January

With Christmas over and the kids back in school, I'm really trying to tackle making this house feel like our home, we certainly love it!

 

I've got curtains up!  I had the fabric picked out long before we moved in, so with a few relatively open days, I tackled making curtains for the dining room, family room and piano room, and recovering the dining room chairs and rocking chair.

I l.o.v.e. the fabric, but am well aware that some day my kids will all die laughing at the awful curtains that were in the house when they were growing up *grin*

 

Nothing like having a new home AND a new puppy :\ Fortunately, he's so sweet... and all of his accidents have been on the hard floors, not carpet! He loves going in the car with me to pick up the kids from school or the bus...

 

 Eli had a yucky sick day-

Why does it always have to happen in the middle of the night?  Dallin came downstairs sometime around 0-dark-thirty to tell us Eli was throwing up- he *almost* made it into the bathroom *bleh*...

 

A coworker gave me a HUGE kennel for when Knight gets much MUCH bigger- I think I've found a new babysitter!

I think of all the kids, Dallin is the happiest to have a puppy:

Selfless

My brother Perry recently lost his job.  While he knew it was coming (company merger and subsequent downsizing...) it was still a challenge for him and his family.  We felt impressed to discuss the situation with our kids earlier this week to help us all be a little more focused in our family and personal prayers.  Prayer is a powerful tool and we're trying to teach our kids how to use it.

After family prayer that night, my sweet tender hearted Bryson brought me a folded up piece of paper and asked me to give it to Uncle Perry.  When I asked him what it was, he downplayed it, saying it was just a letter- and that he wanted to help in someway.  He gave me permission to read the letter...

Dear Uncle Perry and Aunt Sandy,

I understand that Perry lost his job last week.  When our mom told us, I felt the need to help.  I know that $21.00 is not much, but if it will help it makes me feel better.  Do not repay more or give me change.

I love you,

Bryson

 

What a sweet and giving gesture!  I texted Sandy a picture of the letter- I really was torn, because I want him to have opportunities to give, but I also know how hard it is for him to save money (he's a spender)- Sandy told me to thank Bryson and reassure him that they have plenty of money in savings and that Perry has some job prospects on the horizon.

We've come to learn that Bryson feels things so deeply- whether it's sympathy, sadness, anger or joy, the boy is all in- it's a good and also a bad thing at times, but I love to see him grow and mature and learn these important life lessons. 

Just Like Daddy

Daddy brought a mask and mouth mirror home for Hailee from his office today- all that was missing was some 'gwubas' and she knew RIGHT where to find them-

I didn't really have a choice in being her patient ;)

Big Boy in a Little Diaper

So this is what a 2 1/2 year old looks like in a newborn diaper:

I was at Mimi's and he was s.t.i.n.k.y and I did NOT have a diaper!  You'd think after 10 1/2 years of constantly having at least one kid in diapers that I would always have a diaper in my pocket ;) but alas, not even one was to be had in my car, purse or diaper bag- all of the places I usually keep a spare had been depleted in the chaos of building and moving and Christmas... The only diaper Mimi had was a newborn size... it was like a bikini on him, but he obviously didn't care!

It only had to last a few minutes in order for us to get home, and it served its purpose... I just had to snap a few pics before I changed it... #blackmail *wink*

 

I'm only slightly looking forward to being out the diaper phase... soon...

Unprepared

Our first substantial snowstorm in the new house-

Boy were we not ready!!! I was at work all day yesterday and watched it snow and snow and snow- I knew that whatever snow we were getting in town would be multiplied up where we live... Nathan plowed the driveway several times during the day but I was still a little concerned about his little sedan making it all the way home. As I drove up our winding dirt road, I took heart that his car kept going and going and going despite the un-plowed snow- maybe I'd make it after all!

Wrong.

I lost all momentum turning onto our driveway- I figured I could back down to the road and partially up our neighbors driveway to get some speed to make it up our driveway and home- it was a good plan, except that under the snow was a sheet of ice as a result of the snow melting and refreezing all day... As I started backing up, I slid right into a snowbank. With no cell coverage on that particular corner of our driveway, I got out to walk down to the road and stepped right into a snowbank. Up to my knees. In my backless work shoes. Hello snow filled shoes.

I got a hold of Nathan and he came down in my 4WD SUV- he managed to get his car unstuck, but then got MY car stuck in the same snowbank! An hour later (and nearly sliding off the road and down the hill), despite collaborating with some neighbors (who unintentionally did donuts and almost crashed into our car), we left both cars at the bottom of our driveway and walked up to our house. Our neighbors assured us that in all the years they had lived on the mountain, they'd never seen conditions like that. But we silently feared that we'd made a monumental mistake. Would we have to snowshoe up to our house all winter long? It was a long and mostly sleepless night last night.

What a relief we felt this morning when both cars drove right up the driveway! We realize now that while the weather conditions were unusual, we also have totally underestimated winter living on a mountain- I was hoping to make it through the season without getting snow tires for my car- nope. Our driveway is still a very rough and bumpy basalt rock, so there isn't a very good surface to try to plow- we'll have to address that in the spring. Nathan doesn't even have chains for his plow truck. We just really haven't had time to plan for the winter with everything going on- hopefully the rest of the winter will be gentle for us... and for sure we will be better prepared next year!

Goodbye paci (second time's the charm)

Oh pacifiers!  It's such a love/hate relationship with you *sigh*  I was tired of Jace needing them as a sleep prop for naps and bedtime- especially because when he would wake up, he'd throw them out of his crib- never to be found again the next time it was time to go to sleep!  So a few months ago, while we still lived with my parents, I took his paci away.

For 2-3 days, he did the usual standing in his crib, crying for his paci before he'd pass out from being tired, just like all my other kids did...  Since he and Hailee shared a room, I'd have to put Hailee (the night owl) to bed after he was finally asleep or they would just keep each other up all night.  But then, one fateful night, he learned how to climb out of his crib.  And no amount of threatening or bargaining or sheer bribery would keep him in it.  So it was either take the side rail off his crib, or deal with the broken bones (or worse) that would have ensued... needless to say, the siderail came off.  He had gotten over not having a paci for bedtime, but that just meant that since now that he didn't have his paci to help him to relax and go to sleep, or a crib to confine him, he just wouldn't lay down to sleep!  He was officially done with napping, and bedtime was d.i.f.f.i.c.u.l.t!

So I caved.  With the stresses of living in my parents basement, building a house, working a day or two a week and all the responsibilities of being a wife and mom, I needed his nap time and smooth bedtimes.  So after less than 2 weeks, Jace got his paci back.  I reintroduced his paci, and BAM!  He went to sleep again like a champ. *sigh*  I told myself I'd deal with it when we moved into the house- he would be in his own room and thus wouldn't have Hailee right there, all happy to stay awake with him... that, and if he cried, my parents wouldn't have to hear all about it.

But alas, we've now moved into our house.  And my excuses are gone.  This boy is stubborn, but I am determined.  He is certainly older than all my other kids when their paci went bye-bye.  Now is as good of time as any...

Then comes Hailee's thumb... :\

December Recap

So aside the from the drama of MOVING IN(!!!)...

 

I've tried to have a little Christmas too...

I had my control-freak-self take a break and let the kids decorate their Christmas gingerbread villiage themselves... well, mostly...

We've had a few light snow falls, it's just gorgeous with all the snow-

 

I'm sure in another month or so I'll be singing a different song *wink*

Eli had a playdate... Emerson, Eli and Megan being their silly selves:

Hailee had her preschool Christmas program mid-december... when I mentioned to her earlier in the day that her Christmas Program was that night, she was super excited!  Because she's so quiet and does her own thing, she often just disappears and when she comes back, surprising things have happened.  She didn't disappoint this time- She got herself ready for her program!

Nice photo bomb, Eli ;)

 

As usual, she did not perform...  just kinda stood there and watched the performance herself...

 This was our makeshift dining table while we were putting in our flooring and subsequently un-burying our table from the garage...

TWO THOUSAND FIFTEEN!?! Are you kidding me? Where did the year go? But alas...
We celebrated New Years in our house with family- and Katrin and her kids spending the night in the basement... lots of yummy food *grin* and only this picture to show for it:

 

That's a wrap!