Christmas Review

Quick Christmas Review....
It was a pretty perfect Christmas. It started with a very relaxed Christmas Eve, because I decided to wrap all the gifts first thing in the morning instead of waiting till the evening, so I had all day to relax and bake and just have fun. That evening we finished our 12 Days of Christmas / Secret Santa runs. We picked 3 friends and for the 12 days leading up till Christmas we were Secret Elves and delivered treats and toys to them every night. We made it the whole time without getting caught and we had tons of fun. Thank you Petty Family for making it even more fun by spying every night and trying to catch us - it made it a great adventure.

Christmas morning went a little too quickly for me. I'll explain why. I have major gift issues, meaning I express and feel love by giving and receiving gifts. So every birthday or Christmas I want to go crazy with gifts and I am always afraid that my kids will be disappointed and not love me if there aren't TONS of gifts under the tree. Well I have discovered and I don't think I'm the only one, that as my kids get older the more EXPENSIVE their gifts become. Am I right? So my budget is the same as when I could buy them 10 presents, but now that budget only can buy them 3 or 4. So my kids each got 4 gifts from mom and dad. Now they were great gifts. Tyson wanted the Lego Star Wars Gun Ship and Brissinger, Zach wanted Nintendo DS games and a Mega Bloks Medieval Castle, and Emma wanted an Ipod and a camera. So I had to fight every urge in my body to not ignore the budget and still buy them tons of gifts. However, my husband was the voice of reason and assured me that the kids would be thrilled with their gifts and that quality was more important than quantity. And he was right!! Of course, Grandma and Grandpa Vaughan were the biggest hit of Christmas. They got all of us a Wii, and Uncle Macc and Aunt Lisa got us Wii Music and Great Grandma and Grandpa Vaughan got us more controllers and another Wii Sports game. So all the great stuff, I didn't have to buy! So the gifts were few in number but high in appreciation.

And as for me, I felt COMPLETELY loved because my husband spoiled me rotten and bought me all sorts of crafty items and software. He even spent two days of his life reorganizing our small office to make room for two craft tables so that I can actually work on projects and leave them out (all away from a little 2 year old's hands)! So now I can put all my pent up energy to good use instead of yelling at my kids! YIPPEE!! To end the wonderful day we had friends over for dinner and ate tons of yummy food!! I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!!

Family Photo

Here is the picture of my whole family that we took during Thanksgiving. I just want everyone to remember that I know how awful I look, and that it is very difficult to find one picture that twenty some people look good in. I think everyone looks great except for me!! Oh, well!! I wanted to add name labels for anyone that doesn't know my family. The names in red are my immediate family - parents and siblings. Their spouses are next to them in the picture: Adriann & Shane, Andy & Jenna, Ron & me, and Macc & Lisa. The children that aren't mine belong to Andy and Jenna, except for Ivy who is Adriann's daughter; there is a baby girl on the way for Macc and Lisa, due in January - yippee! Make sense? Good!!
I love, love, love, my family and it was beyond wonderful to be all together for Thanksgiving. It was probably the best Thanksgiving EVER!!

p.s. And thank you to Jacque for patiently teaching me how to use Microsoft PAINT so I could add the fun names!

Snowman Pancakes

I never make my kids breakfast on school days. I know that's horrible, but I am NOT a morning person. I wake up with just enough time to supervise all necessary activity and then out the door they go. So we have made it a tradition to have breakfast for dinner on Sundays. But today was a rare exception, we had a 2 hour school delay due to, you guessed it, snow!! So I took the opportunity to make my kids some snowman pancakes. They loved them and they looked so cute!! This might become a new winter tradition.

Tess' Birthday Party

It was two days late, but better late than never. She loved all her presents and it was so much fun to watch her having a great time!!

Christmas Party and Santa

We had our church Christmas Party last night. I was very concerned about Tess because she can be pretty awful if she wants to be. However, with Ron and I trading off we did fairly well keeping her happy and she didn't even scream for Santa. Yeah!!

I have discovered that my daughters love of candy canes can be used in my favor. She didn't smile, but she didn't scream either. I concider it a win.


Emma would have sat on Santas lap all night. And she would have asked for everything under the sun too, if I would have let her.


Even Zach and Tyson who think they are too old for Santa wanted to sit on his lap. So cute!!


Ron had the camera for once so I am actually in a picture - and I don't look half bad either!!

Emma excitedly telling me everything she asked Santa for - anyone want to donate some money to the cause? (just kidding!)

Happy Birthday Mom!

Tess shares a birthday with a very special person, my mom!!! Happy birthday Mom, I love you!!!

Tess' 2nd Birthday

HAPPY 2ND BIRTHDAY TESS!!!
We can't have Tess' birthday party until Saturday, because Ron has a "mandatory fun" Army obligation tonight (all you military know exactly what I mean) and tomorrow night is our church Christmas party. So I wanted to post some of my very favorite pictures of her for you all to enjoy! Oh, how I love my little baby girl!!

Snow Day for Church

Oh, what do you do in the wintertime when all the world is white? Do you play silly games, or run in a maze, or stare at the snow so white? Is that what you do? So do I!!

So what would you do on a Sunday when church was canceled due to snow? Well we did...


Emma played cards with her stuffed animal friends.


The boys played chess and checkers. They are working on a chess belt loop for Scouts.


We burned off some steam by running around the house chasing the two year old.


And then some of us sat in our favorite comfy chair and stared at the beautiful snow falling and loving the fact that I wouldn't have to shovel any of it!!



And of course we had to stay in our jammies, drink tons of yummy hot chocolate, eat fresh from the oven cinnamon rolls and we watched tons of Christmas movies. It was a good day.

I have a pet peeve to share

Okay, so I am in a happy place right now because my Christmas decorations are up and I am listening to Christmas Carols and my kids are outside playing in the snow - I LOVE IT! But I just heard a song that reminded me of a recent pet peeve of mine. I am listening to Josh Groban's Noel, and I love it, but there is a song that he has that bothers me. He sings "I'll Be Home For Christmas" and in the background he has soldiers speaking giving their Christmas wishes to their families, while they are in Iraq or Afghanistan. Okay, this makes me so mad!!!! I hate it when the press or singers or anyone capitalizes on soldiers being away on Christmas. They use them to pull at every one's heart strings and makes them look oh so concerned about "those poor soldiers away from their families". What CRAP!! (excuse my language)!! What about the thousands of families of mothers and fathers, wives and husbands, and children that won't have their soldier home for the holidays, or for months and months for that matter? Do they care about them at all - the families left behind? What about them? And then, the news will show a wonderful reunion of a soldier surprising their child at school when they come home for their 18 day R&R that just happens to be over Christmas. Lucky for him; how many soldiers would kill to have R&R over Christmas but can't because everyone has to take turns - what about them? Do they not care that there are THOUSANDS of such reunions every year? Why don't they show any of those? Oh, maybe because it is Christmas so we are suppose to be more concerned with the people who are sacrificing their lives to keep all of us safe. It just feels so "politically correct" and even "fake" to trot our the soldiers around Christmas and then forget about them for the rest of the year. I hate that they use some "token" soldiers, not their families, to make everybody cry and be sad and grateful for all of 2 seconds and then they are forgotten. IT MAKES ME SO MAD!!! (can you tell?) Okay, so I know I have rambled, but I hope you get my point. Soldiers, and their families should not be used to get "brownie" points by anyone. We know what we do and we know what we sacrifice and we do it willingly. Don't make light of what we do and the sacrifices we make, to make you look good.

Thanksgiving Review

We had the most wonderful Thanksgiving, that went by way too fast. We got to spend three full days with my ENTIRE family!! I was in heaven, even though I had a yucky cold the whole time! Pictures will come soon. I foolishly forgot that my memory card was in my computer, not my camera, so I couldn't take any pictures. My brother took tons, so as soon as I get them I will post some.

posting from the road

I am posting from my van using rons blackberry. He just got it, so I am having fun playing with it. We are headed to ohio for thanksgiving. We are slow going due to lake effect snow storms and tons and tons of accidents. We wanted to get there by 11 but now we will be lucky if we get there by 1. My whole family will be together at my brother maccs house, it will be the best thanksgiving ever! I hope every body has a wonderful thanksgiving!

CHRISTMAS VERSION OF GETTING TO KNOW YOUR FRIENDS
*Anyone who reads this Blog - I tag you! It's silly and fun, please do it!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bag? paper

2. Real tree or artificial? Real, although I need my husband to help set it up, I'm all thumbs!!

3. When do you put up the tree? As early as Ron will let me, but no sooner than Thanksgiving weekend.

4.When do you take the tree down? Around New Years, I stretch it out as long as possible.

5. Do you like eggnog? No, but Ron does so we always have some in the fridge.

6. Favorite gift received as a child? I don't really have one, but I do remember a stuffed bear that also played "I Wonder When He Comes Again". I loved that bear and I would wind him up as far as he would go and then fall asleep to the song.

7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes, several. I collect them. I try to get a new one each year.

8. Hardest person to buy for? Ron, because he never knows what he wants - he's not a big gift person - weird I know! Oh, and my parents - they're the same way!

9. Easiest person to buy for? Tess! She doesn't have any opinions yet on what she wants so I get to buy her whatever I want!!

10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I have one but I don't want to hurt anyones feelings by saying what it is!

11. Email or Christmas cards? Homemade cards, it's the only time that I make them all by myself! This years is really cute!!!

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? White Christmas, I have to watch it on Thanksgiving night, it's a tradition.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Novemberish. I try to do it all in one big spree, that way Ron only has one heart attack instead of several!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Treats!! I love everything with sugar!

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear

17. Your favorite Christmas song? Silent Night

18. Travel for Christmas or stay at home? Stay home, but have family come to me. I love our cold, snowy Christmas!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? Yes. You can't have kids and not know that song!

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star, but Zach complained that it wasn't pretty enough, so I am on the hunt for a new one.

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning

22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? Crowded stores and no parking spots!

23. Best Christmas gift ever received? Almost anything Ron has given me, and he is always able to surprise me! Oh, and he gives great jewlery!!

24. Best part of Christmas? Being together as a family

Eventful weekend

We had an very eventful weekend, and a big milestone as well. Ron's dad Norm flew out from Utah to visit for the weekend. We invited him out so that he could ordain Ron to the office of a High Priest in our church. Why would Ron need to be ordained to a High Priest, you may ask? Well, because Ron is the new 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric of the Watertown Ward. Now some of you may be saying, but he just got back? EXACTLY MY THOUGHTS!!! But there is a little story to go along with this new calling for Ron.

Let me take you back to the early summer. Some of you may recall how I struggle with Sundays, mostly dealing with my children during church. I was eagerly awaiting Ron's return and his help with this continuous problem. Well, sometime in the early summer I started to get little thoughts pop into my head that Ron might not be able to sit with me and the kids when he got back. Well, these thoughts would not go away, no matter how much I wished it. So at our church 4th of July activity I accosted the Bishop and told him about these thoughts I was having. He hemmed and hawed for a minute and then his wife told me that, yes my thoughts were indeed correct, and the Bishop wanted Ron to be one of his counselors when he got home. He did promise me at least 1 month after his return before he gave him the calling. So I had months of warning - and I needed it. I kept telling Ron that the calling was coming and he didn't believe me. I slowly convinced him, so we both were not surprised when the Stake President came up to us at Stake Conference and asked to speak to us.

Now come back to present day. It was wonderful to have Norm here to ordain Ron and his blessing was very special. The kids loved having him visit, they miss their grandparents so much. So now Sundays are pretty much what they were when Ron was gone. I get the kids ready, by myself. I sit with the kids, by myself. Although we did move to another part of the chapel so that Ron could give the kids the "evil eye" if they were being bad. I come home from church, by myself. And I get to deal with the crazy insanity of kids that have been too still for too long, all by myself. I'll stop complaining because I know our family will be blessed and I know without a doubt that Ron will do a wonderful job in his new calling.

Here's to another adventure!!

Halloween

Okay, I know I'm late with the Halloween pictures, I'm sorry. We had a fun Halloween, in part because the snow melted and it was a warm 55 degrees for trick or treating! Ron took the kids trick or treating around our neighborhood on Halloween night and then on Saturday we had our church Trunk or Treat. The kids ended up with so much candy they still have some and its week later! Tess didn't do any trick or treating, all I had to do was hand her a sucker and she was all set!!


The kids and two of their friends (Steven and Ryan Petty) headed out for some fun candy gathering!!


The boys are still Star Wars obsessed - thanks to Legos - so they wanted to be storm troopers again (or clone troopers, I can never keep that straight). I didn't complain since we already had one of the costumes!


Emma kept changing her mind about what she wanted to be. Luckily the Cheer Leader idea stuck the week of Halloween. She loved jumping around and making up her own cheers. I think I have a future cheer leader on my hands! Don't worry dad, I won't let her cheer around you.


Tess was our little Lady Bug. I never got a good picture of her, mostly because her favorite cartoon was on t.v. when I was trying to take her picture. But isn't she cute!!

Bragging Time

Okay, I know that most people think they have the best husband in the world - but I am here to say that I DO!! I want to brag for a minute about my fabulous husband. I have always known that he was good at his job and that people respected him. I did not, however, know just how much!! In the Army you are evaluated about every year in terms of performance and how you rank next to your peers. Ron has told me that his evaluations were good, but last night he let me read them all. OH MY GOSH!!!!! They all loved and raved about him. Ron wouldn't let me give exact quotes, but lets just say they stopped short of calling him the perfect soldier, and he was always ranked highest among his peers. They all recommended speedy promotions and called him the most trustworthy, dependable, hardworking, and inspiring officer they have worked with in YEARS!! (These are Majors and Lt. Colonels talking!) He was given some awards for his hard work in Iraq, and the Brigade Commander personally fought to keep him here at Ft. Drum so he could take command. I am so proud of my wonderful hardworking soldier!!

*** okay so I know you all have great husbands too, but just let me brag about mine okay?***

I'm sick of the ELECTION!!

I am sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo sick of the election. I can't tell you how thrilled I am that it will be over soon. I confess that I am not very political. Probably because I have only lived in the state that I was registered in to vote, once - and that was way back at BYU. Voting by absentee ballot, is completely lame. Also, because I'm not there to get the details for the state races I can only vote for the presidency. Then I have to suffer through all the local election politics here, and not get to vote for them. Maybe I should just change my residency so I won't have to deal with this stuff.

Anyway, I was surprised today when the kids came home from school talking about the election. I realized that I have not been talking to them about it like I should. Zachary and Emma proudly said that they would vote for Barrack Obama - where did I go wrong!!! - mostly because he was the more popular candidate at the school. Tyson proudly said he would vote for McCain - yea Ty!! - but I think that was mostly because he was a soldier. I have failed as a mother when it comes to educating my children about politics!!

I guess the point of this rant is that even though politics bores me to tears and I can't stand all the bitterness and lying, I still need to be involved. Just yesterday Zachary was complaining about a compromise that we had made as a family, that he chose not to be involved in. I sternly told him that he wasn't aloud to complain about the outcome if he wasn't involved in the decision making. What a lesson that was to me and all of us. My husband fights for my and your freedom to voice our opinions and vote for whom we choose. What a blessing that is, that I take for granted!! I need to be more involved and aware of the world around me, and stop complaining about things unless I am willing to role up my sleeves and get to work. So, as HUGELY grateful I am that the election is almost over, there will be another one in just 2 short years. I will try to be involved next time and stop complaining as much. Here's hoping!

First Snow Day (of many)

First the rain turned to mushy clumps, then white pellets, then full flakes. I didn't think it would accumulate more than this, so I took a picture of our first few snow flakes. Little did I know that it would turn into....


THIS!! We woke up to a 2 hour school delay and 1 foot of snow. The delay turned into a cancelation and the kids were thrilled. And I was thrilled that Ron was home to shovel and clear off the cars!!! YEA FOR HUSBANDS!!!


Favorite snow day activity - watching way too much t.v. Right after this picture their friend came over and they went out to play in the snow! Emma only lasted a few minutes but the boys are still out there having a snow ball fight!

Ahh books...

Ron has complained for years about my obsession with buying kids books. However, he must now confess that I have turned all of our children into die hard readers - including Tess!

Emma's 6th Birthday

My Emma is 6, and believe you me she tells everyone she sees that she is 6 now. Her birthday was a very low key affair. I let her choose everything, from breakfast to dinner. She kept telling her brothers that it was her birthday so she got to do whatever she wanted!! We didn't have any friends over, just our little family. I was a little bummed about the whole thing because that was the day that Ron was suppose to get home. Oh well - the party must go one!! Emma helped decorate the cake, if you couldn't tell, and she loved all her presents, especially her "make up" (various kinds of lip gloss).

HE'S HOME!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our HERO is home!! Our family is together again after 14 longgggggggg months. We are so glad that its over. Thank you to everyone for your constant love and support, and continuous prayers on our behalf. We love you all!

The kids and I waiting for the ceremony to start

Soldiers marching in formation

Ron at attention



Our family!!!

FALL at the SACRED GROVE

I love seasons. For any of you sad people that live in a place without seasons (all you Californians) I feel very sorry for you. This is one of the most beautiful times of year here in New York. So I have been taking pictures of every season since we moved here. So I decided that I wanted to take my Fall picture at the Sacred Grove. So this morning I bribed my children into taking an adventure with me, and we drove the 2 hours south to Palmyra. So here are a few of my favorite pictures. The whole time I kept thinking, I need my friend Kerri to come give me some photography lessons. Kerri - you would be having a ball here!! So even though my pictures are far from professional, I really like how they turned out.
#1 - Hill Cumorah
#2-5 Sacred Grove
#6- 7 Smith Family Farm
#8-9 Central New York