Christmas

We had Christmas with the girls at our house this year.  We didn't have a tree or the money to buy a tree right now, so thankfully Pauline (Court's mom) let us put up her tree.  The girls put the ornaments on, and of course they could only reach so high, plus they didn't seem to understand the concept of spreading the ornaments out.  Well, after they finished, I did a little editing so that there were ornaments at the top of the tree and so there weren't 6 ornaments in the same spot.  The tree was still one sided because no ornaments made it around the back, but it looked fine from the front and the girls had fun.

Court and I went to my Grandma Russel's house in Provo for Christmas Eve.  The girls were in Provo with their mom, and we were getting them after they were done.  We got them about 11pm and Hannah was asleep before we got to the freeway.  Sydney also fell asleep before we got home (about midnight).  When we got home, the girls went right into their beds and Court and I stayed up to put together the stockings.  Court went to bed about 1am, but I stayed up to finish the dishes and to wrap Court's presents.  I crawled into bed about 3am.

We were up at 6am to start breakfast because Corissa (the girls' mom) and Darren (stepdad) were coming at 7.  We actually had to wake the girls up when Corissa got here.  Santa was good to the girls this year: Sydney got a Sydney Lee doll and the movie "Labyrinth."  Hannah got a Haley doll and the Littlest Pet Shop elephant.  Because of various reasons, Sydney is on the verge of not believing in Santa Claus, but Hannah's elephant was magical to her, so she thinks that he must exist.  You cannot buy the elephant in stores; you have to send in these stickers you collect from Littlest Pet Shop items to get it.  Sydney knows that we never got enough stickers together to get it.  The girls got lots of other gifts that they have been playing with constantly for the last three days.

The dogs got a doggy door, which they love.  Now they can come and go as they please.  They each got some type of cow joint, which they gnawed on the rest of the day.  They also got some dog shampoo and a BATH, so they smell much better.

The girls got Court a Wii Rabbid remote charger and a new Rabbid Wii game.  I got him the electric shaver that he's been asking for.  The girls got me a new comforter bed set and Court got me a Bissel carpet cleaner.

The carpet cleaner is a funny story.  Court got it the Friday before Christmas while I was at work (I work swings now: 4 to midnight).  He called me and told me he was going to use my Christmas present.  I told him that Christmas presents should be new and unused, but he said that this one would be a better present if it was used.  The next day Court kept teasing me because he said there was something "glaring" in the house that would tell me what my gift was.  He had cleaned the carpet in the front room.  I was clueless.  Then, a few days before Christmas, he used it again.  This time he cleaned our bedroom carpet.  When I went to bed that night, I noticed that the carpet was damp.  It finally came together, and I figured it out.  Well, when he cleaned our room, he found a defect on the carpet cleaner.  He exchanged it for a new one, so I got my wish of receiving a new, unused gift after all.

I hope everyone had a very merry Christmas!

My birthday

Since I told everyone what we did for Hannah's and Court's birthday, I guess it would only be fair to give the details of my birthday...

The girls had school off for UEA on Thursday and Friday. I was going to take Thursday off and we were going to go to Lagoon Frightmares, but it was too cold (highs in the low 50s). So, I had to go to work. Court came with the girls and brought me to lunch at Golden Corral. Then I worked until 6:30 (ugh!).

When I got home, Court quickly shoved me out the door to go to Walmart. I needed to exchange some clothes I bought the other day, and Court forgot to buy me a birthday cake, so he apologized and told me buy whatever cake I wanted. When I returned from Walmart, Court and the girls were finally ready.

Court made a delicious dinner (as usual): steak with sauteed mushrooms, mashed potatoes, steamed asparagus, salad, and Martinelli's sparkling cider. The girls had set the table with our china and crystal goblets. They also lit candles, so we all had a candlelight dinner.

My birthday present from the girls were some of my favorite treats (hmm, I wonder where that idea came from) and Court got me some hair dye (which is what I asked for). I didn't specify a color, but it didn't surprise me that he bought red hair dye. So, my hair will probably be dyed red sometime this weekend.

We did go to Lagoon yesterday, and the girls each brought a friend. The girls had a blast, Court not so much. He wasn't feeling very well, and today he's in bed with the flu :(

Overall, it was a good birthday.

Birthdays

This is the time of year that my family is drowning in birthdays. Hannah's birthday is Sep 18, Court's is Sep 23, and mine is Oct 1. We had a birthday party for Hannah on the 19th. She asked to have it at our house, and we decided there would be more room in our backyard. Luckily, the weather cooperated (except for a little wind that made one of the games more interesting).

Hannah wanted a super hero theme, so we got really creative with the games. Court and I cut out 20ish foam masks for the kids to decorate. Court also made a meteorite pinata. It only sorta looked like a meteorite, but the kids thought it was cool because it was a pinata.

There were about 15 kids that came. We played four games which required the use of their "superhero" abilities.

First, there was using their super strength to knock down a wall. Court connected his heavy compression sleeping bag up to a pulley system in our big tree. I risked life and limb climbing that tree to attach the pulley. I don't do very well with heights, and I climbed more than 15 feet up the tree. Anyway, the kids had to throw the bag into a wall of empty boxes. The wind kept blowing down the boxes, so we had to change angles a bit. And I got to re-stack the boxes 15+ times so everyone had a chance to play.

Then the kids played hero, hero, villain (which is just the superhero version of duck duck goose). Of course, they had to use their super speed to get away from the villain.

While that was going on, I pulled the kids aside one at a time to use their x-ray vision. Court and I set up several objects in our garage. We put them behind a sheet and shined a light to created a shadow of the objects on the sheet. There was a ladder, a bike, a tennis racket, a fishing pole, a hammer, and a broom. The kids came in a tried to figure out what was behind the sheet. There were two kids that got everything.

The last game was Save the Citizen, which was a relay game of trying to cross the yard with an egg on a spoon.

The kids broke the pinata, Hannah opened her presents, and everyone had ice cream cake. We got the cake from Baskin Robbins. Hannah asked for chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream and brownie for the cake. I had them put the Superman symbol on it with and "H" instead of the "S". For future reference, ice cream cakes are expensive ($40). Overall, the party was a success, and Hannah got lots of toys.

Of course, Court's birthday wasn't near as involved (no super party). We are trying to stick to a budget, so no expensive gifts. I took the girls to the store and had them pick out Court's favorite snacks and a card. They chose Hot Tamales, two Pomegranate Rock Stars, Pepper Jack Cheezits (he prefers Tabasco, but they didn't have any), and a box of Zingers. We put candles in a New York Style cheesecake and sang happy birthday.

It's been a fun week.

Current status

Here's a quick summary of what's going on in life right now...

I'm working full time at a lab as a chemist. I verify label claims for dietary supplements. If you ever wanted to know how to test for folic acid, riboflavin, or any of the other myriad of vitamins and minerals, I could tell you how. I'm still trying to work my QVET Consulting business on the side, but it is difficult. I just finished writing a chapter for a reference book about cleaning medical devices and such. I'm not sure how long until the book actually publishes, but it's kind of exciting. I hope it helps get my name out there for my business.

My husband Court is still looking for a job. He is bored stiff at home, and hates being out of work. But he is accomplishing a bunch of projects around the house. Our deck out back got pressure washed and painted. Our kitchen/dining area has been painted a nice golden yellow. Next comes the trim and ceiling (white). He's also fixing his mom's old stove and installing it in place of our even older stove.

Sydney started 4th grade this year, and Hannah is in 1st grade. They are both getting so big. Both are reading well above grade level, especially Hannah. It's almost funny to see the assigned books she is sent home with compared to the books she checks out of the library. Hannah is bored in class and has started talking and acting out during class. She gets "warnings" a lot, so Court and I have talked to her about. I hope things improve. Sydney's teacher is focusing a lot on individual responsibility, and it's been really good for her. She's always been a pleaser.

I've been teaching them to help around the house more. They can empty and load the dishwasher. They're pretty good at sorting the laundry, but they can't seem to remember how to start the washer. They are also much better about really cleaning their rooms.

We've got so many plans for the future. We are working through the clearance and cancellation process so we can get sealed in the temple, hopefully before the end of the year. We hope to build a house in the not too distant future. The girls go to school based on where their mom lives, and we want to be closer to their school and their school friends. Court keeps talking about buying an airplane, but I think that's a while away still.

All and all, the Lord has blessed us and we are grateful.

Welcome to my Blog

My sister, Jennifer, has inspired me to start a blog. Now this is one more thing to cram into my life of controlled chaos. It may be ignored for lengthy periods. It may become the outlet for my random thoughts. Hopefully, it will be a way for my family and friends to keep up with what is going on in my crazy life.