Christmas 2008

Here are a few of our favorite pics, in no particular order, from Christmas this year. It was very busy and fun filled (and very very white!!).

Making a gingerbread house with dad.

'Twas the night before Christmas!

Christmas morning before the kids got their hands on any of it!

Grandma Sugar's Christmas talent show!!

Leah in the same Christmas dress Ellie wore when she was little.

Leah with Grandma Chris

Sam's new air hockey table.

SWEET!!!

Christmas Eve games. Ellie and Grandpa Cliff

Me and my boys!

Carter rockin out to with Guitar Hero in his moon boots.

Santa gifts and stockings

Leah and Daddy in her Christmas Pjs

Carter with his new "Carter DS" as he calls it

Blankets I made for them (with my mom's help!)

Santa came to our house!

Because Ellie invited 11 girls to her friend party, we decided to have all of the cousins over the next night for a separate "Cousin Movie Night". I may be crazy, but not crazy enough to have 20 kids at my house all at the same time. We popped popcorn and the kids watched "Bridge to Terabithia" (thanks Shelli for the present) and played. About an hour into it we heard a knock at the door. I opened the door and it was Santa with a plate of cookies. We invited him in, because we were sure he didn't have anything better to do, and called all the kids upstairs. Carters eye's lit up like little Christmas trees. He was in total amazement that Santa would come to our house. We asked Santa to sit on the couch for a picture, because again we were sure he had nothing better to do! Carter reminded him several times that he was in need of a new bike. We all thanked Santa for coming waved goodbye. Carter peeked out the blinds as he left and asked, "Mom why's Santa getting into a car." Jeff quickly explained that the reindeer didn't get their magic that makes them fly until Christmas Eve (quick thinking). Carter bought that excuse and went on his merry way. As Carter walked away Taeler (out 10 year old niece) whispered to me "So did you hire him or what?"! Thanks Santa. It made for a fun night., and saved me a trip to see you at the mall on Monday!

It's Great to be 8!!

Ellie turned 8 yesterday!!

She started the day off by getting the gift she had patiently waited for, for about a year - her Nintendo DS (she had wanted one for Christmas last year and Jeff had wanted her to wait one more year.) I took a treat into her class (Sweettart candy canes) and read her class one of her favorite Christmas books, "The Bear Stays Up." After school she had her 'friend' birthday party. We made snowflake magnet frames with their pictures in them and snowflake bookmarks. She wanted to ice sugar cookies instead of having cake, and we a game. She invited two of her good friends to stay and sleepover. Let's just say she had a GREAT day, and I was beat.

It is both exciting and sad to see her get older. With her being our first, I have many more vivid memories of her as a baby than the boys. It seemed like from very early on she was in a hurry to grow up. She was rolling over both ways by 3 1/2 months, crawling around 6 1/2, and walking at 9 1/2 months. She talked early, potty trained early, started throwing tantrums early, and now has hit what seem to be the preteens very early. She is most definitely motivated and determined. Although I am not in a hurry, I can't wait to she what the next 8 years will bring.

Free Cat!!!

So we have about had it with our furry friend. Although we have a cat, and at one time we even had two, I would not consider us 'cat people'. The only reason we have a cat is because we are more 'cat people' then we are 'mice people'. We had mice at our other house and solved the problem by getting a cat, and then another one. That, however, has brought on it's own set of issues. Our first cat, 'Battle cat' (Jeff chose that name!) ran away when we moved. That left us with 'Pumpkin'. Most of the time he is a well behaved little kitty, although he does have a few quirks. He is long haired, which is a pain in the fanny. He matts like crazy. We had to shave him last year (see below). He also has a super annoying habit of going to the bathroom next to the litter box that is in the garage instead of in it, or right behind Jeff's car, which is also very annoying. If it were only those 2 things, we could probably deal with it. However, last night he stepped waaaay out of line!!!
He peed on Jeff while he was sleeping! I haven't seen Jeff move that fast in awhile. Once he realized what had happened he jumped out of bed and went chasing after him. I thought we were going to have a dead kitty in the hall! The sad thing is is this is the second time this has happened. I'm not sure why the cat targets Jeff. Don't get me wrong, I am glad he has Jeff's number and not mine, but I think if it happens again Pumpkin will be movin on out!

My kids have become my hobby!

After writing our Christmas letter I had Jeff read it before sending it out. He did and said, "You didn't write much about yourself and what you are up to or you hobbies." I looked at him and laughed. You see there is not a lot to write. At this point in my life, as a stay at home mom of 4 kids, my kids have become my hobby. This is both amazing and sad all at the same time. It is not that I don't have other interests. I do. It is more that I don't seem to have a whole lot of time to pursue them!! There are moments when I can squeeze a few things in that don't involve being a mom, but they are few and far between. There is almost a guarantee to be a interruption of some sort. Whether it be a fight breaking out in the living room, someone needing help with homework, Leah waking up from her nap, or the loads and loads of laundry piling up and the buzzing dryer calling my name. (This is why I attend scrap camp (12 hours of scrap booking) twice a year to get caught up. No kids is the only way to do it.) Don't get me wrong. I am not complaining. I love being a mom. I love having 4 kids. I love staying home with them and feel exceptionally grateful to be able to. I know it is the best thing for my kids and me. I wouldn't change any of it. I know when they are all grown and I look back I will miss this time tremendously. For now it is what I do and a huge part who I am. I guess I could add that to the Christmas letter!.

Latest on the Kids

I thought it would be a good idea to do a little update on each of our kids every once in awhile on something that they are doing or something new about them. So, here goes!!

ELLIE

Ellie had her Christmas dance performance this week. She did GREAT! She loves to dance and loves to take with one of her best friends Jordyn. Afterwards we stopped and got her a cookie dough shake - her favorite.

NOAH

When Noah is done playing with something he tends to set in down wherever he is at that moment, and then have no recollection of it. He is a busy boy, and doesn't have time to keep track of such details! Sometime in the last few weeks he "misplaced" his Nintendo DS that he got for his last birthday. We've searched for it the entire week. Well actually I've searched for it. Noah, and his 'no worry' personality, didn't seem concerned. He said that eventually it would turn up. Well he was right. Ellie found it today at the bottom of the book basket. Noah was happy to have it back, and I was relieved. I wasn't sure what he was going to do with the DS games that he is going to receive for Christmas, without a DS to play them on. Ellie saved the day!

CARTER

Carter has become quite a creature of habit lately. Every morning he wakes up he wants me to make him "cimon" toast, as he calls it, and play "Little People" with him. It is the first 2 things out of his mouth. And yes, his face gets this messy every time he eats cinnamon toast. Life with Carter is a barrel of laughs. We love that little Car Car.

LEAH

I realize that I am a bit biased, but she is CUTE!! Jeff discovered this week that if you blow in her face she does this (see below). Oh dear!! Of course he thinks this is hilarious and continues to do it. Poor girl. She had no idea what she was in for when she came into this world! Luckily she is very patient and it doesn't seem to bother her. After she is done pulling the goofy face she just looks back up at him with a big smile.

All dressed up

Jeff took Ellie to her first Activity Day's activity. It was a daddy daughter date at the church. Ellie was soo excited. They ate lasagna and played something similar the to Newlywed Game. Jeff learned that: her favorite color is blue (I wouldn't have guessed that!) , her shoe size is a 13 (Jeff guessed a 7 - hmmm a little off), she would never order a hamburger at a restaurant (Jeff guessed fish), her toothbrush is pink, she is most energetic in the evening, if she didn't have t.v. she would miss it just a little bit, and the last time Jeff told her he loved her was the night before. She said they had a really good time and she came home high as a kite. She loves one on one time with either of us. It still boggles my mind that she is turning 8 this month.

Some little facts about Ellie are:
1. She has the cutest laugh.
2. She has her dad's adorable dimples and witty sense of humor.
3. She is a little feisty and knows what she wants.
4. She is an amazing organizer and cleaner.
5. She is a really good friend.
6. She loves to read and is an awesome speller (did not get that from me!)
7. She can be a bit of a tease - especially to her brothers.
8. She teaches me something everyday about being a mom and being patient!!
9. She has a very giving heart.
10. We love love love her and are so grateful she is ours.

GRATITUDE

I was asked to speak in church a few weeks ago - not my favorite thing to do. When the bishop called I tried to quickly rack my mind for a believable and honest excuse. I came up with nothing and reluctantly agreed. The topic was 'gratitude'; ironic because in the moment I was feeling anything but. Speaking in church however is one of those thing which you don't want to do (at least me), but after are so glad you did. It was a great reminder to me of how blessed we really are, and the importance of teaching our kids to be truly grateful little people.

A note came home from school the other day that they were collecting coats, blankets, and boots for families in need. I thought this would be a great chance for the kids to give, plus a great way to get rid of some blankets that we really are not in need of. I read the letter to them and their little eyes just lit up. They both rushed upstairs to pick out one of their blankets to give away. Ellie made sure to pick one that she though would be warm. I LOVED this. It is so hard to teach your kids about true gratitude when they live in and time and a place in the world where they have so much. This was a glimmer of hope for me that they are maybe grasping it. I loved that they were so willing and excited to give.
I am really trying to be grateful for all of my blessings even the small ones. When I sent the kids out the door this morning to catch the school bus how grateful I was! The school bus - what a blessing that is!!!

Christmas Letter

I included this letter with most of our Christmas cards this year, except for those that see us so often that it would be redundant. The year Ellie turned one I started the tradition of including a letter with our cards. I have been a bit inconsistent with that tradition, missing a few years from then to now, but I guess it is the desire to do it that hopefully counts. I am glad I got it together enough this year to get it done. Here it is in all it's glory:


December 2008

I thought I would take a minute and include a little update on our family for those of you we don’t get to see as often as we would like. We are all doing well, and the kids are going up in the blink of an eye. It is hard to believe that Ellie will turn 8 this month. Where does time go? Jeff is busy finishing up his MBA and should be done in June – thank goodness for all of us! He was able to take a 10 day trip to China in October as part of his program, and had a great time – and somehow we survived without him. The kids keep me busy enough. With four in tow, there is not a lot of time for boredom, or anything else for that matter. Although I feel like a crazy person some days, I truly love being a mom. Leah was born in August and luckily is the best baby. Carter calls her his “little Sunshine” which fits her perfectly. She is our biggest baby, hovering right now at around 18 lbs. She was born with tons of dark hair and long eyelashes, although it looks like it may change to blonde or possibly RED!! That update will have to come next year. We will have to see. She is such a sweetie. Carter has definably got Jeff’s sense of humor and wit. He keeps us laughing constantly. He loves going to preschool at “Miss LaDawn’s” with his 2 best buddies. He also loves to help me in the house, Jeff in the yard, and his grandpa build stuff. I always tell people he is going to make some lucky girl a fine husband one day. Noah started Kindergarten this year and likes it, although he can’t wait for first grade so he can eat at school. Not something that I would be looking forward to, but it sounds good to him! He likes to play outside with his friends and also video games (normal 6 year old boy!) He is excited to start Karate in January. He is full of energy and keeps life very interesting. Ellie is in second grade and is doing great. She was so excited to FINALLY get a sister and loves Leah to death. She is still taking piano and dance and loves them both. She is a smart little cookie and actually likes to reads for fun (which she does not get from her mother!) She has got just enough spunk in her to keep us on our toes. I am sure the teenage years will be interesting!! We are so grateful for each of our kids and feel so blessed to have them all.
We hope all is well with your family as well. We wish you all have a very Merry Christmas and New Year.
Love,
Jeff, Marcy and Kids.

Happy Birthday Jeff

So Jeff turned 31 on Sunday. He is getting older by the minute; although I shouldn't poke fun because I am 8 months older that him, which he doesn't let me forget. The kids and I got him "The Dark Night" (preordered - should be here any day), a Rubix Cube (good idea Noah), a book,, and a new tie. I made peanut butter rice crispy treats, at his request, because he is not much of a cake fan. We also went to the Glen Beck Christmas show for part of his birthday, which was good, but a bit of a disappointment from the last year show which we both loved.
So Jeff turning 31 means we have known each other now for 13 (almost 14) years. Crazy crazy. In that time he has married me (lucky guy!) , had 4 cute rambunxious kiddies (crazy guy!), lost quite a bit of his hair (probably due to the previous two), lived in 2 different apartments, with the inlaws 2 different times (what a good sport) and 2 different houses. He has finished his Associate Degree from SLCC, Bachelors fram Weber State and 3/4 of his Masters from Westminster, all while working and allowing me to stay home with our kids. He has worked really really hard to get where is his today, and although he is too humble to brag about it, I will do it for him. I would say that is not too bad for only being 31!! Happy Birthday babe. We LOVE you.

Growing Up

This picture of Carter was taken about a year ago when he was still very attached to his binki and blanket. While tucking him into bed the other night I suddenly realized how fast he is growing up. I saw his blanket laying at the bottom of his bed. I noticed lately that he has been leaving it behind , and has been much less attached to it. This is the same blanket he has drug with him everywhere since he found it in my closet when he was barely a year old. The blanket had originally been bought as a baby gift for a friend, but after 3 or 4 attempts of Carter swiping it from the gift bag in my closet I finally gave in and gave it to him. It became is very favorite blanket from that time on. He would follow along the edge of it with his fingers and find a hole in one of the corners where he would put his finger. He called it his "favorite hole"! So when I was him laying there and the blanket at the bottom of the bed I suddenly realized how fast he is getting big. I asked him if he wanted it and he took it. I told him about how he got the blanket in the first place, and laughed and asked me to tell him another funny story, but this time about his preschool teacher for some reason!? Anyways, it makes me sad when I take a moment to stop and realize how fast our kids are growing up. I think if I had my way he would cuddle with that blanket on the couch until he was all grown up. I am glad to see the binki go however!!

Why blog??

(Britta are you so excited.)
I decided to start this blog, with a LITTLE pressure from some friends and family, as a way to keep memories for myself and our kids, about things we do, and the funny little things they do that make us laugh each day.