Christmas 2010 Sum-Up

Christmas this year was................Christmas. What else is there to say :) I got the Christmas spirit early in November, and unfortunately it wore out about a week before Christmas. So all the dang Christmas music was getting on my nerves and all the dang snow too, and I'm ready for Spring. But this is all very BAH-HUMBUG of me. Let me highlight how much fun we all had!!! The picture above shows that this year, we opted for a smaller more reasonable tree. Plus it was free since we already own it. Last year's "Big Bertha" was a one time gig, and from now on our Christmas trees will be a little less........intimidating. Although I have to mention that our little six foot tree is puny.

Christmas morning I had to leave at 8am to visit a home health patient. The kids woke up around 9:30 and waited "patiently" for me to get home before they could come out and see what Santa left them. They were so excited for their pillow pets! Riley got Magformers (really awesome magnets) and the movie How to Train Your Dragon. Malia got a vacuum and a pony, although each child thinks ALL the presents are theirs alone. It gets a little dicey, but Riley is good at sharing and Malia is............learning :) After they saw what Santa brought, they unwrapped the presents that Ben and I take credit for. Santa can't get ALL the credit!
And I musn't forget to mention the entertainment that flew in for Christmas. This is my special Mom, with one of her special expressions. She is doing exactly what HER mother does for pictures......pulls a face but you don't realize it until you look at the picture because she does it RIGHT before it takes the picture.
Malia LOVES her pony. It whinnies (I think it sounds scary) and makes lot's of horsey sounds, plus wiggles it's tail and snout and head. My Mom bought this for her. Riley has sort of laid claim to it as well. What's his is hers, and what's hers is his. This should go flawlessly, right? Riiiiiiiiight.

This was so cute! Riley bought some heart shaped earings for my mom with his own allowance money. Mom put them on right away. I told her to thank me for steering him away from the big chunky pink hoops he originally wanted to buy. It was so fun having my Mom here for Christmas.

This is probably the first Christmas EVER that I haven't run around picking up every little piece of trash right away. I just sat back and let it all explode everywhere, and it was kind of fun.

Hanging out at my Dad and Laurie's house doing a little gift exchange. My kids love being at Grandma and Granpa's house!

At the Cook's, where we are forced to cover our heads, just like the picture of the ten virgin's in the background. Then we are FORCED to smile and laugh like we are having a good time :) We got these beautiful scarves from Roger and Marianne and thought we'd have a little fun.

Ben fixed Malia's hair this day. I think she looks a little rough :) I love how Ben is trying to do bunny ears on her. Poor picked on child!

My Mom, umm, being funny. She got to ride in the back with the kids. Riley talked her ear off, and Malia yelled a LOT, something she just started. She has no volume control, and is very embarrassing in restaurants because she just loves to see how loud she can say "Eeeeeeh!" or something similar to that. And make no mistake, she is VERY loud. If you are in a restaurant with her, and sitting seven or less booths away, you will jump in your seat each time she hollers out. If this doesn't stop soon, I am going to look into some sort of operation. Do you think insurance covers noise reducing surgeries for toddlers?

This is such a perfect shot! The kids were about to tumble off this sled as it sped down a hill....they almost ran over me. Malia is so stressed and Riley is loving it.

We have had a LOT of snow this year. It's fun, sort of.

Gosh I'm glad we took the trampoline down! This snow was SO deep Malia couldn't even walk around in it.

Buddies in a box!

This child is not known for her patience. Before I could stop her she had hopped in the tub with her diaper. By the time I ran to get the camera and was done taking pictures, the diaper had swelled to nearly exploding and I could barely lift it!

SO THERE'S THE SUM-UP! NEW YEARS EVE POST COMING SOON.

We are SO hot!!!

We went out and played in the snow one night in our backyard, and decided to pull out these awesome snow suits my Stepmom Laurie bought for us. They came in handy but both of us felt a little overweight when it came time to zip them up!

Swingsets can still be fun in winter. Poor Malia doesn't have her snow clothes yet. The next day I went out and bought her some (see below)

My handsome boy! Luckily all his snow stuff should still fit for one more year. Phew! Kids are expensive :)
And here she is, all decked out in her snow gear and too-big boots. I LOVE the coat and all the purple. If you've ever seen her room, it is pretty much all purple. By the time she's five she will probably be sick of purple. But until she's 18 I get to decide what she wears so just watch, she will have a purple prom dress :)

I got these as a white elephant gift. Riley got the "angry Scottsman" eyebrows, and Malia the "unibrow". Everytime the unibrow would fall off, she would come running to us to put it back on. Then she would just wear it around like it was perfectly normal.

Riley's Kindergarten class had a Lua Christmas party. Here's Riley taking my order. Ben and I are SO enjoying watching Riley grow and learn. It's like experiencing the school years all over again.

Here's Riley with his awesome teacher! I am SO glad that he is in her class. She gets him, and has known from the beginning how to guide him and it is amazing how far he has come. I have also been trying really hard to help him in certain areas, such as not getting his feelings hurt so easy and not being embarrased so easily and he has come leaps and bounds. He really is SUCH a good little kid, a big helper with Malia, and his sensitive side is turning into a real sweet trait of his that makes him conscientious of other kids' feelings. LOVE this boy!

Mom & Chris' Visit, and HALLOWEEN!

WELL THESE PICTURES ARE OUT OF ORDER SINCE MY MOM AND BROTHER CHRIS CAME TO VISIT BEFORE HALLOWEEN, BUT CLOSE ENOUGH.
OUR LAST STOP OF THE NIGHT WAS BEN'S BROTHER SAM. HIS WIFE, STACIA, HAD TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE PLANNING ON GIVING OUT FULL CANDY BARS SO WE THOUGHT THAT WAS WORTH A TRIP TO THE NEXT TOWN OVER.

WHEN WE STARTED TRICK OR TREATING, IT HAD JUST FINISHED RAINING AND WAS STILL SPRINKLING A LITTLE. RIGHT WHEN EVERYONE WAS ABOUT READY TO GO OUT THIS MASSIVE, WINDY RAIN STORM CAME ALONG. BUT WHEN IT WAS OVER, ALL THE FAMILIES VENTURED OUT AND IT TURNED OUT TO BE A PERFECT HALLOWEEN NIGHT!
TRUNK OR TREATING IS AWESOME! I LOVED SITTING IN THE BACK OF OUR MAZDA HANDING OUT CANDY (WE GAVE OUT A TON OF CANDY, BUT PARTLY BECAUSE MANY OF THE KIDS CAME AROUND TWO OR THREE TIMES. HOW CAN YOU SAY NO WITHOUT SOUNDING LIKE A JERK?) MALIA QUICKLY PICKED UP ON THE CANDY PICKING, AND THIS YEAR RILEY MASTERED SAYING "TRICK OR TREAT" AND "THANK YOU". LAST YEAR HE JUST KIND OF GLOWERED AT EVERYBODY :)
WE WENT AND GOT SOME PUMPKINS, BUT I'M ASHAMED TO SAY WE NEVER DID GET AROUND TO CARVING THEM. BUT WE DID THE HAYRIDE, FROZE OUR BUMS OFF, GOT THE PUMPKINS, AND TREATS AFTERWARDS SO NOT TO BAD.

THE OTHER DAY I REMEMBERED HOW I USED TO TAKE RILEY TO THE PLAYGROUND ALL THE TIME WHEN HE WAS MALIA'S AGE, AND I HAVEN'T TAKEN HER BY HERSELF YET. WE TAKE BOTH THE KIDS ALL THE TIME, BUT I THOUGHT MALIA AND I MIGHT HAVE SOME GIRL TIME AT THE PARK SO I GRABBED A DIET COKE AND SNACKS AND IT WAS A BLAST FROM THE PAST OF ME AND RILEY WHEN HE WAS THAT AGE.
BEN, RILEY, AND MY BROTHER CHRIS WENT ON A HIKE SOMEWHERE UP ON THE NEBO LOOP. I LOVE THIS SHOT. AMONG MANY OTHER THINGS HE'S GOOD AT, CHRIS IS AN AWESOME PHOTOGRAPHER.

I WAS TAKING SOME POST-HAIRCUT PICTURES AND GOT THIS CUTE SHOT OF MALIA. I LOVE PUTTING HER IN PURPLE. IF SHE WERE IN HER ROOM SHE WOULD DISAPPEAR SINCE HER ROOM IS ALSO PURPLE. ONE QUICK FUNNY STORY ABOUT MALIA: THE OTHER DAY, SHE WAS IN MY BATHROOM AND I HAD JUST GOT HER OUT OF THE TUB AND DRIED OFF BUT NOT DRESSED SO SHE WAS IN THE BUFF (AND I WAS PRAYING SHE WOULDN'T PEE). I WAS DOING MY MAKEUP AND NOTICED HER WALK UP TO THE FULL LENGTH MIRROR, WITH HER LITTLE SWAGGER AND ADORABLE BELLY HANGING OUT. SHE CHECKED HERSELF OUT IN THE MIRROR FOR A FEW MINUTES AND LOOKED VERY PLEASED. THEN SHE LEANED FORWARD AND GAVE HER REFLECTION A BIG KISS! GUESS SHE LIKED WHAT SHE SAW :)

OKAY, SO I WAS WORRIED HOW RILEY WOULD ACT TO HIS UNCLE CHRIS SINCE HE HASN'T SEEN HIM IN A LONG TIME. WELL PRETTY SOON, CHRIS HAD A NEW SPECIAL FRIEND. SO SPECIAL THAT HE PRETTY MUCH DIDN'T LEAVES CHRIS' SIDE. I THINK THE CLAUSTROPHOBIA SET IN EARLY ON FOR CHRIS, BUT WHAT COULD I DO BUT ENJOY THE BREAK SINCE RILEY IS USUALLY MY SPECIAL FRIEND :) MALIA WAS A LITTLE AFRAID OF CHRIS, BUT SHE COULDN'T HELP HERSELF IN THIS PICTURE AND CRACKED A NICE GRIN.

MY MOM AND RILEY WORKING ON A SPIDERMAN PUZZLE. GOTTA LOVE GRANDMA'S WHO BRING PRESENTS.

FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, WE HIKED TO TIMPANOGOS CAVES. IT WAS REALLY COOL! I'VE BEEN WANTING TO DO THIS FOR A FEW YEARS. THIS IS INSIDE THE CAVES. IT'S STRANGE TO IMAGINE HOW MUCH MOUNTAIN IS ABOVE YOU WHEN IN THE CAVES. AND THE WALLS IN MANY PLACES LOOK SQUISHY. BUT THEY'RE NOT. THEY'RE HARD. NOT THAT I KNOW, SINCE WE ARE FORBIDDEN TO TOUCH THE WALLS. SO I DIDN'T SNEAK EVEN ONE LITTLE TOUCH. NOPE, NOT ME.......

THE FOUR OF US, READY TO HIKE. I LOVE HOW IN THESE ARM LENGTH SHOTS, WHOEVER IS IN THE FRONT LOOKS AS IF THEIR HEAD IS THREE TIMES BIGGER THAN THOSE IN BACK.

MALIA WASN'T GETTING MUCH ATTENTION THE OTHER NIGHT, SO SHE DECIDED TO SNEAK OFF TO THE BATHROOM AND PLAY IN THE SINK. AND YES, SHE WENT AHEAD AND TURNED THE WATER ON, SEVERAL TIMES AND WAS QUIT WET BY THE TIME WE FOUND HER. WE WERE GOING TO GET HER OUT, BUT SHE WAS SO CONTENT WE LET HER PLAY FOR ANOTHER HALF AN HOUR. THIS IS ALSO A GOOD SHOT OF ALL HER HAIR! I FEEL BAD NOW THAT I CUT IT, BUT I WAS TRYING TO ELIMINATE HER MULLET, WHICH WOULD RAT ITSELF EVERYTIME SHE SLEPT ON IT.

IF GIVEN A CHANCE, MALIA WILL SNAG THE TOOTHPASTE OUT OF THE KIDS BATHROOM AND CARRY IT AROUND WITH HER ALL DAY "SNACKING" AS SHE GOES. ORIGINALLY I WAS WORRIED THAT AS SHE SUCKED ON THE TIP OF THIS, SHE WAS GETTING LOTS OF TOOTHPASTE. SO I TRIED IT, AND ACTUALLY SHE'S NOT GETTING MUCH AT ALL. I THINK HER SALIVA JUST MIXES WITH A LITTLE TOOTHPASTE UNDER THE TIP AND SHE SUCKS ON THAT. YUM! BUT HER BREATH IS PLEASANT.

YEAR OF THE YARD

I should probably say yearS of the yard since we actually spent several months last summer and ALL of this summer working on the yard! But we are now at the point where anything else we do is just fluff. We have done the grunt work (although planting bulbs has caused Ben to grunt a lot) and now we can enjoy :) After this Christmas, I am going to make everything I've blogged for the last three years into a book (blog2print.com), so I wanted to make a record of all the hard work we've done so in the future we can look back and remember. So this might be boring. I don't have any before pics, but just imagine weeds and dirt and that about it. I also didn't include any pictures of the front yard. We have worked a lot on that too, but the backyard is especially rewarding because we put it in from scratch, while the front at least had sod and sprinkling system when we moved in.

Last fall we were able to put the trampoline in the ground, get sprinkling system done, lay sod, and do the concrete pad. But this year, I look back on all the work we've done and I seriously cannot believe it!!! The fence was a big one, and thank goodness we did not do that ourselves because everything else was way more difficult and time consuming than we could ever imagine! Way back in the corner you can see the shed we put together. It lived in the garage for about a week while we built it which was nice since it was so rainy.
In April my Mom helped pick out most of these plants. I love that most are perennials and will get better and better each year (I hope). We have gotten several pickup loads of bark to spread around the flower beds, and I HIGHLY recommend getting bark this way instead of buying by the bag. It's way cheaper if you are getting a lot of bark.

We also did the "garden wall" as we call it. That was one of the first things we did this spring. The garden boxes are behind it, and next spring we will plant vegetables in them. We scored some cheap trex on KSL and built them out of that. It's hard to see, but there are stepping stones that lead into and around the garden boxes. Then there's the playset. Ben and I nearly killed eachother while putting this together. It wasn't a bad one to put together, but just imagine Ben standing on the platform holding the roof up which was big and VERY heavy for one person, while I look for the right screws and bolts and keep dropping them on the ground and having to climb back down to get them. All while Ben continues to grunt and sweat under the weight of the roof. It was awesome.

Ben built this firepit and the benches around it. The sandbox also has a bench around it, kind of hard to see. We used trex for that too. So far no cat poop in the sand box. I don't know, maybe there is Malia poop since I sometimes let her run around naked. Who knows. The flagstones were GREAT fun (sarcasm) to put it. First we had to go GET them from someone's backyard where they had been previously used around a pond, and were covered with dirt and spiders. But now it's done and the bitterness of what a PAIN it all was is fading :) In the spring I am going to plant moss-like ground cover seed between the stones. We have used that firepit several times and it is so fun to have. It's also nice and tall to keep little ones from falling in.
The side yard. There are two flower beds back in the corner that will have trees and flowers someday. The rocks that you see are just a small sample of what goes all around the house. We got those rocks from our own lovely dirt. Payson soil is ROCKY!!!!! I can't emphasize that enough. But at least we got free rocks.
A few fun little things are the chiminea and potted plants. The big one in the front is actually cemented in the ground. We learned the hard way that it was not going to stay upright if a the umbrella is up and a gust of wind comes along, even though it had a whole bag of cement inside of the pot. The umbrella is strategically placed to provide shade to the area where the chairs are since we get late afternoon sun there.

A few more things we did, for my own memories (again, ignore this, it is boring): curbing, gravel (lots and lots of gravel), rolls and rolls and rolls of weed fabric, two dumptruck loads of dirt (the poor wheelbarrow has really worked hard this year), stained the deck, planted 5 trees, and countless plants.
Wow Riley! You really are just like Spiderman!!!

Kindergarten, Soccer, 10K, Labor Day

Riley started Kindergarten this year!!! I am so excited for him. I loved getting him all registered, going to the office, walking around the halls and seeing the lunchroom and gym. All those things take me right back to when I was in elementery and I can't believe HE is about to start this new phase of his life. The first day he was so excited and didn't have ANY problem with me leaving, which was a great relief to me. I love this! He gets out of the house and learns and has a good time, and I can run errands or whatever with just Malia who thankfully isn't old enough to say "I want that!" about everything she sees in the store.

Riley and his pal Hayden

They got star treatment coming into the building with red carpet and all.

Two pairs of chubby, happy cheeks. This was just before I left the classroom and set him free in his new adventure of KINDERGARTEN!!!!!!

This is also his first year of soccer, so it's a big year for my little guy. He loves soccer, and he thinks the shingaurds are so cool. He's been a little discouraged because it's hard for him to get in there and get the ball and score a goal. I mean, lets face it there are 14 or so kids all huddled together trying to kick one little ball...that's a lot of little legs and bodies and who in their right mind would purposely jump in the middle of that! I've been telling Riley it's no big deal if he doesn't get a goal, just to keep trying and have fun. But the other day he scored his first goal, and he was so proud of himself. We were so proud of him too, and because we love him so much we will wait until he's much older to tell him that unfortunately the game was already over when he scored that goal :) But he finally found his moment to get the ball all to himself and take it all the way down the field and score an awesome goal, afterwhich he turned around and gleefully clapped for himself! Nevermind that he had no competition because the other kids were starting to find their way off the field and to their parents. Way to go Riley!!!!!

Riley and Hayden

For some crazy reason, I told my friend that I would run the Labor Day 10K with her. I told her this at 3 am when we were both at work, and any one who works nights knows that you sometimes say things you regret or don't mean. I went ahead and registered and had two weeks to get ready, during which time I ran probably 3 times and never a full 6 miles. So I was nervous when it came time for the race. But I have to say, it was a blast (except for miles 3,4,5,and6 and getting up at 6am) but the finish line was AWESOME and I did it in just under an hour! I also love how people hand you water cups along the way, and then it's okay for you to just toss the cup to the side of the road. I felt kind of bad about that, but it also made me feel cool like "I am a professional, serious runner and I have no time to throw this cup away properly." Ha! Ben and the kids were there waiting for me, and so was my Dad, Laurie, and my brothers Ben and Sam and sister Kelsey. I think this may be the start of something great!

It was a great Labor Day weekend! My family came and stayed over Sun night. After the 10K the next morning I hung out with family, saw the parade, went out to lunch, took a long nap, and then watched Avatar at Sam and Stacia's house. They just finished their basement and it is SO cool and makes me want to get started on ours. They have a projector and movie screen, and their is nothing like watching a movie like that sprawled out on a comfy couch with surround sound and a blanket! Waaaaay better than the theater :)

Riley trying not to smile :)

Dad, Sam, Riley, Ben, Malia (mooching) Laurie, Kelsey, and Little Ben.

How cool are these guys! I love how Riley's ears are being smooshed. Glad they were wearing their safety goggles to play with Sam's little flying helicopter.