6 GLORIOUS HOURS...

OF PRECIOUS, BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, MARVELOUS SLEEP!!!

The night before last Urban slept straight through from 12:00 am to 6:00 am. When he woke me up and I looked at the clock I was ecstatic. He hasn't slept for more than about 2 hours at a time and 5 hours all together at night. This would explain why I've been a bit disheveled looking and loopy sounding on the phone these past couple of months. This couldn't have come at a better time either because the day and night prior to this were terrible. He did not sleep at all (which is probably why he slept so well this time) and I was a total mess. I was just an emotional wreck and didn't think I could handle another day full of crying (his & mine) and night of no sleep. It's amazing what a night of restful sleep can do. Yesterday I was able to get so much done. My nerves were calmed, I was more patient with the kids and I just took everything as it came. I was able to finish putting out my Christmas decorations and clean my house, which I had been trying to do since Saturday. That was another reason I was so upset, my house was in total disarray and I just could not take it any more. I know this was probably a one time thing, but I am so thankful to have at least one night. Now I'm refreshed and ready for the next 2 months (hopefully it won't really take that long).

Grandma's Workshop #2

This past Saturday was Dianna's second "Grandma's Workshop". All of the grand kids went over to her house to make gingerbread houses. It was so fun to watch them all design and decorate their houses. The little ones were especially cute. Of course they wanted to put way more into their tummies than into their houses. =) One of the older cousins helped each of the younger ones make their gingerbread houses. Jenna helped Addison, they LOVE spending time with each other. Grandma even made real gingerbread, but I guess it didn't turn out quite right to build the houses with so they just made cookies out of them. After all their hard work the kids ate lunch then spent the rest of the afternoon playing outside together.

Ta da! The finished product!

My Little Turkeys!

Here are pictures of both of my little turkeys on their first Thanksgivings. Since they were both about the same age (Addison was not quite 3 months and Urban not quite 2) I put them in the same outfit. It was so cute to see Urban wearing the same outfit Addison had worn (there wasn't much she could pass down, it was all too girly). It's funny because on Thanksgiving day after I put Urban in the outfit I was looking at pictures on the computer of Addison on her first Thanksgiving. Jared walked into the room and asked when I had taken those pictures of Urban. I just started laughing and said "that's your daughter". It's a little hard to tell from these pictures because I didn't get a great angle of Urban, but in person they sure do look alike. They both have the same chubby cheeks & double chin, the same old man hairline and similar lips & smiles. In short they're both just absolutely adorable!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. Ours was wonderful! It was full of family, good food, football, games, fun, laughter, sharing and even some crying (the good kind). We all went over to Joe & Trecia's who were nice enough to host dinner this year. We all pitched in and brought something to share and everything was DELICIOUS! Joe and Trecia's family have this super cute tradition of pouring a random amount of dry beans on each plate then going around the table and saying something you're thankful for for each bean you have. This is where it got a bit emotional. You may not always see it, but Ron has such a sweet, sensitive side. I really enjoyed this part of dinner. After dinner we let our tummies settle while relaxing and watching some football. Then we headed outside (the weather was beautiful) to play some games of our own. First we played "I love my family, especially the ones who...". Everyone sits in a circle with one person in the middle who fills in the blank with something like "especially the ones who wear glasses", then everyone wearing glasses has to get up and change seats. The one left without a seat is left in the middle to call out the next group. This was a ton of fun. The kids loved it, I think they could have played for hours. Next we played Red Rover, Simon Says and the boys played some basketball. It was so nice spending time playing games and we managed to get through the day with only minor injuries. =) I am so very thankful for ALL of my family. We are truly lucky to enjoy one another as much as we do.

The kiddos chowing down on dessert.

This was during the "I love my family" game.

I just had to put it on here because I love Jared's stance!

Addison and Nathan playing together.

Michael, Garett & Hayden playing basketball & Jared falling down.

Garett, Jason, Brady, Evan & Julie

Michael, Nathan, Joe, Hayden, Trecia & Jenna

Grandpa & Grandma with Jenna

If you don't know who we are then you shouldn't be reading this. Just kidding, everyone is welcome here! This was at the end of the day so Addison was extremely tired and not in the mood to cooperate for pictures (as was Urban which is why he's sleeping).

Grandma's Workshop #1

Mt. Lemmon

Dianna has planned to do a "Grandma's Workshop" every Saturday until after Christmas. The idea is to get all of the grand kids together and do some sort of holiday craft or activity. I think this is such a cute idea, the grand kids will love it. Our first activity consisted of pine cone hunting. This past Saturday we went to Mt. Lemmon, which is just outside of Tucson, to collect pine cones. We had so much fun. Mt. Lemmon is very pretty, and for us desert dwellers a bit chilly. When we first got there we had a "tailgate picnic" in the back of the truck. Then we headed up to the top of the mountain to get our loot. It was really neat because during the off-season when there isn't any snow they still have the ski lift going to take you to the top of the mountain. So we rode up to the top, looked around for about an hour or so, then rode back down. The ski lift was a lot of fun but also kind of scary. It sure is high sitting at the top of that thing, but it makes for a great view. We got all the pine cones we needed and had a great time doing it. It was just so nice for all of us to spend the day together. All together we had Grandma & Grandpa, Julie and two of her boys Brady & Garret, Jenna & Hayden, Jared, me, Addison & Urban, and a long time family friend from Alaska, Eric, who now lives in Tucson with his girlfriend Jessica (who is just as cute as can be). This last Saturday was a lot of fun, I can't wait for the rest of them. Thanks Grandma!

7 Things

I have been tagged so I have to think of 7 unique things about myself to share with my readers. Anyone else who reads this is now tagged as well and has to do the same thing. Now I am just about the most plain, boring person in the world, so sorry if this puts you to sleep. Here goes:

1. I love the mixture of sweet & salty foods. One of my favorite things is to dip french fries in a frosty or ice cream of some sort. I like the sweet/salty combo as well as the mix of hot and cold.

2. I think it is ABSOLUTELY HILARIOUS when people trip and fall down. I know, I'm sick in the head, but I just can't help it. I feel really bad and I try to ask if people are okay before I start cracking up, but I usually can't control the laughter. For some strange reason nothing is funnier to me. Don't worry, I'm not a hypocrite, I laugh at myself just as hard if not harder when I fall down!

3. I am extremely fascinated with the human body. I love anatomy and physiology and am intrigued with how the body looks and functions. I got to dissect a cat in high school and think that is just about the coolest thing I've ever done. It is my dream to dissect a cadaver some day. (Am I scaring people yet???)

4. I have a bachelor's degree in Kinesiology which is the study of body movement. More and more lately I have had such a strong desire to become a physical therapist. I WILL go back to physical therapy school one of these days. I feel like I've never been good at anything except for school. I really don't have any talents or excel in any particular area. I always enjoyed school and got good grades, so I think I should pursue it further.

5. So I've never been formally diagnosed, but I'm pretty sure I have some form of OCD to some degree. I count everything (number of times I chew my food, how many buttons I've buttoned on my blouse, cars I've passed on the road, etc.). And the counting usually occurs in multiples of seven. I also "mentally" type things that are being said in my head. I know this probably doesn't make any sense but I don't know how to explain it more clearly. I don't do these things consciously, and when I realize I'm doing them I make an effort to stop. I know I sound completely crazy, but be assured these things do not interfere with my life in any way. I think this is probably too much info. I almost deleted this one but Jared told me to leave it in, it's too weird to take out. He thinks my mental problems are funny. =)

6. When I was 15 I had exploratory surgery and found out that I have two cervix, two uterus and only one kidney. Now to most people this isn't that interesting, but whenever I walk into a new OBGYN's office they can't wait to get a look at me.

7. Since Heather posted about her experience with boys I figured I would too because Jared thinks it's strange that we both didn't kiss someone until so late. I was never asked to any dances in high school, except a guy friend did invite me to senior prom. I did not have my first kiss until I was 19 years old (yes, I was THAT girl who didn't get kissed in high school), or my first "real" boyfriend until I was 21. Jared was only the second boyfriend (and the last) I have ever had. For some reason this always surprises people, but back in high school I was not quite the hot babe that I am now. JUST KIDDING!

So there you have it. My mom and sister are pretty much the only ones who ever read my blog, and they already know all of this about me (except for maybe #5). They have to love me because they're family, but I've probably succeeded in scaring everybody else off.

Our Weekend

We had a really nice weekend. We spent most of Saturday with Jared's parents shopping. We had a great time hanging out and going around to different stores. It's always fun shopping with Dianna because she can't resist buying things for people, although I feel bad because she went a little crazy this time (thanks again). =) Our niece Jenna was with us too and came back to our house to have dinner and play with Addison. Addison loves playing with her cousin Jenna, they are so cute together. Then on Sunday I got to see my cousin Jennifer. I made dinner on Sunday night for her, her friend Erin and Erin's daughter Kaya. It's been so long since I've seen Jennifer, I think the last time was at Addison's baby shower. We had so much fun chatting and catching up. We were all always so close growing up, we had so much fun at family get togethers. We definitely can't wait so long next time.

Me & Jennifer

I know this picture is blurry, but you get the gist.

Addison & Kaya hugging each other goodbye. They had fun playing together, it was so cute to watch them.

We added two more things to our gratitude garland that we are thankful for this weekend; grandparents and cousins. We already have one for family in general, but we thought these special people deserved to be recognized again. Jared, myself and our children are so very blessed to have WONDERFUL grandparents and cousins who we have been fortunate enough to be so close to all our lives.

Gratitude Garland

I saw this idea on Heather's blog and I LOVED it so I decided to do a gratitude garland as well. It's been a bit of a rough month (okay, this is how you spell month right? because spell check said it was wrong???) so it's nice to focus on the things we're thankful for, and there are so many. So far we've acknowledged:

family

neighbors

smiles (Urban smiled his first "real" smile)

sleep (such a rare and precious thing lately)

stickers (Addison loves playing with stickers)

the Gospel

puppies

kitties

our home

It will be fun to look back over all of these blessings on Thanksgiving day and remember what exactly it was that particular day that made us especially grateful for these things. Thanks for the great idea!

SHE ACTUALLY WORE IT!!!

OH HAPPY DAY! Addison finally let me put her Halloween costume on her. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, let me explain. I decided to make Addison a little mermaid costume since Ariel is her favorite princess. I bought material to sew the bottom part then dyed her top purple to look like sea shell cups. And her long flowing hair is just the perfect finishing touch. But whenever I would go to try the bottom part on her to make sure it fit she would get hysterical. For some reason she DID NOT want anything to do with it. I was so upset because I really wanted her to dress up for Halloween. I was talking with my sister in law Julie and asked her if she wanted to come over to see if maybe she could get Addison to wear it. A couple of weeks prior Julie had bought Addison a super cute Belle dress-up outfit and she got Addison to put that on so I thought since she loves her Aunt Julie so much maybe this would work. Well, no such luck, she wouldn't put on her little mermaid costume or the Belle dress. Next I talked to my mother in law and told her the problem I was having, so she brought over a cute little fairy outfit the night before Halloween to see if maybe Addison would wear that. NOPE! Not only would she not wear these things but she would throw an absolute fit if we tried to put them on her. Then I thought that maybe I could just get her to wear her tights & leotard and put her hair in a bun and she could be a cute little ballerina. So here I am with four different options for my stubborn little lady and she would have none of them. I was so sad that I wasn't going to be able to get her to dress up, but I just wasn't sure what I could do about it. Well guess what! On Halloween day, for some strange reason she actually put on her little mermaid costume and wasn't upset about it at all. HALLELUJAH!!! It was a Halloween miracle. So here she is, my beautiful little mermaid.

I was so excited that she actually wore it and everybody knew who she was supposed to be. We went trunk or treating at the church and had a lot of fun. Of course as soon as we got there though Addison told me she had to go to the bathroom so we had to take everything off; her top, bottoms, leotard, tights and then it ended up being a false alarm so we just put it all back on again. Oh well, what do you do? Anyway, we somewhat decorated the back of the van and passed out candy and took Addison around trick or treating while Urban slept the entire time.
Here's a picture of Addison with Grandma. Jared's mom cracks me up, she looked so cute. I'm not quite sure what she was supposed to be but she stuffed her chest, had on crazy clothes & a wig and pulled it off very well!Jared bought Urban a little soldier costume, he looked so cute. Here he is yawning, he wasn't really bothered with the shananigans going on around him. We'll have to get him more in the spirit of things next year!This picture makes me laugh, I wish you could've all seen it in person. This is once we were back at home and about 5 or 6 pieces of candy later. Addison was having Dance Party USA in our living room, it was too cute! (doesn't she kind of look like she's doing the stoner dance like she's at Woodstock or something? she was high on candy!)

I'm so sad because these are the only pictures I got of the two of them together and they're not very good at all. At first we couldn't get Addison to cooperate. She didn't want to sit by Urban. Then by the time she was being all lovey-dovey with him the batteries in my camera died. I was SO MAD. Oh well, it actually ended up being perfect timing because it was then that I noticed that Addison's "fin" was coming apart at the seam. Guess I didn't do such a great job sewing it, perhaps that's why Addison didn't want to wear it, she was embarrassed of the poor quality. =) All in all we had a great Halloween, it was a lot of fun! Hope everyone else enjoyed their's as well.

p.s. So Heather, tell me the truth, would Addison's costume have won your prize for best home made costume (aka cheapest looking and put together at the last minute)? You can be honest, it won't hurt my feelings. I'll just never talk to you again! =)

Pumpkin Carving

I know everyone wants to see pictures of Halloween so I'll post that next, but I never did a post of our pumpkins so I'll do that first. We almost didn't have any this year because the carving turned out to be a bit of a fiasco. Cleaning out the pumpkin was actually a lot of fun. Addison was so cute. Every time she'd reach her hand in to pull out pumpkin guts she'd say "eww, poo poo"! So then we'd explain to her that it wasn't poo poo (I think anything gross is labeled as poo poo) and she'd so "no it's not poo poo it's pee pee". That girl cracks me up, I think she's been hanging around Caiden too much! =) Even though she thought it was some sort of bathroom product she still wanted to eat it so I told her to try a seed which she moved around her mouth for a minute then spit out. We put her to bed at this point because it was late and she couldn't help with the carving anyway. Jared started carving the pumpkin and ended up cutting off a wrong piece so he yelled at it then threw the knife inside then walked away. So then I went to finish carving it thinking that Jared was ridiculous for getting so upset with a pumpkin. Well I accidentally tore off the cat's head so I too yelled at it and threw the head inside the pumpkin. (I'm so glad Addison was already in bed so she didn't have to see her grown parents throwing temper tantrums!) We left the pumpkin alone for the rest of the night and I finished it the next day, salvaging it the best I could. Jared brought a new pumpkin home and did a very basic design on that one as to not start any more pumpkin wars!