Friday, December 31, 2010
Christmas Memories
Here are a few pictures from Christmas. The favorite gifts for the kids: 3 dollar flashlights and Mr. Potato Heads. The kids had a blast and it has been fun to see them playing with their toys. We also had a nativity with the cousins. Something we enjoy every year.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Christmas
Yesterday was Christmas.
I spent a lot of time thinking about many different things.
The pine tree points us toward heaven.
The candy cane is like the shepherds crook.
The miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Why was the birth of Jesus Christ such a miracle? Every year we decorate our homes and buy gifts and string lights and make goodies and I think that we forget that it's all supposed to be in memory of our Savior. He came. He was born. He lived. He died. And He did it all for us. For me and for my family. Because He was born and because He sacrificed Himself, a whole new world of possibilities open up for us. Our sins could be forgiven. We will live again. We can return to His presence and the presence of God. And the most important to me at this moment- families can be together forever. They can be reunited after death.
I thought so much about this yesterday. The miracle of the birth of our Savior. He gave me some of the greatest gifts I will ever receive. I am so grateful for these gifts. I am personally indebted to our Savior. To my Savior. I am so glad that He was born. That He came and lived and died.
Yesterday, Grandpa Crane died. I loved him very much. We went to his house and said goodbye at 9am. I made sure to kiss him. He always kissed me when he saw me. He always held my hand. He always loved me. From the day I married his grandson, I always knew he loved me. I loved to dance with him. Even though I didn't know how to dance the steps very well and Aaron had to teach me, I always loved to dance with him. I loved to watch him dance with Grandma. They were still madly in love. She still sat right next to him in the truck. He always found her a chair when they came to visit. They had been together since the sixth grade. He loved my children. Even when he started to forget and we had to remind him who we were, he always knew and asked for that curly redheaded girl.
It was good that he went. The alzheimers he was getting made him different. It was hard to watch this tough farmer deteriorate. But it was still devastating. I miss him so much already. And I will always remember that he loved me. And I loved him. That he would take my hand and give me a kiss every time he saw me.
And I will also remember that I will see him again. I will see him again because our Savior was born. Because He lived. Because He died. I will see all the people I love again.
My Christmas was different this year. I sat in the living room while the others said their goodbyes and stared at the tree and thought about many different things. The tree points us toward heaven. The candy cane is like the shepherds crook. The birth of our Savior is truely a miracle. I am so grateful for that miracle.
I spent a lot of time thinking about many different things.
The pine tree points us toward heaven.
The candy cane is like the shepherds crook.
The miracle of the birth of Jesus Christ.
Why was the birth of Jesus Christ such a miracle? Every year we decorate our homes and buy gifts and string lights and make goodies and I think that we forget that it's all supposed to be in memory of our Savior. He came. He was born. He lived. He died. And He did it all for us. For me and for my family. Because He was born and because He sacrificed Himself, a whole new world of possibilities open up for us. Our sins could be forgiven. We will live again. We can return to His presence and the presence of God. And the most important to me at this moment- families can be together forever. They can be reunited after death.
I thought so much about this yesterday. The miracle of the birth of our Savior. He gave me some of the greatest gifts I will ever receive. I am so grateful for these gifts. I am personally indebted to our Savior. To my Savior. I am so glad that He was born. That He came and lived and died.
Yesterday, Grandpa Crane died. I loved him very much. We went to his house and said goodbye at 9am. I made sure to kiss him. He always kissed me when he saw me. He always held my hand. He always loved me. From the day I married his grandson, I always knew he loved me. I loved to dance with him. Even though I didn't know how to dance the steps very well and Aaron had to teach me, I always loved to dance with him. I loved to watch him dance with Grandma. They were still madly in love. She still sat right next to him in the truck. He always found her a chair when they came to visit. They had been together since the sixth grade. He loved my children. Even when he started to forget and we had to remind him who we were, he always knew and asked for that curly redheaded girl.
It was good that he went. The alzheimers he was getting made him different. It was hard to watch this tough farmer deteriorate. But it was still devastating. I miss him so much already. And I will always remember that he loved me. And I loved him. That he would take my hand and give me a kiss every time he saw me.
And I will also remember that I will see him again. I will see him again because our Savior was born. Because He lived. Because He died. I will see all the people I love again.
My Christmas was different this year. I sat in the living room while the others said their goodbyes and stared at the tree and thought about many different things. The tree points us toward heaven. The candy cane is like the shepherds crook. The birth of our Savior is truely a miracle. I am so grateful for that miracle.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
The happenings....
Here are just a few more pictures of what has been going on around here.
Grandpa's Christmas party was last Saturday. It is always one of my favorite things we do at Christmas time and the only tradition my family still has. My parents divorce and my Grandma's death kind of wiped out all the others- but not this one. I love it.
The first picture of Cole smiling was taken this week. I love it when he smiles. He smiles at Aaron a lot. That lucky Dad!
Last night, Todd fell asleep while watching a movie. He crashed right on Brooklyn's lap. Isn't it priceless??!!
The three boys I love the most!
And Brooklyn doing what moms do best. Loving her baby, nursing it and burping it and doing all those things that I do with Cole.
Grandpa's Christmas party was last Saturday. It is always one of my favorite things we do at Christmas time and the only tradition my family still has. My parents divorce and my Grandma's death kind of wiped out all the others- but not this one. I love it.
The first picture of Cole smiling was taken this week. I love it when he smiles. He smiles at Aaron a lot. That lucky Dad!
Last night, Todd fell asleep while watching a movie. He crashed right on Brooklyn's lap. Isn't it priceless??!!
The three boys I love the most!
And Brooklyn doing what moms do best. Loving her baby, nursing it and burping it and doing all those things that I do with Cole. 
Monday, December 13, 2010
Thirty, Flirty & Thriving
There has been a ton that has gone on since my last post.
1. Last week I celebrated my 30th birthday. It was a great day. Aaron was supposed to work a 13 hour work day and so I set up lunch with my girlfriends at Artic Circle (where the kids can play) to help me celebrate. Aaron came home for lunch and told me that the school gave him the rest of the day off so he could celebrate with me. He took the kids to the store where they picked out my present. I got a radio for my kitchen. Complete with a CD and MP3 player. I love it. We mounted to to the wall and I have been listening to the last Harry Potter book while I do dishes and make meals. It ended up being a great day. My sister sent me flowers (which I always love) and last night we played games with a few friends at our house. (Have you ever heard of the game Snorta? Our friends brought it and I laughed my guts out!)
2. Cole keeps getting bigger. He turns two months old this week and is getting more and more fun. He is starting to cry less and sleep better. He slept completely through the night last night all on his own. (Hooray!!) He also started smiling this week.
3. We decorated our tree. We pulled it out Saturday. We are not pulling out a whole lot this year. We have managed to stuff our little apartment full of all sorts of things and we decided that we really didn't have room for all the Christmas stuff. But our little tree is beautiful and we love to sit in the living room with only the tree lights on.
4. Yesterday, we delivered most of our goodie plates. On Saturday, I made ginger snap cookies, no bake peanut butter cookies, pumpkin bars and candy popcorn. Yesterday we took them around and sang a few carrols. Mostly Jingle Bells which is the song the kids know best.
5. Last week was our ward Christmas party. We ate good food and the kids got to see Santa who looked strangely like Bishop Sparks in a santa suit.
6. We helped Grandma and Grandpa Heward put up their Christmas stuff. The kids really, really enjoyed it and all Todd can talk about is Christmas and when he gets to open his presents.
7. Spending Thanksgiving break at Grandmas with all the cousins. The kids had a lot of fun playing together- this particular day they played alot with play dough.
8. Playing together. Aaron took this picture upside down- not exactly sure why. Aren't they cute??!!
9. THANKSGIVING DAY!!! Aaron has a huge family and they get the church where we eat and have some skits (this is Brooklyn singing the ABC's), then we play basketball and dance the Hokey Pokey and the Virginia Reel and have TONS of fun.
10. We blessed Cole (I can't believe I took no pictures). We blessed him in our ward here and then went to IF and had the meal at my Grandpa's house.
A few other events:
11. Todd cut Brooklyn's hair- and her ear. I didn't know ears could bleed so much. Does a cut to the ear count as a head wound? I know head wounds bleed a ton and now I know ears do too.
12. Aaron was offered a part time job at the school through next semester. We are excited that he has been given that opportunity. His internship has given him really good experience managing. He has been helping with the Manwaring Center and the BYUI center. He even gave a tour of the BYUI center to Elder Bednar a few weeks ago.
13. Brooklyn has been taking offer her diapers and the going potty where ever she is. That includes the couch and her booster chair at the table. I have to keep a really good eye on her to make sure she doesn't take off her diaper. Many times she will hide and go poops and then take off her diaper and put it in the toilet and then come and find me. She is ready to be potty trained but I am not yet ready to potty train her. I am waiting for Aaron to be at home a little more so he can help and I am waiting until Cole doesn't need to be nursed quite as often. Who knows though. It might be better if we just do it.
14. I ventured out on black Friday with Aaron's sisters. This is tradition. I love it. I save all year and do most of my Christmas shopping this day. This year, though, Walmart opened at 12am and so we never went to bed. It was Walmart at 12, JC Penny at 4 (where I got a really pretty new coat for 75% off- Happy Graduation to me :) back to Walmart at 5am- they wouldn't sell the electronics until then- Cal Ranch after that, then Ace Hardware. We usually go to bed and get up at 3am. Not this year, thanks to Walmart. No sleep at all and then when we got home, we had to watch our kids. It was too much and we decided that we will probably not hit Walmart right when hit opens anymore.
15. Aaron applied for graduation. Hooray!!! He will walk in April and then we are DONE! I am supposed to walk on Saturday but I am in the process of seeing if they will let me walk in April instead. It would be more fun if Aaron and I could walk together and easier for our families.
1. Last week I celebrated my 30th birthday. It was a great day. Aaron was supposed to work a 13 hour work day and so I set up lunch with my girlfriends at Artic Circle (where the kids can play) to help me celebrate. Aaron came home for lunch and told me that the school gave him the rest of the day off so he could celebrate with me. He took the kids to the store where they picked out my present. I got a radio for my kitchen. Complete with a CD and MP3 player. I love it. We mounted to to the wall and I have been listening to the last Harry Potter book while I do dishes and make meals. It ended up being a great day. My sister sent me flowers (which I always love) and last night we played games with a few friends at our house. (Have you ever heard of the game Snorta? Our friends brought it and I laughed my guts out!)
2. Cole keeps getting bigger. He turns two months old this week and is getting more and more fun. He is starting to cry less and sleep better. He slept completely through the night last night all on his own. (Hooray!!) He also started smiling this week.
3. We decorated our tree. We pulled it out Saturday. We are not pulling out a whole lot this year. We have managed to stuff our little apartment full of all sorts of things and we decided that we really didn't have room for all the Christmas stuff. But our little tree is beautiful and we love to sit in the living room with only the tree lights on.
4. Yesterday, we delivered most of our goodie plates. On Saturday, I made ginger snap cookies, no bake peanut butter cookies, pumpkin bars and candy popcorn. Yesterday we took them around and sang a few carrols. Mostly Jingle Bells which is the song the kids know best.
5. Last week was our ward Christmas party. We ate good food and the kids got to see Santa who looked strangely like Bishop Sparks in a santa suit.
6. We helped Grandma and Grandpa Heward put up their Christmas stuff. The kids really, really enjoyed it and all Todd can talk about is Christmas and when he gets to open his presents.
7. Spending Thanksgiving break at Grandmas with all the cousins. The kids had a lot of fun playing together- this particular day they played alot with play dough.
8. Playing together. Aaron took this picture upside down- not exactly sure why. Aren't they cute??!!
9. THANKSGIVING DAY!!! Aaron has a huge family and they get the church where we eat and have some skits (this is Brooklyn singing the ABC's), then we play basketball and dance the Hokey Pokey and the Virginia Reel and have TONS of fun.
10. We blessed Cole (I can't believe I took no pictures). We blessed him in our ward here and then went to IF and had the meal at my Grandpa's house.
A few other events:
11. Todd cut Brooklyn's hair- and her ear. I didn't know ears could bleed so much. Does a cut to the ear count as a head wound? I know head wounds bleed a ton and now I know ears do too.
12. Aaron was offered a part time job at the school through next semester. We are excited that he has been given that opportunity. His internship has given him really good experience managing. He has been helping with the Manwaring Center and the BYUI center. He even gave a tour of the BYUI center to Elder Bednar a few weeks ago.
13. Brooklyn has been taking offer her diapers and the going potty where ever she is. That includes the couch and her booster chair at the table. I have to keep a really good eye on her to make sure she doesn't take off her diaper. Many times she will hide and go poops and then take off her diaper and put it in the toilet and then come and find me. She is ready to be potty trained but I am not yet ready to potty train her. I am waiting for Aaron to be at home a little more so he can help and I am waiting until Cole doesn't need to be nursed quite as often. Who knows though. It might be better if we just do it.
14. I ventured out on black Friday with Aaron's sisters. This is tradition. I love it. I save all year and do most of my Christmas shopping this day. This year, though, Walmart opened at 12am and so we never went to bed. It was Walmart at 12, JC Penny at 4 (where I got a really pretty new coat for 75% off- Happy Graduation to me :) back to Walmart at 5am- they wouldn't sell the electronics until then- Cal Ranch after that, then Ace Hardware. We usually go to bed and get up at 3am. Not this year, thanks to Walmart. No sleep at all and then when we got home, we had to watch our kids. It was too much and we decided that we will probably not hit Walmart right when hit opens anymore.
15. Aaron applied for graduation. Hooray!!! He will walk in April and then we are DONE! I am supposed to walk on Saturday but I am in the process of seeing if they will let me walk in April instead. It would be more fun if Aaron and I could walk together and easier for our families.
Friday, December 3, 2010
Lending a helping hand
Last fall I took my Literacy II class and at my table sat a girl named Ashley Sullenger. She and I were the only moms at the table and we had the opportunity many times to talk and tell stories about our children.
This past summer her little girl fell into a ditch in Rigby and drowned. Her body floated two mile down stream where she was found by a farmer. She and her family spent a week in Primary Childrens Medical Hospital in Utah where she passed on.
Well, little Presslee Sullenger's 2nd birthday is on December 17th and in memory of her, Ashley and other loved ones are trying to put together baskets for other families who have to spend time at the Primary Childrens Medical Hospital. Many items have been filled, but there are still a few items needed. Their goal is to have all the baskets filled by Preslee's birthday- December 17th. So, if you can, this Christmas lend a helping hand. It's for a good cause in honor and memory of a beautiful little girl.
You can check their list of supplies (click on her Pay it forward link) and her story at www.patrickandashley.blogspot.com (notice I figured out how to make the link active).
This past summer her little girl fell into a ditch in Rigby and drowned. Her body floated two mile down stream where she was found by a farmer. She and her family spent a week in Primary Childrens Medical Hospital in Utah where she passed on.
Well, little Presslee Sullenger's 2nd birthday is on December 17th and in memory of her, Ashley and other loved ones are trying to put together baskets for other families who have to spend time at the Primary Childrens Medical Hospital. Many items have been filled, but there are still a few items needed. Their goal is to have all the baskets filled by Preslee's birthday- December 17th. So, if you can, this Christmas lend a helping hand. It's for a good cause in honor and memory of a beautiful little girl.
You can check their list of supplies (click on her Pay it forward link) and her story at www.patrickandashley.blogspot.com (notice I figured out how to make the link active).
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Mother of the year
I would rather have 10 percent of a good man that 100 percent of a bad one.
This was the advice given to me this past week.
Peak started this week at UPS. That means Aaron will now work even more hours and we will see him even less than we already do. That has me a little down. But I am so grateful for him. I am grateful that he is willing to leave early in the morning and come home and collapse in bed at night all because he worked really hard for his little family. I am glad for the 10 percent I get of my great man.
Life is overwhelming right now. Cole is super gassy and suffers from some mild colic. He cries a LOT. Some days are better than others. It was nice to have all the other arms that were so willing to bounce and burp and pat during our trip home for Thanksgiving. Today he cried for most of the day. I discovered that if I lay him across my legs with his tummy pushed against the side of my leg and my pinky in his mouth, he is more content. He sleeps for longer than 10 minutes in that position and seems to be able to work and grunt through the pain of the rumbling tummy. I've also discovered that if I stay away from chocolate, peanut butter, pizza and all red sauce, and the newest one, orange juice, his tummy hurts less and he is more content. But despite this, I am so in love with him. I have spent a lot more time holding him and cuddling him. I hold him tight and rock him more than I ever did with the other two and I am grateful for those moments.
Todd and Brooklyn were full of energy today and I was unable to keep them busy. We did go out for a few minutes tonight and I got pizza for dinner for them and Aaron (I got Jimmy Johns for me). I opened the box and let them eat it in the car. That's right. They each had a slice of pizza while sitting in their car seats out side of Desseret Book. But gets better. When we got home, Todd sat on the living room floor and ate and ate and ate slice after slice after slice. (I think he is going through a growth spurt- he is constantly hungry). I was frazzled and couldn't wait to have the kids in bed. I kept telling Todd that he needed to finish because it was time for bed but he kept eating. And so, I was mother of the year tonight (sarcasm) and put Todd to bed with a piece of pizza and a sippy of water. Some moms struggle with getting their kids teeth brushed when they are exhausted- I didn't even get that far. I put my children to bed with their dinner in hand.
And... well... life is crazy right now, either that or I am just overly tired. Both, I think. Tomorrow will be better. It is story day at the library and so I already know I will get the kids out. And I will be preparing for Cole's blessing on Sunday. Tomorrow is a new day. Thank goodness.
This was the advice given to me this past week.
Peak started this week at UPS. That means Aaron will now work even more hours and we will see him even less than we already do. That has me a little down. But I am so grateful for him. I am grateful that he is willing to leave early in the morning and come home and collapse in bed at night all because he worked really hard for his little family. I am glad for the 10 percent I get of my great man.
Life is overwhelming right now. Cole is super gassy and suffers from some mild colic. He cries a LOT. Some days are better than others. It was nice to have all the other arms that were so willing to bounce and burp and pat during our trip home for Thanksgiving. Today he cried for most of the day. I discovered that if I lay him across my legs with his tummy pushed against the side of my leg and my pinky in his mouth, he is more content. He sleeps for longer than 10 minutes in that position and seems to be able to work and grunt through the pain of the rumbling tummy. I've also discovered that if I stay away from chocolate, peanut butter, pizza and all red sauce, and the newest one, orange juice, his tummy hurts less and he is more content. But despite this, I am so in love with him. I have spent a lot more time holding him and cuddling him. I hold him tight and rock him more than I ever did with the other two and I am grateful for those moments.
Todd and Brooklyn were full of energy today and I was unable to keep them busy. We did go out for a few minutes tonight and I got pizza for dinner for them and Aaron (I got Jimmy Johns for me). I opened the box and let them eat it in the car. That's right. They each had a slice of pizza while sitting in their car seats out side of Desseret Book. But gets better. When we got home, Todd sat on the living room floor and ate and ate and ate slice after slice after slice. (I think he is going through a growth spurt- he is constantly hungry). I was frazzled and couldn't wait to have the kids in bed. I kept telling Todd that he needed to finish because it was time for bed but he kept eating. And so, I was mother of the year tonight (sarcasm) and put Todd to bed with a piece of pizza and a sippy of water. Some moms struggle with getting their kids teeth brushed when they are exhausted- I didn't even get that far. I put my children to bed with their dinner in hand.
And... well... life is crazy right now, either that or I am just overly tired. Both, I think. Tomorrow will be better. It is story day at the library and so I already know I will get the kids out. And I will be preparing for Cole's blessing on Sunday. Tomorrow is a new day. Thank goodness.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)