A December to Remember

We had a very busy December. I am sad to report that I did not "over holiday" Christmas. We were just so busy doing tons of stuff, but nothing imparticular.

Hear is some of what kept us busy.

Cy started Jr. Jazz. He was so nervous the first game. He did not want to play, as a matter of fact, he cried. Turns out, he loves it, just like we knew he would. Jeremy Jewkes is helping Nolan coach, which is much appreciated. Nolan was equally as nervous as Cy, although he did not cry. Cy scored a basket his first game, now he is in LOVE with the sport.



My brother's girlfriend, Ashlee, threw him an awesome birthday party in mid-December. I had a chance to meet all of his many friends. They were all so much fun and very nice. She rented out a little place and there was plenty of food and drink and so much fun to be had. I'm inviting myself to all future gathering. Laughed all night long. I think this might be Mike's first big birthday party. Having a Christmas day birthday is no fun. Thanks Ashlee!



We attended an awesome kid's Christmas party at the Jewkes' home. Santa came too. He was amazing. He made candy canes out of red sugar and hot kid breath, he could juggle and was essentially magic!! I wish I could figure our to get my photos on the blog. Trust me they were cute. Of course, we had the only boys there. I think there were 12 girls and Cy and Cole. Lucky boys. This has become a favorite Christmas Tradition.

We waited in line to see Santa twice. We gave up the first time, too long a line. He listened closely to the boys' requests, so it was worth the extra trip. Besides, we are fairly certain this is not one of Santa's helper but indeed the real Santa. We have held the "Santa is watching" stuff over the boys heads forever - as we were walking away from Santa, Cole pushed Cy. I turned to him and said "are you serious, you were naughty right in front of Santa?" The look of pure terror came over him. He forgot again about 5 minutes later.




Cy had a singing in the round program at school. All the grades sat in a circle and had a special song they sang and then lead the group in a Christmas classic. Cy was chosen to be Donner, so he stood up in front of the group with the other reindeer and shook his little white tail. So cute!Cole seemed to enjoy it too.



After that we headed over to the classroom for the Christmas party. The kids made reindeer food and other fun Christmas crafts. They had a small gift exchange, were Cy became panic stricken because he opened a High School Musical something or other. Luckily, one of the girls, bailed him out and traded him for a cup (lousy kid gift). This next picture is of Cy and his "girlfriend," Grace. It's pretty serious, she has been his #1 of 2 girlfriends since last year.


We celebrated Granny O's birthday on the 20th with dinner and ice cream afterward. Mike scared us by giving her the ugliest, extra large, shiny gold, fake snake-skinned purse. It was a joke, thank goodness. Normally, I would have just brought it and told him "that's horrifying," but sometimes you assume that the girlfriend helped shop. It didn't look like anything Ashlee would pick, but I don't want to scare her away. It was so funny watching my mom try to pretend like she thought it was cute. Good one, Mike.

FaMiLy PiCtUrEs

I finally gave in and did family pictures, here are some of my favorites:

Car Talk

We have a DVD for to entertain the kids in Nolan's vehicle, but no such thing in my beat up car. Most days I prefer driving in my car because car time always gives rise to funny conversations. Yesterday, Cole was discussing the whoas of pre-school. His "girlfriend" at school has, as of late preferred, to sit by another little boy. So Cy was telling him that if he wanted her to sit by him, he had to do "nice things" for her like "buy her flowers" and "stuff that makes her smell good." Cole in his very antimated way said "I just don't have any money." Cy replied "well that's why she doesn't want to sit by you."
Then Cy wanted to talk about his old preschool girlfriend. Her name was Kayleigh and she still called him up until late last school year. We were recalling stories about her and I mentioned that she really liked to boss him around; telling him where to sit, what to do, etc. He said "I actually enjoyed that." I told him he's gonna go far in life, already so wise.

Thanksgiving Weekend

We spent Thanksgiving with Nolan's immediate and extended family. His cousin Chris and wife Sherrie hosted it in their beautiful new home. It was delicious!! Thanks for the hard work guys.

After dinner we made these cute crafts. The older boys acted as if they did not want to craft but could not resist forever. They took longer than anyone else. The craft was fun and easy enough for the little ones to do.

Mitch won the best tree contest.

It was fun to hang out and visit with the family. The kids had a great time playing together. They think the older boys are sooo cool!!

The day after Thanksgiving we went downtown to see the lights and have dinner. I think I enjoy this more than anyone else in the family. It's a good way to start off the Christmas Season.

Some catching up to do....

I have a few things that I have meant to blog about but haven't gotten to yet. I do this mostly to help me remember the precious moments that fly by too quickly and you easily forget.
Little Patriots. This year Cy was really into the presidential election. We had briefly discussed the historical importance of the two democrats that were running. This can be difficult for a 6 year old to wrap his mind around but thought it was at least worth mentioning. He was really interested in all of it. Closer to the election he would report daily who was voting for whom in his class of 6 year olds. This would really upset him. Cy had decided that Barack was his man and if you weren't with him, you were against him. On election day, his class held a mock election. John McCain won (big surprise in Utah). After school when he told my mom about the outcome, he told her " Steven voted for John McCain and I told him; John McCain is not going to end this war." Made me laugh. Cole wanted to be a great American too, so he learned the Pledge of Allegiance. I thought this was cute.

Gratitude

'Tis the season for reflecting upon all the things we have to be grateful for. I found that I was grateful for so many things that it was difficult to keep the list short, I am grateful for that.

I am thankful for my Husband. He has been such an important part of my life. He has been the love of my life for 21 of my 33 years. I have very few memories that do not include him or his influence. I am thankful for all the memories we share. I am thankful that he is nice. Even in situations that would send the rest of us over the edge, he is patient and polite. I'm thankful he is compassionate. He hates to hurt anyones feelings. I'm thankful he is such a good dad. He has a way of balancing out the situation. If I am angry, he is calm-if I'm too tired, he disciplines. He is a wonderful example to his boys. He shows them the importance of being a good man, husband and father by treating me with respect, loving me, never speaking negatively about me in front of them, respecting his parents and in-laws, by working hard and by being an equal partner in parenting them. I'm thankful for his big smile. I'm thankful for the pride he takes in his family, work and home. I'm thankful he still loves me after all these years.

I am thankful for my kids. Every once in a while when I have a chance to step back and reflect-I realize they are everything I ever dreamed them to be. I'm so grateful to have such good boys. Of course, I think they are incredibly handsome, but beyond that I am proud that they are smart, thoughtful, polite, funny and healthy. I am thankful for the love, energy, laughter and noise they fill our home and hearts with. They are my greatest joy.

I am thankful for our family. We have wonderful people who surround us with endless and unconditional love and support. We have the only grandchildren on each side of our families. This leaves us incredibly spoiled with love, toys and our families precious time. I am grateful that my boys have all 4 grandparents who adore them and whom they adore. They have an uncle and aunt who will wrestle and play for hours. All of them add to our lives and our children's lives in such positive ways.

I am so grateful for my parents and their retirement. This truly is a luxury for me. I am so spoiled. My mom often times takes my laundry home, cleans my house, or has a warm meal waiting when I get home. I joke it is the best thing that ever happened to ME, although it is no joke. They care for my boys while I work part-time. Knowing that your kids are not only taken care of but loved is a tremendous gift. Just the other day, Cole made mention of the fact that I "do not work." He said that I just stay home so I can pick up him and Cy from school. At first I was a little offended to think he might think that I don't do anything, but the more I thought about it the more I was touched by the conversation. He doesn't see Granny and Papa as babysitters but as an important part of his week. That felt like a million bucks, you working moms know what I mean.

I am thankful for my brother and his happiness. I love him dearly.

I am thankful to Norm and Parlene who treat me as one of their own. Who volunteer to take the boys whenever we need them to and are always there for us. For Melanie who is always offering kind words and a big hug.

I am lucky enough to have known and loved all of my grandparents. I have aunts, uncles and cousins who I count among my best friends. I married into an awesome extended family who are so much fun to be around and who are so good to us.

I am thankful for good friends. I have wonderful, thoughtful friends who are a ton of fun. They have a great way of rallying around whenever someone needs it. I am grateful to have a best friend who always has time to listen, never judges, whom my humor is never lost on, who lets me cry when having a bad day and who always crack me up. Women need best friends, their presence is vital to our sanity. I am thankful for Tara.

Health. I cry when my kids get the flu. I thank my lucky stars for their 10 fingers and 10 toes. A sick family member or friend will quickly remind us what is important in life.

Happiness. So many things to be happy about.

A roof over my head. I complain far too often about wanting a new house. I want more space and new this and new that. But I am grateful to have a home filled with love, happy memories and for having a well manicured lawn (thanks Noli).

A job. Particularly this year when so many do not have one, I am grateful that Nolan and I both have gainful employment.

Lastly I am thankful for DVR, smothered burritos, spanx, flats, Johnson & Johnson gentle gum care dental floss, hcg, smooth elbows, US weekly, occasional nights of uninterrupted sleep, day after Thanksgiving sales and the turkey dinner that I will eat tomorrow.

I hope you have many things to be thankful this year. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Oh, Bring us some carrot pudding!?!

I'm finding the older I get, the more I long for the past and for tradition. Growing up, my Grandma Mary was an excellent cook and one of her specialties was Carrot Pudding. It was a Thanksgiving staple. I talked my mom into helping me make it for the first time. She did most of the work, I'm fighting off a cold and my head is in the clouds today. Cole was being a big helper pushing the buttons on the processor and covering his ears, no loud noises for that one. Anyway, I have always loved carrot pudding but making it may have turned me off. The ingredients are just not right. See photo for grossness.






Here we are with our finished product. I have money on my kids unwillingness to try any. We are spending Thanksgiving with Nolan's family this year. We each have our own things we "require" for holiday meals, so I thought I would contribute part of our tradition.
Needless to say we did cook a batch and despite the random ingredients and less than desirable appearance it was DELICIOUS. Thanks for the help mom and Grandma- who translated her recipe from her memory to paper.


If anyone is interested in trying it here's the recipe, it's actually very easy:

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c. flour, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. soda, 1 c. sugar, 1/4 tsp. nutmeg, 1/2 C. brown sugar,(dry ingredients - mix in large bowl, set to side).
Use processor to chop 1 C. of each: carrots, potatoes, apples. add 1 small jar of crushed pineapple, 1 C. chopped pecans and 1 stick of butter.
Stir all ingredients together.
The you can either, bottle and steam for 3 to 4 hours or cover in the microwave and cook for about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork and serve with rum sauce poured over the top. Hmmm! Good.

Cole is at that age where I find Nolan or myself saying 5 times a day, "That Coley." Depending on his behavior that day, it may be a good or bad statement. Regardless, he's just funny. After nap on Friday, he was running around in his undies and of course tried to go outside like that. I reminded him he would need to get dressed first. This is what he came out with. The striped shirt was already on. The coat, shark swim shorts and the shoes that are on the wrong feet were all provided by Cole. I have to admit, I never would've let Cy go out like this. I guess you relax more with your second, so out he went. Besides-he was very proud of himself.

Adventures in Babysitting

I talked Tara into letting me watch Olivia while the rest of the family went to Disney on Ice. The boys were so excited to have her. Cole was irritated by the fact that she cannot walk, but loved it when she showed her "happy face." Cy was a great helper.

Look how cute she is. I really have never seen a baby who is as well behaved as she is. She cries ONLY when she is hungry. This was all forgein to me. My babies loved to cry.

Look at these squeezable legs.

Sunday we went to Maile's baptism. She is a gorgeous baby and looked so pretty in her dress. She was an absolute angel during her big day. Kanani was nice enough to have us over after for delicious breakfast and visiting.

Happy Halloween

The day finally arrived. I love Halloween and was so excited to get going. We started at Cy's Parade at School. Cole decided to wear an old Halloween costume of Cy's that I had brought up to play dress up, promising he would wear his cowboy costume for treat or treating.

School Parade

Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue

Yeah, first school parade. Indy looked awesome.

Class Party

Nolan, Papa Norm, Cole and I went to help out at Cy's Class party. There was Bingo, cookie decorating and an arts and crafts project.

He's got a BINGO!!

Cole helped call Cy's lucky Number.

Let's Go Get Some Candy

Remember that promise I mentioned that Cole made earlier about wearing his cowboy costume trick or treating, not so. I had to call Nolan to see if it was a battle worth having. Cole is as hard headed as his mom. I decided, with some encouragement from Nolan, that he should get to be whatever he wants for Halloween.


Making a haul.

Waiting for Trick or Treaters at our door.

Ode to Grandma Marge

My Grandma Marge always had a stuffed monster in her front yard for Halloween. His name was Herman and he was a halloween staple in their little town. He sat in a lawn chair in the front yard of their home to scare the kids. It is such a fond memory, that I decided to make my own "Herman" this year. We bought overalls at Savers for him to wear that say "Gerald", but he's always Herman to me. Happy Birthday Grandma!

Over Holiday-ing

Nolan accuses me of "over holiday-ing" all the time. This means that I like to drag the kids to all events associated with whatever holiday is going on. Halloween is one of my favorites. So here are some of our October festivities.

Kids Halloween Party

This year is the 3rd year we have hosted a Halloween party for all of the kids. This year we had it on the only freezing weekend of October, so we set up shop in the garage. We decorated pumpkins, played pin the nose on the Mummy,and a fishing game and ate. So much fun and the kids are just adorable.

Pumpkin Patch

We met the Jewkes' for pumpkin hunting, also freezing this night. We were there for 10 minutes tops, but got the job done.

The Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point

Tara and I packed up fthe kids for a Friday of fun at this event. The kids had a blast. They played store, got in a big box full of corn kernels, jumped on a trampoline, took a hayride and poor Josie was horrified by the inflatable "Beast" that her mean mom dragged her into. My kids wanted no part of it. We also saw our friends Linsey and Shanon with their girls there.

This is the Place Park

My parents and I took Grandma Mary and the boys to this activity the third weekend in October. The boys made crafts, rode a train and gathered treats. It ended up being an extra special meeting. My grandma suffered a heart attack the next week, giving us quite a scare. She is doing great, but the time spent together is all the more cherished.

That's it. That wasn't so bad. I had wanted to also do Boo at the Zoo, Frightmares at Lagoon, Garden after Dark and the Corn Maze. We will set our sights higher next year. So we are finally to the week of Halloween, can't wait for the trick or treating. I am most excited for Cy's parade at school (first parade) and class Halloween party. I made some cute rice crispy treats that look like Frankenstein for the occasion. I thought it would be good family fun. I made them alone. No one else wanted in on it, they were labor intensive. Then I found out that you cannot bring homemade treats anyway. So much for the hard work, it was fun anyway.