Top Ten Christmas Pictures + 1

In no particular order...

1.  Uncle Mitch trying to fatten up after losing over 20 pounds post-surgery.

2.  Audrey scattered crumbs ALL over Grandma and Grandpa's house, and Trouble loved it.  "What?"

3.  

4.  Opening awesome books from G and G Hall.

5.

6.  Luke and his "box of candy" that he so desperately wanted.

7.

8.  The ping-pong maniac.

9.  Miss Personality

10.  The boys in their favorite spot.

Of special note is Luke's present to us:  potty-training himself!  He just decided about a week before Christmas that he wanted to go ahead with it.  FINALLY he can cash in on his birthday present (from October) of tennis lessons, which we told him he couldn't start until he stayed clean and dry for a week.  Congrats, pal!  Here he is practicing.  

December Fun

Here are a few things we busied ourselves with before Christmas:

Aimee and the kids went caroling with a little group from the Grosse Pointe Mom's Club to a nursing home.  It was actually really fun, and the kids really brightened everyone's day.  

Our first few real snows of the winter drove us outside to build snowmen.

We can't say that Luke actually made much of this house, as he kept himself busy eating the decorations.

Our good friends, the Hiltons, invited us over to make Christmas cookies.  Luke went crazy with the sprinkles.

In fact, the sprinkles were pretty much all any of the kids wanted anything to do with.

Yum!

The kids also sat on Santa's lap for the first time.  Luke actually enjoyed it, while Audrey screamed, which was quite surprising.  Aimee planned the branch Christmas party, and had fun getting all dolled up for Clayton's work party.  With lots of partying, decorating, Christmas crafts, and caroling, we were definitely feeling the excitement of the season!

This Christmas

Christmas lost a little bit of its magic for me this year, but something else rose up to fill its place.  I was sure that the climactic moment would be the kids coming down the stairs for their first real taste of Santa, but it was a little bit of a let-down.  They bypassed the "invent-a-tent" we had so carefully picked out and set-up near the tree in favor of ping-pong balls (which weren't even for them).  Luke's "box of candy" just wasn't quite big enough, and the presents I had lovingly picked out or made for everyone else after months of planning just weren't received with as much enthusiasm as I had imagined.  I guess that's what happens as you get older--Christmas morning just doesn't seem quite the same.  Santa really does have quite a lot of work to do, and the pay-off seems quite small in comparison.  After a few minutes of pouting in my room after present-opening, I started realizing that I must be growing up.  I guess that seems a little silly to say at my age and situation in life.  I guess it was the first year that the really important things about Christmas seemed to stand out the most.  The highlights this year were so much different than what I had originally thought:  planning out gifts for loved ones, gathering as family, and--most of all--our Christmas Eve program.  We visited my family this year and did what we do every Christmas.  We all sat near the piano and read scriptures about Christ, including Luke 2, while singing Christmas songs at intervals according to what we read.  Then, we sang a few fun songs and hung up our stockings to "Hang Up The Baby Stocking".  The charm of the season really did seem to be held in the story of Christ's birth instead of what was waiting under the tree and in closets around the house.  I hope that my kids felt it, too.  It's not that exchanging gifts isn't any fun; we were all spoiled rotten this year, as usual.  But, presents get old or broken.  Love, family, and the gospel of Jesus Christ are what we can really hold on to.  I guess I got just what I wanted this year!

A Bit More Humor

I know I post way too many of Luke's "jokes," but I just can't help myself.  He cracks me up.  May these brighten your day!

Clayton:  Luke, where's mom?

Luke:  She's upstairs cooking her hair.

Aimee (silly question):  Who wants to say our family prayer tonight?  

Luke:  I do!

Aimee:  Make sure you pray for Uncle Mitch who is in the hospital.

Luke:  Heavenly Father, please bless Dad at work.  Also, please bless Uncle Mitch at work.

True Story

At our church Christmas party on Saturday:

Woman:  Congratulations, Sis. Hall!  I see you're expecting again.

Aimee (a tiny bit shy of cheerful as the activities committee chairperson):  No, I'm not expecting.

Woman:  Oh.  I guess your stomach is just bulging out.

Spread the word.  Aimee is NOT expecting anything... except maybe tight-fitting clothes.  She is just putting on weight.  She doesn't think she can handle another blow like that this holiday season.  Why, oh why can't she be allergic to sugar or something?  

We Need More Practice

On Friday night, Clayton and I had our first date in, well, quite some time.  We were trying out a new babysitter in preparation for this week's big Anesthesiology Christmas party (we have had babysitters break down in tears and say they just can't handle our kids, so we have to have small trial runs).  We went to a little Thai cafe down the street.  The funniest thing about the place I picked, was that we know very little about Thai food.  Clayton finally asked what the strange-looking things in the basket on our table were.  "Styrofoam.  Edible styrofoam." the waiter said.  Then he laughed and said they were really shrimp-flavored rice crisps.  We would have bought the edible styrofoam thing, as that's just what they looked and tasted like.  I ordered the house specialty, ginger beef, which was NOTHING like Canadian ginger beef.  Clayton laughed, as he must have known it wouldn't be anything like what I was expecting.  Anyway, the service was incredibly fast, so we were in and out in half an hour.  What to do next?  We had wanted to just walk and talk, but the frigid temperatures drove us to the car.  We ended up doing some grocery shopping at Kroger and browsing at Borders, and we still had a lot of time left until our two hours were up.  Clayton started driving us around town, and we simultaneously burst out laughing--we stink at dating!  I guess we are so out of practice, we just don't even remember how to hang out together.  Things went well with the babysitter, so I guess we'll have to practice a little bit more!

I still remember our first date:  a "taco survey."  I noticed Clayton for the first time at our Singles' Branch F.H.E.  I know, kind of cliche.  I wasn't so sure I wanted to be involved in the Singles' Branch over the summer, as it had a reputation, but I decided to try to support the activities anyway.  I remember Clayton being really cute, and kind of reserved.  He says he had first noticed me the preceding couple of Sundays, but thought I was dating someone.  We found out each other's names during a game of Do You Love Your Neighbor?, and he called me later that night to ask me out.  I was a little bit confused when our caller i.d. said "Wade Smith," as I knew the Smiths had no sons.  I guess Clay's cousin, Carly, said he could ask anyone out except me, as she didn't like me, but that was just the motivation he needed to go for it.  

Clayton says that when he pulled up to our front gate, he almost turned around to go home.  I guess he was picturing a spoiled, rich girl and figured he'd made a big mistake.  Luckily, he decided to come in.  Then, he was fortunate enough to meet both of my parents, as I was home for the summer.  Clayton claims my dad was very intimidating.  :)  

It was a double date with his cousin and her husband, and we went to four different taco restaurants to sample and rate the food.  They even brought a camera to take pictures of us at the different places.  I should have been scared off by Rebecca's comment, "You know, Brad and I did a taco survey for our first date, and we ended up getting married,"  but I guess I was already smitten.  We played pick-up truck frisbee in an empty parking lot, and then I think we played Rook at the Jones's house.  I was having a really great time, even though I spilled my drink all over myself and was very embarrassed.  Clayton took me home and claims I was so quiet that he thought I had a horrible time.  He was so quiet, I thought he had a horrible time.  Who knows why he called a few days later to ask me out again, but the rest is history.  

Here's to dating and keeping the love alive!

About Audrey

I hope I never forget the look on Audrey's face as she watched us turn on the Christmas tree lights for the first time this year.  She was standing there in her adorable Christmas dress from church, a large, gold ball ornament in each hand, and her eyes sparkled as she gazed up at the twinkling, colored lights.  It only lasted a moment, but that moment made me almost want to cry.

Two of the most commonly heard phrases around our house  this week:

"Audrey!  No, honey, NO!"

"That's going to come out of our damage deposit."

How can someone so cute make such a big mess?  It's hard to describe.  She figured out how to screw the lids off of bottles, and dumped out whole containers of pump hairspray and mouthwash onto our carpet.  Most of the ornaments I made by baking salt dough and painting them gold--6 years ago--have been bitten in half or EATEN!, and the advent calendar has turned into a fun toy instead of a countdown.  Ah, well.  I think that I really will miss these things someday.  They grow so fast...

Yes, No, Maybe So

Life with Luke

His first drawing that actually looks somewhat like what he described (we were quite impressed) - Luke playing hoops:

(family getting ready to go to the tennis club) 

Luke:  Why can't I ever play on the big courts?

Aimee:  You have to go on the potty like a big kid first.

Clay:  Yeah, for a whole week.

Aimee:  Which reminds me, can you please go potty right now?

Luke:  I'm not a witch.  And, I don't need to.

(Aimee getting off the phone with Clayton)

Aimee:  Dad couldn't talk to us for very long, because he's talking to Aunt Kristin.

Luke:  How is he talking to us and Kristin?  Does he have two mouths?

(listening to a very touching, possibly borderline sappy, Christmas tribute on the car radio about soldiers)

Luke and Audrey:  <talk, talk, talk>

Aimee:  Can you guys quiet down back there.  I'm trying to listen to this.

Luke and Audrey:  <jabber, jabber, jabber>

Aimee:  Please, please, try to be a little bit quieter.  I really want to hear this.

   <moment of silence>

Luke:  Oh, Mom!  This is just wonderful!

No, Luke, you are wonderful.  Without you, life just wouldn't be nearly as fun!

This Year's Thanksgiving Just Wouldn't Have Been The Same Without...

• Aimee undercooking the turkey
• The sweet potatoes overflowing in the oven, filling the house with smoke
• Dinner with the Beutler's, Hillstead's, and Jones's (it was awesome!)
• Grosse Pointe Santa Claus Parade and the kids catching candy and mini-footballs

• Clayton getting off work really early on Friday and almost ending up in the parade
• Freezing cold trips to the park to wear the kids out
• Thanksgiving leftovers
• Epic battles at "the clubhouse"

• Sharing a postage stamp bathroom among 4 adults, 2 potty-training kids, and a destructive toddler
• Sanders' Bumpity Bliss
• Cute Jacob too scared to sleep in the dungeon/basement, so party in the kids' room!
• Playing games and walking down memory lane while kids sleep upstairs
• Brad, Becca, and Jacob driving from Louisville to hang out with us

Can You Feel the Love?

I would never presume to say that my kids don't fight.  We have sibling wars constantly raging in our house.  However, the un-posed hugging scene I captured below bears witness to the fact that there is a lot of love between Luke and Audrey.  Audrey really does adore and look up to Luke, and Luke loves having a little playmate.  I know I put up three of basically the same picture, but I love them all--Luke hugging Audrey's guts out, two little cuties, and Audrey's adoring look at her big brother.  

Thankful

It becomes more and more apparent each year how blessed we really are to have things that so many others don't--like a warm house, a steady job, healthy children, wonderfully loving and supportive family and friends, testimonies of our Savior, reliable vehicles, money for food and utilitites, etc., etc.  It also becomes harder and harder each year to remember that.  We vow to keep Christmas small, and the excitement of Toys 'R' Us starts melting our resolve.  Commercials and billboards tell us of all the things we need, while we forget we didn't even think about them the minute before.  Although Canadian Thanksgiving in October is wonderful, it's kind of nice to celebrate the later American version, as it comes at a good time to keep us thankful.

There are always the big things on our list of thankfuls, but there are so many little things, too, that we rarely even think about.  Aimee is thankful that Clayton usually takes the first shower of the day, as our hot water is a little sluggish in the morning.  She is also thankful for her walk-in closet, internet access at home, and that she can hear the bells of the Lutheran church down the street, which play hymns in the evening.  Clayton is thankful for vacation time, iPods, and a reliable alarm clock.  Luke says he is thankful for "sports, candy, and shows."  When we asked Audrey what she was thankful for, she said, "Happy!"  If only we could always remember to be happy with what we have been given, even if it seems like less than others.  It is probably a lot more than most.  

Canada, Eh

                             
A couple of weekends ago, we took our first epic family Canadian adventure since we moved to Detroit.  We mainly went to pick up mail at our post office box, but we couldn't resist stopping in at Superstore and Canadian Tire.  Clayton and I looked at each other, embarrassed, at the checkout counter of Superstore when we realized we had only purchased junk food.   We did get organic "Funshine" cookies made of wheat germ and "Squiggles" made of all fruit... but it was still cookies and fruit snacks.  We also picked up Nanaimo bars, Turtles, and Toffifees.  What a party!  

We stopped at Canadian Tire to check out ice skates for Luke.  Luke was hilarious.  As we put a pair of skates on him to make sure they fit, he did a twirl and hockey shot before falling right over.  "Mom, do they have any that aren't so wobbly?"  Hmmm.  Are we ready for this?  Maybe we need to check into a helmet.  

Anyway, it was all excitement as we chose a pair and sat for a moment soaking in the Canadian Tire atmosphere.  Aahhh, memories.  As Clayton stood up to go pay, he looked down at his pants and gasped.  Luke had somehow exploded out of his Pull-up and pants all over Clayton.  It wasn't just a little bit--it was quite an amazing amount of feces everywhere.  Aimee couldn't help it and starting laughing uncontrollably.  Luke was in big trouble.  Clayton dragged Luke to the car and sat pouting while Aimee drove home, trying hard to remember not to set our important documents on Clayton's compromised lap.  At least we had an excuse to use at the border in case they were taking too long.  The U.S. worker must have smelled something foul, as he barely looked at our passports and waved us through.  

The question to ponder is, where do we belong?  Canada or the U.S.?  We're just not sure.  We don't seem to fit in well anywhere.  Hopefully our families will be patient with us as we try to figure out our niche, while still trying to make sure our kids know their grandparents.  For now, we'll border hop between Windsor and Detroit, proudly display American and Canadian flags side by side in our house, and smile proud smiles when Luke throws out an "eh" in natural conversation while talking about his "new house" in Michigan.

The picture above shows us on the American coast with Canada just across the water in the background.

Two For the Price of One

I know Halloween is long gone, but I just had to post this.  I signed Luke up for a music class called "Merry Melodies with the Merry Music Maker" to help him come out of his shell.  Since day one, it has been hilarious to watch Audrey really let loose.  Usually, Luke cowers in the corner with me as Audrey joins right in with the group.  (To be fair to Luke, though, he's warming up more and more, and he loves participating in jumping songs!)  Sometimes the class will come to a standstill as everyone watches in awe as Audrey carefully follows the teacher's instructions or dances along with the kids.  She always gets the props the other kids get:  drums, finger cymbals, dancing scarves, etc., and she always seems to use them properly.  I think she's really inspired by the music and loves to "play music" as it's sometimes called.  I felt bad after a couple of sessions and offered to pay for her too.  The teacher just laughed and said she loved seeing her every week and wouldn't accept more money.    

Unfortunately, I've never been able to capture what I'm talking about very well on video.  Halloween was the closest I've come.  The class was tiny that day (I assume because of no school for older siblings), and I was at least able to catch a little bit.  The first half of this video makes me laugh every time, although Audrey kind of freezes for the second half.  Anyway, who doesn't want to see a cute doctor and little cheerleader doing a few moves!  Who can spot the little Dora who got her hair cut just for Halloween?

A Sign

It's becoming pretty clear that Luke has been watching WAY too much t.v. lately.  

Clayton:  Those iPhones look pretty sweet.

Aimee:  Is that an addition to your Christmas list?

Clayton:  They only work through AT&T, so we would have to wait for our Verizon account to expire.

Luke:  AT&T has more bars in more places.

Leaf-Jumping

The first snow of the year happened this past Monday.  It happened the week after beautiful 70 degree weather, so we were caught a little bit off guard, but it was kind of exciting.  The holidays are approaching fast, our Christmas shopping is almost done, and Clay's been jammin' to Christmas music on the way to and from work every day.  As Aimee sang the good morning song to Luke and Audrey while opening the curtains on Monday, Luke squealed with delight at the big white flakes floating outside his window and raced to get his boots on.  "Let's build a snowman!" he said.  Once the boots were removed to make room for clothes and then put back on, he raced outside to discover that no snow was actually sticking to the ground.  Poor guy.  Aimee told him not to worry, as more snow with inevitably come.   And . . . it was just a few days until leaf collecting day!

In our neighborhood, they have set leaf-collecting days when everyone piles their leaves on the roadside the night before.  Neat little machines come and "sweep" up the piles the next morning.  We took a walk the night before leaf-collecting day, and it had to be the highlight of the fall.  Leaf blowers and rakes were going like crazy up and down the street, and Luke called the never-ending piles of leaves on the road the "leaf snake."  Neighbors stopped their work to watch him and laugh as he dove head-first into massive piles.  It was hard to tear him away, even when it was getting pretty dark and really cold.  And, we didn't have to rake a thing.

This is the trademark Allphin focus face.  Or, maybe he's just licking the snot off his upper lip. The Halloween decorations in the background bear witness to the fact that I took no photos on actual leaf-collecting day, but you get the picture.

Election

Our family night this week was about voting...perhaps a bit above our young children's heads.  I'm happy to write for future laughter that, after 15 minutes of reading snippets from lds.org articles and discussing the importance of being involved in politics, Aimee said something like, "So tomorrow we will go and vote."  Our newest little American asked, "Can the kids come on the boat, too?"  It was just too cute to discouraging.  

We took both kids to the voting booth Tuesday evening, which, luckily, was pretty empty at dinnertime.  Audrey must not have liked the ballot options, as she screamed for the entire 3 minutes it took Clay to fill in his ovals.  Luke was severely disappointed that he didn't get to fill in his own ballot, so the nice old ladies gave him an official-looking paper to scribble on.  He couldn't help peeking over the partition at Aimee's answers, and then proudly gave his paper to the woman standing next to the counting machine.  She smiled and tossed it aside on the desk next to her, where a nice man was officially recording something.  While Aimee and Luke were busy watching how the machine worked, the man at the desk worked himself right up into quite a disgruntled state over the paper with markings he couldn't read!  We worked it all out, although I hope it didn't affect the overall turnout of Michigan.  

It is a little embarrassing for us to admit, but this was the first time anyone in our family has voted in a presidential election.  (I'm sure you will forgive us, as we have lived in Canada up to this point and were obviously not too good at the absentee ballot thing.)  I'm sure it will not be the last, and it was nice to see our little ones take interest in the affairs of our country at such a young age!  

The Latest on Luke

Here are a few of our little man's newest funny sayings:

• "Can I please have a little chee?"  (apparently his singular of cheese)
• "I have the pick-ups"  (hiccups)
• while trying to get around Aimee: "Move over, big bum!"  Ouch, that one hurts.

Here he is after he redressed himself for the day.  Notice the shorts and polo shirt under a fleece pajama top and Diego pajama bottoms.  What a turkey!

This guy may look a lot like Clay, but he is so much like Aimee, it's really ridiculous.  He is shy, sensitive, explosively emotional, stubborn, easily frustrated, needy, and likes to hide when he's upset.  He is also fun to hang around, funny at just the right moments, and loves to play games.   He won't be forced to do anything, but he will put his all into anything that he has decided he wants to do.  Let's all hope he wants to be potty-trained soon!  We wouldn't be a complete family without him, and we "love his guts".  Oh, and did I mention that Luke is officially an American?!  Of course he has been all along, since Clay and I both are, but we finally have a certificate to prove it.  Now we can visit Grandparents Hall in Canada!  ...Well, as soon as we conquer the next hurdle:  money for plane tickets.  One step at a time.

That Little Ache

It's been five days without a pacifier, or "chupa" as we call it, for Audrey, and I'm really feeling that little ache.  You moms and dads know what I'm talking about.  It's that happy and sad feeling deep down in your heart that bubbles up to remind you that your babies are growing up.  At 14 months, Audrey really is turning into a big girl.  She says no to Luke when he takes a toy away, she can say her own name, she can climb up and slide down a slide by herself, and she can feed herself with a spoon and fork (well, kind of).  Her huge eyes are turning into an asset instead of a liability, and she has quite a full mouth of teeth!  We are crazy about this little girl and feel so lucky to have her in our family.  What a precious little honey!

Halloween Bonanza

I don't know if we could have fit much more Halloween into the month.  Here's a rundown of what we've been up to:  

The first weekend of October, we all worked together to carve this witch jack-o-lantern at a pumpkin-carving party.  Luke picked out the design. 

This is before the Grosse Pointe Mom's Club Halloween party.   Thanks to Grandma Allphin for the cute cheerleader and doctor costumes!

Like father, like son.  Clay was actually post-call and falling asleep on the coach.

Here are some pics at the Zoo-Boo event at the Detroit Zoo.  What a cute Elmo!

Now this is what Halloween is all about!

Here we are mixing up the costumes a little bit for the Branch party.

Luke's making a monster face as he shows off the witch-pumpkin (with a mustache) he helped create.

After a morning Halloween party at his music class and trick-or-treating at the Halloween-at- the-Village event in the afternoon, Luke's doctor costume was looking less than stellar.  He opted to be a cowboy to finish the festivities. 

The highlight of the night was definitely Clay dressing up for the first time in our married life and taking the kids trick-or-treating on our street.  

A couple of cute old ladies actually put candy in his cup!

Luke took this picture of mom the firewoman.

Okay, Clay's costume was the highlight for Aimee, but the highlight for the rest of the family happened the next morning.  Aimee sneakily hid the enormous candy bowl on top of the fridge, but it just wasn't on there quite good enough.  When Luke opened the fridge the next morning looking for breakfast, an avalanche of candy fell all over the place.  Luke, Audrey, and CLAYTON dove in to line their pockets before Aimee could clean it up.  Oh well, better luck next year.  Hope everyone's Halloween was spook-tacular!

Cameraman

Luke is our little aspiring photographer, and he took some pretty good ones today on our walk.  I'd say the kid's got talent.