Sooo... You remember that time, a few months ago, when I talked about goals and how I was going to try to put up a new blog post every week? Ha! I don't want to brag or anything, but aren't I the funniest of funny? Every week... I kill me.
Anyway... It's Christmastime again! I can hardly believe it. Seriously. Didn't we just have Christmas, like, a year ago or something? I guess that's what happens, huh? Well, our Christmas cards should be hitting the mailboxes of some of you lucky folks (if you're not a lucky folk, you can be! It's not too late! Just send me a message with your address and I'll be sure to send you one), so I thought I should get our blog updated with all our latest news so it will all be here for you to read (if you so choose to) once you receive them.
Starting with the youngest (because she's the cutest, of course), here's what's up with Gracee...
What can I say? Even though she's 2 in every sense of the word, we just love our baby girl. She's stubborn, demanding, bossy, spoiled, and makes messes like I never thought possible. But she also loves to snuggle and giggle and sing and tell stories and about a hundred million other adorable things that make it all worth it. Plus she sleeps for at least 12 hours every night and still takes about a 3-4 hour nap each day, so she's pretty much the most fabulous toddler on the planet, in my opinion.
Oh, Nathaniel...
What are we ever going to do with you? Keep you and love you forever, I suppose. This little guy is still my hardest, neediest, and most persistent child. But I tell you, the kid is so entertaining that I just don't know what we would do without him! Die of boredom, I'm sure. Nater keeps us laughing with his crazy personality and with the strangest questions and comments I've ever heard. I would love to live in his mind for just one day. It must be a constant party. He's been having a fabulous time during his 2nd year of preschool so far. Next fall he starts Kindergarten. Really. Pure insanity, I tell you.
As for Mathew...
Mathew is growing up right before my eyes. Does he not look way too old in this picture? Honestly, I keep seeing him as a teenager and I want to cry. Thankfully, for now, he's still only 8 and he still likes to give me hugs and thinks I'm cool and stuff. I'm going to enjoy every second while it lasts. Mathew keeps mostly to himself, I think mainly because his imagination is so intense that the rest of the world just bores him. He spends hours of time alone in the basement creating the most mind blowing things with his massive amounts of Legos. I would sometimes wonder if he's even in the house, if not for the frequent screaming matches between him and Nathaniel. Ah, brotherly love.
My McKenna....
I almost can't even write about her without getting all choked up. Mathew growing up too fast is almost a non-issue compared to how fast this girl is growing. She's on the brink of her teenage years and it's just starting to hit me. I received my list of upcoming Beehives a few weeks ago and SHE WAS ON IT! My girl is going to be a Young Woman and I just can't face it. Kenna spends hours on the computer. It's so hard for me to set limits for her because she spends most of these hours writing the most incredible short stories. Tons and tons of them. It's every parents' job to believe that their child will grow to be all shades of successful, but I truly think she has a future in writing. She loves to read and usually has about 5 books piled up on her nightstand at a time, with bookmarks in all of them. She can't get enough! She's a total nerd to her very core, and I mean that in the best way possible. I'm trying my best to not brag too much, but dangit! I'm just so stinkin' proud of her.
As for Brandon and I...
We had a fun summer/fall together. We participated in our first Dirty Dash...
And discovered what it truly means to be filthy. Seriously, for those of you who are adventurous, you should give something like this a try. I still don't think I've ever laughed so hard in my life.
We also ran (and sometimes walked) the Snow Canyon Half Marathon together.
This was such a great experience for us. My wonderful parents were able to come down to St George with us and they kept the kids overnight and for most of the next day while we ran.
Their campsite was almost exactly at the halfway point of the race, and I can't even begin to tell you how much it boosted my spirits to see my sweet kids and my parents cheering us on.
In case you can't tell, that's me rushing to scoop my kiddos up in my arms for a halfway-there-pick-me-up. It was just what I needed. Even though this was my second half marathon for the year (I also ran - and sometimes walked - the Top of Utah Half with some friends a couple months before), I struggled with this one (I guess that's what happens when you decide not to train...) and was so grateful to have my family there to support me. Brandon was such a trooper and stuck by my side the whole time, even though he easily could have sped right past me (without any training or experience, too! As I've said before, natural athletes are so annoying.)
Race talk aside, things are going pretty well for us. Brandon is still working at Salt Lake Regional Medical Center as the nursing orthopedics coordinator in the operating room. He works long, hard hours and sometimes we actually get to spend time with him, which is pretty awesome. As always, loves to wind down with all things basketball. Watching, playing, video-gaming... It doesn't matter.
My year has been spent like most stay-at-home moms. I take care of kids and clean (kind of) and cook (kind of) and just try to keep our lives running smoothly. It's a work in progress. I also work really hard at improving my health and losing weight. Why, since just last year, if you can believe it, I have managed to... uh... gain 7 pounds. Oh, well. Someday I'll learn to exercise self-control. I'll get there. I will.
I'm still loving my calling as a Beehive adviser, working with the 12-13 year old girls in my church. I love doing this so much, I sometimes fear my heart might burst.
It's ridiculous how much I love these crazy girls.
So that's that! The Christmas season can be so crazy sometimes, but I am forever grateful for all the people, experiences, emotions, and all things huge and tiny in my life that turn it into what it is. Sometimes I just sink to my knees and cry for several long minutes, just because I don't know how to put into words the wonder I feel when I think of all the things that make up my small existence. It's incredible, isn't it?
I hope you'll pardon my sentimentality. After all the horrific news about the tragic shootings in Connecticut today, I'm just happy to huddle in my tiny corner of the world with all that's important to me and just be. My love and my heart and my prayers are with all who are aching.
I wish you all the Merriest of Christmases and hope you can find joy in every way possible this season. If I don't get around to blogging again before the New Year, I will see you in 2013! Because, you know, I'm a sucker for fresh starts and I'm bound to update this dang blog more frequently in 2013... right?
