Photo Frenzy

Once again the extended Tobler clan embraced the photo frenzy. Please note that Bridgette pulled the bright look together by wearing the striped dress (the colors of which we all were to match) with the polka dot tights (the pattern you’ll also find on Charlotte’s skirt).

December Moments

Before the year ends, I must blog about all the wonderful moments we’ve enjoyed this December.

Decorating the Tree:
As we pulled out our ornament bins this year, I worried about the poor combination of small hands and glass globes. My fears weren’t needless (shards of pink glass graced our tiled floor before the day was done), but the general decorating experience was actually pretty wonderful.

Under our direction, Bridgette eagerly plucked ornaments from our bins and carried them to the tree. Some she shoved into the low branches, but most she offered up to her dad. “Up high. Up high!” she directed. We loved it.

Though we frequently reminded Bridgette to touch the ornaments with just “one finger,” we lost a few more before the season was done. They were just too tempting. Still, I discovered that the joy of watching Bridgette appreciate the beauty of them, far outweighed any angst at losing them.

Treats, Treats, and More Treats:
We seriously live in the most cooking crazy or just plain generous neighborhood. I came home one night from work and found four different sets of goodies on our front porch. I started keeping a list (for future thank you notes – should I be industrious enough to be that polite), and it quickly hit the double digits. Thank you one and all for all the scrumptious stuff – but quite frankly I’m just feeling guilty about all the people I didn’t get around to making deliveries to.

Candy:
Ever since the gingerbread houses – Bridgette has been gaga for “handy!” That’s candy without the “k” sound. Pictured here - she stole and stashed all the Hershey Kisses that I had out to stuff in the gift bags for my office staff.

The Office Party:
I can’t remember a more fun office party! After the perfunctory lunch and passing out of gifts (Flip video cameras which were mighty cool but still not the highlight), the staff was instructed to open a large envelope marked: Santa’s Helpers. Inside, a letter informed the staff that Santa had been in a collision (the Easter Bunny had failed to yield the right of way), and because Santa was so busy dealing with the property damage issues, the Tobler Team was being called upon to help get Christmas gifts. With a fistful of money and a time limit, the staff rushed off to shop. They returned to our office with hordes of toys, which ultimately were delivered to kids in need.

The Nativity:
Bridgette simply refused to participate in the live Tobler nativity this year. That’s ok. I figure there will be plenty of Christmas’s to come where she’ll fight with her plethora of female cousins for the opportunity to be an Angel or the coveted Mary. So, as long as she was content as an audience member – so was I.

It was classic fun this year. Little Lorin – a happy shepherd if there ever was one - danced joyously in front of the manger scene. We all could only marvel at Mary’s/Caroline’s ability to keep a straight face as she sang her lullaby to Baby Jesus aka Landon.


The Presents:
We thought we would have until Bridgette was older before we’d have to get up at the crack of dawn to see what Santa brought. Unfortunately, Bridgette was up with a horrible ear ache all of Christmas Eve. So finally at 5:00 a.m. we wandered down to the family room. Fortunately, Santa had brought many distractions for Bridgette’s pain.

Bridgette loved her “push” toys this year. The buggy from Santa and the stroller from Grandma have already seen many miles. Other big hits were the plasma cars (gifts to the uncles that the toddlers immediately took over), the penguin-on-a-stick (an homage to watching March of the Penguins with Grandma and Grandpa Hanson), and the individual suitcases. Lorin was heard asking Ellison, “Will you play suitcase with me?”

The only gift that actually brought tears of joy though was one to Grandma and Grandpa. Marc and Karen put together a picture book of my parent’s early years. It was beautiful. And hopefully each family will get a copy in the future to pass down to posterity. (Side note – the parents were quite the stylish hotties in their day)


Landon’s Blessing/Bridgette’s Christmas Dress:
The Sunday after Christmas, Nicholas blessed little Landon. My favorite part was the blessing of a joyful heart. I think Landon has also got a lot of missionary work in his future.

We used the occasion to dress Bridgette up in her Christmas dress – which she hadn’t gotten to previously wear for a hodgepodge of reasons. Thus, we finally got a pretty Christmas picture in front of Grandma’s red and gold tree.

Merry Christmas

Happy Birthday to Me

Thanks Kevin for the lovely orange tulips.

Look Out Below!

A great blessing to us, Bridgette has always been basically healthy. So obviously, something was wrong Monday night.

The local Tobler clan and Team Hunt met at Organ Stop Pizza to celebrate Maren and Alice's birthdays (December 10th and 4th respectively). Grandma Janet had to wake Bridgette from an unusually late nap just to get her to the restaurant. Then once they arrived, Bridgette didn't jump down and run around exploring the fantastical sites and sounds of the Wurlitzer organ as she normally would. She just wanted to be held and was quiet and cuddly.

I mentioned to Maren that we should have a quick piece of pizza and get her home to bed. But before we could manage that, calamity struck...

While Grandma Janet was holding Bridgette near the balcony railing watching the organ performance below, Bridgette exploded. Keep in mind that she has never thrown up in her life (spitting up is an entirely different story, as is slobbering). I'm not sure you'd call it "projectile" vomiting, but it couldn't have been far off. Vomit went all over Grandma and over the rail onto the unsuspecting party below -- and their pizza.

Though all of the adults were concerned about poor Bridgette, all of the young nieces and nephews thought it was the coolest thing they'd ever seen. Not everyone in the party below was as understanding as you might have hoped (though really they were probably justified in any irritation). Fortunately, we had smooth-talking Uncle Nathan to apologize to them while the rest of us tried to clean up Bridgette and Grandma.

We left a generous tip for the Organ Stop employees who helped mop up the mess. Then, we got Bridgette home, showered, and to bed. I'm happy to report that she has already made a complete recovery and is back to her healthy, happy, exploring self.

And lastly, we're hoping this episode was a big distraction from the binkie drama. The day after this event, Bridgette finally napped again.

The Broken Binkie

Over Thanksgiving weekend Bridgette turned 18 months old. It was time to kick the binkie habit.

Per pediatrician recommendation, we cut off the end of Bridgette's binkie. As we read her a bedtime book, Fancy Nancy's Spendiforous Christmas, we handed the "broken" binkie to her.

"Uh oh," she commented, pointing her finger at the now-flat end. "It's broken," we explained. She kept trying to put it in her mouth anyway, but the darn thing just wouldn't stay in without a bulbous tip for her teeth to grip. She didn't get upset - not then - and we thought she was so cute about it.

BUT - the minute we actually put her in her crib, she cried and cried, abnormally so. Finally, Kevin and I determined we couldn't bear her distress anymore. We were going to cave - try again in January. It took us several minutes to locate a good binkie. Then we ran to her door, fighting over who would get to "rescue" her and be the hero. Just then - literally within arms reach of her door - she got quiet. And we walked away smiling, patting ourselves on the back.

Sadly, the congratulations occurred too soon. The next day, Bridgette would NOT take a nap. Her Grandma and I both tried at different times to put her down to no avail. By night time, she was utterly exhausted and not particularly cheerful.

Kevin and I strategized and took her to the mall to run around. When it was time to go home, we changed her into her PJ's, tucked a blanket around her in her carseat, and took a very long detour home. She passed out, and fortunately slept through the night.

We'll keep you posted on this transition. But it is now the second night we've resorted to driving Bridgette to sleep - and I'm not convinced that a car is a practical substitute for a plastic device that can fit in your pocket.

The More Grandparents The Better

Though it had been 6 months since she had seen them, Bridgette did not hesitate at all to embrace her Hanson grandparents.

Sure, they tried to bribe her with suckers (Grandma Hanson strategically put these on display) and a turkey that squealed when squeezed (Grandpa Hanson handed this to Bridgette when she first walked in their home). But I’m pretty sure she instinctively knew that these folks (who she quickly started calling “Bama” and “Bapa” – she hasn’t gotten the “Ga” yet) were good for baby loving.

Throughout the weekend, Bridgette went up and down the stairs multiple times with Grandpa Hanson and fervently flipped through the wild animal picture book with Grandma Hanson.

The Hanson home was very welcoming. Homey Thanksgiving decorations adorned the walls and tables, some of which Kevin remembered from childhood. Grandma Hanson is quite the craftsperson, even making pine cone turkey place holders for our Thanksgiving dinner. Fortunately they were childproof (as in not glass), as Bridgette was fond of pulling the pipe cleaner leaves out.