Christmas

We had a wonderful, peaceful Christmas this year.  Nate has been working a ridiculous amount of hours for the past couple of months and the few days leading up to Christmas were no exception.  He worked all day on Christmas Eve and then we all drove up to Grandma Laurie's for the traditional Christmas Eve dinner and hoopla.  All my brothers and sisters were there as well as our cousin Landon who recently moved to Salt Lake from California and wasn't able to go home for the holiday.
We had a delicious dinner complete with corn chowder, veggies, fruit, a cheese ball, summer sausage, li'l smokies, and several other yummy tidbits.  Then we all gathered near the Christmas tree.
My mom read the account of Christ's birth from the scriptures while the kids held up posters they had made of the shepherds, wise men, and the manger scene.  Then Jonah, Lilly, and Jayne each sang a Christmas song.  After that, it was present time!

Lilly, Aunt Sarah, and Jonah waiting for present time to start.

A very blurry shot of Jonah with his poster of the Nativity

Jonah, Lilly, & Jayne in their new PJ's from Grandma Laurie

After the exchange of gifts, we all hung around just chatting or playing until it was most definitely time to be headed home.  I was so grateful I'd done all my wrapping ahead of time, because we didn't get home until almost 10pm.  The kids were in their pajamas, we set out cookies and milk for Santa along with some oats for the reindeer and then herded the kiddos off to bed.
Our Christmas morning was a bit different this year.  Since Christmas fell on a Sunday, we had church services that morning at 9:00am.  Rather than getting everyone up at the crack of dawn to do presents before church, we opted to save the presents until after we got home.  We hung a curtain to block the view of the living room so the kids wouldn't be too tempted to just dive in.  They had no problem waiting.  They didn't even wake up until almost eight o'clock, so it was pretty easy to just get everyone dressed and ready and out the door without much fuss.  The kids understood that we were celebrating the birth of Christ, and what better way to do that than to go to church and worship for an hour before delving into the gifts?  
When we got home, we all changed into some comfortable clothes and then opened presents.  The kids were very good this year and it showed.  They love all their gifts and spent the better part of the day playing with new toys and reading new books. 

Waiting to head into the living room where the presents are

Lilly is very happy about her Tinker Bell movie.  I think we've watched three or four times this week already.

Jonah's T-Rex pillow pet put him right to sleep!=)

Jayne loves playing with the new Play-Doh cake making station.  That's another one we've had out every day this week. 

After gifts, we made a big breakfast, which actually turned out to be lunch by the time we got to it.  We used Nate's new waffle-baker that he got from Santa.  Nate has this thing about waffles.  He only likes the big square kind with the tiny little squares.  We had been using his mother's old waffle iron for years before it finally bit the dust and then we just never seemed to be able to find anything other than the Belgian waffle irons with the big squares in them.  But this year we discovered the perfect waffle baker from Black and Decker.  So we enjoyed delicious waffles, eggs, sausage and fruit for our Christmas breakfast. 
We spent the rest of the day relaxing together.  We all enjoyed a much needed afternoon nap and then took a drive to look at the Christmas lights around the neighborhood before bed. 
All in all, it was a wonderful holiday!  Now on to the New Year!

December Fun! (and the dentist)

Since I haven't been very good at posting things as soon as they happen, we'll play a bit of catch-up and just lump most of December into one post. The first weekend in December, I decided to take the kids down to the Festival of Trees in Sandy.  We'd never been before, but were looking for something fun to do that day.  The gingerbread houses and trees and other decor were amazing!  People can be so creative and must have a whole lot more patience than I do to accomplish some of these really detailed displays that we saw.  

Jonah's cheesiest "cheese!" face

Around the middle of the month, we decided to take the kids to Temple Square in Salt Lake City to see the Christmas lights.  We went on a Monday right when it got dark and were able to avoid the big crowds.  As we were leaving, masses of people seemed to be descending on the square simultaneously.  So glad we went early.  
The kids always love looking at the lights and seeing the Nativity, but their favorite part is always the fountains.  Even though it's freezing outside, the fountains on Temple Square are still running and the kids love to look at them and throw in pennies.   

We ask her to smile for the camera and this is what we get.  =)

Lilly's new favorite pose

Jonah showing us how tough he can be. 

  Another highlight of our month was the semi-annual trip to the dentist for the kids.  Luckily, my kids love going to the dentist.  Even Jonah, who had to endure a painful episode of having two teeth removed with one being literally dug out a few years ago still likes the to go to the dentist.  They love the toys, the sunglasses, and getting new toothbrushes.  Our dentist and his staff are wonderful!  They know how to make kids comfortable and are so very patient with them.  We came out with a clean bill of dental health with no cavities all the way around!  

Lilly got her first set of x-rays done and was so brave!

Jonah and Jayne playing with Dad's tablet while they wait for their turn.

Jayne loves sitting in the chair. 

The week before Christmas, we got to go watch Jonah and Lilly sing some Christmas songs with their classes at the elementary school.  Nate's parents and sister were in town too so they came with us.  Jonah and Lilly both did such a good job and knew the words to all of their songs.  Jonah takes his performances very seriously and had to be reminded to smile and relax while Lilly was all smiles and waves and even a little bit of dancing.  Nate got it on video on his tablet, but we haven't put it on the computer yet.  So you'll all just have to picture a stage full of kindergarteners or second graders belting out tunes such as "I'm getting Nuttin' for Christmas", "Donde esta Santa Claus?",  "It's a Marshmallow World in the Winter", and
"Holly Jolly Christmas" while smiling and waving at parents and teachers and yelling out the words that they know really really well.  


And that was our December, aside from the Christmas festivities which I'll cover in my next post. 

Giving Thanks

Before you even ask, yes I am aware that it is now December and a post about Thanksgiving is about a week or so late.  But when it comes to gratitude, late is always better than never, right?  We enjoyed a quiet Thanksgiving day and delicious dinner with my mom, siblings, grandmother, and cousins.  Even though I didn't do a daily gratitude post on Facebook for the entire month of November or anything like that, I have had my blessings on my mind lately.  Especially those that I tend to take for granted.  For example, I am thankful for.....

• Not getting that night job I applied for in October.  At the time, I had no idea that my school schedule would be ramping up next year and I can't imagine trying to juggle a job along with everything else I'm going to have up in the air come January.
• The roof over my head.  If you know me, you know that I can be quick to complain about our little old house and the many problems it possesses.  But at the end of the day, I'm so very grateful to have a place to call home. 
• A wonderful husband who works so hard at jobs he doesn't even like without complaint in order to put that roof over our heads and who is supportive of my ambitions and crazy notions. 
• My three amazing children.  I really don't know how I got this lucky.  All of my kids are healthy, bright, helpful, and so loving and concerned about everyone and everything around them.  
• The Internet.  Without it, I wouldn't be able to finish school for a very long time.  
• My body.  As a woman, I tend to focus on the negative when it comes to this wonderful creation we call a physical body.  But I am grateful for all the wonderful things it does everyday and that I am blessed with good health.  
• Faith.  I'm grateful for my testimony of my Savior and for the hope and joy that is found through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.   
• All the wonderful people in my life who care about me and my family and who are always looking out for us in one way or another.  
• My Webelos Scouts.  I've been a Webelos leader for 1 1/2 years now and I really enjoy it.  The excitement that 10 year old boys naturally have for life is contagious and I love seeing them set and accomplish goals and gain confidence.  
• Music.  I don't get to play piano and sing as often as I'd like, but it is still my favorite form of therapy.  

This list could go on and on and on and on and on.  If you haven't done it yet or lately, I encourage you to just sit and think for a few minutes about the beautiful things in your life that you're grateful for right now.  It's a great way to gain perspective and lift your mood.  =)  

Snow fun

This morning we woke up to a good 3 or 4 inches of snow!  Nate and I immediately began moaning and groaning about it, but the kids were ecstatic.  So it's no surprise that the first order of business for our Saturday was digging out the snow gear and playing around in the white stuff.  

Lilly and Jayne made snow angels.

Jonah helped with the shoveling.

And played a little snow-shovel-guitar. 

Then he made a snow angel too. 

Then we came in, took off all of our wet gloves, hats, and boots, and enjoyed a cup of hot chocolate.  It was nice to be reminded that snow can be fun.  When I look at it, all I see is cold, wet, and miserable.  Everything looks better through the eyes of children! =) 

Our Excellent Elk

Yesterday, Jonah received the Excellent Elk Award at a school assembly.  Each teacher chose one student from their class to receive this award for academic excellence. He received a medal, certificate, and a card for a free kid's meal from Applebee's.  We're so proud of Jonah and his desire to always do his best and learn as much as he can.  Way to go Jo!  

Halloween Fun!

Our Halloween fun started with a Friday night visit to Gardner Village to see the witches.  

Jonah thought this mummy was the coolest.

Lilly wanted her picture taken by every witch that we found.

See what I mean?  =)

Then on Sunday evening we carved our pumpkins.  

Jonah loved cleaning out the pumpkin "guts" with his hands, but the girls wouldn't touch it. 

Jayne with her jack-o-lantern.  The kids chose the design of their pumpkins and mom and dad did all the cutting. 

Lilly's pumpkin.

Jonah's pumpkin.  He wanted a "great big smile" on his.  All the black lines are from Jonah trying to draw his own design.  He made it a bit too small.  

Then on Halloween, we got all dressed up and went trick-or-treating.  Nate had to work, so I took the kids out.  We should have taken a shorter route.  There was quite a bit of "I'm so tired" and "my feet hurt" by the time we got home.  But they loved how much candy they got and after we got home there was a lot of "that was the best Halloween ever!"  So I think our night was a success. 

Spider Man Jonah and his muscle pose.  He didn't like to wear the mask that came with the costume.

Lilly, the little devil.  She looks way too sweet to be a devil. 

Jayne the witch.  She didn't want to wear the hat, but loves the dress.  She wore it around the house almost every day for a week before Halloween. 

The whole gang ready to go get some treats!

I should mention that we were lucky enough to get all of our costumes from some kind neighbors who have kids just a bit older than ours.  The one Jayne is wearing is one that we bought for Lilly when she was 2.  Jayne had another Halloween fairy costume that we got from the neighbors, but she changed her mind at the last minute.  I sure do love it when people think of us.  
After we got home and into pajamas, Nate got home and we did hallway trick-or-treating.  This is a tradition that Nate's family has.  Each child takes a turn going down the dark hallway and knocking on the doors looking for Nate.  When they find him, he gives them some special surprises.  He also tries to spook them a bit on the way.  The kids love it.  
So that was our Halloween.  Now on to Thanksgiving and Christmas!  They sure are approaching fast!

Running Ragnar!

The much anticipated Ragnar Relay in Las Vegas was this past weekend.  I'll do my best to give you the play by play of all the fabulous Ragnar madness. 
First off, a little background about what Ragnar is for those who have no idea (like I didn't 4 months ago).  Ragnar is a team relay.  Each team consists of 12 runners split up into 2 vans of 6.  Each runner does 3 legs of the race.  Ragnar Las Vegas covered 188 miles from Lake Mead to Las Vegas.  When you're not running, you're in your van supporting your runner with cheering or water or whatever they need. Sounds simple enough, right?  Yeah, that's what I thought.  =) 
The relay started on Friday.  We got down to Las Vegas on Thursday night around 8:00.  Nate dropped me off at the team dinner while he took the kids over to his parents house to get them all settled in.  It was a long drive down there with a couple of hours worth of construction delays so they were all pretty worn out.  
I didn't sleep well at all on Thursday night.  We got to bed late because after the dinner I still needed to pick up some last minute race essentials.  Nate and I got up bright and early (5AM) so he could take me to meet up with my team.  We loaded up the vans and headed to the starting line.  
The race started in the Valley of Fire area at Lake Mead.  Our start time was 9:00AM. For those that don't know, your team name, costumes, and van decorations are apparently a vital part of the Ragnar experience.  Our team name was "Horns & Halos".  One van was the "Horns" and one was the "Halos".  I was in the Halo van.  

Yes, our van actually had a halo on top of it.  Miraculously, it even survived the entire relay!

Do you just love the wings on the back?  We did lose one of those.  Our other van tried to save it, but it got run over by a truck before they could get to it. 

The Horns van.  I never did get an up close picture of the horns van.  This is the best I've got.  But they had actual devil horns attached to the top of it and a curly tail on the rear window.

The start line.

I was in runner #9 and was in Van #2, which means that we had a while to wait before our turn to run.  We met up with Van 1 at the start line to see them off and then the waiting began.  My van consisted of me, Erika (who actually used to live in our ward a couple years ago and served in the primary presidency with me), Mark (also in my ward and our team captain), Michelle (Mark's sister-in-law), Cassidy (Michelle's 16 year old daughter), and Nate (a Boston Marathon runner).  While we were waiting, Erika and I got an early lunch from the restaurant at the marina.  The poor place was swamped with all the Ragnar runners.  They only had 2 waitresses and 1 cash register.  We didn't mind waiting.  We definitely had some time to kill.  We didn't get our food for about an hour and a half.  It was nice to just sit and visit with Erika and catch up on each others lives.After we got our food, we headed back to the van and got ready to go to our exchange point to start our 1st leg of the relay.   

Every runner gets this temporary tattoo before the race.  I managed to apply mine with a wet napkin in the backseat of the van.  These things are durable!  After 3 runs, lots of sweat, and probably 4 or 5 showers, it's still on the back of my calf. 

Cassidy, Michelle, and Erika hanging out at the starting point. 

By the time we started running, the Nevada heat was in full swing.  The temperature quickly got up to about 90 and stayed there.  The first leg was brutal for all of us.  We quickly learned that the ratings given for each of the legs by the Ragnar organizers are worthless.  My first leg was 3.1 miles and was labeled easy.  Well, unless running uphill for 3.1 miles in 90 degree heat is your idea of a picnic......I'm just saying.  Pretty much everyone's legs were like this.  I think it was around 2:30 or 3:00 when I did my 1st leg.  I was dripping with sweat after about 30 seconds.  I don't usually like to carry a water bottle when I run, but I was really grateful when my van handed me one about a mile into my leg.  I was determined to run my entire leg even though nearly everyone was walking at least part of their first leg.  I managed to only walk for about one minute, then ran the rest.  Even some of the die-hard runners did some walking, which made me feel better.  Our van finished our first legs around 6:30-ish.  All these times are going to be very vague because everything really just ran all together and it's pretty much a blur.  

Erika decided to try running in her halo and wings that we had for our costumes.  A lot of the teams were running in crazy stuff.  We saw everything from tu-tus to bridal veils, aprons, and speedos.  Anyway, she lasted about a half mile or so.  The wings were really floppy, so we had her drop them at the side of the road and we crossed over and picked them up. 

Nate, the super runner, handing off to Erika.  Ragnar uses a slap bracelet as the "baton" for the relay. 

Mark, Cassidy, and Erika.  Cassidy was runner 12, the last runner.  We were waiting for Michelle, runner 11, to come in for the exchange.  Since Cassidy was starting around 5:30, she had to put on her full reflective gear and headlamp. 

Our van exchange was at the Loews Lake Las Vegas Resort. The place was a madhouse!  When you have 400+ teams of 12 runners each, things get a bit crowded.  Finding parking was always a problem at every exchange point.  Ragnar had tents set up with gear, water, massages, food, etc.  Our teammates in Van 1 had been hanging out there for quite a while.  They even played in the pool and napped while we were running in the heat of the day.  My van decided to forgo all the "hype" at the exchange.  We were all starving and tired.  So we decided to head towards the next major exchange and find some food on the way.  We stopped at Rubio's Mexican Grill for dinner.  It was so nice and quiet and relaxed.  I scarfed down my delicious grilled chicken tacos, gave myself a baby-wipe bath, changed into clean clothes and then we were off.  
We headed to the Henderson Pavillion for our next van exchange.  The plan was to try to get a little sleep before our next leg.  Most of my van decided to sleep inside the van, but I ended up with my sleeping bag on the sidewalk.  I didn't get any sleep, but it was great to just stretch out and close my eyes for a while.  
Leg 2 was our night run.  I'd never run at night before, so I was a little nervous about it but it proved to be my favorite leg of the relay.  
I started my leg somewhere between 11:30 and midnight.  My leg was 4.2 uphill on a slow steady incline along the freeway frontage road.  It was nice and cool out, which was a welcome change from that afternoon.  I ran my entire leg.  I even had 4 kills.  A "kill" is when you pass another runner.  I wasn't expecting to get any at all because I'm a beginner and my pace isn't exactly fast.  But it felt really good to pass these guys, especially since every single one of them passed me first.  They all ran right by me within the first mile.  I just kept my pace nice and steady and eventually caught them all walking or barely running.  Then, at about the last 100 yards, one girl that had passed me and then I had passed her came up and passed me again.  I thought "Heck no!" and had  a sudden burst of energy.  I managed to sprint to the exchange and pass her up once again.  I don't think she was too happy with me. =)

I sure was happy though!  Here I am right after leg #2 in my vest and my headlamp. 

After we all finished our second legs, all we wanted to do was sleep.  The next major van exchange was #30, but we decided to stop at #27 where they had indoor sleeping and showers.  It was a small high school in the middle of nowhere Nevada.  Most of my van were already asleep when we got there, so they just stayed in the van.  I got out and took my sleeping bag and my clothes with me to find a place to sleep and maybe get a shower.  It was almost 4:00AM.  The wait for the showers was about 25 minutes and I was ready to collapse, so I opted for sleep first, shower later.  They had us sleeping in the gym.  It was nice and quiet in there and dark.  I found myself a little corner and laid out my sleeping bag.  I think I managed to get a little sleep, but not much.  Mostly I just laid there with my eyes closed. Sadly, I'm cursed with only being able to sleep well in my own bed.  And a gym floor is definitely not my own bed.  At 7:00 I got up and headed to the restroom.  No time for a shower and I'd left my baby wipes in the van.  So I did my best to clean up with paper towels and water.  I was none too happy to see that I had some lovely chaffing from my sports bra that had become really sore while I was resting.  Soon after that, we loaded up and headed to exchange 30 to meet van 1.  
This exchange was at a dirt pit.  We had to drive quite a ways on a dirt road to get there and I felt so bad for the runners who had to run this leg.  They had vans passing them constantly and kicking up the dirt in their faces.  
We started my van's 3rd leg sometime between 8:30 and 9:00, I think.  Nate was our first runner.  He had to do 10 miles. It was already getting hot out.  Most of his run was uphill and I was so impressed to see him run the entire thing and even pass something like 32 runners.  Well, most of the runners were walking a lot of this one.  Then Erika did her 3rd leg, which was all down hill.  After running mostly uphill so far, we thought that sounded nice.  But she soon found out that running 5.7 miles downhill is anything but easy.  
While Erika was running and we were headed to the next exchange, I got a phone call from Nate, my Nate.  He and the kids were at the next exchange waiting to cheer me on.  It was so great to see them.  As soon as I opened the door to the Jeep, Jayne said, "Mommy! We're here to scream at you for your race!" 

Me and Jayne before my last leg.

My last leg was 5.6 miles uphill yet again.  By the time I started, the temperature was already up to 90 degrees again.  There were no water stations along this leg, so my van planned to stop every mile or two and give me some water.  Nate and the kids decided to help out.  They took over cheering me on and giving me water so that my van could go ahead to the exchange and get parking.  It was so great to hear my kids cheering me on every mile or so and the ice water that Nate brought me was a life saver.  I managed to run the first 2.5 miles of my leg.  Then I was getting really light headed and sick to my stomach.  So I decided that it would be better to walk than to pass out along the side of the road.  I would walk a while, then run a while.  Then I ran the last mile into the exchange.  I don't feel bad at all about walking.  For most of this leg, everyone I could see ahead of me was walking at some point.  It was brutal!  

This is what my last leg looked like.  This part was relatively flat, just slightly inclined.  The biggest hill was right at the beginning. 

My darling kids in the Jeep to cheer on Mommy.

Nate took this less than flattering picture of me running my last quarter mile to the exchange. 

After I handed off the bracelet to Mark, my van drove me to Nate and the kids and gave me permission to go hang out with them and meet them at the finish line.  
 Nate had a big, ice cold diet coke waiting for me and a sweet card that the and the kids had gotten for me. Since the finish line was only about 3 miles from Nate's parents house, we headed there for a shower and some clean clothes.  Then Nate and I headed over to the finish line at Desert Breeze Park. 
There, I met up with my team.  We all put on our wings, halos, and horns and crossed the finish line together. 

Horns & Halos headed to the finish line.  You can't see me in this picture, but I promise I'm there. 

My medal.  I didn't even know I got one, but I totally earned it!=)

Miss Cassidy.  I have to tell you, this girl was amazing!  She was so sick for this relay.  She was congested and coughing and exhausted.  But she ran every single one of her legs like a pro! 

The whole Horns & Halos team.  

 So there you have it.  My Ragnar experience.  It was exhausting and hard.  I'm so glad that I did it!  When I started running in April of this year, I could barely go one mile.  And now, just 6 months later, I ran in a Ragnar Relay.  I've gotta say....It feels pretty darn good!