A Britton Moment

The other day Britton and I were talking about how lucky he is to have so many people who love him. We were listing grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, etc. Then he said, "And you love me too" And then I said, "I was in love with you before you were even born." His eyes got big and sparkled and he got the biggest smile on his face. I hope he never forgets that moment. I know I won't.

Dessert Update

I finally cracked on Christmas and ended up eating dessert. Biz brought everyone containers of cookies and although we have received tons and tons of other cookie plates, for some reason hers were hard to resist. So, I ended up eating some (okay, quite a few) and they were delicious. I feel like I should feel bad about it since I have done so well all month, but I really don't. And right after eating her cookies, I went right back to not eating dessert. I still feel like it has been a really successful month and I'm surprised at how I don't crave dessert anymore. I haven't decided for sure what I'm going to give up next month, but I'm going to continue with the dessert thing. I think December is the most challenging month for desserts and since I did it then and survived, I'm sure I can live without it in upcoming months.

Christmas Gift Exchange

Instead of the usual drawing names among siblings at Christmas time, this year we decided to just bring stuff that we already have but don't use anymore and have a gift exchange. So over the past month or so, I've been decluttering and trying to gather together some items that we no longer want but that other people may want.
The gift exchange turned out to be a HUGE success. I think we're going to try to do it every year. We went away with a few clothing items, lots of books, a bunch of things for my kids, and a digital camera. A digital camera was one of the main things I wanted this year and my sister, Sheryl, had gotten one for free from a store for purchasing a certain amount. They already had a nicer one so they brought it for the exchange. My other digital camera is on it's last legs, so it was a very pleasant surprise. Other people got stuff they wanted (and needed) as well. It was so much fun, plus we all got rid of stuff too.

Prayers

I love being answers to other people's prayers.

Las Vegas Bowl

Last Wednesday night, we found out that one of Jason's friends still had some extra tickets to the BYU Bowl game in Las Vegas. So, we decided to go. We packed up our stuff, dropped the kid's off at the in-laws, and started to head south. At about 12:30 am we arrived at Jason's brother John's house in St. George. We stayed there for the night. In the morning we went to see the new house that they are building, then took off for Vegas.
The first thing we did when we arrived in Vegas was go on the New York, New York hotel roller coaster. It's one of my favorites and I haven't been on it in years. Then, we just wandered around on the strip. One of the highlights was watching a street artist make some paintings. He used only spray paint and some flat edged tools that looked like putty knives. It was amazing to watch him. He made beautiful sunsets and city pictures. I've never seen anything like it.
For lunch we met one of Jason's mission companions and his wife. It was my first time meeting them. We went to the Cheesecake Factory and I was so good about not eating dessert even though cheesecake is my favorite.
After that, it was time to head over for the game. It took us forever to get there because of traffic. We found a little back way into the stadium and parked on a dirt hill, so we got there just in time for the game to start.
It was such a good game and so much fun to be at. BYU dominated the whole game and about 75% of the crowd was cheering for BYU. Oregon didn't even score until the 4th quarter. The final score was 38 to 8. Our team looked so good and it was fun to be able to be at their final game of the year.
After the game, we drove straight home. Somewhere around Beaver we were both too tired to drive so we pulled over to sleep. After about an hour or so, I was too cold to sleep, so I just started driving. We made it to Jason's parent's house at about 4:30 am and just crashed. Our kids were super excited to see us when they woke up in the morning. (especially Britton who had refused to eat the entire time we were gone!--he said he couldn't eat unless I was there to watch him, I think he has some separation anxiety issues)
It was such a fun trip and I'm so glad that we decided spur of the moment to go. I wish I had pictures to share, but we left so quickly that we forgot our camera.

Half Time Show

Saturday was our 6th anniversary. Jason and I spent the afternoon and night without kids (thanks to Jason's mom). We started off by going to the BYU/Utah State basketball game. I know, really romantic, but we love going to the games. BYU won by quite a bit so it was a fun game to watch. But, the best part of the game was the half time show--Jane's Golden Girls--my all time favorite. (See previous entry from February 11, 2006 to find out more about them). They added in a couple of new moves from last year that just had me rolling with laughter. Unfortunately Jason left to get food right when their performance started so I didn't have anyone to share my joy with. All the ladies (there's over 100 of them now) lined up and started their routine by doing "the robot". It was hilarious. Some of them were quite good at it too. Their outfits and dance were about like last year, including the finale of a solo by Jane herself who is now 90. Her solo always ends in the splits and then Cosmo comes out and carries her away. It's so entertaining and pretty much amazing. The old man in front of me turned around and said, "she's got 9 years on me and I can't do all that". And then I said, "she's got 60 years on me and I can't do it either". I guess I need to start practicing the splits so I can be like Jane one day.

Better Late than Never

Our first Christmas in our house (4 years ago), we bought outdoor Christmas lights to hang up. But, every year, we don't seem to get around to putting them up. Well, this year we finally did and I love it. We didn't get it done until last Friday, but it's still better late than never. Now I love pulling up to our house at night. It looks like a little gingerbread house.

More Livingroom Pictures

Haley's Outfit for the Day

Livingroom Remodel

I got my Christmas present a little early this year. I have been wanting to paint our livingroom since summertime, but just haven't gotten around to it. Actually, I have been wanting to paint since we moved in, but I actually bought the paint and chose the colors, etc. this summer. So, for Christmas, I told Jason that that's all I wanted. I was planning on doing the painting myself, but Jason kind of took over and ended up doing it all. I'm really glad that he did because it looks so good. I tend to be a messy painter and get impatient and just try to do it quick. He's more of a perfectionist, plus he actually knows what he's doing since he does it for work. Anyway, I couldn't be happier with the results. It looks amazing. Now it's my favorite room in the house.

Here's a Before and After Picture:

Dessert Temptations

The "not eating dessert" thing is going great, but it's not without its temptations. Saturday night we had our ward Christmas party. I sat by Julie and when dessert time came I just didn't go get any. She got a couple different desserts and then sat down by me to eat them. She kept saying how good they were and that I should try a bite, etc. After saying no a few different times, she finally said, "Are you on a diet?" So, I told her that I'm giving up desserts for a month. I didn't realize how unusual it is for people to refuse dessert because it seems like people just keep offering until I actually tell them what I'm doing. I just figured I could get away with not eating it without actually making a big deal out of it. Julie wasn't very happy about it since we always eat treats and stuff together. So, she said she's going to try to make me break it. That's fine by me. I like a little challenge anyway. So, then yesterday we were at her house for dinner and games. As we were playing games, she decided to make brownies just to be obnoxious because I love brownies. But, she didn't make just ordinary brownies, she made double fudge cheesecake brownies. And then she kept saying how offended she'd be if I didn't try one, etc. I still didn't budge though. Even Jason joined in at taunting me. Every bite he took he commented on how they were the best brownies he's ever eaten, etc. It was pretty funny actually. I'm sure glad that I have such supportive friends and family :)

Weekly(?) Random Question

Tell about a prize that you won.

The only prize that I have ever won was on an airplane going to Hawaii in 3rd grade. I was sitting in the winning seat so I won an Oakridge Boys tape. I had never heard of the Oakridge Boys, but I was still pretty thrilled. It was the only tape I owned, so when we got home, I listened to it all the time and I quickly learned all the songs. My sisters and I made up dances to it and we would perform in our living room.

"Giddy up a boom bop a boom bop a mau mau"

Give It Up Update

It's only been one day and I've already encountered my first challenge with giving up dessert. But, I was successful. We went to a Dinner Party last night at a neighbor's house. While serving dessert, the host asked me probably 5 different times if I was sure that I didn't want any dessert. I thought I could just politely decline and it would be fine, but he kept coming back trying to convince me to have some which drew the attention of the whole group. It wasn't a big deal at all, but I couldn't believe how curious everyone was as to why I wasn't eating dessert. There were about 15 people there and none of them were close friends, just acquaintances, so it was a bit more uncomfortable than I had hoped.

Too Loud

We have a basement apartment, so we've always had renters that live downstairs. Because of this, we can't live quite as loudly as we normally would. This is quite a trick since I have a two year old and a four year old. Keeping them quiet is a big challenge, so I'm constantly telling them that they are being too noisy.
Well, the other day at the grocery store, Haley was jumping up and down in the cart. When I looked at her, she said, "I'm sorry, Mommy, that's too loud for downstairs". It made me laugh and realize that I probably say "that's too loud for downstairs" way too much and she really doesn't even understand what I mean by it.