December Tidbits

When we really held Sydney's feet to the fire about cleaning up she exasperatedly shot back: What's more important? Cleaning or my education? 

Not a big deal, but kind of a big deal- with everyone fully vaccinated we were able to attend church together as a family for the first time since lockdown.

With all of us back at church I started doing the Sunday programs again. A new bishop was called so the Stake President was bearing his testimony and stating he wanted us to know how much he loves and has faith in our new bishop and how he wanted us to know he knows the gospel is true and then he said, "And I want you all to know... I did find the hidden CTR ring in the program."

Brent, Ireland, Sydney and I all tested positive for Covid-19. Ireland was completely asymptomatic and Sydney had the sniffles for an afternoon. Brent and I got the brunt of it. He's not accustomed to being sick so it was hard on him but it created myriads of problems for me. Covid-19 triggered asthma and migraines. Even though we insisted we were getting by, Reagan and Doug Door Dashed us Lou Malnati's Pizza so we wouldn't have to worry about dinner and man alive- we were so grateful! 

We also drank lots of hot chocolate and tea to sooth sore throats! I received this mug from my ministering sisters.

I didn't read Harry Potter with Sydney for a little while before she was diagnosed with Covid-19 to try and keep her from getting it. Once she tested positive, there was no reason to keep our distance.
Sydney: Can we read Harry Potter tonight?
Me: Yup!
Sydney: YES!!! This is my favorite thing about Covid.

I tried to do an interpretive dance for Liesel to show my love for her since I can't hug her. When I was done she said, "OK, just... wow." 

Gita made us a Christmas gift at school and I love how she labeled it as being from "your favorite child." 

Someone at work posted the story that Taco Bell is offering a monthly taco subscription and someone else commented that everyone knows you should only rent Taco Bell- haha!

Me: I had a dream Leslie Odom Jr. simped me.

Ireland: What do you mean?

Me: He like, followed me around and was clearly interested in me. Like he wanted to kiss me.

Ireland: Hmmm, sounds like he was just stalking you.

Liesel: Yeah, that's just stalking Mom.

Walking into an appointment I was treated to cotton candy skies over a pond.

Me: Gita, why do you have to eat your dinner at such a glacial pace?

Ireland: Actually the glaciers are melting really fast!

Having environmentally conscious kids can really be a downer sometimes.

 Our fantastic neighbors invited the girls over for some cookie decorating. Lots of sprinkles.

A Dad joke from Sydney: Remember the guy who cut off the left side of his body? He's all right now. She also made a tower of macarons out of clay and I was really impressed how she went about it! She used a paper towel role and then blew it out from the opposite and. Not bad!

As Brent & I headed out for a walk, Ireland opened her bedroom window and yelled, "Are you planning another Disneyland trip?" Haha- the girls were stunned to discover all those walks we had taken were actually planning sessions for our epic vacation. But to be clear, that was a one-time thing and now we just take walks for fun.

Found Ireland had fallen asleep on her Chrome Book. I remember when she used to fall asleep reading books!

The personalized signs I purchased at Disney finally came back in their new frames and I found some Mickey ear holders. 

This section of wall has always looked bare and I'm thrilled it's full of happy reminders from that vacation!

The Wuehler's purchased these Christmas stocking holders for us from North Pole, Alaska and for years I've been meaning to artfully put names on them. I finally got around to it and I'm so happy with how they turned out. Right after I snapped this pic I realized I spell Brigitta's nickname with just one T, not two so I had to redo that one. As frustrating as that was, they went back into Christmas storage ready to go for next year and I'm so happy to check that off my To Do list!

Heading back to work after the holidays is always tough but when you have sweet notes like this, it's a little easier. I really love how Sydney had to cross out her own name and add mine there where she says Mom is the best. 

Love.

Merry Christmas!

Disneyland was such a huge expense I knew there was no way I could justify paying for a family portrait on top of that so a picture from the park was just going to have to do. When I found this one I couldn't stop chuckling. 2021 was definitely better than the prequel of 2020 and Brent and I grew up with the original Star Wars which was also better than the prequel. I also loved that our holiday message was May the Force Be with you. I knew this card would stand out among all the others.

This year's Christmas pjs were purchased during last year's sales and I was excited to try black. It's a great color for a bunch of blonde little girls!

A big part of me longed for the comparatively quiet Christmas of last year. Everything was cancelled and for once we got to enjoy the season. This year everything was back on so we found ourselves running around to recitals, competitions, parties, etc. not to mention I started a new job. I was so exhausted I hate to admit I didn't even have the energy to take the following photos- Liesel made sure they happened.

She put my phone inside the tree to get this shot- pretty inventive!

I don't know how it started but the girls always have a sleepover on Christmas Eve. I splurged on some holiday bedding for Liesel's bed and so they ended up having it in her room.

Brent hooked up the DVD player just so we could watch Better Off Dead and Meet Me in St. Louis as we filled the stockings and made final preparations for the big day. We have a great formula when it comes to the gifts: something to wear, something to read, something they want 

For Christmas breakfast, Brent did a frittata, tater tots and fruit salad. It was so delicious not only did  Sydney gobble it up without complaint, Brent ended up eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Gotta love the festive apron!

Traditional stairs photo. Hmmm, I probably should have had Sydney and Gita sit a littler closer together. Oh well! It's a record and all you really need to know is the girls were trying so hard to be patient when all they wanted to do was rip into stockings and presents...

...which after a decent breakfast, is exactly what they did!

Per usual- the sister gifts were the best part of the day. Sometimes they spend so much time fighting that even I forget that they truly do love each other at the end of the day. Even though taking them shopping can be exhausting, it's warms the cockles of my heart to watch them thoughtfully pick out gifts for each other. Then they are so excited to give them the giver lights up as much as the receiver. Can you even tell who gave the gift and who got the gift in this photo?

For the record, it was Liesel who gave Ireland some Harry Potter make-up, which she paid for with her own money. 

Brent's parents cleverly took care of their Christmas gifts for the girls while they were here for Sydney's baptism and Thanksgiving. Jeanne knows I like to have Christmas all wrapped up (pun intended) by Black Friday and she was SO happy to have at least our family all taken care of. Physically being here made large gifts like this possible:

Sydney said, "I LOVE Christmas! For the presents... and the religious stuff."

Every year there's a gift that's hard to find. After gymnastics camp last summer, Gita was desperate for grips. Adult-sized grips are a dime a dozen, but child-sized grips? Chance would be a fine thing. I finally tracked them down and even though she won't use them until summer, she was ecstatic.

Then there's the gift that's a no-brainer. This t-shirt was on a TikTok video and I bought 2- one for Whitney for her birthday (in November) knowing Ireland really wanted one too. I hedged and told her they only had adult sizes- which is true- but we are talking about a lifetime Harry Potter fan here. 

Then there's the gift that's also a gift for the giver. We invested in Gabb phones for Liesel and Ireland. We stand united in not allowing smartphones unless they pay for it, but Liesel's flip phone really wasn't cutting it for basic texting and photos. Gabb phones at least look like smartphones but don't have apps. They also had a sale. And we need to be able to coordinate with the girls and their busy schedules. These will make life easier on all of us, for sure.

We got all creative for our Pringle pic and made a snowflake. Such a simple tradition, but I love it!

One more thing to note is there was a lot of sickness going around but miraculously no one was sick ON Christmas. Gita wasn't feeling well the day before and Sydney wasn't feeling well the day after. I'm so grateful we could all just enjoy the day- we really lucked out!

The Hottest Ticket in Town

For the past few years, the girls have put together a show for us just before Christmas. Brent and I love seeing all those expensive dance classes come in handy and the girls usually pick some kind of theme. This year they outdid themselves and the theme was Christmas Movie Marathon. They even went to the trouble to print up tickets and during intermission they autographed them for us. 

My favorite part of all these videos is the not-so-quiet whispers to turn lights on/off, move over there, start the music... something about that just makes me smile. Their dancing always makes me smile too. It's a tough job to raise girls with any modicum of positive body image these days. Seeing them unabashedly performing without an ounce of self-consciousness gives me hope. 

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Every Who Down in Whoville

The Grinch Got a Wonderful, Awful Idea

All I Need is a Reindeer

Brent took the videos while I tried to capture some still photos. Sydney had a costume change and floated around the room in this pretty dress.

He Puzzled 3 Hours, 'Till His Puzzler Was Sore

Bye Buddy!

Not only do I love the song Pennies from Heaven, but I really love seeing Liesel dance to it. She has a way of being fun a flirty- it's right up her alley!

You See Free Gum On the Street?

The Best Way to Spread Christmas Cheer

Gita had been sick in bed all day and she was still feverish and fatigued. Still, she danced her little heart out for us and I could tell she was really excited about this number. I love how her sisters help her with all the little props!

Setting the Trap

You Guys Give Up? Or Are You Thirsty For More?

Pretty good extension for a sick kid!

Hot Chocolate

None of the girls take Broadway but they definitely get the big movements and energy required for one!

Ireland gave us these after her performance. It's a little harder to make in person than it looks like it does in the movie!

Grand Finale

This was our favorite show from the girls BY FAR! With the dining room recently painted, twinkle lights strung up, paper snowflakes and the incredible performance we loved every minute of it. The hottest show in town was this private showing of the fantastic Wuehler sisters!

Gita's Christmas Concert

Recently Liesel told me there's a theory that the Grinch had misophonia. This was kindly meant, she just wanted to point out that I'm not the only one out there who is adversely affected by noises. The cracking of knuckles makes me want to vomit. If something is rolling around in the car, I will pull over to find it and secure it or it drives me crazy. Our sump pump emits a beeping noise if it needs to be reset. What Liesel unwittingly implied is that I am a bit of a Grinch.

Actually, when it comes to all the Christmas recitals and concerts I hate to admit it, but she's not far off. December is already so busy, I don't understand why we have to throw so much more onto the calendar. Why not do them in January which is a long, cold, dark month with nothing else going on? So yeah, I head into these things feeling overcommitted and grumpy. And not ready for the noise, noise, NOISE!

Then I see my sweet Gita girl standing there in the outfit she picked out all on her own to look festive. Even though she is wearing a mask, I know she's singing her little heart out. 

This song is my favorite.

And just like the Grinch, all my grumpiness melts away and I finally embrace the season a bit.

I'm SO proud!

Winter Dance Recital

 "Dance is the hidden language of the soul, of the body"

~Martha Graham

All the girls but Gita moved up this year and are in classes with older girls. The studio owner felt they were ready for some new challenges as they continue to work on flexibility, technique and memorizing choreography. Liesel and Ireland have had their doubts about dance in the past but as they've stuck to it their love for it has deepened. 

Liesel and Gita are tiny so they end up doing lifts.

Sydney's jazz number is actually with a sweet girl from the physical therapy group. The song was one the little girl liked from Trolls.

I'm always worried when the girls end up in the same class since they already have sibling rivalries and they don't really need more reason to be competitive. I was pleasantly surprised they got along just fine.

Gita Jazz

Tap is unique to Brigitta- she's the only one who takes it and she really loves it.

Ireland Ballet

Ireland was the only one to get a new costume and she was really excited for that fringe! Unfortunately, they finalized the choreography while we were at Disneyland. She also forgot to take off her glasses and hurt herself in the turtle.

As the girls get older, their lyrical numbers are my favorite because they can be more expressive.

Liesel's ballet was one of the first numbers that had to be rehearsed on stage before the audience started filing in. Dancers had to go behind stage which was dark. They ended up opening doors so there was light to see as they transitioned positions.

For Liesel's Jazz there was a worm into a center split. The stage was hard and she kept hitting her knees. Even though she did it for the final dance, her knees were sore for the rest of the recital.

Liesel's Hip Hop was one of the bigger numbers aside from company. The last song of the combo Liesel had to learn after everyone else due to being gone for Disneyland and then having family in town.

Liesel's Lyrical was much easier because they finalized the choreography so much earlier and they were able to go over it several times. The lift was a little tricky but they practiced in the dressing room and finally got it just before the dance recital. She had to take off her lyrical shoes because she kept slipping during back walkovers.

Usually I get some rolled eyes when I ask the girls to take photos but not this time! They were having so much fun with their poses we actually were the last to leave and ended up turning out the lights.

Traditional flowers from Dad.

Not sure why I never got an individual of Sydney- I think her costume was itchy and she really wanted to get out of it.

Ireland really loved making that fringe fly!

We rarely eat out but they'd worked so hard we did a couple of drive-thrus (Taco Bell and Popeyes) and everyone feasted until they were happy and full. 

Ireland and Sydney have been reticent about joining company but after the recital they both insisted they were ready for it. Look at how happy Gita is with her teacher and fellow company member!

Yes it's more scheduling and costumes and coordinating, but Brent and I truly see so many benefits to having the girls in dance! Another recital in the books!

Poms Showcase

Initially Liesel was really excited about making the Poms team. She felt confident about her tryout and she was looking forward to improving her dance technique. In the end, she felt only a few girls really got to highlight their skills and even though she approached the coach and offered to do more complicated tricks, she was denied. Missing several practices and games due to our Disneyland trip didn't help either. Liesel's already a busy girl so when things wrapped up with the Showcase, she was happy to hang up her uniform. Here is their routine to an upbeat version of 9-5 during the regular season:

Side note: Liesel wasn't a fan of the poms. She said they're itchy and everyone assumes you are a cheerleader because you use them even though you are on the dance team. Ironically, the cheer team doesn't use poms. Here is the routine they did for Showcase (Liesel is on the back right):

All in all I'm proud of her for sticking it out when it wasn't always an enjoyable experience.

Next semester she is volunteering to help the 6th grade Spirit Squad and having more of a voice and being able to flex her leadership skills will be a better fit for her I think. 

November Tidbits

Sydney: I had a cheeseburger with onions and everything and it didn't even bother me!
Ireland: *sarcastically* WOW!!!
Liesel: You're in a bad mood.
Gita: She's not in a bad mood- she's in a funny mood with lots of yelling.

 Liesel was inducted into the National Junior Honor Society. The pledge was:
I pledge myself to uphold the high purposes of the National Junior Honor Society to which I have been selected; I will be true to the principles for which it stands; I will be loyal to my school; and will maintain and encourage high standards of scholarship, service, leadership, citizenship and character.

I was folding laundry on the floor while Gita sat on my bed and chatted with me. Out of nowhere she said, "There's probably been 5000 farts in this bed. Ya know, because of Dad?" Then quietly to herself, "And me."

When I got my job at Daxko I decided to celebrate with this kitschy item I've always wanted but is (surprisingly) expensive. I was so excited when it arrived! Especially with how it arrived!

Yes, we now have a leg lamp ala A Christmas Story- my favorite Christmas movie of all time.

At long last the girls are fully vaccinated! We have been anticipating this for so long!

Stronger than yesterday!

This may look like a careless girl didn't hang up her stuff but this is actually pretty dang clever. The bathroom floor is heated so Liesel put her coat there to warm up just before she headed out into the cold. Brilliant- eh?

Me: *thinking the obvious answer of a cave* What else could we call this? 
Sydney: A ROCK HOUSE!!!

We visited a part of the MOSI we don't see often which deals with patterns and portions. I was fascinated by this- the length of a string is tied to how pleasing a sound it makes. Mind. Blown.

This talks about symmetry and mirroring- a technique of Bach- and how that creates beautiful music. You can rearrange the notes to try out different sounds. I love that at the end of the day, God is a god of order. He's an organizer and I feel like I can relate to the beauty in that.

After Parent-Teacher Conferences we took each of the girls aside to talk to them about their progress in school. Sydney said, "There are only two naughty kids in class and one of them is NOT me!"

These signs are all over Chicago. This one is just outside a store that sells signs and stickers and I wanted to get Reagan one for her birthday. Every time I come across one, I kinda need the message!

Poor little Sydney is getting fed up with everyone brushing her off when she wants to play so now she writes up a contract. Being a chef in her toy restaurant is her favorite game. If you look carefully, she forged my signature. Should I be impressed? Or worried?

I took a walk with a friend and was blown away by the fall beauty in these parts. I love where I live!

Liesel received her Poms t-shirt and hoodie and had a devil of a time getting the package open! She struggled with that for a while.

For Thanksgiving Sydney's troop gifted all the girls a mini Light Bright. Then they were instructed to create something they were grateful for and post it to Facebook. Such a lovely idea! Sydney made our house.

A member of the bishopric asked Brent and I to send in our favorite scriptures demonstrating God's love for us so I sent this- specifically verse 34. When he calls us a little flock it's such a small detail (ha- PUN) but it's so warm and sentimental. It hints that we have had a looong relationship with our Savior- not just in this life which is all we can remember, but before this life too.

I recently discovered that in Toca World, Ireland keeps a knife under her bed. Not sure what to think about that- but I can assure you she doesn't do this in real life- I checked!

I started a new job! My dreams of a fully-remote, flexible job were realized when I started with Daxko as a customer success advocate. I received this on my first day and I have to say I think I'm gonna like working here! Everyone is so incredibly nice.