Year in Review...

As this year comes to a close, I think about the highlights of 2008. I guess I'll do a Top 10 list (not necessarily in any particular order):

1. I went to Europe in June! Germany was amazing and I'd love to go back and visit again someday, as well as visit all the surrounding countries.2. We got our basement finished in February. It's so nice to have the much needed space to spread out in and I love the fact that the kids each have their own rooms to mess up.

3. We've had some very good visits with my dear Grandma and my Grandpa. You never know what life will bring and it's important to spend every minute you can with those you love.

4. We went camping--but only once, in August.

5. Kristen was baptized into our church in April. What a big decision and a big day for her!6. Kendall and Jon got to go back East in May. They visited with Jon's cousin, saw some historic sites, hiked and bird-watched to their hearts content.7. Which leads me to #7. Kendall got a deer tick stuck in his back. Scary times, but all was well.

8. Kristen, Jarren, and I went to visit my sister and her family in California in April.

9. Jarren started Kindergarten and actually likes it!10. Jenna's hair went curly! Well, it always had a little curl around the bottom, but in June, the top went curly too.We have been greatly blessed with each other, a home, food to eat, and (most of the time) good health. May 2009 bring much of the same.Happy New Year to you all!

Hmmm.....

Something strange is going on. Jon and Jenna joined the sick gang and were up all night as well. But...it seems that some of my cousins, aunts, uncles, parents, and siblings joined in about the same time. We can't figure out if it was something everyone ate or if someone was sick and passed it around. I think if it was something we ate, we'd all would have been sick a lot sooner. It's just strange that within a couple of hours, almost everyone got it. And not everyone who is sick ate the same things. Weird....

Later...

We've decided it was most likely food poisoning, since only 9/35 people who were at Grandma's Christmas Eve party are healthy and the rest are sick. We still can't figure out what it was that made everyone sick though. I think we'll be laughing at this in awhile and will always remember "the Christmas when almost the whole extended family got sick." Red punch anyone?

It's Getting Old....

No, I'm not getting old--this stomach flu virus is getting old!! I was just dozing off around 11:30 pm when Jon called me to get some cleaner. Kristen threw up. While we were taking care of her, Jarren did. Just to be safe, we put plastic sheeting and blankets all around everyone's beds because when they're tired, they get disoriented and don't always make it to the bathroom. When are we totally going to kick this thing for good? It's every couple of weeks, but we're a few weeks early this time around. I hope it's just too much candy and excitement, but it sure doesn't seem like it. I'm just sick and tired of my least favorite virus making the rounds AGAIN. Ew!

I was just telling Jon (on Christmas Eve night) that this Christmas just seems to be going so perfectly. The weather cooperated for us to make it to the family parties; the kids weren't sick; we weren't dealing with a major water leak like we were 2 years ago; we got a white Christmas; etc. I guess I jinxed us.

On one other note....I was supposed to go to visit my sister today--I had to be at the airport in about 5 1/2 hours. My trip was canceled when they decided to move back home. I am glad they're back. And now I'm especially glad the trip's canceled. It's still supposed to be stormy and I'm sure flights will be delayed. And now this stomach flu business.....I'm praying no one else gets it for 10 more years. :)

Christmas Day

What a crazy Christmas day we've had! A big storm was moving in last night, but we took the chance and went to my grandma's Christmas eve party anyway. We always do a $5 gift exchange--everyone brings a gift and we play a white elephant game. Jarren got a snow saucer and that was it--for him, it was the hit of the party! We made it home before the storm hit, and boy did it hit! We woke up to a whirlwind of snow. Jon had to go out and shovel before the kids could open presents because Toby (the dog) needed to go out and there wasn't really anywhere for him to go. Kendall and Kristen got up at 5 am, but we made them go back to bed for awhile, since they didn't go to bed until after midnight--hey, we were tired too. Jon told them they could get up at 7:30. Kendall's clock is a little fast, so they came up at 7:15 they had to wait. Then they had to wait even longer because of the shoveling. Our neighbor snowblowed us out twice more after that. It was kind of warm when it started snowing and it started melting pretty quickly and then it started to rain. Now it's back to snow. I must admit though, I love a stormy Christmas! The kids all had a good day and have been getting along great! Some of the highlights (gift-wise): an AT-TE, Star Wars Unleashed PSP game, and an eye clops for Kendall; 2 Webkinz, a guitar, and lots of makeup/jewelry for Kristen; Indiana Jones Lego sets, Lego Indiana Jones Wii game, and Prince Caspian DVD for Jarren; little Backyardigans figures, Papa Bear, stuffed dogs, and Littlest Pet Shops for Jenna; and a Wii for our family.
I made a turkey dinner and had a time of it. I forgot to take the giblets out and it took FOREVER to cook. Then as I was trying to lift the hot turkey to a serving platter, I broke my favorite serving spoon. The rolls raised too high, waiting for the turkey to cook and kind of fell flat. I guess it still tasted the same, but it wasn't smooth cooking. Anyway...we've had an enjoyable season, spending lots of time with family, reflecting on Jesus' birth, and giving to others. Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays

We had a very fun day yesterday! We had a family Christmas party with Jon's side of the family so we headed up North for the day. We were able to spend time with my family (and meet my new nephew), visit with my grandma, and stop by my grandpa's house. The kids got to see all but one of their cousins too, which doesn't happen very often. Jon's family had a potluck dinner; cousin gift exchange; a movie for the kids; a white elephant gift exchange game for the adults; singing; yummy treats; and lots of visiting and playing.

The weather was fine until we got to the canyon. It was snowing and blowing and everything else. We couldn't even see the road a few times, but thankfully, everyone around us was driving cautiously and we made it just fine. Apparently, it didn't snow here, but it snowed there all day long! The drive home was just fine, but we had such a good time, we didn't get home until almost 1 am!!

I can't believe that Christmas is in just 4 more days! It was sooo good to spend time with our families and enjoy the holiday season.

Trees

I just realized that I never posted pictures of our Christmas tree. Well, we actually have two trees this year. I bought an artificial tree on clearance at Target last year and we set that up in the basement. It's our designer tree, since last year Kendall was having a fit about our mismatched ornaments and such. It's all red and gold.

We also bought a real tree for upstairs. Unfortunately, it doesn't really smell. Either that or I'm used to it. We don't have a truck, so Jon had to take all the seats out of the van to fit the tree in there. That meant that none of us got to go with him to pick it out. It's our mix-and-match tree, full of ornaments that we've gathered here and there and loaded with things the kids have made over the years.
This year was strange. We didn't pick the tree out together. We didn't decorate either tree all together either. I managed to get pictures of each of the kids, but they were never all together. Maybe next year....

Christmas Candy

Every year since I can remember (and probably for many years before that), Christmas candy has been made in my family. My grandma always made it; my mom always made it; and now I make it. Some of the family favorites are: peanut clusters, turtles, chocolate-dipped pretzels, fudge, and English toffee. I also like to make pumpkin rolls and sugar cookies, but those aren't done at the same time as the candy.

I've been meaning to get around to doing it for a couple of weeks now, but it just hasn't happened. A few days ago, Jon was craving something chocolate, so I had Kendall and Kristen help me and we set to work. Kendall told me that some of his favorite things are listening to Christmas music while making candy and watching the snow fall. We also had a fire going. Now how's that for Christmas spirit? I can't control the snow, but I can control the other things and for him to say that.....well, it makes me feel that maybe my kids will have some good memories of their childhoods after all.

Christmas Lights Escapade

Last week, we decided to do something that we haven't done for 8 years--we took the kids downtown to see the Christmas lights. Last time we went, we took the commuter train and there was a big sing-a-long going on. Needless to say, it was soooo crowded!!! And freezing cold! So we've just never braved the crowds again. I decided it was time we went again, since the younger two have never been there and the older two were too little to remember anything.

Well....it was another one for the record books. We drove this time, thinking it would be better, but it wasn't. We found out there was an NBA (basketball) home game that night at 8:30 and there was also a huge choir concert at 8:30. We left at 6:15, hoping to beat the traffic, but got stuck right in the middle of it. It normally takes us about 25-30 minutes to get downtown, but it took about an hour and 45 minutes, maybe just a little less. At one point, we went 2 blocks in 45 minutes. It was so frustrating to see light after light change and not even be moving. We almost gave up and went home, but we finally made it and Jon dropped me and the kids off and went to park, which was in and of itself, another long story.

Anyway....here are some pictures of the grand adventure--and I'm sure the kids (probably not Jenna) will remember it, if only because of the craziness in trying to get there.
Of course, these pictures don't really do it justice.

Update...

Just a quick update. After Jenna was sick yesterday in the store and then right after her bath---nothing. She took a long nap and woke up and wanted to eat French toast and apple juice. She held it down and then ate a little dinner later. She even ate a piece of chocolate from her Christmas countdown calendar. Weird. And no one else got it. I just don't understand the stomach flu viruses we've had this year. In October, Kristen got it and then Jenna did. Five weeks later, Kendall got it. Five weeks later, Jenna got it. For the most part, they throw up twice and it's done. No fever or anything. I am praying soooo hard that it's done with us until after the holidays.

On a happier note, we had our ward Christmas party this morning and went, since it had been 21+ hours since she threw up. It was a breakfast with some entertainment and was a lot of fun! We came out of the party to snow! It's windy and snowing and from what I hear, we're in for a big one. YAY!!! Let it snow, let it snow, let is snow!

'Tis the Season...

I am totally humiliated!!! We got up this morning and every seemed normal. Jenna was up a lot from 4:30 am on and seems to be getting a cold--stuffy/runny nose, cough, sneezing, etc. I needed to run to Walmart to get a few craft things and treats for some upcoming parties, so we dropped Jarren off at school and ran. Jenna refused to walk or ride in the cart, and since she seemed tired, I just carried her. I got most of the things on my list and was standing there debating between two things, when Jenna threw up all over her, me, and the floor. No warning at all! I just stood there for a second, frantically trying to see if there was someone who could help me. Of course there wasn't. I grabbed a lady walking by and asked her if she could find someone to help me. She did and they cleaned it up while I tried to clean Jenna up. I hurried and checked out after that. I had NO idea Jenna was sick and I'm so embarrassed she got sick in the store! Now I'm sure we'll all get it. I just hope it's over with by next weekend so we don't have to miss our family party.

We Need a Little Christmas....

I'm feeling a little inadequate this Christmas. I think my shopping is done, but there are all the neighbor gifts to get out, candy to make, gifts to wrap (I HATE that part of it), carols to sing, and memories to make. I just feel like I can't do enough to make good memories for my kids. I just know they'll look back and think of the rotten childhood they had--a mom always running around stressing. :) I think I'm just grumpy because it's hard to really get into the spirit of things when there's no snow and the sun's shining so brightly (I'm sure you'll laugh at this Charisse). Maybe this weekend's storms will help.

The tadpoles are slowly changing. I'm sure they are. But they don't look like it. They have a little ledge in their pools that they like to sit on and they almost seem to be sticking their noses out to breathe in some air. Popeye looks bigger than Skipper. I need to do some research to see if males are generally larger than females or if it doesn't matter. I do know they won't mate for 4 years, if we even have one of each gender. I wonder how long they'll live....

One more thing....

First of all, I couldn't stand not writing one more thing--this is the 100th post for me! Wow!

That said, the kids went back to school today. They were off-track for 4 whole weeks! With my kids, the first week is great. They're excited to be home and out of school and they have fun. The second week, the newness wears off and they start bothering each other a little bit, but it's still kind of fun. The third (and final) week is tough! They start teasing and fighting and start getting bored. That's why I like year-round school. Just when they started getting burned out and need a break, the go off-track. Then just when they start getting bored, they go back on-track. This time, for some reason, they had 4 weeks off and then the next time, they'll only have 2 weeks off. I was sooo worried about it! But they (for the most part) did great!!! They had fun, we had Thanksgiving in there, they played hard, and it wasn't bad at all. I'm sure going to miss the sleeping in....

I got thinking about it yesterday and got really sad. Kendall has 6 more off-tracks and two summers and then he's in Jr. High. Where does the time go? And does time seem to be going faster???

Meet Brownie....

When I was a child, we had a little elf that came to our house the day after Thanksgiving every year. Every day, it would hide in a new place and watch us to see if we were being naughty or nice. If we started to fight, my mom would say, "Pixie's watching." because every night, Pixie would go report back to Santa Claus. It sure kept us good!

Well...we have an elf that come to our house, named Brownie. Kristen loves to write notes to Brownie, asking him questions such as: who's your favorite reindeer? how old are you? is Santa nice? etc. And for some reason, the kids are scared to death of the Santa in the mall, so instead, they write letters to send to him through Brownie.

The other day, Brownie was hiding in the Christmas tree and the kids went to add some more decorations to it, and Kristen accidentally knocked Brownie out of the tree. She was appalled! She wrote a note to him apologizing. It was sooo cute!

The kids wonder why they can't see the elves at their friends houses. Maybe they're too small. I don't know....

Sweet Little Candy Canes

Kristen's dance group performed tonight at a festival. Their recital is in 2 weeks, but this was fun anyway. I took Kristen's best friend, Hannah, too. And of course, the girls were hyper and excited. Their costumes this year are sooo cute! They look like sweet little candy canes. The girls danced to the song "Jingle Bell Rock" and they did such a cute job!! I thought they saved the best for last---these girls were awesome!! I wish I could find my cord to get video on here..... Anyway...after they performed, we walked around for a few minutes and Santa happened to be walking by. He took a look at them, handed them a candy cane, and wished them a Merry Christmas. I think it made their day!

Jarren and Anakin Skywalker

Jarren is obsessed with looking like Anakin Skywalker, from Star Wars. He wants his hair long and curly. He's also obsessed with not liking Jenna and the reasons? Because she poops her pants and has curly hair. I think he's jealous that her hair looks like he wants his to. Yesterday, Kristen comes out of the bathroom and asked who cut their hair in the sink. We figured out it was Jarren. He showed me a picture of Anakin and told me that he doesn't have long hair in one part in front. Well...that's because his hair's so long that with the part, it goes over to one side or the other. He cut one little part of the front of his hair so it would look more like Anakin's. It's not too noticable, but it's pretty funny. Can anyone see the similarities? I just hope Jarren doesn't turn to the dark side. :)