House O' Sullivans

We spent yesterday afternoon outside (I couldn't resist the clean air and sunshine) chipping the thick layer of ice off the driveway and sidewalks and building the beginnings of our backyard sledding hill (last year's version drew neighbor kids from far and wide).  Last night we trekked out to South Jordan for the annual Sullivan family nativity in the barn.  Sophie was cast as Mary, Hallee as an angel, and Zeke as a sheep. We spent so much time outside earlier that we had to throw together some costumes in haste.  The "baby" that Sophie held during the nativity was actually a glow worm.  Somehow I ended up with two girls that never really got into playing with dolls, so Zeke's glow worm was our best bet.  Sophie (Mary), Hank (Joseph), and Zeke (the sheep that thought he needed to join the scene). Zeke's get-up consisted of Casey's sheep skin (the one that we affectionately call "Bucky" after the original owner of the wool coat). ...

After the pathetic scene in Hallee's room earlier on Monday night (see  previous post ) , I told her that when Casey got home from work, I'd have him bring Nibblett inside for a special visit.  Five days of separation and they were together again at last. Hal was in heaven!! Hal with her beloved Nibblett, whom she loves more than her own parents. (So she says.) The very next morning (Tuesday), Hal felt well enough to do her regular morning chores, which really means getting Nibblett out and running around the backyard until I call her in for breakfast. The first thing that Hal did was show Nibblett the little snow cave that Sophie constructed last week (while Hal lay withering away on her bed).  Notice how Hal and her bunny wear the same expression on their little faces.

Little Hal has been sick.  Really sick.  She came down with a fever and a stomach ache last Wednesday and every day since has been filled with more fever, more stomach ache, some vomiting, diarrhea, dizziness, and then this morning she added a sore throat to the list.  Big bummer.  We've been hunkering down these past several days, cancelling all of our outings and gatherings and just being together in the house.  In a strange way, I've enjoyed it.  Instead of hustling here and there and doing this or that, I've been totally present in my home, spending large volumes of time reading and talking to my kids and caring for and snuggling and loving on Hal.  The poor girl has spent the past five days eating and drinking very little.  Her nickname IS Little and she has been getting littler and littler with each passing day.  This morning, with the addition of yet another symptom, I took her to our pediatrician.  I'd been consulting w...

Tonight Hallee and I were discussing illnesses and diseases.  I was explaining to her that some people are born with diabetes and others acquire it from eating too much junk.  She asked earnestly, "Mom, did the people who are born with diabetes eat too much sugar before they were born?"

This morning, when I put my running shoes on, I found a walnut carefully placed inside each one.  My kids were only 8 days late playing Sinterklaas for the Dutch celebration of St. Nicholas Eve.  Tonight I noticed that they'd ramped up the surprise for tomorrow morning's run:

Last night I was lucky.  I had wanted to go to the Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert, but didn't get tickets through the online lottery.  Bummer.  Unexpectedly, my sister, Mary, called yesterday afternoon and informed me that she had two extra tickets AND would come and pick me up.  Major score! After quickly rearranging my tutoring schedule for the evening, Sophie and I got to go with Mary and her daughter Anni to an amazing performance featuring a famous soprano ( Deborah Voigt) and  British actor John Rhys-Davies.  Onsite were dozens of dancers and actors, a beautiful set replicating an old English village (complete with smoke rising from the chimneys and "snow" falling from the sky), a full orchestra, the Temple Square bell ringers, the Tabernacle Choir, famous people.  You know.  As Casey says, it was legit.  Mary's in-laws, John and Beth, saved us seats down on the main floor plaza and we were closer to the front than I have ever been ...

This morning Hallee appeared wearing this stunning outfit: Hallee-style. I have long since abandoned any attempts at directing my children's clothing selections.  Too much backlash on their part and not enough energy for the battle on mine.  It must be noted that Hallee is wearing 3 shirts (and a pair of tights) and nothing else in the above, unaltered photo.  One of those shirts is actually part of a pajama set.  She remarked with a smile, "Mom.  Look.  I am wearing two shirts today.  Um.  Wait.  I mean three."  That "skirt" is indeed the third shirt. She wore this all day, including to the bank and out to lunch.  She would have worn it to the rest home that we visited tonight had I not given her a bath and had her put on her pajamas.

With the frigid temperatures upon us, we took to some indoor activity.  As is tradition at the Sullivan home, we each designed, constructed, and decorated our own gingerbread houses.  Sophie, like in previous years, took the opportunity to cover every square centimeter of her little house in the good stuff.  Honestly, who could resist the sugar smorgasbord laid before us? Sophie, working on her masterpiece Hallee wanted to make sure giant worms topped her gingerbread house. Sophie's little house, nicknamed "Diabetes" Our little village. With the falling of the white stuff in measurable volume, I decided to take the kids for some extreme sledding up Neff's Canyon.  Even though it was ridiculously cold all last week, I couldn't resist the amazingly blue sun-shiny skies.  I lured the kids up the snow covered road with promises of an amazing and sustained ride back down.  Once we reached their maximum altitude (decided by their faltering ...