Happy New Year!

This is my 100th post, and it seems fitting that it falls on New Year's Day.

It's that time of year where we feel like we can wipe the slate clean and have a fresh start.

This year I want to celebrate the small things, and really LIVE my life. No more excuses. I want to be my best self and stop worrying so much. If there are things that are bothering me, I want to change them. I'm going to stop being so hard on myself. I want to be more relaxed and a bit more spontaneous. I want to wake up every morning and say to myself, "life is good".

2007 was a good year for me and my family. I'm glad to say our "ups" outnumbered the "downs" and I feel like we grew a lot together (and grew in number as we added another Dodson to our clan). We are going to set some family goals this year and I will be optimistic that we can accomplish them.

So here's to a great 2008!

Also, today is my oldest brother Jeremy's birthday! What an old man you are Jer, but one cool fella! Wish we were there to celebrate with you.

Flabergasted

Could anyone tell me what would inspire a 5 year old to take a load of gold fish crackers, stuff them in a sock, crush them up, and then twirl and shake said sock around the living room?

My only guess would be that the freshly vacuumed carpet looked too clean?

This is my life.

December In Pictures

I took down my Christmas decorations today, which is always a sad day for me, but refreshing to have things cleaned and packed away again. I always think of the song from "The Forgotten Carols" by Michael McLean, "I cry the day that I take the tree down". I feel like there is an empty space in my heart for a few days.

We had a very nice, low key Christmas, and as I was uploading some pictures from that morning I had others from earlier this month as well. So here is a little bit of our (or the kids anyways) December in pictures:

-Snow Day!!!!-

-The Morgster relishing his new found balance-

-Kendle may have a future in architecture-

-Who knew licorice was this good?-

-Really Santa, I've been good this year I swear!"

-Santa's little helper-

-Christmas morning-

I always kick myself that I don't take more pictures of the fun things we do as a family. Watching Morgan on Christmas morning was like revisiting Kendle at that age. It is such a delight to watch the happiness in their eyes and the fun this time of year brings. It has been an amazing year and I'm sad to see this month coming to a close so soon. December always leaves us much too quickly.

Does Santa still make house calls for sick kids?

Since early yesterday morning we've been dealing with the flu. I'm hoping it's just a 24 hour bug since Kendle seems to be feeling better and hasn't had anything come up since around 2:00 this morning. She woke up wanting to eat some toast which is a good sign. I'm sure the fact that it's Christmas tomorrow has sped up her recovery quite a bit. I'm just hoping the same fate isn't in store for the rest of us. I don't think I would be able to cope with being sick two Christmases in a row. We will probably not be having Riley's family over tonight because his sister has a two week old baby and I don't want to be responsible for getting anyone else sick. So we will be having a quiet Christmas Eve (which I don't mind) and getting our things ready for tomorrow. Our Christmas tradition is that we get up early (umm, early might be an understatement) and do our stockings and presents and then jump in the car in our pj's and drive down to my parents to do gifts with them. It is really fun. We have the car all loaded up the night before with our bags to stay the night there, and all of the gifts we are taking down. It's only about a 45 minute drive to Irrigon and they are usually just getting up and around by the time we get there. My mom always makes a yummy breakfast and we lounge around and watch the kids play with their toys.

So hopefully Santa doesn't catch the flu bug too, and all will be well come Christmas morning.

Merry Christmas to all!

I'm dreaming of a White Christmas

I cannot believe that here it is, December 20th, and it's 50 degrees and sunny outside. I'm not big on having lots of snow, but this is the one time of year I can make an exception. It's hard to believe that Christmas is next week when I'm staring out the window at a bright, glorious day. I've been baking cookies all day and trying to tame the chaos which is my home. It's been nice to have a day finally where I don't have anywhere I have to be or go to. Morgan, by some chance slept in until 8:30 this morning (as did I). Kendle was up and around at her usual 6:30 or so, even though I tried to explain to her that she doesn't have to wake up so early any more because she's on Christmas vacation! I'm trying to get the kiddies rooms cleaned out before Santa brings his sack full of toys next week, and Kendle actually cleaned her room quite pleasantly yesterday afternoon. If you call shoving everything in the closet and under the bed cleaning, that is. (Imagine a huge exasperated sigh)

Last night I was able to join some friends for a night out to dinner and shopping , and we had our fare share of good food, laughing, and probably making every employee of every store we visited convinced that three insane (or insanely loud) women needed to get out more.

Can anyone guess where this was taken?

I was exhausted by the time I got home, but it was a lot of fun. And if anyone out there needs a personal shopper, or help finding something cute to wear, Natalie is your gal. Also, what is up with store's having ads for items they don't even have in their store, and employees thinking that you are lying about what you "think" you saw them advertise for. I just want a Hershey hot cocoa maker, is that too much to ask?!!!!!!

Well, I guess I'll get back to more cookie making and basking in the sunlight spilling through my window. And while I do, I'll be dreaming of a "White Christmas".

Maybe Christmas perhaps means a little bit more

This quote from "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" always runs through my head as I'm fighting throughout the war zone-like atmosphere of most stores this time of year:

(confused as to why the Who's down in Whoville were still celebrating Christmas with gusto)
Grinch: It came without ribbons! It came without tags! It came without packages boxes, or bags!

Narrator: And he puzzled and puzzled, till his puzzler was sore.Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! "Maybe Christmas," he thought, "doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas… perhaps… means a little bit more."

I grew up in an area where there were a lot of less fortunate people, probably 80 percent of my school were on free or reduced lunches and there were just a lot of families with hardships. I remember one year (I was probably a freshman in high school), for a mutual activity we took Christmas baskets around to some needy families, some in our ward and others just in the community. As we were riding around in one of our leaders suburbans, it was really loud and we were making jokes, and that sort of thing. Everyone was having a pretty good time. We didn't have many combined activities like this so the guys were pretty squirreley and trying to act cool to impress us girls (why I couldn't have had at least one normal, cute guy in my ward is beyond me, but that's not important right now) and so there really wasn't a very giving spirit in the air. As the night wore on though, the reality of some of these people's situations started to really set in and make us selfish teenagers look outside of our own wants and desires for once. A lot of the families were living in pretty humble circumstances, but I remember the last house we came to wasn't even a house. We pulled up to a little camp trailer on a lonely stretch of road and the noise in the car vanished. We had many things that people had donated for this family, and not just holiday goodies or toys for the children, but what you and I would look at as every day necessities like toilet paper, laundry detergent, and new bars of soap. When I saw the little children who lived under these circumstances my heart was changed right there and then. These children were more excited about getting cereal to eat than a new doll; a new blanket was more appealing than the coloring books. I stood there in my nice warm coat in clothes that were my own that were new from the store, and felt all the selfish Christmas gimmes disappear. My heart probably swelled up just like the Grinch's did in the movie. The people were so thankful and humble and all of us had tears in our eyes as we silently walked back to the suburban. On the ride back to the church I was very aware of my blessings and that I had much to be thankful for. I will never forget that experience as long as I live. Now, my family was by no means rich when I was growing up (by worldly standards anyways), but compared to most folks around us we had a lot. My dad is the hardest working man I've ever met, and has never let our family down. My mother is amazing and always made sure we had everything we needed and made life totally fun for all of us. Christmases at our house were always special and exciting and my parents always tried really hard to make it a happy day. Anyway, I just felt impressed to share that story at the moment. Maybe because I know that later today I will be fighting through the throngs of sale-hungry shoppers and I needed some perspective. :)

As the quote goes "He who has no Christmas in his heart, will never find Christmas under a tree".

A little Christmas Humor

I don't know why this always makes me laugh, but it does. Gotta love those wild animal background noises Jimmy Fallon pushes on the keyboard!

SNL Christmas Song

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It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas

*Friends delivering treats

*Receiving Christmas cards in the mail

*Wrapping presents

*Finishing "to-do" lists

*Shopping for those last little items like stocking stuffers and batteries

*Making yummies and goodies

*Singing Christmas carols

Can you feel it? Christmas is coming!

Little Man hits the 6 month mark!

I can't believe it's been six months already since our happy little guy came to join our family. Morgan has added such a sweet spirit to our home and lifts my mood every time I see his adorable smile. He is so fun to be with and I love his laid-back personality (let's hope that sticks around). Every night as I'm putting him to sleep I say thank you in my heart for the blessing this baby has been to our family.



Here's to sitting up on your own!

Rocking and rolling on your hands and knees!

Driving yourself around the house in your walker!

Enjoying bath time and soaking mom with your kicking and splashing!

Trying new food!

Still sleeping through the night!

Babbling and cooing and squawking!

Smiling and laughing and playing!



And most of all, being so darn loveable!

Another Fun Christmas Book

Last week Kendle brought home another library book, this time it was a Christmas story which I was excited to see. We just got around to reading it on Monday night and it was really cute. The title is "Santa Calls" by William Joyce. This author also wrote "George Shrinks" which is another family favorite.

Here is the Editorial review from Amazon.com:

Gather round for an Extraordinary Adventure, circa Christmas 1908, Abilene, Texas. The players are a boy named Art (devoted to "the making of inventions, the quest for adventure, and the fighting and smashing of crime"); his best friend, a Comanche boy named Spaulding; and Art's scorned little sister, Esther. One dusty December day, they find a huge wooden crate accompanied by a note that says, "Open the box. Assemble the contents. Come NORTH. Yours, S.C." The next thing you know, the intrepid trio sets off for the North Pole in the freshly assembled Yuletide Flyer, at Santa's cryptic request. Let the swashbuckling adventure begin! Santa's home is the glittering metropolis of Toyland, described as "the best of the old, the best of the new, and the best that is yet to be." But what's this? Dark Elves and their evil Queen? No one bargained for danger in the North Pole. After a dashing display of heroic and ingenious maneuvering, however, the three children are delivered back home in time for Christmas. But why did Santa call in the first place? He tells them, "Some secrets are best left unsolved." The real secret of this rollicking Christmas tale lies in two facsimile letters attached at the end of the book--Esther's touching note to Santa and his reply. Beloved illustrator William Joyce, creator of George Shrinks and Dinosaur Bob, has managed an unusual feat: an original Christmas story, breathtaking artwork, and adventure tale all rolled into one. (Ages 5 to 9)

So if you are looking for something a little different than Rudolph or Frosty, look this one up. I think your kids would really enjoy it.

Christmas card pictures

Oh, the joys of trying to take pictures of the little ones. They seem to know that this is the time that their mother really wants them to behave and so the instinct to do the opposite kicks into overdrive. I had to be fast and try to become a one woman laugh factory to get Morgan to smile.

I still managed to get some pretty good shots of the kiddies for our Christmas cards, regardless of the crying, whining and closed eyes (it's a family curse). Here's some of my fav's, funny and otherwise-( I am a terrible photographer to boot, so don't hold it against me)

Special Girls Night

Last night I had the most enjoyable evening. My mother, sister, Kendle, and I had a special girls night out to attend "The Nutcracker" . It was beautiful and enchanting and you couldn't have seen a more delighted child in the audience than my daughter last night. I've been to see this performance before, but it was a very different experience this time around having her with me and seeing the excitement in her happy shining face. I was worried that there would be parts where she would lose interest, but she was on the edge of her seat the entire performance and clapped her little heart out. ( I think at one point her eyes actually started tearing up ). One of the most exciting things for her to see was her dance teacher performing as one of the adults. She kept shouting out "there's my teacher mom, there she is"! This was the first time my younger sister had been to a performance for the Nutcracker as well, and I think she had an enjoyable time too. But the icing on the cake for Kendle was that they were selling little crowns and streamer wands out in the lobby, and of course my mother had to get her one. We were sitting in our row at intermission and Kendle happened to see another little girl farther down the row that had the crown and wand and yelled out "why does THAT little girl have a crown"! The whole row in front of us just busts up laughing and again I had to wonder why I am so fortunate to have the loudest child in the universe.

Afterwards we decided to head to the new Target and do some shopping. There was hardly anyone there and it was so quiet. Haven't experienced that at Target in a long time. My sister found a cute dress for her Christmas party she's hosting, and I found a chic little black dress for quite a steal. As if I already didn't love that store enough!

To top off the night we treated ourselves to some ice cream and headed back home to see how the guys were holding up. It's amazing what a little pizza, football, and a trip to Sportsman's can do to keep the guys (Riley, Morgan, and my dad) entertained for the evening.

I am so glad that we were able to have such a fun and memorable night together and I can't wait to do it again next year. This was the best girls night out!

Put a little love in your heart

Lately I've been discussing with my daughter the importance of doing nice things for other's without expecting something in return, just for the sake of doing it. We are having struggles around our house of "wheeling and dealing" for every little task to be done. Are we raising a generation of children that demand rewards for every little task or chore? I admit I do resort to bribery on a regular basis, and so in a sense it's partly my fault.

So, I thought to myself, am I any better at doing thing's for others? Do I expect something in return? This month I have challenged myself (and you can do the same if you like) to try and do at least one kind thing every day. Now I'm not talking about baking a huge batch of cookies, or buying someone an expensive present. It could be something as small as taking the time to visit with a neighbor, sending a happy e-mail, or giving a friendly wave (even to that grouchy person who never waves back). I know when I am the recipient of a kind gesture it brightens my whole day and I feel like passing that feeling on. Happiness is so contagious, I've always been drawn to happy up-beat people. By the end of December I hope that I will have made someones day, made someone feel less lonely, or let them know they have a friend in me. I know it is so "Miss America" to say you want peace on earth, but really this time of year, it doesn't sound so cheesy. So if you want, you can join me and put a little love in someones heart today!

Political Christmas

I really wanted to post some pictures of our Christmas lights we put up, (to prove that we actually put some up this year) but wouldn't you know that my camera is out of batteries and there are no more to be found in our house. You can tell we are really prepared for any sort of emergency situation. So I thought I'd share this poem with you that someone posted on our family website. It is a parody on "Twas the night before Christmas". If you aren't interested in politics this might not amuse you as much as it did me.

" Twas the month before Christmas when all through our land,
Not a Christian was praying, nor taking a stand.
How the PC (political correct) police had taken away,
The reason for Christmas - no one could say.
The children were told by their schools not to sing,
About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.
It might hurt people's feelings, the teacher would say
December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.
Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit
Pushing folks down to the floor just to get IT!
CDs from Madonna, an XBox, and I-pod
Something was changing, something quite odd!
Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa
In hopes to sell books by Franken and Fonda.
As Targets were hanging their trees upside down
At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.
At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears
You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.
INCLUSIVE, SENSITIVE, DI-VER-SI-TY
Are words that were used to intimidate me.
Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen
On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!
At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter
To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.
And WE spoke not a word, as they took away our faith,
Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace.
The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded
The reason for the season, stopped before it started.
So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'
Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me,
Choose your words carefully, choose what you say,
Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS, not Happy Holiday!"

I'm not sure who wrote this, but it certainly hits the nail on the head of how this time of year, the true meaning of why we even celebrate Christmas is lost and forgotten by many. I was saddened to see that my daughters school does not have a Christmas concert. Is this a normal across the town thing, or just at her school? I'm not sure since this is my first child to attend. One thing that I think is really neat is that many local churches band together at Christmas time to do good works and also have that big annual Christmas concert (have any of you gone?). I try and concentrate on the good things that I see people doing this time of year, and teach my daughter the real reason of why this time of year is so special.

I am fortunate that I grew up in a place where our school's held big festive Christmas concerts and activities, our town had an annual tree lighting ceremony in the city park where choirs would sing religious carols, it was a tradition that the seniors had our own private Christmas party and made ornaments and stockings to decorate our SCHOOL tree, that every Christmas Eve our family would gather and we would have the little ones act out the nativity and listen to my grandfather read from the scriptures about our Saviour's birth.

So as for me, I will be shouting greetings of "Merry Christmas" to all.

Random thoughts on a Monday morning

-My five month old is obsessed with electrical outlets and cords already, I'm in trouble. He is a blur as he sprints by me in his walker.Yes I said SPRINTS. We have to shut all of the bedroom and bathroom doors so he doesn't get into mischief. HELP! He figured out how to balance when I try to sit him up by himself and is doing the inch-worm crawl and roll method. The Christmas tree has taken a severe beating already.

-We put the finishing touches on our Christmas lights last night, I will have to post some pictures of it tomorrow. They look nice, even though one of our annoying neighbors (who didn't have his hearing aids in by the way) stopped by for a good 20 minutes or more and proceeded to tell us that we used the Jewish holiday colors of blue and white, and aren't we Mormon?

- Riley had to take Kendle to the bus stop this morning and talk to the bus driver about someone that took Kendle's hat last week. The bus driver had the hat, but of course claimed to know nothing about the incident. This is only about the tenth bus-related problem we've had so far this school year. I'm about done with the big yellow monster.

-We found out our new church time will be 2:30, which we've been informed by our friends in 6th ward is the worst possible time ever, but after moping around yesterday I'm trying to put a positive spin on it. Suggestions anyone?

- I have a junk food hangover from this weekend and need to get my booty on the treadmill and sweat it out, not to mention throw out the rest of the tempting stuff still lying around. To all my dear friends out there, if you really care about me do not bring me holiday goodies this year. That is probably the best gift you can give me. I've got to shed this baby weight that is threatening to set up permanent residence.

Just some of the random things going through my head today.

Victory!

38-31 final score, Beavers win!!!!!!! Overtime, bad calls, and more. What a game.

Civil War

For those of you who don't know, one of the biggest rivalries in college football is about to go down tomorrow. The Civil War game: Oregon State vs. University of Oregon. Even if you are not a college football fan, or a sports enthusiast in the slightest you have to appreciate this gut-wrenching rivalry that was first played out all the way back in 1894 and is the seventh-longest college football rivalry game in the United States. My family looks forward to this game all year long. Being the big Oregon State fans that we are, yes we care about the Beavers overall season record, but what ultimately matters most is if they beat the Ducks in the Civil War game. They call it the "Civil War" game because it is literally like when the north and south of our country were divided in war. Man against man, brother against brother, father against son. I know families that have fans on both sides and it is not pretty come game time. You can not be a wishy washy fan, you must choose sides. As statistics go it is usually the home team that wins, (all Civil War games since 1997 have resulted in a victory for the home team) my opinion being that the home fans are so wild and crazy that whoever hosts the game has the utmost advantage in rattling the other teams psychy. The games get so loud that the players can't hear anything out on the field. This year however, the home team might just lose. The Oregon Duck's lost their starting quarterback Dennis Dixon to an injury and he will not be playing. Yes, that gives the Beaver's a horribly unfair advantage but do I care? Heck no. This will be one of the low down, dirtiest, grittiest, hard fought games of the year and I will enjoy every minute of it. As Beaver fans well know, nothing ever is for certain where their victories are concerned, but (and I hope I'm not jinxing anything) I'm predicting they stomp those ducks into the ground and bring home another Civil War victory for the old Orange and Black.

Holiday Stories

This time of year I have a couple of books that I get out from the book shelf and either share with my family, or read quietly myself when I get the chance. You know the kind that leave you with that good feeling? They always put me in the holiday spirit and help me remember the true meaning of Christmas and not just all of the commercialism that is thrown in our faces every time we turn on the TV or run to the store. One that has become a Christmas Eve tradition to read is "The Fifty Dollar Gold Piece" by Roderick L. Cameron.















It is just a little Christmas "story card" and is only about seven or eight pages long. It is story about a wealthy family that decides to give away a fifty dollar gold piece to the first person to stand at their door on Christmas Eve morning. The only stipulation to follow the gold piece is that should the bearer come in contact with someone who is less fortunate, they must give it to them instead of keeping it for themselves. It is a very touching story and always reminds me of how fortunate we all are and how no matter the circumstance we can always find someone more in need than ourselves. This book never fails to touch my heart.


Another book that is a favorite of mine is "A Redbird Christmas" by Fannie Flagg.

Here is a short synopsis from the inside cover:

"After a startling diagnosis from his doctor, Oswald T. Campbell leaves behind the cold and damp of the oncoming Chicago winter to spend what he believes will be his last Christmas in the warm and welcoming town of Lost River. There he meets the postman who delivers mail by boat, the store owner who nurses a broken heart, the ladies of the Mystic Order of the Royal Polka Dots Secret Society, who do clandestine good works. And he meets a little redbird named Jack, who is at the center of this tale of a magical Christmas when something so amazing happened that those who witnessed it have never forgotten it. Once you experience the wonder, you too will never forget A Redbird Christmas."

This book takes me away from the hustle and bustle and reminds me to slow things down and enjoy the season. If you are feeling even the tiniest bit "grinchy" take a break and read these books.

Today's Forecast

The old Ri-lo is out of town so the forecast for the next couple of days calls for:

-Cleaning out the fridge and eating up the rest of the Thanksgiving leftovers.
- Decorating the Christmas tree which we set up last night per the request of Kendle, who would not return to normal behavior until it was put up and plugged in. ( I love my fake pre-lighted tree, miss the real pine smell but do not miss the mess)
- Getting out the rest of our Christmas decorations and tweaking them to perfection until my brain is hurting and my eyes are crossed. (This process could actually stretch on for days)
- Doing laundry that accumulated over the Thanksgiving Holiday.
- Getting caught up on all of my mail that has made a huge pile next to my computer.
- Boxing up all of the children's clothes they've outgrown.
-Having a fun girls night tonight with Kendle for FHE. I'm thinking painted toenails, popcorn, treats, and a movie.

* Side story: This morning I realized I had still not bought the items for the Salvation Army boxes our ward is doing so I got Kendle off to school and then me and the Morgster headed to Walmart. This was a big deal because he is five months old and I have never taken him grocery shopping. I have been dreading and putting this day off for a while because he hates his car seat and I just knew he would scream and cry through the whole store and I would much rather wait until Riley is home and can watch the kids to go shopping all by my lonesome. But guess what? I fed him before we went and five minutes into our experimental excursion he fell asleep. He slept the whole time and didn't bat an eye until we headed back outside to the car. I know this will probably be a fluke and it will never happen again, but for just one day at least I can revel in the satisfaction of having an enjoyable shopping experience with my baby.

Best News

My little sister called me last night to tell me she made 1st Team All-Conference! I was "woo-hooing" all over the house. This is the icing on the cake to what our family has been trying to tell her all along: that despite her lousy coach and awkward team mates she still shines. I'm so glad she persevered and kept a positive attitude. I love how humble she is and what a good leader she was to her team. Way to go out in style Tam, I am SO proud of you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thankful Tree

Want a fun way for you and your family to display all that you are thankful for??
Make a Thankful Tree!
( Our family did this one year and it was really fun, maybe I'll try it again this year. )

You will need:

1 large brown paper bag (or we used butcher paper)

Construction Paper, red, yellow and orange

Cut open the brown paper bag by cutting down one of the creases and then cutting the bottom off. Lay the paper out on the table and use about half to ¾ of the length of the bag to draw a tree trunk.

Staple, tape or pin this to the back of a door or a bulletin board. (we just taped it to a wall in my parents family room)

Use the remaining pieces of the bag to make branches for the tree. Staple those coming from the tree trunk. This does not need to be fancy and you don’t need to be an artist to do this ...

















Now make leaves out of construction paper. Make lots of them! You can use a basic maple leaf design or any leaf design you would like. You can hand them out to everyone and have them write down what they are thankful for this year. Then tape them to the tree and enjoy.

The children really enjoyed this and it was a good reminder for them to think about their blessings.
























How nice to have a heart full of thanks when you sit down to your Thanksgiving dinner!

Gobble, Gobble

I found these cute turkey place cards here and decided to make them for my family. They are fairly simple and only require a few supplies, which is my type of craft. On the tail feathers are random Thanksgiving trivia questions and the answers are on the back. The website has the template and questions you can print out if you'd like to make them for your own family.

1 Week to go!

It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is only a week away. Next Thursday will be one of my favorite days of the year. My how the time flies. It seems like it was only yesterday that I was getting my morning sickness under control and having dreams, (real dreams) about eating delicious food at Thanksgiving, not just dry cereal like I'd been living off of for the last couple of months. That was the turning point at which I started to feel somewhat normal again. Oh, the magic of mom's home cooked heavenly turkey and stuffing. I don't know about the rest of the world, but Thanksgiving's with my family are a 24 hour food fest. A shameless display of gorging and feasting that lasts all weekend long. I am so thankful to belong to a family that loves to eat as much as I do.

In expectation of Thanksgiving, not only will I be preparing my waistline, but also reflecting on all of my many blessings and what I am truly thankful for. There are no words to describe how I feel to be surrounded by my family during the holidays and share those precious memories with them. I realize that as we get older we need to enjoy these moments, life can be short and unexpected. I have much to be thankful for this year.

Evolution of Dance

Reading Tiffani's post about dancing reminded me of this guy who performs "The Evolution of Dance". Some of you have probably already seen it, but it is so funny I could watch it over and over again. Hope you get a laugh out of it.

PTC's

It's that time of year when we get to go visit with our children's teacher about everything they are doing right and wrong, but hopefully more right than wrong, right? Ok, so we had the pleasure of having our conference this morning and it went well, no surprises or worries, just pretty much being told what we already knew. Well, actually there is always one surprise and that is how well behaved and quiet Kendle is in school. Not saying she is a bad kid, but she is definitely how should I say, larger than life the majority of the time. Glad to know she saves it all up for us at home. It was good to talk to her teacher one on one and discuss some of my concerns that I have had about the work they are doing in class and that maybe she could start moving on a little bit. I was glad to hear that they will be starting a reading group soon. I think it is a challenge to have a child who is struggling in school, and also a challenge to have a child who is ready to excel and move forward. Lots of extra work for moms, but that's what we're here for and we try to help them the best we can. Kendle has the rest of the week off from school because of PTC and she is already throwing me the I'm bored card. She would rather be at school than at home all day ( and I can't say I disagree). The countdown begins for school on Monday.

Two socks, one sock, no socks

It is so hard to keep socks on Morgan's feet. It is a normal occurrence to start off in the morning with both socks on and then an hour or so later to see this:

One lone sock in the middle of the floor. He will scoot around the house with one sock on for quite a while and it doesn't bother him one bit.

Then pretty soon, off comes the second sock. Usually because he is trying to push off and the carpet is hard to maneuver on.

All I know is socks on or off, he is one happy guy! (slobbery, but happy)

Socks are highly overrated.

Holiday shopping

This time of year I try to avoid the hustle and bustle of holiday shoppers. People start to get down right rude and pushy and it destroys my holiday mood, so I do a lot of my shopping online. Little things like stocking stuffers, and treats I'll buy from a store but most everything else I try to do from home. Isn't it great to be able to sit in a comfy chair, and browse to your hearts content without having to waste gas driving around and compete with other people for that last Polly Pocket doll house? Or worry about your baby having a poopy diaper in the check-out line? Most places have good shipping prices around the holidays and I love Old Navy's $5 shipping prices on your whole order. Last year I found some great deals on ebay (love it) and some of the college bookstore's websites for sporting gear, (my husband is a big WSU and Ohio State fan). Now I don't know about anyone else, but my favorite part of Christmas morning is going through my stocking. My mother would always do an awesome job of putting neat things in there. Now that I'm married, I have to say Riley puts together a pretty awesome one too. One cute place to get stocking stuffer ideas is here. They have tons of good ideas based on age and where you're shopping at, and people have submitted their own traditions and ideas. Check it out.

So I'm asking everyone: What are some of your favorite places to Christmas shop on the internet?

Some things I love

Last night, (or early this morning depending on how you want to look at it) Kendle woke me up because she had another nightmare. This usually happens at least 3-4 times a week. I know, I know mom, just getting paid back for my childhood leaps through the dark onto your bed. So I walk her back to her room, tuck her in, and am turning to leave when she says "blow me kisses mom". Let me explain a little bit here-
Our nightly bed-time ritual is that we read, say prayers, give each other a kiss, and then I blow her a kiss at the door so that she can catch it and stick it under her pillow to have good dreams. My daughter is very systematic and everything has to be just so, (hmm, don't know where she gets that from). Kendle remembers EVERYTHING, so if for example she happens to fall asleep on the couch and you put her in bed without this ritual, when she wakes up in the middle of the night she freaks out that she didn't get her kisses!

OK, so back to the story. Turning to leave she asks me to blow her a kiss. So I do, she catches it and sticks it under her pillow, and I can see her little mind at work. "What do you need?" I asked her, (almost falling asleep leaning against the door frame mind you) and she says that I better blow her some extra kisses to save underneath her pillow in case she has another bad dream, and then I won't have to come back in her room again. What a great idea! Why hadn't I thought of that? I guess it worked because she didn't wake up another time and slept on till morning. I love that my daughter thinks her mother's kisses are magical and strong enough to keep the bad dreams away and protect her while she sleeps.

I love that she ran up to me and gave me a big hug when I picked her up from kindergarten today. Those surprises are getting few and far between.

I love that Morgan is so happy to see me when he wakes up in the morning, and lays there cooing and talking while I drag myself out of bed. I love that he laughs at my silly faces and jokes while I get him dressed.

I love that my husband is getting my cupboard door fixed for me today and picking up a new cell phone charger for me since I can't find my old one. He really is a pretty thoughtful guy, when he gets around to thinking about being thoughtful. :)

I love that today is just a boring Tuesday, nowhere I have to be or anything important I have to do. Love it.

FHE GAME NIGHT

For our family home evening activity tonight we decided to play Monopoly. Last Christmas, someone bought us the deluxe edition and we have never used it, so it was a good time to break it in. I haven't played this game in years and years. At first we thought it would be a little complex for Kendle to keep up with, being only 5 after all, but boy did she catch on in a heart beat. She was a little real estate tycoon in no time flat. Every time a property came available she would snatch it up, or outbid someone else for it. Pretty soon she had almost as many houses on the board as Riley. Then there's myself, who managed to land on Riley and Kendle's properties over and over again, and be sent to jail one too many times. Even Morgan wanted to get in on the action, so I held him on my lap so he could crinkle up all of my money, much to Riley's dismay, (it's just pretend I had to remind him). We finally had to cut the game short because it was past Kendle's bedtime, but we were having so much fun we could have played for at least another hour or so. She ended up with a very substantial amount of money at the end; clearly the winner. It was so enjoyable to sit together and share some laughs and poke fun at each other's mishaps. No tantrums, no crying, just laid back quality togetherness. I love my fun little family.

Custer's never let's me down

Yesterday was just one of those near perfect days. In the afternoon, my mother and my sister accompanied me to the Custer's Christmas bizarre at the TRAC. My mother and I go every year and it is always fun to see all of the crafts and Christmas items on display. It jump-starts the Holidays for me to hear the Christmas music playing and smell the wonderful smells. I always find something really cute for my home, and this year was no exception. I've been searching for that perfect little black table, and low and behold yesterday was my lucky day.
















Isn't it cute? What a steal, I couldn't believe it. Not only is it an exact fit for the little corner in my kitchen, but it looks like it was made to pair with my black shelf that hangs above it.

This table from a store would have been at least twice as much as what I got it for, so I couldn't have been happier. After leaving Custer's, we drove to the Country Mercantile to shop some more. They have a ton of Christmas decor and ornaments on display, and of course the yummiest selection of goodies for miles around. It took us a long time to get out of there because there were so many neat things to look at. It was hard for me to not come out of there with an armful of sweets, but I did come away with some clever stocking stuffers and these cute ornaments:

By this time we had really worked up an appetite, so we headed back to town and stopped at Cousins for dinner. We visited and took our time, and it was so relaxing to not have to rush around. My super husband had told me to take our time and go do whatever we wanted for however long we wanted. He really is a great guy (especially during hunting season when he knows he needs to butter me up) and takes good care of the children while I'm gone. Funny story I have to insert here- Since he was going hunting this morning he loaded the kids up in the car to go scout some birds. Kendle loves to go on these little adventures with dad. Then he was planning on taking them to Walmart because he needed to buy some more contact solution. Well, they drive out to the fields and he smells a dirty diaper in process. So he had to head back home and unload the kids to change Morgan. By that time, he lost his motivation to head to Walmart. I just had to laugh when he was telling me this after I got home, because isn't that so typical of when you are trying to go anywhere with a baby? Oh, the life of a mom.

Anywho, it was the best day I've had in a long time and I realized I need to do more things like this with my mom and the rest of the girls in my family. This time of year makes me want to be around my family as much as I can. We ended the day with lots of goodies, good ideas for future crafts, and some great memories.