Talking to Myself

Sitting at the computer lately, I often feel like I'm just talking to myself. Anybody out there? Anyone? (Silence.) Well, in that case, let the monologue continue. :)

I wanted to toss out a few more pictures from when Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles came to visit.  Here they are with the grandkids in our living room:

And here they are during our morning craft session.  Turns out that Grandpa Charles is an outstanding wand painter!

Thanks to Charles and Susie's help, we churned out a dozen Harry Potter wands for a Young Women's activity.

Eli, on the other hand, dabbled in watercolors.

We turned Annika loose with the watercolors as well, but instead of painting the paper...

...she painted her face.  Silly gal!

As long as I'm playing catch-up, here are a few final pictures from fall before Christmas overtakes us all.

This autumn display comes from the Lauritzen botanical gardens.  I splurged on an annual membership back at the end of September as a birthday present to myself.  It's been pretty special to see the gardens change with the seasons.

My only complaint is that the big kids never get out of school in time to visit the gardens during the week.  On this day, I actually checked Brooklyn and Talia out an hour early so that they could enjoy the outdoors on the last warm day of fall.

Fortunately they just finished construction on an enormous new conservatory that will stay open (and toasty warm) all year long.

 Here's Annie Mae, checking out one of the newly planted flower beds.

Eli explores a colorful path.

A Bird of Paradise, aptly identified as a  "Plant of Interest."

Omaha's only tropical subclime.

I promised that this photo drop wouldn't get into the winter scene too much, but why don't we skip to Christmas after all--last Christmas.  These photos were taken last January at Papa Kay's law library.  While backing up pictures recently, I realized that I never shared them.

Cute, huh.  The best part is that in a couple days we'll all be together again once more.

Babyfully Topsy Turvy

A brand new baby.  What joy!  What exhaustion.  Remember how that very first little one turned your life completely upside down?

(Here's Brooklyn, just minutes old, with my Ob-Gyn Dr. Gamette)

Two weeks ago I was still in Puyallup snuggling baby Eila.


I miss that pretty babe already!  (Good thing she's coming to visit next week.)

I'd almost forgotten how teeny tiny newborns are, scarcely filling their car seat.

So sleepy!

Adam has transitioned marvelously into his new role of devoted father.  It's amazing how quickly these wee ones establish the ground rules of who's really in charge.  :)

Of course, it's always important to give extra love and attention to the older siblings when welcoming a new baby into the house.

I had more chances to bond with Zoe during this past trip than ever before, mostly because my lap was available.

Zoe was very cooperative during our pug photo shoot.

Aw, too adorable!

"Despite my graying whiskers, I'm still the cutest pug ever."

Eila, on the other hand, did not much appreciate of our photo staging.

We tried cookies...

And we tried flowers...

And then we wised up and scheduled a professional photo shoot.

Even if Eila had a few sad moments, my week in Washington was admittedly relaxing and rejuvenating--so much so that I felt a little guilty for leaving my family behind.  I worried most about abandoning Annika since she was still nursing before we parted.  Fortunately, I knew she was in the best of hands with Grandma Susie and Grandpa Charles.  From what I can gather, they had a marvelous time together.

Annika came home with a new word--Jump!  Jump!

Taking Grandma's new shoes for a spin.

Our little cutie has a wide assortment of nicknames: Annie Mae (Jason's choice), Bubba (the name Brooklyn made up), and even Trouble (most often used by Eli.)  Personally, I find myself constantly referring to Annika as Baby Girl.  When Charles and Susie texted me these pictures, I suddenly realized that my little girl simply isn't a baby any more.

It's hard to see my baby baby grow up.  Exhausting as childrearing may be, I feel melancholy leaving young motherhood behind.  I let Annika nurse longer than any of the rest, simply because I wasn't prepared to break that bond of emotional closeness.  To be completely truthful, this morning I let her crawl into bed with me and suckle one last time.  Even though she may not physically need me, I missed it and needed one last chance to bid farewell to infancy.

On the positive side, our munchkins become more and more entertaining as they grow, constantly amazing us with their creativity.  When Annika and I arrived back in Omaha (I picked her up during a three hour layover in Salt Lake), the big kids surprised us with a welcome home party.  Not only was the house immaculate (thanks to Jason), but we were greeted by multiple posters.  (The small text on this one reads, I love you Mommy!  And you, Trouble.)

Best of all was the performance, complete with acrobatic entertainment (courtesy of Talia) and original vocal compositions (thanks to Brooklyn, who wrote new lyrics to "Let it Go.")

As all my babies grow up, life seems a bit topsy turvy once more.  Guess I'll just have to learn to be more flexible.

Talia's Birthday and Baptism

So within the past two weeks, we've driven to New York, shipped Annika off on a plane to Utah, and sent me to Seattle.  Fortunately we were all united in Omaha for a few days in between because something very important happened.  Our Talia Lily turned eight!

Since Talia's real birthday party was the Harry Potter celebration in October, we limited ourselves to a simple family get-together.  We all went to watch Big Hero 6 in the morning, ate tamales for lunch, and played in the afternoon.  Here's Eli, crowning our birthday gal before she opened presents.

Even though Talia wasn't supposed to get any new presents from Mom and Dad, I salvaged this doll house from a street corner where it was waiting with the trash.

The best present of all, however, was having Grandpa Charles and Grandma Susie fly in for the celebration.  Here are Charles and Jason carrying the doll house all the way up to its new attic home.

As special as her birthday was, the following day was even more significant: on November 16th, Talia was baptized.  The dress she is wearing, made by her NomiAnn, has become a family heirloom.  Thus far it's been the baptismal dress for two sister sets: Kara & Callie and Brooklyn & Talia.  I'm guessing Eli will choose to break the tradition...

Cheerful despite the bitterly cold weather, we explained to Talia that God blanketed the whole city in white in honor of her baptism.  :)

Here are Brooklyn and Talia smiling at the picture Jason drew for the cover of her baptismal program.

Speaking of Daddy Jason, here he is dressed in white, all ready to baptize and confirm his special little girl.

Even though the photo quality isn't great, but I love the adoring look in Jason's face in this picture.  You can tell he's just so proud of Talia and the great choices she's making.

Despite a relatively small turnout on this frigid day, Talia's baptismal program was very special.  NomiAnn offered an opening prayer, Brooklyn gave a talk on baptism, Papa K and Eli sang "I am a Child of God," Grandma Susie spoke about the gift of the Holy Ghost, Sister Emma Beck (the Primary president) and Bishop Tomoser welcomed Talia, and Grandpa Charles gave the closing prayer.  Talk about being surrounded by those who love you!

Before we knew it, it was time to enjoy cheesecake and brownies before bundling up to head home.  Here's Grandma Susie getting Annie ready to go (a foreshadowing of things to come.)

And one more picture of Talia with her Wheeler grandparents.

Talia Lily, we're so very proud of you and the covenants you've made to follow Jesus.  You already have such a generous heart and sincere desire to serve others.  May this gift continue to be magnified, spreading happiness and joy now and for always.  We love you!

Autumn on Long Island

One of the unexpected bonuses of driving to Long Island for Uncle Jay’s funeral was the chance to enjoy the incredibly mild New York weather.  Our trips to the east coast are almost always centered around summer or winter vacations.  It was such a treat to experience the beautiful colors of fall.

Brooklyn, Talia, and Eli hanging out in Aunt Alison’s yard, along with her neighbor’s chickens.  Her neighbors on the other side were so kind, allowing us all to crash their home, just like they did while Jason was working in Manhattan.

A walk around the pond in Centerport.

Talia takes a closer look.

Too pretty for words.

Uncle Jay, I really don’t know if you had anything to do with the weather from upstairs, but we sure enjoyed the sunshine!