Merry Christmas!!

To You, From Us!!

Number 11

We have so much to be grateful for this year...
but most importantly these 3 blessings:

Maryn
Avery
and
Parker

And they are ours forever!
I can't think of a better anniversary gift!!

While Visions of Sugar Plums Danced In Her Head...

If this doesn't get you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will.

Why We Love Her

I mean seriously, where does she get this stuff? She finally lost the last baby tooth up top...it was so nasty looking. It had been loose for almost a year, and was sticking straight out at a 90 degree angle. It didn't come out in the most pleasant of circumstances--she got hit in the face with a volleyball in gym class--ouch!! Apparently she went running to the girl's bathroom holding her mouth and boink, out came the tooth!! I asked her if she cried, and she said no, she actually couldn't stop laughing!! She was so glad it was finally out and we would have to stop bugging her about it.

How can you not love her? We certainly can't help it. She is creative, funny, affectionate, smart, talkative, kind, imaginative, and wonderful in every way. This kid loves to read and draw!! If she doesn't have a book in her hand, she has a pen or pencil and her trusty clip-board stocked with fresh sheets of white paper. That kid can go through a ream without any hesitation. She is constantly illustrating her life!! She also loves to talk--she asks question after question of Mark (mostly Mark) and I, especially at the dinner table. Sometimes we can't get her to stop talking long enough to eat!! Her favorite foods are lo mein and cheeseburgers. Her favorite treats are Dad's chocolate chip cookies and gum. She still loves her blue blankey, and her pal Perry the Platypus. She is a great friend and biggest (little) sister. (I always tell her that my "biggest" sister was way littler than me--;-)!!) Avery is her best friend, and I'm so glad they have each other. She is also great with Parker, her little face widens into a great big smile when Maryn's around. As do the rest of ours. Maryn is a sweetheart, and we love her sooooo much!!

Happy 9th Birthday to Maryn!!

Yes, I love technology...

But not as much as you, you see.

But I still love technology.

Always and forever,

Always and forever.

First Time For Everything

Last weekend I tried something for the first time...at least I think it was my first time. I may have done it unknowingly years ago, but like I said, I didn't realize I was doing it...it was unintentional and unplanned. (Are you on the edge of your seats?!? HA!!) So this time, my "first time", I decided in advance that I was going to join the masses and venture out into the abyss that is known as "Black Friday". The name is a little dark and forboding, isn't it? Nevertheless, I was undaunted. I bought myself a paper, I scoured the ads, I made my list, I strategized my travel route, the whole kit and kaboodle as they say. I was blood-thirsty for savings...I wanted to see what all the hub-bub was about. How many times had I listened to enthusiastic black friday shoppers squealing about the great deals they had fought tooth and nail for? How many tales had I heard of people actually getting into knock-down drag-out brawls in the electronics section of Wal-Mart? How often had I received tips and tricks from experienced black friday-ists...hide your much-sought after merchandise in your clothing so that other shoppers won't steal it right out of your cart...they would tell me. But wouldn't store personnel think that you were shoplifting, I wondered? Nevertheless, I was ready. Ready to take the plunge.

Thanksgiving morning dawned bright and early. I'm usually up at the crack of dawn anyway, feeding the peanut, so instead of rolling over to sleep for another couple hours, I got up, got ready and set off for my first taste of "serious shopping". My first stop was Walgreen's. I was a little nervous. But for naught, I was the ONLY one in the store, besides the employee's and an old guy getting his prescriptions. Hmmm...I thought. Maybe this Black Friday stuff is just a bunch of hype? I hit my next stop...K-Mart. Things started looking more serious. The parking lot was almost full. There were a lot of people in the store, but it wasn't jam-packed. I got in and made my way to my first destination...item was O-U-T!! I couldn't believe it, I already missed my chance!! Nevertheless, I found most of my other items and didn't have to wait long at all in line. Because of my "success" I decided to go back out on Friday morning. Maybe Thursday was my warm-up...a way to get my feet wet if you will. I had no idea what lay ahead of me in the morning.

(Thanksgiving was great by the way...we had dinner with our Bishop's family. The missionaries were there as well. Great food, good conversation, very relaxing and enjoyable. Barbara made a new twist on yams that was yummy...pour orange juice concentrate, a can of crushed pineapple, and some walnuts over canned yams and then bake until gold and bubbly...it was delicious. We were so stuffed by the end of the night that we didn't need to eat again until Friday evening practically.)

Anyway, I digress.

I was up at the crack again on Friday, and after I finished feeding Parker I set off for my second go-round of doing my part at stimulating this sad economy of ours. My first stop on Friday was Target. It was packed!! I couldn't even find a parking place at first. And then when I got into the store, I couldn't even find a cart!! This was intense!! I made my way to the back of the store, grabbed my items as quickly as I could, figuring I'd find a stray cart somewhere along the way. It wasn't happening and my arms were filling. I finally begged an associate in electronics to find a cart for me...bless his soul, I think he could see the beads of sweat on my shiny forehead...he found me a cart and I was a happy shopper once again. I got almost everything on my list at Target and was ready to move onto the next place when I realized that the check-out line started back in shoes and wound it's way through the entire store...through the linens dept., through the grocery dept., through the beauty aisles, finally getting to the front where they then gave you a number of a corresponding lane to wait for. UGH!!! Needless to say it took awhile. The thing that I thought was hilarious as I slowly made my way to the front of the line was looking down at the end-caps in the aisles...people had discarded sale items along the way...obviously changed their minds at the last minute, probably realizing they had been a little over-eager, and imagined the total that waited for them at the cash register...I was able to pick up a few extra goodies from their cast-offs. Made me feel like we were all in this fight together. HA!!

My next stop was K-Mart to try and pick up the last remaining items. By this time it was around 9 am, and it was too late. They were cleaned out. It was a wasteland after only a few hours!! So I decided to throw in the towel. I had wanted to hit a few more stores but after I realized what they would all be like, I decided it was a lost cause and probably a waste of time. So I quit while the quitting was good. It was a positive experience overall. I can say that I did it now and will probably do it again. I saved a lot of money, and now have pretty much all of my shopping done for the year. It feels really good. Definitely worth it in my opinion.

I finished off my morning with a sausage and egg mcmuffin and a smile on my face all the way home...fa la la la la, la la la la!

Definitely gettin' in the Christmas spirit!!

Happy Monday

I used to hate Monday's. Back when I was a full-time workin' gal. Come Sunday evening, I would start to drag...dreading the fact that in the morning I would have a whole work week ahead of me...looming over me like a big fat bummer.

But this morning I realized that I don't really dread Monday's the way I used to. In fact, my attitude has changed quite a bit. I actually kinda look forward to my Monday's now. GASP!! I'll let you in on my little secret why...

The reason why is because I get to have the house back to myself after the weekend. It's not that I don't enjoy having the family home over the weekend. I actually look forward to that too. I love Friday night and being able to go doing something fun together or stay up a little later than normal so that we can all sleep in a little later on Saturday morning. And then waking up to Mark making his cinnamon rolls on Saturday morning and having him clean the bathrooms...what more could a girl ask for really? Saturdays are good too. We catch up on errands or we go exploring or we do something fun. And who doesn't like a good Sabbath day? Going to Church and seeing Ward friends...coming home, and making a yummy meal, taking a nap, going for a walk, it's all good!!

But come Sunday night, it starts getting a little wearing. The house is usually not as neat and tidy as it was when we started the weekend out. And with school and work looming the next day, the whining quota in our house is definitely past it's maximum capacity. I know that for my family it is the starting to another week of running the rat race. But for me and Parker it is the starting of another week of "us" time.

I cannot lie. I love having this little baby all to myself during the day. It doesn't help that she is absolutley adorable and impossibly happy in the mornings. After I feed her, she is just all smiles and it's intoxicating. We sit and play and watch Oprah, and then I get to dress her up in a cute outfit for the day. I had forgotten how fun it is to pick out clothes for one of my daughters without protest or criticism!! It's great!!

We go about our chores for the day...sometimes she naps, sometimes she sits in her bouncy seat and watches me with her big blue eyes...bouncing and smiling at her reflection in the mirror above her. It's peaceful, and it's quiet besides our high-pitched conversations. I'm doing the baby talk thing again, she's squealing and cooing. It's hilarious. We talk and play throughout our day of chores--unload the dishwasher, load the washing machine, fold clean clothes, put them away, make beds, tidy the rooms of the house, make shopping lists, plan meals, organize, organize, organize. We get our work done and enjoy it happily, even though it may be a Monday.

I feel ready and rejuvenated to start another week...especially because now I get to do it with my little sidekick. This Monday thing ain't so bad after all!!