Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Blast from the Past

Through this blog, I've been able to reconnect with some friends from high school. It's been fun the last few months getting to see them and their new lives filled with babies and husbands on their blogs. Yesterday, I got together with some of them for lunch. I think everybody looks exactly the same, just more beautiful and grown-up. I had such a fun time as we all informed eachother of the present and had many laughs about the past. I'm so glad I've been able to reconnect with these girls. A few years ago I remember telling John, in a sad voice, that I haven't talked to or seen anyone I used to be close to. I hope now, we can keep a little tradition going of getting together and keeping in touch. Thanks for the fun girls!

Kara, Court, Charity, Katrina, Heather, Amanda, & Teisha

Me and Charity

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Christmas

We had a wonderful, fun Christmas this year. We were around lots of family, and the kids loved all the time they were able to visit with everyone. My dad and my sister's family came into to town. Also, my uncle, aunts, and cousins stayed for a couple of days. We made it to Grandpa Tony and Nana's house for a little bit on Christmas morning, even though it was pouring down rain.
On Christmas Eve, Corinne had heard so much about Santa coming to our house, that after we had put out the milk and fudge (not a cookie in the house) and carrots (for the reindeer) all hell broke loose. As soon as it was time for bed she freaked out. Anyone who has been around my daughter knows that she is very wary of strangers, especially male strangers. The thought of a big, jolly man creeping around her house while she slept terrified this two year old. It took a tag team of John and I taking turns going into her room about every five minutes for over an hour before she finally went to sleep. She was crying, saying she was scared of Santa and that he was going to "GET HER." Every so often she would hear a sound, start to panic, and ask, "Is that Santa?" We finally told her that Santa can't get past the house alarm, so he leaves the presents on the front porch. That seemed to relieve her a bit. We've made her street smart too soon. If a kid can't trust Santa, well then, who in the world can they trust? Santa understood and graciously left gifts at the front door. The kids had to drag us out of bed, and I was trying to not be grumpy, but how do they automatically wake up at dawn on Christmas? Any other day, they would have slept until, at least, 9:00. I quickly guzzled some coffee and became somewhat more holly and jolly. John and I enjoyed watching all the ripping and tearing, but not until we read every account of Jesus's birth out of the New Testament. Christian was becoming irritated that it was in multiple books.
Coy's dreams came true with his talking Glenda doll (don't ask) and his Jack in the Box. He's quite a unique kid. Don't worry, I also got him the Tin Man and Cowardly Lion figures so it would be a bit more manly. All other presents were ignored, and Coy spent the day after Christmas re-wrapping his Jack in the Box so he could experience the joy of opening it over and over again. He's a free bird and doesn't give a hoot about what anybody else is doing. He was in his own ecstatic little world with Jack and Glenda.
Christian was thrilled with his new Super Ball shoes that have bouncy balls all over the soles, but he was quickly disappointed when he realized they didn't make him jump higher. He gave his little brother a black eye on Christmas afternoon with his new light saber. Coy is a peaceful kid and decided he didn't enjoy fighting like a Jedi. So, Christian tormented everyone else with it until Grandpa finally hid them. The carpet skates Santa brought Christian were a lot of fun until I tried them out and pulled something that wasn't supposed to be pulled. Corinne's favorites were her new princess tricycle and her dress-up trunk. Oh, yes, and the Sleeping Beauty tea set and tea table have already gotten much use. Corinne had a hard time understanding that when the presents were all opened, that was it. She had a few days of opening presents, so when they were finally gone, she was very upset. The question of the day was, "Where's my present, mommy?" How do you explain to a two year old that Christmas is supposed to be a one day thing?
So, to sum it all up, we had a happy holiday filled with tons of food (I'm now regretting this part), fun with the fam, and much gratefulness for our Savior.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Picture Time

This picture says it all! Our recent trip to Sears to have some long overdue family pictures done was the adventure I thought it would be. Corinne would not smile for anything. She smirked cutely in a couple of pictures, but, for the most part, this was her expression. Corinne is not into strangers, especially male strangers. This poor photographer's attempts to make her smile with some weird looking stuffed monster was having the opposite affect. Every time this guy got within three feet of her, she grimaced and squealed. I bribed with happy meals, toys, and even getting to sleep with mom and dad, but she was not interested. Then, I tried the guilt thing. I told her she was making me sad because I couldn't see her beautiful smile. That worked for a little bit. I guess I should try guilt more often. Let's just say it will a few more years before we do the picture thing again.

Monday, December 22, 2008

Another Visit to See Cousins

We went to visit my sister and her kids a couple weeks ago for Luke's(nephew), 4th birthday. That was when I got to experience the fog. We had a fun time, and Luke loved all of his Incredible Hulk presents. If only they didn't live 10 hours away.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Visiting Family

At the beginning of December, thanks to my mother-in-law and her hubby, Debbie and Jim, we were able to visit John's sister Elise and her family in Salt Lake. My kids absolutely loved spending time with their cousins, Josh, Grant, and Lauren. We don't get to see them very often, so the kids were so excited to get to go on an airplane to visit. We did a lot of fun things, like going to a real farm and being attacked by hungry geese. My kids are city folk, so I think this was the first time they actually saw a real farm with all the animals. Also, we went to a fun children's museum and the "Festival of Trees" at the convention center. There were hundreds of beautiful trees and Christmas decorations that had all been uniquely decorated and donated by different families and companies. They all had been auctioned off to benefit the children's hospital. There were lots of yummy treats there, and fun activities for the kids. This was such a fun trip, and I even got an adult night out with my brother and sister-in-law, Jeff and Elise, to see a movie. (Thanks to Grandma Debbie and Jim for babysitting six hyper grandkids!) This little vacation was a memorable, great time. I wish John could have come with us, but the breadwinner was devout to his duty. I also have to thank Elise for working for Jet Blue, which makes all of these fun trips possible.

Snow Day Video

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Snow Day Part II

Today was unbelievable! I've been in Vegas since day 1, and I've never seen any snow storm like this before. Monday was fun, but this was a true winter storm. I love looking at all the white covering the trees and the ground. You can't even see a trace of the ugly desert landscaping underneath. Driving in this craziness was kind of scary, but who wants to leave the house in this weather? Everything has shut down. Coy's Christmas program was cancelled, Christian's youth group at church was cancelled, and like I stated before.....school is cancelled!!! The kids have absolutely loved this. The video I'm about to post shows Coy in a grumpy, non-snow loving kind of mood. However, after a warm bath, he perked up and was begging to go play out in the snow. Of course, John had his typical, fun appeal that attracted kids from the neighborhood that I didn't even know existed. After several snowmen, snow forts, and snowball fights, everyone was ready for another warm bath and some hot chocolate. This unexpected weather has given us a memorable, fun 2008 holiday season that we will never forget. Heck, no work tomorrow? Babe, start another movie!





School Canceled!

Hee Hee! I don't have to work tomorrow! Thank you, God, for the miracle of white stuff. I love it!

No school Thursday due to bad weather
Wednesday December 17, 2008 - General

Due to weather conditions and for the safety of students, all Clark County School District schools will be closed tomorrow (Thursday). Students should not report to campus. All administrators, 12-month employees, and office staff should report to work as usual. Teachers, other classroom employees and bus drivers are not expected to report to work since a makeup day may be scheduled later in the year. All school-based Food Service personnel, Food Service truck drivers and warehousers are not to report for work. However, all other Food Service personnel shall report for work or contact their supervisor.

The last snow day was in 1979 when my mom was teaching and was very pregnant with my big sis. Too bad Christian is on track break; he would have loved the extra day off.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Snow Day

Yesterday, we had some crazy weather. It was raining from the time we woke up, and around 9 am the rain turned into little white flakes. The kids were in shock. I've always told them we wouldn't have any snow where we live because it's the desert. Coy yelled when he saw it and said, "See mom, I told you it can snow at our house. It's Christmas today!" That took a little explaining. I didn't realize that living so far southwest in the valley would be a noticeable change in temperature. As I drove Coy home from preschool about 15 miles away, the temperature dropped 10 degrees, and the rain turned into snow. The kids were very disappointed that their attempts at a snowman never left the ground. They tried to make snowballs, but they were just throwing slush. I'm not sure why, but they kept refilling huge Tupperware bowls full of ice and dumping them in the backyard. Somehow that added to the fun. The snow continued all day, and the cars were covered in white. But like any snow in Vegas, it didn't stick around. The only evidence of our snow day is the far off mountains that are now white. I'm glad the kids got to experience a little bit of true winter time. They were quite done with it after 30 minutes. They all ran inside and jumped in the tub. I guess the cold is only fun for a short while.




Saturday, December 13, 2008

In a Fog

Fog is something I have seen in movies, scary movies. Fog doesn't really exist like that, right?? Well, that's what I thought until a couple of days ago. Being a desert rat my whole life, fog is folklore to me. I've always thought highly of California until now. It has Disneyland, much of my family, the warm beaches, the cold beaches, and beautiful scenery. This was my distorted view of CA, but not anymore. Thursday night, as I drove with my kids and mom to visit the sis in Yuba City, CA, I thought my death was going to include a semi and a sad call to the husband from the California highway patrol. I was in shock at the huge blanket of fog that surrounded me for about three hours. I could not see more than ten feet in front of me. My only hope of staying in the lane was by hyper-focusing on the two lines on either side of me. I'd heard of this evil fog getting people into big trouble on the road, and now, I'm a believer. I've never been so stressed in my life. As I look at my hands right now, I have three blisters on my palms from gripping the wheel so tightly. The kids were in the backseat fussing about snacks, which DVD to watch next, and who had dropped their toy on the floor. It was all I could do to not turn into Incredible Hulk momma and start some smashing of my own. I was very resentful of the fact that they were not sensing my stress level. My oldest, Christian, figured it out quickly and soon became nervous himself. I was praying like a mad-woman as my eyes started to play tricks on me. I considered just pulling over onto the shoulder and crying, but being in the middle of nowhere land, hanging out on the side of the road, didn't sound like such a good idea either. Well, did we pull through?? Eventually we made it to our destination, two hours behind schedule. Kids don't seem to appreciate being pulled from the car, sleeping at 2 am. I finally have a pro on my "Living in Las Vegas" side of the board. So, to put it mildly, fog is evil; I completely understand why it is in most scary movies now. It's terrifying.