all my bags are packed...

well we are almost ready to go. I am pretty sure I am forgetting some things.. but here we come!!! Goodbye apartments and school and rain! Hello family and Christmas and (hopefully) snow!!!

A little christmas math...

Two optometry husbands+Finals week= lots of bonding time with Megan!!!

Crafting+ cleaning+ Gingerbread houses+ Second Saturday before Christmas shopping spree+Target+Costco+6 month old baby in stroller+ 1 three year old+ 1 four year old+ 1 five year old+ a movie =......drumroll please..... a lot of fun and two very tired mommies!!!

So... I need to say that this week of finals has been a lot of fun for me. Am I kidding? Sadly no! insane? Well, maybe a little- as bad as it is to say- especially for Derek to hear- I have actually had a really fun week. I have pretty much been married to Megan for the entire week. We had a major crafting session and we made gingerbread houses with our kids, and even made some extra cash cleaning. She is a total blast and we just have so much fun dragging our kids everywhere. People must think we are so nuts... I can only imagine how we look with a shopping cart full of kids as we try to jam our stuff in around them and all the while we switch back and forth taking turns pushing the stroller. People probably think "those poor young mommies" and feel bad for us- but we are acctually having a blast.. (most of the time) that's how we roll. And we have so much fun doing it. Our boys are the best buddies and we just love to be out and about even if it means we are crazy mammas. Good times for sure. She is the best! It almost makes me wish finals came a little more often- well almost. :)

my crummy cooking...

Sometimes when I cook something it tastes great. No... actually that hardly ever happens. I fully admit my lack of desire and skill in the kitchen (as you know if you read my profile) but there are some days worse than others... like today when I spent all day baking baking banana bread (which by the way thank heavens was fabulous. cooking and baking- two VERY different things) and also working on a lovely new recipe called "sweet and sour meatballs". They were sour alright. I mean- just look at them! Poor Derek- he said he likes variety.... I suppose that somwhere along the line that translated into - "how many different ways can you poison me?" He didn't complain though- he even had seconds... but I know that the leftovers are going to sit in the fridge until they grow legs and walk themselves to the dumpster. I think I'll save them the trouble of evolving and wash them down the disposal. Now my house smells like "sweet and sour" banana bread and my sink is full of dishes and Derek is off studying and you can only guess how much I want to go clean... THIS IS WHY I HATE COOKING PEOPLE!!!! HELP ME!!!!

I have included a few little pictures of my culinary masterpeices for your enjoyment. Feel free to laugh and feel sorry for me (and Derek and Easton).

check this out...

I bet you have never seen an eyelash like this before... it is very freakish and I am not sure why Derek hasn't plucked it. He looks mutent-ish. I can't help but stare at it while I am talking to him... It has even grown since I took this picture about a week ago. Itsn't it weird? I think all the other Optometry students think it is really cool and so that is why he has kept it long. It is his special talent. Should we see what the Guiness book of World Records says about the longest eyelash?

its beginning to look a lot like christmas...

I have had our decorations up for a couple weeks- I am so excited for Christmas this year! All that's missing is snow... but I am not counting on that until we get to Utah in TEN days... but who's counting???
This is the first year I got to set up my BEAUTIFUL nativity. I have had others in the past- but my sis Shelly gave me this one last year because she got a new one. It is so special and I just love it. I love to just sit and look at it at night when it is all lit up. It reminds me of home.
I made us some new stocking a couple days ago... they were a big fat pain to say the least. I think they turned out really cute though and I love the orange fleece- it makes it so fun and somewhat un-traditional.
This is us with our tree in the background (right before we chopped it down). We have enjoyed the last couple years of being able to drive to a tree farm to cut our own. It is blasphemous to live in Oregon and not have a live tree. Weird- since everyone around here is a tree-hugger. Talk about an oxymoron.

christmas songs...

Easton has been learning Christmas songs for a program at pre-school and his favorite songs is "Santa Clause is coming to Town." He has never really been one who like to "perform" but I hear his singing it to himself in the car or in his room... well, today he cracked me up because he was singing "Frosty the Snowman" and he sang "Frosting the snowman" instead of "Frosty". It was pretty funny. It made we want to make Christmas cookies acctually.

Letter to santa...

the other day easton wrote a letter to santa and gave it to the postman. well...apparently mail to the north pole travels in record speed because he recieved a reply today. Needless to say he was REALLY excited. I found a website where you enter your child name, what the want etc and the give you a letter that you can cut and past into word. I added a border and Whalla! I beautiful letter straight from "santa"

Hurray for new blogs!!!

I would just like to say again how hapy I am to be a blogger. I added a bunch of new people to my blog buggy list this weekend. It turns out that a lot of awsome women in my ward are bloggers and that makes me so happy! My little sister Krystal started a blog as well, and I found a blog of one of our great friends that is back in Utah who was one of Dereks mission companions. Yay!!!