Friday, December 23, 2011

The Christmas Card

the front





the back


I went for a postcard look this year, although I didn't send them as postcards because I knew they'd get stamped all over the back....

I ordered my cards through Overnight Prints. I loved the option to make the front glossy (just like a real postcard!) and round the edges. They were reasonably priced and overall I was happy, although they did short me 3 cards and would not send me more. They did refund me, measly amount that it was!

Pin It

Christmas time is here!


It's the busiest most wonderful time of the year! I must confess that I have not been in "holiday mode" this year for some reason. I blame it on two things: 

1. I have been working a lot at the gym and for KitchenAid.

2. there is no snow (and no, I don't count the snow in the above picture. I'm talking FEET of snow that has to be shoveled and allows for sledding and fort-making).

Despite the busy schedule, we have done some fun things the past few weeks.


Kensie & I went to see Annie at PTC with my mom, Andrea, and Leah. It was fantastic! 

Jaime hosted our Christmas Gourmet Dinner Night and it was so great! We exchanged fun gifts, ate delicious food, and of course, talked until the wee hours! Love these girls!!


We went to Thanksgiving Point to see the lights and talk to the reindeer. It was excellent, as usual! And no trip to TG Point would be complete without ice cream!











The kids had their Christmas Sing at school. I was too busy wrestling Landon to get pictures of Kensie and Lincoln, but they did awesome! The Fifth Grade sang a super funny song about Mistletoe, and Third Grade sang Christmas Is A Feeling. Preschool was last, so most of the parents had cleared out and I was able to get to the front row to watch Jackson. They were SO cute!! They sang The White Song and danced to a snowman medley that was so cute I am making all the kids perform it on Christmas Eve for the family! Even Landon gets in on the action. Stay tuned for that video!!

Kensie also sang two numbers in my dad's annual Songs Of Christmas program this year. She sang Away In A Manger with some other girls from my parents ward, and I'm Trying To Be Like Jesus all by herself. She did great! We look forward to this program every year. The boys LOVE the saw player (yes, he plays Christmas songs on a regular old saw using a violin bow. It's pretty amazing!), Matt looks forward to the Schneider brothers singing Prayer Of The Children, and I always get chills when I hear the bagpipes! This year The Brunson Brothers came and woke us up with their amazing trumpeting!

Oh, and I mustn't forget the two trips to the Emergency Room...

On our way out from my dad's program Landon fell and hurt his arm. It was 9:00 on Sunday night, and I was tempted to try to wait it out. But he was crying so much that we decided we'd better take him in. Thank goodness for the new Lone Peak Emergency Center!! So close, and no waiting.

They got him back and the Dr. thought it must be Nursemaid's Elbow (which Kensie had twice) so he tried to pop it back into place about a billion times (really 6) but no luck. They did x-rays to make sure nothing was broken (nothing was), splinted his arm, gave him lots of toys and stickers, and sent us on our way with the number for an orthopedic specialist to call in the morning. I opted to see my pediatrician first.

He decided that it was probably just a really bad sprain to his elbow and told me to watch him for a few days.
I took off the splint and wrap yesterday, and today he's starting to use it normally. Poor kid!

Three days after that visit I was back to the ER again. This time with Jackson. He stuck something up his nose (a white hard ball, as he discribed it). I looked in his nose but couldn't see anything. The pediatrician said if it's not visible to take him to the ER. Blah! I did NOT want to go back there!!

I kept asking Jackson if he still felt it in there and he said yes, so off we went (not before trying a home fix that the nurse told me to try which involved giving him mouth to mouth! I was laughing too hard for it to work properly!).

Of course the same doctor took care of Jackson and totally recognized me. And, of course, he couldn't find anything in Jackson's nose (the little stinker!). He must have swallowed it....

Thanks goodness my insurance doesn't require an ER copay!!

And I wonder why I'm not full of Holiday Cheer......

Pin It

Friday, December 16, 2011

Farewell, Disney Wonder...


Our final morning on the ship was a sad one! We ate breakfast and waited in line to disembark. Matt's face says it all....

here's the only picture I got of Tie Dye....I wish it wasn't the back of his head!

Once off the ship we dropped Rich & Marla at the airport and started the long drive home. The whole way I kept picturing my joyful reunion with Landon- how he would run into my arms when he saw me......

Um, not quite. When we got home my parents had kept him up so we could see him. He wanted NOTHING to do with me. He wouldn't leave Grandpa's side, cried if I tried to hold him, and ran away from me when I went to change his diaper. He was fine with Matt and the kids, but was so mad at me!

He made me pay for a few days, then finally forgave me for leaving him. It's all good.


Now we're home and back to reality. Every day Jackson asks when we are going on another cruise. He holds up his 10 fingers and says "are we going in this many days?"! I wish, buddy!!!


Pin It

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Cruisin'- Day Seven

Our last day was a day at sea. We spent the day doing everything we could on the ship one last time. The pastry chefs on board were building this gingerbread house the whole week, and this was what the finished product looked like! It smelled so good whenever we walked by.

We played games in the room and Cadillac Lounge (until we got kicked out for a wine-tasting event). The kids played in the Lab, making pasta palaces, jewelry, and attending Ratatouille Cooking School. 






We hit the shops for some Disney souvenirs. Don't ask me what Matt is doing in this picutre!


We played more games in Diversions (which had an amazing chips & salsa bar!).

No day would be complete without at least one ice cream cone!








Our final dinner was at Animator's Palate. Lincoln's face sums up this dinner.....we were all getting sick of eating by this point!






After dinner we saw the final show, Remember The Magic. I cried again. Jackson slept again. It was bittersweet.


Our final animal, Ms. Swan, welcomed us to our room for one last night....


Pin It

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Cruisin'- Day Six

Day two in Cabo was spent at Lovers Beach. We rented snorkeling gear and had a blast! Jackson was content to play in the sand, but put on the goggles so he could see all the fish. The water was dreamy, and Kensie and Lincoln quickly got the hang of snorkeling and had so much fun looking at all the fish! We even discovered a statue way down deep.  We also walked to the Pacific Ocean side of the beach, where you are not allowed in the water. While standing on the beach Marla & I saw a stingray in the water. So cool!













Back on the ship we had some lunch, relaxed, played bingo at WaveBands, and got ready for our second formal night. We had dinner at Triton's, where the kids were brave and tried our escargot. Jackson and Lincoln both ate a couple, but Kensie gagged and cried and couldn't swallow even one! But at least she tried it!! After dinner we saw the Disney Dreams show (which was by far my favorite of the trip! I may or may not have cried...). Jackson actually stayed awake for this one, and I'm glad he did! He loved it!


Night, night, Mr. Dinosaur.....

Pin It