Things that make me happy...

1) Driving in the car listening to the radio and looking at the person in the next car who is singing what you're listening to.
2) Wrapping a gift in wrapping paper that has a pattern to it, and having the pattern match up perfectly when you wrap it around the box.
3) Figuring out what's wrong with your car BEFORE you leave on vacation.
4) Driving 700 miles with 4 kids, and having less than 10 minutes of crying (It's a festivus miracle!).
5) Seeing friends and family I haven't seen in a long time.
6) Playing Wii for the first time (and kicking some trash at bowling).
7) Having a free place to stay in California.
8) Seeing the Oakley building (one of the coolest buildings I have ever seen--seriously...more pics to come).
9) Knowing our house and cat are being taken care of.
10) I am truly on vacation. I can relax, and I even have time to blog!

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)