Christmas Morning

We had a fun and enjoyable Christmas day together. This is in the morning before the kids came down. We loved our tree this year. We loved giving gifts and receiving them. We hope you all had a great day as well.

Nibblet

Paige gets very attached to her toys and chooses a 'special' toy every once in a while. This special toy gets to go everywhere with her, do everything she does and be a part of the family for as long as she decides it's special to her.

Her latest special toy is Nibblet. Nibblet is a bunny that was given to Preston on his first Easter, but we all know most toys go in the free-for-all box before long. You can pull his tail out and the whole bunny vibrates as the tail goes back in. Since Paige has decided she loves bunnies and especially Nibblet, here is a sample of the special treatment Nibblet gets.

Next to Paige watching TV.

Again, watching TV. Notice Nibblet is sitting in a position where she can actually see the TV.

At the dinner table.

Can you find Nibblet in this setup?

If there is ever a time when we leave the house without Paige's special toy we don't hear the end of it until it's safely with her again. We make an effort to find whatever toy it is before we leave the house. We're glad to have Nibblet as part of our family for a while.

An intricate web - and a serious twist you didn't expect!

On Sunday a friend in my ward commented that another girl who just moved out of the ward is pregnant. She saw the announcement on her blog.

I thought it would be interesting to try and find her blog. Lo and behold, I didn't realize how easy it is to find all kinds of friends - old and new - by going from one person's blog to another. I have found out more about people than I ever did by being a casual acquaintance. I'm not sure if I should make any random comments. "Hi _____, this is Shauna ... you know, in the ward? I liked your post." Maybe they'll think I'm stalking them. Maybe people stalk me. I'm feeling a little bit nervous now. I sure wish I could trust people. Not that I have a problem with trust in general. I do trust my friends and family - it's the other people lurking out there who are up to no good thing. You can't blindly trust in our day.

So I will take this opportunity to say that I believe the Bible, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants - all testifying of the return of Jesus Christ to the earth for one thousand years of peace. At the risk of being ridiculed, I believe with all my heart he will return and I believe the time is short before this comes to pass. I want to raise my children in peace. I want them to know Christ (whether he is here in the flesh or not). I want to be able to send them outside to play without fear of someone harming them. I want no rich and poor. I want no sickness and no greed. And wouldn't it be a nice world if there were no alcohol, cigarettes or pornography? It takes a certain kind of person to appreciate that last comment, but that is bliss to me. I guess this is on my mind more because of my friend, Sue, who I posted about earlier.

I wish we could post our honest feelings, our last names, our locations, pictures of our children and families without fear of someone using these things to abuse or hurt us or our families. I long for a day of peace. Don't you?

Ode to Sue

My friend, Sue, passed away on December 1st at 2:24 p.m. She was diagnosed with leukemia in May of 2008. She had finished chemotherapy and was at home recuperating. She began having problems again and went back to the hospital for another round of chemo when she came down with pneumonia. Her body couldn't fight it off because of her weakened condition, even with antibiotics. She slipped into a coma and died. She was 50 years old.

Those are the details, but I wanted to say some things about Sue that I will remember.

Sue, Kathleen, Gerri and I went to lunch together quite often when we were all working. We were good friends. I've kept in contact with Sue and Kathleen since leaving my previous employment. The three of them did all the room decorations for my marriage to Doug. They paid for them and set them up. It looked pretty and I appreciate what they did for me. I always had fun with Sue. She has a great sense of humor and loved to make us laugh. The four of us had a tradition of doing a progressive dinner at Christmastime so we could see each other’s decorations. We also had lunch at a fancy restaurant at Christmastime where we gave each other ornaments for our trees.

This picture was taken at my wedding. I apologize for the poor quality. It's a picture of a picture. From left to right is Sue, me, Gerri and Kathleen.Sue is a practical person. She kept herself in great shape, ate sparingly, grew a garden, kept an immaculate home and loved her two children. When I moved to my present location Sue and Kathleen came to visit and gave me a housewarming gift - a fancy nested bowl set for the kitchen. They are both always thinking of others and trying to make life a little fancier. That was fun for me since I'm a simple gal.

I could say more, but I will leave it at that. I will remember sue fondly and I look forward to seeing her again one day.

Thanksgiving feast

Thanksgiving was fun this year. Most of our siblings and their families met at Renee's house to celebrate and stuff our faces. Unfortunately, I forgot to put new batteries in my camera. Here are some of the few pictures I was able to get. Here's the two people who made all this possible. My mom and dad - two of my favorite people. Speaking of 'Thanks' I am thankful they had 8 children. I don't know how they put up with us. I have a hard enough time with 2. However they did it I am grateful to have not only 7 sibling friends, but in-law friends who are every bit as much family to me. I love them all.What's better than two Doug's? They spent most of their time in the position you see pictured here - on the couch, hanging out. One belongs to me and the other to Michelle. Can you tell which is which?Paige and Benjamin. Paige was excited about her hair being done up with beautiful bows.This is the only picture I got of Preston. He is sitting with his playmate of the day, Nathan. They are both getting to an age where they play together instead of push each other down. That is a relief to both me and Renee'.Matt and Cathy. It's sad what happened to Cathy after her last hair-do. You wouldn't know it, but that is her permanent face. At least she looks somewhat happy. It would have been even more sad if she had more of a downturn to her mouth and looked scared or sad. We're glad she's stuck on the happy look. It's easier to deal with and I think she gets less comments at church and when she's out shopping. We love you anyway, Cathy! You have a special and sweet spirit.Jonathan, Jacob and Samantha.Nathan, Athena and Hazel.Benj (as we call him) and his brother, Christopher.

POSTUM!!!

This is my last bottle of Postum. I reserved it for when it got cold. If anyone knows where I can get more I'm all ears. I thought you might like seeing it and thinking about it for a moment.Mmmmmmm ..... Postum ..... (and in my favorite mug too).

"Fer"

Preston: Mom, fix this 'fer' me.
Me: I can't right now. I'm fixin' this 'fer' Paige.

Why do my kids say 'fer'? I blame my parents. They taught me how to speak. And now I'm teaching a new generation of children to speak 'hick'. I'm so embarrassed.

I better go fix some lunch 'fer' my kids.

Halloween & Disney On Ice

Between Halloween and Disney On Ice I've gotten blog behind - is that a term? And that's not to mention the birthday pictures I didn't post this year. Here's a couple months at a glance, beginning with a common occurrence in our home - kids jumping off the couch ... or for that matter, the bed ... the table ... the chair ...

Paige and her cousin, Cortnee, are great friends and love having dance class together. After every class they beg to spend more time together. We love having Cortnee visit with us.I keep trying to dress Paige as a princess each Halloween, but this year I let both kids pick their outfits. Paige wanted to be a pink witch after she saw a pink witch costume and Preston fell in love with this skeleton costume. They ran around the house in their costumes a lot. Preston likes to pretend he's a monster and chases whatever kids are with us at the moment, or just Paige if she's the only one there. But he likes it better to chase a group of kids. He moans like a monster and runs after them.

We went trick-or-treating with Jared, Michelle (Doug's sister), Cortnee and Kaislee. We got some great loot and the Halloween decorations in their neighborhood were awesome! Thanks guys. We'll be coming back next year.

It's easy to dress a little girl up to go to Disney-on-Ice. A little boy isn't as easy. But they both look very cute all ready to go. They don't know where they're going. It was fun to surprise them and see the look on their faces when they saw the Disney characters on the ice. As we were getting ready I asked Paige if she wanted to know who would be there (meaning family) and she said, "No, I want it to be a surprise." Thanks to Michelle for teaching me how to curl Paige's hair.

We were happy Grandma came to share this night with us.

True Love

I bet you thought I was going to tell you some mushy story about Doug and I.

NOPE!

Today after church I picked Paige up from her class and we went together to get Preston. When he saw us he hopped off his chair and ran to Paige, where they gave each other a big bear hug. We walked the halls looking for daddy and they walked hand-in-hand, stopping every so often to give each other another great big bear hug.

I'm so proud. I know I was beaming that 'Those are my kids' look as I walked down the hall.

Oh MY GOSH!! Doug just fell while he was walking on the treadmill. I can't stop laughing. He denied it because none of us saw it, but there's no mistaking the sound of a treadmill mishap - a loud thud followed by skittering - I mean ... come on. So you get a double post. LOL

My mommy ... in the eyes of Paige

I found this revealing questionnaire on another blog and thought it would be fun to give to Paige. Apparently I spend quite a bit of time typing on the computer .....

1. What is something mom always says to you? Not to fight with Preston
2. What is something that makes mom happy? Making my bed
3. What makes mom sad? Not making my bed
4. How does your mom make you laugh? Tickling me
5. What was your mom like as a child? a little girl
6. How old is your mom? 50 (thank you, Paige)
7. How tall is your mom? 70 feet tall (nobody messes with me)
8. What is her favorite thing to do? type on the computer
9. What does your mom do when you are not around? type

10. If your mom becomes famous what will it be for? stars

11. What is your mom really good at? eating
12. What is your mom not very good at? not eating

13. What does your mom do for a job? Take care of the house and us

14. What is your mom's favorite food? yogurt

15. What makes you proud of your mom? cause you tickle me
16. If your mom were a cartoon character who would she be? Roger Rabbit
17. What do you and your mom do together? play pinball
18. How are you and your mom the same? we get dressed the same

19. How are you and your mom different? that we have different color hair
20. How do you know your mom loves you? from giving me presents like hugs
21. What does your mom like most about your dad? that he loves you

22. What does your dad like most about your mom? she kisses him
23. Where is your mom's favorite place to go? Disneyland

I was on the edge of my seat a few times hoping Paige's answers weren't too revealing in a negative way. It looks like we're doing pretty well. Paige likes to have a 'chat' at night and we talk about all kinds of things. She is definitely like me in that area. There is no lack of something to say. As for Roger Rabbit, she only gets to watch the start of the movie, which is enough violence to last a lifetime. Does that mean something about me? Hmmmm.....

My morning

This morning I woke up at 8:00 a.m. to Preston walking into my bedroom. Paige had come in sometime during the night and was in the middle of the bed. Preston wanted snuggles and I hoped to keep him asleep. He rubbed my arm for 10 minutes while trying to get cozy and back asleep. I finally told him to stop rubbing my arm because it keeps both of us awake. (I know, I should be awake anyway, right?)

So Preston goes to sleep for 10 minutes and I slip out to say my morning prayers - a novelty. In the middle of my prayer Preston comes over and sits in my lap - prayer over. I put him back in bed and we snuggle for a while until Paige wakes up and wants to be by mom. Mind you, we're all on only one half of the bed.

Preston whispers in my ear, "Mom, I want some bread with peanut butter and jam." I put him off as long as I can because I'm cozy. Paige and Preston start fighting so I tell Preston to get me the remotes and open the armoire so I can turn on Curious George. 'CG' ALWAYS gets their attention and if I turn it on I have a half hour of bliss - guaranteed. Paige immediately scoots over for some mommy snuggles and - DARN IT - CG is over. So we're down to Clifford, the Big Red Dog. That's not as exciting to my kids as CG is.

We get up. The kids are watching Clifford and I go get them both 'dokes' (chocolate milk.) I accidentally put chocolate in Paige's doke (she doesn't like chocolate). I come upstairs and talk her into having a chocolate milk just this once because mommy was on the phone with dad and wasn't paying attention. I did say "oops" when I did it. Does that count for repentance?

Next I come check my e-mail, hoping I received an e-mail from any friend or family member - those are my favorite and I read them first. The kids come in and want the TV on. I turn on Care Bears - Joke-A-Lot and they watch it until Paige decides she needs to lay down and her feet are on Preston. I tell the kids about 10 times to stop fighting, kicking, hitting or I'm going to turn off the show. I turn off the show and go down to make a half peanut butter sandwich for Preston and a toasted slab of bread with butter and peanut butter on it for Paige.

I come back to the computer to type out this fantastic blog post. I hear things banging downstairs and I ignore it, thinking I'll deal with any fallout later. They both come back upstairs with full tummies and a little jam on Preston's face and I turn on Care Bears again. Oh, I just noticed the sandwiches are both upstairs, so their tummies are still being filled. I say a prayer for the carpet. Preston's hands are all jammy.

Does this sound like your morning? I don't know if we're normal or not, but that's what's going in our house today.

I've Been Tagged

Cynthia tagged me with a photo tag. I am supposed to post the 4th picture from the 4th folder and tag 4 people. So here goes. This is a picture from Doug's cell phone. I wouldn't have ever included it because it's not very good quality, but it is a cute picture of an almost 2 year old Preston. I stayed up really late last night (2:00 pm) working on my blog and when I finished I was going through the pictures of Preston and Paige at the time Preston was born. It made me cry to think of how quickly they're growing up. I sure love my kids. Now, I tag Dixie, Cathy, Callie and Lisa. Some of you are tagged twice now so let's get a move on!

Mr. Photogenic

Doug complains that he doesn't look good in pictures and won't stand and let me take a picture of him. I keep telling him his pictures don't turn out because he doesn't pose or smile or cooperate. Most pictures of him are taken as he is turning away or just before/after he puts his hand up in front of the camera or he gets up close to the camera real quick before you can snap the picture. I thought it would be fun (for me of course) to show some attempts at taking his picture. You'll see what I mean. He won't cooperate, but I love him anyway. He gives me ideas for fun and interesting posts sometimes.

This picture was the last straw for me. It's a 'get up close to the camera real quick before I snap the picture' pose. After a frustrating day of getting no good pictures of Doug I hatched this little plan to do a blog post about it. So I felt secretly glad when I got this little number.

What?!! I'm innocently standing here minding my own business and you put that thing in my face again?! I'll do my 'back off' pose.Maybe silly will work this time. Surely she'll put the camera away after this one.

I'll pretend she's not there. Look, Paige, what a beautiful view.Seriously, can you see my agony? Stop already!!

I'm drawing a blank on this one. It's just plain scary. This is quite possibly a man who has lost his marbles. Maybe I should have run away.In all fairness, this one's not too bad, although he's not looking at me. Doug is a handsome man. I hope you will forgive me for picking on you a little bit. If you just didn't make it so doggone easy. I love you.

A Glimpse Into Our Day

The kids are making pretend chocolate chip cookies and Paige just threw one to me. It is delicious. She said it also has mint in it because she knows I like mint. She said she got the recipe from me. Here’s a conversation the kids are having right now. It’s so funny. Paige is still playing cookie and Preston is playing with a toy snake we have.

Paige: “Presty, do you want half of it? It’s good.”
Preston: “Paigey, look, it’s a worm. Look, it’s a worm. He wants to go in his home. Paigey look.”
Paige: “Presty, I have my big giant cookie.”
Preston: “Well, worm needs food. Paigey, worm needs something to eat down there.”
Paige: “Presty, look, I have a giant cookie. Do you want to help me eat it?”
Preston: “No thank you.”
Paige: “It’s good.”
Preston: “The worm is scared. He needs to go home. See Paige, the worm needs to go home.”

They are each in their own little world unaware that I'm typing out their whole conversation. They're so funny to listen to. That's just a sample of many funny conversations that occur during our day. I sure love my kids.

Our Family Reunion at the Beach

Here is our hostess, Cynthia, standing amidst our setup. It was comfortable with all the umbrellas and chairs. Cheers, Cynth. Incidentally, she is about 5 months pregnant in this picture - she's having a boy in November.What fun!! We're all waiting for our first wave of the day. It can be a bit intimidating at first. I am standing here with Benjamin, Hannah, Preston and Paige. My brother-in-law, Brett, is behind me on the right side of the picture. Athena and Ethan are on my left sitting in the sand.

They're starting to get into it now, but just a little bit. I'll admit I'm not anxious to have the water up to my armpits. For those of you who don't know, I don't like getting wet, especially when it's cold.Paige took the plunge. I was surprised she got into it so quickly and I'm glad the kids had fun in the water. I felt very nervous as long as the kids were anywhere near the water. I had such a fear that we would lose one of them. There were 21 kids, mostly small kids, in our party. Michelle had a talk with me and had me watch the waves go over the bigger kids that were further out and they all bobbed up again after the waves moved on. Still, I was happy when we all finally got back to our picnic site and all were accounted for.

A nice shot of everyone having fun. For those of you who don't know my extended family, all the kids in the foreground belong to us and there's the center group standing up that is us. Those people to the right of the picture are special to someone I'm sure, just not us. Well, ok, in God's way.
See what I'm saying about keeping track of all the kids? This is a sample of how many there were. We decided to build up a fortress against the water and worked on it for quite a while. Some of the kids and several adults got involved and we had a good time watching the water completely decimate our fortress. We couldn't build it high enough or thick enough to make it work. It would have killed our pretend people every time. It was fun trying though.

In the end, we gave up. Our pretend people had to move to higher ground.What beach party is complete without someone getting buried in the sand. Here is Samantha, who is always up for some adventure, getting buried by Jacob and Cathy, with a little help from Katie.I like this picture of Preston. He loved playing in the water. He would run out of the water and wait for the next wave and then run into it. Here he is getting ready to run. I had to keep dragging him back to where we were. When your only focus is the water you tend to drift away from your party without realizing it. He was always angry when I dragged him back and then happily went about playing again when he realized I wasn't taking him away altogether and he could still play. Luckily he's still small enough that I can drag him where he needs to be. I don't know what I'll do when he's big enough to drag me. Hopefully by then he can be reasonable. My sister, Michelle, is in the purple shirt.And here he is crashing into the waves. I'm glad the kids got to experience the ocean.Look, mom ... sand!!I think I'll go ahead and roll around in it. I didn't know I'd be taking home a sand daughter. Seriously though, it was fun to relax and let the kids get as dirty and wet as they wanted. They don't often get that opportunity.Preston fell asleep immediately when we got back to the picnic site. He slept for about 2 hours all wrapped up in his towel. It was a bit cold at the beach, but he was all snug. I love sleeping baby pictures.

The walk to the water from our picnic site was a couple of minutes so once we got to either place we were there to stay for a while. Here is part of our little umbrella city around the campfire. Paige is eating her usual slab of hamburger - she is a carnivore. I like how relaxed she is sitting in that big chair. Also pictured are Callie and Jeremy.Ashley is enjoying her meal.Preston woke up after we had all eaten and got to enjoy more fun in the sand.Nathan, Hannah and Jacob also enjoying the sand.Matt, Jaime and many children having a good time.In the end Paige also succumbed to the excitement of the day and got all snuggly in the towels and fell asleep. It was a fitting end to a fun day. Cynthia did a great job on the reunion this year. Thank you Cynthia! We had a blast!