Merry Merry Eve

Ahhh, Christmas Eve. One of the best, most exciting days of the year. I love it because by then I have all of my Christmas "stuff" done and I can finally just sit and enjoy and not be thinking about something I need to do.

I actually had to work on Christmas Eve, just for a few hours in the morning. When I came home I just had to make a couple of last minute deliveries, help the kids wrap a couple last gifts, and make a salad for Christmas dinner at my mom and dad's house. It had been kind of a bummer weekend because Jonah was sick with strep over the weekend, Daphne was sick a fever on Monday, and Baron was sick with a fever on Tuesday (Christmas Eve). I was just hoping no one else got it for Christmas Day because what a terrible day to be sick.

We got to my mom's and had a lovely dinner. My entire family (minus Rachel's family) was there and the cousins all have so much fun together. We did the nativity of course and some other fun activities.

 At the end of the night we opened gifts because we wouldn't be seeing my family on Christmas. I made poor Baron stay downstairs because I didn't want him spreading germs. That's why he is all alone opening his gift from my parents.

The rest of us were upstairs. It was crazy and loud and fun. I loved seeing what everyone got.

Hugs all around!

My parents gave us an ipad. We love it. It has been so helpful for school. My mom also gave us our traditional "bags" as we call them (Probably similar to a stocking). They are always filled with fun things that I need or want and I look forward to them every year. One of my favorite things in my bag was a freshwater pearl necklace my mom brought back from her trip to China. I also got a cute serving dish, and just all sorts of fun things. Andy's was filed with treats, a tie, dress socks, and the like. We love getting our Christmas bags :)

After all the gifts had been opened, I took my little family downstairs with Baron to open Christmas jammies and slippers. Andy and I got some too but I didn't include us in the photo. Laylah actually made Andy's pajama pants that he got. Talented little gal.

All dressed and ready for bed!

After all the gifts had been opened my parents told us they had one more surprise for us. They had put every single home movie from over the years onto DVD's. There are like 16 DVD's. I was so excited! I love home movies. My kids love to watch ours all the time, and I know I am going to love going through all of my family's old movies. After we watched some of one and my kids had started drifting off (Magnus was out) we took a photo and said Merry Christmas and goodnight.

We said prayers and talked about the true meaning of Christmas when we got home. We took a quick photo, put out cookies for Santa and carrots for his reindeer, and sent the kids to bed.

And then Santa came and gobbled his cookies and drank his chocolate milk and put out gifts and filled stockings with care. He had a little interruption and had to hide for a minute when Laylah came out of her room to go potty and nearly gave him a heart attack.

And while Santa was busy doing all the work Andy fell asleep in our comfy chair by the fireplace.

After Andy and I headed to bed we had been asleep for a couple hours when Magnus came into our room burning up with a fever and telling us he needed to throw-up. We made it to the bathroom and then I sat up with him the rest of the night helping him make it into the bowl. We watched movies downstairs until he finally fell asleep around 5 AM and I was able to get a few hours of sleep myself. Poor Baby.

I was awakened by thundering feet above my head upstairs when excited kids had woken up and were excitedly yelling that it was Christmas and look what Santa had brought! So much fun. 

I think when I am old and my kids are grown and gone, being awakened on Christmas morning will be one of those things that I miss most of all.

Just a Little Bit of Ketchup

 Oh, hi! I know I promised (to myself) that I was going to catch-up my blog about two weeks ago and well, that just didn't happen. But I'm here! I'm ready! I have a minute or two!

Last time I did a catch-up, I ended somewhere after Halloween and Magnus' birthday. So, here we are, mid-November. I'm doing this for posterity sake, remember?

November was as busy as ever. I am grateful for moments like the one below where I have record that I did take a minute to slow down once in awhile. The baby boys and I enjoyed lunch with my dad one rainy afternoon. I love the fact that my dad is always up for anything. I had called him to ask him a question and he asked me what I was doing and where I was. I was at Target and he said he was nearby and offered to take us to lunch. What a guy.

 Love that dad of mine.

This was taken  while I was on my way to my very last biology lecture of the semester. I know I talk about  that class a lot, but it was truly so hard for me and I am still so proud of myself for finishing it. Many, many tears were shed over that class. After I found out that there is a national 70% fail/drop rate for this class, I felt like a champ for enduring when all I wanted to do was drop it and quit.

 My happy face :)

 My 3 kiddos entered the Reflections contest this year. The girls because they wanted to, the boy because he had to. It was required by his teacher. Daphne did musical composition, Laylah did dance choreography, and Jonah threw together some 3-D art one afternoon. He made a little soccer field out of clay along with little guys having a game. Well, the girls both took first place and moved onto region. Jonah received an honorable mention. We were pretty excited around here for all of them. Since then we found out that Laylah won in region and is moving onto the state! We are proud!

 Daphne has the best teacher. She did a huge Thanksgiving unit and they were required to learn all about how real pilgrims did it. They dressed up for part of every day in November and did things that real pilgrims did. They learned all about how much they suffered and how many of them died. Daphne loved it and I was pretty impressed with her new pilgrim knowledge. The day before break they had a huge Thanksgiving feast and all of the parents were invited to participate. it was so much fun.

 Sadly, those are the only photos I even have of anything Thanksgiving related. I told Andy to remind me to take some pictures on Thanksgiving, but that morning was when he went and played football and tore his achilles tendon (which we didn't know at the time of course) while I was preparing some of our Thanksgiving feast. He was drugged up all day and I was busy helping with preparations, so the camera was forgotten. It was a wonderful holiday though. We ate with Andy's family and everything was delicious. We later went over to my parents just to say hello and also drop off the kids with them for a sleepover. My parents took the kids to Classic Skating for the evening (where they all had a blast I heard) and Kaylie and I went to do a little black Friday shopping. I hate that it is starting earlier and earlier, but I still go... Luckily I had done a lot of my shopping online and only needed to get a few things. We were done by 11. I went home to a miserable Andy and we were able to sleep in thanks to the kids being at my parents. It was a great holiday weekend full of fun and family.

 Here's a quick photo of Jonah at pack meeting. He had a little part in the meeting but now I don't remember what it was. See, this is why I need to keep my blog updated! This old lady forgets things too quickly...

And onto.... the Christmas season! We decorated gingerbread houses at my parents at the beginning of December. The kids picked at it and ate it over the next week. Yuck.

We had some fun nights of secret service and doorbell ditching with notes and treats.

Our neighborhood does a fun tradition with a little (actually it's pretty big) get together. Everyone brings a treat to share, food to donate to the Utah food bank, and the kids get to perform singing songs, playing piano, dancing, or anything else they want to do. We do this instead of neighbor gifts because nobody needs neighbor gifts. I love it so much! It greatly reduces stress and things to do in an already busy season. Plus we are helping others which is what the whole season is about.

 Baron and his best buddy Ezra sang Christmas songs.

 Daphne, Laylah and Jonah played Christmas songs on the piano. It was a fun night.

 This is just a random photo of the kids playing one night. I love hair trains, they're just so cute.

 And this is a really terrible photo of me. Andy and I celebrated the 12th anniversary of our first date by staying in with burgers, shakes, and a movie.

 My Christmas-y house makes me happy.

 This is Daphne's soccer team. They found out they took second in region for the fall season and received medals. So exciting! Go Murray Max!

 And Laylah graduated from D.A.R.E. It is so weird to see my kids doing things that I remember doing not all that long ago. Crazy and weird that she is so old. Only one more year of elementary school is freaking me out.

 Jonah had a Christmas party for scouts and they went ice-skating and had hot chocolate and donuts. Fun night!

 I drank more cups of hot chocolate than I care to admit during the freezing cold December. Maybe that's where those few pounds came from...

 Mid-December was Andy's surgery which I already posted about. However, I didn't mention post-surgery which was hilarious because Andy is crazy on anesthesia. I posted a video of him on facebook. It is pretty funny. 

 Just another picture of Christmas. I miss Christmas. Let's go back! I don't have a picture, but Andy and I were able to go to the Mo-tab Christmas concert and it was so wonderful.

 My grandma has a Christmas party every year for as long as I can remember. It's fun to be with aunts, uncles, and my own cousins who now have kids of their own. We have dinner and a program. All of the kids perform on the piano or singing and we all carol. It is lovely :)

 Another photo of freezing December. My car was literally covered in ice. We couldn't open the doors and the windshield had a layer of ice on it that I chipped at until I cracked it and was able to see through.

 Poor Andy. He had to wear this for almost 4 weeks and couldn't bear weight on it at all. He was mostly stuck in bed or on the couch. He was bored out of his mind.

 Magnus always keeps us laughing with his shenanigans and ability to fall asleep anywhere at anytime.

 I wrapped a lot of presents.

 

 Laylah and Daphne helped me put gifts for their friends, teachers, and my visiting teaching and Andy's home teaching families. My mom and dad had come over earlier in the month to help me make toffee. They're the best. Andy's parents and my parents basically helped run my family while Andy was incapacitated and I had to go to work. And that was on top of their own families and holiday things to do. I am so thankful for families.

It was a busy season. With school and Andy's surgery we didn't get to do a lot of the traditional things that we usually do. I was upset about it at first, but after talking with Andy and the kids they helped me realize that every year won't be like this and there is always next year. The Christmas season is really about our Savior and helping others anyway, and we were definitely on the receiving end of that this year. I am so thankful for this time of year to help me realize what is most important. 

Next up.... Christmas Day!

It's Coming

I feel like I kind of look cross-eyed in that there photo (which was taken Christmas Day and which may just be the only Christmas photo you get to see going by the rate at which I am updating my blog these days.) I got a new camera from Santa Claus. I am so excited to have it, but scared to learn how to use it. It's not a proper DSLR, but it's definitely a step above a good ole' point-and-shoot. And I have a hard time learning new things like how electronics work.

So, like my post title states, it's coming. What is coming you may ask? Lots and lots of things. Tomorrow I plan on doing a big update post on my blog. I always feel the need to catch-up on here at the beginning of the year. It's happening. Fall activities that went undocumented, holiday festivities, Christmas, New Year's, all that fun stuff.

Also, school. It starts on Monday! Scary stuff, especially because of my class load. I only have 9 credits, but those consist of Anatomy and Chemistry and their corresponding labs. I am slightly terrified. I am happy to report that I did in fact pull of a B and two A's last semester. Thrilling, I know :)

Also coming? Daphne's birthday and baptism. I love birthday #8. It is so special and exciting. I need to quickly learn how to take photos with that camera so I can take some baptism pictures next week and get some invitations and made and mailed out. Her birthday party is going to be at the Lion House on Monday and she also gets to get her ears pierced. Exciting stuff I tell you! 

Next up, Andy gets to try walking next week. I haven't posted much on here about the details of his injury, but it was pretty bad. I don't even remember if I mentioned that it happened on Thanksgiving Day while he was playing football. So silly.... And frustrating and time consuming and expensive. It kind of threw a gigantic wrench into our lives  and has been taking up space ever since. I'm excited to have him on the path to healing. 

Alright, that's enough for now. Lots of stuff happening around these parts, as you can see. More to come, I promise! (that promise is for me... So I'll make sure to do it :)

Back At It

Oh! Hello there little blog! Did you think I had forgotten about you?! Well, I did for a little while. I was a bit preoccupied taking care of a (slightly) needy husband who can't walk or do anything for himself. He's getting better though! 

And the holidays are over!

And I'm slightly less insane than I was 3 weeks ago!

But I am still a little insane nonetheless!

Anyway, lots of catching up to do. And I'll still be a little crazy for the month of January. It is Daphne's special #8 birthday in a week and a half. Her baptism is a mere 4 weeks away and I have several things to do to prepare. I need to try and get the majority done before school starts back up (for me, the kids went back today, blah) on a week from Monday (which is actually Daphne's birthday). Crazy, happy, blessed life... Am I right?! 

A catch-up post coming soon... Until then enjoy a photo of two people I love dearly who are doing something that I *should* be doing that I'm not.

Also, Happy New Year :)

Here I Sit

    Andy is in surgery right now and I'm sitting in the waiting room going on two hours. I have made lists of things I have left to do for Christmas, grocery shopping, things to clean, activities to do over Christmas break, and finally, a list of healthy snacks I can grab on the go (I can never think of anything when I'm in a rush). 

    If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you would know that Andy tore his Achilles' tendon while playing football on Thanksgiving. I mentioned he had hurt it in my last post. We finally had it checked out. It's one of the worst the doctor has seen. It took up part of his bone with it, yuck. He can't do anything for about 6 weeks (including no work, yikes) and then total recovery time is 9 months. Double yuck. Just another thing to add to my plate. No problem, I got this thing. Just upset about no Christmas lights on my house, remember? Ha :)

    At least school is officially officially over. I get my grades next week. I already mentioned that I have two A's and I'm hopeful for a B in my other class. It's weird how obsessed I am with finding out. I never used to care about my grades, funnily enough. Is funnily a word? 

    Anyway, I have lots left to do for Christmas but I have been a lot less stressed about it all this year. I usually give myself dates and deadlines and this year I'm just enjoying the season. You know, playing it by ear. If it gets done, great. If not, oh well. The kids and I have had fun doing some secret service. We've had some terrific FHE lessons. We had so much fun putting up Christmas decor. I adore my kids. They are so much fun right now. They're so helpful and understanding and selfless. I adore them. Thankfully with school out (for me, Andy and the kids have another week) we can just enjoy the rest of our season. 

And what a beautiful season it is. Especially when I get this guys company 24/7 for the next 6 weeks :)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like.... Busy

This past week has seriously kicked my bum. First of all, hello first week of December! Because Thanksgiving was so darn late this year I felt the need to get Christmas decor up ASAP even though I really didn't have time. 

It also happens to be finals week. Oh, finals week, you suck. I procrastinated a bit in my online classes (surprise surprise), so I've been busy every night doing online quizzes, last minute assignments, attending final reviews, and stuff like that. I finished two of my three classes last night, phew! Relief. According to my percentages I should have an A in both of those. So relieved they're over. I have my last tutor session this morning and my last final is tomorrow morning. Eek! It's the one I'm most terrified about, biology. I think I have a B in that class, which I am dang proud of. Dang proud.

Also, there's the never ending Kid Stuff. Bear was Star Student this week so I had to make a poster for him one day, make sure he had his favorite book another day, and another day he had to bring his favorite stuffed animal. It doesn't seem like much to remember, but add it to everything else I have to do and all of the sudden those tasks seems monumental. Jonah had a ski field trip this week. I had to pickup his snow skis Monday and drop them off Tuesday during that blizzard that hit on Tuesday. He had also grown out of his snow clothes so I was at Walmart at midnight searching for new snow bibs. And after all that, he didn't even get to go because their bus got stuck on the way up the mountain. Poor kid was so disappointed. They try again in January. Daphne was sick (again!) and I just don't know what to do with that girl. She's always sick. Magnus continues to be his troublesome-get-into-everything-self. I was awakened by his piano pounding this morning (6 AM folks. 6 AM) and Laylah yelling at him to stoooooooopppp!!! I went to yank him off the piano bench and found his moth full of candy from the advent. Awesome.

Lastly, Andy hurt his ankle playing football on Thanksgiving and I'm pretty sure it's more than just a sprain. It is not getting better and it has been super swollen for over a week. Mostly I'm upset that he cant put Christmas lights up on the house, haha :) Just one more thing. Oh yeah, and I've had a terrible cold for two weeks.

So there's our last week of life in a nutshell. Tiring, lovely, long, and tiring. 

And I love it, remember? I think ;)