7th Birthday Craziness

I don't know how it happens but since we've been in Utah Addi's birthday has turned into a 3-day event!

I tried to avoid that this year...to no avail.

 She had a pool party on Friday night, she invited every friend and every family member.

(So as to avoid multiple mini-celebrations)

There were 18 children...at a pool party...I don't know what I was thinking.

Being responsible for that many lives, or as I thought of them, possible drowning victims was a leeetle stressful.

Luckily, I did have Randall, my brothers and sister to send in the water. While my Mother and I patrolled the pool from the deck.

So that you can read on without suspense there were no drownings...or even near drownings, a feat I can only credit to the Almighty.

 There were friends and gifts galore!

 I constructed an ice cream sandwich "cake" for its easy grab and go and rinse off in the pool convenience.

 Addi & A in their team suits

 It was pretty much swimming mayhem for a solid 2 hours...again I'm just relieved that no one died.

 They were never all in the same place at once, so this is the best I could do for a group shot.

 It is possible that the best part of the party was watching the real-live ninjas practicing as we were leaving.

 (Kendo?)

Then on Sunday Grandma got Addi a beautiful cake with her name on it.

 She was very excited.  She wanted to save the flowers, so they were displayed on a plate for all to apppreciate.

 Then on Monday morning one of Addi's friends (we still don't know who) surprised her with a Happy Birthday poster on the garage door.

 I think this is such a cute and thoughtful idea.

It doesn't take too much time or effort and Addi felt incredibly special.

Happy 7th Addi.

Quiet Christmas

 After all of the Christmas Eve hubbub Christmas Day was wonderfully peaceful.

Addi woke up not to early (bless her) to open her gifts.

Mostly books, a few games and a knitting loom.

The big one is pillows

 (It's pretty much official that I need to re-learn how to use my camera...I'm becoming the blurry picture queen)

 Santa also brought this magnifying glass, for inspecting things.

The Haul.

Randall treated us to waffles, then we all went to Church and sang all of the songs I love to sing on Christmas. I do love a Sabbath Day Christmas.

Christmas Eve

As explained by the previous post we were all a little tired for our family Christmas Eve Celebration.

We had lots of delicious food that we hardly touched because we'd just returned from the wedding dinner.

 But we were able to relax and enjoy ourselves with our family.

 Gracie was Mary and Addi was the Angel in our Nativity play.

When All of the other children wanted to be Wisemen or the Donkey, my brothers stepped in to be Jospeh and the Shepherds.

My Brother Ryan stole the show as usual playing the Innkeepers complete with accents and hilariously diverse dispositions.

Merry Marriage

My little sister was engaged to be married in January but when they found out that her fiance was being deployed the first week of January for 7 months to a year they decided to get married when he had leave at Christmas.

Luckily her dress had already been ordered and arrived and my sister-in-law is a real live wedding photographer. 

(Unfortunately her pictures are not here, these are mine)

And so on Christmas Eve, they got married.

 Here's Addi at the wedding, bearing up well even though she did not get to be a flower girl.

The Nutcracker

Randall took us gals to the Nutcracker this Christmas.

We went to the production performed by my old ballet school.

Addi and I both loved it...Randall is anxious for the day when it will become a Mother-Daughter event with Aunts and Cousins.

 

We were in a mad dash to get to the performance on time so this was taken after the performance at the "fancy" restaurant we went to later.  (Brick Oven)

Addi felt all grown up and sophisticated.

A New Resolution

I don't make new year's resolutions.

To write a list of resolutions, to me, is to write a list of my failings.

I try hard to be good every day and to be better tomorrow.

I don't need the pressure of a list hanging over my head.

But this statement from Sister Hinckley speaks to my soul.

It is my now and forever resolution.

“We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are.” Marjorie Hinckley

The Card and More Than You Ever Wanted to Know

Well, there she is, in all her glory.

I am not super excited about how this card turned out.

I had this idea in my head of how it should look and this was NOT it.

For one thing my picture looks like a mug shot. (it was the only one in which my "j" was not backward)

To find, after 30 min. in a cramped photo booth and $18 spent that I was not happy with the results and wanted to scrap this idea and do a different one, Randall was none. too. pleased.

I can't blame him, if you scroll down you'll see that it would have been the 4th family photo shoot I'd make him endure in as many weeks.  I really didn't think I could force the issue.

So this is what you get folks.

I was feeling the pressure of last years card...I don't think I can ever top it so I should stop trying.

Next year will be better...I hope.

Now on to an update of how the "job situation" is going.

Right now Randall is clerking for a small firm in Provo. 

He's studying for the bar in February.

We've been here over a year and he's just taking the bar you ask?

Yes.

We were 1) dissolusioned that we might be able to find a job outside of Zion...not happening.

2) that darn exam is expensive and we just didn't have the money.

So.

We finally saved, begged and borrowed enough money to take the exam,

filled out the ENORMOUS application (4 times the size of the NY application...who does Utah think they are?!) then,

started planning the ever tricky studying/work/family schedule.

When all of a sudden the Bar committee didn't want to let him take the exam.

Why?

Too many student loans.

WHAT?!!

How, might I ask, do they expect him to pay them off if they won't let him get lisenced.

Randall was very calm during all of this, he just kept sending in all the information they requested.

And then all of the information that they wanted but never requested.

I, was a wreck.

After all of that they were still on the fence so they had him come in for a hearing to try and explain why they should let him take the Bar. (Seriously! you can not imagine my fury.)

He came out not knowing if it went well or not.

They let us cool our heels for a day.

Then they said, begrudgingly, that he could take the exam.

Hallelujah.

Randall remarked that the exam is tourture enough without having to go through all that other stuff.

I have some serious choice words to say to/about the Utah State Bar but I'm afraid they're all against my religion.

Where we are now:

Randall is studying and working.

I am working part-time to supplement that fantastic clerk pay and running Addi to and from the pool every day.

Addi is loving school, doing very well in swimming, and loves to sing, write and create.

Tommorrow:

We have some exciting/scary plans for the new year but it's a little too early to explain.

How's that for a cliffhanger.

31 Today

Well, I went and turned 31 today.

I'm not really fussy about my age.

Probably because I act like I'm still 13.

 My Mother-in-Law went to a fancy bakery and got my favorite cake (carrot).

And she even had them put my name on it!  

I can't remember the last time I had my name on my cake and when I saw it I really got excited.

Here I am nearly dipping my nappy hair in my beautiful cake.

In primary they sang "Happy Happy Birthday Children Dear" to me...I think it was appropriate.

Good Parent, Bad Parent

 On mornings when Addi is especially lucky Randall will walk with her to the bus stop and wait with her until the bus comes.

She talks his ear off from the moment they step out the door until the moment she steps foot on the first stair of the bus.

 They are both pretty stoked to have these mini dates.

What a good parent.

All I want for Christmas is...

 We noticed last week that Addi's front teeth were loose.

And this close to CHRISTMAS!!!

I told her that she HAD to get them out before Christmas so she could sing the song.

She worked and worked and got one tooth out.

It's pretty much adoreable.

I told her that if she could get the other one out by Christmas I'd give her $5 on top of whatever the Tooth Fairy brings.

I know I sound sadistic making my child pluck out her own teeth for a song but

THIS IS A ONCE IN A LIFETIME OPPORTUNITY!!

...don't judge me too harshly.

 Toothless wonder.

(plus scabbed over scratch thrown in for good measure)

Yes, I am the bad parent.

Breakfast with Fancy People

We are not fancy.

Maybe someday we will be fancy but certainly not today.

Randall got an invite to a fund raising breakfast for Mitt Romney with Ann Romney as the speaker and there was an extra ticket.

So we had an early morning breakfast date.

We had fun talking with Randall's colleagues, the food was good and Ann's speech was very nice.

I made Randall take this picture with me before we walked to the breakfast to commemorate the day...

I'm thinking the picture might have been more beautiful as a memory.

Bright Cases

I brightened up our sad pillows with some scraps using this tutorial.

I'm really happy with the results.

It makes me happy to open my eyes in the morning and anyone who knows me well knows that this is a big deal. 

I am NOT a morning person

I want to be...

I'm just not.

Five Kernels of Corn

One of our Thanksgiving traditions is to come to the table completely empty of food except for 5 kernels of corn on each plate.

Someone reads the poem "5 Kernels of Corn" and we sing a few hymns.

Then, we write a list of 5 things we are thankful for and put them in the "Thanksgiving Box."

We keep the papers in there forever, you can see what you were thankful for 10 years ago.

It is a thought provoking ritual before we all stuff ourselves with too much food.

Surprisingly the kids love it, even though they're pretty hungry...it's the men who struggle with this tradition.

Fall-ish Family Photos

I wanted to do a fall-y family pictures

I know Randall looks shorter than me but he won't stop slouching...even when I ask in a really nice voice.

I love this editing, it makes me look tan

Cordially Invited

Here are the pictures from our "Other Residents of Wonderland" tea party.

There are a ton so I won't feel bad if you don't make it to the end.

It's basically the Madam Hatter show but seriously sometimes you just have to toot your own horn a little.

Thanks to my Sister-in-Law for taking these great pictures and especially for photo-shopping my zits!

 I love Randall's pinky in this one, he's a good sport.