Christmas Card PDF style

For those without emails (or at least emails in my contact list), I'm not sure you'll see this anyway. But I guess it's worth a shot. If you didn't get a copy of our Christmas card and would like one, just leave your email in the comment section and we'll shoot you a PDF. You can print it yourself and hang it on your fridge. If that sounds a tad tacky or lazy... we might send you one anyway. Merry Christmas.

Tree Toppers

A few nights ago we were at my cousin's place. Brother was staring at the figurine atop her Christmas tree- an angel in a blue dress. I asked him what that was. He thought for a moment and then looked at me and said, "Cinderella."
Close. Very Close.

Snow... and family.

Is it cheating if you write how thankful you are for your family every. single. day.?
No? Great. Because I find new reasons to be grateful for them every. single day.
Why? Who else calls when they are on VACATION and cheers you up? Lets you sound ideas off of them? Gives advice? Tells you about free deals on KSL (yes, Mom checks KSL from Indiana). Who calls the car dealership when you lock THEIR keys out of their car (that you're borrowing)? That would be parents.
Who takes time off work to help you, helps with the kids, lets you have a break, and takes kids wen you run out of patience? Who cheers you up and gives you hugs? Wonderful husbands - that's who.
Who helps with sick kids, helps with grocery shopping, is patient and understanding when you're not? In-laws. Got to love them.
Don't forget the nieces and nephews. They've been incredible troopers- forgiving, helpful, and hard workers. I'm so glad they're here!
So yes- I am grateful for my family.
Just to give you a break, we'll talk about snow. I love snow. If its going to be cold, there'd better be snow. Lucky for me we're having a blizzard. Yes, blizzard. 3-8 inches of snow tonight. Yippee!! The kids are all excited as well. Too bad the temperature won't reach 20 degrees tomorrow.... brr!!!

Double Dip

Can I be thankful for friends twice in a row? Tough. I am. My friends, Brother's friends, King's friends.... love them all. I just spent 20 minutes catching up on blogs and sure miss a whole bunch of them. Good thing I can still be grateful for them anyway.

Runner up for the day is technology.

How else would I stay close to my friends?

Goals, Friends, and Family

I'm a little behind. More than three, but we'll leave it at that.

I am grateful for goals.

I stink at them- my husband can attest. We're currently starting a health/food challenge with my brother in law and his wife. 8 weeks. One treat day a week. 5 fruits and veggies a day (more points for more veggies). 30-45 min of exercise five days a week. No eating after 9 pm. It might kill me to give up my sweets and not eat after nine. I guess we'll find out. Still, I'm grateful for things that push me- husband's motivation included.

Friends- are of course always at the top of my list. High school, college, other friends have always been there to see me through. Recently- more than ever- I am grateful for my mom as my friend. She has been wonderful to talk to, do projects with, bounce ideas off of, and just to be around.

Family. This ties into the last one. We have the opportunity to have family near by right now. I am SO grateful for the good people they are. They are kind. They are motivating. THey are good examples. They are helpful. And I love them so much!!

2nd Chances

I needed about 400 of these today. Man, I couldn't keep my impatience or temper in check (yes, those are different things). So I'm grateful that both King and Brother let me try, try, try, try, and try again. I guess that means I'm most grateful for King and Brother in general. They are very forgiving and kind.

Naps

This just might rank #2 on my "Grateful For" list most days.
I. LOVE. NAP TIME.
LOVE it.
Now that we have that squared away. Here's why.

1) I get some quiet time. This does wonders for my sanity.
2) I get SOMETHING done. Even if that something is just checking emails. (Don't knock it- usually its housework... but sometimes not...)
3) I can focus on what I'm working on.
4) I get a chance to think back on how the day's gone and what I can work on- good time to make adjustments to what I can do better- as well as a few adjustments to my attitude.
5) My children (usually) wake up happier!

Unique

Some baby's coo. Others babble.
Lady does both, but thanks to Brother, she also does something more unique.
She growls.
That's right.
growls.
Brother is constantly imitating animals- and every animal he doesn't know the sound for just growls.
So now sister does too.
We've yet to get it on video, but I promise to post it when we do.

My Favorite

Thanks Kristin! You're amazing.
On a side, somewhat related note... somewhat...
Last year a sister's sister in law (yes, I know my sister's in laws- and happen to adore them to boot) motivated/inspired me to write something I'm grateful for each day of November. I loved it. Being grateful wasn't a one day thing in November. It was something that became part of my day and part of my attitude. I started looking around for things I loved and things I was grateful for. So, albeit early- but knowing I'll not post every day anyhow, I'm going to name my number one. The people in this picture. My family.

I am thankful for my family. King, Brother, Sister, and ALL of my extended families. They mean the world to me. Believe me, before the month is out you'll hear about many of them and why, but for now. I'm just grateful to have them. I love them. And I'm the luckiest girl in the world. Especially to have these three.

Hooray!

New niece! New niece!! Wahoo! Way to go A! Way to be born E! Sorry, if you don't know them already, you don't get to know their names!

Us

Sneak peak. I've only seen some of these... the ones on my marvelous sister-in-law's website. But once I see them ALL I'll post some favorites. Till then...

Monkey-n' Around

Brother is on a new kick. He is a monkey. Half the time he insists on being called Monkey. He has also dubbed me, "Momma Monkey" and sister "Baby Monkey." King apparently isn't a monkey, just Daddy.
Some days our conversations go like this.

Me: Son, will you finish your sandwich?
Son: No! Monkey, will finish your sandwich.
Me: Oh, excuse me. Monkey, will you finish your sandwich?
Son: Yes.

Another one.

Me: Son, you're not listening to mommy... (not sure what I asked him to do).
Son: No, Monkey isn't listening to Momma Monkey.
Me: Oh, that's right. Monkey, will you listen to Momma Monkey and do... whatever it was?
Son: Ok. Monkey will mind Momma Monkey.

Whatever floats your boat. At least it helps him mind some of the time.

Almost Done

Here's a sneak peek. You're only allowed to look if you:
a) ignore the tape- still doing touch-ups
b) ignore the glare on the wall- sun reflecting off the camera
c) pretend I have my marvelous clearanced roman shades hung already
d) pretend I also have the plug covers painted and back on
Promise?
Ok, now you can look.
TA DA!
I'll give you before and afters later- along with a picture of the whole room. But since I've agreed to take on a few extra kids till the weekend... it won't be till next week. Let's be honest. If its hard enough to do projects with just two- five rules all productivity out all together.

Young Love

Brother loves many things. Chocolate, chocolate, being outside, playing in his sandbox (outside), chocolate, riding his bike (outside), and popcorn. (Get a load of that messy face!)
Grandma and Grandpa surprised him yesterday with a swingset they found on KSL for $40. Yes, $40. Sorry to make you jealous, Aunt A. Now his list of loves goes like this: Swingset, being outside, chocolate, chocolate, swingset, and being outside. I bet ya if I make him popcorn to eat ON his swingset he'll nominate me as best mom ever. Maybe we'll try that tomorrow.
Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Fairy Tales

Brother is big into stories these days. He is constantly asking me to tell him a story!
His favorites are: "The Big Bad Wolf" and "Locks and Bears." The best is when he intertwines the stories. They're a hoot.

My thoughts

I've spent a LOT of time lately thinking about being a mom. Lots and lots of time. I'm having a hard time organizing my thoughts into a workable order so I'll just type aloud what I'm thinking. I hope you can keep up.

I chose two of the worlds least-appreciated jobs. Teaching and Motherhood. Not too long ago, King came home and told me his good friend had recently landed a job. Good pay, good benefits, and so far (two months in) not much work to do. He spent a good portion of his day looking at blogs. I was green with envy. I WANT TO GET PAID TO SIT AROUND AND READ BLOGS LIKE *JO-BOB! (*Not really his name.) I could be a millionaire! Instead, I spend all day, every day running around, trying to balance my endless to-do list and can't usually see the results of my efforts at the end of the day. Not to mention they forgot the pay and benefits package.
So that got me thinking. Do I like my jobs? Luckily for my children the answer is yes.
I remember days when I was in college, when I was teaching even, when people would ask what I was majoring in or what I did. When I said, "teaching" I'd get "the look." All teachers know it. It gets even worse when you tell them you teach elementary. My IQ had just dropped 80 points in their eyes. One person asked if I got to color a lot in my El Ed classes. Unkind thoughts raced though my mind.
Back to the original story. These days my current job isn't listed as needing the highest IQ either. I am not highly sought after, and probably not considered highly qualified in anything. And yet, I chose motherhood. Granted, I didn't know what I was getting myself into initially. I'd had this misconception that motherhood would be a breeze after teaching. Hmmm. Wrong again. On that note- you need a bit of background information.
I am not a natural teacher. Initially I didn't like teaching. Hated it might be more accurate. (Do I dare post that online?) Ask King. I came home crying nearly every day for the first month or so. I would even cry when he dropped me off- asking him to take the day off and come to work with me instead. If you know me, I'm not a crier. Luckily, that phase past. Teaching grew on me. And grew. And I got more confidence. And I work hard. And life kept getting faster and busier. But I could do it! Eventually, I liked it (most days).
Then I was prego with kid #1. I stopped teaching two months before he was due, thrilled to start my new life as a mother. And my life froze. I was moving nowhere. I didn't know what to do with all the time on my hands. It was killing me. If I could go back in time I'd tell myself to work on all the projects I've now thought of... too late.
Then I actually HAD said baby and ... it didn't get much faster. Sure, I was in demand. Always. But it was a different kind of busy. Not a "work, work, brainstorm, work, problem solve and TA-DA, here's a finished product" kind of work. A "feed, change, rock, hold, sit, change, feed the baby" kind of work. And I had a hard time. I wasn't a natural mother. I couldn't see an end result, and it was KILLING me. (An overused phrase, I know.)
By now you are wondering if there is a point to this drawn-out story. Yes, yes there is.
School started again just over a week ago. And I missed it. I spent some time thinking of how much I really did love teaching. I miss the school supplies, the perfectly organized classroom, the excited smiles on a crowd of faces. I miss "Bill" (*name changed) who folded his homework as many times as he could before he turned it in each day. I miss coming up with creative ways to teach a subject. I miss planning with my favorite teaching buddy Mrs. Reed (who was kind enough to visit from NY this last month... ok, not just for me). I think back on funny moments- little slow moments, and at times want it back.
The point?
I was not a natural teacher- just like I am not a natural mother. But I grew into teaching. I got better and better. I learned A LOT. Life as a teacher got busier and busier, but I grew into my job. It became who I was. I could handle it. I could be GOOD at it (most days). And now I miss it. Now I can only look back on it because for now, that season is past. Now I learn from it. Now I can see that I can grow into being a mother. I still cry some days. And life is constantly getting busier and busier, but I am learning to handle it. I am learning to be creative. I am learning to do more than cope- but to ENJOY it. In my mind I am remaking my image into a "mother." I am not in a highly competitive field rolling in the dough and monetary benefits like Jo-Bob, but I am ok.
So now the clincher. Can I slow down and enjoy the little moments NOW? Because motherhood is also a season. And while I may miss those moments later- I won't HAVE them to miss if I don't enjoy it NOW. My little boy will not always be two and want to play cars over and over and over and over. He will not always mis-recite the "3 little pigs" at dinner time - never wanting the house to stand up the last time. He will not always blow hugs (yes hugs) to his little sister. He won't always want to put his shoes on himself, then yell at the shoes for being un-cooperative. Sister won't always swipe at the nearest face to hers. She won't always giggle when you rub her back. She won't always take a year to crawl across the room to you. They'll grow. And I'll miss them. And I'll regret it if I didn't take time to enjoy the SLOW moments now- the moments that make us wonder if we've reverted to snails. Because if I miss it now- I'll never have the memories later.
So here's to hard jobs. Under appreciated jobs you might say. To help me out I've printed out a quote Sister Beck said last General Conference. She was quoting Eliza R. Snow saying,

"Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time.
I know we like to be appreciated but if we do not get all the appreciation which we think is our due, what matters?
We know the Lord has laid high responsibility upon us, and there is not a wish or desire that the Lord has implanted in our hearts in righteousness but will be realized, and the greatest good we can do to ourselves and each other is to refine and cultivate ourselves in everything that is good and ennobling to qualify us for those responsibilities."

I've hung it in my kitchen. I look at it every. single. day. I can quote the first half and often do to myself. Women should be women and not babies that need petting and correction all the time. I know we like to be appreciated, but if we do not get all the appreciation which is our due, what matters? I ought to step up to the plate and be a better mom. I chose this. THIS is my career. Who cares if no one thinks my skills are worth paying for? What does it matter if some days are slow and seemingly mundane or ordinary?

I am a mother and I love it.

Maestro (a)

Brother has already proven his love of music (and we have the cute baby pictures and the current singer to prove it). Sister is following his lead.

It only took me 6 months

In my mind I thought this would be easy. 3 days tops. What could go wrong? Well, let me tell you.(Ignore the messy night stand. Details, details.)

1) You underestimated how needy your kids could be. Especially when you want to work.

2) You OVER estimated how well they would nap- thus cutting down project time as well.
3) You started with the wrong sand paper- the fine stuff. Sanding was taking AGES.
4) You switched sandpaper, got most sanding done and thought, "Primer will cover the rest."
5) When primer DIDN'T cover the rest you tried paint stripper.
6) Instead of stripper you bought thinner.
7) When the thinner didn't work you bought REAL paint stripper.
8) Then you tried sanding again with the sander.
9) You broke down and sanded the tiny grooves by hand.
10) You went on vacation.
11) You started OTHER projects (like windows).
12) You ran out of white paint.

NO WONDER it took me six months.

See?

I couldn't help myself. Brother is taking an unusually long nap- so I went and snapped some pictures.The outside- we need to finish painting the trim.

My craft room/ laundry room/ Mary Poppins Room/ bat cave...
I need to move the wrapping crate.

And a better view. Beautiful ey?

The inside- this room sure looks bigger without the shelves in here.

I was a mudder in another life.
One more (*hopefully) coat, then sand, then paint.

Busy Saturday

Having four adults around does wonders for the amount of work one gets done.
Instead of one (or two in the evening) adult working on projects - interrupted sporatically by small children, one adult (or two when needed) can handle the children and play with them while THREE work. Ahh. So nice.
My mom and dad came up this last weekend and we enjoyed the most productive day I've seen in MONTHS. We:
finished trimming around the new exterior windows
sheet rocked the interior and worked on mudding and sanding
moved my craft shelves down to the laundry room
installed shelves down in laundry room
worked on finishing the sheetrock on the ceiling in the laundry room
made cookies
barbecued
took care of a sick little boy
played with kids
went shopping
made and ate good food
re-arranged a bit of the playroom (put the computer on my old sewing desk)
and watched a movie to boot!
Man- it was a good day. Thanks Mom and Dad (and my wonderful Husband!)
.
Sorry for the old picture... I guess I need new ones of my parents. I think Brother is younger than Sister currently is in this picture!
*Pictures to follow once I've finished mudding and painting.

On the Move

Sister decided to kick it in gear and crawl this week. Though she seems slow for now, we're sure she'll speed up quickly. I think Brother is dismayed by the thought... now she can come get the toys she's been oggling for weeks. He has competition.

The first few days her fingers would inch (literally) across the carpet in front of her, followed by her overly ambitious feet. She head-dove many times. Now we've progressed to larger strides and she's getting much faster. Watch out world. Here she comes.

Note to self: go buy another stair gate.

Pick on Someone Your Own Size

Brother had a run in with some automatic doors the other morning.
Instead of walking THROUGH the doors, he'd run and pressed his face against the glass to the side of them. When they opened, SMASH. Right on his head. His ear got squished (and turned purple). Yelling, he pulled his bruised head away from the door and ran to get me. Unfortunately, the doors were now closing. Frantic, he shoved his hands in between to stop them and SMASH. Again. This time his hands got the brunt end. Sad, sad day.
Mean old doors- go pick on someone your own size.

Miscellaneous

We picked some of our home grown tomatoes. Some are normal size, some are... not.


We went to Temple Square this afternoon.
Family pictures didn't quite work out, but we had a good time.


Cute Lady


Brother with the firetruck and water.


(0 out of 2)

(1 out of 4... someone asked if they could help take the picture. Sure! Click (no counting). We weren't ready.)

(2 1/2 of 4)

(3 out of 4. Our best yet.)

Yesterday King came in from doing yardwork and told me,
"(Brother) just told me, "Dad! You need to relax!""
King often tells him this when he is upset or throwing a fit... I don't know what King was doing, but I thought it was hilarious.

Day with Dad

Little lady got a bug, so King took the day off of work yesterday. He and brother had a GREAT time.
King took brother on the front runner in the morning. They stopped downtown and took Trax over to the gateway where they ran through the fountains and shared a snack. King was the mighty protector from the thunder on the way back home. Forget how cool the train was, brother just repeated over and over that there was THUNDER! (How come he's not afraid of REALLY scary things... just thunder...?)
After nap they headed over to the Rec Center and swam while I took care of Lady and our neglected house. We had a quick dinner, King went to frisbee, and then I got to go to book club when he got back!! Ahh- so nice! I wish King could stay home EVERY day.

Sunday Best

Choco-lot

His favorite food group.
What he asks for for dinner ... almost nightly.
His first love.
What he can't get enough of.

Chocolate.

In case you were wondering, he's pouring every last DROP of chocolate ice cream onto his spoon.
Waste not. Want not.


Ahhh. Got it all.

Double Vacation ... Part Two

In Brother's perfect world, he would live in Montana.
The first words out of his mouth each morning were usually, "Can I go on a See-Doo Ride?"
Our days went some thing like this:
Wake up (late), eat breakfast, get in a swim suit, and head out back!
The rest of the day was spent throwing rocks in the lake, going out on a tube with dad, getting pulled around on the duo or extreme behind the sea-doo, going on sea-doo rides, going in the authentic sauna, and eating GREAT food.
We also had a chance to go hike as a family on Wild Horse Island, watched late night movies, played games, cooked over the fire, read books, tried unsuccessfully to learn to ski slalom, played tHe MoSt challenging croquet game in history (one of the wickets was up on a stump and required going up a ramp... that took a while...), and enjoying time with family.
Really, that sums up a F A N T A S T I C week.

Get it right.

King: Hey Baldy!
Son: I not bald! I buzz!

Another fun quote:
King: Do you like your haircut?
Son: Hair broken.

Well.. I guess...

More good news than bad...

Good news: It's summer.
Good news: Brother got a hair cut.

Bad news: He moved during the haircut...

Good news: I know how to buzz a little boys' head.
Good news: He has hats and sunscreen.



Good news: As the old saying goes,
"What's the difference between a good haircut and a bad one?

Three weeks."

Double Vacation... Part One

If you don't like pictures... skip this post.

We just got back from a massive, two-week, double vacation. 46, yes 46 hours of driving later, we are home safe and sound. Sane might be up for debate. Fortunately, the kiddos did exceptionally well (mostly) in the car.
Here's our favorites from the Oregon half. Unfortunately, we didn't take ONE SINGLE PICTURE in Montana, so I'll just tell about it in the next post.

First, the fam. King's brother lives on the coast in Oregon. It's BEAUTIFUL,

but a tad chilly. The locals think its too hot to be in the kitchen when it hits 70. We marked ourselves as outsiders and wore jackets the whole time. It was a nice break from the 90's though!
Since family pictures never quite worked out... you'll see what I mean in a minute.... here's them one at a time:
Cousin A and E: ALWAYS so helpful with little Lady.

Cousins I and T: So much fun!

And the parents. Love them!

As promised, an attempt at a family picture. 4 out of 6 is at least half!

This character (T) was Brother's favorite. Two two-year-olds makes for a lot of mischief. And some very cute pictures.

Here's the girls tending Lady and getting her to smile! They were wonderful!

We talked Uncle C (another brother) into coming up to visit the same time we did!
Despite the look on Tae's face, we were ALL glad to see him!

Those three aren't very serious when they're together...

When I grow up, I want to be just like A. Epitome of motherhood. ALWAYS smiling, and making her children (and mine) feel like they are the most important people in the world. I LOVED being around her. I should've taken notes.

You can't really tell from the pictures, but we went to the beach a few times, visited Stout Grove (the redwoods), and just enjoyed being together as a family!
We celebrated both of King's brother's birthdays while we were out there too.

Now a few of our fam.
Little Lady cut her first tooth and is now 6 months old! She's turned into quite the Momma's girl.

Brother, is brother. Always mischievous, always making us smile.
He's supposed to be smiling for a picture...



All in all, we had a GREAT visit!