One Week

=Seven Days.

And, also....

One. Flooded home. Not mine (thankfully) but I've cried real tears nevertheless.
Two. Sons of mine who had a beauti-ful and meaning-ful and present-ful Christmas.
Three. Mexican restaurants visited with family, who live in the land of Bland Food.
Four. Little feet running through our hotel room in San Antonio. They were in heaven with the new scenery, and I fell in love with the king-sized bed!
Five. Pounds of chocolate and other junk consumed. Oh dear, Lifetime Fitness has it coming on Monday!
Six. Houseguests crammed into my average-sized home. There is very little floor that is not covered, but I can't think of any other reason I'd rather have for the lack of walking space.

Un-quantifiable. How much fun we have been having this past week. What joy it is to be with family for the holidays. We are seriously so blessed. ;)

I do have pictures to show you (I have over 200, of course) and they are coming. But tonight I have to tend to my invalid husband, he has a serious case of the flu. Yuck. And also, I have to read some bedtime stories to the sweetest 5-year-old I know. My favorite 5-year-old who now has a rockin' mohawk, as requested tonight at his *cough* semi-yearly haircut.

Hope you and yours had a magical Christmas. See you soon.

Is it Christmas yet?

My holiday decorations have needed adjustment this year, due largely in part to our just-learned-to-walk-curious-about-everything little boy. Only the top half of our Christmas tree is decorated, and I haven't attempted to bring out my breakables. He just loves to throw everything, and while it was cute for a couple days, now I'm just exhausted by his passion for baseball. This is proof that he is a totally different kid than Nate, because Nate really didn't get into things that he wasn't supposed to, and if you told him "No" he usually listened. Aidan is a much more wild little man. (And don't tell him, but I love his spice. He's a lot of fun to have around!) Anyway, I have to laugh because I bought these tiny Nutcrackers for the boys to play with. Nate Looooooves to play with them, and re-arrange them, and put them in odd spots. A few days ago, I found them facing each other, nearly nose-to-nose, as though they were staring each other down. Nate said they were "getting ready to fight." I thought that was so stinkin' funny.
I may post tomorrow with pictures, although I'm not one of those people that posts pictures of my decorations because I think they look particularly wonderful (um, hello, there are people that kind of make me laugh. Decorations on a D.I. budget? Not really anything to brag about, Sister Smith!) It's more for me to remember this house and the way it looked during the holidays. And okay, also to show you that I'm destined to be the next Martha. (see how I only called her 'Martha?' That shows my level of closeness with the domestic diva...)

I may also show you a few of my treasures. 'Cause I gots lots to show ya.

OK see y'all tomorrow. (PS My parents arrive tomorrow.......yay!)

Yesterday

So, Thursday was the Fifth Day of Christmas and yesterday was the Sixth. I'm not doing so hot on this whole "post every day" thing.

I had Nate's class party yesterday. We made snowman frames, marshmallow snowmen, played Heads Up Seven Up, and read a book about a dog named Snowflake.
Can you spot the trend? I guess my ideas for building a nativity and acting out the story of Christ's birth didn't go with the non-denominational theme... (just kidding...but really, I hate that I am made to feel uncomfortable if I say Merry Christmas to someone!!! And they wouldn't allow us to do anything with trees, stars, or angels. I think it's insane!)

Anyway, here are some pics of Nate and his snowman:
Nate only had a half day at school yesterday, so we met some friends at the park and enjoyed the 75-degree weather. It was actually a tad warm for me. I was afraid we were going to get sunburned! Crazy December. Today is going to be warm again and then tomorrow is going to get frigid. Winter in Texas is totally unpredictable.
We also had a birthday party to go to last night at McDonald's. It was a loud, crazy, fun time. Nate was exhausted by the end of the day, and so was I. After the kids went to bed I watched Baby Mama and wrapped presents.
On the list for today: making and wrapping presents for the young women in the ward, cleaning and preparing for my family's arrival on Monday, trying to stay awake. OH and mailing Christmas cards, which have been addressed, stamped, and stuffed for several days. HELLO! Mail the dang cards already!

Have I mentioned yet that we're going to San Antonio for a couple days while my family is here?!?! I can't wait! I LOOOOOOOOOOVE San Antonio. I am so excited to go downtown and see the lights on the Riverwalk. That is, hands down, my favorite thing about the holidays in SA!

Oops, the Fourth Day of Christmas

I missed yesterday. I had a busy day, what can I say.

We took the youth of our Church caroling to some of the single sisters in our ward. The kids were so funny, at first they didn't want to sing, but after two houses we couldn't get them to stop singing in the car. Even the boys really wanted to keep singing (although they wanted to sing the same song over and over--Rudolph the Red-nosed reindeer)
It was so fun to reminisce about my own growing-up years and the tradition of caroling. My own family does it every year, usually on Christmas eve or on the Monday before Christmas, for Family Night. I love the different reactions that people give when finding someone on their porch, singing holiday songs. Some yell to the family to "Come see the carolers," others seem to be patiently enduring your song, and some don't even open the door (last night we could hear the TV and see the lights on, but one family wouldn't open the door. I think it's a growing trend...)
Anyway, what a fun tradition! I'm hoping that when my family gets here next week, that we might be able to go caroling.

I was going to post a picture, but I've realized that pretty much every picture I have on my computer from the last two months is of someone other than my family. Work has been busy (which is great!) and so I think I was a little burned out with taking pictures of my kiddos. So, maybe this week I'll have to take care of that. :)

Today I'm Missing....

Canada.


I'm missing the snow. I know, that's crazy.

I'm missing Tim Horton's donut holes.

I'm missing Superstore, HomeSense, Mac's, and Canadian Tire.

I'm missing leaving a soda in the car and having it be cold or even icy when I get back.

I'm missing using my back porch as an extra fridge/freezer.

I'm missing dear friends like this one and this one and this one (and more and more and more)

I'm missing having family close and Sunday dinners with four generations.

I'm missing the adventure of Christmas shopping amidst a snowstorm and un-plowed roads.

I'm missing pine trees.

I'm missing Banff and the Canadian Rockies.

I even miss Bowness (did I say that out loud???)

I'm just missing a place I didn't know I'd miss! But really, everywhere you live keeps a little piece of your heart and there is always so much good everywhere you go! (After all these moves, it's a miracle I have any heart left! I've so much LOVED everywhere we've lived. We've been blessed with amazing experiences and wonderful friends in every city we've lived!)



I suppose my only solace is that tomorrow we start a warming-up trend here that will take us into the 70's.

On The Third Day of Christmas...

I totally bit it on the ice on our sidewalk. While I was carrying Aidan. I just wasn't expecting ICE on the sidewalk in Texas. Call me crazy. Luckily, Aidan was fine, as my maternal instinct kicked in and I deflected all injury to myself. Bummer.

On the Second Day of Christmas...

It was Sunday today, so we went to church. Tonight Nate asked me to sing "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" for his bedtime song. Well, what he really wanted was "All I Want For Christmas is my Two Front Teeth" but I made him choose a second-favorite. (We have a 2-CD set of the Little People Christmas music. He loves to sing along with all of them, but "My Two Front Teeth" is his favorite...)
See, we're boring people. Especially on Sunday.

On a totally unrelated note, whenever Adam works nights I stay up insanely late. Last night I settled in about two-thirty, until I heard a large "thump" from somewhere in the house (I figured out later that it was a box in the garage falling over). I couldn't sleep for an hour, because my mind was filled with unpleasant thoughts of thieves and bandits. Then, at 3:30, Aidan woke up (he's teething....yucky!) and then I couldn't get back to sleep again for awhile after that. I was way tired today, although it is now 1:00 a.m. and I'm still awake. Why do I need Adam here in order to get to bed at a decent hour? I have problems.
See, I'm boring and I have problems. :)

I'll see y'all tomorrow. It will be a more interesting day, I promise. ;)

ALSO--did you see the link I posted in the post right before this one? It's Adam's own website, a political commentary site which he writes with his brothers. It's definitely worth a read, especially if you are into politics or economics. Pass it along...I know they'd love all the readership they can get.

www.freemeninstitute.com

Come see what Adam has been spending his free time doing......

On The First Day of Christmas....

OK so I'm going to try to blog every day until Christmas. I'm a little bored with my blogging (I just never have that much to say, that I think will interest anyone but my granny....) but I'll try to get past that and add a little about what we are doing...Enjoy, if you can. :)


Today we made sugar cookies. We'll be sending some to my brother Thomas, who is on a mission for our church in Idaho. Nate helped me roll out the dough, cut out the shapes, and eat them. He also loved adding more and more flour (which he kept calling shu-gah) until I was sure that the cookies were going to crumble. Oh well, they were made with love. And a whole lotta shu-gah.

(Insert picture of made-with-love sugar cookies here. Use your imagination, because I didn't take any pictures of said event.)

Adam started two weeks of "night float," which is a residency rotation that entails 7pm to 7am shifts, five nights a week. Let's just say that if we all make it to Christmas, it will be a good thing. Because the night shift rotations nearly kill us. First of all because someone who gets very little sleep becomes cranky very quickly. Also because having him home all day makes me cranky, too. Don't get me wrong, I love having my normal husband home with me during the day. But cranky-no-sleep-everything-sucks-please-be-quiet-so-I-can-sleep husband is not that much fun.

Adam and I both celebrated birthdays over the past month. They were lovely, thank you for asking! We went on a date to Texas Land and Cattle restaurant and I pigged out. Because it was my birthday, dangit.

We are anxiously awaiting Christmas time (who isn't, right?) We are so excited that most of my family will be in town for the holidays! We are going to miss my brother Thomas, who is freezing his bum in Idaho, and Laurel, Nathan, and Eli. Laurel is great with child and didn't want for Adam to have to deliver her baby here in my home. I guess that is a good enough excuse.

OK so a couple pictures for ya. These are from a couple weeks ago when we were raking leaves, which is Nate's new all-time favorite pastime.

This next picture is retaliation from Aidan (hair-pulling),

for Nate dumping leaves on poor, unsuspecting Aidan's head,

which Nate learned because his dad dumped leaves on his head (although Nate asked for it, and Aidan did not.....)

See y'all tomorrow.

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Overheard.....again

Nate: "Mom, please make my pancakes and bacon!"
Mom: "Nate, I'm right in the middle of this. As soon as I'm done, I'll make your breakfast."
N: "Mom! Make my pancakes right now!"
M: "Nate, that is disrespectful. You may not speak to me that way. Why don't you go get engrossed in a TV show so I can finish this?" (a little tongue-in-cheek)
N: "Why don't you get grossed in making pancakes?"

Thought that was funny. A very disrespectful exchange, but funny nonetheless. :)

Because I've Been Wordy Lately.....

Please forgive the ghetto writing on the wall. That was, in fact, NOT the work of my one-year-old, but my five-year-old! Who has never written on the walls in his whole life, until now.

But anyway, this is a cute video of Aidan who has been wanting to call "DaDa" on the phone. And imagine our shock when he put it up to his ear like that! Too funny.

So, I misunderstood the title of this post from BlogHer, encouraging everyone to commit to a Plastic-Free Holiday season. When I read the title, I got excited because I thought for sure she was talking about a holiday season where people didn't put holiday expenses for gifts and parties on their credit cards. Although I'm not committed to a plastic-and-BPA-free holiday (heck, aren't all my kids' toys made of plastic?), I AM committed to a credit-card free holiday. Anyone want to join in with me?

Because we should all be a little more than scared about our recent economic situation. We should be terrified of things like credit card debt. Because, as you know, credit card accounts have variable APRs. Meaning that, for no reason whatsoever, your credit card APR could go up significantly. What if in the next couple of years the "normal" APR on credit cards increased to over 30%? If, in two years, your minimum payment on your cards quadrupled, would this Christmas' spending (which would be just a vague memory) seem so important? Try to remember all the gifts you gave and received two years ago. Can you do it? Are you still paying for them?

Now, this is me writing to me. Because I've not been very good about money. I made some rookie mistakes and done some immature things. And it bit me square in the bum. But the wiser, more mature me is going to change things. I'm in the process of changing habits. One of them being a habitual thought process of putting something on a credit card, certain that I'll be able to pay for it later. But the thing I've realized is that, contrary to my erroneous belief, I am NOT borrowing from my future self, I'm STEALING from her. And I don't think she likes it.

Anyway, I just thought that maybe if I put it out there for the world to see, my commitment would be stronger. I love giving gifts for the holidays, but this year, they're going to be more simple and even maybe homemade. (oh, dear---I'd better get started on those homemade ones!)

So, join me! Let's have a plastic-free holiday season together!
Anyone have any good ideas on how this can be done? Share them in the comment section!

Overheard Part Tres

OK, I know that this is all I've been blogging about lately.
Super busy+nothing too exciting=Blog Posts about cute things Nate says

Nate: "Are we going to church today?"
Mom: "Yes, it's Sunday, so we're going to church."
Nate: "But I don't want to go to church today."
Mom (trying to take a teaching opportunity): "Nate, we're very blessed to live in this country, where we can go to the church we want. Some people don't have the choice to go to church where they want. We're lucky that we can make our own choices because we live in this country."
Nate: "OK, then I choose to not go to church today."

Hmmm...how can you argue with that logic? Living in the US gives you the opportunity to make your own choices, but living in our house does not! :) haha

Overheard Part Deux

Mom: Nate, did you see all the people at your school? They were there to vote.

Nate: "Yeah, we had a vote too."

Mom: "Oh really? Who did you vote for?"

Nate: "Barack Obama."

Mom: "So why did you vote for him?"

Nate: "Because he had the silliest name."


Ah, the politics of kindergarten.


**EDIT: This morning when Adam told Nate that Barak Obama won the presidential race last night, Nate said, "Aw, man!" I asked Nate why he reacted that way, considering that he'd voted for him yesterday. And Nate said this: "Mom, I really thought that you had to put an 'x' next to the silliest name. And now he's president!" It turns out that the election in school was not explained very well :)

Overheard

Nate: "Mom, I learned about spiders today at school. Do you know that there are black spiders with red spots? They are always poisonous. They are called black weirdos."

Mom: "Do you mean black widows?"

Nate: "Oh, that's funny! It sounds like black weirdos!"

Boo!
We had great fun this year at our ward's Trunk or Treat:

The boys as superheroes (we missed you, Logan!):

Aidan, showing his true feelings about his costume:

I tricked him into smiling for this picture, then he remembered how miserable he was with that hood on his head....

Coleman as The Hulk and Nate as a "Red Power Ranger from Jungle Fury"
(I have to say that right or else I get in big trouble!)

And their mommies trying on their masks
(We were giggling like crazy after we took this picture because I was smiling and Heather was making a "tough" face....until we realized no one could see the faces we were making behind the masks. I admit it was more funny at the time....anyhoooo......)

Hope your All Hallow's Eve was spectacular! Now it's time to break out the Christmas music!!!

More Info You Don't Need

My First Tag Ever (not the first time I've been tagged, but officially the first time I've responded to a tag. Tags are just not my bag, baby...but here goes. After all, I've been tagged with the same tag four times in the last few weeks...This is for you, Amanda and Becca and Julie and Carrie)

8 TV SHOWS I LOVE TO WATCH

1. Project Runway
2. The Office
3. Flipping Out
4. Um, that's all. I watch a lot of mindless TV and a lot of movies, too. But certainly those three are my favorites.
5.
6.
7.
8.

8 PLACES I LOVE TO EAT


1. Chipotle
2. Cafe Rio (UT)
3. Gloria's (Dallas)
4. Taco Cabana for breakfast
5. Bangkok Thai (SLC)
6. The Roof (SLC)
7. El Fenix (Dallas)
8. Training Table (don't hate me, Utah. I love that place)

8 THINGS THAT HAPPENED YESTERDAY
...Okay, since I don't remember much about yesterday, how about today?

1. Took Nate to and from school
2. Signed and mailed my first large print purchase from Emily Murdock Photography. It felt SO GOOD to sign my artwork for someone to place in their home!
3. Made a lunch date with a dear friend. Now I can't wait until Thursday.
4. Edited more photos (what else is new?)
5. Hugged both my children and gave them oodles of mommy kisses
6. Talked to my Mom and sister on the phone
7. Listened to Nate read an entire book on his own. Tried to hold back tears.
8. Read President Monson's talk from this past Conference. It's my new favorite.

8 THINGS I LOOK FORWARD TO

1. Someday having a home of my own, no more rentals!
2. My lunch date with sweet Julie
3. The Diet Coke I'm about to pour over ice.
4. Another baby to hold.....someday.
5. Our "maybe" trip to California in the spring
6. Aidan walking
7. Christmas...of course!
8. Fall colors (haven't come to Dallas just yet, but they're on their way! I hope!)


8 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT FALL

1. The fall colors. Of course.
2. Crisp evenings and cool mornings
3. Knowing that Christmas is just around the corner!
4. My birthday ;)
5. The nostalgia that comes with the smell and feel of Fall Air. I can't describe it, but every fall I get to go back in time to some great memories. Fall-time smooches are the best, by the way.
6. Halloween and Haunted Houses
7. Fall family photos
8. The clothes, the clothes, the clothes...and the hats!


8 THINGS ON MY WISH LIST

1. A graphics tablet for my computer
2. A rockin' new hat. I looooove hats.
3. Time for scrapbooking. I haven't even unpacked my supplies since we got here. Eight.months.ago.
4. Balance. (Both literally and figuratively. I lack both.)
5. A new car. A sah-weeeeet new car.
6. A clean home. A girl can dream.
7. Perspective on all the happenings in my life. Some things just don't make sense to me.
8. The absolute surety that I'm on the right path, and adhering to the purpose that the Lord has for me.


*************************************************************
Six weird and random things about me:

The rules are:
* Post the rules on your blog
* Write six random things/unspectacular quirks about yourself
* Tag six people at the end of your post and link to them
* Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog
* Let the tagger know when your entry is posted

1. I have to wear socks when I sleep. And usually jammies, too. This drives my husband crazy.
2. All the silverware in the dishwasher must be organized with "like" silverware (spoons with spoons, etc.) I HATE a disorganized dishwasher silverware caddy.
3. If I'm eating M&M's or other similar candy, I eat them in sets of two, by color. I am strange that way.
4. I don't eat breakfast cereal. I never have. I have a distinct memory of my mom trying to get me to eat a bowl of Cheerios as a very young child. She even went so far as to bribe me with a new toy. I couldn't do it, and to this day I have never once tried cereal.
5. I try to be everything to everyone at all times, which results in me being nothing to anyone, ever. I've said it before--I am a doer of many things and a master of nothing. :)
6. I secretly loooooove the time I have in a quiet house after my kids have gone to bed. Sometimes I put them to bed earlier than normal because I.need.a.break.
7. I'm a sucker for "period" movies. Some of my favorites are First Knight, The Princess Bride, Four Feathers, Tristan and Isolde, Sense and Sensibility, and the list goes on and on. I also have odd taste in movies for a girl. My all-time favorite movie is Dumb and Dumber. I also really like the X-men movies, the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the Bourne movies. Adam and I have never once seen a "chick flick" in the theatres.
8. This is in no way meant to be conceited, but I am a really good judge of character and personality. I generally can meet people once and know whether or not I'll get along well with them, and I'm rarely wrong. That being said, I get along well with the majority of people that I meet :) Everyone has something redeeming about them, and I think it's our responsibility to recognize it, and help them grow and develop it. I think we all need to be less judgmental and more accepting of others--and even more importantly, of ourselves!


OOPS! I just read the directions for the tag. I was all into 8's and so you got a BONUS 2 things about me. You're welcome. :)


Now I tag....whoever the heck feels like being this self-indulgent. Haha!!

One more--BYU game

I forgot to post this video, it's super-short (Adam could NOT be pulled from the game). Anyway, Aidan was so happy to be at the game for the first twenty minutes or so, and he would cheer and clap when we would cheer. He would just kind of screech, but we knew he was saying "Go Cougs!"

Natey Boy

So my little invalid is all better now. The hospital visit is merely a memory, the Tooth Fairy has taken away the nasty, mangled teeth that we got to take home, and peace is restored in our home.

But it was one HECK of a day.

We had to be at the hospital at 6:30, so we left at 5:30, so I got up at 4:30. It is an ungodly hour. We got there, got checked in, everything went well. I sat in the waiting room while they did the hour-long procedure. I was told that I could not leave the waiting room, could not go get something to eat or drink, but if I needed the restroom, there it was, to the right. I had to wait there in case they needed me. (This was repeated twice to me....) I read Breaking Dawn while I waited. I was called from the waiting room, procedure went beautifully, no problems, perfect. I was thrilled. Then I was told that I could go back and see him.

When I arrived in the recovery area, Nate was clearly still very groggy from the anesthesia. He was weaving around, trying to get the popsicle they'd given him into his mouth. I took it from him and tried to feed it to him. For some reason, he started getting belligerent and demanding and whining to go home. Then he started rubbing his nose and (because they'd put a breathing tube down it) it started to bleed. They'd warned me that nosebleeds would be common, but apparently I wasn't looking so great. One of the nurses asked me if I was okay, and I told her I needed to sit down. I was getting dizzy. Once I sat down, I blacked out! So here was my son, needing his mom, and I was sitting there, unable to pull rational thoughts together, blacking out next to his bed! All of the attention shifted to ME! Get her a Sprite! Put your head down! Take deep breaths! Are you here alone? I couldn't form answers to their questions, because all of my energy was wrapped up in trying not to pass out. What a wimp.

The sad part? I'd begged Adam to come with me, just in case something like that happened. I have a little history with blacking out. I blacked out when I got my ears pierced, and several times since then. No joke. But Adam had assured me that I would be just fine, and that there was nothing to worry about. I think he saw it like a physician would--"It's just a little procedure." But it was MY baby getting the procedure done, and I couldn't have anticipated what that would be like for me!! Well, now I know.

Anyway, back to Nate (see how narcissistic I am?!) He's doing great. He slept most of the afternoon on Friday and was upset on Saturday when we wouldn't let him play in his soccer game. He's back to his old self!

And he's got some bling to show you, once I can look in his mouth without getting queasy. I'll take a picture of it soon :)