Christmas Day 2010

The kids actually slept in until 8:30 which was nice. Matt was making fun of me because I got up at 8:00 AM to go to the bathroom and could not fall back to sleep. I was starving. So I went out to get something to eat really quick and while I was out there, I turned on the xmas lights and got ready for when the kids were going to wake up. He said I was purposly making noise so the kids would wake up. I got ice from the ice maker and it made a little noise. Anyway, Casen woke up at about 8:15 and so I took him into our room, till the other kids woke up about 8:30. I thought that was pretty late. I was thrilled that they slept in that late. Anyway, we made them wait a few minutes and then let them tear out there and see their gifts. We took turns opening gifts, so that it did not go by too fast. The kids were loving their gifts and it was so fun to see Casen open his gifts. Everything was OOH and AAWW. The kids also emptied their stockings and saw the little note Santa left them thanking them for the treats. After about 30 mintues, the gifts were close to being all opened and the kids found another note from Santa, telling them to go out to the garage and that there was a surprise out there for them to SHARE. They went running and found a Battery Powered F150 truck. They loved it. They drove it for awhile and then we had to come inside and finish presents and eat some breakfast.

The rest of the afternoon, we just lounged.....ate breakfast, opened boxes for the kids, put stuff together....etc. Brit and Toph and Nan and Norm finally came up about 2 PM to visit. Then we had to get ready to go over to Nan and Norms for xmas dinner. So we got ready and headed over there about 5:00 PM. We ate another great meal...the food tasting so good to me. And then of course, the kids were excited about their presents from Nan and Norm. Casen loved his horse. Cade loved his remote control truck and could not wait to go home and try it. And Corey disappeared with her cousins, playing with her pretend school kit. We played for a while and then Matt was ready to go home and see his Dallas game that he had taped. But first, we had the cousins migrate over to our house, to play while the adults watched a movie. It was a fun day...hanging out with family, watching the kids get excited over presents, no fighting, and just relaxing. But it was a long day and I was so excited to get into bed.

Now we have to get up Sunday, go to church and get ready for my family to come on Monday. We are so excited! And poor Matt has to go to work today. Xmas on the weekend, doesn't give daddys much of a break from work. They are expected to return to work on Monday. Now the kids have a whole week off and I hope it works out OK, not too much fighting. My family will be here, so hopefully that will help. Can't believe Xmas is already over.

Xmas Eve 2010

First of all, December 23rd, I got to go to dinner with Mandy, Brit, Nan, Cheryl, Missy, Marnie, and Teisha and Tyra. (Lynley had back surgery that day, so she was recovering.) We got to go to dinner for me and Brits' baby showers. Brit had baby Cole about 2 weeks ago and I am due in about 5 weeks. It was alot of fun and of course I forgot to take pics. It was fun to get together and eat and laugh and talk and get caught up, without the kids. Matt had the kids at home...which was nice of him. I love the girls in our family.They are so fun. It was fun to get together.

Christmas Eve, we just finished up last minute xmas things around the house during the day and then about 6:00 that night, we headed over to Nanny and Norms house for dinner. We had ribs, which were super good and a bunch of other side dishes. And then of course the kids were too excited to open presents, so we were rushed through dinner. We opened up the cousin exchange gifts and the adult exchange gifts. We were all pretty excited about what we got. Cade was wanting legos so bad, so he was super excited. And Casen loves trucks so he was thrilled. Corey got this really cool password journal that she has been playing with all day since she opened it. And the baby even got a cute outfit and socks. Adorable. Matt got a nice pair of "MANLY" biking shorts and I got this pretty decoration for my wall that Brit put together. So cute!

We stayed till about 9:00 and then thought we better head home.....to get ready for Santa. So we headed home. We let the kids open their Xmas Pj's and put those on. Then we set out some cookies and milk and reindeer food and got into bed. The kids were so excited. I thought it would take them forever to fall asleep, but they went right to bed. Corey said she was up until 2:30 AM, but I doubt that. We did not hear her. We got in bed about 1:00 AM, not too bad. Hopefully the kids will sleep in a little.

Thompson Xmas Party

Last night was the Thompson xmas party and this year we decided to do it at the church instead. It is alot of work to do it at someones house and then that person is left with the mess. So this year, we opted out of having it at our house because I am prego and didn't need the extra work. So we all worked together, down at the church, to get it set up and cleaned up and it worked out great! The kids played with some games we brought down, left over from our ward xmas party and we needed to get some more use out of them. It actually kept them entertained with only a few injuries. I think Casen got drilled with the bean bags 3 times pretty hard.

Nan and Norm were there....Cheryl and Jan, Missy and Steve, Marnie and Max, Mandy and Regan, Toph and Brit, Me and Matt, Chad and Lynley, and Rod and Sue and all the kids. So we had a good number.

We first had dinner, which is always good. Being pregnant sucks around the holidays because everything looks so good and I am starving, but I get full so fast because my stomach has no room. So I never get to eat all that I want to eat. But everything was pretty good. Then we cleaned up a little and by that time, SANTA arrived. And he was the hit of the evening with the kids. He sat them all down and sang a song and talked to them. Then he let each kid sit on his lap and asked them a few questions about BEING GOOD... Casen was having such a good time. Just this week, he has been watching all the Xmas cartoon....Diego, Dora, Umi Zoomis and Max and Ruby and he has learned about Santa this week. I think he actually gets it. He knows Santa says HO, HO, HO, and if you are a good boy he will bring you presents. It was so funny. He was in complete Awe. And I think even Cade was in awe, just hiding his feelings. He was a great Santa. And Casen wanted that TREAT (candy cane), so I told him he could have one if he sat on Santas' lap. He got scared for a minute and so that is why I am sitting on Santa's other knee. Santa did make sure all the adults got to sit on his lap too. And Matt told Santa that for Xmas he wanted 2 things....for Jen to stop blowing money and he asked if Santa could blow up OLD NAVY. It was pretty funny!

After the kids said good-bye to Santa, we played the gift exchange game and that was fun too. I am sure some ended up with gifts they liked and some ended up with gifts they did not like. That is always how that game goes. And some of the kids always end up in tears too....like Cade when he opened up a girl present and everyone was laughing. So we straightened it out and it was all good. Then we cleaned up and headed home. And oh, wow, I feel like I am going to have this baby any day now. I still have 5 weeks and I feel so ready. I think it is the 4th kid and he sits lower in my pelvis and all the pressure on my bladder just makes it hard to get around. I feel like I have to pee all day long. Can't wait to be able to lay on my belly and get a back rub. Brit came last night with 2 week old Cole and I was envious that she was DONE being prego. We are excited!

Christmas Sunday

We always like to get some pics of the kids in their cute little Sunday Xmas outfits. Sunday is always hard to get everyone ready to church, even if church is at 11:00. We still are always a few minutes late. Next year we switch to 1:00 church which will be good with a new baby. Anyway, I love to dress the kids up and red is one of my favorite colors. So I do love to find them Xmas outfits. Corey and Cade's are repeats this year because I did love their outfits last year and could not find any this year that I loved. Plus Corey fit in hers again. That is a miracle in itself. And Casen is so funny. I love his new poses, trying to say cheese and be cute! So funny!

A Few Feel Good Moments

I just wanted to sit down and write about 3 or 4 things that have happened in the past 2 weeks that have really melted my heart and brought that warm burning feeling to my heart and I don't want to forget about them.....

The first one, was just as simple as watching a sibling be nice to another sibling and show that love that they have for each other. Corey and Cade do struggle with fighting. They have their good and bad days, but when they have a good day, I am so happy. The other day, they were bringing their school teachers some xmas gifts and so I had brought them to school so they did not have to take them on the bus. Cade has a few teachers right now because his REAL teacher is going through surgery. So he had 3 presents to carry and was kind of overwhelmed. Corey did something as simple as say, "Here Cade I will help you take these to your class." She took one of his gifts and helped him walk to his class, so he was not embarrassed. It was such a BIG SISTER thing and it brought tears to my eyes. Corey can be a little stinker sometimes and so it was special to see her do that for Cade.

The Second thing that happened was that Matt and I got to witness Matt's cousin Marnie and her husband be sealed in the temple to each other and to their little boy Skyler. First of all, it felt good just to be in the temple because it has been awhile. And then to see Max and Marnie be sealed to each other brought back memories of Matt and I's wedding day and how special it was. And then when they brought their little baby boy Skyler in, I just could not hold back the tears. It was special to see the love in Max and Marnies eyes for their little boy. Babies just always add that special spiritual spark to a situation. It also brought back memories of Matt's sister Mandy and her husband Regan and how they were sealed to their little girl Skye a few years back. It really is a special day....especially for the parents....that feeling of your children being sealed to you for eternity. And I always wonder what the babies are thinking in the temple and if they remember being with their Father in Heaven because they were just in heaven a short while ago. If only they could talk. I am glad we got to be a part of it. We are so proud of them.

The last thing that really made my holidays was a little service project we did for some friends of ours. Matt's friend that he grew up with, has 4 kids and the last 2 of their kids are twins who were born about 2 years ago. They noticed that the twins development was a little slower than kids their age and found out they have a disease called Angelmans disease. They probably will never develop like other children and Nate and Christy will be their caretakers the rest of their lives. So Matt had an idea, that he wanted to raise some money for them, for Xmas, because he wanted to send Nate and Christy on a little vacation ALONE, to get away from it all and have a little break. (Matt gets really emotional when he sees parents with children with disabilities. I don't know if he is scared to have a child with a disability or if he just realizes that those parents are amazing people to be able to go through that in their life. He just has a soft spot for families like that and he always tears up.) So he wanted to do this for his friend. So I emailed all the family and friends of Nate and Christy and told them of our idea. Everything turned out so awesome. Everyone was so excited to participate. We raised $2300 and Nate's brother Ammon presented it to them at their family xmas party. He got it on video and we got to see it. It was the most humbling thing and it just made my xmas to see that we could help someone. I know that Matt and I need a vacation every once in awhile alone, to get away from everything and become closer as a couple. And so Matt wanted this for his friend and his wife. It was a special thing and will always be remembered close to our hearts!

Also, lastly, about 2 weeks ago, our little nephew was born and we got to drive down to American Fork hospital and see him. He was a healthy little baby and so cute. It really made me excited to have our next little one. And it made me think what a miracle babies are and how special they are. They really do fill a room with that special spiritual feeling. I am not sure if it is because they are so fragile or if it is just because they just came from a place so special and they still have that heavenly presence about them. I am really thrilled about our next little one and can't wait to have him be a part of our family.

The holidays can be really stressful and all hustle and bustle, but I think if we all sit down and ponder these kind of events in our lives, it helps to bring out the spiritual side of the holidays. And there is nothing better than that warm burning feeling in our hearts and bodies!

A Few Fun Xmas Activities

Along with the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, we have tried to fit a few other fun things in between. A few family things and a few things for mommy to get away and enjoy.

1. I got to go to the annual Relief Society Xmas dinner and program. I love to go. It is one of my favorite activities every year. I always love the dinner that I don't have to cook and the music. This year was pretty good too. The dinner was good and it was fun to sit at a table and catch up with the nieghbor girls. Then the music was sung by Jaynee in our ward and every time she sings I cry. She made my night. She really helps me to be able to feel the spirit. The program was done by a couple by the last name of Madsen who has just returned from a mission in the Holy Land. The slide show pics were interesting because I had never seen LIVE pics of the different holy places, but the presentation was a snoozer. It was nice to end the program with another one of Jaynee's songs. So I left feeling spiritually uplifted and ready to get on with the rest of my week. And I always love the decorations and the lighting too. It just feels so Christmasy.

2. I also got to go to the neighbors xmas party, which was just for girls. There were about 20 girls. We first went caroling to a rest home in Logan, which I have not done in a long time....caroling or visiting a rest home. It kinda made me sad to see the condition that the Alzheimers patients were in and the loneliness of the normal older people who are staying there, especially around the holidays. I really don't want to get old. Afterwards we went back to my nieghbor Beckys house for a nice Lasagna and salad dinner and cobler dessert. Super good and fun to talk to the neighbor girls and get to know them better. The most fun part of the evening though was the White Elephant Gift Game....always brings laughter. I ended up with a green thong and rolled up dollar bills, a chocolate candy bar, and a MR. Perfect Talking Picture Frame. Quite the gift. Fun to get away from kids for a night and hang with the girls.

3. Last Saturday we had our Ward Xmas party, which I was on the committee for and have been helping to plan for the last 2 months. We decided this year to go all out and do A NIGHT IN BETHLEMHEM THEME. Our family was in charge of the TOY SHOP. (I will post more pics of the other booths, once I get the pics from my nieghbor.) We were suppose to dress up as the time period, bring our families to pay our taxes (a canned good and a gift for a child), and eat a light dinner. Some of the other booths were the Water Well, the Meat Booth, The Fruit and Nuts Booth, The Cheese Booth, the Dessert Booth, and a few others. And ours was the Toy Booth.
We first had a short slide show of the different holy places in and around Bethlehem. Then afterwards, everyone ventured into the gym and moved around the gym getting dinner and visiting the booths. We all had to bring blankets to sit on too, no tables. Then at the end, they had the manger scene play, with musical numbers, which was special too.
Our family was in charge of the Toy Shop. We were giving out drediels, wood ornaments, wooden braclets, and wooden soilders and horses. We also had a few Games for the kids to play, that we made out of sheets of ply wood, like TIC-TAC-TOE, a Bean bag toss and a ring toss.
It really turned out well......different than just the normal dinner and a program party we have every year. Matt was not thrilled about going and dressing up, but he stuck it out. And Cade was actually sick that day,throwing up and we were not going to let him go, but he was SO SAD and it broke my heart, so we let him come as long as he stayed by me and helped me in the booth, instead of walking around and getting everyone infected. He really wanted to go and dress up and I didn't want him to miss that experience. It really helped us and all the ward members to think about what this time of year is all about. (And Casen would not keep any costume on except for that DONKEY HAT. He loved that. So he went as our donkey. )

4. We also decided to go and visit our grandparents graves in Wellsville, since the snow had all melted and to change out their FALL Wreaths with these beautiful Xmas wreaths. We really do miss them and know they are in a better place. But especially at Xmas time, all the memories flood back of Xmas at my Grandma and Grandpa Allans house when I was younger and it makes me sad. I love them and miss them all.

5. My kids just got done taking a 2 day, cooking class with their Aunt Teisha. Teisha has a Home Ec. Teaching Degree and has learned alot of fun stuff. The kids love it and they get to make lots of fun stuff with their cousins and other neighborhood kids. This time they made gingerbread houses, Nutter Butter Santas, Cupcake Reindeer, Marshmallow Snowman, and more. They come home with all sorts of treats.
6. And then lastly, Thursday night, I took my 2 older kids to the annual Pickleville Playhouse Elf Xmas Play. Matt does not appreciate plays, even though I tell him he would actually like this one and that it is a comedy. So I let him keep Casen home, so I could enjoy it better and not have to wrestle with an almost 2 year old. So I just took Corey and Cade. Cade loves it too because the main elf and our favorite character is actually the dad of one of his friends. He actually writes the play every year. It is a musical too and so current. The jokes are current and hilarious. They even got to sit on Santas lap before the performance began. Corey thought that she might be too big to sit on his lap, but she wanted that free candy cane. And Cade was so excited to sit on his lap, but froze up when Santa asked him what he wanted for Xmas. He could not think of 1 thing that he wanted, but his Real Xmas list has like 40 things on it. It was so cute! They loved it and came home telling Matt all the funny fart and poopy jokes that were in the play. It is one of my favorite things to do at xmas time and one of these days I will get Matt to come with us. I am not sure if he really hates plays or if he just doesn't want to pay the extra money.

Looking forward to Xmas and now I have alot to do, from wrapping presents to getting my xmas cards out to more family xmas parties. Exciting. And I also have to remember to take it easy and keep this baby in my belly for 6-7 more weeks.

Family Pics

OKAY, so I only wanted my sister-in-law Mandy to take a few casual pics of my family, so that I could have a pic for my Christmas card. Well she ended up taking some great pics and now I want to frame a bunch of these of my kids. I don't like me in the family pics because of course I am pregnant and not looking my best, but I love the pics of my kids, both together and separate. She did such an awesome job.

Corey's pics turned out cute, even though she is going through the TEETH PHASE. And Cade and Casen turned out cute too. I tried to wear black in our family pics to look more slimming and you can't even tell I am pregnant, I just look fat. So yes, I am 32 weeks pregnant and counting. Matt is 34, Jen 31, Corey 7.5, Cade 5.5, Casen (almost 2). And now I just have to pic a few of my favorites for our Christmas card.

Taking family pics is probably one of my least favorite things to do...it is up there with grocery shopping and taking Matt or my kids shopping. It is stressful getting ready, everyone complaining and then something always seems to come up and try and screw it up. Matt actually got a flood call and tried to get out of it, but I threw a prego fit and was not about to do this over again, after everyone was dressed and we were almost to the photo site. We did have to wait on him a little, but anyway, it is always stressful. And the weather was not cooperating...it was Casen's nap time and all my kids had to pee, with no bathrooms around. But we got through it and it is the best feeling when it is over and you get great results, like I did.