I've got my tinsel in a tangle...

Here's a re-cap of my morning, which began with just enough time for everyone to read two verses of Alma before breakfast. We didn't even bother to wake Dillon up.

The Scene:

Brayden and Caleb serving themselves a bowl of Lucky Charms, while I try to empty the dishwasher (working around a stroller and a cooler that are in the middle of my workspace), and Todd takes a quick nap on the couch (he's working 8am-8pm today and tomorrow in order to get all his phone calls in for the week).

Me: (noticing the hardened pea's and corn on the garbage can lid from yesterday) If I can gather up the garbage now, maybe Todd will take it out to the road on his way to work and I won't have to take it out and expose my "medusa hair" to the rest of the town.

~Stop emptying dishwasher, and start gathering garbage~

Why is there a wet Cabela's hat in the bathroom garbage can?

Random Male household member: "It was sitting in front of the toilet in a puddle of water so I threw it away."

Really? It can be washed you know. We can't just go out and buy a new hat because this one got wet.

~Fill the bathroom sink with water, add some oxi-clean and put hat in to soak...just in case it was sitting in pee. Realize there is a load in the washing machine that's been there since Saturday night and start it again. Turn off the lights in the boys bedroom, and the family room, and head back upstairs~

Dillon: (who's up now) Can I have some leftover coffee cake?

Me: Just a minute. I need to finish gathering the garbage. Caleb, stop talking and eat. Brayden, stop reading comics and eat.

~take the garbage out to the can and realize it's RAINING!?! and that our football is sitting in the middle of the road (?) Todd is snoring in the background~

Dillon: (shaking presents under the tree) I think this one is a giant lego set...this one is a lego hero factory...this one a CD...this one pajamas...pajamas...more pajamas...don't know...who is this one for? It doesn't have a name...

Me: Todd, can you take the garbage can out to the road?

Todd: Brayden, take the garbage out to the road.

Dillon: Mom, can you finish wrapping all the presents today?

Me: Caleb and Brayden come here so I can comb your hair. Brayden, go out and get the football out of the road.

~Todd takes the garbage out to the road. I get kids out the door and continue unloading the dishwasher. Baby wakes up~

Dillon: Can you get me some coffee cake?

Me: Just a minute. I've got to change Justin's diaper.

~Change diaper, and sit baby on a blanket on the floor. Get him a toy and a pacifier and return to work in the kitchen. Dillon is back to present inspecting. Todd comes back home to get his coat after realizing it's colder than it looks~

Me: (mentally reminding myself to say my morning prayers as soon as I finish with the dishes) How did this sink get so full of dirty dishes while we slept?

~start loading dirty dishes into dishwasher but stop early because baby is crying~

Grabbing a notebook and a pencil that desperately needs to be sharpened, I settle down into the recliner to feed the baby and make my to-do list.

-Fax Benesyst

-make up WIC appt.

-buy milk

-buy a $5 gift for 3rd grade gift exchange

-buy gifts for family Christmas party exchange (just found out last night)

-work on quilt

Dillon: Mom, can you get me coffee cake now?

Me: (why can't I think straight?) Just a minute, Dill...I'm feeding the baby.

-wrap presents

-mail pictures to Grandma's

-sew pajama pants

-plan dinner and FHE

What can I make using that leftover reindeer (I mean elk) roast from yesterday? The kids didn't like it, but maybe they'll like it in stroganoff...

-visiting teaching

-fold laundry

-teacher gifts

-neighbor gifts?

Dillon: Mom, would you like me to tell you the names of all the clones I know? Commander Cody, Rex...

~Set baby down on floor. Get myself a piece of coffee cake and sit down to eat it~

Dillon: Mom, you said you would get me some coffee cake.

Me: I'm sorry buddy, you left the room and I forgot.

~Leave my coffee cake to get Dillon a piece. Baby starts fussing and I discover he's pooped. Change diaper and leave it on the changing table since there's no liner in the garbage can. Wrap baby in a burrito and turn on the flying bears (mobile) for morning nap~

Me: (loading the dishwasher again) Realize I never finished my coffee cake and that I need some protein to go with it or I'll end up feeling sick.

Dillon: Can I play Wii?

Me: You know the rule. No Wii 'til after 3 and not until jobs are done....You know what? I changed my mind. Go play Wii while I think.

~Dillon out of the picture. Baby asleep. Microwave leftover potatoes and gravy and elk meat (gotta have my protein) and begin blogging for "therapy" before my head explodes~

Realize I never said my morning prayers.

Stop. Re-group. Pray. Realize it's time to feed Dillon lunch and get him off to kindergarten in 30 minutes.

I guess I'll shower tomorrow.

Oh wait! Medusa hair...

RS Christmas Party

I got my new calling as the Relief Society committee leader just three weeks before our RS Christmas Party. I was a bit nervous at first, but everything went smoothly. My board members stepped up and filled assignments so quickly that it ended up being easier than my kids' birthday parties that I have to plan and carry out by myself!

One of my board members had these decorations/tablecloths in her stash

Last minute program instructions before making the corn and gravy. I'm so grateful for my board members!
For our program, we had a narrator who read The Living Christ between various musical numbers and congregational hymn's about the Savior.

I ended up filling in (last minute) as part of a quartet singing "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing" during the program. My sister blogged that she sang in her RS program, too. It must be contagious.

In conjunction with the dinner and program, we also had a "Take and Trade". Sisters donated gently used clothing and toys and then had the opportunity to walk through and "shop" for things they needed. Specific families were taken through the day before to get first dibs. After our RS party, we ended up bringing in two other wards to go through the stuff. I was amazed at both the quality and quantity of donations! It took five people over two hours to fold the clothes and set up.

Since I got to help take it down (and fill the truck that took the remaining items to DI), I got last dibs and was able to get enough (name brand, good quality) shirts to take care of Brayden for the next year!

Here I am with my board. I did not get to choose them, but I couldn't have picked any better. I am excited to work with these extraordinary women. I know they will teach me so much.

Left to right: Tammy, Felicia, Becky, and Esther

The way Christmas is supposed to be...

Dillon had a bad morning. He didn't want to play with his toys because he wanted his room to stay clean for Christmas (Santa doesn't come to a messy house, you know). I told him I'd help him clean up his toys, but it wasn't enough.

He was so emotional, and lonely, that he started to cry. I had him sit in my lap and we rocked like we did when he was little.

We started talking about the gingerbread man that disappeared from his kindergarten class. Aunt Melece and Grandma Graves have both seen him where they live. I told him that maybe we could make a gingerbread man someday, and he looked at me and said, "But it will run away!"

I told him that not all gingerbread men run away, and then I took the opportunity to prove it.

I'm so glad I did.

I looked up a recipe online, and discovered that I had exactly the 1/2 cup of molasses that we needed, as well as all the spices. We hurried to make the dough so it could refrigerate for an hour and still leave us enough time to bake and decorate cookies before afternoon kindergarten. (We did take time to smell the ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, molasses, and vanilla as we added them). Dillon decided that molasses smells just like Rico's doggy treats. I think gingerbread tastes just like Rico's doggy treats...

We considered taping the refrigerator door closed, so that the dough wouldn't run away, but Dillon used his thinking cap and determined that dough doesn't have legs, so it wouldn't be able to run.

He did, however, sit right by the oven the entire time they were baking to make sure that none of them got away.

(Does anyone know how to clean the crud off of the inside of my oven door? I've heard you shouldn't use oven cleaner in a self-cleaning oven, but the "self-cleaning" feature doesn't do such a great job on the window...)

By a tender mercy from heaven, I came home from Walmart yesterday with a bag of gingerbread marshmallows. I don't even like ginger, or marshmallows, but for some reason I saw them and instinctively put them in my cart. Dillon was thrilled and they were the perfect addition to our little celebration.
Dillon and I had a nice little party together (he ate gingerbread cookies, while I took pictures of them :o). The baby slept the entire time (another tender mercy) and I was able to give Dillon the one-on-one time he needed.

This is the way Christmas is supposed to be.

Santa Baby

My dad bought this Santa suit 10 years ago, when Brayden was a baby. It was a little bit big on Brayden, but Justin fills it out quite nicely :o)

I can't believe that Justin is four months old already!

At four months, Justin:

-weighs somewhere between 14-15 pounds

-wears size 2 diapers (but not for much longer)

-wears size 3-6 mos. clothes

-absolutely LOVES pat-a-cake, and playing the "up down game" with Daddy

-is still sleeping in a pack and play in Mom & Dad's room--and neither of us has any desire to move him to his crib

-is starting to grab at the toys on his bouncy seat

-likes to be where he can see what's going on so he doesn't miss anything (I wonder where he gets that?)

-wants this for Christmas so he can match his boys

His nickname is Justinator-tater.

Family Proclamation Book for kids

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shhh....it's a secret!

Today at school, Dillon's kindergarten class is going to make a gingerbread man. When they go to get it out of the oven, it will have disappeared.

His teacher would appreciate it if some of you would send postcards to his class telling them that you have spotted their gingerbread man where you live. They will then find the location on a map and keep track of where their gingerbread has traveled. Right before Christmas, he will find his way back to their classroom.

Please mail a postcard to:

Ms. Davis' Kindergarten
Loa Elementary School
PO Box 130
Loa, UT 84747

Please mail postcards by December 14th, so they will get here before Christmas break.


Here is an example:

Dear Ms. Davis' class,
My name is Aunt Kim. I am Sally's aunt. I just wanted to let you know that I spotted the gingerbread man here in Texas. He was wearing a cowboy hat. He got away before I could catch him.
Sincerely, Aunt Kim

So many questions...

Dillon: Mom, how much days do I have to go to high school to be a toy maker.

Me: I'm not sure, but you'll probably want to go to five years of COLLEGE if you want to have your own business.

Dillon: Five days of college?

Me: No, five YEARS of college.

Dillon: How many days is that?

Me: More than one-thousand five hundred days.

Dillon: (wheels turning as he ponders): Mom, how much days of high school do I need, to work at Build-a-bear?

Me: Not very many. You can work at Build-a-bear while you're IN high school. But you won't make enough money working at build-a-bear to support a family, so you'll still need to go to college.

Dillon: Mom, where is that Build-a-bear that we went to?

Me: We went to build-a-bear in Salt Lake, but they are all over the country.

Dillon: Even in Wo-uh?

Me: No, not in Loa. But I'm sure there's one in Provo.

Dillon: That not very far...

"Mom, does Vanessa know Santa's e-mail address?"

And on...and on...and on.