getting to know you- Christmas edition

I've gotten this email a couple of times this year so I thought I'd just post it here. Feel free to copy and respond so we can find out what makes YOU tick.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper. I love to wrap
2. Real tree or Artificial? has to be real, I made Dave promise before I agreed to marry him! we had a fake growing up :(
3. When do you put up the tree? early this year, trying out a new theory in hopes it won't die before Christmas
4. When do you take the tree down? depends on how dead it is
5. Do you like eggnog? no way! yuk!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? my swing set,although I broke my arm on it before New Year's
7. Hardest person to buy for? Dave's mom
8. Easiest person to buy for? Katelyn, she wants everything
9. Do you have a nativity scene? I think 3 of em
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail, although they are usually the photo kind
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? can't think of one
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Holiday Inn and Elf
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? seriously shopping after Thanksgiving but I never really stop
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? only for a white elephant exchange, it was booze
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? food- baked treats
    
16. Lights on the tree? white
17. Favorite Christmas song? O Holy Night, makes me cry everytime!
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? stay home, people are crazy out there
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yep
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? both
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? long lines, impatient people
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? angels and santas- white and red like my tree
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? homeade lasagna
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? I asked Santa for a laptop, it's the only thing I need. Besides Christmas is for the kids, right?

future missionary

I had been looking for ties for quite some time now, and I finally scored some a few weeks ago! I was all excited to have Brody wear one for church on Sunday and his new little white button down along with it. I was ironing his little shirt when it hit me that this was the first of many little white shirts this boy would wear. Then I did one of those mom things, flash forward in my mind ... in his baptism jumpsuit, standing with the other Deacons to pass the Sacrament, putting on his suit and name tag off to the MTC... And now I'm bawling again! Get a grip girl ~ he's only 1! Still it's amazing to me that when looking at him in his little white shirt and tie I have such high hopes for his spiritual future. Boy, I sure have some important work to do ;)

murder and mayhem

So Friday night was my friend's birthday bash and it was a hoot! We did a murder mystery dinner set on a train in 1940's France. We all had characters to dress up as, I was a high society fashion designer and Dave was a soldier of fortune. There was a journalist, a princess, a socialite,a pilot,a Duke, and a spy. It was so much fun to try and pin the murder on each other and not implicate ourselves. No one was completely free from guilt. In the end it was........I can't tell you, just in case you want to play someday too. But we had a great time with the other couples and now have to come up with something else to try.????

What was in that botttle?

It's been awhile...

Things finally settled down a bit around here, but then it was catch up time on all the things put off in October. The kids are growing like weeds! Seriously Katelyn's legs are getting so long, she's still skinny as ever - lucky girl:) They are gearing up for the Christmas recital at dance class and she's excited about that. School is a little challenging for her right now, as she is such a social creature she just can't stop talking. It seems to be a dilemma the entire class is struggling with according to her teacher. I swear he has to be a saint to put up with 20 something chatterboxes all day long, I can barely handle one.


Brody is not a baby anymore I am sad to say. The teeth finally came in all snaggletoothed, I love it! He's got 2 fangs on top and one full tooth on the bottom + one bottom tip barely poking out. I cannot help laughing at him and he thinks he's so handsome grinning from ear to ear. He took his first steps about 2 weeks ago!! He is way off balance but has no fear and will turn, let go and waddle about 6 or 7 steps at a time before plopping down on his bum. He thinks he can feed himself too, which is really just more work for me-lol!

So Twilight came out too! A few girls from my ward went to the midnight showing the first night, it was fun to get out as a grown-up for a change. The movie was um, interesting to say the least. I had high hopes and low expectations so in all wasn't too bad. There were a few really cheesy moments and Edward should be so much hotter. But once he smiled and doesn't want to eat Bella (or throw up,I'm not sure) he warms up and doesn't do too bad. Bella did better than I thought she would from looking at the trailers, and I have no idea what was up with Jasper? anywho, hopefully with a bigger budget for any future films things will improve!

Thanksgiving was much more relaxing this year than in the past! We started off with a little Turkey Bowl with the Elder's Quorum. It rained HARD the night before so it was a very messy game. The kids had a blast playing in the mud and were just as messy as the guys I think. Then we went to Dave's Mom's for some yummy eats. I brought the homemade stuffing, a buttermilk pecan pie and a pumpkin roll but had it all made the day before, so no work for me. Except kids!


Then Black Friday!!I drug my friend Megan out of bed before the sun came up and we stood in the cold at Toys R Us with all the other fools. But my shopping is done,yay! ok maybe a few more things, but kids are done for sure. And we had a good time chatting without being interrupted 5 million times. Same time next year girl!


Now we're just trying to get the Christmas decorations up and enjoy the season with those we love

Halloween & Birthday fun!

Birthday Girl!

So it's a busy week at our house, right? Today is sweet Katelyn's 5 year old birthday as she likes to call it. Looking back it's mind boggling we got thru this day and the next 3 weeks to follow. Katelyn was in a hurry to meet us, she was NOT waiting for 40 whole weeks no thank you!I had trouble with her from the get go and at 24 weeks I was hospitalized on bed rest. At 32 weeks she'd had enough and out she came weighing 3 lbs 7 oz. But that strong personality I fight with everyday got her through and she was able to come home right before Thanksgiving. I am so thankful her little spirit had such a strong desire to be with our family and I know it will serve her well as she faces the challenges in our world.

She is such a loveable girl,and she doesn't know a stranger. She's like her brother as she's not stingy with the hugs and kisses. Katelyn loves to help around the house and with Brody, though you may have to ask more than once. She has a great imagination and comes up with some crazy ideas which send us into hysterics daily.

She has a mind like an elephant,I swear she will not forget the important suff, ya know like rewards, treats you said "later" about, or even places we've gone and with whom we went. Watch out!!


Mostly she's a sweet and sensitive girl, who cares about others and has a kind heart.Her favorite color is pink, and she loves merry-go-rounds and playing dress up. We're so happy that she's our's and look forward to watching her become an amazing young woman. So Happy Birthday Katelyn, we love you so much!

Birthday Boy!

It was 1 year ago today that we were blessed with our sweet boy Brody. I look back at the time and wonder how it went by so fast. Why is it when you are preggers it can't go fast enough? You are just dying to meet that little ball of boundless energy that's been jumping on your bladder/kicking you in the ribs for 9 months. True, you are ready to take back possesion of your body, but I think mostly you can't wait to see who they look like and what their little personalities will bring to your family.
This one was so observant from the get go. Not much has changed! He doesn't miss a thing! He didn't even like to be rocked up on your shoulder- had to be facing out so he could check out his world. You'd think he would've been tired from all that squishing, but once he came out I remember him just watching everything for the 1st few hours after he was born. So neither of us slept, we just stared at each other trying to get to know one another while Daddy snored in the corner.
He is such a lover! Cuddles and kisses are never in short supply with Brody. He's a good eater and you'd think whatever it is he's eating is the best he's EVER tasted cause he's really vocal about it. MMMMMMMMMMM and MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM some more, makes me laugh! And he thinks his big Sis is just awesome. He laughs at her all day long and she wouldn't trade him for the world(most days, I think) ;)So I guess we'll keep him. Thanks to all our friends and family who came from near and far to help celebrate Brody and Katelyn's birthdays, I'll try and get some pics from the party posted soon

Fall in New York

Dave and I have not been on a getaway alone for longer than I care to admit to, so this past weekend we left Brody with Grandma and Katelyn with Uncle Ken and Aunt Julie and we escaped! My littlest sister and her hubby live in Manhattan and so we took advantage of my awesome flight benefits and crashed with them.Neither Dave nor I had ever been to NYC so it was fun to wander around and see the sights.

We got in early Friday morning and after hooking up with my sister we headed over to the site of the WTC. Even 7 years later it is still so hard to come to terms with such violence and hatred of the freedoms we take for granted. I was actually in the air when the first tower was struck and so it meant a lot for me to see first hand where my brother and sister flight crews and so many others lost their lives that day.

We took the ferry over to Staten Island and back to check out the Statue of Liberty, the NY skyline sure is spectacular from the water.


Friday night we took off by ourselves in the big scary city! After dark no less! It wasn't that bad at all, except we got off the subway in Time's Square and it is overwhelming. It was rush hour on the subway and there were people rushing everywhere. Then on the street add tourists to the mix and you can't even walk . I was a little worried I would lose Dave somehow, but we only got seperated at 1 stop light. So we went to Radio City, Rockefeller Center, we stumbled upon Magnolia Bakery and had to indulge in their famous Red Velvet Cupcakes, and the banana pudding was to die for too!



The Empire State Building was lit up for Halloween!

On Saturday we hung out with the family,had lunch in Little Italy. Went in some back room with a strange man to score some purses, sorry no pics! We went to FAO Schwartz and danced on the huge piano from the movie "Big" with Tom Hanks. We walked thru Central Park, we had planned on a carriage ride but evidently a 7 month old on a lap puts you over the limit allowed in the carriage. So lame! We'll save it for next time, maybe with snow.




I wanted to go in and demand my money back but they were closed! It must be a conspiracy!

On Sunday we took a walk over the Brooklyn Bridge. You walk up above the roadway in the center and don't look down cause if the boards break... long way down!

On the other side is the Brooklyn ice cream factory, and that was our intended destination. As we were walking across my sis is telling me about the Real Housewives of New York tv show and how one of the wives lives in Brooklyn but thinks she's living the New York dream (people in Manhattan think they're better than Brooklyn). Other wives on show live on upper East side, society events, blah blah blah and some critics of show wish Brooklyn wife would get a clue. So we are in the ice cream shop and who walks in? Tv crew and all!! So if you ever see the episode with them going out for ice cream look for me walking out right behind them! Autographs, anyone? ;)

Really lame

So nothing exciting to report around here, just trying to keep Brody healthy. I swear that poor boy has had a really ruff month. He finally cut a tooth, and has another one on the way. Funny thing is they are not the cute little first teeth on the bottom that most babies get. No,not my boy! He gets the side teeth on top,like fangs! Did I read a little too much Twilight while I was nursing him...? maybe, maybe not. lol=) so he's had that on top of a yeast infection(yep, boys get em too) then horrible diarrhea and red bum, then a cold that is still hanging on by a booger. Sorry, then when one clears up we start the cycle all over. Do they ever clean at the gym or what? That's all I can think cuz it's not even cold and flu season yet and we've all been down with something.
Katelyn is on fall break this week and next and about an hour after she woke yesterday(day 1)she's like " I'm bored". What am I gonna do with her? Thank goodness we met some friends at the park yesterday. After not being at the same park, I forgot my phone on top of everything else, we finally figured it out. Kate and Mckenna had a great time and just when it got a little too warm for them the landscape guy came by to mess with the sprinklers and he kindly left them on for the girls to run through. Then back in the sand box they went! What a mess!
Today we're off to the gym when Brody wakes up, that should entertain her for a bit. Maybe pizza with Tina after class? That reminds me of my first job at Dairy Queen which was right next to a gym and all the people coming in in their work-out attire and ordering ice cream. Hell-ooooo! I guess it's better than eating ice cream without working out. Anyway, if anyone else's kids are driving them nuts and they need to play call us! Dave will have the kids alone the next 3 days so I'm sure he would appreciate it.

Star Struck!

Ok, so maybe you know maybe you don't but a lot of famous people fly on Southwest. I think if they are flying on the studio's money they fly someone with a first class section but if they are flying on their own dime they want to save a few bucks just like everyone else. Plus we have good frequency and are on time mostly so it makes sense. I've had a lot of celebrities on my flights, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Paula Abdul, Smokey Robinson,David Spade,Joe Nichols,Courtney Gaines, these are just off the top of my head. I had a list going for awhile but not sure where it went. Anyway, most of the time I say hello and smile and go about my business. I mean they're just regular folks who do an irregular job and get paid a ridiculous amount of money for doing it. Whatever!!
Well today I made an exception to my rule. I am not a die hard, gotta watch every game kinda football fan. Heck I can't even tell ya who plays for what team any more. But there was a time... I grew up in AZ with no team and so when I moved to the Bay Area back in 1988 I watched the 49ers and got to know that team and Joe Montana and Jerry Rice! Wow talk about some talented guys! I brought my love for the Niner's with me when I moved back to AZ and years later met and married a guy from San Francisco who loved them as well.
Which brings me to today and the reason I broke my so called rule and asked the man if he'd mind having his picture taken with me. He was kind and gracious, not only to me but others on the flight who recognized him and asked for a picture or autograph as well. Plus he can move on the dance floor as well as the football field, who knew??


Me and Jerry Rice

The Hills Are Alive...

Last weekend "The Sound of Music" was on t.v. and even though we have it on DVD and can watch it anytime Katelyn's heart was broken since it was not over before bedtime came along. I had to promise we could watch it the very next day and so off to bed she went. Well, little miss "never forgets a thing"(gotta be careful with that!) was up way too early, ready to sit down to some serious t.v. watching. From the beginning. Twice. I absolutely love this movie, and like her will sit and watch it on tv every time, even though we own it and have seen it a million times. It's a long movie though for such a wee one to sit all the way through. Twice.
So that brings me to today, as I'm mopping away I hear her in the other room playing with her dolls..."I am 16 going on 17 la la la as a rose, mumble mumble mmmmmm those!" LOL!!!! over and over never getting any closer to the real words and not even caring! By the way, so not ready for 16 much less 17! aye yay yay =)

Reset Your Countdowns!

P.S. turn off music at bottom before playing

'Twilight' Teaser Trailer No.2 @ Yahoo! Video

Oh My Gosh! Soooo Excited! As if Breaking Dawn wasn't great enough(read it in 27 hours) I just found out that the studio pulled the release date on the new Harry Potter movie that was coming out at Thanksgiving, and will release it next summer instead. I love Harry don't get me wrong, that would be sad news. But the great, most exciting part of that is the theaters will have open slots with no movie to show. Unless..... That's right! Twilight's new release date is

November 21, 2008!!!!!!!!!!

3 whole weeks earlier than originally scheduled =)

So reset your countdown clocks and let the waiting begin

My pictures

I am so excited! It's been a little while since we went to Utah to get our pics done and it was so worth the wait cause they are awesome. I was so anti Sears, kiddie kandids,etc... no offense if you use them. I have before too, but it's so random on whether they turn out cute or with any creativity. This time I wanted something way different. Skye Johansen is her name and she rocks! Thanks to Chira for turning me on to her. She has more pics of my cuties at http://skyejohansen.com/blog. Go check em out!

Gonna need some braces!

Brody's teeth have sprung up overnight! Oh no wait, just our fist bite of cottage cheese silly Mommy!

It's official!

We have a kindergartener in the house!! Katelyn started school on Thursday. My little girl is growing up and I have such mixed feelings about this. On the one hand, I have great memories of kindergarten myself and I know she is going to really enjoy the interaction with kids her age and she needs the challenges she'll be given. The thought of her out of my control for 4+ hours a day kinda scares me though. And I just want the other kids to be nice, cuz we know they can not be and she hopefully isn't one of those ones. The other hand is way excited to have 4+ hours to do what I want to do and only one child to have to do it with! I'm not even sure what to do with that time, I just know the possibilities are exciting. Nap? time with Dave? shopping without someone asking for everything they see? who knows... So the other bit of drama with the school thing is she has a "boy teacher" and she's not too sure about that. The first day when she got home I asked her how she liked school and her response was " I don't like it at all, it's boring!" and "all the other kids had fun but it's just boring". I hope that was only because they couldn't play on the playground because of the heat advisory, poor Mr. M he's got his work cut out for him! He said she did much better on Friday so maybe there is hope . I'm crossing my fingers!!!!!!

Another quick trip

Monday I came back into town from working and had Dave meet me with the kids so we could catch a quick flight up to Salt Lake before I passed out- I was scheduled to be at work before 5am every morning which I can't function well at that hour. We made the flight fine and dandy, kids were great. Rental car whole other story... 1 1/2 hours and 3 cars later we were off to my family's place in Salem. We went up to have some family pictures taken hopefully I'll have some to post in about another week. The kiddos were much more aggreable than I expected so I'm hoping Skye got some good shots

.

We also went up to my cousin's in-laws property in the mountains and went 4 wheelin' for the afternoon. It rained on and off thruout the day, we had planned on swimming in the pond but it wasn't really warm enough, that did not stop my cousin Todd from jumping in! Katelyn tried too but decided it was much too chilly for her =0 (that's the pond way down there in 2nd pic)

We picked up some fireworks at the grocery store, must've been left over from the 4th. If you know Katelyn at all, you know she was in hog heaven. She lives for the 4th of July and the entire month of October too since Schnepf Farms has fireworks for the pumpkin and chili party every thurs-sun evening. Her birthday being October 30th she always assumes the fireworks are for HER since after her birthday they stop. I know crazy, huh?

The last day we ventured over to Park City for a drive and they have some summer activities on the mountain which were alot of fun. Katelyn was too little/light for alot of the things like the bungee trampoline or the zip line but she did go on the arctic slide. You take the ski lift up and then bobsled down. Too bad it was like 96 degrees out!

We were seriously baking at that altitude so we went and had some Gelato to cool down and then raced off to the airport to head home.

Short but sweet trip and as always a lot of fun.