Merry Christmas!

Our fancy meal on Christmas Eve was pretty darn fabulous with Mom and Dad supplying a hefty ham and Brent trying his hand at the Nielsen recipe of Aunt Bea's potatoes. Hands down the best we'd ever had. Mom made her savory rolls and there were plenty of leftovers to feast on Christmas Day. Mom and Dad went to bed early while Whitney stayed up with us to watch A Christmas Story as we stuffed the stockings.

I don't think the girls ever really went to sleep on Christmas Eve. Although they have separate bedrooms, we kept seeing flashes of them running up and down the hallway and heard them chattering away until at least 3AM. With all of that excitement, the girls were pretty groggy when they finally descended the stairs after Brent rang the bell. 

Ireland wanted her turn as Saint Lucia. We brought Mom and Dad a breakfast tray of hot chocolate and warmed up rolls with jam.

They leisurely ate breakfast in bed while the girls tore into their stockings. It always interests me what the girls get most excited about but everyone is so happy to get their can of Pringles.

 One of my favorite traditions is sharing Pringle pics with my siblings on Christmas day!

The Cranes had us for gift exchange this year and Katrina gave the girls these adorable skirts.

On the flip side, we just happened to have Whitney and Tim for gift exchange and it was fun to see Whitney's reaction when she opened her gift. It's one of the fancy schmancy aprons worn by the barista's at Starbucks Reserve Roastery. 

Whitney had been Jonesing for one for years.

Another favorite is the gift exchange between the girls. Sydney really wanted to wrap her gifts herself and aside from measuring out the wrapping paper and handing her strips of neon pink duct tape (she decided regular tape wasn't getting the job done), she really did do it all herself. I loved her lovingly, securely, imperfect wrapping job.

One of the heart-melting presents is one Brigitta requested I help her with for Brent. A few weeks earlier, she had accidentally broken a glass cup. Brent was pretty upset about the mess and after that Brigitta whispered to me that she wanted to get him a new one for Christmas. It was the sweetest thing. She was trying so hard to make her wrong right and as you can see, Brent was touched.

Brigitta also used duct tape on her wrapping job which made her gift to Sydney a little difficult to open. See all that effort on her face?

Attempting another angle...

With great effort, finally getting an end open.

Brent wore these antlers pretty much all day... with the tag still on them. Sydney just knew he'd love them!

Grandma Wuehler sent along these hand-knitted hats for the girls and they quickly became favorite winter wear.

Reagan flew in that evening and so we kept the party going by celebrating her birthday which was Christmas Eve.

She really wanted this robe, but they were sold out in the store near her so I checked ours and voila! It was available in her size. Even though she grew up here, the frigid midwest winters are always quite the shock to her system so that cozy robe was perfect for her. 

Having family around for Christmas was fun but getting even more family by the end of the day was even better. We all got to go shopping at the American Girl store and eat Lou Malnati's pizza and go see Pitch Perfect 3. It was so much fun, I never wanted it to end. 

It's all about family.

Our Christmas Card

Last year as we headed into the Christmas season, our SUV tire tread was worn down to dangerously low levels. Even in the rain, I'd felt the car slide a bit. Facing another infamous Chicago winter, I knew we were gambling the longer we drove on them. We had to replace them, and the timing couldn't have been worse. Brent and I agreed to forgo Christmas cards to help cushion the blow of this hefty expense. But I was bummed. REALLY bummed. Christmas cards are my favorite part of the season.

That year sans Christmas cards just made this year's card all the more exciting. With four daughters, I really wanted to find a pink card that would stand out among all the red and green cards. Initially, I intended to have a family photo taken at the same time as Sydney's birthday photos. Then Julie snapped this one of us when we all hiked Kirby Cove during our trip to San Francisco and I knew it just had to be on our Christmas card. We all fell in love with hiking last summer, and that reflects on our faces here. I love how the girls are leaning into each other but not in a terribly posed manner with fake smiles. I love how the tower of the Golden Gate Bridge in the background is closer to Brent than to me- especially since it is his hometown. It's natural and urban all at once. And the girls were wearing pink. Perfect.

It seems few people do the chatty family newsletters anymore and I, too, considered eschewing it. But with a two-year gap since our last card, I really did want to catch everyone up on what we were up to. I hope I made the right choice!

To Our Dear Friends and Family,

Before launching into our annual Christmas Newsletter, I’d like to address the photo of our family in front of San Francisco’s famed Golden Gate Bridge. We are not sending this card to brag about the fact we took a big, expensive vacation to the West Coast. This simply happens to be the best photo we have of our family from the past year. With that said, let’s get down to business and talk about what the Wuehler Family has been up to in 2017. 

We took a big, expensive vacation to the West Coast this summer!!! It's actually been quite a while since we've traveled so far and so extensively. As the girls grow older, it indubitably gets easier, but there are plenty of travel hacks we adhered to during our journey.

Packing: Utilize space thoughtfully. Roll the clothes, don’t fold!
This past year Liesel (9) has deftly fit in a number of activities including Girl Scouts, Activity Days, ASL Club, dance and swimming. She also joined Girls on the Run and ran her first 5K! Not to brag (OK, maybe a little), but she’s in her school’s gifted program for language arts. On top of all that, Liesel is suffering through braces as well. Her favorite part of vacation? Swimming with dolphins! 

Security: Slip-on shoes and a smile!
Ireland (7) continues to be the easy-going, happy girl she’s always been. Dozens of friends seemingly line up to hang out with her as she gets along with just about everyone. She is also enjoying Girl Scouts, ASL Club, dance and swimming. This summer Ireland mastered the monkey bars and now that her hands are good and calloused, she is intent on conquering the rope climb too. Not to brag (OK, maybe a little more), but she’s working with her school’s gifted teacher in language arts and math. Hiking to Corkscrew Tree in the Redwood National Park was Ireland’s most memorable moment from vacation.

Boarding: We are all going the same place, don’t be pushy!
A very eager Brigitta (5) started kindergarten this fall. She’s the one child we never have to remind regarding homework as she completes it the second she walks in the door. Ready to run with the big dogs, she threw herself into dance and swimming as well this year. After enjoying tap on her own, Liesel and Ireland joined her. Their number to Lollipop at the spring recital was adorable. Her favorite part of vacation was rolling in the sand at the beach of Cape Perpetua in Oregon.

Accommodations: A soft bed and a good breakfast are key!
Sydney (4) began preschool this fall and had swimming lessons sans Mom this past summer. She finally, FINALLY started dance along with her sisters! Participation in all the aforementioned activities required potty training and accomplishing that was quite the feat this year. Whoever wrote that children can be potty trained in a day was either very drunk or outright sadistic. Now that Sydney is past that hurdle, life is positively cushy. Sydney enjoyed all kinds of ice cream on vacation. From Salt N Straw in Portland to Ghiradelli Square in San Francisco, she was on a perpetual sugar high.

Adventure: Carpe Diem
Brent and I really enjoy team teaching our Primary class. After completing his duties with Boy Scouts, Brent has earned a reputation playing basketball as “White Shaq”. He has also taken up biking while Danika has a newfound love of CrossFit. Our travel highlights were hands down the hikes we took as a family: The Hobbit Trail in Oregon, Fern Canyon in the Redwood National Park, and Kirby Cove by the Golden Gate Bridge.

There's No Place Like Home: Don't take it for grantedNo matter your sojourn this year, we hope this newsletter finds you well, and looking forward to a New Year. While there is a lot of world to see out there, we found having roots to return to is equally as important. If you find yourself wandering this holiday season, may you return home to the assurance of the love of our Savior, Jesus Christ. May his choicest blessing be upon you all. Merry Christmas!

My favorite thing about sending Christmas cards is the feeling that I'm sending a little love and cheer out into the world. My second favorite thing is getting cards in return!

Holiday Happenings

There was a lot of hustle and bustle around our house as the holidays kicked into high gear. First up was Brent's work holiday party. Actually, there was a cookie kick-off just before we headed out for the party and we volunteered to be "Cookie Parents" this year. The timing was so tight, we had to go to the kick-off dressed to the nines and I think the other parents thought we were taking the whole thing a touch too seriously.

As always, the party was fantastic! The food was insanely good and the bartender made us specialty non-alcoholic drinks. Mine was a "pink flamingo" while Brent had a "red dragon". The bartender told me he works at the Lincoln Park Zoo and so when he's tending bar on the side, he names all of his concoctions after animals.

I must be getting old because I usually find the music at these events too loud and I tire quickly of trying to yell over it. However, this year they had this incredibly violinist and I went crazy for her electric pink violin, electric pink shoes and fringed dress. I told her as much and she actually offered to give me the dress! 

These events are on the sophisticated side so no one is whipping out their phone for a selfie or taking videos, but I sneaked this one in because the violinist was just too fabulous. Unfortunately she took a bit of a break there in the middle, but you get the idea.

We took the girls to see Santa and again managed to double-book events! Ireland's Girl Scout troop was looking for volunteers to ring the bell for the Salvation Army bucket. I hadn't signed her up knowing this was the only Saturday we'd be able to slip in and see Santa. Turns out they were ringing right next to Santa's house! Rather than wait in line, Ireland rang the bell with her fellow scouts and encouraged donations. 

I thought instead of braids or pigtails, I would just flat-iron their hair so it would look beautifully smooth. It kind of ended up looking scraggly and boring but their bright smiles make up for it. 

Egads she's looking big on his lap!

This Santa is so sweet.

The line moves slowly because he really takes his time with each child.

Sydney's irritation with the cold melted away when her turn came.

 After seeing the Nutcracker with my mom last year, I wanted to take the girls to see it here in Chicago this year. Not only did Mom and Dad tag along, but Whitney and Tim as well. Beforehand we checked out Manny's Delicatessen which is THE premier deli in the Chicago area. All the cold weather had me craving a reuben with matzo ball soup. Mom and Dad fell in love with delis on their mission to New Jersey and Whitney had a hankering for a black and white cookie. We all walked out of Manny's VERY satisfied customers!

The Nutcracker is the very first performance the girls have been to. Liesel loved it, but Ireland had been struggling with asthma for a few days and it was really laid bare that night. She was coughing up a storm and after intermission she cuddled up next to Uncle Tim and fell asleep. I'm sad she missed it, but relieved she wasn't coughing anymore!

I really, really, really love this version of The Nutcracker. The original is about a wealthy girl at her parent's big party where she receives gifts from her generous uncle and then goes into a fantasy world. It's kind of a story of someone having it all and then getting more. Christopher Wheeldon's version is set here in Chicago, just before the World's Fair. It's the story of a poor immigrant family. Though they have little, they share what they have with their community. The Uncle Drosselmeyer character is the master of ceremonies who is creating buzz about the upcoming fair. The fantasy world is the World's Fair and all the numbers are various exhibits at the fair. It's just so brilliantly and beautifully done. If you'd like to see the PBS special on it, click here. It's so good!!!

I loved watching it with Whitney who took dance all growing up. She had so many thoughts and insights I had missed! She fell in love with this version as well.

The double-booking continued in the month when the girl's dress recital for dance was the same night as the 4th and 5th grade holiday concert. Needless to say, I'm much more comfortable with hair and makeup than Brent is, so we agreed I would take the younger 3 to the dress rehearsal while Brent supported Liesel at her concert. It gutted me to miss her concert and the morning of Liesel mentioned some parents were coming to the mid-day performance the kids were doing for the rest of the school. 

I'm so glad I got to see it! Watching the kids sitting criss-cross, apple sauce by class on the floor of the cafeteria brought sooo many memories back! My favorite number was This is My Wish and I teared up as these kids sang about raising a joyful noise, letting your light shine, and letting there be peace on earth. Great balls of fire, I'm tearing up right now just writing about it. 

I love the part where Liesel stops looking at the director to find me in the crowd. Oh yes, I'm glad I made it for this!

We miraculously had a Sunday where we were NOT double-booked. In fact, we had nothing at all on our schedule and we were looking forward to settling in for a long winter's nap. At the last minute, a sweet friend of mine invited us over to her house to sing carols. I'm not going to lie, I didn't want to go, but I didn't want to let her down when I didn't really have a good excuse either. Turns out that was just what we all needed.

While we were keeping up with the hustle and bustle, we weren't really feeling that elusive Christmas spirit. We were checking off To Do lists and running carpools and mailing packages and just trying to stay on top of everything. Our minds and hearts were occupied with managing all that double-booking.

Our hosts invited us all to give a brief testimony of Christ and then select a carol. Our hostess provided us with fun Christmas costumes for a photo op by the tree. That was the evening the Spirit of Christmas came into our hearts. As those testimonies washed over us and we sang those cherished songs, we finally felt the reason for the season. We were the only family with children there and not only was everyone so incredibly kind to them, they mentioned how much fun it was to have them around.

 It was Brent's first time dressing up as Santa!

We introduced the girls to Speak Out, one of our favorite games. 

Everyone was laughing and wiping away drool. Such a fun game!

There were other events that need their own post and some, like Pajama Run for Ice Cream, where I didn't manage to snap any pictures. All in all it was an extremely busy holiday season, but a memorable one nonetheless.

There is a Santa for Everyone Who Believes in Him

I will always remember this Christmas as the one where we had girls in both worlds of wholeheartedly and innocently believing, and growing into an understanding of the bigger message when it comes to Christmas. Oddly enough, I enjoyed them both immensely. 

Let's start with Sydney. While this was her very first Christmas party at the preschool, thanks to Ireland and Brigitta, it was my fourth. 

The songs were all familiar and so I knew when Santa would be making his entrance and planned to catch Sydney's reaction:

Oh what a reaction! The joy is just bursting out of her little body as she wildly claps and bounces on her toes and wildly waves at St. Nick. I particularly love how she presses her hands together and puts them up by her face- as if he was an answer to her prayer. 

At the other end of the spectrum was Liesel, who's suspicions about Santa Claus have been around for a while. As her questions increased, I finally had a private sit down with her to set the record straight. Is Santa Claus real? Absolutely. There really was a Saint Nicholas who slipped coins into the stockings that were drying by the fire for poor children. It is that spirit of giving and kindness that keeps him alive today. Is a fat man in a red suit going to slide down the chimney tonight? No. But while we're on the subject, the Elf on the Shelf is just for fun to help maintain that magic... and Dad and I are sick of doing it. So now it is your responsibility to move the Elf on the Shelf every night! Doesn't that sound like FUN?!?!?

Actually, when Liesel found out it meant sneaking out of her room after everyone had gone to bed and doing something creative with Lucy, she was ecstatic. I have to say for the first time I really, really enjoyed the Elf on the Shelf this year. The twinkle in Liesel's eyes when her sisters woke her up to tell her what Lucy did last night was just precious. It felt like we had a comrade in arms. Regrettably, I didn't capture all that Lucy did this year but here are a couple:

 She hid in the silverware drawer.

She managed to anger the little army men in the house.

Lucy also made a snow angel out of sugar, tp'ed the Christmas tree, cuddled into a jar, pooped chocolate chips, wrote on the bathroom mirror with lipstick and built a house out of various Christmas books.

One evening Liesel came to me a little panicked- she overheard Ireland telling Dad that Lucy's handwriting looked an awful lot like Liesel's. How was she going to keep Ireland from finding out? I couldn't help but smile at the consternation that was once mine. Ah sweet Liesel, someday she will find out and you will see that it's not so bad.

With that, I'd like to include this lovely editorial originally printed in 1897 known as Yes, Virginia...

We take pleasure in answering thus prominently the communication below, expressing at the same time our great gratification that its faithful author is numbered among the friends of The Sun:

Dear Editor—
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, "If you see it in The Sun, it's so." Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O'Hanlon
115 West Ninety Fifth Street

Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men's or children's, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.

We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas Eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that's no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby's rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! He lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Winter Dance Recital

The girls did a wonderful job at this year's recital! I'm so proud of each of them for their dedication to dance. I'm also breathing a sigh of relief that we get a break from ubiquitous pick-up and drop-off at the studio. 

Let's start with Sydney who was by far the most excited about finally getting to be in hair, makeup and costume and getting her turn on the big stage.

She has truly loved her dance class and was so eager to get on stage!

She loved getting roses from Dad and, let's be honest, really dances for him.

I can't believe that Brigitta is now a seasoned dancer with a couple of recitals under her belt already. She again danced with her friend Amelia and they were adorable.

She, too, dances mostly for Dad and her eyes just light up when he gushes.

Last year they moved Ireland up into Liesel's class and I had more than a bit of trepidation about that shift. I don't want my daughters to be compared to each other but her teachers insisted she was ready. This year, Liesel bumped up again and Ireland was in class with just one other girl.

Rather than feeling bad that she wasn't picking up the choreography as fast as her sister, Ireland was free to just enjoy dance on her own level.

Liesel is running with the big dogs- girls who have been in dance for years and now that I think of it, she's been in for quite a while now too. All the girls in her ballet class also take something else like jazz/hip-hop, lyrical or tap. Liesel doesn't let that intimidate her one bit.

Watching our girls dance is always fun, but there are so many families from our ward who have daughters enrolled at the same studio, there's hard a number in the program without someone to watch out for. Amelia positively brought down the house with a number to Katy Perry's "Firework" and I found myself tearing up watching her dance do confidently across the stage.

I'm so grateful these girls have so many positive friends around them. I love these bun heads!

I'm glad they have dance as part of their lives.

Even if it can get a little crazy!

Home for Thanksgiving

I was feeling under the weather on Thanksgiving so unfortunately, I do not have a lot of photos. Regardless of my less-than-stellar health, it was really good to be back in my hometown.

Medical student Mr. Tim gave Ireland an informal physical.

Brigitta was Dakota's shadow the whole time. There's a treat canister in the kitchen and boy was she spoiled by the girls! Mom and Dad had purchased thick-cut bacon so Brent could make his favorite farm-style breakfast and I caught each of the girls slipping Dakota some under the table. When Dakota came upstairs in the morning she would search all the rooms to find where each of the girls were and then she'd settle into her routine. It was adorable.

Brigitta is so often caught in a world where she's either being the pesky little sister or the terretorial older sister and her relationship with Dakota is just so easy and uncomplicated. It's just a girl and her dog. They both know their roles and they both enjoy them. Plain and simple.

We brought a couple of pies from The Machine Shed and Mom did the bulk of the cooking. I was free to stuff envelopes with our Christmas card and newsletter, and enjoy the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. It was so stress-free!

On Black Friday we took the girls to see Coco which brought up sooo many mission memories for Brent and I! If it's possible, we enjoyed the movie more than the girls did and will definitely be looking for that when it's released. We all shared a meal from Zombie Burger which is becoming a must every time we are in town. Courtesy of Hills Bank where there girls deposited money from saving cans, we had free tickets to the Children's Museum. Sydney grew tired of it so I hung out with her by the skating rink and at the carousel.

This picture of her on a reindeer was so perfect to kick of the Christmas season!

 We got to catch up with our old ward and give hugs to people we don't get to see often. Sunday dinner was spent with friends of Reagan's from Maryland who were in town. It was so fun getting to know them and it was yet another fabulous meal by Mom. We had to hit the road before it got too late.

It was such a lovely Thanksgiving!

Sydney is FOUR!

Recently it occurred to me that Sydney is like Puck from Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. She a naturally happy little girl, a bit mischievous, but ultimately a lot of fun to watch. She's been insisting for a while now that she's a BIG girl (heaven forbid you call her a "little girl"), and she eschews any attempts by her sisters to baby her. In the weeks leading up to her birthday, she insisted she was no longer three, she was almost four. 

I'm crazy about how her four-year photos turned out!

For me, this is the money shot. I love how she is looking just off camera. I love how the wind is blowing her hair and her ribbons. I love that she's holding a fallen leaf as she is our only girl with a fall birthday. I love that she is not smiling about anything in particular, but her default setting of sweet and cheerful comes through in that little grin.

Sydney picked out the yellow dress herself.

She's such an imp!

 Again, I love the flowing ribbons.

We have a tradition (passed down from my family) to go around the table and say one thing we love about the birthday girl, and one fond memory. These have been dubbed I Like Sydney Because... and I Remember When... It occurred to me that this might be a good thing to record and include in these birthday posts.

I Like Sydney Because...
... she makes me happy especially when I'm sad. (Liesel)
... she's silly. (Ireland)
... she's really nice. (Brigitta)
... she has an energy for life which I see in her love of preschool, church and dance. (Mom)
... she's a positive person and my favorite to take to the store. (Dad)

Sydney received a birthday crown at preschool and they had Neapolitan ice cream sandwiches as a treat.

Traditional breakfast in bed!

Primary kids get to pick out a treat from Bishop's office the week of their birthday. Sounds like a little thing, but it's a big deal to the kids.

 I Remember When...
... I held her for the first time when she came home from the hospital. (Liesel)
... Sydney didn't want to give the blessing when we had the missionaries over for dinner. (see here) (Ireland)
... she was happy when she turned 3. (Brigitta)
... she was born and we had the first snow of the season while I labored (Mom).
... we went back and forth over whether she could have ice cream before she finished her dinner. (Dad)

Let's recap that one:

Because when these two go head to head, it's pretty intense:

Sydney generously picked a non-chocolate cake so her two oldest sisters could celebrate along with the rest of the family. 

Sydney has a way of making the feeling in the room brighter and happier. When I'm having a dark day as a mom, she manages to say something funny or snuggle with me or do something so absolutely charming I can't help but smile. Although I never knew Brent as a child, I imagine Sydney is very similar to him in the way she's just a happy little soul. However, when things come to a head, she has no problem sticking up for herself... just like Brent. Sydney just kills me with the way she talks like a grown up. Here are couple of examples:

Me to Sydney who is harassing me while I'm using the toilet: Go use your own bathroom!
Sydney: *pauses a moment to think* That's just not going to be possible.

Me: What would you like for lunch? Pizza or chicken nuggets?
Sydney: Hmmmmm, I'm thinking an uncrustable!

What four-year-old talks like that? Well, my four-year-old does.

Thou speak'st aright
I am that merry wanderer of the night