Christmas 2012

So Christmas came and went at super sonic speeds. I have ABSOLUTELY enjoyed this Christmas. The last few months have been so chaotic, it was nice to have some down time and reconnect with my family and friends.

Here is some pictures of the our holiday and of course the rest of Chip our Elf.... beginning with Chip using reese's pieces to spell...Santa Says Hi!



 

Marshmallow fight anyone?

I was down with the flu this day so Kenzie took the pic...Chip left a coloring book

Elves do love syrup

Flirting with Barbie.....

Evil elf was back this night...

Chip went ahead and wrapped him up to go back to the South Pole.

Chip left a special invitation for Makenzie this morning to join him that evening for a special surprise. He was waiting in the car and ready to go for a ride to take in all the Christmas lights around town....and to have some hot cocoa when he got back home.

This Chip adventure got two thumbs up from Makenzie.

Of course we had to include some shenanigans with Makenzie's underwear since it upsets her so much that the Elf is messing with her undies...Chip made a zipline

And he had a blast!

It snowed...well at least a little bit Christmas Eve.....

Christmas Eve at the in-laws

 

Christmas day.....Santa brought Nexus tablets for the twins ( I have not seen their faces since)....Makenzie got lots of Monster High dolls and dollhouse. I did not get many pictures Christmas day because I was packing for our trip to Idaho the next day....we headed back to the in-laws later to finish opening gifts.

We took off for Idaho the next morning...in a snow storm.....and I will say because the twins had their tablets it was the quietest drive to Idaho we have ever taken........I took a picture of the Snowville exit, I figured it was fitting amongst the blizzard.

Me and my sister know who moms favorite child is....yes....this is her favorite child!

The kids had tons of money to spend that they got for Christmas so we shopped all day Thursday and then us adults went to dinner and a movie. The next day they still had some money to spend so we took off to Boise and spent the day at the mall. My niece Gabby came into town with her boyfriend Jessie and we went out for pizza that night. The next day we spent with my dad and his wife Jodi at Big Al's. We had a great lunch and watched some sports on some "moderately" sized T.V. screens

Then a bowling game that I actually scored over 50...and that is incredible for me

And then played some arcades and games...

and of course won some wonderful prizes....

We ate and ate...and shopped and shopped....and laughed and laughed...we even played some Clue...mom never wins at this game....and....she still has not won.

 

 

We came home Sunday. It was a great Christmas and I am glad I got to share it with both sides of the family.

 

 

Merry Christmas 2012!

Gratitude

I have been staring at this blank blog page for awhile. I want to talk about being done with my semester, the twins,  weight loss epiphanies , Chip our elf, but then my mind wanders back to the horrific events in Connecticut. I feel strange putting both things on the same page.....a heinous event mixed with the silly goings on in my life.

....but I suppose the silly goings on in ones life is what makes us keep going .....in what seems like a chaotic scary world at times.

 Friday I picked up my six year old from school and let her chatter away about this, that, and all things encompassing Christmas. We stopped at the store and picked up a movie from the Redbox, and grabbed a treat for later....then we gathered as a family and spent the evening together.....cuddled on the couch shutting out the world for awhile.

something so simple... and yet 27 others...20 of them being 6 and 7 years old.... were robbed of this Friday....and that makes my heart ache beyond words.....

So, I am going to go ahead and go on about my week.....and share pictures...and talk about all those silly things.....because I am grateful...I am AMAZINGLY grateful I have these things to talk about this week...these are the things that keep me going in this crazy chaotic world.


The twins had their Christmas concert on Monday.....and they did great!

I finished my semester Friday and with A, A, A-...the A- was in pharmacology and I worked hard for that A-....think about all the information that comes with one pill...now try to remember multiples of pills with all different information.......that is why I am okay with that A-.

When I finished my last final Friday I used some Christmas money I received and did a little retail therapy. I have talked about weight loss in past blogs, and I will go over my total weight loss after the holidays, but I want to mention something that almost brought me to tears in the dressing room. I have not done much shopping and it is apparent by the way my clothes fit, I am starting to look like a homeboy. First of all, being able to shop in a non plus size store is a change for me, and it felt amazing. I picked out a bunch of stuff and went to the dreaded dressing room, and you know what happened....everything fit and it looked good...only thing that didn't... was not to small, but to big. After about the third outfit I stopped and smiled at myself in the mirror and was amazed. I still see myself as the same person (the heavier person) most days, and at that moment I saw this new person staring back at me....I have worked my butt off (literally) this year. I am not to my goal weight but I am getting there...and it feels amazing!

Lets not forget Chip this week:

Day 9: Wanna go fishing?  The fish kept biting at his "lure" all day....Makenzie said she wouldn't eat it if he catches one.

Day 10: Chip went missing this day...but look who was here in his place...."evil" elf.....Makenzie was worried about Chip all day. Remember "evil" elf, he is from the south pole he made an appearance last year......

Day 11: Of course Chip came back....and took care of that other elf.......but somehow I think he might show up one more time before Christmas.

Day 12: " I MUSTACHE ask you a question!" .......Drawing on Makenzie's baby pictures.....

Day 13: We read the Nutcracker and Chip must have been listening.....Makenzie found this hilarious!

Day 14: Just hanging out with Santa this morning.....

Day 15: I forgot to take a picture!? My brain was mush by this point, it had been a long week of studying, and I actually forget to move chip from the night before. At 6am I remembered and  I moved him, and I forgot to get a picture that day. Chip helped himself to our treat the night before and had a few nibbles on the doughnuts. When I did remember to take a picture the kids had finished off the doughnuts, even the nibbled on one......

There it is.....  our week in a nutshell....

A typical week to have had.....

A week of picking up my kids from school, eating dinner together, and tucking them safely in bed at night.....

...and after Friday's events.....

I am humbled and grateful for this week, today , and tomorrow...and so on .......

RIP sweet precious angels....

Time Out For Family

I am not a fan of the heat...Now don't get me wrong, by January I am looking for a little warmth, but overall I like cooler weather. Most people hit the amusement parks, zoo, and other outdoor activities in the summer months. I tend to avoid large crowds in the heat....I get cranky! So usually when October hits I come out of my summer hibernation and participate in outdoor activities. It is normally much cooler, the crowds are minimal...and as a result, I don't get cranky, so we tend to do a lot of our family outings in the fall. This last three months I have been swamped with work, school, and money has been tight, so we have not done our normal fall activities. No Oktoberfest...no Lagoon...no Park City.... no weekend getaways...Nothing! My sister-in-law had some free tickets for the zoo that expired at the end of the month and I made it a point to make sure we got to the zoo before the end of the month. Thanks Becky for giving us some much needed family time......