One thing that Matt and I quickly realized when we got married was how differently our families "did" the holidays. Once we had kids, we really wanted to set up our own family traditions that were both meaningful and fun. This is the first year that we haven't been able to do a few because of the move, but below is a list of our usual family Christmas traditions:
*Throughout December as cards come in the mail, we open them at dinner and try to pray for whatever family has sent them.
*We make a paper chain the weekend after Thanksgiving with the "ABC's of Advent" on each one, and the kids take turns every day ripping of a link and reading the verse. This one didn't happen this year, but we will go back to it next year.
*On Christmas Eve our kids bake and decorate birthday cakes for Jesus, which we let them eat after church services. We used to let them do their own, but last year we had so much leftover birthday cake I think we are going to have a joint cake this year.
*From us, our kids get three gifts each - one representing each of the gifts of the wise men. We try to do one thing they want, one thing they need, and one surprise.
*On Christmas morning we all get up together and the kids get to open their stockings from Santa, then we eat breakfast and read the Christmas story out of the Bible before they open the rest of their gifts.
*This year we let each of the kids pick out a gift for each other, as well as fill Operation Christmas Child boxes to help get them a little less self-focused.
*Our last tradition is that the week of Christmas I spend the entire time trying to pull my children off the ceiling from their sugar highs and gift giddiness and threaten continuously that Santa will not bring them anything. This is the most fun one of all.
Hope you all have a great Christmas!
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Twelve Years Ago Today
Today marks are 12th wedding anniversary! In some ways it feels like we have been married forever, in other ways we feel like we still have a lot to learn about each other! We spent last night at the Apple Farm, which is where we also spent our wedding night. Last night my bag wasn't filled with rice though, which the maids are probably very thankful for. Personally, I am incredibly thankful for my amazing sweetie, who drives me absolutely crazy but I love him more and more each day.
Okay, so this was sappy and short, but I have to slowly get back into the whole blogging thing :)
Okay, so this was sappy and short, but I have to slowly get back into the whole blogging thing :)
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
We're home. I am surrounded by boxes and mess and my kids keep asking when we are getting a Christmas tree and I am doing my best to keep my sanity. Moving is not as much fun as it sounded a month ago, but we are very thankful and are trying to keep a positive attitude.
So, a funny thing happened at Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday that I have been dying to share. Despite the fact that we have a bazillion unpacked boxes I felt the need to buy more stuff and went shopping yesterday. Smart, I know. I was looking for a big glass cookie jar to hold all of my cookie cutters in, but apparently they don't sell anything like that in Santa Barbara and when you ask an employee to help you they look at you like you are on crack. Anyway, I settled on a really big clear canister and went to the check out, which is where all my troubles began. Without knowing, I chose an item that did not have a UPC bar on it. I know, I am so ashamed. The price tag was there, but no code that could be scanned. So I waited for TWENTY minutes while the checker consulted other employees, tried looking something up on his computer, and gave me dirty looks. Seriously, was it my fault that there was an item on their shelf with no tag? Did they think I purposely took it off? And honestly, I don't think he was really trying to look up the item in the computer. I think he was playing video games waiting for me to run out of patience and leave the store. I very politely asked if they could just sell it to me based on the price tag which was clearly on the item, but was given the "this lady is so dumb eye roll and sigh" and told that the computer wouldn't know what it was selling and it would throw off their inventory. Explain this to me, please. If the item has no UPC code anywhere, then how do you know it is in your inventory to begin with? I think I should have been able to walk out the store with it for free! Of course I didn't say any of this, but tried to wait quietly and patiently until the kind checker said, "Are you sure you want this?" No, I am not sure - I have just stood here for 20 minutes because I really like to look at you. I gave up and found something else. Although I kind of want to go back and see if they are still on the shelf, it drives me nuts to think that they probably just put it back and the whole scenario is going to play out with someone else next week. I guess I should just let it go, it's not my store, right?
Anyway, I should be unpacking. Hope you all are well! My email of course is not working, or my phone, but I hope you all are having a great week!
So, a funny thing happened at Bed Bath & Beyond yesterday that I have been dying to share. Despite the fact that we have a bazillion unpacked boxes I felt the need to buy more stuff and went shopping yesterday. Smart, I know. I was looking for a big glass cookie jar to hold all of my cookie cutters in, but apparently they don't sell anything like that in Santa Barbara and when you ask an employee to help you they look at you like you are on crack. Anyway, I settled on a really big clear canister and went to the check out, which is where all my troubles began. Without knowing, I chose an item that did not have a UPC bar on it. I know, I am so ashamed. The price tag was there, but no code that could be scanned. So I waited for TWENTY minutes while the checker consulted other employees, tried looking something up on his computer, and gave me dirty looks. Seriously, was it my fault that there was an item on their shelf with no tag? Did they think I purposely took it off? And honestly, I don't think he was really trying to look up the item in the computer. I think he was playing video games waiting for me to run out of patience and leave the store. I very politely asked if they could just sell it to me based on the price tag which was clearly on the item, but was given the "this lady is so dumb eye roll and sigh" and told that the computer wouldn't know what it was selling and it would throw off their inventory. Explain this to me, please. If the item has no UPC code anywhere, then how do you know it is in your inventory to begin with? I think I should have been able to walk out the store with it for free! Of course I didn't say any of this, but tried to wait quietly and patiently until the kind checker said, "Are you sure you want this?" No, I am not sure - I have just stood here for 20 minutes because I really like to look at you. I gave up and found something else. Although I kind of want to go back and see if they are still on the shelf, it drives me nuts to think that they probably just put it back and the whole scenario is going to play out with someone else next week. I guess I should just let it go, it's not my store, right?
Anyway, I should be unpacking. Hope you all are well! My email of course is not working, or my phone, but I hope you all are having a great week!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Twas the day before moving...
Twas the day before moving, and all through the house, there was chaos and messes and boxes about. And despite the chores that need taking care of, I decided to brave the stores for the deals I was aware of.
Okay, enough of my sad attempt at rhyming, my brain is way too tired. I got up early today to try and save my family a little bit of money and hit a few of the sales. However, I must say, I am not one of those crazy people who camped out at the stores last night to be the first in line. Are they insane? Unless I was promised 30 seconds to grab whatever I could and it would be free, you would not find me camping out for a sale. And it turns out that the places I went really weren't that busy, and I found everything I wanted and didn't have to wait in line at all. The only long line I hit was at Starbucks, and let me tell you there were some tired looking people in that line. Between coupons and sales I ended up saving over $50.00 on stuff this morning, not bad, right? Although now I am exhausted and the task of moving tomorrow seems incredibly daunting. Do you think if I wish really hard tonight when I go to sleep that I will wake up in the morning and everything will have magically placed itself in the right spot in the new house already? What, don't you believe in almost Christmas miracles?
Anyway, I will be off of Internet and phone for the next few days. Possibly longer depending on how long it takes me to figure out how to re-set everything up. So, worst case scenario, I will talk to you all in the New Year :)
Okay, enough of my sad attempt at rhyming, my brain is way too tired. I got up early today to try and save my family a little bit of money and hit a few of the sales. However, I must say, I am not one of those crazy people who camped out at the stores last night to be the first in line. Are they insane? Unless I was promised 30 seconds to grab whatever I could and it would be free, you would not find me camping out for a sale. And it turns out that the places I went really weren't that busy, and I found everything I wanted and didn't have to wait in line at all. The only long line I hit was at Starbucks, and let me tell you there were some tired looking people in that line. Between coupons and sales I ended up saving over $50.00 on stuff this morning, not bad, right? Although now I am exhausted and the task of moving tomorrow seems incredibly daunting. Do you think if I wish really hard tonight when I go to sleep that I will wake up in the morning and everything will have magically placed itself in the right spot in the new house already? What, don't you believe in almost Christmas miracles?
Anyway, I will be off of Internet and phone for the next few days. Possibly longer depending on how long it takes me to figure out how to re-set everything up. So, worst case scenario, I will talk to you all in the New Year :)
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Happy Tuesday
Happy Tuesday to you all! I am still recovering from a weekend of birthday fun. Despite the fact that I am older, with more wrinkles and white hair, a quickly dwindling brain, and weakening eyesight, I had a great birthday. I am so thankful for all of my family and friends who did so much to make my weekend special! Although I spent far too much time eating this weekend and am now paying for it! Fortunately all the take-home boxes and leftovers are finally gone, but I guess since Thursday is Thanksgiving I won't have too much time to recover.
I had a friend send the following, so I am dutifully filling it out to share :)
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, but I do know my dad wanted to name me Sophie
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? yesterday
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? usually, it depends on the pen
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? salami
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yes, 3, but we refer to them as monkeys
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? depends on the day
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? umm, no, never...really
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? no
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Yes
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Frosted Flakes
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no, especially since they usually don't have ties
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? yes
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? java chip or chocolate fudge brownie
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? smile
15. RED OR PINK? Red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? trust me you don't want to go there
17. Who do you MISS THE MOST? My sister Michelle and her family, I wish we could live closer!
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Not sending it to anyone else :(
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? pink
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? left-over tri tip
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? my kids watch a video
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Kendall's hair after it's washed, yummy candles, fresh flowers
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my landlord
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? football, gymnastics, ice skating
27. HAIR COLOR? Blond
28. EYE COLOR? blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Italian
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? HAPPY ENDINGS!
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Nim's Island
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black
34. SUMMER OR WINTER Summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Yes
37. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Amazing Grace by Francine Rivers
38. FAVORITE SOUND? my kids laughing, rain on the roof
39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? neither
40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? The Caribbean
41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can tie a cherry stem with my teeth :)
42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Santa Barbara, CA
I had a friend send the following, so I am dutifully filling it out to share :)
1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? No, but I do know my dad wanted to name me Sophie
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? yesterday
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? usually, it depends on the pen
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? salami
5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS? yes, 3, but we refer to them as monkeys
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? depends on the day
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? umm, no, never...really
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? no
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? Yes
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Frosted Flakes
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? no, especially since they usually don't have ties
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? yes
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? java chip or chocolate fudge brownie
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? smile
15. RED OR PINK? Red
16. WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? trust me you don't want to go there
17. Who do you MISS THE MOST? My sister Michelle and her family, I wish we could live closer!
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO SEND THIS BACK TO YOU? Not sending it to anyone else :(
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? pink
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? left-over tri tip
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? my kids watch a video
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Blue
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Kendall's hair after it's washed, yummy candles, fresh flowers
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? my landlord
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU? Yes
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? football, gymnastics, ice skating
27. HAIR COLOR? Blond
28. EYE COLOR? blue
29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? No
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Italian
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? HAPPY ENDINGS!
32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? Nim's Island
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? black
34. SUMMER OR WINTER Summer
35. HUGS OR KISSES? Both
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Yes
37. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Amazing Grace by Francine Rivers
38. FAVORITE SOUND? my kids laughing, rain on the roof
39. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES? neither
40. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? The Caribbean
41. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I can tie a cherry stem with my teeth :)
42. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Santa Barbara, CA
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Sheep and Cows and Pilgrims...oh my!
So, for those of you who read a couple of days ago you know that Bennett will be playing the part of a cow in the school Christmas play. We received notice today that KJ will be playing a sheep. Which means I now have 2 costumes to make, hooray for me! I am actually really excited to see them, and hopefully whatever I put together won't cause them too much embarrassment.
On the subjects of costumes, this Friday is "dress like a Native American or Pilgrim" day at school. When we first received the notice, Matt and I privately joked that we should send Bennett in a loin cloth and see what happens. Talk about breaking the christian school dress code! I know, we are horrible. I didn't really think my kids would care about dressing up, but boy was I wrong. Bennett asked me tonight what he could wear. Another costume, are you kidding me? He said he wanted to be a Native American, and I chose not to bring up the loin cloth option. I asked him what he thought he should wear as a Native American. That is when Kendall joined the conversation and said,"Mommy, Native Americans wear red, white, and blue." Umm...what?!?! Apparently the "American" part of Native American caused KJ to think that they wore flags. In her defense we did just celebrate Veterans Day and the kids all wore red, white, and blue in honor of our Veterans. Anyway, so far all I have gotten out of Bennett is that he wants to wear feathers. So...I'm thinking a big bird costume? Just kidding, hopefully I can come up with something that is both creative and school code appropriate in the next 24 hours. Wish us luck!
On the subjects of costumes, this Friday is "dress like a Native American or Pilgrim" day at school. When we first received the notice, Matt and I privately joked that we should send Bennett in a loin cloth and see what happens. Talk about breaking the christian school dress code! I know, we are horrible. I didn't really think my kids would care about dressing up, but boy was I wrong. Bennett asked me tonight what he could wear. Another costume, are you kidding me? He said he wanted to be a Native American, and I chose not to bring up the loin cloth option. I asked him what he thought he should wear as a Native American. That is when Kendall joined the conversation and said,"Mommy, Native Americans wear red, white, and blue." Umm...what?!?! Apparently the "American" part of Native American caused KJ to think that they wore flags. In her defense we did just celebrate Veterans Day and the kids all wore red, white, and blue in honor of our Veterans. Anyway, so far all I have gotten out of Bennett is that he wants to wear feathers. So...I'm thinking a big bird costume? Just kidding, hopefully I can come up with something that is both creative and school code appropriate in the next 24 hours. Wish us luck!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
The Joys of Moving
I am surrounded by mess, piles of boxes, and general chaos. None of these things fit well with my personality. Growing up I lived in the same house for basically my entire life. In the past 13 years of marriage we have moved 4 times, this will be the 5th. I am praying that we can stay put for a little while! The last time we moved I thought we did a really good job of clearing out unnecessary items, do you know how much stuff our family has accumulated over the past year and a half? I can't tell you how many school papers and happy meal toys I have thrown out this week. It is actually really sad how many happy meal toys we have found, I swear I did some cooking in the past year. Oh, and we have also uncovered several black widows while packing. Gross, yuck, scary, why did God create these death filled spiders? Aren't spiders in general bad enough without adding poisonous venom to them? I refuse to pack anything else in the garage for fear I will find more; and whenever Matt goes in there I always make sure I have the phone in my hand just in case I need to call 911.
To top it off, Camden locked himself in the bathroom today. I immediately had flashbacks to when we lived in Buellton and Bennett locked himself in his bedroom and we had to remove the door to get him out while he cried hysterically from his room. Fortunately, Camden remained calm enough that I could talk him through unlocking it from the other side of the door. I can't help but wonder what other mini adventures my kids will have in the next week while we are occupied with packing.
To top it off, Camden locked himself in the bathroom today. I immediately had flashbacks to when we lived in Buellton and Bennett locked himself in his bedroom and we had to remove the door to get him out while he cried hysterically from his room. Fortunately, Camden remained calm enough that I could talk him through unlocking it from the other side of the door. I can't help but wonder what other mini adventures my kids will have in the next week while we are occupied with packing.
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