It's all good . . .

Ugh . . .

So, not even an hour after I wrote my last post, and I was on the floor writhing in pain.  I was very ill and up all night in incredible pain with some horrid stomach thing.  Needless to say, the rest of my plans for a relaxing Friday night didn't pan out.  Saturday, Kevin took me to the doctor to rule out things like appendicitis, etc, and they sent me home with some drugs and put me on a diet of clear liquids for the rest of the day. 

Thank goodness for my wonderful husband - he not only took care of me, but did everything for the kids since I was too weak to walk.  And we did finally end up watching the Nanny Diaries, just not in the situation I had pictured :).  I am recovering now, and hoping to be back to normal for tomorrow's "Pig Out" Football party with our friends, the Cardiffs. 

I hope you all have a fun weekend . . .  and Happy New Year to all!!

Things I am loving today . . .

• The Michael Buble' CD that Kevin gave me for Christmas.  I have been listening to it all day and it is amazing.
• "Family Nap Time" - it happened by accident, since Lily doesn't usually take naps, and Kevin got home early from work, but it doesn't change the fact that all four of us were happily snoozing the afternoon away :).
• Taking the kids on the carousel at the mall with my friend Jen, and then eating Derek's free b-day ice-cream from Coldstone.  (For some strange reason, my kids wouldn't eat it, and so I ate it alone and had to throw half of it away - I know, sacrilege!)
• Steak and homemade fries for dinner - and making those fries with my new french fry cutter - yea!!
• Having all the laundry done and folded in one day.

And I am hoping to add: relaxing with Kevin while watching my new DVD of  The Nanny Diaries.  Hope all of you found things you love today as well :).

Happy Christmas to All!

I am definitely feeling that "day after Christmas" feeling - a little bored, a little down, and very exhausted.  It's all good though, because it was a wonderful holiday, and anything as great as Christmas, takes some recovering from.

To build up to the big day, we had a few last minute parties and activities.  Our ward had a Christmas brunch on Saturday, and since Santa was there, Lily got to tell him her special Christmas wish again.  We took it easy for the rest of the day, watching Christmas movies and just being together.

Sunday, was a wonderful day.  Church was especially nice, and the kids were so good in Primary that it felt like a present in itself.  In Sacrament meeting I sang Silent Night, and it went well, but like most things in my life, it had to have a little drama thrown in :).  You see, Kevin was originally going to sing with me, but since he got my cold and couldn't breathe, we thought about having Lily sing with me.  However, she could never hold still and focus when we tried to practice, and so we gave up on the idea. 

Now, fast forward to me up at the microphone singing - Kevin had taken Derek out since he was being too loud - and suddenly Lily decides to join me.  She walked right up to the microphone and kept saying, "Mom, I want to sing with you."  All the while I kept going, with her unable to join in, since she only knew the first verse. Afterward she was so sad that she hadn't been able to sing with me, that it took a while to get her back on track.  That's my Lily. 

Christmas Eve, I spent the morning baking with the kids, while Kevin spent his morning enjoying one of his Christmas presents - a punch card for the local golf course.  He sure had fun rubbing it in to friends/family that he played 18 holes of golf in our gorgeous weather - he he!  That night, we had our good friends, the Christensen's, over for dinner.  (Well, actually, it was just Valerie and the kids, since her husband is deployed right now.)  It was wild and crazy with all the kids, but we had such a fun time and really enjoyed the company.

After they left, we went outside to put out the "reindeer food" Lily made at preschool.  It was really cute to watch her carefully spread it around.  Then, after baths, the kids got to put on some new pj's my parents gave them, and we all curled up on the couch to watch "The Small One."  Then we read the Christmas story and tucked the kids in - and luckily all by 8pm.  Which was when the real work began, filling stockings, bringing out presents, and getting things ready for the morning.

Which brings us to Christmas Day!  It was such a great one, and the kids were so good, and so cute, that it made all the work worth it :).  Lily actually slept in until 6:30am, and so we had her cuddle in bed with me and Derek (who had joined us at 5am), while Kevin got things situated. 

Then it was time for stockings, hot cocoa, breakfast, and opening presents. We were all very spoiled, and the kids had a blast going from one new thing to another.  Derek kept saying, "More, more, more presents."  It was the greatest, and so cute, that we let the kids open our gifts as well. 

  And, of course, Lily got her Christmas wish - we saved it for last, all hidden away, and she was so happy!  She has been playing with the fishing pole nonstop since then, casting and reeling in, over and over.

  Later, the Sister Missionaries came over for a treat and the stockings we had put together for them.  It was so much fun watching them open up all the little things people in the ward had gotten for them, whether it was a book of stamps or the perfect lip gloss.  After they left, we relaxed, watched movies, and Kevin and Derek got to play Guitar Hero.  (I even gave it a very sad attempt.)  And, I almost made it through the day without taking down the decorations, but at about 6 pm I couldn't take it anymore, and down they started coming.  I'm a little crazy, but it's all good :).

All in all, it was a wonderful holiday.  We were so blessed to be together and celebrate the birth of our Savior, and to feel of the peace that He brings to our lives.  I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas as well. 

PS. And take a lesson from Lily, slow down, relax, and maybe take a nap - I am sure you deserve it :).

Silly Birthday Boy

My baby boy is growing up too fast.  On Friday, he turned two, and it still blows me away.  He is still my baby in so many ways, but he is getting more grown up everyday.  I guess that is just how life is.  His birthday was a little bit of a crazy day, but made so much easier since Kevin had the day off :).  Because of that, Derek got to spend the morning watching Playhouse Disney and napping, instead of with me - a good thing. 

(You see, I spent my morning driving through the biggest torential downpour I have ever been in - which is saying alot since I have lived in Georgia over 2 years now.  There was literally 6 inches of water on the road, and if I drove over 30 mph, the water would spray up and make it impossible to see.  I really felt bad for the poor people trying to walk in the rain.  Derek also didn't have to come with me to the doctor - I turns out I had a sinus infection, or to Target to get my prescriptions.)

So, after picking up Lily from preschool and her Christmas party there, I brought Derek home a special lunch of chicken nuggets, french fries, and his favorite - a chocolate milkshake.  He was so happy!  Later on, for dinner we had "square pancakes," aka: German pancakes :).  This also made his day.

After dinner came the big show - the presents and cake.  He was so spoiled and LOVED his gifts so much.  He couldn't decide which one to play with, and to Lily's frustration, kept going from one to another.  (She was only allowed to play with the toys he wasn't playing with.)  He loved them so much, that he threw a massive fit when I tried to get him to come back for his birthday cake.  I guess I shouldn't have waited.

I loved his cake, mostly because it was so easy, but because it meant I got to give him a dump truck, another source of fun and trouble for the boy.  He also quite enjoyed singing Happy Birthday to himself - he he!

After cake, it was straight to the bath, and then we ended the night watching Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.  I think the birthday boy was very pleased with his special day, and I am just so happy with him :).

Here are some highlights of the day:

Is there a good Santa picture?

So, last Wednesday was the Christmas party for Kevin's Battalion, and we were actually quite excited to go this year, since we finally had more than two people we would know at the party :).  Lily was excited as well, but because she wanted to see Santa and tell him her Christmas wish.

Picture this - my sweetheart little girl looks up at me, her eyes glistening with excitement, and says, "Mom, I am going to tell Santa my Christmas wish tonight.  My Christmas wish is for a toy fishing pole."  Imagine my internal reaction, when I knew for a fact that at this point, I had NO toy fishing pole purchased for her. 

As a last ditch effort, I asked her if there where any other wishes she had, just in case.  And my silly little girl answers, "Mom, we can only have one Christmas wish each.  That's the rules."  Well, lets just say that an emergency trip to Walmart was made so that her wish could come true.  Could you say no to this face?

So, back to the party.  It was about like always, lots of food, crazy wild children (especially mine), and this year, people to talk to :).  The kids were all highly entertained by the big black mats they had in the back of the room.  They are used for the soldiers to (I can't remember the technical name) practicing fighting, and the kids spent the whole time climbing on them and getting filthy.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity of Derek running away and eating all the M&M's on our table, Santa came.  Lily ran up to him first, and since I didn't have my camera out yet, I missed her giving him a hug and telling him her wish.  We did get some pictures later, but well, they are not the greatest.  Oh well, is there really a good Santa picture?

 

Things That Make the Season Bright

Just the other day we heard some noises at our front door and opened it to find this.  Definitely something to brighten the day for all of us.  (Lily especially loved it, maybe because it is the closest thing to snow that we will get here in Savannah.)

There have been many things like that lately - visits, phone calls, treats, and surprises in the mail.  Probably the most exciting thing for the kids (other than the Christmas presents they still don't know about) was a package we got yesterday from my friend Cindy.  They have really missed her, and like always, she knew exactly what they would love . . .

The High School Musical Rockin' Sing-Along Microphone!  We may need to buy an extra just so the kids won't keep fighting over it :).  They absolutely love it, so much so that Derek hasn't let it out of his sight all morning, even taking it in the car to drop Lily off at Preschool.  What a silly guy!  So, in honor of their new gift, I thought I would attach a movie of the kids not only having fun with their new toy, but Derek singing along and acting out the movie.  Fun stuff :).  Enjoy!

PS.  I do not usually let Derek play with my couch cushions, but he had arranged them to be like the rocks Troy was dancing on, and so I had to let him - he he!  (And the lighting is awful, but I have been trying to catch him at this for months, and so I couldn't be picky.)

Counting Down the Days

I feel like we are all counting down the days in our house.  Lily is counting down until Christmas, Kevin is counting down for his holiday work schedule, and I am counting down to getting all my stuff finished (which it almost is, thank goodness).  This week was a busy one, but full of highs and lows - luckily, mostly highs.

Monday, it was the Sister Missionaries "P-day" (aka: day to get stuff done), and I took them to Lott's Island to do some portraits for them to give their families for Christmas.  It was so much fun!  They are so awesome, and they posed perfectly.  Plus, Derek and Lily really enjoyed the park there.  (If you want to see more pictures, go to my Photography Site.)

Tuesday, we finally got together as a Primary Presidency to get things together for our teachers and plan the party we were having on Saturday.  It was a huge check mark.

Wednesday, Kevin came home with a special surprise for the kids, High School Musical 2 on DVD - which meant I finally got to delete it off my DVR.  Derek was so excited about it that he walked around the house all night clutching it saying, "High School Two Songs."  He refused to let go of it when he went to bed, and this is how he fell asleep.  (And you all thought I was exaggerating his love for this movie - he he!)

Wednesday night Kevin and I watched, The Bourne Ultimatum, which was awesome.  We had a great time, but I stayed up too late, not knowing that Derek was going to be up with a cold all night long. 

Being up with Derek, finally lowered my immune system enough, that I got his cold.  We are really hoping it stops with me and Derek, so Lily and Kevin can stay healthy for Christmas break.  One side "benefit" of my being sicking is that we canceled our Primary Board party for Saturday - one by one things kept falling apart, and so it was a good thing.

Thursday, before my cold really hit me, I threw a baby shower for my good friend Jen.  She is due to have twin boys at the end of January, and so even though she already has two children, she needed some extra stuff to help her out.  It was a really low-key open house, and we all had a great time eating, talking, and trying to come up with ideas for her to handle twins.

Friday morning, our nursery leaders had a cookie party for the kids in nursery.  It was really sweet and fun.  Derek loved it, and although he was more into just standing there eating the toppings rather than decorating, he had a  great time.

Friday, poor Lily had one of those days at school.  She had been a little too disobedient.  We talked about it, and I think we actually got through.  She is usually wonderful at school, but she has been struggling a little at home lately too, and so I guess it makes sense that it would carry over.

On Friday, Kevin also got home from work early,  and he came home bearing gifts - cold medicine for me, and some movies from Blockbuster, Shrek the III and Pooh's Grand Adventure.  He also sent me to our room to rest, where I got to lie down (something I had wanted to do all day) and read my Star Wars book (which is very good).  Since none of us were feeling all that great, we also got Chinese take-out for dinner.  All of these things made a not-so-great day into something much better - thank goodness for my awesome husband making it that way :).

And now it is Saturday, and although I feel like I have a fog inside my head and can't breathe, I am just happy to know we have nowhere to be and nothing to do today.  Kevin can get out to the golf course, and I can relax with the kids.  It should be a great day.  And hey, maybe I'll even get a nap - awesome!

Build Your Own . . . Christmas Lights

There is something you have to understand about Kevin - he has always hated the Christmas light displays on people's houses.  Not because he doesn't like Christmas, but because he really doesn't like the sloppy, half hearted and crooked way most people hang their lights.  The only thing that saved even the tiniest bit for him, where the few people whose lights were straight, perfect, and precise.

Well, I love Christmas lights, and although I prefer the nice, neat ones, any will do.  I love how bright and cheerful they are, how they seem to warm up the dark winter sky, and the memories they bring back from childhood.  Since Kevin knows this well, and loves me a lot, 3 years ago he decided to surprise me with putting lights on our house in Monterey.  With no ladder or proper tools, he shimmied around and hung from the roof, until he had a beautifully straight light display.

Ever since then, it has been his mission each Christmas to perfect our Christmas lights.  And although he is working with a small balcony now, and not a house, he doesn't let it slow him down.  This year he used over 800 zip ties to get things just like he wanted, and here's your ticket to the unveiling:

They turned out beautiful, and although he is still not content with them, I think they are pretty perfect - and the kids LOVE them.

I call this picture the "Ghost of Derek" - I had my shutter speed so low, that his moving made him disappear, but the lights turned out so pretty :).

He's Home!!

Kevin got in late Friday night (which is why the kids are in fuzzy pj's in the picture), and we are so happy to have him home.  We are complete as a family again :).

Saturday morning he spent some time with just the kids out shopping, while I went to do some family portraits.  The kids loved having their special daddy time.

After their shopping adventure, Kevin was finally able to begin our Christmas lights.  As soon as he is done, I will post pics, since he is so particular and exact on how they should be hung.  Lily had a great time helping, and Derek didn't cause too much trouble.

That night Kevin and I got to go on a date.  We went to Houlihans, and we even dressed up - Kevin in his new blue dress shirt, and me in my cute new black dress.  It was so wonderful to just enjoy a nice meal together - it had been too long since our last night out.  We even got some creme brulee to go for dessert, which we enjoyed while we watched the third pirate movie.  It was a wonderful day!!  I kept turning to Kevin and just feeling so content.  It is so great to be together again.

The True Story of Baking Day

Oh, how I wish I could say that today went just like I had planned.  That the kids were great, and that everything went smoothly, however, that is just not how it happened.

I was all ready to go, had my ingredients out and ready, and went to town baking.  The first cookies went smoothly, although, I did catch Derek with a cube of butter he had snatched off the counter (the gate was even up!).  He was sitting there nibbling on it, happy as can be, but luckily hadn't done anything else with it.  Check out the little bite marks :) . . .

I put all the rest of the butter out of reach, and then I started on the spritz cookies, which went fine, aside from all the dough Derek was stealing when my back was turned.  It was actually pretty adorable.

Then Derek appeared at the gate holding a half eaten cookie I didn't give him - wow, he is sneaky!  It was then I noticed that he was way too dirty for eating only one cookie, so I walked out of the kitchen, and the scene before me  was awful!!

I guess Derek had stolen more than one cube of butter earlier, because he was sitting on a chair, chowing away at a stick of butter, covered in butter himself.  The problem was, that not only was he covered in butter, but so was my couch, carpet, and quite a few other things in the room.

I was so upset and angry about it, that I couldn't even take a picture of the carnage.  I put Derek in his booster seat, and there he sat until I had finished cleaning it up, which was not easy. 

Soon after that, Derek went down for his nap, and I was able to safely finish baking.  Kevin called me later, and the kids were fighting and screaming, and all I could say was, "Save me.  Please come and save me."  I think we are all done and very ready for daddy to come home tomorrow night.

But hey, if I want to look on the bright side, I did not only finish baking all those cookies, but they are all plated up and ready to deliver.  And I also got to spend the evening at a Christmas party for the women in our church, while Derek and Lily got to play in the nursery. 

**Last night was also quite the adventure, and I kept wondering what would happen next.  First, Derek tripped in the kitchen and cut his lip pretty bad, getting blood all over the both of us.  Then, later on in the bath, he tried to stand up, slipped again, and bashed the same injured part of his lip on the side of the tub. 

So while I was cuddling and calming the poor guy, I sent Lily into her bedroom to get panties and jammies on.  Soon she was calling for me to help her, and when I walked in the room, I saw my still naked little girl standing in the center of a pile of glass, glitter, and water, holding the bottom half of a snow globe in her hand. 

She had been trying to shake it, but did it too close to the dresser, and accidentally smashed the thing to bits.  She even cut her hand.  It was very sad, and definitely had me ready to have us all safely tucked into bed.  Let's just say that it has a been an interesting few days :).