Our Bartlett Family Wish List:

Reagan is wishing for her two front teeth this Christmas. She is six and is looking very much like a first grader right now! Her favorite parts of school are recess and ELP and she has read more fairy books than I can count. Besides reading, she loves singing, making crafts, and helping to cook. She goes to AWANA on Wednesday nights and has started a cheerleading program called Upward at our church this winter.

Grant is wishing for food this Christmas – any type of food - because “he is always hungry”. Grant is four and started preschool two days a week this fall. He is a chatterbox when Reagan is not around and like I said, he loves to eat! Grant will tell you he loves “sports” but what he really likes is throwing things, tackling things, jumping on things and running around.

Riley is wishing for anything Reagan and Grant have. She is nearly three and keeps up with the older two like it’s her job. She will not eat vegetables or spaghetti sauce for anything and loves Elmo, Dora, and the color purple. She is as cute as any little girl I’ve seen and loves back scratches and “cuddling Mommy”.

Jackson is wishing for more pacifiers, blankies and attention. He is fourteen months old and is not interested in walking. Instead of crawling, he scoots around the house on his bottom – it is a funny thing to watch! Jackson loves his brother & sisters and he’s usually a happy little guy – except at the church nursery.

I (Sally) am wishing for a little peace and quiet – emphasis on the word “little”. (Too much quiet usually means trouble around here. :) I love, love, love being able to stay home with the kids, but there are days when I could use a nap. I am trying hard to bottle up all these baby years and little kid snuggles while also trying to teach the kids to love each other and stop fighting.

Joel is wishing for world peace this year… or um… ok. I don’t actually know because I didn’t ask him. I need to finish this letter or it will become a “New Year’s Wish List” and that doesn’t work as well. This was Joel’s 6th year working as a mechanical engineer for The Baker Group in Des Moines. His co-workers seem to like him despite his habit of whistling whatever tune is in his head. We are thankful that despite the downturn in the construction industry, Joel has stayed busy again this year.

All of us are wishing for you to have a joyous and meaningful Christmas. We are celebrating with you the birth of baby Jesus “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” I wonder what He would wish for this year.

Merry Christmas!
Sally (and Joel, Reagan, Grant, Riley, and Jackson)

All I Want For Christmas...

...is my two front teeth!

Reagan on 12/6/11:

Reagan on 12/13/11:

Reagan on 12/14/11:

Reagan today 12/20/11:

(Aunt Sandy - it was exactly 6 days before her other front tooth fell out!)

Some Christmas Confusion...

I have to set this up a little:

We've been doing the "Jesse tree" to count down the days until Christmas. Each night the kids take turns putting an ornament on the tree that symbolizes a person in the lineage of Jesus. Reagan reads a short little story about them to us and then I quiz Grant and Reagan to be sure they were paying attention.


Once Reagan is out of the car on her way to school, Grant turns on the talking. He usually chatters about random things all the way home. Last time it was this (when he saw a Christmas lawn ornament display):

Grant: "Hey Mom! I just saw an Abraham thing!"
Me: "Oh yeah? Are you sure it wasn't baby Jesus?"
Grant: "No it wasn't Jesus - and actually - I think it was Moses."
Me: "Oh yeah? Why do you think it was Moses?"
Grant: "'Cause he was in a basket!"
Me: "I think maybe it was supposed to be a manger and not a basket. Don't you think?"
Grant: "Yeah! I think it was! So I was right! It was an Abraham thing!"
Me: "No, Grant - remember? Jesus was the one born in the manger?"
Grant: "I know! And he was born in Abraham town. Just like we sing in my song at school!"

After he said that I just let it go...

Niblets

Tonight after supper Riley was running around in only her diaper. Reagan was trying on her dress for her Christmas concert tomorrow night. I thought it was a little too low cut and I offered to pin the straps up just a bit higher. Reagan then launched into a lecture to Riley about modesty and why "Mom has to fix my dress."

Reagan: "You see these Riley? These niblets are a girl's very private parts and you shouldn't show them to anyone - like you are right now."

Me: "That's true Reagan but where did you learn that word?"

Reagan: "From you Mom. You told me all about it!"

My memory is not great anymore but I would remember having a conversation about niblets. I just would.

Some Rule Changes Around Here...

This holiday weekend we picked up a stomach virus from our visit with our extended family. As it makes its way through our family, I've had to make a some changes to our rules and add a few new ones:

Our new (temporary!) rules:

- You may not bring your throw-up bowl to the family dinner table. You may, however sleep with it if you choose - even if its been 2 days since you've actually needed it.

- Bowls are not to be used as hats or played with as toys.

- You are not required to put clothes on. You are only required to change to clean PJs once per day - unless more changes are necessary.

- You are not forced to eat supper. You don't even have to try a bite if you don't want to. In fact if you say (Riley) the words "I sick" you may eat crackers and Gatorade for supper for the third night in a row.

- There is no movie limit. In fact movies are suggested - the older ones are encouraged to turn them on for the younger one(s).

sheesh. ...the things I hear myself say.