Haiku… no… Hiatus

I took a long break
There was no time for writing
But I am back now

We got sick.

Then we got better.

Then my family came for Christmas.

Then we got sick again.

And during all that we had a situation with a friend that we had to deal with.

Then Russ left for a Chinese course.

The situation is taken care of (well, it’s out of our hands now).

And we’re getting better. Hopefully. That or we’re just passing the “sicky bugs” back around again. Let’s hope it’s the former.

I’ve been drinking lots of garlic syrup (dice a few cloves of garlic, soak it in a cup of apple cider vinegar for 24 hours, strain, store in a – glass – container in the fridge. Take a few tablespoons each day. I’ve been taking 6-10 tablespoons a day. I WANT TO GET BETTER, DANG IT!)

I’ve been watching lots of Psych. The kids have been watching lots of Wonder Pets, Backyardigans, and Yo Gabba Gabba. Thank you, Netflix. I am sorry your stock has dropped drastically. You are a great service, but you made some really dumb business mistakes. Just sayin’.

I plan on doing a lot more blogging – I moved my computer to the basement/family room/play room, so I can blog while the kids play! Okay, I know, I should probably be playing with them… but I have been alone with the kids – mostly sick – for the past two weeks almost… and it is MAKING ME CRAZY.

I love my kids, really, I do – but… I need my husband. A lot.

I posted on some of the other blogs, too, so go check those out.

Christmas Part IV – Traditions

We’ve started a few family Christmas traditions this year, seeing as this has been our first Christmas completely alone. (That sounds sad, but really it was a happy thing! We enjoyed being able to do our own thing for the holidays).

Tradition #1 – gift giving – we give four gifts (and then a bunch of little stocking stuffers) – something they want, something they need, something to wear, and something to read. It worked really really well this year. It simplifies gift buying and helps us to focus on the real reason for the season – the Savior and His ultimate gift to us.

Tradition #2 – Caroling – our picture above was taken by our neighbors (our first stop caroling). We made up plates of cookies and took them to all the military families who were staying around town for Christmas. It was a lot of fun, and my personal favorite tradition.

Tradition #3 – scone breakfast – Russ came up with this one. In Isaiah there is a prophecy that Christ will eat butter and honey to learn to choose the good and refuse evil. So we made fried scones for breakfast on Christmas morning (I made the dough the night before) and ate them with butter and honey. They were absolutely delicious!

Tradition #4 – Nativity Play – we acted out the Nativity (in Portuguese, of course!) I played Mary, Joseline played baby Jesus (although she freaked out when we put her in the “manger” – aka, the toy box), Vince was Joseph, a shepherd, and a wise man, and Russ was the narrator, shepherd, and wise man. We plan to get more involved each year, as our kids get a little older. But it was lots of fun to start this year with our tiny kids!

Tradition #5 – music program – so we didn’t actually do this one this year, but we will start next year. We want to put on a music program each Christmas. I will play piano, violin and sing, Russ will play the trumpet, we will sing Christmas songs together and have a jolly time celebrating the season with music!

Tradition #6 – The Nativity Song – we also didn’t do this one this year, and we probably won’t start doing it until Vince is in Primary (so in two years). We are going to incorporate music into our Nativity play. We’ll make sure to take videos and post them :)

 

I think it is really important to have some holiday traditions with you family. What are some of your holiday traditions? Where did they come from? What traditions do you want to start next year?

Christmas Part I – Tree Shopping

 

I watched a little boy for a friend this fall, and she paid me in gift cards. One of the gift cards was for Home Depot, so that’s where we got our Christmas tree. We decided on a shorter one so we could put it up on a stool to keep it out of reach of the little munchkin named Joseline. Unfortunately that didn’t work perfectly, but that’s okay, what are kids for anyway if not to demolish your perfectly decorated tree.

Russ brought fruit snacks for the drive over, and we found the perfect little noble fir for about $20. We’ve talked about getting an artificial tree next year. Probably after Christmas when everything is marked down. We’ll see. We keep going back and forth. We love the real tree, but… hmm. Although I did see someone write that they have lots of land so they buy a Christmas tree with the roots still intact, use that for their tree during Christmas, and then plant it on their property after Christmas! I really like that idea. When we buy land we will surely do that!

A Promise to a Friend

Okay, so I've promised to post updated pictures of Vincente, and with Christmas and the move and everything, I haven't been doing a very good job. So here are some recent pics:

Vincente feeding "coats" (aka goats) at the Christmas tree farm in Arkansas. He thought the animals were hilarious and called the turkies and chickens "patinhos" (little ducks, in Portuguese). I almost wanted to take one of the little goats home with us! But I don't think goats are allowed on airplanes...

Vincente playing with his Lightening McQueen coloring and sticker book from Aunt Sisty - probably his favorite Christmas present, after the shake and roll Ramone toy.

The boys taking a nap after a long day at church. I think Russ was posing for this picture... he doesn't usually sleep on the floor in his suit. Vince slept on a floor bed, that's why he's on the floor in his suit (we were at Grandma and Grandpa Werner's that weekend)

Vincente after enjoying the California dirt. He loves loves LOVES playing in the dirt out here. I've never seen him so excited about dirt. I guess since we live close to the beach, there is a lot of really moist soil everywhere, and it's very enticing to the little ones. 

Vincente sitting at the kitchen bar in our completely empty house (notice the lack of dinning room table behind him). He has had such an appetite since we moved. Probably a combination of growing, getting outside more often (the weather is almost ALWAYS perfect for playing outside) and settling down into a nice routine with Mama always around.

Shopping Done... now on to the more important things

I am officially finished doing any shopping for Christmas (and anything else, really) in Utah. I have a few more gifts to buy, but they are gifts I can buy in Arkansas, so I will just wait until we're down there.

I love giving gifts. It's the best feeling ever.

But now on to focusing even deeper on the meaning and purpose of Christmas. I want to study a little more so that I can feel closer to Christ this season. Now that I'm not busy worrying about what to get who for Christmas, I can think about how to get myself what I want for Christmas - a stronger testimony!

Happy Christmas!

Uplifting Updates

I am working on posting pictures and descriptions of our Thanksgiving weekend antics in Monterey! I'm almost done - two more posts, and then I think I'll have everything. Until then, I decided that my blog needs an update on our current situation.

The Plan:

We now have a semi-official holiday plan - and for those of you who wanted to see Russ one more time, if you're going to be in town after Christmas, you're in luck! We are still going to spend Christmas in Arkansas, but we fly back to Utah the day after Christmas (it was the only available flight). Then we will either PCS our stuff, or do a DITY move the next week (Monday). So, we will be in Utah for a few nights, and we are planning on going out to dinner on Saturday with anyone who happens to be in town. We'll just go some place cheap, but nice, like Chili's or something. Maybe we'll even just go out for Pizza. We just want to give everyone a chance to see Russ again. We will be officially moved to California the week after Christmas! We'll be in California before the new year! We will officially be a California residing family by 2009. 

This also means that in two weeks, Russ and Vincente and I will be together again permenantly! As soon as Russ gets to Memphis on Friday night (the night before my brother's wedding), we will be together forever! Okay, with Russ in the military it's basically guarenteed that we will spend some more time away from him before long, but this is like the beginning again! We can't wait. To be in the same place all the time is just a relief. Just the thought of it is getting me all giddy! 

energizer

I mean the bunny... you know, the one that keeps going, and going, and going, and...

You get the idea. That's how life feels right now. School... well, mostly school. It's like it never ends. There is a light at the end of the tunnel, and I can't wait for it.

It's like just when you think things are dying down, they pick up again. It's going to be like that until finals... *sigh*

And then, after finals!? Christmas break with my hubby!!! SOOOO excited. Check out my countdowner thingee

<---- over there somewheres. It'll tell you exactly how long until we get to see him again!

Okay, so yes, I am ready to go to bed now. Just had to record somewhere how long I feel like school is taking.

Oh, but yesterday and this morning I kept thinking about the little house I hope to rent near Russ at AIT. I kept thinking about playing in the backyard with Vincente and planting irises and tulips in the front flower bed and decorating the house. I can't wait to live in my own house again. It's going to be awesome.