Holiday Updates

I'm not really in blogging mode but I was tired of having that last post up from over a month ago! So, I just went through my photos from the holidays and pulled out a few favorites.
We went ice skating with my family on Christmas Eve. Even little Lucy got in a pair of skates! She had a great time!

Noah didn't stop skating for a second. He is really getting the hang of it!

Curtis was happy that Santa remembered to bring Agent C a new collar for Christmas. He loves that cat.

My cousin Tina came home from serving 9 months in Afghanistan. We were all able to go to the airport on New Year's Eve and welcome her home. It was so exciting to see her reunited with her two children.

I'm so glad she is home safe and sound and so proud of her for serving our country!

I have a video to share but for some reason I can not get it to load on blogger...I'll try again later.

Bah Humbug...

I love Christmas. I love the reason that we celebrate. That billions of people come together on this one day to recognize/worship the birth of our Savior. I love giving thoughtful gifts. I love the excitement that Christmas Eve brings. I love seeing my children's faces light up with anticipation. I love Christmas jammies. I love the magic of Santa. I love bundling up in the cold. I love Christmas music. I love Christmas cookies. I love making Christmas cards and receiving Christmas cards. I love spending time with family and celebrating our love for each other. I love the smells of Christmas. I love the light displays. I love Christmas. Really, I do.

BUT...

This year, I just can not seem to find my Christmas mojo. Here it is the 11th of December and I have purchased one (ONE!) gift. I'm not sure what to even get for my kids! I don't get excited when I hear Christmas music on the radio. I just put together our Advent boxes this week and so far, we have only done one thing from the boxes. I ORDERED Christmas cards....unheard of! Sam and the boys are going to get a tree in a few minutes and I'm staying home with Lucy (who has been sick this week). I told Sam I didn't even care what the tree looks like.
What is wrong with me? Any suggestions to help me find the Christmas Spirit?

My Baby's 2!

On Thanksgiving Day, my baby girl turned two! Where did the last two years go? If anyone finds them, let me know! How quickly Lucy went from this tiny sweet bundle...

to this toddler with sass!

We love our little Lucy so much. She brings so much spunk and joy into our lives. She is affectionate and tough. She loves dolls and balls (and she's got an arm!). She loves kisses and fist bumps. She is super silly but can turn on the tears in a second. She is a girl who knows what she wants and how to get it! She's got several people wrapped around her tiniest finger. She is the light of our lives!

My sweet friend and photographer Heather met us at Gardner Village for a fun photo shoot the week before Lucy's birthday. Heather gave me over 100 images (she is fabulous!)so it was hard to choose but here are a few of my favorites!


Since Lucy and my mom share a birthday, I asked Mom to come get a few pics with Lucy. Here's my favorite of the Birthday Girls. Aren't they beautiful?
I love Lucy!

Primary Program

Yesterday was our Primary Program in Church. The theme was "Our Eternal Family". It was a very enjoyable meeting and the boys both did a great job. My mom asked Noah before what he his part was in the program. He promptly replied "Classified". He just was not willing to give any spoilers! Curtis was asked to talk on his baptism. He wrote his part himself. He said "I was really nervous because I was afraid my dad would mess up." He also said some really sweet things but I can't remember because I was laughing too hard at that sentence! Sam and I were asked to speak for a few minutes about how family prayer has strengthened our family. Lucy decided to join us and yanked the microphone towards her every few seconds and uttered a "yah yah yah" into it and then chuckled to herself. I was glad for her comic relief as I was able to get through my part without crying (a curse of mine, for certain). Lucy also decided to make a dash out of Sam's arms towards the stand during the closing prayer and (observed from my one eye while trying to show some semblance of reverence)did her best to elude the grabbing hands of the Primary presidency. She managed to get a little dance in next to the podium before the "amen". My thoughts of putting a child gate on the end of the pew have resurfaced.

Sacrilege

Sunday during Sacrament meeting was rough. Sam was home very sick so I was left to do the battle of the squirmy, tired toddler by myself. I spent most of the time trying to get Lucy to quiet down in the foyer but did have a few moments on the pew.
During one of those rare moments, right after the sacrament water had gone through our row, Noah leaned over and said "I wish they had chicken for the body." What? "You know, chicken instead of bread. That would taste much better." I'll admit, I did the church bench shake for a few minutes. I know it's a little sacrilegious, but the kid has a point, no?

The latest

This morning, Sam put Lucy down for a nap. A few minutes later I heard her pounding on something. It was really loud so I asked Sam if he had closed her door. Of course he had so I went to her room and she was pounding on her door! That little stinker figured out how to climb out of her crib! Dangit! I guess it's time for a big girl bed.
A few weeks ago, we realized we had a leak in our water main. Fortunately, we didn't have a flood in the basement or sink holes in the yard, just water running continuously through our pipes. We got some bids for replacing the pipe then realized if we rented a mini excavator and dug it up ourselves, we could save over $1000! So Sam worked tirelessly Friday and Saturday getting it dug up. He and the kids all thought the mini excavator was a blast. In fact, Noah asked for one for Christmas!

Movie Review

Have you seen the movie Julie and Julia? If not, I highly recommend you make a date with your significant other, best girlfriend, mom, sister, cousin, next door neighbor, mailman. Whoever. Go see it. You will not be disappointed.
I think this is the first time I have seen a movie, made from a book, where the movie is better than the book. Like 100 times better. I went to see it with my mom and we both loved it. We cried and laughed so hard that we cried. I basically had tears running down my face the entire movie. I really wish it would have just been a movie about Julia Child because it was such a sweet story and, let me tell ya, that Meryl Streep knows how to act. She WAS Julia Child. And Stanley Tucci, oh what a sweetheart. Really. Seriously. Can you tell I loved this movie? I will be buying the DVD. However, I will not be mastering the art of French cooking!