Jeff, Tiffany, and Their 3 Little Baers: Christmas Parties, a Hospital Visit, and Jeff is a Duke Alumni!

We decorated gingerbread houses while watching the Christmas devotional. We had the idea of using our leftover Halloween candy which was brilliant! The kids could put as much on as they wanted and we didn't have to ration. And Lily had her second week of choir and sat by Sister Loucks. She was happy to sing and Sister Loucks was very kind, having taught elementary music she was perfect to sit by.

I wanted the kids to have a healthier diet and I have been feeling bad about only providing them with unhealthy options, especially when Jeff is gone I don't do great dinners. So we made a menu for the week and then went shopping. I stayed up one night and hid all the unhealthy food in our pantry and somehow carried the heavy box of food downstairs. Max kept opening the fridge and pantry for snacks and was very angry when they weren't there. He screamed when he saw the chocolate milk up high and I wouldn't give him any. That boy likes his sugar. I also realized that I eat so much unhealthy food too when it's just present and readily available. So by hiding it downstairs it helps. One morning the power went out for 30 minutes. But in that time I was going to make breakfast and I had a small time frame because Lily had school. So I went downstairs and got cereal and sweet rolls so she'd have that for lunch. The kids were so excited to eat that for breakfast. I also spent so much time cooking and standing on my feet that I feel like it has taken away from kid time on some days. I have tried to have the kids help, but it still feels like a lot of cooking. The first night of dinner the kids all hated the meal and I felt totally discouraged. I was frustrated and angry that I had tried so hard to make good meals, and no one wanted it.

Later in the week I feel like I was starting to hit more of a happy medium. I made a meal that everyone liked, figured out some snacks that some of the kids like, and didn't have nearly as much mindless snacking from the kids that we usually have. So I just need to find that balance of healthy meals that are not time consuming, but also some easy on the go snacks or meals when it's very busy. Meal time has become quite the challenge for me and I always dread it, but I guess it's a necessary part of life, so I'm praying to find a way to make it better.

I had heard about kids earning money for Christmas presents for their siblings and just going to the dollar store for a gift. Each square is a certain amount of money, and they can color a square when they complete a job. Lily wants to buy gifts for the boys and Jeff and me, Ryan wants to buy for Lily, Ryan, and Blake, and Max will get for the kids. I gave them all 16 squares so they'd have the same, but they have been pretty good about doing jobs so they can fill in squares. Some are half jobs, like emptying the dishwasher or making the bed, but if they help me make dinner or clean up the upstairs or downstairs, fold laundry, clean the bathroom that's a full job. Lily keeps asking if there's jobs she can do. Ryan folded all his clothes and I folded Max's while he put them away. Lily had a huge laundry basket of her stuff that she did, the kids have been unloading the dishwasher, picking up the downstairs, and making their beds and it has been awesome! I even let them color some squares because they cleaned up toys at open gym at the rec center. They stayed after both times we went to help put things away, it was pretty sweet.

They did a great job cleaning up at the Rec Center.

Lily and Ryan had their last day of music class. Lily had to play a song for Ms. Kim and she did a great job. Kim said she can tell she practices a lot and her knowledge of concepts is advanced for her age. The day of class Lily really wanted to get ten marks for each song in her practice book, so she worked hard on doing that before class.

Lily took an advanced reading test and it turns out she's essentially reading at a third grade level. She now gets to read chapter books for school and loves spending time reading each night. Right now she's reading The Magic Treehouse books, which is fun because we have listened to several of those on CD. She does really well with retention of the story too. She also had a piece of artwork selected for the art show later in the year, so Lily seems to be thriving at school.

It was so cute at her gymnastics class on the balance beam the girl in front of her kept falling. And every time she'd fall, Lily would reach out her hands to try and catch her. I told her after that I can tell she has a kind heart because she was so concerned about this girl. Ryan said that he has a kind heart too. Lily said it was the girl's first time on the high beam and she was scared, so Lily wanted to help her out. I thought it was really sweet.

I took the boys to open gym gymnastics and while they had fun, there was a lot of whining and crying. Ryan really wanted to jump off the highest point (a vault), but every time he tried he got scared. He was upset he couldn't do it and then even more upset when Blake did it and he couldn't. He never did do it, but because he kept trying, he kept crying. It was Friday and Jeff had gotten home on Thursday night but stayed at his parents to finish up his schoolwork. We talked on the phone and I just started crying that I was so tired and didn't know how I would make it through the day. So he decided to come home, even though he had a 15 page paper due Saturday night. I felt bad, and yet was so grateful he came. He realized his paper was actually due Saturday morning though, so he had a lot of work ahead. But then my leg started hurting so bad from varicose veins that I could hardly stand and walking hurt. He felt it and the area was warm and somewhat inflamed and tender. From what we read and talking to my dad, we decided to go in to the ER to make sure it wasn't thrombosis, a blood clot. Jeff insisted on coming with me, so we eventually found a sitter, which was a blessing. In the end nothing was wrong. Jeff said I must be really hard up for a date (this was a most expensive date at that). I was so worried about him finishing his paper, but he went to bed late and got up after only sleeping three hours and finished it. He didn't utter one word of complaint or resentment, he was just happy to be there for me and to make sure I was safe and healthy. I was very grateful for him and his love and we just thought this made for a very memorable end to his MBA.

Saturday I went to the ward breakfast with the kids. They mostly played in the nursery so I got to talk to people, which was nice. And then we had a nativity dress up. Max didn't want to dress up, but even days later he keeps telling me that he's baby Jesus (since that's what we said he could be in the nativity).

Ryan the wise man.

Lily is the angel and I'm Mary.

Later in the day was Sweets with Santa at Lily's school. Lily was so nervous she wouldn't know anyone there, but Ryan reassured her that at least she would know us. That wasn't good enough for her, but she did see some friends so that made her feel better.

In front of Lily's bulletin board for her classroom.

Ryan and Max played Candyland. Max played by the rules a little at the beginning, then he just did his own thing.

A very cold and smelly carriage ride.

Sunday Ryan had his preschool program, so we left church a little early to attend that. He did a great job and knew all the words and said his name loud and clear. There was one part where Jeff said the other kids didn't really know what to say. So he could tell Ryan was talking extra loud to help them out. He was pretty cute and thrilled when he spotted us in the audience.

Max sat very still on Jasmine Thomas' lap for awhile, it was pretty amazing.

Then that night Kari Murray invited us for dinner and a new member discussion with a new family in our ward. I was very grateful not to have to worry about dinner, and it was nice to have a gospel discussion. The family loves the people in the ward and loves the feeling they have when they come to church, but doesn't seem to have a real testimony of The Book of Mormon or Joseph Smith as a prophet. They were given challenges on reading and praying about it, and I hope they do.

Sunday night Jeff submitted his last ever assignment for school! Hooray and hallelujah! I honestly can't believe that Jeff is done with school. It was such a wonderful experience for which we feel truly blessed he was able to do, but it was also so challenging. He was gone every week for 2-3 nights (and then even more when he started his new job) so he could stay at his parents and study. And then with all the residences he was gone a total of 3 months. With the time spent studying of the GMAT and applying for schools, it has been nonstop for he last two years. I'm so happy for him to have nights where he doesn't have to worry about getting things done or Saturday morning classes. It is so exciting to think of him being home with us now because he will be able to be completely present with us without having to carve out time for school. But....interestingly enough, Jeff felt a bit of sadness in being done. It felt like a mission was over, and while he was happy to move on to the next phase of life, there were people, experiences, and relationships with his colleagues that he was really going to miss. It was also a little weird to just finish on his own without any sort of celebration with his peers or graduation, since graduation is in May. So I think that will be a nice time to commemorate all the hard work he did and to be able to enjoy his accomplishment with others in his group. But we did it! We can do hard things. Sometimes we thrived, and sometimes we just survived. Sometimes I went through the week with hope, faith, and optimism, accomplishing many good things, and sometimes I went through the week with an attitude I hope my children don't remember. But the Lord did hear our many prayers and blessed us in such wonderful ways, I can't deny He is totally mindful of us and our challenges.