Randomness...

-I thought things were going to start slowing down a bit once January came. As you can see by my blog negligence that hasn't quite happened yet.
Randy has been busy working on the basement. He has completed the framing and has moved on to electrical work. Things are moving quick. My brother Aaron has offered to come help with some of the plumbing this weekend so we can at least get the bedrooms sheet rocked. I have been working on Primary projects and getting the house back in order.

-I have decided to quit disregarding my body and health. I have let myself slide into a carcass I am not fond of. I don’t feel good or healthy. So if you are around me PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE don’t feed the bear. My goal is to get myself back into shape by July. So if you see me a nice shove of motivation would be helpful. I have been watching the new season of Biggest Loser and have bawled through both episodes. I needed that extra push to get the ball rolling. My biggest hurdle is food. I don’t eat because I am sad or depressed. There is nothing Jillian could drag out of my past. I eat because it tastes good. I love social eating; I love snacking, and tasting. There is not a food I won’t try. I love the way food smells, tastes and even feels after I swallow. It is my addiction. It doesn’t help that I love to cook. While I am cooking breakfast I start obsessing over what I am going to make for lunch and dinner. Too bad food is not something I can quit cold turkey. I do have to eat in order to live. I need to learn self control. It is going to be hard, food is my crack cocaine. But I am determined.

- Claire has changed a lot in the last few weeks. Her toddlerhood is slipping so fast. She will surprise me with a whole sentence with words I have never heard her say before. It takes me a second to respond to her because I am trying to recover from the shock. She is a sponge. She picks up on everything. She also gets INTO everything. It takes me about 5 minutes to apply makeup. Not Claire she can get into my drawer dump out the contents and transform into a beautiful drag queen in 10 seconds flat. I feel like a walk behind her all day picking up her trail of disarray. I have given up on keeping her room organized. She has also turned into quite the little mother. I love to watch her play with her dolls. It really amazes me that little girls pick up on motherhood with very little guidance.



-Brad is such a good little helper around the house. He is so good about helping with chores and helping with his little sister. He also loves to be right at Randy’s side with the basement work. We had parent teacher conference this week. Academically he is above average. He is an eager learner and picks up on things really quick. We just need to work on keeping him focused. He has so much energy and restless fidgetiness. Even when I am quietly reading to him he can’t sit still. I don’t know if he is bored or just needs an outlet for all that liveliness. There is never a dull moment with him.




- Now that work has slowed down a bit I have had a little more time to bargain hunt and price match. For those of you who know me well, know that I can’t stand paying full price for anything. Over the summer I lost a bit of that motivation. I found some great food deals this week so I stocked up our pantry. It felt good. The more money I save on groceries the more money we have to finish the yard and basement. Every penny counts. It is worth the effort.

-With the New Year we switched to the 9-noon church schedule. I am in heaven. We have had the 1-4PM schedule for a long time. It is so nice to be done with everything early. We are now able to go to SLC on Sundays for my mom’s monthly Birthday Dinner. I had a lot of fun on Sunday. I have missed hanging out with my parents and siblings. We laughed a lot and the cousins were all so crazy excited. The noise level was over the top. And of course the food was to die for. Steven directed the kiddos in a nice round of dog pile, rocks, burrito blankets, blanket swing, and leg wrestling. He is going to make a fantastic dad one day. My kids love it. They even got Uncle Eric to play steam roller.



- This last weekend was the girl’s trip. It started with my mom and some girlfriends from my ward growing up. It has now escalated into quite the group. We usually go to Lava Hot Springs but they decided to crash in Logan this year. We stayed in a Hotel, went shopping, ate out for every meal, lounged and played games all weekend. It was a nice refreshing getaway. Thank you Randy for keeping the kids. I brought my camera and didn’t take a single picture. I was much too busy relaxing and shopping. I stole these pictures from Annie’s blog. I seriously love these incredible women. These are the girls I grew up with, girls that have become my sisters, and girls that I absolutely love to be around. I hope this tradition lasts forever!!!






Life is good. I am always grateful for January for fresh starts and the simple quietness after the holidays.

2009

1.What did you do in 2009 that you have never done before ?

I have a lot of answers for this question. First we moved in with family…I never thought in a million years I would have to depend so heavily on someone else. (Thank you Steven and Kari, you saved us!!) Second Randy and I went on a once in a lifetime trip to Germany. And third we bought our first home in Richmond.

2. Did you keep your New Year’s Resolutions and will you make more for 2010?

January in 2009 was such a blur. We were busy moving. I don’t think I even made any resolutions. I am in the process of making some resolutions for this year. I know we are already in the 2nd week of January but better late than never.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth in 2009?

Almost everyone in my ward had a baby or got pregnant in 2009. I guess I didn’t do the popular thing this year. My sister in law is pregnant and due in a few months.

4. Did anyone close to die in 2009?

No, Thank goodness. I didn’t attend a single funeral this year.


5. What countries did you visit this year?

Randy and I got to travel to his mission in Germany in May. It was wonderful. The market crash opened up an incredible deal that we could not pass up. Our tickets were $400 round trip. I know we will never see that price again in our lifetime.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

I would love to get a little craftier. I gave up scrapbooking when I started blogging. I just couldn’t keep up. I would also love to learn to sew. I have also thought about starting a recipe blog for family and friends to share recipies. When I had enough recipes I would print it into a cookbook.

7. What day will be etched in your memory and why?

June 1st. That was the day we officially moved into our new home. I felt like I had finally grown up. Randy had just graduated and we were on to a new beginning.

8. What was your biggest struggle this year?

It was by far working full time when Randy was searching for a job. It was such a struggle to get up every morning and leave my kids. I had a hard time staying positive and clinging to my faith. I knew we would be okay. We were living the gospel and paying our tithing. But there was always that doubt when we were surrounded by unemployment and it seemed like everyone was struggling. Looking back I am embarrassed it was so hard. One of us had a good job which provided a roof over our heads, food in the cupboards, and happy kids.


9. What was your biggest achievement this year?

? I don’t know. I guess I better set some goals!!!

10. Did you suffer any illness or injury in 2009?

Our family got hit really had with the Flu. Brad was out of school for 10 days. He had fevers of 105. It was the scariest week ever. Brad also broke his arm riding his scooter and a week later got a jelly bean stuck in his nose. If it were not for Brad this year we would not have needed insurance.

11. What was the best thing you bought this year?

1st would have to be my home but a close 2nd would have to be…
…a good hair straightener. I know it sounds silly but when you have to tame as much hair as I do it makes a huge difference.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Randy takes the cake this year. I really should throw him a huge celebration party but he hates fanfare in his behalf. He graduated from the University of Utah in May. He spent a grueling summer being a full time mom while trying to pursue a career in this horrible job market. He landed a great job at the Bank of Utah. Just yesterday received a letter from Utah State letting us know that he was accepted to Graduate school. Yup here we go again. Another 2 years of school. During all this he has managed to excavate the yard work on multiple house projects and start framing the basement. He is amazing!!!

13. Whose behavior disappointed you?

I can’t think of a single sole that disappointed me this year. Pretty good.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Obviously our home loan took a huge chunk. But the thing that surprised me was landscaping. Everything costs a fortune when it comes to the yard.

15. What did you get really excited about this year?

Owning something that was my own. It was fun to pick out paint colors and buy decorations. It was even fun to buy groceries to put in our food storage.


16. What song will remind you of 2009?

Any Taylor Swift song. We spent a lot of time in the truck driving back and forth from Salt Lake to Cache Valley. We only had 2 or 3 CD’s in the car because our CD’s were in storage. We must have listened to Taylor Swift’s album over 100 times.


17. Compared to last year, are you: much happier, much nicer, or richer?

This really has been a monumental year for Randy and I. We have been blessed tremendously. We are happier and richer…Hopefully we were nicer too.

18. What do you wish you had done more of?

I wish I had practiced more constraint with my food addiction. When I get stressed I pig out. I spent a lot of time losing weight, eating healthy, and working out in 2008. I gained it all back in 2009. Hopefully 2010 will be a better less stressful year for me.

19. What do you wish you had done less of?

Staying up late. I always have the best intentions of going to bed early. It was impossible to go to bed early while I lived with Steven and Kari. We were just having too much fun. It carried over because I rarely went to bed a decent time this year.

20. Did you fall in love this year?

I fell in love with Richmond. This is a paragraph from a blog post right after we closed on our house and we were living there only on the weekends before the big move.
I have fallen in love with our neighborhood. There are a lot of kids on our street Brad's age. He always asks me how many sleeps until he can see his Logan friends. He is going to love it there. I love waking up to birds. I love hearing the cows moo in the distance while we sit on our porch at night. I love hearing tractors in the middle of the day. I love the farmer who sits behind us in Sunday School that relates everything to a harvest or a plant. One farmer says "you just gotta do what you are suppoda do". I love the people there. They are so kind and excited to welcome us there. I look down the street and see the community that is going to help me raise my children and my heart is at peace that I made the right decision.

21. What was your favorite television program of 2009?

Randy and I TIVOed Biggest Loser, so you think you can dance, Heros, The big bang theory, Flashback, and of course every single Jazz game.

22. What was the best book you read this year?

Unfortunately I did not have a ton a reading time this year. I did manage to start the Fable haven series that I really enjoyed. I still need to finish it.

23. What was your greatest musical discovery this year?

I love Jason Mraz’s song “I’m Yours”. I think he might be a one hit wonder but I love the song. Fingers crossed that he makes another album.

24. What did you want and get this year?

I have wanted to move to Cache Valley for several years. I can’t believe it happened.

25. What was the best movie you saw this year?

I have heard Avatar is supposed to be the biggest and best movie of 2009. I have yet to see it. The most moving movie I have seen this year is “My sisters Keeper”. I bawled my eyes out. I am glad I rented it and watched it at home and not in the theater. I would have made a fool of myself.

26. What did you do for your birthday and how old did you turn?

I turned 29 in Germany. Definitely unforgettable. I feel like I have aged more this year than my entire twenties combined. My feet hurt in the morning. My hair is really grey and I get tired easily. I am fine with aging, it doesn't bother me, but it came a lot faster than I anticipated.

27. What would have made your year more satisfying?

I don’t like this question. I am sitting here racking my brain trying to come up with something negative about the year. I don’t think I will answer this one.

28. How would you describe your personal fashion statement this year?

Painting clothes, lots of hoodies. I like to get dressed up but I have found I don’t really have anywhere to go. I have settled into more comfy clothes.

29. What kept you sane this year?

Faith. It is about all I had at times.
Faith that Steven and Kari would not want to kill us by moving in for a couple of months, faith that we were doing the right thing by moving so far north, faith that Randy would get a job…

30. What celebrity did you fancy most this year?

I am glad that Beyonce wrote all the single ladies. It gives my kids a reason to dance every time it comes on the radio.

31. Who did you miss this year?

I miss my mom. I talk to her almost every day on the phone but I miss hanging out occasionally.

32. Who were the best new people you met this year?

We have really incredible neighbors. We have made some really good lifelong friends.

33. Tell us a valuable lesson you learned this year?

I have had this lesson many times in my life. I learned that the Lord’s hand is in EVERYTNING. Retrospect is so sweet. I thought Randy would NEVER graduate, I thought we were never going to find a job, I thought we were going to have to wait another year to buy a home. How dumb of me. Even if those things didn’t happen this year we still would be happy doing something else. I am a firm believer that the Lord knows what is best and he watches over us.

( I did this post 2 years ago and it was really fun to go back and read my old answers. A lot of my hopes and desires came true)

I challenge you all to start too...I would love to read your answers.

I need a snuggie!!!

Our computer is in our unfinished, unheated basement. While I was working on all these updates I nearly froze to death. So...anyone who got a snuggie for Christmas and wants to donate it to me I will gladly accept.


***Christmas Eve***

Randy had to work until 3 on Christmas Eve so the kids and I spent some time doing some last minute shopping and wrapping some last minute gifts. Then we made gingerbread cookies for Santa. As soon as Randy was off work we headed to Salt Lake to hang out with the Fischers.



We have started a new tradition to go bowling before dinner. It is a riot. The kids really got into it. I bowled a 144 with a little help from the bumpers. It is nice to have kids. After bowling we went to Randy’s parent’s house for dinner and gift exchange. Everyone was so generous. It was seriously like Christmas morning. We were all spoiled.
















All of Brad and Claire’s Aunts and Uncles went in together to get Brad and Claire new bikes. They took the time to assemble and wrap them up. It was an awesome surprise, the kids were stoked. Brad was so eager to get outside and ride his new bike. Claire could not even wait to take it out of the box.






We left around 10 which made for a late night since we had 2 hours of driving ahead of us. Brad was so worried we had missed Santa. We made it just in time to set out the cookies and climb into bed.


*** Christmas Morning***

I say this every year but my kids are at such a fun age for Christmas. I was so tired the night before so it came as a HUGE surprise that I woke up at 5:30 feeling anxious to wake up the kids. I restrained myself until 7:30. I couldn’t take it anymore. We had to whole day to spend together. It was fun just lounging around playing with toys all day. Matt and Tori bought me the Pioneer Woman Cookbook so I spent some time experimenting for breakfast.
By afternoon Randy was getting antsy so we began cleaning out closets and moving furniture. It is hard to keep up with my husband’s nervous energy sometimes. I would have been content sitting on my tush all day.
















*** Christmas Weekend***

I had to stay in Cache Valley during Christmas because I was on call for work all weekend. I was feeling pretty sorry for myself since it would be the first time I would miss my mom's Christmas breakfast. After throwing a pity party for my parents they agreed to come spend the weekend with us. They arrived Christmas night. My mom gave me new glasses and a butter dish for my fancy schmancy dinner set. I love eating with my nice set but get bummed when I have to pull out my dumb cups and lame plate for the butter. It kinda ruins the whole thing. I couldn't wait to use them. This was the first time I have ever hosted dinner on a Holiday, we are usually the guests. It was so fun to make a holiday dinner. Not near as good as my mother but I am getting there.





The rest of the weekend we spent munching, watching movies, playing games, and relaxing. My mom and dad even took my kids to a movie so Randy and I could go on a little date. The weekend was perfect...except for being on call. I got called in three times while my parents were there.










Ahhhhh... Randy and Jenny at a big boy and girl movie while grandma and grandpa are stuck watching the Squeaquil with the babies. FABULOUS!!!



I was really sad when the weekend was over. I threw another pity tantrum the night before they left. I hate goodbyes.

***New Years***

For New Years weekend we had Tim and Kamie come and stay with us. We got slammed with a huge snow storm. We sent the kids outside to assist with snow removal. They were a little distracting. Uncle Tim sent them down the sled a few times. After several snow angels and chasing the snow spitting out of the snow blower they were ready to come in and get warm.

After the kids went to bed on New Years Eve we invited Todd and Melissa our neighbors over for Kamie's famous cheese Fondue. We dipped everything you could imagine. If Randy was more bite sized I may have dipped him too. I have no pictures because I was busy indulging. It was so delicious. They boys watched the Jazz game and after we played a few games of Farkle ( a really fun dice game that I highly recomend...even Randy and Tim played, which is saying a lot). We must have had some serious midnight humor going on because we go a kick out of saying "oh, I farkled"...Tee hee hee...



After recovering from the late night the boys started framing my basement. I can't believe it... I have actual walls downstairs. It is really hard for me to picture my basement with the floor plans so I was thrilled to see actual placement of rooms and spaces. They worked hard. Brad stayed right by Randy's side being the tool boy. We asked him if he wanted to come shopping with the girls and he forcefully declined. He needed to stay and help eat the huge box of boys only donuts. Thanks to Aunt Kamie's donut run.



And last but not least Brad lost his first tooth this weekend. It came all of a sudden. To my knowledge it was not even loose. He was pulling his snow glove off with his teeth and it popped right out. He was pretty hysterical when it happened. I mean we didn't even have the time to properly prepare him. He was screaming bloody murder at the loss of such an important body part until I gently reminded him that he would get a visit from the tooth fairy. Crying stopped instantly and it was the highlight of his day.



He can't keep his tongue out of the gaping hole in his chops. It is funny to watch. He has even contracted a cute little lisp. He is growing way too fast. It kinda scares me.

It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks. I have enjoyed every second spent with family, and friends. Only 11 more months until the Holidays come whooshing by again.