MEGA Christmas Update... on New Year's Eve... :D

Hey at least I'm finally posting it right? :D

So this year we went to a fabulous Jones Family Christmas party the middle of December. It was SOO wonderful to see that side of the family! We really only see them a few times a year... Fourth of July camping trip, October Park City girls' weekend, and the Christmas party... unless someone gets married... then we get to see everyone an extra time! : ) So it was very nice to see everyone! Santa made his appearance and each kid got a new game!!! Kadan got Sequence for Kids (VERY fun!) and Zack got a little bowling set (which was SO perfect for him!). TONS of great food! We were stuffed!

The next weekend we went to the Harris Family Christmas party in Rexburg. Had a good time there... though Blaine and the boys probably had more fun than me... I was pretty sick most of the weekend. : ( Ruined it for me a bit, but we got some nice gifts from Blaine's parents & grandmother (including a movie & a Sam's club membership, cars for the kids). We played a fun game where you had to bring a white elephant gift that started with your initials. Since my phone hasn't been working we didn't get the message they were doing this, but LeAnn helped us find some items around their house to use. I used a "key holder" and blaine used a "blue hanger". Some of the items were so creative we had a hard time guessing who they were from and some were SO hilarious we were laughing forever! (ahem... Shauna... LOL!)

We celebrated Christmas this year on the 23rd. Blaine's work schedule got switched around and we ended up only being able to go to Star Valley on Christmas day (normally we've pretty much veto-ed travelling on Christmas day itself). Blaine also had to work Christmas eve and Christmas morning until 6am. So to save ourselves some hassle, we did it early, and I'm SO glad we did! We got to enjoy our gifts for a couple days and THEN drive to Star Valley! worked out good! I posted awhile ago about some of the boys gifts, I'll list again: some new superhero costumes, a great big wooden train, a cool dinosaur book, some superheroes on motorcycles (probably the boys' two favorite things EVER), legos, THE coolest pirate ship I've ever seen that goes in the bathtub, a new sled!, bug puppets, and little puppies that move and bark (quietly so mom & dad don't go crazy LOL).

On Christmas Eve the boys both really loved decorating cookies. Frosting GALLOR and TONS of sprinkles!!! Blaine will have to tell you how 'good' they tasted. LOL Kadan also colored a picture for Santa that said "welcome home" (how cute is THAT) and left it by his milk and cookies. That night (Christmas Eve) our 'Elf on the Shelf' snuck out the window and after our bathtime we found the boys bedroom window open with the little elf sitting on their bed next to two presents that contained Christmas jammies! It was very exciting. : )

On 'our' Christmas day we tried out the sleds for a bit (Zack was NOT a fan... too big a hill for his first sledding experience). That night we got a babysitter for an hour while Blaine and I used a gift card he won at a Christmas drawing at work to go out to eat. It was our first date in FOREVER cuz his work/school schedule has been so crazy! It was a VERY nice present for ourselves to eat out without kiddos for FREE! : )

We had lots of fun in Star Valley playing games and eating good food. The boys got spoiled rotten with Batman toys GALLOR!!! They now own every piece of the Fisher Price Imaginext Superfriends toys!!! They LOVED it! Superheroes and various cool-looking vehicles... it's really all a little boy dreams of. LOL! Me and Blaine got a WII FIT!!!! (complete with some accessories!) We're SO excited! We TOTALLY weren't expecting that! Blaine got a Best Buy gift card from Grandma Jones and I got a book "YOU Being Pregnant" (from the line of books like YOU On A Diet... YOU Staying Beautiful... and such) and the boys got some way cute little shirts! We gave my brother a mulititude of Tuna Helper (with cans of tuna of course) cuz he's like obsessed with the stuff. We wrapped them all individually. It was pretty funny. : ) He got the boys some dinosaurs and a pretty neat Knight Sword that Kadan LOVED. LOL

And that was our Christmas! Blaine ALSO had to work on New Year's Eve/Day (6p to 6am) so that effectively eliminated any party plans we could have had... thought we really didn't have any... it had been awhile since we hung out with the Warren clan of 3, though, so we decided to have a little New Year's Eve Eve party (or a New Year's Adam party...ha ha! the technical name for it never was settled on...). Blaine's work gave each of them a turkey so we had turkey and potatoes and stuffing... brownies for desert... popcorn during games. I must say, I was quite impressed with ourselves! It was me and Blaine's first time cooking a turkey by ourselves and it turned out pretty dang good! : ) I guess our favorite pastime of watching Food Network paid off a bit! Today we took the kids sledding again. This time we picked a different hill and BOTH boys enjoyed it. LOL We didn't stay too long cuz it was pretty windy, but it was just long enough that they each had a good time. Good ol' Daddy played the part of the reindeer/ski lift, hauling them and their sled back up to the top and back and forth from the car. On Kadan's last time down he went with Blaine from the very top of the hill, he thought that was pretty cool!

Tonight Blaine is spending New Year's Eve at work. The kids are in bed already (yeah right... like I was going to let my 2 and 4 year old stay up til midnight? no way! LOL) and I am FINALLY blogging about the holidays in between doing loads of laundry. Ahhh... what a way to party, right? : ) My festive party treats include a few cinnamon bears and a bottle of water. I may go all crazy later and watch the commentary to Sense & Sensibility (my new favorite movie, F.Y.I.) and pop some popcorn, too! woohoo!

Merry late-Christmas and Happy New Year's one and all!!! (following are pics from Christmas Eve, Christmas day, and sledding on New Year's Eve)

The boys making Christmas cookies for Santa. I knew they'd go crazy on the decorations (as in... they would not all get eaten cuz they'd have so much frosting/sprinkles!), so I only let them frost 4 each. Then they each picked two to put on Santa's plate and got to sample the rest themselves. : )Santa's Goodies, two made by each kid. Complete with artwork done by Kadan (he couldn't find the red marker, so he chose the closest color he could find. LOL
Kids all snuggled in their beds... visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. (Kadan has taken to climbing down to the bottom bunk to cuddle with Zack. And we're definitely okay with that, cuz it's better than him climbing into our bed to cuddle everynight!!! LOL : )This night they just looked so cute all snuggled in bed I couldn't resist some pics. (Behind their heads is the giant stuffed dog we call "Love Puppy" (he was a Valentine's dog Kadan got when he was like 2). This is Zackery's ultimate comfort item. It has always been so. It doesn't matter that it was once Kadan's. He has been restuffed I believe 3 times so far and is probably in need of it again! Zack sleeps on him every night and insists on sharing with anyone laying next to him. It's like he can't imagine anyone NOT wanting to sleep with Love Puppy. LOLHere's our big fat kitty named Aslan (named after the Lion from Chronicles of Narnia). Naming him after a lion was on one hand quite the oxymoron... considering he is the mellowest cat I have EVER met. He purrs the second the kids pick him up and the entire time he is being sufficiently mauled. He is playful, but in the end he's quite the pansy. However on the other hand, he has gotten HUGE! This picture doesn't really do him justice. This cat is only like 8 months old and about 1/3 of his body is kind of behind Kadan's back cuz he's too big for Kadan to hold him very well nowadays. He is also VERY fluffy, but it hasn't bothered me. Blaine likes to brush him and it keeps his furr really pretty and keeps it off my furniture, etc. LOL Aslan quite enjoyed the two moving/'talking' puppies the boys got. Every time they'd bark or whine Aslan would perk right up and circle them and wait for the toy puppy's next move. He never could quite decide if it was a friend to play with or prey to chase and attack!
Both boys got a new winter hat. I LOVE these ones. They are thick and snug to the face so cheeks/head/chin/neck all stay toasty warm!

One of the two superhero costumes the boys got. They really love dress up stuff. We have a big basket full of various hats, capes, and masks. They got a Transformer (pictured above) and Captain America (complete with stuffed muscles. SO funny!). Captain America was by far the favorite, but I didn't get a pic of that one.

Here's another pic of the two puppies. Zack liked them the most. He packed them around feeding them their bone/bottle (one was a 'newborn' puppy). Every time they'd make their little whining noise he'd say, "Awww! Puppy! Is okay... dohn cry... na-night... na-night... a bwanky? here go. na-night." and he'd put them to sleep in his bed.

The AWESOMEST AWESOME pirate ship!!! I wish I had gotten a better photo of it. This one is kind of blurry. It comes a part into chunks (and it's WAY easy to snap the parts together or apart) so you can rearrange it to look different. It came with a little treasure chest, a pirate captain, a first mate, a 'plank' (which the boys have the pirates use as their diving board when they want to go swimming LOL), multiple little cannons that shoot out when you push certain buttons, and... a big octopus!!! that suctions to the walls of the tub! I love that it really floats and such. WAY cool bath toy!!!Woohoo! Sledding on New Year's Eve!Daddy... aka: the reindeer/skii lift. LOL! Go honey go! Feel the burn! : )Blaine and Kadan on the last ride down of the afternoon. Since Zack wasn't riding this time they went all the way from the top. Kadan thought it was awesome! (and Blaine had fun too) LOL : )

Two little snow monsters. Zack would hang on to the side and Kadan would hang on to Zack. It worked pretty good cuz Zack didn't quite have the balance to stay sitting upright by himself. He was also much braver and enjoyed it more when Kadan was riding with him.

Twas the Night Before Our Christmas...

Twas the night before our Christmas,
Since we're celebrating tomorrow,
Zack was snug in his bed,
Much to his sorrow...

Kadan on the couch resting,
Waiting for brother to fall asleep,
In an hour the house will be quiet,
Neither child making a peep...

The stockings were hung
By the... er... entertainment center with care,
In hopes that St. Nickolas
Soon would be there...

Santa's cookies are decorated,
Christmas jammies are on,
Toys and messes were cleaned up,
Just before my patience had gone...

The presents are wrapped,
Hidden now, but ready for the tree,
The children are almost
As excited as me! : )

Daddy's at work,
Til tomorrow morning 6:00,
When he gets home,
We'll fill up the Christmas socks...

When we're through,
We'll wake up the boys,
And watch their faces light up
Seeing books and games and toys...

Then pictures and more
I'll post on this site,
For now, Merry Christmas to all!
And to all a good night!!!

Share the Joy the Christmas!

When i was in High School a group of us girls went to Salt Lake and visited a place called the Christmas Box House. It is a half-way house for children (infants to teens) who need to be taken out of a dangerous home, but they don't have a permanent place to go yet. We brought the children new pajamas and teddy bears. The look of happiness on their faces when they received this very simple gift from strangers has not been something I have ever been able to forget. No child should have to go through a situation like that, and it still breaks my heart to think of these children (from young toddlers who must be so confused, to older children who are old enough to understand somewhat but still be very affected and hurt by their past home lives) living without family or real home. It's a wonderful place for these children to be, but obviously still not the ideal situation, especially during the holidays, when children should be with a loving family to celebrate the season.

I have a good friend who was on that trip when we were in High School. Her and her husband are putting together boxes of items to take to these children on December 29th. The Christmas Box House has a wishlist of things the children need and also some fun things for the children. They've asked everyone they know if they'd like to participate and donate an item or two, and in turn I've decided to pass on the word to my family and friends. The more people who help the more wonderful this Christmas can be for these kids. One person cannot do very much to help... but like my friend said when she spread the word, imagine the good a big group of people can do!

These friends, Vandi & Chad, live in Rexburg but are from Star Valley. They will be picking up items from homes in these places (and I believe in the Ogden/Salt Lake area as well, since they'll go down there to drop the items off) and taking them all together in one big bunch to the Christmas Box House on December 29th. If you want to help, and live in these areas, all you've got to do is pick up an item or two next time you're at the store (or some items I believe could be things you have at home... personal hygiene items obviously should be new) and let Vandi & Chad come get it from you! If you choose to help out, you can let me know and I'll pass the word along so Vandi & Chad can come get it from you.

To my Jones Family: This Saturday at our Christmas party I'm going to bring a couple of the items off the list to give to my mom to take back to Star Valley. If any of you who are coming to the Christmas party would like to pitch in an item or two, we can send it to Star Valley all together and then my friend and her husband will pick them all up at my mom's and take them to the Christmas Box House on December 29th for these children.

Many of the items on the list are VERY inexpensive. Many you could probably even get at the dollar store. There are things like toothbrushes as well as things like games and toys and clothes. Even a small package of diapers you can get at Walmart for only $5 or $6. Donating one little item might not seem like a lot, maybe not even worth it, but when a lot of individual items are put together from a lot of individual people, we'll end up with a great big load of items for these little kids! Here is the wishlist. Feel free to look it over and if you want to donate anything, just bring it to the Christmas party (Jones Family) or let me know someone will stop by to pick it up from you.

(I would assume that many items not labeled 'new' would probably be very appreciated used as well. Though obviously personal hygiene items would need to be new, even if they are not labeled as such.) I am listing in blue all items that (or that I am pretty sure) you can get for $5 or less, simply to prove the point that it could be SO easy to help with even ONE thing. : )

Needed Items:

1. NEW comfortable adult rocking chair for rocking babies
2. 3 sturdy children's wooden step stools for sinks and drinking fountain
3. Christmas wrapping paper, bows, ribbon, tags and tape
4. DVD Player
5. Large screen TV
6. Small TV with attached DVD player to be used when a child is sick
7. NEW Children’s/Teen's WINTER clothing… (you can find Garanimals brand clothing from children under 5 yrs old at Walmart for less than $5 an item, such as long sleeved shirts and pants) Especially children's sizes 5 - 10/12
8. NEW Children’s/Teen's WINTER shoes… ALL sizes (newborn-adult)
9. Gift cards to: McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Dominos, Pizza Hut, Dominos, Michael's Crafts, Robert's Crafts etc.
10. Gift cards to: Target, Walmart, Shopko, Kmart, Payless Shoes or Smith’s for urgently needed items
11. Tickets/passes to: Movies, Discovery Gateway, Planetarium, Hollywood Connection, Fat Cats, Bouncin’ Off The Walls, Jazz/Bees games, sporting events, dance concerts, Utah Symphony, West Valley Rec Center, Utah/Idaho Supply, Lakeshore Learning, etc.
12. MP3 Players
13. Head phones
14. Nintendo DS Systems with games
15. Craft items: feathers, google eyes, construction paper, popsicle sticks, ceramic figures to paint, washable paints
16. Lego sets for boys ages 8-11
17. Fuzzy black posters for coloring (not positive on prices for these, but I don't remember them being to expensive)
    
18. New-release DVDs (G or PG) (Walmart has a bin full of $5 movies! Also check places like Family Dollar, and I really have heard of dollar stores having new movies as well.)
    
19. Hand-held electronic games
20. Wii controllers and accessories
21. Wii age-appropriate games
22. Karaoke machine
23. Educational DVDs---dance, yoga, singing, etc.
24. Personal CD players w/ head phones
25. CDs… High School Musical, Miley Cyrus, etc
26. Board games (other than Chutes and Ladders and Candy Land)
27. Age appropriate card games
28. Batteries
29. Colored copy paper
30. White cardstock paper
31. 11x17" copy paper
32. New graded readers (level 4 & 5)
33. Books on tape
34. Unrefrigerated snacks including fruit snacks, pudding, applesauce, juice boxes etc.
35. Suave Children’s Shampoo with Conditioner
36. Dove (or generic) SENSITIVE SKIN Body Wash
37. Eucerin Lotion
38. Sanitizing hand gel
39. Combs, brushes, hair gel/spray, bows, rubber bands and ribbons
40. Toothbrush sanitizer
41. Diapers… ALL sizes, especially large & x-large (small packages are usually only about $5)
    
42. Pull-Ups
43. Good Nites Pull-Ups
44. Twin/crib size sheets
45. Mattress protectors
46. Pacifiers and bottles
47. Diaper bags
48. Heavy paper plates
49. New giant bean bags
50. Santa suit!

I am sure that if you had any other items in mind to donate (like I said, we donated pjs and teddy bears that one year) they would be grateful as well. These are just the specific items they know they could use.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Teachers who should NEVER be teachers...

So this semester Blaine has taken a Psychology course. Actually... Introduction to Psychology. Yes, it is 3 credits (college classes are usually 1-3 credits each, sometimes more if its a lab or an advanced course... more credits means more work basically). So yes it is 3 credits and takes some time and studying... but still.... shouldn't be TOO hard.

There is a total of 3 tests and 3 assignments in the course. That's it. And they are all worth VERY little points. What essentially does that mean? You miss even a couple points on an assignment and your grade DROPS. a LOT!

The first test Blaine didn't do awesome... but he still got better than the class average which was 52%!!!! That is the CLASS AVERAGE!!! What does that tell me? It's not the students. It's the teacher! 52%!?!?!? That is a HORRIBLE class average! So the next test I helped Blaine study for... and let's just say that due to my crazy thoroughness he was as prepared as anyone could have been! He was stressed and I was bound and determined to help him as much as I could.

Let's see... class average on test #2?

That's right folks... only like 49%. CLASS AVERAGE!!! Is this instructor not getting the picture that he sucks!?!?!? If I were that teacher it would be very very obvious that I was not doing something right. This is not just Blaine having issues. This is the ENTIRE class is dreadfully close to failing. Luckily, one of the major assignments is to be part of a few research projects done on campus. The instructor does not grade these, he just gets info from the researchers saying you went and completed your part. WHEW!!! That is the thing that is saving Blaine because it is literally the only assignment any student in that class has any hope of getting an A on. Which, because so few points are possible in the course total, every point helps. He'll pass, thankfully, but he's decided he's going to retake the class to get a better grade since this is a course that the grade is considered for the Physical Therapy program.

And yes, we have made extra EXTRA sure he is not with the same instructor next semester. Actually when we checked that instructor wasn't even teaching next semester. He's supposed to be new, so hopefully that means there were enough complaints against him that he's done teaching!

Some teachers... should NEVER be teachers.

Three Wise Women...

My instructor for my online class posts funny things from time to time. She's recently posted a few holiday things. This one made me laugh:

Three Wise Women would have...

• Asked directions
• Arrived on time
• Cleaned the stable
• Helped deliver the baby
• Made a casserole
• Brought a practical gift

And there would be Peace on Earth

Growing

So I feel like I've done pretty dang good. I've averaged a weight gain of about 2-2.5 pounds per month. Which puts me between 18-25 pounds gained by the end of my pregnancy. WOOHOO!

The first two I definitely gained more than just what the baby needed! Zack I guess I didn't really do too bad, but this one I wanted to do better. I am WAY more active with this one. I pretty much have to be, keeping up with the 2 I have.

With Kadan I pretty much layed on the couch or bed 24/7 eating popcicles, jello, applesauce, crackers, and toast. (For those who didn't know I was MISERABLY sick with him for the ENTIRE 9 months... I was not 'just lazy'.) : )

With Zack I was working in the preschool then coming home and caring for Kadan. So I was a little more active, and I wasn't hardly sick at all and I had NO sweet tooth at all so I did pretty good on my eating habits with him.

With baby boy #3, before I got pregnant I can honestly say though I was not the thinnest I have been in my adult life... I was in the best shape overall. And I think that has really helped me. I don't go to the gym as much as I used to, though only having one car is a big cause of that. But we still go when we can and we go for walks when we can't. Even just the daily routine of cleaning up after them and walking up and down the stairs to do laundry for 4 people has made a difference.

I saw a home video of me about 4 1/2 months along with Kadan (that's how far along I am now) and I seriously about burst into tears. It was so disturbing. I was huge people. Huge. My belly was enormous. I looked like I could have given birth the next week. My arms and hands were so huge and my face... oh man... let's not even talk about my face.

Okay, I feel like I've always had a round face. The way my cheeks, jawline, chin, and neck are all put together... even when I WAS skinny my face still looked round and fat. But in that home video... oh man. It was beyond round and fat.

I think I stared at myself at all angles in the mirror for like an hour afterwards, with Blaine reassuring me I am NOT that big this time. Eventually, after I considered the amount of weight I had gained with Kadan vs. this one... and when I remembered what clothes I fit into during that pregnancy during the holidays vs. the clothes I am wearing now... I believed him and tried not to think about it anymore.

My wedding ring still fits fine. I am just barely getting to the point where I can't where ANY of my regular shirts (I had a few that because of the style they still fit me up until about a week ago). I have 3 pairs of regular pants I still wear. One pair is khakis that don't button or zip up, they just had a little drawstring and with the drawstring looser they still fit fine over my lower belly. The other pairs are jeans that still fit just fine in the legs and hips, I just have to leave the button undone and use an elastic to hook it together. I was unable to wear any of these things by about 2 1/2 months with Kadan. I have no idea how I gained so much weight when I was throwing up non-stop. A few people's theory has been that my body just went into survival mode and utilized every calorie I put into it... and the things I could eat and keep down were not always that nutritious (popcicles... frozen yogurt... jello... )

Yes... after examining all the evidence... I feel I can safely conclude that I am not as disturbingly fat and huge and I was during my pregnancy with Kadan. Phew! Okay... YES it is more important to be healthy... and that the baby be healthy... and gaining weight is a necessary and healthy part of pregnancy... including all the stretching and bloating and swelling.

But I dare any one of you who has been pregnant to try and tell me you absolutely did not care or feel the least self-conscious during your pregnancy! : )

Thank you, Blaine, for telling me (sometimes over... and over... and over... if I need it) that I still look beautiful and I still look 'attractively and healthily pregnant' and not just huge and fat. : )

P.S. I suppose I rambled a bit during this post... ah well... enjoy it. Or skip over it. LOL

Side note: Every night Kadan has to give my belly a hug and he talks and sings to the baby and squishes my belly a little trying to feel his baby brother. Tonight he laughed and said, "Woah! It's gettin' huge! Just a like a big... big... big.. big squishy ball!" Oddly enough... this comment made me smile and laugh with him instead of feeling ugly like a 'big big big big huge squishy ball'. : )