A Christmas tag

I was tagged by my sister-in-law Jaime. It's a different one than before, so read on....

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping Paper. I love buying cute ribbons and bows. And if you are really in the mood it's fun to add something like a jingle bell or an ornament on top. So fun.

2. Tree--Real or Artificial? Real. I love the smell. Plus, going out into the forest, finding the perfect tree, cutting it down, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows, bringing it home and cutting off about ten feet because you forget how small your house is, especially when the tree looked so small compared to all the other trees in the forest, and then decorating it is half the fun!

3. When do you put Christmas tree up? The day after Thanksgiving. We always chop it down the same day each year.

4. When do you take the tree down? The day after Christmas. When it's over, it's over. :)

5. Like egg nog? Oh heavens no! I think it is the thickest, most disgusting drink I have ever tried. My husband loves it though, so we usually have some in our fridge during the holidays.

6. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, my parents collect them and have over 35, so we have started our own collection, it consists of seven as of now.

7. Favorite gift received as a child? My dad built me a doll house one year that was beautiful. I also recall a really funny home video of myself rocking out in the living room with my boom box. That was a pretty sweet gift too.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Jefferson!!! He is so picky!

9. Easiest person to buy for? Carter. He loves everything and is so easily amused. I love kids!

10. Worst Christmas gift? I don't ever recall a really bad one. I mean, some that aren't my favorite, but there is always a lot of thought put into them, so that makes me like them, at least to some degree. (though I never did wear that turtleneck with the scotty dogs all over it) :)

11. Mail or email a Christmas Card? Mail. I think it's so much more personal. However, ecards would be a whole lot easier and cheaper. Look at me... we didn't even do any Christmas cards this year! I'm a slacker!

12. Favorite Christmas movie? White Christmas, hands down. However, after talking to a number of people I have discovered it may have to be a movie that you grow up with to appreciate. Elf is up at the top of my list too. That movie is hilarious! Ok, and I like The Grinch, and all the old classics like It's a Wonderful Life. *Sigh* I love that one!

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Months in advance. Then the cost doesn't hit you all in one month and you can find way better sales. I do love the holiday bustle though.

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Christmas present? No. Wedding present? Just once... it was a popcorn popper that we got a couple of. Don't tell!

15. Favorite food to eat on Christmas? My mom's bran muffins on Christmas morning! Holy cow they are delicious! I could eat a dozen! Also sugar cookies. Yum!

16. Clear or colored tree lights? Clear (aka white)

17. Favorite Christmas Song? Is it really possible to choose just one? White Christmas, Joy to the World, Oh Holy Night, Angels We Have Heard on High.... I could go on and on. I love them all.

18. Travel during Christmas or Stay home? Right now we travel while our kids are so young. Eventually we will definitely be a stay at home for Christmas family.

19. Can you name Santa's reindeer? Yes, I have Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer memorized.

20. Angel or Star on Tree top? Star. I have never seen a cute angel. They all look like crazy haired barbies.

21. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning? We always have pajamas and an ornament to open Christmas eve, then the rest on Christmas morning.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? I love the Christmas season and I think pretty much everything that goes along with it. However, I do find it annoying when people forget the true meaning of Christmas. And Portland drivers do not know how to drive in snow! That drives me crazy!

Ok, I don't think anybody did the tag the last time I did this, but let's try again. I'll just tag a bunch of people and see if anyone does it: Ie Li, Alli, Dyan, Shauna, Natalie, Hayley, Maylin, Jess, Claire... you're it!

Zoo Lights

We braved the cold and went to see the zoo lights tonight with our friends, the Hatch's. There are over half a million Christmas lights throughout the zoo. We had a blast! We rode the train and ate a picnic dinner. It was perfect weather, a little cold, but no rain! It definitely put us in the Christmas spirit!

Mommy moment: fruit stacking

Carter was cracking me up this morning, like most mornings. He decided that instead of eating his fruit he would stack it. He would stack the bananas and unstack and then stack them again. He was quite proud when he balanced the grape on top. I am pretty sure none of the fruit ended up in his mouth.

Camera happy

So, we've been a little camera happy the last few days. It's hard to snap great pictures of our kids when they are such wiggle worms, but these are a few of our favorites. PS... it's picasa.com where I make these fun grids of pictures. Give it a whirl!

Sibs

I'm so glad when daddy comes home...

My girl

Spiral Frog

My brother introduced me to this site www.spiralfrog.com You can download songs for free! (and legally) It's great. I haven't quite figured out how to transfer them to my itunes just yet, or if you can because of how the songs are protected. But you can still get a bunch of great songs to listen to on your computer. Love it! Thanks Ben!

.LOVELIFE.

Check out this site! My sister-in-law contributes to this online magazine of sorts. It has craft ideas, food ideas, ways to improve as a wife, mother, friend, FHE ideas, etc... It's really fun to browse through. Take a lookie-loo! http://lovelifemagazine.blogspot.com/

Here is a little taste of our night at SYTYCD:

This is the hummingbird and the flower:

Get out the red lipstick, it's Cabaret!:

Hairspray:

SYTYCD

AMAZING!!! We went to So You Think You Can Dance last night and it was phenomenal! We were on the floor, middle section, seven rows back. It was so awesome being able to see all their facial expressions and every detail of every move. They did a bunch of the season favorites including, but not limited to: The hummingbird and the flower (yes, they brought Hok back), the angel and the devil, the latin one "Hip Hip Chin Chin" with Lacey and Danny, the hip hop skeleton one with Pasha and Lauren, the West coast swing, Amazing Grace, the contemporary one with Lacey and Kameron, Disco with Neil and Sabra, the board room with the table by Neil and Sabra, the princes, the vagabonds, the Wiz, the Cabaret number, the group swamp number, the lion king group one.... so many more. Then they had about four or five new numbers. There was a new Hairspray group number, Hok, Dominic, and Sara did a new hip hop number, Pasha and Anya did a new ballroom number... Everyone did solos as well. It was two and a half hours long! I think everyone left the stadium dancing; you'll see Jefferson and I with our jazz hands. :) I don't even know what else to say about it, except for, when can I sign up for dance lessons?! (thank you Michelle for babysitting our children!)

Thankful for fun

We spent this last week in Klamath with my whole side of the family for Thanksgiving. We had an amazingly fun time. Between DDR, the girls in our nuggy pants, the Christmas tree almost falling in our living room, "Dad, you have glitter on your face", card making, puzzle putting, home video watching, face stuffing, tee pee playing, kitty holding, and four wheeling... there was a lot of laughing. I sure am thankful for such a wonderful family. We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Grandma & Grandpa Stewart with the grandkids in their Christmas pj's....

Thanksgiving Dinner...

Tree getting...

Cousins: Carter & Grayson:

Mommy Moment: Prayer time

Carter is the best at remembering to pray. He'll constantly remind us that we need to pray at meals by just sitting there with his arms folded until we say the prayer. Granted, he'll usually sneak a few bites of food during the prayer, but still pretty impressive for a 1 1/2 year old. His folding has improved over the last few weeks. He used to just tuck both of his hands beneath his chin, but now he actually folds his arms. The trick is to get this habit to stick for the rest of his life.

You Say It's My Birthday!

So, yes, today is my birthday. Usually I wouldn't really be announcing that, but I do have to let you know how wonderful my husband is. It is just after 7am and already I have been served breakfast in bed and two tickets to see "So You Think You Can Dance"!!!!! (the tour) It is the Tuesday after Thanksgiving and we have the best seats! They are on the floor, middle section, 7 rows back! I think I am going to die!!! For any of you not addicted to the show, you are missing out! It is incredible. I would even venture to say better than "American Idol." That good! Then, on Jefferson's way to school he called to let me know that he had made some arrangements for a beautiful sunrise. I looked outside, and sure enough, it was a beautiful hot pink sunrise. Happy 25th Birthday to me! :)

Lettuce Wraps

Here is a delicious recipe for lettuce wraps:

1.5 lbs ground turkey
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Chinese 5 spice
1-3 tsp Szechwan seasoning (Mcormicks. Amount depends on how spicy you like it)
8 oz can drained water chesnuts, finally chopped (i just slip them in my food processor)
1 cup shredded carrots (or again, i just pop them in my food processor)
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1/2 cup chopped, toasted nuts (pecans are yummy)
1-4 tbs soy sauce
(you can also add a small shredded zucchini if you want to add some more veggies, I don't really like them so I usually don't use one)

*Cook meat in skillet with oil and seasoning. Add remaining ingredients. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes. Spoon into bibs of lettuce. YUMMY! I usually serve brown rice on the side.

Shout out

I just wanted to give a shout out to my little sister Alli. She just got accepted into the social work program at BYUI. I am so proud of her!! We, of course, were not surprised that she was accepted, but still very excited for her. She is amazing!

(isn't she cute?!)

Blog makin'

I have had a few people ask me where I got my blog layout... I actually designed it! I am quite proud of myself for being as computer illiterate as I am. If you visit http://sjhblogdesign.blogspot.com/ she walks you through how to download different digital scrapbook pages and how to put them into the html of your blog. I am probably not making any sense, but just go to that website and you'll see what I mean. Happy blog designing!

Happy Days

Here is my smiley little girl. She really is this happy all of the time! Ok, most of the time. Unless she is really tired or hungry, she will just smile and talk all day. It doesn't take much to get a smile out of her and that makes her mama smile.

Mommy Moment

Carter loves standing on the counter. I think he would stand up there all day long if I let him. He will also eat anything while on the counter, like a whole bowl of peas this afternoon. I think he thinks if he's super good I'll let him stay up there. He likes playing "Where's Lasso?" while on the counter. He'll put Lasso, or whatever stuffed animal he has that day, in the same cabinet every time. Then he'll close it and wait for me to say "Where's Lasso (or Bear, or Lamb, etc)?" Then Carter will hold up his hands, like pictured, and say the same thing in his own way. Then I'll proceed to ask "Is he in this cabinet?" "Is he in the oven?" "Is he in the fridge?" And I'll open all these places and Carter will shake his head and say, "Noooo." I wish I had it on video. It is adorable the way he shakes his head and says no. Anyways, it's his favorite game, and if we're not playing it, he'll stand reaching up for the counter saying "Up. Up. Up." It's really cute the first couple hundred times. :)

It's that time of year...

Yes, with Halloween behind us, now we can move on to bigger and better holidays... Thanksgiving and Christmas! We'll just call it the holiday season. I thought it was appropriate to change our background to something more Christmasy. Only 51 days until Christmas!

Piggity Pirate and Penguin

So, Carter's "beard" faded a bit after his trip to the drinking fountain, but you get the gist. I will have you know, out of about 55 kids, Carter won the best boy costume! He is pretty cute. We only attended the ward primary party. I think this may be our last year of not trick-or-treating. We enjoyed our chili and scones at home and answering the door for the trick-or-treaters. It is so hit and miss around here. Last year we literally only had one knock, and this year we ran out of candy! We hope you all had a happy halloween! Don't forget to brush!

Happy Halloween!

Check out our Halloween smilebox. Just click on it to get it started.

Make your own slide shows and scrapbooks

There's a first for everything (mommy moment)

Carter and Andi had their first "fight." We will put little toys on or around Andi to grab at and chew on. Carter usually just comes along and grabs them at will, but this time Andi latched on. Imagine Carter's surprise when there was resistance to his toy snatching where previously there has been none. It was pretty funny to watch.

Tender Mommy Moment

Carter's new thing is that when I am holding Andi he will either slip his hand between me and Andi or hold his arms outstretched in front of him, signaling that he wants to hold Andi. Then he'll sit on the couch and hold Andi and it makes him smile, without fail, every time. It makes mom smile every time too. It is so tender!

Healthy, wealthy, and wise

Ok, maybe just the healthy part, but my kids certainly are healthy! They both had doctor's appointments and seem to be growing just fine. Carter is in the 10th percentile for weight and 75th for height. He is our worm. And Andi is just nice and solid coming in at the 75th percentile for weight and off the charts for height. (14lbs. 7 oz and 26 1/4 inches long) Neither of them cried when they got their shots either! They both whimpered a little, but Carter was fine once I pulled the smarties out of my pocket. That's a nice little trick... plus he thought the bandaids were really cool on his thighs.

I've been tagged by Ie Li

The rules:

A. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

B. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog, for these rules.

Six facts/habits about myself:

1:After I am done getting ready, hair, clothes, make up, and all, the final thing that I do is look at myself in the mirror with my head cocked to the left. I never noticed this until Jefferson pointed it out when we got married.

2.I enjoy watching ultimate fighting. (ie: the octagon) Will I ever let my kid watch it? No way, not if I have any say in it! I don't know what I enjoy about it. It's grown men kicking the bajeebeez out of each other with basically no rules. Who thinks this is a good idea? I hate everything about it, except watching it. :)

3. I don't do well when our apartment is not picked up. I always try to let it go on the weekends because Jefferson doesn't really care about it and we would rather spend the time together doing something other than cleaning. However, inevitably, when we come home from church on Sunday, I will start to get a little hot about it and frantically pick up real quick so I can enjoy the rest of the afternoon.

4. My favorite smell in the world is the smell of Carter's room when I go to get him in the morning. Does that sound weird? I don't know how else to explain it, except that it smells like Carter. I love it! (of course, this is when he isn't poopy)

5. My favorite movie is White Christmas, just ask my roommates of the Nasty 9. When Bing Crosby has that stupid blue headband with the feather on it and the fan, singing "Sisters," and he really starts to laugh, I love it! There are so many great songs in there, plus it's about Christmas, my favorite holiday. Anybody want to watch it with me this Christmas? I tricked Jefferson into watching it with me once and I don't think that will happen ever again. Sisters and sisters-in-law, we might have to do a reprise this Thanksgiving for the family! Are you in?!

6. Jefferson and I fight over who gets to get Carter out of bed on the weekends. Jefferson argues that he should be able to because he doesn't get to see him in the mornings all week, which is a legitimate argument, but I love getting Carter up in the morning! So Saturday and Sunday mornings we run down the hallway pushing each other out of the way to get to his room first, it verges a little bit on spousal abuse... anything goes, tripping, elbows, clothes line, shoving, whatever it takes. It's kind of funny. We love our little boy!

Tag, you're it: Alli, Maylin, Claire, Rachel, Hayley, Sam/Nikki, Breena

Here are our family pictures from last weekend. We are actually pleasantly surprised at how well they turned out. Andi was being super fussy and Carter was running around the studio like an 18 month old or something... go figure. By the end of it Jefferson had broken out into a sweat, Carter was throwing the props off the shelf, I was about to yell at somebody, and Andi was crying... you would never have guessed from these photos! Way to go photographer! We actually got a few decent shots. Very impressive. However, we have decided that there will be no more family photos until we have all of our children popped out. It's just way too much work. :)