Good Bye 2009

2009 has been a year of big changes for us.  It has been a crazy year of trying to get things ready to move to Japan (which is a huge list of junk you have to get through before they even say, um yes you may come here) and then the move here.  It was a hard year and I am ready to start a new one and see how it goes.   Not saying that it still isn't hard for me to be here, today I walked through the BX by myself and had to fight back the tears and hold them in until I got home.  Just a little overwhelmed I guess and missing my family over the holidays. 

So, hear is to a Bright, Happy and mostly scary even free year.  Hope that all have a safe New Year's eve.  We are just staying home, playing games and watching movies. 

Jello Cookies

A Good Cookie Press is a must to make these yummy cookies!!Press them out on a cookie sheet and bakeCool them on a cooling rackstack them in a container.And enjoy!!!Elyse started saying cookie after she had one of these.

Jello Cookies
4 cups Flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
1 pkg. Jello (3 oz)
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla

Mix dry ingredients, set aside. Cream butter, gradually add sugar and jello, cream well.  Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Gradually add flour mixture.  Mix after each addition until smooth. Put dough into cookie press, press onto ungreased cookie sheet. Sprinkel with jello if desired.  Bake for 11 min at 350 degrees F


These are a family favorite.  If I remember right the recipe came from Aunt LaVern, she was a family friend who as adopted into the family.  I make these every year for Christmas and they go really quick.

Pictures of the outside of the house.

Here is a pic of the outside of our house, we have a cherry tree in the front yardI believe this is a hibiscus flower, they grow on the bush outside our front door.Different angle of the houseflower with christmas lights.Front Door.

Santa Claus, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day

Elyse helped to make the fudge, she licked the spoon.Brennan's Gingerbread house he made at school.santa visits the kindergarten class. Brennan and his marshmellow shooter from Aunt Robyn and Uncle Ben.Elsye with her adorable new PJ's from Maaka and PappaHazel writing a letter to Santa.Brennan writing a letter to Santa.Xanen with his letter to Santa.all 6 stockings in a row.Elyse looking at the stockings and tree after being woken up.Our Christmas Tree.Tom Daddy and girls after they are woken up.Tom helping Elyse with her stocking.Hazel and her barbie cruise shipAnde's crazy pic, figured I better get at least one pic of me, showing I was there. Elyse with her purse and reading a book.Elyse on her new TrikeHazel opening the Steve doll mommy took pity on and bought.Elyse helping Daddy open his presents.Tom and his new car stereoElsye being adorable.BrennanXanenOpps, I guess there are two on here. Brennan with his blanket from Grandma Train.Tom with his quilt from GrandmaAnde and Elyse opening Grandma Margaret's present.Ande- Anyone wanna shoot some chickens?Hazel and her blanket from Grandma Train.Elyse opening her gift.Elyse and her blanket from Grandma Train.Xanen and his Marshmellow shooterXanen and his quilt from Grandma Train.

On Christmas Eve we let the kids open one present, they all opened PJ's from my mom and got to wear them to bed.  They loved it.  Especailly the girls.   They were all very spoiled and grateful for all that they got. now we get to write some Thank You cards.

My mom even got the boys some helicopters to fly, hopefully it will be nice enough tomorrow to go and try them out ouside, along with the Marshmellow shooters.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas Eve!!!!!! We are having Chrismas dinner today, so we can just relax on Christmas day.   Just enjoy what we got and being together.  

So, enjoy being with your family and have a great two days!!!

Check.....

Cleaned my room, check, put clothes away check, did dishes, check, laundry, check...... I am tired!!!! Something is giving an allergic reaction here and my eyes are swollen. Good thing I am not having any pictures taken soon.  Now I just need to find some Benadryl.  And take a nap!!!

In March I put a Pay It Forward on my bog.  Only one person responded, before we left CA in Oct, I sent Joolz a little blanket.  I think she was suprised to get it.  I was proud of myself to get it done. :) It was fun thinking of something to make and getting it done, I wanted to send it before it got lost in the move.  Now I just wish I had taken a picture of it.  It of course had elephants on it.

Random thoughts for today

The kids are home, life is a little crazier, but I sit here and listen to them playing together upstairs.  I have to smile.   They are usually pretty good at playing together.  I can send the older 3 outside to play a little, but Elyse loves to play with them.  So they, especailly Xanen, takes time out to play with her.

Yesterday Xanen cut his finger.  Hazel tried to come to his rescue.  She has her very own box of princess bandaids, she was willing to part with one.  Xanen of course didn't want it, but told her thank you.  That is love, parting with one of your specail bandaids for your older brother.

Tom is realizing that he should have started christmas shopping a few weeks ago.  It is hard since my birthday and christmas are so close together.   The BX is pretty much wiped out.  I went to go Hazel a barbie to go with her barbie ship she is getting, all they had was Steve, there were about 100 of him, nothing else barbie.  Poor steve, I felt sorry for him and since Hazel has a Ken, I figured Ken could use a friend. :)

Last night I could not stop laughing.  Everything Tom said, I would come up with some random thought. It was after 10pm and i was really tired.  At one point I told him my laugh sounded like the one the Joker had after he fell off the building. Tom just smiled and told me to go to sleep before I hurt myself.   That just made me giggle more.  I realized I hadn't laughed like that in awhile, then it just made me cry.  Hey, at least I am laughing.

I need to carry paper with me wherever I go, I keep having these writing moments and feel the need to jot something down.   I had one of these the other day while driving, I couldn't wait to stop so I could jot it down and not forget.   My mom does this too, she has a book full of her writings.   If she wanted to I am sure that she could be published.

Dec. 18

Tom is still on the mend.  He thought he was ready to get out today, I was taking the older 3 kids to see The Princess and the Frog and he was going to take the baby and do his Christmas shopping.  We got to the theatre and he decided that he needed to go home.  I bought our tickets, took him home and the kids and I went to see the movie.   He rested a bit and seems to be feeling a little better.  I guess we will see if we make it to church tomorrow.

The movie was pretty good.  Some scary parts, but I liked the songs that they had.   It was a really good story line and good characters.  I think that the kids enjoyed it. 

We came home and I started finishing up the kitchen.  I had a few things left to find homes for.  After that I started making some goodies.  I made mint brownies and some fudge.  Dinner was low key.  I made killer dip and french fries.  We had a little picnic on the floor of the kitchen.  The kids loved it.  We were supposed to go to the beach today for a birthday party, but since Tom wasn't up for it, we stayed home.  So That is why we had our little picnic.  Plus it was cold today.  It maybe got to 60,but lots of wind and with the moisture in the air it was really nippy. 

One day down of Christmas vacation, 13 left to go.

The new ER experience

Tom and I both woke up sick yesterday.   By the end of the day I was feeling better, but Tom was worse.  It got so bad that he couldn't walk, I was trying to drag him everywhere.  Finally he told me that he needed to go to the DR.  I am thinking to myself, great, I have 4 kids, it is bed time, I don't know where the ER is, I have only driven once..... lukcily there are 2 LDS families here in our culdasac, I ran over and asked the husbands to give Tom a blessing, they helped get him back down the stairs, and then into the car.  One of the gals that Tom works with came and took us to the ER.  He was shaking, he couldn't get warm. When we got there a nice man walking out helped us get him into the ER and off they whisked him while I got his paperwork in order.  I sat in the waiting room chatting with Mary while they did some tests.  Finally I got to go back.  He was looking better already, they had given him some stuff to take away the nausea, something to help his stomach, some benadryl and started a bag of fluids.   He had about 3 bags of fluids before we left.  Scary how you are fine and with a bad enough stomach viral you are down within a few hours. 

He is doing a ton better this morning.  Walking around, eating, drinking, etc.  He is on quarters for the next couple of days, he is supposed to be resting.  I keep having to tell him to sit down and stop trying to clean.   It scared the kids, Elyse kept looking at him and crying.  Thank goodness we had some people willing to take the kids in for a couple of hours so that I could be with him.  And thanks to Mary for taking us.  Now I know where the ER is for the next time.  Plus I drove again this morning.  Gotta get good at it just in case I need to do all of this again. 

A few of my favorite pictures of my little cuties.

This is our ballerina in training.Elyse wants to be a beautiful butterflyThis is a project that Xanen did at school.  He was a Komodo Dragon.Brennan blowing bubbles at the house in CA.