'Twas The Season

Since I have not made one single post about Christmas, I am trying to quickly catch up on some of the fun things our family did the month of December. I do love this time of year--especially the chance to spend so much time with family and friends. It seemed like once we got back from our trip it was non stop parties and activities, but we've had a great month. Feel free to move on to the next blog because below are posted 20 pics of my family taken this month--that's right 20!! And really it doesn't even begin to capture all the fun we've had and memories we've made this holiday season.


This is one of the few pics I could get Luke to pose for after his preschool singing program. Everytime I asked him what songs they were singing his reply was, "I don't know." I was a little worried, but he did great--quite the ham. I wonder where he gets that from? Each child said their name into the microphone and when it was his turn he enunciated his entire name in the deepest, loudest voice. As for the actual singing he sang the ones he liked and looked bored through the others while enduring a look that could kill from the girl who sat next to him.


Our annual trip with my family to SLC. This trip included shopping, lounging around at the hotel, swimming for Luke and Jer, seeing the lights at Temple Square, and enjoying the amazing brunch. Thanks mom and dad for the fun tradition!




Brunch was not complete without cookies and ice cream and a visit from Santa.


We attempted to take a photo for our Christmas card. I did end up with one cute shot that most of you have seen. Here are a few of the rejects. They mostly involved Seth trying to leave the picture and Luke attempting to force him into submission. Reality but not very holidayish.



Seth's "cheese." I just love those teeth.


Being a glutton for punishment, I attempted to take a pic of the boys in their Sunday best the Sunday before Christmas. I didn't have a whole lot of success at this shoot either. I finally ended up taking some pictures of them sitting under the tree eating all of the treats they acquired at Primary. Luke said the theme in Primary--he even memorized it despite not wanting to practice much--and I was so proud of him.



We've had a ton of snow the last few weeks, and Luke has been loving it. As you can see it is dark, and he still would not come inside. Only at threat of losing his sled the next day did he obey. The next morning by 7 am he was in my room asking me when he and Max (his friend next door) could sled again.

We spent Christmas Eve with my family. We have always had a party with extended family that has evolved over the years. For the past few years we have gotten together with my aunt and her kids and their kids. It is a great time.

Seth is neutral towards sitting with Santa. He does always tell you "ho ho ho" if you ask him what Santa says though.


Luke on the other hand loved it and cheesed it.


The kids did a program including a nativity scene. Seth was "the star." He came out and stood so quietly--treat in hand--and really did a great job. His cute cousin Andrew is the sheep.


Luke and Samantha were Joseph and Mary this year. That Broncos robe Luke is wearing used to belong to my cousin Ryan and has been in the costume bag for about 20 years.




Christmas morning. My parents spent it with us, and we had a great time opening gifts and eating breakfast. Luke was pretty excited at what his robot can do. The only thing he asked for was a "fire gun with fire bullets," and he seemed to think the Star Wars gun Santa brought was sufficient.



We spent the rest of Christmas day with Jer's family and ended up driving home in a crazy blizzard. All of the kids got stick horses (among other things) and had a lot of fun. Luke finally got those cowboy boots he has been asking for. Grandpa Boyd was all too happy to pick some out for him. What a great day and a wonderful time of year. Luke told me that Christmas is about "Jesus and Santa"--at least he got the order right! I hope everyone out there had a Merry Christmas too!

Cancun

Warning: Long Post
I'm finally getting around to writing a little about our trip. I won't bore you with all the details, but we had a great time. We went with our friends Kristy and Spencer who also celebrated their 10th anniversary this summer. We met them right after we all got married when we lived in the same townhouse complex. We've had a lot of fun with them over the years on backpacking trips and this is actually the first trip we've all been on together that didn't involve sleeping in tents! We haven't seen them in a while, so it was great to catch up on old times and have some new laughs. We spent 6 awesome days in Cancun, Mexico. The weather was so nice. They had Christmas decorations everywhere, but they seemed so out of place to me in the nice weather. Well, here are a few highlights:


I think this is the only picture I took where we are all looking reasonably presentable. Actually, the waitress took it and she didn't exactly know how to use my camera. This night was one of the funniest of our trip. Our resort was all-inclusive, so we could pretty much eat anywhere/anytime. By the end we were getting really sick of the buffets, so we made reservations at the "nice" restaurant for dinner. It was Mediterranean night. It was a nice place, and the way they served you was quite formal but that's where the nice ended. Jer started it off with a bang by not bringing any pants which we came to find out are required at this place. Rather than turn us away, Jer was supplied with some sweet black pants to wear. They were kind of stretchy with an elastic waistband but looked like slacks. He went into the bathroom and came out with them over his shorts. We could not stop laughing. Maybe you had to be there, but it was funny. You can check out a full view of the infamous pants in the slideshow. The night just got better as they brought us out one unrecognizable dish after the other. It was seriously bad food. It was presented in a very fancy way, but they forgot to make it taste good. It got funnier to us as the courses continued. You would have thought we were drinking instead of the only sober adults at the entire resort. As we left we checked out the menu for the next night which was Mexican food. The chicken entree in English was "chicken with chili sauce and species (spices?) over meatloaf, with raisins." That did it for me. I'm sure some of that was lost in translation, but could that combo ever be good??? Anyway, the next night we headed into Cancun to Hard Rock Cafe rather than chancing the chicken/meatloaf surprise!



We spent a lot of time at the beach. Our place was really pretty with beautiful pools and then just a few steps down to the beach. The water was crystal clear with white sandy beaches. The waves were huge, and we spent a lot of time swimming and getting pummelled. They served drinks on the beach, and I think we all consumed enough virgin dacquiris and pina coladas to gain 10 pounds.

We went out on two different day trip adventures that involved just about everything--kayaking, swimming, hiking, biking, snorkeling, tubing, zip lining, and rapelling (I sat out the last two for bambino's safety). We had great fun and got to see a lot of neat sights. At a place called Xel Ha we snorkeled and then rode bikes up to the top of this "lazy river" where you can tube down through these cool mangroves. Kristy and I almost ran over several unidentified large, furry critters that crossed our path on our bikes with no brakes. (Turns out they had pedal brakes like a kid's brake, but it took me a minute to think of that.) When we got there and got our lifejackets on I realized mine had an extra strap. The only thing I could think of was that it went between your legs. Do they really make adult life jackets like that? Yep, apparently in Mexico they do. I asked the worker about it, and he volunteered to "help me" with it which got me laughing quite hard. I did it up until we were out of sight and then had to remove it for comfort's sake. Jer's also had one which he did not even consider. Jer made the tubing quite exciting when he jumped off the dock onto his and proceeded to flip it over. It was a good laugh for quite a few tourists. I have to tease him a little because he is very coordinated and normally I would be the one to do something like that. Everyone besides me got out of the river at one point and jumped off some cliffs. I opted out of that one as well. We ended the day by visiting the Mayan ruins at Tulum.

I could go on and on because it was such a fun time....but I'lltry not to. Our other day trip was an adventure to a rural Mayan village, and underground cenote for swimming, and eventually to Coba. Coba has the tallest Mayan temple ruin. It also is the only one you can still climb up. That was pretty fun. The way down is steep, but not as bad as some made it seem. People were stopping all along the way and not daring to go further. We also rode bikes at this place which was more fun than walking.

Anyway, those are a few higlights of the trip. We also rode the city buses, watched lots of drunken karaoke, people watched, and ate lots of strange food. Best of all it involved lots of relaxation and quality time to spend with Jer. We get so busy at home with the kids we hardly ever have any time to ourselves. I was so worried about leaving the kiddos before we left but once we got there it was great. It was a much needed vacation. I hope we don't wait another five years before trying it again!

Disclaimer: There is not one single picture from this trip in which I look normal. I either have wet dog ponytail, pale face, look plump, am too scantily clad for my current body or a combo of all of the above. So look if you dare and just remember I'm not quite as scary in real life. As for Jer, I have no explanation for his picture face. He has always refused to look normal in pictures!

Announcement

Well, I have a quick announcement to make. I was going to put up the ultrasound picture and all, but I haven't quite got around to it. The week before Thanksgiving was crazy busy with our doctor appointment, making cookies, decorating the house, a great Thanksgiving with Jer's family, Black Friday shopping, and preparing for our trip. Yes, Jer and I went on a trip without our kids the weekend after Thanksgiving, and we had a blast. (Post of that to come.) Since we rolled in at 3 am Friday morning it has been a series of get togethers to prepare for, a preschool program, Sunday School to teach...you name it. So without further adieu here it is...we are having....a boy!

I am so excited. I think other people are disappointed for me, but I am not. As soon as she said it was a boy I knew it was meant to be. My boys are so fun, and it will be crazy to add another to the mix. I hope I can keep up!


Since I skipped a Thanksgiving post, I can't go without mentioning how grateful I am for the little people in my life. (And of course Jer, but he'll be featured in my vacation post.)


December 7, 2007
I also can't go without mentioning that today is the one-year anniversary of our temple sealing with Seth. That is one of the most amazing things that has ever happened to me, and I can't believe it's been a whole year. November was National Adoption Month, and I was going to post about it because it's something near and dear to my heart and I love to talk about it. I'm going to have to catch that one later too.

Anyway, this is my random way of catching up on the last few weeks without blabbing on forever. It has been crazy but great. I love this time of year!!! I will definitely post all about our trip soon and try to get an ultrasound photo on with the telltale part in clear view!!

Biggest Loser

Warning: Ramblings of a pregnant woman with insomnia.

Well, I think I'm officially the Biggest Loser--definitely not of weight. I don't watch that much TV but there are a few shows I'm into. I love Lost and can't wait for it to come back on, and I get a good laugh out of The Office every week. I also like to watch The Biggest Loser, but only if I can record it and fast forward through most of it. I just don't care about much that goes on other than the end result of each show. Well, I watched it tonight and found myself getting teary eyed about the weigh in results. Poor Coleen. Really? I have to blame this on hormones or something. Tearing up over reality TV can't be a good thing. Luckily Jer did not witness this, and the chances of him reading this post are slim to none.

Why am I even writing this mindless post? Good question. I guess it's because I can't sleep at night. It's very frustrating. Anyone know a drug-free cure for insomnia? I could use this time to be productive, but I don't really feel like it. I really just want to sleep, but it doesn't happen. I could give myself a manicure..oh yea I don't really have nails to speak of. I could scrapbook..wait I don't do that. I'm all out of ideas. The only thing I could come up with was writing about a TV weight loss show. It's all fun and games until Luke comes bopping into my room before the clock even strikes 7.

Funnies

It's been kind of a boring week around here with Jer away for work, but of course my kids have kept things interesting. Jer told Luke he was going to Orlando for work and to give him some context he told him it was where we went to Disneyworld. Luke took that pretty literally and for the first few days was telling me and anyone else that his dad was "working at Disneyworld." That just kind of made me laugh. I was picturing Jer taking tickets, or dressed up like Donald Duck, or making little animals out of balloons...the possibilities are endless.

Luke has quite the vocabulary and sometimes the words he uses kill me, but I'm glad to say that there are some things he still says just like a 4-year-old. In the morning he's ready for "breafask", he likes to eat "hangleburgs", he enjoys being "drifferent", loves a good "pupcake", and can't wait to hang up some Christmas "instruments" (we got that one cleared up now).

I agree with my friend Jami that preschool teachers are going straight to heaven. Luke comes home with the funniest stories. When he brought his school picture home I finally got to see the kids he's been telling me about especially his buddies Euwin and Kaden. (I have no idea how to spell Euwin.) There's a kid in his class named Mark Jr. I think Luke thinks that his last name. He has also told me tons about a character named Nick who never earns any stickers, slapped Fay upside the head, etc. When he showed me who Nick was I cracked up. He's by far the tiniest kid. That's the class bully??

Well, little kids are lots of fun. I want to pull my hair out sometimes (if you're a mom and you don't I totally don't relate), but I also can't stand how fast my kids are growing up on me and wish I could slow it down sometimes. For now it's nice to have a preschooler who still tells me he loves me all the time, says I'm fun to play with, and isn't embarrassed to leave the house in all sorts of crazy getups. It will be sad when he starts thinking I'm not very cool and worrying about what everyone else thinks about him. I can see why we're all supposed to be more like little children.

Little Monkey

This one is a definite no-no. That is also not gel in his hair--it's syrup.

Seth has become quite the little monkey lately. He is my Curious George. I thought I'd post a few of his antics because it really is such a cute, fun stage even though I sometimes cannot keep up with the messes he makes. It's probably not the best practice to take pictures of your kids when they are doing something they shouldn't, but if it's truly a problem I stop him--after I've got the pic. Also, I promise my kids get dressed in clothes each and every day, but that may be hard to believe after looking at the following pictures.


My jewelery box is a hot item. Luckily, I have nothing of value. That little chair has become a weapon of mass destruction. Seth takes it everywhere and uses it to get into mischief. Sadly, it now spends most of the day in his crib where he can't get at it.


Enjoying the prize.


That truck he's standing on has been the source of several headers he's taken. He hasn't quite figured out that something with wheels is not always the best choice to stand on!

I knew it was inevitable that he would figure out how to climb up on the barstools, but I was hoping it would be later rather than sooner. He is great at getting up and not so great at getting down.

Seth has been busy doing other things as well lately that I did not capture. Here are a few in no particular order:

• Stirring his toothbrush in the toilet...or his hairbrush...or just his arm.
• Putting numerous items down in the heat registers....cars, shoes...
• Rearranging my kitchen daily.
• Throwing everything off of his high chair tray when I'm not looking.
• Just today--pooping in the tub! That one really got my prego gag reflex going.

I'm sure the list could go on, but you probably get the idea. I wouldn't trade my little monkey for anything though. My frustration doesn't last long when he gives me one of his big hugs or that toothy grin of his!

Side note: We created some roadkill on Friday. I'm happy to say that it was Jer driving and not me. We were not far from our house where there are often deer, but this psycho one literally jumped out of the trees right in front of us. It was not a pretty sight. I felt really bad--I am a real softie about stuff like that. Luke was quite concerned also. It didn't die right away and Jer got out and called the Fish and Game. He wanted to put it out of its misery, but they told him not to and that they would come and get it. Well, so much for our tax dollars at work. It's still taking a long winter's nap right where we left it--practically in a driveway. Luke seems to still be hoping for a miracle and has prayed every night since "thanks for the deer to make it better." I'm hoping he doesn't spot it. I'm just glad we're okay--with the exception of the front of our car, which is in for some major repairs, and poor little Bambi.

Happy Halloween!

I have been having fun looking at every one's Halloween posts. If you don't want to endure another telling of how trick or treating was and tons of pics of my kids then don't read on!


Luke started the day with a party at preschool. He was totally stoked about it and posed it up for me. His costume has a mask, but it's the kind that covers your face and he didn't want to wear it. Can't say I blame him. I was surprised Luke wanted to be Spiderman. He isn't very into him. He loves cowboys, pirates...right now, but his mind was set on Spidey. So, when we saw this padded, polyester beauty on sale we went for it. He was not disappointed!


Since Seth didn't care and we had a Batman costume hanging around, he was Batman. He looked so cute in the head thing, but I could not even keep it on long enough for a pic.

Getting a pic of my superheroes was challenging. I chose this one because at least they were both smiling. In most of them Seth is trying to get away and Luke is dragging him back by his cape.

Luke and his neighborhood/preschool friend at the Halloween Carnival. I took the kids to the carnival at the elementary school, and they had fun but it was a total zoo. I had no idea how crowded it would be. It was in total violation of my personal space issues, but I took one for the team. Jer was not done with work yet, so I was just glad I did not lose either of them. Luke played lots of games and Seth got into everything. I think every kid in town was there. I was about in a sweat by the time we left. It was really cute and fun, but next year I will bring backup a.k.a. Jer.

Batman at the carny. He looks so harmless in this picture.

Luke with the whole nine yards on. He informed me that he needed to wear this to look like the "real Spiderman." His glasses made for a less than ideal fit, but he didn't seem to mind too much. After we survived the carnival we met up with Jer for some trick-or-treating. They both loved that and were so cute. I can't believe I was pushing Seth around in the stroller last year, and this year he was walking up to doors with his pumpkin basket and taking big handfuls of candy! After we made the rounds of our neighborhood, we came back and ate chili and grandma and grandpa stopped by. Luke answered every trick-or-treater and was really generous with the candy, so we almost ran out. What a fun day!

A few weeks ago we carved pumpkins at Jer's parents house. The kids had lots of fun, but were easily distracted by running around and playing with grandpa. Jer ended up doing most of the carving. I find it funny that Seth looks so disgusted. This is a kid who plays in the toilet any chance he gets.

Luke and K'Lee scooping guts.

My mom also had a Halloween party on a Sunday afternoon. We were informed that upon our arrival and presented with something special to wear. Luke loved those teeth. That's my dad by the way. Luckily Seth was trying to take a nap because that mask would totally freak him out.

My mom chose the most hideous of t-shirts for me. Also, why does my neck look like I'm an NFL linebacker? Why did I even post this picture?

I wanted to take down the Halloween stuff today, but Luke was not quite ready. Next week we'll have to start getting ready for Thanksgiving. It really is a great time of year!

Fall Fun

Okay, two posts in one day. I'm totally outdoing myself. I posted all these pics in the opposite order I meant to, but I'm too lazy to move them around so I'll work backward in time. I've never been a big Halloween person, but now that I have kids it's pretty fun. My boys love our Halloween decorations and anything to do with Halloween. Luke is quite into it this year. Seth loves pumpkins but not the scary stuff. We went to Sam's Club last week, and he was totally freaked out about this talking gargoyle we saw there. He was hiding his face in Luke's shoulder and totally petrified. It was a little funny but kind of sad too. He definitely thought that was the real thing. Luke of course loved it and had to get out of the cart to go back and check it out by himself!


We made a stop this morning at the annual Pumpkin Walk. I thought it was Jer's first trip there. It turns out he actually went there on a date once. He thought it was with me but no--no such date occurred between us. He then made it all better by saying it was before we were married--at least he cleared that up. The Incredibles display was the fav.


Mandy and I took the boys for some Halloween activities last week at the farm. They had so much fun. Luke and Jace approached the animals with caution before petting but not Seth. He just grabbed the bull (in this case goat) by the horns. He may have a future in mutton busting--he seems to have no fear.


Jace and Luke with a new friend. There was also a hay maze and big hay bales to climb on, and the kids had a blast. Seth was not such a fan of the hay.

This is Seth's "ooh" face that he does whenever he's excited. He loves pumpkins and can spot one a mile away. He has a word for it that really sounds nothing like pumpkin but does at least have two syllables. His best words right now are caw (car) and cookie. He has also learned to shake his head no vigorously and say "uh-uh."

We have pumpkins galore this year. Our neighbor gave us one, which Luke has decorated as a monster. My mom gave us a few plus we picked out a few at the pumpkin stand. The kids climbed around in the huge piles of pumpkins for a long time before we made our selections. Luke decorated one as a pirate to take to preschool. We're still set to carve at least one of them this next week--that's Jer's area of expertise.


What a great time of year. The leaves have been so pretty, and the weather is perfect for being outside. With no skiing or anything like that in my future this year I am not too excited for winter to come.

Interview with Luke

I saw this on Megan's blog, and I thought it was a fun idea. This pic is from when Luke was "Chef of the Day" at preschool. He also had school pics that same day--I can't stand how fast he's growing up. Here are Luke's answers to my questions. Luke: Age 4 years 4 months.

1. What is something mom always says to you? Be nice.

2. What makes mom happy? When I play with Seth.

3. What makes mom sad? When I "get" Seth.

4. How does your mom make you laugh? Tickle me.

5. What was your mom like as a child? I don't know. I forget.

6. How old is your mom? I don't know. 16. (Times that by 2 and he's right on.)

7. How tall is your mom? Really big.

8. What is her favorite thing to do? Play with Seth and me.

9. What does your mom do when you're not around? Go to something with dad.

10. If your mom becomes famous, what will it be for? I don't know.

11. What is your mom really good at? Chasing me.

12. What is your mom not very good at? You can't catch me because I'm pretty fast.

13. What does your mom do for her job? Work on the computer.

14. What is your mom's favorite food? String cheese (what he was eating at the time).

15. What makes you proud of your mom? When you do something I like.

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be? I don't know. Tyrone.

17. what do you and your mom do together? Play with each other.

18. How are you and your mom the same? With our skin.

19. How are you and your mom different? Because we have different shirts on.

20. How do you know your mom loves you? By kissing me and hugging me.