Christmas/Lessons Learned

Christmas Eve

Jaron was working all day, and I worked until noon. For whatever reason, I decided to cook a turkey for dinner. I spent pretty much the entire day in the kitchen but it was worth it. The turkey was yummy! Just a tip for anyone interested - try putting butter under the skin. It seals in the moisture so the meat is yummy!

Jaron "carving" the turkey.


Dinner. After I took this picture, Jaron pointed out that I didn't do stuffing or cranberry sauce. Those are two things I just don't eat, so I didn't even think about them!

After dinner, we made cookies for Santa. We happen to know he loves Chocolate No-Bake cookies, so it was nice and easy.

Lessons learned:
1. We need an electric knife if we're going to do turkeys very often
2. Don't forget the stuffing and cranberry sauce
3. 14 lbs of turkey is a lot for 3 people

Christmas Morning

Kaden slept in until about 7:30. After doing the usual wake-up routine (go potty, get big boy underwear on, etc), we headed in to the living room to see if Santa came. He first wanted to see if the cookies were still there.



They weren't. Darn Santa ate them all! Luckily we got Kaden distracted by the treats in his stocking.

We didn't take pictures of opening presents, but here's one little video. Sorry if it's not too exciting!

I got a Wii Fit. Kaden got a train set. Jaron got money and gift cards to contribute to his "I want a new TV fund." Hint for anyone shopping for him, he wants money or Walmart/Sam's Club gift cards so he can save for a TV.

After presents, we headed to Terra's for breakfast. It was yummy, but with as bad as it was snowing, our van got stuck there! We finally got unstuck, but then we couldn't get up our driveway. Of course, the temple was closed, so we couldn't go through the overflow parking lot. I won't mention how we finally got home.

We all took naps, played with presents, grandma Nancy, grandpa Dan, Ashley, and Yegor came over for a little while, then we just hung out and watched movies the rest of the night. It was a great Christmas!

Kaden's train set


Lesson learned: Let Santa know he should leave a cookie for Kaden.

Sledding

After getting around 9" of snow on Christmas, we decided Friday would be awesome for sledding. Well, for the boys to sled. Pregnancy has taken away all of my winter fun. No skiing, no sledding, no ice skating. What else is there?!?!?

Of course, we don't have any sleds, so we went on a hunt. We apparently weren't alone in the sledding adventure. Walmart was the only store in this valley that had anything that resembled a sled, so that's what we were stuck with. It was more of a piece of foam with plastic stuck to the bottom, but it would have to do. We headed to a very hilly park in River Heights. The snow was nice and fluffy, so it was nice. I, of course, got to take pictures and video.

Lesson learned: Buy a sled before the snow comes

Another Grandma Memory

I saw this article about a woman who painted her entire car with nail polish. I immediately thought of my Grandma Nelson. Grandma wouldn't have done this much detail (well, maybe she would have, I don't know!) You see, when my sister lived with my grandma, there was a day that Grandma noticed there was rust on my sisters white car. Now, rust, especially on a white car, just doesn't look good. So, what did Grandma do? She painted it. With white nail polish. It looked better than rust.

Grandma liked things white (and sometimes with poka dots, too). She painted gardening tools, scissors, cans. Anything that would look better white, she painted. Unfortunately, I don't have any of her white treasures, but if anyone does, I'd love to share pictures!!!

Go Aggies!!!!

GO AGGIES!!!

We just beat Utah in basketball!!! I will admit, I'd be a little ticked about the last call if I were going for Utah. There were clock issues with only 2 seconds left, score tied at 64, and USU scored. There was uncertainty about if the shot made it in before time would have run out, if the clock had started. The officials timed the play and determined that it was good!!! Funny thing, there was debate about the clock a bit earlier, and the Utah coach wanted the clock set to 18 seconds, rather than just 17. If he would have stuck with the 17, that last USU basket wouldn't have made it.

We were supposed to go to the game, but Jaron ended up getting scheduled to work :( I'm wishing I had just gone!!! Oh how I love Aggie basketball!!!

Final score: USU 66, Utah 64

p.s. Utah never lead at all during the game!!!

Our Winter Fun

We got our first real snow last week, and we've just been getting more and more. Kaden loves it, even though it's cold! (Yes, I was a bad mom and didn't have his hat of gloves on. Jaron accidentally took them to work because they got left in his coat pocket.)

We also made sugar cookes for my work party.

Kaden had lots of fun decorating his.

And eating a LOT of candy.

And it's a....

Baby!

I'm not sure if I can tell you what we're having! The tech was 90% sure it was a girl, but this kid sure wasn't cooperative. She stayed on her stomach the whole time, even after a lot of hitting and poking. I think it's a girl. Jaron thinks it's a girl. But we'll be keeping the tags on anything pink and/or lacy that we get!

Done!

Jaron has officially finished his coursework for his undergraduate degree!!! He got good grades, so he just need to student teach this spring, and he's done! What a relief to be done with that HUGE chunk of school!

The Bribe That Worked

Kaden has now been pooping on the potty for a few weeks! It started with a sort of freak incident where Jaron got him to the toilet just on time. We went and purchased this book as a rewared. He LOVES Little Einsteins, so he was so excited to get this. Well, he went a few weeks with no success, so he didn't get to play with the book until he went on the potty again. I guess he finally wanted it so much that he started pooping on the potty. He's been consistent in doing it (until yesterday, I believe Jaron said he had an accident. Oh well, he's done great!). He's so proud of himself he even wants to sleep with the book sometimes! (If you can't tell, there's a Magnadoodle on top and the book on the bottom has a little story and shows you how to draw different things. It's pretty cool!)

Temple Square

My parents were in Salt Lake for the weekend for my neices blessing. While they were here, we all went to Temple Square to see the lights.

We drove part way downtown and rode Trax the rest of the way. I thought Kaden would be excited to ride the train, but he didn't care for it. He was pretty tired from his super short nap, so he didn't care about a lot of things.

We started at the Gateway and stopped to see Santa really quick. The kids didn't sit on his lap; they just went up to him and told him what they wanted. Kaden had no fear of talking to the big guy. This is his first encounter with Santa. He walked right up to him, and when asked what he wanted for Christmas, he said, "A choo choo train." Santa gave each of the kids these reindeer antlers, which were a hit. We ate dinner at the food court. Here's Kaden putting his antlers on his sippy cup.

The ever so happy bunch.

Next we headed to Temple Square. Wow, it was a busy night!!! It was Saturday, so I don't know what I was expecting.


This is from my dad's camera. I want his.

Kaden had a sudden burst of energy, so Jaron chased him around for a little while.

This is the only tree Kaden really cared about. He looked at it and said, "Wow, that big" and then he was pretty much done with lights. Sadly, that BYU fan didn't get blurred enough for my liking. Right before this, BYU had just beat USU in basketball at Energy Solutions Arena. Not cool.

They had the nativity sort of spread out. Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were in the reflecting pond. I thought that was a little odd, but it looked cool with the floating lights all over. The Wise men, shepherds, and sheep were on the grass around the pond.

Kaden and I in the few minutes he was awake.

This is a shot from our camera. I was quite impressed that it worked this well. Jaron is a much better photographer than me.

Kaden asleep.

Thanks everyone for going with us. We had lots of fun!!!

Mmmm, Donut

Jaron brought home some donuts from one of his classes, so we had them for breakfast the next morning. Kaden doesn't like food on his hands. Dirt and any other grime is ok, but not food. This is his solution to avoid getting sticky.

I guess at least he's not eating with his fingers!

Utah vs. Iowa

I'm going to ramble. Feel free to ignore this post.

We had our 2nd doctors appointment today, and I'm a little shocked at the difference in my doctors in Iowa and my doctor here. First off, in Iowa I had to see 4 doctors in the same practice. I didn't get to just pick one. I never felt like any of them knew me, or even cared. They were just there to do their job. From talking to friends and calling around to doctors out there, I found out that is how most OB/GYN's in that area are, so I just stuck with it. I think that's why there are more mid-wives out there than here.

So, at our appointment yesterday, I was shocked when the doctor stopped and listened to my questions and concerns. He cared that I had been sick this weekend. He actually talked to Jaron, too! Amazing! We even get to have an ultrasound in 2 weeks (at 18 weeks). In Iowa, I HAD to wait until I was 22 weeks. That seemed like an eternity! I actually got to talk to the billing lady and figure out all our options. She had already talked to our insurance company to find out how much they cover and all that. Everyone was so helpful!

I'm very grateful for my friend who recommended this doctor, and I hope it stays this way!!!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

We got some of the Christmas decorations up on Sunday.

Kaden was so excited to be able to help decorate the tree. He started with helping unfold the branches.

This is how most of his branches ended up.

Next, he got to help with ornaments. Most of his ornaments ended up on this one branch, including 6 candy canes!

This is his tree that goes in his room. He decorated it all by himself. Notice the three ornaments on the very top branch that is leaning. I think we need to work on how to space stuff out.

This is the Christmas Countdown I made this weekend. The paper (numbers) and idea came from Carolee's Creations, modified of course. It's a magnet board (I don't have a magnet yet) but we'll just move it every day to count down to Christmas!

While I worked on this, Kaden wanted to paint, but not on paper. So, I gave him a piece of wood, and he LOVED it!

This is Kaden getting into winter. Does anyone want to guess what this is supposed to be? (mom, you can't guess, because I already told you!)

Thanksgiving/Story Time

This is the only time I used my camera over Thanksgiving. I was hoping Jaron would take pictures shooting, but he didn't. Hopefully Carl will share some that he took! This video is a little long, so I won't feel bad if you don't watch it all.

We had a great Thankgiving dinner with my aunts and uncles and cousins. Then we (Chari, Christi, Carl, and families) went to Carl's house and played a rousing game of Cranium. We sure had some interesting things we had to act out! Any suggestions on how to cleanly act out "hormone?" Wait, maybe I don't want to know!

Friday morning, Carl, Christi, and Jaron went shooting. They had a good time. I wish I could have gone too, but someone had to watch the kids! I'm sure I'll get my turn sometime.

Friday afternoon, Chari, Christi, and I went to Ikea. I thought it would be insane, but there weren't even half the amount of people there as there were the previous time we went! Jaron even offered to go again on our way home. That shocked me, but we didn't have time because we still needed haircuts, and we had to pick up Jaron's brother to take him home.

Aside from me getting sick, we had a great holiday weekend!

Holy Honey

I haven't downloaded my pictures and video from this weekend, so this will have to suffice until I get that done. Sorry for the reminiscing that those not in the family probably won't understand.

I'm feeling a bit sick. We were around sick people for Thanksgiving, and I was blessed to catch the cold. As I was laying in bed miserably yesterday, I thought, "I need some Holy Honey!" Those in the family will probably remember Grandma Nelson's (my Grandma Nelson, not Jaron's) "Holy Honey." This wasn't just any honey you buy in a bear in the store. No, this honey came from the boy scouts in our ward. They harvested it (do you harvest honey?) every year and sold it as their fundraiser. This honey, according to Grandma, would keep you healthy for a loooooong time, and cure ANY ailment. If we were sick, she would always pass us the Holy Honey to make us better.

Oh how I wish I had some Holy Honey right now. Does anyone think that snuggling up with one of her handmade scrubbers might have a similar effect? I know I have some of those!

That....Was....Awesome

Go Utes!!!
That was a sweet game!!! I wish I could have seen it!!! For those who don't know what I'm talking about, Utah, just beat BYU, which is awesome!!!

Kaden wouldn't cheer for Utah. He kept saying "Go Aggies!" That's what we usually shout when we're listening to a football game on the radio, so the confusion is understandable.

Here's what Kaden was up to while I was ignoring him, listening to the game:

He took all his foam blocks into the kitchen and built a "house."

Yes, he's in just underwear. He wouldn't get dressed on his own, so I didn't force him. His underwear in inside out, too. Talk about a bad-mom-day!

And here's some pictures from other times I've ignored him:

He likes to get tangled in the curtains that cover our washer and dryer.

This is a slinky he got stuck on his arms.

I got a good laugh out of this

If you can't see the whole picture, click on it and then you'll be able to read it all.



see more pwn and owned pictures

Announcement

I guess it's time for an announcement. I'm pregnant! We're expecting May 15. Yes, that's right after graduation and Kaden's birthday, but we like May birthdays!

We're officially in the 2nd trimester and I am starting to feel a little better. That's something that never happened with Kaden. I kept waiting for that magic time when I would feel good, and it just never came. Of course, me feeling good today could change when I get home tonight, since evenings are when I start feeling icky.

Anyways, we're excited about it, and I'll keep updates here!

I know the next post isn't nearly as exciting as this, but it has some good thoughts that might make you smile today, so feel free to keep reading!

"Come What May, and Love It"

I had one of those weekends. Mom's, you know those. The ones where you just want a few minutes to not be a mom? When you're burned out of life in general? Jaron was wonderful at just taking over and letting me do whatever. Thanks, hun!

I read this talk that was given in the Oct. 2008 General Conference by Joseph B. Wirthlin. I needed a boost, and this really did it for me. Some of the stories are just so funny. It really put life into perspective. Here's a few of the stories that helped change my attitude:

"I remember loading up our children in a station wagon and driving to Los Angeles. There were at least nine of us in the car, and we would invariably get lost. Instead of getting angry, we laughed. Every time we made a wrong turn, we laughed harder.

"Getting lost was not an unusual occurrence for us. Once while heading south to Cedar City, Utah, we took a wrong turn and didn’t realize it until two hours later when we saw the “Welcome to Nevada” signs. We didn’t get angry. We laughed, and as a result, anger and resentment rarely resulted. Our laughter created cherished memories for us.

"I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.

"We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today."

So, last night when we were ignoring Kaden because he was supposed to be asleep, and he pooped and tried to take care of it himself, I laughed, and quickly called to Jaron for help.


And, when Kaden pee'd all over the bathroom this morning because he didn't make it to the toilet in time, I laughed (I tried to keep it inside so he didn't think it was OK to pee everywhere).


When Jaron told me he didn't get the dishwasher emptied, it was OK. There's worse things that could happen.

When I got the bill from daycare this morning, it was a LOT less than it has been the last few times. That made me smile BIG. Thank goodness she bills hourly!


So, "Come What May, and Love It."

Ikea Addict

I have a confession. I'm a new Ikea addict. I've always loved Ikea (well, since New Jersey, thanks, Amy!), but it's been so long since I've been able to leisurely roam one, that I sort of forgot about all the treasures to be found. Every time we're down in that area, I BEG Jaron to go. He won't. We went once shortly after it opened and it was a total ZOO!!!

Here's how my addiction was renewed: I was at a birthday party with Kaden last week, and one of the moms was saying that Ikea had those wood train sets for a really good price. I got online to see how much, and they really are a great price! Of course, I had to keep browsing, and I'm hooked. I may not get much else done today. I mean, really, how adorable is this bowl? And the plate to go with it! And this is the cheapest I've seen these easles.

Does anyone want to go with me when we're down there in a few weeks? Either weekend is fine with me. Please, please please? Jaron can take the kids, since I'm taking them when they go shooting (hun, if you read this before I talk to you, I love you!)! Please...?

A Tribute to Sticks

I read this article today about the Stick being added to the toy hall of fame.

Having a 2 year old boy, I thought this was an extremely appropriate item to have added to the hall of fame. It's so true that sticks can be just about anything a child can imagine!

Potty Training Hurdle

I'm calling on all you moms who have been through potty training! I need your help! This morning, I thought we were going to have a huge milestone for Kaden pooping on the potty. He told me he needed to poop, so he sat on the potty. He wouldn't even pee. He probably would have sat there all day doing nothing if I let him, but we had to get going. I got him off the potty, and knew he really needed to go. I asked him if he wanted to go on the potty, and he said, "No, I need my diaper." So, I put a diaper on and he immediately pooped.

I know it's normal for kids to not want to poop on the potty, but how long should I let this go on? He knows he needs to poop, but just won't do it on the potty. Is there anything I can do to encourage it? He didn't want treats, toys, or anything this morning. Nothing was worth pooping in the potty...not even the big tootsie roll he's been asking for for weeks!

Happy Halloween!

We had a busy, but fun day for Halloween. We started trick-or-treating at Jaron's work, then we went to my friend Tara's house. Then we headed to the ward Trunk or Treat.

Here we have Chia Jaron and Superman. Jaron's Chia Hair kept falling out, so he didn't wear his hat too long, but it was fun for the picture.

Is this how Superman is supposed to save the day?

This is Kaden with Vincent, his nursery friend. He was Superman, too, and helped to save the day.

This is the best (or most disturbing?) costume I saw. The dad is a butcher, and yup, that little chicken is his son.

We stopped by Kaden's nursery teachers home, Garth and Laura's, then Brittany and Malone's (where Garth and Laura were by the time we got there...score on the double candy!) then ended the night at Grandma and Grandpa Reese's house, and stopped by Aunt Linda's (because she has homemade spudnuts! MMMMM!!!!)

We were all super exhausted, but we sure did have fun!

Lots of Fall Fun

We had a super busy weekend, but we had lots of fun.

Friday, we had about 10 minutes to play at the park before it got dark (I drug Kaden around a LOT, so we had to have some time for him to play). There were TONS of leaves and he had so much fun running around in them. I have a video, but it's from my cell phone and is really lousy. Sorry!!!

Saturday started out with the homecoming parade. If we stay in the valley, this will definitely be a tradition. Kaden figured out that if you wave and say "Go Aggies!" you'll get more candy. I didn't get a lot of pictures, because I had to keep him from running out in front of the cars and horses!

"Go Aggies!"

We scored pretty good. Thanks to Macey's for giving out WHOLE candy bars!!!

And of course there's all the fliers. Thank goodness there was a minimal amount of political ones. And yes, that's a pass-along card in there.

Jaron went to the football game and got a nice sun burn on his head. We lost. Sorry, no pictures.

After nap time, my sister came up and we went to the Pumpkin Walk. There were lots of cool scenes.

Kung Fun Panda

Larry Boy and the Bad Apple

This one is sort of hard to see, but they had a fountain running through this pumpkin. It was pretty cool!

Kaden as Max from "Where the Wild Things Are"

Doesn't he make such a cute Yoda?

And of course, the political statements.