Well, it is 11:12 p.m. In 48 minutes I will bid 2005 farewell and welcome 2006. It will take me 6 months to write the new year correctly which makes me feel like the new year really doesn't start until somewhere around the end of May/beginning of June when I don't have to think so hard to remember what year it is. Jake asked if he could stay up all night tonight. We told him he could stay up for as long as he wanted...just make sure the doors were locked and the Christmas tree lights turned off. That elicited a plea for someone to stay up with him. At 10:30 p.m. as his eyelids were drooping he asked, "Has it been all night yet?" We told him no. He asked, "Did I at least make it to midnight?" We told him almost and then he was fast asleep. I'm left awake contemplating all the new years gone by and the progression of age it represents. From 14 years old until 16 years old I lived for the stake dances. Outfit preparations for the big dance started around the beginning of November and I was usually grounded from coming home late from the New Year's dance until the beginning of February. I remember a particularly stunning ensemble I wore one year that had lots of silky pink with enormous gold hoops and then the year I wore the sleek black velvet with the shiny black patent leather pumps. From 17 years old until around 21 years old it was the "stay out all night doing nothing" phase. It didn't matter what you were or weren't doing...just that you could say you stayed out all night doing it. I remember the 2 years I celebrated New Year's Eve on my mission...seems like we ate lots of Danish stuff and watched a Disney movie that was way, way too exciting. New Year's Eve 1999 does mark the first time that Chris ever kissed me...I reminded him of that tonight and he said he had blocked it because I freaked out the next day and broke up with him twice over the next 30 days. I assured him it wasn't the kiss...just what the kiss represented.
Anyway, here I am.
I am 35 years old and put my pajamas on around 7:00 p.m. tonight hoping I could be in bed by 9:00 p.m. I didn't wear anything pink, put on gold hoops or have any ambition for staying out all night but I have to admit I'm hoping to make out a little before going to bed. Jacob is sound asleep hugging his new stuffed frog named "George", Matthew is asleep with Little Ed the horse and a 2 foot blue stuffed Cookie Monster, and Hannah is sleeping with a stuffed monkey wearing Hello Kitty underwear (she took the rest of the poor stuffed animals clothes off...the kids got to go to "Build-A-Bear today...but that is another blog for another time). It is what I like New Year's Eve to be...safe, warm, comfortable, and surrounded by my favorite people. I don't believe in making resolutions that I really don't intend to keep but I do like reflecting on where I've been and where I hope to go. I've been lots of wonderful places this last year. I've also been in lots of "uncomfortable" places but in hindsight I am just as grateful for those places as well. I survived being the mother of 3 very little people, the primary president of 178 little people, and feel like I'm still moving forward even if it involves lots of backtracking sometimes. I've met some really great people, made some fabulous new friends, and have read lots and lots of interesting books. I've travelled to some interesting places, learned some new things, and seen some great movies. I have 3 amazing kids, an amazing husband, and a wonderful extended family. Christmas cards got sent out before New Years, Christmas packages got sent before Christmas Eve, and I got to stay in my pajamas all day a couple of days this past week. I have a trip to Hawaii to look forward to in 3 weeks, a visit from my sister, and a chance to meet my new niece and nephew. Yeah, life is good. I didn't lose the weight last year, eat any better, or exercise every day but you have to have something to aspire to each year. I'm headed upstairs to pour a little Martinelli's into a cowboy glass and make out a little on the couch.
Happy New Years!
Saturday, December 31, 2005
Saturday, December 10, 2005
Fa, La, La, La, La, La, La, La, La
It has been soooooo long since I last wrote. I feel like a virgin blogger all over again! Life is crazy and while I appreciate having something to do each day, it does wear on the soul after awhile. Halloween was fantastic! I hate to say it but it may be my favorite holiday. I'm a fall season junkie so I should clarify that it isn't necessarily the actual Halloween holiday that I love but the build up to it with the crisp sweater weather, gorgeous leaves, pumpkins, soups, trips to the Pumpkin Land, witches night out at Garnder Village with 6 wonderful friends, playing at Wheeler Farm, hay rides, etc. But I do also love Halloween...Jake designed his own costume this year. He spent a couple of hours one night in his room drawing something and when he came out, he had a whole sketch of what he wanted his costume to look like. He called himself "Super Jake" and he was spectacular. He is his father through and through. Matthew was Darth Vader complete with theme music that he would sing at the top of his lungs while stomping down the sidewalk. Hannah was a darling witch with black cat tights. I was a fairy witch and Chris was the "victim of an unfortunate accident" with an ax in his head and blood dripping down his forehead. (The prop is always a little disturbing to me since it is really pretty far removed from my husband's personality...) Anyway, once we had gorged on candy and fallen asleep with serious sugar headaches it was time to consider the primary program...
Since this is my first year as a primary president, I was pretty naive about what it would entail to orchestrate 180 primary children + leaders in a sacrament meeting production that physically rivaled a Broadway show. Every child had a speaking part so it was mayhem. Figuring out the physical layout, distributing parts, practicing songs, doing special musical numbers, and getting adults to cooperate was seriously exhausting. But I will say this...on the day of the program, the kids did an amazing job! I sat on the stand right behind the podium and had one serious spiritual experience as I was taught once again about our Heavenly Father's plan for us. I cried through some of it, smiled through most of it, and walked away with a profound appreciation for the opportunity to serve in this church with the children of our ward.
Once the program was over, it was time to consider Thanksgiving. My darling sister-in-law and her family (4 kids and a husband) drove here from Denver and did we give them a holiday to remember! They arrived Saturday night...Sunday was great and then Sunday night, her 3 year old starting throwing up and by morning, her 8 year old and 5 year old had decided to join the party. Her 3 month old baby girl was the only one in the family that decided to refrain so we had a pretty quiet day of movie watching and trying to quarintine her 3 from my 3. By the next morning every one seemed to be feeling better so Courtney and I marched the kids down to Provo for a day of frolicking on BYU campus. Hannah was really grumpy all morning and by 4:00 p.m. that day she was running a temperature of 104 degrees. I have never seen one of my children so sick. She literally laid limp in my arms all night, running a super high temperature, and jerking awake every time she closed her eyes. She didn't cry but would just moan. Nothing helped. We were alternately Tylenol and Motrin and while it would bring her temperature down for a bit, it would eventually jump right back up. I finally managed to get her in to the doctor where she tested positive for a real case of influenza. Now just a side note here...I have become a HUGE, HUGE advocate for the flu shot. You have never seen someone sick until you see someone with a REAL case of the flu. Not the stomach flu, but the real thing. The person quits eating, drinking, and runs a fever that you can't bring down. It is death warmed over. Hannah had had a flu shot 10 days before the outbreak (apparently the flu shot take 14 days to be really effective!) but it was a pretty scary week. The only medicine that can treat both Influenza type A and B is something called TamiFlu which is impossible to find because the government is stock piling it against the outbreak of bird flu and such. It was a pretty frantic night trying to track some down for not only Hannah, but Jake and Matthew and their 3 cousins. Thanksgiving Day was fine...the meal was delicious but Courtney and her family opted out on any more adventures and left for home that Friday.
Since Thanksgiving, Hannah has had the stomach flu and a cold but she has officially turned 1 years old! Her birthday was a true joy to celebrate. It was as pink an affair as we could make it and she devoured an entire chocolate cake like a real champ.
Now I am trying to organize my primary classes for next year, get enough teachers called, find rooms for everyone, get supplies, organize a new teacher breakfast/orientation, a "Meet Your Teacher" pizza party and have Christmas. Like I said...I am grateful to have meaningful things to do each day but I have to admit that a massage and a pedicure could be top of my priority list if needed be! I'm off to change the baby and kiss her big, warm, delightful cheeks for a few minutes. Ain't life grand!
Since this is my first year as a primary president, I was pretty naive about what it would entail to orchestrate 180 primary children + leaders in a sacrament meeting production that physically rivaled a Broadway show. Every child had a speaking part so it was mayhem. Figuring out the physical layout, distributing parts, practicing songs, doing special musical numbers, and getting adults to cooperate was seriously exhausting. But I will say this...on the day of the program, the kids did an amazing job! I sat on the stand right behind the podium and had one serious spiritual experience as I was taught once again about our Heavenly Father's plan for us. I cried through some of it, smiled through most of it, and walked away with a profound appreciation for the opportunity to serve in this church with the children of our ward.
Once the program was over, it was time to consider Thanksgiving. My darling sister-in-law and her family (4 kids and a husband) drove here from Denver and did we give them a holiday to remember! They arrived Saturday night...Sunday was great and then Sunday night, her 3 year old starting throwing up and by morning, her 8 year old and 5 year old had decided to join the party. Her 3 month old baby girl was the only one in the family that decided to refrain so we had a pretty quiet day of movie watching and trying to quarintine her 3 from my 3. By the next morning every one seemed to be feeling better so Courtney and I marched the kids down to Provo for a day of frolicking on BYU campus. Hannah was really grumpy all morning and by 4:00 p.m. that day she was running a temperature of 104 degrees. I have never seen one of my children so sick. She literally laid limp in my arms all night, running a super high temperature, and jerking awake every time she closed her eyes. She didn't cry but would just moan. Nothing helped. We were alternately Tylenol and Motrin and while it would bring her temperature down for a bit, it would eventually jump right back up. I finally managed to get her in to the doctor where she tested positive for a real case of influenza. Now just a side note here...I have become a HUGE, HUGE advocate for the flu shot. You have never seen someone sick until you see someone with a REAL case of the flu. Not the stomach flu, but the real thing. The person quits eating, drinking, and runs a fever that you can't bring down. It is death warmed over. Hannah had had a flu shot 10 days before the outbreak (apparently the flu shot take 14 days to be really effective!) but it was a pretty scary week. The only medicine that can treat both Influenza type A and B is something called TamiFlu which is impossible to find because the government is stock piling it against the outbreak of bird flu and such. It was a pretty frantic night trying to track some down for not only Hannah, but Jake and Matthew and their 3 cousins. Thanksgiving Day was fine...the meal was delicious but Courtney and her family opted out on any more adventures and left for home that Friday.
Since Thanksgiving, Hannah has had the stomach flu and a cold but she has officially turned 1 years old! Her birthday was a true joy to celebrate. It was as pink an affair as we could make it and she devoured an entire chocolate cake like a real champ.
Now I am trying to organize my primary classes for next year, get enough teachers called, find rooms for everyone, get supplies, organize a new teacher breakfast/orientation, a "Meet Your Teacher" pizza party and have Christmas. Like I said...I am grateful to have meaningful things to do each day but I have to admit that a massage and a pedicure could be top of my priority list if needed be! I'm off to change the baby and kiss her big, warm, delightful cheeks for a few minutes. Ain't life grand!
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