Kid update and funny sayings

Back at the end of November Macy came home and told me how she went to the "dessembly" at school today. She said she really liked the "dessembly".

A couple of days later she told me about the "unicorn" thing she made in her yellowbook. Because Thanksgiving was nearby I was able to decipher it to be a "cornucopia".

Recently we have been having some issues with hating things. Kelsey has hated almost everything and she says it with such venom. Well Brian said if she said hate again she was going to get soap in her mouth because we don't need hate and we need to choose to be happier. Well in December we were having FHE and Kelsey was a little grumpy. At one point she said "I hate Jesus" with such fury and contempt that Brian said all right get the soap. Of course she was crying and screaming in the bathroom. Brian tried to explain that he was doing this because she said hate and not that is was because she hated Jesus. All of the sudden she cried out "I love Jesus. I don't hate him." Obviously she didn't get it and Brian was laughing and a little taken back so the soap was not administered. We haven't really heard the word "hate" since then.

As my grandmother was dying and after we had said goodbye, Macy asked "How far is heaven? Is it on Earth?" She also asked if we will still have our bones when we die.

Braden hasn't said anything funny and is still happy. He is becoming trouble. He gets around. No crawling though. He does the army crawl thing like his legs don't work. He gets up on his knees but doesn't quite get it. He can get from his tummy to sitting now. He prefers paper to toys and scoots across the room for the tiniest bit. He likes the shredder and garbage cans in the computer room and likes to unplug the jump drive.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

To start off, Happy New Year. Thanks to our good friends, Jeff and Camie, our family celebrated this generally over-rated holiday. After many years of high expectations for ringing in the new year, I have given in to my mind and body and prefer to go to bed at a more normal time. This year Jeff and Camie hosted a family party so we took our kids to the party with us. They had a great time running a muck with all the other kids. After the Martinelli's Jeff found a boy and a girl (about the age of 8 or 9) alone together in a dark room (nothing was going on but still makes a parent jump at the thought) and then looked outside to see a 3 or 4 year old boy peeing off his front porch (there was a medical reason for this). We had quite the rager going on. Ha, ha. The best part was we arrived at 7 PM but Jeff had changed all the clocks in the house so they read 11 PM. We celebrated New Year's a little early which did not bother me at all. I think I was able to go to bed by 11 PM. The kids thought it was so cool that their parents let them stay up until 2 AM.

Before Dec 31st there was Christmas. Christmas was good to us this year. Of course I have taken so long in writing this post that I have forgotten many details. Here is my attempt.

One of the company Christmas parties was cut short this year. Braden was at my parents and made his way over to a space heater and burned his hand. He was a tough kid and cried for an hour. I think this was mostly because he was tired. By the time we got to the urgent care he was finished crying and was using the hand to touch things. He did have blisters and we had to wrap it for a few days to let the skin heal. He was a stinker and we struggled to keep the bandage on. We gave up after 2 days and his hand seems to have turned out fine.

With his bandage (the girls called it a cast). Eating the bandage.

Of course there was family get togethers. Brian's mom's family had a toned down "nogger" party. We worn our ugliest sweaters we could find and drank homemade egg nog. Call me silly but I think I prefer store bought egg nog. Santa came to visit and all the kids sat on his lap. Kelsey wanted a real guinea pig. Brian's cousin Scott played Santa this year which was great because he knew all the kids names and some of the things going on with childrean.

Brian's dad's family party was the next day and great-grandma came through with presents for all the great-grandkids. The grandkids are all too old for toys purchased from Rite Aid last year during the after Christmas clearance.

Christmas Eve we did something new this year. My uncle invited us over to his house for dinner and Christmas fun. I love getting together with his family and I hope we continue to do stuff with them since my grandma passed away. I know that Macy and Kelsey love playing with my cousin Noah who is about 8. My aunt Becky had a wonderful feast for us. After we did a Grandma Lue Christmas tradition and played Christmas songs using chimes. It was the best I ever heard them played. Of course Macy, Kelsey and Noah were the only kids. Then Becky shared with us her Christmas tradition of reading about the symbols of Christmas. For the grand finale we acted out the Nativity starring Macy as Mary, Noah as Joseph and Ellie as baby Jesus. Braden debuted as a shepherd eating his sheep. Kelsey wouldn't be the angel so I, as the understudy, took the stage. After the Nativity Santa dropped some presents from his sleigh on the doorstep for everyone. It was the traditional pajamas. It was a fun way to spend Christmas Eve. There is one smart Santa in our house so most of his gifts were wrapped so Santa got to take it easy when he got home from the party.

Christmas morning came and almost went before the kids woke up. In fact Brian and I had to help them along so we could get everywhere. I showered and did my hair and Brian ran on the treadmill to provide some noise to rouse them. It worked and I think we started opening presents around 8:30 AM. I think the kids were still asleep when we started because there was no emotion out of any of them as they came out and began opening presents. As we got through some of it Macy began to wake up. Kelsey finally came alive on the last gift she opened. It was her Zhu Zhu hamster. The other highlight for Kelsey was her Scooby Doo board game Braden gave her. Macy was excited about the Madame Alexander doll (American Girl doll look a like), the outfits for the doll, and the stroller she received. She has dragged them all over town. For example the day after Christmas we stopped by the mall. Both girls had to take their strollers. Macy had her doll in the stroller and Kelsey had her hamster strapped in. I didn't take a picture of all gifts, but it was plenty and I think they got everything they wanted at the moment. The following Monday at Target they were asking me to buy them something else they really wanted and had to have. I guess the gimmies never end.

Braden's way of opening presents was to eat the wrapping paper.

PS Some of the pictures are not the greatest and you will have to ignore the scary red eyes. Santa may need to go out and buy himself a new camera.

I too had a great Christmas. Brian gave me the peacoat I wanted, bought and then took back because I felt I had spent too much money recently. Some of my best Christmas usually comes the day after Christmas when I get things for a great deal. Brian and I dropped the kids off at my mom's and made our way to the Park City outlets. I had received a gift card to the Tanger Outlets and some money. I was ready to shop. Brian and I came back with way too much stuff but sometimes the gimmies are hard to give up even in adulthood. I came home with 2 pairs of jeans, a shirt, 4 pairs of shoes, 1 skirt and 2 dresses. Don't worry Brian wasn't left in the cold. He came home with his fair share of stuff. For some reason we are a little more free with our money right after Christmas. Some adrenaline must be leftover from the day before.

My First Ever Attempt at Fudge

Yesterday I tried to make fudge for the first time. It will probably be last as long as I can put off my chocolate cravings with plain chocolate chips. It did not turn our pretty. Hence no pictures showing off my Martha Stewart abilities. I turned out a little too hard, too crumbly and not smooth. The recipe called for cream cheese and I only had the 1/3 less fat kind in my fridge. So you can see tiny balls of white. The positive side is that it still tastes good and because it is not the grandest sight to see only a select few will ever see this fudge. The bad side to that is my back side may get larger and rounder.

The Christmas Countdown has Begun

The tree went up last Sunday. I am really grateful to my friend Brenda who threw an ornament exchange party last Christmas season. It seems as if my other ornaments have gotten lost in the black whole I like to call a storage unit. When we moved we didn't organize it very well because the idea was we wouldn't need the unit for too long. Luckily in October my family helped me clear a walk way through the clutter and some Christmas boxes were found. There is still an abyss behind an electronics stand and the the piano. Those beautiful keepsakes from that fun party are what adorn my tree this year. I almost started to cry as I hung them because they hold such wonderful memories of some very special friends.

This was not the only tree that went up that day. My kids were begging to decorate Christmas trees when their Grandma Carol had her tree out the day after Thanksgiving. I had to hold them off until Sunday because of other things going on. They had some much pent up decorating energy that we took them over to my mom's house that same evening to do some tree decorating. Of course there is no pictures of any of this, but all of you who have or had little kids know what the bottom branches looked like. Macy liked to also group the same ornaments together on one branch. I know my mom has done some rearranging.

You may think two trees is a lot, but we don't. On Tuesday we went over the meadows to my Grandma Bonnie's home to help with her tree. Warning: Any family member that has not given updated photos to grandma has blackmail hanging on her tree. I know she has kept an old photo of mine behind my recent one and I wish I could have torn it off. Some don't even have a recent photo to hide those glory days of past.

Of course the tree decorating couldn't stop there. On Wednesday it was through the woods to Grandma Lue's house to put up all her Christmas decorations. After this tree the kids were finally through with tree decorating. They are now into pulling out the days from the advent calendar and cutting out pictures of toys they want.

Our Family Thanksgiving Turkey

Last night at family home evening Macy gave the lesson on being thankful. Okay mom did most of it and she repeated it like a parrot, but she doesn't know that yet. We made a thankful turkey and this is how it turned out.

Macy is thankful for: her brother, her sister, toys, food, movies

Kelsey is thankful for: macaroni and cheese, legos, guinea pig, books, witch costume

I am thankful for: chocolate (and healthy food :), grandma and grandpa made room for my car in the garage, money to do things, memories, the Holy Ghost, Jesus, Heavenly Father and that they answer prayers

Dad is thankful for: sports, every other friday off, being back in Utah, friends, family

Kelsey's Birthday

After Halloween came Kelsey's birthday. She had a week long celebration. For her birthday breakfast she chose pancakes. Her birthday dinner were quesadillas. She was dying all day because we made her wait to open her presents until evening when Brian was home and my family came over. She received shoes, clothes and a Pucci dog from Brian's parents. Brian gave her a My little Pony. I gave her a puzzle (she is really good at these). Braden gave her a Scooby Doo Movie. Right before her birthday she watched a Scooby Doo show and has been hooked ever since. It is all she watches. It is what she wanted for her birthday, but they don't make scooby doo toys anymore. Luckily Brian food a scooby doo candle for her cupcakes.

The next day she spent the morning with my parents. They took her out shopping and stopped for lunch at Panda Express. She found herself a scooby doo coloring book, Rapunzel Barbie, and Barbie 3 Musketeer movie. I know she enjoyed being with my parents by herself.

Saturday came and we took the animal lover to the zoo for her birthday. She took her cousins and she had a great time. Macy and Jensen were repulsed by some of the various smells but Kelsey enjoyed the whole thing. Stefanie, Emily, Jake, Ellie and Grandma Carol came too. That has been the best trip to the zoo. I have come to a conclusion that fall (and possibly spring) is the best time to visit. It wasn't too hot and a jacket was sufficient. It wasn't crowded at all. It was great. The kids favorite part was when the gorilla started to eat his own fresh poop. Many of the adults started gagging at the sight. The second favorite was when the giraffe spit buggery spit on the wall and then licked it up. You have got to love kids.
The birthday fun didn't stop there. The following Tuesday we went out to Grandma Lue's (Kelsey's great grandma and namesake) for family home evening. Grandma had put together a small birthday party for her. We ate dinner. We had ice cream cake with candles and then opened Kelsey's present. I wish I had remembered a camera to get a picture of her face. The present as Kelsey called it was a "money book". Grandma had taken a book and placed dollar bills throughout. I wish I had had a camera to get a picture of the delight on grandma's face too. It was a fun night.

Happy Halloween

Oh wait that was a month ago. I thought I would check in and document some major events. Halloween came and went. Macy was Rapunzel. The first time she put on her wig and looked in the mirror she said "I don't look like Macy any more." Kelsey was a cowgirl. The little guy was a monster. I thought I took more pictures of him but I could only find the following. It is that third child syndrome.

Macy had a huge haul this year. She went out for at least 2 hours. She was quite the trooper and liked getting candy. Towards the end of trick-or-treating she said "I should bought the bigger bucket." Kelsey only lasted about an hour. Her endurance is not like Macy. She would have still preferred the stroller this year. Brian and I were able to take the kids out together because grandma stayed home to hand out candy. Brian took Kelsey home when she was through and then he left for the University of Utah football game. Who in their right mind schedules a football game on Halloween at 6 PM in Utah? Don't they know that this is a very family oriented state and it can get really cold at night at that time of year. Next time they need my approval before scheduling games.