UVA Men's Basketball

Let's Go Hoos!

A few weeks ago I got an email from UVA's Cavman's crew saying that tickets for a men's basketball game would be on sale for 10 dollars.  It was a Tuesday night game starting at 6:00 instead of 7:30 and it was during Mark's time off from school so we decided to go.  Jared and Lydia had a great time. I can't think of anything we have done that is similar to this.  I think they were surprised at how large a room they were going into and how many people were there. UVA was really slow the first half but picked up the pace and the second half was really fun.  They ended up winning and maintaining their perfect record (so far).  Sadly conference games start next week so that record is probably about to be broken but fun for them to have a strong start to their season. Lydia had a great time clapping and cheering for the team. I asked Jared if he thought he would ever want to play basketball and he said yes and that he was going to go to UVA. We shall see. Lydia got a little stir crazy about 5 minutes into the second half so she and I went on a few laps around the empty halls of the arena.  It helped her be able to make it to the end of the game.  I know Jared would love to go to another game Lydia probably would too. They both seem to be fighting a little cold so hopefully they will get a good nights sleep and we can party it up with friends tomorrow for New Years, can't believe another year is finishing!

Christmas!

Lydia took off the last link! It's Christmas!

 I think Jared sort of forgot about it in his excitement to check out his stocking. 

We had a fun Christmas together. One of the added perks of having Jared and Lydia open a toy on Christmas Eve is that it gives them something new to play with in the morning so they are not up super early wanting to go downstairs.  Our kids are always up early but yesterday we didn't hear them until 7:30.  They came into our room and we sang some Christmas Carols and watched the Nativity video from LDS bible videos. We then headed downstairs to open stockings. I feel like our stockings were the best ones we have had yet.  After stockings we had Lydia go find her scavenger hunt present.  The first clues for each kid were in their stockings. She got her clues right away and when she found her present, a set of Tinkerbell and her friends fairies she said," I knew this is what I wanted!" Cute girl.  Then Jared went on his scavenger hunt.  We made him read his clues so I don't think it was as fun for him because it took longer but he figured it out.  After we started I thought that we (well really I am the one who wanted him to do read them) should have waited one more year and he would have liked it more but in the end he was thrilled with his present.  It was in our dryer and he was thrilled to receive Captain Hook's Jolly Roger (from Jake and the Neverland Pirates) 

After stockings and the scavenger hunt we ate breakfast. Jared and Lydia played happily while we baked our orange rolls and heated up some hot chocolate. I love orange rolls. While I was visiting with my siblings at home my Mom was asking what each of us did Christmas morning and Susanna, Davin and I all still eat the same orange rolls we always had growing up in Yuba City. Katie and Derek might too I am not sure. It is such a yummy and easy Christmas breakfast!

Then it was time for presents. We originally panned on having Jared pass out the presents and then we would take turns opening them but once Jared found his second pirate ship he just wanted to play with it, he didn't even want to open more presents. We kept interrupting him. He really loves pirates and his Christmas presents reflected that pretty well.  Mark's bother Steve sent them scooters and Lydia finally got her castle.  Every time she would open a present she would say "It's my castle!"  Silly girl it was actually the last gift she opened.  My Mom sent her a cute outfit that for whatever reason she absolutely loved!  As soon as she pulled it out of the box she started putting on the pants right over her pajamas. She was so excited. It was hilarious.  After she got them on and I put the coat on her she ran into the kitchen to get her chapstick and play phone. I guess she needed accessories to complete the look.

 He still had quite a few presents to open but this is all he wanted to do.  Later that night he even commented to me how he just wanted to play with his ships and we made him open his presents. So rude of us!

After we finished opening the presents we played some more then went out front to try out the new scooters. It was a really nice day so after naps we went over to Riverview Park to ride bikes. Lydia and Jared are both really good now so when we go Mark and I go in exercise clothes and just jog along with them. (Its a paved path) It's pretty great.

 Jared was so surprised that I let him go ride in his pajamas. 

We came home and got ready to eat dinner.  Mark was going to grill some Tri- tip. I had already made the rolls while they were sleeping and we had some funeral potatoes. Mark went to turn on the grill and found out we had no propane. It was almost a Christmas dinner catastrophe.  We called one neighbor to see if we could just use their grill but they did not have a propane grill so we started looking up gas stations. Fortunately we found a gas station that was open and sold propane. While Mark was picking up the propane I had Jared and Lydia take their bath so we would be ready for bed after dinner.

While we were waiting for the tri tip to cook Jared kept asking if he could just go to bed. We told him that as soon as we ate he could.  He had very little energy. He had not taken a nap that afternoon, just played with his toys. We figured that and eating a small lunch and riding his bike so much just made him super tired.  He ate some dinner and then happily went to bed. Then at like 10:30 he started crying.  I went to go check on him and he said he was scared he was going to throw up. I took him into the bathroom and told him I would be back with a throw up bowl.  He drank some water, and laid down then right after I laid back down he threw up.  Poor kid.  We had him sleep in our room so he didn't wake up Lydia and he did not get a great nights sleep. He didn't throw up again but has no appetite and is super lethargic.  He doesn't want to play or anything just lay round. I hope he feels better soon.

We did have a Merry Christmas and are looking forward to 2015.  Some of our big plans for next year include:  buying a house (we met with a realtor Friday before I flew out to CA), moving into a house, Jared starting kindergarten, (!!!) me starting a small 2 day a week preschool for older 3 yr olds, (Lydia's age basically) and making it to the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in NYC.  Should be a fun year!

Christmas Eve

We spent Christmas Eve day doing a few fun fun learning times and made one quick stop at the store. 

Since I had been gone Mark had been doing Lydia's hair.  When we were getting ready this morning I asked her is she wanted me or Daddy to do her hair and she chose Mark. I was happy she did because I think Dad's doing a little girls hair is so sweet and I wanted to see it. 

We spent Christmas Eve with our friends the Lennox's. We were planning on going caroling with them and some other families in the ward but it was kind of rainy and they were going in an open trailer so we decided to skip it.  I was so tired all day since I had gotten in so late the night before.  We had a delicious dinner and then watched Joy To The World and read the Nativity.  Tara and Tom have some older girls so they drew pictures of scenes from the nativity so as Tom read it he would stop and have someone pick the picture that went with that part of the story. It was a fun way to get the kids involved.  We enjoyed visiting and then came home.

We got Jared and Lydia ready for bed and read Twas the Night Before Christmas.  We then put our last ornament on our Christ Tree (http://25daysofchrist.com) and did a gift exchange between Jared and Lydia. Mark had come up with this idea and it was very sweet. We had taken them each shopping earlier in the month and had them pick out a gift.  They were super excited. It was funny because they didn't remember what they had gotten each other so it was a surprise for them too.  Earlier in the day Lydia kept saying "I didn't get brother a gift..." but she did.

Each ornament had to do with a part of Christ's teachings/life and had scriptures and video clips and quotes to use to discuss them.  It was hard this year because we started late (because we had to paint them) but it worked out.

Then we put Jared and Lydia to bed and Lydia stayed up till at least 10:00, crazy girl. We filled stockings and went to bed.

2014 Best Christmas Lights Award

 This is the house we wanted to give it to.  Sadly they were not home. We looked in the windows (in a non creepy way) and the inside of their house looked beautiful too!

So we gave it to this house. 

We never know what kind of reaction we will get when we plan on handing out this award.  This year was sort of a downer.  We picked this house and when we walked up to it we saw them backing out of their car. So instead of walking up to the house and giving it we gave it to them through the car window.  This would have been fine but as we handed it over (to the wife who was very appreciative) asked who we were with we said "no one it was just our family" and she thanked us (very nicely) and said her husband who put up the lights was in the shower.  She said he had won several times in the past and would be happy to get this one when he didn't even do as many as he normally did. It just really didn't go how we expected it to (much like our Christmas caroling).  The point of the award is to give to someone who just likes lights and put them up for fun not someone who has like experience competing!  Oh well.  Their lights were pretty and we did enjoy driving around seeing the lights. We will see what happens next year.  She was very kind about it and was happy to get it and said her kids would enjoy the candy.  Jared and Lydia loved seeing the lights, drinking their hot chocolate and having their blankets with them outside of the house. We drove all over town trying to find the right house. We just couldn't find one in other neighborhoods. I need to remember that it goes better when we focus on one area not all over the place and to just pick one before it gets too late.  It appears that candles in every window is a much bigger deal than lots of lights.  Most houses had a candle in each window which we saw a little of in Colorado but nowhere near as much as here. We may jump on that band wagon when we have a house here. It was also really common to have matching wreaths on every window too it was pretty and fun to see something different. 

Virginia to California

The Charlottesville and Charlotte (NC) Airports have these nice rocking chairs. I did not have time to enjoy them but it made me feel like I was really in the South as I have never seen them in any other airport.

There were not a ton of flights available to get to my Grandma's funeral.  It was so close to Christmas and its really far away. Mark made the comment that in most of the travels we did while we lived in Egypt I didn't even fly as much as I just did. Both my flights went through Charlotte, NC and then Phoenix, AZ on to Sacramento, CA. I had good weather and didn't miss any connecting flights. I was worried on a couple as I only had 35 minutes to get off the plane and on my next one but it worked out.  I left here Saturday the 20th at 5:15 AM and arrived in Sacramento just before noon.  I got back to Charlottesville (without my bag) around midnight on the 23rd. My flight from Phoenix to Charlotte left left so I had to run from that flight to the next one where they had already started boarding. My gate was at the end of the E terminal I landed in D and it was a long hallway. I was so glad that I made it.

On my flight on the way out (Phoenix to Sacramento) the flight attendant came up to me with a small bottle of Vodka (!!) and said a passenger from the back had sent it to me. I must have looked completely lost so she asked if I knew anyone in the back which I did not and then she said, "he said the blonde in your row" (my hair is not in the least bit blonde in my opinion) so I looked across the aisle and there was a bright blonde by the other window. She looked at the number seat I was in and realized she brought it to the wrong girl. Of all things for me to be offered that was probably the strangest)

It was nice to be home and have some time to visit with my parents and siblings. Davin, Susanna and I stayed at my parents house and did some shopping together, played pool and just enjoyed being together. We are rarely together so it was nice to catch up with them. I made sure to stop by the Cookie Tree and bring a dozen cookies back with me.  I went to my parents ward on Sunday and it was fun to see some of the families I grew up with.  My friend Becca happened to be coming to town the next day so I stopped by to visit with her Monday night which was great. It was a quick trip with lots of time in airports and airplanes!

Grandma Marje

My Dad called me Saturday December 13th to let me know that his Mom my Grandma Marje had passed away the night before. (September 26, 1929 - December 12, 2014) She had been living in a care center for the least several years due to her dementia. My Dad told me she had been feeling severe pain in her abdomen so they took her in to the ER.  After several tests and a difficult struggle they found a tumor. Due to her advanced age (86) and condition they decided to not do any invasive surgery. She went back to the care center and Hopsice care was ordered. She passed away 2.5 days later.

My Aunt Dee had bought her a LED glass Christmas tree that played different Christmas Carols and lit up with lots of colors earlier in the month. My Dad and his Mom spent her last few hours pushing the button over and over and singing the songs together.  Her short term memory was so gone that each time she saw it it was like the first time and her face would just light up with excitement.  My Dad left her room that night (after feeling she was struggling but wouldn't let go unless his needs were taken care of as my Dad described her in the Eulogy, she was "the perfect hostess") and 20 minutes later the staff called to let him know she had passed away.  My Dad said as he left that he knew she was going to die that night.  He mentioned in the Eulogy that she looked at him and told him she was scared and it was the first time he could recall hearing he say that.

Grandma Marje did not have an easy life.  She grew up in Northern CA right near the "Ditch bank" (an irrigation canal that was 6-8 feet deep and quite wide) and their family was constantly worried about high water or flooding.  Each winter they had to move into town when the rains came. She was quite sick her first year with whooping cough and having to have her ears lanced repeatedly. It was not an easy first year.  She grew up (developing a love for horses and being in the outdoors or backpacking/fishing) and got married and had my Dad and my Aunt Dee but did not have a happy marriage.  She often moved away from my Grandpa Vince with Aunt Dee and my Dad and was a very hard worker doing all kinds of different jobs working from the bottom of the ladder on up.  She and my Grandpa Vince built a lithe house in Meridian, CA and she got to have her horses. She loved them and often even showed them in fairs.  Eventually she and my Grandpa Vince divorced. She moved to Salt Lake City and ended up serving a mission to England. She served at the same time that my Dad was serving in Mexico.  She moved back to CA after my Grandpa Vince passed away and met and married my Grandpa Joe in Colusa, CA. They enjoyed backpacking any chance they could and did lots of fishing.

My family often went out to visit them and help harvest the walnuts. They only lived 25 minutes away most of my life. First in Meridian, than Loma Rica, than Sutter.  My Grandma was always willing to take us grandkids fishing or backpacking with them. She loved genealogy and made delicious pies. She was hardworking and loved playing the harmonica.  In 1997 she and my Grandpa Joe faced high water from the Sutter bypass and their house flooded.  My family had actually evacuated to their house from Yuba City and then shortly after we were cleared to go home the Sutter Bypass flooded leaving up to 6 feet of water in their house. Her fear of high water was grounded. She and my Grandpa Joe used their saving to rebuild their house and then sold it and served a mission together in Wyoming at the Martin Handcart Site. We had relatives who came across the plains in the handcart companies and Grandma and Grandpa loved being there. My family and I went to visit them while they were serving and later on she and Grandpa Joe came to visit me while I was at BYU Idaho. They loved their van (that only had a few buttons) and would travel anywhere they could.  She was a great lady and I am happy she is with other loved ones and at peace.

This is not the canal she grew up near but is much smaller. This is the view from near the cemetery  she and Grandpa Joe are buried in (Sutter Cemetery in Sutter CA). Those are the Sutter Buttes. Our family used to go up there and have a picnic with my Dad's side of the family each Spring. It is one of my favorite memories with them.

 Derek, Susanna, Katie, April, Davin. 

 Aunt Sue and my Dad. Aunt Sue grew up near my Grandma.  She married my Dad's uncle (his Dad's brother, my Uncle Ray)

 My Parents

Susanna and I in front of the Sutter Buttes. 

The most ill fated caroling trip

Mark's family went caroling pretty much every year while he was growing up. They always went with their friends the Bjarnsons and had a fun get together after. Most often they visited elderly members of their ward. We currently live in the same town (ward even) as Liz (Bjarnson) Player.  Really what were the odds? So a few week ago Mark was talking to Liz and asked if she would be interested in bringing back the Spencer/Bjarnson Caroling tradition. She was totally on board so we decided to attempt it. We attempted to go caroling last year  but our family and the ones we planned with all ended up getting sick so we skipped it. This year we did end up going caroling but it was kind of a nightmare.
We planned to go Monday night.  The weather was perfect I had made sugar cookies, we had a plan.  It all started to go downhill when Liz called to say they couldn't make it.  That was a bummer since she was the other half of the original group.  But we cold still go. We had invited one other family to come and they could still make it so we were on.  The other family called to let us know they were running about 10 minutes late, no big deal it wasn't even 6:30 yet.  Our friends arrived, we mapped out our route and left to get in our cars.  Mark started our car, slowly began backing up and backed right in to a car parked behind us.  Yep, Merry Christmas to us.  In our town home we are all assigned 2 parking spots, one with your house number and the one next to it, unmarked.  It is understood that you really should not park in the numbered ones but the blank ones are free.  When you back out of our town homes you are on the side of the next set so there is only one row of parking spots.  Behind our spot is a curb and some landscaping. A car (not someone who lives here) had parked next to the curb directly behind our car.  Not a real parking spot.  I repeat NOT a REAL parking spot. This happens occasionally and while it is quite annoying it's life.  Sadly Mark did not look as he backed out and found that car.  We have a neighbor who is recovering from cancer and has nurses pretty much around the clock.  One of the nurses parked there.  Mark went to the door to let them know.  She came out and said "I have the worst luck when I drive this car (It's her Mom's),  It is always getting in accidents."  Maybe she should start parking in real spots!!  We were very polite and have gotten everything organized but this was a really bad start to the night.  Mark was going very slow, so our car just got some paint chipped off, no big deal for which we are grateful.  Their car apparently is not so well built according to the estimate she got. And the night did not get better from there.
 To carry on the tradition of caroling to elderly people we selected a few families to take cookies too and sing. First was a man in an assisted living facility that Mark Home Teaches. Now Jared is very prone to motto sickness. He spent the 10 -15 minutes were were waiting for our friends to arrive spinning around and around our living room.  Not a good idea.  As we got closer to the facility he kept talking about how much his stomach hurt and asked for a throw up bag.  I was so nervous that we would get inside and then he would throw up! Luckily he was able to avoid doing that. We drove over there and couldn't find him!  His wife has dementia so she lives across the street in a facility for Memory Care. We walked all over the facility and finally found someone who let us know he was over visiting his wife. We decided to walk across the parking lot and sing to them both.We walked into the lobby and there was a group singing to everybody.  So we just decided to head to the next house. Jared was feeling a little better by then but it was not such a fun night for him. Maybe he learned that spinning and him don't mix very well?
As we were driving to the next house I remembered it was Monday.  In our ward there is a group of older empty nester/single people who hold FHE together on Monday night.  2 of the 3 people left on our route were more than likely at the Home evening group. We decided to drive over to the next house anyway and see if he was home. He was not.  See ill fated!
We regrouped to make a new plan. We decided to call the families (so much for surprising them) ahead of time to see if they were home and if not we would got to some neighbors.  We called and one sister was not home but the other was or would be for the next 15 minutes or so then she was going shopping with her sister.  We rushed to her house and got there in time to sing to her!  Just barely.  She did enjoy our singing and I am glad we could sing to her. One other sister lived on the same street so we stopped by her house and found her home so we were able to sing to 2 sisters and spread some Christmas cheer.
That is not all though.  As we were waiting to cross the street we heard a car crash into another car!  The street we were on is pretty busy.  There were cars parked on both sides of the street as well.  A car drove by and was too close to a parked car and nailed it.  Then they just drove off!! We were so surprised especially since we had just backed into some one (who should park in real spots).  There were some neighbors outside on our side of the street and they told us that the person living there had only been there 2 months or so and had already gotten hit twice!!  It was such a rough night. I am not sure I will be up for caroling next year. If Mark really wants to go we will but we seem to be really bad at it!
There were some happy things too. My friend Tara hosted a cookie/ornament exchange which was fun to go to. I tried out a new recipe and they turned out so well. We will totally make them again.  It was fun to visit with people and I got a globe ornament which I knew Mark would love. It was funny because Tara and I ended up with the ornaments each other brought and we both traded for them.  Mark thinks it a pretty great ornament so I am glad I got it.  I thought about putting it in his stocking but decided it should get to hang on the tree this year.

Peppermint Kiss Cookies. So Festive and delicious! 

We also attended our ward Christmas Party. Our family was asked to do small part in it.  We were the "modern day family" that put some gifts under the tree. I had a small speaking part and Mark was in charge of helping Jared and Lydia each put a gift under the tree and then not run around the stage.  We had to wait backstage for a good while and Jared and Lydia did so well. We were pretty happy when we were done. It was a fun party. I also attended a community Christmas concert that was held at our church building. It could have been fun to all go together but it didn't start till 7:00 and Sundays are pretty hard for our kids with the needing to be reverent, missing lunch and their naps. Only 2 more weeks of 11:00 church. Then we go backwards till 9:00 Hooray!  It was a nice event. There were quite a few groups performing including a bell choir which was lovely. I can't believe Christmas is next week. All we really have left to do is go look at lights and hand out our award which we are planing on doing tonight.