Mon 12/1/14: Christmas is in the air! It was fun driving to the library and watching Lizzy and David get excited when they spotted houses with their lights on and their Christmas decorations up.
Tue 12/2/14: I'm now driving to Entheos every morning, since Loralee's van is out of commission. It's nice hanging out with Emma every morning, even on days when she's not at home. I love my Emma-girl.
Wed 12/3/14: Valeen and David are getting along very well while Lizzy is at school. Today they were holding hands while they played around the house.
Thu 12/4/14: I'm still getting over this nasty cough that I've had for the last week, but I'm glad I'm starting to feel better. I have been practicing the song "Gift of Love" all day today. I think I've finally gotten the first alto part down. I practiced with the other Relief Society sisters tonight, and I think we're going to sound great tomorrow. I'm singing with: Sam Bennett, Scerinda Johnson, Sundee McIntosh, Laura Timmerman, Brittney Jenkins, Nancy Olsen, Emily McLean.
Fri 12/5/14: I spent the entire day building a gingerbread house for our ward Christmas Party tonight. It was my first time making candy windows. I burned the first batch and ruined our garbage disposal in the sink when I poured the sugary goo down the drain (oops!). The second batch turned out perfect. The Christmas party was lots of fun! The "Gift of Love" song turned out beautifully, and my gingerbread house won the "Most Traditional Award." It was nice having my parents there, too. I think overall, this was one of my most favorite ward Christmas parties ever.
Sat 12/6/14: I had a lovely time doing laundry with Bradley today while the kids were at Rachael Bekin's birthday party. Seriously, it was the most fun I have ever had pulling sheets out of the dryer. I love my husband.
Sun 12/7/14: I am in love with my husband, and I am so very proud of him, too. Today he bore his testimony in church for Fast Sunday. He is always so eloquent when he speaks in church, and it was good hearing the things he had to say about the gospel in his life, and his family. He is an incredible man and I am so very grateful that I married him.
Mon 12/8/14: We all went to the library tonight as a family. We checked out two new movies, "Maleficent," and "The Secret of Kells." Brad, Scott, and Emma were able to stay up late watching "The Secret of Kells" tonight. I'm afraid I only watched the first five minutes of it before I fell into a coma-like sleep. I think the days getting shorter in December gets me sleepy earlier at night.
Tue 12/9/14: Lizzy absolutely loves the movie, "The Secret of Kells." Her favorite character is Aisling. I anticipate her watching and rewatching this movie over and over again before we return it to the library.
Wed 12/10/14: I loved spending the morning with Susie and Chris! First, we went to Germania Park to play boomerangs. Lizzy was still at school, but David and Valeen loved watching the adults throw the boomerangs, and they had running to find them. I went to pick up Lizzy from school, and we all went walking along the river. We walked on the "jungle" trail, which took us over an hour, with all the little ones. We were exhausted when we were done. I invited everyone to my house for dinner tonight. I made vegetarian soup, which was very yummy. After dinner, we headed to SLC to see the lights on Temple Square. It was lovely. The weather was perfect for December.
Thu 12/11/14: We had a fun Thanksgiving dinner at Grandma and Grandpa's house tonight. It was nice hanging out with Susie and Chris. After dinner, we watched Fairy Tale Theater's production of "The Dancing Princesses." It was nostalgic for Susie and I to watch. I love the music the best.
Fri 12/12/14: Tonight was Brad's work Christmas party at Energy Solutions Center. The food was spectacular this year! Roast beef and pork chops, with delicious potatoes, beans, salad, and meatballs. And the cake was superb, too! Brad liked chatting with his co-workers, and introducing me to new people. The Jazz lost their game, but I didn't care. It was a lovely evening.
Sat 12/13/14: Brad and I had the whole morning to ourselves. It's nice having the kids sleep over with their cousins. My husband is really fun to hang out with. Gosh, I love him!
Sun 12/14/14: My highlight of the day was being in my primary class with Sister Ruff, Kella, and Makayla. We played a game today, and I told them some funny stories about my sisters and I when we were little and used to fight about silly things, like who got the white plate at dinner time, and who sat in the front seat in the car. I love my calling. Today, Sister Ruff and I got our new manuals for the new year. I am excited about teaching Lizzy's class again.
Mon 12/15/14: David had a rough night last night, wheezy and coughing, and not letting any of us sleep. I took him to the doctor first thing in the morning. David's oxygen level was dangerously low, and he needed breathing treatment right away. Luckily, David responded very well to the neutralizer, and his wheezing improved drastically in a matter of minutes. Thank goodness! My highlight of the day was seeing David perk up and act more like his normal self after receiving treatment and getting a blessing from his dad. Brad gave him a priesthood blessing with our home teacher, Brother Hyde. I am grateful that my husband is a righteous priesthood holder and can bless our family when we are ill.
Tue 12/16/14: David was feeling so much better today! His doctor was relieved to see how well he responded to the Albuterol and steroids. I am grateful that he's such a strong little guy, and that he's recovery so well from his asthmatic episode. On the sad note, directly after David's appointment, I received a call from Lizzy's school saying that Lizzy was feeling ill and needed to be picked up. Poor Lizzy had a rough afternoon with a stomach bug. The only good thing about kids being sick is that they like to cuddle more. Poor things.
Wed 12/17/14: I mailed off the Christmas cards today. YAY! And Lizzy and David are both well and happy again.
Thu 12/18/14: I spoke too soon... David and I both woke up this morning throwing up. Looks like we caught Lizzy's stomach bug. I spent all day in bed. Brad took off of work in the morning to make sure we were okay. My highlight of the day was talking to my mom on the phone for over an hour. It does not matter how hold I am, when I feel sick I always want my mommy.
Fri 12/19/14: I felt strong enough to make it to Walmart today, although I was exhausted when I got home. I picked up a new family poster for our living room. I love that we take new family photos every year.
Sat 12/20/14: Brad and I watched "It's a Wonderful Life" today, while I worked hard on crocheting Olaf hats for Eric and Claire. It's mine and Brad's favorite Christmas movie. Brad came down with the stomach bug today, poor guy.
Sun 12/21/14: Scott and Emma were the only ones who made it to church today. The rest of us were still a little sick, so we stayed home. Brad and I watched some more Christmas movies. We watched "Meet Me In St. Louis," and "Shop Around The Corner." Later that night, we went to Grandpa North's house for our annual Soup and Hot Chocolate party. The soups were good, as usual. My favorite part of the night was singing Christmas carols. We sang all the religious songs with my dad accompanying us on the piano. Then we sang a cappella for the fun songs. David's favorite was Frosty the Snowman.
Mon 12/22/14: I worked hard on finishing off my Olaf hats today. Didn't quite make it. I watched the mid-season finale of Once Upon a Time this morning, which I really enjoyed.
Tue 12/23/14: Today was my big shopping day! I think I finished all of my Christmas and grocery shopping. I spent about two hours at Walmart, trying to pick out the perfect stocking stuffers. I brought home some pepperoni pizza from Sam's Club for dinner. All of us ate dinner together, minus Emma, who was still feeling a little ill from the stomach bug. We watched "Mr. Kruger's Christmas."
Wed 12/24/14: We had a lovely Christmas Eve! I mailed off a package full of Christmas gifts for my family in California. I stopped by Grandma and Grandpa Whitcomb's house to drop off presents and pick some up. (They both ended up getting our stomach bug, unfortunately). Then we had dinner at Grandpa North's house with Grandpa, Marilyn, and James. I made a honey ham, cheesy potatoes, and a salad. Marilyn made Christmas cake. We later read Christmas scriptures together, which was very nice. Grandpa, Marilyn, and Brad each took turns reading out loud. When we got home later that night, the kids opened up their Christmas jammies. They were all Batman-themed pjs this year, which turned out to be a big hit. Lizzy and David left out some pie and milk for Santa.
Thu 12/25/14: Our Christmas morning was magical. We had a white Christmas. It was exciting to see the snow outside, since it hadn't snowed all month until now. We got up nice and early and opened up all our presents in our jammies. Lizzy and David were thrilled to get their new Toy Story toys and binoculars. Scott and Emma loved their Studio Ghibli shirts and Batman wall art. Brad surprised me with a new crock pot and a couple of CDs. I surprised everyone with our new DVDs: "Downton Abbey: Season 4", "The Cat Returns," and "From Up on Poppy Hill." My sister, Rachel, got everyone wonderful gifts, like a Tinkerbell dress for Lizzy, Spiderman slippers for David, a DC book and Batman sunglasses for Scott, Harley Quinn and Batman figurines for Emma, and a gift card to Olive Garden for Brad and I. My mother was very thoughtful and got us things that we needed, like clothes, socks, a heating pad, and a new kitchen mat. It was lovely.
Fri 12/26/14: It was nice staying home and recovering from after Christmas. Brad and I did some chores and watched a lot of Downton Abbey. I began working on some Baymax hats for the Nelson family in our ward.
Sat 12/27/14: Brad and I had a lovely date today. We had lunch at Olive Garden, using Rachel's gift card. Then we went to see the new movie/musical: "Into the Woods," starring Meryl Streep, Emily Bunt, Johnny Depp, Chris Pine, and other great actors. The music was fantastic.
Sun 12/28/14: My highlight of the day was being in primary again. It was my last day with Parker, Mikayla, and Kella. I am going to miss teaching them. David looked so cute sitting with his Sunbeam class during Sharing Time. His name was called to open the envelope to see what song we would be singing. It was fun watching him get excited to participate.
Mon 12/29/14: It snowed lightly most of the day today. The little ones and I decided it would be nice to shovel the driveway for Papa, so he would not have to do it when he came home from work tonight. Lizzy and David took turns using the giant red shovel, although they did not get far. They had more fun playing in the snow (and eating the snow), while I worked. Brad was very happy to see the snow gone when he came home tonight.
Tue 12/30/14: Today was an icy-cold day. I broke out the crock pot this morning, and chopped up some veggies and opened up some cans of chicken broth and tomato soup, then let them simmer all day. It was lovely coming home from Sam's Club this afternoon and smelling the delicious aroma of my vegetable soup throughout the house as I carried in the groceries. Mmm! I love having a crock pot.
Wed 12/31/14: I used my crock pot again today. I am absolutely in love with it! I made a creamy ground turkey and potato soup today. It was an instant hit with the little ones. We had fun staying up late for New Year's Eve. Lizzy and David enjoyed playing with some pop-its and sparklers outside in the cold before they went to bed. Brad and I stayed up until after midnight watching the movie, "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen," which turned out to be quite good. I loved kissing my husband at midnight-- and before midnight-- and after midnight. He's wonderful.
