Author Archives: Chayli

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Once upon a time, we had a kitty named Paws. We named her before we saw her, but lo and behold, she did have little white paws. We named her Paws because we were planning to get two kittens, and it was Eric’s idea to name them Paws and Claws. Well, when my mom went kitten-hunting, she was only able to get one, and it was such a pretty little thing that we kept the name Paws.Paws was a lonely little kitty, until one day a mangy, ugly brown and black cat showed up at our back door. And kept showing up. We had our Claws, and the name couldn’t have been a better fit.

Paws and Claws. ...continue reading →

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For all my excitement about decorating for Christmas this year, it sure was a long time in coming. I wanted to wait until after Thanksgiving to do it, but we were sick over Thanksgiving. Then suddenly every nook and cranny of the house needed to be cleaned, both as part of my fall cleaning (which always seems to stretch into winter cleaning) and also in preparation for our Christmas company (some of which is coming this weekend and some of which is coming next weekend), and somewhere amid the dusting and the scrubbing and the happily filling of Goodwill boxes, the decorating just fell by the wayside.

If you managed to get through that entire extraordinarily long and clumsy sentence, here’s what got my Christmas decorating finally back on track.A cheap little poinsettia from Waremart. My mom almost always has a poinsettia at Christmas, and since it’s such a cheery, decorative flower in and of itself, I usually can’t resist getting one either. ...continue reading →

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Three years ago yesterday, November 30, 2018, we walked into Canyon Medical Center with one little boy in tow, eagerly anticipating finding out the gender of our next baby. When the doctor said it was another boy, I was so happy. The name Sebastian had been rolling around in our heads, and I was thrilled to get to use it. Not to mention the fact that there’s just something so special about telling your little boy he’s going to get a baby brother. 🙂

Yesterday, November 30, 2021, we walked into Canyon Medical Center with two little boys in tow, eagerly anticipating another gender reveal.

Same office, same doctor, same clients, except this time that 2018 baby was on the outside instead of the inside, and his little sibling was kicking around inside my belly.

There’s something raw and unbelievable and just so incredibly exciting about realizing there’s a new little life on the way, and some of that initial excitement comes back when you find out the gender. It makes it all just a little more real, and instead of “the tiny baby,” you can start calling it “your baby brother” . . . or just maybe “your baby sister.” ...continue reading →

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I am so excited for Christmas this year. It’s like the cold weather hit, and it suddenly felt like it should be the holidays. I’ve been listening to Christmas music since October, and I’ve had most of my gift shopping done since then as well. Sometimes it feels like I’ve been waiting long enough that surely Christmas must be just around the corner.

It’s not even Thanksgiving. 🙂

I don’t remember getting this excited about Christmas when I was younger. Maybe it’s because back then I didn’t have a house to decorate, an area to flood with lights and music. Maybe it’s because back then I didn’t have two little boys to read Luke 2 with every day as they try to memorize “Caesar Augustus” and “Bethlehem” and “his espoused wife.” Maybe it’s because back then I didn’t have a wonderful husband who always takes extra days off work over the holidays, days I look forward to for weeks. ...continue reading →