January Look......

I just changed my look, colors, and music. The music are just a few of my very favorite songs (full of many memories).....hope you enjoy! Have a great New Year Celebration tonight!

More December happenings.....

Lots of things going on that I need to cover before I forget! Here, finally is a picture from Nathan's First grade Christmas Program at school. Horrible angle, and very close zoom, yes, but it is the best I have! It was a super crowded room, and this was as close as I could squeeze in. Nathan is in the blue long sleeve shirt. He practiced hard for his line in the program, and did great! He sure loves school. He is pretty bummed that he has another week without school, and that he is stuck at home again. I know that his enthusiasm for school will probably diminish, but it is nice to know that he loves learning, at least for now. He impresses me with his reading, addition and subtraction skills that he is now learning at school. He is one smart little boy. We attended the Snowflake 2nd Ward Christmas Party on the 19th, where we were treated with a visit from Santa Claus! It just happened to be Emily's 4th birthday, so she had a great time telling Santa it was her birthday and that she was four! Betsy was scared to death of that jolly ol' elf.=) It was a fun night overall, talking and visiting with members of the ward. The kids ran wild and loved it!

We finally got our Christmas tree up this year, less then a week before Christmas, but hey, it got up, and looks pretty good. All fragile ornaments on top, and soft childproof ones on bottom. At least twice a day I am re-decorating my tree. Betsy and Jay seem to love taking ornaments off the tree and I have already lost two or three to the dog's clutches! One day my tree will be left alone. Oh well....

On to the Christmas gatherings and gift exchanges... We traveled down to Mesa for a super quick trip, and to have our annual poem readings on the 21st after church. We read "Jest fer Christmas" and "Twas the Night Before Christmas", and have for at least two or three generations. Here is my dad reading to all the grand kids, with my Grandma and Grandpa Barton (his parents) in the background. It was a great little trip but happened way too fast! Maybe the next one will last longer and I will actually get to see and visit with my family! It was great to see my Gramoose and Grandpa Barton. I realize more and more how much I love them.

Two nights before Christmas we met over at the Peterson's and had a fun night with a nativity scene, a great meal, and a gift exchange. Nathan was Joseph, Aubrey was Mary, Emily was a wise man, Betsy was a shepherd, and Jay was Baby Jesus. Cousins May and Ellen were an angel and a lamb. Super cute, and the kids did a really good job- even Jay. =)

*****And on to some very good news, and a fun Christmas present of sorts.... Davids brother, Ben and his wife Amy had there baby! On December 24th, Hyrum Fredrick Peterson was born. He is 7 lbs 10 oz, with dark blond hair, blue eyes and a Pew chin! No picture yet, sorry! CONGRATULATIONS Amy and Ben!! We love you already Hyrum, and I can't wait to meet you, and hug you tight!!*****

Here are the kids after church today, in their new Christmas duds. Pretty cute, huh? Look how old my Jay is looking, especially after his first haircut! Speaking of church, today went incredibly well. After a nightmare of a Sacrament Meeting last week (I am not kidding, just ask anyone in our ward), David and I set up seating assignments, where all of the kids are separate and able to be hushed at a moments notice by mom or dad. It goes, Nathan, against the wall, David holding Jay, Emily in between, me holding Betsy, and Aubrey at the end of the bench on the aisle. I can't believe we hadn't tried this one before! And just in case we are not the only ones out there wrestling multiple kids all through Sacrament Meeting, that hadn't thought of this ingenious idea, try it! The kids got restless after about 45 minutes, which is understandable, but, wow, what a great meeting, idea, and future plan for the Peterson bench at church. And along with other church related news, we are looking forward to next week.... our meeting time is changing from 9am to 11am. It will be heaven. We may actually show up on time...we shall see....

Kitchen news! My counter tops are installed, sink in, and dishwasher (Yes, David got me a dishwasher for Christmas!!!-what a fabulous guy) being set up as I type. The sink still needs a few things to be plumbed, but, the finish line is so close I can taste it!! I have been finally putting things away in there designated spots. I have so much more storage, and so much more space... I am lovin' it! Lots of empty cupboards at this house. I am sure I will find things to fill them... =)

Sorry this post has been so long, but I had to get everything in here before the New Year comes. Can you believe it is almost 2009?!?!? Good grief, I swear it should still be June. Time flies faster, the older I get.

Merry Christmas!

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

My first super hero

I just overheard a conversation between Nathan and David that I have to write down before it becomes distant memory. David is outside painting some peices of wood for the kitchen, and Nathan who is also outside playing ran up to him and said:

Nathan: "Daddy, do you know who the first super hero I ever knew is?"

David: "Who?"

Nathan: "Jesus. And the second one was Superman, then Spiderman, then Batman."

David: "Jesus is a real person, and the other ones are just pretend."

Nathan: "I know. Isn't Jesus cool?"

And then he ran off and started playing again. What a wonderful kid. I am one lucky momma to have him!

I'm a dud

Yes, I promised a fun story and a good post yesterday, but.... yes, I'm a dud! Yesterday was insane!! Today isn't any better, but I am making this a priority this morning. I feel pretty bad, because it was Emily's birthday yesterday, and I didn't even do a short "Happy Birthday" post. Oh well, my life will be calm, organized, and peaceful one day, right????? Ha! Not in the next 18 years or so. So here goes my attempt at a goodun'.... (and long one too!)

EMILY turned four yesterday! Yeah! It was actually a pretty uncelebrated day to be honest. Emily was confused that she was celebrating her birthday, when her party and cake and gifts were all given to her a few days before. I think she assumed that that day was her birthday. But even with all that was going on, she still got a fun drive and trip to Jiffy Lube with dad. How fun, huh?? She enjoyed the free popcorn and soda pop. She got to tell Santa last night at the ward party (more on that later) that it was her birthday; she thought that was pretty cool.

So here is her whirlwind story. Emily was due on Jan. 9th, yet from about 16 weeks pregnant on to when she was actually born I just KNEW that she would be born on the 19th of December. Don't ask me how, but the date just seemed to sound and feel right. So there I sat on December 19, 2004 at church, as it was a Sunday. I was primary pianist at the time, and the primary chorister was doing a little music program throughout all of sharing time and singing time, for the whole 2 hours! It sounded like a great idea, and she had musical numbers coming in, and fun little nativity scenes going, and etc... YET, she didn't quite plan for enough activities to fill the time. So I was stressed as she was trying to fill time, she was driving me nuts, and the primary kids were INSANE!!!! After church, I was hurting terrible, super uncomfortable, and just wanting this baby out!!

So in an effort to get some regular contractions coming, I took a little Castor oil (works for me), and our little family decided to go for a nice L O N G walk. We walked and walked and walked some more. On our way back home, David's brother Ben called with a "fun idea". Lets have a game night, he says. Now, don't get me wrong, I love to play games with people, and often host such evenings, yet, I was already stressed, my house was a disaster, and I was starting to have some contractions. Nothing even close to consistent or strong, but at least they were coming. So we rushed home, cleaned house like a banshee, and had a few friends and family over for a game called Scene It, Disney style. It was probably a pretty fun game, but I wasn't really focused too much on it. I was a stress case! They all finally left, we got the kids to bed late, and I got into my PJ's, laid there on the couch watching Star Wars with David. I was not very happy, I admit it.

Finally at about 10:45, we went to bed. I had just known that she was supposed to come today! I was not in a good mood, and pretty unhappy that I had such a stress-filled day. No contractions, no baby, nothing! I laid there crying. I dozed off a few minutes later. At 11:13 I woke up to a super strong contraction. Wow, ouch! I thought to myself that if I felt another one like that I should start timing them. THEN, all the sudden at 11:16 here came the next next one, super strong, and along with that my water broke. Now, that is not a fun thing. It is quite messy, and very uncomfortable to be laying in, in my own bed!

I nudged (more like shoved!) David, told him to wake up because my water just broke, and in his sleep filled stupor he says "are you sure you didn't just wet the bed?" HAHAHAHAHA! I was not amused. He stumbled to the light switch as I was starting to get out of bed. I got to the bathroom, changed my pants, and called my mom, and then Uncle Ben. Ben was on his way to stay with the kids. Now through all this, my contractions were coming 3 minutes apart, and so strong I could hardly stand through them. I wanted to wait for Ben to get there before we left, but David took control, got me in the car and started toward the hospital (a 30-35 minute drive). I was worried about the kids, and in much pain, and David was flying down the highway going 90-100 MPH.

We got to the hospital after what seemed like the longest 30 minutes of my life, when it was actually more like 15 or 20 minutes with us speeding. In the confusion of getting me in the hospital, we went to the main entrance. Who knew that it would be closed at nearly midnight on a Sunday?!? I sat on a bench in agony as David ran around the hospital to the ER entrance to get me a wheelchair. Now me sitting in the cold, in transition labor, had a bright idea to speed things up a bit. I think, let me run between contractions and get myself inside the hospital so they know that I'm here and about to have a baby on the sidewalk. So, I get up a run! I am holding my hospital bag, keys and my pillow. I get about halfway around the building and have another one.(Either those contractions where coming quicker then I thought, or I was not a very fast runner....probably both=) ). It brought me to my knees and I laid there clawing the sidewalk, screaming in pain, alone in the dark. David comes around the corner with the wheelchair, picks me up and takes me on a bUmPy ride running toward the entrance, in the worst wheelchair the hospital had.

The next few moments were a blur to me, but I know that I somehow got into the OB department, in a bed of sorts, and there she came. Needless to say, they were not prepared for me to be having a baby. Emily laid there on the foot of my bed for a few minutes while they got the bassinet thing turned on, and stuff to clean up the mess! We entered the hospital doors at 11:52pm, and she was born at 11:54pm. TWO minutes later. She was 36 weeks, 4 days gestation. Weighed 6 lbs 11 oz, and was completely healthy.
So here is my Emily now..... Such a wonderful girl. This age has turned out to be her "terrible two" stage. She is still a wonderful, tender girl, yet she is such a stinker sometimes! She was babied quite a bit, and it has turned on us now, and created a monster of sorts. More on that later.... BUT, even with all that, we love our Emily more then anything, and she is such a great girl, a good helper, and a sweet spirit. We love you Jo-jo beans! Happy 4th Birthday!!!

An update for y'all

I am happy to say that the kiddos are all feeling much better today. They have all taken their courses of antibiotics and are back to there normal selves again. I am happy about that.

Yesterday we all loaded up in the van and went to see Nathans Christmas Program for the first graders. He had been practicing for weeks, and did awesome. We came over 5 minutes early and were still on the very last row of benches. By the time the program began there were people standing everywhere. We couldn't see a thing the whole time, but I did sneak up front for a few minutes and grabbed a few shots of Nathan and his class. He made his momma proud! At least we got a seat, right?

This morning I met up with my kids and hubby over at Davids parents house where the girls helped Grandma make her treat plates for Christmas. They really enjoy cooking and helping. I am looking forward to getting my kitchen back, so I can enjoy baking and cooking again. Hopefully I will finally find joy in it.... we shall see.

Nathan fell in the mud at school this afternoon and I was called on my cell phone on my way back home to come a pick him up. There was only 30 minutes left of school, so it was pretty much pointless to take him home, change him, and bring him back, just to have him come home 10 minutes later. He was scared that I would have been mad that he fell in the mud. I felt bad that he was afraid of me and what my reaction might be. I explained to him that I was not mad, and by the time we got home, he was smiling. Plus, he sure looked cute with his back-side all covered in mud!! But, it made me re-evaluate how I react to things. I have to admit that patience is not one of my strong suits (just ask David). I do over-react about things, more often then I should. I am just happy that I have very good kids, that love me despite my imperfections in being their mommy.

Tomorrow is Emilys 4th birthday, and I am looking forward to sharing her story for all you readers. Its a good one, so tune in tomorrow!

The Birthday Party and first steps

Last night, I hosted the birthday party for my three December birthdays. The kids were all feeling much better after a few days on their medicines, and you would have never known that they were sick at all! In fact, everyone slept all thru the night last night! (first time in over two weeks). Anyway, all the Peterson family that are in town, that were not sick (Grandma and Grandpa, Uncle Andrew, Uncle Carl, Aunt Anna and Aunt Eva) came for a little dinner- chili and cornbread; a little dessert- cake and ice cream; and a little memory making- Jay's first steps!
So here is a few pics of the festivities last night---

It was fun to see Jay eat his cake! At first he didn't quite know what it was. After a few moments of investigation, poking and squishing, he dug right in. He picked up the entire piece of cake and shoved it in! We all had a good laugh! The girls sure enjoyed this party. Everyone was very kind and gave them some great gifts-- doll sets, clothing, stuffed animals, a puzzle, a baby spin-top toy, hair clips, etc. It was a fun night!

And last but not least is a picture of just moments after Jay took his first steps! It was very thoughtful and convienient for Jay to take his first steps on his birthday. It will make it easier for me to remember! =)

December is......

I think that we can all agree that December is a busy month. It is no exception here either. We have three birthdays; Aubrey on the 10th, Jay on the 15th- today =), and Emily on the 19th. Stack on the usual holiday shopping and celebrations for Christmas. It is an understatement to say that money is "tight" in December for us. And to top it all off, we are in the middle of a kitchen remodel. Gratefully, most of the big stuff has been free; but the price of tile, paint, sheet rock, etc. add up quickly. It is pretty obvious that we will be having a very small Christmas and birthdays this time around.
So, with that, here is my tile, with grout in it! David worked hard last night putting the grout in, and I came along later (aka... after the kids were in bed) and began wiping it with the sponge. It was a late night, and we didn't hit the sack until 12:45am. Not much sleep for an already sleep deprived mommy.

Now, why am I sleep deprived, you ask? The obvious answer is that I have five little kiddos to tend to. Yes, that is true. BUT, add on three double ear infections (Aubrey, Emily and Betsy) plus RSV (Jay) and Nathan with pre-pneumonia symptoms, and that makes for one tired mommy. The girls are all on anti-biotics that have to be taken three times daily for 10 days. Jay and Nathan are having breathing treatments every 4-6 hours round the clock. I really don't want to end up in the hospital with Nathan again. Pneumonia is no fun, and we don't want that! Yup, the kids and I did not grace church with our presence yesterday. It may have actually been quiet! =)

On to better news... today is Jay's birthday. He is turning one! I can't believe that time has gone this fast. I am saddened to see him pass the infant stage, and now I am watching him turn from baby to toddler right before my eyes. He is so close to walking, that it may be tonight that he takes his first steps. He is a joy, and a wonderful baby. I love him so much it hurts sometimes. I want to freeze time and love and enjoy this fun stage with him. I really think that this is my favorite age. He is so curious, and so interested. He loves me, hugs me, and still wants to be held. He can't sass at me, he can't talk back, he can't get away too fast. He has a great smile, beautiful blue eyes, and a laugh that melts your heart. I love my Jay! Happy first birthday Jay-Jay Baby!!

Have a heart....

I have never worried too much about my heart. My mom gets on my case occasionally about not taking care of it regarding doctor appointments. David worries about it often. And then there is me. I don't really think about it. I admit that I have taken advantage of the great miracle it is that I am alive. It is a miracle that I am a fully-functioning, healthy woman, and a miracle that I carried and delivered five children.

Rewind 26 years ago next month. My mom and dad nervously placed their 15 month old girl in a cardiologist's hands for a rather serious heart surgery. I had a coartation of the aorta. I still don't fully understand what that means, but I do know that they put a patch on my heart so I could continue living a healthy, happy life. The surgery went well, yet during recovery I suffered a stroke that left me completely paralyzed on my right side. I lost all functions that I had learned. I had to re-learn swallowing, walking, writing..... I can't imagine the stress my parents went through from me. I started therapies, and along with many prayers and fasting, I regained everything. My only side effect.....I am now left-handed.

Fast-forward to this afternoon. I went into the radiology department at the hospital for a echo cardiogram. Sounds fancy, huh? It is actually just an ultrasound of the heart. I laid there comfortably on the table, watching the miracle of the heart. What a fascinating organ. I think most of us never give a second thought to the process of the heart. I don't really understand it either, yet watching my very own heart beat was amazing. It makes me truly grateful that God has given me a functioning heart, a life, and a family.

ERROR!

I don't know why, but Blogger is saying that it is Monday, the 8th. It is really Wednesday, the 10th. I promise!!!!!!

Saving the best for last!

Our Aubrey Sue is FIVE today!! She has grown so fast, and into a very beautiful girl if I say so myself. Five years ago I went my OB/GYN appointment and he told me I was at 3 cm and about 50% effaced. Then told me that she would be born within the next couple days..... Sounds great, huh? Except that this happened two weeks before she was born! So I was understandably very happy, anxious, and READY! Everything was set-up, clothes washed, diapers ready...... and I waited. Thanksgiving came and went with nothing. I was getting impatient. I did everything and anything (even jumped on a trampoline) to try and progress labor.... nothing. So two weeks S L O W L Y pass, and I go in for another appointment, and he says "If this baby doesn't come by Friday (it is Tuesday), let's set you up for an induction on Saturday". I breath a sigh of relief and jokingly say, "Why not tonight?" And he looks at his watch and back at me and says, "Okay, I have nothing going tonight, I will go call the hospital now, and meet you there in an hour or so."

Yea!! But, going from no baby to baby in and hour is a bit shocking! My stress levels hit the ceiling, and I ran home as fast a possible. I Got Nathans' things packed, and him situated at grandma and grandpas house, called David at work at told him that we were having a baby, and to come home, now! We stressfully drove to the hospital in tears, and got there about three hours later. They put me on Pitosin, broke my water, and she was born just 3 hours later. She was beautiful, and is still that way today.

Aubrey is quite a personality! She is stubborn, defiant and a little spitfire, JUST LIKE ME! I love her more then anything, and can often see myself in her....she is my revenge =). BUT, I wouldn't trade her for the world. She is such a sweet, caring sister, and loves to play "mommy" with her baby dolls, and even with Betsy and Jay. She is a very independent, helpful, FUN girl. She has tons of energy and we love our sweet pea! Happy Birthday, Aubrey!

Kitchen progress!!

Yes, some major work was done on the kitchen these last few days, and I am loving it! Here is David, installing the lower cabinets. We have realized just how un-level our house is! It took quite a bit of leveling, shims, and screws, but I am now the proud owner of a kitchen with both upper and lower cabinets!!


But wait, there's more! Yesterday we were hit with a bit of snow (about 2 inches), and so David's repair job for the day (fixing a roof), was postponed, and so he stayed home from work and focused all his energys on my kitchen. AND.... he had help. Mathan, his brother-in-law came too! They accomplished SO much! Here are some of the shots of the progress throughout the day.....
Here are some pretty big pantry cabinets that we repaired and installed yesterday. There was a damaged hindge or two from the move, so we have to replace those, that is why the doors are off. We put the plug outlet in the cabinet on the left and will be putting our microwave in one of them. There is still a little bit of work on these, but they are installed! Talk about storage!! Those cabinets more then double the storage in this house! I love 'um!
Here is the handywork of Mathan. He built and installed a cabinet floor and the filler pieces along this wall of cabinets. He does very good work and I am so happy he came today!Here is my floor going in! That's Mathan, laying the first few tiles in the spot where my dishwasher will eventually be. David is watching and waiting for the first measurements for the cuts....
And here he is on the tile cutter. He was out in the backyard, freezing! By the late afternoon, the tiles he was bringing in had ice forming on them! Poor guy.And here is the final product. We had to stop with some rough edges because we will be continuing this same tile and pattern throughout the family room and down the halls. That project is for later, when we get a little more money saved up. Isn't is pretty????

So, I am more then excited and happy about my kitchen. We had planned on going up to Show Low to Home Depot last night, but duty calls and David went and did some Elder Quorum visits and meetings instead. It worked out okay because we were pretty worn out and the kids were grumpy! And who wants to go shopping with five kids who are whining and crying?!?!? NOT US! We are planning on going up tonight now. We are buying the countertops and the ceiling fan. After we get home I think we might try and get the grout in that very pretty tile! More to come....

Thank you Uncle Ben and Aunt Amy!!!

Here are the Christmas gifts that we broke into yesterday, because we got some snow overnight. Amy made each one of my kiddos a hat and scarf. They are super cute! Nathan was the envy of the kids at school, and his friend ended up wearing his hat and scarf home from school! Jay won't keep his on, so there is no picture of him, but I will be sure to take one as soon as I think about it again. Thank you again Ben and Amy! We love you and miss you!

The Christmas Spectacular

Last week was pretty busy with rehearsals, performances, and other random things like tithing settlement. That CrAzY week is over, and now on to this week. Nathan has a dentist appointment this afternoon, and I have a laundry pile the size of Mount Everest waiting to be done... Marcie, you are welcome over anytime to do my laundry! =) It has lost its "joy" factor already. Tonight we are finally getting some more work done on the kitchen. We got all the bottom cabinets strengthened and re-built, and now we are ready to install them. I am pretty happy about that. We are headed up to Home Depot on Tuesday night to get the counter tops, and then my kitchen will be at a pretty good stopping place for a bit. The floor will still need to be tiled and some touch-up painting needs done on the walls and cabinets, but at least I will have a functioning kitchen yet again!!!!

So here are a few shots of little ol' me, way overdone, and ready for performance. Yikes! check out those RED lips, and wild hair! Yeah, there was about a half a bottle of hairspray in that ratted mess. It took three washings to get it clean again. I am glad to be back to my normal amounts of makeup and calm hairstyles.

I know that last shot is bad, but it is of us actually on stage, and taken from probably about 15 rows back. Doing that kind of stuff is so much fun! I really had a great time, and hope more opportunities like that come again. One of my bigger regrets is that I didn't take the chance of being in high school plays and musicals and continuing my voice, piano and dance lessons. I would have loved it! I had my priorities WAY off. Oh well, hind site is 20/20. I plan on doing more of this type of stuff after Jay has made it to kindergarten, so in about 4 or 5 years. It will be a good thing for me. I have found a new joy in music. I have always loved music, but the more I find myself practicing and performing, the better I love it!

Another new look

I wasn't loving the last background, and I thought this one was a little more fun.... I like it better, for sure. I also added a few other touches, like the music. What do you think???

The joy of laundry

Now, for those of you that really know me, you know that I HATE laundry. I don't so much mind the sorting, washing and drying...... its the folding and putting away that gets me. Maybe its because my five kids usually un fold my laundry piles about 10 times before I ever even get them in their drawers. Maybe its because it is just another thing that is NEVER done and always needs attention. I have felt this way for a long time, even before I was married. In college I wouldn't haul my clothes to the laundry room until I was down to my last shirt and pair of underwear. Yuck. I am not so much in love with the task...... until today.

The part that my dad graciously ordered us last week has come in, been installed, and did the trick. I can't tell you how good it feels to have a washer again! It has been almost 3 months, and it sure feels good to get my laundry piles under control again. I did 4 loads of laundry in just about 3 hours, and didn't mind a bit! Given, they are still in a basket needing to be folded, but hey, they are clean and it didn't take a trip to the laundromat either!

So JOY and LAUNDRY in the same sentence is a first for me, that is for sure. But it is how I am feeling. It will wear off all too soon, I am certain. But for now, I am going to bask in my joy of laundry.

The Supremes

I was called on Tuesday night to be part of a skit for Snowflake's Annual Christmas Spectacular. It is a pretty big production that the town puts on every year, and this year I get to be in it. I am stepping in for a lady that ended up not being able to do it this year, and so I have had to learn a dance number (given it is only about 2 minutes long) and be ready for both the Friday and Saturday performance. It includes four ladies, counting me, and we are dancing/lip syncing to a Supreme's number, 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town'. So yesterday and the next couple days have and will be filled with practices, dress rehearsals and then the final performances. I am kinda nervous because everyone else has their steps down, and look great, and I am just learning them. I have gratefully picked it up pretty fast, and it isn't too difficult. So, that is what I have been up to. I have great friends that helped me out, last minute, yesterday with the kids (Amy and Megan, thanks gals!), and today my mother-in-law is keeping them. Tomorrow David will be home, and so he will get the brunt of the "babysitting" for the weekend. I doubt much work will get done on the kitchen this weekend. Oh well, whats one more week without a kitchen???? ={

Camera found!

I found my camera, and it was right where I left it. I was finally finishing unpacking from our trip, and it was in the bottom of the bag. I guess that is what I get for waiting 4 days to get unpacked. So here is a description of our weekend in a nutshell.

We arrived in Mesa Wednesday afternoon, and went to ZooLights at the Phoenix Zoo. It was fun to see everyone, and look at all the lights. We all had a "tailgating" party in the zoo's parking lot with donuts and hot chocolate while my dad read a great new book called "Twas the Night before Thanksgiving". It has become a new tradition...... and a funny book at that!

Thursday was filled with preparing, fixing, and EATING large amounts of yummy food. After dinner we all went across the street to the retention basin for a big, fun game of kickball. That evening my dads sister, my Aunt Kaye, her husband Sam and my cousin Chad and his wife Shelley and their two boys came over for a visit and to pig out on yummy pies! It was a good chance to see them again. And I know now that she reads my blog. =) HI AUNT KAYE! David then went over to Jacob and Heathers house for their annual Halo night. He sure loves that game, and his night away with all the guys to play X-Box until the wee hours of the morning.

Friday we spent the morning kicking back and relaxing. In the afternoon my parents and all of us went back to the zoo to see the animals this time. Nathan kept asking and wondering where all the animals were when we were there on Wednesday night, so we thought we would go back. For the first time ever I got to wander around the zoo with no schedule, and no one else with us ready to leave. I saw stuff and animals I never even knew was there! It was a nice treat to just be David and I with the kids, alone. Friday night we played board games, and went to bed.
Saturday, my sisters all came over and we made gingerbread houses. It is a fun tradition that we always do right after Thanksgiving. I made one for us and David and Aubrey made another one for Davids parents. It is always fun to make them, and even more fun to eat the candy in the process of construction! In the picture of Aubrey's house, David is joking around in the background, I promise I did not "catch him" picking his nose!! He thought he was being funny...... hehehehe!

We drove home Saturday afternoon and enjoyed a nice talk while the kids all slept. I love our drives between Snowflake and Mesa.... it gives us a good two hours of silence and time to just talk to each other. It was a fun trip! Hope your Thanksgiving was as nice as ours! FOOD, FAMILY, FUN!

A Christmas Survey....

Yeah, so I would love to update ya'll on our fun Thanksgiving, and yet I cannot for the life of me, find my camera. So, what is a holiday post without pictures included??? In an effort to blog today anyway, I am using an email my sis-in-law, Heather, sent me this morning.... it was kinda fun to do. Try it, if you want.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I am usually a bag kind of girl, but for Christmas I always wrap.
2. Real tree or Artificial?
Artificial. Real trees make a mess, especially with kids...I have first-hand knowledge on that one.
3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually within a week of Thanksgiving. Haven't gotten to it yet this year.
4. When do you take the tree down?
Mid-January sometime.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Love it! Its really good with some Sprite mixed with it. YUM!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
Both sets of Rollerblades. I got one when I was about 11, and another nicer set when I was about seventeen.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
My father-in-law. Still don't know???
8. Easiest person to buy for?
Me, because I know what I want. If only my hubby would listen to those hints I have been dropping!
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
Yes. I brought it at a yard sale right before we got married, along with our bedroom set and microwave.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
None of the above. I try to do a "Christmas letter". Haven't gotten to that one either yet, and don't think I will. Sorry. =)
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
No offense honey, but a wall calender. It had great pictures in it, but... a calender...really???
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
White Christmas
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
About two weeks before Christmas. Not yet this year.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Christmas present, no...... Wedding present, yup.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Anything! I love food, and there is always plenty of it during the holidays.
16. Lights on the tree?
Yup. How else would you wind your day down? Nothing like listening to music and watching your Christmas tree lights in the dark of the night.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
Mannheim Steamrollers Hark, How the Bells! and Adams Sandlers Happy Hanukkah... OJ Simpson, not a Jew! =)
8. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
It depends on the year. Is it a Barton or Peterson year? This year we are staying home.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Yes, I am pretty sure I can, although I don't have the energy right now to even try.
20. Angel on the tree-top or a star?
Star. I made it in Young Women's when I was about 15. It is gold, huge and heavy.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning?
One present on Christmas Eve, usually the pajamas. Then the rest on Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
Being sick. No matter what, I am ALWAYS sick at Christmastime. In fact I can't even remember a year that I was healthy Christmas morning. And yes, I am sick, again.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I love red, and it is fun to see red everywhere this time of year. My favorite ornament is a bear on a sled that David bought me at the Denver airport in July, even before we were engaged.
24. Favorite food for Christmas dinner?
My moms chowder that she makes every year. And for breakfast, Captain Crunch with Berries... the only cold cereal we EVER got as kids!