photos by William

This year Santa brought William his very own digital camera.  Here are just a few of the many pictures he took on Christmas day.  It's pretty fun to see what is "photo worthy" to him.  I especially love his self portraits.

white christmas

With just a few days until Christmas, the weather was still pretty warm. So when the weatherman said that there was a chance of 3 inches of snow for Christmas I thought to myself, "Yeah, maybe we'll get one." Boy was I wrong. We woke up on Christmas Eve to a snow storm... and it continued to snow all day.  Actually, with those "winds sweeping down the plains" it turned into an all-out blizzard!  All-in-all we ended up with fourteen inches of snow! 

So while the weather outside was frightful we kept a fire going (it was so delightful)... and after our Christmas Eve feast we acted out the nativity.

The boys ended up deciding to both be shepherds.  (Originally William wanted to be a camel and James wanted to be Santa.  When I told him that Santa wasn't in this story he wanted to be a Wiseman... but once William decided to be a shepherd then James had to be one too!)

The boys went to bed pretty well and even slept in the next morning!  Yea for us!  After opening too many fun presents (James got a new bike from Santa and William got a camera, Alex got a farm)...

... we decided to brave the weather and drive to Grandma's house.  But before we could go anywhere Rich had to shovel us out.  And while Rich shoveled (for two hours!) the boys played.  James didn't think it was all that great and decided to head back inside before too long with Mom and Alex.  William, on the other hand, had a blast.  He ran around throwing snowballs at Rich, making snow angels (he called them snow monsters), and even attempted to build a snowman on his own.

It took us a long time to get over to Grandma's--we got stuck in the snow only once.  There were abandoned cars all over the road.  Rich said it looked like one of those end-of-the-world-movies where everyone died and there are cars all over in the middle of the street.  We saw cars, mail trucks, buses... but the funniest was an abandoned beer truck that had beer can scattered around it.  When we finally made it to Edmond we realized that we should have come a little more prepared.  We weren't about to attempt the drive at night when everything started to freeze over.  So after more presents and some good food, we had an impromptu Christmas sleepover. The boys thought it was so cool... and it was an extra treat that Aunt Lisa got to read the bedtime stories.

It was a wonderful Christmas... and the snow made it even more magical!  I hope the boys remember it because it probably won't happen again!

As much fun as Santa, elves, reindeer, trees and gifts are... we always try to stress the real reason we celebrate this season.

We had a Christmas lesson on Sunday in Young Women.  We sang Christmas hymns and read the Christmas story right from the Bible.  One of my favorite verses that we read was in Luke 2:19.

But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

I've always loved that verse but this time as we read it, I was reminded to slow down with all the hustle and bustle and ponder the reason for this holiday.  Our dear prophet, Thomas S. Monson, said it so well:

Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ.”

I hope you get the chance to have some quiet time to ponder this season... and have a very Merry Christmas!

a christmas miracle

William and James wait to see Santa Claus

William, for the past several years, decided that he won't sit on Santa's lap.  He doesn't even want to go near him.  This year I wasn't going to push him.  If it was going to be so traumatic for him I thought I'd give him a free pass this year.  James, on the other hand, has been dying to talk with Santa.  It's an ever present topic of conversation.  BUT James won't go sit with the jolly old man if William doesn't.  So, William and I had a little chat.  "William," I told him, "you don't have to sit on Santa's lap.  Just be a good big brother and stand next to James while he sits there because James really wants to talk to Santa."  And William, being the great big brother that he is, agreed.  We were all set to see Santa Claus at the ward party--and then missed him by just one minute!  So we braved the crowds yesterday and took them to see the mall Santa.  Rich was doubtful.  He said there was no way that either of the boys would sit with Santa Claus.

James couldn't wait to tell Santa that he wanted a bike.  And as it turned out, William decided he had better tell Santa what he wanted as well.  And they sat and talked for quite a while actually.

Rich calls it our "Christmas miracle."

christmas songs

So this ended up being a pretty fun exercise.  I saw Katie's list and thought I would  make one of my own.  Here are 5 Christmas songs that I love... maybe not my top five... but at least way up there.


Christmas Song - Nat King Cole... nothing says Christmas like this.  Of course, Nat King Cole could sing just about anything and I would love it.

Christmas Waltz - The Carpenters... or anything off of their Christmas Album.  I grew up on this and I LOVE it.

Jingle Bells - Bing Crosby... again... I love anything of of his White Christmas album.  We had a record of this growing up and it equals Christmas.

All I Want For Christmas Is You - Mariah Carey... this one is just FUN.  It makes you want to sing loud and dance around.  James loves dancing with me to this one.

Baby It's Cold Outside - I really love her singing with Will Ferrell in Elf. In fact, that would be my favorite recording (if it existed).

**Now, I said Christmas songs not carols... that could be a whole other list... but my favorite hymn is Silent Night, (and you can't really go wrong with The Mormon Tabernacle Choir) and my favorite from the Children's Songbook is Oh, Hush Thee, My Baby (I used to sing this with my sisters and mom...)

These songs make me want to change the radio station every time I hear them:
Grown Up Christmas List - by anyone.  I don't care who sings it... I don't like it.
Here Comes Santa Clause -yuck.  I don't know why but I can't stand this song.
Christmas Shoes -Sorry to anyone who loves this... but I don't.  I think Michelle and I used to make fun of it in college.
Wonderful Christmas Time - Paul McCartney... seriously Paul?  You're my favorite Beatle and all... but this is just horrible.
Carol of the Bells - Trans Siberian Orchestra... I actually like Carol of the Bells but this version drives me crazy... it's too electric/synthesized for me.  Rich really dislikes Trans Siberian Orchestra and maybe his dislike has rubbed off on me.

What are your favorite (and not-so-favorite) Christmas songs?

How could you not love this face?  It's impossible.  Even when he's teething.

boys and trains

This week we set up our train.  The boys are so  excited to have it up.  Even Alex thinks it's pretty cool.  Every little boy should have a train.  Seriously.  The boys are always asking me when we can play with the train (the rule is mom or dad have to be around to help.) We're so grateful that Grandpa Fisher gave such nice trains to us last year!

ps.  Make sure you check out the auction happening over at Bloom!

OKC Thunder

Rich went to a Thunder game tonight with a friend from the ward.  He got chosen to race a tricycle.  Here he is in all his glory:

it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

As the boys finish watching "A Muppet Christmas Carol" I thought I'd record some of the past week's events.  William and James are so excited for Christmas.  I often overhear William saying to James, "I wonder what Santa is going to put in our stockings" or "I wonder what I'll get for Christmas."  James tells me everyday that he wants Santa to come.

For Family Night on Monday we took our annual trip to North Pole City.  The boys were thrilled!

And even more exciting--we splurged on the dollar train ride.  James almost wouldn't get on but decided to do it at the last minute.  William loved ringing the bell.

Right before we left we found the best display for these boys.  If you can't tell... they are Star Wars nutcrackers.  It can't get any better than that!

This week we also finally got the tree up and decorated.  The boys were a big help.

William told me that he gets to put the star on because he is the biggest one in our house.

Rich and I enjoyed going to his company Christmas party this weekend as well.  (Thanks Catie for watching our boys!)  We are looking forward to more Christmas fun in the weeks ahead!

William, Alex, and Rich play a game of Spiderman dominos.

Is this fun or what?

Last Sunday was William's 5th birthday.  I can't believe he's that old!  How did that happen?!  He was so excited for his birthday this year.  He loved that he got a special sticker and crown at school.

He thought it was fun to help me make these lollipop cookies and bring them for snacktime.

But he was most excited that he got to have a birthday party.  I debated on whether or not to throw him one but eventually decided to do it.  He was allowed to invite 5 friends... because he was turning 5. We ended up with 4 friends plus William and James.  It was a perfect number.  (I don't think I could have handled many more!)  We went with a dinosaur theme.  It was lots of fun!  We started off with a game of pin-the-tooth-in-the-dinosaurs-mouth.  It was hilarious to see how funny they thought it was.  We then found some "dinosaur eggs" (balloons) and had to "hatch" them to find our baby dinosaurs.  This was by far the most entertaining for me and Rich--and the boys had a great time too!  This was William's favorite part of the party.  Once all the balloons were popped we moved on to "sharp-tooth, sharp-tooth, pterydactyl" (duck, duck, goose).  I think they would have been happy to play that for the rest of the party.  After the presents were opened and we had devoured our cake and icecream the plan was to pull out the playdough and googly eyes so that they could make their own dinosaurs until their parents came to get them.  It wasn't the hit that I thought it would be so we only did that for a few minutes before letting them run around and check out the new toys.  Most importantly, William had a fantastic time!

Since the party was on Saturday we got to party for the whole weekend.  William had a delicious breakfast of french toast bread pudding.  After church he opened more presents and opened even more when we got to Grandma and Grandpa's house.

William has decided to do a lot of things now that he is five.  He no longer needs to have his sippy cup at church or in the morning.  He can walk into school by himself (as long as I cross the crosswalk with him).  He even got up and sat on the stand for the primary program and said his part into the microphone (a huge step for our boy with major stage-fright).  We are so proud of the wonderful boy that he is!  Happy Birthday William!

An interview with William

William "helping" make his birthday cake.

I conducted this interview with William 2 weeks ago.  He answered all the questions without prompting... it was quite insightful.  

I am - a police

I am afraid of - wolves

I like - ladybugs

I like to eat - spaghetti

I don't like - coyotes

I know - I can be good

I want to be - a missionary

I like to watch - Scooby-doo

I like to go - on a bike ride

My hero is - Captain Moroni

I cry when - I trip, when my brother hurts me

Mommy gets mad when - I break stuff

Mommy is happy when - I do the silverware

What I want to be when I grow up - a firefighter

I can't wait for - Halloween

Something Mommy says to me - clean up

My favorite stuffed animal is - a zebra

My favorite place to go is - to the zoo

My Mommy and Daddy make me laugh by - tickling me

I know my mommy loves me because - she tickles me

I know my daddy loves me because - he tickles me

We took the boys to get their pictures taken last weekend.  This was one of the few decent ones we got.  I don't think that James smiled at all.  Little stinker.

Happy Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day.  My dad wrote a piece for their local paper.  I liked it so I thought I'd share with you all:

Defend the Constitution from within
By BRENT FISHER

My father, Col. James B. Fisher, a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars and a career U.S. Army soldier, passed away in August 2008.

I have been reflecting on his service and the oath that all soldiers take upon themselves: "... I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic...I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same...."

On occasion, my father and I talked about Korea and Vietnam. He was more willing than some soldiers to talk about his wartime experience.

His service included many harrowing acts of heroism for which he was decorated six times. He didn't make a big deal about them because it was his job.

In Vietnam, he served as the commander of a medical evacuation helicopter detachment. The radio call sign for this type of unit was the word "Dustoff."

Dustoff units became legendary for their saving service, even flying into hostile territory in the midst of battle to save soldiers sometimes without helicopter gunships to protect them. That call sign, "Dustoff," took on additional meaning when the DUSTOFF Association was created and it became an acronym for "Dedicated Unhesitating Service To Our Fighting Forces."

During the Vietnam War, my father told me, "Vietnam is a different kind of war. The battle lines are blurred with the Viet Cong roaming freely in 'safe' areas. You never really feel safe in Vietnam. You never really know who are your friends and who are your enemies." This seems to be a common theme with foreign wars nowadays. In some respects, it describes what seems to be happening in our own country.

When I took my own oath of office as a U.S. Army officer, I found it interesting that the oath of a soldier is to "support and defend the Constitution of the United States." It is not the natural resources or land that is important. It is the principles established in the U.S. Constitution that make this unique country the greatest in the history of the world. The oath is not to the president or to an organization but to a Constitution that created a government "of the people, by the people and for the people."

Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas once reminded us that because the judiciary is by design the "least dangerous" of the three branches of government, it is not "constrained or hobbled" like the legislative and executive branches.

I suppose if veterans from past eras returned to see the state of the country they served and the state of our federal and state constitutions, they might wonder what happened while they were defending the Constitution from our foreign enemies.

Certainly, it would appear to them that in the past 40 years, the judiciary has acted outside its boundaries.

Rather than being the "least dangerous" branch they, the defenders of the Constitution, may see that without being "constrained or hobbled," the judicial branch has in many respects become the most dangerous to the principles established in the U.S. Constitution by the Founders.

On Veterans Day, in memoriam of U.S. veterans of all eras, may we, the citizens of the United States of America, commit to dedicated unhesitating service to our fighting forces by defending the Constitution of the United States from within.Brent Fisher is a resident of Corona.

King James

My Dad often reminds us that we have "William the Conqueror," "King James," and "Alexander the Great." (I guess you could say we have "Richard the Lionhearted" as well!) James is full of personality. I don't even know where to begin. It's been interesting to watch him as William has started school. He loves to play by himself and it's fun to watch him act out scenarios with his super heroes. He will tell you which ones are the bad guys and which are good--"Batman good." "Joker bad." Lately he has been fascinated with Star Wars and will tell you about those characters too--"Too-ba-ba {Chewbacca} good. Da Bay-eh {Darth Vader} bad." Sometimes he likes to be silly and mix things up--"Spiderman bad." This drives William crazy.

James is a great brother. He loves doing whatever his big brother is doing. If William does it chances are great that James will want to do it as well. William and James play together so nicely (most of the time). James is also a wonderful babysitter. I often find him taking care of Alexander and he is always concerned when he hears his baby brother crying. He loves to climb in the crib to help Alex out. Sometimes he'll play with him, give him lots of toys, or just lie down with him and say, "It's okay Alexander." So sweet. (Of course, if I'm going to be honest then I have to add that he takes toys away from Alex now too.)

James is my big helper. He loves having a "job" like his big brother. He helps me get new diapers, throw away dirty ones, empty the silverware, do laundry, and today he even put his shoes away without being asked!

As a middle child he has learned out to get our attention. If he wants something done he grabs your hand and takes you to where he needs you to be. Sometimes he'll even grab my face so that I have to look at him while he's talking. He's also very determined and won't let up until you understand what he is trying to tell you.

James also loves to dress up. It doesn't matter what it is, he wants to wear it!

When James is sad he always asks for his dad. It seems that once a day we have to call Rich on the phone to calm James down. He loves his dad. (It's especially nice at night when he wakes up Rich instead of me!)

James is starting to enjoy doing crafts more (especially if William's doing them). He loves talking on the phone--although I'm sure that whoever is on the other line can't understand a word he's saying. And he's become a big builder... he loves to stack blocks or whatever else he can find.

James makes the silliest faces. I've never seen a kid with so many expressions as James has.... and I swear I've even seen him roll his eyes at something I've said! The best face I've seen him make was on Sunday when he popped a cherry tomato into his mouth--I know exactly how he felt.

We are so glad that this sweet, silly boy is a part of our family. Life wouldn't be the same without him--and certainly less entertaining.

This is Halloween

This week was packed full of Halloween fun. On Wednesday James, Alex, and I were able to help out at William's class party. It was fun to see William with his friends... James especially loved it. The boys each had several costumes we we switched it up from day to day. Thursday we were invited to a friend's Halloween party. The boys had a great time... as did I (thanks Janine!)

before the party: William the Storm trooper, Alex the pumpkin, and James aka Spidey

That night was also our pumpkin carving night. William knew just how he wanted the pumpkin carved so he designed it... very scary. James loved messing with the pumpkin guts whereas William thought it was pretty gross.

Friday afternoon we attended the annual trick-or-treat event at Rich's work. It's always so much fun to go over there... and we get way too much candy!

with Dad at work: William the Storm Trooper, Alex the penguin, and James as Batman

And just because he was so adorable we have to have a close up of Alexander. He was a big hit.

Saturday night was the ward trunk-or-treat. While we were getting ready William was doing all sots of stunts (because he is Batman). It was pretty funny to watch. The boys were so excited! They loved playing all the games but William's favorite part may have been the end when he got to pass out the last of our candy!

William as Batman, Alex the penguin, and James as Spiderman

Wow! So much fun in so few days... I'm so glad that it's over!

This week Alex had his first taste of "real" food. He was all smiles... but smiling isn't really conducive to eating and much of the food came running right back out.

you can call me 'pumpkin'

Monday was a pumpkin filled day for the Cranes. In the morning I was able to attend William's first-ever field trip. The pre-K kids all took the bus to Chester's Party Barn. William's friend, Colt, was our buddy for the day. It was so windy. At one point William said it was "windy like a tornado." Pretty darn close. Despite the wind we had some fun going on hay rides, finding our way through the hay maze, going down the slippery big slide, having sack races, petting the animals, playing games, going on a pony ride (only Colt... William didn't want to go), and picking out our pumpkins. When asked what was the best part of the day William answered, "The bus ride and the hay ride."

William also decided that James and Alexander needed pumpkins of their own so for family night we headed over to the little pumpkin patch in town. We sang Halloween songs on the way over. The boys had a great time picking pumpkins and going on the (free) train ride.

William is ultra-excited to carve his pumpkin... I'm ultra-excited to roast the seeds. Yum!

And for your listening enjoyment... "Mr. Jack-o-Lantern" as performed by William Crane.

keeping it real

Here is a picture of my living room this afternoon. It's a mess. I know. But if you look past all the clutter you'll see two little boys playing ever so nicely together. And that is worth the mess.

silhouettes

This is a project that I worked on this week. It was actually really easy and fun. I just took profile pictures of the boys, printed them up, cut them out, and painted them black. Then I looked through my mounds of scrapbook paper to find something cute to mount them on. Lastly, I put them in a simple frame and... Ta da!

edible jack-o-lanterns

Saturday was a full, busy day. After a family trip to the grocery store we still needed to eat dinner. When I mentioned the possibility of pancakes William immediately informed me that he wanted pumpkin pancakes. And I knew just what he wanted. And then while I was pouring and flipping he informed me that we needed to make faces on our pancakes--he was going to make a scary one. The boys had loads of fun making (and re-making) faces on their pumpkins--until we finally told them that they had to actually eat the pancakes... and not just the chocolate chips. It was a fun end to a wonderful Saturday.