8 days of Christmas

Isn't it ironic how when you have the most memories to write down, you don't have the time to write them all down. I've accepted this as a basic truth as the Holidays have quickly closed in on me. There have been so many times I have thought, "I need to make sure that gets recorded on the blog", and I now I won't even scratch the surface on writing them all of down. So here are my "8 days of Christmas"!

Monday night we spent with Ben's parents and sisters, Amber and Krista. We met for dinner at Top Shelf (a Mexican restaurant close by) and then went to look at Christmas lights. There is a house nearby who goes all out. They have it set up where you can park and walk around their yard and they have a popcorn machine going for "their guests". Sometimes Santa is there, but this time we missed him:( The kids still had a great time.

Tuesday I finally committed to baking. It has been haunting me on my "to do" list, being pushed over day to day for a few weeks now! It was my Mom's day off, so I figured I could enlist her help. I went simple this year, Almond and Peppermint Bark and Peanut Butter Cup cookies, one of the family favorites. I put together 20 containers....whew!!! After dinner, we took the kids and we delivered them to families in the ward, who we hadn't already received a gift from us. The kids had a great time taking turns delivering them. We were glad they were excited to do it, since it was a little chilly that night!

Wednesday Ethan had his Christmas "party" at preschool. We basically showed up to help them decorate an ice cream cone like a Christmas tree and Nutter Butters like snowmen. It was a very cute idea, I think I will do that next year w/ the kids. He had a hard time icing the "tree" but he had a great time decorating the whole thing with M&M's, his VERY favorite candy! After school, the kids had a late piano practice w/ some of the other students to prepare for their recital. After that practice, it was determined that Boston and his friend Thomas were not allowed to sit next to one another at the recital. LOL Ok I just realized they had their practice on Tuesday...that's what happens when I get behind on things. Wednesday night we capitalized on the Soft Opening of Jumba Juice. They were giving out free drinks from 4-6, on Tuesday and Wednesday night. Of course, we went both nights. Ben can't ever pass up a good deal. In fact, he spent about 20 minutes calling different families in the ward to let them know. We saw several people from the ward while we were there. I don't' think anyone in our family will be wanting a Jumba Juice for a few weeks!! Wednesday night was the joint Young Men and Young Women activity. They used the firetruck, that brought Santa in at the Ward Party, to carry a trailer (with hay of course) for Christmas Caroling. Erin brought her two oldest girls and I brought Aubrie. They had a good time and so did the youth. The 12 year old boys were a little troublesome, giving me a glimpse of what I'm hoping I won't have to deal with in 6 years! Our first stop was Ben's parents (who are now in our ward). Aubrie was so excited, jumping off the trailer and running into Aunt Amber's arms. Too bad I forgot my camera:( Our youth are so spoiled! I'm glad I can be a part of it! Hee Hee!:) Later that night Krista and Amber came over for cards.

Thursday I had to finish up some Christmas shopping. I usually NEVER put my shopping off to the last minute, b/c procrastination gives me panick attacks! But my Dad called and said he was coming for Christmas, so I had to run and get him some gifts. Then to top things off, Lorraine's gift wasn't working. I made her a huge clock and the time piece was broken. So I had to run and get her something else. Luckily I found a beautiful Star Diamond Pendant for a GREAT price! Mother-in-laws are sooooo hard to shop for. Anyone else agree? Luckily there were no crowds at Kohls (that's where we went), but things were still CRAZY! I had all the kids w/ me and both Aubrie and Ethan wanted to push Sophia in the cart. Of course, I wasn't about to let Ethan push Sophia! Things got a little dramatic, until I told him he could push Boston in a cart. Luckily Boston was a good sport about it! As soon as we got that figure out, they all had to go to the bathroom. After that, Ethan started pushing Boston all crazy, and as Aubrie was looking at Ethan and yelling at him to stop she wasn't paying attention to where she was pushing Sophia. Sophia was holding on to the front bar of the cart, and Aubrie pushed her right into a center display, crushing one of her fingers. Sophia started to wail and then Aubrie started to cry hysterically b/c she hurt her. I then told everyone we should just go home and asked them to take the carts back. Then Boston and Ethan started fighting over who was going to do that. I sure gave everyone in the store a good show! Amazingly, I somehow regained control and walked out of there with all the Christmas presents I needed! Whew! That night we did our grocery shopping for Christmas dinner. Walmart was a MADHOUSE!! Luckily Ben was with me so we were able to divide and conquer....although sometimes I think the kids do better when it's just me. Why is that? Ben mainly comes in handy with loading up the car and bringing the groceries in the house!!

Friday was probably the craziest day of them all! It started off normal, getting the kids off to school. The only difference was that I had to make sure Aubrie's hair was "performance" ready for her recital. They were able to have a few hours at their school Christmas parties before we had to pull them out for the recital (their school was the only one in session for that day!). Both Aubrie and Boston did a great job!! Neither one missed a single note and their timing was awesome. Finally they were able to see the "fruits of their labor" ! After their recital Ben went golfing w/ his Dad and a friend from the ward, while me and the kids hung out at home. We then went to see the new National Treasure Movie, "Book of Secrets" w/ the kids (minus Sophia) and Ben's parents and sisters. It was VERY good. We saw several people in the ward there. We Mormons can't resist a GREAT Disney family film! After the movie, Krista came over and we (minus all the kids) watched Disturbia. It was a great scary movie, but I have realized I am getting too sensitive to scary movies. Even "I Am Legend" was too much for me. I have always liked a good scary flick....what's happening to me?!

Ethan and one of his friends, Andrew (Thomas's brother..see above) at the kids piano recital!

Saturday Aubrie went to The Nutcracker with Ben's Mom and the Sister-in-laws. They said she kept them entertained, jabbering on about anything and everything. That is my Aubrie..the jabber jaw! Boston had a fun time at a Birthday party for one of his school mates. It was held at one of those "Soft Play" centers. The place is about 20 minutes from here, so Ben just took him and got some shopping done while I worked on my YW lesson. Luckily I was able to finish it up before my Dad arrived, around 2:30. Then I took my Dad out to get some shopping done...ARGH....it was a MADHOUSE!! On the way home I made my life easier and picked up Sonic. Then I made a gingerbread house with the kids. Boston made a small gingerbread house at school and he said, "Mom my gingerbread house can be like the playhouse to the big one"!

Sunday morning was crazy as usual...I can't wait for the new block...11:30!! Luckily Ben's parents went early, since the girls are in town, and saved us a seat! Sophia did alright, until the last 10 minutes, so I was able to enjoy most of the Christmas Sacrament Program. Aubrie was a little upset b/c she went to one of the practices for the Christmas Program and so she thought she was going to be singing. Things were too crazy for me, and I feel bad leaving Ben with all the kids during sacrament, especially with Sophia being so demanding, so I stopped going. Aubrie was a little crushed when the the little kids had their singing part. I ended up doing my lesson on the Three Wise Men and the Star. I talked about the guiding stars in our life that can lead us back to the Savior. It was a good lesson for me. Funny how that always works out! Sunday afternoon my brother Joe cam over to visit. He ended up staying for dinner and then we played a little Guitar Hero and visited. After Joe left and the kids were in bed, Ben's sisters came over for some games. We had so much fun! We played Scattegories, Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture, Scene It? the Second Edition, Ultimate Spoons (my new favorite), and finished with some good old fashion Hide and Go Seek! The first time I crammed myself under Ben's Bathroom sink. I was so uncomfortable. They couldn't find me fast enough!! Finally, I started making noises to help them out. Another time I hid in the Linen Closet, and they couldn't find me, again. I was much more comfortable wedged between blankets instead of towels and Ben's mouth wash, etc, so I waited a bit longer before I made noises. All those games made me feel like a college kid again, except when I pulled something in my leg as I was leaping over Amanda for a spoon! I had pain all night, and realized that I wasn't as young as I used to be. We didn't finish games until 1:45. Amazingly I haven't been tired all day!!!

Today started off like the Movie "Jingle All the Way". Boston has been wanting a Nintendo DS for Christmas, and Ben has been putting off getting it for him. Well today he realized why I kept harping on him to get it. I spent all morning calling stores to see if they had it. I was to the point of tears, knowing how much Boston deserved it...being he is so good and it was the ONLY thing he really has asked for! Luckily Costco came through for us, at a HEFTY price. I guess Ben had to learn the hard way! After we got that resolved, I sang (Christmas songs ) as I wrapped and wrapped and wrapped (sound familiar?). It is very unlike me (seems to be a theme this year) to not wrap my gifts as soon as I buy them. It was quite overwhelming to have so many things to wrap. So, unlike me, I wasn't enjoying the wrapping and my wrapping wasn't as artistic as I like to make it!! After all my wrapping, I played outside with the kids until it was time for our Christmas Eve plans. We started our evening taping Ethan "reading" his "Cookie" book. He has the thing memorized to a "T". The first time he did it Aubrie was in awe, thinking he learned to read. Anyway, it's really cute to watch. Then we recorded the kids singing Christmas Songs. After that we watched the church DVD "Finding Faith in Christ". I then gave a condensed version of my lesson on the Wise Men. After that, the kids made cookies while Ben went to pick up the Pizza (my new Christmas Eve dinner tradition I have decided to start!:). After pizza, we let the kids open up their Christmas PJ's. After baths, we made reindeer food and they spread it out on the lawn. Ethan dumped his bag in one spot, Aubrie quickly ran around the lawn and dumped her's in several spots. Then there was Boston, slowly and methodically sprinkling the lawn a little at a time. When Aubrie caught on to what he was doing she said, "How did he think of doing that? Boston is so smart!" After reindeer food, we prepared Santa's plate. Then Boston said, " Don't' you think Santa will get a tummy ache?", referring to all the cookies he would be eating. I told him that was smart thinking and asked him if we should leave him an apple. Now there is one sugar cookie, an apple and 9 carrot sticks...for the reindeer, on the plate! The kids then wrote a letter to Santa, and then wrote their Service gifts. These are like "service coupons" that they put in one another's stockings. After they got everything ready, Ben's family came over for dessert. Now they are gone and we are watching our all time favorite Christmas movie, "Christmas Vacation"! All the gifts are wrapped, whew!, the house is clean and now all I have to do is fill the stockings and eat the food on Santa's plate:) Hope that I get some good rest so I can enjoy tomorrow. I can't believe another Christmas is almost past! What a wonderful season. I love how it softens every one's heart to serve and show compassion and love. If only this spirit could always remain all year! One day:)!!!! Merry Christmas EVERYONE!!

Boston's teacher was so great with the Christmas Holiday. Boston came home everyday for the past week and a half with some Christmas art project. Here they all are!

Aubries gift to me, that she made at school!!

What happens in this family when you aren't reverent during sacrament prayers! Boston got them, too! Sweet boy did them first thing when he got home. I cut his in half!!!

Snow in Phoenix?!

Saturday was the ward Christmas Party. It was during the day this time, which we thought was a little different. In the flyer's for the party it said there would be a special surprise. We all assumed it was Santa Clause, who graces us with his presence at every ward Christmas party. Well this year something else gave Santa some competition. The party started off in the cultural hall with a spaghetti lunch and some socializing. They then directed us outside toward the Ramada. They had 8 tons of snow pumped out on the grass area while we were all inside eating. The kids and adults had a blast. I think the men had more fun than the kids did. I know that Ben wasn't making friends that day. I just kept hearing people yell his name, and then could hear him laughing. I was holding Sophia, so I had to stay out of range after getting pelted a few times. The kids had a blast, especially since they didn't have to deal with freezing temperatures! Then to add the cherry to the whole occasion Santa came riding in on a firetruck. His costume was the worst Santa costume I have ever seen, but fortunately the kids didn't notice. Aubrie did ask us why Santa had a pillow stuffed under his shirt. YIKES!! After the ward party the family just chilled at home and I finished up some Christmas Shopping. I found a great Nativity Set at Kirkland's for a steal of a deal, so I bought one for each of my sister-in-laws that have a home of their own. We draw names in Ben's family, but I couldn't resist the deal. I love spoiling people when I get the chance! Last night we had the Frandsens over for some pizza and hanging out! It was a fun day. Aubrie stayed up late and made Snowflakes with me while with Ben and I and watched old family videos.

Here is a picture of Sophia's newest favorite past time thanks to Aubrie's creativeness! That's one way to get the floors clean!LOL

"I love you!"

***First I must start by giving credit to Aubrie for taking the picture of Sophia, eating her first sucker (see previous blog entry). Aubrie and Boston are always fighting over the camera, and Aubrie loves to go around the house taking pictures w/ an old digital camera we gave her. We might have a professional in our midst! With that said...

There are stages my children go through where I wish I could literally push a fast forward button to rush them through to the next scene, i.e. teething, conquering stairs, potty training. Then there are those times where I wish I could hit the pause button and continually enjoy every second of those sweet and tender moments that make it all worth it. Ethan is giving me those moments! I have to give a little background to understand why this new phase is more sweet and precious to me, than it typically would be. Ethan has been a Daddy's boy FOREVER. From the time he was about 15 month, he hasn't been one to show me or anyone else, but DAD, much affection. That was very hard for me, him always running to Dad for everything, and treating me like I didn't exist! No matter how hard I tried, he didn't want much to do with me. Because of that, I didn't' feel very connected to him. Sounds so bad,huh? I remember praying to Heavenly Father that I could have my sweet cuddling boy back (he was the sweetest, cuddly baby!). Since Boston has gone off to Kindergarten, I have noticed a huge change in Ethan. It has been gradual, but it has come. It started w/ him not wanting to leave me, to go to preschool. Then it migrated to him letting me hold him and give him affection. The past few weeks Ethan will randomly, and quite often, come up to me and say "I love you". (He also is sure to tell family he loves them as the leave to go somewhere.) He is always so thankful, too! Whenever he asks me a question and I give him an answer, or I offer him any help he is quick to say "thanks, Mom!" He is also quick to say sorry, and he says it with meaning! He is my new "buddy"! With this I have realized that whenever I see something in my kids that I believe is slipping away or has slipped away, not to give up hope. The continuance of love and prayers will bring them back! This realization will probably give me strength in the teenage years!!

Rain or Shine

Time to catch up again. This Christmas season is keeping me busy and away from my blog Hopefully I can remember the important stuff!
Friday was a busy and rainy day. (My prayers were answered!!) It started off with a guy coming to tack my carpet down. He brought his son and daughter, and while his son was finishing things up, I saw him reading the Proclamation to the Family. After he was done reading it, he said "This is very nice". I asked him if he had heard of our church and he said he had. I was scrambling to find a Spanish Book of Mormon for him, but I couldn't find that or a Family Proclamation anywhere. Something told me to just give him the framed one on the wall. At first I ignored that , thinking how silly that was. But finally I did it, and he was very grateful. Hope it makes the difference. Then when the tile guys came back to finish things up, Ethan and I were watching "The Testaments". He asked me if that was the kids version of "The Passion of the Christ". I told him it was a movie about Christ put out by our Church. When he thought I was out of the room, I caught him watching it. He knows we are Momorm, we disscussed it a little the first day he was here. I'm hoping that will plant a seed!
Friday night the YW didn't have to camp (yeah!), but we still met at the White Tanks for the Standards Night Program. The Bishopric went through a lot of work to set things up. They strung up tarps around the ramada's to shelter us from the wind and rain, and prepared a huge bonfire . They also got there early to prepare us a nice Mexican dinner. They also set up a projection screen for the program. They always go the extra mile when it comes to our Youth. When we got there we had dinner first and then the program. Erin gave a great talk, followed by Tyson Hintz (the YM president). Then they showed a short movie with a good storyline, but it was so “Utah cheese"! It had one of the actors from the Testaments in it, which was cool since I had just watched it. After the movie, we had cobbler for dessert and then headed to Becky’s where we hung out w/ the girls until midnight. I didn’t get home until 12:30 and wasn’t in bed until 1:00am! Ouch, that sure hurt me Saturday morning. I can tell I’m getting older!

Saturday was Aubrie’s night at Glendale Glitters. It’s held outside in the amphitheatre, so we were all a little worried when it poured rain all day Friday. Fortunately, Saturday was clear (but still cold) so she was able to perform. She was dressed in a Santa Dress and performed to “Santa Can You Hear Me”, by Brittany Spears (sounds like her anyway). Aubrie did a good job, but she could have memorized it a little better. I caught her looking to her friends to see what move came next. That is unlike her, b/c she usually has the dance nailed and everyone is looking toward her. She missed a few days of dance, so I’m sure that didn’t help. She pulled it off pretty well, and still did a good job and looked so cute. Afterward we let her pick a place to eat, and she picked Ah-So (a Japanese Steak house). She loves going to those places. She was so well mannered and VERY attentive to the cooking “show”. She ordered the steak, of course, and picked the mushrooms out of her vegetables. She had a good time. When we got home we put the kids down, and I worked on my lesson. I decided to talk about being financially prepared.
Sophia wasn’t feeling well Saturday, we left her home with my Mom Saturday night, and she still didn’t seem well Sunday. So Ben stayed with her and Ethan while Aubrie, Boston and I went to church. The lesson went well, but as usual, I ran out of time.
Sunday morning Aubrie was so grown up. As I was getting ready for church, she put a church video in and made breakfast. She didn’t just make any breakfast. I came downstairs to scrambled eggs and toast, and she made enough for everyone. It’s hard to believe that she is old enough to do that type of stuff. She did a great job, and for once my stomach wasn’t growling at church!:)
Monday was just the normal chaos that it normally is….I can’t wait till this year of dance is over!!! Having an activity on family night is very stressful. This time I dropped Aubrie off and Ben picked her up. That seemed to work better!
Today I got a lot done. I did laundry, finished up most of my Christmas shopping (and wrapped those gifts) and dropped goodies off to the neighbors on our street. It was a nice chance to meet the families we hadn’t official met yet. We have really great neighbors!!!
Poor Sophia is still not feeling well. She is very congested and has the worse cough. I hate when my babies are sick. Sophia did have some "firsts" this past week. She had a sucker (see picture), drank from a straw, and started to Army crawl (well that was last week). Once she is feeling better I’m sure we are in trouble!

Ethan being his goofy self!

The Crime is Worth the Punishment

This past summer my friend told me how she would give her boys Apple Cider Vinegar when they used bad words. She told me that its actually good for them, but they don't know that;) Lately, we have been trying that on Ethan. We don't have the problem with words, but listening is a challenge for him. When he does something I have repeatedly told him not to do, or hurts someone intentionally, he gets apple cider vinegar. He is usually so good about taking it. His only request is that he has a glass of water waiting close by. Ben and I are convinced he actually will start liking it here, soon! The other day I kept telling him not to touch the bulbs on the Christmas tree. There are two right by one another that, when hit, bounce off one another. To his defense, for a 3 year old that could be pretty entertaining! After several warnings not to touch, I finally told him if I saw him do it again he would get the vinegar. Well, two minutes later I look over there to see him touching them, again, as he is looking in my direction:) So, I run over there and scoop him up and tell him it’s time for “the vinegar”. He starts crying for water, as he always does, but this time he kept saying I want “my” water. I couldn't figure out what he was talking about, "my water"!? Finally we figured out he had poured himself a glass of water and had it right by the Christmas tree. Apparently he decided that the punishment was worth the crime and had already prepared himself.

This week has been quite crazy. Monday I was scrambling to make dinner for a neighbor, watched my friends kids (that was the easy part), and had to juggle Aubrie's two hours of dance class in the middle of it all. For FHE we took the kids on a car ride and pointed out the road signs and stoplights and asked them why they were there, and what would happen if we didn't obey them. (I'm sure you know where we were going with that!). Yes, we then told them how we have been given road signs in our life; scriptures, church, prophets, prayer, etc. If they didn't obey them their life could become a "wreck".

Tuesday the guys started our tile work in our kitchen/family room. There was carpet right in front of our glass sliding door, and so that carpet was getting very worn. Come to find out the tile in the hall way didn't align with the tile in the Kitchen, so they have to do a border in between the two. Not the look i was going for, but the only other choice it to redo the kitchen tile, and that is not going to happen!!! The next problem of the day was my car. I was sitting at a stop light and my car started jerking ALOT! I said a quick prayer I could finish my errand and make it safely home. The car finally settled down and we were able to get an appointment for that day. We now have a rental. The rest of the day I was trying to keep kids off the tile area. That is an impossible job, so I scrapped my dinner plans and we went out to eat. They weren't able to finish up, due to some uneven floors, so they are finishing up today. Hopefully it will be done by the time the kids are home from school. I still haven't gotten much done since I have people in my house. For some reason it's hard for me to do much when people are hanging around my house.

Tomorrow Aubrie has a Dr. Appt. with a Pediatric Urologist, so Ben is taking her and then taking her out to lunch, etc...for a Daddy/Daughter time! Friday is our YW Standards Night camp out! Yes you heard me right, camp out! It sounded fun in October, but it was pushed off till now and I am a baby when it comes to being cold. I'm praying for rain, but just for Friday. Saturday Aubrie has her Glendale Glitters Dance Performance, outside, and it would be a shame if that was cancelled. Hopefully all works out:)

Christmas Party IV

Yesterday we had our 4th annual Christmas party. This tradition actually started in North Carolina. Back then the party was held at our friends, the McGee's, b/c the rest of us didn't have houses big enough to host such an event. When we moved here we knew we had to carry on the tradition. The party is such a great opportunity to mingle w/ all our friends from the ward without the interruptions of the little ones! The gift exchange is also fun. All the dynamics of people taking gifts from another, or hoping their gift would be taken, or what surprises will come when they open a gift, is always fun. It was quite interesting the year someone brought lingerie! The husbands were fighting over that one!

This year was a little crazy getting things done. Usually we have the kids stay the night w/ Ben's parents so we have a few hours to get the house put together, etc. This year the kids stayed here and my Mom watched them upstairs. So it was a little hard getting things cleaned up with little tornado's running around the house. If the backyard wasn't like a pond it would have made things easier. Luckily I didn't have the stress of making the food. After two years of making all the food I finally resorted to getting Olive Garden. It's definitely worth it! All I have to do is make a few appetizers and some punch and voila, I'm done!

The gift exchange was fun as always. I ended up w/ a ring that was way too big for my finger, and no one wanted it. My Mom saw it today and said she liked it, so at least it will get some use. Ben ended up w/ a gift certificate to Victoria's secret! We bought two games for the exchange, Battle of the Sexes and Urban Myth. Those were a hit....actually Ben was hoping to get one of them. I told him we should have just kept it if he wanted it that bad! After the exchange a few people played Scene it while we served up dessert. My friend suggested Pizookie ( undercooked cookie dough served w/ ice cream) and offered to make it. It was Yum!!

Lucky recipients of a Cold Stone gift certificate and a casserole dish

He got the pink autographed boxers by the famous "Sheriff Joe"

The back massager!

A game of Sequence anyone?

The last of last guests left at 11:00 and the kids were still up. So by the time we got them to bed and cleaned up it was midnight. I was still very wound up, so I didn't' get to bed until around 2:30!

Surprisingly, I wasn't tired this morning. I popped out of bed and got ready for church....not like me at all!!! I couldn't say the same for the rest of the house. They all slept in....why couldn't they do that on Saturday? To make things more crazy, Ben got an emergency work call so I had to fly solo with the kids today. Sophia actually did very well, so I was able to get all of Sunday School in and most of Young Women's. The craziest part was rounding the troops and getting them all to the car. Besides that, the rest of the day was very relaxing. We just relaxed in the backyard and enjoyed the weather. When Sophia woke up from her nap, we took the leftover Olive Garden to some friends who were unable to make it b/c their daughter was in the hospital. There was so much left over I was able to keep some for us, too. How relaxing that was to not have to worry about dinner. This evening we went out front and strolled Sophia around. What a great Sunday!

Rained Out!

It has been raining nonstop since yesterday morning. Our backyard is flooded and our pool is almost flowing over. The kids went running around the water in their PJ's. Crazy kids!!

Our Christmas party is tonight....so much for using the patio and the fire pit area! We are expecting 40 people, so it will be a little crazy w/out the outdoor space. We were planning on finishing the Christmas lights today...so much for that! Beside all the complications, I am enjoying it!

Obviously we didn't go out much yesterday. Aubrie was part of the assembly at school yesterday morning, they did the story of the Hungry Caterpillar. It was done very cute. They all had something to hold, like the pie or the 3 plums, etc. They made these huge caterpillar with butcher paper and a cocoon. One of the students busted through the cocoon and was dressed as a butterfly. VERY cute!
Besides the assembly, picking the kids up from school was the only time I left the house. We spent the morning wrapping some presents and cleaning up. Ethan really got into the whole wrapping thing. I had an old roll of wrapping paper and I let him go to town. He kept grabbing toys from his closet and wrapping them up! Last night we just stayed home with the kiddos and had pizza. Boston had a reading marathon, wanting to read 10 books, I sat there practically falling asleep as her read to me. I was so tired by 8:00 pm. After he was done reading, we went downstairs while the kids played Christmas songs on the piano and my Mom read the night before Christmas. After, we watched a movie and went to bed.
Oh, last night, when Boston was reading on the bed, he positioned his bottom away from me and said "Mom I had to do that because I had to toot." I thought, "how considerate". Ben was in "that" direction and said, "what about me, Boston? My nose is burning." Boston said, "So what dad, my eyes are burning!" He is such a funny character.
The rest of the week was normal as always. Aubrie did have a problem at school on Monday. She and a friend were sent to the principals office for not getting along. Aubrie has this friend who she has been buddies with since 1st grade. The past month or so her friend has made a new best friend. That has caused problems on the playground, her being so loyal and trying to be her friend still and her friend telling her she doesn't want to play with her. It really breaks my heart. Aubrie has been so sweet, making her cards and giving her things. Her friend will be nice to her for a short while, giving her hope, and then it's back to the same old thing. Anyway, I have been telling her to make new friends, FOREVER, but she feels like she is betraying her if she does. The teachers have also been telling them to not play with one another, but they still were not listening. So they sent them to the principal and he told them the same thing. Finally, she listened to him. She has played with some new girls this week, and I couldn't be happier about it. I just can't believe there is this kind of drama at such a young age. When I was 7 I didn't care about that kind of stuff. At recess i just ran around and did my own thing, or played w/ the boys! Times have changed or I just wasn't like other girls, I guess!
Well that's it for now. Hopefully we aren't floating around on a boat by tonight, ha! Good thing we have a two story house...guess we should move our food storage upstairs. LOL We Phoenicians aren't used to this much water!

Aubrie doing the litter box. What a drama queen!

Thanksgiving week!

Today I think I have slept more than I have ever slept since I've had kids. It all started w/ a cold that crept up on me Wednesday night. Thursday, Friday and Saturday I felt yucky in the morning and right before bed so, of course, I pushed it all those three days which put my body in complete shut down today. I didn't wake up until 10:00 am and then I took another nap from noon until about 3:00. I am still feeling very weak and tired (how can that be?), but I am hoping I will be back to my old self by tomorrow...lots to do with our Christmas party coming up this Saturday...Yeah!

So here, once again, is a rundown of the week!

Monday was just another day, except for a nice surprise from Ben...a new camera. It's the brand new Cyber-shot Sony. With an iso of 3200 and 8.1 mega pixel, it smokes our old one big time!!! It's definitely a great fix until I get the "big" one!:) I love how small it is! I just slip it right in my purse and off I go! I love Technology! Monday night we had our FHE on showing gratitude to Heavenly Father. I cut and colored a picture of a turkey (without feathers). I had cut the feather's separate and let the kids write the ways to show gratitude on them. Then they got to tape them on the turkey. The kids enjoyed doing that.

Tuesday was Aubrie's field trip to the Food Bank. Her teacher started a canned food drive at her school, and for the past month the kids have had their jobs of going to their assigned classroom and picking up the cans and organizing them in boxes. Tuesday the Sheriff Department brought a rig and loaded it up and followed us over to the food bank. The kids got to unload the food into huge boxes and got a short tour of the Food Bank. I'm glad Aubrie got to experience that opportunity of service! I can't think of a better field trip than one of service!

Wednesday Aubrie and Boston had off of school. Ethan still had preschool and surprisingly had no problem going. While I was gearing up for Thanksgiving, I decided I was going to take the kids to California Friday morning. I hurried around doing laundry and making the casseroles for Thanksgiving that night, so I could pack and get ready for our trip on Thanksgiving day. That night my Mom and I got sick and that blew those plans right out of the water. Looking back I'm a little relieved, b/c as fun as that trip might have been, it would have also been very short and CRAZY!!@!

Thursday morning we set up all our Christmas stuff and Ben put up the Christmas lights. A day early, I know, but there was really nothing else to do since I made all the food the night before!:) We headed to Ben's parents around 3:15 and ate dinner around 4:00. I brought a new appetizer, cream cheese covered in this raspberry chipotle sauce served with crackers, YUM! By the time dinner was ready I was pretty full! YIKES!! I enjoyed the left overs the next day, though! After dinner we took the the kids to the park in Ben's parent's neighborhood. After about an hour we came back home and everyone else followed, for dessert, games, etc. Julie and Brian showed up, too! It was great seeing them. They have been living in Utah for the past year and just moved back the beginning of this month. The kids were excited to see their kids and they played in the backyard the whole time they were here. After everyone left, the twins and Krista stuck around for some hot tubing and cards. We were up until midnight, I definitely felt it the next morning!

Friday was Ben's 35th Birthday! He got to spend it golfing with his brothers. He took Aubrie along, she loves driving the cart!! It actually was a little cold that day, and since they had a late T-time, I'm not sure they even got to finish their game. It's a tradition for these boys to play the day after Thanksgiving and Christmas. I need to start some tradition where I go and do something really fun w/ my friends for 6 hours!!! When Ben got home, we headed to the Outback to celebrate his birthday. Sophia was still sleeping when we were ready to leave, so my Mom said she would stay and watch her since she was still not feeling well. It was so weird going out w/ just three kids! After Outback we went to Lamps plus to finally buy lights for our posts in our yard, 6 months later!!!! I then got a call from my Mom that Sophia wasn't doing well, she cried when she put her to bed which she never does!!! So we rushed home to take care of her. She has a cold, too, and I think it's throwing her off! After I got her to bed, I pulled out the traditional cake I make for Ben every year (Lemon cake w/ orange frosting) and we sang Happy Birthday! He didn't have anything to unwrap b/c his gift from me is a new wedding ring. Since he still hasn't gotten his finger sized I have been unable to purchase the one he has been eyeing online!!! He buys himself almost anything he wants anyway, aside from the Mercedes he has been wanting so badly, but that's not going to happen!!!

Saturday we ran errands; Ben had some birthday returns! He made out pretty good, after the returns, with a new Polo dress shirt and the new Cologne I LOVE so much, RSVP! I'm not sure if that is my present or his? Hee! Hee! We had to go to the mall to get that, which was a little crazy!!! The parking lot was PACKED and we also forgot the stroller. Luckily the kids behaved themselves, after bribing them w/ a stop at the pet store and the toy store. After our errands I met my Mom at Micheal's to get some flowers to do some more Christmas decorating. While my Mom and I worked on the house, Ben worked on the electrical for the post's outside. The kids caught up on some reading and piano. Boston's reading is really coming along. I'm sure he will be reading Junie B. (if I let him) by the end of the year. I wish they made better books for boys to read!

We'll that's the week. I'll leave you with an "Ethan funny". When we were at the Outback, the kids all had their jackets on and Ethan looked at us and said, as he was putting his hands in his jacket pockets, "Look I have two hand holes in this jacket". We finally realized that was his name for pockets. Enjoy the pics!