Happy 5th Birthday, My Sweet Brady-bear!

Monday, January 11th--Wow, I'm feeling emotional right now! I spent a chunk of the day going through blog posts and photos of Brady's life. What an amazing kid! I just love him so much! Like the saying goes: "To know him is to love him". That is this little guy. I say "little" and I'm sure a little laugh or smile comes because he's not so little. Brady is a huge kid! He wears size 8 clothes and his shoe size is 1-2. And as so many say, he's just solid--you can't pinch an inch. We don't know what's in store for him as far as size and height but it doesn't matter either. I look forward to all the wonderful things in store for Brady. He's talented, lively, tells a great story with expression and all, and just plain entertaining! He'll do something that makes you laugh and you laugh everytime you think of it from there on! I swear he needs an agent! I'm so thankful he's a "go with the flow" kind of kid. Very rarely do we deal with tantrums and even those are usually related to low or high glucose levels. Next month we register him for Kindergarten. He's so excited to start, he talks about it all the time. As I said in the last post, I'm intensely nervous but we're teaching him how to test himself and I know I have a lot of support from fellow parents who have small children with diabetes and the school system seems to be on the ball.

Saturday we invited all the Armstrongs over for a sledding party. It was SOOOO FUN! We have some great sledding hills in Eagle Mountain. The one at the amphitheater was frozen ice, making for great sledding. Off to the side of the hill was a small hill, perfect for little kids and not-so-brave adults (like me, even though I chose not to sled that day). It was almost like a turnpike, very cool! Nate and I made up some hot chocolate and we happily drank while everyone took a break from sledding. After sledding we came back to the house and had hot soup and rolls. I made baked potato soup. Nate made chicken noodle and Rosemary made taco soup. DELISH!

Brady opened gifts next. He got some fun things that he'll enjoy very much, along with some money he wants to put away for our next Disneyland trip. Brady chose a dinosaur themed party. He and I picked out some fun dinosaur items at Partyland. We ordered a dinosaur cake from Costco--yum! I'm not sure he wished for anything before he blew out his candles but I did for him. I wished for, simply, an amazing year full of happiness, adventure and excellent health.

Today, his actual birth date, he brought some treat bags to preschool and handed them out. I put them together last night so he would be suprised by what was in them. There was 2 pieces of candy, sunglasses, a mini-flute and a rubber bouncy ball. Brady wore the sunglasses, along with a golden yellow crown he got from preschool, all day long. His teacher remembered his favorite color is orange and got him an orange helium-filled balloon. He was in heaven! After I picked him up he and I got some lunch and McDonalds and then headed home. I told him he could do whatever he wanted until it was time to meet up with my sister, in the evening. He chose to play in his room, with his toys, then clean up a little and finally, play Xbox.

In the late afternoon we got in the car and headed up to Chuck E. Cheese. We met my sister, Alishia, and her family there. Thank goodness for coupons! We got some good deals on dinner and tokens to play games. Brady and Elise loved earning coupons to exchange for prizes. We got one of their small cakes and Chuck E. Cheese, himself, brought it to Brady. He loved that! Alishia gave Brady a toy dog that walks, wags its tail and barks. He adores it! She also got one of those rolling balls with the furry tail attached to it. We turned it on and, at first, it creeped Brady out a bit but then he decided he liked it. And he got a furry Pez dispenser with Pez candy. It was a GREAT evening!

We are so very thankful to have Brady in our lives. The happiest 5th birthday, my sweet boy! Love always, mom

2010--Make It the BEST!

Friday, January 1st-- New Year's Eve was a blast! We went over to our neighbors, the Carmon's, house for some delicious mexican food and yummy treats. The adults played hilarious games all night while the kids played games and watched movies. We did a white elephant gift exchange. Nate and I chose the gift we brought-a variety of flash lights. We managed to keep all but 2 kids awake through to midnight! It was such a wonderful evening and we were thankful to be able to spend it with good friends. By midnight we were all ready to ring in the New Year and then head home to bed!
This year we pray for a much better year than last. 2009 brought too much loss, too much heartache and more family drama than I ever want to deal with again. We had some great moments too, I'm thankful for all the wonderful places we were able to travel too, the motivation to finally get some weight off, amazing milestones with our kids. To say 2009 was bittersweet is accurate.
Our 2010 already has some exciting things to look forward to. Nate and I will celebrate 10 years of marriage in March. Wow, I am so blessed I have Nate. I'm happy to know that we've been through so much and still remain strong and madly in love with each other. We don't have definite plans yet (please let us go on that cruise to Alaska, Nate!!!) but whatever we do will be wonderful just knowing I'm with the love of my life.
Elise turns 8 this year. She will be baptized and she's so excited for that. We talk about it often. She will get to wear the baptismal outfit I wore when I was 8. I can't tell you how touching that is for me, 26 years later.
Brady will start Kindergarten this year. How we're going to handle that, I have no clue. It means teaching him how to test himself. I'm intensely nervous. We have to let this little guy be in charge of his own diabetes---at 5! I know other families have made it happen and I have to rely on them for support and peace of mind. I've got time, I know that. And deep, down inside, I know things will work out. I have to trust that the school system knows what they're doing too.
February I go in to figure out what's going on with my body. In 2008 I made the announcement that we would like to try and get pregnant. Well, we've been trying but nothing for almost 1 1/2 years. I don't even know if it's me yet. It could be something minor or something major but the simple fact that it's anything makes me scared. I pray for, possibly, some good news come February.
I will be working on weight loss again, starting in the next week or two (I've maintained the 25 pound loss for 4 months!). For someone who's never known what it's like to be "skinny" I'm hopin' 2010 is the year to finally find out. I'm finding the thought actually freaks me out a little. I hope to succeed and am thankful for all the support I've already received.
We have our annual Disneyland trip scheduled for mid-April. Brady has been begging to go to Sea World so we're going to try to include a day or two there. Since Lego-Land is close by we may do a day there as well. We're excited! The kids have started saving.
I pray for happiness and optimism this year. I hope everyone has an amazing 2010! Make it the best year ever---not just for you, but help make 2010 the best for others too! Give a little more, serve more, help out more--do whatever it takes. Be more in tune with those you love and those around you. Happy 2010!!!

Sledding FUN!

Monday, December 28th--We decided to have a quiet family day. We picked an activity we could all have fun doing. Our little community has some areas with GREAT sledding hills. There's one with some hills that are a little more extreme, more for adults and teens. The other is much better for little kids. It's the same field we go to for soccer and baseball games. We had the hill all to ourselves. Someone had created a "lift" out of snow. Nate gave it a try and decided once was enough---he hurt his butt! he he he It was wonderful! Lots of fun!

Elise LOVES Her New Fishies!

Saturday, December 26th--Elise got a fancy fish tank from Santa. Along with it came some money for her to buy some fishies. As we headed to PetSmart, Elise's Papa handed her some additional cash and told her she could have it to put towards a fish as long as she named the fish "Papa". LOL! He's such a crazy Papa! So we got to PetSmart and the salesperson told us her tank should only have 2 fish to start with. Oh no! We expected to be able to buy at least 3-4. Elise had to make tough decisions. She kept her loyalty to Papa and picked a cute "calico" looking goldfish and said, "That's Papa!" The next one she picked was a goldfish with some black coloring on it's top. That one she insisted upon calling "Betty". I don't know where she got that name but she's loving both her fish. They are happily in their new fancy fish tank sitting on her dresser. Elise LOVES her new pets. She brings in a little chair and just sits and watches Papa and Betty. They have fun plants and buildings to swim around in too. Here's hopin' they stay alive for a while. However, we did have a chat about how easily goldfish can die so she understands that too.

Merry Christmas!

Friday, December 25th--What a wonderful Christmas! Elise and Brady were awake and ready to tear into gifts by 6:45 am. We brought them into our room and turned on the TV for a while as we waited for my parents to sleep a little longer and my sister, Alishia, and her family were driving to our house so we wanted to wait for them as well. By 7:30 Nate would like to say the kids were impatient and just wanted to look in their stockings but I think it was Nate that wanted to get things going. My sister was almost here and my parents slowly made their way upstairs to our family room so we let the kids look at their stockings. There was plenty to look at as Santa, Nana and Alishia went CRAZY with stocking stuffers! By the time Elise & Brady had gone through their stockings everyone was here and settled in. My niece, Samantha and nephew, Jacob went through their stockings next. I got the "Favorite Aunt of the Year" award by finding Jacob's much-coveted Barack Obama Chia Pet. He had talked about wanting one for weeks and he couldn't find one anywhere. I got lucky a few days before and found one at a Smiths Marketplace. The look on his face in the pic is priceless! I haven't seen him that happy in a very long time! YES! Alishia got the "Favorite Aunt of the Year" award when she found some hard-to-find Zhu-Zhu Pets. Elise had talked about wanting one for a while and I knew they were hard to get so I didn't even put forth any effort to look. They were quite happy to open their Zhu-Zhu Pets (wow, they're obnoxious little things! that's just my opinion!)

Alishia unloaded all the gifts she brought and, HOLY MOLY, there were so many gifts under and around our tree! Nate and I set a budget every year for how much we spend on each other and our kids. This year we found some really great deals so they had quite a few gifts. By the 6th or 7th gift Elise and Brady would unwrap their gifts and toss them into the pile. They almost seemed bored. So next year we will change things up a little! Brady got several Lego sets from Santa and Elise got some cute stuffed puppies and a fish tank. They also got clothes, movies, books, DS games and a few more toys. Elise & Brady had also bugged me to NO END for Snuggies. I found some on sale and so I caved and the looks on their faces were so worth it! They wanted them on right away!

Nate got a fancy toothbrush, some books, slippers, and a few other things. I got some Wizard of Oz stuff, shoes (yes, Christmas Shoes.....and they were just my size! ha ha ha), As-Seen-On-TV stuff, a book about LDS Temples, CDs and a few other things. As a family gift we got Disney's Dance, Dance Revolution for Wii and some movies. At the end of our unwrapping my sister and her husband, Shad, had two more gifts to give. They were for Nate and my dad. They each got a...........Speedo! LOL! Both were great sports about it. My dad even put his on over his pants. It was quite funny! Of course they better wear them next time we make our way down to Lake Powell or Bear Lake---just like Shad did!

After we cleaned up all the wrapping paper and messes we fixed up a huge, delicious breakfast. Shad made his famously delicious cinnamon pull-aparts and then we cooked up waffles, bacon, eggs and sausage. It was filling and none of us wanted to eat again till dinner time. Alishia and family left to go have dinner at their house. We cooked up a ham and taters for ourselves and my parents. Our Christmas day was laid-back and stress-free......just what I wanted!

Armstrong Christmas Eve Party

Thursday, December 24th--We started a wonderful tradition last year! Nate's parents, Dan & Rosemary, reserve the clubhouse by their home. The clubhouse is perfect for holding most or all of us (when we're all together we total 22). It has comfy couches & chairs, a kitchen, tables and the family favorite.....a hot tub! Yes, some are crazy enough to make the cold, snowy walk to the hot tub. Some of the crazies even play in the snow making snow angels and whatever else! Nate also brought a new game that was an instant success. He bought Simpsons Scene-It. The Armstrongs are HUGE Simpsons fans so they had a great time playing. For the kids, I did the same thing I did last year and ordered some fun crafts & activities from Oriental Trading Company. There was plenty to do, including some gingerbread houses my SIL, Jenny, brought for the kids to decorate. Everyone brought yummy snacks to munch on. For dinner we always have a big pizza feast. This year many of us were still full from the snacks so there was plenty of pizza that didn't get eaten. Thank goodness for leftovers! After pizza we all gathered to open presents and listen to the Nativity story. It was a great party, as usual. Something we look forward to all year. We are truly blessed to have family close by and to be able to have these wonderful get-togethers.
We left in time to get the kids home to open their Christmas Eve pajamas and do a few things before bedtime. My parents got back to our house and we sat down to watch the Nativity video and then talk a little about the story of baby Jesus. After that we went on-line to find out where Santa was--he wasn't quite in the US yet. Elise and Brady rounded up some cookies, carrots and milk. They have a special plate for Santa and a special Christmas cup for him to drink his milk out of. The kids went to bed willingly, quite excited for the next morning!

Blackburn Family Christmas Party

Saturday, December 19th--OOPS, I'm back tracking a little! We held our annual Blackburn Family Christmas Party at a building my Aunt Manya works at in West Valley. It has a HUGE meeting room along with a huge kitchen, places to keep our meals hot and places to keep it cold. There is just everything we need without anyone having to host at their homes and put tons of work into it. We love it! It was my sister, Alishia's, turn to host and she decided to do a theme for our white elephant gift exchange. Normally we are all given a dollar amount and we all just buy something unisex then play the white elephant game. This year Alishia asked everyone to buy As-Seen-On-TV gifts. Oh my goodness! It was crazy! We all thought someone would buy a Snuggie so NO ONE did! Too funny! There were 3 of those brownie pans with dividers, 2 or 3 Touch & Brush's and quite a few other things. I decided to pick the gift I brought, something I usually don't do, and so I got the brownie pan and the Touch & Brush. Nate got some dryer balls, Magic Putty and a windshield cleaner-type thing (I wish I could remember the names!). So far we've tried out the dryer balls and they work okay and put the Touch & Brush in the kids bathroom. It would be a great thing for adults but my kids still manage to get toothpaste all over! Ug!
All the kids under 16 we draw names for. My niece, Samantha, had Brady's name. She and my sis, Alishia, had been told by Brady a while back that he wanted a remote control dinosaur. They found a huge remote control dinosaur after Thanksgiving, it's pretty cool, I must admit. When Brady opened it the first thing he said was, "This is nice but it's not the one I wanted." Wha' what?!?! Whatever one he wanted was not nearly as cool as this one and we had to spend time explaining this to him. It was the hot item of the night as plenty of the adults played with it too! My cousin, Catherine, had Elise's name. She, and her mom, my Aunt Maureen, got Elise some bead sets to make necklaces and bracelets out of. She loved them quite a bit and would have been happy to open them up and start making some things right there but I told her it could end up being too messy with beads everywhere so she was happy to take over the remote control dinosaur! We had Catherine and Samantha names. Catherine had given me a specific request a while back. She complained her mom never buys junk food so she just wanted me to get her some junk food. So I did and she was the happiest person in that room! For Samantha, we got her a Toys R Us gift card and some As-Seen-On-TV hair clips she had wanted (not those crazy Bump-Its! ha ha ha).
We had a delicious dinner of spiral ham, funeral taters, salads and delicious desserts from Costco. It was, as usual, a wonderful night! We don't all get together that often but when we do there is plenty of fun to be had! Next get-together is a baby shower for my cousin, Carly. Baby Chandler is due in March---hoooray!
When we were done we packed up our car and went to a residential street in Taylorsville where all the houses are decked out to the story of "Twas the Night Before Christmas". It was a spectacular sight! There were about 20 homes that participated and all of them had lights galore and plenty of decorations in their yards. (I SOOOO wish we could do that on our street!) Once done with that we headed home and went to bed shortly after. It was a long day but VERY FUN! We look forward to next year and being able to host! Any "theme" ideas for our white elephant gift exchange are greatly appreciated! ; )
***I'm totally bummed we forgot to take photos! If anyone else did, please email me some so I can post 'em here! Thanks!

Temple Square Lights

Wednesday, December 23rd--My parents, Cal & Colleen, drove down from Washington to spend Christmas with us. We decided to get in the Christmas spirit by taking Trax down to Temple Square to see all the lights and displays. It was a wonderful night! It was cold and it snowed but it all worked out and we had a great time visiting with everyone, including my cousins that decided to come along.