12.20.2007

Seriously!!!!!

I think I have adapted the phrase "Life is paved with good intentions" What is it with the "business" of the holiday season? This year in particualr, I have tried so hard to make this a fun and memorable Christmas season for my kids. Being away from family and from our usual traditions has been really hard. I have these grand and wonderful images in my head about making trains (a childhood favorite) reading christmas stories every night before bed, baking, building snowmen, shopping for eachother and so on.... but in reality its gone a little something like this... cleaning all day just to get ahead but really making it worse becasue kids are neglected and therefor crazy and destructive, driving back and forth with all 5 kids in tow down the canyon for shopping and still not getting everything and thus having to do it again and again, not getting home until way past bedtime and then having to carry sleeping kids into bed, being too warm inside to venture out into the freezing cold snow (not now..Thanks Mom for the Jacket and boots!!!) and then not being able to stick to carefully planned out days before Christmas because of stuff like this...

I went upstairs this morning to get the kids dressed and this is what I found-and it was all over the ceiling as well, and, as I found tonite, all over Noahs wall in his room. I was out late last night and Bill put the kids down and apparantly didnt bother to check on the kids when they were still awake and running around and Noah was screaming that he needed a magic eraser (we use a lot of those in our house). I couldnt yell because Tyson knew what he did was wrong. He pointed the wall out to me saying "Uh oh mom, look what me and Caleb did last night." But you better believe I put them to work.
I didnt have my glasses on, so I started to go over to take a closer look at the damage and I rammed my toe into the corner of the bed. I heard cracks and crunches and knew immediatlly it wasnt good. Im not sure if I broke it or not, but I definatly cannot walk. Today was baking day, so....what are you gonna do? I should just know by now that things dont EVER go as planned. I dont know why im always suprised. I attempted to start baking right at dinner time and ended up making a huge mess (but made a super yummy new recipie for dinner). By the time dinner was done, baths and jammies were done, laundry was done, shoveling the 10 feet of snow off the driveway and steps, I was way too tired to even attempt it. Maybe tomorow.
This season is supposed to be about family and about being together and I guess that as long as they are happy and healthy then things really arent so bad. I just need to remember these good moments instead of all the bad ones where im not getting anything done.
Besides, who could get mad at these angels???
The Jammie crew.
We have been getting so much snow lately. I was upstairs and I happend to glance out the window and saw this. This is our deck.
(Since I took this pic, it has snowed about 6 more inches)

RANDOM HAPPENINGS!!
Just some random pics.


Caleb thinks he is so funny when he hides in the fridge. He thinks no one can see him.

Tyson, Tyson, Tyson. What can I say about this boy. He is definatly taking on some of his older brother traits. He loves to build and create things. One day while him and Caleb were playing blocks, he called me in to check out his new "creation."

"Mom, Look!" "He's just like Jesus!"

(yes, that is the penguin from Surfs Up)





This is Noah in his first school concert. The 3rd and 4th graders put on a great "ALL" Holiday concert.

(Noah is on the top row in the tie)

Our sweet monkey turned 10 Months Old!!!

She is the funniest thing alive. This really has to be one of my favorite stages. She now has 6 teeth, she LOVES food, and she gets into everything and anything she can get her hands on. She is the best natured baby. She will wake up and stay in her crib for like an hour just playing and talking and singing. She loves to sing pat a cake and eensie weensie spider and she does all the motions. She has a set of lungs and can SCREAM. She thinks its so funny. She loves to copy the kids. When we are in the car, the kids say a word over and over and she will copy them-But, she still cant way Mama. She says daddy all the time. It really isnt fair. She loves to wave and blow kisses. She loves to dance and she trys to sing when she hears music. She is so alert and she will stare a hole in you if she doesnt know you. She has to study you and make sure your ok before she will let you in. I could go on and on about her, I just love her so much. I cant believe she is almost one. It goes by too fast.

Sunday is Calebs birthday and we are having a little birthday party/Christmas party with Bills brothers and their families-im looking foward to that. Im sure this wont be the last Christmas we are away from family, so Bill and I decided its time we start our own traditions. I would love to hear some of your traditions to give me some ideas.

I hope you all have a great Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!





12.07.2007

Just the Begining!!!

What a crazy time. I thought if I started early on the Christmas shopping then I could enjoy the season. Not so. It has been one thing after the next. I feel like I havent even had time to breathe. Living so far away from any good place to shop is a nightmare. I have to drive at least 30-40 minutes just to go to Target. I decided on Monday that I was going to take the night, all night if I had to, and get it all done. It would have been a great night had I not locked my dang keys in the car. I had to wait for Bill to get all the kids up, get them in their coats and load them in the car. By the time he got there, it was 45 minutes later and Costco, my next stop, was closed. When Bill got there, he called and said he was outside and asked where I parked the car. I told him where and as I walked outside, I realized the car was not there. I started freaking out. The people outside must have thought I was crazy. I look in Bills car and him and Noah were dying laughing. I didnt think I locked the keys in the car, I thought I lost them in the store. Bill had an experience a while back when he lost his keys somewhere, I cant remember where, but when he came outside to see if he locked them in the car, he saw 2 guys with his keys pushing the alarm thing to see which car they belonged to. I knew for sure thats what had happened..Someone found the keys, found the car, and stole it along with ALL our christmas presents. I could have killed Bill. Not funny. Anyway, I knew I had to go back to Costco the next day because I had already ordered my Christmas cards. So Last night we decided to go after Noahs Christmas program at his school. He finished at 7:10. Costco closes at 8:30. We zoomed down the canyon and got to Costco at 7:45. Bill fed the kids and I shopped. After spending way too much, as always, we literally stuffed every nook available in the car with food. It was so late when I got home the night before that I never unloaded the car, nor did we unload when we got home the previous Sat. night. So needless to say, the car was packed. I think If I packed it nice it would have not been a problem-we really didnt buy a whole lot of stuff, but I threw everything in because I just wanted to get in the warm car. Im not joking, its been so dang cold. When we got home last night at 9, it was 5 degrees and when Bill took the kids to school this morning, it was NEGATIVE 2. I thought I was in Utah, not freakin Alaska. Sorry for all the snow and cold posts, but its whats goin on in my life. My goal is by the end of this week, to be COMPLETLY done with Christmas and have them all wrapped so I can enjoy Bills birthday on Monday and the last week before Christmas with the kids


Noah and Lani both had Christmas programs with their classes. I dont think I have ever been to such a politcally correct "Christmas" concert. They sang a song from every possible Holiday you could think of, except Haunakka, they sang 3. Im guessing their music teacher is Jewish??? Have you ever heard of Los Posadas?? I have now. It was crazy. Bill and I were cracking up. Its sad that Christmas is totally taken away because you dont want to "offend" anyone. It just confirms to me what a liberal place I live in. Beautiful, but liberal.
I really do love this time of year. I have so many great memories. I have never been away from home on Christmas-this will be the first year and im having a real hard time with it. Im used to my familys Christmas eve and my Aunts Chicken pie, and seeing all my cousins that I really only see this one time a year and then running to Bills family Christmas eve for a fun white elephant gift exchange and the yummiest shredded beef burritos that his uncle John makes (soooo good). We then go home to have the kids find their christmas jammies and then we usually go to Bills house or my house for games and then home to wait for Santa. Its a long day and night, but so much fun. Christmas morning is just as crazy. We open our presents with our little family and then go to my parents for presents and then Bills moms house for presents and then back to my parents house for my dads famous omlets and then home to play with what we got and a nap and then back to Bills moms for games and more food. The day after Christmas usually consists of cards with my family, leftovers and shopping if there are any good sales. So many traditions and things that im used to and its going to be really hard to not have those things this year. My family is big and its hard to transport it all somewhere else, so I guess this is where our little family traditions begin. I hate change. Whoever said change is good was waaaaay off.


These are pictures from our massive "2 feet of snow" storm that hit us this past week. So beautiful when it was falling. This first picture was taken at 2 in the morning when I couldnt sleep. It was not fun the next morning shoveling our driveway while all our neighbors had their snowblowers. The kids of course love it.






HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!



12.04.2007

Snow Days

Snow, snow and more snow. This last weekend it poured snow-I think we got about 8 inches or so and we are expecting snow the rest of the week. The kids love it and are outside as much as they can. Its so hard for me to get used to all the many layers of clothes on all the kids. Its weird not being able to let them run outside with no shoes on. My favorite part is when I just mop the floor and they trek in snow and mud all over the place. Have I mentioned how much I love it here???