Christmas Season 2012

Another Christmas has come and past and we loved it. We got a pretty late start and didn't begin our hunt for a Christmas tree until a couple of weeks after Thanksgiving. Unfortunately, that meant that all the evergreens within 25 minutes of us were sold out. Fortunately, we're resourceful! Our three little fake hand-me-down trees did just the trick.

Because I am hugely pregnant (just come already, little baby!), the decor went up slowly and not completely and we finished our shopping on Christmas Eve. And we were all, and still are, sick for the holidays. It slowed us down a bit, but we still made it to the Arbon family Christmas party, and the English family Christmas Eve dinner.

(This guy is moving clear to Texas this week and we are pretty bummed about it.)

We always record Christmas morning on the video camera so I forgot to take pictures. John, Tim's brother, and his family came early in the morning to watch the kids see their gifts from Santa. They were both so excited about each new toy that it took at least an hour to get through them all, even though there really weren't that many. I do kind of wish that we could do Christmas once a month, without the expense or certainly spoiled kids, because some of those new toys have really kept the kids happy and occupied.

We have been so blessed to always be able to celebrate Christmas with a lot of family and very little stress and this year was no different. I thank my Father in Heaven everyday for the happy little life we're carving out for ourselves because of His blessings. It is especially nice this time of year to remember the greatest gift He gave us all. I hope your Christmas was also merry!

On to the new year!

A medical emergency and a weekend recap

First things first... Tim came home from work today complaining that his ear hurt. It really hurt, it was giving him a headache, he was going nuts trying to figure out what was wrong. I took a look with a flashlight and sure enough, there was something lodged in there. My 30-year-old husband had something stuck in his ear.

 

I called the doctor and the girl who made the appointment couldn't hold back her giggle when she heard me say that my husband needed to see the doctor because he had something stuck in his ear.

 

So here it is! The mystery object that ruined his day and boggled our minds!

 

 

 

The end of his Q-tip popped off this morning. Ha! But guys, he just offered to give me a massage for making a doctor's appointment for him because he would have just dealt with it. Worth it.

 

And this weekend...

 Finishing the basement.

 

 

Tea-parties. (Maybe I should invest in some bibs?)

 

Christmas tree shopping. This is the selection when you wait until two weeks before Christmas. And we didn't end up finding one because this was only place with bigger than 4 ft trees and it was closed and when we went back they were sold out. Who knew tree shopping could be so dramatic?

 

Birthday parties at Nana and Pop's, complete with gingerbread man decorating.

 

And last but not least! Dance parties. These are more of a nightly routine than a simple weekend occurrence, but still. If you could see this kid do the robot, you would die. I guarantee it.

The big three-oh

Yesterday was Tim's thirtieth birthday. Dude is old! Just kidding. It is creeping up on me much too quickly to make fun of him for long.

Our whole marriage we have made plans based on this milestone. It seemed so far away back then, when he was only 22. I must say though, he has done pretty well achieving those goals.

We both came down with the colds our kids endured last week, so we spent the night close to home and were asleep by 9:00. If that doesn't say 30 years-old, I don't know what does.

 

 

 

The spirit of Thanksgiving

A toasty warm home that more than fits my family, and has a fantastic view.

A husband that never needs a honey-do list. Who pretty much takes over the childcare duties whenever he's home.

A baby toddler boy with a near-constant smile and accompanying giggle.

A baby toddler girl who is sugar and spice and everything nice. Emphasis on the spice.

Pregnant belly kicks.

Prayer.

And, like, a billion other things.

 

I've been feeling pretty sorry for myself through some of this pregnancy with all the soreness and the sickness and the general discomfort of it all. I also keep finding myself thinking about people who were having kids a 150 years ago. Pregnant people who slept on cots or feather beds, if they were lucky, or the floor if they weren't. Pregnant ladies with several kids who had to cook food for those those kids over a fire, and probably grew or killed that food themselves. While they were pregnant! I sometimes feel really picked on when I have to cook something for a hungry kid or take them both to the grocery store even though lifting them is a pain. But then I think, Microwave! Oven! Grocery store! And then I really get on a roll and think things like, Furnace! Car! Easy access to medical care!

 

We've got it really good over here. Even if I was all of a sudden an 1862 pregnant mother instead of a 2012 pregnant mother, I would still have it really good. Because my kids are alive and happy and totally adorable. I have a happy marriage that never feels like work. There is a lot of love in my life. That's something even 150 years worth of technology can't buy. 

 



Halloween 2012

Two family parties and some trick-or-treating later and we are sugar loaded and happy and very done dressing up. There are many pictures of my Sheriff Woody and cat here, and some of my family all dressed up. I wish I had taken pictures at Tim's parents' party because there were some good costumes there, too, including Big Black, a witch, and even my niece dressed as a Barbie wearing the dress my Granny wore dancing as a teen. Tim and I went as crayons and our costumes were just too lame to post. Happy Halloween!

 

 

 

 

The end of October

Today it snowed for the first time this season. Well, it snowed on our house, anyway. There has been snow on the mountains for a few days now and Mason has been anxiously waiting for white stuff to fall a little lower in the valley. He was pretty convinced that if we just took a liiiiitttllle hike, we could play in it.

Normally snow before December makes me want to figuratively die, but today it was kind of nice. A little surprise. It felt peaceful. Maybe it will give me an excuse to just lay my large and growing body around the house a little more.

Not today though. Today we have been on the hunt for the things we need to finish the kids' Halloween costumes. I'm making Mason a Woody costume because the ones from the store with the shoes attached just won't cut it for that kid. He went bizerk at Smith and Edwards because the cowboy boots were all wrong and it took me forever to figure out that they were missing the spurs. The spurs! Who is this kid?!

I'll tell you who. Tim and I went to get our whooping cough vaccines last week and I joked that the doctor should give Tim a prostate exam. To which Mason replied, "What, a pain in the butt?" The doc was stunned and we all laughed so hard that Mason hasn't stopped saying it all week. I'm such a good mom.

Yesterday morning Brielle was climbing on the table (always) and Mason looked at me and said, "I'm really concerned about this." Tim totally called it when he said that Mason is the "fish in the jar." Dr. Seuss reference.

And now back to Halloween. We carved a jack-o-lantern last night. Mason thought it was one of the best things that has ever happened to him. Brielle just wanted to play with the knife.

Family Pictures 2012

The last time the English family had family pictures taken (if you don't count weddings) was when I was about 14. Which means Kelson was... seven? It was time. Too bad they waited until I was third trimester pregnant. Thanks a lot Englishs! Here are a few of my favorites.