love, Miekka, James and Seth