Oscar Worthy Nativity Production

This is a video of the 2007 Christmas Eve Nativity production that we did with Britton's side of the family. Although it is an annual tradition, the kids get to be different characters each year and there is never any practicing before Grandpa starts reading. The only problem is the camera work. I didn't do such a great job...shaky, wrong position, lots of background noise on my part...but it was fun!

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Walking

So, Jack has officially started learning to walk. The same day I took this video, he walked 11 steps all by himself, and of course, I didn't have the camera on to catch it. Since (Christmas Eve when this was taken) he has been walking a lot more. He will just decide when he wants to do it and go from one place to another. Sometimes he makes it all the way, but most of the time he falls. It's so cute!

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Snow Fun!

These pics are from December 8th. At our ward Christmas party, Jack sat on Santa's lap. It's not that he didn't like Santa, he just wanted to get down and play with the other kids. Later that day, Britton and I got Jack all dressed up to play in the snow. We even built a snowman! We thought it would be fun to make snow angels, but Jack didn't like it at all...what a face! :( We had lots of fun though!

Jack Learned to Clap

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Pictures from the Trip

Playing with Sir Grandpa the Great

Jack and Uncle Boe

Cuddling with Nana

Happy Birthday Carly!

Boe, Becky, Papa, and Rafi at Andy'sCarly, Marcus, Mom, and JackJack and Mommy Jack teaching Uncle Rafi a thing or two
Jack with his Grandaddy

Home again, Home again, Jiggety Jig

Disclaimer: This is a long, unbearable post. I had to get it all written out to get it off my chest, so if you do read the whole thing...I'm sorry in advance for the dull rantings of a crazy lady.

Yes, I made it home...and it one piece I might add! I had two flights - one from Raliegh, NC to JFK in New York, and then from JFK to Salt Lake. I was flying standby, but the first flight had plenty of room, so I even got a seat for Jack. He did pretty well on that one, and even fell asleep for the last 10 minutes or so (it was only an hour and 10 minute flight). The second flight from JFK to SLC was 4 hours and 55 minutes. It was completely booked, and I didn't think I would make it since I was 5th on the standby list, but I was so relieved when they called my name to board. I ended up in the very last row by the bathrooms in an isle seat.

*As a side note - Jack is a lover of space. Not only does he enjoy not being held, he is at that age where he just wants to explore everything. Needless to say, he screams when he doesn't get his way. I've been told by Britton's family that when [Britton] was a little boy, it was as if he had a microphone built into his voicebox...and you would believe it if you've ever overheard Britton attempting to whisper. Well, the point is that Jack did not fall far from the Britton tree in that regard.*

For the first 4 hours of the flight, it was all I could do to keep him from belting those screams. He wanted to get down so bad. I was contemplating how I was going to make it through the flight with my sanity intack as things took a turn for the worse. When I took him into the tiny bathroom for his 3rd diaper change, he fought me tooth and nail. It felt like an eternity, but I finally left the confines of his rebellion chamber no less than twenty minutes later. I would have balled if I hadn't been fuming mad (mostly at myself for being mad in the first place). He finally fell asleep the last fifty minutes of the flight. I did give him benadryl, but that stuff just didn't knock him out like I was hoping, so I won't be doing that again.

I did a lot of praying on that flight. The first four hours, I kept begging for him to fall asleep. The last hour, I was giving thanks that it had finally happened, and that the other passengers were so understanding.

But that's not all! As if I weren't embarassed enough about Jack's ranting (not so much that he was doing it...because it is only natural...but that other people were subjected to the ear-piercing volumes he reached, there had to be something else. That morning, I got up early and showered and actually dried my hair and put on makeup on the way to the airport. I really wanted to look nice for Britton since I hadn't seen him for a week. It was on the second flight that I kept catching whiffs of someone's foul body odor, thinking, "Just my luck to sit beside the guy with BO!" Of course, I was happy I had showered and put on lotion and even perfume, so I could avoid just that type of situation. Well, the smell just got worse, or at least I was smelling it with much more frequency. By the time I took Jack for his second diaper change, I noticed in the bathroom mirror just how sweaty I was. I lifted my arm for a whiff...and that was about when my overall embarrassment, turned into complete mortification. I had the BO! I vividly remember putting on deodorant, but I realized that it wasn't working.

*Another side note - I have lots of wierd body issues that nobody else in the world has. One of them is that I can't use the same brand of deodorant twice in a row. For example: If I have just finished using degree, and I start another degree, it will stop working before I get half-way through it. I have to use something else.*

If anyone would like to leave a comment and say that they have some wierd body issue that they are sure no one else in the world has, it would make me feel much better :)

Well, that is enough from the peanut gallery, don't you think?

Wouldn't You Know It!

So guess what!? I won't be leaving NC tomorrow (Monday). The planes are all full and I'm flying standby with Jack. My first chance will be super early Tuesday morning, but I will probably spend all day in the JFK airport waiting to get to SLC. I might have to go through Long Beach (CA if I'm not mistaken), but I probably won't get a seat for Jack...BUMMER! (For every one else on the plane that is). I sure hope it was the benadryl that made Jack such a good boy on the way here, because I will need its magic once again.
On another note...I promise to add pictures as soon as I get home. I don't have the USB cord with me here. Well, it's late here and I should get to bed.

North Carolina

So last Monday I left Utah on a plane bound for North Carolina with my sister, Becky. Our plane left at midnight and we planned to spend Tuesday with our dad, and then Wednesday our mom and papa and then leave early Thursday morning. By the time we arrived at Mom and Papa's house late Tuesday night, poor Jack had basically been in his carseat for 24 hours. Wednesday morning was a little better, but by the afternoon, he was fed up again. He was throwing tantrums like he had never done before. I felt so bad for him...I just couldn't make him get back on a plane. I decided to extend my stay for Jack's sake. Of course, hanging out with family is just icing on the cake. It has been fun, even though it has taken Jack this whole time to adjust. I really hope all goes well on the plane again. (Just to keep things clear, he was quite an angel while we traveled).
Well, I should go and get a load of laundry washed and my bags packed since we leave early tomorrow morning!