AZ Christmas 2007 Highlights

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Going to the Christmas Carol with my mom, Grandma and Rex ... my grandmother's "nonexclusive" boyfriend, though as far as we know they are exclusive, at least by default:)

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Mesa Temple lights... aside from Salt Lake City, this is my favorite temple and they do a great job with the lights each Christmas. Alas, I forgot the camera, but it really is beautiful.

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Ella's first Cabbage Patch Kids doll- she loves her new "baby."

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The annual Iacobelli Christmas party.

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Catching up with old friends; thanks for hosting us Grandma.

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My new aquamarine jewelry (ring and earrings) - I'll post a picture later, they are killer great!

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Getting to know Dr. Li, an exchange doctor from China who is living with my parents for a year.

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Our Becker Surfboard gear... picture coming.

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Going to church, spending time with family and friends, and taking a moment to give thanks and reflect upon our many blessings.

We hope you had a fabulous Christmas too.

Tagged

So, I sort of think being tagged is silly~ which is why I've never actually responded. However, I feel like I've learned some pretty interesting things about people after reading their 7 random facts tag... so I've decided to bite the bullet, and respond. Incidentally, if you are reading this, consider yourself tagged- yes, you...

1. I LOVE my birthday. That may sound juvenile, but it is true. Growing up I would build up my birthday in my mind so much (I guess I watched one too many cheesy movies:)). However, I must say, since being married, my birthdays have exceeded my expectations... Benj consistently goes above and beyond for my special day.

2. I like to coordinate- with Ella. I used to try and match my Sunday outfit with one of Benj's ties (but he now leaves for church before I am awake), and I consciously pick my clothes out to go with Ella's outfit - or vice-versa. We've never worn "matching" outfits, per-se, but I do try to coordinate colors or styles.

3. I dislike running. I wish I loved it- I think runners are in great shape and it would be really neat to train for a race- but the truth is, I really don't like to run.

4. I love pasta- any and all kinds. Penne, farfalle, linguine... if I could only eat one food for the rest of my life, it would be pasta.

5. I don't have a favorite color, I truly like them all. Every time I pick one, I realize another is my favorite, and so on, and so on... People used to try and force me to pick a color (I remember being in second grade and this girl said "what if your mom was going to die unless you picked a favorite color, then which color would you choose?"), and I would just say one to appease them, but it was never a true favorite more than any other color.

6. Poached eggs are my favorite eggs. Word is, my mom ate them every morning while she was pregnant with me... and ever since, whenever I have the option, I generally order poached.

7. I love sea food and always have. It's cool to admit that now, but admitting to really liking sushi, salmon, crab, etc. and having a tuna fish sandwich for lunch in 4th grade is an easy way to not have anyone play with you during recess... I found that out the hard way.

Nativities

So, as you may know, I used to be a little O.C.D. about collecting nativity scenes. I think we spent two solid days in Hong Kong looking for a Chinese Nativity, rather than site seeing and doing fun touristy things. I've gotten a lot better though, and a lot more particular, partially because our Christmas storage space is maxed out, and also because we don't have a ton of room to display them all anyway. Last count I had 27; though I'm not as nuts as I once was, I still think it is a fun way to commemorate different trips and such.

Anyway, I thought I would share my favorite one with you; it's handmade by a friend in Ukraine. Here is the story...

When I first got home from being a missionary, Benj gave me 2 shepherds, 2 sheep and 2 wise men from this set. I guess he knew my obsession and knew I would stick with him until my creche was complete (which ended up taking a few more years than we anticipated). He picked up a few more pieces on his trip while we were engaged; our friend making it was not finished with the whole set. Two years went by and we had all the pieces... all the pieces, that is except for Mary, Jesus and Joseph.

Last May he gave us the rest... or rather, a new set. He stopped making the style he originally gave us the pieces from, and so to make up for the wait, and the fact that they don't exactly match... he gave us an entire new set!

Now, between the two, we have Mary, Jesus and Joseph... two donkeys, 5 shepherds, an in keeper, a flock of sheep and 6 wise men! I even sort of like that they are two different, yet similar, styles...

And, I really love that we have 6 wise men (I like to think there were a few wise ladies that made the journey too, but that is for a different post:)), since it never really specifies a number (only gifts given) in the Bible.

Yes, this Ukrainian nativity is my favorite.

First Sucker

Yesterday 'Grandma' Deedee gave Ella her first sucker: Sees Candy chocolate sucker. If you are going to start, you mind as well start with the good stuff, I like to say.

Ella loved it so much, it wiped her out. She could not even make it home awake.

Tree Hunt

Our first Christmas Tree was actually a news story in Montana. The National Forest Service took Benj and me into the mountains, showed us how to find the perfect tree, and taught us how to cut it down. Needless to say, the event made the 5:30 and 10:00 news that night... gotta love Montana.

Year two, we were newbies in CA. We went down to the closest corner tree lot, and brought home our tree in the Saab.

Last year we thought we'd be a bit more adventurous and give the "Santa's Tree Farm" in Half Moon Bay a try... it was Ella's first tree, so we wanted it to be fresh. We actually had a lot of fun, but our 'cut it yourself' Christmas tree went dry before Christmas.

So, this year, when the Sebras and Andersons invited us to tag along for a Christmas tree hunt, we couldn't say no. We went to the Los Gatos hills tree farm (a Bethany childhood tradition) and found, what we think is, the perfect tree.

When I was in 4th grade a lady came to our class and taught us about deforestation, how we are destroying our environment, and that we should all have fake trees. I went home and told my parents that if we were going to celebrate Christmas, we needed a fake tree. I'm not a fan of deforestation, and do think it's our responsibility to protect the environment... but the great thing about a tree farm is that the trees are grown for the express purpose of being cut down. Plus, it is way more fun to get a real tree than pull one out of a box limb by limb and a fresh tree makes our home smell like Christmas. When we have a big home and multiple Christmas trees I am sure we'll be a bit more economical and eco-friendly and buy a fake tree... but in the mean time we'll keep it real.

Turkey Day in Utah

I love Thanksgiving... It's sort of an 'under-the-radar' feast of food and family. Benj's mom can throw a great Turkey Day celebration: tons of yummy food, Thanksgiving Bingo (with great prizes), and new this year... music chimes. Unfortunately, I did not take as many pictures as I thought, but the food was delicious and Ella looked so cute.

One thing I love about Utah is that you always run into people you know: family, old roommates, mission companions, grade school friends... Benj and I even ran into my BYU freshman homecoming date at the Gateway. It's sort of nostalgic to run into and keep in touch with people from the past, and gives that small town feel... Anyway, that is one thing I really love about Utah. Ella and I had lunch at the Dodo with BYU friends Anne and her son Ryan and Courtney and her son Logan (picture coming)... it was so fun to see them and their boys. Ella and I also saw KT and Liam. KT and I have been friends since 7th grade, and we were so excited to meet her son.

Another thing I love about Utah is BYU. We went to the BYU vs. Utah game in Provo and, aside from being a fantastic game, it was so fun to be back on campus.

Benj and I bought matching BYU sweatshirts at the Cougar Bookstore, reminisced about old classes, walked by the Spencer W. Kimball Building and laughed about the first time we held hands during an international movie in the SWKT (yes, we are nerds), and just really enjoyed the game-day atmosphere. We ran into Bridget, Ben and Paige Reed (Bridget and I were roommates and went to the BYU Jerusalem Center together) at the game.

We saw several apostles in the box seats behind us, and for the record, Elder Holland was cheering with both hands when BYU won!

My final plug for Utah is that when you are with family you have ready, willing and able babysitters. Benj and I even went on a date and saw our first theater movie without Ella since she was born... Dan in Real Life. We highly recommend it.

All in all, it was a great weekend. Now it's time to take down the Thanksgiving decor and put up the Christmas decorations!

Beckers Visit

Last weekend Grandma Susie, Grandpa Dean, Aunt Sara and Jim came to visit. It was great to have family in town. Ella thrives on constant attention.

Currently, Ella has two favorite toys: Baby, her baby-doll which she lovingly calls "baby," hugs and feeds her bottle to, and a plastic shopping cart that she pushes all around the house. I'll post pictures soon of her enjoying these two favorite forms of entertainment.

So, on days when we don't have guests, go exciting places, or have fun play groups, we entertain ourselves around the house...

We eat (noodles are a favorite),

We take care of the house plants,

We pull out the wet wipes and unroll the toilet paper,

We play with the pots and pans,

And when it rains, we wait by the window for Benj to come home.

trick or treat

The expression says it all... we had a 'chill' time at the church Halloween party. Yes, I know, where is the Ellapus you may ask? Don't worry, she wore that costume on her birthday and Halloween night. For the ward party and Halloween day, she was a gold fish. In truth, I loved both costumes and could not choose between the two, so I decided not to decide and kept them both:) Also, it was easy for us to make the fish costume a family costume theme, and coincidentally, the first date Benj ever asked me on was to go fishing.

My mom was here for Ella's birthday and left yesterday. She was so helpful and we miss her already. I've never been a huge advocate of wanting to live by family (UT or AZ), but now that we have Ella I definitely see the benefits of having grandparents close by. My dad was in town last week and we had a great time with him as well. Ella loved feeding the birds at the Palace of Fine Arts. Grandpa Lowell also gave her a new doll "baby" that she adores.

Good news is, Benj's sister Sara and her boyfriend are coming tonight and then Benj's parents are coming Friday so we won't have family with drawl just yet!

sad and glad news

The sad news is Benj's grandma, Ella's great-grandma, Joyce Ann Becker passed away. She was a very sweet lady and lived a life of service and dedication to her family and the Lord. Benj went to her funeral in upstate New York today. She will be very missed.

The other news is (aside from this quick trip to New York), since I stopped working in Montana two years ago, Benj and I have really only been apart twice. The first time was when I went to a baby shower in AZ for Ella, and he surprised me by painting the walls of our living room and putting in new light dimmers and fixtures. The last time was in August when Ella and I went to Wisconsin to see my mom's family, and Benj again surprised me by painting the kitchen, planting a new tree and creating more storage shelves in the garage. So, I figured I had to come up with a surprise for him too when he comes back tonight. Painting walls and building shelves were not on my to-do list, so I decided it was time to cut my hair.

I donated my hair to Locks for Love once before (right after graduating high school). This cut isn't exactly the Katie Holmes look I was going for; but I've heard, and believe, the difference between a good hair-cut and a bad one is about two weeks, so I am not too worried. The trouble is, and you will notice in the future I am sure, I forgot that when my hair is short I look like I am in a perpetual wind-storm... it naturally flips under on the left and out on the right. No matter what I do, blow-dry, straighten, curl... I look like the wind is blowing the same direction- always:)