Christmas 2007 Part I

Today is Christmas Eve, and we had a great day as a family! It started early this morning, when the kids awoke, dying to open the presents they had for eachother- a tradition at our house. Then they open the gifts from mom and dad, which are always clothes, since Santa is the one who brings the toys and fun stuff! They were still very anxious to get going with the presents! (did I mention it was 7:30am?!)

Well, they did exchange gifts, including the ones they purchased with their own money for eachother and for Dana and I- so thoughtful and sweet- Leah got gum for Dana (that is the perfect gift for him!) and Alex got him white chocolate pretzels. They all got me a new picture of them- which is a tradition for me! I love it! Always a perfect gift!

After lunch, everyone took a well needed rest, since we were going to visit Dana's grandparents at 3pm and then to my parents at 5pm. We made it- all with very excited children in tow! It was crazy! This is by far the craziest day of the year at my parents house! The gifts under the tree looked like a display at a huge department store- there were probably close to 100 gifts under the tree- and I am not kidding! My mom goes all out and picks the perfect gifts for everyone-she is fabulous. I love seeing how the presents have taken over the living room as the years go by and the families get bigger. It was that way when I was a kid, though too. I remember tons of presents under the tree, each one wrapped beautifully with my mother's gorgeous handwriting on each tag. It was no different this year.

Imagine buying for 11 people- that is including my dad, my brother, his wife and 3 girls and our 5! She is amazing! Well, I posted some pics of each kid with their coveted gifts from Grandma and Grandpa- they loved everything! Sean and Stephanie always know the best gifts for us, too- they got us wonderful, useful things- thank you!!

Tomorrow morning will be Christmas 2007 part II. I am going to bed so that Santa can come and I can have energy, because I know that the kids will be up early!!

9 Christmases ago...

Since Katie was brave enough to post pics of their first Christmas together, I thought I'd stroll down Memory Lane and invite you to join me...It was 1998 and we were, 23 years old!! Wow- time really does fly by! We had been married since April, and we were so happy! Can you see it in our faces- still newlyweds, just back from a 10 day trip to Chile, no children, we had money, and could do nothing else but enjoy the holiday with little stress! Wow- things do change as the time flies by!

Well, for our 1st Christmas together, Dana's mom bought us our tree- because when I grew up, we always had a real tree- even though Dana's house had an artificial, his mom thought it would be fun for us to have our own real tree- so nice! Well, we lived in a great little apartment, that had a perfect spot for this newly cut tree, from Meijer, no less. We brought it home, though I don't remember how we got it home, and put it up in the corner by the sliding glass doors. We got an old rusty tree stand from my parents, (more about the effects of that, later), and we began to decorate. From the get go, Dana did not want a real tree! He insisted that they "weren't worth the hassle"! I said it was worth it and I won! So much for that win, because he was right- it turned out to not be worth the hassle. For several reasons, though someday we will have a real tree again. Not to mention that it was a bent tree, so it is competely leaning against the wall! Hey, I said this was our 1st Christmas, and I was young!!

1. We were going to Chile from 10 December to the 20th, and we had his little brother coming over to stay and water the tree- but that unfortunately didn't happen! What happens to a tree that isn't watered regularly? It dies!!
2. When we returned home to our DEAD tree, with needles falling all over the newly cleaned carpet, I realized it wasn't going to be a good thing anymore!
3. We had to take it down right away, to salvage what was left of it...so we did, and once the tree had left our apartment, we found not only needless ALL OVER the floor, but a HUGE rust stain from that rusty tree holder! Lovely.
4. So, how do you pick up 1000 or more tree needles off your carpet- you vacuum, right? Well, I got out our NEW vacuum we had gotten from my Grandparents for our wedding, and began to sweep. BAD IDEA! The vacuum broke! That's right, it broke! It cost me 30 bucks to get it fixed...so the tree was NOT worth the hassle- Dana was right! (He isn't always right!)

I hated to admit that, but we have had a small artificial tree ever since! I am not sure that will change anytime soon, either. I keep thinking that someday he will change his mind, because memories can fade, but seriously, this memory is still fresh, and I think it was because it was our 1st Christmas together!

It ended up being a great Christmas- I remember Dana got me The Steve Miller Band Greatest Hits CD- I love that CD! I loved it in college the most, and it brings back the few memories I have of that time- it was a nice present. I honestly have no idea what I bought him, but I guess it was a good once, since he is smiling in the picture. We did get our little kitty that first year and she has been with us ever since. We named her Belen, since that translated is Bethlehem in Spanish. It is a perfect name for her!

We have lots of memories of our Christmases together, but this one is a great one to hold on to- here's to 100 more! I was tan, though, and check out my long hair- you'll never see it that way again!

Oh, and please don't laugh at the scrapbook page, I am much better now!!! And that was a long time ago!!

2nd Grade Holiday Party

Today was the Holiday parties at school- whoo hooo! Just kidding, I love school parties, and I love all the help from parents, it's just the food that drives me crazy! So so so much of it!! It is obnoxious how much food (sweets, I am referring to) is brought in for this ONE party! Leah got two plates FULL of crap, as I call it, since she went to her own party and then Alex's class party. Crazy! Celeste had 3 candy canes in Leah's party alone, and then screamed and had a fit when I took the 4th one away! It seems that candy has become a meal for her in our house- several meals, actually! She is one little candy girl! Surprise, surprise!!

I was the "mom in charge" of the class activities in Alex's room today! It wasn't as much work as I anticipated, and it turned out pretty fun! I had them make an ornament out of wrapping paper, and then make a tree or ornament on paper with glue and glitter- not messy at all- right?! It wasn't that bad, thankfully I had 3 other moms and his teacher to help! Then for the finale, the class decorated their teacher, Mr. Cracraft as a Christmas tree- here is the fun they had... He is such a good sport, and the kids so loved doing something to him! I had a good time helping, and honestly, I kept thinking about how much I missed actual teaching in elementary school, and how much I look forward to teaching again...but then, I thought of how short my time is with my kids at home, and I thought that before long they will all be in school, and grown up. I treasure my time at home, I don't want to be anywhere else in the world right now in my life. I am so grateful for these years that I am at home and able to help so much for fun things like this- I love it!

Changing of the blog...

Okay, so after a little while having this blog, I decided it was time for a change in the layout, so I found this template that I just love! I think it is simple, and elegant, and fun all at the same time! I think it captures my "Simplify" in a better way, and I am always looking for ways to simplify my life. This is now one of them! I am excited to be able to add different features with this style and update it more often! Let me know what you think...

Chapter 20

Today my thoughts were turned to my friend, Ashley who is such a great girl. She is so sweet, and has recently been through a lot. My heart aches for her because her pregnancy isn't going as smoothly as one would hope. She has tons more doctors appointments, tons more testing, and more of everything that is not so fun about being pregnant! I feel for her, since my three pregnancies were all great, and I didn't have any complications. We conceived easily, I carried all of them to term, even gaining over 40 pounds with each of them, labored fine, and delivered without any problems. It is not fun to see your friend not have a good experience, through no fault of her own. She has a really fun toddler that I got to watch today. Emma is so sweet, and adorable and busy, and just down right wonderful. She played perfectly well with Celeste (they are about 2 weeks apart in age), and she loved being in dress-up clothes the most! I wanted to take her picture, but I forgot throughout the day, but I will the next time I get her. She was so cute and she is really talking- her and Celeste had their own conversations all day. I am pretty sure she is Celeste's first girl friend, and I love that! My prayers are with Ashley and for the upcoming months of pregnancy with her twins to be. I pray for the best and know that some things are a "means to an end", and that "this too shall pass". For now, I hope she knows she has so many people that care about her.

Just for fun,
here is a picture of me with each of my pregnancies...
Laugh out loud, go ahead- I am huge, I know!! Alex was born in March, and was my first, so I was more swollen with him than with the girls. (I weighed 192 the day I delivered him!!) Leah was a July baby, and I was ready for her to arrive! (I like my hair best in that one), and though my face doesn't look that big, I did gain 40 pounds! Oh, and she was only 6 1/2 pounds! Celeste is a November girl, and I had just had my hair highlighted, by myself, actually, (not a great idea, just ask Katie!), and I was ready to be done! With her, I gained the most - 44 pounds and she was barely 6 pounds- I so want to know why and where did the rest go? Let me rephrase that, I do know where it went, but how?! I have never lined these up this way before, but I can really tell the difference in my belly with Alex versus the girls! Too funny, and before you comment on my immodesty, I wanted these taken so that I can look at them later and think, "I can't believe my stomach stretched that much!" Seriously, it is amazing and by far one of Heavenly Father's greatest miracles!

Chapter 19

The countdown is on....7 days to go...my kids are ecstatic that Christmas is only single digit days away! That's right, Christmas is a week from tomorrow and they can hardly wait! Can you?
I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped presents last night for the kids, only to realize that the girls have way more to unwrap than Alex. Truth be told, I spent more on his things, but it's the ammount of gifts to unwrap that matters to them- fair is fair, right?! Well, I still have one more thing to pick up for him, but he still will have less, but he is 7 1/2 now, and will take it well. Besides, Grandma makes sure he has more than enough. He wrote his Christmas list to Santa this weekend. Leah keeps telling Santa that she wants a Build-a-Bear kit to do at home and a Belle costume...neither did she tell me when I began shopping, so Santa will not be bringing her those. The great part about shopping for Leah is that she loves whatever you get her! She is easy to buy for, with the exception of clothes. I have decided that shopping for clothes for her is a lost cause unless she is with me. For now, she loves dressing up her dolls and girly things the most! Celeste just loves whatever! I got her the singing Elmo pizza for her big gift! Am I crazy you ask? Yes, yes I am! Just to see the look on her face when she opens it will be worth the craziness in me! I love when she dances to this doll, and she is so cute! I will for sure post pics of that after she opens it! It will be priceless!

It's almost Christmas...

You can feel it wherever you go...Christmas is everywhere! I love, love, love it! This weekend we had several Christmas encounters, starting with making Gingerbread houses with some of our favorite friends! It was really fun, and despite the messy icing problems we (I) had, our house turned out pretty decent...well, according to the children, it is "awesome"! I'll take that as a compliment! It was hard work, and our roof collapsed under the weight of the shingles several times!Apparently, we weren't the only ones who had difficulty...but the all-out winner for sure is the Wynn's family Gingerbread house! It was fabulous- no surprise there, have you met Delinda? She is amazingly creative, as are her girls, so it was decorated to a T, and even had outdoor decor to blow everyone else out of the water! The Frantz' house was snowy and beautiful, with the girls decorating with perfection, and for sure Ashley's house would be gorgeous, she usually bakes her own- showoff! The Boothe's were so gracious to host such a crazy party- so so fun, and we loved it! Let's hope they invite us again after the mess we left!
This morning, we had our annual Ward Christmas Breakfast, full of excitement as usual! It began with the nativity song, where Alex was a Wiseman and Leah was in the choir- it was so lovely, and I love that Primary Song the best! Then a magician came and the children were amazed at all the tricks! To top it off, Santa arrived and all three of my kids gathered around him for a picture. For Celeste, I had to tell her Santa would give her candy if she sat with him- she relented, but only if I held her- we'll take what we can get at this point! She'll figure out he is her friend next year we hope!To complete the Christmasy day, we got snow! It was very nice when it first fell this early afternoon, but then it turned to sleet and ice is now pouring from the sky! I don't mind, I am now snug in our home, and ready to play some Christmas music while I wrap presents...now, what did Leah ask Santa for again?!

The Sweetest Little Nativity

This is my newest present for Christmas! No, not for me, but for Celeste from Dana's parents! I had to open it early, since I wanted it under the tree and so that she could actually play with it before Christmas! It is the newest nativity from The Little People! I so love this- probably the same if not more than Celeste! It is so adorable! It comes with all the people you see in the picture, and my favorite feature is that the animals are all "touch and feel", which means they have yarn for the hair on their tail or main, or head! They are too cute! It even plays "Away in a Manger" when the angel is placed on top! I had a really hard time finding this set, and have been looking to buy one for a couple of years now, but they are virtually impossible to find in stores, and even on ebay, throughout the year are still expensive! But, thanks to Jennifer, and good ol' Walmart, we now have this coveted set! This will be a treasured set for many years to come, and even when the children grow older, it will stay with my other two, one that I collected pieces for years on, a Dreamsicles one, and one we brought home from Chile, that I love too. I think this will complete my set of nativities...it is just now my favorite!

Chapter 18

Though I didn't take any pictures of Gee Gee and Poppi with my children this visit another reason to win "Mother of the Year"), my kids loved every minute! They cried a lot when my in-laws left on Tuesday, so much that I couldn't write about it until today- 3 days later. They really love their grandparents! Leah loved that Poppi played hide and seek with her, Alex loved that Poppi played basketball with him, and Celeste loved that he watched her dance to "the Dancing Santa" 200 times! She really loved showing off for him, it was wonderful! The kids just couldn't seem to get enough of them, and I really loved just relaxing while they spent time together. I hope that happens more often.

Meanwhile, we attended a 85th Birthday party for Dana's Granny last Saturday. With months and months of planning, and nearly every member of the family planning on attending, it was going to be great! Plus, it was a surprise, and wow, was she surprised! I just love the pictures taken that night- it was really fun for the kids to hang out with their "second cousins", (whatever they are officially called), and a great time to re-connect with Dana's family members that are spread out across the U.S. I really loved that.
All the Grandkids with Granny, and Our family with Granny, missing, Esther, Annie and Chris. Colleen, Angela, Jill and I with our girls chatting at the party!














Rain, rain, go away, come again another day! I love rain, don't get me wrong, but I think we've had enough this week. With the melted snow, my yard looks like a marsh pit! I hate stepping out on my patio and getting my feet soaked from the puddles that have accumulated where I need to step down! I love rain, again, rain can be cleansing, when it is in the Spring, and refreshing in the summer, but in the winter it is just plain dreary. Although, I must say that when it rains early enough in the morning, and the sun doesn't even attempt to shine, my children sleep very, very well, and at least 1/2 hour later! But, if the temperature drops tonight, it could freeze, then the puddles that have formed will turn into miniature ice rinks- yuck! Okay, enough about the rain, I should be less grumpy about it and more grateful we have precipitation of any kind...I resolve to do that today, so no more discussion about the crappy rain!!

A New Niece!

I just got these adorable pics of our new niece in North Carolina. Dana's sister Esther and her family moved there about a year ago, and just welcomed their 3rd child, a daughter a few weeks ago. She is so sweet and I am looking forward to meeting her in the Spring. Congrats Es, Eve is beautiful!