Changing perspectives..

This is only a fraction of the pictures that Abby took when she got a hold of the camera a couple times this week.  Favorite subjects: the Mei Mei's, Ellie, her feet, her toys.

Thanksgiving.

I guess I kind of skipped right over Thanksgiving here on the blog.  The main reason is because, in the busy-ness, I completely neglected to take any pictures!  I'm pretty sad about that, but it is what it is I guess.

We celebrated on Sunday.  The menu:

Turkey
Stuffing
Mashed potatoes & gravy
Homemade creamed corn
Pomegranate & Apple salad
Rolls
Apple pie
Pumpkin Roll

The list is pretty "small" for a Thanksgiving meal, but that was intentional and I'm so happy we kept it that way.  It was a lot of food, and I didn't want to be eating leftovers for a week.  My favorites were the salad that Haley made (Pomegranates, apples, cranberry... so good!) and the stuffing.  I actually just made a boxed stuffing this year and it was really, really good.  I think it'll be my go-to stuffing from now on.  Garrett's mom makes her own stuffing every year and I really like that too, but I think I'll stick with the 5-minute box.  It really was that good.

We ended up inviting another couple from Church over, so there were six adults and 4 kids total (not that they really sat with us, they mostly just played).  I didn't do much for a centerpiece... thought about making some cute felt leaves that I saw on a blog but I've been so busy with my other projects that it didn't get done. So, I threw about a dozen candles in the middle of the table and called it good (it was actually very pretty, I thought.  I love candlelight).

I love Thanksgiving.  A whole day set aside to think about how blessed I am?  I try to remember that every day, but I think it's great that we have a holiday set aside for it.  I think that the more gratitude we have, the happier we are.

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving, and that you are having a wonderful and relaxing Christmas season!

Decorating for Christmas

It's kind of embarrassing to say this, but Garrett and I have never gotten a Christmas tree since we've been married, and we don't plan to this year either!  We've always gone out of town for the holiday, and while it would be fun to have a tree at our house, it just doesn't seem to practical in the budget.  We do decorate, though.  We put up lights around the room, set out the Nativity, and have a whole stack of Christmas books that we (I) read each December.  We also play a lot of Christmas music.  I do love Christmas and the whole season - don't think that our lack of a Christmas tree means we are Grinches!

It was so fun to see Ellie's face when we turned on the Christmas lights for the first time.

It seems that Abby has reached a point where she likes to make her pictures dramatic rather than just smiling for them.

Then we found the snow globe, which was Abby's favorite decoration last year......

Of course, it just wouldn't be Christmas without one child screaming for something that another child has.

Not so happy.

We are so excited for Christmas!  I have been working on a special Christmas project which I will blog about later this week, hopefully.  I just have to finish it and get one sent out to my brother's family before the big reveal.

Today's the day...

I still get goosebumps when I see this final play of the game (below). 2006 season, BYU at Utah, and Utah is winning 31-27. Just 3 seconds left.

Of course, I wasn't a BYU student when this game was played. Notice how at the end of the clip, the announcer says, "Not 5 in a row for Utah"? That's because they had won 4 in a row against BYU. The 4 years I was there. I'm not even going to pretend that I'm not bitter about that. I did see this game live, though, and it was a lot of fun. Definitely lost my voice from screaming so much.

Anyway, today's the big game (1:30 MST... hopefully we'll find it online somewhere!). Utah has had a good season (it started much better than it has ended up) and BYU has had a pretty rough one, so I'm interested to see how it will turn out. I think that previous games should be thrown out the window when trying to guess how these teams will play today. It's such a huge rivalry and emotions run so high, you just never know what will happen. I'm excited. 

GO COUGARS!

Happy Black Friday!

We had a quiet Thanksgiving.  It turned out that Garrett didn't have to leave for work until 1:30, so we spent the morning together and hung out.  I did a workout video, he went running.  Played with the kids.  Once Garrett left for work, Abby and I made some chocolate chip cookies, which we then dropped off at the ER for Garrett and the other staff that was unlucky enough to get scheduled to work that day.  Unfortunately, we got there as soon as a couple ambulances were arriving so we only got to see Garrett for about 30 seconds.  Then we went home, I fed the kids dinner (grilled cheese) and put them to bed at 6:30 (it was a rough afternoon... they both have colds and it's making them (me) crazy).

Then, when Garrett came home a bit after midnight, I headed out and hit up some Black Friday sales!!  Haha just kidding.... I'm not that crazy.  I mean, I love a good deal as much as the next person (maybe even more), and I spent some time last week researching some of the great deals to be had (and let's face it, I was mostly looking at things for myself), but in the end there was nothing good enough to tempt me to face the crowds.  And to be honest, I don't ever see myself becoming a Black Friday shopper.  I've read the horror stories in the news, and seen pictures.  I hate crowds and I hate the "I-have-to-run-through-the-store-and-beat-everyone-else-to-the-electronics-section-before-everything-is-taken" feeling.  Online deals, though?  You can bet I love those.  But I still didn't pull out my credit card for anything today. (Although I can't say the same for Garrett... but that's for another post, I think.)

This year I am particularly thankful that Garrett has a job.  He's worked a lot this week, so it's in the forefront of my mind and the gratitude helps me not become bitter about it! :)  Seriously though, I am so grateful that he's working, and that he's in a job that is stable.  I'm grateful that he's in a chill transitional program that allows him lots of family time.  

This week I am thankful for Gmail video chat and Skype. We've gotten to "see" all my siblings and my parents over the last couple of days, and Garrett's parents and some siblings too.  So, even though we didn't go visit family this holiday, we still got to interact with them, which is always fun.

Today I am thankful for baby Tylenol.  Ellie is teething and it's brutal (for me.  And okay, for her too).  She was in rare form today and spent most of the day screaming and crying and whining.  Poor thing.  It doesn't help that she has a cold on top of it all.

Right now I am thankful for my warm bed waiting for me... and thankful that I'm not working a 10-hour shift in the ER, like a certain person I am married to.  Tonight around 9:30, my eyes were starting to feel tired and I was thinking about my bed, and meanwhile Garrett was loading up on Coke Zero to prepare himself for work at 10pm.  Sooooo not jealous of him.

Mariner's Museum

Last Saturday, the Mariner's Museum offered free admission to all hospital staff and their families.  We jumped at the chance to go for free!  Unfortunately, Garrett was working all day so I took the kids and tagged along with Rob & Haley.

It was a lot of fun and very interesting.  There was a lot of history about the Chesapeake bay, which was pretty fascinating.  There were also exhibits for how the ocean and ships were used for wars (Civil War, World Wars, etc), and a big exhibit about the USS Monitor.  I loved visiting the museum and would love to go again without the kids so that I could spend more time reading about the different displays and things.  I discovered that I really enjoy learning about maritime history - it's pretty fascinating.

The Mariner's Museum here is the biggest in North America (it's over 60,000 square feet!), and that's not hard to believe.  It seemed that every time we turned a corner there was another exhibit to see.  It was huge!

November snapshot

I can't believe we are already halfway through November.  Growing up I used to love when the days got shorter (I don't really know why), but now I really hate it.  I don't like driving in the dark, and I don't like that we hardly ever get to go running together when Garrett gets home from work.  On the other hand, I do like that the kids are tired and ready for bed by 7pm. (Unless, of course, Abby falls asleep during quiet time).

Abby is cute as ever.  She is definitely three, though.  Sometimes I feel like I'm dealing with a teenager, with the way she says "No!" and with how stubborn she is.  Some days it feels like I have to make everything a game. "Hey Abby, let's see how fast you can clean up your toys!  I'll count!" or "Abby, pretend your spoon is a shovel and eat all your dinner!"  It gets so exhausting.  I feel like I should just be able to say, "Abby clean up your toys, please", or, "Abby, finish your dinner", and she should just be obedient.  I shouldn't have to make everything a game.  But, that's what works, so I'll just keep plugging away I guess.  And I know you are probably thinking, "what's so exhausting about making things into a game?  Games are fun."  True, games are fun.  But it gets old.

Garrett showed Abby some origami last weekend and she loved that.  Now every time she sees a balled up piece of paper, she thinks it will turn into a nice little square if she blows into it.

Abby also really likes to help me in the kitchen, whether I need her help or not. :)  She drags a chair into our tiny kitchen and insists on pouring, stirring, and tasting.  Last weekend we made Rice Krispie Treats (or, as Abby calls them, "Ice Krispie Treats").  It's a pretty big deal when I make treats because it's a very rare occurrence in our house, so Abby was in heaven.

(Waiting.....waiting.... )

(...Got it!)

What can I say about Ellie?  What is it about her that makes me laugh every time she does something naughty??  A few days ago she was playing with Abby's little toy laptop, pushing the buttons and listening to the music.  Abby came and sat next to her to share it with her, and Ellie scooted over so that she was sitting in between Abby and the laptop.  Abby patiently moved over a little bit more so she could see better, and sure enough Ellie scooted over again so that Abby couldn't see.  Of course I was hiding my laughter, but at the same time I couldn't believe that she would be so naughty.  Where does she learn this stuff??

Like I said a few days ago, Garrett is almost done with his family medicine rotation and starts ER next week.   Garrett hates the ER for many reasons, the main one being that most of the patients who come in shouldn't even be there.  He also doesn't do well with shift work where the schedule changes frequently.

I have been keeping busy making Christmas presents.  We draw names in my family and in Garrett's, which makes it easier.  I am making something really great for my brother and his family, and I'm making the same thing for my family at the same time (I'll tell what it is & show pics after they get it!).  I will say this, though... I don't know what I was thinking, taking on a project of this magnitude.  I've already put in at least 10 hours (into each one) and I'm about halfway done.  Thankfully we've already finished the gifts for Garrett's sister & husband (Garrett made their gift in about an hour), but I still need to finish gifts for everyone else on my list.  Including Abby & Ellie... I'm making the neatest thing for them and I'll show lots of pictures when it's done.

I've also been reading a lot, since I finally got a library card.  Speaking of reading, I don't think I ever blogged about finishing the third book in the Hunger Games series.  I read it back in September when we were visiting my parents in Pennsylvania.  I won't bore you all with the details, but in short I hated it.  It seemed so disjointed from the other books and it was really boring.  The only redeeming factor was the very last page when the author finally revealed what boy the heroine ended up with (and it was the one I was rooting for).  But all in all, I was so disappointed in the book and consider the time I spent reading it, wasted. (If you liked the third book, good.  I'm happy for you.)

What else am I up to?  I have a list of things to do this week: fix my jogging stroller tire, finalize the Thanksgiving menu, organize my LR closet, teach piano lessons, and just clean.  I'll admit, I "straighten up" my house a lot, but actual cleaning doesn't happen as often as it should.  I'm also hoping to spend more time at the park (hopefully with my stroller!) since the weather has been just gorgeous lately.  It's times like this when I really miss having a private lawn so I can lay down on a blanket outside all day while the kids run around.

Other than that, not too much.  Just making (and constantly editing) my Christmas list.  You all remember all the things I want, right?  Some of those things are on my actual Christmas list, but most are still on my "someday in the future" list.  I'm nothing if not realistic.