a tag a tag

I got the ol 6 random things about me tag from Rhonda.
Well, I can't think of anything interesting going on in the random department for me. So I decided to change it up. Is that allowed? Yes, yes it is.

I decided to share 6 sayings or 'secrets' that have come out of Alli's mouth latley (the secrets as in when i'm not around.)

1. to my mom a while ago (while I wasn't around)
A: 'My mom didn't put on my seat belt when we drove over here.' (in my defense, we were driving from derek's parents house a few blocks to my parents house)

2. To the lady at the libraray while I ran out to the car to get my card
A: 'My daddy doesn't get a treat when he sleeps through family home evening.'

3. During the sacrament last sunday
Me: (whispering) 'Alli you need to sit down and be reverent'
A: (not whispering) 'Mommy you need to be OBEDIENT!'

4. To the primary lady who took her to the bathroom, just making casual conversation.
A: 'So...how old are you?'

5. Alli has been sick today, but was feeling better by supper but might have been pretending she still felt sick.
A: 'James, say poor Alli.'

6. And I'll give the last one to James who is a jib jabbering machine, among everything that comes out of his mouth, his favorite these days is 'why?' He says it all the time and he knows how to use it. He learned it from Alli, so it's awesome, I have 2 kids saying all day. 'why' 'why' 'why?'

Here's an old random picture to go with this random post. Alli eating a mayonnaise sandwich, made all by herself. Isn't your mouth just watering?

I wish I had more to say or show, but I really don't.  We had so much fun on the few warm days and now we're hibernating again.

I'm behind

So I guess I should chat about 2008 and what's up for 2009.  Of course a couple pics of this and that thrown in  too.  James's little booty outfit will crack you up I guarantee it.

1. What did you do in 2008 that you've never done before?
Taught Primary, oh wait I did that the 3 previous years before 08 and still get to do it in 09!

2. Did you keep your New Year's Resolutions and will you make more for next year?
Is it bad if i can't remember if I kept them? Is it bad that I most likely made the same ones this year? you know, get in shape, cook supper, keep the house clean, be a good mom and wife, budget better, read scriptures daily...thought i'd take up a hobby or something, but then I couldn't think of anything so I think I'm going to run a half marathon.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
Every other person but me!




4. Did anyone close to you die?
I went to 2 funerals back to back. Derek's Grandpa and Mom. Hard days.

5. What places have you visited?
Well, besides the bear hunts and pirate ship adventures...
We went to Kimberly BC...and that's it for anything new and exciting I guess. But I've got a couple plans in the works for this year.


6. What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008?
More sleep, i just can't get enough if the stuff.

7. What dates from 2008 will remain etched in your memory and why?
Well, I remember a lot of not so great dates, so I'm gonna steer clear of those.
Sooooo...Actually I don't even know what the date is today, so I'm not gonna remember any dates.

8. What was your biggest achievement this year?
We bought a house, YIPEE! wait, is that classified as an achievement when you take on 30 years of debt?

9. Did you suffer illness or injury?
I have this faint memory of puking sick children all last winter, and Derek even threw up for the first time since we have been married. and me, just the same old stuffy nose for 6 months. Nothing exciting thankfully.



10. What was the best thing you bought?
Our house and some things for it and I'm still pretty pumped about my bike. Am I such a nerd?

11. Where did most of your money go?
Well, the little money we have, to this ol house once again, and just LIFE I guess.

12. What song will always remind you of 2008?
I'm gonna go with Celine, that's right, I'm still rockin a select few songs.

13. What do you wish you would have done more of?
hmmm, probably push ups.



14. What do you wish you would have done less of?
Eat after the kids went to bed.

15. What was your favorite TV program?
I'm really into Backyardigans, and Super Why...oh me? same ol Office, 30 Rock, SNL

16. What was the best book you read this year?
Fancy Nancy. They are kid's books, and if you have a little girl, her life will not be complete until you read it to her every night for 2 months. And then she will go around being 'fancy' and 'posh' and you will laugh. (this is my way of getting around the fact that i only read about 7 books last year, 3 of which were twilights.)



17. What was your favorite film of the year?
My mom and I went to Marley and Me on the last day of 2008. Loved it!

18. What did you do on your birthday and how old were you?
I wish I had something exciting to say here, but just refer to this if you missed a beat. I was 27, and still am.

19. What political issue stirred you the most?
Right, all those political issues really get me going...

20. Who was the best new person you met?
I lived in Edmonton, Raymond and Cardston this year and have met some great friends in all places. I'm just so happy to have friends and meet new people.

And for 2009, I wanted to learn how to make bread. And I did. My mom came up and gave me a lesson. It was a rather uneventful occasion in the mishap department considering my record in the kitchen. Ok I lied, this is my second loaf. I made my first last Saturday, but it was actually quite decent, I just didn't take a picture. I also want to make homemade chicken noodle soup...secret recipes please!

it's not snowing

This is out my front window about an hour ago.  IT'S NOT EVEN SNOWING!!!  

I waited for a 'calm' in the wind.  If you look close there is proof of blue sky in there.  

After a couple hours of that, it's back to this.  

I forgot I left Alli's boots outside yesterday...

Here's Derek doing the usual shovel after the wind storms.  We have to shovel almost everyday, not because it snows, just the wind.  It melted quite a bit the other day, that pile was twice that before.

We had our Christmas tree in the middle of the front yard, (yeah, we're ghetto that way) the other night it was so windy I woke up to see the tree in the middle of the backyard.  It was also garbage day, I think half the garbage was gone before the truck came, sorry neighbors (or people that live on the other side of town because that's probably where it ended up.)  Ahhhh, love it here!

what i've learned

Let's just pretend that it hasn't been thew longest stretch I've ever gone without blogging since the blogging began years ago.  I know ALL you faithful readers have been wondering what oh WHAT have we been up to.

I'll tell you of a few things I have learned over the past weeks in no particular order.

-ummmm, don't order your christmas cards on December 20th, you will have a pile of half of them left on January 2nd.  (Ashley, you are too kind, and so cute for making these, thanks! click to see the full picture.)

-Sickness can really linger in a house when it gets passed person to person. ( but james is never too sick to give a little cheese for the camera)

-Christmas shopping was much MUCH easier in the city.  Don't get me started.

-Derek's gramma is still awesome and playing away with her band, even for her own 60th wedding anniversary party.  Derek is dancing away right in front of her playing the piano.

-Global warming does not affect Canada.  It's freezing cold.  What the heck?  Sure I can handle this ridiculous cold and mounds of snow, but I don't want to, didn't I just leave Edmonton?  Where are these so called chinooks anyway?

Am EVER going to get rid of that soother from that boy?

-Alli apparently gets her tolerance for the cold from her dad.  She also has the best aunt Gabrielle and gramma who will take her in the snow for 30 mins (she wanted to stay out longer) when it's -25 out while Derek is gone snowboarding in the ridiculous cold.

-A delicious 8 course Christmas eve meal is possible to do in a house full of 30 people, 15 of them kids 8 and under, followed by the worlds fastest nativity and pj opening, then kids in bed and house clean and ME in bed by midnight that night!

-Wrap your presents before Christmas eve so you can go to bed at midnight and laugh at everybody else still wrapping.  (even if you stayed up until 1:30 the night before wrapping, still worth it.) 

-Derek is sneaky.  I decided I was ok with nothing from Derek on Christmas morning this year because we just got a new chair for the house.  Well, he finally did it, it's never been done (even though he has tried and tried and someone always seems ruin it) He surprised me...a bike of my own!  Words cannot express how surprised and excited I was.  Now I just need the 7 feet of snow to melt and spring to come so I can RIDE!  ( i know, i look hot on christmas morn)

-James loves his sweet new quad and is already a daredevil on it.  None of the bruises covering his face are from the quad though...yet.  And no that's not his toque, he just loves to get naked and dress up in most things girly.  James was so funny, on Christmas morning he was having so much fun opening presents, but you now how everything is in a box and its a jigsaw to get it out.  So it would take us forever to open it and he was so impatient, or we would tell him we'd open it later.  Well, by the last present, the second he saw it was in a box he was so mad he threw it and went back to the quad.

-The one behind on the right can really scream, especially in the wee hours of the morning.  It's a good thing she's so dang cute and has the MOST patient mother in the world.

 

-These 2 can really perform some sweet Jingle Bells.

-Christmas isn't complete without a little celebrity gossip.

-And the final thing I learned, don't go and chop off your child's hair while your husband is out.  He won't be happy.  Not the best after shot, with the fake smile and all, but it's pretty dang cute I'd say!

Before

After

We had the best time over the holidays.  I love all these kids that we spent every waking moment with.  We are so blessed with such great families.  It's a little weird but we packed our bags and were in Raymond for 10 days only 35 mins from our own bed while we crammed in a room and shared 3 to a double bed, (sometimes 4 with James, or on the couch with James or the floor with James...)  but we just wanted to be with our families. 

 

(james was sad reuben was on his bike)

Derek's family is so amazing.  The way they have carried on after Peggy passed away is amazing to me, especially during this Christmas season.  They are all so strong.  I will always remember her and will miss her always.  She loved having her family gather all together at Christmas and she would just bake and cook up a storm.  I'm sure glad she taught me how to make her famous Christmas trifle last year.  We all shared some beautiful moments together and apart remembering her this year as I hope we always will.

This also made me think about my brother Ryan as I always do at Christmas, and how much I just so miss him too.  He was such a good brother to me.  I remember one year he had my name for the gifts, I was probably 9 and he gave me a barbie.  I thought he was the coolest and richest brother in the world.  

I love Christmas and the spirit it brings.  I loved singing the carols with my kids and teaching Alli this year about baby Jesus and having her kinda get this whole Christmas and the real meaning. (she was playing one day knocking on all the doors of the house saying 'any room? any room?')  I hope that my family will always keep the true meaning first in our Christmas's to come.

I took the tree down today and Alli started crying, 'No, no Christmas isn't over we still want our toys!'  She was pretty happy when I told her she can keep them...if she's a good girl (gotta throw that in, right?)  Which reminds me of one more thing I learned.  We packed up most of toys right back into the trunk of the car on Christmas day, so yesterday when we finally came home and unloaded all the toys, the kids went crazy remembering their stuff.  I got completely unpacked while they played.

Ok, done.  I'll never go so long without a post, or this is what will happen.