One Really Fast Banana

This is the story of a boy, a banana car and a dream. Yes, Curtis got to experience the Pinewood Derby for the first time this year. His dad is a veteran, with 10 cars under his belt (including his own as a boy), but this year he was given a new challenge: make a banana car sleek and fast and good looking enough to grab the attention of the judges. If you ask me, the team of Byers and Byers did just that. I give you, the Banana Express!

Curtis is definitely pleased with the design, but will it win?

Here he waits a little anxiously for his first race.

Soberly, he examines the track and contemplates the possibilities.

He takes his position at the end of the track and glues his eyeballs to that banana-shaped masterpiece.

Elated, Curtis jumps for joy as his car takes first place in its debut race!

He takes a moment to talk to the press about his predictions for the coming races.

Ultimately, his car was beaten by the Pack 873 legends, but Curt didn't mind. He was pleased with his record of four firsts, two seconds and three third places. He also got the award for "Most Unique Design." So while he did experience the thrill of victory...

and the agony of defeat...

He persevered for his team...

and the loyal fans...

who will one day follow in his footsteps.

(Eli has already decided he wants a green Ferrarri that is "really fast!!!" Good luck on that one Ren -- you've got three more years to figure out how to beat those Webers!)

Fashionable Eye Wear is a Must This Year

Here's a sneak preview of what the fashionable toddlers are wearing around the house these days.

We call this look "Harry Underwear" acknowledging the inspiration coming from two great literary characters Harry Potter and Captain Underpants. Eli is a fashion veteran; you can see this in his classic model pose.

This one is called "Versatile Man". Gid can lounge around in his brother's bathrobe or put on the safety goggles and engage in some serious tool time.

I'm sure as the year continues, we will see these high fashion looks filter down into the everyday wear of the masses, so keep your eyes peeled for trendy eyewear in 2010!

Puppy Love

I'd say there is some mutual affection happening here. :D This is one of Henry's favorite spots when he's all tired out. Lucky for him, it often coincides with Gid's afternoon tv shows, so they can both chill together. I love to see him climb into my little one's lap, proving the point that puppies and little boys definitely go together!

Heeeeeeeere's Henry!

Well after much research, deliberation, waffling back and forth, pleading from the kids and finally praying about it, we have acquired a diminutive canine companion for the family. (a.k.a a Puppy!) How can it be that we could spend so much time and energy making the decision to get a dog when we had babies without giving it a second thought? It turns out raising a puppy is surprisingly similar to raising kids, with a few added perks like being encouraged to put him in a cage several hours at a time to give everyone a break and no breast feeding to worry about. (sorry about that mental picture!)

Our little Henry, whose official name is Henry Knox Byers, is a 6 pound Toy Poodle/Bichon Frise. That means basically he's a little ball of fluff. He's incredibly smart and keeps us laughing and on our toes. Luckily, there's been no sleepless nights and only a few accidents in the house, the worst one being the flying poo incident on the second day here. I saw him going into the living room, sniffing the floor and I KNEW he was looking for a spot. But he's dang fast and by the time I got to him he was already in the dreaded poo-poo crouch! I grabbed him quickly to take him out and the log that was already mostly out flew across the living room! Thank heavens for tile floors! haha

The panic and regret I felt in the first few days when he was crazy and play-biting everyone is mostly gone, thank goodness. We had a puppy trainer come and the best thing she taught us was how to communicate in Dog. When he's doing something he shouldn't, I growl at him and he stops most of the time. If he ignores me (like when he scores a sock -- why do dogs love socks so much?) we have a "bean bag" filled with metal chain that she told us to throw on the ground right next to him. It simulates the snap a dog would give if its growl was ignored. Who knew? That one works every time and we've pretty much eliminated the play-biting, though not the sock stealing.

He adores the little kids and runs around the yard like a crazy thing with them. This morning Eli and Gid set up a "finish line" tape and were racing across the grass to run through it. Henry was in pure ecstasy running across the grass with those silly boys. Jonah and Cody were a bit timid with him when he first came home, so they're working on getting him to warm up to them. I've encouraged them to give him treats because frankly, I think that's why he loves me so much. He definitely prefers me and follows me all over the house. It's so funny when I turn around and look him in the eye and he plops down on his bum and looks at me with those puppy dog eyes as if to say, "What are we gonna do now?" And he quickly forgives me when I turn around and step on him, not knowing he's there. What a good puppy! :D

Here's a few pictures from his first week. We had friends in town the day he came home. With 15 people in the house, you'd have thought it would be crazy, but he took it all in stride. His first steps outside you could just see how thrilled he was to be somewhere besides the cage in a pet store! We definitely tired him out, but I'm sure it was a good kind of exhausted.

Hannah and Henry on the first day.

Our friend Addison with Henry and his manly bow from the pet store. :D

This is what it looks like when you kneel down to take a picture of a dog who is rocketing across the yard to chew your camera strap!

We love it when Henry picks up random big stuff. He looks so proud to have snatched a garden shovel. (Sorry for the blur, he's fast!) My favorite was when he was running around chasing the kids with a 2 foot nerf sword in his mouth.

Curtis, our friends Addison and Jacob Everett and Henry.

Jonah, who prayed for a puppy, had his prayer answered and he couldn't be more thrilled!

The first night, Gid decided he was a puppy. Hoping maybe it would convince Henry to like his crate, I encouraged the game. These pictures pretty much tell the story.

At the end of a long afternoon, our puppy was tuckered out.

Lots of people questioned why we would get a puppy. We questioned why we would get a puppy! It just seems like the unconditional love a dog is a healing and happy influence in a home. We're not afraid of poop or work or training; otherwise, we'd never have seven kids! So, we're happy to put in the work to train this cute little ball of fluff (nicknamed Swiffer by my loving brother Ben). Hopefully, he'll be a part of our family for many years to come.

Nineteen Crazy Years

I suppose the word crazy as a description for the last nineteen years isn't the most romantic, but to describe it as "blissful" would be missing the point I think. The roller coaster of marriage is designed to bring two people closer together through moments of blinding happiness and passion as well as moments of grief, despair, frustration and even anger. That we have arrived at this point still deeply in love and eager for the next 19 years is a testament to me of what marriage should be.

I am so grateful today that I didn't choose Mike, Howard, Greg, Dave or Larry! No offense to these guys who each had merits of their own to recommend them. But when Ren and I realized that being absolutely best friends was the perfect jumping off point for love and marriage, it was the wisest decision I had ever made up to that point and might ever make. I love that Ren laughs at my jokes, has taken the time to learn when to hug and when to back off, is constantly trying better to understand me, pushes me to be better and accepts me for who I am. I can truly say he completes me. :D

So... Happy Anniversary to my sweetheart. I adore this man and am beyond grateful for the years we have spent growing up and growing together. I can't even imagine what the next 19 years will hold...having children in college and on missions, becoming grandparents and finally having an empty nest! It will be crazy, but it will be an eagerly anticipated adventure with the man I love sharing the ride.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

This one is for the grandparents in England who have been languishing without word from me or posts on my blog. My negligence is inexcusable, but understandable as you consider the monumental task of orchestrating Christmas for a family of nine! As my apology to you, Elder and Sister Byers, here is our Christmas in pictures. We're so sad we missed your phone call today but we had just settled in for a long winter's nap and didn't even hear the phone. I hope you had a merry old English Christmas.

As for the rest of my bloggy friends -- I hope to see your Christmas pictures soon. Our most exciting present will have his own post on the blog, as soon as we get him. Henry, our poochon puppy will be coming home on the 29th! The kids are thrilled (all except Gid who is convinced that all dogs want to eat him.) Life is never quiet around here, is it? And now for Christmas, Byers/Bolton style...

On Christmas Eve we always have our big dinner and then act out the nativity. It's pretty convenient that we have enough kids to cast the entire play -- it's just our audience that's a little sparse (me, since Ren is the narrator). Here's our Peanuts Christmas Pageant picture. I love how the littles have their mouths WIDE open! :D

Eli really wanted to be Joseph, so he was our leading man.

By default, Hannah gets to be Mary, whether she wants to or not. She didn't seem to mind that she was 2 1/2 feet taller than Joseph since he is mighty in spirit!

Zach, the shepherd boy listens intently to Curtis the angel-in-a-toga (as he calls the sheet I used for his costume).

Jonah and Cody are wise guys, so it seems appropriate for them to portray the wise men. The littlest wise man got cranky, so an angel stepped in at the last minute for the photo op.

Mary soon cheered up wise man #3 with a hug.

After the play we sang lots of Christmas carols. This is my favorite part as my children are now working on singing in harmony and it just melts my motherly heart to hear my whole family gathered around singing! Then, Jonah gathered the littles to hear "The Night Before Christmas."

After setting out cookies and lettuce and cheese for Santa, the reindeer and Santa Mouse (he's from a childhood book of mine that we still read at Christmas time), the children settled in to giggle and toss and turn as Ren and I and a little elf named Hannah Claus finished the Christmas preparations. The kids were given strict instructions NOT to wake us before 7:00 a.m. They kept their bargain officially, but were un-officially up and making plenty of noise by 5:30 a.m.

Finally, donning their new Christmas pj's, they sat on the stairs, eating toast and tangerines, and waiting for the okay to run down and see what Santa brought.

Gid and Eli had been asking every Santa they encountered for only one thing: transformers. Here they are basking in the glow of transformer delight after finding them in their Christmas stockings. (Aren't they too adorable in their matching pj's?)

And when all the ripping and shrieking and excitement was over, we had our big Christmas breakfast and the parents fell into bed to nap until it was time for our traditional Christmas afternoon movie.

Finally, at the end of the day, exhausted and happy, we posed in front of the tree for our family picture, grateful for all that we've been blessed with and for the love we share. Merry Christmas everyone!

My Heart Grew Two Sizes This Year

I have been determined this year to feel the spirit of Christmas! It seems I have spent the past few years racing to Christmas day only to feel totally empty and utterly exhausted by Christmas Eve. Christmas morning as I watched the family rip off the beautiful paper and bows of presents I had spent too much time and too much money buying I have felt a weight on my soul. Consumed with having to make sure all things were equal and that everyone would get just what they wanted, I lost sight of why I was giving them presents and lost the joy of giving as well.

This year I wanted it to be different. I got my first idea while perusing our church magazine, The Ensign. The Monday after Thanksgiving, I wrapped up a box in bright red, Christmas paper, slit a hole in the top and pasted the words "Thankful Box" across the front in big, festive green letters. I explained to the family at our first family home evening of December that we would spend the month looking for the blessings we'd been given and appreciating the people and things that brought us joy in our lives. We will open the box on Christmas and take turns reading what each of us wrote. The kids have enthusiastically been stuffing the box and I can't wait to open it and share the love that we have all felt this month.

We've also taken the time to read the Christmas story and other Christmas books that are bringing us joy and happiness as we let the spirit of this season seep into our souls. I've been taking the time to read inspiring Christmas messages and as I was reading one from our church's prophet this morning, these words from Pres. David O. McKay touched my heart:

“True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service."

We have been the beneficiaries of such service. God must have known that I needed to feel something this Christmas, because he prompted some friends to do the 12 Days of Christmas for us. It's funny, because we were sitting around one night and realized that it was 12 days before Christmas. I mentioned to my hubby that it would be fun to do the 12 days of Christmas for someone and only moments later we heard the doorbell ring. The kids ran to the door and excitedly cam back in with a present that had a note on it. "On the first day of Christmas our true friends gave to us..." it was an advent calendar snowman. I cant' describe how my heart just melted at this. Like the Grinch, I think my heart has grown two or three sizes and continues to feel such sweet joy each night as the kids eagerly await the ringing of the doorbell. They stampede to the door to see what our "true friends" brought us bringing back hot chocolate in decorative tins, Christmas mugs, a box of oranges, a Christmas book, a Christmas DVD and other fun things. Thank you true friends, whoever you are!

Yesterday, at church I felt that spirit even more as I sang in the choir the beautiful hymns of Christmas. Then in my calling with the children of our congregation, I helped them act out the nativity story. I dressed them up and told them the story of Christmas in words they could understand. I tried to help them feel what Mary felt and what Joseph felt and what the Shepherd's felt at that wondrous time. We sang songs as we added each new actor in our little play -- Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds and the baby Jesus. At the end I turned on the twinkly lights on the ficus tree I brought from home, gave each little actor a flickering (fake) candle, turned out the rest of the lights and we sang Silent Night. What a sweet picture for us all to take home. What a sweet peace I felt as I thought about the simplicity and the gravity of the birth of our Savior.

As I've given of myself to my family and in sharing my talents at church, I have felt closer to my Savior. I hope all my friends are feeling this same peace and joy. My heart is full this year and I hope that when I watch the kids tear through the presents that are symbolic of the bounty God has given us this year, that the warmth will continue to emanate and I will know that all these gifts are only reminders of the true gift of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you all!