After my last post it's been a whirlwind to get Christmas ready to go here at our home! I hadn't done ANY shopping so Chan and I got busy! In the meantime Carter and Elle went to the Christmas dance and had a BLAST! They played in the snow for their day date, as well as made gingerbread houses, then they went home for a couple hours before donning their ugly sweaters for dinner and the dance. They had a blast and I enjoyed taking pictures of them before the dance. It was fun!
Our Ward party was also fun. The decorations turned out great and the food was awesome! It's also the night we choose to do our family tradition of "Santa Bombing" but we wended up doing it the following Monday night instead. This year we targeted the Ross family and it was Will, Brianne and I that went to do it. We were in the middle of tying off Santa when we were caught by their son Noah while taking out the trash! We scared him to death! But they enjoyed it and have enjoyed having him on their porch!
Another fun thing was the combined activity we did for December. We went to a nursing home in Draper and did a Christmas program for the people there. Carter was dressed in a full Santa suit and was the MC for the evening. Our youth sang Christmas songs as a group as well as a few solos and it was wonderful! One of the nurses grabbed Carter at one point and asked if he would please come with her to see an older woman who was bed ridden. She said she would LOVE to see him, so Carter grabbed me to come along and we went to see her in her room. The minute she laid eyes on Carter she yelled, "Santa" and was reaching out for him! He took her hand and she began to tell him over and over that, "she had been a good girl" and Carter said that he already knew but wanted to know what she wanted for Christmas. She told him she wanted a radio and he said he would get it for her. It was the sweetest moment! I was so proud of Carter for being so sweet and tender with her! We then walked the halls singing more before leaving to do some caroling in our neighborhood. We hit a few homes that the bishop asked us to see and then we were off to the mall! I had the idea to do a "Caroling mob" in the food court! So we all walked in separately and spread out in the food court until we heard Carter say out loud, "the best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear" and as soon as he said that we all put on our Santa hats and began to sing! I was sad that it wasn't packed with people, but the few who were there really enjoyed it! Carter even went into a store where a friend was working and sang to her with Dakota and Will! Pretty cute! It was a fun experience!
Brianne participated in her school choir again this year and even landed a solo in the Christmas program! She did an awesome job (as usual) and we really enjoyed the program. The ladies in charge always find some interesting songs! I will admit though I would have like a few more traditional ones! Anyway, it was fun and we were so proud of her! She also graduated from the NOVA program. (It's like DARE) She even received special recognition for the rocket she made for it! We were very proud!
While all these things were going on Chan and I were out shopping and got the kids their Christmas :) We really enjoy doing that and love to see their faces when they open them! But I also ended up doing some shopping for Kathy since she became very ill with pneumonia and couldn't do it herself. I was able to pick up the items for our kids as well as some for Brooke's kids. I was glad to do it!
My neighbor gifts this year were a canning jar with Twizzlers licorice inside and a note attached that said "Twiz the season"! It was a fun idea I found on Pinterest and the kids and I had fun delivering them :)
On the Sunday before Christmas Carter, Brianne and I sang in the Ward choir, Carter also had a small speaking part, Will sang with the Young Men and Brianne sang with Primary. The program they did was AMAZING! It was basically just music and scriptures were read in between. It was so good and the spirit was SO strong! The last song we sang as a choir I had to stare at my music or I would have just cried! I hope they do that every year because I loved it! Music is so powerful! After church that day we had Chan's family over for a turkey dinner. Annie & her family were in Oregon but the rest of the family was there and we had a great time! The food was so yummy, especially the gravy! It was a perfect day!
Christmas Eve we went over to Brooke's home. She made a beautiful meal that we all enjoyed and we loved visiting and spending time together. Chan's Grandpa had to go in for an emergency surgery that evening, but has since gotten much better and is recovering well. We ended the evening with our usual EVE gifts, but this year Brianne was the only one to get PJ's! My boys just don't wear them anymore so I decided to break the tradition and get them something they will actually USE! Carter got an Oregon shirt that said "Win the day" and Will got an under armour jacket that he had been eyeing since we were in Vegas! They loved it! Brianne loved hers too and especially liked the matching slippers!
Christmas Day for us began around 7:30am when we got up to put the Sausage Fondue (that Carter made this year!) into the oven. We then got the kids up and had them start with their stockings. I now wrap everything in the stockings too which makes it more fun for them! They were so cute and very pleased with all they got there! Including Chan who got some nifty kitchen gadgets! Then they opened their presents! I'll save you all the details but their big gifts from us were:
Brianne- a new ipod that has a camera so she can face time and a new mattress set
Will- an ipad mini
Carter- a Dr Dre"pill" speaker and some speakers for his car.
They are VERY happy kids and very blessed! Chan surprised me and got me a beautiful new coat (which I very badly needed) on top of the carpet cleaner that I asked for :) But the best part for me was the letter Carter wrote me and the amazing drawing of the Nativity Brianne made for me! Both were so thoughtful and meant so much!
We are so blessed!! I know I keep saying that, but it's really TRUE! We have such a wonderful family and I couldn't be happier right now! I am trying to stay positive every day and to focus on the things that matter and the things that make me happy! On this New Years Eve I can only hope that this year brings a lot of the same wonderful opportunities that have found us this year and that my family will continue to be healthy and happy!
Love to you all! Happy New year!!
Monday, December 31, 2012
Sunday, December 9, 2012
November into December Update!
Wow! It's been crazy busy around here! I figured I had better get an update in before the year came to a close! Hahaha!
I went in to do an update on my blog shortly after Carter's surgery and discovered that I have maxed my picture capacity with blogspot :( So after having a mild freak out I showed Chan and he started to search options. I could purchase more storage space through google but would have to pay a monthly fee which I really didn't want to do. So after a lot of searching we think we've figured out a way, we just have some final things to iron out. So for now there will be no pictures which I HATE! But when we have got this other thing figured out I will let you all know!
As for Carter's knee he is healing really well! He has already gotten the "all clear" from his doctor and is doing physical therapy 2-3 times a week. He had minimal pain, which is great, and now that he can he will slowly start to get back into his weight lifting routine. He is VERY excited to start working with his trainer again in January.
Will's football team played in the championship game on November 10th and he and I went out the evening on the 9th to put signs in all the players yards. It took us much longer because we got a nasty winter storm and it was snowing and foggy in some spots! But we braved the elements and got them all up! While we were doing those the cheerleaders were out doing the coaches homes- it was fun! The morning of the game we had got roughly 10 inches of snow! Thankfully his game wasn't until noon but even still it was REALLY cold and WET! You couldn't even see the field at all! They had orange yard markers on the sidelines but the field itself was 10 inches of snow! They were playing that same Copper Hills team they had played earlier in the season and they were just ugly. They played dirty that day so we were worried it was going to be more of that same kind of play. The snow FOR SURE was a factor in it being a slow game. Not a lot of scoring and not a lot of movement. Running was difficult for both of us! We just kept pushing on and pulled together as a team and at the end of that cold day they were victorious! Up until that last moment I tried to not get excited because this was Will's 4th trip to the championship and every other time he had lost, so I really didn't want to get too excited. But as soon as we knew it was a for sure and that final whistle blew, all the emotions came out! I was crying, Will was hugging his team mates and Brianne was charging the field with her team mates! It was awesome! I was so proud of them!
About a week and a half later the weather changed back to unseasonably warm weather (of course-geez) and they went on to prepare for the National Youth Football Championship in Las Vegas! We signed up for this tournament in early October and most of his team were going. We only had to replace 2 players that had already made Thanksgiving plans. But after a couple practices the Wednesday before Thanksgiving we hit the road! On our way we stopped in St George to pick up Tammy and then we were off to Las Vegas! We stayed in the Rio all Suites hotel & casino and we got two rooms. Tammy, Will and Brianne were in one room and Chan and I were in the other. Carter got to stay with a bunch of his friends who also had brothers on the team- I think there were about 7 boys in that room! Yikes! Once we got checked in to our own rooms it was time for the team check in. We met the other team members and began a roughly 2 hour wait for check in! YUCK! But once that was over the rest was easy! They had a game on Thanksgiving day at a local high school and they played a team from California called the Rush. They just killed us! It was really awful! Thankfully, we have some great kids on the team who walked away with their heads up regardless of the loss! After the game our little family and Tammy went back to the hotel where Chan had gotten us reservations for Thanksgiving dinner! It was a small Bar and Grille right inside the hotel and the food was SO GOOD! I was very happy! After that we were pooped so we all headed to our rooms for rest :) The next day we had another game with another California team and once again we got creamed :( I kept hoping it would change but they were just bigger and stronger so we weren't able to overcome them. But again, our guys walked away feeling great about themselves and having had the opportunity to be a part of this tournament. They were still having fun together! That night Brianne went to her Cheer Mom's room for a cheer sleepover, Will went over to a friends room and Carter was with his buddies so Tammy had her room to herself for a while and Chan and I had some much needed alone time! It was wonderful! Saturday we had the whole day to ourselves so our family decided we'd go shopping! YAY! We went to an outlet mall first and then went over to a new outdoor mall called Towne Center. We had a great meal at a place called the meatball spot which was fantastic! Then it was time to shop! We were there for quite a while! They had everything from an apple store to Tommy Bahama! We had a blast! We went back to our room, watched a movie and hit the sack! Sunday morning we headed home it was a wonderful weekend and we enjoyed having that time as a family!
When we returned from Vegas I jumped right into preparations for the banquet. It was held at Apple Spice Junction on the Wednesday after we returned. I had done a lot of stuff to prepare before we left so it wasn't too bad! It was a wonderful evening and it all went as planned- even better actually! Will received a HUGE trophy for winning the championship- I've never seen him happier! He was in heaven! What a sweet few months for him and for us! Brianne's team also got trophies and the best she's ever received! She had a great team this year and has made some great friends! It was truly one of the better football seasons in little league that we have had! One to remember!
Once football was really over it was time to focus on the holidays! I have to admit that because the weather was still warm and we had been in Vegas I hadn't done much thinking about Christmas! As soon as I could I grabbed the boys and had them get down our decorations. I started with the small things because our 2 fake trees were in storage. But in a few days I had Chan meet me there and we got those too! However, last year we had decided as a family that this year we were going to buy a REAL tree! This is something we have NEVER done! We had intended to go out to our friends farm to purchase one, but the day we had chosen to buy it became to hectic for that long drive so we went to a local nursery just down the road. We all jumped out and walked the rows of trees and we came to two trees that we were deciding between. Carter wanted it to have a good vibe, so he kept staring and checking it out! It was funny! But we finally decided on one and strapped it on top of our truck and off we went! When we got it home Chan and the boys got it down, put a fresh cut on the bottom and took it inside. The kids all helped each other get it into the stand and properly leveled in the front window while Chan and I got started on the outdoor lights! By the end of the day our house looked very festive! I never got to decorating the tree that day but I did get the lights on it! I finished it out the next day and it looks beautiful! I have to say I am really enjoying having a real one! I absolutely LOVE the smell and the pine needles aren't too bad yet! I just keep the vacuum in a nearby closet in case I need to do a quick swipe! But our house is very festive with 3 trees! One in the front window, one in the family room and one (that Will and Brianne put up) in the basement! I'm loving it!
Carter decided last weekend that he and his buddy Jayden were going to ask some girls to the Christmas dance! So they got some poster board and made poems to ask them along with some props! Carter did a small Christmas tree with ornaments that had the letters of his name written on them and Jayden did snowflakes with his letters. They went out and delivered them and the girls were thrilled! Carter is excited to go and he tells me that he and his date are going to wear ugly sweaters! This should be fun!
This past week was interesting because I spent a good majority of it preparing to decorate for our Ward Christmas party! The young women were put in charge of doing it and we had nearly zero budget so I came up with the idea of spraying pine cones (that the girls collect) with silver and gold paint and putting them in clear vases. It ended up being quite the ordeal (yeah- imagine me bent over spray painting pretty much ALL day and having to run out and collect more pine cones half way through for fear of not having enough!) It was crazy! But the party was this past Friday and it was a success! The decorations turned out beautifully and the food was great! For me the best part is just talking with friends and neighbors! It was wonderful! And yes, I have A LOT of leftover pine cones! Oh well!
Well that was LONG!! I doubt that all of you read everything which is fine! It was mainly for me and my posterity anyway! Hope the holidays are finding you all happy and healthy too!
I went in to do an update on my blog shortly after Carter's surgery and discovered that I have maxed my picture capacity with blogspot :( So after having a mild freak out I showed Chan and he started to search options. I could purchase more storage space through google but would have to pay a monthly fee which I really didn't want to do. So after a lot of searching we think we've figured out a way, we just have some final things to iron out. So for now there will be no pictures which I HATE! But when we have got this other thing figured out I will let you all know!
As for Carter's knee he is healing really well! He has already gotten the "all clear" from his doctor and is doing physical therapy 2-3 times a week. He had minimal pain, which is great, and now that he can he will slowly start to get back into his weight lifting routine. He is VERY excited to start working with his trainer again in January.
Will's football team played in the championship game on November 10th and he and I went out the evening on the 9th to put signs in all the players yards. It took us much longer because we got a nasty winter storm and it was snowing and foggy in some spots! But we braved the elements and got them all up! While we were doing those the cheerleaders were out doing the coaches homes- it was fun! The morning of the game we had got roughly 10 inches of snow! Thankfully his game wasn't until noon but even still it was REALLY cold and WET! You couldn't even see the field at all! They had orange yard markers on the sidelines but the field itself was 10 inches of snow! They were playing that same Copper Hills team they had played earlier in the season and they were just ugly. They played dirty that day so we were worried it was going to be more of that same kind of play. The snow FOR SURE was a factor in it being a slow game. Not a lot of scoring and not a lot of movement. Running was difficult for both of us! We just kept pushing on and pulled together as a team and at the end of that cold day they were victorious! Up until that last moment I tried to not get excited because this was Will's 4th trip to the championship and every other time he had lost, so I really didn't want to get too excited. But as soon as we knew it was a for sure and that final whistle blew, all the emotions came out! I was crying, Will was hugging his team mates and Brianne was charging the field with her team mates! It was awesome! I was so proud of them!
About a week and a half later the weather changed back to unseasonably warm weather (of course-geez) and they went on to prepare for the National Youth Football Championship in Las Vegas! We signed up for this tournament in early October and most of his team were going. We only had to replace 2 players that had already made Thanksgiving plans. But after a couple practices the Wednesday before Thanksgiving we hit the road! On our way we stopped in St George to pick up Tammy and then we were off to Las Vegas! We stayed in the Rio all Suites hotel & casino and we got two rooms. Tammy, Will and Brianne were in one room and Chan and I were in the other. Carter got to stay with a bunch of his friends who also had brothers on the team- I think there were about 7 boys in that room! Yikes! Once we got checked in to our own rooms it was time for the team check in. We met the other team members and began a roughly 2 hour wait for check in! YUCK! But once that was over the rest was easy! They had a game on Thanksgiving day at a local high school and they played a team from California called the Rush. They just killed us! It was really awful! Thankfully, we have some great kids on the team who walked away with their heads up regardless of the loss! After the game our little family and Tammy went back to the hotel where Chan had gotten us reservations for Thanksgiving dinner! It was a small Bar and Grille right inside the hotel and the food was SO GOOD! I was very happy! After that we were pooped so we all headed to our rooms for rest :) The next day we had another game with another California team and once again we got creamed :( I kept hoping it would change but they were just bigger and stronger so we weren't able to overcome them. But again, our guys walked away feeling great about themselves and having had the opportunity to be a part of this tournament. They were still having fun together! That night Brianne went to her Cheer Mom's room for a cheer sleepover, Will went over to a friends room and Carter was with his buddies so Tammy had her room to herself for a while and Chan and I had some much needed alone time! It was wonderful! Saturday we had the whole day to ourselves so our family decided we'd go shopping! YAY! We went to an outlet mall first and then went over to a new outdoor mall called Towne Center. We had a great meal at a place called the meatball spot which was fantastic! Then it was time to shop! We were there for quite a while! They had everything from an apple store to Tommy Bahama! We had a blast! We went back to our room, watched a movie and hit the sack! Sunday morning we headed home it was a wonderful weekend and we enjoyed having that time as a family!
When we returned from Vegas I jumped right into preparations for the banquet. It was held at Apple Spice Junction on the Wednesday after we returned. I had done a lot of stuff to prepare before we left so it wasn't too bad! It was a wonderful evening and it all went as planned- even better actually! Will received a HUGE trophy for winning the championship- I've never seen him happier! He was in heaven! What a sweet few months for him and for us! Brianne's team also got trophies and the best she's ever received! She had a great team this year and has made some great friends! It was truly one of the better football seasons in little league that we have had! One to remember!
Once football was really over it was time to focus on the holidays! I have to admit that because the weather was still warm and we had been in Vegas I hadn't done much thinking about Christmas! As soon as I could I grabbed the boys and had them get down our decorations. I started with the small things because our 2 fake trees were in storage. But in a few days I had Chan meet me there and we got those too! However, last year we had decided as a family that this year we were going to buy a REAL tree! This is something we have NEVER done! We had intended to go out to our friends farm to purchase one, but the day we had chosen to buy it became to hectic for that long drive so we went to a local nursery just down the road. We all jumped out and walked the rows of trees and we came to two trees that we were deciding between. Carter wanted it to have a good vibe, so he kept staring and checking it out! It was funny! But we finally decided on one and strapped it on top of our truck and off we went! When we got it home Chan and the boys got it down, put a fresh cut on the bottom and took it inside. The kids all helped each other get it into the stand and properly leveled in the front window while Chan and I got started on the outdoor lights! By the end of the day our house looked very festive! I never got to decorating the tree that day but I did get the lights on it! I finished it out the next day and it looks beautiful! I have to say I am really enjoying having a real one! I absolutely LOVE the smell and the pine needles aren't too bad yet! I just keep the vacuum in a nearby closet in case I need to do a quick swipe! But our house is very festive with 3 trees! One in the front window, one in the family room and one (that Will and Brianne put up) in the basement! I'm loving it!
Carter decided last weekend that he and his buddy Jayden were going to ask some girls to the Christmas dance! So they got some poster board and made poems to ask them along with some props! Carter did a small Christmas tree with ornaments that had the letters of his name written on them and Jayden did snowflakes with his letters. They went out and delivered them and the girls were thrilled! Carter is excited to go and he tells me that he and his date are going to wear ugly sweaters! This should be fun!
This past week was interesting because I spent a good majority of it preparing to decorate for our Ward Christmas party! The young women were put in charge of doing it and we had nearly zero budget so I came up with the idea of spraying pine cones (that the girls collect) with silver and gold paint and putting them in clear vases. It ended up being quite the ordeal (yeah- imagine me bent over spray painting pretty much ALL day and having to run out and collect more pine cones half way through for fear of not having enough!) It was crazy! But the party was this past Friday and it was a success! The decorations turned out beautifully and the food was great! For me the best part is just talking with friends and neighbors! It was wonderful! And yes, I have A LOT of leftover pine cones! Oh well!
Well that was LONG!! I doubt that all of you read everything which is fine! It was mainly for me and my posterity anyway! Hope the holidays are finding you all happy and healthy too!
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