2 Trips

Does this mean that I have lots of photo?

Not necessarily. I apologize. An iPhone camera can only do so much, and it often has no battery due to a certain little boy who loves to play Angry Birds.

Thursday, Dec. 20th, was a great (though cold) day for a wedding. We traveled to Salt Lake to see Emily and Rodolfo tie the knot. It was a short, but tiring trip. I got to eat at Tucano's for the first time, and it was delicious. I'm not used to that much meat, so I felt kind of sick afterward, but oh well. We had a good time with family, saw the lights on Temple Square, took Joseph on a train ride, and went to Ikea and the Church History museum. I enjoyed seeing Joseph play in the children's section upstairs. He had a great time. I was pretty impressed with Ikea and their good prices. We got an end table for only 7 bucks, and I picked up a few things for my kitchen that I've been missing (like, a measuring cup that will hold more than 1 cup!)

We relaxed for a couple of days and celebrated Christmas. I got lots of good stuff, but what I'm most excited about is my meat grinder/pasta maker! I've already looked up recipes for 25 kinds of sausage that I want to try. I can't wait. It's going to save a lot of money, and I'm excited to make my own sausage so I can tailor it to our taste. It's a hand crank, but it's not hard to use at all. James's main present was a network streaming thingy for the TV so we can watch YouTube/Netflix on our TV, and Joseph got spoiled with some awesome toys from D.I. (cars, tracks, and the works.) Kenny didn't get much, but he doesn't need anything and doesn't care! :)

We headed to NC on Christmas day. It could've been a better day. After a huge amount of stress and fussy children, plus a missed flight (and almost another), we made it to NC only 30 minutes late, somehow WITH our baggage! It was truly a miracle. It was a horrible day, but I think God was really looking our for us.

We had a good, relaxing week in NC. I did a few projects here and there as Christmas presents for my family, but mostly I relaxed. Grandma and Grandpa came to visit, so it was really nice to see them. We went to Golden Corral one night with them and stuffed our faces. James and I went on a date to Red Robin, which has really good burgers, and the whole family went to get hot Krispy Kreme donuts on New Year's. James was impressed, as he should be, because fresh KK's are the best donuts in the world, hands down. Maybe I should (or not) learn to make them at home. That could be bad!

We arrived home late last night (New Year's Day). The drive was okay, but at least the flights were good. I wish my family lived closer! Still, it's great that we can drive 350 miles to Denver and save hundreds of dollars compared to SLC or Vernal, which cost about the same.

It still feels like the end of 2012 since I took down our Christmas decorations today and threw the tree out. I almost broke my vacuum trying to clean everything up, but I finally got it all done.

Aunt Mara loves her nephews

Kenny!

Christmas morning: setting up Joseph's tracks

I've been through Colorado to a place called "No Name"

Carmel, Mara, Joseph, Lars @ KidsTown in Apex

Dad's favorite toy

success! both boys asleep

It's great to be home. The maintenance man fixed our breaker so we can do laundry and cook at the same time now, not to mention heating more than one room at a time! It's 2 degrees but a gorgeous day, and I couldn't be happier to welcome 2013. I'll do a recap of 2012 once I get it all typed. Oops. I completely forgot to even look at my to-do list while in NC, but that's what vacation is for, right?

Until Now

Today has been quite a horrible day, and it wasn't my fault. When I'm having a bad day, I hate hearing how it's all about perspective. I tell you, the odds were not in my favor this morning!

Let's backtrack a day, though. James was running a fever last night and overall not feeling well. I thought for sure that he wouldn't go to work today, but he felt well enough that he did. That threw off things a bit. Kenny has been a little congested but sleeping mostly well, except that he's woken me up around 6 the last 2 mornings, then gone back to bed. I, of course, can't fall asleep for only 45 minutes, so I've lost a little sleep that I didn't expect to. I hate waking up when it's dark. Waking up 1 1/2 hours before sunrise is one of my least favorite things in the world.

We took James to school so I could have the car. I was in my pj's and feeling pretty hungry and gross (unshowered). Somehow, our clock inside was wrong, so James ended up being late...basically all my fault. I felt really bad.

Kenny was just down for his morning nap when they started hammering/drilling/making obnoxiously loud noises upstairs. I hope they finish doing what they're doing up there ASAP, because this isn't the first time it's ruined a nap for Kenny. It's the 3rd or 4th. He didn't sleep a wink, and we had to be somewhere at 10:30. The visit went well, though, and we got our stuff at Walmart. Unfortunately, Kenny was a basket case by the time we got home: too tired and upset to eat. I put him down for a nap, and 20 minutes later, he was awake. He went back down after eating and is still asleep. I hope he sleeps another hour, because that poor little boy hasn't had 2 decent naps in a couple of days. I need my sanity back. I was about ready to snap this morning, and it wasn't pretty. It made Joseph sad too. I'm a horrible person when I'm angry.

I know that God cares about my me and my role as a mom. It's not glamorous to be "just" a stay-at-home mom, but I can't imagine a job that would make me more likely to pull my hair out or that I would love quite as much. It's hard to find the moments when I can stop, listen, and learn what God is trying to teach me about myself. Recently, it seems that the inspiration I've received and acted on has come to nothing. I've wondered why I bothered, because it didn't seem to make a difference at all. I came to realize that I shouldn't worry so much about improving all the time on every little aspect of my life. Sometimes, "good enough" has to be good enough! Feeling guilty about what I'm not doing perfectly only destroys the happiness that I could have right now. I've spent too much time on things that don't matter, and it's affecting my self image in a negative way. No more!

Finished

I love when good things happen that I didn't expect. Last Saturday, we dropped off the kids and headed to the temple together for the first time in a while. James really wanted to do sealings, but they don't usually have them on Saturdays. We were in luck, because the session was overcrowded, so we got to do sealings anyway! It was wonderful. I love living close to a temple.

frayed denim curtains in the boys' room

I spent the rest of my Saturday finishing a few projects and doing a little Christmas shopping. James gave me a "day off". I came home to feed Kenny when needed, but other than that, I was on my own. I really hate shopping, so I got tired of it after 2 hours and a couple of stores. I didn't find anything good at D.I., but I did get curtain rods. I hung the curtains a few days ago.

It's been busy this week because of parent/teacher conferences, but James got home earlier than expected (7 instead of 8). Anything past 4 p.m. without James is really tough. It reminds me of when he worked at night school. I'm so glad that teachers have normal schedules! I will take being a little poor any day over having lots of money but no husband at home. I like the teacher schedule. It works really well for me and the kids.

ruffled curtain in the kitchen

My scriptures have been found! I thought I'd never see them again, but they were in the church lost and found. Hallelujah! I can't wait to get them back.

Our weather has been awesome, and I've been feeling good despite the short days. It's not that cold and there's no snow, but I'm okay with that. :)

Netflix  and Hulu may be the death of me. It's so easy to get sucked into good shows.


I can run a mile a little faster now. I'm not going to tell how fast, because I'm still REALLY slow. Yes. Longer than 10 minutes. Short, stocky frames aren't made for speed. :)

Well, Thanks

(This title has a double meaning!)

To begin, I owe an update about our Thanksgiving trip. We left on Tuesday to go to Rexburg and got back Sunday. A few highlights of our trip (both good and bad):

1. A date with James! We went to the JB's breakfast buffet and stuffed our faces.

2. A visit with Cindy! I miss living by her. 3 hours away is simply too far. I'm so happy to see her looking adorably pregnant, since she's been waiting for her little girl for a long time now.

3. Sleep-deprived children. Kenny woke up 3 of 5 nights that we were there. He knows when he's not at home, and his sleep reflects that. Both kids were pretty grouchy as a result.

4. A visit with Aunt Pat. We popped in on the way to Winco for me to stock up on a few things. It was great to see her and Dell, even though it was just a short visit.

5. Skype with my family. I haven't spent Thanksgiving with them for 7 years now, but I saw them and some other relatives who were visiting (Claude & Tracey, Kirstin & Jimmy). I love Skype.

6. D.I., of course, and a little Christmas shopping. James went to Black Friday, but I went to sleep.

7. Thanksgiving dinner with the Head grandparents. Lots of cousins were there too. The only sad thing about it is no leftovers!

This week has been long because of long days at work for James. However, we got our very first Christmas tree! I was bracing myself for something expensive, but Walmart had their trees on sale. We got ours for only 20 bucks! Yeah, it's not as cheap as chopping one down from the "wild", but we don't have many trees in Vernal. :)

our tree, complete with horrible lighting

Our budding photographer takes hundreds of pictures of his feet!

One lame thing about our trip last week is that my scriptures got lost. I thought they might've been in the church parking lot or in my in-laws' house, but no luck. I think they're probably at the little rest stop we stopped at in Weber Canyon in the middle of nowhere. I loved those scriptures because I bought them myself when I was 15 or 16 when I had hardly any money because I just got my first job. It's disappointing to think of going back to my old set: my dad's ancient triple combination and the bible that Brinson left out in the rain. Oh well. I have a few more weeks to think about that. For now, I will just use James's. I just can't bring myself to cough up 75 bucks for a new set when my others were in such good condition. :( I didn't know how attached I was to that particular set until I lost them. I feel like I lost an arm. Yeah, it's just a book(s), but I had them marked and had a small journal that I kept with them. Oh well.

cutie pie

Joseph is sick today. I don't know with what, but he fell asleep while I was working out at 9. Then, he fell back asleep at 11 and has been asleep since them. Poor little guy. Now, if only Kenny would go to sleep...
Something like this always happens when I plan to go to the temple! I think I'll have to go by myself tomorrow and leave James with the kids, then switch. Good thing we have one so close!

Unexpected Good Things

A couple of things this week have really worked out well, but not until after some craziness that made me pull my hair out. Don't worry, it'll grow back.

We got new phones, which was a huge pain. First, Verizon really wants everyone to have smart phones. I would LOVE one because I did used to have one, but that was on my family's plan. Our current plan is 2 years old and doesn't exist anymore, so we can't change our numbers to Utah numbers without getting a new plan that costs more. There were only 2 free basic phones offered, so we got the same model. (I was sad to pass over an iPhone 4, which I could've gotten for 99 cents. We just don't want a plan that costs twice as much as what we have now!) That's not the most annoying part. It took 3 HOURS with customer service to get them activated. I narrowly missed having to visit the nearest Verizon store, which happens to be in Colorado. I wasn't pleased, but I got my phone activated just in time for an important phone call about 20 minutes later. Hurray! Because of that phone call, I was able to get my visiting teaching done. That is a very good thing. I never get it done in the first half of the month.

Kenny got over his ear infection, but he's been waking up every night around 11, but not really wanting to eat and crying when I put him back in bed. I can tell that he doesn't really need food, because he seems grumpy and just wants to go back to sleep. I prayed to know what to do, and I felt for the second time this week that it's time to take the pacifier away. I can't spend my whole life putting it back in his mouth when he wakes up. I put them all away today, and it's been interesting. His first nap took 45 minutes of crying before he finally went to sleep. His second nap, he didn't make one peep. He even smiled at me. That was 45 minutes ago, so I'll be darned if he didn't just go to sleep with NO paci and without being swaddled! Tonight will be harder, I know, but I know how awesome it is to have a kid who can sleep through anything. Joseph right now is talking to himself since he isn't asleep yet for his nap. He never comes to the door, cries, or even gets out of bed. He knows when he should sleep because I taught him around Kenny's age (8ish months) what to do. I feel so happy.

Life is good. I still long for more sunshine, but there's nothing I can do about that unless I move to the Southern hemisphere. I'm getting better at running, so I can actually run for 8 of 15 laps, or do a mile in 12 1/2 minutes. If that sounds horribly slow, well, I started off at 15, so I don't think I'm doing too bad. I'm getting better at swimming, too, and I can sort of stick my face in the water without thinking I'm going to drown.

I need to get working on those curtains for the boys' room because I've been procrastinating like crazy. Here I go. Maybe they will be done by Christmas? I just need some motivation to get off this couch...and Pinterest. :)

The Good, the Bad, and the Baby

It's been a tough week. It all started Monday with an ear infection for Kenny. Luckily, his pediatrician's office is open till 9, so we made an appointment, then picked up his prescription afterward. Poor little guy was running a fever, which came back the next 2 nights (though not as high, thankfully). He's doing much better today and almost seems to be himself, though a bit grouchier than normal. He gained enough weight so the dr. isn't worried, but he's a tiny little guy: only 14 lbs., 4 oz., which puts him in the 2nd percentile for weight.

I started running -- finally! Things just kept happening to prevent me from going, but I went to the rec center on Wednesday. I ran about 6 of the 15 laps required to make a mile. It wasn't too bad, and I didn't have to push myself too hard to accomplish that. My legs are sore, so today's going to be much harder. (But the second day is always the worst. I remember that!)

I took my boys to visit a lady in the ward. She was in a car wreck about 10 years ago, and she's in a wheelchair and not "all there". Actually, it was a lot like talking to my great grandma, who is 101 and has a failing short-term memory. The lady asked if blue eyes are a family trait about 20 times, but she also kept saying that she thought I was pretty. That made me feel good.

I've been researching a little about "fashion" and stuff. I've never learned much about it before, but I'm trying to figure out what my style is. I think I've been partially inspired by Clean House, even though they style houses and not people. It's funny to read opinions about different things, but I do realize one thing: I shouldn't complain so much about my figure, because it's an hourglass. Supposedly that's what everyone wants. It's so easy to look at what others have and to be dissatisfied with what I have because of it, but making those comparisons is foolish. And Mama didn't raise no fool. :)

Thank a Teacher

I want to mention my wonderful husband today. He has worked until 6:00 every day this week, but he only gets paid until 3:30, which is when contract hours end. He also puts up with (and actually enjoys) 150 8th graders every day. I love hearing his stories (and really funny quotes) from his students.

It's been a long week. James started leaving early (5:45) every other day to go swim at the rec center. We've been a couple of times together, and it's a lot of fun. I had my first ever swimming lesson, which made me a bit sore the next day. I have yet to do any running, but I hope to start within the next few days. I have a plan to work up to running a whole mile. Yeah, I know that's kind of pathetic.

Our ward had a party on Halloween. James was Indiana Jones and Kenny was a Dalmatian. Somehow they escaped being photographed.

I made the Princess Leia buns. (a dismantled scarf woven into a headband, then 2 mini braided rugs)

Joseph as Darth Vader, sans cape

We had a good time. Joseph got a bag of candy from the trunk or treat. I never realized how expensive candy is until I bought 10 dollars' worth that disappeared within 10 minutes.

I've had a hard time with these short days, but I'm pressing on. I even worked on the boys' curtains today. They're going to be really cute when they're done! I think my goal is by the end of the year, and it's not going to happen much sooner than that. That's okay, because their current curtains are an old blanket and some nails, which has worked just fine for the last year. :)

I think I'm ready for a weekend. This brain needs a rest.