It's the most crazy time of the year!

I was feeling pretty good about my Christmas preparations - Most of the gifts were ready.  Some of the baking was done.  All I really needed to do was our Christmas card and neighbor gifts... and a few other things.  Then it happened! (cue dramatic music)  The "free time" part of my life was taken over by a new calling at church.  It has settled down now and I am feeling more in control and very blessed for this new service opportunity - but all those things I needed to do have still not happened.   (I still have five days right)  Blogging isn't even on the list, but sometimes it is nice to just sit down and record a piece of our life.

Curly finally lost a tooth - two in one week in fact!  This was exciting news because the dentist was worried we may have to pull them.  She loves being (partially) toothless!  Speaking of toothless, we were beginning to think that we were going to have to invest in baby dentures, but lo and behold, 13 months old and Berry is finally sprouting her first tooth.

 

 

Reading stories to Berry

Berry is also walking!  She looks so cute with arms straight up in the air as she takes a straight course for her destination, but she usually makes it there!  She wants to get places on her own and throws one of her fits when her sisters pick her up.  She is also trying to climb onto everything and has another one of her fits when her mother removes her to prevent a head injury.

Berry's favorite toys - anything in the cupboard

I wanna go outside too :(  but it is raining and muddy

 Lou has been wrapping up anything that she can find that might pass as a Christmas gift.  The other day, I found a pair of kiddie scissors under the tree, mummified in masking tape.  I asked Lou why she covered the scissors in tape and she became very upset that I was trying to "open" one of the presents that she had wrapped.  Who knows what we will find under the tree on Christmas morning.

The "stable" made for the "horse" aka bike.

Yesterday we had a Finnish Christmas dinner with our friends the Simpsons.  Fisher and Mike both served their missions in Finland and had a great time reminiscing.  This year our family made the Karlajan piirakoita or "ballet slippers" as I called them as a child.  They are a savory rye and rice pastry that you top with a mixture of chopped hard boiled eggs and butter.  Even my pickiest eater thought they were delicious. 

Making "ballet slippers"

And We are Back!

I think this is the longest hiatus I have ever had from blogging - not because I haven't wanted to, but because apparently we have been more busy than usual. So brace yourself - this is going to be long!  Without further adieu - here is our November wrap-up and a bit of December too:

Berry has a few favorites around the house - the doll crib, the dishwasher, and any open door.  She makes a beeline for any door that leads outside and her heart is broken if she doesn't make it there before the door closes.  She also loves to get into the dishwasher when mom's back is turned.

Throwing a fit!

Berry is also very loved by her sisters and they play all sorts of games.  Lou is working on teaching Berry her anatomy.  Their personal favorite is belly button :). 

Walking practice

Berry makes a great doggie.  The leash is not around her neck (just to clarify)

Fun in the backyard!

Lou is a great playmate for Berry and a very busy body.  She is also adept at making really BIG messes.

Robot made with dad.

Can't even stop her business to piddle.

Played herself to exhaustion

Curly is the leader of the pack and loves to come up with creative uses of paper.  Here they are in their superhero masks.  Even Berry had one for a few seconds.

She had a great soccer season.  She is prolific in her writing and pictures (and use of paper).  She loves school and when she is in the mood, she is a great helper at home.

Making crescent rolls for Thanksgiving

Last week, the study was such a mess that Fisher put up the following sign and told the girls that if it wasn't cleaned up in two days, the door would be locked and they would not be able to play in there.

The sign says "closing in 2 days"

As Fisher and I were going to bed that evening, we noticed that the sign on the door was different.

The sign was mysteriously replaced with "Never Mind.  10,100 days until closing"

With all the business, you can imagine that we have been pretty tired!  I have been working on curtains for the kitchen for longer than I want to admit (and I finally finished yesterday).  Fisher caught me one Saturday afternoon in the middle of a huge pile of clean laundry, threading the curtains on the rod, and "watching" America's Test Kitchen.  I guess it is justice for all the pictures I have of him sleeping anywhere and everywhere.

Curly with her doll sleeping beside her.

Notice Lou's shirt.  Those paper figures are glued on!

And there you have it!  Phew! 

A Berry Happy Birthday

We celebrated sweet Berry's first birthday this weekend! I can't believe how she has changed and grown since her birth! She was a little 5th percentile squirt for a few months but we are proud to say that she has eaten herself back up to the 50th percentile. You go girl! Now if only she would sprout some teeth! She loves to cruise around, clap her hands and say "uh-oh" as she throws food off her high chair.

 

A few days old

Six Months

 Loves the birthday display (food)

We enjoyed a low key Saturday with our traditional birthday display, Berry's favorite foods for meals, gifts and of course - birthday cake made by mom and her sisters.

Born to shop!  A big fan of her new shopping cart!

Hmm, what is this?

Yummy!

That was good!

We love our sweet and happy Berry.  She is smiley, babbly, hugable, squirmy, and so much fun!  We are so happy that she is part of our family!

Creepy and Halloweeny

I can't believe I forgot to mention the little surprise that Fisher left for me when he went on his fishing trip.  I opened the door to Berry's room and this is what I saw!

A stuffed baby in the crib!

Pink stuffed Elephant as a head.

I am used to Fisher's jokes, but I have to admit, the creepiness made me jump.  You'd think he would want to be nice after getting permission to take Berry for a weekend :)

 On to Halloween.  Curly wanted to be Fancy Nancy for Halloween and really wanted her hair to be curly like Nancy's.  I suggested rag curls.

 Her hair was definitely curly!  It reminded me of when she was a little baby with curly, curly hair, but it was a bit too curly for our purposes so we wet it down, dried it out and recurled it with a curling iron.

 The girls dressed up twice, first for our Ward Trunk or Treat and then on Halloween.  Lou wanted to be a Ladybug again and I have to admit she makes a very cute lady bug.  Berry was also a very cute ladybug.  I donned a witch hat to be festive.

On Halloween, we enjoyed trick or treating the neighborhood with our friends/neighbors, the Sos.  Halloween is a great holiday here - the temperature is perfect and everyone wants to be outside.  Many people sit in their driveways with portable fire pits and pass out candy.  One neighbor served hot dogs, chips, and drinks instead of candy.   Thanks to Stephen for these pics -

The loot!

The only picture I have of Berry almost looking happy

Enjoying the goods after trick or treating.

Berry goes to Idaho

Fisher's dad in Swan Valley

You would think with a blog name like Fisher, that he would fish more often, but it has been at least a year since Fisher has had the opportunity.  This past weekend, he was able to fly to Idaho to spend a couple days on the river with his Grandpa, dad and brother-in-law.  He with the help of his mom and mine, managed to convince me that Berry should go to so that she could visit her grandmas.  And so on Thursday morning I sadly waved goodbye to my husband and baby with worried thoughts that she would not be able to sleep without me around.  

The older girls and I survived the long weekend with visits to the library, bike rides, play dates, helping with a food drive and dinner at Costco.  Curly and Lou were constantly asking when dad and Berry would be home and even their playmates commented, "I miss Berry!"

Fisher had a great time fishing and enjoying the beautiful Idaho fall weather.   He visited my parents for a day and helped my dad with major project they have recently undertaken of moving a house to the large lot next to their home (the garden where we held our wedding reception).  Berry had an equally great time with plenty of attention from two loving grandmothers and full reign of the house and all the toys!  She also got to spent time with her Aunt Ba and cousin LE.  I don't think she even missed me - sigh...

Berry content with Oma and Grandma C

Grandpa and Oma

Great Grandpa also loved having Berry around

Grandma's house is so fun!  Playing peek-a-boo in the mirror.

Fisher helping my dad grade the yard

Moving sod

Full reign of Grandma's - inside and out!

Lovin' Life!

Gramdpa and Grandma Lovell