January 10, 2010 Very Late…

Sunday, January 10

Dear Family and Friends:

We have an eventful week. I stayed home from work today, and was invited to write this week’s letter.

Monday
For FHE we decided to do some work around the house. We placed a plastic sheet over two of our upstairs windows, the side facing the wind, trying to better insulate the house. Unfortunately we picked the wrong time to do it – right before bed for the boys. We didn’t get either of the boys to bed on time, but the rooms didn’t have air blowing directly in.

After getting the plastic on the windows, I took off and watched the Boise State v TCU game with some friends, only staying until half time.

Tuesday
We went to the chapel early so that the women/young women could practice basketball. B-man thought that he was coaching the girls/women, while he ran around the gym. I took the boys home and R stayed around for mutual.

Wednesday
I was dropped off at the doctor’s office on the way home from work. (Background: Three months ago I had a cyst removed from my left calf and the wound was not healing well. The doctor went in and removed the scar reopened the wound and stitched me back up.) Becca and the boys picked me up after the surgery.

Thursday
I went to work as normal and limped around the office. I’m glad to normally have minimal issues when it comes to my body; (aside from being to tall for cars, showers, sinks, countertops, etc.) having my leg out of commission has been pretty lame. That night R went to help her friend pack their kitchen for their upcoming move.

Friday
With the couple of inches of snow that we had received over night, B-man went into school two hours late. Becca loved having him around and having a less-rushed morning. She would love to have B-man start school when she did (9:15am) so that there was a little more time in the morning. With B-man waking up so early, regardless of the day, it’s nice that it isn’t a battle to get him up in the morning.

I went into work as normal and came home in a little more pain. This week turned out to be a “bad week” to have the surgery on my leg. Our friends were moving (staying in the ward boundaries) into a new place and I was not well enough to help them out. I offered the help of B-man and R, but instead we watched their son at our house that night while the actual move was happening.

Saturday
R let me sleep in while she got breakfast for B-man. I woke up at 8:30 and was back in bed by 10:00. My leg was hurting and I had a fever. R went to coach the young women in the first game of the basketball season.

For our family party we watched Star Wars IV: A New Hope (B-man’s new favorite movie – thank you Scott). B-man is constantly asking questions of who is who, and what’s happening. He loves all of the action and is getting less scared of the trash-compactor scene.

Sunday
R had a meeting with her presidency, while I sent a counselor to Ward Council. I stayed home from church with J while R and B-man went to church. I tried to stay off my feet as much as possible, while getting dinner prepped. We were excited to use the new pressure cooker for the mashed potatoes and were pleased with the results.

What could be better?

We are starting to plan a "Sisters' Weekend" with M's family. Always a fun time. To top it off, there's a chance I might be able to go to my cousin's wedding. She wasn't always my cousin, she started off as my friend. A friend that I told all about my blind date with M, and then we realized that I had gone out with her cousin! That was almost exactly nine years ago.

It might not work out (the timing, not the wedding), but I think that a Sister's weekend, and a wedding is a pretty fun combo.

January 3, 2010

January 3, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Happy New Year! This has been an exciting week. Monday was our FHE night. We drove to the temple to see the lights. The weather was bitterly cold, but we tried to be brave. We loved the Nativities from around the world display. And of course the temple and lights were beautiful. We packed a picnic and ate our picnic on the way back home. Most days we have stayed pretty close to home. M took a little time off each day so that he could be home a little earlier. Poor B-man came down with an enormous cold sore at the beginning of the week. M and I hate having to tell him not to kiss or touch J, but we don’t want J to get cold sores.

Wednesday was a fun day for M and me. He worked a little extra; while he was working I got a babysitter and then drove to pick him up from work. We drove to a nearby restaurant that we love and met another couple for dinner there. It was such a great evening. The food was delicious, and the conversation was great too. We eventually tore ourselves away because we knew that J would be getting pretty anxious soon. It was so nice to have a date night; it had been a while for us since our last real date.

Thursday I spent the day getting ready for New Year’s. We were planning on having a few couples over for a small party. It was all very last minute, but worth the effort. I finished taking down the Christmas decorations, and worked on getting the house clean. I’ve decided that having a clean house was a great way to start the New Year. After getting the kids to bed our friends came over. M was the bartender for the night. He did some great drink mixes, including Shirley Temples, and Roy Rodgers. We played Personal Preference, and a few other games. The time passed quickly, and we were up way too late. B-man woke up just as people were leaving, and so M helped get him back to sleep. It was a simple party, but it turned out really fun. It helped boost my party hosting confidence.

Friday we had a quiet fun day. We tried to sleep as late as possible. That is generally impossible with young children. In the morning we spent the time around the house. Then when J woke up from his nap we went bowling with B-man. We were just about done with our first game (and ready to go) when some of our good friends showed up to bowl too! It was so fun, they got the lane right next to us, and our kids had a great time bowling together. I think the more the merrier with bowling. Sadly, by the end of the second game J was ready for his next nap so we headed home. B-man did much better this year than last year. He was very close to our scores. While J napped, M and B-man went to watch football with some friends. That night we watched “24” before heading to bed.

Saturday morning we went to the baby blessing of the twin daughters of our friends. It was amazing how quiet the kids were during the blessing. Afterwards B-man disappeared with the kids, and M and I were able to enjoy some brunch. The rest of the day was nice and slow. It was wonderful!

Sunday morning was another quiet morning. No meetings for M. We were able to read books, and just enjoy the quiet. Church went really well. It was the best Sunday we have had with J in a long time. B-man loves his new teachers, and M’ lesson went well too. After church we had a quick dinner. (Dinner is always best when it is fast on Fast Sunday.)

One day this week we had a very funny conversation with B-man. We were driving in our car and out of the blue B-man said “Mom, why did you marry Dad?” So then I was able to list a bunch of reasons that I married M. He wasn’t interested in why M married me though.

We love you all! Happy New Year!

R, M, B-man, and J

A New Year, A New Adventure

2010

I went to the gym today. It's my first time ever going as an adult. (I did use the BYU gym, but I don't think it counts.) I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I didn't want to look like I didn't know what I was doing. Because really, I had no idea. The treadmills looked a little crowded so I chose the stationary bike first. It was nice and empty. No one to notice me trying to figure out the machine. Of course first I had to figure out how to get the seat moved back.

Elusive Sleep

Sleep has been a little hard to come by around here the last couple of weeks. J's been sick, now he is teething, etc. Last night wasn't our worst night, but it involved B-man which made it stand out. Sometime during the night B-man came into our bed. We all slept through the initial entrance into the bed. Around 2:30 I heard J crying. Since he didn't stop after a few minutes I got up to go see if I could help him. I got B-man up and took him to bed at the same time. The next time I got up to help J, (I'm not exactly sure how much time had passed) I noticed that B-man's light was on, and he was playing with his Legos. After helping J I went in to get B-man to bed. We had the following conversation.

me: "B-man it's not time to play, you need to go to bed."

B-man: (very emphatically, not sounding at all like it is the middle of the night) "Mom, I'm just bored!"

me: "B-man it is two in the morning, it's not time to play!"

B-man: "Mom, I'm just so bored!"

me: I turn off the light while saying "Well if you go to sleep you won't be bored."

Some days I am not quite sure where that child came from.

December 27, 2009

December 27, 2009

Dear Family and Friends,

Merry Christmas! I love Christmas, it really is my favorite time of year. I hope I am doing all I can to make it special and meaningful to my children too. Monday we had a festive day. M had a free day, no work because of all the snow. We used the day to play in the snow more, building snow tunnels, and sledding. The boys went night sledding right before dinner. We did get out and run a few errands. We also made two batches of our cheese ball, and then delivered it to some friends. That was our Family Home Evening. We delivered things to our Home Teaching, and Visiting Teaching families. B-man would hand us a bag, and then one or all of us would trudge up to the door to drop it off.

Tuesday was another bonus day for B-man. No school for him, but M did go back to work. B-man has taken full advantage of the snow. He would play in it all day if I would let him. I try to let him play a lot but there is a limit to how long I can be outside, and a limit to how much he can be outside without me.

Wednesday was another quiet day. We really tried to avoid the stores, but usually we found we were missing some ingredient and would need to run to the store anyway. We live by an outlet mall, and so the traffic around our house getting to the normal stores has been pretty horrendous all week. At night M and I have been watching episodes of season three of 24. We hope to be done soon so I can go to bed at a normal time!

Thursday was Christmas Eve. During the day things were pretty quiet. M worked a half day. We specifically didn't go do anything so that the evening would be as calm as possible and we wouldn't feel rushed to get B-man and J into bed. We had tacos (with homemade shells, and guacamole) for dinner. Then after dinner we read the Christmas story. B-man didn't want to dress up. But I guess I don't blame him since he is the only one. We also read a bit from the Book of Mormon and its prophecies/signs of Christ's birth. We then opened a few gifts, (jammies, and an ornament) and then got the boys in bed. M put an empty dresser blocking the top of the stairs so that B-man couldn't wake up and go downstairs without us knowing.

Friday morning we all got up around 7:00 a.m. We didn't go downstairs until about 7:45 a.m. We all had to be dressed, hair and teeth brushed, and beds made. We waited for J to wake up, but finally gave up and woke him up ourselves. B-man was thrilled that Santa came. He brought him a bunch of Legos, and "guys." (The Legos action figures...) B-man first emptied his stocking and then focused on the Legos. We all investigated our prizes, and then had a breakfast of red pancakes and a smoothie. B-man was so focused on his Legos that we spent the rest of the morning playing with them. He and M had a little Legos production line going. They built about four or five things, and by the last one B-man did it by himself with only verbal help from M. While the boys were playing I relaxed, made soup, and took a cat nap. Finally around 2:00 (after hearing us talk about how he hadn't asked to open presents) he decided to take a break and open some presents. We opened up a bunch, and then had to stop and go to dinner. We had dinner with some friends. There were three families there, and together we five of the seven children were two or under. We were able to eat dinner relatively peacefully, and then when we tried to play Spoons the kids all went crazy. We abandoned the games, ate dessert, and then headed home. When we got home we had a few last presents to open. It was a great day. I love being able to stretch out the gift giving all day so that it lasts longer.

Saturday morning we woke up to lots of rain. It melted a lot of the snow which is great, but it did cause a few problems around the area. I did a little shopping in the morning and then we went to the church and met some friends there. We let the kids run around and play. The men taught the kids dodge ball, and the adults played a few rounds of "Lightening" before heading home for a very late lunch. That afternoon B-man got to watch "Star Wars Episode 4, A New Hope." It was a gift from one of my brothers. He was so excited. He is pretty sensitive about movies, so there were a few times we just fast forwarded. Or we would stop and explain what was going on so that he didn't get scared. He loved the movie, and we talked about Hans Solo, and Luke Skywalker the rest of the night. He kept forgetting Chewbacca's name, so he would just say "You know the brown guy with all the hair..." We had dinner right after finishing the movie. Then read a few books and he went to bed.

Today has been business as usual. M had meetings this morning. He also went to visit with one of his home teaching families, and took B-man with him on the visit. Since we didn't have church last week because of the snow, we did last week's Sacrament Meeting and young women's lesson this week. It was a great day with lots of wonderful music, and the chance to reflect on the birth of the Savior. After church we came home and had a replay of our Christmas Eve dinner. We then read books before getting the boys in bed.

We love you all! Merry Christmas!

R, M, B-man, and J

Snow

What do you do when two feet of snow fall?

M and B-man walked to Home Depot for a snow shovel.  We tried the night before to buy one buy they were out, but they told us a shipment was coming in on Saturday.  B-man said today that when he was almost to Home Depot he "didn't want to go anymore, but it was too late 'cause we were almost there."   They walked through VERY deep snow to get there.  I had hot cider waiting for them when they got back.

Take a lot of pictures of just snow.

Shovel the deck.

Have B-man shovel the deck again the next morning.

**B-man obviously chose this snow get up.