Christmas 2014

We knew this year would be especially magical for our family this year with a 6,4 and nearly 2 year old, everyone can participate and enjoy and have a great time.  We did a lot of prep and planning to get the perfect things for our kids and for each other.  I let go of trying to get ALL the Christmas activities in and hopefully had time to enjoy the ones we did do more because I was a little less stressed than last year.

 On Christmas Eve, Dave worked from home which gave us a little more time to spend together.  We tried to invite a couple family's over for a dinner, but it didn't work out, so knowing we would be spending the meal with our little family, made me less motivated to cook a big meal that our kids wouldn't like.  So instead we had KFC and mashed potatoes and we all found something to like.  It turned out that it was a perfect Christmas Eve to just spend with our family and relax and enjoy being with our kids and giving them 100% of our attention and love.  Looking back, it was perfect, but at the time I was really missing my big family get-togethers.  We did the nativity, sang Christmas songs, opened Jammies and had white hot chocolate.

The kids wanted to sleep in the den in the tent downstairs, so we put them to bed and they fell asleep surprisingly fast.  We spent the first 2 hours packing for a trip to Utah.  It was going to have a layover and make Christmas morning a bit rushed, but I didn't want to feel lonely the entire break, so it was going to be worth it.  Then we spent and hour or 2 cleaning and finally Santa stopped by to drop off the most perfect gifts for the kids.  I was so excited!  However, Dave also heard a loud noise in the kitchen while he was cleaning and I was worrying about the foundation being cracked.  I couldn't sleep and had dreams of our house falling into a sink hole.  When we woke up, we discovered that the flight was completely oversold and  booked all day.  Part of me was excited to have a true Christmas day of slowly unwrapping and playing and relaxing and eating.  I was very disappointed to not be going home and wished that we could at least make it in the next few days, but it looked VERY full.

Santa's gifts were set up down stairs with stockings full of goodies too.  It was absolutely perfect except that Mariah wanted all of Hallie's things (and her own things too).   Jackson got a hot wheels race track and loved every second of watching his new cars race the track (he asked for a single loop and got a double loop so he was thrilled).  Hallie asked for a purple my little pony and was so shocked that Santa knew the EXACT one that she wanted and gave it to her (along with a pink pony that walks and another stuffed pony... enough to share with all).  Mariah got a new baby doll with the baby paraphernalia (but she really wanted the pony.)

 We made German pancakes and headed upstairs to eat them... on their new little table and chairs.  this was one of my favorite gifts and one I think they will like the most, but there was no reaction to getting this present.  After eating, the opening of the presents began.  Since we had no where to be, we took it slow and enjoyed the present as long as we wanted before moving on.  All clothes got tried on and toys were opened from their packages.  I was so happy about Dave's Christmas.  I got him running shoes, cologne (The same one I gave him 8 years ago for our wedding) and a Pebble Steel watch (gives him notifications from his phone and other apps).   Jackson got a few games and puzzles, a sweater, legos, a tablet,  backpack, .  Hallie got frozen dress ups, hair sylist doll, boots, winter accesories, tablet, and headphones.  Mariah got a rolling backpack, dress up shoes, dress.   Dave gave me a massage gift certificate, a sweater, a lunch tote and a running arm band.

It was a wonderful time to watch our kids happiness and excitement.  One of my best Christmas' ever.  I was just wishing we could have family for the rest of the winter break.  I checked flights and everything just looked worse and worse, so I went downstairs and threw some frozen food on a cookie sheet and turned on the oven.  a few minutes later Dave called me upstairs to say a flight ( I had JUST checked)  had 35 seats open up...but we had to leave the house in 10 minutes or less.  Knowing the rest of the week looked bad, I said lets do it!! and we threw off our pjs, loaded the car and kids (turned off the oven and threw lunch back in the freezer) the biggest stress was that it was 1:00 and we hadn't eaten lunch and didn't have time to get it.  But we left anyway (with breakfast dishes undone and the house a Christmas Chaotic mess.)  I forgot my coat and phone charger and a few of the kids toys, but besides that considering the quick getaway we were pretty well covered.    We called ahead so the shuttle was quick and we got to the airport with enough time to get a lunch.  The flight was horrible!!  Mariah cried for 90% of it because she didn't want to be in buckled in her seat and we didn't bring the carseat.  I sat in the bathroom with her for 45 mins!  It was horrible, but worth it because I knew I wanted to be with family.  The lady next to me wasn't really in the Christmas spirit I guess.

I spent the entire day on the 26th cuddling a feverish and sick little Mariah.  I was so thankful that I was with family who could care for my other kids so I could give 100% to Mariah and not feel bad for sitting around all day and watching TV, playing Wii or just talking.

BYU vs. Gonzaga with my lovely sisters and other family.  The Cougs gave a good exciting game, but in the end it wasn't enough.


  It was a Christmas miracle to have snow on the morning of Christmas.  The kids got to build a fort and play for a long time in it.

But it was worth it for Christmas dinner and time with family!  It was so great to have Melinda and Marcie there!

The rest of the week is a blur of relaxation.  We went to the Shields family reunion, I met up with Tiffany Covington, Mostly we played games with Shane and Kim, Melinda and Marcie.  Carly came for a late night one night.  It was so fun to be all together.  I love relaxed family time.

When we got home, this is what our house looked like...

Upstairs

Downstairs

 Kitchen ... uggh!  Clean up was not pretty, but worth it!

We went home the day before New Years eve just to ensure we made it home.  It was great timing for the trip.
We went to a party at our neighbor's house for New Years.  It is fun to get to know our neighbors, but we are definitely the 'new comers' and despite our neighbors being friendly, they all have 10 years of experience and friendship together and we aren't as comfortable.  I'm hopeful the years continue to help us get closer with them.

Hallie turns 4

Hallie's birthday is always hard because there is so much planning that goes into Christmas and New years, that I just want to coast after that.  But Jan 6th is her special day, so when preschool was cancelled this year, I decided to plan a quick party for her.  I only had 1 day to plan, but it was perfect for the girls and Hallie was all smiles.  

She's been asking me for a dance party for a while now, so we decided to put them together and dance the day away with friends.  She loved her picture on the invitation.She helped me make pink cupcakes, pink jigglers and pink lemonade.  she loved making plans for her party. 

We had ribbon wands, dance tu-tus and party hats as dress ups and then the girls made a butterfly mask with glitter and jewels.  The party was very simply and quickly decorated with pink everything and cupcakes, popcorn and fruit snacks and pink lemonade for a snack. 

We played pin the dress on the dancer; dance, dance TWIRL, musical chairs, and lots of dance instruction from Youtube and free dancing to our favorite songs.  

We feel so lucky to have many girls around us who are Hallie's age and we are excited to be better friends with them throughout the years.  Jane, Shelby, Kaydree, Paisley, Jules and Hattie came to celebrate. 

 Hallie felt so happy about all the girly presents she got from her friends and was even more pleased to send her friends home with a bag of their own a long with a flower.

Jackson was devastated to miss the party so when he got home we did it all again, along with treats and dancing and celebrating. 

 McDonalds was the dinner of choice for Miss Hallie so that was really exciting.  She also wanted pizza so we ate Little Caesars on the way to the playland.

Hallie is sweet and shy, but can be fiesty and stubborn.  She loves soft hugs and touches.  she loves to say 'I love you' and hear anything good about herself.  She loves all things girly.  She sways in princess dressed with headbands, bracelets, earrings, high heels, etc.  She is a good sister.  She loves screens (tv, tablet, phones) and candy (although she has decided that chocolate is not her favorite.)

Merry Christmas!

We loved keeping in touch with so many friends and family!  Thank you for sending your Christmas cards.  If we missed you, we are so sorry!  Please let us know your address for next year!  Here is our family photos and year in Review.

Maui 2014

Thanks to a co-worker of Dave's, we were offered 3 nights in a condo on Maui.  With free flights and a free place to stay... not to mention not having set foot in Hawaii in nearly 11 months... we couldn't pass up going.  Also, we just celebrated our 8th anniversary.  Luckily, we also talked my sister Marcie into coming with us so we could spend more time catching up with her. 

Marcie came to our house the night before our flight and we loved showing her around a bit.  We were worried about the 8 hour flight, but had slowly been getting out kids to bed later and later.  We were very prepared with lots of food and toys and activities.  

We got on the plane with no problems and all got seats together! The 2 girls took naps and Hallie slept nearly 4 hours!!  Mariah was very antsy to move, so she walked the aisles... a lot.  We watched 3 movies.  It was long and boring and I was ready to be done.  I had to hold Mariah to land and she started screaming, which eventually lead to her throwing up on herself and me.  It was an excruciatingly long taxi ride sitting in vomit.  Finally, I was able to get to the tiny airplane bathroom and change clothes.  The flight attendants were so empathetic and helpful.  We got all changed and were trying to get all of us off the plane, when Hallie threw up in the aisle!!  Luckily, it didn't get on anyone, but STILL!  We finally made it to baggage and got our minivan.  We stopped at Costco for dinner and some food for the week.  We made the trek to our hotel just to have Hallie throw up again in the car.  Luckily, we were at the hotel.  Unluckily, our car smelled the rest of the trip. 

 We all crashed for the night, only to be up at 4:30 Hawaii time.  I went to the store to get medicine (I was sick by this time) and a few things for the trip.  We didn't have a great plan for our trip (since standby is so uncertain and we didn't know if Marcie would be with us.)  We did some sight seeing of the 'dragon teeth' and then headed to Ka'apalua bay for some snorkeling and water fun.  Mariah just loves the sand and beach.  The other kids were happy there too.  I felt awful, but you might as well be sick on a beach, right?

After naps at the condo (and a soak in the hot tub) we did some more sight seeing up the west coast of the island.  It was amazing and beautiful.  The blowhole and Olivine pools did not disappoint (although whiney kids did put a damper on it).   

 We crashed again and I was just praying I would feel better the next day.  When we all woke up by 5 am, we decided to jump in the car and head up to Halea'kala crater.  We were sad we didn't get there in time for a sunrise, but the sunrise we did see was beautiful too.  The van we got had a DVD player and the drive was exactly the length of a kids flick!  Perfect! The crater was quite the drive and we were all worried about getting sick, but finally we ascended 12,000 feet and were at the 'top of the world'.   It was FREEZING cold! and windy, but we were able to see the Big island and a beautiful sun.  The views were spectacular.

 We timed it just right so EVERYONE (except the driver) fell asleep on the drive back home.  It was perfect to arrive and head right to another beach (Napili beach).  Thanks for taking one for the team, Honey! This one had a wicked crash and we all got taken out by it, we moved down the beach and it was so calm and easy coming in.  We snorkeled and saw another turtle.  On Marcie's first experience snorkeling, I gave her a snorkel that didn't work, so she kept breathing in water!  I felt so bad, but she gave it another go and it was perfect.
We hot tubbed and cleaned up and spent the evening in Lahaina.  We ate at Cheeseburgers in Paradise and witnessed another spectacular sunset on the beach.   Marcie and I shopped around a bit.  We watched a movie at our condo before bed.

On our last day we were conflicted about what to do.  The kids were tired and the weather wasn't great.  Marcie and I went on a walk on the beach and had a great time talking about boys and dating and such.  She is such a fantastic and fun girl.  She will get someone very special.

 Back at the condo we checked out and headed back to the beach we liked, as we drove up the coast the clouds got thicker and thicker.  We had completely unpacked and headed down to the beach before deciding to try driving back down the coast to another beach.  It was the right choice!  Ka'anapali beach was sunny and perfect (and we discovered that what we thought was Ka'anapali beach this whole time was NOT... We have been staying at a beach just north of Ka'anapali).  Hallie was done for the day.  She just laid curled up in a towel most of the time, but the rest of us soaked in the sun, sand and water.  Even Mariah branched out to playing in the waves.  We saw more turtles snorkeling... SO close to us.  We could've touched it (but didn't of course!).  I was so proud of Jackson snorkeling.  He is brave and excited to see the fish.  I loved going out with him.

We packed up and tried to clean off in our condo's hot tub/ bathroom area.  We weren't very clean, but we were happy to have a sunny beach day.  We grabbed a snow cone on our way into town to see the I'ao needle.  This is the part I'm mad about.  We had plenty of time to catch the earlier flight, but didn't check to see that our flight had been cancelled!!   The needle was pretty with some breathtaking sights.  We got some dinner and headed to the airport when all of our plans fell apart with our flight being cancelled.  I was so stressed, but luckily there were several flights with enough seats on them to get us home... we just had to sit in the airport for 4 hours AND have a layover.  honestly, I was just happy we got off the island that night!  The kids slept the whole flight (as did the adults).  the layover was quick and mostly painless.  We were home by 1 pm in time for an afternoon church.  It could've been better, but it could've been worse too.  The flight was much quicker for Marcie getting home, so we were happy it all worked out.  It is stressful to have others flying on buddy passes.  Another beautiful Hawaii trip for the books.

12 on the 12th December

This 12th day fell on a rather busy mommy day.

1 My day begins with getting kids dressed (since we are all on Hawaii time still we are LATE in the mornings and always rushing around! )

2 &3.  My babysitter for the girls fell through so I had to take them to Jackson's school to decorate gingerbread houses.  The girls LOVED all the candy right at their level.  Hallie was mostly distracted with my phone, but eventually the candy won over and it was hard to help Jackson much.  He didn't seem to mind and was just happy I was there.

4,5, &6  I took the girls to the Science center in Arlington.  Mariah was thrilled to be able to spot a snake (in a glass case) and frogs.  She kept yelling for me to look.  Hallie completed her entire Scavenger hunt and was very attentive to the details.  She has several girls her age in this playgroup/ward.  So we are excited for her friendships to develop.

7.  I am finally feeling like we are getting to know people, but am still feeling a little lonely.  I was gone for 4 weekends and no one called or missed me at all.  I didn't miss anything here, which makes it difficult to want to be here more.  I know I need to be here to improve friendships.  After the science center, all the moms took off within 1 hour.  I am use to just hanging around and enjoying mommy time.  Luckily, Abby stayed for a while and we got to talk and let the kids play in the leaves and the outdoors (the weather is gorgeous).   I am still hopeful that these friendships can develop into deeper relationships.   I waited to leave until too late (the other moms know how to not push their kids to the breaking point... not me!)  So Mariah threw a major tantrum.  Wish I'd gotten a photo of that!

8.  I met up at Dave's work for a minute and then went to get food for myself.  I got In'N Out and they asked if I wanted to eat it in the car and then proceeded to give me a lap food catcher and make it all ready to bite into!  It was delicious.

9.  Gas is SO cheap!  I paid $2.12/gal.  It is nice that it is more affordable, in a world where everything is getting more expensive.

10. After school, I took the kids to Costco to pick up some photos.  They loved playing with the toys that are out for Christmas, esp. this 'olaf'

11.  Dave and I went to "Torchy Tacos"  for dinner (the kids were there but don't like Mexican).  Dave loved it.  I knew he would!  It is fun to find new places to love.

12.  I spent the evening cutting our our Christmas cards, addressing envelopes and stuffing them.  It was a process to put it all together, but I love thinking about our friends through the different stages of life.  I sure miss many of them.  I hope these cards help us to stay in touch and keep our friendships

Thanksgiving break

Marcie returned home from her mission to Kennewick Washington!!  We were so excited to see her, but couldn't get home until a few days later, but we got to spend an entire week in Utah to reconnect with her and with Melinda.  We had a very special day at her homecoming and enjoying my extended family for dinner.  

Grandma gave all the kids jammies and they had a party together.  All the grandkids loved playing together and love grandma and Grandpas house with a room full of toys.  It is a perfect place for the little kids to play.

 We went to the Museum of Natural curiosity one day.  The kids loved exploring and discovering.  It was a bit difficult to have kids of such varied ages and abilities.  I was glad that my mom and sister were there to help.

 

We also made it up the canyon to play in the snow for an afternoon.  Mariah was having NOTHING to do with the snow clothes and threw an epic tantrum.  Finally, we just threw her out into the snow and tried to explain that the clothes would help her be warm.  she finally was talked into it and I realized she is getting to the age where she can start to be reasoned with or negotiated with.  

On Thanksgiving morning Melinda and I ran a race.  Despite being sick and having no voice for 6 days, I managed to run ok.  We both got 1st in our age group (actually I got 3rd, but the 1st 2 people placed in the top 3 overall). So we won a turkey.  All my kids ran and Hallie was amazing. 

Thanksgiving dinner was amazing as always.  My mom always does a great job feeding so many people.  the girls loved their own little table and I just found out that Mariah is a kid now... not a baby.  Pulling on my heartstrings. 

My Aunt Vickie is always awesome to host our families at her elementary school gym.  the kids LOVE playing with all the PE equipment and the adults enjoy watching the fun and gorging themselves on PIE!  

We spent Friday with the Gorley family for dinner and met Tom and Bethany for lights at the temple. 

We had the pleasure of riding a little train around a Lindon neighborhood.  It celebrated Christmas and took us to Santa's workshop.  Hallie was concerned that the workshop didn't have the toy she wanted.  Mariah is still terrified of the big guy.  

We made it back to Texas on Sunday.  We kind of went Crazy on black friday (we've been saving up a lot of thing) and had to check it all home (we checked 9 things... our limit is 10 whew!   The looks I got at the baggage claim were priceless!  Luckily, one nice man helped me move it all since Dave was out picking up our car.)

I can't thank my parents enough for being gracious and wonderful hosts.  I love to spend time at their home.    We also got a date night to celebrate our 8th anniversary.  We played racquetball, watched movies and caught Marcie up on all the happenings of the world for the past 18 months. 

November 12 on the 12th

1. I woke up before the kids and started unpacking suitcases

2. and making Jackson a lunch.

3. I enjoyed the peaceful lit Christmas villiage Dave set up last weekend.  (it was SOOO cold this morning and this seemed to emit a warm glow)

 4. The kids and I flew home from our trip to Phoenix late, late last night so I let them sleep as late as possible.  This meant waking Jackson up at 7:45... just 15 mins before school started.  It was tough to eat breakfast.

5.Mariah and I got to eat breakfast just the two of us.  She didn't eat much, this is normal.  I think she is hungry most of her life.

6.  I couldn't figure out what to do with my day since Hallie wasn't even awake yet.  I was too cold to want to go anywhere, so I headed out in the garage to the treadmill.  I was really worried about Mariah getting on the treadmill, so I opened the car for her to play in.  Hallie found us (She woke up AFTER 9!!) and the girls played in the playroom while I finished my workout. I am trying to increase speed, and a treadmill pushes me to run at a specified speed.

7.  I had a mountain of laundry to fold and I had time to fold while my visiting teacher and I were visiting.  I'm glad to have these visits.

8. Hallie and I made homemade noodles for a chicken noodle soup on this bitterly cold day (in such a sharp contrast to beautiful, warm Mesa yesterday at the park).  She was very proud of her work.  She is fun to cook with.

9.  I menu planned for the week and made it simple by going for 100% soups.  Yum!  It is suppose to be cold all week.

10.  We shopped at Aldis before picking Jackson up from School. This store has a learning curve, but I am now enjoying the savings.

11.  After reading with me and doing his math homework, Jackson, all on his own completed this 'potion' experiment.  He did a great job.  He was so kind and loving and helpful all afternoon.  This is rare since the kids usually fight and annoy each other after school so much.  Knowing Dave wasn't coming home tonight made it so much easier to handle.

12. We ate home made chicken noodle soup and everyone was able to find a couple of things they liked from it.  (And I enjoyed all of it!)   The kids spent the evening doing 'crafts' and coloring while I cleaned up and played with Mariah.   Telling Jackson it was bedtime made all the good attitide he had all day disappear and his anger and frustration came pouring out and he ended up going to bed without the full routine.  He was really sad.  I was proud of myself for handling his tantrum with calm and peace and following through with consequences.

+ I didn't get a photo of Tasha and Kelly who came over to watch "The Fault in our Stars" with me after the kids were in bed.  We stayed up talking until midnight and I fully enjoyed having a little girls night.

As I reflect on this day, it really is just a day in the life of a mom, meals, laundry, cleaning, kids and more routines that aren't that exciting, but I had a fantastic day and spent time with my kids that I love.  It was a great, albeit mundane, day.