Christmas Confession

I absolutely, cannot stand the movie "Its a Wonderful Life!" The very idea of watching Jimmy Stewart whine for two hours makes me shudder and cringe. Yech!

Christmas Favorites 2008

Favorite Quotes:
"Rings and other jewels are not gifts, but apologies for gifts. The only true gift is a portion of thyself." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

"He who gives money gives much, he who give times gives more, but he who gives of himself gives all. Let this be a description of our Christmas gifts." --Pres. Thomas S. Monson, Ensign, Dec. 2003, 5.


"Be the living expression of God's kindness: kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile, kindness in your warm greeting." --Mother Theresa


Favorite Book:
Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright-- It saved me from a not-so-great reading month, it was great, I cried, you shoudld read it, enough said.

Favorite Music:
On my ipod I put all the church hymns and primary song that were Christmas songs into a group, and this has been my favorite thing to listen to-- "Stars Were Gleaming" children's songbook pg. 37, and "The First Noel" Hymn #213 are a couple favorites.


Favorite Article:
For whatever reason, our church magazines didn't come this month :( I plan on buying copies, but there is a snow storm today so it will have to wait. I did find an article through one of my yahoo!groups. I've posted the complete text at the bottom of my blog. It's called "The True Spirit of Christmas"

Favorite Activity:
Decorating the tree as a family, baking cookies and making a gingerbread house as family, and snow sledding at the park. (And finally being finished Christmas shopping!!)

What are some of your favorites this Christmas season?

Joy to Everyone

http://www.joytoeveryone.com/en/

This is a wonderful inspirational song and video! Take the time to watch it--I watched it at least 5 times! Merry Christmas Everyone!

Who Needs Toys?

Austin and Nyah spent time outside playing on the rocks, Jolie entertained herself for a very long time with the blinds, and Olivia played her favorite game--tossing a bag over her shoulder she says "Good-bye-See you later-I love you" and pretends she's leaving by going in the bathroom and closing the door. Why did I bother with all the Christmas shopping? Oh, I know, all the boxes and bubble wrap from the online orders, right?

Stockings

Olivia said "Cute" for the first time today while we were looking at the stockings!

Mom, you did a wonderful job! They all look great!!
Thank you!!

Mom's Homemade Cookies

Yesterday I met my sister, Keshia, on her way from Idaho Falls to Cedar City. She was bringing some Christmas stuff for our family from my mom, who is awesome. She finished making Jolie's stocking and its beautiful. My camera is MIA today, but I'll post pictures of the stocking when it turns up. She also sent some presents for the kids--Olivia unwrapped Austin's, but thankfully he didn't see it.

But the most wonderful of wonderfully delicious surprises in the bag was a bag of homemade gingersnap cookies. My mom has the best gingersnap cookies in the world. My kids and I ate half the bag on the way home, and when I say "we" I mean my kids had one each and I had at least 6, and more today. My family has to move fast if they want any more, Kurt in particular is probably out of luck because he's at work.

Mom, your cookies are fabulous!! Thanks for sending some--I've enjoyed them! It gives me a little bit of Christmas home-iness. Love you!!

One reason I love to Homeschool . . .

While many a man, woman, and child spent their day inside a classroom/work office longingly gazing at the great outdoors, my kids and I hit the slopes--well, the hill at the park with snow sled in tow and hot cocoa in thermoses. We had a blast! Austin and Nyah practiced going down in many different styles, most impressively standing up like a snowboarder, which is what they've recently decided they want to be when they grow-up. Olivia didn't want to stop "sliding" and even Jolie got into the action a little unintentionally. Warning: Baby car seats are slippery on packed snow and ice. Having moved to St. George when I was 10 I'd forgotten how much fun snow can be, all the cold and such, but I had a great time and had to keep insisting I would ride with Olivia so I could have a turn too.

Only bad news: Forgot my camera, so no pictures except on cell phone, and I should have run errands before getting big wet spot on rear end. Maybe I should add snow pants to Christmas list.

I challenge everyone, everywhere to take a snow day and have a fabulous time!!

Haircuts

Due to Austin's desperate need of a haircut, no matter how much he protested and cried and begged, I buzzed his hair last night. For those who don't know, he has a hair fetish. He has always LOVED playing with hair. When he was younger I let him play with mine, when that became annoying I banished him from my hair. So obviously he prefers to have his hair long, because when when its buzzed its too short to play with properly. So I let his hair grow out as long as I can stand it before buzzing it off. The above picture doesn't show just how nappy his hair was becoming with tweaks and twists and cowlicks and this tuft of hair on top of his head that stood up all the time because that's where he plays with it. I shuddered everytime we went into public and I'd catch a glimpse of his uncombed or self-styled hair sticking up all over the place. One very adorable aspect of his hair fetish is when I catch him playing with his sister's hair while they watch tv or a movie. And the other day I saw Olivia playing with his hair. But even now, I can't stand to have him playing with my hair, though he tries--like when I give him a hug at bedtime or we are reading books on the couch together or anytime my hair is down.

Nyah just wanted her hair cut because Austin was getting a haircut. But she looks fabulous in a short cut. Not that she's ever let her hair get long enough for us to know how she would look with long hair, lopping off her ponytails and all, but she's always a beautiful girl.

Olivia wanted a haircut too, but I couldn't do it!! Her front hair is in her eyes, but since she's never had a haircut, its her baby hair and I didn't want to cut it. Her first haircut can be self-inflicted, which is only a matter of time.

I always want to say "Congratulations!! to Brad and Katie Laws (#2) who had their baby a few weeks ago!!! COngratulations!! She's beautiful!! I have a link to their blog on my sidebar if you want to see pictures.

Sleep!!

Last night I have 7 hours of blissful, uninterrupted sleep. I can't even remember the last time that happened. And it only took some drastic changes to accomplish--moving Austin upstairs, Jolie into Austin's old room, and getting a new tv to put in our bedroom so Kurt and I can watch tv at night without keeping Austin up (very important, right?). Next step--putting up the bunkbeds in Olivia and Nyah's room, if we can find all the pieces. I've been singing a sleep song in my head all day to the tune of the dolphin song from Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy "If I could have one more wish I would like a good night sleep! (I know-sleep doesn't rhyme with wish, but my songs about sleep not fish) . . . So long, so long and thanks for all the sleep!!" (Yeah, maybe I could use some more sleep)

Discoveries of Today

It is very dark and cold at 5AM. I am very tired when I get up at 5AM. Olivia is very tired and cranky when she gets up at 5AM. I will probably get cranky, too, but so far I'm not too bad. The greatest discovery of today will be if I can work in a nap. Olivia is already taking a nap. Now if only Jolie will nap too, but, of course, Olivia woke her up at about 5AM, though she did go back to sleep after a short time, but so far she's not cooperating with nap time, which means she's laying in her crib crying right now instead of going to sleep. Nyah was also woken up about 5AM, but she went back to sleep too. She's pretty cranky, but there's no hope of getting her to take a nap. "Big girls don't take naps" she said--now I know. Just last week I thought, "I'm so glad my kids are sleeping good." Yep, I went and jinxed myself.

Firstly, Jolie and Olivia do not sleep through the night. I accept this as where our lives are at this time, even if I don't like it. My sleep wasn't perfect, but it was routine and I felt like I was getting enough. But following my smug thought to self, the world as I know it now involves crappy sleep. You would think I'd know better, but I guess not.

Wait . . . what's that I hear? No crying baby and two happily playing children!! I'm off to nap before this ends--good night!

Climbing on counters is so much fun

WARNING: as a parent you will spend a huge amount of your parenting effort being repetitious, repetitious, repetitious. You will say to your children, at least two dozen times a day, to get off the kitchen counter. Even if you keep two stools in the kitchen so they can reach things on the lower shelves, you will still find yourself saying, "Get off the counter." and your kids will still have logical, reasonable reasons for being on the counter. "I'm getting a cup." (And the stools?) "I want those crackers." (Remember the stools?) "I want to watch the popcorn pop in the microwave." (What about the stools?) I'm getting the plates (Nevermind the stools). Or in the bathrooms "I'm getting my toothbrush" "I'm looking in the mirror" "I'm getting a drink" (stools in there too, though one is of a different kind). And then there is the huge desire little kids have to be on the counter, where they are suddenly taller than Mom and Dad, and get to jump off into their arms. How much fun is that? Tons, apparently. Olivia would love it if I allowed her to eat her meals on the counter, and since she ends up there most times anyways at least it would be with my permission. If she'd just stop slipping and falling on her head, we could seriously discuss it.

And the truth is, I occasionally find myself on the counter too. "I can't find such-and-such spice on the top shelf" and "I'm closing the blinds to the window behind the sink" and "Didn't I put such-and-such up there?" and so on. Intersetingly, I have to use the stool to climb up on the counter to reach whatever I'm trying to get. Sooo, logically, I know we're not supposed to be on the counters (see falling on head note above), but it seems there really are realistic reasons for climbing up there. I guess its a no-win situation. Or mayber its a win-win? I don't know.