Merry Christmas!

This Christmas season has come and gone already, I can't believe it! This year was so different from last year, I didn't "grinch out" until Wednesday. Monday I taught preschool and had my whole family over for dinner- it was a crazy day. Tuesday I had to help at Maddie's party at school. I had spent at least 6 hours getting the craft ready - then my car wouldn't start. I demanded that Jeramy come home at once (in the snowstorm) so I could take his car. He did. Then my car started. Wednesday I woke to another silly drama here with our house that my dad had to come fix. That was my breaking point. I went to lunch with my sisters and I warned that tears might start at any moment - I was frazzled. But, after a good few hours with my sisters, I felt better and I regained my Christmas Cheer and it stayed.

On Christmas Eve day I went couch shopping with my sister. Lindsay and Macie were being a nightmare in the store. My awesome niece Savannah took them for a walk in the store. I could still hear them though. My sisters and I were deep in thought over a couch when I realized it was quiet. Too quiet, so I went searching the store and I found my girls happily sitting in the massage and automatic reclining chairs. They had so much fun going up and down and getting a massage that they didn't want to leave.

Christmas was so fun! I had my alarm set for 7:45. It went off. We snoozed and snoozed and snoozed. Finally at 8:15 Jeramy made us get up and wake up the girls. None of them wanted to get up! Crazy kids!

Maddie got her alarm clock, Macie got her baby, Lindsay got her red vacuum just like Bonnie's (although I've been told now by Lindsay that it's not just like Bonnie's, Bonnie's is better). Jeramy got Super Mario Brothers. I got a cold. :( And many other great things. Jeramy always does a good job buying thoughtful presents for me. In fact, he knows how much I hate our Belgian waffle maker. I want just a regular one - like Eggos - so he searched and searched and bought me a regular waffle maker. I opened it and read "Belgian waffle maker." I smiled and said, "Jer, this is great, but it's the same one we already have." He looks confused. "It is???? Dang it! It looked smaller in the picture."

I also really enjoy this story: A few weeks ago we were at a friend's house and they had the cutest decoration hanging in their front room. I told Jeramy about 20 times how much I liked it and where I would hang it. I said I even thought it came from Rodworks. Then a few days later I went to Rodworks and saw it, so I came home and told him. Then last week I went again and said that it was much cheaper than I thought it was going to be and how cute it would be. Then on Christmas eve day I asked if he thought his bro and his wife would like one because it was so dang cute. He said no. Did you catch all of those hints? He didn't. I will be going to make my purchase tomorrow at Rodworks.

I hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Memories

About 3 years ago around Christmas we were finishing our basement which meant that I had to park my car out in the driveway for about a month. Somewhere along the line, I must have left it unlocked because one day I went to put a CD in, and all my CD's were gone. Then I remembered that I had our Nintendo DS in there also and it was gone. Those rotten thieves didn't even leave a note or nothin' - I have no idea how long they had been gone.

I probably lost about 30 CDs that day. Here we are 3 years later and we have moments when a song will come on and we'll say, "Have you seen this CD lately?" "Nope. Must have been in the car." Darn thief.

Tonight I had a moment. I was driving up to my Mom's to see my sister and I was listening to some easy Sounds of the Sabbath and Peter Breinholt came on. Huh. There's another CD I haven't seen for 3 years. But, I had to smile. Tons of memories came flooding back from my college days. My crazy roommates blaring it through the whole apartment at all hours of the day and night. Going to his concert with this really hot guy named Jeramy. I wore my tennis ball green sweater, with my matching tennis ball green earrings. He wore his coordinating tennis ball green tennis shoes ( I kid you not). Wow. That's all I can say. Wow. That's a lot of neon green for any couple to be wearing, but I'm sure we looked good - heck - it was the late 90's, how could we not look good?

And so I say to you rotten person who stole my Peter B, all of my DMB, Narnia Soundtrack, U2, Jewel, the really cool Croation CD Jesse gave me, and many many more of my favorite cd's. You are not nice. I miss my CD's. I hope you enjoyed all my church and chick music. At least I still have my memories. (And I just checked for a picture for ya, no such luck).

Happiness is NOT...

Last Monday for FHE, we decorated a gingerbread house. I was super excited for this activity. I bought the kit. I made them all matching Christmas aprons. The fun began...and then it ended. The frosting didn't work. I kept adding more powdered sugar and more and more and more, but it never got thick. Ever. I had such high hopes of my house looking just like the box. Sigh. After about a half hour, I threw my hands up in the air and walked away. I banished myself to shovel snow ALONE outside in the freezing cold dark to calm down. It helped. The girls did a good job, even if everything eventually oozed off.

Oh, and I forgot to put their aprons on until they were done.


And this is sweet Macie trying to get her darling Christmas apron off. Her mean mom grabbed the camera - and the video camera before helping her get it off. And that, my friends, made the whole thing worth it.

Winter wonderland

It has been ridiculously cold lately here. For some odd reason, my girls have wanted to play outside in the freezing cold. So, I bundle them up, send them out, and I sit on the couch in my warm house and watch.
No, I didn't venture out to take these pictures - my awesome neighbor Jennica did. She said, "I just looked out and saw how much fun they were having and I couldn't pass up the chance to take some pictures." What a good mom and neighbor!

For those of you not on facebook, here's my post from the other day though:

Snowpants...check...gloves...check...hat...check...coat...check...boots...check..."Mom, I need to go potty." Let's try this again.

It really takes way too long to get them all bundled up, but it is totally worth the memories that they are making! And I love that they know when they come in they can get a cup of hot chocolate. I overheard Lindsay telling Tate "And when we get done, we get hot chocolate!" Maybe that's why they've been out there every day....little do they know, if they just asked - I'd make it.

Thanks for the pictures, Jennica - we love you!

Happiness is...

The other night after a pretty rough day, I started popping my (Pretty much) nightly popcorn. I sighed and smiled, "This makes me so happy." So I took a picture of the line up for the night. Coke with crushed ice from Sonic, air popped popcorn with spray butter and sea salt (none of that microwave stuff for me), and an orange. This is my favorite snack and I really do eat it pretty much nightly. And yes, I've gained some weight lately...but honestly, the orange has 34 calories, the air popped popcorn has next to no calories and well, the drink was just an added bonus that day that took my favorite snack from "nice" to "happiness" level.

The real bummer is that I have to wait until everyone - especially Lindsay - is asleep to do this or there are calls down the stairs, "Mom, are you making popcorn??" And then I have to let them eat it in bed. It gets really annoying on the nights that they just won't fall asleep, or when the popper sets off our smoke alarms- which it does all too often for some odd reason. And, I must clean up all evidence of the popcorn when I'm done, because if I leave the popper out on the counter, it's the first thing Lindsay will notice in the morning and I will get in sooo much trouble.

Why not just make it for my kids you might ask? This is my treat and I don't want to share. I don't ask them to share their Halloween candy - - oh, I guess I do that, too.

So, if you walk past our house late at night and smell popcorn, or hear the smoke alarms going off - smile and know that I am happy!

(And I fully blame my Dad for my obsession with popcorn, he eats it nightly as well. And my obsession with crushed ice is all my mom. She buys bags of Sonic ice weekly).

Happy family...

My Dad had this picture on his blog tonight and it made me smile. It made my girls giggle. They had no idea who was who...do you? I'm pretty sure you can guess which one is my brother, right?

I am grateful for my siblings. I am so blessed to have 5 people that love me and care about me. I am sad that we are all not here in Utah anymore, but I love that we are able to keep in touch so easily with phones, texts and blogs. It makes them all seem a little closer.

The skirts...

Drum roll please...here are the skirts that I devoted about 12 hours of my life to. You can't see them all that well, but let's just say they are pretty darn cute. Notice the matching "thing" on Lindsay's shirt. It's really a hair bow, but we pinned it to her shirt. My sister taught me how to make them and I'm loving them! I even wore one for Thanksgiving and I asked Jeramy if it looked like I had just stuck one of the girl's bows in my hair and forgot again. He politely said yes. My bow wearing days might be numbered. (I'll post a picture of my head later on and let you decide).

I took this picture Sunday before church. We were in a mad-dash, but I had to take advantage of the matching outfits and all hair still looking good. I tried to take them outside and no one would cooperate. We came in and Macie would have nothing to do with pictures. So, I did what any good mom would do. I yelled out, "Dad smells like farts." And this is what I got! I don't think I have a picture of all of them smiling- until now. I love that Maddie even looks a little embarrassed that I would say such a thing. And I loved Jeramy in the other room yelling, "What did you just say???"

I love my girls.
I love that Macie keeps calling the camel in my nativity a camelope.
I love that Lindsay takes everything off her pizza and just eats bread with sauce.
I love that Maddie writes books and notes all the time and leaves them for me.