Christmas Fun!

We are in Oregon for Christmas and having a great time. Jimmy's sister, Jen, and her family are here from Texas. It's a full house with more family expected to arrive in the next couple days. I got some Memory Mixer disks for Christmas so I have been making some digital scrapbook pages today. I love the digital part because there is no mess involved and no running to Roberts when I run out of scrapbook paper. (I am a beginner at this so I am hoping the more familiar I get with my new program the better my pages will look.) I am going to post the pages I got done and call this a day.

Party Time

I wanted to Post some pictures from the Christmas/Birthday party last night. We got there and Ken had fixed his delicious curry. It was so tasty. A few minutes after we got there, my vision started to go spotty. It was weird. It reminded me of when I had an inner ear infection in high school. Shortly after that I started to get a head ache. I took some Advil and then I started to feel like throwing up and by now my head was pounding. I've never had a migraine before (thank goodness) but now I can say I know what it feels like to have one! I feel terrible for people who get those all the time. I spent most of the party down in Brigham's and Brandon's bedroom in the dark. I ended up throwing up 5 times last night and when we got home Jimmy googled about migraines. He brought me up some Ibuprofen, a huge glass of water, a cold washcloth for my forehead and massages my head (pretty hard) and that was the trick that helped me finally fall asleep. I feel 75% better today but I feel worn out and my head still hurts. Jimmy cleared up his morning schedule and got the kids fed and off to school. Thanks Jimmy for being so great and taking care of me so well!

So I feel like I missed Sophie's party. I did watch her open her presents. She got a doll from Steph that sings, a doll from Ken & Gina's family that looks like Sophie. We gave her the Nemo Color Wonder book and a busy ball popper toy. She is having fun playing with them all today. (while I write this it is keeping her busy) I also stayed upstairs for the gift exchange. It was fun; I just wished I didn't feel so awful. Steph gave Ken a Mormon version of Mad Gab and they played that after I went downstairs.

Steph and Jimmy took lots of pictures for me. Thanks to them I have some cute pictures to post.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sophie!!

I can't believe Sophie is already 2. She decided to sleep in today so I thought I write down a few of my thoughts about her. (O.K. that didn't last long, she's awake so this will take me all morning) I am so glad we decided to have another baby after our long "break". It was hard for me to think about starting all over with the baby phase when both Conner and Kali would be in school. Once Sophie was born though, I couldn't imagine not having her be part of our family. She is definitely spoiled with a lot of love and attention from all of us.

I love this poem!

The Wedding Reception

I sit and watch her

My pastel punch and thick-iced cake

(On delicate plate)

Balanced awkwardly on my knee

I think of me 12 years before

Her smile beams

First on this reception guest,

Then that

Sometimes blushing,

Sometimes laughing,

Always turning

Eyes of admiration to the handsome groom.

Should I tell her?

Tell her of face-down peanut-buttered bread

On the new mopped floor?

Of a two-year-old stretched out

and kicking angrily

In the grocery store

(And everybody watching)?

Can I tell her?

Tell her of the almost-can't-cope days?

The lonely evenings

Waiting for bishopric meeting

To end

Will I tell her?

Of the terrifying cry

Of croup

Deep in the night?

Or the quickened step

Of the home teacher

Summoned to help administer

To a feverish brow?

No.

But neither can I share with her

The thrill of a newborns nose

Bobbing in my neck;

The pride of seeing a six-year-old

Begin to read

I cannot tell her

Of a husband's gentle touch

On my hand

As we pass briefly

In the chapel foyer.

So

Standing, I brush away the crumbs

From my not-so-new dress,

Smile,

And wave a little

To the bride

Across the room.

By Martha P. Taysom

Thanks to my dad for sharing that poem with me almost 3 years ago. It made me realize I was missing the thrill of a newborn nose bobbing on my neck. That wasn't the reason he shared the poem with me but it was a moment of confirmation to me. I had the 6 year old learning to read, I had the terrifying cry of croup in the night but I was missing the new born nose. Sometimes prayers are answered in ways we don't expect.

Sophie loves to climb up on the table and counters. One Sunday, Jimmy and I thought the other one was keeping an eye on Sophie. It was when she first learned to climb. I came down stairs and there were cans of green beans and mandarin oranges on the counter. I was trying to figure out who did it when I realized Sophie had.

Sophie has known how to chew gum for 8 months. We know whenever we put in a piece of gum, we'll end up having to share with her. So we end up having to choose wisely when we put a piece in.

She has just started to like to color. I am so grateful for Color Wonder (only colors on special paper and not walls or tables) She's getting a new Nemo Color Wonder for her birthday.

She loves Elmo and Nemo and especially her little white Kitty (more of a grayish or off white color now). She cuddles with it whenever she sleeps and likes to rub the tip of it's tail between her fingers. She used to suck on it's nose when she was younger (like she was nursing from it) and it made Kitty's face have a funny shape for awhile. Now Kitty's pink nose is gone.

Sophie loves to go outside. She has a little slide in the back and she likes to jump on the buried tramp. All the neighbor boys love Sophie too and jump really small when she gets on the tramp.

We are going over to Ken and Gina's this evening for a Birthday/family Christmas party. Ken is cooking his famous Curry (yummy) and we are going to do a little gift exchange. My mom and dad were going to come but the road reports were saying it was going to be bad traveling. We'll miss them! I need to go so I can bake Sophie's cupcakes and get everyone all ready for church. (Jimmy had meetings this morning and is giving two talks in other wards today- so I am on my own to manage the crew)

Here's just a few pictures of Sophie over the last two years!

What a Wonderful Time of Year!!

Well, this week flew by. I am the Enrichment Leader in our ward and we had our Christmas Enrichment Dinner & Program this week. Thanks to a great committee we pulled it off and it went great. (thanks, Lacey, for hanging out with me in the kitchen the whole time) It certainly wasn't a social event for us!

Now that our Enrichment night is over I've been busy getting things ready for Christmas. We are going to Portland for Christmas & my parents are coming next weekend for a family Christmas party and to help celebrate Sophie's 2nd B-day. Each year, I've been making my parents a calendar with family pictures so I've been getting that ready this week. I'll post pics for that- it's kind of like a year in review for the whole family!

January

Febuary

March

April

May

June

July- Tribute to Grandma J. We love and miss you! You were even more beautiful on the inside!

August

September

October

November

December

I also had a fun get together earlier this week. A great idea for those of you reading this that like to get away for a girls night out. A lady in our neighborhood, Leah, had a gift wrapping getting together. We all brought the presents that we wanted to wrap and our own supplies and visited and had treats. It's going to be a yearly tradition.

Last night was the ward Christmas party. It was a lot of fun! We had dinner and then a talent show. At the end of the talent show was a neat 10 minute program. Conner & Jimmy were Shepards & Kali an Angel. Each group sang a song and then all sang together kind of like a round. It was beautiful and brought such a sweet spirit in.

This evening, an older couple in the ward, the Stones, are having an open house. All these get togethers are so fun! They are like the parents in the ward to all us with young families. He teaches Gospel Doctrine and she teaches RS. They have been fun getting to know.

The kids are getting really excited for Christmas. Kali has been wrapping things around the house to give to her Webkinz (stuffed animals) for Christmas. She wrapped a little chest I had in one of the bathrooms. I've been noticing little things missing around the house and when the Webkinz open their presents, I think we'll find them.

Sophie has learned to climb this last month. I thought maybe we'd skip this phase since we have a tall table and chairs. Instead, it has just happened a little later and is more dangerous now. Last Sunday she started pushing the chairs around the kitchen to get right where she wants. She also loves the water & icemaker on the outside of the fridge. Thank goodness it has a lock mode but that doesn't mean I always remember to lock it. We have a little tree on the table with some small ornaments. She likes to climb on top of the table and take them off. Sometimes she'll knock the tree over, I'll hear these little tinkering all over the tile and then a little "ut-ohhh".

Conner wanted a new suit for Christmas and I found a great deal this week on a suit. So I bought it and then thought I'd give it to him early to wear to church and take to Portland. I thought that would be one less thing that Santa would have to get him. Instead, I found his letter to Santa and the suit was crossed off and then at the bottom he wrote he wanted a sled.

Stack 'em up!

Trimming the Tree

On Saturday, Kali helped me put the tree up and decorate. Conner started out helping us but when his friend knocked on the door he was finished. Kali loves to help me every year. She's a big help. We decided to put the tree on our end table so Sophie wouldn't be able to reach the ornaments. I used bungee cords to secure it under the tree skirt so in case Sophie tried to get one down it wouldn't fall on top of her.

On Sunday Conner and Kali had a great time stacking the empty present boxes. I love it when they play together so nicely. The spent at least an hour stacking the boxes and then knocking them down.

Check out my Slide Show!

So what do you think about the look alike meters? Jimmy says he is protesting. We've always thought the kids looked more like him- except Sophie with her blond hair and blue eyes. I wonder if it changes depending on the pictures you use. It's fun to do regardless of how accurate it is.

Jimmy & Ang's New Blog

OK- I need help doing this. At least I signed up and started a blog. Hopefully, it won't be too hard to figure out how to get pictures and stuff on this.