Merry Christmas

This year we decided to stay home for Christmas, our first in Arizona. What with that and a new baby in the house, it could not get much better!

The most unusual present of the day had to be Braden's unicycle from my parents. Who asks for a unicycle for Christmas? And doesn't it come with training wheels?

We did miss cuddling up by the fire and enjoying hot cocoa. But being able to be outdoors enjoying Santa's gifts seemed a fair trade! No one complained about missing out on snowmen and sledding as they donned their shorts and t-shirts. Not one peep about snowballs and snow angels as they climbed atop their new bikes and scooters. In fact, not one complaint about anything until Braden challenged Emmry to a race on their new electric scooters. Perhaps someone should have taught Emme how to stop. I imagine that would have been a much softer landing in snow!

Ho, Ho... Hmmm

About a month before Christmas I realized I had not been utilizing the best thing that Santa has to offer... the threat of no presents! The little girls were skeptical. Each time I put his name forward, it was pushed back at me with a practical response.

"Santa can't see me."

"Santa's not here."

"Santa doesn't know what I'm doing."

Time for the big guns!

"You know who I'll have to call?"

Well I was certain they did, but Hadley said no. Chloe had a very good idea though. She looked at me and said,

"Nanny McPhee?"

I started to tell her that no, I had meant Santa Clause, but thought... why not?

"Yes, Nanny McPhee. I'm going to call Nanny McPhee!"

"You don't know her number."

"I looked it up on the internet."

I picked up the phone and heard the familiar pulsing dial tone that signifies there are messages on the line. I dialed my phone number and began retrieving my messages. The girls went crazy. They were in tears and begging me to hang up the phone. I listened to my message with as close to a straight face as possible. By the time I hung up the phone they were like putty in my hands.

I've decided Santa's reign on managing children's behavior is on its way out. It seems he's too happy, fun, and red. And his laugh... well, it's adorable. And come on, he's way too seasonal. Parents can only capitalize on him three months of the year, max. But Nanny McPhee... now she's just plain scary and always accessible!

Thank you Universal Pictures!!!

Baby RJ

There seem to be few great surprises in life, so when Ryan and I found out we were expecting again we decided to wait to find out the gender. We envisioned the moment when the child would be born and we would hear the words, "It's a ...!" To my disappointment, at the 20-week ultrasound I discovered the sex of the baby. We would be having another girl. I mourned for two weeks over the boy we thought we would have. Ryan was aware that I new but did not want his surprise spoiled, so I never told him. It wasn't as hard as you might think, we just didn't discuss it. There was no mention of setting up a baby's room, or shopping for baby items, or even baby names. Inside my heart I came to terms with my "little Liv" who would be joining our family and was grateful for the mental preparation I was given. I felt badly though for Ryan who absolutely new we were having a boy to cap off our family and for Braden who so badly needed a brother.

When the contractions started late Tuesday night, November 2, and continued into Wednesday morning, we packed up and headed to the hospital. No one else new that I was aware of the gender, and the hospital room was filled with excitement over the pending delivery. When our little one was half-way delivered, guesses were made by the hospital staff as to the sex of the newborn. It's a girl, I kept saying to them in my mind...

"It's a boy!"

What?????? It's seems I got my surprise after all.

Welcome to our hullabaloo RJ!

Ryan James Huffman

Born November 3, 2010 at 5:58 p.m.

7 lb. 11 oz.

20 1/2 inches

Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween from the Greek God Poseidon and the Huffman roller derby girls!

Father Daughter Campout

The father/daughter camp out is an annual tradition in our ward each September. In the past it has been a night Emmry and Dad enjoy camping out with friends, sleeping in a tent, eating outside, and hiking together. For me it has been a night of trying to please the ones left behind: toddler twins oblivious to the fact that they are being left out and a jaded boy old enough to know what he is missing out on. In my craziest attempt to satisfy the latter troops, we ventured into Phoenix to a Cardinal's baseball game. Not my greatest idea.

But this year's idea was truly great! For Father's Day the kids and I gave Ryan an eight-man tent. Genius! With the twins old enough to understand the meaning of father/daughter camp out, and with a tent big enough to house them, there were no excuses for anyone to be left behind.

Since camping this summer in Utah, all the girls could talk about leading up to the camp out was when it would arrive. So when Dad came home from work throwing up with a migraine there was nothing he could do but give the toilet one last look, pack everything in the car, and head to the mountains. I felt bad, but it was a father/daughter camp out after all.

The night turned out successful. Braden and I thoroughly enjoyed a quiet dinner and movie out, while Ryan was delighted to find the young women enchanted with the girls and was able to sit back with the other dads. It seems we both had a relaxing night.

Happy Birthday Emme!

What does a seven-year-old girl want for her birthday? As Emmry becomes more grown up, we are learning that princesses aren't nearly as magical as they once were and they are definitely not cool. We gave up the Tinkerbell backpack this year for a black and white one with peace symbols all over it and the Tinkerbell nightgown is rarely worn. So I found that pretty much all a seven-year-old wants is a party with all her friends. Not the greatest thing for a pregnant lady, but thankfully Ryan had the foresight to buy a carnival birthday party given by the young women of our church at a fundraiser last spring. The party came complete with invitations, games, prizes, cupcakes, set up, and clean up. Emme was thrilled... but I don't think quite as thrilled as I was! I'm sure she didn't realize that the party was actually a present for me!

With the friend party behind us we had a few gifts of our own to supply. The little girls had picked out some craft supplies and Braden a lava lamp night light. Both a success. And what was left for Ryan and me? We were giving her a "hair styling head" doll. Go ahead and laugh. I know I did. I remember several years ago my girlfriend was buying one for her daughter's seventh birthday. Braden was also turning seven and I was likely shopping for some battling toy. I remember saying to her, "I always wondered who bought those things." Well, the mother of a seven-year-old girl that's who. And why not? I already have three little heads of hair to do. Perhaps I can train Emme to do a few. If this last one comes out with a pink bow as well, my investment will be well worth it!

Happy Birthday Girls!

Four is my favorite birthday! Looking at these faces you can see why. We have been anticipating this day for the good part of this past year as they been compiling a list of things they want. Every where we would go I would hear, "For my birthday mama. I want this for my birthday." And I would agree, "Yes, for your birthday." It was a great way to get out of any store without incident or an empty wallet. I felt very smart. But as August loomed nearer I began to worry. Did they really think they were going to get all those stuffed animals, the real animals, the baby dolls, the fairies, the dress ups, the thing that goes in the water that spins and lights up (????)... and everything else? Boy, this great idea of mine was going to backfire!

But birthdays are magical at that age and when they opened up their measly roller skates and snap and go dolls they were thrilled. No mention was made of the list of things I had agreed upon over the past nine months that were missing; including the squirrel from Jackson Hole, the Dora doll at the grocery store, and the $65 babies at the toy store. Instead they were elated with their yogurt date with mom, trip to the toy store (to actually buy something), cupcake tower, the mound of colorfully wrapped presents, and all the birthday wishes. Good thing they're only four!

Back to School

Braden has been dreading this day all summer... the day school starts again. It's a big year for him though. He's in sixth grade.

How did I get old enough to have a sixth grader?

I remember sixth grade quite vividly. We played double dutch at recess, I wore my hair in a french braid everyday, and we learned German from a video on TV. I was sitting at my desk watching the launch of the Challenger Space Shuttle when it exploded.

Yet here I am and here he is, certainly getting closer to my 5'8". I do enjoy that we wear the same shoe size now though. When I'm looking for a pair of flip flops I can always find a pair lying around.

Emmry has had no problems moving into 1st grade and I'm realizing how fast the days pass. Braden will be 17 and Emmry 13 when this last one enters kindergarten. So until then I guess I better enjoy them... 1st and 6th grade only happen once!

Utah Pilgrimage

Going to Utah is always an adventure, the success of which is a delicate equation between the number of things we break at my parents' house and the amount of fun we've had. We were fortunate this year to have Ryan with us for two of our four weeks, so we may have just come on the positive side this year.

We were determined to truly vacation this year in our home state while visiting family, so we took advantage of all Utah has to offer. We hiked in Little Cottonwood, camped up Ogden Canyon, swam at the neighborhood pool, and surfed at Ogden's indoor wave. We visited museums, zip lined at Park City's Olympic Village, and rode Wicked at Farmington's Lagoon. We trekked up to Jackson Hole for a few days and floated down a creek in Evanston, Wyoming.

Now we did break a few things... perhaps a decorative plate and a pot... the abacus with its beads strewn all over the floor took a while to put back together... and I shouldn't forget to mention the flu that ran like wild fire through the family bringing one to throw up in a sleeping bag and tent and another on the floor of the Sweet's Candy Factory (although that one was likely car sickness). But all in all, we enjoyed the cooler weather, the company of family and friends, and all the activities. We deemed the vacation a success, although that really is relative to who is looking at the equation... me or my parents.

Jackson Hole

Ever since Braden was five-years-old he has wanted a hang glider. I remember having to come up with many excuses year after year as to why Santa Claus could not bring one: it's too expensive... it won't fit down the chimney... he only brings age appropriate toys... where would you keep it?

So this summer when we decided to vacation in Jackson Hole as part of our annual pilgrimage to Utah, we looked to make Braden's dream come true by going hand gliding. My parents accompanied us on the trip and to our surprise, my dad joined Braden and Ryan as they glided over the Wyoming Rockies.

Who in their right mind would attach their 11-year-old behind an "experimental" plane, to be towed 2,000 feet in the air and released? That's what I was thinking as Braden began his tandem ascent from the Alpine, Wyoming Airport. Thankfully the bread winner of the family whose life insurance policy excludes extreme sports, had been the guiney pig and was already safely on the ground. I can only imagine the thrill or perhaps apprehension Braden felt as he was pulled at 100 mph behind an airplane, then released to soar to the ground. Perhaps in that moment he changed his mind, maybe he didn't need a hang glider after all... no such luck. It seems that not his, but all three riders' fuels were flamed as they have already made plans to sky dive next year!

But the boys weren't the only ones having fun. My mom and Emmry joined them the next day for river rafting down the Snake River. And while one rafter went overboard in the rapids, the five in our group entered the cold water only by choice.

Of coarse someone had to stay behind with the little ones and as I'm just coming up to my third trimester, I was the obvious choice. While Hadley, Chloe, and I didn't sail through the water or sky, we enjoyed the beauty and much cooler weather of Wyoming from the firm ground (really a better place for the three of us prone to motion sickness anyway!). We visited a petting zoo, played at the park, and hiked to the falls at Jenny Lake with the rest of the family.

Jackson was a welcome relief to the dry, hot desert of Arizona and it offered us as parents the opportunity to make Braden's dream come true - a truly rewarding experience for a parent, one I'm sure my parents also felt as they watched me with my family.

Can We Please Buy a Boat?

Ever since our boating trip on Memorial Day, the kids have been asking when we would be going again. We try to tell them it's a bit difficult to go boating when you don't own a boat, but they don't seem to grasp where the problem lies. So when friends invited us to go boating the day of our drive to Utah, we had no problem rearranging our vacation schedule, unpacking our suits, and heading up to Lake Bartlett for the day.

With Memorial Day's boating trip fresh in his memory, Braden was a bit nervous to give the wake board another try. We were hopeful that our friends' boys would offer some new advice that would help Braden succeed in getting up this time around. Unfortunately, we found ourselves circling back time after time to drop the rope.

Failure is very discouraging and it takes a strong person to continue on with its constant nagging. Thankfully Braden has no shortage when it comes to determination and it payed off. It only took getting up just once, and after that we had a hard time getting him down.

While Braden and Ryan enjoyed the wake and surf boards (skiing, what's that?), the girls squealed on the tube and swam to cool off. It was a great time! The only problem... we still don't have a boat and all we've heard since leaving the lake are constant pleas to buy one - and it's Ryan and I doing the pleading!

Getting Old

There comes a time in your life when your kids are old enough to outperform you in a task and you realize they are no longer the little ones whose bottoms you wiped for all those years. And though I can still best most my children in any activity, Braden has begun to surprise me. It started with board games, moved on to racquetball, and now that swim team has started, I'm completely losing my footing.

Today Braden and Emmry both competed in the first swim meet of the season. This is Emmry's first year in swim team and though she describes it as "long," she enjoys the heightened status that is associated with it. She competed in a 25 and 50 meter freestyle race, and while she did amazing and came home with a third place ribbon, I would have had no trouble finishing before her. Braden on the other hand competed in the 50 and a 100 meter freestyle, taking third and second respectively. His time on the 100 meters... 1:27.

The problem with this lies in the fact that the previous day in my swim class we swam a 100 free for time. I swam it in 1:37. So the next day I told my coach I wanted to beat my 11-year-old son's time. "That's doable," he tells me. So I swam fast, I kept my head down, I lengthened my stride, I waited to pull through, I kept my arm over the barrel pulling as much water as I could. I was sure I had him. My time... 1:35.

Now I'm faced with the question: does this mean that I'm getting old? Possibly it's just that Braden is getting older. Oh... either way... it means I'm getting old.

Tough Night?

There were four in the bed and the little one said, "Roll over, I'm crowded." So they all rolled over and one fell out...

Unfortunately that was me.

Memorial Day

Growing up visiting my grandparents' bay-side home each summer, I learned early the joys and pains of being pulled behind a speeding boat. My kids thus far being denied this opportunity, I felt it was time. So we took advantage of the holiday, headed up to our closest lake, and threw the kids in the water.

The girls loved tubing with the exception of Chloe who was traumatized when she got dunked on her first turn out - fell right off the back with me when I lost my grip. Braden was thrilled to have his dad try to dunk him on the tube and even got up on the wake board for a few seconds.

We did find it difficult to tell, with a boat engine roaring and our children 20 feet away, if they were shouting out of elation, or screaming out of desperation. We, of coarse the optimists, assumed they were having a wonderful time and continued to pull.

Maybe we should have informed them to let go of the rope!

Piano Recital

Two months ago Braden and Emmry were handed the music for their piano recital. They practiced those pieces nearly everyday for the past sixty or so days. I am sure it was with a bit of relief that they finally sat in front of that concert Steinway and performed their well-rehearsed songs.Of coarse we are slightly biased, but they were the very best of the night. Braden and Emmry even succeeded in playing a duet without too much conflict. It was a long two months!

We are very proud parents and will be sad when the day comes that they can play all the hymns in the church hymn book. It is on that day that they are allowed to quit. Braden already knows three!

Woolfy Preschool

Hadley and Chloe graduated this week from a five week preschool at a local high school. They named it "Woolfy" school in honor of the mascot that stands in front of the school.

Though we will miss preschool (boy will some of us really miss preschool!) we are thrilled for our little graduates! Congratulations!

Spring Break

Ryan and I took a trip to San Diego nearly twelve years ago. We were on summer break from the University of Utah and I was a few months pregnant with Braden. We keep a picture in our kitchen of us standing on the cliffs overlooking La Jolla beach to remind us of how beautiful it was. Medical school and residency took us to the Atlantic Ocean for vacations for a while, but being back in the west has given us the desire to make a return trip. So for spring break we packed everyone up and headed to San Diego, which proved a bit more work this time around.

While a few of our plans were repeats from our first trip, i.e., Coronado Beach, Sea World, and the San Diego temple, we threw in a few new ones to please the expanded group.

We had a couple of us fall in love with the polar bears at the San Diego Zoo and a few the view from the Cabrillo Light House. There were some amazed by the Lego structures at Legoland, maybe one that enjoyed body surfing in the cold ocean, and nearly all that lost their breakfast while whale watching.

I'm not sure who thought that whale watching would be fun for a family afflicted by motion sickness... ok, I guess I'll have to admit it was me. When will I learn. I should never do anything that requires my feet to leave the ground. Small airplanes, parasailing, boats smaller than a cruise ship... none of them have ever ended well. So you can imagine that three and a half hours on the open sea looking for whales was disastrous. Braden was the sole member of the family with breakfast still in his stomach at the end of the voyage. Amazingly, he stood at the bow of the ship the entire three and a half hours. We apparently saw a blue whale, which Braden will confirm, though at that point I'm not sure how many of the rest of us even cared.

Despite our misadventure on the sea, we had an amazing time. It was fun to see the twins buried in the sand like mermaids, Braden surfing, and Emmry collecting shells at the ocean. And along with creating memories, it seemed the most fitting vacation for our family. On our first trip to San Diego we were expecting our first child. On this second trip, we're expecting our last.