SUCCESSFUL

For Christmas...

Michael met a new maiden named Toshiba
(who, apparently, is a whiz as a lap-dancer...I mean, lap-top),


I got great footwear!


Evan got a girlfriend (gift-cards for dates included),


Lane got skiis,


Joshua is going to get fit,


(just as soon as he gets off his duff),


and we all get Amy!

Beat that (and I do mean you, Georgia Brown!).

To top it all off, I made my mom cry.
(I didn't even know it was that good of a present!)


Now that's success!

QUOTABLE

Well, at least my children are.

Joshua got very excited when I told him that Aunt Merrit was coming to visit.

"Mom," he questioned, "Who do you think is the prettiest of you and your sisters?"
Stating the obvious, I replied, "Well, Merrit, of course."
"Mom, would you be offended if I agreed with you on that?"

Not to worry; he told me I was, at least, second. Condolences to my third and fourth prettiest sisters.


Another time we were listening to Christmas music and "Deck the Halls" began to play.

"Why do they keep singing about Richard?" Joshua plied.
"Richard?" I asked, "Who's singing 'Richard'?"
"You know," he explained, "Dick the halls..."

It got better.

Just then came the refrain, "Don we now our gay apparel..."
To which Lane said, "Oh, great! Now we've got Dick and Don wearing gay clothes in the same song!"

FM100 will never be the same again!

ASTOUNDED

Look what I found in my garage!

Michael said that this is representative of his mid-life crisis: he bought us a Tahoe!

At least when Michael is having his mid-life crisis, he thinks about how better to go boating, skiing, and on long road trips with the family. That's the kind of guy I married!



A very astounding Christmas to us!

MARY

I recently visited a friend's house and saw a small plaque there that read,

"Have a Mary Christmas."

I've been thinking a lot about that.
What was Mary like? What was it she thought and felt, holding that new baby of hers? How was it that she was so willing? How is it that she was so worthy? How is it that she was ready and able to fulfill her role in this world? How could I emulate such an exemplary woman? And just how do I even get to the place where I would really want to be like Mary?
If I were Mary...

"Behold the Handmaid of the Lord..."

I would decide in my mind and heart right now to say "yes" to whatever is asked of me at any time.

"Be it unto me according to thy word."

I would have stronger faith in the power of the priesthood and the guidance of the Holy Ghost.

"My soul doth magnify the Lord."

My actions, from inside out, would be in line with God's directions for me, and done with His purposes as my guide.

"For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name."

I would recognize God's hand in my life in all things, and, in seeing His goodness to me in the past, trust in His plan for me in the future.

"How shall this be?"

I might question, "How," but I would move on in faithful action from there, knowing that "with God, nothing shall be impossible."

"But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart." "And Joseph and his mother marvelled at those things which were spoken of him."

This I think I do, in that I constantly marvel, with their father, at my own sons. My pondering, my feelings, my decisions are centered around them, as I'm sure any parent's are.

In looking at all these things, I find that I'm still very much more Keri than I am Mary. Still, I am touched every time I think of her, and know that I want to have a Mary Christmas, now and always.

In Addendum (how very Latin sounding of me):

In wanting to have a Mary Christmas, I should also be sure to have a Mary Easter.

It's kind of the whole point of Christmas, and I am so very, very grateful. He is risen.
Merry, Mary, Mary Christmas!

MERRY

(I promise, Lane is in the picture, too; just look really hard in the back!)

At the Vance household, we are doing our darnedest to have a very merry Christmas.

Keri is doing her part by decorating, decorating, and decorating. She also shops every now and again. And again.

Evan is doing his part by singing, and singing, and singing some more. He traipses over the city sidewalks, busy sidewalks to go caroling caroling through the snow with his high school Madrigal choir. Constantly.

Lane is doing his part by socializing up a winter storm. Parties are good, especially if there are girls there. Ice skating is good, especially if there are girls there. Church dances are good, especially if there are girls there. Skiing is good, always.

(Lane having his hair played with back stage by...you got it...a girl!)

Joshua is doing his part by being our favorite 10-year-old boy. Always up for tickling from Dad, always up for talking with Mom, always up for teasing his older brothers.

Michael is doing his part by...well, a little of this...

and a lot of this.



Deserving a lot more of this...

As a family we had a grand time getting a Christmas tree,

(You can see who was really involved in this process--remember, I'm behind the camera, but at least out of the car!)

looking at the lights,

(Picture by Keri...oops) (Pictures by Michael...awhh)

going to Christmas concerts (choir, band, flutaphone, and Eclipse, to name a few),

and making graham cracker houses.

Our season is turning out to be merry. Very. And it's only just begun! We hope you're having just as much fun as we are.

With
,
the Vances

BELOVED

It worked!

The pets went away, and Emma came to visit.

One frosty winter's night I heard a knock-knock-knocking on my front door, and before I could get down there to open it, in--without any fear or trepidation whatsoever--walked four of my favorite little lovelies (make that five: their dad came too!).

Nathan went straight for the kitchen and the crackers.

Slade went straight for the basement and the toys.

Sawyer went straight for wherever his dad was...but later came and played with us.

(So funny! He took this pose the instant
he saw the camera pointed at him!)

Emma read me stories by the Christmas tree,

danced a jig or two around the kitchen table (with Sawyer keeping pace, Irish-stepping all the while),

and even got Joshua to step along with them!

All the while, Nathan ate crackers.

Later there were hugs from Uncle Michael (more like torture-chamber squeeze-a-thons, if you ask me...),

and Nathan finished off the (second package of) crackers.

In fact, the only time Nathan spoke to me the entire night was to ask for candy (I was happy to oblige) and if there were more crackers.

Oh, and he also told me I could be his new mom if he didn't have to go home that night.
(Lindsay, I think it's time you invested in some crackers!)

I also think it might have been worth a missing animal or two (sorry to my own animal-loving family) for a night of getting to play the part of beloved aunt. Yes, definitely worth it.



P.S. Happy Birthday, Brother. You're beloved, and certainly invited to visit (and bring your little lovelies) too!

BELOVED

For Merrit:

BELOVED

Beloved,

Christmas Around the World was magnificent.

Let me repeat, emphatically,

magnificent.

You have become quite the dancing man! And besides, Hopak was back. Good choice, Ed. Good choice.

I also loved the Men's Chorus/Welsh Suite combo. The whole number was brilliant, and I laughed heartily at my friend's comment about how she wished she, too, could have hundreds of men obey the very wave of her hand...

I'll just wrangle/strangle my men into submission!

If that doesn't work, perhaps I shall follow Joshua and Emma's lead, and just chase a person around until I get what I want!

I'll just have to make sure Michael's not around to lock me out in the cold, as he did to Joshua!

My dear, be strong.

(Apparently stronger than you already are if you're going to try this again!)

And beware. This drinking fountain shoots you straight in the eye.

As if that weren't scary enough, Joshua has been driving! (An empty Marriot Center parking lot makes for a great training ground!)

"Whoa!" he said! "I'm all the way up to 20 miles an hour!"


He drove so fast the picture blurred!

Thank you for a lovely evening. The program was fantastic, the company phenomenal. The memories...beautiful, as always.

Now, as ever,

Go ye now in Peace.

BE-LOVED

This super singer and his Madrigal choir came and performed for the student body at Joshua's school. I, of course, played the ever-present stage mom, and was there to watch from the back of the room.

It was fun to be there, especially with many of Evan's former teachers coming up to me with looks of amazement at seeing little Evan all-grown-up.

It was touching to watch Evan pick Joshua out of the audience for one of their audience participation numbers, and Joshua beaming at his friends with pride, while turning to give Evan a look that could only mean, "How dare you put me on the spot in front of my friends!"

Sweetest of sweet moments took place after the program. Evan came to the back and told me how he had teared up, seeing Joshua and me there in the audience, while singing the words, "But sweeter still is the joy when I see the family 'round the Christmas tree."

"I just love you guys so much," he continued. "Thanks for being my family."

As he told me that I felt such a "whoosh" in my heart and I recognized, once again, what a marvelous miracle it is to be loved.

IN MOURNING

Not really.
But I should be.

All our pets are gone.

First, Buddha, the dog, ran away on Thanksgiving Day. We didn't even want to eat him, and he still escaped over the fence (again)...as of yet, never to be seen again.



Then, Joshua decided that Hamsters aren't really as much fun as anticipated. Instead they just turned out to be a lot of work, and smell, without much return (I would say something to the effect of, "Kind of like teen-age boys," but that makes me sound as rude as I really am, so I will refrain from such commentary). So back to the pet store went the hamsters, as per Joshua's request (and Mom's relief).

Now you see them...
(the happy birthday boy and his pets)

Now you don't!
(Kind of ironic labeling, don't you think?)

In keeping with the string of bad pet-luck, the bird died today. This actually makes me sad, surprisingly enough, and not just because of the $15 I spent last week on bird food. Maybe there's an animal lover deep inside me after all.



But probably not.

Come on over, Emma. We're pet free.

IDEAL

Why I am the ideal mother:

I feed my children.

(I didn't say I feed them well.)


I do their laundry.

(And then make them pay me for it.)


I put their stuff away in their room.

(Just like they do: plop, in the middle of the floor.)


I don't let them ruin their socks by playing outside without shoes.

(But they can ruin their feet, if they so choose.)


I play with my children.

(As long as they want to play my way.)


I love their dad.

(Truly, I do.)