Merry Christmas!

Not a fan of Christmas trees but a huge fan of the festival

I've gotten a lot of funny responses over the years when I've mentioned how I am not a Christmas tree fan. My tree is begrudgingly put up and as soon as the kids are distracted by new toys I take it down and put it back to the garage. Yes that means it is always out the door no later than Christmas Day afternoon. I'm not a grinch I just don't like the tradition in my own house. Growing up we always had great Christmas tree traditions. Deciding whether to get a douglas fir or nobel or whatever the other brands are was a big deal as well as deciding to get it flocked or not. The ornaments were the perfect traditional mix of ancient salt dough crafts, primary projects, sentimental ones, and the every Christmas variety. We'd decorate to the sound of Johnny Manthis belting out the tunes. I have great memories of it but since being married I just haven't replicated the magic. I'd get frustrated with the lights, annoyed at the needles, irritated that husband and kids had found something more fun to do so I was doing it myself, etc. It seems rather needless especially since Christmas is about the birth of Christ and I don't see how having a tree in my house changes or adds to that. For those reasons and probably more over time I've given away most the Christmas decorations, all the outdoor crap, and left one storage bin of decorations full out in the garage this year. We have our nativity, some mistletoe, and because my mom said it would be child abuse to not have a tree, Carter and I compromised on a white skinny tree from hobby lobby and decorated it with neon green ribbon, ufos, and an alien for the topper.

Skipping back to last Christmas, I attended the festival of trees with Carter as he was performing there with his irish dance class. I was really struck by how I felt when I was there. This year I took Katherine on a weekday and then went back on the Saturday with Carter. I love the feeling I get when I'm walking down the aisles and I had to wonder how I can feel that way when I really don't like decorating and really dislike big Christmas trees especially overstuffed stuffy looking ones. I thought as we walked and talked and laughed and I realized it was because of the complete unselfishness the festival brings. I realized that what I am searching for in life and find there is the feeling of being surrounded by pure selflessness. The time and resources but more importantly than those things to me is the sequence of the thought, the premeditated desire to do good and then the action that follows that feeling. Seeing people not only think of others but go the next several steps really does my heart good. I'm very thankful for the festival of trees and the opportunity it presents for people to act and for people to view and be inspired to act. And that my friends is how someone who really doesn't like Christmas trees can love a whole expo center full of them.

Out with the old, in with the new

Update for my childrens' sake. I am really excited about having them home for Christmas break. I am so thankful for my great husband and for the time he spends with the kids and I. He's without a doubt the most loyal friend I've ever had and understands me so well. Katherine was cast as a pretty doll for her preschool Christmas program and it was adorable. In fact my face actually hurt from smiling so much watching her in the program. Carter sang for the school choir and the class sing along and tonight has his piano recital. It's hard to believe I have a 4th grader. I'm so proud of his sweet qualities and sensitivity. He's proven to be a very generous child and a terrific big brother. We are going through a lot of changes and usually I am an anxious nervous wreck when I feel like change is in the air. This time however, and maybe it's through knowing how much Matt and I rely on each other, I feel solid and mostly grounded and am excited for the adventures awaiting our little family. Whether we stay here or move there's no doubt that life is different and I'm actually excited about saying adios to the old ways and welcome to the new. It's been the perfect time to reevaluate what is important to me and what I value and the examples I want my children to learn from. I'm feeling confident in my choices and happy for the memories we are making. We had a fun road trip to Cali for Thanksgiving. Stopped at Area 51 which is now an awesome family memory. Slept in a "castle" at state line because of the crazy traffic. Carter got to go on a paddleboat with Cheyenne his twin I swear. The kids were mutinous at the beach because they were having so much fun in the waves and finding shells. Carter even found a sand dollar in perfect shape which I considered a miracle. We've had so many nice evenings sipping herbal tea and watching Christmas movies it seems like something out of a movie and I'm ever grateful for the slower pace we've started and love of my family to give me the gift of really relishing our family time.

Back to School...Already!

Summer flew by as it always does. We had a terrific summer! Carter began 4th grade and so here's a picture of him today (his first day) and a picture of Katherine at her preschool (today was meet the teacher day, first real day of class is tomorrow). I'm a bit nervous for her since she is the youngest most likely. Her birthday is August 26th after all. She missed the cut off by 5 days but she is so busy and interested in learning that I had to let her attend this year. She is very conversational and says such funny things. Today I asked her why she calls walmart moomart (like in mickey's clubhouse) and she replied "I a rascal!" Yes she is. Carter came home excited and extra happy despite his reluctance for he school year to begin. It was adorable to see him and his friends talking excitedly this morning before class began. He's a little rascal too. Can't believe I have a 4th grader and preschooler now. Here's to a great school year! And just hope that I can figure out how to juggle his activities this year.

June Update

I am so happy school is out! I LOVE my son's school but it's really nice to have him home all day. A few days after school got out the kids and I flew to California. We had a dream vacation. 10 days and spent time at my childhood home, visited with relatives, attended both my nieces' graduations, spent a couple days at The Grand Californian Hotel with my kids, nieces, parents, and sister in law and had an incredible time. Early admittance to the park one day, new Star Tours ride 3x, midnight on Main St. with Carter and my niece Cheyenne, swimming, Santa Ana Zoo (so many memories here!), and a couple visits to Trader Joe's ;) We had such a great time with family and if Matt hadn't been here I don't think I would have come back.

We got home and went to Dairy Days at Thanksgiving Point with Matt which was really fun. We then had a few days to get ready for a camping trip with Matt's parents, sibling, and nieces/nephews. It was 15 miles on a dirt road past Loa which is about 4 hours away in Dixie National Forest. We saw a mountain lion which was freaky. It was windy and we had a lot of fun being outdoors I just wish it was a plush hotel with pools and showers instead of a tent and outhouse. When I got home my hair was so matted and tangled I had to go to great clips to get help. 2 hairstyles, 6 different kinds of conditioners, 2 kinds of detanglers and they finally picked and brushed the knots out.

My mom is having rotator cuff surgery tomorrow and I really wish I could be there. Matt got into a collision (not his fault) and the driver doesn't have insurance. I'm restless from having my vacation over with. We still have some exciting things to do this summer. Carter is performing at the Payson fair on the 8th, has a water camp on the 14th, space camp on the 18th with iworlds, cubscout camp on the 26th. So that's the scoop for now. Ending the post to intervene with the kids latest argument about lego guys.

May Thoughts

So happy school is out in just 9 days! It will be great to have Mr. Carter home all day again. Katherine is potty training with some success and Carter is busy with piano, scouts, baseball, irish dancing, and school. He dances so well now, I really love seeing his new steps. My 33rd birthday came and went and I wasn't all that excited about it this year like I normally am. The supposed rapture also came and went. I was thinking with 6 billion people on the planet odds are some people will be in the uhhhh powder room when the trumpets blast and I decided I really don't want to be one of them. Can you imagine in the afterlife when we are all discussing where we were when it all happened?

April also came and went, and without an entry. Easter was nice, the kids were adorable, and Matt was the great husband and dad he always is. I am very lucky to have him.

Katherine continues to crack me up by saying the most interesting things. I love that she communicates so well because it really gives me a great view of a toddler's take on things. Carter is a smarty too but he didn't have the endless vocabulary that Katherine does. I am not sure where she even gets it all. But lately there have been these funny sayings from her:
When she was really mad at me: Mom, I'm gonna put you in a volcano and blow you up.
When she was happy with me for finding the specific minnie mouse nightgown she was looking for: Mom you are my best friend. We will always be friends.
When she threw up: Mom, I puked like a kitty.
When someone has something she wants: Every EVERY SHARE!
When she doesn't want to give you an answer: meow meow!
When she is mad at Matt: DADDDD you in time out! go to bed!
When she is happy with Matt: Dad? You're the best...dad...ever.
When she is pinning for her friend to come play: I miss Minnie (her friend amelia) and I need my glugs (gloves) cuz I walk far far away and see minnie cuz I miss my minnie.
Her overused words that drive me bananas are "Cuz" and "Yep." I'm not a huge fan of slang.

Happy Birthday Carter Morrison!

I love my Carter Morrison, he's such a great kid! He's been so busy lately since he does Irish Dancing and it's around St. Patrick's Day. He was in the parade at the gateway, danced for some adorable senior citizens at an assisted living facility on the holiday, and last night performed in the talent show at school. I love seeing him dance and I love that he loves it so much. He's growing up so fast, already 9 years old. Our last year in single digits. I spoke with his math teacher yesterday and it made me so happy to see her gush about how much she loves him and how awesome he is. My parents were able to fly here for Carter's birthday and we had a perfect visit. I pulled Carter out of school early that day so he could maximize his time with his grandparents. He was so excited he had been pestering the school secretary for over an hour and hadn't even eaten lunch because he was ready to be picked up (as he said on several of the messages he left on the phone). That afternoon he had some friends from school over for some science experiments. We used mentos to explode a couple 2 liters of diet coke and that was pretty awesome, made quicksand with cornstarch, and models of molecules with nasty cheesepuff balls and toothpicks. The next day we went to IHOP which is Carter's fav restaurant, gran and gramps took him to pick out a new bike for his birthday, and then we went bowling because carter has been begging to bowl for ages and said he had never bowled before. Truth be told he has but it was when he was 3 or 4 so he didn't remember that he had. While he was bowling katherine was freaking out because she didn't want anyone else to have a turn. I ended up taking her to the arcade where she promptly won the jackpot on a spongebob game resulting in a win of 250 tickets! It was hilarious to see this tiny body pulling the tickets out of the machine. Shopping was even more fun. She looked over all the prizes and picked a purple squishy ball, a purple snake for Carter Morrison (she rarely uses just his first name), a plastic indian and 2 dinosaurs, and 5 plastic bracelets. SO funny. After bowling Carter tested out his new bike and we spent time visiting with my awesome parents who really are the best parents grandparents ever. It was a great way to celebrate Carter's birthday. He is one wonderful child, I consistently feel blessed to be his parent.