Our Springville/St. George Christmas

Okay, so it has been a long while since I have had a new post. I've been pretty busy, but the main problem is that my computer is having some problems. Anyway, we had a fun but different Christmas this year. We spent Sunday afternoon until Christmas morning in Springville with my whole entire family, and then loaded up the car to head home to see Jason's family. It was so fun to be able to spend time with my whole family . . . I wish we could have stayed longer! Here are a few highlights of Christmas and the days leading up to them:

1. Watching my kids open their presents . . . all that hard work payed off
2. Staying up until 3:00 am 2 nights before Christmas wrapping presents with my sisters/sister-in-law
3. Feeling my baby move for the first time (for sure) on Christmas day!
4. Seeing cute little Beau Edmunds (Jessica's new baby) . . . he is so little!
5. Playing guitar hero in my parent's theater with my family (I'm actually pretty good!)
6. Staying up late on Christmas Eve with Kate and Lori putting together a puzzle, even though we were all sleep deprived and exhausted!
7. Food, food, and more food . . . LOVE IT!
8. Having a nap in the car on the way back to St. George (much needed!)
9. My new vacuum (I asked for it), books, and pj's . . . Thanks Jason, I Love You!
10. Watching my kids play in the snow, they had a blast!
11. Hearing about my parent's trip to Israel

I would post some pictures, but my computer won't let me download them right now. Stay tuned and you may get a few later on. I love all of you guys and hope you all had a great Christmas!

Fab Friends

I just spent the last few days with my friends in Salt Lake. It was soooo good to see you all. I have to say that I am a bit disappointed in Jessica for not having her baby while I was there, jeez, what's wrong with you? And JoRae was quite gracious to me stay with her, despite what I may or may not have done to her bathroom! I was so happy to finally be able to meet little Finn and Lucy. 4 months old and just seeing them for the first time! Our annual friends Christmas party/Jessica's surprise baby shower was a blast. Too bad we had to have a blizzard that night! It was fun to see Jamie, Mandy, Krista, Jessica Schocker (who will always be Schocker to me!), Jessica Edmunds, Cami, Lindsay, and JoRae! I seriously had the best time and was so sad to leave. I could have stayed for another 2 weeks and not done all that I wanted to do. I have to admit that I have gotten really used to the traffic here in St. George, and it freaked me out a little bit to drive on the freeway with 4 lanes plus the carpool lane! I've turned into a grandma driver for sure! And the snow . . . I can't say that I miss it, but I will say that it made it feel like Christmas!

With only 15 days to Christmas, I am starting to feel the stress. We pretty much have all of our family taken care of, but it seems like my list keeps getting longer instead of shorter. $20 gift for this party and $10 gift for another party, white elephants, and neighborhood gifts are hanging over my head. Not to mention our Christmas cards. I guess I need to stop playing and GET TO WORK!

I love ALL my friends!!!

Our Thanksgiving Weekend Camping Trip . . . Brrrrrr

We decided to go camping over Thanksgiving weekend. No, this was not my idea, but Jason was really excited about it so I went along with the plan. We got our new toy hauler in August and had only used it once, so we decided it needed to go out one more time before winter. We left early Thursday morning to good ol' Hurricane UT at Sand Hallow Reservoir. It was pretty cold the entire time and since I couldn't go 4-wheeling, I stayed inside the trailer almost the entire time. Jason and Alex were constantly gone on their 4-wheeling adventures, all bundled up in their winter coats. They had a blast discovering new trails and areas to ride. Rachel only went on a few rides because she was a little bit sick, but she loved it too! All in all, it was a good time (I got a lot of reading done) for everyone. We are excited for Spring to come so that we can go again. And, of course, anyone is invited to come with us next time!

My Thanksgiving Thoughts . . .

So, I am supposed to be at work right now. My family and in-laws are camping right now. I left the campsite a few hours early so that I could see my parents (who just got home from Israel yesterday) and other family members still here in St. George before I had to go into work. As I was eating my re-heated thanksgiving meal (yes, I crashed the party) my work called to let me know I was on-call and probably wouldn't need me to come in. So, here I am, alone in my quiet house, dwelling on the people and things that I am thankful for. I thought that this would be a good time to write these things down. I know this may be a bit cheesy, but I don't ever do this ever and I think it is important. I am thankful for . . .

• My Husband - hard working, dedicated, strong, stress basket, clean freak, loving, and smart
• My children - sweet, loving, naughty, disobedient, snugly, creative, smart, whiny, hungry, sneaky, happy, "angy", energetic, and sassy (usually all in one day). I love them and they are MINE!
• My best of friends (most who live 300 miles away)
• My family - sisters/sister-in-law (don't know what I would do without them!), brother/brothers-in-law, sweet little nieces and nephews (especially little Toby John Perriton born 2 days ago!), My Parents!!!, my in-laws . . . these people make me who I am.
• Phenergan - thank you, thank you, thank you!
• Signature suppers - we finally have dinner again!
• warmth - I absolutely hate being cold!
• toothbrush and toothpaste - it's the best feeling in the world to brush my teeth first thing in the morning!
• My baby in utero
• Treats!
• TV and especially DVR
• Books
• FREE TIME
• Naps
• long hot showers
• My blankie and body pillow
• My cell phone
• Laughter
• The church and my faith in Jesus Christ

Obviously that are more things that I am thankful for, but these are the few things that are on my mind and in my heart today, this Thanksgiving Day. I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.

Tag, You're It!

Okay, so JoRae tagged me which means that I need to tell you 6 things about myself. I find myself only thinking of things that are possibly inappropriate or embarrassing. But that is who I am, I have no secrets. So, please, don't be offended.

1) I REALLY enjoy a good bowel movement. Sure, it's gross, but I don't know anyone who doesn't. That's what sets me apart from the rest is that I admit to it when i probably shouldn't.

2) I have been known to get addicted to really dumb things such as computer games (Settlers of Catan, MSN games), handheld Sudoku, even making baby hats with the round loom. When I say addicted, I mean spending HOURS at a time doing them. Luckily for my family the addiction doesn't last.

3) Between my husband and I, I am by far the messier one. Sure, I love a clean house (who doesn't), but I tend to find other things to do with my time than clean all day long. For instance, if you look in our bedroom, his side is spotless, mine, not so much. Our bathroom? He has nothing out on his side. Mine? Make-up, hair straightener, hair product, deodorant, etc. ALWAYS on the counter. This is unless I have company and then, of course, it is all spotless. (Ha, Ha, I tricked a few of you!)

4) I only wash my hair every 3-4 days. I say this is because it is good for my hair, but really it is because I am too darn lazy to wash it, blow dry it, straighten it, and style it EVERY day. Instead, every 3-4 days i wash it, blow dry it, straighten it, and style it, and then I get 2-3 days off to just throw up in a ponytail or touch it up with the straightener. It's great, I fully recommend it to anyone who is as lazy as me (p.s. you can train you hair to do this, it takes a while, but worth the effort!)

5) I REALLY LOVE TV! Yes, it is embarrassing to admit because it means that I am lazy, but I really enjoy it. Now, I have always loved tv, but I would have to say that my DVR has SAVED MY LIFE! I can now watch my favorite shows at my own leisure, I can hear every word, pause if I have to go to the bathroom and never miss a thing. It makes it so I never forget to watch a show, and believe me, that's important! If you are interested, you can see a list of my favorites on my blog and I am ALWAYS open for discussion on any show with anyone at anytime!

6) On the less embarrassing side, I LOVE my job. As a Labor and Delivery nurse I feel like I have the best job in the world. Not too many people can say that they go to work and are a part of other people's "best days of their lives". I feel like I play a huge part in my patients' birthing experience, even though I sometimes have no control on the outcome of their labor, I can make it a positive experience by being friendly, kind, caring, and being genuinely happy for my patients and their families. It also helps that I only do it 1 night a week so I don't get burnt out!

So, that's it. Take it or leave it, it's me and I can't change who I am. So, I guess that I am supposed to tag 2 other people, but Linds just finished her 100 things, so she is out. JoRae is the one who tagged me, Lacy has already been tagged more than once, so I guess that Dana is it (I don't know of any other blogging friends). Dana, tag you're it!

Bicycle, Bicycle

Yesterday was a big day for Alex! He learned to ride his bike without training wheels! He is so proud of himself he just can't stand it. I was shocked at how easy it was for him. Jason and I just kept thinking that he wasn't ready so we never tried to teach him. However, 2 days ago he was riding his bike with his batman costume on and he got his cape stuck in the chain. It was really stuck and I had to take his bike half apart to get it out. I decided, since I already had them off, to keep the training wheels off and we would work on it. He hopped on his bike, I got behind him, pushed him to get started and then let go. I expected him to freak out and fall over, but to my surprise he kept going and going and going. He went to the end of the street, stopped with his brakes, and started back up again with no help! We are so proud of him!!!

My Munchkins

This is cute little Alex on his first day of preschool. He loves his teacher Miss Heidi. He has learned so much so far this year. He comes home from preschool almost everyday knowing how to do a new sign (sign language).

This is Rachel on her first day of dance class. Her class is called Two Much Fun and it is so dang cute. They dress up in a few different outfits (Ariel, cheerleaders, cowgirls, etc.) and dance around. Then at the end, they have a tea party. She LOVES it!

My Very First Blog

Okay, JoRae and Dana have been telling me that I needed to start a blog, so here I go. You may be asking yourself, "What has been going on in the Braithwaite household?" Well, I'll tell you. Alex just turned 5 last week and he obeys now because he is a big boy (his words, we'll see how long it lasts!) He was batman for Halloween and is completely excited about all his candy. Rachel is anxiously awaiting her 3rd birthday. She reminds me on a daily basis that her birthday is next. She is bat girl for Halloween, and dang cute at that! As for what is going on inside my womb, the baby continues to grow and is about to lose it's tail! SWEET!!! I got to hear it's heartbeat the other day, it was really exciting. Jason is looking forward to the day that I actually make dinner again. And me? I am mourning for the loss of my Diet Pepsi with Vanilla.