Christmas Eve Tradition--Phoenix Zoo

Even though Christmas Eve 2016 was rainy and cold, we still took our annual trip to the zoo.

It's not so much seeing the zoo that we love--it's that no one is there and we basically have the run of the place.

With so many littles, the best way to see the animals is on the train. Usually we get a huge bag of kettle corn and share it, but Gran forgot this time.

Nobody really seemed to mind.

One of my favorite things about the zoo is that it's a different experience each time.

This morning the tiger was agitated and paced right in front of the glass. The kids loved/feared him  and squealed every time he turned the corner.

Lily decided after this trip that she wants to raise a baby tiger.

I think this will be the closest any of them ever get to one, though.

Micah is now one of the big kids, patiently indulging the younger ones. That's so weird to me.

Jonah and Annie are only three months apart, but Jonah thinks he's big enough to pull her and Tommy in the wagon.

I think he was successful for a few feet before he got sick of it and ran off.

Heidi's little boys love Micah and Hammer, as they call him. And my boys love them right back.

It's fun, because my two older boys had cousins (Spencer, Myke, Matt, and Tommy Olsen) who acted as their big brothers. Now it's my little boys' turn to be big brothers to their nephews.

It was cold that day, and the orangutans were in the enclosure, with Baby swinging from the ceiling and causing trouble while Mama tried to clean her off and calm her down.

Sounds a bit like my house most days.

Our traditional end to the zoo on Christmas Eve is the carousel.

Jonah was disappointed when the Kimodo dragon didn't have wings. This was more what he had in mind, I think.

Girls sticking together.

Ben. Need I say more?

Spending a few hours at the zoo on Christmas Eve always helps the day go faster and keeps our family together most of the day. While it makes wrapping, baking, and prepping a little stressed, it usually forces me to have most things done before we leave.

Quick Snaps

The holidays with the Brubakers have gone much too quickly.

There have been a few bumps in the road--kids arguing, things breaking, running out of milk at the most inopportune moments (when fresh cookies come out of the oven, am I right?). But the worst was the vomit.

First Nathan on Christmas Day. We really thought it was too much junk until . . .

. . . Jonah threw up last night. But he always shoves huge bites in his mouth, and it didn't smell like he was sick, so we didn't think he was sick until . . .

 . . . Heidi dashed from the couch to the wood floor holding baby Thomas's head in Sam's shirt to catch the throw up.

Hmmm. Probably sick, but they're acting ok. Until . . .

. . . Ellie threw up twice in the night, and Jonah added to the count a few times himself.

And Tucker woke up feeling kinda crappy, too.

All the barf foiled our plans for the day, to be sure. And I think they're headed home Saturday instead of Monday now. Sometimes, you just need to get home. I get that.

So, despite the barfing kids, we all got dressed to take a quick family picture today. I hadn't planned clothes or a location or anything, but we got cleaned up and stood together in front of the camera for a few shots. I'm thrilled with them.

The Brubakers

 All four holding still--not all looking at the camera, but we'll take what we can get.

The Dentons with new baby Eli

Annie loves that brother of hers. Can you tell?

And each of my kiddos still at home.

Ben

 He's leaving for BYU next week, and I don't know if I can stand that thought.

Lily

 My girl is getting so beautiful. Before I know it, she'll be gone, too.

Hey! Who said Micah could grow up?

Rum. This kid's chocolate eyes melt my heart.

And my baby girl

You can't see in this photo, but she lost her front tooth two days ago. I hate when that happens, because they suddenly aren't little any more.

Here's the whole clan--all seventeen of us.

When I started my blog eight years ago, this is what the kids looked like on Christmas Eve:

Where has the time gone?

At least we haven't lost our crazy.

Goodbye, 2016. It's been an adventure.

Love,

Denton Sanatorium

I'd Like You to Meet . . .

. . . the newest member of our family.

Elias Christian Denton

7 lb. 5 oz. 20"

Eli was born late Sunday night, and he's just about as perfect as they come.

He's squishy and soft and smells divine.

Karli's mom took Annie to meet her baby brother for the first time and sent me this picture.

She loves babies so much, and now that she has one of her own, her world is infinitely better.

Karli is recovering better this time, Tucker is off from student teaching till January, and now that school's out for me as well, it's time to hug and love that beautiful Christmas gift.

Heaven never feels closer than after the birth of a brand new baby.

Waiting at the Airport

I wish I had time to edit these pictures the way they should be, but it's more important to me to get them posted--or I'll never get to it. Life is so crazy busy right now.

Flight status online put Ben's flight arriving 30 minutes early, so we made sure we were there in plenty of time. When we got there, the board said it was on time. That gave us lots of time to wait.

 Annie danced around with this flag for ten minutes, squealing and laughing at herself. It was funny.

Eve danced around with the cutest boy she could find--and McKay got a workout lifting and running and playing with her.

 Cousins. I love that these guys are growing up together.

 And these guys. They're practically grown now. Payson's a senior--where did the time go?

 Hyrum had more poster ideas in his head, so he spent much of his time on the floor with a pen drawing monsters.

 The time drew closer, and the kids grabbed their signs to wait in front of the security gate.

 These two girls are best friends.

 I think they thought they'd stay behind that poster until Ben came, but it got too long for them to wait.

This poster is a private joke between my big boys--I guess Dienton means "buck teeth" in Spanish? Karli drew this, and we were all quite impressed with her skills.

 This sign got a bit out of control, but I love it--and all of the people around it.

 As I walked to the chair to set down my camera, someone yelled, "It's Ben! I see him!"

And that's when . . .