Merriest Christmas!

17 December 2018

Merry Christmas

Christmas is coming a little early to our house this year! In two days our family will be piling into the car and heading to the SLC airport to pick up Julianne. It's been nearly 18 months since we've last seen her, with contact limited to once a week emails and two skype calls. But in something like 44 hours she's going to descend that escalator in terminal 2 and I'm going to run, and grab her, and hug the stuffing out of her! (All the while sobbing, I'm sure.) Her return is all the Christmas I need and it will feel so good to have that Julianne sized piece of my heart that has been residing in New Jersey and New York for the past year and a half, back home where it belongs.

Julianne spent the first couple months of 2018 in Kearny, NJ...a suburb of Newark. However in early March she was transferred to New City and then to Middletown, both in New York. When all is said and done, what with also including her time in the Mexico MTC, Julianne spent more of her mission in New York than New Jersey! She loved seeing the NYC skyline across the Hudson regularly, enjoyed doing service at Ellis Island and with the Salvation Army, survived more nor'easters than I can count, and even got offered a recording contract from a Christian music producer who heard her singing on the street one day. But of course the true highlight of her mission has definitely been the people she has come to know and love. It'll be hard saying goodbye, but we have already started planning a trip back this summer to visit.

Rebekah and I had an interesting conversation a few days ago about what it was like to return home from a mission. Obviously there are all sorts of emotions to do with joy in seeing your family again, mixed with grieving the people you are leaving behind and the end of this wonderful phase of your life that has made such an impact on the person you've become. But Rebekah also said that it was a little strange to come home and realize how much our family had changed. We didn't just freeze in time while she spent that 18 months in London. Logically she knew we were continuing on with life just as she was, and of course she got weekly updates as to what we were doing. But she commented that it took a little while for her to find her place in our family again. Not in an "I don't fit anymore" sort of way...but the family dynamic had changed a bit while she was gone, as we had spent our days together here at home without her. Which of course makes perfect sense, but I just hadn't ever really thought about that being one more thing to adjust to when you return home from a mission. Rebekah is curious to talk with Julianne about it and see how their experiences compare. But it's kind of put a slightly different spin on our year's events as I've prepared to write this yearly letter, in wondering how they have shaped us and changed us...just as Julianne's mission has shaped and change her.

Our biggest event of course, is THE WEDDING! Rebekah and Tanner were married and sealed in the Bountiful Temple on March 3rd. After an extremely lackluster winter, of course the biggest snowstorm of the year was forecast to be on the big day. Murphy's Law? Mother Nature's sense of humor? Plain old bad luck? Not sure which but I was decidedly peeved. How would we take pictures after the ceremony? Would people even be able to make it up the big hill to Eaglewood Reception Center that evening in North Salt Lake? But above all...SERIOUSLY? Snow? THIS day, of all days? Sigh. I was finally resigned to what will be, will be...but then watched in surprise and gratitude as that storm delayed hour by hour as the day went on! March 3rd turned out to be chilly and overcast, but miraculously beautiful and perfect. A friend remarked at the reception later that night that the next time she needed specific weather for an event, she was going to call me for prayers because clearly I had a direct line to the Man Upstairs. I responded that the swear words I had uttered in regards to the weather forecast likely had cancelled out any goodwill I might have had. Our weather reprieve was probably due more to Rebekah's prayers than mine. ha! The snow started lightly falling after the bride and groom and guests had left, we had cleaned up, loaded all the presents into the car and were just pulling out of the parking lot. Miraculous indeed. But in all seriousness, it was a day for the history books. Rebekah was a glowing bride and Tanner, a doting groom. The temple ceremony was beautiful and I could not stop the tears as I watched my baby marry her sweetheart for time and all eternity. The whole day was filled with such love and happy reunions. Family, friends, neighbors, mission companions and senior couples...many traveling long distances to share their love and support for the newlyweds and our family. I was incredibly touched. Rebekah and Tanner are happily living the blissful newlywed life, residing in Aggie Village up in Logan and attending Utah State University. We see them fairly regularly for which we are thankful. They just finished up finals and are traveling down later today to stay with us for the Christmas season. How wonderful to have ALL my family together again this week.

Brandon is a senior this year at ----- High School and I'm already steeling myself for another emotional graduation ceremony next May. This year has seen some changes for our boy. After a great deal of thought Brandon decided to "retire" from gymnastics competition. He realized that his goals had changed and doing gymnastics in college wasn't as important to him anymore. He was developing new interests and hobbies and wanted more time to devote to those. He determined that his meet at Stanford University in January would be his last, and going into it knowing it was the final one made it rather emotional for both of us. Waiting to begin his rings routine on his last evening of the competition his coach said something along the lines of, "I still remember lifting you up to the rings at your very first meet 8 years ago. I'm glad I get to be here to do it again today. You get up there and show them what you can do." I'm so glad that Brandon didn't tell me about that comment until later that evening, because I completely lost it. I wondered why Brandon finishing gymnastics emotionally affected me so much. And I think it's because once again, it was watching him come to the end of something that, like Rebekah's and Julianne's missions, had such a huge impact on his life and had a hand in shaping the person he is becoming. He has learned so much more than just how to do cool tricks. Growth is more than in his ripped muscles. The friendships he's made are more like family. And so though he was excited for the next phase of his life and this change was nothing but good, it was also bittersweet. Luckily, part of this new phase includes coaching. He still gets to see his gymnastics family every day as he runs the parkour program at the gym, and helps coach the level 5 competition team. But his hours aren't as long so he is able to spend more time on his new hobbies, like photography, piano, and outdoor adventures such as camping, snowboarding, and hiking. He's fielding college options right now and is debating between USU in Logan, UofU in SLC, and SUU in Cedar City.

Lilian turned 11-years old this year, got her first cell phone, decided to start wearing mascara, is getting asked to babysit, and really likes boys. Pre-teen, right on schedule. She continues to love playing with her soccer team, while I'm still learning more about the rules and politics of the competitive soccer world. Quite a switch from gymnastics! She's pretty proud that her team took first place in their division in the spring and has enjoyed the perks of tournament travel (hello, Mesquite) and discount tix to Salt Lake Real and Royals games. And because apparently all those soccer practices and games weren't enough, Lilian developed a hankering to play the cello with the 6th grade orchestra. Orchestra? Learning a stringed instrument? But why, when we already have a piano that she refuses to learn to play? She was determined, so we rented a 1/2 sized cello. She attends twice a week early morning practices and I'm rather impressed with how quickly she's learned to read music and associate notes on a staff to finger placement on the strings. I can read music but know nothing about stringed instruments so she's been more or less on her own when it comes to practicing. But so far so good!

Lilian also auditioned for the school play last winter and was cast as Teen Fiona in their performance of Shrek. Wearing her wig for the first time in dress rehearsal she said, "Remind me to never dye my hair red. Or cut it in a bob!" I'm pretty sure she secretly was thrilled to have a big enough part to necessitate a wig. I volunteered to help run the lights for the show so I got to see every performance. It was such fun that I signed up to help out with the musical again this year...only to find myself getting roped into being the music director, heaven help me! We just finished auditions and casting the show, Willy Wonka Jr. It's going to be a lot of work, but I'm already falling in love with these kids! Lilian earned the part of Veruca Salt but I swear there was no bias or nepotism going on...the director was the one who cast her. (Even if I did agree heartily with her choice.)

Bryan and I celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary this year. we had thought that maybe we should plan some big, exotic trip to mark the occasion and then remembered that we just spent a nice chunk of money on THE WEDDING. So instead we used frequent flier miles and flew our little family, including the newlyweds, to Cedar Point Amusement Park in Sandusky, Ohio. It's kind of humorous to watch people's faces when you tell them that you've booked a vacation to Ohio as they try to work out the appropriate reaction to your news and wonder why you would want to go there of all places? Cedar Point has some of the world's best roller coasters. We're talking record breaking heights, speeds, lengths and drops. Plus, it's on a peninsula in Lake Erie so the whole park is surrounded by water and white sand beaches. It was pretty fantastic! One ride, the Dragster, was only 17 seconds long, but it shot you off at 120 miles per hour and took you 420 feet in the air. I literally screamed the entire 17 seconds...but oh my, what fun!

Bryan went on an Alaskan fishing trip with his parents and brothers in August and brought back loads of salmon. I was envious of their adventures, but super thankful for the yummy fish. We also took a couple of camping trips, one of which was to the Salt Flats in January. As much as I love winter, waking up in a tent to 27 degrees temperatures made me realize that though I'm glad to say I've done it, I'll leave the winter camping to Brandon and Bryan from here on out. Interestingly enough, when we did have our big Croft summer campout over the 4th of July, I wasn't even able to go. Our little puppy Oscar was deathly ill this summer. It was when Bryan spent two nights sleeping on the floor next to the little guy because we weren't sure he would make it through the night, that I realized just how much we love our furry baby. He rallied a bit and we thought he was on the mend so I sent the rest of the family off on the aforementioned camping trip will I stayed home to nurse Oscar, only to have him take another turn for the worse which landed him in the Doggie ER for 48 hours. But while there, they diagnosed him with Addison's Disease. Ever heard of it? I hadn't, but apparently it is a disease humans can get as well...most notably, JFK had it. Basically it means that Oscar's adrenal glands had failed and weren't making the hormones he needed to keep his body functioning. We were able to catch it in time and with monthly hormone shots he'll continue to live a healthy and normal life. We are hugely relieved. Good heavens, how did this even happen that we've become such dog lovers?

Julianne is coming home to some changes...some small, some bigger. But overall, I'm hoping she'll find the changes in us to be good ones, as we look forward to seeing how her mission has shaped her. We are literally counting down the hours until that hole her absence left in our family is physically filled again. There's going to be a lot of joy and rejoicing at our house this Christmas!

We hope you have the most wonderful Christmas and the happiest of New Years!

Love, The Croft Family

Bryan, Sarah, Rebekah & Tanner, Hermana Croft, Brandon, Lilian (and Oscar)

Chester does 2017

Lilian knew full well it was me hiding Chester this year and had no qualms about touching him or picking him up. She'd compliment me when I displayed Chester in a particularly creative way or if it took her awhile to find him. Overall, I think she still looked forward to looking for him each morning and enjoyed the experience. As did I. As much of a hassle it is sometimes to remember late at night or first thing in the morning to hide the little guy...I still enjoy the tradition of it all and watching Lilian's excitement. I even get a kick out of finding a particularly fun or new idea that I can use from pinterest. (Is that weird?)

See here for when I spilled the beans about Chester not being real.

Hanging from the lamp, aided by a sparkly Christmas light necklace (no, he is not trying to strangle himself, no matter how it may look). Sitting in our new wreath above the fireplace. Setting up a cozy movie night with popcorn, hot chocolate, and Home Alone. Hanging out with the little girlie elves on the bookshelf downstairs. Reading the Christmas stories. Suggesting we watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas. Sporting some long wrapping paper legs. A little Merry Christmas message written on the eggs in the fridge. And blowing chewing gum bubbles.

 A cotton ball bath in the bathroom sink.

 Who knew that Chester had flying reindeer powers? (Lilian actually set this one up.)

 A post-it-note Christmas tree.

 On the gallery wall above the stairs.

 Sitting in a Titanic White Star Line goblet on the shelf in the kitchen.

 Ahh...my favorite of this season: Chester climbing up the wall using Christmas bows.

 Game night with the nutcrackers!

 Hiding in the pantry with some finger lights so he can see.

 Sipping hot chocolate from the tops of the cupboards.

See ya next year, Chester...

Merry Christmas...Happy Christmas...Feliz Navidad

                 Feliz Navidad!

I’ve been trying to decide how to create some sort of order to this letter. Share big events chronologically? By child? By order of importance or big-ness? And if by the latter, how do I decide that? Because I’m pretty sure Julianne would feel that her mission is every bit as big as Rebekah’s engagement. And Lilian’s entrance into the world of competitive soccer feels just as important to her as Brandon’s joy at qualifying for Nationals in gymnastics. Oops...did I just give you a bunch of spoilers?

We started out the year with the whole family home. Rebekah had returned from her mission to London four weeks earlier, Julianne had finished up finals at UVU, and we had a few wonderful weeks all six of us together again. All too soon it was time to pack the girls’ belongings into their individual cars. And then after lots of hugs the two cars pulled out of the driveway, separating at the freeway entrance...one going north to Utah State University in Logan, and the other going south to Utah Valley University in Provo. It’s kind of quiet with only four of us at home. But Kaysville is geographically middle ground between the two which made for happy visits on occasional weekends. Lucky for me, my girls are also prolific texters and kept us in the loop in regards to classes, boyfriends and college life in general. Rebekah moved into an apartment with one of her besties, jumped back into her elementary education program, auditioned for and made it into the Institute Singers, and fairly quickly fell head over heels for a guy named Tanner. Julianne, also majoring in elementary education, headed into her second semester of classes, got a job making crepes at The Roll Up, served faithfully as the Relief Society President of her student ward, and found herself completely smitten with Jordan, a guy she originally knew from high school but reconnected with in Provo.

Julianne’s goals have always included serving a mission, so just a few months after Rebekah’s return, Julianne started working on getting her mission papers submitted. A few days before the big white envelope showed up in the mail, the two of us were joking around as to where she would be called. “What if I went here?” “Wouldn’t it be funny if you went there?” “What about this place?” “Do you think I’ll get called to that place?” Random, off the wall guesses...nothing super serious. Just a way to blow off anxiety and nerves. Julianne said, “Hey Mom, you should google ‘Armpit of America.’” My google query came up with New Jersey...mostly to do with the sketchiness of Newark, and the stink associated with the nearby refineries. “You watch Mom, I’m going to get called to New Jersey.” We laughed and moved on to some more what ifs. Two days later, on March 23rd, the official call arrived. Julianne ripped open that big white envelope. She started reading aloud. And then she stopped. And smiled. And then started to giggle...which turned into a pretty good laugh. All of us watching her, still in suspense...waiting, waiting, waiting...until she could finish up her giggle fit enough to inform us that she had indeed been called to the Armpit of America! Her call was to serve in the New Jersey Morristown Mission, Spanish speaking. I honestly thought she was trying to play a joke on me, but she was serious. And very excited, despite her Dad’s first comment, ”She is SO going to get mugged!” So, despite her four years of junior high and high school French, Julianne left on June 27th for Mexico City and spent six weeks learning how to teach the gospel in Spanish at the Mexico CCM. Her first few months in Jersey were spent in Red Bank and Toms River mid-way down the coast. She is now in Kearny, which is a suburb of Newark. She jokes about being in the “armpit” but claims that New Jersey really is more like its official motto, “The Garden State.” She says in certain areas she can see the NYC skyline, which of course fills her heart with joy. A few weeks ago she got to go to the Manhattan Temple, and she and her companion occasionally get to volunteer at Ellis Island working in the Family History Center there. She’s happy, healthy, and loves her mission, which makes the missing her a little easier to bear. Because miss her we do...oh so much! Sending a second missionary is not any easier than sending off the first, despite actually knowing what to expect. In fact, I think that sometimes makes it worse! But we are happy for this wonderful experience she is having.

Moments before taking Julianne to be set apart as a missionary, Tanner pulled her aside to say his goodbyes and inform her that he would most likely marry her sister while she was gone. This predictably made Julianne cry, but it wasn’t a surprise and they were mostly happy tears. Tanner proposed to Rebekah at the end of October and we are planning a wedding for March 3rd. So maybe now introductions are in order? Everyone, meet Tanner Braden! Tanner is from Bountiful and is the youngest of 8 children in his family. He served his mission in Taiwan and returned home just 3 months before Rebekah. He has plans to be a physical therapist, has a job teaching English to Chinese kids on-line and is very musically talented...singing, piano, guitar, and various other musical instruments. Tanner and Rebekah met in January in Institute Singers, started dating in February, and were inseparable by March. It was pretty clear early on that they were thinking marriage, but neither one of them were in any rush. So they had an idyllic summer, saw each other every day, and at the end of August they settled back into school life in Logan. After carving out some time in their insanely busy 18-credit hour school schedules, Rebekah’s Practicum (student teaching...sort of), and Tanner’s job..they were finally able to go ring shopping. That sweet boy involved me in all his secret proposal plans and then allowed me to help set things up, so I got to be there to give my baby a big hug after the official “Will you marry me?” The two of them were practically glowing, they were so happy. (And okay fine, yes...I cried. A lot.) The wedding plans have begun. The temple and reception center are booked. We went wedding dress shopping last week. (Yes, I cried there too.) So, our family is growing! I’m taking on some new titles...mother-of the bride, mother-in-law. It’s all very new and exciting. We already love Tanner so much and are incredibly happy to have him join our family.

But while all of this mission and courtship stuff was happening, Brandon was having an equally big year. First of all, the kid turned 16. I think I was as excited about him getting his drivers license as he was. NO MORE DRIVING BACK AND FORTH TO BOUNTIFUL EVERY SINGLE DAY FOR GYMNASTICS!!! (You’ll have to imagine all the happy dancing.) But then if that wasn’t enough, this year’s gymnastics competition season was especially awesome and after multiple meets that included out of state trips to Las Vegas, California and Colorado Springs, at the Region Meet he qualified for Nationals! Oh, the grin on his face when he realized he would be competing at the Junior Olympic Nationals Gymnastics Competition. And the frosting on the cake...Nationals was being held in Orlando this year. So in conjunction with our family tradition of celebrating a 16th birthday with a special trip...we booked our stay with a few extra days attached and headed to Florida in May. Nationals was simply amazing. Brandon said that working out and competing side by side with that level of gymnastics talent and skill was nothing short of phenomenal. It was a big week long to-do with scheduled work-outs leading up to the day, opening ceremonies the night before, the big competition and then finals. And during our extra days, we hit Universal Studios three times. Universal is pretty incredible on its own, but it has become clear to me that The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is one of my happy places. And then as a lovely little end to our trip, we spent a few hours at Cocoa Beach before heading to the airport.

Not to be left out, our 10-year old Lilian decided it was time for her soccer ambitions to take center stage. So after four year of rec, we decided to try out competitive soccer. She auditioned for three soccer clubs. Oh wait...that’s the theatre and music background coming out in me. Let me rephrase that correctly. She tried out for three soccer clubs, and got offers from all three, but decided to join Forza Futbol Club, partly because it meant she’d be able to play with two of her friends who also live in our neighborhood. It’s been fascinating to watch Lilian learn and grow, as a soccer player but also personally as she’s found purpose and passion in her game. She practices 2-3 times a week and has games weekly as well...regular season and tournaments also. Right now they are playing indoor soccer, which interestingly is quite different from the traditional outdoor. It’s much more fast paced and intense, and Lilian is loving it. She plays defense most of the time and is fearless and fast and has no problem stopping that ball with whatever body part she has available, whether it be bouncing it off her knee, hip, chest or even head! Bryan has become her biggest fan and enjoys going to her Saturday games. She loves having him there and watches for him in the stands...it’s super sweet.

So there you go...all my previous spoilers explained in full, and then some. But clearly, though those were our biggest events of the year, they weren’t the only.

    In early June, I went on a singing tour with the Sally Bytheway Chorale to Washington D.C. Which was pretty amazing for many reasons...one being my whole family was there. My parents, Katie and Melissa were singing in the choir with me (along with Bryan’s sister Carolyn and her husband Treg). But also Mary came from Idaho to travel with us, and Rachel drove up from Virginia. We sang at Arlington National Cemetery, the World War II Memorial on the Mall, a Veterans home and the Washington D.C. Temple Visitors Center. We got to visit all sorts of memorials and museums, heck...we even sang the National Anthem flash mob style on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial and in front of the White House. After the official tour ended, we Daltons traveled to Rachel’s home in Richmond, VA to spend more time visiting...also taking day trips to Monticello and Mount Vernon (Jefferson’s and Washington’s homes). Then my parents, Katie and I continued on to NYC where I got to spend a couple more days showing them around my very favorite city. We packed in as much as we could into those few days, even taking in a couple of Broadway shows. But I think my favorite thing was watching the excitement on my Dad’s face as we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge. (Well, that may be a tie with the look of trepidation when I took them down into the subway for the first time…)

    Rebekah and I also had the opportunity to travel to London in August. How many times I’d wanted to be a fly on the wall, seeing the life my daughter was living as a missionary in England. This finally gave me that glimpse. I met her mission president, senior couples who had loved and taken care of her, and a few of her companions. I saw where she lived and got to spend time with members and investigators she had befriended and come to love. We spent the first week in Canterbury and were able to spend a lot of time with the Childs...Rebekah’s adopted British family. The tremendous love and generosity they shared with us brought me to tears many times. We got to go to the wedding of one of Rebekah’s British companions in Leicester. We hiked the White Cliffs of Dover, and attended Evensong at the famed Canterbury Cathedral. In London since the Queen was summering in Scotland, we got to tour Buckingham Palace. We watched King Lear at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre. We rode the Tube and red double-decker busses, and ate Rebekah’s favorite almond croissants from Tesco. I outed myself as an American when I had this  conversation...

Me: “I need to pay for gas...I mean petrol...on pump 11. It’s 51 dollars...I mean 51 pounds.”

Her: “Just over from the States, dear?”

Me: “Is it that obvious?”

Truly, a once in a lifetime sort of trip...not just because it was London and we were marking off so many travel bucket-list items, but because it was one-on-one time with my first born who was able to share a part of her life that had truly shaped who she is and had made such an impact on her life. I’m looking forward to having a similar sort of trip with Julianne when she comes home.

Odds and Ends: *Brandon learned to snowboard *Bryan is feeling road warrior weary as the business travel continues *Rebekah worked all summer at Kneaders *I’m continually astounded at how much we love our dog Oscar *Bryan still has a man bun/twist...any bets as to whether he’ll cut it before the wedding? *Brandon road tripped to Yellowstone with gymnastics buddies *Rebekah and Tanner did too *Julianne dyed her hair pink before her mission *Brandon is learning to play the piano *Lilian is becoming a neat freak and a morning person...will miracles never cease?

It’s been a good year, 2017. We hope the same was true for you, and that you are enjoying the magic that is the Christmas season. Now if only it would snow...

¡Les deseamos a todos una feliz Navidad y un feliz año nuevo!

Amor de la familia Croft,

Bryan, Sarah, Rebekah (21), Hermana Julianne Croft (19), Brandon (16), and Lilian (10)

              

Happy Christmas 2016

December 18, 2016

    Happy Christmas!

           It’s Sunday evening. We have just said goodbye to most of our guests of the day...a few are happily lingering, playing games in the basement. Bryan is on an airplane on his way to Wisconsin for a 2-day business trip. And I’ve been trying to do some kitchen cleanup after feeding more people than I can even count. This morning many friends and family gathered to hear Rebekah speak in church and welcome her home from her recently completed mission to London, England. After the meeting, everyone congregated in our home for some goodies, and lots and lots of talking. It was crowded and loud...and absolutely wonderful! In a year that had multiple big events, this is the most recent. After spending the great majority of 2016 in London, Rebekah returned to us on the last day of November after completing her 18 month mission. It’s been bittersweet for our new RM. As excited as she was to see her family again, her heart broke to not only leave behind so many friends in England, but also to see this most amazing part of her life come to a conclusion. She will always carry with her the memories and the growth that came from it, of course. But I think part of her heart will always be British from here on out. We are hoping to go back for a visit next summer so Rebekah can show us around London and Canterbury and introduce us to her British mum and dad and the various other wonderful people she came to love there. Obviously the main highlights of her mission were wrapped up in sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, serving the people in England, and the spiritual growth and personal maturity that came from it all. But as for living in London...some highlights included seeing Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip (who waved at them as they drove by), watching “Wicked” on the West End, visiting the beautiful London Temple out in the countryside, checking out such famous landmarks as the Tower Bridge, Big Ben and Westminster Abbey, riding those famous red double decker buses, and “minding the gap” while taking the Tube all over the city. Living in London truly was a treat. London is quite a melting pot and she met people from all over the world. On any given day she was interacting with and teaching lessons to people from the Philippines, Italy, Russia, Poland, Denmark, Thailand, China, Sweden, America, and more. Her last four companions were all Mandarin Chinese speakers from Taiwan, Malaysia, Hong Kong and mainland China. Between that and the many Chinese people she taught in London, she thinks that maybe it’s a sign that she should be learning the language and is considering taking Mandarin classes at “Uni.” (She may not have come home with an accent but has most definitely adopted British phrases and slang. Julianne claims that Rebekah can go to “Uni” while she goes to “college.”)

           Speaking of Julianne, she does indeed go to college now! But let me back up a bit. In June Julianne graduated with high honors from Davis High School. The only thing that made this event a little easier to deal with the second time around was that at least I knew what to expect. So when the tears came, it wasn’t as big of a surprise. Her senior year kept her busy with multiple AP and CE classes that were fascinating, if time consuming, but also rehearsals for the various school theatre productions she was involved in, Seminary Council and a boyfriend. All the same, she was very ready to graduate and move past high school and onto college. She debated (agonized, really) between Utah State University in Logan and Utah Valley University in Provo. Her head told her USU, but her heart said UVU so down to Provo she went, with a full ride academic scholarship in her back pocket. Julianne has been not only my daughter but also my confidant and my friend during some difficult times these past few years so moving her out of our home and into her own apartment was hard for me. But she is enjoying living with her roommates and learning how to do that whole “adulting” thing. She finds her classes interesting and she is the Relief Society president in her student ward which keeps her very busy as she tries her hardest to take care of all the college girls under her stewardship. She just finished her first experience with finals and is home for the Christmas break. With Rebekah not moving back to Logan until January, we are a full family of six for a few weeks anyhow.

            And if all that weren’t big enough news...are you sitting down? We adopted a puppy. I know, shocking right? With Bryan’s and Brandon’s allergies, we’ve never owned any pet of the furry variety. But when the opportunity to adopt a mini goldendoodle kind of dropped into our laps in what seemed almost a meant-to-be sort of way, I was amazed at the puppy longing that came over me. Goldendoodles are hypoallergenic so I had high hopes. And when Bryan and Brandon both passed the rub-the-puppy-all-over-your-face-and-eyes allergy test, we decided (after much pestering, coaxing and persuading from me) to take the leap and welcome this little puppy into our family. We brought him home as a birthday surprise for Lilian and named him Oscar. (Which means that I find myself frequently singing those old Oscar Mayer commercial jingles to him...something that brings much confusion and annoyance to my children). People told me the first few months with a puppy would be really hard. I heard stories of sleep deprivation, potty training, destruction of house and home, etc. They said it was like having a new baby all over again. And while I believed them, I still didn’t quite understand just how hard it really would be. And I have to say, it did take me a couple months to stop thinking, “What the hell have we done???” Yes, there were swears. Especially when he decided his favorite place to go potty was under my baby grand piano. But along with the naughty language that came out of my mouth, he also made me laugh every day. And he loved us all so unconditionally, it was hard to stay mad at him for too long. Little Oscar is now 8.5 months old. We’ve made it through the toughest of the puppy phases and everyone adores him. (Well, with the exception of Julianne who has never been much of a dog person and claims that while she doesn’t love him, she dislikes him the least of all dogs.) I’ve joined the neighborhood morning dog walking group...social for Oscar and social for me. He follows me around wherever I go and at present is taking a nap at my feet while I type this. I have gone from swearing at and about him to cuddling with him and marveling over this fairly intense feeling of love and joy that comes into my heart when I look at him. Well, at least when he isn’t chewing on my shoes.

             And because of the wanderlust that tends to make an appearance somewhat regularly, 2016 saw a bit of travel...

             We flew to Seattle as a family this past August and after a few days of exploring that fascinating city, we made our way down the coast of Oregon. We stopped at various beaches along the way and took time to do some hiking in the Redwood Forest before arriving in San Francisco where we spent a few more days introducing our children to the City by the Bay. The Pacific Northwest is incredibly beautiful!             

            In October, I accompanied Bryan on a business trip to Honolulu. I spent much of my daytime exploring the island on my own, but our hotel was right across the street from Waikiki Beach and we had a glorious time. I think the highlight was our hike up Koko Head Volcano. 1,050 railroad tie steps to the top...I think it may be one of the hardest things I have ever done. I joked that on the way up I felt like maybe I’d like to die, at one point on the way down I slipped and thought I was about to, and then when the sore muscles set in I thought I had! But in all actuality I’d do it again. The view from the top was nothing short of spectacular and the bragging rights were pretty cool too.

              Brandon, as usual, had some out of state gymnastic meets which necessitated trips to Palo Alto, Las Vegas and two trips to Colorado Springs. Brandon also took a road trip to Yellowstone to do some camping and hiking with his coaches and other level 10 teammates right before school started.

              As a senior trip of sorts, Julianne went to Belize in July with the HEFY program...a humanitarian trip where they spent two weeks building a school. They worked long and hard, but also made time for some adventures. I saw pictures of snorkeling with sharks, catamaran rides, ziplining through the jungle and cave tubing. She made friends with the locals and left a whole lot of her clothing and shoes behind when the trip was done, as gifts for the people who needed them more than she did. I think she considers the trip one of the best things she has ever done.

            In other odds and ends:

               Brandon got his first job this year and now works at his gym coaching some of the younger kids in rec classes. Which means that if you do a little math and add his regular workouts to his coaching hours you come up with a good 27 hours a week he is at the gym. The kid practically lives there. He has his learner’s permit and we are both counting down the days until he can officially drive himself to the gym. But when all is said and done, gymnastics still means the world to him and his team is his second family.

               Lilian is in her 4th year of soccer and has become quite the little dynamo on the field. Like her older sister before her, she plays a strong defense and has a kick that can send the ball halfway down the field. She also continues to take acting classes at CentreStage Theatre and played the part of Kaa the Snake in their recent performance of Jungle Book. She’s in the 4th grade and seems so grown up! Although when I accidentally spilled the beans that the elf on the shelf wasn’t real a week or so ago, she was devastated and dramatically claimed that I had ruined Christmas forever. So I suppose that means she’s not fully ready to leave childhood behind quite yet.

               Bryan has seen a lot more business travelling this year. In fact, he was out of town the week Rebekah came home from her mission and it took a bit of doing to arrange an earlier departure which would get him to the airport right around the time Rebekah’s flight was due to land. (Which meant that the lucky guy got to wait at her gate and get the first hug!) In hiring some new employees, we’re hoping to see his travel time maybe decrease a bit this next year, but I suppose time will tell.

               In other end of year news, I feel I should inform you that Bryan has grown out his hair. He now proudly sports a ponytail (or man bun depending on the day). I’m still unsure as to whether or not this is just a phase. But in the meantime Julianne and I told him that in order to really rock the look correctly he needed to dump the wire frames he was wearing and get himself a new pair of hipster glasses. He has recently taken our advice. At Rebekah’s homecoming earlier today, some friends of hers were overheard discussing her Dad’s outfit and hair...and it was apparently decided that he was “ridiculously stylish.” It gave us a pretty good chuckle.

      It was a good year, 2016. We hope the same was true for you. And as we all wait to see what the next year brings, we wish for you a holiday filled with love, happiness, family, and a big dose of that special Christmas spirit.

                    Love from the Crofts,

                    Bryan, Sarah, Rebekah (20), Julianne (18), Brandon (15), and Lilian (9)

    

Another year of our mischievous Chester the Elf

It is clear that I have missed taking a few pictures of Chester's shenanigans. I only have 14 pictures and clearly I should have something like 24. (Truth be told...I think also missed moving him a few days.) But nonetheless, here they are...mostly because Lilian loves to go back and re-live the silliness that is our Elf on the Shelf.

To be honest...I kind of let the cat out of the bag this year in regards to Chester. To be clear, I'd never pushed the Elf in the way that was intended. I did not tell Lilian that Chester watched her throughout the day and reported back to Santa as to whether she was naughty or nice. My idea behind starting the Elf to begin with was just as a fun Christmas type game, a memorable tradition. But because many of her friends had Elves at their houses and did believe the whole shebang...I didn't want Lilian spilling the beans. So I didn't push the Elf is real story, but I also didn't deny it.

Back to my story...
Lilian and some friends from her class pooled their money (oh, who am I kidding...it was my money) to buy an Elf on the Shelf for their classroom at school. I wondered about this, but said nothing. One of the moms went to the store to buy said Elf, and then Lilian and friends spent much time coming up with creative way to hide and display him each day, talking about going to school early to make sure everything was in place before the rest of the class showed up, etc. So I just assumed that without talking to me about it, Lilian had realized that the Elf on the Shelf was not real. One day as she was mulling over ideas, I mentioned that pinterest was a good place to find inspiration and that I got a whole lot of my ideas there when hiding Chester in years past.

Oh. My.
Lilian was confused and dismayed and crying.
Very quickly I realized that she still thought Chester was very much real.
I was very confused and dismayed myself!
But she had bought an elf for her class, I told her. She was moving it around each morning, I said. And therefore touching the Elf...a big no-no in Elf on the Shelf world. How was she explaining that? Apparently she and her little friends were under the impression that if you didn't touch the elf, Santa would imbue his magic on the little guy and he would come to life. Because she and her friends were touching the Elf, theres was just a toy.
Oh. Facepalm.
She told me I had ruined Christmas forever and ran to her room in a huff.

It may not have quite the same excitement, but I still plan to hide our little Chester each Christmas season for as long as she'd like me to. She may know now that it's me. But I think she'd still enjoy the actual game of it now?

Hoarding the Santa hat kisses. Hanging out with our mini Sister Croft on the gallery wall. Doing gymnastics with the carolers. And making sprinkle angels in the kitchen.

Checking out the wonders of the universe with the telescope. Hiding in the poinsettia plant. Hovering over the kitchen table. And making snowmen out of powdered donuts and kisses.

 Atop a TP tower in the bathroom. Trying on Rebekah's missionary tag. Sporting new socks for Lilian. And hiding in the lantern. (It took Lilian a long while to find him that morning...)

Hanging from a candy cane chain in the living room. And hanging from the lamp in the front entry way.

Christmas Dance 2015

Seems unfair to me that there are back to back girls choice dances...they finish up the Halloween Dance Saturday night and then immediately are trying to come up with an ask to the Christmas Dance on Sunday so as to get the boy of their choosing...the competition is so insane that some girls ask to the Christmas Dance a few days before the Halloween Dance! It's a little crazy. But though Julianne had been asked a few times if she was going to ask Bryson to the Christmas Dance and it became somewhat obvious that most girls were respectfully giving Julianne first dibs on him...she figured she'd better ask quickly just in case.

So Sunday night she made some cookies, put them on a Santa plate with a mug of milk, and a note saying...

     Dear Santa,

All I want for Christmas is...

 - a pony

 - barbie doll

                                                    - princess underwear

                                                    - And for Bryson to go to the dance with me.

                                                         Love, Julianne

...and left it on his doorstep.

A few days later there was a knock at our door. On the front porch was a huge present wrapped in Christmas paper. Propped up next to it was her original note along with a My Little Pony and a barbie doll. On the big present a sign said, "Do not open until Christmas....well, okay maybe you can open this one a little early." Julianne opened up the big present and out popped Bryson holding a sign that said "YES" (after he got out of the box and they dragged it inside, she made him get back in so she could take a picture). When she asked him where her princess underwear was he said, "Umm....Santa doesn't bring underwear." haha!

Prep for the dance consisted of shopping for not just a dress (which we found at the very first store and was on sale...score!) but also an ugly sweater. For the day activity they all wore ugly sweaters, baked and decorated sugar cookies, and read children's Christmas stories. Apparently they all had a fabulous time...but I'm still irritated they neglected to take any pictures of the ugly sweaters.

Dinner on dance night was held at our house. Again. (I hosted dinner for Halloween Dance as well.) But with all of the girls bringing various pieces of the dinner, all I had to do was host and make a salad. And of course, it's always a great opportunity to see the kids in all their finery seeing as normally at a girls choice dance, I don't get the doorstep scene.

Funny enough, this picture could be a who's who of the Les Miserables cast from the high school...every single one of these kids was in the show. I mean, we've got Jean Valjean, Marius, Javert, Mdm Thernardiere, Fantine, a lovely lady, a factory worker, the woman who convinces Fantine to cut her hair, a revolutionary, and a policeman/soldier. And afterwards...they not only cleared the table but loaded the dishwasher before they left for the dance! Good kids, all of them.

Julianne came home happily giddy....she and Bryson had a great time.

 A few outtakes:

The Christmas Dance being girls choice, I wouldn't normally have had a picture of the whole pinning of the boutonniere thing...but Bryson's got bumped or something and Julianne had to reattach it after dinner. So I got a picture after all.
We joked around about making them kiss under the mistletoe, took this picture and then sent them on their way...only to hear them come back in a few minutes later where they in fact did do a quick mistletoe smooch just for fun. Lilian ran up the stairs and was rather delighted to catch them in the act.

We were taking some quick pictures by the tree when Lilian wanted to join in for a few. We caught Bryson mid-comment in this pic. My fault, really. I had just told him that Brandon was downstairs watching "Rocky IV"...one of Bryson's all time favorite movies. But I still think it's a cute picture and it made me laugh.