The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Christmas wasn't just a day of fun- it was an entire week of fun! On Monday, we made our traditional gingerbread houses. The kids each made their own and had a great time. (For all my blogger friends and family whose houses fell apart- you got to do it from scratch. I'm a believer now.)

On Tuesday, we went to see the Nutcracker. Tyler had seen it in the 4th grade and was the most excited to go again. However, he was the only one who said he'd rather not go again. The rest of us loved it- including Randy who discovered a fear of heights from our seats in the balcony. (Sorry- no pictures.)

Wednesday was a baking and cleaning day. (Again, no pictures, but that's a good thing.)

Thursday was our Christmas Eve celebration. Santa got pie instead of cookies. I recommend that since he was verrrrry good to us this year.

My favorite new tradition this year was making- rather than buying- family gifts. Lucy made Tyler a "treasure box." (Grandma made all the kids "Snuggies." That's what they are wearing in these pictures. They love them and I'm jealous I didn't get one!)

Randy gave me a coupon book. He will try a new food, learn a new game and do extra chores. He warned me not to "waste" the coupons. I don't plan to!

Emily made Jason figures for a game. This picture doesn't do justice to all the work she did.

Tyler made Randy a rubber- band maze game.

I made Lucy a bracelet and Jason made Emily a beautiful shadowbox to show off all of her creations.

Helping the kids make their projects was a lot of extra work for me and Jason, but I think this was worth doing and I'd like to do it again next year.

We have another week off from work and school and then on to start 2010! Hope you had as wonderful a Christmas as we did.

Snow Day!

Dec. 4th brought us some winter weather- at least Houston's version of it. We actually saw a couple of inches of snow in our back-yard before it melted all away. Of course, Houston shut down for the day- Jason's office closed and the kids got sent home from school early. (OK, all my Utah friends, you can stop snickering.) We spent the afternoon watching movies next to the fire-place. While we haven't seen snow again, this has been the chilliest December I've ever remembered. We had four days of fog, and lots of rain and wind. Yes, we've had a few of those lovely warm and sunny days. But for the most part I've been able to insist that the kids wear their jackets to school. Which is the way it should be in December.

Caption My Photo

This gem of a photo was hiding on our camera. I didn't know it was there until I downloaded them to the computer. It's a picture just begging for a witty caption. I don't have any prizes, but I'm sure you could come up with something to make me grin.

Giving Thanks

Tyler and Jason home teach Bro. and Sis. Ott. While visiting last week, Sis. Ott asked about our Thanksgiving. Jason said he wanted to deck Tyler when he nonchalantly said we had "You know, the usual... cranberry sauce, turkey, pie..." Jason was quick to give me credit for cooking all that stuff from scratch. When Jay shared this story, I replied that I was glad Tyler took for granted my cooking. We may have spoiled him though. And may I brag a little bit? I baked the "Best. Cherry. Pie. Ever." We'll have an encore pie for Christmas. Anyone who doesn't think I can back up that claim is invited over to try some.

But Sis. Ott could beat Tyler's story. She is also Lucy's Primary teacher. She said when asked about her Thanksgiving, Lucy said we ate "pretzels, popcorn, jelly beans and toast." And we did. Inspired by Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving feast, we served that as their pre-feast snack. It was a hit. I'm surprised Lucy remembered all the courses and we'll do it again next year.

Sis. Ott was confused by Lucy's answer (It's probably been a while since she's seen the Thanksgiving special.) She asked Lucy if we ate turkey or pie for Thanksgiving. When Lucy said we didn't, Sis. Ott was worried that something drastic had happened to us, that we couldn't afford a traditional feast. I figured that she should know Lucy a little better after being her teacher for over a year!

Jason took the entire week off for Thanksgiving. We had the lights up and the house decorated by the time he returned to work. It was a great Thanksgiving and we're happily headed to Christmas!

Happy Birthday, Emily!

As shocking as it is to come to terms with Randy turning 10, and Tyler becoming a Teacher, I'm absolutely flabbergasted (such a great word) that Emily is now in Young Women's! She chose to celebrate her birthday in true teen-aged fashion. All she wanted was her best friend over for 24 hours, cash, and a trip to the mall. Teya was happy to comply with her part, and I must admit, I was happy to fulfill the rest.

A little back-ground, we were stumped as to what to give Tyler for his 14th birthday. The things he wanted- expensive stuff like a cell phone or an iPod Touch- weren't going to happen this year. So we copped out and gave him money. But we asked Emily to wrap it up for us. She started with a pretty large box...

... which got smaller and smaller. Ty had to unwrap about 12 boxes to get to his gift. He had no clue what it was, especially when the final box was teeny-tiny. It was great to watch him try to figure out what he was getting.

So Ty had to get a little revenge. I gave Emily's cash to him and he created an elaborate scavenger hunt around the house for her to find her present. They both had a good time giving and getting their birthday presents and I'm sure this tradition will continue. These two have such an amazing relationship. I've never seen a brother and sister that delight in each others' joy like Tyler and Emily. I hope that never disappears.

Emily, Teya and I got up early on a Saturday morning to start shopping. We hit two malls and Michael's- which turned into about 6 hours of shopping. Not bad. When Emily added her birthday money from us and her grandparents, as well as her allowance and money she'd earned and saved, she had over $130 to spend. She came home with about $3. Here's some of her spoils.

We had a great time. I was so glad that I got to be included in her birthday shopping fun. Emily says that she wants this to be the birthday present she gets from now on. I hope she never changes her mind!

Randy's Birthday

I can't believe Randy is 10 now. A couple of people congratulated him on reaching "double digits," but it was obvious he didn't understand what they were talking about. After it was explained to him, he told everyone he met that he was now "double-digited."

One of the best things about Randy is his unbridled joy. Watching him unwrap gifts is as fun as getting gifts yourself. This is his reaction to getting inserts for his Pokemon binder. Don't you wish everyone reacted to your gifts this way?

Randy had a "big" birthday party this year. He invited his buddies from church and we played those silly party games at our house. Of course, Randy had a blast and I think his friends did too.

This crazy kid brings joy, frustrations and surprises into my life every day- sometimes one emotion followed by the other within seconds. I've learned so much about true Christ-like love and reliance on the Lord from him and from being around him. I'm so thankful he's my son and hope that a part of him is always 10 years old.

Happy Halloween!

(It's less than 3 weeks until Christmas. I think it's about time I post about Halloween.)

Halloween was a lot of fun, as usual. The kids were nice to me with their costume selection. Tyler wanted to stick with his candy-themed costume, but this year he recruited his sister to help out. The two of them came up with their idea and designed the costumes themselves. Can you figure out what they are?

Clue #1- If you can't tell from the picture- Ty is wearing grey sweats with an on/off switch. The afro is supposed to help him look like the device that he is.

Clue #2- &

Clue #3- Emily's costume is a picture of a hurricane as seen from space, with "September 13, 2008" written across the top.

Put the words from those 3 clues together and you'll figure out what they were. (Don't worry if you can't. Most people at the ward party needed a LOT of hints. But they got some laughs when all was revealed.)

Randy did not want to be Megamatic for the the 4th year in a row. (Don't worry if you don't know who Megamatic is. He's a character from Randy's imagination.) He wanted to be some obscure Pokemon, but I had no time to make a costume this year. Luckily, he happily agreed to be a ninja and was in character all night.

Lucy used a costume from last year- another bonus for me. She didn't really care what she wanted to be, as long as she could wear make-up!

Time's up! Did you figure out their costume?

They were Mike & Ike! (Tyler was dressed as a microphone- a mic- and Emily's shirt had a picture of Hurricane Ike.) Their idea was to give out little boxes of Mike & Ike to people who could figure it out. Since no one really could, they gave them out to the people who liked their idea and didn't roll their eyes.

Suprise!

Jason and I have been heading for bed earlier and earlier. (We blame work and Seminary. Frankly, I think we're just getting old.) Somehow the word hasn't gotten out not to disturb the Welker's after 9 PM. We grumble a little when the phone rings that late. But I wasn't grumbling when we got a surprise after bedtime a couple of weeks ago. At 9:30, our doorbell rang. It was my brother, Andrew. The previous day, he had decided to go for a drive. A 1000 mile drive. From Tucson, AZ. Surprise!

Andrew spent a fantastic 3 days with us. We introduced him to kolaches, NASA and the down-town tunnels. The best part of his visit was watching my kids interact with their goofy Uncle Andrew. As much as I love Texas, I desperately miss our extended family. Andrew's surprise visit reminded us how blessed we are to have such an amazing family and how far away that family is.

Thanks for the surprise, Andrew. You are welcome anytime!

Pearls to Contemplate

On Monday, our Seminary class will be discussing Jacob 2- specifically the topic of Pride. We will be using the following True/False quiz to start the lesson. How well will you do? (Clarifications in parentheses will not be on my class's quiz. Just something additional for you to contemplate.)

1. If you don't like someone, (including political figures?) then you have pride.

2. Arguing (about politics?) is a form of pride.

3. The way to overcome pride is by going to church.

4. There are some forms of pride that are good (particularly the achievements of your children).

5. Disobedience to someone in authority (idiot cops?) over you is pride.

6. Gossiping (unless it's true?) is a form of pride.

7. If you have pride, you welcome input from others.

8. Poor people don't have pride because they don't have money.

9. Pride isn't as serious a sin as fornication.

10. Holding onto grudges is pride.

I won't be posting answers myself. The answer key can be found in Pres. Ezra Taft Benson's landmark talk on pride.

What would you add to a lesson on pride?

Super Saturday!

My sister-in-law has the most amazing personalized clock hanging in her front room. When I asked where she purchased it, she told me she made it at a Relief Society activity. I took a picture of it, and showed it to the craftiest friend I know. Tara loved the idea and we decided we would figure out how to do it.

A year (!) later, Tara asks me if I'm still interested in making a personalized clock. She found out that another ward in our stake was making them for their Super Saturday activity and we had permission to "crash" if we wanted to.

Four hours later, this is my creation. I am amazed at how great it turned out, AND it was tons of fun to spend my day with some great friends. Jason held down the home-front, cracking the whip on Saturday chores, and then rewarding the kids with a trip to the movies.

Yep, it was a super Saturday.

(Now, I can't wait for OUR ward's Super Saturday in November.)

Things That Made Me Smile This Weekend

1. Lucy "tucking in" the dishes- I asked Lucy to unload the dishwasher while I made dinner. As she put away every plate and cup, she would whisper "Goodnight, purple cup" and then, gently close the door.

2. Emily psyching our dog- Emily pretended she was holding a treat in her hand and would let Bullet sniff her fingers. She didn't have anything at all, but she acted like she did. It should have been obvious that there was nothing there for him, but Bullet was going nuts. She would pretend to throw it and Bullet would take off after it. She had him going for a good 15 minutes. Poor (dumb) dog.

3. Tyler and church- Tyler was the only one who made it to church today. As he walked in the door, he said, "You missed a good one." He shared his testimony in Sacrament, loved his Teacher's class and went home-teaching with Bro. Turner. What a good kid he is.

4. Former Home Teachers- Beloved Bro. Skye sent a box of Cocoa Puffs home with Tyler because he knew it was Randy's favorite. Love that guy.

5. Humble Brother-in-laws- We got a sweet email from Dave this week. I just wanted to let him know he was in our thoughts and prayers.

6. BBC Adaptations of Jane Austen Books- With Jason out of town for his grandmother's funeral, I got the TV to myself. I watched "Persuasion" last night and reserved "Sense and Sensibility" for tomorrow. Woo-hoo!

7. Waffles for Dinner- Um, I think this is self-explanatory.

8. Handwritten Notes from a Friend- Actually, this made me just a little bit weepy. I'll miss you, Tonya.

9. Pictures of my Crazy Kids- This picture wasn't taken this weekend. I just didn't want a picture-less post.

What didn't make me smile? Being a single mom for the weekend. But I'm glad Jason is with his family this weekend. I just wanted to let him know how much I love and miss him.

And eegee's. I miss eegee's.

Great-Grandma Welker

Jason's grandmother passed away this week. Of all of our grandparents, she was the one the kids knew best of all. For a while, she lived in a nice trailer next to Jason's parents house. This afforded her some independence, but she was still close enough to get some extra help. We made it a point to take our kids over during every trip so that our kids could say hello.

Right about the time that Lucy was born, the signs of dementia started setting in. She could remember her past and our older kids, but Lucy never became embedded in her memory. You could tell that was a great source of frustration for her, that she knew she should know Lucy's name, but had to ask every time.

Randy, of course, took it hard. However, since my grandmother's funeral in the spring, he understands a little bit more about the Atonement. He asked if she was "in her tomb yet." We told him that Jason would be going to her funeral, and that she wouldn't be buried until then. He wanted to clarify that Jesus could "take her out of the tomb, right?" and wanted to know when her resurrection would occur. Although, we couldn't answer that specific question, he was satisfied with our testimonies that our grandmothers, and all of us, would one day be resurrected. I'm so grateful that we can comfort him with that knowledge, and that he has a the beginnings of a testimony of our Savior's sacrifice.

I'll always remember her a strong woman. Even at the end, when her mind and body were frail, her heart was strong. I admire her for ability to endure hardships- physically and emotionally. I'm also thankful for the example of Jason's parents, who have sacrificed so much and so long to care for her. She is loved and will be missed. But I know she is in a far better place and am so thankful for that knowledge.

Yeah . . . I'm showing off . . .

. . . again.

These are my latest projects. (Actually, crochet is just my excuse to watch TV.)

All of my kids know have afghans of their own. This is Randy's.

After I fell in love with crochet, I found amigurumi- or "crocheted stuffed doll." There are tons of free patterns on-line and now all of the kids have one of their own. I finished Randy's elephant on our road trip to my grandmother's funeral. He couldn't find it for a picture, but he's holding it in his hand in the last picture of this post. "Sam" can always be found when Randy really needs him.

I made a "Flixie" for Emily. This is a character from the book that she is writing. A flixie is a fairy with a cat's body. You can't tell in this picture, but the flixie I made has wings and a sparkly black dress. Tyler wanted a dog and I was surprised that a 14-year-old still wanted a stuffed animal from his mom.

Lucy still loves her giraffe- Leafy. This was the first amigurumi I'd made and I can see tons of mistakes. Thankfully, she loves him in spite of his faults.

My next project is something for me. And Jason has already put in his order for his own blanket. I'm going to be one of those little old ladies who dies with a closet full of yarn.

Another Last First

As far as I'm concerned, Lucy is our last child. So her firsts are the last ones I'll experience as a mother. Last night, she lost her first tooth. It was really hard to get her to sit still for a picture. This is the best we could do. This is a part of a game she invented- a very Lucy thing to do.

The story of her tooth is very Lucy also- pure drama. It had been wiggly for a while and it looked like it was getting close to coming out, but not quite there. However, while I brushed her teeth, that thing popped out and started gushing that red stuff that rhymes with mud. None of my other kids' teeth have bled like that. I must have had a look of shock on my face, because she looked in the mirror. Her chin was covered with blood and when she saw that, she flipped out. All the while, I'm cheerfully chattering, "Look your tooth fell out! How cool is that?" Apparently, not very cool.

We finally got her calmed down and into bed. She wanted to the Tooth Fairy to come, but didn't seem that excited about it. Jason sent a "reminder" alarm to make sure the Tooth Fairy didn't forget to come. He went upstairs to "check," if you know what I mean. But the next morning, a crestfallen Lucy came down-stairs with her tooth in a baggie. "She didn't come." Randy was quick to console her. "That's OK, Lucy. If the Tooth Fairy forgets, she brings extra money for each day she was late." He knows from experience.

I took her hand and we went upstairs to look. Under her pillow was two dollar bills. Lucy is now converted. She's counting her teeth and multiplying by two. I think she's also trying to figure out how to hide it from the Tooth Fairy in the hopes of collecting a little interest.

More Pearls

From a real "gem"- Sis. Marjorie Pay Hinckley

"I don't want to drive up to the pearly gates in a shiny sports car, wearing beautifully, tailored clothes, my hair expertly coiffed with long, perfectly manicured fingernails. I want to drive up in a station wagon that has mud on the wheels from taking kids to scout camp. I want to be there with grass stains on my shoes from mowing Sis. Schenck's lawn. I want to be there with a smudge of peanut butter on my shirt from making sandwiches for a sick neighbor's children. I want to be there with a little dirt under my fingernails from helping to weed someone's garden. I want to be there with children's sticky kisses on my cheeks and tears of a friend on my shoulder. I want the Lord to know I was really here and that I really lived."

What My Kids Learned from the President of the United States of America

(This is in no way a political post. I will not get into the details of whether or not the President should or should not be addressing America's children the day before he addresses both houses of Congress. Just wanted to share our discussion at the dinner table.)

While dishing dinner out tonight, I asked each of the kids what was the best thing that happened today. Emily said that she got to miss the President's speech by going to a doctor's appointment. Randy perked up and he said that he listened to the President's speech. I had read the contents of the speech earlier and was curious to see what he had picked up. Randy answered,"If I don't learn, I get kicked out of the country."

Lucy chimed in that she saw "Brock O. Bama." When we asked her what she learned, she said, "Um, I learned that the United States is really real."

So, there you go, America. That's what your children got out of your President's big speech.

Happy Mother's Day

Fourteen years ago, Tyler was born into our family. Even after all these years, I marvel that I am a mother. Even more, I marvel that such amazing children were sent to our family. I've spent the morning thinking about Ty as a baby, as a little boy and now as a young man.

Never, in the history of mankind, was there a baby as cute as Tyler- until Emily, then Randy and of course, Lucy came along. We would get stopped in public and everyone would want to touch his "baby mohawk," the fluffy hair that could not and would not be tamed. Just before his first birthday, we showed up for extended family pictures with his hair slicked back and neat. My family had a fit. It just wasn't "him." Maybe that's why he wants to keep his hair so short now, because it was a big attention-grabber when he was little.

When I had my first parent/teacher conference during Tyler's preschool years, his teacher told me that she had never met a four-year-old child, much less a boy, that was as empathetic and considerate of his class-mates as my son. He is still extremely concerned about how others feel. Even though he has a core set of best buddies, he often invites kids from school and church over to our house that don't often get included in other's groups. I'm grateful that he has kept that empathy and I think that trait will bless him in the future.

Tyler has always been extremely bright. In elementary school, he would often ask me complicated scientific questions. My answer was always, "I don't know. Ask your dad." He loved sitting next to his dad at the dinner table discussing math and physics- stuff that was way over my head. One day when he was about 10, as we were driving in the car, he told Emily all about "splitting atoms" and causing nuclear reactions that would result in catastrophic explosions. Amused, I listened to his explanation, marveling at how much he knew. Emily was skeptical. "Mom," she asked. "Is Tyler telling the truth?" I told her that with the tiny bit of nuclear physics I knew, it sounded like he had the right idea. Her eyes grew wide and she said, "Well, I hope we don't accidently break any atoms."

Like every teen-ager I've ever known, Ty has struggled a bit in the transition from elementary to junior high school. However, I'm marveling at the difference a year can make and about how mature this fourteen-year-old Tyler is. As he left for school this morning, he came back into the house for one more hug and to tell me that he loved me. I hugged him back and kissed the top of his head, and wondered how much longer it would be that I would be able to do that. Will he ever outgrow the need for his mom's hugs? Will he outgrow me physically? Emotionally? Spiritually? I can't think about the answer to those questions for very long. Of course, my deepest desire is that Ty grows and matures into a responsible adult that might not need his mother's security and strength. But for now, I'm grateful he does. And I'll hold onto that as long as I can.

Happy Birthday, Tyler!

I love you!

Pearls

One of the best parts of teaching early morning Seminary is what I learn while preparing to teach. (The hardest part of teaching early morning Seminary is that it occurs early in the morning!) Periodically, I come across perfect pearls of wisdom and knowledge. Periodically, I'll share them with you.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell: "The most important question in human history is one which echoes down through the corridors of time; it will not go away: 'Jesus asked them . . . what think ye of Christ?' (Matt. 22:41-42) Sooner or later, this will be the vital question for all mortals, including you, my friends! A failure to answer this question is an answer." (Ensign June 1985, p. 69)

First ER visit

A couple of Sundays ago, Jason and I were sharing with some friends from the ward that none of our kids have ever been to the Emergency Room. After fourteen years and four kids, our streak has been broken. Here's our story.

After Andrew's graduation (see previous post), he had a town pass. On Saturday, we visited the Tower of Americas and had an expensive, but delicious lunch up there.

Then we went to Malibu Castle- similar to Golf N' Stuff in Tucson. They had bumper boats, mini-golf and go-carts. On Randy's first go-cart drive, he was bumped from behind and crashed.

Jason was taking pictures from the stands, and could tell by the way the attendant had to support him that Randy had really been hurt.

We put ice on the purple bump on his temple and I monitored him while the rest of the family continued to play. After a while, it became obvious that this was a serious knock and needed some attention. Had we been in Katy, we probably would have watched him from home. But facing a 3 hour drive ahead of us, we (I) wanted to make sure he was OK.

After some confusion, we found Methodist Children's Hospital. Andrew carried him in, and the attending RN wouldn't even let us sit down. He was immediately taken back for an assessment and then put in a bed. The doctor saw him within 10 minutes of walking in the doors.

Thank goodness Andrew was with us. He had made a first-aid assessment of Randy and relayed his symptoms perfectly. He stayed out in the waiting room with the other kids, so that Jason and I were both able to go back with Randy for his head CT.

Randy was diagnosed with a concussion and is going to be OK. He's on restricted activities for the week- but can still go to school. (Rats!) We got home to Katy at about 2 AM, but everyone was safe and accounted for. I'm just counting my many blessings.

However, I think the Welkers are finished with go-carts.

My Kid Brother

My youngest brother, Andrew, was born six weeks after I graduated from high school. I moved into my first apartment before he was six months old and left for my mission when

he was three.

This is my favorite picture of him from that time. He is asleep on the kitchen floor with a spoon in his hand. Mom said that he wanted ice-cream and cried himself to sleep demanding it. Unfortunately, that's how I've always remembered him- my kid brother, forever 3 years old in my mind.

This weekend, we had the opportunity to go to San Antonio to watch Andrew graduate from Basic Military Training in preparation for his service in the Air National Guard. That's him, directly behind the flag-bearer, first row- all the way on the left because he was an "Element Leader." It was surreal to see him marching with his flight, being congratulated by his fellow airmen for earning four commendation "ribbons," to be thanked by the public for his service.

That image of the three-year-old is gone, replaced by a dignified, respectful, mature young man. He is an amazing uncle- cool enough to still know Pokemon, responsible enough to respond in an emergency (more on that later) and patient enough to respond to Lucy's calling him "Uncle David" all weekend. (Give her a break. She's got a boatload of uncles to remember.) I'm so glad we had the opportunity to see his graduation and spend time with him.

Congratulations, Andrew! We're proud of you!

(Mom, this picture is for you. We thought you might like some proof.)