Our Christmas Vacation, Part 1

This year we celebrated Christmas with my whole immediate family in Logandale. It was so fun being home with everyone. The kids had a great time playing with their cousins and aunts and uncles too. Here we are on our way. Looks like everyone is excited! We had been talking about going to Grandpa and Grandma's for Christmas for a few weeks before we actually left!
At about Kingman, Eden started screaming because the sun was in her eyes, so I gave her my extra pair of sunglasses. They kept falling down and she was so frustrated, but then she got the hang of them. I guess I need to get her some kid-sized glasses, although these do look pretty cute on her!
Yeah, we made it! And Michaela made it home just in time for us to come. Eden and Michaela are best buddies.
The kids were so excited to be at Grandma's and see Tibi!
It was pretty cold for the first few days, but that didn't stop the kids from going out to play in the yard and petting Kit (our dog) and the cat.
The kids jammed on the keyboard and watched movies. I guess at Grandma's house, pants are optional.
The big kids pulled out the 64 a few times and played Golden Eye and Mario Kart. We really got into it, as you can see.
On Christmas Eve, Kira finally showed up. We went to the Chappells for gift exchanges, White Elephant, and Christmas Bells. Everyone got some great stuff!

Levi was ready to go home after a while.

Poor Kira had never even met Phoenix before. He is now 7 months old! It was love at first sight.

Our Christmas Vacation, Part 2

Christmas morning, we woke up to watch Santa bring some of our presents in. We decided not to wake up Eden, and were so glad we didn't. Jonah was attentive and quiet as he watched Santa bring in some presents. He did great for his first time! Here he is with the violin Santa brought him.
After Santa left, we woke up Eden and Levi. Eden was a disaster and threw a holy fit. She is even less of a morning person than her mom! We decided to put her back to bed and let her open her presents later. Levi was good as long as he had something to eat!

Jonah got the hang of opening presents down pat.

He even emptied his own stocking. He was so excited about the orange at the bottom.
Landon got me some Vans for our gift exchange. Yeah! (And here is proof that I'm not afraid to put ugly pictures of myself on my blog. Yikes, that hair!)
My mom outdid herself with homemade gifts. She made Landon a rag quilt...
And a few of my sisters and I got wall hangings that she made. I love it! (Another scary picture!)

My mom also made each of us girls double-sided aprons and matching potholders. I had to steal this picture from one of my sister's blogs.

The Christmas side

The regular side
Tibi got another cute apron from Kira.

We all had a really great Christmas. I think the highlight for my siblings and I was two CDs of my mom singing in 1978. That was 30 years ago! My dad had remastered a tape that my mom gave him of her singing when they first met. It was really interesting to hear my mom's voice at 20. That was probably the most special gift this year.

A few days after Christmas, a few of us headed to St. George to pick up a few things and to eat at The Pizza Factory. We had a blast and the food was great, as usual. I even saw a few old buddies from my days as a waitress there. These two pigs barely shared that Never-On-Sundae.
The kids "helped" Grandpa and Landon with some yard work while we were there.

And they even got to take a bath all together.

We spent some time singing this year too. Michaela got the Wicked piano book, so we sang through that a few times. Then we broke out the usual stuff. It was great singing around the piano like we used to.

50 Random Things

1. Do you like blue cheese? No, I think it kind of stinks.
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? NO!
3. Do you own a gun? Nope, but maybe someday.
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? I just get a cherry limeade or watermelon slushie, no extra flavors.
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Depends on what the appointment is for.
6. What do you think of hot dogs? I like them with onions, ketchup and mustard, even mayo, but no relish. And I like small dogs, so there's not too much meat. I also like the ones at gas stations that are sitting on those little rotating warmers. I know, I'm gross.
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Too many to choose, but this year it might be A Christmas Story. "HO HO HO!" Ha ha.
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Orange Juice with lots of pulp!
9. Can you do push-ups? Yes, but not very many. I used to be able to do more than 50 at once.
10. Age? Just turned 29.
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring.
12. Favorite hobby? I don't really have time for hobbies, so right now it's blogging.
13. Favorite Actor: I really like Alan Rickman and Colin Firth.
14. Do you have A.D.D.? Some things are just not worth trying to pay attention to. But no, I can concentrate on something for as long as I need to.
15. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I worry a lot and I know that this gets on other people's nerves too.
16. Middle name? Don’t want to share that one on my blog.
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment...I have a garage sale on Saturday, need to finish a few gifts I'm making, and I need to make a dessert for Saturday.
18. Name 3 things you bought yesterday/today? Vitamins, bananas, and cheese sticks.
19. 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, orange juice, and milk
20. 3 Current worries? Trying to get rid of this cough, Jonah's night terrors, and finishing my Christmas shopping.
21. Current Love right now? Driving around looking at Christmas lights with a thermos of hot chocolate.
22. Favorite place to be? Home, right now.
23. How did you ring in the New Year? Didn't yet. Maybe playing games with family. And of course, a new resolution.
24. Where would you like to go? Hawaii, or anywhere I haven't been yet.
25. Name three people who will complete this. Mother, Lexie, and Courtney.
26. Do you own slippers? Yes, pink fuzzy ones. I don't wear them much, but the kids do.
27. What shirt are you wearing? An old Hollister shirt.
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? Never tried it, but it sounds nice.
29. Can you whistle? Sometimes. I used to whistle better when I was a kid.
30. Favorite color? Aqua blue, gray, black.
31. Would you be a pirate? I am an MVHS pirate, and also was one for Halloween a few years ago.
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Head, Shoulder, Knees and Toes and Popcorn Popping. (Eden is usually in there with me.)
33. Favorite girl's name? Don't want to tell.
34. Favorite boy's name? None right now. Boy names are really hard for me.
35. What is in your pocket? Nothing.
36. Last thing that made you laugh? Eden dancing around.
37. Best bed sheets as a child? Green sheets that looked like blades of grass with orange butterflies on them.
38. Worst injury you've ever had? I guess I've had it pretty good so far. I got a huge wood splinter (bigger than a toothpick) that went through the side of my thumbnail and out the other end once. That really hurt. But I got mastitis really bad with Eden and literally thought I was going to die. So, not an injury, but that was the worst.
39. Do you love where you live? Yes.
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? 2
41. Who is your loudest friend? Probably my sister-in-law, Shelley. Or my mom, Aunt Lisa, and Aunt Debbie when they're together.
42. How many dogs do you have? None yet.
43. Does someone have a crush on you? The Port of Subs guy. I love that place and he always gives me extra stamps on my frequent customer card.
44. What is your favorite book(S)? Just read East of Eden and LOVED it. Great themes and moral.
45. Where were you born? Provo
46. What is your favorite candy? Sees or Red Vines
47. Favorite Sports Team? BYU Cougars and the Phoenix Suns
48. What songs do you want played at your funeral? Um, I don't really like to think about dying. Probably any hymn would do, except There is Sunshine in my Soul. Plus I hate that song.
49. What are you doing at 12 A.M.? Reading.
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? "Jonah, go back to sleep!"

One Big Ol' Long Post

Okay, so we were supposed to participate in our neighborhood's community garage sale this weekend. We forgot to go to the bank to have change on hand, plus we just procrastinated and the garage was a huge mess. We decided to just have our own sale this Saturday. So hopefully I can get organized by then. I have a lot of stuff I need to get rid of.

Since we were bummed about missing the garage sale, we decided to pack up and head out to Carlsbad, CA for a quick trip instead.
We saw a lot of trains on the way, and the kids loved it when we got one to blow its whistle for us.
We stayed with my grandparents, who were really nice about the short notice. It was great to visit with family for the weekend. We thought we would go to Legoland or Sea World on Monday, but instead headed home because by that time, I was starting to catch the kids' cold they had the last week. I have a pretty good immune system that fights to the end, but sometimes it eventually is beaten and I get sick after everyone else has gotten better. Here is Eden running around my grandma's backyard.

While we were in California, we drove up to Costa Mesa, where I lived until I was about 10. I hadn't been there since we moved, so this was probably the highlight of the trip for me! I remembered how to get to my old house, and when we drove by, the owner was out putting up Christmas lights. I told him I grew up in that house and asked if I could take a picture. He was very gracious about it and we ended up chatting for a while. He said that the neighborhood is great and everyone is very nice and keeps their homes nice. Here it is, 3112 Taft Way. I have so many memories of this house and neighborhood.
(For my family's info, I think the Statlers still live at the end of the cul de sac, and the Oriental family might still live next door, although he said their last name was Long, not Lee.) He said that he bought the home in 2006, and there was a jungle in the from yard (probably that old tree) and that his friend came over and ripped it out and did new landscaping. But the house looked great. It was a tan color, although I remember it being a pale yellow color. Anyway, it was so great to see the house. Kira, here's the house with the Scotty dog that had rainbow-colored poop.
And my friend, Jessica Harris, lived right down here- I think in that yellow house in the center of the picture.
We also drove by my old elementary school where I went until 3rd grade, Paularino Elementary School. It looked mostly the same. Here is the view we would have while walking to school- the playground.
Here is the kindergarten entrance. I remember walking out to get picked up from school here with my teacher, Mrs. Carlson. We would count by twos, fives, and tens while walking.
We also drove down where our friends, the Cummings, used to live, but I couldn't remember which building it was. I ended up taking a picture anyway. They lived in one of the downstairs apartments and you turned left to get to their front door.
Then we drove down to the Newport Beach Temple. It is really nicely situated and is a beautiful piece of architecture. So lovely.
We cruised Oceanside and Carlsbad beaches a lot, but never got out because it just was so cold. But we had a fun time. We also got to go to lunch with my sister, Michaela, and her boyfriend, Marc. It was fun to see them.
It's nice to be home since I'm not feeling that well though. Today I slept for a while and feel a little better. Eden is happy to be home so she can play with this thing. We've had it forever, but she has been obsessed with this Noah's Ark toy lately.
Before our trip, I put up a few decorations in the house.
We still haven't set up our Christmas tree yet, because I have been doing this:

Let there be COLOR!

I painted the dining room a light green color. At first, it was a poopy green color that looked pretty ugly, so we went back and chose this one. It's much better. I also painted my kitchen chocolate brown. I am still getting used to all of this color. In hindsight, I should have painted the kitchen a lighter shade so it wouldn't blend into the counter tops, but I don't know a lot about decorating, and just about anything looks better than the ugly flat off-white that used to be there. I can always change it someday, but I doubt I will.

So I worked on the dining room today and I'm done besides one more coat around the ceiling. If I can get that done tomorrow during the day, we can put up our tree tomorrow night! Yeah!

As far as the pigeon problem goes, we had a Pulte guy come out this morning to take a look. The outcome was good- he said that they'd send a roofing guy out to fix the roof, a stucco guy out to stucco over the hole, and he also said that someone would be out to clean up the bird dropping mess. Hooray! Pulte pulled through! I can't tell you how happy I am about this. After researching pigeon control a while back, we found out it might cost around $300 just to get rid of the birds, and then we'd have to still get the roof fixed. So that is a huge burden gone.

Before our trip, I was laying on the couch, and Levi came over and threw a Matchbox car at my eye as hard as he could. Of course, it wasn't on purpose, but man, it hurt so bad that I cried. It hit the outside corner of my eye and it left a little scratch that bled for a second. Then it turned into a little purple "black eye," but it was outside of my eye. When we were in California, I noticed that it was turning greenish yellow. I guess that mean it's getting better, but it sure is ugly! You know, this is just an ugly picture anyway...I have puffy raccoon eyes.
In other news, I got some low lights put into my hair that match my roots. My hair is still pretty fried, so I am trying to grow it out. It's in that ugly in between helmet head phase, but I'm trying not to cut it for a while. I might have to later because it's unhealthy. We'll see. I might post pictures soon.

Hope you are all having a great holiday season! Tomorrow we are going to do one of my favorite traditions- packing everyone up to drive around and look at Christmas lights!

Unwanted Visitor, part 2 and Sick Kids

If any of you remember this post, you know I don't like animals that aren't ours hanging around my house. Well, this time, we have a couple of pigeons trying to build a nest in our roof. For some reason, the builders left a tiny crevice in our roof, perfect for a bird's nest. We are in the process of getting in touch with them about it, but that is another story.
At first we thought they were doves. "Oh, how cute, we have a dove nest on our roof." Yeah well, even if they were doves, the honeymoon phase has ended. They have been making all sorts of noise that we can hear in our room, bathroom, and especially our closet, and we are sick of it! It seems like they have been having wrestling matches at 2 am in that little crevice.

Not only have we had to deal with the weird noises, we have TONS of bird droppings on our roof now. Peter got a good look at the big poopy mess when he put up our Christmas lights. (By the way, thanks, Peter!) The nest area is situated right above the walkway to our front door, so the poop droppings often fall down. There are usually a few nasty droppings on the path, but lately, there have been piles. These birds sure are making themselves at home.

Well, our kind neighbor got up there for us and shoved a rolled-up tarp into the crevice when the birds were gone, so we have a temporary fix until the builders get back to us. The problem is that we can still hear noises, so now we're thinking we trapped them in there. Thank goodness the hole doesn't continue into our attic or anything, so there's no way that the birds could actually enter our home. The builders just got a little lazy with finishing the roof, I guess.

In other news, Jonah and Levi have been battling the weirdest colds ever. Jonah his back to having night terrors too. Levi only has a runny nose and cough, but Jonah has had a fever for a day or two with no other symptoms. He doesn't want to eat much, and has been having a hard time sleeping at night. So, sorry if anyone who has seen us lately has sick kids too!

Recap of 2008

This year I decided to go green with the Christmas letter. I still can't bring myself to not send out Christmas cards; it is one of my favorite things about the season. I love going to the mailbox and seeing how many cards we got that day. If you don't receive a card from us, it's because I don't have your address, so email me or leave me a comment if you want on the list.

Recap of 2008

What a great year we have had! We have been blessed with health and good experiences. Here is a little run-down on the family this year.

Levi has had a busy year! I can't believe that last Christmas he was only 3 months old! He is such a little boy now. He has learned to crawl, walk, climb, and talk at an earlier rate than both Eden and Jonah did. He is a smart little guy and can figure things out pretty quickly. I'm sure it helps to have older siblings around to help him. He is a really happy kid and loves to run around with his cousins and siblings. He gave us a little scare this year when he had a temp of 105 for a few days with Roseola. He got better after a few days and has generally been a healthy kid besides that incident. He loves blankets, but doesn't have a certain blanket he clings to; he just loves all blankets and loves to roll on the floor and get all tangled up. He loves all food and is an extremely slow eater, just like his mom. The difference is that he never gets full.

Eden continues to live out her terrible twos to the fullest. She loves her Nursery teachers at church, and I don't know what we'll do if they get released. She loves to dress up and look pretty, but also loves cars and trains. She is very social and not only says hi to everyone we pass in the store, she says hi to people driving or idling alongside us. She doesn't understand that they can't hear her, so she'll just keep trying to get their attention. She is addicted to fruit snacks and milk, and sometimes I wonder how she is so thick because she is such a picky eater. She loves playing with her cousins and waiting for the school bus with Jonah.

Jonah is turning into a big kid! He accomplished the major milestone of potty training this year with flying colors! He went straight to sleeping through the night without ever having an accident. He is still going to preschool three times a week, which he loves. He is making friends there and at church. He is an avid "reader" and can look at books for hours. He also loves running races, playing with his cars, and going outside. He would eat pizza every day of the week, but he is pretty good at eating most things. He loves singing, dancing and playing instruments.

I was happy to not be pregnant again this year! I have gotten the hang of having three kids, which was a major adjustment at first. I still enjoy sewing, baking, and reading when I get the chance.

Peter is doing well at Wells Fargo. He has been working hard on some projects this year at work. He enjoys working on house projects and wrestling around with the kids. He also often cooks us all a great breakfast. Peter and I serve as ward missionaries in our ward of about 800 people.

We were able to make a lot of great trips this year. I didn't realize how much we did until I wrote this all out! I was able to spend a week in Logandale at my parents house with the kids in January. The kids love going to Grandpa and Grandma's house. I have to be careful not to tell them too far in advance when we're going or they will ask me every five minutes when we are leaving. Peter and I also got to spend some time without the kids in San Francisco. We loved being back, although I wish we could have spent a little more time in Walnut Creek. Next time, I think we'll stay out there. We had a great week at the fair, just like every year. I think that this is one of the most enjoyable traditions for our family. The kids had a great time riding ponies and hanging out with their aunts and uncles. We also took the kids to Disneyland for the first time, and had a blast. We spent some time with family from Carlsbad on that trip, and also hit the beach. Peter was nice enough to let me take the car and the kids up to Panguitch Lake, Utah for a reunion for the 4th of July. The kids really loved being there and playing outside in the fresh mountain air. Peter had an excursion of his own while we were gone, taking a quick surfing trip out to Oceanside with his brother. In October, Peter flew me up to Utah to visit my sister for my birthday. It was a lot of fun spending time together without anyone else around. I had a great time and wish we lived closer to each other!

We have had a great year and have been so blessed and looked after. We have been able to see and spend time with our loved ones, even though they live far away. We are so grateful for our little family and for the help and guidance that the Lord has given us. We hope that you all have had a great 2008 and that you have a blessed 2009.