Christmas 2009!

We had a really great time this Christmas! Our first with the Boogster outside the belly! Christmas Eve we headed on over to IHOP for some yummy food and then at home we read the Nativity story out of the Bible, sang Christmas songs and opened up one gift as is tradition. Then we watched The Muppet Christmas Carol.

Since Boog doesn't really realize what day it is from the next we didn't spend too much money on him this year. He got a couple of block sets, some books, and Sophie the chewing toy giraffe! I mostly got books and DVDs! So I was set. And Archie got an iPod Shuffle and DVDs!

We spent the day lounging around and watching movies, eating lots of junk food, and just enjoying the day. I made potatoes and gravy, honey-baked ham, rolls, and salad! It was a great day. Here are some pics.

  

 

 

 

 

Boog also got a bunch of puppets from his grandma Crozier!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Six Years of Wedded Bliss?!

Archie and I celebrated our sixth anniversary on Saturday! I can't believe it has been six years! Let's see what we have to show for ourselves....One baby, check! He's the sweetest boy ever and we love him! Deeper in debt, check :( I guess that comes from school, having a baby, and me not having a job yet. But are we happy? Yes! Life is a lot crazier, but we have fun and we love each other!

So what did we do? Nothing fancy...just headed up to Salt Lake City to spend one night at the Anniversary Inn (theme rooms). We chose the Mysteries of Egypt room. It looked a lot bigger on the website....oh well. We ate at the Roof Restaurant that sits atop the Joseph Smith Memorial Building with an awesome view of the city and the Temple. The food is sooooo good. I ate a lot shrimp and salmon and mahi mahi! Plus, the desserts were to die for. They had to roll us out of the building we were so stuffed. Then we headed to the Gateway mall to watch Blindside. That was an amazing film. Lots of tears in that one and Sandra Bullock was superb. And a little bit of book shopping to feed my habit and then we came back and watched another movie! Throw a little romance in between the lines and we had a wonderful night!!!

Pics of our cool room
Though, the bathroom was a bit small!
Our shower head was a snake!

In the morning we headed up to Park City to do some more shopping for Archie. He's been completely out of pants for awhile. And Tommy Hilfiger seems to be the only place that has his size. Then we headed back home and picked my mom up and Little Boogster and headed to Olive Garden for dinner.

Nothing too fancy, but it was a lot of fun and hugs and kisses to my mom for babysitting one night for us!

What did Archie get me? Since six years involves iron and/or wood he got me some really nice chopsticks with an engraving: Love and Laughter through thick and thin. Another set of kitty chopsticks and a wishing pot. I write down my wishes and put them in the pot and they come true! I'll let you know how many do this next year!

Sunday Samplings: Christmas Tradtions

Growing up I don't think our family traditions were all that different from the average family...let's see...we opened up one gift on Christmas Eve after our retelling of the Christmas Story from the Bible. When I was super young I was "baby Jesus." We actually reenacted it! My mom usually made our gifts all a theme like everyone got pajamas or slippers one year.

Our Santa gifts never got wrapped and put under the tree...they would be in a certain spot either on the floor or the couch with our stockings stuffed with goodies and our favorite breakfast foods, such as cereal and Pop-tarts.

When I was really young we switched every other year with having the tree and the Santa gifts either upstairs in the living room or downstairs in the family room. That one didn't last too long since I only remember doing the a couple of times. I basement was pretty dark and dreary and our fireplace went out when I was pretty young...

We could never ever sleep, what child can? So we usually tried to sneak past our parents' room in order to go check early on our gifts! Those were good times. Then Christmas morning we'd get our padres out of bed and open up all our gifts. It was usually done oldest to youngest and then the next year I really would try to get youngest to oldest (that was me!).

For my own family we do pretty much the same. Still haven't come up with a theme for Xmas Eve gifts, but hopefully one day, maybe when Boog gets older. Archie's not a big pajama fan (yes, he's an underwear man!) nor can we find slippers that will actually fit his feet! So for now it's usually just open one gift and there you go! We do try and eat some Xmas Eve dinner at the tree with a blanket and read some spiritual Christmas stories and drink hot chocolate. Christmas day is usually just a lounge around the house day! We do not visit family on that day! Maybe we'll start new ones as we go along! That's what's so fun about Christmas, new traditions to be made while old one are not forgotten!

Christmas 2009 Family Pics!!!!

I haven't been real great at keeping up with my family blog. I guess I feel that I don't have too much to say that anyone really cares about....life is life. Gabe is slowly getting up a bit more on his knees in order to crawl. He's cutting his top left front tooth. He's recovering from an ear infection and is still doing great from his October surgery.

My ward exercise group is still going strong and am loving it! I just wish I would eat better as well, then I might actually lose some weight. But with the holidays....I'll do good just to maintain at this rate. Then when the new year starts I can keep the goal of eating better! But you know what? I'm OK with who I am. I'm almost thirty pounds heavier than I was in high school....but for me that's OK. I carried around an 11.1 pound baby for over a couple of months...my stomach stretched beyond belief...I was bigger around than my friend was who had twins the year before! So I have a lot of battle scars....the most ginormous stretch marks known to humankind and a c-section scar that still itches and twitches like the Dickens. So I say as long as I'm trying to eat relatively healthy, exercise, and enjoy life it doesn't matter what my waist size is! Just trying to be happy no matter what.

Archie is great. He's the super go-to guy at work and he's just the biggest support for me and Gabe at home. Don't know what I'd do without him. He's the best!

Here are our 2009 Christmas pics!




Isn't he just the cutest!!! We'll keep him!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Looks like this one got some tan lines!

Looks like it was a great first Thanksgiving. Too bad the whites committed genocide on the natives...

So let's be thankful for the good things in life and for the ability to deal with the bad things as well!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe Thanksgiving!

Sunday Samplings- My Funniest Movies!

I am a big, BIG, fan of movies! And I love comedies; they make you laugh and laughing makes you feel happier and it reduces stress! So just for fun I'm listing my top ten funniest movies list so if you desire you can view them yourself!

In no particular order:

1. The 'Burbs (1989): This movie stars Tom Hanks and Carrie Fisher and even Corey Feldman! This movie had me crying since I was laughing so hard. One of Tom Hanks finest performances. You won't be disappointed!

2. Galaxy Quest (1999): Starring Tim Allen and Sigourney Weaver! Take all the sci-fi shows, especially Star Trek and turn them into a spoof and you have Galaxy Quest. It's cute, it's funny, and even heart-warming!

3. Music and Lyrics (2007): Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore...I didn't think they'd ever have chemistry...but I was wrong! If you've been an 80s music fan you'll really love this one, but even if not, it'll still be a wonderful romantic-comedy!

4. Notting Hill (1999): Yes, another Hugh Grant! Just sweet, adorable, and laugh-out hilarious!

5. Stranger Than Fiction (2006): Yes, Will Ferrell can act and even take on some great roles that are both sweet and comedic! Plus this one has the always amazing Emma Thompson!

6. The Wedding Singer (1998): Yes, I am an 80s fan...so of course I just love this movie! And Adam Sandler can sing!

7. Tommy Boy (1995): Definitely Chris Farley's best comedy...I think it's the movie I can quote the most! Hilarious!

8. Clue (1985): Based on the game with the same name and also loosely based on Agatha Christie's And Then There Were None novel. This one is definitely one of my favorites! You'll simply die laughing. So many quotable quotes in here as well!

9. Meet the Parents (2000): Whatever can go wrong when you're trying to get the approval of your significant other's family and parents do in this movie! It's so brutal but oh so hilarious! I just love Ben Stiller.

10. Mystery Men (1999): Yes, another Ben Stiller movie...he just cracks me up. A spoof on super heroes and this one doesn't disappoint!

Sunday Samplings: First Kiss!

I was a bit young on my first kiss...I was 14...his name was Dillon...horrible kisser, super sloppy, and just icky. Needlesstosay, it didn't last too long, like a week. He was one of those popular guys and it was pretty funny that as soon as we were "together" all of his friends thought I was the greatest and just couldn't get enough of me! And then we "broke up" and I no longer existed! Oh, the funness of high school! HA HA! So glad I never have to go back in time to relive them....

Snow!

Well, it officially became winter yesterday....well, a bit on Friday too. I was hoping the nice days would stretch out just a bit more. Boog and I were having a lot of fun taking morning walks with the weather being so nice! Oh well, with my exercise group four days a week and my treadmill I should be still good to go. I love the snow, but I hate driving in it and I just hate the bitter cold. I want to live in a nice mild climate all year round! Next winter, though, Boog will be able to play in the snow with me so it'll make it even funner!

My Fifty Follower Giveaway!!!!!!

Just wanted to share with you all that at my other blog Gofita's Pages I'm hosting a giveaway! So if you want to check it out and sign up I would be so pleased and happy and all that great stuff! It ends tomorrow night at Midnight MST so hurry up!

Halloween and Family Pics!

I forgot I had these!

Ty and Cristi's Halloween Party!

Gabe and Archie are pirates!

These were taken by Nancy...I just took a pic of the pic so they're a little fuzzy, etc.

Jumping Gabe in his Pirate costume

I just love the beer belly shots!

9 Month Checkup

Well Gabe is officially nine months old! I can't believe it! He just keeps getting bigger and bigger. He is still a nail, though! He is 29.5 cm long and is officially too big for his car seat now (87th percentile). His head is 18.3 cm (83 percentile). Weight is 18.87 pounds (23 percentile). So he still has a big head, he's tall and doesn't weigh a thing! Just like his parents! Oh, wait, no! His doctor said everything seems to be going well and he looks as healthy as a horse!

He's still not crawling yet...so we're getting lots of tummy time in even though he just screams and screams! But he gets around really well in his walker since Archie took off a few obstacles so he can cruise around on the carpet as well as the linoleum. Now he's pulling off the DVDs, CDs, chairs, glass objects! We're baby proofing now!

He's finally sleeping better again at night since his surgery a month ago and his cold last week! Yeah! Sleep is somewhat here again. We also had our water heater go kaputz a few days ago and had to have a new one installed today. That was not so fun since it cost us an arm and a leg to do it...now I still have my car to register...got pulled over yesterday for my expired tags...grrrr! But it should be ready to renew here in the next few days as long as our catalytic converter light doesn't come back on within the next twenty miles! So wish us luck!

Sunday Samplings: Light

I was going through some old high school papers and ran across this poem I wrote when we were studying Shakespeare...we had to write in iambic pentameter! Yikes! So I thought I would share it with y'all!

LIGHT

As first lighting is seen no harm can be
for no one knows wrath that soon will be seen.
The snake of they Father will think you glee
While he leadeth thee from the Super Being.
If thou no remorse thy essence be damned.
The inferno shall ye be with thy weeping
Voice and thy pains unleashed shall be manned
By Him. But for those whose wool's white and clean,
By thy shepherd ye have followed, thy soul
Will rise and resist His wrath. Ye gather
Thy kin to behold such glory they whole
Life has yearned; for they way made'st such matter.
Heavens shall open, He, thy god shall come
To take thee to thy father, His world from.

I was only fourteen when I wrote this! It's kind of dark at first and then I tried to throw some hope in there too at the end. Thanks for reading!

Crazy, Crazy, Crazy

I guess that must be normal when you are a parent! But my poor little Boog has gotten a cold and now his nose is running profusely so we have to squeegie his nose every five minutes and wipe it with Kleenexes. We have him on Tylenol and he's sleeping in his swing to help keep him upright better so his nose doesn't drain as much into his throat...so sleep is more difficult, which means sleep is nonexistent again for me! Oh, the joys.

We were looking forward to dressing him up in his pirate costume and taking him to a couple of houses in the neighborhood, but that's the day he became sick. So we kept him inside, but our neighbor Stephanie brought him over some animal crackers! She's a sweetie! But my chili turned out pretty tasty so that was nice, but I didn't get time to get my costume ready...so I was my usual backup, a pirate!

For some more good news...let's see...Some ladies in my ward/neighborhood decided to start up an exercise class in our church building in the mornings four days a week and it has been awesome and so motivating! I haven't been this sore for years and haven't worked out this much since before I was pregnant of last year! My goal is to not gain weight this holiday season and with this exercise group and a little less on the eating I'll reach my goal and I hope to maybe lose a bit too!

Happy Halloween!

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Sunday Samplings: Childhood Unmemories

Have you ever had someone tell you something about yourself when you were really young and you just can't remember it? I'm not talking about before we were three or four. But things you just don't remember after you are supposed to, things that someone who experienced the memories with you talks about them and you just have no clue!

Apparently I walked to Kindergarten with another girl in my neighborhood everyday and I have absolutely no recollection of it! I remember her bringing it up when we were teenagers and I had no clue what she was talking about. Somehow I had blocked it out! But I don't think it was a traumatic experience; she was really nice. I guess it's just one of those things, so I can't even blame old age on that one!

One Tough Week

Gabe is recovering well from his surgery last week! And thank goodness; it's been a very long week for all of us. Quite a few sleepless nights for us, but he is officially sleeping again through the night and boy are we super happy! It was also so distressing to see my child in so much pain and discomfort. It just broke our hearts, so we are joyous that the pain is gone and he's is happy self once again!

Gabe eating his first apple!


Beer Belly Gabe!

Along the Alpine Loop

Daddy and Gabe Alpine Loop

Boog's Surgery Update

Gabe had surgery on Friday. It went well and he's making his recovery. It's been a really tough weekend, but today he started smiling and laughing again and playing with his toys! He still isn't eating as much, but we're hoping he'll get his appetite back soon. Pictures to be put up soon!

Sunday Samplings- Past Household Chores

I know I had chores to do, but they weren't really enforced too much as a child or a teen. I know I had to set the table a lot and put dishes away and sweep sometimes. I also had to clean my room and vacuum the living room from time to time. But as I think back I realize that I probably could've gotten away with not doing them. I still received an allowance and I hardly ever was grounded. But I respected my dad and so I did them every so often as a younger child.

As I got older I had my own sense of responsibility to do things around the house. My room was only semi-clean and if it got too nasty I usually picked it up then. My mom had mental health issues when I was pretty young up til I was in my mid-teens so I never had much of an example of my mom doing things around the house. If something got pretty dirty one of us kids usually ended up tending to it. My dad cooked most of the time or we got our own food. And my mom ended up losing so many things of mine in the laundry that I started to do my own pretty early on, which I'm sure she was grateful for.

So there weren't any chores I've ever enjoyed doing and still don't. My house isn't the cleanest, but things still get done in a timely manner. I'm a clutter horse as well. I also get that from my padres. My dad always had things on the table or the bar while growing up and now so do I! Plus I keep everything, but I'm getting better at that. I try and go through stuff about once a year and throw things out or sell or give them away.

Archie is the vacuum guy in our house. He's immaculate and anal about the whole process. I think his mom made him do it over if it wasn't just right. I'll do it, though, if he takes too long...