11 Stores A Shopping
I was blessed to have MY LB join me for Black Friday shopping. The kids were with grandma and grandpa and we were FREE. Well, I was free MY LB was bound with the chains of lines, multiple stores, price matching, crazy shoppers, and spending money. He was a good sport and now has a better appreciation of me saving money BY MYSELF. We actually pulled an all nighter, we watched Harry Potter 7, did our midnight shopping at Wal Mart, 4 am at Kohls, and back to Wal Mart for 6am. After that we went home and slept for a few hours before hitting Target, Best Buy, and Big 5. MY LB loves me lots!
He had the chance to prove his love again when we had to travel to 5 different stores to find the yarn I needed to finish a project. We are always feeling the blessing of a DVD player in the van.
10 Crochet Projects
Did you know that I can crochet while watching T.V., driving in the car, and waiting for dinner to cook. For the past two winters I have pulled out my crochet needles and yarn and wondered, "Why is this just a winter sport for me?" I love to crochet, the repetition is calming and relaxing and the end project (most of the time) is rewarding. This Christmas I am making dish cloths, scrubbers and a shawl. Of course I throw in the occasional ear-flap beanie, scarf, and I have my eye on some other fun projects. It's good to be crafty!
9 Ballet Watchers
The kids are enjoying the art of ballet (some more than others). It is fun to watch a story that you know come to life through music and dancing. They share the ballet experience with their awesome cousins.
8 Games of Paddle Ball
We love the beach! We took a vacation right after Thanksgiving and were able to spend some good quality time with the "sand".
Now that the kids are getting older MY LB and I have been finding more opportunities to do things "alone". While the kids happily played in the sand and ran from the waves MY LB and I played paddle ball in the sand. Despite my competitive nature or maybe because of it, we had a great time. I won!! Not that winning matters, all that matters is that we had fun despite the fact the I won!! Me winning, isn't everything. The time we spent together while I won is what was important.
We enjoyed two sunsets, building with the kids, soccer on the beach, and playing capture the flag.
7 Santa Sightings
Santa has been everywhere this year. At Sea World, the mall, parade, church party, dance recital and Maggie thinks she even saw him watching the ballet with us. The older kids are all in on the secret and are very helpful in convincing Kendal, "The reason he is wearing a costume is because he is not really Santa he is actually one of his helpers." "Wow that Santa looks scary." "Tell Santa what you want and I know you will get it, right mom?" "I am NOT getting my picture with Santa." Seriously, I think we should leave this one to mom and dad.
6 Dancing Princesses
Our littlest angel has been taking dance classes and delighted us with two amazing performances. She was the youngest little dancer and so cute. Watching her dance has to be one of my favorite Holiday happenings this year.
4 Days At Sea World
Along with our visit to the beach we spent four days with Shamu. I should say four amazing days because that is definitely what it was. The park was virtually empty the week after Thanksgiving, it felt like we had the whole place to ourselves.
The older kids and MY LB had a great run of River Rapids and never had to get off and get back in line. Their longest run was six times around. Meanwhile Kendal and I had our fun at Sesame Street's Bay of Play. Front row to all of the shows and no lines for food, pure bliss!
Some of my favorite memories of the trip are, Kendal feeding the dolphins, Maggie petting and feeding the Sting Rays, MY LB's smile and laughter, funnel cake, Matthew in his poncho waiting for a splash from Shamu that never came, and Spencer's love for the Clyde and Seamoore show.
Some things the kids rather I not share; Atlantis the roller coaster was a huge treat for everyone, ONCE! Except Spencer who couldn't make his mind up and got off screaming twice right before take off. Another thing MY LB and I did "alone" while Matt watched the kids. Feeding the Sting Rays was quite eventful for the boys who decided that it wouldn't be so scary if Sting Rays hadn't killed the Crocodile Hunter. I think there were tears, excuses, yelling, accusing, warning to watch out for the tail, and very possibly some laughter. It's all on video!
I have an amazing family and I love spending time with them.
3 Happy Birthdays
Along with the joys of the holidays we have three birthdays, MY LB, Matthew, and Me. All of these wonderful occasions to "EAT" and be merry. MY LB and I got older and Matthew turned 11. For Matthew's birthday he got a fancy show from the Sun City ladies, played Wii family championship, and enjoyed a yummy ice cream cake. MY LB took the day off of work for his birthday and we spent the entire day together as a family. For my birthday MY LB and I went to the Temple and after we went to the Village Inn for pie as a family.
2 Grandparents Watching
Grandma and grandpa have been very supportive of their grand kids. The kids love having them come to their performances. When Kendal got off stage she said, "I saw grandma and grandpa!" They are wonderful grandparents!
1 Decorated Christmas Tree
As soon as the tree is decorated, the Christmas music is on, and all of the lights are up it begins to feel like Christmas. I love the lights, smells, sounds, and mood of Christmas. It is a time of giving, loving, believing, and worshipping. It is truly the "Best Time Of The Year".
Our car was cornering the driveway, excitement was in the air. We finally made it to grandma and grandpa's house. We hurried to the door, where Vegas the dog greeted us.
