Christmas Time Photos

Finally I get a chance to organize/edit/rearrange the blog I threw together before the New Year's.

Santa Clause came to the house and Landon loved it! He sat on his lap and then gave him a hug before he left.

Then after Santa left Landon started looking out the window to see where he was going... it was so cute. I'm glad he's not scared of Santa... even though it would be so fun to have one of those pictures of him screaming on Santa's lap that you just smile at everytime you see it. :)

Then Landon dove into the presents after we returned from the funeral in Utah... I had forgotten in the rush of everything that we still had some under the tree. Thanks again Santa Clause!

Thomas playing with the kids as I was trying to sew together some cushions for his duck blind in the kitchen. But as you can see I got distracted by photo ops. It was fun to see him playing with the kids as I got something constructive done that has been on the To-Do List forever! Thanks Thomas!

While at Leah's the kiddos went outside in the snow to play. They had a blast! I did too getting photos. That day was a fun day!

Earlier I made sugar cookies from scratch for work and family and friends. Landon, as always, joined me in the kitchen with mixing, rolling out, and cutting the cookies. He loves to help in the kitchen! And I enjoy having him! He got flour everywhere trying to help put some down before the dough. It was cute.

I took family photos of the Linton Family. My sister, Thomas, Linzey and Zoey are pictured.

This was the first day of Snow in Kennewick! I grabbed the camera on the way into the house after work and errands.

Merry Christmas from the Fullmer Family! :)

Grandma Waggoner... the best woman I know...

Last night, December 23rd, 2008, my Grandma Waggoner passed away. Donna Waggoner was an amazing woman who lived a very full life and was loved by many. She was always very active in the church and was truly a missionary to many. She was the last grandparent that was living in my family and she will be missed by many friends and family members. She touched a lot of people's lives and gave freely of herself to others everyday and especially in their times of need. I will miss her terribly until I'm able to see her again.

I have to admit that it was very shocking to be contacted on Monday and be told that Grandma had suffered a severe stroke and was in the ICU portion of the hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. I had just talked to her that weekend previous and she sounded just fine. She told me how much she missed Landon and couldn't wait to see him again. I just wish that could have happened just one more time before she left us. There are times when I feel sad because I miss her and want to say goodbye and just don't really want to face the fact that it will be a long time till I see her again, but then she would have had it this way if she could. She never did want to be put into a nursing home and didn't want to have others take care of her. So this would have been the way she had wanted to go, with her boots still on, as others have said. I'm glad she is finally out of her pain and that she's able to be reunited with her love.

She was always very independant and loved to clean her house and make her "Famous Jello Salad" during gatherings. She enjoyed traveling around the world with Grandpa Wetsel Waggoner. Her greatest enjoyment though would have to be having family around her, especially at the holidays. Grandma loved to spoil us kids. She was always kind and gentle and still makes me laugh when I think back to her always calling us "little shits." hahaha. (Thanks for that memory Grandma.) She loved to "play with" our backs to make us go to sleep and run her fingers through our hair. She would sing to us and loved to watch the little grandkids run around her condo terrorizing it with all it's breakables that she still had. I remember those things being there when I was a kid. It's hard to believe how fast time flys. Grandma always knew what was going on and always had advise to give... even if you didn't want to hear it. I wish I would have heeded her advise more carefully at times. It was always right on the money.

My Grandmother was a strong woman. She survived breast cancer and then cancer in her shoulder and always kept her head up. I remember her loving Grandpa so much and it hurting her to have to see him go through the pain and different things that happened when he was in the nursing home. She loved her husband so much. I hope to be able to find a glimpse of that love that she had for that man. Grandpa Waggoner treated her so well and even though he wasn't by the letter-if-the-law our "biological" grandfather, you can guarentee that we didn't know that or care. He was by every account in our books our Grandpa and we loved him greatly. They together were an unbroken force that constantly knocked me off my feet when I thought about them and their love, which continues to happen even now. I think that they were made for eachother and predestined to live out their lives enjoying one anothers love and company. May we find comfort in the time that we have left without them here to guide us and enlighten us anymore.

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Waggoner. You were the best grandparents a kid could ask for or dream of having. You were such amazing examples, and I will never forget you or your passion for family, the gospel, and life. God Bless You Till We Meet Again. I love you both, always.

Snow, Snow, and More Snow

This weeks word has been: SNOW! lol... it's everywhere and seems to never cease floating from the sky. The roads were so bad that our ward was cut down to just sacrament meeting. I couldn't even make that because I was partly snowed in at my sister's house in Pasco. I stayed there 2 nights because I didn't want to face the roads and drivers on those roads as well as the trips back and forth from Pasco to Kennewick, so I stayed with them and had some fun! The kids went out twice during the day after a half hour of prep time (putting on hats, mittens, long socks, stuffing pants into socks, putting on winter overalls, tucking in shirts to mittens, putting on coats, zipping them up, me putting on boots, then another hat to top it off...) they roll out the door into the snow and can't hardly stand up on the back patio because it was tile and so it became an ice rink with the layer of ice on it. But you sit back after they are outside with their red cheeks and appreciate how fun and creative they are. You snap pictures here and there and they end up coming inside crying because they are freezing, hands are numb, or they have snow in their face from a face plant or snowball. :) Then the stripping of the winter gear happens. The taking off of everything just put on about a half hour earlier. And once it's off they want back out about 15 minutes later! Pchah!

This workout seems to help with all the Holiday Treats I have been baking and recieving though! I found this awesome recipe for Chex Muddy Buddies that I will post later for you all to enjoy! It's divine! and of course the cookies, salads, fudge, and the list goes on and on... yeah... can you tell that the New Years Resolutions haven't come into play yet? hahaha

We have gotten about a foot and a half of snow (more in some places) here and it's starting to loose it's charm on me. I love the snow and to look at it and feel it at times, but when it's preventing you from getting to work on time and feeling safe on the roads then it's not so fun anymore. We are expecting more on Wednesday into Thursday too! At Leah's house we had to shovel 3 times one night and then again in the morning... it was dumping snow. Some people are plowed in and I almost was this morning. I had parked my car on the street so my sister could rightfully use her driveway for her vehicle. In the morning I came out and there was about a foot of plowed up snow right next to my door. Fun? Not really... some digging, sliding and such later... we were on the way to the daycare place and thankfully haven't been in an accident yet... although there has been some close calls (2).

Anyways... once I get the cord to hook my camera up... I will upload photos of the snow and Landon and Linzey playing in it. I hope you are safe and enjoying the Christmas activites of the season. HoHoHo and Merry Christmas! ;P

It's a Wonderful Life!

Snow, christmas lights, trees decorated, presents, and the big one... the reason for the Christmas holiday. How could anyone not appreciate this time of year? I love it all. I love watching Landon as I put him in his car seat after he's walked through the snow... look at his boots and if there's any snow on them or his pants he wants it off. :) And of course there always is... he is my little world. I get hope, joy, happiness, contentment, thankful, and blessed feelings when I have him next to me as well as some frustrated, trying, and hair pulling times too... but they are not near as often as the other more positive ones.

Landon's new thing lately is sticking out his tounge at anyone and anytime. I don't know where he has learned this one... but he has been doing it for a couple of weeks. To stop this unusual thing... I have been trying to "get" his tounge if he sticks it out... and this results in his laughter, but then the fear of sticking it back out to have it "got" again! lol... he's so much fun! He also is fascinated by the christmas ornaments on the trees at my house and his aunt and uncle's house too! He is still the same climber that he's always been. He has hit a milestone that I thought would never come along! Landon has finally learned how to say "Uncle!" So now instead of calling his Uncle Thomas DaDa... he says Uncle! Woot Woot! He still calls my sister and roommate DaDa though... we are working on that now...

Last night with PaPa and Grandma Ruth at Leah's house he was climbing on the couches, the dog, us, and was a hoot trying to pull Grandpa's boot off! lol... Dad was so good with the kids and it was so good to see him and Ruth. I can't wait to see them again on Christmas Day! I hope to have a sleep over at their new house soon when they have a spare bed available.

Leah and Thomas finally get their new living room set that they have waited weeks for and are so stoked for... Congrats to them! Thomas is watching Landon tonight and I get to swing by Sportsman's to colaberate with Leah about a certain gift I need to purchase. I also have to do some quick shopping for Landon and a couple of others! I hate shoping around this time of year. People seem to stress out as they walk through the stores... but surprisingly I am not stressed at all. I actually wouldn't mind if gifts just went out the window this year... but because it's tradition... I guess it will stay and I will participate. :)

I do plan to start a tradition of my own... I am going to dress up Landon in sheets, like in olden times, and have him and maybe Linzey (my niece) be Mary with a baby doll as Jesus. I want to read from the scriptures as they do that... or at least tell the story because of short attention spans... but do that every year. I remember growing up and having my older sisters be Mary, Joseph, and the Donkey Mary rode, while Leah and I were the shepards in the fields. It was so much fun and we have the tape today to prove how funny it got when there's not much under the sheets and they start to fall off... luckily we were all girls. Love you April! ;) I hope to take photos every year of this nativity scene with Landon and make a really cool page out of it... In the past my family usually will watch Little Women and It's a Wonderful Life (title of blog), and open a present the night before Christmas together from the person who drew their name. Then the family will get back together the day of Christmas to have something to eat, nothing big, but just to have time together. It's fun and I love the traditions. I love you all and wish you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful season full of joy and enjoyable company to go with it. :) - God Bless!

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(This picture is one that I just love and had to include. I think that no matter what mudd we might have to trudge through, that we can always at least be thankful for the boots that we have on to get us through it to the other side! lol... I love it!)

I Guess I'm Not a Girl!

lol... this blog is a huge thank you to my roommate Andrea who has opened my eyes to the real world of being a girl! She has consistantly been amazed by my naiveness to the world of makeup, clothing, and just over all Needed Knowledge that All Girls are supposed to know. She tells me all the time, "I can't believe you don't know that!" or "What!!?@?!!? You've never done that??? Are you really a girl?"

lol.... until she moved in I didn't know what bronzer meant or was (and still don't use it, but at least know that it's a makeup product that makes me look more tan), didn't know that you can always fit into high heels that are bigger (by stuffing toilet paper in the toe until it's a perfect fit! even though you feel like a dork, It works!) and that I could really sob with someone while watching a movie and not feel like I was being glanced at because you were right beside me sobbing too! (The Notebook).

Andrea is amazing and has really continued to teach me things that I otherwise wouldn't have known. lol... So THANK YOU ANDREA SMITHEE!!!! You have enlightened and have made me laugh so hard my stomach aches and I have to run to make it to the bathroom before having an accident. I am glad you're here and hope that you won't be leaving too soon!

Here are a few pictures of the night that I was enlightened about bronzer and the toilet paper in the shoes thing... I was Andrea's project that night and loved every minute of it. It was so much fun and I felt good about myself which is a good and unfamiliar feeling. Thanks for all the clothes, makeup, and tips Andrea... you are truly the diva of it all.

Nighttime Beatings... not what you think!

Landon this last week has gotten the winter cold that's going around. Because of this, he constantly is waking up during the night and climbing into bed with me. So when he does try sleeping with me, I take him back into his bed soon after... well after a couple of nights of doing that time and time again and it not working (and me hating to get up that many times), I have just allowed him to sleep with me.

Last night after I went to bed at 2am because of sitting up and chatting to my roommate till the wee hours of the morning, I layed down and Landon went from the normal position in bed - head on pillow and feet pointed towards bottom of the bed - to the opposite position. You guess it all right! All night long, Landon was kicking me in the face. Finally I just rolled over so that if he did end up moving (which happened every 5 minutes) he wouldn't kick me in the face. I tried to change his position, but he liked to have his head on the mound of blankets and elevated with his feet on my pillow... so that's how we slept last night. It was interesting and I hope that tonight and the rest of the week goes better. Poor kid has trouble sleeping at night because of the cough he has. I hate it when he gets sick, I just want to take it away from him and suffer through that for him... But because I can't, I use the humidifier, vick's vapor rub and cough medicine as well as warm baths.

Dating... unnerving and scary

So as you all know I am now single and able to date. I'm glad that I'm able to date now, but that has opened a whole new world of things that I never thought I would have to go through again. I am scared to death of dating again... in all honesty. I am naive and this is a really bad thing when trying to determine if someone is being truthful or not and with so many other things too. At one moment when I think about dating I am excited and gitty and then when I really think about it, I am so stinkin' scared and petrified! I never thought I would have to go through this again and it's all new and unnerving! All of a sudden I'm thrown into going with my gut instinct, wondering what's going to be said next, and nervous because I don't know what the heck I'm doing! I have only officially gone on 1 date so far and that date didn't go as well as I was hoping... red flags going up everywhere... but I am now emailing a couple of guys and talking on the phone to some guys that I find interesting and fun. I talked to my mom last night and told her about one of the guys and then was given a slew of advise. I am going by my patriarchal blessing, which states that I need to heed my mother's counsel because she has my best interest at heart and has more experience in life. So I am heeding every one of my mom's counseling tips.

1.) Know the guy for at least a year before getting really serious. This way I can see the ups and downs that come with time, am able to talk to family/friends/church leaders and others about past and present questions and concerns, and am able to really tell how the are through time. - Mom and Bishop LaDow's Counsel

2.) Go on a date with at least 10 different guys. I have never really dated (my mom pointed this out) and I need to be able to have something to measure others with. So going on multiple dates will give me lots of different experiences to look at. - Mom's counsel

3.) Have them come to my town first. I have been doing a lot of networking on a LDS singles site and I was told (and think it's wise) to have them come here first so that I can meet them face to face and have it be on my ground/territory. Ok... that sounds weird... but anyways... you get the point. There are a lot of creeps, pedophiles, rapists, and such in the world today and anyone can get an account with an LDS singles site... so better safe than sorry. - Mom's counsel

4.) Always be in groups the first couple of dates. - My Own

5.) Have my sister and brother-in-law, Leah and Thomas, do something with us so that they can tell me things and point things out to me that I might not notice by myself. - Mom's counsel

6.) Always know my self-defense moves. Thank you Super Saturday Self-Defense Class! I really know this works because I was just showing some of the boys in my family what I had learned and downed my nephew when I didn' think I had done anything. It was pretty effective and not hard at all. :) Fun! But serious and handy as well! - My Own

7.) Go to the temple with them for date later on. I actually learned this from a fellow single guy that has had some more experience than me.... and where would you find a better place to meet! - My Own and My Mom agrees :)

So those are just a few of the things that I have set for myself.

It's crazy, I just thought that one of my MiaMaids, Ashli, will be dating in a couple of weeks!... way weird!

If you have any more words of advice or caution please feel free to share them... I am all for help! I hope that I can stick with these things and over time find the right, worthy person for me and Landon to be with.

Church Ah Ha Moment

First off... I have to share with everyone how happy I was with Landon being such an Amazing little boy during Sacrament Meeting this week! Usually I have to get up at least once with him because he is so dog-gum noisy. But this week he sat on my lap almost the entire meeting long and the noisiest he was was when he made some piggy noises because we asked him what a piggy sound was. :) I think it had to do with not sitting by Brielle (Andrea's daughter). When they sit together they fight over books, snacks, seats, and even mommies. So maybe we'll be drifting away from sitting with the Smithees, even though they are great and I love them so much!

So Congrats Landon. You were amazing... and I hope there are many more Sundays like this to come.

I am so glad that I am in the Young Woman Program. This Sunday we watched the 'Joy to the World' DVD that our ward is giving out to friends of the youth and members. It's a great missionary tool and really brings the meaning of Christmas home. So the DVD is great and I would recommend it to anyone and everyone. :)

I had an ah-ha moment in Sunday School. I have to confess that sometimes I use Sunday School to get some last minute preparation for my lesson done. I have been know to "skip" it because of this or chatting to a friend in a free room. But this Sunday I am so glad that I didn't. Brother Neilsen taught from Mormon 1-9 or something in there. It was just amazing how strongly I felt the Holy Ghost during church, and especially during this lesson. When I walked in (late!) Brother Neilsen was asking the class if we knew a 10 year old boy that would be able to take on the responsibilities of keeping the sacred records of the church. I thought of all the kids I know - even some of the teenagers and couldn't think of one that I would really pick out to give something that huge to. I know that Mormon had some time to grow and learn before he actually got the plates, but to be told, when you were ten, that you would be given the records that have been kept from generation to generation... I don't know. It just struck me as amazing. God does work in mysterious ways. He knows what He is doing... and looking at this I am just stunned. Of course this may just be me a little slower than the rest of you, but it was my ah-ha moment all the same. :P

Ok... I just read through that and I hardly understood what I meant, but I hope you could glean a little of what I was going for in that.