I was reading my cousin's blog posts and she was posting about how pathetic she was for still having Christmas decorations up in her house! She was doing us a favor just in case anyone was feeling bad about themselves that day. After looking at her post, I realized I still had stupid Christmas decor on my blog... then I felt a bit sheepish!
I'm just glad my livelihood doesn't rely on how well or often I blog... things have been pretty busy these last couple of weeks. You know... stuff, stuff, and more stuff... but not very much blog-worthy stuff, I guess. Anyway, just thought I'd change the wallpaper around here.
We may actually finally get around to painting the walls in our house soon too! Just thought I'd share.
Monday, January 25, 2010
Monday, January 11, 2010
Bringing my work home with me.
Today when I got home, Paul told me a great story about Charlie that I had to document before it was lost forever in our memories.
As a speech therapist mommy, I've been encouraging Charlie to say some of his words better. He can almost always say the word correctly when I have him repeat me.
When Paul was getting him ready for the day, Charlie wanted his jacket, so Paul said, 'here's your jacket, Charlie.'
C: no, dad, it's jacket, say jacket.
P: jacket?
C: no, 'jacket'.
P: jacket.
C: good job, dadda
Funny what kids pick up from their parents!
As a speech therapist mommy, I've been encouraging Charlie to say some of his words better. He can almost always say the word correctly when I have him repeat me.
When Paul was getting him ready for the day, Charlie wanted his jacket, so Paul said, 'here's your jacket, Charlie.'
C: no, dad, it's jacket, say jacket.
P: jacket?
C: no, 'jacket'.
P: jacket.
C: good job, dadda
Funny what kids pick up from their parents!
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Monkeys off my back!!!
I DID IT!!!! Hooray!!!!! I finally finished A Tale of Two Cities, by Dickens! This book has been a little monkey on my back for a good year & a half... ever since my friend Rachelle (a woman with a degree in English Lit) said it was her favorite book. I started this book 4 times before I was able to break through the first 60 pages and actually finish the dang thing. One of those times was even a book on tape... I even struggled with that!
Truth is, Dickens is just dang tough stuff to read. So captivating, but very difficult to trudge through. At one point, I ventured to look up a bunch of the impressive vocabulary words in the dictionary, but the frequent interruption of flow got old quickly! But, I gotta say, I LOVED the book. I love how he tied everything together so well with so many characters. Even though I was completely confused through several scenes in the book, at least at the end, you understand what was happening after the fact and see how it ties in. Ahhhh. It was very refreshing to have it end so beautifully. Thanks for the recommendation, Rachelle. Wouldn't have done it without ya!
Another monkey I got off my back was the John Adams biography by David McCullough. What a great man Adams was (and his sweet wife) and what a wonderful writer McCullough is! This was another book that took me literally months and months to read. But reading it taught me just how little attention I paid in my American and World History classes in high school. Back then, dates were pretty irrelevant to me... leaving me with NO CLUE that the French Revolution happened just after the American Revolution. I'm glad I was able to finish the Adams biography before fully reading 'Two Cities'. I'm sure the timeline would have still been lost on me without that frame of reference and my somewhat increased knowledge on what was happening in America at the time. Shameful how all that good history education was wasted on my teenage mind!
So now that I've finished these, I'm fascinated by the whole thing and it's pushed a bunch of other books to the top of my 'to read' list. I'm excited to get my hands on the Scarlet Pimpernel, and especially the unabridged Les Miserables. I have read an abridged version, but I think I've matured to the point where I could handle the big cahuna now! Anyway... just thought I'd share my triumph!!
Friday, January 1, 2010
According to plan?
Last year in January, instead of choosing any resolutions to break, I decided to just list the plans I had for 2009. I went back to read that post today to see how I did on those plans and thought I would return and report.
Here's the list, followed by how that all worked out for me:
1. I fully intend to reach my Weight Watchers goal and perhaps even go beyond, but not too far. CHECK! I did reach my weight watchers goal and became a lifetime member! In total, I lost just over 40 lbs. I did NOT go beyond that goal because I was pretty burned out. I will admit to having gained a fluctuating 4-6 lbs from my lowest weight of last year. The holiday season spanning from Halloween to Christmas has been very delicious this year. So, I have a little backtracking to do to continue the maintenance.
2. I'm going to grow my hair long again. CHECK! I know this one was stupid, but I did grow out my hair and it's taken all year! Here's a current shot of me taken today... I look old.
3. I'm going to do this triathlon in April, and I'll be ready for it. CHECK! In case you missed it (hahaha!), click here to read all the deets. Getting into triathlon and racing was a very empowering thing for me this year. I ended up doing 2 sprint triathlons, 1 5k, 1 10K, and the Red Rock Relay. I intend to do all this and more in 2010 (except trade in Red Rock for the Wasatch back relay! No more Red Rock for me!)
4. I'm going to keep reading good literature. CHECK! I have read a lot of good books this year, though I got a bit tangled up in a few. The John Adams biography took me FOREVER to read and I've started A Tale of Two Cities 3 times and continue to get stuck in the first 70 pages. It's gonna happen soon, though. I know I can do it!
5. We're going to finish paying off our debt and achieve a fully funded emergency fund. Boooo! Unfortunately, we did not accomplish this plan. We haven't necessarily been STUPID with our money this year... we just haven't been SMART. I'm carrying this plan into 2010.
6. Charlie will be potty trained before 2010. Boooo! This one didn't happen either... YET! We're getting closer. But we (as parents) haven't fully committed to this one YET! Soon, very soon!
7. Because of #6, we will be putting in the bathroom downstairs this year. Boooooooooooooooooo! Didn't do this one yet either... BUT, we have gotten one bid on it, and since that one won't work, we're pursuing other options. We have the money put aside and I'm hoping to get this one done by the end of this month... we're getting desperate for another toilet around this place!
8. I'm going to get contacts this year. Boo! See above picture and yesterdays post about getting new glasses! The eye doctor basically told me that he didn't think I would actually wear the contacts if he prescribed them for me. People who don't REALLY need to wear glasses are very unlikely to stick things in their eyes. He convinced me to just get the glasses for now since the only time I've been missing them is at night while driving. So though I didn't follow through with this plan, I don't feel like this one reflects a character flaw! I'm actually pleased to have some glasses to throw on when they're handy.
There's my report. I accomplished 50% of them and we're close on some of the ones that weren't accomplished. So, I'm feeling pretty good about that.
I haven't yet taken the time to plan out 2010. I think one thing 2009 taught me is that no matter your intentions, life never goes completely according to plan. A year ago, we spent some time after Christmas with my brother Spencer and his family. Never in a million years could anyone have guessed how much their world would be rocked this year. A year later, I still consider our family extremely blessed to still have him around and thriving. Trial followed by huge blessings.
Also a year ago, my two sisters were pregnant with their first babies. Alisha's came 6 weeks early, freaking us all out... but thankfully, Marcus is a happy and healthy baby and now Alisha's expecting a new baby girl this April. We're counting on her showing up in April! Megan's baby, Lily, came a week late in June and ended up spending over a month in the NICU with no diagnosis. Sweet Lily is a little fighter and is making progress all the time, but every little gain she makes will be a victory since 'typical' development has been slower. She's an absolute angel and one of the prettiest babies I've ever seen. Both Marcus & Lily's births were big trials, but followed with significant blessings.
So, who knows what 2010 will bring. I have lots of hope for great things, and faith to know that whatever comes, we'll be supported through it all.
Here's the list, followed by how that all worked out for me:
1. I fully intend to reach my Weight Watchers goal and perhaps even go beyond, but not too far. CHECK! I did reach my weight watchers goal and became a lifetime member! In total, I lost just over 40 lbs. I did NOT go beyond that goal because I was pretty burned out. I will admit to having gained a fluctuating 4-6 lbs from my lowest weight of last year. The holiday season spanning from Halloween to Christmas has been very delicious this year. So, I have a little backtracking to do to continue the maintenance.
2. I'm going to grow my hair long again. CHECK! I know this one was stupid, but I did grow out my hair and it's taken all year! Here's a current shot of me taken today... I look old.
3. I'm going to do this triathlon in April, and I'll be ready for it. CHECK! In case you missed it (hahaha!), click here to read all the deets. Getting into triathlon and racing was a very empowering thing for me this year. I ended up doing 2 sprint triathlons, 1 5k, 1 10K, and the Red Rock Relay. I intend to do all this and more in 2010 (except trade in Red Rock for the Wasatch back relay! No more Red Rock for me!)
4. I'm going to keep reading good literature. CHECK! I have read a lot of good books this year, though I got a bit tangled up in a few. The John Adams biography took me FOREVER to read and I've started A Tale of Two Cities 3 times and continue to get stuck in the first 70 pages. It's gonna happen soon, though. I know I can do it!
5. We're going to finish paying off our debt and achieve a fully funded emergency fund. Boooo! Unfortunately, we did not accomplish this plan. We haven't necessarily been STUPID with our money this year... we just haven't been SMART. I'm carrying this plan into 2010.
6. Charlie will be potty trained before 2010. Boooo! This one didn't happen either... YET! We're getting closer. But we (as parents) haven't fully committed to this one YET! Soon, very soon!
7. Because of #6, we will be putting in the bathroom downstairs this year. Boooooooooooooooooo! Didn't do this one yet either... BUT, we have gotten one bid on it, and since that one won't work, we're pursuing other options. We have the money put aside and I'm hoping to get this one done by the end of this month... we're getting desperate for another toilet around this place!
8. I'm going to get contacts this year. Boo! See above picture and yesterdays post about getting new glasses! The eye doctor basically told me that he didn't think I would actually wear the contacts if he prescribed them for me. People who don't REALLY need to wear glasses are very unlikely to stick things in their eyes. He convinced me to just get the glasses for now since the only time I've been missing them is at night while driving. So though I didn't follow through with this plan, I don't feel like this one reflects a character flaw! I'm actually pleased to have some glasses to throw on when they're handy.
There's my report. I accomplished 50% of them and we're close on some of the ones that weren't accomplished. So, I'm feeling pretty good about that.
I haven't yet taken the time to plan out 2010. I think one thing 2009 taught me is that no matter your intentions, life never goes completely according to plan. A year ago, we spent some time after Christmas with my brother Spencer and his family. Never in a million years could anyone have guessed how much their world would be rocked this year. A year later, I still consider our family extremely blessed to still have him around and thriving. Trial followed by huge blessings.
Also a year ago, my two sisters were pregnant with their first babies. Alisha's came 6 weeks early, freaking us all out... but thankfully, Marcus is a happy and healthy baby and now Alisha's expecting a new baby girl this April. We're counting on her showing up in April! Megan's baby, Lily, came a week late in June and ended up spending over a month in the NICU with no diagnosis. Sweet Lily is a little fighter and is making progress all the time, but every little gain she makes will be a victory since 'typical' development has been slower. She's an absolute angel and one of the prettiest babies I've ever seen. Both Marcus & Lily's births were big trials, but followed with significant blessings.
So, who knows what 2010 will bring. I have lots of hope for great things, and faith to know that whatever comes, we'll be supported through it all.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
Lets update this blog thingy!
I've been sucking at blogging, so here are 3 new posts summarizing our entire Christmas holiday and my birthday!
My birthday is December 29th. I'll admit, it's not the best day in the year to have a birthday, but over the years, I've found some good things about it.
#1. If you didn't get everything you wanted for Christmas, you can still ask for it for your birthday.
#2. Because it's between Christmas & New Year, I'm often with my family sometime during that week... so my mom never forgets my birthday. My mom is an angel on earth, but she's not so great at remembering everyone's b-days. But mine... she always remembers!
#3. uuuhhhhhh, can't think of a third thing, I guess.
But anyway, as I mentioned in my last post, we decided early on to drive home on the 29th. There was a storm coming in to Denver on Tuesday night, which meant it was already in Utah on Tuesday morning. Paul and I didn't end up getting a good nights rest on Monday night because he picked up the same mystery bug that Charlie did. When Paul throws up, it sounds like the end of the world... no kidding! So he threw up several times that night, which meant both of us had interrupted sleep. I also was struggling with some pinched nerves in my neck and shoulders during the night. But on Tuesday morning, we got up, and started gathering in all our stuff that was strewn all over the house. We had a difficult time keeping all the toys "put away" because the kids kept getting them out and putting them in different places. I was doing my best not to start off the day ornery, but I was in a bunch of pain whenever I moved my head to the right, left, or even up. YIKES!! By noon, we were pretty confident we had everything gathered and ready to go.
Right as we were leaving, when Charlie was literally heading out the door to go get in the car, he ran down the wheelchair ramp in the garage, lost his footing and landed face first on the garage floor. His mouth was bleeding and he had a HUGE fat lip. Poor little monkey! So he was pretty upset for a while as we started the journey home. Several times during the trip, he was sad and wanted to be held, but overall, did very well considering his mouth was hurting.
We didn't hit too much weather driving home. A little bit of snow here and there the closer we got to Utah, until we got to Price. So very similarly to driving TO Denver, we didn't hit bad weather until we were within half an hour of our destination. My neck and shoulders were killing me and we were all SOOOOO ready to be home, as we always are. We finally pulled in at about 8:30pm and unloaded the car. I was glad we got home in time for Paul to play basketball with his buddies from the ward. I got the kids in bed after watching Meet the Robinsons on the new TV and then I went to bed as well. So... not quite a perfect birthday, but it could have been worse. The highlight of my day was hearing my phone beep everytime one of my friends left me birthday wishes on Facebook. So thanks to all those who did!
But instead of ending this post as a big ol' pity-party, I need to tell you about the day AFTER my birthday! I had plans to go to lunch with my bestie, Emily, but because my neck was still hurting, I needed to schedule either a massage or a chiropractor appointment. Thankfully, I was able to schedule the massage AND facial for that afternoon (Paul had given me a gift certificate for Valentine's Day and I finally took the time to use it!). Boy howdy... I LOVE GOING TO THE SPA!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time I got a massage and facial was 2 years ago. The massage I got yesterday was seriously the best one I've ever had. She worked on my neck, back and shoulders so well and I felt tons better afterwards. The facial was also very nice, but it's always a guilt-ridden experience for me since I spend VERY little time and effort on my skin. She chastised me in a very loving way and did convince me to stop using bar soap as my daily facial cleanser! I've even washed off my make up for 2 whole nights in a row! I know... impressive!
It turns out I wasn't able to go to lunch with Emily because she also had an appointment for that afternoon, but it meant that I could go on a date with Paul. Em and I will go to lunch on Saturday! Paul and I thought about going ice skating that night, but the rink closed early. We ended up just going to dinner and walking around the mall after looking into getting me some new glasses.
Speaking of new glasses, I did end up going back today to get a new eye exam and glasses. I was considering getting contacts, but because my prescription is so light, the doctor wasn't convinced it would be a good option for me. So I had to pick out my frames all by myself and I'm not completely convinced that I picked the right ones. Some decisions should not be made alone! I hope they don't look stupid on me, but even if they do, it is wonderful to be able to see clearly again... especially at night!
So, even though my birthDAY wasn't the best, I'm excited that I was able to get pampered and get some new specs! Yay for birthdays!!
My birthday is December 29th. I'll admit, it's not the best day in the year to have a birthday, but over the years, I've found some good things about it.
#1. If you didn't get everything you wanted for Christmas, you can still ask for it for your birthday.
#2. Because it's between Christmas & New Year, I'm often with my family sometime during that week... so my mom never forgets my birthday. My mom is an angel on earth, but she's not so great at remembering everyone's b-days. But mine... she always remembers!
#3. uuuhhhhhh, can't think of a third thing, I guess.
But anyway, as I mentioned in my last post, we decided early on to drive home on the 29th. There was a storm coming in to Denver on Tuesday night, which meant it was already in Utah on Tuesday morning. Paul and I didn't end up getting a good nights rest on Monday night because he picked up the same mystery bug that Charlie did. When Paul throws up, it sounds like the end of the world... no kidding! So he threw up several times that night, which meant both of us had interrupted sleep. I also was struggling with some pinched nerves in my neck and shoulders during the night. But on Tuesday morning, we got up, and started gathering in all our stuff that was strewn all over the house. We had a difficult time keeping all the toys "put away" because the kids kept getting them out and putting them in different places. I was doing my best not to start off the day ornery, but I was in a bunch of pain whenever I moved my head to the right, left, or even up. YIKES!! By noon, we were pretty confident we had everything gathered and ready to go.
Right as we were leaving, when Charlie was literally heading out the door to go get in the car, he ran down the wheelchair ramp in the garage, lost his footing and landed face first on the garage floor. His mouth was bleeding and he had a HUGE fat lip. Poor little monkey! So he was pretty upset for a while as we started the journey home. Several times during the trip, he was sad and wanted to be held, but overall, did very well considering his mouth was hurting.
We didn't hit too much weather driving home. A little bit of snow here and there the closer we got to Utah, until we got to Price. So very similarly to driving TO Denver, we didn't hit bad weather until we were within half an hour of our destination. My neck and shoulders were killing me and we were all SOOOOO ready to be home, as we always are. We finally pulled in at about 8:30pm and unloaded the car. I was glad we got home in time for Paul to play basketball with his buddies from the ward. I got the kids in bed after watching Meet the Robinsons on the new TV and then I went to bed as well. So... not quite a perfect birthday, but it could have been worse. The highlight of my day was hearing my phone beep everytime one of my friends left me birthday wishes on Facebook. So thanks to all those who did!
But instead of ending this post as a big ol' pity-party, I need to tell you about the day AFTER my birthday! I had plans to go to lunch with my bestie, Emily, but because my neck was still hurting, I needed to schedule either a massage or a chiropractor appointment. Thankfully, I was able to schedule the massage AND facial for that afternoon (Paul had given me a gift certificate for Valentine's Day and I finally took the time to use it!). Boy howdy... I LOVE GOING TO THE SPA!!!!!!!!!!!!! The last time I got a massage and facial was 2 years ago. The massage I got yesterday was seriously the best one I've ever had. She worked on my neck, back and shoulders so well and I felt tons better afterwards. The facial was also very nice, but it's always a guilt-ridden experience for me since I spend VERY little time and effort on my skin. She chastised me in a very loving way and did convince me to stop using bar soap as my daily facial cleanser! I've even washed off my make up for 2 whole nights in a row! I know... impressive!
It turns out I wasn't able to go to lunch with Emily because she also had an appointment for that afternoon, but it meant that I could go on a date with Paul. Em and I will go to lunch on Saturday! Paul and I thought about going ice skating that night, but the rink closed early. We ended up just going to dinner and walking around the mall after looking into getting me some new glasses.
Speaking of new glasses, I did end up going back today to get a new eye exam and glasses. I was considering getting contacts, but because my prescription is so light, the doctor wasn't convinced it would be a good option for me. So I had to pick out my frames all by myself and I'm not completely convinced that I picked the right ones. Some decisions should not be made alone! I hope they don't look stupid on me, but even if they do, it is wonderful to be able to see clearly again... especially at night!
So, even though my birthDAY wasn't the best, I'm excited that I was able to get pampered and get some new specs! Yay for birthdays!!
Christmas with the Andersons
We got to celebrate Christmas in Colorado with my family this year. I love spending it with them, since I'm usually suffering some level of homesickness throughout the year... nothing too clinical or anything, but I miss my family often!
Despite weather warnings, we headed over to Denver on Wednesday the 23rd. Tuesday was a nightmarishly busy day. I had a chiropractor appt, errands to run for work, a class Christmas party to help with, kids presents to wrap, treats to make, house to clean, clothes to pack... I'm sure you get the idea. There was so much I had to get done and I only accomplished about 2/3rds of it before leaving on Wednesday. That's why my neighbors didn't get any yummy treats and why my house was still pretty cluttered (which wouldn't have mattered, but we offered to let our neighbors use our house while we were gone... so embarassing! At least the sheets were clean!). But we were able to get out the door by 9:00 on Wednesday morning and we prayed for good weather and good time. We miraculously got both! We didn't hit any bad roads until we were 30 minutes from Denver! Hallelujah!!!!
We even got there in time for me to go see the 'Little House on the Prairie' musical with my mom. It was done very well and even Melissa Gilbert herself was in the cast playing 'Ma'. My only complaint about the musical is that they attempted to make a political statement with one of the songs. I was highly annoyed that they portrayed the people of that era as embittered and whiny that Uncle Sam wasn't helping them enough. Ugh! Ah well... otherwise, it was lovely and I really need to read those books!
Thursday was Christmas eve and Paul broke our rule and took my sister and went shopping for me. We had agreed to pool our Christmas gifts together to get a new TV. We ended up with a 42" LCD screen HDTV and we're both excited about it. But Paul was frustrated that I wouldn't have anything to open, so he went & spent a little more... the booger. So then I went to Target with my mom so I could get stocking stuffers and something little for Paul to open as well. I guess we both cheated! On Christmas eve, we just hung out at my parents with my 3 younger sisters and my cousin.
Christmas morning was perfect. We always have our yummy breakfast casserole, and then open presents. We let the boys open all their gifts quickly because we had an appointment to talk to Paul's missionary brother, Tanner, at 9:00. This Christmas was so fun because the boys were very specific about what they wanted this year, so they were very excited when they got what they were hoping for. Charlie got the fire truck he knew he would get from Santa, as well as a Geo Trax train. That train is the best money we've ever spent since Charlie hasn't stopped saying "chugga chugga chugga chugga CHOOOOOO CHOOOOOO!" for 5 days now! Canon scored with all his bakugan and star wars toys and Andy got some fun things, but unfortunately, 2 of those toys were made of crap, so they broke within 5 minutes or never worked at all. Here's hoping Toys-R-Us wants to be nice and let us exchange them!
Talking to Paul's little brothers on Christmas was great. We talked to Preston at 2:00. If I'm being totally honest, I can't say I miss them. I know it sounds harsh, but they are exactly where I want them to be right now... serving honorable missions, learning new skills, strengthening their testimonies of the gospel, growing up... all good things! It was fun to hear their voices, but I'm counting on NOT seeing them for another 18 months.
All my Colorado siblings came over for Christmas dinner. That makes for one busy, noisy house, but I love it. My boys don't get to see their cousins nearly enough and they were having so much fun. We ate a yummy meal and gabbed and gabbed as we always do! We even pulled out a game of Trivial Pursuit, which would have been more fun except that very few people actually like that game... I know I don't! We sent Andy and Canon home with Scott's family for a sleep over and made plans to see them that next day. We couldn't have asked for a better Christmas day.
On Saturday, we went to Scott & Rebekah's house for the afternoon. The kids played so well together that we were able to sit down and play an entire game of 'Ticket to Ride'. It was a lot of fun and Paul even enjoyed it and managed to win! After that, we drove to Shelyce's house and had dinner and hung out with them for the rest of the night. Our visit with them was dampered a bit by Charlie's frequent vomiting. He threw up on the stairs and then proceeded to throw up every 30-45 minutes or so until we left... fun for all! Thanks to Shelyce and Lynn for being so gracious about it. I have NO IDEA where Charlie would have picked up this stomach bug, but he got it and passed it on to Paul, then Canon. My deepest prayer is that none of the family we visited this week picked it up. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry if ya did :/.
The rest of the weekend was mellow and we watched a bunch of the Planet Earth documentaries and movies on my parent's new BluRay disc player! Paul took me shopping and to lunch on Monday because we'd decided to drive home on my birthday (tuesday). I was basically able to milk my birthday celebration for 3 days! And even though it was sucky to spend my birthday in the car, we needed to avoid another storm and let my cousin have her room back. Julie was a sweetheart about the whole thing and I appreciate her being willing to give up her space for a week.
So in a nutshell (okay, a big nutshell)... that was our Christmas holiday. Thanks to my family, and especially my parents, for being the best! I love you all SO MUCH.
Despite weather warnings, we headed over to Denver on Wednesday the 23rd. Tuesday was a nightmarishly busy day. I had a chiropractor appt, errands to run for work, a class Christmas party to help with, kids presents to wrap, treats to make, house to clean, clothes to pack... I'm sure you get the idea. There was so much I had to get done and I only accomplished about 2/3rds of it before leaving on Wednesday. That's why my neighbors didn't get any yummy treats and why my house was still pretty cluttered (which wouldn't have mattered, but we offered to let our neighbors use our house while we were gone... so embarassing! At least the sheets were clean!). But we were able to get out the door by 9:00 on Wednesday morning and we prayed for good weather and good time. We miraculously got both! We didn't hit any bad roads until we were 30 minutes from Denver! Hallelujah!!!!
We even got there in time for me to go see the 'Little House on the Prairie' musical with my mom. It was done very well and even Melissa Gilbert herself was in the cast playing 'Ma'. My only complaint about the musical is that they attempted to make a political statement with one of the songs. I was highly annoyed that they portrayed the people of that era as embittered and whiny that Uncle Sam wasn't helping them enough. Ugh! Ah well... otherwise, it was lovely and I really need to read those books!
Thursday was Christmas eve and Paul broke our rule and took my sister and went shopping for me. We had agreed to pool our Christmas gifts together to get a new TV. We ended up with a 42" LCD screen HDTV and we're both excited about it. But Paul was frustrated that I wouldn't have anything to open, so he went & spent a little more... the booger. So then I went to Target with my mom so I could get stocking stuffers and something little for Paul to open as well. I guess we both cheated! On Christmas eve, we just hung out at my parents with my 3 younger sisters and my cousin.
Christmas morning was perfect. We always have our yummy breakfast casserole, and then open presents. We let the boys open all their gifts quickly because we had an appointment to talk to Paul's missionary brother, Tanner, at 9:00. This Christmas was so fun because the boys were very specific about what they wanted this year, so they were very excited when they got what they were hoping for. Charlie got the fire truck he knew he would get from Santa, as well as a Geo Trax train. That train is the best money we've ever spent since Charlie hasn't stopped saying "chugga chugga chugga chugga CHOOOOOO CHOOOOOO!" for 5 days now! Canon scored with all his bakugan and star wars toys and Andy got some fun things, but unfortunately, 2 of those toys were made of crap, so they broke within 5 minutes or never worked at all. Here's hoping Toys-R-Us wants to be nice and let us exchange them!
Talking to Paul's little brothers on Christmas was great. We talked to Preston at 2:00. If I'm being totally honest, I can't say I miss them. I know it sounds harsh, but they are exactly where I want them to be right now... serving honorable missions, learning new skills, strengthening their testimonies of the gospel, growing up... all good things! It was fun to hear their voices, but I'm counting on NOT seeing them for another 18 months.
All my Colorado siblings came over for Christmas dinner. That makes for one busy, noisy house, but I love it. My boys don't get to see their cousins nearly enough and they were having so much fun. We ate a yummy meal and gabbed and gabbed as we always do! We even pulled out a game of Trivial Pursuit, which would have been more fun except that very few people actually like that game... I know I don't! We sent Andy and Canon home with Scott's family for a sleep over and made plans to see them that next day. We couldn't have asked for a better Christmas day.
On Saturday, we went to Scott & Rebekah's house for the afternoon. The kids played so well together that we were able to sit down and play an entire game of 'Ticket to Ride'. It was a lot of fun and Paul even enjoyed it and managed to win! After that, we drove to Shelyce's house and had dinner and hung out with them for the rest of the night. Our visit with them was dampered a bit by Charlie's frequent vomiting. He threw up on the stairs and then proceeded to throw up every 30-45 minutes or so until we left... fun for all! Thanks to Shelyce and Lynn for being so gracious about it. I have NO IDEA where Charlie would have picked up this stomach bug, but he got it and passed it on to Paul, then Canon. My deepest prayer is that none of the family we visited this week picked it up. SOOOOOOOOOOOOO sorry if ya did :/.
The rest of the weekend was mellow and we watched a bunch of the Planet Earth documentaries and movies on my parent's new BluRay disc player! Paul took me shopping and to lunch on Monday because we'd decided to drive home on my birthday (tuesday). I was basically able to milk my birthday celebration for 3 days! And even though it was sucky to spend my birthday in the car, we needed to avoid another storm and let my cousin have her room back. Julie was a sweetheart about the whole thing and I appreciate her being willing to give up her space for a week.
So in a nutshell (okay, a big nutshell)... that was our Christmas holiday. Thanks to my family, and especially my parents, for being the best! I love you all SO MUCH.
Christmas with the Croshaws
Since we got to spend Christmas with my family this year, we had our Croshaw Christmas gathering early on the 14th. One thing I love about celebrating Christmas with the Croshaws is that we have some traditions in place, which is what makes a celebration even better.
This year, we met early (since it was a school night) and had a pizza dinner together. We bundled up the kids and went caroling as a family. Thankfully, the weather wasn't quite so miserable this year as it has been in years past. Caroling always takes a little longer than I like it to, but it is a fun tradition because our family sounds really good when we all sing together!
After getting back to the lodge, we decorated Melanie's delicious sugar cookies and drank hot chocolate. Mmmmmmmmmm! Then, we had the children act out the Nativity story. Andy was Joseph, Canon a wise man, and Charlie was happy to be a cow! He even stood there and moo'd when his part was mentioned! Then we exchanged gifts! The kids were all very excited about their toys from Grandma and their cousin exchange and I got a beautiful shirt and some jewelry from Amy. Awesome!
We didn't do it that night, but we did also gather one evening to go see the Christmas light display in Spanish Fork. We piled into Steven's huge motor home and drove around the park twice. We were thinking of going up to temple square that way, but considering that the motor home really only travels 4 people comfortably, we're glad that we only had to drive about 15 miles total with over 20 people in there!
Thanks for a fun Christmas celebration, Croshaw fam! We sure love being close to all of you!
This year, we met early (since it was a school night) and had a pizza dinner together. We bundled up the kids and went caroling as a family. Thankfully, the weather wasn't quite so miserable this year as it has been in years past. Caroling always takes a little longer than I like it to, but it is a fun tradition because our family sounds really good when we all sing together!
After getting back to the lodge, we decorated Melanie's delicious sugar cookies and drank hot chocolate. Mmmmmmmmmm! Then, we had the children act out the Nativity story. Andy was Joseph, Canon a wise man, and Charlie was happy to be a cow! He even stood there and moo'd when his part was mentioned! Then we exchanged gifts! The kids were all very excited about their toys from Grandma and their cousin exchange and I got a beautiful shirt and some jewelry from Amy. Awesome!
We didn't do it that night, but we did also gather one evening to go see the Christmas light display in Spanish Fork. We piled into Steven's huge motor home and drove around the park twice. We were thinking of going up to temple square that way, but considering that the motor home really only travels 4 people comfortably, we're glad that we only had to drive about 15 miles total with over 20 people in there!
Thanks for a fun Christmas celebration, Croshaw fam! We sure love being close to all of you!
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