Ringing in the New Year...

Once Christmas was over things went down hill in the excitement department around here!! I've got a bit of the post-holiday blues...or the January blues...or maybe the January "grays" would be more appropriate...and my stint as a "shut-in" isn't helping!!

Two days after Christmas Ailey had her surgery...she had a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy. Things went well. Reilly and Kameron stayed at my Mom's house and that helped a lot. Ailey had to be at the surgical center by 7:45 am. One of my friend's daughter's had had the same procedure done at the same place so she was able to give me a lot of helpful advice. We got to take Ailey back and change her into her little hospital gown and footies. We met with the anesthesiologist and her doctor. But the worst part was handing her over to the nurse and walking out!! It was hard. Then the waiting seemed like a lifetime...but it was really only about a half an hour...an hour counting recovery.

Ailey did great. She is such a little trooper!! Even that afternoon you really wouldn't know that she had even had surgery. Our biggest challenge has been to try to get her to take it easy! She's done pretty well with keeping hydrated and my kids are freaks in that they like the taste of medicine (I hope this isn't a proclivity toward drug abuse or alcoholism!!) so she would just slurp the medicine down. The last few days have probably been the hardest in that the scabs are coming off and this has been the only time she has told us that her throat hurts and that she needs medicine. Other than that she is doing fine. It was nice that we had the surgery done over Christmas break...Tyler had the week off between Christmas and New Years... and so we were able to hang out while she was recuperating...nice but boring. She isn't supposed to leave the house for 10 days. She's gone in the car but not in anywhere so that's why I feel like a shut-in...I was in pajamas for days!!

FYI: No more snoring or sleep apnea episodes...she doesn't make a sound!!

The day before New Years Eve I did go out briefly for my DREADED Young Women's hike! We had to meet at the Church at 6:45am! Before the crack of dawn!!

Yes...I did drag Tyler out of a nice warm bed to snap my picture...it's all about the blog!! ;)

We got all our girls and then drove over to another church building on the north side to meet up with all the other wards. Then we drove to our hiking spot. We hiked Mt. Baldy. For all of you who are from Utah...It was not a mountain but really a glorified hill...but in about 18 degree weather and snow, fog, and ice it felt like Mt. Everest!

Our group

Valynn, Jayni and me. Hideous picture! Plus...the 80's called: They want the knitted headbands back!!

Some of our girls...I finally got Nicole to take off her full face mask/hat thing!

The top

Our activity was that all the girls were to make a banner that represented what they stood for...a la Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty. The girls all did such a great job on their banners. We got to the top and sang "I walk by Faith" and "Army of Helaman" and said the Young Women's theme. Our Stake President spoke along with our YW Stake President and her counselors. Then the girls went one by one (this was the REALLY cold part) and unfurled their banners in the wind and read what they had written on them. The spirit was actually very strong on that EXTREMELY cold hill and the camaraderie between all the girls was neat to see. The two bonfires and hot chocolate, muffins, and fruit at the bottom made it all worthwhile!

Our Young Women's Theme for 2006 was: "Arise and shine forth that thy light may be a standard to the nations" (D&C 115:5). It looked really pretty to see all the banners whipping in the wind.


Our New Years Eve...wasn't "Rockin"...It was very low-key. We had been invited to our friend's house for a New Years Eve Party but with Ailey's surgery we just stayed at home. I didn't mind too much. I'm not really into New Years Eve even if I am going somewhere. I really just think..."What's the big whoop?" I am usually still too exhausted from Christmas to get all excited about another big celebration to cook and entertain for...I know...I'm a party-pooper!

We usually eat Tyler's family's traditional Christmas food on New Years. Tyler is Norwegian...VERY Norwegian...and so he will make Lefse (a kind of flat bread made with potatoes...kind of like an tortilla) that is really good and rosettes (a delicate fried-cookie type thing that you dust with powdered sugar) also really good.

The shut-ins...making lefse...in jammies!

The little tonsil/adenoid-less helper...Notice the lovely hair cut...thanks to Kameron and his supposedly blunt "Kindergarten" scissors...my baby has a mullet!!!!

We also make beef and cheese stuffed crescent rolls that Tyler's mom makes and drink frappe (these are NOT Norwegian :) ). Who doesn't like raspberry sherbet and 7-up?? We played a bunch of games with the kids. We played a never-ending marathon of "Chicken Foot" a dominoes game that Stacey taught us last year and it has been a hit ever since!

We also played a lot of Battleship (Thanks Sykes!) and later on Tyler and I played Trivial Pursuit 80's Edition (Thanks Brett and Marissa!). I LOVE trivia games!!
The best part of the night was when the clock struck midnight. Ailey went to bed around 9pm but both Reilly and Kameron stuck it out until midnight (Kameron's first time!). Growing up in Springdell (a small community up Provo Canyon) there was a New Years tradition that I still like to do to this day. When we were kids at midnight everyone would come outside to wish all their neighbors a Happy New Year and all the kids would grab pots and pans and would walk around and around the dell banging them like crazy. (Springdell is a circle of about 20 houses). So at our house...forget blowing things and tooters...we grab the pots and pans and wooden spoons and bang the heck out of them. Every year we lose a wooden spoon or two, due to EXTREME enthusiasm, and this year was no different. This can go on for quite a while and I am always the last to stop. (I've got to get all my aggression and aggravation with the past year out some way) Tyler usually has to remove the pot and wooden spoon from my hands but beating those things is better than therapy!

On New Years we took down our trees and put away all our Christmas decorations!! Our house seemed really drear!! I organized our whole house...pretty much every room... (a shut-in can really get quite a lot done!). I made Tyler buy more plastic bins and boxes than you can imagine and then I sent him out on a quest to find plants (I needed to spruce up the house). Finding plants in January is no easy task.

We watched a lot of DVD's, ate a lot of food, and rarely showered or got dressed! Yehaw!

The girls and I did have a pedicure night. We (Reilly and I) are addicted to pedicures. I blame my aunt Bonnie and the fact that we have a little nail shop down the street. Bonnie comes to the lake and does all of our nails...she has all the good expensive nail polish...all the equipment...she will do flowers, french pedicures...whatever you want. This has inspired her little protege, Reilly. For Reilly's birthday she got a bunch of nail polish and equipment and then she got more for Christmas...She is quite the little "artiste". She has had to be. I hate feet...and now that she is older and sweatier I don't like doing her toes!! (Side note: this made what I had to do for the Christmas "Would You Rather" game so vile...I had to wear John's sweaty sock fresh off his sweaty foot!!) Ailey didn't want to be left out and ran through the house yelling "me too! me too!" when the fun began.

Our handy work!

So...Happy New Year! I have made a bunch of resolutions. I am a typical Type A goal setter. For 2006 I set 68 goals for myself and accomplished most of them. I won't bore you will them or the ones for 2007...suffice it to say most are the usual...get in shape, be more patient, pay off debt, read my scriptures, travel, have more date nights, learn to do something new, spend more one on one time with my kids, do more service, share the gospel...leave my house....get out of jammies!! I can't tell you how excited I am for book club next week!!

Christmas 2006

Kids in Christmas P.J.'s

We had a wonderful Christmas! It went by way too fast. Went up to my mom's house on Christmas Eve after Sacrament Meeting on Sunday. We had our suburban filled to the brim, the car top carrier, and the back of Kirk's car. It was a pain...but definitely worth it to spend Christmas Eve up there with family. I would do it again next year. It was fun for them to be able to put out their socks with Dane and to spend time with Grandma and all the aunts and uncles. We had everyone there for Christmas this year except for Jordin who is in Kansas City.

Cookies and Country Time Lemonade for Santa??

Lumberjack socks...our Christmas Stocking Tradition...going back generations

We ate well...too well! I am going to have to be at the gym every day for the next six months just to work it all off. We have a tradition in our family of eating appetizers (LOTS OF THEM) on Christmas Eve. My mom made Escargot (our family's favorite must-have...REALLY...they are so good). I brought Chicken Satay Skewers with Peanut sauce and rice and Spinach artichoke dip and chips. Stacey brought Mongolian Meatballs with a Thai dipping sauce. Kelley brought mini-meatloafs and bleu cheese potato puffs. We also had a salad bar and TONS of Christmas cookies and candy. Then on Christmas we had prime rib and French onion soup. I am afraid to get on the scale!!

Stacey and Kristin...Stuffed!!

Since my family isn't LDS Tyler and I wanted to get in some kind of spiritual moment on Christmas Eve. We started what I think will be a great tradition. Just before the kids went to bed we bundled them up in their coats and boots and took them out on the porch. It was dark and quiet with just the glow of the twinkly white lights. We gave each of them a small white votive candle in a glass holder and lit the candles for them. Then Tyler read from the scriptures the Christmas story. The kids loved it. It was a perfect setting...up in the mountains, dark, quiet...with wild life....a moose has taken up residence at my mom's house and was wandering all over. It gave us all a quiet moment out of all the fun and chaos to reflect on our Savior and the true meaning of Christmas. It also settled the kids down and got them ready for bed!!

One of my mom's trees...a true antique tinsel tree. Her other one was a beautiful 14-foot blue spruce that Kirk cut down for her.

Then the FUN began...GAME TIME!

Kirk, Stacey, and Kris

We played the "Would You Rather Game". I was laughing so hard my stomach ached the next day. We played this both on Christmas Eve and Christmas Night. Here are some highlights!!

Kirk lapping up milk like a cat...for 30 seconds!! Gross!!

Stacey with her "Game Face" on...we revised the rules and everyone got to draw on her face...my mom wrote the "spaz" on her!! Sorry Stac...but the picture is too funny!

Poor Mom with the spoon in her mouth! Jason (Kelley's boyfriend) got the biggest spoon he could find!! Aaahh..he fits in well! :)

The next morning dawned very early! We had to stay awake until 3 am to get all the presents out and set up. Reilly is a bit of a sneak and Kameron is a constant pee-er so we had to wait them out. We have a rule that no one can get up until 7 am. But Reilly was "busted" hiding out in the bathroom and sent back to bed by Uncle John at 5am! Kameron woke us up at 7 am on the dot!

Chef Ailey

Kam and his new bike

Reilly and her hot pink vest

We ate a wonderful breakfast of a ham and cheese bread, sausage bread, and sparkling cranberry juice and were out on the sledding hill by 9am! My mom lives up on the top of this hill and has the BEST sledding hill. Very remincent of our sledding hill in the dell but longer and steeper. We are hatching plans to put flood lights out on it so we can do some "night sledding" with a bon fire etc. the next time we are up. Ailey LOVED sledding! We have a big sled that can fit our whole family...even Mrs. Beasely who went for a ride. She had a great time chasing all the sleds and tubes down the hill.

We are serious sledders in our family. We were raised in Provo Canyon and grew up with night sledding, the sledding hill and the even more formidable "widow-maker" hill. After a few hours we sent the kids in to warm up and it was an "Adults Only" sledding time. A big jump was made and sleds and tubes were sprayed with "pam" for maximum slippage! It was very remincent of the dell riding with Tyler yelling "LEAN!!! LEAN!!" in my ear. It could have been about 20 years earlier (wow! I am old!) with Kyle Patten, Tom Bus, and Chris McGown yelling in my ear! We had a great time! I have a sore and bruised butt but definitely worth it!

Later that day Tyler and I decided to take the kids snow shoeing at Snow Creek. We love to snow shoe and got really into it when my mom lived in Oakley, Utah (near Park City) and we had such easy access to the Unitas. We have snow shoes for everyone (Reilly got a new pair from Grandma this year) except for Ailey who we pull in a sled. Driving to Snow Creek we went past 18 wild Turkeys!!!

This is Snow Creek. This is a special place for generations of our family. Back in the 60's and 70's my grandparents were VERY against fluoride in drinking water. When their town decided to do that they decided that they would stop drinking their city water and started getting their water from this icy creek. They would fill up large glass bottles with water (several crates full) every week. I remember as a kid going with them MANY times to get water. It truly was the best tasting water ever! I have lots of happy memories here. After they moved to the lake I guess they decided that the water there was ok.

There was tons of snow at snow creek and we decided to drive highter up the mountain for the "perfect" snow shoeing. BIG MISTAKE! We passed a bunch of snow mobilers. HUGE MISTAKE! The snow was getting too deep. We decided to turn around. BIGGEST MISTAKE of all! The suburban skidded around and slid into a ditch. AAAHHH!! There was no budging it! Good thing the kids were inside praying because Mommy and Daddy were outside SWEARING! Then Tyler found a rotting log...pulled off two large pieces and we got to work digging out. (I know we should carry a shovel!!) We dug and dug. I was literally under the car scraping out snow trying to get to the road beneath. We pulled out our boxes that held more presents in the back and shoved those under the tires, along with branches etc. We called my mom (our cell-phone was actually working...Christmas Miracle!) she sent for help. I suggested calling our motor club which Tyler flat out refused. He was not going to pay $400 to get this suburban out of the ditch!!! He was going to get the suburban out himself come hell or high water. After a LONG 30 minutes due to his keen knowledge of physics and sheer brute force we were out!! We were met by Kirk and John down at the bottom of the hill. They were out in the valley flying John's birds (John is a falconer and he has a peregrine falcon and a gosshawk). My mom called them on John's cell-phone (what did people do before cell-phones??) and they immediately set out for Snow Creek. Luckily we didn't end up needing their help and we all went home for some prime rib and presents.

FYI: If you are ever in this situation take out your floor mats and use them for traction!!

The day after Christmas we took my mom out to breakfast to celebrate her belated-birthday. We took her to J.J's Cookshack. A very small and very weird restaurant (I use the term restaurant VERY loosely) but they make the world's BEST buttermilk pancakes! Wow!!

Then we headed for the lake to have a big Turkey/Ham dinner with Granny and more Aunts/Uncles/Cousins. We had a great time. It had rained that day and then snowed and so the ice was bad for ice skating BUMMER! But we had fun visiting with family. My Aunt and Uncle who live in Rexburg had 5 kids of their own and have then adopted 4 more. These adopted kids are right around my kids' ages and have been the biggest blessing to us! They love their Birch cousins and count down the days until their next visit. Kameron is in heaven playing with his "boy" cousins and Reilly and Maklun are two peas in a pod. I love the picture of Kameron, Gabe and Zeke doing their Karate Poses!

The Three Muskateers!!

The weather started getting bad and we had to get back for Ailey's surgery which was the next day. (That went well. I will blog about it later). So we left about 8pm just as they all were heading out to do some night sledding! We had a wonderful Christmas and hope you all did too!!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas!!

We have snow on the ground and snow has been falling off and on all day. Things are looking good for a white Christmas. Yay! Santa's little helper is taking a break from all the holiday preparations to get in a little blogging before we are out of here for the next few days. Things have been CRAZY! I finally have everything wrapped and boxed and ready to be loaded into the car tomorrow. It's quite a feat...and my mom just called to remind us to brings sleds, snowshoes, and ice skates!


Earlier this week I went with the YW to go caroling to a retirement home and to have our Christmas party on Wednesday. It was wild and out of control most of the time.

I finally put the last coat of paint on Ailey's christmas gifts...aren't they cute! The cradle I got when I was two. My grandpa E. made it for me. The dish cupboard I found in Kamas, Utah for $5. It's been sitting around for about 8 years now...It was a pain in the butt to sand and redo. Someone had glued some linoleum on the little counter and it was really hard to get off. I was going to sell it at our last Sisters Creed sale but it was just too cute and went really well with the cradle I was redoing so decided to keep it for Ailey. Then as we were unloading all our cars at our sale I saw the little doll high chair in Stacey's things...I bought it from her right then and there. I think Ailey will flip out. She is such a little girly-girl.

Reading the kids' letters to Santa this year was hilarious. They were pretty much grocery lists. On both Reilly and Kameron's lists they had pomegranates, juice boxes, sugar cereal. Yes...I am that mean mom that only buys NON-sugar cereal. I also don't buy juice boxes very often due to the lectures I've had to endure from the Dentist. "Ahh... It appears Reilly has a cavity...she's a juice drinker isn't she...do you know how much sugar there is in juice...take a look at this chart...there is really no reason for a child to drink juice...consider it the same as soda...blah blah"). Poor kids...they have to ask Santa for Captain Crunch and Capri Suns!! But at least they were easy to buy for...I wasn't tracking down any elusive toy. There really wasn't anything "big" on any of their lists. Kameron wanted his own Nutcracker (we collect them)...Reilly wanted clothes, and Ailey wanted a doll. That was about it. I was talking to this woman who has a daughter Reilly's age and she was complaining that she couldn't believe what was on her 10 year old daughter's list: Ipod, laptop, cell-phone etc. I can't relate. Reilly knows not even to bother asking us for those kinds of things. I guess it's good that they are satisfied with pomegranates...but I'm sure they will all be in therapy because of mom the food nazi. But I did find pomegranates for all!

Tyler and I got a great idea from our friends, the Shirleys (they do this); we gave each of our kids a few bucks and let them pick out gifts for us from the Dollar Store. They felt like they were really "Christmas Shopping" and it has been hilarious seeing what they have picked out. I took the kids to get Tyler 's gifts this week and Tyler took the kids to get mine tonight. I'll tell you what they picked out for Ty since I know he won't read this before Christmas...Kameron deliberated for about 20 minutes over whether to get Tyler a green whoopee cushion or a red one...the green won out as Tyler's favorite color is green. Reilly was all in angst about whether she should get him a vibrating tooth brush or two cans of Vienna Sausages. Ha Ha! Luckily good dental hygiene won out. Ailey actually picked out a nice jig saw puzzle for Ty (Tyler is a "puzzler". I loathe them!) I can't wait to see what they all picked out for me!

I really love this time of year because of all the cards and letters we receive. Today was a gold-star mail day...all cards. My favorite was the card/family letter from Tiffany (my bestfriend from college). I was laughing like crazy reading it. Her three kids sound as wild as mine! I was laughing about her daughter, Ava's dolls and their names: Mr. Patty, Coco Chanel, and Porkey. Ailey also has three favorite "babies" and their names are: Naughty Girl, Baby Jesus (now shortened to Jesus) and Sister Holland (My personal fave...although I don't think Valynn would find it flattering...as poor "Sister Holland" is seriously incontinent...Ailey spent most of yesterday trying to "potty train" Sister Holland). :) It was hilarious listening to her say: "You need to pee in the potty Sister Holland!!!"

My other favorite part of Tiff's letter was: "Mojo-JoJo remains our small and unattractive shih-zu". We have our own version of Mojo Jojo...only ours is a small and unattractive pug named "Mrs. Beasley". I have always wanted a pug...now I truly have to question why!! But this September a breeder in the town my mom lives in was having a difficult time selling her last two puppies. One was a faun colored one and one was a brindle colored one. I wanted the faun colored one...the normal pug coloring. But by the time we talked to the breeder the faun one was gone and only the brindle colored one remained...and she was being sold at a considerable discount and that is how we acquired Mrs. Beasley.

Yes...I named her...much to the humiliation of my children. I find the name Mrs. Beasley hilarious. When we picked her up the breeder was calling her "Emma" and asked us if we had a name picked out. The kids refused to answer and finally said..."Yes...it's Mrs....mumble...mumble...Beasley...Our MOM named her!!" I'm sorry but it makes me laugh to hear them yell..."Mrs. Beasley...Mrs. Beasley...get out here and do your business". Mrs. Beasley, of course, is a perfect nightmare most of the time. But she has her "few and far between" cute moments...and she looks good in her pink rhinestone collar!!

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a good night!

Christmas Traditions

We have been enjoying many of our Christmas traditions over the past few days. We had a great FHE on Monday. I really don't know when we would have the time to do things like this if we didn't have family night set aside. Things are just too crazy this time of year and I don't know how we would fit it all in. So I am thankful FHE provides opportunities to do these little traditions.

Our lesson was on the Wisemen. Kameron had played a Bible trivia game in Primary on Sunday and had missed a question and was determined to find out the answer. The question was: "What were the three gifts the wisemen brought to baby Jesus"? So we got out the gospel art kit...that basically has a lesson on the back of the picture ...and all the scriptural references...and we learned about the wisemen.

A few years ago my mom gave me this little velvet bag that she must have gotten from a visiting teacher or something. Inside is a typed page that talks about the symbolism of the gold, frankincense, and myrrh. There is also a piece of "gold" (spray painted rock), a little tulle-wrapped bunch of actual frankincense, and another little tulle-wrapped bunch of myrrh. The kids had fun looking at these things and learning the symbolism behind them. For instance: gold is for a king, frankincense is for a priest, and myrhh is for one who is to die.

We also had another little velvet bag (maybe from the same visiting teacher the next year). Inside it was the story of the "Other Wiseman" and three fake jewels: a ruby, a sapphire, and a pearl that go along with the story.

These are really neat things to read as a family every year. That night Ailey also picked out a book from our "Christmas Countdown" and it was a book on the Three Wisemen. We are now experts on the Wisemen!!


Story time

One of our other traditions is a present for Jesus. When we first moved here from Utah, Reilly got a cute little wooden box from one of her primary teachers. Glued to the inside lid was this: "The wise men brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. What can you give to Jesus?" We each fill in something on a little slip of paper that we will give to Jesus...usually it a bad habit or something that we are going to stop doing or something that we will start doing. Then the next year around Christmas we go over what we said we would do and see how we did. We impressed our home teachers...probably for the first time...they had challenged us to not just think about presents and santa...but think of a gift we could give to Jesus this year. The kids were thrilled to get out the little wooden box!


My favorite light display

We also went this week to the big lights display on the lake that a big resort in our area puts on...they were great this year. We also loved the carosel and the fishing Santa. It was really pretty to walk on the board walk out over the water and see all the lights. Pretty but COLD! We love the board walk out on the lake because it is the site where Tyler proposed to me many moons ago. (But in July not December). Reilly had to reinact this little moment. She climbed up on the table and pretended to be me sighing and fluttering my eyelashes!!

Cold Family Fun!

We also went inside the shop area and saw all the gingerbread houses on display. They were collecting ideas to use on the gingerbread house from Carolyn!!
Kids in Santa's Sleigh...impossible to get everyone looking at me...freaky little elf down by the bottom of the sleigh!!

Reilly also had a piano recital this week. It was held at a retirement home...cute idea...and there was a captive audience. They kids all played Christmas songs and then everyone joined in to sing "We Wish You A Merry Christmas".



Three of the "stars" of the night: Emily, Ally, and Reilly



So cute!

I am about to commense on a wrapping marathon. I did finish all my wrapping for our Adult Christmas sock exchange!! Here's another tradition that we have...One year my mom decided that all of us kids were too old for her to be filling stockings for us anymore (I don't blame her...five kids...it would take forever!) I also rather sheepishly will admit that I think I was married at the time...gulp! Everyone else was in college or high school. This idea didn't sit very well with all of us...we love our stockings...so we came up with a new tradition. We would draw names and then fill the stocking of that person. Even my mom's name is added to the mix. The limit has fluctuated between $50-$100. If you don't have to buy presents for about 8 other people you can use that money to do a great stocking for someone. This year we are all feeling pretty wealthy (we are delusioned but still...) so the limit is $100. We draw names usually after we open up all our stuff...so we have a year to collect fabulous things. We also are required to sent a list of "ideas" out to the person who has us...usually in October. Two other specifications...one item has to be an ornament (this is yet another tradition...my parents started giving us ornaments every year since we were little and every time they traveled they would bring us each back an ornament...then when you get married/or old enough you get to take all your ornaments with you. I started our married life with TONS of ornaments and we are passing this tradition onto our kids.) The other gift has to be a fleamarket/garage sale/thrift store find...we are all true junkers at heart!! Every one collects something. This is seriously SO fun!! We usually do all the Santa stuff in the morning for the kids and then in the evening it's all about the adults!! This year Tyler has Kelley and I have Stacey...fun people to buy for. There are a few who AREN'T fun to buy for...Tyler, John, Kirk (the guys). It just isn't that thrilling to hang out at Sportsmans Warehouse, REI, and electronics stores getting their stuff. The BEST part isn't all the gifts but watching the person you got stuff for open up their things. I am seriously giddy to give Stac her stuff. One thing I have been holding onto for almost a YEAR!! Wouldn't you like to know what it is Stacey...you have to wait a few more days!

I'd better get wrapping!

Fa La La

Another busy week at our house. I love this time of year even if it is a busy time. I enjoy the hustle and bustle of the holidays. This week Kameron had a special day when all the dads got to come to his Kindergarten class and they made Gingerbread houses. Kameron was so excited. He had been talking about this for over a month. Mom at school...not that exciting; Dad at school...super cool!One little girl, who is also in our ward, had her grandpa come in who was visiting from out of town. He is a bluegrass singer and sang a bunch of songs and got the kids and dads involved. I heard he did a fantastic job. Kameron came home dancing a jig and singing "Grandma's Feather Bed".

Their masterpiece

Tyler came in early and had lunch with Reilly. She was thrilled. You couldn't pay me enough money to eat school lunch. Gag! She is currently a "lunchroom worker". She loves it...except when she has to scrape the trays. She also gets to earn a "hot lunch" on the days she works. So the day Tyler came in I asked her if she wanted to use one of her free "hot lunches"...she usually takes her lunch due to the whole vegetarian thing...She informed me that she doesn't get a "free" lunch. She worked and "earned" that lunch and don't I realize that "nothing in life is free"? Aaaahh!! The sweet sounds of my own words coming back to me.

On Tuesday we had our book club Christmas Party at Twigs. It was so fun! Great food...even better company. We shut the place down. We met at 6:30 pm and left after 11:30...and who said mormon moms don't know how to party! We had a book exchange and I got a great book that I am very excited to read it is "Chocolat" by Joanne Harris. Thanks Rebecca! You can read more about our night on the town on Andrea's Blog


The next day was our YW Banner Activity. Some crazy person in our Stake YW Presidency thought it would be a "fantastic" idea to do a winter hike. So on December 30th at 7:30 am I will be dragging my butt up a cold, snowy mountain. I can't wait! (Note the sarcasm). We are also going to be carrying banners up the mountain and planting them in the frozen ground/snow. The banners are to represent "What I stand for". Here is mine:


Here are some pictures of our holiday decorations. This year Tyler and I went to the big fancy hotel in our town and they had it decorated with some gorgeous flocked trees. I have never really wanted a flocked tree before but they looked absolutely beautiful. We did some checking around and a flocked tree ran in the range of $100. We are much too cheap to pay that but I saw a white artificial tree at Rite-Aid on sale for $20...SOLD! I put all my vintage 50's "Shiny Brite" ornaments on it and it looks very cute in our kitchen.




I have also done a whole bunch of Christmas baking. I had to get presents/treats ready for a whole slew of teachers: Reilly's, Kameron's, ballet teachers, piano teachers, activity day leaders, the families Tyler home teaches, and the ladies I visit teach. I still have more to do for neighbors and friends. My mom has always made treats and elaborate cookie plates and my sisters and I would love to go and deliver them for her. When Kelley was college-age and Stacey and I were both married we used to take pity on poor Kelley and make her some great Christmas treats. Later we found out that she would disassemble our plates and rearrange our baked goods on her own plates and give them away as gifts to HER friends!

I finally got all my Christmas cards done and all my packages sent. The women that I visit teach are all ladies who don't want any visits from the church. They have relented to having a monthly letter sent to them. How I got that job I don't know! Anyway I have had about 7 ladies for almost a year. I have had the best time with it. I have an excuse to buy really cute stationary and cards. I hand write each one and include the RS Newsletter and VT message with parts I like highlighted. At first I had no idea what I would write about to women I have never met but it came rather easy. I babble on about myself and our ward. Much like this blog... since then (not because of me and my little letters) one of my ladies has returned to church and I got a really neat card from another one right before Christmas (finally someone wrote me back). She was very sweet and said how much she enjoyed my letters etc. So since I can't drop off a treat to them for Christmas I sent them a mix CD of my favorite Christmas music. Tyler made me a FABULOUS Christmas CD. I am very picky about my Christmas music...hearing Mariah Carey, Jessica Simpson, or Celine Dion belt out a christmas carol makes me want to puke. (Sorry all you Mariah, Jessica, or Celine fans). I LOVE all the old stuff...Frank Sinatra, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Judy Garland, Johnny Mathis etc. I also like the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Manheim Steamroller etc. So Tyler burned a CD of all my favorites for me. I had him burn about six more copies for my VT ladies and sent it to them. My visiting teachers are great...Carolyn...you are the best! Look what she brought me tonight:

My kids flipped out! Great idea! I might have to steal that one from you for next year. The kids have been busy helping me make cookies. Here are a few pictures of my little "helpers":




This weekend I got my Christmas present early...a new digital camera...Yay! Hence all the pictures. Poor Tyler...he also got his Christmas gift this weekend too...a new washer! Some day we will exchange gifts that aren't replacements for broken items or household necessities. At least it's better than the year we each gave the other 2 tires for the car or the ever-exciting christmas garment exchange. (Early on in our marriage I made the mistake of giving Tyler garments as a gift (he really needed them)...he let me know in no uncertain terms that garments are NOT a gift!) He's come a long way baby! The year of the garment exchange he was QUITE excited about his haul of underwear...a whole weeks worth...yehaw!

Friday was my mom's birthday (and Naomi's)...Happy Birthday Mom! I love you lots! You are the best and I am SO lucky to be your daughter.

My mom!!

Uh-oh...Surgery

Yesterday we found out that Ailey needs to have surgery three days after Christmas. Nothing too major...she needs to have a tonsillectomy and an adenoidectomy. She has huge adenoids and they are causing her to have severe sleep apnea. She always seems to have some kind of respiratory issues...when she was born she aspirated amniotic fluid and spent almost 24 hours in the NICU.

Little Cutie!

Then when she was six months old she got RSV and then another respiratory infection on top of that. She was on a nebulizer five times a day for months. Anytime she gets a cold it usually goes to her chest...so we are always keeping an eye/ear on her breathing.

She has always been a real snorer...but in the last two weeks I have heard her not only snoring but actually gasping at times for air. She then had several episodes of sleep apnea so severe that we could hear her from the other room struggling to get a breath. She sleeps in our room now. I took her to the pediatrician and she sent us to an ear, nose and throat doctor. She isn't breathing at all out of her nose...she just breathes out of her mouth for a "Darth Vader" like effect. Her voice has even changed a bit due to the size of her adenoids...she talks like she has a stuffy nose with a sore throat...not too noticeable but noticeable to me.

Anyway...her surgery is three days after Christmas. I don't know why but I am kind of freaking out about it. I guess it is just the first time any of our kids have had to have surgery...she seems so small...and having to have anesthesia...I don't know... I am a worrier.

Side note...my sister, Kelley, just had to have HER tonsils out 2 days ago. She is miserable right now. I guess the older you are the longer the recovery. So it's probably a good idea that Ailey gets all of this taken care of now. The doctor told us that after the surgery the sleep apnea usually goes away. I hope so. Scary stuff!

Sisters Creed Christmas Sale

Stacey, Mom, me and Kelley...my eyes are closed...SHOCKER!

On Saturday we participated in a Christmas Antiques and Craft Show. We were one of eight vendors. We had a ball! It was held in an old grange hall...very cute...good crowd...live music etc. It was a lot of fun. We did very well. I sold a bunch of stuff and made some great Christmas money. We had fun talking to all the people. We had several repeat customers from the sale we did this summer. Here are some pictures from our booth...the pictures didn't turn out very well...bad lighting...but you get the gist.

The sale was held in my sister's town. We all spent the night at her house on Friday. On Saturday Tyler came down...he took the kids and they went and hung out with Wendy, Ben and their family. Tyler and Ben went up into the woods and cut down our Christmas tree. I have been busy decking the halls and decorating the tree this week. Our Christmas sale put me all off my normal schedule...usually I like to get the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and I have it all put up and the house decorated by the end of Thanksgiving weekend. This year I am a bit behind.


We did start our new tradition...thanks for the idea Kariann...of using books to count down to Christmas. I wrapped a bunch of Christmas books...and put them under the tree...each day one of the kids picks out a wrapped book and we read the book before bedtime. I LOVE it! Much better than three kids fighting over a miniscule piece of chocolate behind an Advent Calendar window...and we get to have a cozy time reading some great Christmas stories.