GIFTS!!!

Another One

I got a few different variations of this one--but DANI this one is for you baby!


Paper of Gift Bag: For Christmas its gotta be wrapped! Thats the only way to go. But don't be surprised if you get a gift from me in a bag...or even worse not wrapped at all. I stink at wrapping presents!

Real of fake tree: REAL! I don't have a choice about this one. Josh takes care of it though and I think its a fun tradition to go scope out a Christmas tree. Josh starts looking in June...he is a little nutso when it comes to Christmas trees! Going to get trees with his family the first year we were married is an experience I would like to forget...but I am still haunted by it! I'll have to blog about that one sometime!

When do you put the tree up? This year it was the weekend after Thanksgiving but a lot of years we have had it up sooner. We try and get it before there is too much snow.

Do you like eggnog? GROSS!!! I can't even smell it without barfing a little in my mouth! EWWWW! YUCK YUCK YUCK!!!

Favorite Gift As A Kid: Hmmm...I don't know if I have a favorite. I always loved coming down the stairs and seeing a whole room completely full of gifts though. I do remember getting a preemie cabbage patch doll. Giggle plays with her now.

Hardest person to buy for: Some years its Josh. This year however I had plenty of ideas for him. This year I didn't really have a hard time with anyone---THANK GOODNESS!!!

Easiest person to buy for: My kids. I have a hard time stopping with them.

Do you have a nativity scene? Yes someone gave it to us a piece at a time a few years ago. I just realized that its not on display anywhere in my house. I wonder where it is...hmmmm.

Do you email or mail Christmas cards? what??? I'm supposed to send Christmas cards. I must not have gotten that memo.

Worst gift as a child: I can't think of one! Santa always went all out for us.

Favorite Christmas Movie: A Christmas Story

Do you ever re-gift: No way!!!

Favorite thing to eat at Christmas time: My moms caramel and my mother-in-law's fudge.

Colored lights or clear: Gotta be colored.

Favorite Christmas Song: Sleighride and O Holy Night

Travel or home for Christmas: This will be our first time doing Christmas at our house. We are headed down to see our families sometime on Christmas day.

Angel or star: We have a star...but I am not opposed to an angel.

Do you open presents on Christmas Eve: This year the kids will open pajamas.

Most annoying thing at Christmas: Just the fact that I procrasinate too much.

Favorite Ornament or theme: I really like the ornaments that Josh has turned on the lathe.

What do I want for Christmas this year: PRESENTS!!!! And I want to see all the people I love happy!

Favorite Christmas dinner food: Anything that I don't have to cook!

White or warm Christmas: Either as long as its not -10 like it is now!

Favorite thing about Christmas: My husband...because he loves it soooo much

Favorite tradition: It used to ba going to Grandma Carol's house on Christmas Eve. This is a year of new traditions...so I'm not sure yet.

Favorite location for Christmas: With my family

I tag---anyone with Christmas Spirit :)

CHRISTMAS TAG

Okay Julia this one is for you!!!

One The First Day Of Christmas My True Love Gave To Me...

One Embarrassing Moment: Hmmm....this is a hard one because I don't get embarrassed really easily so I don't really have that funny of a story. One time in 9th grade I was in a drama class and I had to do a scene from Shakesphere. So in the middle of the performance I backed up to sit down on a chair and completely missed the chair. That was pretty humiliating. However I barely even cracked a smile and just continued the performance as if it hadn't happened.

Two Best Friends: Lori and Josh

Three Things I Buy Regularly: Refills for Josh, Milk, treats to hide in my diaper bag.

Four Places I Want To Go (and might actually go): New York City with girlfriends, to see a taping of the Ellen DeGeneres Show, Disneyland with my kids...and a nanny, the temple (at least 3 times next year).

Five Goals For The Upcoming Year: Go the the temple at least 3 times, go on vacation with Josh and no kids, get below my pre-preggo weight, start and finish one sewing/crafty project a month, host another back to school BBQ.

6 Things Most People Don't Know About You: THIS ONE IS HARD!!!!! 1- I work out 5 times a week (hard to tell, huh?) What you do know is that I like junk food. 2- Ok...you all know that I absolutely can not carry a tune worth a can of beans. What you don't know is that I sing almost all day long when the only ones around to hear are my kids....AND I pretend that I can sing really well. 3- Some of you know that when I was younger I was really afraid of sirens. I would hide in the blanket closet to avoid hearing them. What you don't know is that there is a siren that goes off here in small farm town USA every day and 8am and 6pm. I used to live in an apartment right by the city hall building where the siren goes off...AND I am still scared of sirens. It scared me twice every day for 5 months! 4- I don't think any of you know that I really wish I was eating a Peanut Butter Twix right now. 5- Ok...you also don't know that I have a leg tumor right now. Its really really annoying and slightly painful at times. I really wish this mystery bump would go away. 6- Do any of you know what I want for Christmas??? I hope you know..and I hope you are getting it for me!!!!

7 Things I Would Never Say: A certain word that starts with F and ends with art. I hate that word, "No Josh I don't you to watch the kids for a whole day while I go shopping", "I love bearing my testimony in church!", "I love cream cheese, YUM", "I promise to never eat chocolate again", "Please don't give me a present for my birthday", "Keep crying Baby, I love to hear you cry!"

8 Things I Love About Christmas: I love how much Josh loves Christmas...he makes it so fun, giving presents, getting presents, Christmas music, Christmas trees, Santa, food, and Jesus.

9 Things I Say To My Kids: No, Stop, Don't drink the bath water, Are you stinky?, Stop Whining, Do you need a thump?, How did you get so cute?, I love you, Who do you love?"

10 Things I Do A Lot: Feed the baby, Exercise, IM Lori, Change Diapers, Sing, Eat Candy, Complain, Check my email, waste time, talk to myself.

11 Things I Would Rather Not Live Without: My family, the internet, cards from friends, Pepsi, Chocolate, my bed, my car, The Gospel of Jesus Christ, my friends, pedicures, my dishwasher, surprises.

12 People I Tag: Bonny, Molly, Ringmaster, Dani, Tye, Audra, Tara, Angie, Denise, Jill, Angela and Rachel. But if you made it this far...then I give you permission to not do this tag!

I have another Christmas tag from Dani...I'll get to it soon!

A few more pictures!

A sneak Peek!

Favorite Things Party!

One of my favorite parts of this time of year is my annual "My Favorite Things" party! My friends and I get together and exchange gifts, eat a lot, and laugh A LOT!


In the background you can kind of see Dani's hubby Brian. It was really nice of him to let 12 wild women take over his house...and his ROCK BAND for the night!

Tye on the guitar! She looks so serious...but she's not!

Carissa did AWESOME for her first time on the drums! She ROCKS!

Kindra and Jen striking a cute pose! My friend RaDawn came and took about a million pictures of us...I'll post those as soon as I get a copy of them.

I wish I would have gotten a pic of all us with our gifts...oh well. Thanks Dani for letting us use your house! And thanks to all of my favorite friends...I am so blessed to have all of you in my life!

O Christmas Tree

Every year we look forward to going and cutting down a Christmas tree. It is has been a tradition is Josh's family for years so we decided to start taking our kids while they were young.

We had just gotten new snow tires on our Explorer. It was fun to drive up the snowy mountain without too much worry of getting stuck.
Josh especially thought it was fun!

Here is Josh with a tree possibility. This is actually a picture that was taken while were just scoping out good trees. We didn't get this one.

The baby was pretty good for the trip...she got to stay in her car seat the whole time. The look she has on her face is one that we see often. It mean "Mommy, I have a tummy ache."

Giggles and Monster of course had a blast playing in the snow. Don't ask my why Monster has on a purple hat. I'll post pictures out our tree as soon as we have it fully decorated.