Christmas 2008

Christmas Eve day we made cookies for Santa. They were divine. Gingerbread cookies for the Big Guy. Myles and Liam had a blast cutting out different shapes. No surprise there were several football cookies because everyone knows Santa loves football. James, James, James. He helped. Sort of. No description needed. Boys...

Then we open our traditional one gift on Christmas Eve. It is funny when the kids are old enough, and smart enough, to ask if they can just open their pajamas so they can go to bed. One of these years they might be surprised and open something other than new jammies. But then they might be disappointed. It is a good tradition. I think we will keep it.

Myles, Matt and I stayed up a little later. Tracking Santa via Norad and watching some t.v. He had a hard time understanding that the plate of yummy cookies were for Santa. He "got" that the carrots weren't for him and never bothered them. The cookies were just too tempting.

The goods

"So what your saying is these cookies aren't for ME?"

Christmas Morning...

They were up early. They took inventory before they came to wake us up. Myles was not happy with getting up. It took him a few minutes to realize that everyone else was opening gifts. I love watching their faces as they open their gifts. I love the happiness. I just love them.



Then we shifted gears, cleaned up real fast and started Christmas Breakfast. We had six missionaries over. We can appreciate being away from home and family this time of year. We had a yummy spread and watched a movie about the true meaning of Christmas. It was fun to have them in our home. They brought a special spirit with them.


Top photo: Sister Davis, Elder Jensen, Elder Gift, Elder Pratt, Elder Alder and Sister Rothe

For Lunch we went over to our close friends, the Haighs. They are our Colorado Peeps. They moved here just six months before we did and have become like family to us. More great food. Lots of laughs. We love these guys.


Then on the 26th my parents came to stay with us. They brought Jessie the cutest little present. They knocked on the door, came in, hugs and then Grandma sent Grandpa out to the car to get Jessie's present. They made Jessie close her eyes, distracted her with a bag, and then when she opened her eyes there was her Missouri friend. She was so surprised and so excited. They have been hanging out and just loving spending time together. We are enjoying having Gma and Gpa here. Love spending time with them. We have some fun things planned. More on that later.

I hope you all have a safe and wonderful holiday season. ~ M

Church Dance, Painting and a funny story

Busy couple of days

{as if this time of year isn't just busy enough}.

Super Saturday

James went to the Youth Dance on Saturday. I think he looked super cute. When did he get so dang old?

The kids and I have been working on a present for Myles. He has an obsession with his little people so we decided to personalize it a little. Here is the finished project...

Meet our family

Myles, Mom, Dad, Jessie, Liam and James

Some of our Superhero friends

Dj (from Monster house Myles' fav movie)

A Christmas elf, Elmo, Spiderman, Superman and Batman

And we are pleased to introduce

President Elect Barack Obama

Can you totally tell I watched Painting with Bob Ross as a kid? I did.

After the last boob story we have had several conversation about what are ouwies and what are not. It has been cleared up. No more confusion. Also Myles has a slight obsession with pockets and all things pocket related. He finds quite a bit of joy in the fact that you can carry things (rocks, money, cars, broken candy canes) with you at all time.

Now for the story.

The other day Myles and I were walking out of the pharmacy. I let him carry the paper bag. As we were walking he took the pills out and crumpled up the bag. I was buckling him into his car seat and he said "Here Mom." handing me the discarded crumpled paper bag. I said "Hold on just a second". He smiled and said "Just put it in you boob pocket" and proceed to push it down my shirt. Thank goodness I have a specific pocket to carry those things around.

Don't have a free hand?

Pant pockets full?

Just put it in you boob pocket.

Snow Day?

That's right. We had two "snow" or inclement weather days down here in Arkansas. No snow on the ground, just ice. Whatever. I have said it before and I will say it again. Children belong in school. So at least we could be productive. We made our teacher presents. They turned out so dang cute. If I get any more domestic I will have to change my name to Martha...

Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows

Yummy Goodness... who knew?

I got bit by the Christmas bug...

Had a heavy dose of Christmas this weekend...

It started with a wild party @ the Brown's. I don't have any pictures from that but it was good food, great friends and a lot of laughs.

Saturday we had the first of Matt's work parties. Lots of people, the food was okay but most importantly there was an appearance by "the big guy". When it was time for his arrival there was a whisper going around the room that Santa is almost here and this precious little boy at the table next to us said (in his loudest voice) "Santa's NOT even real". I wish I would have had my camera out so I could have captured the looks of all the parents around him... Funny Boy, of course Santa is real. And then he showed up and he brought presents.

On the way home from that we drove through the Lights At Burns Park. It was a lot of fun, well worth the $5. The whole way home (40 minutes) we blasted Christmas music and everyone (yes, everyone) sang along. It made me happy.

Then today we got to experience the Cabot Christmas Parade. It was funny. I mean it was fun. Surprisingly cold (55 degrees with rain). Definitely was rollin Arkansas style. No offense to my peeps from here. One of the funniest things was listening to the bystanders. Every time an entry went by someone would shout out hello or hey I work with your Ma. Ah, living in a small town. Then we realized that Liam was getting quite a few hello's from people passing by. Got some fun pictures.

Not too sure about this guy though. Pretty sure Jesus wouldn't be amused by his costume choice. And how about the look he was giving me for taking his picture...

The JoYs of MoThErHoOd!

A couple of days ago, in the midst of a football takedown, I took a size 7T croc to the face. I was pretty sure that my nose had been shoved into my brain or at the very least it was broken. But when I recovered so quickly I guessed it wasn't so. My eyes watered. That was it. Until I woke up this morning. Thank goodness for GOOD makeup. By posting this picture I am also admiting to the world that I AM one of those girls who shouldn't leave the house without makeup.

But now for the funny part of the story (sorry I don't think I look that funny). Several weeks ago Myles got an eyelash in his eye. Someone said "Oh sweetie, did you get a booboo?" He looked perplexed and asked "A BOOB?" We quickly recovered and asked if he had an ouwie. Ever since then if anything happens to him he says he got a boob. He got a boob on his knee. He got a boob on his finger. Yesterday he got a boob in his eye. So his response to his foot hitting my nose, and my eyes watering, was "MOM you got a boob in you eye. Me kiss it."

One of these days I am sure I will laugh at this...

Tis' the season...

The tree is up.

The garland is hung.


I have only bought one present so far. Not one Christmas card in the mail. I think I have moved to the planet of inflatable law ornaments. Never in my life have I seen so many blow-up decorations. It is raining today and currently 57 degrees.
I need a heavy dose of Christmas spirit.
Quickly.

But this little prize from our RS toy swap has made me so happy.
Flashback for anybody who played in the 80's...

The other woman...

My baby boy is in love with another women. Every mom of a little boy knows that this will happen eventually. Your little boy will grow up and give his undivided love to someone other than you. I knew the day would come when I wasn't the only one who could make him smile. Did I think it would happen so soon? No...


He can be having a full on fit and when he hears her voice he stops. He listens with baited breath to everything she says. He laughs hysterically when she says his name. He actually told me to "be quiet" so he could listen to her.

I knew it was love when we were driving, he was crying, she said "Turn left in two miles" He said "I two Myles" and the tears were gone.

That's right. He is in LOVE with the Garmin Lady. She has been on mute for the last six months but now he can't wait to hear his name. Miles, Myles... whatever. At least I still have the chocolate milk working for me.

I am thankful...

I am thankful for my family. I am thankful for the sacrifices made to spend Thanksgiving together. I am thankful for the friendships that were deepened. I am just overwhelmingly thankful for all the love felt this week.

Our first Thanksgiving in Arkansas. So much of my family made the trip to spend the holiday with us. My sister and her family drove for days from Utah. We need to live closer so these kids can play more. Myles really bonded this time with Grandma (or Barnum as he called her (?) and Grandpa. That really made me wish we lived closer to them. Jesse was a blast to hang out with. Susan and Laura only got to be here for the day but it was wonderful to see them again and next time stay a little longer.

It was so nice to be able to spend time with everyone.
Great food, lots of fun. I miss them already.

I am especially thankful for these people...

All about babies!

Not for us but just some cuteness I wanted to record.

My adorable friend Emily had a stunner of a babe this past weekend. I was reading her blog and crying. Not because I want one so bad... No, because her pictures are beautiful. I could just feel how in love they were with her. I could feel the spirit of that new little life. Her cute little lips. Oh, I could almost smell that sweet new baby smell... Okay, maybe just a little baby hungry... Anyways, I'm crying, Myles comes into my room, takes one look at me and say ""it's otay mommy. be a big boy!", (because this is what we say to him when he is crying) climbed up on my lap gave me a hug and I said "Will you stay a baby forever?" Smiling he said "Nope, sawee!" and ran off to play... followed by more tears...

Then today. A perfect daycare day. I babysit. I don't know if I have ever mentioned that. Two + Mine. Three kids under the age of 2. We are quite the sight. Whenever we go to the store I swear to you people give me "the look". Anyways, again I digress... Perfect daycare day, all three kids took a two hour nap, at the same time. AMEN! I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to go through the rest of my baby stuff to send to my BFF Adrianne who is having a baby. No tears were shed during this process. I am just amazed at how little newborn cloths look compared to the GIGANTIC 2 year old asleep on my couch. How was he ever that small? Anyways, when he woke up he was watching me. I told him that these were his clothes when he was a baby. He jumped up, ran to his room, came back with his two babydoll sidekicks, started rummaging through all the clothes, picked out the perfect ensembles for his babes and we dressed them. They chilled the rest of the afternoon watching Noggin.


Not surprising, baby A is in a football onsie and baby B is in basketball jammies. Why did I assume his baby dolls were girls? Humm...

A, your package is almost ready to send (minus 2).

A day to record for all time

Because of this...




This happened twice at our house yesterday!

To clarify, a million thanks to Krista for letting us borrow this video. We are forever in debt to you. Secondly, the baby sat on the potty for the majority of the day with no results. Not surprising though. Also, this baby is not a "fast reader". Never moved past this same page. But Myles went #1 and #2, in two different sittings. YEAH! MYLES!!!

However, he is now obsessed with washing his hands with soap and wawer. (and our water bill had just recovered from his "20 baths a day" phase)

Happy Birthday A! To one of my bestest delights (sorry, one day late)

I thought this would be the perfect opportunity for a shout out to my best girl A! We have been friends for 17+ years. I know, right, you are totally thinking that we must have been friends since preschool. Close...

This girl has been my rock. More times then I can count. We have been through everything together. Junior High. Rebelling. Crushes. Marriages. Divorces. Babies. Trying for babies. Deaths. Family "issues". Really, really good times. Really bad times. Not talking for long periods of time. Calling each other 5 times a week. This is the girl that I can call in the middle of the night and cry to and she will cry with me. And then threaten to beat up the person who made me cry. I know that she would drop everything to be there for me, and me for her. We can do something or nothing and still have the best time. We have so many memories, both good and bad, but all important. This is a girl who will stand up for me no matter the consequence. I know that I can say whatever is on my mind and she will not judge me but she will tell me when I am being stupid. I love her family. Like my own. They have made a huge impact on my life. I am a better person because of them. She is going to be a mommy. She is going to be a fabulous mommy. I can't wait to meet her new little man. My kids love her. In fact, when Liam found out she was having a baby he asked if it was going to be his nephew or his cousin. We can laugh at each other. We can laugh at other people. She is fiercely loyal. She is crazy domestic and she always cooks for me. My family will eat recipes if I "claim" they are from her. As far as friends go, this girl is the real deal. I hope everyone has the privilege of having a friend like her. I consider myself so lucky. A few weeks ago, while driving the kids to school, there was a caller on the radio named Adrianne. The conversation went like this...
Liam (in his most excited voice): Mom! Oh my gosh, it's adrianne.
M: Yeah, It is probably not my friend Adrianne...
Liam: No, they said it was Adrianne.
M: I know but I think it might just be another Adrianne.
Liam (sigh, slump down, give me a disappointed look): I still think it might be the REAL Adrianne.

I just wanted you to know, to us, you will always be the REAL ADRIANNE.

Catch up...

Happenings this week... Warning: Picture overload.

Halloween. It sure was. Not my favorite holiday that is for sure. The kids collected an abundance of candy and had fun with their friends. I forgot to take pictures. I did get a picture of the loot (thanks for the awesome pillowcases Grandma) . And a picture of my favorite item of the evening. After an exciting evening of trick-or-treating Liam, Matt and I went with some friends on a Haunted Hayride. Way fun. Right up Liam's alley. That kid is a scare junkie. He loved it.

Matt has been staying super busy with work. He works really hard to provide for our family and I am really grateful for him. I couldn't resist this picture. Myles helping Dad with his lesson plans. Love these boys...

Jessie went back to her roots. Well sort of. She was ready for a change. We color matched her roots and this is what is closest to her "natural" color. She has been highlighting for so long I kinda thought she was blonde. Makes sense though. She looks stunning. Way easier to maintain. She is ending the myth that blondes have more fun.

The Classic "BEFORE" picture
{notice the aforementioned ROOTS}

AFTER
Simply gorgeous

This past Tuesday we wrapped up football season. The 9th grade panthers ended with a 9-1 season. I haven't posted all of the scores but they did lose last weeks game. It was rough. The Refs were brutal. You know it was a "bad" game when the refs have police escorts to take them off the field. But I was proud of James and his example. He had an awesome season. Grandma and Grandpa were able to make it to his last game. We were so excited to have them here. That is definitely the hardest part of being away from family. We miss them terribly and were so excited that they got to have the FOOTBALL experience with us.

Myles has a little friend that lives down the street. He thinks they are BFFs. He wants him to come over everyday, much to my dismay. He never wants to see him leave. He chases after him yelling "Come back Titty, Come back Titty! Mr Titty!" {I am not sure if this is his real name}

And finally, to wrap this exciting week in review, today I was held up at gunpoint by the cutest dang naked armed robber ever...