30 Things: May 2012

The Chesca List:

9. Put up a cork bulletin board/wall in the office - So this was an utter disaster. I started apply rolled cork to the wall in my office. I had super cut intentions for this wall. I was sticking the cork up with "U Glu" and seam tape for carpeting. It didn't stick. The cork rolled itself off the wall. Which was annoying. I considered hot glue. But I change things and repaint so often that this idea sounded like too much work to remove in the future. So. I compromised the cute-ness. I painted the wall with magnetic paint then with chalk board paint. It's cute. Again, pictures to come someday.

5. Do one Pinterest inspired project per month - Brett and I built a garden box. Pictures someday. We used wood pallets so it was low cost. We have been transplanting our veggies from the burlap buckets to the box and a few of the those veggies will move into the in ground garden. We are finally getting somewhere with our gardening skills.

19. Try a new recipe once a month - I used Isaac's birthday party for this goal. I made Elmo cake pops, using this as inspiration. I also pinned some fruity juice and a cake recipe that was used at the party. Check out the links, all were successful.

21. Read four new books - So. I have finished one book. City of Fallen Angels is the fourth book of the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. Since it is in a series and is the fourth book, I felt obligated to read. I had read the past three, which were decent, and I knew there was a fifth book as well. It was slow. And I was disappointed that it ended with such a huge cliff hanger. When I get into a book I pretty much ignore all other responsibilities. This is bad for any family. Mom gone rouge with a book... So, since it was a cliff hanger I felt the need to immediately get the fifth book. Which I am currently reading, spoiler alert: it is slow. I'm not going to explain the book to you because I am still bitter about the waste of time I felt fly out the window. Feel free to click on the like previously provided.

The Bresca List:

24. Have date night once a month - I love date nights. We went to Chipotle for a meal without beans and rice flying every direction. After which we enjoyed dessert with Alec before she left town indefinitely. Easy.

14. Hold FHE regularly - I never clearly defined this goal. It should have said something like. Have FHE, someday. Well, I find it difficult to have FHE as a young married couple. Every night could be FHE, it is always just you two. And then add in a young child. Well, they can't talk and can barley walk. So, we have come to the conclusion that setting aside the time and planning something was a decent start towards a full on FHE. Sometimes we just read extra for our scriptures. Or plan to eat out somewhere. Or plan to have a movie night. Or plan... something. But I think that is the start of some good habits until Isaac is old enough to sit still for a five minute FHE.

18. Keep the garage clean - Does your garage become a catch all? Ours does. I picked it up this month. Still clean.

30 Things: April 2012

The Chesca List:

19. Try a new recipe once a month - I got around to three this month. Which basically boils down to being an emotional eater. First, Camp Fire Cones which was more of a thing do to do when my cousin came over for a sleep over. Second, Raspberry Lemonade Slushy. This was delicious. It started to warm up so Isaac and I had a yummy drink. And third, Crock Pot Macaroni and Cheese which I didn't make in a crock pot. I have been looking for a mac and cheese that resembles a Noodles & Co. recipe. This came pretty close.

5. Do one Pinterest inspired project per month - I covered five gallon buckets with burlap sacks. Idea found here. I'll get this up on my project blog eventually. It was more involved than I thought it would be. But Brett and I are now doing some patio gardening. We totally can't grow a real garden in the ground.

21. Read four new books -  I haven't finished this but I did start a book. More to come.

The Bresca List:

6. Install a fan in the spare bedroom - After having a people sleep in the spare room in the dark for two years, we finally out a fan up. Check.

24. Have date night once a month - We went out for date night with some friends to Famous Dave's. Simple.

30 Things: March 2012

The Chesca List:

3. Finish decorating the nursery - I am checking this off as complete, even though I hung empty frames. I got a cute rug and rocker for the nursery and rearranged some furniture. I hung Isaac's name up and hung a shelf. It is super cute. Again, someday I will show this to you. But it is done. The picture-less frames, are planned out to be family photos. I am cool and like to hang frames without pictures.

5. Do one Pinterest inspired project per month - I decided to make my hair the projects. I took up braiding. As a hair stylist I probably should know how to braid well. Until recently, I really sucked. So I found so cute styles that involved braiding and learned how to do them. It has literally changed my world. I can go a few more days without washing my hair now. I can get ready in under an hour if I must. And I don't have to sweat all summer long. Here, here, here, and here is where I found some new hair inspiration.

19. Try a new recipe once a month - I finally found a recipe on Pinterest that I actually love. I loved it so much it made me sick. Easy No Bake Peanut Butter Bars are like heaven. Try them. 

26. Hang Brett's diploma - Done. I am so proud of my husband for finally finishing school. And when I say finishing I mean getting a degree, because he has been talking about a master's program... But great job! I am so proud of you.

The Bresca List: 

I am starting to get embarrassed. We have really sucked at our goals together.

24. Have date night once a month - We dropped Isaac off for some Baja Fresh and ice cream...

I can't promise that April's update will look much better. Let's be realistic and cross our fingers for May's update. 

30 Things: February 2012

Here's to February.

The Chesca List

5. Do one Pinterest inspired project per month
8. Paint the hallway upstairs

This may count as cheating, but it's my list so who cares. I did one project that covered two goals. I painted black and white stripes upstairs and was inspired by a pin I found... ON PINTEREST. Check out the inspiration here. I loved how this project turned out. I turned my loft area into a little reading nook. I used green as an accent color. Currently I have laundry waiting to go into the wash sitting at the top of the stairs. So I can't take a picture and show you how wonderful my new space looks. But I will get to it some day.

15. Put up a picture of the temple and of the Savior in every room - Although this isn't completely done I just wanted to report that Isaac's room has a Jesus picture and the living room and the kitchen/family room have a temple picture.

19. Try a new recipe once a month - I tried it and sucked. I was also sick, so maybe it wan't that bad. But I don't recommend making Four Cheese Pasta Florentine, mine came out with a bland flavor.

The Bresca List

24. Have date night once a month - This was an easy low key night for us. We went out to Baja Fresh and Cold Stone. So simple.

25. Give away the black couch - Since I redid my hallway black and white, we gave away the "giant out of place couch that didn't fit in it's given space" to a coworker of Brett's. Check.

30 Things: January 2012

Let's start by saying that I am happy that I decided to not add "blogging" to my list of things to do this year. And by blogging I mean posting in a timely and or consistent manor. Look, you saw my lists, I will obviously be busy this year. Not to mention the typical wife, mother, human being busy that most people already are.

And now I am rambling. 

Here are the accomplishments for January. By the way... I can't even being to tell you how awesome it is to feel like I actually got something done. Something productive, something I wanted to do, something fun. Rambling.

4. Make laundry soap - So I'm a little obsessed with Pinterest. It is my way of getting away from my crazy brain. I got this recipe from a pin I came across for some laundry soap. I read the reviews and was convinced that it would get my clothes. It totally works. It is totally cheap to make. It totally makes my house and clothes smell wonderful.

5. Do one Pinterest inspired project per month - I could have done the whole two birds with one stone deal, aka laundry soap. But instead, I made chalkboard paint. I put it on my giant jar of laundry soap as a label. You can totally customize your color for the chalkboard. Awesome.

16. Make and keep a cleaning schedule - Life is crazy. So the house isn't always the way I want it to look. But I read somewhere, probably Pinterest, that if you clean a little bit every day, for about thirty minutes or so, your house will always be clean. I broke the rooms in the house down into six days worth of cleaning. Monday through Saturday, as best as time allows, I clean specific spaces in the house. When I stick to this plan it totally works. Now obviously dishes always need to be done and every night before bed I have Isaac's stuff everywhere. So those kind of things get done daily. But a clean home makes me feel so good.

17. Relocate dog kennels - Dogs totally stink. Especially mine. Their kennels are so ugly so I hid them in the office closet. So now only one room how the house smells like an old bag of Fritos. 

19. Try a new recipe once a month - I made Loft House Sugar Cookies. Pinterest. These came out just as good as when you buy them at the store. Magically, when you make them at home they contain zero calories. This is because they take three freakin' days to make. No joke. I started them at like 8:00 PM. Then I realized that the dough had to set for at least two hours or something. So I decided to work on them later. Day two. I baked them and made the frosting. Obviously they needed to cool completely. Duh, I mean people hate hot fresh cookies. Frosting, bah. It is supposed to sit for a while to let the flavors come together. Day three. Frost and enjoy. Which I did. Too much work.

The stuff Brett and I worked on.

4. Glue down the vinyl in the master bedroom - After Isaac was born, we replaced the flooring with vinyl wood looking planks. They are wonderful, easy to clean, and totally keeps the room cool. Some of the planks needed re-gluing. Anyways, someday I will show you how the floors look. No time these days for uploading pictures.

24. Have date night once a month - We went bowling with some friends. It was fun. We suck at bowling. The end.

29. Plant a tree - We did this. Then Emma, the dog, ate it. She has eaten like a million of our citrus trees. It's a touchy subject. We won't speak of this any further.

We have a little catching up to do on a few items. Some of the monthly goals we had, we were unable to accomplish, but better luck next month.

30 Things: 2012 List

Inspiration. Usually I associate the word with things of a more spiritual nature. But, today I looked up the word for a more official perspective on its meaning. According to my computers dictionary, inspiration means the following: the process of being mentally stimulated, especially to do something creative. Mental creativity. I can do that. 

Last year I made a list of a few things I wanted to accomplish. I thought them up. Wrote them down (because that means you'll actually do them). And... that was it. Last year, along with other specific goals, I really wanted to focus on just doing my best. Which I feel I did okay with. But as I wrote 2012 down for the first time, I realized that I thought the previous year was 2010. My brain obviously skipped a year. I was slightly panicked, wondering if I wrote 2010 down on my son's birth certificate. Needless to say I need to get my brain in gear this year.

So, I have this friend from a few wards back. I stalk her blog. She made a list last year too. She did much better with her list than I did mine. I liked her list. I liked her goals. I liked how she made it all happen with a plan. So I am going to copy her. 

Thanks go out to Katie Harris for inspiring me to be mentally creative.

I made two lists of things to do this year, gulp. One is for Brett and I to work on together and the other is for just me. My list ranges from things I have been meaning to get around to doing, to things that I should do but don't, and things that I want to do to be a better human being. The plan here is accomplish as many of the things on my list as I can. Each month I'll sit down and decide what needs to be done, and how I want to go about doing them. Hopefully, do them. Then, bore you with a monthly report.

Anyways, enough with me putting random sentences together.

Chesca's Thirty

Involved Projects

1. Make a chalk board menu for the kitchen

2. Make a furniture piece for my family room

3. Finish decorating the nursery

4. Make laundry soap

5. Do one Pinterest inspired project per month

6. Fix the finish on my office desk

7. Refinish/find furniture for master bedroom

8. Paint the hallway upstairs

9. Put up a cork bulletin board/wall in the office

10. Paint the wall I missed in the family room

11. Put together a memory box for Isaac

Spiritual Things

12. Read the Book of Mormon, twice

13. Attend Enrichment Night, at least four times

14. Read every conference talk for the year

15. Put up a picture of the temple and of the Savior in every room

Organizational Happiness

16. Make and keep a cleaning schedule

17. Relocate dog kennels

Things Concerning Taste Buds

18. Cook a turkey

19. Try a new recipe once a month

20. Poach an egg

Things for Me and My Well Being

21. Read four new books

22. Get in really good shape

23. Learn a new piano song

24. Go to the dentist

25. Go to the optometrist

Miscellaneous 

26. Hang Brett's Diploma

27. Document my cousin's mission

28. Find a use for a vintage light bulb

29. Get a pedicure

30. Make my herb garden look pretty

Bresca's Thirty

Involved Projects

1. Finish the laundry room makeover

2. Attempt to refinish the piano

3. Finish the carpet in the master bedroom

4. Glue down the vinyl in the master bedroom

5. Fix the pavers in the front yard

6. Install a fan in the spare bedroom

7. Finish the carpet downstairs

Spiritual Things

8. Really try go to the temple once a month

9. For one month, go to the temple once a week

10. Invite a non-member to a church function

11. Have family scripture study and prayer, daily, for one month

12. Read the Book of Mormon together from beginning to end

13. Study Preach My Gospel

14. Hold FHE regularly

Organizational Happiness

15. Stick to a meal plan

16. Do not overspend  our budget

17. Pay something off

18. Keep the garage clean

Things Concerning Taste Buds

19. Cook Ukrainian food

Things for Us and Our Well Being

20. No TV/media for a week

21. Go to the beach

22. Go camping

23. Hike an Arizona mountain

24. Have date night once a month

Miscellaneous 

25. Watch the three best movies of all time

26. Watch the three worst movies of all time

27. Give away the black couch

28. Replace the outlet in the office

29. Plant a tree

30. Get CPR cetrified

So there you go. We better get moving.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Conclusion

9:43 PM - Started blogging.

This is my conclusion and I am going to start with an introduction. Which is totally backwards, but the whole world didn't need to know that I left my husband at home, defenseless, with two giant dogs. The world also didn't need to know that Andy, Krista, and Addy were in Germany while I was also defenseless in Virginia with four kids. When I say world, I really mean the crazy people that stalk you. However, I am sure those crazy people would find out what was going on if they really wanted to know, stalkers.

Anyways. When Brett and I came to visit Krista back in September, she asked me to come back to watch her kids while her, Andy, and Addy were gone. Andy had military orders to play his trumpet in Germany. Of course instantly I said yes. The whole Allphin family is awesome and so much fun. So all the arrangements were made for me and Isaac to come back.

I knew that this whole experience was going to be crazy and difficult and overwhelming, but I knew we would have fun and we would be just fine. Prior to getting here, my biggest concern was just making sure that the kids didn't literally kill themselves. These children are accident prone. I mean Parker once landed in the dishwasher with the rack stuck in his eye. These children are also rough and tend to fight. I just didn't want to take a bleeding child to the emergency room. I would have, but who wants that to happen to them... So I just kind of expected it to be a lot of work and tried to prepare myself for complete chaos.

Seriously, it was a lot of work and in my head, it was complete chaos. Having the sick kids was the real kicker. It was the one thing that I wasn't expecting to happen. I was thankful that Andy was able to take Clark to the doctor before he left, but the first day I was stressing big time with the germs. I was trying so hard to keep everyone else from getting sick too. But the end of the second day, when Isaac went to bed with a runny nose, I cried. I was tired, overwhelmed, grumpy... And having a sick baby is hard enough. At that point I kind of lost it. I seriously got online and looked up airline tickets to get my mom out here. But, last minute tickets from Phoenix to DC and back were over $600.

After Sunday, I think I had everything under control. I started to figure out how to make schedules work. I got the kids to listen to me. I had caught up with the time zones. I was feeling better from my version of being sick. After Sunday we had fun. It was usually conditional and always accompanied with threats, but I made it work. And I also realized when life is super crazy and you need to meltdown with the kids, it's okay. Maybe not every five minutes, but it is okay. And who cares if the kids did nothing all day but watch TV, tomorrow we will try to be better. It's okay if they fight, just give them a chance to work it out. And it is okay to just sit and drink a Dr. Pepper (except once I get back in Phoenix it is cold turkey for me).

I did my best to fill Krista's shoes for ten days. She is an amazing mother and does so much more than take care of her kids. She is a wife. She fulfills her church callings. She runs a preschool. She keeps a nice home. She does so much. 

So for my conclusion. I made it. If there is ever a next time, I will probably have someone else tag along for the chaos. Also, this was a learning experience. As a first time mom with Isaac, I am totally just winging every day and everything I do. So I learned a thing or two with Krista's kids for when Isaac is older. The bad news, this trip made me dislike DC/Virginia just a little. I hate being cold. The good news is, I still want more kids. 

10:32 PM - Stopped blogging and went to bed.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 10

6:44 AM - Isaac woke up screaming, again. I seriously wish those teeth would just come. I got him a bottle hoping that we wasn't loud enough to wake the boys.

6:52 AM - I heard Clark talking. I get him back to sleep.

7:00 AM - The boys were up.

7:02 AM - I decided that I wasn't even going to fight with them. Parker went straight into my bed and Clark got locked in his room. We went back to sleep.

8:02 AM - Clark is kicking the wall. Me and boys got up.

8:15 AM - Clark's diaper was half on. His pajamas were wet too. I checked the bed and it was dry. Got a diaper and ate breakfast.

8:23 AM - The boys got dressed.

9:01 AM - Isaac and Carly were up. Carly went down for breakfast.

9:05 AM - I got dressed while Isaac attempted more crawling. Then Isaac got dressed.

9:32 AM - The kids and I worked on putting the house back in order. We washed sheets, cleaned toys, moved rooms... I collected all my things that I have littered the house with.

10:12 AM - We finished laundry.

10:40 AM - We made beds, for the first time in a week and a half.

11:34 AM - I got everyone's hair done, and had time to actually make Carly's look cute.

12:31 PM - Ate lunch.

12:45 PM - Got socks and shoes on.

12:54 PM - Got in the car and went to Chick-Fil-A for drinks.

2:31 PM - Got to the airport to get Krista, Andy, and Addy.

3:00 PM - Parker had to go to the bathroom. Well there is no where to go when you are at an airport. You have to go in. That wasn't really possible for us and I didn't want him peeing on the airport in Washington DC. The President might see and then we'd be in trouble. I tried having him hold it, but that didn't work. So he peed in a cup and I dumped in on the grass. Yellow spot.

• After this the rest of the night was crazy.

3:30 PM-ish - Andy and Krista finally made it through the airport and we loaded up. The kid were so happy to see mom and dad. We had to pick up Andy's car and eventually he made it home with half of the kids.

5:34 PM - Krista, Carly, Isaac, and me made it home. Andy had waffles for dinner ready and waiting. They were so sleepy.

6:15 PM-ish - The kiddos got into their bed time routine while I did dishes. In the middle of Addy crying and Clark pooping all over the bathroom, I went up stairs to help out. 

• Sometime after we had scripture study. Andy was falling asleep, he was so beat.

7:58 PM - I left to the store to pick some baby food and snacks up for Isaac at Target. Then I went to the grocery store to get dinner for the next day.

9:15 PM - Stopped to get some gas. Running on E.

9:22 PM - Back home. The boys were still up.

9:41 PM - The boys were acting up. Andy was asleep on the couch attempting to catch some of the BYU game and Krista was passed out in bed. I went upstairs to threaten the boys. Krista came in shortly after since Parker now knew that mom was around and she had final say. Their toys got taken away. Eventually we had more crying and screaming. Clark got removed from the room and everyone went to bed.

9:54 PM - Started blogging.

10:06 PM - I stopped blogging. 

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 9

6:45 AM - Isaac woke up screaming. He was very mad. So I tried to get him back to sleep. I didn't want him to wake the boys up. I was surprised they were still sleeping. Eventually I gave up comforting him and got him a bottle. Soon after, we fell back asleep.

7:15 AM - And... they boy are up. Throwing toys downstairs. Me and Isaac get out of bed.

7:35 AM - Breakfast.

8:11 AM - I woke Carly up. The boys got in the bath tub. This was obviously confusing since this isn't normal routine. We all got ready. 

8:37 AM - Carly got in the shower. I told boys we had another surprise for today, but we couldn't leave until the toy room was cleaned. It had been a mess for almost two days, I didn't have the energy to fight with them to get it clean. Now I had a bride. Parker had a minor melt down. I told him he had to be good or he wouldn't get to go. And, since we were starting the day off with something fun, he has to be good all day. He had one shot, after that we would be looking at some timeouts.

10:10 AM - After cleaning socks and trash out of the minivan, we packed everyone up. Carly and I moved some car seats around so we could go pick Andy and Krista up the next day. We also put in the extra seat into the car. This took awhile. I backed out of the drive way and gave my no crying, kicking, screaming, or whining or we are going home pep talk and we left the house. 

10:32 AM - We arrive at Chuck-E-Cheese's. This was my best idea yet! Seriously, a jungle gym, games, food...  Not to mention keeping an eye on all the kids was way easy. You can't really lose a kid there either. They stamp you and the kids you are with to make sure no one else leaves with your kid, and there is an employee checking stamps at the door the entire time. It was fun. I helped the kids get tickets. Which I really enjoyed. We ate pizza that wasn't bad at all. I also brought in my Dr. Pepper. There was a giant sign that said not outside food or drink. I think that means I am an addict. There were no melt downs. Great idea.

12:49 PM - We got home and Clark went straight to his bed for a nap. He was very sleepy.

1:00 PM - I decided that since we are getting Krista and Andy tomorrow that chores needed to be moved to Friday. The kids got to work. They got a few extra chores like cleaning poop off the downstairs toilet and putting shoes and jackets away. I cleaned the floors and the bathroom I had been using all week. I also helped with some vacuuming. 

2:47 PM - We had no melt downs still for the day. Carly and Parker even helped each other with their chores without fighting. So we sat down to be lazy and watch TV.

4:01 PM - Clark woke up. Super grumpy. I stared dinner. It took me forever to decided if Jiffy Muffin mix was corn meal or not. Then I decided to cook my version of taco soup. I had to improvise a bit. While dinner was cooking, Carly helped me do the dishes and set the table.

5:05 PM - We ate. These kids love corn bread. I had a hard time getting Clark to eat more than corn bread. Carly did fine and Parker ate and ate and ate. Usually he is the one I am talking into eating by counting how many bites he has to eat for more juice, or more chips, or more whatever.

6:27 PM - Melt downs begin. Parker and Clark start to fight. Parker gets his final warning. Brett and I Skyped so he could see my fay baby Isaac. Parker jumped on Clark. Parker starts a series of time outs.

6:32 PM - Bath time.

7:00 PM - Scripture, stories, etc.

7:32 PM - Bed time. Eventually I had to separate the boys. They stared take the blinds apart.

7:52 PM - Did some laundry. Carly got in the shower and went to bed.

8:14 PM - Got in the shower. Isaac had a melt down and scream for like twenty minutes. Eventually I got him calmed down and he fell asleep. Teething? I think so.

9:23 PM - Blog and Dr. Pepper.

9:55 PM - Decided that since I have to be in Krista's shoes for only half of the next day, I would stay up late for some TV. 

9:56 PM - Ended blogged. Eventually, bed.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 8

6:22 AM - The boys were up playing. I heard them talking about the costumes in the closet. I get out of bed to stop this. I didn't like putting those away two days ago.

7:06 AM - Carly and I finally got up and out of bed because of the noise. Everyone went downstairs for breakfast.

7:15 AM - Carly worked on getting ready. Very very very slowly. For getting up thirty minutes early she was running behind. Ten minutes before she needed to be out the door her hair wasn't done, she had no socks or shoes on, and her bags weren't packed. By now, I was on her case about what she had been doing all morning to be rushing the last ten minutes. Oh yeah, watching TV and stressing about a bag for her bagged gift for an after school party. I'm not the kind of girl that drags her feet or dottles (which may or may not be a word) when something needs to get done. Apparently this will be an issue for me when I have older children.

8:38 AM - Carly left. Without brushing her teeth. Isaac woke up. I left the boys downstairs to finish their movie while I got dressed. Eventually it ended. They started playing in the toy room. The noise got louder as then ran around, but there wasn't any crying or screaming so I left them alone. When I was ready enough I went down stairs with Isaac to get the boys. I was standing at the top of the stairs when I noticed why they were so happy. They were naked. Running around naked. In circles. I quietly walked down the stairs and stood at the bottom waiting for them to come back through their circle. I stood there and once they saw me they stopped in their tracks. Naked, with this face that said, the fun was worth the trouble I am sure we are in. It was funny.

8:55 AM - The boys put clothes on.

9:36 AM - Dr. Pepper for me and Puffs for Isaac.

9:40 AM - I started to make some fun plans for the next two days. Movies and Five Guys today, Chuck-e-Cheese tomorrow.

11:42 AM - Isaac took a nap. Pintrest.

12:05 PM - I made some grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch with lots of butter. Parker requested two different kind of cheeses. 

12:56 PM - Clark started crying for no apparent reason. So he went down for a nap. Isaac woke up.

2:40 PM - Isaac has another snack and fell asleep in the high chair.

2:50 PM - I told Parker that we were going to leave soon to go have some fun. He kept asking if we were going to go to Target. I told him it was a surprise. It got him moving. He helped Clark get his socks and shoes on. Jackets. He picked up some of his afternoon snack too.

3:07 PM - Krista and Andy Skyped the boys.

3:54  PM - Left the house.

3:57 PM - Arrived at Five Guys for dinner. I was craving a cheeseburger. I boys eat so well there!

4:27 PM - Got in the car to head to the movies and realized that the address I had wasn't pulling up on the GPS. I had a pretty good idea of were I was going but I wasn't 100% positive. So I went back home to figure it out.

5:08 PM - Arrived at the movies. I told Clark we were going to see a movie and he was really excited. I woke Parker up since he fell asleep on the way. He was very grumpy. I paid for the movie tickets. I must look desperate when I am out with the kids. I always get favors. I should have bought one adult ticket and one kid ticket. I only paid for my ticket. Had everyone use the bathroom before the movies. Isaac got mad because the flushing sound scared him. A lot.

5:45 PM - Movie started. Parker started to freak out because the beginning was a bit scary. Clark wasn't phased at all. I wasn't about to leave. So I started to hand out snacks. I brought things from the house. Isaac started wigging because apparently he knows when we are eating and didn't want to be left out. Eventually Parker kept says, "Let's get outta here." Over and over and over and over again. Then Clark kept talking about having to pee. Over and over and over and over again. Once I finally gave in to haul everyone out of the theaters no one wanted to leave. Then Clark really wanted to pee. So we left for the bathroom. Parker tripped right in the middle of the hallway and started crying. Still crying, we got in the bath room. I helped Clark get his shoes and pants off. Then he started to completely undress, which I wasn't going to have. He got mad and started crying. Then he noticed that the last person didn't flush, so he flushed it. Isaac started crying. All three boys crying in the family bathroom. It echos in there.

7:16 PM - The movie ended and we left to pick Carly from the party. Somewhere along the way the GPS told me to turn left. So I did, down an over grown road completely covered in leaves. When I first got on it I thought it was dirt. I got to the end of it and it was closed. I had a gate and a pad lock. So I knew I was going to have to turn around. Which there wasn't much room for. So I tried backing out. Which I suck at. Then I looked around and noticed that the forest around me was very creepy. Then, previews to scary movies I have never seen only heard about came to mind. I started to freak out a bit and did a fifty point turn in the middle of the forest while some crazy witch lady watched from afar and plotted on what to do with our bones if we drove off the road into the Potomac. I am pretty sure that a road was moved and the GPS didn't know. Eventually we made it to the right house.

8:17 PM - We made it home. I decided that it was too late for the normal bed time stuff. So the kids didn't take baths. I decided we will get it done tomorrow.

8:45 PM - Bed time.

9:01 PM - Shower.

10:09 PM - Started blogging.

10:49 PM - Stopped blogging and went to bed.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 7

5:30 AM - I heard the boys in their room playing... Loudly... And it was early. I sent them back to their beds three times.

5:45 AM - The boys were now yelling and squealing. I sent Parker into bed with me and left Clark in his bunk. Clark keeps getting out of bed. So I closed and locked the door. Eventually all this ruckus woke up Isaac.

5:50 AM - Back to bed.

7:35 AM - Everyone got up and we had breakfast.

7:38 AM - Carly reminded me that she had chorus at eight and that her ride would be her in seven minutes. She got dressed in two minutes while I quickly made her lunch. Signed her agenda. She ate breakfast quickly. All of this usually taken an hour to get done.

7:48 AM - Carly left.

8:22 AM - Me and all the boys went upstairs to get dressed.

8:47 AM - We left to take Parker to preschool.

9:15 AM - We got back home and I had breakfast. Strawberry flavored cream cheese...Eh.

9:23 AM - I picked up the kitchen and turned on last nights movie for Clark to finish. Then I caught up on my cousins mission blog.

11:47 AM - We left the house to go get Parker.

12:12 PM - We arrived back home.

12:57 PM - Nap time and some light kitchen cleaning from lunch.

1:21 PM - Lunch for me.

3:44 PM - Woke Clark up and had the boys clean the play room.

4:12 PM - French toast for dinner. Carly did her home work while I was getting food ready. She stresses about her homework the same way I used to. She needed help and asked what the assignment wanted. Then when I start to explain how it works she starts saying she gets it and doesn't need my help. Independent.

5:15 PM - Cleaned up from dinner.

6:03 PM - Carly finished Rio.

6:52 PM - Left the house to take Carly to church.

7:58 PM - Started blogging.

8:02 PM - Eric called to talk.

8:14 PM - Got the kids in the car to get Carly. On the way home Isaac was mad and Parker didn't like the noise. So naturally, he was reaching across the middle seat to beat on Isaac's car seat and said words he isn't supposed to say. There goes the mini van with its brakes slammed on at a stop sign. And Carly eats ice cream.

8:32 PM - Bed routine is over and boy are in bed. Carly

8:58 PM - Shower.

9:35 PM - Isaac is finally asleep. It has been a long few days with him. I am 99% positive I will be seeing teeth here in the next few days.

9:59 PM - Done blogging and headed to bed. It was a long day and I was out of patience by about dinner time. I'm pretty sure today I was mean Aunt Chesca. I guess that is what happens when life is crazy and your morning starts at 5:30 AM.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 6

2:57 AM - Carly had a bad dream. She tried to crawl in bed with me but Isaac was already there. Instead she crawled up like a cat at the bottom of the bed for five minutes and decided that she was okay enough to go to her own bed. I think this is how this happened. I was so wiped out this morning.

6:05 AM - Boys were up playing quietly.

6:35 AM - I got breakfast ready for the boys.

6:45 AM - Isaac woke up super happy.

7:55 AM - I woke Carly up and she got breakfast.

8:15 AM - Everyone got dressed.

8:52 AM - We got in the car and I gave the kids a pep talk. I bribed them with treats and a movie, lasts night FHE that didn't happened, for good behavior and big helpers. We left for Target. I also performed a quick mental test on myself to see if I was crazy for not. I mean four kids to Target... Yep, crazy.

9:01 AM - We shopped at Target. We were quick. We got soda, a birthday present, Puffs for Isaac, and carpet cleaner. After I got all our things I walked the kids down the toy aisle. This was a conditional promise I made upon entering Target.

10:02 AM - Arrived at the mall. Yep still crazy. We had a minor melt down in the parking lot because Clark didn't want to be strapped into the stroller. As soon as the melt down started I told him we were packing up and going home. Carly and Parker didn't want to go home, so immediately they calmed Clark down. I was only half serious, but it worked. I'm the mean aunt. We walked around and went into a few stores. The kids ran around the play area and sat in some of the quarter rides. I got tired of walking so I declared and early lunch.

11:10 AM - Arrived at Noodles & Company. I love their Wisconsin Mac and Cheese. Lunch was good until Clark decided he was done eating and it was time to go. He was ready to leave that minutes. After a few nos, I got hit and we went outside for a talk and a two minute time out. Not sure how well this works consistently for a two year old, but he stopped crying and fussing.

12:12 PM - Home from our trips around town.

12:25 PM - I did some laundry, the boys had play time, Clark had some medicine, and Carly colored.

1:10 PM - Clark had a nap.

1:12 PM - Parker, Carly, and I worked on our hats.

2:41 PM - Isaac took a nap.

3:42 PM - Andy and Krista Skyped the kids.

4:10 PM - Dinner. Everyone ate their food but Clark. Which was a problem because after dinner we were all getting our movie and treats. Clark wasn't going to get any since he didn't take one bite of food.

4:50: PM - We started our movie. Everyone had treats but Clark. He quickly figured this our. Cried for a bit, but eventually him and I settled on a bagel and grapes for dinner. It was the best I could get out of him.

5:50 PM - Baths for the boys.

6:05 PM -  Left the house to take Carly to dance. The boys fought in the car while Isaac slept. Parker got in trouble for biting and pulling hair. I finished my hat.

7:56 PM - Home from dance.

8:00 PM - Read a book to the boys, while Carly showered. 

8:26 PM -  Isaac and I showered.

9:23 PM - Brett called.

10:07 PM - Started blog.

10:15 PM - Ended blog.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 5

3:53 AM - Parker woke up from a bad dream, he then crawled in bed with me. He fell asleep within two minutes. Five minutes later I moved him back into his bed. I like having the bed to myself. Although Isaac has ended up in bed with me almost every night. He has been waking up in the middle of the night a bit stuffy. I can't figure it out. Maybe it is the weather, most likely a cold, now I am thinking those baby teeth are playing a role in his issues too.

4:03 AM -  Isaac started crying.

4:30 AM -  Clark is mad that Parker got moved into his bed. I couldn't carry a sleeping kid to the top bunk. I drug Parker to his bunk.

4:53 AM - Back to sleeping.

6:45 AM - I heard to boys playing in their room.

6:54 AM - Out of bed and downstairs feeding the boys.

7:12 AM - Folded last night's laundry.

7:25 AM - Got the boys dressed for the day. Got Parker ready for school. Got their hair done. It stuck straight up. It's getting long.

7:30 AM -  Woke Carly up and got her moving.

7:45 AM - Carly and Isaac got dressed. I got dressed.

8:23 AM - Found cereal dumped on floor.

8:33 AM - Carly walked out the door for school.

8:42 AM - Packed everyone else up and went off to take Parker to preschool.

9:02 AM - Headed to the grocery store. I ended up making only one wrong turn. Bloom was closer to home than I thought it would be. Isaac was sleeping and Bloom has funny shopping carts. Instead of sitting on the cart handle area, Isaac went in the basket. Clark did not like this. He asked to get in the folded out part of the cart where your kid is supposed to sit. I couldn't open it with Isaac in the basket. Que screaming as Clark walks slowly behind me. I let him voice his opinion. Walked across the length of the store to find the candy aisle. Did not see it on any signs. Screaming continues. So I had to walk up and down a few aisles where you would possibly find candy: soda aisle, cracker aisle, baking aisle, the random food aisle. No candy. A man offered me some comfort. He told me to not worry, and that my kids would grow up soon and it would get easier. So he smiled at Clark. Screaming got louder. I had a mental moment of silence for Krista. She somehow does this on a regular basis. I finally gave up looking and asked a clerk for the candy aisle. It didn't have an aisle. It had a section in front of the meat and dairy. So dumb. I grabbed a box of cake mix so I don't look like a crazy person who shops for one thing with a screaming kid. I decided to make an apple pie cobbler thing when Krista and Andy get back. I leave Bloom. Not feeling too bad. I didn't give in to the screaming right. Is the correct parenting? I then used Redbox for a movie for the kids. FHE would be popcorn, candy, and a family flick.

9:50 AM - Back from Bloom. The crying stopped in the car. Cleaned up cereal from floor. I had two cookies for breakfast, and sat down to watch Meet the Robinsons with Clark and Isaac.

11:42 AM -  Left to get Parker.

12:14 PM - Got back from short trip to preschool. First Dr. Pepper for the day. I took a mental note to get another case. Ate lunch with the kiddos.

1:05 PM - Clark down for a nap. Parker and I worked on our hats.

3:45 PM - Isaac went down for a nap and Clark woke up.

3:59 PM - Carly got home from school.

4:12 PM - Found yogurt on floor.

4:20 PM - Started dinner.

4:30 PM - Sent Carly to practice piano. Then I asked myself what night piano lessons were. I guessed Thursday. Carly read my mind and came in saying that she thought we missed piano. I looked at the schedule.  We had to leave in less than twenty minutes. Stopped dinner. Packed everyone up.

4:50 PM - Left for piano. Obvious crisis in car with the boys. Proper threats we dispersed.

6:07 PM - Home. Sent Carly to the shower. Had the boys clean up their toys. Finished dinner.

6:56 PM - Boys in bath.

7:18 PM - Pajamas, scriptures. On the way back up stairs Clark slaps Parker. Parker punches Clark. Both end up in time out. Que screaming. 

7:45 PM - Crying stops and books are read separately. 

8:07 PM - Me and Isaac got in the shower. Carly worked on her hat.

9:15 PM -  Downstairs to hangout with Carly.

9:45 PM - Started blogging.

9:50 PM - Carly started forcing a cough. I reminded her that sick kids can't go to birthday parties.

10:03 PM - Called my mom back.

10:30 PM - Stopped blogging and decided to clean the kitchen, rotate laundry, then get some sleep.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 4

6:22 AM - The boys woke up a little too early. They played quietly in their rooms.

6:37 AM - Took Isaac's temperature. He still had a fever so I decided to keep everyone home from church.

7:00 AM - Clark had a really bad poopy diaper.

7:22 AM - For breakfast the boys had cereal and toast. Clark had medicine too.

7:45 AM - Carly got up and had breakfast.

7:53 AM - Isaac woke up.

8:12 AM -  I had breakfast.

9:15 AM - The kids made a fort. Parker fell off a chair.

11:00 AM - I started making cookies.

11:05 AM - Then followed a series of major munchies. While I was making cookies, that had a lot of sugar in them, the kids kept wanting sugary snacks. Clark kept asking for Fruit Rolls Ups, then Gold Fishies, Graham Crackers, Vanilla Waffers. I tried to offer fruit, and Wheat Thins, and milk. Eventually he just cried. Parker wanted Little Debbies, juice, and more Gold Fishies. I realized that I let them get away with way too many sweets. Carly then asked why I was limiting the sweets. Well I had failed to give them vegetables. Which is why Clark has been having stuck poop.

11:30 AM - I finally gave up on crying and snack time. I made lunch a little early.

11:45 AM - Quiet movie time. Gotta love The Emperor's New Groove, twice.

12:50 PM - Clark took a nap.

12:55 PM - I had a Dr. Pepper.

1:06 PM - Isaac went down for a nap too. Carly, Parker, and me decided to crochet hats using looms. This was actually fun. I even got Parker to work on one of his own. I would wrap the yarn for him and he would pull the loops over the pegs. Then he would push the new section down the peg so we could start the process over again. Carly and I guarded the crochet hook form Parker just in case he decided to carve his name into the table.

1:50 PM - Isaac woke up from his nap.

3:45 PM - Clark woke up very grumpy from his nap.

4:00 PM - Started dinner.

4:11 PM - Krista called.

4:22 PM - Krista Skyped the kiddos.

4:30 PM - Dinner time with a quick kitchen clean up.

5:40 PM - Chatted online with Krista.

6:21 PM - Bath time.

6:25 PM - Carly practiced piano.

7:00 PM - I checked Parker's backpack just in case he had any homework. He had to find pictures of things that started with the letter D. So we printed some dinosaurs, a drum, a duck, and a dog. Then we all colored while Parker and I finished his homework. Carly took a quick shower.

7:39 PM - My mom called to check up on the craziness and the sick persons.

7:47 PM - Sent the boys upstairs for books and bed time. Sent Carly to her room to read.

8:00 PM - Got in the shower.

8:58 PM - Lights went out for Carly. Isaac got his pajamas on and had a bottle. I dried my hair.

9:40 PM - Put a load of laundry in. I had to start the washer three times because I don't know how to work Krista's space machine.

9:42 PM - Brett called.

10:02 PM - Started blogging.

10:15 PM - Ate a delicious cookie that I plan to blog about because it is so good and I finally figured out the perfect cooking time for a convention not convection oven.

• Yes, you were supposed to read that in one breath. These cookies are exciting. 

10:30 PM - Decided to go to bed.

10:31 PM - Stopped blogging.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 3

7:35 AM - The boys woke up. Time for good old Saturday morning cartoons. The boys started breakfast with yogurt, then cereal and toast. Clark got his medicine.

8:00 AM - Carly woke up.

8:15 AM - Isaac woke up with  fever.

8:23 AM - Called Krista's friend Melissa to see if she could take Parker to a birthday party at the mall. She said yes.

8:25 AM - Found Clark's diaper at the bottom of his pajamas.

8:32 AM - Emailed Krista about everyone but Carly, including me, being sick.

8:47 AM - Decided to try Clark's favorite breakfast meal. Peanut butter toast. Verdict. Decent. Could use some OJ.

9:00 AM - Sent everyone up stairs to get dressed for the day.

10:06 AM - Parker's ride for the party showed up.

10:15 AM - Isaac went down for a nap.

10:40 AM - Isaac woke up.

11:00 AM - Left the house to go to Target with Issac, Carly, and Clark. We bought me some medicine. Stopped at Panera Bread for lunch. It was delicious. Took my medicine.

12:23 PM - Accidently got on the freeway and worried about getting lost and ending up in New York.

12:40 PM - Finally made it home.

12:46 PM - Decided to try and mix Clark's medicine in his yogurt. Total failure. Instead I added it to some super sugared up juice. He drank it quickly.

1:00 PM - Clark took a nap.

3:00 PM - Parker walks in the door from his party at Build a Bear. "Ronny" was wearing Lightening McQueen pajamas and slippers. Got the right phone number for Stacie.

3:22 PM - Clark woke up. Carly helped the boys get their shoes on while I fed Isaac some apple sauce. Then we headed outside for some bike riding. Carly is getting better on her skates, like old school skates.

4:06 PM - Started Saturday chores. Isaac took another nap. I finally washed some of Isaac's bottles. Parker was a fantastic helper and did all of his chores quickly. I might have bribed him.

4:30 PM - Drank a Dr. Pepper.

5:00 PM - Started dinner and eventually sat down to eat it. Clark got more medicine.

5:46 PM - Finished watching Cars for the millionth time. It is still a fantastic movie.

6:00 PM - Bath time. At which point Clark decided to pee in the water. It was a short bath time. Accompanied with some forced teeth brushing for Clark.

6:43 PM - Scriptures. This is where Clark had a melt down and hit me for asking him to wait for a drink and sit down reverently. Scripture reading was loud. Carly was nice enough to help keep Isaac happy.

7:15 PM - Book time. We read a Cars book.

7:25 PM - Boys in bed. Carly in shower. I had to help scrub her hair to get some greasy out.

7:42 PM - Isaac fell asleep in my arms when I discovered Pintrest.

8:00 PM -  The boys got out of bed and were found playing in the bathroom.

8:05 PM - Started blogging. Carly started to trace some coloring pages.

8:10 PM - Isaac woke up.

8:25 PM - Shower.

9:19 PM - Sent Carly to bed.

9:49 PM - Finished blogging.

10:00 PM - Went to bed.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 2

12:06 AM - Clark's cough was getting very active. When I went to check on him he was sleeping though all of it. I woke him and got some books to read in the bathroom while the shower ran some hot water. This only lasted like ten minutes because I couldn't take the heavy air anymore.

12:20 AM - I went back to sleep.

7:16 AM - Parker and Clark woke up. So it was time for me to get out of bed as well. The boys started to read book together.

7:23 AM - I got dressed.

7:35 AM - It was time for Carly to wake up.

7:45 AM - We all went down stairs for breakfast. Clark had oatmeal while everyone else had cereal. Clark had a dose of medicine.

8:07 AM - Carly finished getting dressed and I packed her lunch.

8:15 AM - The boys got dressed as well and the rest of us.

8:28 AM - Isaac was up and I got him dressed very quickly.

8:35 AM - Carly left for school.

8:42 AM - Forgot to do the kiddos hair. Which is not acceptable for a hairstylist.

8:47 AM - I packed all the boys, including Isaac, into the car to head off for preschool.

9:01 AM - Dropped Parker off at preschool.

9:23 AM - Back in the house after taking Parker to preschool. I decided to rearrange the car seats to keep Clark from germ-ing the other kids up.

9:27 AM - Cleaned up the kitchen from breakfast and emptied the dishwasher.

9:37 AM - Chugged my first Dr. Pepper.

9:45 AM - Researched the layout of the area so that I could run some errands.

10:10 AM - Clark, Isaac, and myself left the house to go to Target and Michaels.

11:20 AM - Clark trips at Target and hits his brow bone on a clothing rack and give his cheek a rug burn.

11:35 AM - Realized my errands didn't take long enough. So. I drove around Stafford Market Place.

11:47 AM - Headed to Parker's preschool.

12:06 PM - Preschool let out.

12:30 PM - Macaroni and Cheese for lunch. Clark gots more medicine and didn't really finish it.

1:05 PM - Clark and Isaac got a nap and Parker did some learning workbooks.

3:00 PM - Nap time was officially over and the house gets turned upside down.

3:15 PM - Parker bites Clark and goes to time out.

3:56 PM - Carly got home from school.

4:00 PM - Carly attempted roller skating again.

4:32 PM - Started dinner.

4:50 PM - Krista called.

5:26 PM -  Ate dinner. I ate dinner. Everyone else just stared at it. I had to bribe the kids with grapes and juice. Which didn't really work. Then I remember that my grandpa used to tell me that if I didn't eat my food he would put it in my ears. So I tried it and it worked.

6:25 PM - Cleaned up the kitchen from dinner and picked up the toys. Somehow Clark got pushed out the door to the garage and fell down a few stairs. He did lots of crying and hating on Carly.

6:45: PM -  Bath time.

7:04 PM -  Scriptures and prayer. Followed by crying.

7:45 PM - We had a ten minutes dance party.

8:01 PM - The boys got sent to bed.

8:20 PM - Blogging began.

8:30 PM - I got in the shower and sent Carly to bed.

9:40 PM - Isaac has a runny nose.

9:41 PM - Bed.

Life in the Shoes of Krista: Day 1

3:15 AM - I heard coughing downstairs. Clark has been hacking his head off for the past few hours and I figured he made it out of bed for some reason. I make it down stairs to find Andy dressed and ready to go to the ER, since it is the only place open at this time for medical attention. Clark's coughing was getting pretty bad. Soon after I get back to bed.

7:00 AM - My first of three alarms goes off.

7:07 AM - Alarm two.

7:16 AM - I got out of bed because Carly needed to be woken up soon, but instead I heard Andy and Krista talking downstairs. So naturally I went down there to see what was going on. Earlier that morning Clark had been diagnosed with croup and Andy had just gotten back from that whole ordeal. He was explaining all of the medicine that Clark would be on for the next several days.

7:24 AM - I woke Carly up. Shortly after, Krista got Carly going for school and moved on to the things she needed to be doing.

7:48 AM - I packed Carly's lunch.

8:02 AM - I got showered and dressed. I decided that it was going to be my one and only chance the entire day to get clean. Baby Isaac was still sleeping and I was expecting him to be awake at anytime. So I was quick.

8:35 AM - Krista gave Carly hugs and kisses and sent her off to school.

• Then things got a little crazy with kiddos waking up.

9:30 AMish - Clark, Parker, and Baby Isaac got dressed.

10:00 AMish - Clark took his medicine.

11:00 AMish - Krista and Andy left.

11:32 AM - Clark took half of his other medicine. 

11:37 AM - I put Isaac down for nap number one and Clark finished the rest of his medicine which ended up all over his face. And on my hands. And maybe on the floor too.

11:45 AM -  I made chicken noodle soup for Clark, Parker and myself. Clark and Parker ate from super hero bowls.

12:12 PM - Parker hit Clark for standing in front of the TV and ended up in time out.

12:14 PM - We started Sherk... number... four... and Isaac woke up from his nap

12:45 PM - Clark told me he was sleepy and went upstairs for a nap.

2:32 PM - Clark woke up from his nap. Clark got more medicine.

3:55 PM - Parker hit Clark on the head with a stick and ended up in time out. Then... Clark cried because his head hurt. Then he cried some more because the poor kid got all worked up and started coughing out of control.

4:05 PM -  Carly came home from school.

4:07 PM -  Carly went out to play.

4:42 PM - Carly came inside and did her homework. I tried to get dinner going at this point but there was a lot of screaming involved.

4:08 PM - Carly and Parker emptied the dish washer.

5:10 PM - Dinner was cooking. Carly practiced piano.

5:25 PM - Carly set the table and we ate dinner. It was a delicious recipe that Krista left for me.

5:52 PM - The kids picked up their toys while I fed Isaac and did the dishes. Carly dried some dished and started the dish washer.

6:30 PM - Carly and Isaac read books while I gave the boys a bath. I added bubbles cause they are fun. Clark didn't seem to think so. Parker made a beard with the soap bubbles. Clark splashed water on Parker to wash it off. Parker got mad.

6:47 PM - The boys started jumping in the tub and bath time was over. Carly played more piano.

7:15 PM - The boys dumped the toys out again. Played for awhile then cleaned them back up.

7:35 PM - We read scriptures.

7:47 PM - We said prayers.

7:49 PM -  The kiddos brushed their teeth. Clark washed off all of his tooth paste. Parker ran away with the tooth brush then spit in the tub.

7:55 PM - We read stories.

8:07 PM - The boys went to bed.

8:11 PM - Carly did some reading and Isaac and I got in the shower.

8:37 PM - Carly went off to bed to read some more.

9:02 PM - Made my bed for sleeping.

9:10 PM - I called my mom back.

9:30 PM - Isaac went to bed in a pink room.

9:32 PM - I called Sherri.

9:41 PM - I called Brett and ate a second dinner.

10:02 PM - I started to blog.

10:03 PM - Isaac woke up screaming, but went right back to sleep.

10:30 PM - I had my second can of Dr. Pepper for the day.

11:04 PM - Thought about watching some TV shows but decided otherwise.

11:05 PM - Decided to stop blogging and get some sleep.

*Please note that only half of these times are accurate. The half that aren't happened within ten minutes of recorded time.

And the 12th day of Christmas...

And the 12th day of Christmas... was the busiest Christmas Eve I have ever experienced.

I love this time of year so much, but today made me slightly consider going on a cruise next year. I'm not joking. Between my family gatherings and Brett's family gatherings, we end up at at least different ten different parties over the holidays. By the time Christmas Eve is here all I want to do is relax and enjoy the holiday.

Enough whining though.

After a slight break down on my part Christmas Eve was wonderful. Nothing super crazy happened it was just a good evening spent with family. We visited with Brett's family over dinner and some Christmas stories and visited with my Dad's family. We got some good laughs with the yearly gift exchange, opened presents and headed home for the night.

Now... Bed time cause Santa is on his way.

Eleven

Christmas is almost here. I am so excited. I really need Brett to open his presents. I'll tell you why later. He reads this blog sometimes.

Tonight we stole a tradition from some random person on the internet. I found this forum where people shared all their family Christmas traditions. I feel a bit bad for not sharing some of mine, but I was too lazy and didn't want to register.

So there is this couple that plays Santa for each other. They go to a store together, split up, and buy stocking stuffers for each other. So that is exactly what Brett and I did. We had a $15 dollar limit on our purchase for each stocking. Buying stocking stuffers for my Brett was hard. I mean the stuffers are fun random things, but there are more fun random things for girls then there are for boys. I was worried about not filling his stocking, but I went home and packed it just fine. Actually I really had to stuff that stocking.

We also made some homemade chocolate and wrapped a few remaining gifts. I enjoyed the hot chocolate, Brett wasn't too impressed but he picked out the recipe so I didn't feel too bad.

And that is all.

One more day left till Christmas.

Santa is coming to town people.

"SANTAAA! I KNOW HIM!" -Buddy the Elf

10: The Villalobos Family Christmas Dinner

Every year about a week before Christmas my mom's side of the family has a giant Christmas party. A Christmas party that is probably way too involved for most families. The party is a bit complicated. There's a hidden set of rules for the party, it usually stresses way too many people out, and sometimes when it comes to the white elephant gift exchange people get mad. But... this party is an ongoing tradition, one that has been going on since I was born. It has evolved since its forst year, but as much as some of us hate the stress and weird themed foods, we can't call it quits.

I have a bad memory about being little. But one of my strongest Christmas memories was the year it was my turn to help the cousins serve food at the family Christmas dinner. Back then we didn't have themed parties. It was a normal Christmas dinner. Everyone dressed up. Grandma and Grandpa did most of the cooking.

After Grandma died we decided to continue the Christmas dinner tradtion. The first year, we had this giant luau party complete with a cooked pig, Hawaiian dancers, fire dancers, and grass skirts. We may never top that first year, It had been by far the best party. i'm sure that my Grandma has a lot to do with that.

But for this year we celebrated Christmas in the Hold Land: Israel.

So the food coordinated with the theme, as did the gift exchange. Popular gifts were dates, figs, and a tree of life necklace. Nick contributed an Israeli newspaper, it was free. Brett gave a book titled 1003 Things About the Jewish Religion and I gave a travel and culture book of Israel. We scored with a $5 dradle shaped Target gift card, a box of plant smelling gum, and some sort of orange soda.

And that pretty much sums up the tenth day of Christmas.

PS, my family is way too loud to even yell over. Love you guys.