The Magic of Brian and Kelly

I took Brian to the airport this morning so he could head back home to Utah.  Having him and Kelly here for Christmas was awesome.  They are two of the most positive, helpful, fun and generally happy people I have ever met.  


I mean, who else comes over to build gingerbread houses and spends hours meticulously building a Dr. Seuss style house, complete with Nerds sidewalk and Smarties shingles?

And who else helps dig in the sand to turn Luke into Iron Man at the beach?  AND caves to his demands of making the fire that comes out of the boot thrusters?

And who else plays Mary and Joseph in the nativity play on Christmas Eve with this much sass?

And who else lets Cindy wear their boots and get into all their stuff?  (Brian is so patient :)

And who else plays Headbandz multiple times and still doesn't get bored figuring out he's a sandwich?

And who else goes ice skating with their niece and nephew even though after 30 minutes their "feet are angry"?

This was right before Cindy learned to skate with Brian. Hence the face of doom.

But the best part is that my children worship the ground they walk on.  Especially Cindy.  She has a unique personality trait that allows her to not listen to anything that Jacob or I say concerning how to do things, yet hang on every word of anyone else who offers advice (including total strangers).  We have learned that we are not allowed to offer instruction or coaching on pretty much anything in life.  Ever. Others must assist us in this cause.  Two cases in point:

The struggle to get Cindy to be able to cut her own food has been monumental.  Every time we have explained to her how to hold a fork in one hand and then use the knife in the other hand to cut, it has usually ended in tears, crying and anger.  And Cindy didn't have a good attitude either.   She pretends she can't do it, food goes flying, and by the end I need a restraining order and a Xanax.  However, the other night at dinner, she was perfectly cutting her food with a knife and fork!  I almost fainted.  I asked her how the heck she learned how to do it and she smiled smugly and said "Aunt Kelly taught me."  And then she stuck out her tongue out at me.  YOU SEE, PEOPLE????!!  I am not making this up.  Top of the totem pole: Kelly.  Buried five feet underneath the totem pole: Me.


Second case in point:  Yesterday when we went ice skating, Cindy was pretty much distraught and pouting within 10 minutes of being on the ice because she didn't know how to skate without holding on to the wall. And every time I would give her pointers, she would immediately begin slipping and falling on the ice like some kind of cartoon character on roller skates going through an oil slick.  I was about to give her up for adoption but luckily Uncle Brian was there to save Cindy from a hard knock life.  He seriously held her hands and skated around with her until she learned how to ice skate.  And she can do it! Without me, without him, without a wall and without an attitude problem.  Miracles happen every day.  I don't know how he did it, I don't know what he said, but it saved the day.  And my sanity.

And this is why Brian and Kelly are magic. If nothing else, teaching Cindy these two skills made your entire Christmas vacation priceless.  To me :)