Day 12

So, I've been trying to figure out how to post Day 12 and don't have a good solution, yet.

Today started with me (pulled out of bed before the boys) in the shower, to get ready for our 1/2 hour drive to church and leaving early enough to pass out the programs (Yup. I'm the Ward Bulletin lady. That, and three other callings... gotta love a small branch!). When the boys woke up at 7:30, we went straight for the stockings! The boys loved the gifts Santa brought in them! I'll have to post pictures later. Maybe when I figure out how to post my gift...

We finished up the stockings and got the boys in the bath and off to church in a timely manner. We knew that we wouldn't be able to open all the presents casually, like we wanted, so we made the boys wait until we got home around 12:00.

The boys had a great Christmas, Josh included. Josh waited until after all the gifts had been opened and dinner was started before he called me into the kitchen and set me at the computer for my gift: a 15-minute video montage of pictures of our life together (dating through now) set to a mash up of songs from our past. (Hence the trouble sharing it with you, it's just too much data... ) It was so sweet! I wanted Josh to go away so that I could cry in peace, but he enjoyed himself too much. The more I cried, the bigger he smiled.

I couldn't have asked for a better Christmas.

Day 11

Josh had to go and drop the Doctor on Duty pager of to his commander today. I was still in bed when he came back with a big bag of goodies for me. Goodies, indeed!

I've been running short on lotion, and the other day, Mason lost my second tube of lipgloss since we moved here. And, believe it or not, I requested the warm grippy socks. I can't tell you how many times I've nearly killed myself running through my house in socks. It's a matter of safety. So, really, I prefer to think of Day 11 as the day of yummy-smelling necessities.

Day 10

Every night, when I go to bed, I like to lull myself to sleep with a good book. Since I have found myself out of decent reading material of late, I have taken to playing a few rounds of solitaire each night on Josh's iPod Touch. I hate to brag but, I'm pretty good... but it gets old. So when I read a recent review in People magazine for "Out of Oz", the final volume to the "Wicked" series, the glowing words they had to say for the entire series intrigued me and I decided that I would read it next. I mentioned it to Josh in passing once or twice, since we generally share books, (he'll read it first, and I follow closely behind.) and waited for his work schedule to slow down.

So, tonight, as I lay down with the iPod to get my game on, I am surprised instead to find on the screen the Kindle App open with the title page for "Wicked". I'd write more, but I am too excited to get reading!!

Day 9

I'm not going to say or show exactly what I got for Day 9 to spare any unwanted mental images. Let's just say that I found it in a basket of clean laundry I was folding and it was definitely more for him than me. I still will say that it was really cute, though!

Day 8

Everyone has traditions for the holidays. Most of mine center around food. For example, food like this:

Which is exactly what I woke up to on Wednesday! I was happy because just the night before, we were at the mall, and walked past a Hickory Farms pop-up stand and I suggested that we get some Summer Sausage for Christmas Eve to which Josh made a face and shrugged his shoulders and said, "Nah.". I was a little hurt, thinking that he had never told me that he didn't like one of my traditions and inwardly sulked a little. Little did I know, he does like my tradition, and had just so happened to receive this gift box in the White Elephant exchange at his work Christmas party.

Of course, that surprised me, because I had asked him what he had gotten in the exchange the Friday before and he LIED! He came in with a Tuna MRE and said that "... it was between that or a bottle of booze. At least food storage might be useful.". Turns out, the Tuna MRE was left over from his C4 course the beginning of December and he had pulled it out of the trunk, knowing that he'd have to come home with something. I think that my husband is a lot more crafty than I give him credit for.

Day 7

It took me all day to find it. My kids had a play date at a local bounce-house place called Jumpin' Jax, so Josh put it in the diaper bag, thinking that I'd find it. Fortunately, Mason is halfway potty trained (He only pees in the potty...) and I had no reason to get into the bag. When he called on his way home from work, he asked if I had found it yet, which sent me excitedly ransacking it's contents. After a few more hints from Josh, I found it!

A Buckle Gift Card!! I recently discovered the joy that is shopping (as a big-bootied woman) for jeans at The Buckle. A far better experience! Thanks for the tip, Morgan! Anyway, Josh realized that I only have two pair of jeans and thought that I could use more, but knew better than to buy them for me. Smart boy! I can't wait to go shopping! Now all I need is a good shopping buddy...

Day 6

He's getting more clever with each passing day! Today he made the kids breakfast while I got in the shower. As usual, I gathered my clothes from the closet and brought them into the bathroom with me, set them on the counter and got in the shower. When I got out of the shower, I found a new outfit waiting for me where the one I had picked used to be! Tricky, tricky!

Not too bad at picking up my hints, that man... Oklahoma is COLD! Cold without snow. Bah.

**For the record, I am not posting these things to brag about my husband. Since it seems that I am basically the only one who reads my blog, I am mostly doing it for journalling purposes. So I am sorry if you think that this is a "brag blog". I hate those, too...**

Day 5

I think Josh must be trying to get me caught up on sleep! Today after church, I was cold and went to my bed to relax under my blankets. Of course, I fell asleep and had a three-hour nap! That hasn't happened, I think, since before Ethan was born! When I woke up, Josh was making dinner (watch out, Josh! A girl could get used to this...!) and told me to look in the "... foremost quadrant of the house." for my gift. In the laundry room, I found the jeans I washed yesterday, hanging to dry, with a new accessory attached!

I love it! I've been saying forever that I need a new belt, and when I figured out the other day that I could take off a pair of my jeans without unbuttoning them, I guess that threw him into action. Before anyone asks, it's not that I've lost any weight. On the contrary, my butt is as big (or bigger) than ever and with a relatively small waist, meaning that my pants gap in all the wrong places. But not anymore!!

And I'm happy to say that he's got pretty good taste, too!

Now on a different note, we had our Branch Christmas Party last night. It was so fun and the Young Women put it together. (We all know the youth of the church are amazing!) And they also put together a video for us, featuring our children. It was pretty good, so I have to share:

Enjoy!

Day 4

Today Josh let me sleep in until 10:00! It was blissful! I only felt a little guilty that I was sleeping while he was playing with the children...

When he came in to cuddle with me and I discovered the time, I figured that was my "Day 4", but not so! I walked out for breakfast to find one of these, burning in my kitchen.

The other day we went shopping for gifts for his Dental Assistant and the boys' teachers and found ourselves at Bath and Body Works where I inadvertently gave him oodles of hints while testing all the yummy scents. Evidently, he took notes because he went back to the Mall (quite the feat, 9 days before Christmas!) and got me some of the yummiest ones!

Day 3

This morning I woke up with a cold. My third or fourth one this year. Actually, my third or fourth one since I moved to Oklahoma. Needless to say, I was not in a happy mood. Until... I got a text and opened my phone to read it and found a note inside my phone. The note was a clue and it began a scavenger hunt through the house. The last note I found was inside of this:

And read:

"Happy day 3!

I tried to pick something

out of here myself, but

then my brain exploded.

So hopefully you can think

of something you need in

here..."

Are you kidding me?! If you know me, you know I L-O-V-E Stampin' Up! products, so of course I have no problem thinking of something I absolutely NEED in here!! It's just a question of how much needing I am to do... hmm?

Second Day

Flowers! Josh never gets me flowers, but I only have myself to blame for that one. I LOVE getting flowers but Josh forgets to get them for me because, you see, I am weird about them. I don't want flowers on my birthday or anniversary and I'd probably kill him if he spent double to get me some on Valentine's Day. I prefer to get flowers at random on some Tuesday in March. A Tuesday in March that he was thinking about me and how much he loves me.

So, since it's Thursday the 15th of December, the Second Day of Christmas rocks! He also said that he picked these particular flowers because they "... reminded me of our wedding.". Bonus points, for sure!

Really excited for tomorrow... but now I'm going to go and smell the roses.

12 Days of Christmas

Josh took me on a date the other day. As we trolled the isles at the Lawton Wal-Mart, Christmas shopping without kids, he told me that he was tired of being a "lame" husband. Apparently, he found some of our old dating paraphernalia the other day (you know, back when you used to have time to woo each other?) and decided that he wasn't taking out enough time to woo me anymore. I'm pretty sure that I have the sweetest husband ever, and I told him that he was over thinking it and that wooing me was folding the laundry or taking out the trash without being asked or some other mundane gross task that I don't want to do. Evidently, this did not satisfy him because this is what I woke up to this morning:

In case you can't read it, it says, "Happy First Day of Christmas. -Santa" and yes, that is a note on toilet paper. But, more importantly, it's what the note is hanging on. When we moved into this house, the toilet paper holder was hanging halfway out of the wall. Each time I got some toilet paper, I was certain it would fall off the wall, and I would do my best to push it back. It got worse and worse until I didn't feel it could support the weight of the roll. Josh kept telling me that it was an easy fix and one day he'd get around to it. In hind sight, he must have been saving it for a special occasion...

And, yes, it made me cry.

Happy First Day of Christmas! I can't wait to see what tomorrow has in store!!

Every. Day.

Every day I sweep at least this much stuff off my floor:

I don't understand, either. Can someone explain?

My Life in Cartoons

Most days, I feel like I am stuck in a Tom and Jerry cartoon.

I have taken on my role as referee and am already tired of it, even though I know this is just the beginning; having children ranging in age of only 2 1/2 - 7 1/2. Can't wait for the teenagers... Oh, and Ethan has chosen wrestling as his extracurricular activity, meaning he spends his Monday evenings learning how to more effectively pin his brothers to the ground. For the record, my vote was for piano...

But lately, I have found myself in another cartoon entirely.

Sleeping Beauty.

Mason has always had a difficult personality, that is to say, he's been more stubborn than either of my other boys and as a result, he and I "fight". A lot. He's also a very smart little weasel and at 2 1/2 speaks much better than his brother's did at his age. Meaning, I find myself actually arguing with a toddler. Daily.

Our latest battle began when we put up the Christmas tree. We got a new pre-lit tree from Costco that I have been wanting for a while now. This year's model however, had an unexpected feature:

The lights have a foot switch that enable them to toggle between white and colored lights. As a general rule, I prefer "pretty" trees. I don't like colored lights on a tree except in certain circumstances. Circumstances that do not currently exist in my home. The first night that we put it up, we let the boys see both the colored and the white lights and do all the proper ooh-ing and ah-ing. When it was over, I turned the lights back to white and admired a job well done. That is the last time I looked upon my beautiful tree, thanks to Mr. Merryweather himself.

Merry multi-colored Christmas!

**The picture does not accurately display just how badly the lights clash with the decor. Promise.

Card Kit Orders

So, if you want to order a card "kit" for your Christmas cards just leave a comment below stating how many kits you want (each one makes 24 cards) and if you want just the materials or if you need me to do the cutting/scoring/embossing etc....

I don't sell Stampin' Up!, I'm just hosting a Christmas card making night at my house next month, and offered to order the materials/make the kits for anyone who wants them. Prices are below each picture.

"Peace on Earth" 24 Cards for $18.45

"Merry and Bright" 24 Cards for $24.91

*Card design will change, but the elements will be basically the same.*

"Holly Jolly Christmas" 24 Cards for $14.45

*Color Shown will be different from color received.*

"Let it Snow" 24 Cards for $15.48

"Merry Little Christmas" 24 Cards for $23.15

If you wish to participate but want to purchase your own materials, leave me a comment and I will send you a list of supplies for your desired card kit. Thanks!

*Prices indicated may be subject to small tax and/or shipping fees.*

Feelin' the burn!

I can't believe that I forgot to post this! Ethan had a hard time falling asleep in the light this summer (since it wouldn't get dark until around 10:00 pm, staying awake was NOT an option...) and Mommy had to get creative to get him to bed on time. I settled on doing what my mother did to me in such circumstances when I was little and a new workout craze was born!

And now here to demonstrate are Ethan and Mason, getting their bedtime wiggles out!

Home Sweet Home

We are finally settled in our new home in Oklahoma! So far, we love it here! The people are so nice. Too bad the bugs are just as friendly...

I just wanted to post some pictures of our place, mostly for family, to be able to see where we are. So without further ado:

Master Bedroom. We L-O-V-E the tray ceiling!!

Kitchen. The vaulted ceilings are nice, even if it echoes like a cave in here!

Thank goodness we found a place with a bar... I don't know where we would have put our stools otherwise!

Dining area. The setup in this house was different than what we're used to, so we had to re-arrange a few things, but we think it works... like the armoire? Josh had a few "honey do" projects and this was one of the first! I love the color!

Oh, and we got a fish. Ethan campaigned pretty hard for a dog, so this is his consolation prize. We started with three and within 24 hours were down by two. Ah well. Nemo, Cleo, or Goldie is doing great!

Entry Way. Come on in a stay a while, y'all!

Living area. We love the built-ins!

Don't mind the mantle... decorating it is a work in progress.

Boys' Bedroom. Yep. I've got all three of them in one, big, room! They love it and I love having a craft room across the hall with a lock on it and a window that helps me keep an eye on them in the backyard.

Plus, they LOVE the new bunk beds!

Boys' Bedroom Other Side. "Honey do" project #2. Looks like a completely different dresser!

*Not pictured:

Front. You've seen it already.

Back: The grass is dead. I'll post pictures when I've resurrected it, despite the drought.

Bathrooms 1 & 2: They're bathrooms. I love the master bath, but you can pretty much fill in the blanks with your imagination.

Craft Room: It's card season. I'll post that one when I'm tidy...

Garage: Work in progress. Anyone know where to recycle boxes...?

A New Me!

What do you think?

All Aboard!

On our last weekend in Seattle, we still had a day left on our City Pass and plenty to do, so the fun must continue! We went down to the waterfront and hit Pikes Market again for flowers then boarded a harbor cruise on Argosy Cruise Line. It was so pretty!! Sadly, I only got a few pictures before my camera battery died...

Not sure what he's pointing at, but I love him.

The Seattle Skyline. Ooh! Ahh!

If you look at the center of this picture back behind the loaders, you can kind of see Mount Rainier. It was a lot prettier and clearer than this picture portrays... but, you can see the back of my tour guide's head! You. Are. Welcome.

After the cruise, we ate a Red Robin, right on the pier! Good food, and an amazing view!! Thanks Mom!

My Wild Things

So after our adventures on the peninsula, and all around Seattle, we still had tickets left in our City Pass that were good for a few more days. One of these was to the Woodland Park Zoo, which we could just not pass up... even though I had to take all three boys there alone. As apprehensive as I was, it was so much fun!! We spent most of the day there. We took it kind of leisurely as we made sure to see all of the exhibits and took time out for lunch in the food court.

Our day in pictures:

Finally seeing the penguins! They talked about them for days leading up to this.

They were, by far, the smelliest exhibit.

It was raining on the drive over there and for the beginning of the park. (Hence, the gross hair and hoods.) But right after this awesome dinosaur exhibit, it cleared up and didn't rain again until we were about to head home.

What a perfect day!

My boys in the gift shop, riding the dinosaur. Mason still talks about this...

After lunch, we spied a face-painting tent and I decided to have my wild things made over for the occasion!

My finished Wild Things!!

Ethan: Leopard, Sloan: Lion,

Mason: Supposed to be a puppy but since he wouldn't let the lady finish, he looks more like a baby seal...

Look! A baby seal riding a pony!

This wasn't Zoo Day, but I decided to throw it in just the same. Mom took us all to see Cars 2.

Pretty cute movie. Thanks Grandma!

As you can tell, we had oodles of fun in Seattle this summer. Thank you again, Grandma for the tickets and making our summer so memorable! The boys can't wait to come see you again!

Beautiful Day in the Morning!

After the rainforest, we stayed at an adorable little resort in La Push, and got up early the next day to make it for a little beach hike to the tide pools. It was SO cold, but oh, SO pretty!

Need I say more?

Mom thought of everything!! She brought kites for each of the kids and we flew them on the beach after climbing the rocks of the tide pools. You can just make out the kites...

Starfish in a natural occurring tide pool! So cool, even though I didn't want to touch them!

I must say that Andi and Ethan had the most fun with the waves! They played a little "Catch me if you can" game with the waves until Ethan got caught, big time! He spent the rest of the morning in VERY wet clothes...

Beautiful view with random family...

Even though I didn't post this while Josh was away from us at BOLC like I planned, it's still true!

We LOVE Daddy!!

The wheels on the bus.

Another school year has begun!! And none too soon! Ethan was bored out of his mind, and so I was completely out of things to entertain the boys with. This year, I have two boys in school!! Ethan is my super proud 2nd grader and Sloan is old enough for the Pre-K program in our school district. It's a half day everyday, but the half day is longer than Las Vegas Kindergarten!! Woot woot! For three full hours this afternoon I was down to one, napping, kid. I got SO much done! A girl could get used to this!! Of course, in a few weeks, I'll probably be thinking that this makes my day lonely. Go figure.

They were both so excited to go. Even Mason got in on the action and wore "his" backpack ALL DAY LONG. He was pretty torn up each time we dropped a brother off. He really thought that he ought to be going to school, too. Poor kid. He's still stuck with Mom. But, hey, I gotta keep one playmate!

All my boys, ready for school!

Since Sloan has PM Preschool, we dropped Ethan off at school and went back home for a few hours.

He watched cartoons in his backpack and shoes. He wouldn't take them off, he was so excited!

We live really close to the elementary school, so they don't get a bus from our house, but Sloan's preschool is a several miles away from us, so he gets to catch a bus from the elementary. Sloan refused to let me drive him down to his preschool like all the other moms were doing because he was "just too excited!" to ride a real bus!

This photo is proof of said excitement. He didn't want to pose. He just wanted to hop on!

My baby is somewhere in that huge bus.

The excitement didn't last too long. I got a call from the preschool a couple hours later from the secretary telling me that his teacher had told him that he would be getting back onto "that bus" when the day was done and he had a meltdown. I had to drive down to the preschool and rescue him. After talking about it, he told me that there are lots of hills and bumps and being without a seatbelt is "just unsafe!". He then declared that he was "never getting on that thing again". I guess we'll try again in a few weeks...

Quote of the day:

Me: "Sloan, how was your day?"

Sloan: "Well... I sit by a girl. Which is... wild."

I love my boys, but after a long day at school, I love them more.