Happy New Year!

We are not New Years Eve people. My New Years celebrations have ranged from disastrous to dangerous to just depressing. So tonight, even though it is only Midnight in the Midwest and not here yet, I can say it has been one of our best. We started the party early with a theater full of Dopps. Twelve kids (Xanthe was at Esmae's birthday) and three adults equals a lot of popcorn and drinks. Of course something is going to spill and someone is going to have to go to the bathroom, but who cares? Scott, Jeff and I used the "sitting behind the kids" trick and didn't have any problems. Lexie got sucked into Izzy's drama a little bit. Next time we'll put Izzy in the front row alone. Ha ha. Just kidding, Jen! We'll let Xanthe sit with her.

Later, a friend of mine brought me a very unique and exquisite gift. I only know this woman because she bought a cello from me, but I feel like we've been friends forever. Heather made this necklace with all my kids' names engraved on it! Isn't it beautiful?! She mentioned that she works with a non-profit for which she and her kids have been driving up and down the Wasatch Front today, collecting last-minute 2009 donations. When she told me about the organization, greeneyesinafrica.org, I knew we had a chance do do something special for New Years'. Our family got on their website, learned a little bit about Cameroon, where their orphanage is, and made a small donation. It was an awesome way to kick off our night. Thank you, Heather!

Throughout the night every hour, we looked at the time zone map to see where people were celebrating the new year. In between we played Cadoo (torture!) and Sardines (hide-and-seek, but more hilarious). Xanthe went to bed right after Rio de Janiero celebrated. Trajan texted me how to say happy new year in Portuguese, "Feliz Ano Novo," and Xanthe went out with that. Araceli went to bed after midnight in Bermuda, but not without some dramatic research. My grandfather's cousin Clayton Jones went down with a Navy ship, the USS Cyclops, in the Bermuda Triangle in 1918. The ship was never found. This information from Bill led to the girls researching the Bermuda triangle online. Araceli was scared that we might accidentally go to the Bermuda triangle and disappear. I promised her that would not happen and kissed her goodnight.

Freestone gave up at 9:30, which was midnight in Venezuela. Why are they on a half-hour schedule? Maybe we'll find out next New Years'. It looks like I've lost the rest of the crew to Scott's new theater in the basement. It's like our own little Bermuda Triangle. It sucks you in and you disappear!

Happy New Year!!

What a Fourteenth Anniversary Looks Like

On our honeymoon at a Bed and Breakfast on the Oregon coast, I gave Scott a backrub complete with warm towels and smelly lotions. One day into our marriage, and he was thinking, "This is what my life is going to be like from now on. Aaahhhh!"

Fast forward fourteen years and we're spending our anniversary taking pictures of our sixth child because we think it's funny that he looks drunk. We're telling everyone at the restaurant, "Yeah, we're not letting THIS guy drive home tonight! Heh heh!" At least Scott hasn't lost his sense of humor, even if his last warm-towel massage was fourteen years ago.

We actually celebrated twice this year. Monday, my good friend Jennifer of the wise and witty Wordseed blog, called and said, "Happy anniversary! Can I watch your kids for you while you go out?" I said, "It's not my anniversary, but yes. You can!" Does that make me a bad friend? Jennifer came over and the kids had a ball cleaning the kitchen while Scott and I tried a new Indian place. Araceli sneaked in a call to us while we were away, begging us not to come home. She said, "Go to Jennifer's house!" The kicker is, it was Jennifer and Jeff's anniversary that day! Their kids were away for a couple of days and I guess it got too quiet! Thank you so much, Jennifer! Your call could not have come at a better time.

On our real anniversary, Ryan and Jennie invited our kids to stay over so we could go to Park City overnight. As it turned out, the blizzard-like conditions made it seem foolish to drive up Parley's that night, so we dined local, at Oakridge. That's where Ptolemy begged all the fruit syrup off my cheesecake and got a little giddy. After dinner, we picked up Xanthe, who was petrified about the idea of a sleepover, and watched a movie in Scott's new home theatre. It was the first time I had been officially invited to an event in The Venue of the Century. I was impressed.

The next morning we chose Barnes and Noble for "breakfast." Xanthe got a breakfast sandwich and an almond roca steamer with whip. The guy who made her drink said she was the cutest girl he'd seem all day. The girl working at the Barnes and Noble Starbucks, on the other hand, was not my favorite. I mention this for my friends who have Chinese children and therefore know what this can be like. She asked me the usual adoption questions, the ones I am comfortable fielding. "Is she yours?" "Yes, she is!" "Is she adopted?" "Yes, we loved her so much we went all the way to China to bring her home." But then this vapid, clueless, nauseating girl launched into some show she saw on Dateline, like she was the country's foremost expert on China, telling me that women are buying ultrasound machines illegally and having abortions based on gender, and how the ratio of men to women in China is now 5 to 1. Clearly, this is a girl who probably couldn't find China on a map.Willing her to stop talking, I nodded and said ironically, "Wow. Okay." You know, I think she understood. I walked away glad I didn't engage this simpleton in front of Xanthe, but next time, I will interrupt the person and say, "Excuse me, but I'm sure this isn't the kind of thing my daughter is interested in hearing right now." Think, people, think!

Aside from the unfortunate barista incident, we had a wonderful morning with our two little cherubs. Happy Anniversary again, Scott!

Happy Anniversary to Me (and Scott)

After Thanksgiving break during my first semester of college, Scott was at the airport to see me off, back to Indiana. I was going to be home for Christmas, but by that time, Scott would be in California serving a two-year mission. So it would be more than two years before I would see him again. I felt a sense of desperation that in spite of how much I loved Scott, our relationship was at an end. At 18, I couldn't envision a future where everything worked out after two long years of separation. I was miserable. I am embarrassed now thinking about what an absurdly dramatic good-bye it was. A flight attendant who had seen us crying approached me on the plane. I was still sobbing, probably really loudly. She said, "How long before you see him again?" I bawled, "Two years!" Then I started crying like you only see in movies. Humiliating! But I didn't care then. I had just turned 18 and my whole life was ruined.

Thereafter followed six years of college and violin making school, and a mission and college and work for Scott, during which we remained friends even though it was painful. I wish I could visit that 18-year-old on the flight back to Indiana and whisper in her ear, "It will all work out! In twenty years from now, you'll be married to this guy and have six kids and every day, you will think you're the luckiest girl in the world."

Work in Progress

As long as there is paint in the world, our house will be a work in progress. Golda moved from her downstairs room to the attic, painting over the very worn pink paint with "Tropicana Cabana" turquoise. It's still a work in progress, as is Xanthe's new "Purple Panda Princess" room in the downstairs. The kids are working on their panda paintings to adorn Xanthe's new walls. When I asked Xanthe today if she wanted a friend over, she said, "My room's not clean enough." We'll let you all know when Xanthe's new room is up to her standards. It's going to be fun!

Joyeux Noel

Christmas got bigger and bigger and more and more festive until it reached a fever pitch yesterday. Christmas dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's was deemed the best meal we have ever eaten. Roast beef and gravy and ham, salads, potatoes, jello, slush and all the Christmas treats you can imagine. Immediately following the meal, I vowed to take a week off from food. I then proceeded to eat candy and cookies non-stop throughout the evening. Marlene bakes a legendary amount of goodies, and I try to do my part to get to the bottom of those tins and tupperwares, but they seem to be bottomless.
The grandkids entertained us with playing instruments and singing. Collin, Freestone and Jakey rehearsed quite a bit for their French version of Jingle Bells, "Vive le Vent." It was so cute to hear them practicing! Jake chickened out, but Free and Collin hung in there and it was adorable. Santa Claus came to the party at the end of our little musical program and had a chat with each child. Uncle Ryan was in the bathroom and missed the whole Santa thing! I can't even describe the mayhem that ensued, with 20 kids and 14 adults throwing wrapping paper around and shouting their thanks as we all exchanged gifts. We all got the perfect things! Jenny and Jeremy had interviewed each child and grandchild about what they love about Bruce and Marlene and made a DVD, which we watched. It was wonderful.

When the party was over, it wasn't easy to get all the kids to the car with my mouth, hands and pockets full of Marlene's goodies, and carrying a big tray of them, but we did get everyone bundled up and said our goodbyes. Coco and Bill were waiting for us to read the Bible story with them and open one present. The Bible story went well. Everyone hushed long enough to listen to Bill read out of the huge antique Bible. It must have been right after "And Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart" that the sugar hit the kids' bloodstreams. All I remember after that was Coco and six kids trying to assemble a fragile music box, which was the one gift we opened, and Bill holding the instructions, screaming, "It says THIS IS NOT A TOY! EXCLAMATION MARK! THIS IS NOT A TOY!" Then I have a vague memory of flinging kids into the car like logs on a fire, barking, "Do you want Santa to come or not!?!" At that moment, it occurred to me that if Santa saw me chucking kids and heard them grunting as they hit the back seat, I might not get anything, so I tried to behave.

Next thing you know, it was Christmas morning and dreams were coming true. Santa came! I'm calling it the Best Christmas Ever. I wish I had pictures to prove it, but the camera is buried under wrapping paper somewhere. Thank you, Santa. You really got everything perfect this year. You have a knack for this gift-giving gig, and all the planning and preparation that it takes to pull it off. And thanks to Bruce and Marlene and Coco and Bill, who have been making Christmas magic for us for about 38 years. We love you!

Christmas Day 2009

Merry Christmas! (click)

Wishing you peace, joy and naps.

Yes You Can!

I am all about Yes this Christmas season.

Yes, I will go to all of the grocery stores to find the cutest Corn Starch for Ari, Free and Xanthe's friend gifts. (Google "corn starch craft." It's fun!)

Yes, you can mold all the gingerbread dough into cartoon shapes.

Yes, all four-year-olds who cross our threshold can stay and make gingerbread cookies! We were so lucky to have Emmy come and play! Xanthe loves her! Thanks, Nate. She watched Ptolemy very carefully! :)

Yes, I will take seven kids to a movie and enjoy it immensely. (The secret is to sit behind them so they can't see you if they have a problem. No mom, no problems. Funny how that works.) And yes, let's take 20 or 30 pictures of Ptolemy with a bag of popcorn after the movie.

Yes, paint with oil paints. I'm glad I didn't say no to Golda on this one. I love it!

Yes, think of a friend gift that requires three trips to Ben Franklin and the use of a hot glue gun. And yes, feel free to start several unrelated projects simultaneously because hot glue guns are so much fun. Yes, eat as much candy as you can. Yes, have cookies for dinner. Yes, stay up late. Yes, we can go to the store. Yes, I will read you that Christmas book.

I'm saying yes now partly because it's Christmas and I'm having fun and there is excitement in the air. And partly because starting on the 26th, I'm afraid all my answers will be, "No. I'm too tired!" But that's what January is for.

Holiday Parties, Volume Two

Adults only party with the Dopp siblings. It's relaxing and fun and a bit eerie to hang out without the noise of 20 little kids falling off the trampoline and screaming in the background! I love this tradition. Especially the Chinese food! (I stole your pictures, Jennie. Thanks!)

Araceli's cookie exchange party. Lots of cute little second graders decorating trees and exchanging cookies...just like Golda and her friends. I told them they could use whatever they could find to decorate the trees, and they were sure creative. However, nothing makes dads grumpier than the kind of creativity where you find the TV remote inside a tennis shoe on the Christmas tree after an exhaustive search. (He looked for 20 minutes to no avail. I looked for 20 seconds and found it.)


Sleighriding/Christmas/birthday party at Sarah's...Happy Birthday, Dear Sarah on Christmas Eve and Dear Christine on Christmas Day.

PT and his cronies kickin' it on the floor. Kickin' each other, to be more precise. Hence the tears. Or maybe it was that Isaac doesn't want to share his Sprite and Tolly knows it has to bee something good. Mack and Morgan look as easygoing as their mom!


I saw Tiffany smiling at this group of youngsters, and I know why. It was fun to see them laughing together. They are growing up so beautifully!

Not every Utah game results in a party, but when it's a bowl game and Scott has a new TV system in the basement and The Boys use Christmas china to eat their chips and salsa, it's a party. I make it sound like watching the first game in Scott's new theater wasn't a big deal. IT WAS. Scott has been looking forward to this day since before the dawn of time. Or something like that. Thank heavens the Utes won, those classless jerks!

Now it's Christmas Eve Eve and the only party left is the one that will top all the others, Christmas Eve at Grandma's house. Let the party begin!

The DeBry Party Picture Album

I love all these people. Now who are they again? Let's see...the first picture is Jessie and Xanthe. 2. Xanthe in her costume that Santa brought. 3. Uncle Jim, the baby hog! 4. Nana giving Julie her family's two-dollar bills. She gives each person one every year. With a hundred grands and great-grands, that's a lot to keep track of! 5 and 6. Everybody posing for somebody's camera 7. Three little fairies...Marla, help me out here! Kylie, Savannah and Kate? 8 and 9. Coco kissing Santa Claus 10. Bob, Jim, 2 of his sons, Danny and Mike, Santa Felshaw, Coco, Mark and Paul. 11. Mike the Sigma Chi, leaving to teach English in Chang Mai, Thailand in January. Have fun! 12. Ruby 13. Araceli 14. Trajan attempting to set Abram on Santa's lap. 15. Golda 16. Abigail and Bridie 16. Mary, Julia and Anson, Malinda and the youngest member of the family, Jared, nine days old!! (And drove from Boise. DeBrys are not faint of heart!) and Rita, recently returned from a Nauvoo mission. 17. Esmae 18. Freestone 19. Beautiful Isabella, the first great-grandchild, Tiffany and Johnnie's. 20. Xanthe and Santa warily eying each other. 21. Eli, Eric, Sandra and Peter 22. Laura, Laura and Sydney 23. Mary and Jamie, Tiffany's step-daughter 24. Jim...he never gets tired of babies! And Ptolemy and Scott

Did I get all that right? I hope so! I sure do love all of my cousins. It's heaven when we're all together. We missed you, Tennessee DeBrys and all the others who couldn't make it. Thanks, Nana and Opa for such a great family to call my own.