Random end of 09 Part 1 of 3 - December 2009

I am not one who typically stresses over the holidays but for some reason, last year had me quite behind especially in my blogging. Here are some holiday photos:


Ella and cousin Julia at her wedding.


Aidan is so excited to tell Santa about the Furreal pets he wants along with Zhu Zhus. Yes, I was one of those mothers who got up at 5:15 am and waited outside Toys R Us for these. It is so NOT me.

Ella has been waiting so patiently to ask for an American Girl doll.

I remember this snowy day and being cooped up inside all day. As soon as Matt came home, I announced, "We're playing in the snow! Suit up! I forgot how much I love just playing in the snow. This darn snow man was so hard to stick because the snow was so fluffy. We decided to make it a she.

I love Temple Square at Christmas. Who doesn't? My very, very favorite tree at this time of year is right there on the left. It is so beautiful contrasted against the majestic temple. What a fun night for our family. Cold? Did anyone say cold? Brrrrr. It was an early 20s night.

Photo op.

Ella amazes me with her sensitivity to beauty and peace. She almost cried when she saw the nativity scene and when we had to leave Temple Square she kept asking, "But why? Why do we have to leave? Can't we just stay here?" She was enchanted particularly at the Christus.

Like a lot of families, we act our the Christmas story every year. Featuring Matt as the donkey, Ella as Mary, Aidan as Joseph, Layla (Ella's Buid a Bear) as baby Jesus and me as the narrator and inn keepers. The kids absolutely love it.

Another tradition we have is that night - Christmas Eve after we read the Christmas story, everyone gets to open one present (this year it was two) and it's always a new set of pajamas. This year they got slipprs as well. Along with this, I pick out a Christmas book and write a dedication along with the the year. The kids get to write their name inside. It's fun to see how their name writing changes from year to year. Then we read the story together and always have homemade cookies and cocoa. Goodness, I could do it all over again!

OW!

So, I have always had back issues but the last few weeks my lower back has been killing me. While teaching a pump class last Monday, I bent over to grab a weight and before even picking it up, my back blew out and I fell! It was quite embarassing, however, I got through the class with clenched teeth and a participant demonstrating the exercises. Needless to say, I have a herniated disc in my lower lumbar and am hating life at the moment.

I am really appreciating the ability to just walk these days.



Tuesday morning Matt had to carry me to the bathroom (couldn't walk) and help me get dressed. My kids have all pitched in putting on my socks and shoes and helping me put on my pants - oh my!

Catching Up

I feel so out of it! Somehow, I really let the holidays take over this year. Obviously, I haven't been very good about keeping updated events documented. Iplan on posting a few big events in the next week retroactive back to October 2009. I hope you can bear with me. I will keep them short.

On Maritin Luther's King Day, we took the kids skiing for the first time. I have always loved skiing but have not gone since Ella's birth :(. Now that Ella's 5 and Aidan's 4, I thought, "Let's just do it." It went much smoother than I thought. Aidan is kind of a perfectionist like his mom so I was prepared for him to cry and pout every time he fell down. Surprise! He was amazing. I couldn't believe the little guy took to it so naturally. Once Matt started letting him go on his own, he didn't want to be held. The hardest part was "loading" the rope tow. The worker there was so fun and patient. It was a perfect day!

Ella skied more like princess and was more cautious but did terrific.

Check out the parellel skiing. We will definitely be returning soon - after my back heals - another story for another time.