Jingle All the Way

 

I just got back from the Jingle Jam, the kids' Christmas concert at the school. I tell you, that school is way crowded! We got there earlier than usual, meaning they were still setting up the chairs, and we were still 2/3 of the way back in the gym. Everyone did a great job. It was cute and I was proud. But I also could not for the life of me find Alex in the crowd of 2nd graders! I tried to get out of him where he'd be standing before hand, but all I finally got was that he was closer to the food part of the cafeteria. But I literally looked and looked and could not find him! I was starting to imagine that in the time that we'd dropped him off 30 minutes before and the time of his performance, he had slipped on the wet floor hitting his head and fracturing his skull, and the only reason I didn't know about it was because I gave them my home phone number instead of my cell phone (yes, we still have a home phone, get over it), but the show had to go on. Or he was throwing up, a more likely scenario. But either way, he was not there. Jared and I finally saw him as he was walking away. He was in the very front pretty much off the stage near the cafeteria, being blocked by about 200 heads. Good grief!

Erin was in almost the exact spot, but she's a bit taller than him and I saw her walk in, so I was able to see about 1/2 of her head for most of the time. Marissa was also in the very front. Apparently, my kids are all the shortest (or close to the shortest) in their classes. They are also among the youngest (or in Alex's case, the youngest) in their classes. Translation:  they will always be on the front row in every performance from here on out, meaning I should have gotten there an hour early to be able to see them.

I've been lugging kids around with me for the past couple of weeks to run all sorts of errands and to go shopping. It is not my idea of fun, not would it be Connor's if you asked him. But we've gotten through. I am still not quite ready for Christmas, but I'm a lot closer than before. Last year I did way more online shopping, but for some reason a lot of the shopping this year has been in stores. Just a few more things to get and some stocking stuffers, then I'm done!

One of the places I had to go was to the orthodontist with Erin and Alex. Erin is getting her braces off (first phase) in February and Alex will get his on a couple of weeks after that. Alex's teeth are kind of a mess. There is no space in his mouth and he has an ectopic molar. Right now he has three permanent teeth in the space of four on the bottom. He will need to get three teeth pulled, get an appliance on the bottom to keep the space (until he's about 11?), get an expander on the top and then get braces on the four front teeth for his first phase. And he's only 7, just barely. I could not even understand everything the orthodontist was telling his assistant about the case, but it was extensive. He says it's not the worst case he's ever seen, but it's a pretty bad one. So here we go...

We managed to take some pictures of the kids in their new Christmas outfits. Erin was not happy about it. She did not want to wear it to church last week. But I got her to at least put it on for pictures.

 

A Note

Here's a note I found upstairs last night. It was a conversation between Alex and Erin.

A- Stay up all night? Circle yes or no! Maby/sortufe
E- Can I sleep in your room? Circle yes or no
A- mabie. If I let you don't be loud or else. POW! PS. do you want to sleep in here? Circle yes or no (yes is circled)
E- YES!!! .....if it's o.k. with....mom and dad....i'll go ask them right now!! YAY!!
A- Well? Instead of sleeping in the circus tent... sleep on bed? If you want, if not I'll sleep by you or Marissa. Make sure to choose one! sssssssssh
E- I sortufe want to sleep in the circus tent. Not that I don't like your bed but tomorrow's going to be a fun day and it will just be better if I wake up in a circus tent! So thanks for your ofor but I want to sleep in the circus tent. and remember sshhhhhh :) ha ha! bye! bye!
A- Then I'm sleeping with one of you girls. Who do you think I should sleep with? But I have an idea. Mabie you could sleep in Connor's bed if you don't like that, don't sleep in the circus tent. By the way we could sleep in your room but I'll stick with mine.
E- I am going to sleep in the circus tent no mater what! So stop telling me not to! If you want somewone -misspelled (she wrote misspelled) to sleep in Connor's bed why don't you do it? Or you can sleep in front of the circus tent but you don't have to do it, it's just a sugustun -misspelled. And remember shhhhhh! :) ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! one more time!
A- Curse you! I'm going to move the circus tent out of my room if you sleep in there or I could just sleep with Connor. Marissa your not sleeping in that thing.

There is also an "I Luv ERin" on the paper written by Marissa

Holidays, here we go...

Wow. It's December. Wow. I am slowly, very slowly getting into the Christmas spirit--and not because I want to, because I don't want to be the lame mom who did nothing for the holidays.

Halloween was a bust, I seem to recall.

Thanksgiving was no better. My long standing strategy of waiting-to-get-invited-to-someone-else's-Thanksgiving-so-I-won't-ever-have-to-cook-up-a-turkey worked like a charm again this year. Jared's parents had us over and made a lovely meal. Unfortunately, I woke up with a bad stomach ache and could barely eat a thing. Then I laid on the couch for the rest of the night with a fever. Kind of a bummer of a day for me.

I felt better the next day so I headed straight to Kohl's to get a new vacuum that was on sale. The one I really wanted was gone (I can only assume I would have been knocked in the head with it and then trampled if I'd gone in when they opened, so it's probably for the best that I was too sick to go Thanksgiving night)--but the one I ended up getting is pretty sweet too, just like the deal I got. It's a Dyson and it really sucks.

I realized that Dec. 1st was creeping up on me (because that's when you should start your advent calendar, right?), so I had Jared drag the tree and the Christmas boxes from the basement. Maybe it's because we were fasting and 'cause we had freakin' 1:00 church, but neither of us were in any mood to do anything Christmas-y that day. I assured everyone that the next day would be a great time to decorate, like for FHE. But as it turns out, Monday's mood was even worse. We knew it would snow the next day so we took the very last moment we could to turn off the water to the sprinklers and bring in our grill and hoses. After that I'm pretty sure we sent the kids straight to bed. That sounds like the bad-mood version of us.

Tuesday did snow. A lot. It dumped snow. I went to get new tires on the van (last minute again?) and by the time I got home, I couldn't even get into the garage because I was slipping all over the place. I hate driving in snow! It's so stressful and makes me feel so tense. That just made my mood worse. We also got asked to speak on Sunday and I was not feeling it at all. So no Christmas, no advent calendar, no Elf on the Shelf, nothing!

Which brings me to my next point. What on earth made me think I would make a good Elf on the Shelf kind of parent? Especially this year. I can barely fulfill my duties as the tooth fairy, and that's being generous. My kids have waited days for their money. Hey, it's a lot to ask a parent to remember, that's all I'm saying. And now I've roped us into remembering to find a new and creative place for the Elf every single night until Christmas? When my advent calendar hangs limp and candy-less on Dec. 5th? Really.

The next day I felt like I had a really neat experience with prayer, where I asked for the oppressing feeling that I had to be lifted from me. That prayer was answered immediately and I have felt peace and happiness since. I prepared my talk a little, cleaned the house, did like five loads of laundry and then picked up a sick child from school. Her getting sick on Wednesday and not on Tuesday was another blessing because I couldn't even get up the little hill by my house the day before in the snow. There's no way I would have been able to pick her up, even with my new tires. That afternoon we finally decorated the tree and got in the mood a little bit more.

Today I took all the kids to the dentist where not one of them had a cavity. Yay! Not one of them cried either, until Connor got in the car and couldn't get his buckle over his coat. Then he cried half the way home because I did it for him. I also found out today that Hallie can not only get onto the table, which she does constantly now, but she can now get onto the kitchen counter by herself! Just when I stopped worrying about her falling down stairs, I now have to worry about her falling from twice her height. Ahh, parenting.

I asked the kids to write Christmas lists so I could get an idea of what they wanted. Before this Erin said she wanted magnet earrings and a couple of new dry erase markers since hers had dried up. That's it. Not much to work with here. She ended up with 18 things after writing the list, mostly small (like mechanical pencils and a notebook with a lock), but also a couple of crazy ones like a T.V. in her room or her own piano? Sometimes I wonder why I even ask.

Alex wrote a list with more than 30 things on it. For not knowing what to get this kid the last two years, he really showed up to bat this year. I had him rate everything with one, two or three stars so that I could figure out what he really wanted. Then, after I'd already gotten him a couple of things, today he decided he was asking for way too much, so he crossed out all but 9 things. Funny kid.

Marissa is tricky. She doesn't really play with toys that much and she hasn't really found her own niche or hobby yet. She wants everything that Erin wants, basically, but that really annoys Erin. (Besides, I can't afford two extra T.V.'s and pianos). So who knows what this kid will get this year.

You have no idea how hard it is to shop for the fifth baby in the family. There is nothing that she needs, and there is nothing that I see that I think, "I've always wanted to get this for one of my kids." Nothing. Maybe I'll get her a harness and some rope so she can rappel from the counter.

Every time I asked Connor what he wanted for Christmas, he would always say, "A picture of me and Alex." It's seriously the cutest thing that he loves Alex that much. He said it over and over again, and he wanted nothing else. Alex is such a nice brother to him. He is constantly helping him and showing compassion for him. Connor has it so good. The other day Connor had a really huge and really sad bathroom accident with the babysitter. We were almost home so we told them we'd take care of it (trust me, they weren't getting paid enough for that mess). When we got there, Alex was sitting on the bathroom counter talking to Connor and making sure that he was okay and wouldn't be alone till we got there. Who would think of that? He's so kind. It's no wonder he always says Alex is his favorite person in the family.  So I figured I better actually take a picture of the two of them so that I could give him what he wanted for Christmas. Here are a few that I took last Sunday before church.

 

Love these boys!

Because I Can't Ever Write a Short Post Without Spewing Out the Contents of my Brain

I don't think I've ever been able to sit through a primary program without crying. Today was ours and it was no exception. It was sweet and powerful to see and hear over 200 children up there. They had to sit on boards laid over the choir seats and down the ramp and into the first three rows of pews. They did a great job and I loved seeing my kids in the midst of all the others. The best part was when the kids sang the first part of "A Child's Prayer" and the teachers sang the second part. That touched me so much knowing that Heavenly Father really is there for all of His children and that He really does listen to our prayers. It also gave me the reminder of how precious my own children are and how I need to treasure them. Anyway, good program.

At the end of the meeting the Bishop got up and told us that our ward would be dividing again next week (it was just over a year ago that we divided the first time). This time around feels very different. It's much more bittersweet because I know so many more people in the new part of the neighborhood that most likely won't be in our ward. But our ward is busting at the seems and needs to be split, so I'm excited about that.

We had a really great Relief Society dinner this week. I'm on the RS activities committee so I always know what goes on behind the scenes. We had about 75 people there, which is the most we've ever had (and only one guy watching all the kids in the nursery--including all mine. Yikes!) I was supposed to make some neighborhood signs that we could put out on the day of the activities and it was a huge pain! They were 2'x3' (two sided) so they were pretty big, and I was trying all sorts of things so that I wouldn't have to waste money on vinyl. Con-tact paper didn't stick, so that was frustrating. I finally cut out the letters onto poster board with my Silhouette, spray painted the letters on, and then touched up some of the over spray. I think they look good from far away, which is where they are supposed to be seen from. But now I have to put a new ward name on them. Good grief.

Jared had the State Doubles racquetball tournament this week. He won second place in the A division for the second year in a row. I came to watch the final match. I get so nervous for him! And also, I'm pretty sure I am the bad luck charm because he usually loses when I come, but I also come when he's playing harder teams. Anyway, he has a lot of fun playing in the tournaments.

Erin and Alex had a piano recital a couple of weeks ago. They both did a great job and have gotten a lot better since they started a year ago. Their teacher was having a baby so they have a break from lessons until January. I have to say, even though I'm glad my kids are learning piano and like it (most of the time), it's so nice to not have to worry about practicing every day and going to lessons for a while. We're all enjoying the little break.

I joined a babysitting co-op just recently in the neighborhood. There are 10 shifts during the week (everyone has one set time) and then we each take a Friday night every 10 weeks. Everyone starts with 30 sticks and then you pay 1 stick per kid per half hour. I have the most kids, so if I left them all for a Friday night I could use up my sticks pretty fast, but mostly I use it during the week when I only have 2 or 3 kids. I like it so far. I figured I should take advantage of it before I don't need it anymore. Yes, there will come a time when I don't need a babysitter anymore. I am really close to being able to leave my kids home with Erin. I can see the babysitting light at the end of the tunnel. But for now, the co-op is handy.

We really do have a neat neighborhood. In the spring and summer someone started a produce co-op so that we could just go a few houses down and get fresh fruits and veggies. It was great! And then there's my next door neighbor who started building furniture and selling it. She is keeping pretty busy, too. She keeps wanting me to work with her and put some stuff I have done on her sight. I'm excited to do it, but also a little hesitant. I sometimes wonder if anyone will like my style and sometimes I can be a perfectionist, which gets in the way. I don't want to sell anything that's not perfect. I also have a hard time doing things with a baby around. But it's a dream of mine to do it with her. Someone, just kick me and make me do it already!!

The leaves are changing and it's starting to get cold. I am determined to finally get a better winter wardrobe this year. I'm really not excited about winter clothes, but I live in Utah so I really should resign myself to the fact that I need them. I even broke down and bought some boots. Two pairs, actually. And some sweaters and some skinny jeans. You read that right, folks. I am finally joining the 2010's.

I did a clean eating challenge in October. At first I thought it was just a "Hey, we're all going to eat better" kind of thing. Come to find out, my neighbor (different neighbor--the one who's also an instructor at the gym I go to) kept sending me all sorts of recipes, tips and motivation. And it cost $25, which I didn't know about at the start. But, it was waaay worth it. I lost 6 stubborn lbs. of baby weight and 3 1/2" off my waist. Okay, part of that amount was because I stopped nursing at the end of September, so it was kind of cheating. But I did feel good and only had two headaches the entire month. It was amazing how many treats kept coming my way though. I think four people brought us cookies, the kids kept bringing home candy from church and school and I even got a bag of chocolates on my car when I went to the temple. Seriously! I didn't even eat a single piece of candy at Bunco where they had three buckets full of candy on each table. It makes it so much harder to avoid those things when they are constantly around! And I don't know that I could live that way forever. But, every little change for the better makes a difference, I suppose.

Speaking of nursing, I am so relieved to finally be done! I feel like I have my body back and am free to go places without worrying about her. As much as it is hard to see the baby grow up, I have to say that the first year is always a little demanding and that once they hit a year, it's always a big relief. Now she is walking all over the place and doing all sorts of cute things. Part of the reason why I had to stop nursing when I did is because I really want to get Lasik on my eyes, and you can't even have your evaluation until you are done nursing for at least 2 months. But I need to find out if I am a candidate before the end of the year so that if I am, I can put money into our HSA for it and then do the surgery in January. That's my plan anyway. I hope I can do it and I hope I don't go blind.

In other news, our trusty van hit 100,000 miles recently, though I completely missed the moment. Dang it! Eventually we'll have to replace both of our cars that we're made last century (both '99's), but they've been great cars and even greater is the fact that we have no car payment.

And last but not least, Halloween. I was a huge Grinch this Halloween, if that's possible. We're lucky we got any pictures at all. I didn't want to go Trick-or-Treating with the kids, so Jared took them and I put the bowl of candy on the porch and watched a movie. Good times. As for costumes? I had everyone go down to the basement to find something in the dress-ups. Erin was a cow girl, so I had to buy her some new boots (which she will wear all winter anyway). Marissa was a fairy or a princess, I'm not sure. That would depend on if she found her wings or not. I did have to buy her a crown. Connor was a dinosaur. So cute. Hallie was the same thing that all of our girls have been when they were one, a lady bug. I guess it's good we kept it. Alex didn't want any of the costumes in the basement. Two days before he needed his costume, he told me he wanted to be the old man from Up. I thought it was a great idea, so I went to DI and found a bunch of stuff he could wear including a wig, the belt, the suit coat and I got a chair that we were going to make into the cane. I also went to another store to get the glasses. Seriously, it was such a great costume. They were supposed to dress up for their recital and he had it on, that is until 10 minutes before the recital started. As in, we were getting into the car when he told me that he didn't want to wear that costume! Errrr. His costume in the end was Batman, for the third year in a row. The one he didn't want to use. That's the last time I take time to figure out and buy stuff for a costume! They can wear a cardboard box next year. See? Grinch. Now on to some better holidays.