Christmas Day in Pictures

This Christmas might go down in the books as being my favorite Christmas ever.  Not because of the great presents that were given to each other, but simply because we just had the most enjoyable day as a little family.  My plan was to let the girls get up, examine what Santa had brought us, then start getting ready for church, leaving unwrapping for after church was over.  We woke early enough that we had plenty of time to spare and so we opened presents immediately.  Throughout the day, I realized it was more than perfect for us.  We got the present-part of the day out of the way, had time to focus back to the reason for the holiday by attending a wonderful Sacrament meeting.  There didn't seem to be any distractions for us during the meeting so we could enjoy the music and words of worshiping our Savior, and that seemed to set the tone for the rest of the day.  

I vote that Christmas is on a Sunday every year!  

Corky woke up at 5:00am to get the turkey started in the smoker.  Dare I say, it was the best turkey that has ever been cooked.  We brined it the day before, something that we had never done before, then smoked it in time for our lunch/dinner Christmas afternoon.  Not kidding, best turkey ever.

Santa Claus brought the girls new bikes and helmets this year so we definitely had to try them out.  

Emily got a toy hairstyling set and Buster was her first client.  

Christmas Eve 2011

We were invited to attend a Christmas Eve dinner with a family that we go to church with.  Their traditional Christmas Eve dinner consists of food that Mary and Joseph may have eaten that Christmas Eve night so long ago.  We took our shoes off, sat on the floor (a little tiresome for this very pregnant lady), and munched on food such as cheese, flat bread, hummus, dried meats, olives, crackers, dates, prunes, and other fruits.  We enjoyed spending time with other people that we know that also live far away from their immediate families.  I was definitely missing my family in Utah that night, knowing the fun they were having going from party to party, but being with good friends and each other was a lot of fun too.

Unfortunately, I did not take a lot of pictures.  Here are the few that I have from the evening.

The past few years, Corky has enjoyed helping the girls follow Santa with the Santa Tracker App.  They checked it multiple times through the day, even seeing that Gracey and Emily's names were on Santa's nice list.  Technology is awesome!

Just before bed we set out the cookies, milk, and carrots for Santa and the reindeer.  Emily really wasn't as grumpy as she looks in this picture.  She just thinks she is so funny when she does exactly the opposite of what I ask.  From now on, maybe I should say "Look grumpy!"

 Just before bedtime and after reading Luke 2 and "The Night Before Christmas," we all squished for a family picture.  We are so blessed to be together, be healthy and happy, and to enjoy being the family that we are.  

Rough and Tumble

When people say about their son, "he is all boy!", I have to laugh.  Usually it is said after describing his love of dirt, trucks, wrestling and rough housing, and sports.  It can also be followed by the fact that their boy burps or farts like a champ, is stinky, and perhaps torments the pet dog.

I must have boys too!  

My girls do all of that and love it all.  The biggest difference that might not make them "all boy" is the fact that they are usually doing those things while wearing dress up high heels, lip gloss, and a cute bow in their hair.  

A most recent example of this is their wrestling habits with their pops.  Corky and the girls get into wrestling matches all the time and our girls are pretty ruthless!  

Here are a few more examples from over the past few years of my girls being not-so-dainty!

Gracey, August 2009, playing in dirt!

Gracey and Emily, 2009, really wanting to play with the lizard that was caught in our home.

Gracey, summer of 2011.  This shows her broken hand that happened when she was playing a little too rough at the park, and shows her tormenting the pup.  He's not safe, especially when he is sleeping!

With all that said, I do, with 1,000,000% of my being, love having girls.  Even though they can be stinky, sweaty, and hyper, they sure do make my heart happy!

They take after Cousin Eddy

For the last week or so, Gracey and Emily have taken turns (and fought about) who gets to get the mail everyday.  I will admit that Christmas time is the best time of year to receive mail.  Instead of the usual bills and junk mail (or in addition to I should say) we receive Christmas cards.  We all love getting them.  We quickly had to figure out a system so it would be fair to both girls.  So whoever gets to move the Christmas mouse on our calendar that day, the other girl is the one that gets to get the mail and choose a book to read that evening before bed.  It has worked out well so far.

Last Saturday we were gone most of the day so Emily took her turn early Sunday morning, in her jammies, in the freezing cold!  Corky was quick to grab the camera.

It reminded me of Gracey last January, voluntarily getting the trash bin then sweeping up leaves on the porch.  I don't recall every adding these photos to the blog, so I am glad I was reminded of it so that I could.  

Somebody is in denial

When Buster was this size.....it wasn't a problem.

I am not sure he will ever realize that his favorite sleeping spot, especially when we are eating dinner, he is just a little too big for these days!

Christmas Caroling and Hay Ride

While Corky was out of town for work last week, we joined some friends from church for our annual Christmas Caroling and Hay-Rack Ride.  We got SO LUCKY with the weather.  It had rained for almost 2 days straight before, even raining a few hours before were were supposed meet up at the church.  The rain stopped just in time and the temperature was so warm, about 60 degrees.  I didn't even need to wear my coat at all during the ride.

This was not just a silly moment the camera caught, this is all the girls would do for me when I asked for a picture.  

We stopped at two local assisted living homes.  The first stop we just walked around the hallways of the establishment, waving to the elderly that were sitting comfortably in their rooms as we walked past.  The second stop though was my favorite.  All of the patients and elderly that were able to met gathered in the main room (where they paused their show of "Survivor") to listen to us.  I loved seeing so many of them singing along to the Christmas hymns that we sang, and I loved seeing my kids participate. 

After were were through singing, both of my girls, and quite a few other children, walked around shaking the hands of all those that were able to.  Emily would say "Merry Christmas" to every single one of them.

We tried snapping a photo of everyone that was there before we headed off for hot chocolate and donuts but it was pretty dark, so we did our best.

Gingerbread Houses

I can't say that I will never make my own gingerbread house again, but this cute little kit sure made it easy!  It was only $8 at WalMart.  I would have spent double that money on just purchasing a variety of candy to put on my usual gingerbread house made of graham crackers!  My girls had a great time decorating this house last Sunday.  Because the two sides are nearly identical, they each got to do their own side, definitely helping in the fairness factor.  We split up all the candy evenly and they went at it however they wanted.  For the most part they wanted it to look the same, but at least there was no arguing or fighting.  They even agreed nicely who would do the gingerbread man (Emily) and the Christmas tree (Gracey).  It was a Christmas miracle indeed.

Dance Clinic Halftime Show

This last week the girls were able to attend a dance clinic put on by the high school dance team.  After a few practices, they performed at the halftime of the boy's varsity basketball game.  

I tried snapping a few photos of the girls before and this is the best I got. It really is the best because it definitely shows Emily's personality and that her most recent favorite thing to do is go cross-eyed.  She is either a complete poser for cameras, or a complete goofball.  Very rarely is there an an in-between.

They both did a great job and had a lot of fun.

We stayed after the performance to finish out the game.  The Independence Bulldogs beat Iola High School by 2 points!  We all had a good time, obviously goofing off some more.

Christmas Cookies

These pictures are deceiving.  Sure, it is fun to make cookies with the kiddos, they sure seem to enjoy it.  I don't suggest doing it when you are pressed for time and the kiddos are a little grouchy.  What these pictures don't show is all the, "I wanted that cookie cutter!" or "It's my turn!" or "I don't have enough room!" or "Stop fighting kids or I am going to beat you with a hose!"  (just kidding, I absolutely did not say that last part but I can see how one might be tempted to threaten in that manner!)

I think the dog had the most fun.  He waited at my feet for all the cookie dough to drop to the ground.

On another note, want to know a tip?  Some might know this but some may not.  I learned this about 2 years ago and it has saved me time and money on sprinkles.

If you cut the cookie out and want to put sprinkles on before baking, to avoid a bigger mess than necessary, put the cookie cutter back on the cookie.  That way minimal sprinkles roll off and are wasted.  As you can see, it is not perfect, but we were just lucky to get through that night!

Slumber Party for Emily

Last Friday Gracey had her first sleepover party with a friend.  Of course Emily wanted to go and felt a little bad that she was left out.  Corky and I didn't have anything else planned so we got her all excited for a special night with just the two of us.  We took her to see the Muppets Movie, which she absolutely loved.  She was real excited about that but was still not okay with sleeping by herself in her bedroom.  The way she said, "Well who is going to sleep in my bedroom with me?" nearly broke my heart.  Am I being hormonal or is it normal to have felt so sad for her?  I don't know.  Either way, Corky ended up making her a sweet fort in our bedroom.  She and Buster slept all through the night in there and didn't make a peep.

The next morning when Gracey came home and heard all about Em's fun night, Gracey insisted on sleeping in a fort as well.  We moved the fort from the master bedroom to the girls room and that is where they slept again.

Will forts ever get old?

"The average dog is a nicer person than the average person." -Andrew A. Rooney

I am a proud mom to 2, almost 3, daughters.  I am also a proud dog-mom to our dog Buster.  He is like all of my kids.  He can be messy, dirty, stinky, and naughty.  He also loves this family unconditionally.  The past few months he has made me want to pull my hair out at times.  We leave him in the backyard when we leave the house and he drags wood from the woodpile everywhere.  He noses through my craft stuff and has ruined a few pieces of fabric by his chewing. And just recently he chewed on, and ruined, the extension cord for our outdoor Christmas lights.  Luckily it was not plugged in, although I wonder if that would have taught him a lesson.   He is not even a year old yet so I tell myself that as long as we are consistent with our discipline, like with children, these phases will pass.

With all of that naughty stuff said, he is such a super sweetie.  He loves his kids (Gracey and Emily) and unfailingly loves me and Corky.  He is my side-kick all day long and follows me from room to room.  He doesn't always need attention, he just likes to be where the people are.  He is my co-pilot every morning when I take Gracey to school and the afternoons that I take Emily to preschool.  I swear he knows our daily routine as well as anyone in this house.  Just today I had someone ask me if I take my dog with me everywhere I go.  I said, "Oh yeah, as long as I don't have to get out of the car for more than a minute then he is usually with me." Here he is just today on our drive home from dropping kiddos off.

Last night he was cracking me up.  Corky had just gotten home from a trip to Georgia for work, and I had gotten home from the youth activities at our church.  The girls were in bed, the house was clean, and Corky and I just laid on the living room floor together to catch up and relax.  It didn't take long for Buster to want to join the party.  He kept creeping closer and closer, especially to Corky who is his favorite person ever.  I had my phone with me so I snapped a few photos of his progress.

Here is his please-let-me-snuggle-with-you-guys-I-promise-I-will-be-good pose!

A minute later, his pleading was a little less subtle as he kept nudging Corky with his nose and hands.

Finally, he did make his way to resting his head on Corky's chest with me.  I didn't get a picture of that but you can imagine that it was a little crowded.  

When decided to get up off the floor and head to bed Buster interpreted that as playtime.  This game is one of his favorites.  We tell him to get his tail so he runs in circles until he finally gets it, and then we tell him to bring it to us.  It's a little confusing and he usually looks like he is dizzy trying to walk like that, but he always manages to bring his tail to us.

One of these days I will post a video of his tricks.  He is quite the pro and keeps us, and many others, pretty entertained.

Breaking in the new car seat!

We purchased a new car seat and stroller this week thanks to the smokin' deals of Cyber Monday.  The car seat we had used for Gracey and Emily expired about a year ago so we have been in the market for a new travel system.  I was hoping to buy a more neutral color of fabric just in case by some miracle we are able to have another baby, and by another miracle, it is a boy.  This hot pink car seat though was about $45 cheaper than the exact same model but with neutral colors.

The travel system arrived yesterday and Corky and the girls couldn't wait to to put it together.  It has already been put to use carrying baby dolls and diaper bags as the girls have been playing a non-stop game of "Babysitter."  

29 Weeks and 5 Days

Thankfully this pregnancy has been absolutely perfect so far but my regular OB has me see the specialist (Maternal Fetal Medicine doctor) every 6-8 weeks or so.  It's no big deal, and I am sure I will get more into why eventually.  Just with genetic history and our personal history we drive the two hours to Wichita for those appointments.

If the drive wasn't such a pain in the butt, not to mention absolutely boring, (not kidding... there is hardly anything but plains in between Independence and Wichita), I would love going there.  The MFM's office is wonderful and advanced, the nurses and staff are so nice, and it is right next to a Jimmy John's.  Need I say more?

Today I had an appointment there.  They called me into the back where they do the ultrasounds on a giant 52" LCD screen (it's as awesome as it sounds!), and told me their system was down.  While they were waiting they would do my weight and blood pressure.  It was taking longer to re-boot than expected but they kept me patient by feeding me cookies and drinks.  Not just cookies that somebody brought from home, although I would not have turned those away, these were the fancy bakery sugar cookies!  Then staff didn't leave me alone for a second, but I didn't feel it was because they weren't allowed or anything.  We just talked and joked, ate cookies, and talked some more.  I actually really enjoyed myself.

Finally they were able to start the ultrasound.  Baby Girl was balled up tight but was cooperative enough to allow all the measurements to be taken that were needed.  However, when it was time to take the fun pictures of her face and hands, she refused.  We couldn't get a single shot of even her profile.  What a little stinker!!  She weighs in at a whopping 3 lb. 6 ounces!!  She is up a whole pound and a half from just 3 weeks ago.  Plus, she is measuring a whole week ahead of schedule.  Even 3 weeks ago, and all the ultrasounds prior to today, she was measuring almost a week behind.  Apparently she really benefited from my Thanksgiving gluttony!

I have had 3 people tell me in the past week or so that by the looks of my suddenly protruding stomach, Baby Girl has had a growth spurt.  Today confirms that she really has.

This is the only picture worth showing today. (picture of a picture...how lame am I?)  She showed her foot and that is about it.  I normally get an image cd of the pictures and videos from the ultrasound but there wasn't any point today to burn one when her foot is the only thing recognizable.  Regardless....it sure is a cute foot, right?

And what is a pregnancy update without a picture of the protruding belly I spoke of?  This was tonight before dinner with my other two ladies!  They sure are excited to have a new baby soon.

This picture is taken at the funkiest angle.