oh, for the love of christmas lights

Let's begin, shall we.

Rewind back to Saturday.  The day.  The day I greatly anticipate, and Ben silently grudges, but willingly goes along with anyway, because he is awesome like that, and he does like the finished product.  The day we hang the Christmas lights. (insert shudder or squeal...you choose).

We were actually going to hang the lights the week before, but a storm blew in.  It only heightened my anticipation for this day.

I eagerly drug the bins up from the basement, and spent the next 25 minutes untangling the gigantic ball of lights that endured 2 moves this year.   Oh joy. 

I got them all untangled, and literally, as I was cheering out loud for myself as I hooked the last strand in (my Christmas Vacation moment) ...POP!  Out go the lights, forever.  I think we all groaned.  I know I did.

That should have been my sign.  But me, and my type A, never leave a job unfinished, where there is a will there is a way, mind on the mission personality, only saw it as a small glitch in the glorious vision of our new home, with its insane maze of pitched roofing, glowing with Christmas lights for all of our 3 neighbors, and ourselves to see.  Oh yeah.  Well, there are all of those people who turn into our cul-de-sac trying to find their way out of our neighborhood, or flip a U turn.  They can enjoy the lights too.

Honestly, if we were the only house on the planet, I will still hang the lights.  Yup, that's me.  Little Christmas Spirit, all sorts of annoyingly bursting with Christmas cheer and energy.  I am THAT person.  The one that all of the Facebook/social Thanksgiving comes before Christmas, and heaven forbid you celebrate them both..together....in the same season!  Gasp!  scrooges are boo hooing about.  Live and let live people!  Much bigger issues out there people, much bigger.

Back to the lights.

So, off I went to the store to buy new lights for the new house.  Sugar plumbs dancing in my head. I was actually kind of glad at this point.  I liked the new lights I bought better anyway.

Now, all we needed was a ladder.  So, I called a neighbor.  She said her husband was out hanging their lights, and would be done soon.

We waited 4 hours.  The ladder sat outside their house, right where I could see it, with no one on it.  I literally paced, fumed, pouted, and did nothing short of self destruct.  Daylight was fading, time was wasting, my one day with Ben's help was going fast.  My mission was failing.  I had a job undone. And there I sat, staring at the ladder.  ARGH! 

So, I called another neighbor.  She said her neighbor was borrowing it to hang his lights, and would bring it over when he was done.  I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  Nothing.  Nadda.  Zip. That neighbor just finished using the ladder, today.  uh huh.

I finally decided that I was either going to explode, or I should do something useful while I had Ben home to help with the kids...like grocery shop, alone.  So, I went to the store. 

Right when I got there, another neighbor called.  She had a ladder! And the angels rejoiced.

I did nothing short of run through the store, finished shopping (the good ol Walmart checker whining all about how she hates Christmas, and me just giving her a blank stare of astonishment) and drove straight to her house.  We shoved the ladder in the car, on top of the groceries and all.  Hey, we still ate the Doritos.  All one million crumbs of them.

I flew home and burst in the house with the good news.  No one seemed nearly as thrilled as I was.  Whatever.

And we finally began!  We hung what we could without the ladder first.  I had to crawl through an upstairs window and pull myself up on to the tops of our smaller roof lines.  I am not afraid of heights, but people, this was some seriously steep pitch, and I was scared right out of my Christmas flippin mind!  I had a duty though, and a small window of opportunity, and I REALLY wanted to get the lights up, so I clipped the clippies, and hung the lights.  I did what I could do, and then it was time for the ladder, oh, and did I mention that it was now dark, and the freeze your snot kind of cold.  That was fun.

Well, joy of joys, the ladder was too short.  Mission over.  Job left undone.  Time ran out.  Sunlight left.  I was deflated and frustrated, but had not one ounce of giving up in me.

I hopped on facebook, where there is a group set up for the people in our neighborhood.  I sent out a plea for a really tall ladder. 

Then, I climbed back out on the roof, in the dark, just to see if I could muster enough courage to get up on the VERY tall and extremely steep garage roof, and just do it without a ladder.  I tried, and I almost slipped.  It wasn't going to happen. 

While I was up there though, a neighbor came home and saw me up there.  I told him we needed a taller ladder, and he said he had one!  And he brought it over, in the snot freezing cold and dark!  Oh the joy!

I ran in and got Ben.  He wasn't too thrilled that I hadn't just given up on the whole thing yet. We left Mary in charge of the babies, and we set the ladder up.  Actually, we spent more time calming down crying babies and setting Mary up for success, than it took to get the ladder up.

And once we got it up...it was too short.  And just to make sure I wasn't frustrated enough, the ladder extension slid down and crushed my thumb, badly.  I just started using my thumb again today.  I assure you I was not singing carols when that happened.  I wasn't making any noise actually.  The pain took my voice right out of me.  I was just making all sorts of weird noises and running in circles.  Ben broke the ladder down and returned it while I continued to run in circles and flap my hand around.  Fun night for us.  I got to look at half of our house lit up for the next 2 nights.

The next day was Sunday.  I needed a ladder, and here was the chance to have a lot of people with ladders in one place.  Church. Sweet!  Only, due to trying to wrangle 4 kids in a bench for 75 minutes, and then the next two hours wrangling 11 six year olds, I completely forgot.  Go me.

I did come home to four Facebook responses though, all neighbors who had extra tall ladders!  Yes!

One neighbor brought her ladder over this morning.  Right when Ben got home from work, we set up the "extra long" ladder.  I was so thrilled to finally be moving forward again.  I had waited all day for this.

Up went the ladder, down went my sprits.  The ladder was just as "tall" as the others.  BOO!!!

Ben was done by now.  I guess I can't blame him.  He stuck this out for a while.  I, however was not.  I called the next person on my facebook list.

I drove to her house, and looked at her "extra tall" ladder.  It was also the same size.  Rock on.

By now, it was dark again.

I had had enough.  And I had a plan.  I would climb to the very top of the very, very, high garage roof, where it slants down both sides.  I would sit on that peak, and clip as many lights down both sides as I could reach.  Then, I would throw the rest down to Ben, who would pull them tight, and clip them down there.  I would just pray that the middle wouldn't sag, and that I wouldn't slip.

So, I grabbed some lights, and wriggled out the window, and made my way up on to the freakishly high roof and slid and slunked along the top and clipped away. 

This took 3 tries, because of crying kids.  I would start clipping, and they would start crying.  So, I would slide and scoot and slunk down and back in the house, settle them down, then climb back out.  They would cry, so I would come back, and so on and so forth.  It was awesome on the nerves.  So, so awesome.

Once I finally got the very top clipped in about a foot in each direction, it was time for the ladder.  Ben came out, and we set the ladder up.  Then we had to go in, to help crying kids.  Then, we came back out, I climbed up and started clipping lights, while Ben held the ladder.  Did I mention that he is a really good sport.

Kids crying again.  Back down the ladder, back in to the house.

Back out again, change the ladder length, move the ladder, climb up the ladder, start clipping.

Kids crying and time to take Mary to cheer.

And so, this is how the night went.  Ben grumbling under his breath, but still doing it, for me.  I so married up.  Me, determined as ever, and so excited that my plan was working, but oh, so frustrated with crying babies and constant interruption to my plan of Christmas bliss!

Finally, I had about 2 feet of strand left, and just as we began to move the ladder, Bam, Luke is crying.

Ben went in to help Luke, and I went to pick up Mary.

I rushed home, all ready to get that last strand up, I came into the house, and found Luke AND Ben, sound asleep.

What the!?!!?

I kind of, sort of, loudly walked around our room, hoping against all hope that Ben would just wake up, spring out of Ben, dance outside, sing carols, and happily set the ladder up one last time for me. 

He didn't move a muscle, and I didn't have the heart to wake him up so he could trudge out into the freezing dark again, in order to shorten or lengthen a ladder again, stand there holding the ladder again, and be subject to his wife and her Christmasy ways at 9:00 pm on a Monday evening.  So, I let him sleep.

I, however, marched outside and there sat 2 feet of dangling lights next to a gorgeous house of beautifully placed lights. 

Talk about falling in front of the finish line!

In some last ditch desperation, I attempted to move the ladder myself.  It wobbled to and fro, over my head, and I ran back and forth trying to balance it out. I ended up dropping all 25 feet of that metal mass onto the driveway at 9:00 at night.  The echo was amazing, and yes, the neighbors came out, yet again, to see if the crazy light lady was still alive.  I smiled and waved and yelled Merry Christmas.  They went back inside.  Ben snoozed away.  Amazing!

So, I got Mary. Maybe she could help in some way.  We got the ladder up just high enough to almost break off the garage lights.  That was fun.  I thanked Mary, and sent her back inside to get ready for bed.

  I finally gave the ladder one last solute, and a kick, and marched back inside. 

And here I sit.  Our house all aglow in Christmas glory, with 2 feet of lights hanging from the roof, staring at me, challenging me, and absolutely no way for me to fix it.

Ever heard the term, hanging candy in front of a baby.  Yup.

And so, the saga continues on.

Moral of the story:

Buy a flipping ladder.  A VERY tall ladder, which means taller than 25 feet. 

Merry Christmas.  Good night.

marshmallow world

On Saturday, we woke up to Marshmallow world! 

We got about 5 inches of snow this weekend.

I love the first few snow falls.  The magic it brings, and the beauty.

I almost pulled out the Christmas decorations, but our fall/Thanksgiving décor is really pretty, so just let myself listen to a couple Christmas songs instead.  That will hold me over for one more week.

I had to document William, because on this day, he wore more clothes than he ever has in his life.

He still doesn't have socks or underwear on, but the fact that he is wearing pants, and a coat, well, let's just say, I was speechless!

 

Luke had his first taste of snow, and love it.

 

Sam, of course, ran out and started making jumps for his sled.  His friend, Georgia, came along for the ride.

 

Mary outgrew her coat and boots, so she hung out inside this time.  I am still just getting used to the fact that not only is she growing, but she will be 9 in a month!  Oh, and she told me that we can box up her dolls, and she doesn't want any for Christmas. 

 

 When I asked her what we should do with all of her dolls (if our next baby is a boy..no I'm not pregnant at the moment), she said, "Just save them for the grand kids." 

 I swallowed my gum and choked when she said it, but she was right, it makes sense.  Geesh.

 Sad day in mommy land.

 

However, when I did ask her what she wanted for Christmas, she said, "I already have everything I want and need.  Just surprise me I guess."

 

My heart turned to butter.

 

We have also discovered, that bundling Luke up and taking him for walks out in the winter wonderland, induces sleep.  We like sleep.  We just bring Luke and the stroller inside when the walk is done.

 

Happy winter everyone!

it hurts so good

For the last 4 months going to the gym has been on hold.  The nausea and fatigue from the pregnancies, and the exhaustion and pain of miscarrying both of those babies, hasn't helped either.

For the past 3 weeks I have been back to the gym, and feeling so much better! 

The past 4 months have left me feeling old, broken, sick, and frumpy.  I lost weight with the miscarriages, because I lost my appetite right along with it, but I still felt weak and un-fit.

I know that in order for me to snap back to my active, energized self and be healthy and ready for another pregnancy, when the time is right and my body is ready, I need to focus on my health and my body for a while.

Instead of just running, which I love, I have done all sorts of things, and it is really fun!

I normally do a machine that's kind of like the elliptical, for an hour, and then do abs.  This is a crazy calorie burner, and it works my whole body.

The last little while though, I have joined a FHITT class.  It is a cardio circuit training, and it is nuts!  I do it on Monday, and my whole body is sore until Thursday or Friday.  The class is awesome and has weights, cardio, abs, and everything else you can imagine.

I also started running a little.  I don't plan on getting full speed (no pun intended ha!) into running, because it is too hard to stop once I get going.  I do want to try to be pregnant again sometime in the near future, and I am not one of the lucky ones who can run during pregnancy.  The nausea almost kills me and when that is over, my belly is too big to run comfortable.  I do love it though, and it feels SO good to run!

I just run a mile and half and then go do something else.  Just enough to get the endorphins flowing. :)

I have so many races I want to run, and new goals I want to achieve with running, but it is not the time for that.  My focus is not on getting into marathon shape.  There will be a time for that.

Right now, I just want to feel good, tone up, get in all around good shape, and be as healthy and fit as I can be.  After 3 weeks, I am already seeing results and feeling stronger.  It is empowering.

And dang...it feels good!

gee, keei, double number punch, and so much more

Sam started Karate last week.

In order to begin going to class, he had to earn his white belt first.

He earned it in 2 lessons!  His Sense (or however you type that) said that Sam is really good for his age and has some natural talent. 

I wasn't sure how my soft hearted, sweet little Sammy boy would handle Karate, but he sure has been begging, so we finally signed him up.

I had nothing to worry about.  I was shocked to see that Sam was just completely absorbed in it, and was a very fast learner.

I was SO impressed with everything about it as I sat through is private lessons.

The mental toughness, the respect, the obedience, the skill level, the positive attitude, the fun of it all.  It was extremely impressed.

The best part of it all, and the thing that sold us on it though, was Sam.

His eyes just lit up with every new thing was learning.  He took the "talks" about the rules and behavior seriously, and was bursting with excitement when he learned some new skills and passed them off to earn his white belt and entrance into the class.

I thought he was going to explode with excitement when he got his uniform "gee" and white belt (which can never touch the ground or be washed).  He was trying to be serious, but I could see his little tongue inside his cheek, which is the face he does when he is trying so hard not to smile.

Apparently, Karate is serious business when you are standing at attention.

Karate has a language of its own, and we are all slowly learning it.  Sam thinks everything about it is so cool and amazing.

He is always asking when his next class is, and when we are finally on our way, the whole 10 minutes to get there, he is asking how much further.

I am so glad my Sammy Boy has found something that he loves, something that makes him excited, and something that helps him feel so good about himself.

Karate Rocks!

pouty couch

This was supposed to be "my room."  You know, the room in the house that your mom claims as untouchable. 

It's usually in the front of the house, right by the door, commonly known, in Utah, as the visiting teaching room.

There was a room like that in my house growing up.  It was a beautiful room, with beautiful things in it, but I never really understood it.  Why would mom have a nice room, with nice couches, that we rarely got to sit on, and nice things we were forbidden to touch.

 Now I get it.

A woman  just wants one room in the house that might stay nice, stain free, and put together for more than an hour.  A room of peace, beauty, and favorite things.

Well, I have THAT room in my house.  I put all of my cute fancy homemade pillows in there.  My favorite red couch in there.  My favorite table that I painted is there. The piano is in there.

The room is still in the making, and needs some color or wallpaper, but it is still the room where I prefer the kids stay out of, unless they are practicing piano.

Unfortunately, my plans were not to be so.  At least, in Williams world.

My favorite red couch, is now known as "the pouty couch."

For some reason known only to a 3 year old in the thick of distress and heightened emotions, the red couch has become the spot to unleash the slobbering, snotting, screaming, thrashing, release of these emotions.  These usually occur when there is ketchup, chocolate, or some other non cleanable substance on the said subjects hands and face. It is not just a spot, it is THE spot.

This is the pouty couch the way I prefer it.  Same with the table.

This is the pouty couch in action.

Sorry, I deleted this picture.  But I am sure you can imagine a pouting 3 year old.

 This is the aftermath.

This is actually not bad. The other week, the pictures were also off the walls, and you can't see the snot and Cheetos stains all over.

And this is about 2 minutes later.

Of all the rooms in the house, seriously!

  Oh well.  Maybe next time I get upset, I should test out the pouty couch, it is kind of soft.

well, crap.

This is where I found Luke trapped this afternoon.

Such a lovely place don't you think.  Especially with the nasty spilled brown goo all over.  Yummy.

Oh, and you see that book.

That would be Sam's overdue school library book that we have SCOURED the house for 3 weeks looking for.

We finally paid for the book, $11.00....this morning.

Good times, good times.

ketchup anyone?

This is William.

William is hilarious.

William likes to laugh really hard with is tongue out.

William LOVES ketchup.

William will eat plain ketchup if we let him.

William likes to squeeze lots of ketchup on his plate.

William likes to scrape it off with his fingers and lick them.

Then, William will lick the rest off his plate.

Silly, cute William.

party time

I think Halloween gets bigger and bigger every year.  I am not a Halloween scrooge, and I enjoy the holiday, but this year it seemed like it just kept on going.

Between school parties, carnivals, friend parties, adult parties, church parties and the actual holiday, we have been celebrating for over a week now!

It started with Ben's 32nd Birthday.  It was on Sunday, so it was a little more low key, but it was a good day.  The kids made him cute cards and gifts, we made him his favorite dinner and cake, and he opened his gift from me.... tickets to the Lady Antebellum concert here in Salt Lake in a few weeks!!!  Yup, we are going together and making a date out of it!  It is going to be awesome! 
We love Ben and were happy to celebrate him.

 

After celebrating Ben's birthday, we had 5 parties the following week.  We all had to dress up for a few of them. And of course, I made my famous eyeballs.  We have another Post-Halloween party tonight, where we will dress up again, and I am going to make homemade oreo spiders...oh yeah.

William couldn't choose what to be, so he was a pirate sometimes, and a ghost at others.

 

Beautiful Cleopatra

the cutest spider in the world

witch

Pirate Sam!



Punk Rocker

 

The parties and celebrations were all fun, but my favorite part of Halloween, is still Halloween.  This year was even more special because grandma JoJo came to visit and was able to trick or treat with the kiddos.

 

I love lighting up the carved pumpkins on the porch, lighting the fall scented candle, turning on the spider web lights, watching a Halloween movie, wearing my pumpkin earrings, watching the kids trick or treat, and of course, partaking of lots of sugary goodness.  Halloween is awesome! 

 

The kids had a great time, and we all decided that we live in an awesome neighborhood for trick or treating.

Ready to go trick or treating!

 

I bought 400 pieces of candy, gave each kid that came to the door 1 piece, and ended up running out!  Yup, our neighborhood is bursting at the seams with children, and we love it!

 

Happy Halloween!