Working away

The other night I was working away on the computer. It was still early around 6pm and I looked over to C who had been quiet a few minutes. Here she is: This is what happens when sassy girls give up their nap times. Really though wood floor is not that comfortable C!

Milk and cookies

I know these are a little backwards, but you'll get over it. No Christmas eve is complete without setting out milk and cookies for Santa. H can be a worry wart, and he really was concerned about leaving the milk out over night. I think it is partially because he thought it might go sour - doubt it, and partially because he will not drink his milk if it is not very cold. Good thing Santa remembered to go into the fridge for the milk. I just think the letter is perfect. Isn't he so sweet?

Christmas

Christmas this year was quiet, but wonderful. I took a lot more video than photos, so sorry there isn't much to see. Also for those of you thinking we have a lame Christmas tree - yes maybe but it is actually potted with the idea that we would plant it at the new house, but it is actually for a different climate so that may not happen. Everyone always asks the kids what their favorite gifts are so here goes:

H: little legos, dress up basket, and candy

C: baby doll, cash register, dress up, and candy (which she snuck all day long)

S: money & gift cards to shop & photo of kids from John (very thoughtful and sneaky since he stole it from my computer)

J: cheese log (well really a mound this year)

Just for the record I added us as well because we really are kids at heart. Also I know the family photo is a little weird, but no perfection in this house. A friend from school took it since she was over for our Mexican Christmas feast.

Pecked to Death

This is definitely what would have happened to C if I was not there to protect her the other day when we went to feed the ducks. The large dark colored duck was VERY aggressive and kept trying to get the bread straight from her hands. She did not like this as you can see - look to the left her skeptical face to the duck says it all! Good thing I was there to protect her.

C is cool

C - How do you describe this girl? I mean yes she is cute and cuddly, but she is also CRAZY. Here' to our cool girl:

1- C can best be described as 2 going on tween. She loves to dance, talk on the phone (real and make believe), get dolled up, and stay up past her bedtime. The other night I made J watch Mama Mia with me (he had forgotten it is a musical and agreed initially). As soon as she heard the music she was downstairs and before we could return her she was full on jamming out dancing in front of the TV to the music. That's my kind of girl! She even spent part of the movie so enthralled that we couldn't get her more than a foot and a half away from the big screen.

2- Claire is a drama queen! I guess this kind of goes without saying to anyone who knows her. She is dramatic about anything from vitamins to spiders. For a while we had a spider web in the garage that she refused to go near at all, not that I can really blame her, but she wouldn't even get close enough to the door if the car so I could load her in all because of a spider web (mind you it was over 6 feet away). I finally swept it away, but a month later she still double checks every time. Funny thing about spiders as well is that she cannot forget about a Halloween shirt I have for her with spiders on it. It was a bit too big this year, but once she saw it in the box forget it. I've been hiding it since Halloween ended, but she keeps remembering it is missing. Last night as I was putting her to bed she was almost asleep when she started crying for that dumb shirt again. AAHHHH. It has been nearly 2 weeks since she saw it last. Oh, and while on the subject of drama I can't forget to mention her murderous scream - don't even think about touching anything she might want in the next 2 hours or you will regret it!

3- She loves the colors orange and pink. Since she has been potty training she gets an M&M every time she goes in the potty. She loves getting orange and is so proud to announce this color each time I ask. She also loves pink. Anytime she is wearing it she says it proudly as well.

4- She loves to sing. At first it was only twinkle twinkle little star. She hasn't given up the tune, but no one knows all the words she puts to it now. She also loves I am a child of god, nursery rhyme songs, and now you bet - Christmas carols. What's not to love about a singing child?

5- Babies - this one is a mother in the making. I have never seen a child so enthralled by babies. Take her to the store and she will sit at the baby aisle for hours if you let her. What is the best is that she makes sure they nap, eat (even if that means putting toothpaste in bowls and feeding it to them on the CARPET!), get dressed, and she loves to sing and snuggle them.

6- Wild - this girl knows how to have a good time. Besides dancing she loves to jump on her bed (despite our discouragement), spit (this is new and she loves to do this when you try to kiss her - GROSS), run around a lot, smack you in the face when she doesn't get her way, talk back, and throw tantrums. Don't get me wrong she has a sweet side, but we seem to see the wild one more frequently.

7- She is an animal lover. She loves to snuggle Yoda especially, but when she sees other dogs around she screams loudly in an attempt to go see them. Even if Yoda is wild and knocks her over - she never stays upset usually going back to him just a minute later. Good thing Yoda seems to enjoy the attention as well.

8- She loves attention. This couldn't be more true than when she is at church. She just loves anyone telling her she is pretty, holding her, and she pretty much demands the attention of about every girl age 7-17 in the ward.

This girl is manic and lovely all in the same breath. Only hope I make it through the teenage years alive!

H the Helper

I just thought I would dedicate the next couple of posts to my kids. Here is to the good, bad, and the ugly. So here goes......H is our little helper.

1-He is the best chore completer around. This could have something to do with his sticker chart (where 10 chores gets you a prize), but really he loves to be with me doing what I do and if that means cleaning alongside me - that is what he will do.
2- He is sensitive. He doesn't like to see others hurt or upset. Once on the TV he saw a snippet about tapeworms on animal planet. That about set him over the edge - he just kept crying and saying: "I don't want worms in my body".

3- He wants fairness all around. He loves for people to obey laws and choose the right. He tells me things like - "mom, dad drives fast but he hasn't been arrested yet." Notice the yet. (I think he is destined to be a police officer or the like - even though he insists he wants to be a garbage man and build houses.) He constantly asks me if he will be arrested if he is late to school, if I don't turn in homework, if we accidentally drop trash, etc. He even counted the presents under the tree to make sure we had the same amount. This brings us to the next one.

4- He is a giver. After counting the presents he decided that it wasn't ok for C and him to have the most. He decided dad should have the most since he is the oldest. (I beg to differ!)

5- He is the best big brother. Having C around is much easier with H there to occupy her time. Yes they fight, but really they are very best of friends and I pray that it stays that way.

6- He loves to be on time. This is both a blessing and a curse and something I am sure I have brought out in him. He NEEDS to be at least 5 minutes early to school, can't stand going to church late, and loves to arrive anywhere in a timely fashion. He even gets anxious if he thinks we are running behind. This is not to say he doesn't drag his feet - he just gets mad if that makes him late in the end.

7- He is honest. He really has only lied a couple of times (that we know about) and his guilt was HUGE about it. Strangely enough all of those times were about eating all of his food so he could have dessert. Today he even admitted that he saw one of his Christmas gifts - knowing full well that I had told him if he peeked I would take it back. Luckily for him he was doing a chore and that is why he saw it so he gets to keep it. I really need to be better about hiding things - I'm still new at this!

8- Best of all he is a lover! He loves to give hugs and really doesn't want anyone to feel pain, anger, or sadness. What a wonderful boy to have around all year!

I am in primary

C is such a hoot sometimes. When the kids sang at the Christmas party C insisted on joining them - on stage, which meant she was moving a chair to climb up with them. H even shared his bells with her. So cute. Here are a few photos of the event. If you are wondering why H doesn't look like he is singing - it is because he usually doesn't - he just stands around while everyone else does.

what will I do with myself

Now that I have 3 official weeks off of school you might wonder what I will do with myself - or maybe not. If you aren't wondering just skip to the next post, but for those of you who are here goes.

1- Sewing - so far I made 1 apron and 3 baby blankets. This way I am up on my supply for new births.

2- Bake - Here is a photo for that one (please ignore C's outfit we were leopard crazy that day). H & C helped me make dipped pretzels for our friends. For the ward party I made cupcakes, dipped pretzels, 2 jello salads, and a potato casserole. I might actually get around to making real dinner one of these days too - you know the kind with all the courses in special bowls and such.

3- I am also thinking about starting a puzzle after Christmas since the card table is currently occupied.

4- I am making a scarf for myself!

5- Read - right now that entails Marley & Me - anyone think Yoda is a bit like Marley?

6- Make cards - again this will give me a stock to use when school is back in.

7- Scrapbook - I put this last because the thought overwhelms me! I haven't scrapbooked in about 9 months so I have a lot of catching up to do.

Hopefully all of this will help me unwind and I will feel prepared to take on another semester of madness.

he can tie

H made a major accomplishment this week. He finally learned to tie his shoes. They still fall out easily even with his double knot, but he can do it! His dad had the best reaction - and it was cool to see H light up when he received a ton of praise about learning to do a new thing.

Santa Photos

Last night we had our ward party which J was in charge of. Thankfully he was back from his trip to CA and AZ. We had a visit from Santa. C was afraid at first, but warmed up when "her friend" joined her (that would be the one of the Done girls next to her). Just for the record this is a girl from a family of 9. The girls in the family (I think 6 of them) all give C a ton of attention and she eats it up. She loves to go to church just to see them, and will say "My friends" all during church because she wants to sit with them not us. H also took a photo, but he was much more sceptical - see his face for proof. He is a thinker that one. He told me Santa is not real - at first I panicked until I realized he was just talking about the Santa at church - whew. He had two sound reasons:
1. He is not wearing boots - ok true, but I could have explained that one away.
2: Then when she sat on his lap he told me: "Mom I know he isn't real because his beard is fake." Can't argue with that so we had the real vs. fake Santa talk - you know the one -
maybe it is a helper for Santa because he is so busy.
In the meantime before the ward party J was paying a young woman in the ward to wrap his Christmas presents because he hates to do it that much. Lazy - yes, but she sure seemed happy about it.

Poop craziness

Ok, so I need to tell someone how gross a mother's life can be. C is in potty boot camp right now. This entails an underwear all the time policy with no return. Only exceptions is pull ups when we are on outings until she is more reliable and for my sanity, and diapers at night since she still has issues holding it that long. So far we have had good and bad days. She has been getting in the habit of taking her underwear off at random moments. Well today she did that and then I heard her say "I have farty" I knew immediately that meant we needed to run to the bathroom so I swooped her up in my arms and and not second later she pooped as I was holding her - bouncing off my foot, landing on the carpet. Nothing trains you for that! J of course stayed upstairs through the hysterics, he even admitted that he thought someone might be dying by my reaction. When he heard poop though the was perfectly fine staying where he was. Some help he is - at least he is making dinner tonight or he would be in deep doo doo! Hope the rest of you are avoiding potty training for the time being. I know I can only do this so many times.

DONE

Well, at least for now. I made a great plan for myself - I would finish my candidacy paper by today. For the first time this semester I actually met my goal - a couple hours early even. I finished my paper, edited it myself. Now it will rest for a week or so and then be edited again. I am so proud of myself - bet you couldn't tell. That is the best Christmas present I could give to myself - a restful holiday without school work to do.

great christmas gift

H came up with a great gift recently for his dad for Christmas. He told me that 1- we should let him sleep in. Anyone who knows J knows this is the best gift ever - and if you don't give it to him he would take it anyway :). 2- We should clean the whole house really well while he is sleeping. Then when he is up we can open presents. Only wish gifts for the kids were that inexpensive! Hope you are all experiencing a joyful holiday season!

bill cosby

Just wanted to share a few pieces of exciting news:
1- J is home after 12 days away. We are so excited to have him around again!
2- School is over for the semester and I don't passed all my classes (which is a B for this program).
3- My competency paper is almost done. I am hoping to wrap it up by Thursday so I can enjoy a relaxing break which includes reading the book Marley and Me - this way I can treat myself to the movie afterwards.
4- For my birthday I get to go see Bill Cosby perform live! I am very excited. I hope J also likes it. He is definitely my favorite comedian.
Hope all of you are well and enjoying the Christmas season! It's snowing!

oh crap

Sorry to any of you who are offended by the word crap, but with this story to follow I think you will understand. J has been out of town for a week - first in CA now in phx attending to family things. Not really sure when he will be able to return yet. In the meanwhile I am finishing off the semester. I have been trying to juggle kids, school work, church events and housework - although that has seriously been put to the side. Tonight I took the kids to my class - I talked about my research paper. Meanwhile the kids are crawling under tables, shining a flashlight on people in class, screaming, you name it. My prof is cool, but they really abused the right to be there. We left early - as was planned, and I was relieved to get out of there. On the way to the car H pointed out a huge amount of crows overhead. I guess this has been a problem on campus with them roosting to the point they set off fireworks to try and get them to leave. Well as they were flying overhead I got a big one right on the head ---- yep OH CRAP. Kind of sums up my past week, although this is probably the most entertaining part of my day so far. For all of you going through a rough spell - just think at least I haven't had a crow take a monster poop on my head - maybe that will make it just a little better. I am all showered now and feel much better.

Wierd week

This has been a bit of a weird week for us. J went to CA for a big international tournament. He was invited and they paid - so really couldn't pass it up. Meanwhile I turned in a big final paper, and tomorrow I have a comprehensive exam in research. I didn't even understand half of what went on in the class, so I have been studying furiously. Meanwhile I also have another paper due Wed and my candidacy paper due in early Jan. I am trying to finish that up before Christmas break which is in a week. We will see - it is only a 1/3 of the way done. Either way I want to be done with it before Christmas so I can spend time potty training - oh and also enjoying the holidays. On the Christmas front. I have been trying to finish off my gifts to get them out the mail, but it is taking longer than expected - I think I have too much going on.
Also this weekend I heard that J's Grandma is in the hospital. She is 95 and a wonderful woman. J is planning on trying to change his flight home from CA so he can stop and see his family which would be great for him. It makes my life a bit more complicated, but I want him to have that chance. His whole family has gone to Phoenix to be with her, and she is moving to hospice today. Our thoughts and prayers are going to her and the family. We love you all and wish we could be there as well.
Also on Saturday we went to a baptism of a great guy that is now new to our ward. He bore a 30 min testimony today in church - which was very amazing. I can't even go into his whole story, but basically his wife and kids left him recently and after joining the church today he announced that even with all of that he is the happiest he has ever been. Wow I can honestly say I am not that grateful.
Oh, also found out that John and Jamie are expecting another baby! So exciting! I am hoping for a girl so Claire will have another girl cousin - plus I have a ton of cute baby girl clothes to give that way.
With all of that said. I am having a hard time holding back the tears today. Just a lot of emotions going through me. I sing in a Christmas program tonight, so hopefully I won't break down there.
I hope you are all well. Today it is 22 degrees at my house - at 2pm. Stinkin' cold and hardly even snowing. I honestly think it is too cold to snow. Hope you are all enjoying your warmer lives!

smack talker

So every once and a while I am a smack talker, and I am afraid it came back to bite me this time. Remember when I wrote about John having bronchitis? Well I guess I must have gone a little too far - now I have it. I guess I need to be more humble.