Christmas: Part 1.

Boo to Christmas being over. Boo to forever lasting cold, no more treats left on my doorstep, no more "Be good kids, Santa is watching."

I sure love Christmas, and can't believe that this years has come and gone already. We have yet to celebrate with my family because my sister wont be here till Wed...so we are holding onto that last piece of Christmas as long as we can!

This Christmas was sure different then most. We were all so emotionally, and physically worn out from everything that happened with my Grandma, and her funeral was just Dec. 22nd, making Christmas sneak right up on us. But by Christmas Eve, we all were ready for it, and couldn't wait to celebrate.

On Christmas Eve morning each year my ladies wake up to a gift from Mrs. Claus. This is my very favorite tradition! She usually brings them a cute shirt to wear that day and a little surprise. This year Adyson was so excited she couldn't sleep, and when she awoke to a new webkinz, and a cute little shirt she was beyond thrilled.

Sienna was pretty excited too, can you tell?Here's a self taken pic of Adyson and I, do we look excited or what?Each year Grandma Lorraine comes up with some fun games for us to play. This year Adyson won the second round of the house burning dice game, and she was beyond excited. It was a great start to the night for her!
We played the 7-11 treat game, where the huge twix bar got passed from person to person about 100 times. Who knew? (Trav ended up with it, if you were wondering.)

Then it was gift time! Here's Enna with a tea set from Tiff, which she adores. And the ladies with their new walkee talkee's from Grandma. These have been a huge hit.After the gifts Grandma took all the kids upstairs to surprise us with new jammies she made for each of them, and a darling pillow case. The kids came running down to model them, and then Grandpa read "The night before Christmas" while they snuggled down in their comfy pj's and pillows. It was pretty cute stuff.Tiff gave Adyson a hair stylist kit, complete with a smock, gloves, clips, color bowls, and even a brush...I LOVE this gift! Rheagen was a good sport to let Adyson practice on her. Christmas eve was lovely and wonderful. Thanks Kidmans for always making it such a fun night!


The ladies went right to sleep on Christmas eve, shockingly! And slept till about 7:30, but woke up ready to go! Here they are waiting to go downstairs. Don't mind the foggy camera, it had been in my car all night...

Adyson got everything she wanted and so much more. Her she is modeling the Taylor Swift CD. Santa accidentally got the Karaoke CD, so that was a bummer. Dumb Santa.

Sienna has been begging for this Strawberry Shortcake doll, that you do "make-up" on for months, and of course Santa delivered. Along with all the other things she added to her list whenever people would ask what Santa was gonna bring her. She is one. smart. cookie.

Oh, and Santa brought make-up. Sienna used most of hers in one sitting. Pretty?
I think the best part of Christmas this year has been watching these 2 play. We've let them keep their new things downstairs in the family room for the week and they've pretty much lived down there with there toys. There's been 0 fighting, and just lots of laughs. It's a Christmas miracle!

We are excited that we still have Christmas #2 coming in a few days. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas filled with joy. And I wish you all a Happy New Year!

A blur.

The last week has gone by in a complete blur. In fact, as I uploaded my pictures to blog them, I couldn't believe that these pics are all only a week old. It feels like some of them happened a month ago...

I wrote in my last post that my dear Grandma had a stroke last Tuesday leaving us broken hearted, worried, and emotionally drained. Our family spent hours in the hospital, my mom never leaving her room. She passed away on Saturday morning around 2:30.
It seems a bit unreal, and life is sure gonna be strange without her. We all will miss her so much.

Along with doing our best to support my mom, and be there for Grams, this week was just chuck full of STUFF. We had so much going on, and I'm not really sure how we fit it all in.

Adyson had her Christmas recital at school on Thursday. It was delightful to watch! My little Adyson is one animated little girl! After the recital her teacher even commented on how much fun she was to watch.

Here she is sporting her lovely reindeer shirt. She was sooo excited.

She's look over at us and grin every few minutes. Proud as she can be. To add to the craziness, before my Grandma got sick my sister had planned on bringing her kids to my moms for a few days while she flew to Texas to pick up Jody and drive back to UT. (yeah!) So, my mom needed to be at the hospital, leaving me and Cody with 4 extra kids. (If you add them all up, you get 7.) 7 kids? 7, really? Cody and I aren't the most patient people, and it's a small miracle they all survived! We actually made quite a good team, taking turns having all of them sleepover, taking turns buying them lunch, and taking turns breaking up the little quarrells they get in.

Here are my 3 favorite pictures of the weekend. Cody decided Brielle needed a nap, so he put on Strawberry Shortcake for her. A few minutes later I walked in on this:

Cody, out cold.

Sienna, out cold. (In a princess dress, natch).

And Brielle, wide awake. It just cracked me up.

I'm either really ambitious, or just plain stupid, but I decided the kids needed to have a little Christmas fun while they were all together, so I mixed up the BIGGEST batch of sugar cookies known to man. (I didn't realize that my recipe was already doubled, so I doubled it. again. You do the math). They were all so cute decorating their cookies, that I thought it was totally worth it. Till I had to clean up the mess.....



Simon and Tray. I sure wish I would have got a pic of Simons cookies. They were loaded with sprinkles. I mean LOADED!

A fuzzy one of Brielle and Breje.

Kutter, Adyson, and Sienna.
Brielle, just a little sticky....
That night Travis and I had all the kids here to sleep. They went downstairs and watched a movie, then snuggled up and amazingly, went right to sleep. They were angels!
Seeing them all lined up wall to wall, snuggled in blankets, just reminded me so much of being little and having sleepovers with my cousins. I'm so happy that they will have those same memories when the get older, and just love the bond these cousins share.

Doing all of this, plus finishing up Christmas shopping, baking, and making time to go to one of our favorite family Christmas parties, pretty much did our family in.

And today we headed to Ogden for my Grandma's funeral. It was a beautiful tribute to my Grandma. There were tears over how much we would miss her, and yes, it is so hard to say goodbye, but it was just so lovely to hear stories of her and see how many people's lives she has touched. My Grandma was really an amazing woman full of spunk, and heart. We had so many dear friends, and extended family members there for her, and us today. And her whole entire family was gathered (no small feat, I can't remember the last time each and every one of us were all in the same room). I could feel her joy because of this all day long. I'm sure gonna miss her and wish we would have had a few more years together!

Now, even with all the loose ends I still need to tie up, the Christmas holiday will feel a bit more calm. I'm ready for a great night of sleep, and ready to dive into my favorite couple of days of the year! I wish you all a Very, Merry Christmas.

Ode to my Grams

I have mentioned before that my childhood memories are very limited. (In fact, I have a hard time remembering things from high school, or even 5 years ago. Read: my memory sucks). I have small glimpses and every now and then while reminiscing I find a little morsel, and if I grab onto it the memory will come flooding back.

I've been trying really hard to remember my Grandma from when we were younger. She is in the hospital right now after having a very severe stroke on Tuesday, and we are preparing ourselves to let her go. It's been an emotional week for our family. We are very close to my dear Grandma, and up till Tuesday, she's been a fairly healthy, energetic 85 year old. She's an amazing woman, who has been through some very hard experiences in her life, and come out the other side someone I look up to, and adore.

I'm really gonna miss her.
And all I can think about tonight is that I hope she isn't in too much pain right now, and I hope she knows how much we all love her. Really, truly love her.

So for my sake mostly, I'm writing down the few memories I have with my Grams. I wont feel bad if you don't read on...

Strawberries dipped in sugar.
Sleeping in the TV room.
Sunflowers in the bathroom.
Dressing up with her jewelry.
Making Jam. Also known as the. longest. day. in. history.
Sleepovers with my cousins.
Toilet Papering. Yes, you read correctly, my grandma has taken me toilet papering.
Playing the matching game in her front room.
Trips to Kents.
She always bought us donuts at "A hunk of bread" in the mall.
Giving her the white car.
Beaded socks.
Furniture shopping. (The second longest day ever).
Baking cookies.
Practical jokes.
Rummikub.
Chocolate covered corn and parties in her front yard.

My memories, I'm sure you can tell, are pretty limited. But I will always remember her wearing lipstick, even if her hair wasn't done. Teasing her because somewhere in her old age she forgot the word please. I'll miss hearing the same story over, and over, and over again. I'll miss her stealing the tomatoes and fries off my plate. I'll miss her calling me at my busiest time of the day. I'll miss watching her interact with my girls. My girls who love her so very much, and who are struggling with what is happening to her right now. I'll miss seeing her for dinner on Sundays. I'm really gonna miss seeing her on Halloween, and watching her face light up when she sees her great grand kids all dressed up.

It's gonna seem strange without her, and sad. But I'm picturing what lies ahead for her, and imagining a life where she can hear everything (she's been almost deaf as long as I can remember, and hated everything about it). I'm picturing her with a healthy body. Imagining her reunited with so many people who love her, and am so happy that she will be relieved of the things that she struggled with in this life.


Grandma with Adyson, Sienna, and Simon Oct-09

Sienna and Grams Nov-09
Grandma and the ladies July-08

Re-capping a very eventful weekend.

Someone tell me how in the world it is already? How?!

And then tell me how there are only 10 days till Christmas? How?!

And then, let's chat about how I have yet to bake one Christmas treat, make a gingerbread house, and still haven't finished all of my wrapping yet?

I am Ebenezer Scrooge, having a small panic attack....

But since it's almost 1 in the morning, I guess I can just go ahead and recap you on our lovely weekend. I'll finish freaking out in the morning when my time shortens, and my list gets a little longer.

Pray for me....please?

We visited Mr. Clause himself. The ladies were so very excited.

Adyson asked for a Moxi girl (her new obsession) and Sienna wanted to ask for the Strawberry shortcake doll that comes with make-up, but when the big guy asked, she got a little nervous and just said make-up...

hopefully he does it right.The ladies had their first ever snowball fight, with cousin Simon. It lasted a almost a full 5 minutes before there were tears. They stayed outside in the snow for a good hour.Can you tell Adyson just got beaned in the face? (fairly certain tears happened shortly after this photo).The ladies had their Christmas dance recital. They had quite the cheering section! My kids are so loved! Here is my adorable niece Rheagen waiting for the ladies to dance.Cheeseballs.Adyson, looking much too pretty. (Never. Allowed. to. wear. make-up.)Sienna, who's smile just melts my heart. And I'd kill for her hair. Kill for it I tell ya...

They both did such a great job dancing, and looked oh so cute while doing it. I sure love these ladies of mine!

This weeks plans? Finish wrapping, baking, taking around neighbor gifts, delivering friends gifts, a family party, a devotional, and so many odds and ends to tie up!

Here's wishing you all a very Merry Christmas! I sure hope you have less to do then me..

The longest weekend. Ever.

Do you read my cancer blog? It's updated tonight with the main reason our weekend was quite honestly the longest weekend ever. Really. Head there first...then read on here.

Part of the longest weekend ever was spent playing outside in our very snowy yard.

Here are the ladies with their very cute, short, fat, snowman. (Travis said that snow was a bit too powdery to roll, so he made a big old mound and carved "Frostina" (ady's choice) out. The ladies are quite proud of her.

Adyson, so very excited.
I love this shot. This was taken two seconds after Sienna got outside. She just fell right down and started making this snow angel. I adore the look of heaven on her face. Oh, to be a kid again!

Because we have some of the nicest friends in the world, we were able to forget our stress and go to a Jazz game (with awesome seats, free dinner and parking), on Friday, and to the Aggie game (also awesome seats and parking). We really enjoyed every second of the games. If you know T then you understand that he wouldn't be able to think of anything other than the game while there. It was a perfect distraction, and so much fun. Thanks friends! (and please my appearance in this photo).
And here is the tree, in all her glory. Is there anything more relaxing and comforting then a Christmas tree? I would leave it up all year if I could.

A "few" pictures....

Um, because I uploaded this backwards...we will start at the end of the weekend.
I'm such a nerd.

Saturday night: we threw my pops a surprise party because he went and turned 60! It was so much fun to celebrate this with him. My dad is one of my biggest hero's. He is always there to support Travis and I (and all of my siblings) in everything we do. He is always here helping us out, and he adores his grand kids more than anything in the world. He deserved to have a party! And don't let his age throw you off, he's a kid. A 12 year old boy at heart.
Pops (on the right) and Kyle (dear family friend). All the grand kids made Grandpa a card. Dad was expecting touching and kind, and Trayson gave him a funny one. It said "At least your not 70". Tray was very proud.

Here is he walking in for the surprise. (See how my pics are all mixed up?)

And our friend Dani made a lovely sign (complete with red glitter).

Saturday Day: The ladies danced at Novemberfest. This was Enna bug's first performance, and I was afraid she might get scared, stand there and cry. Boy was I wrong! She got right out there, danced her little heart out and stopped about 5 times to wave and smile at us while she was out there. Precious.

My girls aren't allowed to wear make-up. Ever. (Don't mind the booty in the background....)

Adyson with friends Lexi and Lillian. (Don't you think she and Lillian are secret twins?)

Adyson did a great job too. She just made my heart melt while watching her, how is she so old? HOW?

Saturday, Noon, before the Novemberfest: We went to lunch to celebrate pops b-day. I think he loved the attention of the waitresses singing to him.

The kids just loved the dessert. Do you love Adyson's curls? Yes, I took her in public like that.


Cody and Brielle. That little one had us all wrapped around her perfect little finger. Quickly. (Isn't she just so cute?)
Thursday, Thanksgiving: Here's a little shot of Ads. She is thankful for her family, her house, and the gospel. (her words)

And I'm sure she's thankful for Kutter. These two are still bff's. We hardly see them when they are together. It's such a beautiful little friendship.

Sienna and Grandma Great. She sat like this for quite a while, and I think they both were happy about that.

Watching these two play this weekend was one of my favorite things to do. They were together constantly, playing house, or playing with tinkertoys. Brielle copies everything Sienna does, and I think Sienna really enjoys being the oldest for a change. What fun it is to watch them become friends. So lovely.

The weekend was really just wonderful. I feel so very blessed to have the family that I have, and I feel it's a bit unfair to have so many people to love. Even though Thanksgiving has never been my favorite holiday, I spent all of Thursday with a full heart. I have so much to be thankful for, and looking at my family reminds me how lucky I am to be able to spend a whole weekend with them, and wish for more time instead of being sick of them! And so thankful for Travis and the girls for making me so happy.

I'm just so lucky.

Did you enjoy your backwards travel through my weekend? I hope your Thanksgiving was fabulous!