Christmas Eve and Morning

We had such a great Christmas. The boys are at the perfect age. Tons of anticipation for the actual day to arrive and the day lived up to their expectations. Thanks to Grandma, Grandpa, Nanny, Papa, Grandpapa, Aunt Kris, Michelle, and Justin, our tree was totally stocked.

Chris and I are looking forward to going to London in 13 days as our major Christmas gift. As for Christmas dinner - we made a ham and all the fixings for just the 4 of us. Chris called the ham "hot dog" and the boys actually ate it. So the whole day was a success. This really was a unique Christmas for us. Just our little family. No infants or young toddlers - it was very laid back.

We have tons of video, so as soon as I find a good place to post them - you can see that if you want.

Alex in his new Bakugan jammies

Alex figuring out his Connect Bakugan

Aaron shooting everything in the house with his clone trooper nerf gun

Christmas Eve

While Alex is at school...

Aaron and I play quiet games. The house is still.

Saturday with Friends

The boys making sure my old chair is well used

The boys checking out the sprinkles

Aaron in his usual role - king of something high

We spent last Saturday with a family we love making and decorating cookies. It was fun and actually the first thing we have done this whole Christmas season to get in the Christmasy mood.

The Princess and the Frog

I loved it. Go see it. Thats all.

Plus - (you know I can never write a blog that short) I have been listening to the soundtrack (amazing) all day on lala . You get 50 songs for free. Its pretty sweet. I can send you an invite if you want.

First Snow of the Season

The boys enjoyed the first snow of the season. They woke up, put on their snow clothes, and went outside to play even before the sun was up. After an hour or so they came back in for hot chocolate and pancakes.

Thanksgiving Day

Thanksgiving day was perfect. In fact the whole weekend was pretty awesome. We had the McElroy's over for the day and we got to enjoy their little infant Cora. Even though we were far from extended family - we were grateful for our own family and our cozy home.

Revelation of the Day

TRANSITIONS. Transitions are the answer. I realized today that how effectively I transition from one activity to another is a major aspect of good time managment.

Knowing what I am going to do next and just starting it eliminates wasted time. I learned this in college studying to be an elementary school teacher. As a teacher, you have to be good at transitions or you lose all control of classroom management. I didn't realize that it could benefit adults who work inside or outside of the home.

Not knowing what I am going to do next results in me checking my email, or facebook, or some other escape mechanism.

An example of good transitions is now that I have to pick up Alex from school at 4, I have no choice but to stop what I am doing and get in the car. When I get home I start making dinner immediately. Even though I don't want to think it does, dinner takes at least an hour to get on the table. The fact that I transition straight from picking up Alex to making dinner gives me adequate time to make the food so I am not stressed out. And eating at 5:30 gives us more family time in the evening.

I have a feeling that this same principle can be applied to many things: paper flow in the house, chores for the kids, getting the house ready to go to bed, so many things.

Halloween Pictures

Halloween was as fun night. We went to the church "Trunk or Treat" where we decorated our trunk by hanging sheets on the hatch and blankets on the inside covering up the back seat area. We had the kids step up to the trunk and say "trick or treat" into the blackness, then I took my flashlight and shined it in the trunk, and Chris' super scary monster hand slowly crept out with a candy in it. The young kids hesitated at first then grabbed the candy as fast as they could.

After the trunk or treat, we went to the Hall's house and trick or treated in their neighborhood with them. It was fun to have both experiences at the church and in the neighborhood.

Got a new camera!

Chris took these of the boys.

I am not a photographer - but now my photos look significantly better since I used my "race money" to buy a camera. It's the Nikon D5000 and I like it a lot so far. These are the first few pictures Chris and I took with it.

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

Roasted Cauliflower Soup

This recipe blew my socks off. I have often wondered how I could integrate cauliflower into my diet because I don't enjoy it raw or steamed. This recipe is brilliant. The first step is roasting the cauliflower, onion, and garlic in the oven and the house immediately smells wonderful. The soup ends up so creamy and filling and cheap. (All my favorites) And only 98 calories per cup!

Its is also really versitile. You can plop anything into it and it tastes great. On the second day, after I warmed it up in the microwave, I put cheese and avocado. AMAZING. Potato and bacon is what I will try next. I love stuff like this.

The Love of God

Wow. I am blown away right now with the words of Deiter F. Uchdorf. On October 3rd my church had the semiannual General Conference. I was at the marathon while this talk was being aired, so I missed it.

I just watched it online and am totaly filled with peace in my heart and love for God. What a powerful talk.

Watch the video here.

Here are the quotes that were especially meaningful to me:

Why should we love God?

"God the Eternal Father did not give that first great commandment because He needs us to love Him. His power and glory are not diminished should we disregard, deny, or even defile His name. His influence and dominion extend through time and space independent of our acceptance, approval, or admiration.

No, God does not need us to love Him. But oh, how we need to love God!

For what we love determines what we seek.

What we seek determines what we think and do.

What we think and do determines who we are—and who we will become."

Why Does God Love Us?

"He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us"

How Can We Draw Near To Him?

"My dear brothers and sisters, don’t get discouraged if you stumble at times. Don’t feel downcast or despair if you don’t feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you."

We're going to London!

Great news. Chris is going to a conference in January and it just happens to be in LONDON! So I decided to tag along and see the sights while he is hard at work inside of a conference center.

I am so excited. Chris and I haven't had a lot of vacations where it was just the two of us...wait...let me think. Yep - our last vacation as a couple was our first anniversary and we went to a little cabin in Wyoming. Wait, my brother Justin and his wife Kathryn... and their baby were there. It is time for me and the Mr. to set out and explore the world.

If you need me from January 8th - January 18th I will be touring galleries, watching guards do their changing thing and so much more.

Musical of the week: Summer Stock and Calamity Jane

Our family has begun the tradition of watching a musical every week. Most the time we watch them on Sunday after church. This week we watched Calamity Jane after church on Sunday and we watched Summer Stock on Tuesday.

Summer Stock stars Gene Kelly and Judy Garland. The story is set on Jane Farbury's (Garland) farm and her sister Abigail surprises Jane by bringing a whole cast and crew to the farm to rehearse and perform a musical right there in her barn. Gene Kelly plays the adorable director who is dating Abigail. I loved this movie! Not only did Gene Kelly and Judy Garland deliver memorable dance scenes, but the story captivated me.

Calamity Jane is a musical I have been watching since I was 6 years old. It stars Doris Day and Howard Keel and is set in the Black Hills of South Dakota in a mining town appearantly filled only with middle aged men who all congregate at the saloon to gawk at female performers. (now that I write that out it doesn't sound appropriate for a 6 year old, oh well) It is filled to the brim with great songs and a few dances. Doris Day really got into this role and carried with her the same conviction as Martha Jane Cannary-Burke who was the real life "Calamity Jane". The saloon where it took place, the Golden Garter, was designed by Harper Goff the man who designed the saloon at Disneyland - the Golden Horseshoe. This movie was a major part of my childhood musical exposure and will always hold a place in my heart, even though Chris described every scene as very Lawrence Welky.

St. George Marathon

(This picture of Chris is at mile 26 and he looks fresh as a daisy)

It is done. We are back in Michigan from our travels out west where Chris and I both did the St. George Marathon. It was a great course. Absolutely beautiful. And I went faster than I ever have before (thanks to the huge hills). The speed was scary at times. On some hills, they were so steep and long I would be riding the brake and still going 35 mph. Yikes. It helped to balance out the uphills where I could not even break 3 mph. It was an amazing experience. Finishing this race in 1 hour 59 minutes qualified me to compete in the Boston Marathon in April.

Even though Chris injured his foot a month before, he was able to run and he finished strong. He and my brother in law Brandon stayed together for the first 14 miles, and finished only about 10 minutes from each other.

I've grown something edible!

These two tomatoes are the first of the crop. Actually its only one plant. We were so excited when the plants turned orange overnight. They had been green for so long. The boys were excited to see and touch the tomatoes but Aaron made it clear his intentions by saying "I don't want one of those" He had a carrot instead.

I could get used to this. I just keep smelling my hands. mmm...earth.

Master Shifu

Kung Fu Panda was a big hit. After a week of solid begging, I made Alex a kung fu robe based on this Master Shifu toy we got from McDonalds. He loved it. It makes me happy when I costume takes 30 minutes to make and provides hours of entertainment.

Alex's First Day of School

The day has come. Alex is a school kid now. He has been ready for a while now so it was a very natural transition. Plus, his friend Kate from church is in his class.

He has a fantastic teacher, Mrs. Shannon, and he goes to a public Montessori School called Edgewood. At this school they group together multi grade groups into classes. So he is in a classroom with 3-5 year olds and the next class up is 1st-3rd graders, then 4th and 5th graders. I am thrilled for Alex to have a classroom where he can learn to be a mentor as well as a student.

Alex has been taking big steps in his "grown up" mentality in the last week. He has been taking better care of younger children, he has been helping with chores around the house, and playing well with older children.

What did the Pioneers Eat?

Thats the big question at dinner tonight. We decided we had no idea what pioneers at on the trail and we need to do some research. Every time Aaron got a chance to talk he said "HOTDOGS!" Aaron was sure they ate hotdogs. We kept giving him reasons why they didn't have hotdogs on the trail. My third reason why they didn't have them was "They didn't have refridgerators. Where would they put the hot dogs?" and to that he answered "IN A BUN!"

Funny Stories from the Boys

Alex: Alex was really excited for dinner. I gave him a scoop of pasta on his plate and he said to himself just as he was about to take a bite "Now thats what I'm talkin' about."

Aaron: We spent the day at Hawk Island Park yesterday where they have a lake you can swim in. Every hour the lifeguard calls out on his megaphone "Everyone in out of the water! Its time for the water safety check."

Aaron didn't hear him say this and so when I tried to coax him out of the water, he refused to come. Even when all one hundred kids were on the beach and waiting for Aaron to get out he still refused. I was getting anxious. Other moms were offering to go (fully clothed) into the water to get him. Finally the life guard walks over and asks him to get out. He still refused! The life guard tried to lead him by the arm and he wiggled out of his grip. The life guard picked him up by his arms and carried him to the beach. I was embarrassed.

Last night as I was tucking him into bed, I expressed my disappointment in his behavior and explained the whole situation like this. "Aaron, every once in a while the life guard has to say 'EVERYONE OUT OF THE WATER!' then after 5 minutes he yells 'EVERYONE BACK IN THE WATER!' Thats how it works."

To that Aaron said, with a big smile on his face, "Oh, now I get it - that makes sense!" He was relieved, like now he knew the whole story.

THE CRIM

Post race

Mile 2

Finish Line Photos Here

Chris and I just got home from a 10 mile race in Flint called the Crim. We had such a great experience. It was the most fun I have ever had on a race. I couldn't stop smiling the whole way. Plus there were several bands (marching, rock, classical) along the way. That was really nice.

On the infamous "Bradley Hills" there was a band at the top playing little riffs and beats to the rhythm of my pushes. In my dreams they would have started playing Jimi Hendrix' "Foxy Lady" but that didn't happen. Other than that everything was perfect.

The weather was amazing. It didn't rain! It was also in the 60's and overcast. Not what I expected in a late August run.

And by the way, I won $1000 for coming in first with a time of 62 minutes. It was a good day in racing. Thank you Fusion Medical for sponsoring the race and to the Challenged Athletes Foundation for sponsoring my awesome chair.

Lake Michigan Camping

Last weekend we went camping in Northern Michigan on the Lake. The weather was great during the day - terrible at night. We only got 1/2 a night's sleep because of the thunder and lightning. But the next day was beautiful and bright. The boys loved playing in the water and sand. Lake Michigan is great for kids because there are very small waves and shallow water.

Aaron being chased by Brady

Alex had his goggles on the entire trip

Imagine a relay race...

where there are only two runners and they pass the baton back and forth all day long. Today Chris and I were the runners and the kids were our baton. It was crazy and a little sad.

• I left this morning at 6 to go to the temple.
• Got back at 11:40 with Chris in the driveway ready to leave for his temple trip with the youth.
• He got back at 6:30 pm to a very frazzled wife who just ran to get a pizza for dinner.
• We ate.
• At 7 pm I left to do my 6 mile run.
• At 7:45 Chris left to do his 6 mile run.
• At 9 pm I went to the store for my weekly grocery trip.
• 11 pm got Chris out of bed to help me unpack groceries.
• We had a 10 minute conversation in the kitchen.
• 11:24 - I am writing this blog.

What a day. Good night.

"the best day ever"

Brady and Hallie Foster spent the day with us, and all day the boys were saying to each other "this is the best day ever" We played legos, we built a massive fort, we made pizzas, they ate them on the floor, they watched Wall-e movie theater style with the projector, they ate popcorn, had cookies. Its like a kid dream day. And it wasn't too bad for me either. My problem is now that the huge fort and all the boys toys are in the living room - who gets to clean it all up? hmmm...