The Aftermath

Presenting the ONLY picture from our post-Christmas trip to Utah:

There's a very good reason why this is our only picture:

The Stomach Flu

It ravaged our entire family and entire trip to pieces. We didn't get to play in the snow, or play with some of our favorite cousins. It was a bust.

Sorry guys! Maybe this summer we can bring pink-eye or something!

Christmas Fun 2009

This year just might have been my favorite ever, as far as Christmas mornings go. I know that presents aren't what it's all about, but on Christmas morning...well, presents are a REALLY big part. And this year, we were so excited.

Kyle has been begging for a Wii for 2 years now. It definitely topped his Christmas list. Then suddenly, a month before Christmas, he changed his mind. Suddenly, Legos topped the list. Luckily, Santa came through with a set of Legos. He loved them

But do you see that paper Christmas tree at the top of the picture? Well, attached the the tree was a piece of string that wound all over the house and yard. And at the end of the string? A Nintendo Wii! Dad & Mom thought it would be a fun family gift, and Kyle couldn't have been more thrilled.

He got a new Toy Story game to go with it. We love Toy Story in our house.

And some attachments for the controllers. They're a total pain, by the way. Don't bother with those.

Miss Marie was spoiled rotten. I think she got everything a little girl could dream of. This was her reaction to the play kitchen. Love it!

Next came a baby stroller. Oh my, she thought she was in heaven. She grabbed her baby, and stuffed her in, making sure to do up the "buckle."

Then came a dollhouse, which I'm pretty sure she liked. What do you think? With each new present, she jumped up and down and squealed. It was hilarious. By the time she got to the new baby doll from Grandpa & Grandma, I thought she was going to lose it. She screeched at me to get it out of the packaging, gave it a hug, chucked her old doll out of the stroller, and put her new baby in its rightful place.

Kevin and I were spoiled as well, but it was really all about the kids. I always thought my parents got gypped on Christmas, always just watching us open all of our presents. But I get it. Sure, it's fun to open a present or two, but there's something so magical about Christmas through a child's eyes. So fun.

A New Tradition

We also started a new Christmas morning tradition: homemade donuts. However, I use the word "tradition" lightly, because that implies that it happens more than once. And I'm not sure we're going to do this again.

The idea was great, and they were pretty to look at, but they didn't taste that great. We'll either have to do some serious perfecting during the next year, or find a new tradition.

Kyle's all smiles for his tasty donut, but he didn't ask for another one. And that's always the real test.

Anticipation

We spent Christmas Eve with friends, enjoying good (great!) food and a live nativity. Poor Kyle and Zachary were the only two boys among lots of little girls, so our nativity only had 2 Wisemen. They were awesome, complete with "treasures."

But prior to our Christmas Eve festivities, we got to listen to Kyle ask us 5,112,999 times "when do I get to open a present?" You see, in our family we not only get to open a present (new pajamas, of course) from Dad & Mom, but the kids can pick one other gift to open as well. And because we only said "Christmas Eve," Kyle seemed to think that meant first thing in the morning on Christmas Eve day. So for 10 hours, we held him off until we just couldn't take it anymore.

So at promptly 5:00 p.m. on Christmas Eve, before we left for our festivities, Kyle tore into a present. And was he ever thrilled with the new Hot Wheels set from Grandpa & Grandma. We left the opening of the new pajamas for just before bed, which is why there are no pictures. Sad.

As a sidenote, Kyle had decided that the present to open would be from Grandpa & Grandma. However, there were a few to choose from, and he was terrified that he would accidentally open clothes (heaven forbid!) rather than a toy. Certain death for a 6-year-old boy. So he called up Grandpa Russell, and asked him which box was definitely not clothes, just to be sure. Hilarious.

Touch...touch!

The tree was not safe from Marie this Christmas. I received many skeptical looks from people when I told them that I was determined to not only leave my tree down within reach, but also decorate it. And I admit that after the first day or two (and 4 or5 broken ornaments), I thought about reconsidering. But, I stuck to my guns, and we worked out a deal.

Brightly colored, cheap, Target ornaments garnished the bottom 3 feet of the tree. Sure, she carried them around in handfuls, and used them for practicing her fast-pitch. But I didn't care. Most people didn't even notice, since the bottom half was kind of hidden behind the couch.

But the best part? It turned out to be an educational experience as well. Because every time I saw Marie during the month of December, she'd get a mischievous grin, hold up an ornament, and proudly say that word, "Touch!"

Thanksgiving Tree 2009

We started a new tradition this year, that I absolute LOVE and totally copied from someone else. This one's totally a keeper.

Introducing the first-ever Turner Thanksgiving Tree. The idea: so simple. Cut up lots of leaves and write everything you're grateful for. We started with a FHE, then added a few more every morning. We totally ran out of leaves - next year I'll have to make more.

I loved this for a few reasons. I loved having a visual reminder of all of our blessings. We walked past it 20+ times a day, and it reminded me every single time. I also loved hearing Kyle call out, "Mom, how do you spell music? Or military?" and then walking into the room to find him adding more leaves to the tree. (Can we say "snaks" or "pils of lefs"??? Love it!)

I left it out as long as possible, and then decided to take it down. I'm sort of wishing I'd kept it to frame or something, because I kind of miss it. But there's always next year, I suppose.

Sunday Attire

This quite possibly might be my favorite outfit of Kyle's.

Two years ago, I wouldn't have made that claim. Instead, it might have been my least favorite. White basketball shorts (that were mighty large at the time) and a white Ninja Turtles shirt. It didn't do much for me in the style department. Much to my dismay, he tried to wear it every single day. Not wanting to argue over clothes, I resorted to many methods, including hiding the clothes. It didn't work.

Finally, we worked out a deal. He could wear that outfit every Sunday. Not to church, of course, but afterwards. If you ask me, I think I got off pretty lucky.

And since that day, he's worn his beloved outfit every single Sunday afternoon. That's at least 104 Sundays, people! It doesn't matter if it's rain or shine, the minute we step through the door after church, the dress clothes are discarded and the Ninja Turtles come on. If there were an award for the fastest dresser after church, my money would be on Kyle.

But I'm seeing the end of an era. And it makes me kind of sad. The shirt is faded and sprouts a new hole every week. And my boy's enthusiasm for it is fading. I think the beloved outfit will soon be gone. But when it goes, it won't be in the trash can or donations pile. This one's going in the keeper's bin. Because I'm just that sentimental.

Theme-parked out

Apparently, two days of amusement parks aren't enough for us. Because we're crazy, we decided to head down to L.A. to Knottsberry Farm the next week. We were already kind of pooped, but we couldn't pass up $13 for the entire family.

It was a blast, though. We didn't feel like we had to stay all day, so we didn't. And Kyle passed a very important milestone: he was not only TALL enough (48") to ride the adult rides, but he was actually brave enough to ride a few. It was so nice for Kevin and I to have a buddy to ride with while the other watched Marie. And it's only going to get better from here!

Living it up in LEGOLAND

This is the third year in a row that we've ventured down to San Diego for a little weekend vacation, and this year we decided to do LEGOLAND! We've been looking forward to this for awhile, and it didn't disappoint.

This was at the END of our long day of fun, but it also happens to be our only family picture. Go figure.

Half of the fun of Legoland is all of the amazing Lego sculptures. Seriously, I cannot even believe the things they've built. Here's New York City (with a dash of Marie's hair!). They also had San Francisco, Washington D.C., the entire Las Vegas strip, the Eiffel Tower, the Taj Mahal, Mount Rushmore, and much, MUCH more. It was amazing.

Kyle got his first real taste of driving while cruising through Lego City. Seriously, driving a car that's not on tracks? It doesn't get any better than that for a 6-year-old. Or a 15-year-old. :)

They had lots of good, ole' rides, except they looked like they were made out of Legos. So fun.

And Kyle and Kevin got to create Lego racecars and race them down the track.

I cozied up to a friendly Italian chef (check out Kyle - he's plugging his nose. Hilarious.)...

While Kevin preferred Albert Einstein.

Even Marie had the time of her life in miniature little Duplo Town. I think she spent about 3 hours in this ambulance. Or at least it felt like it...

I would recommend it to anyone. It's definitely geared for the younger crowd, but parents will not be disappointed. If you've got kids under 10 (or if you're my 24-year-old brother...) you will LOVE this place.

Go Scorpions!

Today was our last soccer game of the season. I had mixed feelings about it - the season started months ago, so I was more than ready for it to be over. However, we had a really great team with so many fun kids, so I was a little sad to see it end.

Kevin coached again this year, and Kyle loved it. We didn't have any naughty kids this season (you wouldn't believe some of the kids from last year...) so Kevin had a great time, too. Kyle was very serious this season, and intent on playing positions, practicing footwork, etc. He discovered his love for scoring, and scored at least once every game, usually several times.

He also got to have his buddy, Eric, on his team. These two found plenty of time for wrestling and goofing off, but also took it seriously. They usually talked Kevin into staying longer at practice to work with them one-on-one.

The entire season was great, but I had two favorite moments:

1) At one point, about halfway through the season, Kyle came home in a mood. He marched into the bathroom to take a bath, and after a few minutes, he called me in.

Kyle: "Mom, you know what? Today I quit soccer."
Me: "You did? Why did you do that?"
Kyle: "Because I'm tired of my team not showing their talent and not paying attention,
so I quit."

Holy cow, I almost died laughing! Not showing their talent? Yes, there were times that his seriousness made him a little less tolerant.

2) Because today was the last game of the season, Kevin wanted to make sure that every kid had a chance to score. So during the last quarter, he put in two little girls who hadn't scored, and put Kyle and Eric at the back with strict instructions to "get the ball to Allie and Natalie."

I loved watching Kyle pass the ball to those girls each and every time, despite his desire to score. He was so protective of them, and even blocked the other team from getting close to them. He ran down the field with them, passing them the ball over and over again, until they finally scored. And the smiles and cheers when they finally did - I was almost as proud as their parents! It was a great moment, and I was very proud of Kyle.

I can't wait until next season!

Hey Marie...

"Where's your nose?"

"Where's your belly?"

"Where's your eye?"

"Where's your mouth?"

This girl...

...gives me a heart attack at least once a day. She's such a climber! Two seconds after I set her loose in the backyard, I walked out to find this:

She scales the kitchen table daily. Chairs have to be pushed in. Drawers have to be pushed in. Dishes can't be loaded in the dishwasher in her presence. She's not allowed to play the piano anymore because she's not content to sit on the bench. She climbs to the top and tries to pull the wreath off the wall.

Yesterday morning we were all dashing around the house in the midst of our morning routine when we heard Marie's cry from afar. We found her in the back room, on top of the computer desk. She had pulled out the chair, climbed on top of the desk, and was trying to scale the shelves on the wall. Her frustrated cries over her lack of progress were the only reason disaster was avoided. I tell you...

I never had to worry about this with Kyle. He learned just last year how to climb on the kitchen counter and reveled in it for days! This girl's another story. It's a good thing she's so cute.

Halloween 2009

Every year, I'm amazed at the fact that Halloween becomes a week-long celebration. As if one gigantic bag/bowl of candy isn't enough. No, we need two. Or three. Or four. This year was no exception.

Every year, I'm also reminded that I'm a completely pathetic Halloween mom. I see so many fun crafts, treats, and decorations that other mom's do, and every year I vow to be more creative. But alas, it just doesn't happen. And this year, I finally accepted it. Halloween's just not my thing. Oh, we manage to make it to the pumpkin patch, and we manage to find costumes. But that's about it. We finished carving our pumpkin 15 minutes before trick-or-treaters arrived on our doorstep. And we never lit it. Because, well, we forgot. Pathetic.

But before you feel sorry for my kids, let me remind you of that week-long celebration that others throw for my children to enjoy. Because, above all, Halloween is about candy. And let me assure you, they got plenty of that.

We started with the ward trunk-or-treat, where Marie spent the majority of the evening like this:

The car next to us had a singing ghost hanging from the trunk and she was enthralled. She just stood, fixated, and pointing. She eventually charmed them into taking the ghost down and letting her play with it, which allowed her to spend the rest of the evening like this:

Hot dog in one hand, bun in the other. She loved every minute of it, and had no idea she was missing out on candy.

Kyle, on the other hand, is a seasoned pro. He and Libby ran from car to car, as fast as they could. And I'm pretty sure they made the rounds two or three times, judging from his overflowing bucket. This was also the only time my little ninja's face was covered because he lost that part of his costume shortly thereafter.

Then we had the school celebration. They started with a parade, and never quite made it back to schoolwork. They painted pumpkins, made crafts, had treats, and watched "It's the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown." Some parents were bugged about the waste of a school day, but Kyle's class gets so few opportunities for fun, that I was happy for him.

In addition to this, we had a party over at Kevin's office. So by the time we got to the actual day, I thought they'd be burned out. Judging by this face, I think I was wrong:

They had a blast. They ran from house to house with friends, and collected more candy than I care to look at.

Even Marie had caught on by this point. She didn't have a bag, but she'd join the big kids at a door, collect her piece of candy, and immediately open it and devour it while the others hit the next 10 houses. When her candy was gone, she'd join the kids at another door and start the process all over again.

Flight Test Nation 2009

After a 3-year hiatus, Edwards AFB finally welcomed the public for another air show. They say over 225,000 people came to visit, which just seems ridiculous, but who am I to argue? All I can say is, I'm glad I live on base, because freeways were backed up for hours in either direction with people trying to get on base. Crazy.

We also welcomed the public with 100 degree weather. It had actually cooled off a week or two before and we were enjoying lovely temps in the 70s and 80s. But we decided to heat it up a bit, just to give visitors an accurate feel of what desert life is like. At it wasn't 120 degrees, right?

They had tons of really great performances (of which I have no pictures) and displays. I think the highlights were the F-16, F-22, and the NASA Space Shuttle carrier. Very cool. Kyle got to test out some of the plane's cockpits. And they had a very cool reenactment of World War II, called "Tora, Tora, Tora!"

But I think Kyle's very favorite part of the whole experience was that Uncle Chad was there. Chad's brainwashed him from Day 1 into calling him his "favorite uncle" and I think it's definitely true, because he sure loves that guy. Thanks for coming to visit, Chad!

Cats, cats, cats!

We visited the Exotic Feline Breeding Compound, also known as the "Cat House." Kevin and I aren't really animal people, but we were told this was worth visiting, especially since it's only 20 minutes away.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised. It's a small facility, but home to more than 70 of the most endangered cat species. We saw all kinds of big, ferocious cats, and it was really fun.

Our visit coincided with feeding time at the compound, which was awesome. We were hoping they'd throw in live chickens or mice for the cats to eat (I know, we're gruesome), but no, it was just plain ole' frozen chicken and beef. But it was still very cool.

Marie could have cared less about the lions and tigers. Nope, all she cared about was chasing the poor, innocent peacocks that wandered the grounds. However, those cats were interested in her. They would track her as she wandered around. In fact, we had a worker follow close behind us for awhile because she was so nervous that the cats would try to attack. They're safe behind caged walls, but apparently they can still cause some damage if they try something. Yikes!

Here's Marie in action. Poor thing wasn't quick enough to catch one, but she was persistent. Please excuse my annoying voice. :)

Belated

Once upon a time, waaaay back on August 21st, Kyle had a birthday. His 6th birthday, to be exact. And boy oh boy, did he ever have a good time.

I think I need to start downplaying holidays at our house, because once again, he was up by 6 a.m., ready to open his presents. Hide n' Seek with the presents is a favorite activity in the Turner house. However, this year we were informed that they were just "too easy to find."

He raked in way too much loot. But he got everything he'd always wanted (for the last 2 months, anyways). After presents, he was off to school, where he got to be the first birthday celebration of the year. Because of the school's healthy food policy, cupcakes were NOT allowed, and we were forced to come up with a healthier birthday treat alternative. The best we could come up with: popcorn & Capri Suns. After all, who wants carrot sticks on their birthday?

After school, we did birthday cake (plain chocolate sheet cake, for the second-year running...) played with presents, and finished off the day at a baseball game. I was desperate to avoid a birthday party, so we told Kyle he could pick one friend and invite him anywhere. The friend was cute little Eric, who we just love and the where was a JetHawks baseball game, complete with hotdogs, chips, drinks, and tokens to the Fun Zone. Could it get any better?

But perhaps the best part of Kyle's day was that Grandpa & Grandma were here to visit. I think given the choice between Grandparents and presents, Kyle would definitely pick grandparents. Even on his birthday.

Happy 6th Birthday, little man. I'm grateful every single day that you're mine. I'm so lucky.

Temple Trip

We took another trip down to the Los Angeles temple. It's always such a great experience for our family. Kyle LOVES staying at the "hotel," Kevin and I get to do some temple work, and we usually have a fun little outing the next day.

They have this fantastic tree on the grounds that everyone loves to climb on. And Kyle is no exception. It's so awesome. This time, Marie wanted a turn, too. She's quickly learning that she deserves absolute equality with Kyle.

Marie loved wandering around the grounds. Especially the flower beds. Don't worry, she didn't touch the flowers. Nope, my girl loved the dirt. She'd grab it in big fistfuls and shove it in her mouth. It was lovely.

And Kyle loved the fountains. He's always attracted to the water.

In addition to the beautiful grounds, they have a playground right next door to the apartments. There's nothing Marie likes more than a good ride in the swings. They even had a tire swing that Kyle was crazy about.

But this just might have been the favorite. Afterall, it's not everyday you get to ride on a luggage cart.