Friday, December 26, 2008

What a crazy Christmas!

Christmas Eve eve (hee hee) we went to our wonderful friends the Stutzman's house and put the kids to bed there and played a few games of Magic. We left Ben and Jake there to spend the night. The next day was Christmas Eve and I got to spend the morning with my oldest and my youngest. I sat at the kitchen table and did fun Christmas paper crafts all morning. After I picked up the other boys we did some more crafts and then decorated our sugar cookies and our gingerbread cookies. Ty came home from work and we opened Christmas Eve jammies and went to my in laws where we did more crafts, tin soldiers and our Santa name cards, so Santa knows where to leave our gifts! The kids said it was the best Christmas EVER.
Christmas morning the kids came in bed with us and we read scriptures and talked and then did our whole family gift opening thing. After that we got ready and webt back to my in-laws and opened some more gifts and then used our new GPS to get to my parents house. Yes, I know how to get there anyway, but you gotta play with your new toys! It is really cool though.
At my parents house we opened even more gifts and had a wonderful time and great food. The night ended on a really low note, but we won't go into that now. Overall it was an amazing Christmas and I am really feeling my blessings. I hope you all felt the love our Heavenly Father has for us and had a wonderful Christmas with your friends and family.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Christmas Traditions from Whittaker Woman's blog

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper! It's just simply not as fun to open a gift bag as it is to rip paper, they go better together under the tree too.
2. Real tree or Artificial? We are artificial people, the cost and upkeep of real just won't work for us.
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the day after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down? Day after Christmas, I really don't like Christmas decorations after Christmas.
5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, but my husband hates it so I never get it. I also love Egg Nog Ice Cream.
6. Favorite gift received as a child? well, probably my pink scooter my dad got me when I was 8 or 9.
8. Easiest person to buy for? Sadly, me. I like a lot of stuff. Other than me, probably my mom.
9. Do You have a nativity scene? Yes, one from the Dollar Tree, make that 2, from different years, and a silver one that someone left piece by piece on our doorstep last year or the year before, it's missing Joseph though, they must have been busy that night.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail, for sure, but I may post mine on my blog.
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? One year I got a Barbie from my Aunt Troy and I acted like a huge snot about it because my older sister got earrings and a purse and I wanted to get a big girl gift too. I really did like the Barbie though, I just acted like I was too old for it.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Elf, hands down, I love Small One too, and Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas and Twice Upon a Christmas.
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Last year we were done before Thanksgiving, this year we are still not done yet.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can think of, but I wouldn't put the idea above me!
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Goodies like divinity and fudge and sugar cookies.
16. Lights on the tree? Yes, I like white, or blue, my kids like the multi color though, so that's what we'll have until they are too old to care anymore.
17. Favorite Christmas song? Oh Holy Night and Mary did you know?
18. Travel for Christmas or stay home? Home!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes, and it's Donder not Donner!
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Hello, Santa delivers them Christmas night so Christmas morning is when you open them! We open new jammies on Christmas Eve.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? It gets too busy to enjoy spending relaxing time with family doing fun holiday traditions.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color? In my bedroom I have a 2 ft. tree with blue and silver ornaments and blue lights, I love it. I also saw a bunch of very retro ornaments at Target this year that would look great on a white or aqua tree, they were pink and lime green and fun funky colors. I can only do my themed tree in my room on my little tree, the kids have their fun tree and then we have our pretty and special tree with keepsake ornaments on it.
24. Favorite Christmas dinner? Honeybaked ham, salad, cresent rolls.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year? Happy kids, Peyton's 2 front teeth to come in, I always love books.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

We believe!

Friday night we took our kids to the mall to see the real Santa, he wasn't there! Apparently his wife passed away earlier this year and he was not handling it very well. I was so sad. He is Santa, so good with the kids, so clean and sweet. We have had all our pictures for the last 6 years taken with him. The kids definately noticed and were bummed but handled it very well. Peyton really liked him and wanted to feel his beard. It was hard to get a pic of her facing the camera, we had to really whoop and holler because she wanted to keep looking at Santa. Oh, and by the way, her first word is Santa and she says it so cute and clear. She says Mama and Dada and Nana and Dah (Dog), but Santa is her first real and clear word. It is just so cute. She seems to say it about Chritmas trees, but whatever.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Friends are Fantastic!

I have recently made a conscious effort to spend more time with my friends and I've really enjoyed it. Tyler and I also do more things with OUR friends. Here are just a few recent events along with my cliff notes review of Twilight. Yes, I have been neglecting my blog and my e-mail and my facebook and my myspace, ok, pretty much the computer all together. There is just way to much to do on the computer and I guess I'm suffering computer burnout, and I've been spending more time with friends!!!!

Fresno State Football game with the Olsens (Shawn and Kendra)
We had fun visiting, Kendra is about as into football as I am. Those are Tyler's fingers, not mine.
Aren't these guys so cute?!
November 20th, Midnight premere with Barbara and Donna.

November 23, another Twilight show with Jen, Kendra, Laawna, and Lydia.

Ok, so for my review...

I loved it! I enjoyed it even more the second time. It was very cheesy and had several fuuny parts, just like the book. So for all of you out there complaining of the cheese, did you not read the book? The book was cheesy. I wasn't happy with who they cast as Edward until I saw the movie and I thought he was great. Bella was also cast perfectly in my opinion. I loved the ballet studio scene and thought the special effects for it were done really well. I was happy with the Cullens, the one thing I thought that could have been done much better was the vampire's make-up. For condensing a large book into a movie I thought they did great, especially developing the characters, they kept them true to form. There were a few scenes from the book that didn't make it in that I wished would have, like when Bella bleeds in biology. Anyway, they can't get it all in! I am excited for the rest of the movies now.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Do you snore this loud?!

I had to post this little video clip of Micah snoring. My husband rarely ever snores but my oldest and youngest sons can out snore any grown man. Micah always complains when Ben falls asleep before him because the snoring is so loud, little does he know that he snores even louder! Their poor future wives, this is what they're in store for...




Monday, December 8, 2008

The Plague November 12, 13, 14 and 18th

I am including a variety of pictures from our last round of sickness that swept our house and then went on to the Stutzman's house. Peyton and I were the only ones spared the wrath of strep throat. I am not one to jump into the doctor's office easily, so, sadly, I waited a wee bit too long and the kids got pretty sick. Micah is not a very good sleeper, he sleeps very little, but he actually got to a point when he would ask me for a sleeping pill (Benedryl), Micah got several good nights sleep in a row, hallelujah!

Ben always sleeps pretty well.





My poor sickies, Jake was still fine at this point.


These next pics were taken at urgent care, Jake had a staff infection in his thumb that had to be lanced and drained. He freaked out so much that he threw up 3 imes in the room and he had to have his throat swabbed, not easy.


This is him after he puked, I didn;t take a pic of that, I thought I'd spare you.



Ben had diarrhea in his pants, I just threw away his undies and let him go without.

On the bright side, Micah got a lot of reading done while we had to wait and wait and wait. He is a much more quiet sick, don't worry, he makes up for it when he's well.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Tubbing and deodorant

Ok, so I know I am the Queen of Bathtime pictures. My kids are always really happy in the bath and so cute, I also love clean kids, so, I guess that's why all the tub pics. My oldest 2 always complain about bath or shower time, but once I get them in I can hardly get them out! Ben is always ready for a bath, and this morning when I was getting Peyton's bath ready I think she knew it and when I carried her away from the tub to get her towel she started screaming like she was no longer going to get a bath!


I'm so glad our huge tub gets used, even if it isn't by me!
My boys always like to put on mommy's or daddy's deodorant.


I thought it was so cute that Jacob was helping Ben with his application, what a good brother!

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Out of the Loop!

Ok, so after Tyler bought me another power cord I lost our camera! Yeah, can you believe that one? So, after checking the counter I thought I had put it on countless times I found it. I guess the camera must have some sort of cloaking device, I don't know. So, I really am back now and so incredibly behind, so I'll try to blog everyday or two to get caught up and I'll also try only to pick the pictures and events that are most important to me!

On November 4th Micah turned 8. He has gotten so tall and looks like such a big kid now. Micah says in about 4 years he'll be taller than me, he's probably right. He's doing very well in school and is a very unique individual with very distinct characteristics. He is the best brother I have ever known of too. On November 7th Micah got to have a friends party. We did crafts, had pizza and played some games. He really wanted me to make him a castle cake that looked like Hogwarts. I did my best. His friend Ethan got him some toys and he and Jacob and Micah used them to decorate the cake. They had lots of fun and did a really great job.



Some of Micah's friends, and Uncle Brent in the background at the piano. It was a dress up party.