Christmas Creations

Here is a sampling of some of the things we have made to enjoy the season! First is Warren sporting his snowman hat. He started by wanting to cut out circles. When he had cut out three he made it into a snowman. Then he wanted to draw the face, arms, hat, and scarf and place the snowman on a bed of snow. Then he said, "Now I need a band so we can make it a hat". So we made a band to secure it on his head. Here is the finished product:
He had so much fun making it that I decided to have his preschool friends do the same project at my house. (I'll add pics of those cute kids later).
We also made a gingerbread house for Family Night. We had a lot of fun, and were joined by Julie (Joo-ee as David would say) and Lily. Good times!
Before:
After:

Christmas Shopping

Last week I took the boys to the store. Sean really wanted to buy a new watch. I told him he could take his own money to buy one. I wondered where this sudden urge to buy a watch came from, until he said to me, "Mom, don't worry. I know right where the watches are." Then he turned to Warren and said, "Warren, make sure you don't tell mom what dad bought her for Christmas." I promptly put the puzzle pieces together. Darin had taken the boys shopping earlier in the week and they bought a present for me. My watch has been missing for over 6 months. Sean suddenly knows where the watch section is. Hmmmm. I wonder what I'm getting for Christmas! Just call me Sherlock.

As a little side note, this was the most refreshing shopping trip I have had in a long time. Even with the holiday hustle and bustle, we were met with smiles and kindness all over the store. Our cart was heavy laden with kids and stuff, so it wasn't easy to steer. Several times I almost ran into other people, and without exception, they smiled and said, "That's o.k. I totally understand." (Well, I guess they didn't all say those exact words, but you know what I mean.) As our shopping trip came to an end, the boys were asking all sorts of questions about the checkout procedure. It was the first time I had had them pay for their own things (normally I just have them pay me to eliminate any hassle), and I wanted it to be a positive experience. I was hoping that the person who helped us would understand what was going on. I was not dissapointed. First Sean, then Warren, put their goods up on the counter. She talked to each of them about their cool purchases, smiled, gave them their receipt and said, "There you are, sir. Thank you for shopping at WalMart." (Yes, I said it. I shop at WalMart. Frequently. And I'm not ashamed.) As I left the store, I felt holiday cheer consume me. I actually got a little teary-eyed knowing that with all the crud that goes on in the world, people are mostly good. It made me happy.

Friday night I was telling Darin about the watch conversation I had with Sean, which led me to wonder where in the world my watch could be. The last time I remember having it I was on the couch downstairs. I have taken the cushions off the couch and checked in the cracks more times than I can count. With renewed determination, we went downstairs to look one more time for the missing watch. Darin was reaching in the cracks, then he pushed down on a little bar (with all his might), and opened a whole new world! He used a shoe to hold the bar down while he pulled stuff out. We were laughing so hard with each new thing he discovered. At the risk of embarrassing myself, I'm including a picture of the treasure trove. If anyone has valuables they would like to store, I have the perfect hiding place! I cannot believe all this stuff was back there! Even with the cushions removed, none of this was visible. It was really quite amazing. Sadly, there was no watch in the midst of the treasure, but I have a feeling my wrist will only be bare for a couple more weeks!

I'm now a member

And it could be dangerous! I had my first shopping trip as a member of Costco yesterday. It took a lot of self control, but I managed to get out of there spending only $50.00. I got fabulous snacks (jumbo pack of go-gurts, granola bites, skinny cows (yummy low-fat ice cream sandwiches), mandarin oranges, apples), a gift for a baby shower, and a gingerbread house kit. (I think that's all). I ate lunch there (a delicious chicken caeser salad), and saw about 10 people that I knew. I didn't realize that Costco was the hang out! I felt pretty cool when my mother-in-law went to check out, and I said, "She's with me".

It snowed!

And we LOVED it!

All of us except David. He was not such a fan of the snow. Maybe next time. (And for the record, we did have gloves for him, and he wore them most of the time. When he had had enough, he pulled them off and threw them in the snow, and spent the rest of the time cuddled up with Darin where his hands stayed nice and warm)

The Holy War

We spent Saturday at my parents' house watching the best game of the season. We always root for the Cougs, but this year I was hoping extra hard that they would pull off a win. Darin's neice, Christa and her friend, Jared are avid Utes fans, and were kind enough to create a song in honor of the BYU/Utah game. The last few minutes of the game my palms were sweaty, and my heart was racing, but the Cougars DID NOT disappoint!!! After the game, Jared called to "take his lumps". As if we're going to let them take them over the phone. We are in the process of creating a "Sorry your Utes let you down (again) package", and we're taking suggestions! So far the package will include a box of kleenex, "Cougar Bucks" (that we will make up) that can be used at the creamery to fill their emptiness with some ice cream, possibly a purple shirt that will make their transition to blue a little easier, and it will be signed, "We're so sorry for your loss. You will be in our thoughts and prayers. Love, Your friends in Cougartown".
Yes, I realize that in the event the Utes win next year, we're asking for it, but there's nothing like some healthy competition, and we can definitely take it just as well as we dish it out. GO COUGARS!!! (I'm working on getting a copy of the song so you can all hear it!)

Reasons not to move to Idaho

Before I get any hate mail from any Idahoans, let me assure you that I have nothing against Idaho--at all. In fact, I have heard it's a great place to live; so that's why I feel like I have to work extra hard to talk my good friend, Steve, out of uprooting his family and leaving a gaping hole in our neighborhood. So, here's my post, dedicated to Steve.

1) If you leave, undoubtedly Keri will feel obligated to go with you, and that's just not fair (to me).
2) If Keri leaves, I will lose one of my workout buddies, and possibly fall off the bandwagon of exercise. Could you really live with that?
3) Despite the fact that there is a BYU in Idaho, true COUGAR fans don't live in Idaho, and let's face it. If you paint your face blue and yell, "GO Cougs!" people will just laugh at you.
4) Jacob 2:18 "But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God." (in this case the kingdom of God=Orem, UT)
5) Do you really want Mikayla and Megan to wear potato sacks for dance costumes?
6) You will lose the best home teacher ever.
7) Spuds don't buy AFLAC
8) Dams break in Idaho
9) It's cold
10) They need Bishops in Idaho (specifically Bishops who are salesmen)
11) On average, rodents are 22% bigger in Idaho
12) In Idaho, your neighbors go deer hunting from their front porch.
13) There are more swear-mouth people in Idaho.
14) It would be really hard to get freshly baked cookies to you.
15) You would miss out on all the mosquitos.
16) Mason couldn't ride his bike to our house without serious injury (oh wait, that did happen once here, but what's a few stitches in the chin?)
17) On the night of the annual Scoresby Christmas party, we will all be sitting around crying instead of celebrating.
18) Potatoes at every meal, really?
19) It is a REALLY long commute to the dance studio.
20) I don't think they have cable in Idaho.
21) Ticket to Ride is illegal in Idaho.
22) If you move to Idaho, you'll need to get Utah plates on your van.
23) The communist party's headquarters is in Moscow, Idaho (I'm pretty sure).
24) We don't live there
25) I don't have a good feeling about it. I just don't.

Ok, so if you decide to disregard this post and move anyway, we will be very happy for you, and I will survive (but barely). After all, I was willing to call people to get their input, make up statistics, and bend the truth a little bit, and that proves that I feel like our friendship is worth a lot...even a drive to Idaho to visit. Just know that, all kidding aside, I will be very, very sad, along with lots of people.

If any of you would like to add to my list, feel free to comment!

A conversation at the Dr.'s office

Last night I took Olivia to the doctor because she was complaining that her ear hurt. (Just a little side note here; our doctor thinks our children are the healthiest kids on the planet. Our kids seem to get sick only after hours, so we always see the on call Dr.) Anyway, we were sitting in the office and here's how the conversation went:

NURSE (to Olivia): So, your ear hurts?

OLIVIA: Yes

NURSE: Which ear is it?

Olivia doesn't realize the nurse is talking to her.

ME (to Olivia): Liv, she wants to know which ear it is.

OLIVIA: Oh. Um...2007

After we all laughed and the nurse left, she turned to me and said, "I'm so embarassed!" I told her she shouldn't be. After all, she was there for ear pain, and I'm sure it affected her hearing. Sure enough, it was infected. On the bright side, she happens to love the taste of the medicine that was prescribed, so I won't have to fight her on taking it twice a day for ten days!