Give Up or Catch Up: 2013 Finale

Well, it has been two months since I last posted.  Two months!  I decided it was either attempt to catch up or just be done with the blog.  I hate to do that since this is my effort at journaling.  I love the blog books I've made...I'm only two years behind on that!  Oh well, here's a quick wrap of 2013.  I love December, but the month actually felt as rushed as this post will be.  Moving two weeks before Christmas is crazy!  Tack on pretty much steady sickness on my part since the move, trying to unpack and get settled, way too many side gigs, church stuff, starting my last class for my masters, and of course four kids a hubby and all the day to day stuff and that pretty much sums up the last few months. It has been so nice to be settled again, and I love it here but it hasn't exactly been a restful time.  The best things about finally moving in are that I have Jer back (that's huge), and the school bus which is the next best thing.  No more days of hours spent in the van.

So here goes...we moved December 7th.  It was frigid and snowing much like the January day we moved nearly a year before.  Beat me with a big stick if I ever mention moving twice in the same year again.  We had tons of help from old friends and new neighbors and ward friends.  I'm always amazed at how kind people are and generous with their time!  I could tell I was getting sick the night before we moved and I have not been bug free since.  The few weeks before and after we moved were a blur of packing, cleaning, unpacking, cleaning, repeat...ugh.

The day after we moved we were surrounded by new snow so even though it was in the single digits the kids played after church.  That did my heart good.  It was so nice to finally live here and see them playing at our house!  On their first day of school I was going to give them a ride to the bus stop (it's about 3/4 mile) and it was -14 degrees.  (They walk home from the bus stop everyday and will soon be walking in the mornings too.  It's character building, right?)  On this particular morning though I was planning on giving them a ride.  We got in the van to find it was dead as a doornail.  I didn't know what else to do but send them walking.  Our neighbor came along a minute later and picked them up.  They probably think I'm a hard core mom...walking in subzero weather.  I just wish we had snow like this now!  Back when it did snow there was a day of crazy weather and even crazier roads out here.  I sent the kids walking to the bus stop in lots of deep snow only to find out later the bus didn't make it and a different neighbor took the whole bus stop to school!

 

On a Monday the week before we moved in we spent an FHE night at a live nativity at our neighbor's barn and then we put up our Christmas tree upstairs.  I knew it would be a while before I managed any Christmas decorations.  The upstairs tree is the kid's tree, and it includes a random assortment of all kinds of homemade ornaments.  Nothing matches and some of it is childhood stuff of ours.  The kids love it, and we had a great night.  The weekend after we moved in we set out like the Griswolds to cut down the perfect Christmas tree.  We did take a saw.  We headed up Relief Society Hollow in Idaho (I think that's Jer's made up name for it) where Jer and I cut down our first Christmas tree ever.  We had so much fun!  There was quite a bit of snow and the kids sledded.  We also ate out twice in one day--big pizza-size pancake breakfast at Herm's and dinner at Big J's--can't beat that.  Leah loved her little sled so much and even rode it down a few hills.  Jer pulled her all over in search of a good tree.  It was slim pickings but we eventually got one.  It was 12' tall so we needed a ladder to decorate it.  Our lighting skills were way sad, but it looked pretty and was really fun.  (Ian's saucer was by far the fastest!)

   

Leah had a dance recital in December.  It was 15 minutes long and mostly consisted of her playing with the necklace her teacher gave her.  She looked cute standing around though!  She has actually loved dance class this year.  She asks me a lot if it is dance class day, and she runs in with a big smile.  Katie is so awesome and cute with them!

The lead up to Christmas was crazy busy but fun.  We managed to get the place kind of decorated and get presents for everyone.  We had to put off our Salt Lake trip until the weekend right before Christmas.  That was fun but a bit stressful since I still had lots of last minute stuff and hadn't wrapped a thing.  The kids really look forward to this tradition, and it was great.  We ate, shopped, rode Trax to Temple Square, ate some more...Seth in particular loves the brunch!  We ended the weekend with Sacrament meeting in my parent's ward.  Leah was so exhausted by that time she about didn't make it.

 Yep, this was the best family picture we could come up with!  You may be noticing a pattern with Seth and pictures right now!

 Jer calls this look Ian's "Michael Ballam" hair.  It is a bit feathery.

 Leah's "Santa" pictures are notably absent.  That is because she wanted nothing, and I mean nothing, to do with him!

Then it was Christmas!  I was getting over my cough and cold just in time to start feeling really weird the night of the 23rd as I was up late wrapping presents.  By the 24th I was sick, as in I had the flu sick.  Fever, chills, body aches.  It was truly awful.  I feel like I barely survived Christmas.  Never before have I wanted to sleep through Christmas, but it was all I could do to make it through the motions this year.  Bummer.  No one else got sick though and Jer and our families helped pick up my slack so everyone else had a good one.  Pity party for me.  As a result of my near death state there are not a lot of Christmas pictures this year.  I just didn't care that much!

We had the grandmas and grandpas over for Christmas Eve.  The kids put on a little program that included piano, singing, and of course the nativity.  We also watched the Piano Guys O Emanuel.  We are big Piano Guys fans around here, but I seriously can't watch that without getting a lump in my throat.  I know my kiddos felt the spirit.

 The boys take piano from our 14-year-old neighbor, and she is awesome.  They have improved so much, and she is a saint for putting up with them!

 Yes, there are pets in this picture.  Seth got a hamster named Fuzzy and Luke got a leopard gecko called Spot.  Super creative names.  They requested and we relented.  I think we are trying to delay the inevitability of a dog living out here!   Seth's hamster caused some fun times.  I first got a really cute little dwarf hamster.  I asked the girl at the pet shop if that particular kind had a good disposition, and she said yes.  Well, over the next few days while it lived in our master bedroom closet Jer and I found out differently.  It bit me several times including once really hard that drew blood!  After we found ourselves wearing gloves to handle it we decided it would not make the best pet.  Jer took it back for an exchange!  He came home with the kind we said we would not get.  (Go to your local pet store and check out the hamsters.  You are sure to see the kind that have giant testicles.  Yes, big balls. There is no other way to say it.)  Apparently at the store a worker took Jer into a back room to check out a few other dwarf hamsters they just got in.  She said they were nice but the one immediately jumped up and latched itself onto Jer's finger.  WTH?  Needless to say we did not get that dirty little bounder.  We instead have Fuzzy--a very sweet, friendly, big balled hamster!

Bam.  That just happened.  2013 all wrapped up.  What a crazy year.  I can't say I'm too sad to move on!