It's a Christmas me-me!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? wrapping paper...there's just something wonderful about ripping open gifts!



2. Real tree or artificial? Definitely a real one. (although we've used artificial in the past, it's real this year!!)



3. When do you put up the tree? Usually around the 1st of December. This year we're ahead!



4. When do you take the tree down? Sometime before new years.



5. Do you like eggnog? Not really...



6. Favorite gift received as a child? that's a tough one...



7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yep, it was given to Rob by his Grandmother



8. Hardest person to buy for? Rob, hands down.



9. Easiest person to buy for? the kids



10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don't know that I've had any bad gifts....



11. Mail or email Christmas cards? Snail mail. I get email everyday, but it's only once a year that I get so much REAL mail! :)



12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Mr. Kreuger's Christmas or White Christmas.



13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? I try every year to start earlier but so far no luck. Usually around November.



14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Not that I can remember...



15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Divinity, fudge, cookies, almond bark pretzels. mmmm



16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Always white!


17. Favorite Christmas song? I don't have a fav..I love them all!



18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? HOME. Just can't beat it.



19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen...Comet and Cupid and Donder and Blitzen....but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all (Rudolph). :)



20. Angel on the tree top or a star? A star



21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? One at night and the rest Christmas morning.



22. Most annoying thing about this season? Scrooges



23. What I love most about Christmas? You name it, I love it!

Now if you're reading this...play along! And leave me a comment so I can come and read yours! :)

Question of the day

You'd think with 2 kids fully potty trained and 1 more that's about 90% potty trained I'd have a clue what I was doing. But I don't. So I need your help. I have no trouble with daytime potty training. My frustration is with the nighttime. Alexis was pretty easy and just got up at night to go all on her own. Robby had a little harder time. He was completely day trained fairly early but wasn't night trained until about a year ago. He's a heavy sleeper tho and so I just chalked it up him not waking when he needed to go. Haley's been day trained now for close to a year but is still in a diaper at night. And when she wakes up her diaper isn't just a little wet, it's full. I've tried limiting drinks after dinner time and it doesn't seem to help. She has asked a couple times to not wear a diaper at bedtime, and so i let her try. The first time she was dry and I was super excited. But the second and third night she was wet and so we went back to a diaper at bedtime.

Is it just something I have to wait for? Or is there some way to work on her staying dry? Soon David will be starting potty training and I'd sure love to know a better way of working on night training.

HELP! :D

gobble gobble and ho ho ho

I had a post started for Thanksgiving, but wouldn't you know things just got so busy with the turkey day and traveling out of town visiting with family that I never did get a chance to post.

We had a nice visit with Rob's family. We even got a short visit his great Aunt, whom we haven't seen in about 5 years. That was really sweet. We stayed with her when Robby was born and needed surgery in Atlanta. She really is a sweet lady. :)

And now that turkey day has come and gone, we move on to Christmas!! I'll admit it too, we've been listening to Christmas music even before Thanksgiving was here. I can't help it. Of course it helps too that one of the radio stations started playing nothing but Christmas music! And the kids love it just as much as I do!

Last night we went and bought our tree. I've missed having a real tree. I love the smell. Maybe I won't love it so much in another 4 weeks after cleaning up the needles over and over. But for now I'm loving it. I can sit and stare at the lights forever. It's so peaceful to me!

Speaking of four weeks....can you believe that it's only FOUR WEEKS until Christmas!?!?! This "Mrs. Claus" better get crackin!

a new calling

Today I was given a new calling in church. The only callings I've ever held before have involved playing the piano. I've been the Relief Society pianist, Primary pianist, choir pianist, and when I was still a teenager I was an assist pianist for Sacrament meeting. I think it's become my safety net. Pianists are usually in high demand (or at least they were in my last ward. Playing the piano is something I love to do, and is fairly easy to me.
So imagine my surprise when my new calling doesn't involve the piano at all! Instead I'm now the Beehive Adviser in Young Women! I haven't EVER taught a lesson to anyone in church before. Ever.
So while the idea of teaching does scare me a little, my fears were put mostly at ease when I got to sit in my class today. The girls are really sweet and really made me excited about this calling. I won't lie though, I'm still scared about the teaching part. :)
I am really thankful for this new opportunity.

baby of mine

My lil sweet pea is two weeks old! How time flies!

the christmas card conundrum

Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. I love everything about it...the lights, the sounds, the music, the cold weather, the Spirit that surrounds the season, the story of the baby Jesus, Santa, hot cocoa, mittens....I mean come on! It just doesn't get any better than that!

I love receiving Christmas cards too. I was reading Oh, Amanda's "oh! ho! ho!" posts and realized I need to get going on my card for this year. Every year I have to try to out do what I've done the year before with my own cards. I tried to handmake my cards, but I never got around to actually mailing them out. (I tried with the same cards for 2 or 3 years and gave up). Then I turned to digitally made cards, thanks to my B.F.F., photoshop!

This was our card last year:


With Thanksgiving already next week, I suddenly feel like I'm falling behind and should already be working on this year's card. I still need to accomplish the impossible task of getting a picture with all 5 kids. About two weeks before Lindsey was born I attempted a picture of the 4 older kids together. This was the best one....(I used it in a siggy)

Should be a fun picture to get this year. :D

So where are you at with the Christmas card conundrum? Have you already planned yours out?? Made them??

high school musical

eat your heart out!

sweet sweet baby

Lindsey Erin was born at 11:11am on October 31st weighing 8lbs 3.5oz and 21inches long.