The Christmas Post

Richie's brothers and dad were kind enough to help Richie finish our storage room shelves before Christmas! After they put the finishing touches on it, Richie and I put a movie on for the kids and went and organized all of our food storage just the way we're been planning/dreaming since we moved in. It was definitely an early Christmas for us and we are so happy with the results! Of course there are things we'd like to add or change or improve, but all of that will come in time. For the next long while, we're going to be enjoying our new storage room!

We took the kids to see Santa at the grocery store. Gwen wanted nothing to do with them. She was silently stubborn and I didn't want to fight with her. Miles was beyond excited all the way to the store, and as soon as we got there he was completely star struck. He couldn't even say a word, he just smiled sheepishly and nodded.

I don't know where he got it from, but Miles has been concerned all month about the fact that we didn't have a star on the top of our tree. I didn't want to go buy one, so I told him he could make one for it. He did it almost all by himself, and he was so proud to put it on the top.

Christmas Eve was a rush to finish homemade gifts and making sure everything was ready. We spent the snowy evening with some of the Garner fam and then came home to start our very first Christmas by ourselves, in our new home. We managed to squeeze in some cookie making so we had some to leave for Santa. Good thing our fireplace is just a gaping hole at this point. It makes it real easy for Santa to get in and out. :) The kids got their new Christmas pjs and keepsake book, we read the Christmas story and put the kids to bed. Growing up in my family, it was tradition for all the siblings to sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve, so we thought we'd try it out this year with Miles and Gwen. They were both very excited and surprisingly well behaved, however about 30 minutes later Gwen was banging on the door trying to get out. She was so relieved when I put her back in her crib.

This was my first time really stressing out over Christmas morning. I stayed up till 4 trying to make sure everything was ready and trying to figure out new ways to never do it like this again! I enjoyed parts of staying up till the wee hours, but for the most part, I was wishing I was snug in my bed. So by Christmas morning I was wiped out, Richie had been sick most of the night, and the kids wouldn't conform to my idea of tradition. How dare they want to look at presents before breakfast!! :) They were so excited to see what Santa brought. After they rooted through the loot upstairs, they could hardly believe there was more downstairs. And then they saw this beauty:

Santa has been working on this since the summer. He was SO please with how it turned out, and the kids are loving it! Success!!


After the Garners came over to see what Santa brought, we packed up and headed to St. George to spend some time with the Crosbys. We made it just in time for Christmas Day Dinner and the rest of the presents. We stayed in SG until Saturday and had such a relaxing time, it was perfect. There weren't any major plans, so there was lots of time just to chill and hang out. We actually came home well rested after a vacation! Crazy! Despite getting sick and passing it on to our family. It was actually really nice to get sick while I was "at home" and have my mommy take care of me again.

Festivities

We've been celebrating all month long at the Garner home. You know, I try so hard to be on top of things so that I can enjoy the month of December and not be so frazzled. However, something always seems to pop up. Even if I complete everything on my list, I'll say to myself, "Hey, now I have time to work on ______!" or "With all this extra time, I think I'll make _______." Why do I do that to myself?
We've been doing lots of fun little things here and there with the kids. They are both really into Christmas this year, which makes it pretty fun. Miles "gets" Santa, and Gwen refers to anything that looks like Christmas as "ho! ho!"
Here's Miles' letter to Santa. We went to the post office to mail a package and they had a special mail box just for letters to Santa. Miles was so excited that we went right home and drew letters to Santa. He insisted we put it in an envelope and address it. I asked Miles where he lived and he said, "Our House". Then I asked him where Santa lives so the post men would know where to take it, and he said, "Far Away." I wish we could have kept the letter!

Here we are decorating some sugar cookies to take to neighbors. Whoever got that white candy cane with all the chocolate chips is sure lucky! :) When we went to deliver them, we let the kids take turns coming with us to the door. Miles kept saying, "I so love bring cookies to friends. I love friends." That's our tender boy.

Now I can't include the finished product here because it's a surprise to Grandma's and Grandpa's, but these are some cute pics for a project we're working on. Ooooh the suspense!

Some old friends from Rexburg were in the area recently, and stopped by for dinner! What a fun night! Miles and Gwen always love it when people their size come over. Should have gotten more pictures!!

We've really been exercising our creative muscles here and we've made ornaments out of salt dough and pine cones, painted Christmas paper Christmas trees and glued together santas and snowmen. One day I will have 2 trees. One really nice, pretty one, and the other for all the funky ornaments we make and have special memories attached to. The kids can decorate that one however they want, and I won't try to "fix it". Right now, our tree is little of both. Our bottom heavy tree cracks me up.

A Bubble Has Been Burst

Every time I've ever been to Temple Square, it's been magical. Twice in high school our choir came and sang on Temple Square for Christmas. It was always super memorable and fun.
The next time I remember going to see the lights was about a month before Richie and I got engaged. I spent some of my Christmas break with him and his family before heading on to SG. We walked around Temple Square and were "that" couple, you know, ooey-gooey in love. He had mentioned before that he was starting to think about marriage, but this was the first time he said with absolute certainty that he wanted to be the one to take me to the temple.
Last year, we came to Temple Square with Richie's family and had a grand time. Plus there were plenty of helpers to watch the kids so Richie and I actually got to hold hands as we ooohed and ahhed over the lights.

I've been so excited to take the kids this year. We planned our night perfectly based on weather, possible crowds etc and it totally paid off. Not too cold, not too many people, it was going to be fabulous. However, Richie had a long day at work and then I made him drive in the SLC traffic. He about has an aneurism every time we're downtown. Strike one.
We finally found parking, ate our picnic dinner in the car, and took two kids potty in the "wilderness" because there weren't open facilities anywhere. I was expecting the kids to just go nuts over all the lights, but their reaction was lack-luster. We made a pit stop in the visitor's center to see the Christus statue and take another potty break. Strikes 2 and 3?
By this time, both kids were antsy and angry about being the stroller, so we stopped at that one fountain that looks like a giant seashell (c'mon, you know the one I'm talking about) and let the kids run laps around it since it wasn't too crowded. It was about then we happened to see some old friends who have just had their first baby. It was fun to meet their little guy and catch up, but only one of us could talk at a time since the other had to do laps with the kids. And then it happened. I should have seen it coming. I took my eyes of Miles for about 2 seconds and then he was gone, lost somewhere in the mass crowds. Luckily the panic was short-lived and we found him, but he got a firm scolding. About as firm as you can make it in a public place. Both kids were shoved back in the stroller and our friends made some comments about how challenging kids can be, and as I glanced at their 4 month old baby who hadn't made a peep the entire time I thought, you have no idea. Strike 4.
Richie had hit his level and started heading towards the car. Luckily I convinced him to let us at least see the reflection pool. Both kids thought it was cool, but threw major fits upon finding out they weren't going to be allowed out of the stroller any more. That's our cue, we thought, and we started moving. I've stopped counting strikes by this point.
We had planned to do some sneaky, quick Christmas shopping at the City Creek Mall, but Richie was firm this time and we headed to the car. As we walked back, I mourned what was supposed to be a magical night. We got the kids strapped in to their car seats in a hurry because by this time of night, the crowds were coming and people were waiting impatiently in line for our parking spot. The already frazzled Richie felt rushed by the crowds and made a quick exit, right into the front bumper of the car parked next to us. We circled the parking lot, giving me time to write a note. I put it on their windshield and got back in our car, and then we both realized that the car we bumped was parked illegally. It wasn't even a spot!! We thought about taking the note back, but instead wrote a post script telling them that next time, they should think about parking in an actual spot.
Needless to say, the ride home was silent. So I guess not every time you go to Temple Square is magical. Kids sure change things, don't they? You wouldn't guess the truth about the night we had by looking at these pictures though! Good thing I filled you in with the reality of things.

FYI, there are 2 new posts below.

Move That Bus!!

We did Extreme Home Makeover- Garner Style before it got super cold around here. Garner Style meaning, we can't afford to buy nice new things, so we make do with what we've got. :) As mentioned a few months ago we put a new roof on the house. Then a few weeks ago Richie ripped off the ugly blue shutters. Next, I spray painted the address letters, outdoor lamps, door knobs etc. The most exiting part was picking a color for the front door. Ideally, I would have like do buy a new front door, but since we're doing things Garner style, I decided on a dark purple paint. Our brick and siding is tricky to match, lots of pink and yellow tints, so purple seemed like the best choice, although I never imagined having a purple front door. It finally felt finished when I primed and painted the blue trim around the garage. Now it feels like it's more ours, and not someone else's house we moved into, which is a nice feeling.




Before (Not a very good before picture, but it's the only one I could find)

After

She strikes again

Got another window painting job! The flooring business had a buddy that was interested. And while I was painting these windows, I handed out at least 3 more cards to interested people passing by. In all honesty, these are not my favorite windows. I attribute that to the fact that I gave these guys a screamin' deal, and they were persnickety, so I wasn't overly excited to go the extra mile or anything. However, I did pat myself on the back for being at least semi-accurate with the logos.

Finally

I've been passing out business cards and networking as best as I know how, but nothing has turned up. I finally got my first window painting gig in the SLC area this past week. I was super happy with how it turned out and was glad for the only semi-freezing weather. My fingers didn't feel like they were frozen until the very end! Definite plus. I posted all the pictures on my other blog if you're interested. Happy Holidays!

A Few of my Favorite Things

Naked baby bums and baths that keep them entertained for an hour because of the shaving cream paint. (However, in the future, we won't color the shaving cream, seeing as it made our grout so colorful)

Pig Tails! Gwen's hair is finally long enough and I'm convinced it's the cutest thing. Ever. In the history of the world.

Home Repairs and Gwen's plumber's crack. Soon we will have a new fireplace that will heat our entire house, without making the family room smell like a campfire. But right now, there is just a gaping hole where the fireplace used to be. That's not so favorite.

It's also a favorite thing of mine when Christmas comes a little early. For our Christmas present this year, Richie' putting shelves in the storage room so we won't have to sort through boxes of food storage when the Zombie Apocalypse happens.

Free Stuff. I LOVE free stuff. There are so many more opportunities here compared to good ol' Rexburg. We're trying to take advantage of them without running ourselves ragged. We brought some canned goods and got free admission to the Children's Museum at the Gateway. The kids were in absolute heaven. I couldn't help but remember back to one short year ago when we went with the Garner over Christmas break and Gwen was just an itty bitty thing. Time flies. We also went to free day at the aquarium in Sandy. Maybe one day we'll actually pay full price and not deal with the massive amounts of cheapskates all cramming their bodies into a 2x4 area to look at some sea horses. However, Gwen is kind of in love with all things "sea life" so she was lovin it. So we loved it. Our camera is on the fritz (is that a phrase, or am I making that up?) so we've been lacking in pictures since then.

The Day After Thanksgiving We...

8am Woke up at the children's leisure and popped some left over chocolate chip pancakes in the toaster for breakfast.

9am Miles watches a Thomas the Train DVD...again and Gwen and I read books while Richie tidied up the house.

10am Got the kids dressed, got ourselves dressed in our finest work wear and headed outside to clean up the yard. The kids thought it was fun for the first 10 minutes and then it was a constant battle. We raked leaves, hauled the leaves onto the garden, picked up millions of sticks that our willow tree likes to leave, swept the patio and mowed the lawn.

1015 am Forced Miles to stay outside even though he was cold. Bribed him with money for doing chores. He thought that was a good deal.
1017 am Reminded Miles of his chore money that he was earning after he started whining again. He pitched in and picked up some sticks.
1020 am Richie lets Miles help him push the lawn mower. Gwen is jealous and starts crying, so Richie puts Gwen on his shoulders.
1030 am I have one of those moments where I feel the spirit at an unexpected time. I'm hauling leaves in a laundry basket to our garden, and I look over and see my husband teaching and loving our children while they all mow the lawn together. I think my heart might just burst.

1130 am We give each of the kids a dollar and take them to the gas station down the street and let them pick out a treat. Gwen grabs 2 small candies and Miles chooses a fountain root beer. Richie and I exchange one of those looks that says, "Man that was hard, but wasn't it great??" Eventually Gwen wants Miles' soda, and Miles wants Gwen's candy, but neither of them wants to share. Of course, you saw that coming right?

1230 pm The kids watch some "Shaun the Sheep" (one of the few kids shows we all actually like) while Richie and I finish the yard work that didn't get done because the kids were "helping". Miles goes to the fridge to drink some more soda and as he reaches for it, knocks it over, spilling it all over the kitchen floor. Poor kid. Lunch. Naps. Hallelujah, we made it.

2 pm We both work on our lessons and our talks for the upcoming Sunday. Richie finally rips off those awful blue shutters with hearts in them from the front of the house and takes off all the door nobs and other such accessories so I can paint them. They all need a little sprucing and TLC from a can of spray paint.

3 pm I slink off to the grocery store to buy meat. We don't eat hardly any meat these days, but Thanksgiving just didn't seem finished without the traditional bird to feast on. I found 2 drumsticks for $2.50. Score! I also run by the library to return that awful Thomas DVD. Sneaky mom, yes?

4 pm The kids are still napping and I wrestle with the two choices before me. Cook dinner or shower. Dinner, shower, dinner shower...I try my best to throw dinner in the oven and clean up the kitchen. Showers are for rookies. Instead I change from my hole-in-the-knee-jeans to my other pair of jeans that are slightly nicer, keep the same pj shirt on but spring for some deodorant, and change my sweater from the one that says,"I'm not trying at all" to the one that says, "Ok, I'm trying a little".

515pm Try to force some food down the kids so that we won't be late to the very special end of our family day, a "big movie" as it's called around these parts. A first for Baby Gwen. "Brave" is finally at the cheap seats in Sandy. Too bad the turkey wasn't cooked enough to eat. We left it in the oven cooking on low just to torment Ozzy. We pumped the kids up to hurry them along, and both were pretty excited, until "Brave" turned out to be a little bit darker than Miles was expecting and he kept asking to go home.

630 pm Feel the spirit unexpectedly again while watching a movie with my family. Richie and I steal a glance again, over the kids in between us, and smile.

8 pm Get the kids in bed, feast on our gluttonous turkey legs, more yam and apple casserole and watch "Prison Break" re-runs until we're sufficiently tired. What a fantastic way to spend a day, even if I didn't get a shower.

On All Matters Thanksgiving

What a different Thanksgiving we had! No traveling, no stress and no turkey! We woke up and after our morning routine, Richie took the kids over to spend the majority of the day at Grandma and Grandpa Garner's house. I had the entire house to myself and just took my time making the side dishes I was assigned. No little people tugging on my pants or needing to go potty, no dog running around, nothing! I caught up on some of my shows and channeled my inner chef as I made rolls, mashed potatoes, Dixie salad and cranberry butter. It was wonderful and sort of strange to be "celebrating" Thanksgiving by myself.

After nap time, we all headed over to have our mostly vegan Thanksgiving feast. Definitely a first! It was delicious! Although I will admit, the next day I made my favorite yam and apple casserole and 2 turkey drumsticks for Richie and I to indulge in. I guess I'm just too weak!

The kids were not interested in the food one bit, so they mostly played and watched a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Later we made pilgrim and Indian hats. We had time to squeeze a little wrestle time in too of course. The kids got to stay up late playing so we were all ready to go to sleep when the time came. It must have been the most relaxing Thanksgiving I can remember!