Lord's Hand In December 2008

12/31/08~ Happy New Year's Eve! We don't have any great things planned for tonight. We leave on our trip tomorrow, Yeah! Brook has a second date with his lady friend tonight. I can't wait to hear how that goes. Today all we are going to be doing is packing, checking what we've packed and then pack some more.

12/30/08~ We spent the day getting ready for our trip. I made lists of What to do, What to buy, and What to pack. I am a list person can you tell. All the kids winter stuff has been washed and now I need to bath the dog so she nice and clean for visit to Uncle Lowell's house. Auntie Ann is still in town, I love hanging out with her. Auntie Marie had to go home on Sunday due to her work schedule, pooie.

12/29/08~ We celebrated Christmas with Grandma Lovely. Our family is getting so big that we had to have our party at Uncle Brook's house. Poor Uncle Brook had to work that day he was so tired then had to go to bed before the party was over to be ready for work the next day. Uncle Itchy's family had our family this year. He made all the kids, including Kinnzi, a blanket, Big D and I snowmobile gloves, and wrote a Christmas story about that tied into the blankets. He is so talented.

12/28/08~ We quit torturing the many grand kids and let them open their presents. All the kids got spoiled as did the adults. We all had a ton of fun snowmobiling and sledding. The adults lasted way longer than the kids, of course, and when the kids finally went inside the adults could really play. Big D and Brook had fun high marking it on the hill. Lowell had fun planting my head under the snow as we raced down the hill in the sled. The the posers decided to take advantage of the camera pointed at them. They make me laugh, I love my family!

12/27/08~I went to dinner with my girlfriends from high school last night. We had a great time catching up and seeing new babies. C and I stayed after everyone else left. I couldn't believe how beautiful everyone is getting. I always thought that women peeked in high school and it was down hill from there, but that is not the case with all women. I love reminising about things we didn't know about each other back then. I am even more grateful that I have such a great life now and I don't have to look at high school as the best time of my life. We went to Papa Guy and Grandma Honey's house for our Christmas celebration with them. We had way too much fun and gain at least ten pounds with all the great cooking. I love the holidays!

12/26/08~ The girls went out to Papa Guy and Grandma Honey's for the weekend. Honey's granddaughter, Lexxi, is in town. She is the same age as Bug and they all, Beaner and Lynn, get along great. We will head out to celebrate Christmas with them tomorrow. With all the girls gone the boys decided to have a day for just them. They got the snowmachines out and pulled the boys around the neighborhood. They wanted to go up in the hills but Uncle Brook was on call so he couldn't be that far away. I think it was better this way anyway because Bear wouldn't have lasted long up in the mountains and then everyone would've been ticked having to leave so soon.

12/25/08~ Merry Christmas!!! The kids got up around 7 a.m. but I was already up. They were good and didn't come out of their room though. I threatened them the night before that if they came out of their room before 8 a.m. their presents would poof one at a time for every minutes they were out. I guess it worked because they were great. Poor Beaner, she had the hardest time waiting for presents. We got to ours pretty quick but then she got a little ticked that I made her wait until I took a shower before we could go over to Grandma Ellen and Papa Ray's. Then when we got over to the grandparent's she had to wait for her aunt to show up and for us all to eat breakfast. I thought she was going kill us all off just so she did have to wait for us anymore. Once it was all over our sweet little girl came back to us. I am going to miss the blackmail of the season. That always worked so well for me. Oh well, I guess I'll have to wait till next year just like the kids.

12/24/08~ Merry Christmas Eve! Yesterday I got my grade, I got an 'A'. Yeah!!! We went sledding and to a Polar Express party at some friends. What a fun filled day. The kids are all excited about being able to say tomorrow is Christmas. Tonight we get to go bowling at a private party where they shut down the entire bowling alley just for us. We have great a time every year, it's nice to have connections.

12/23/08~ Last night we did our ding dong ditch secret Santa. We've done this for the past three years and I think we are finally calling it a family tradition, that is until we can't afford to do it any longer, Lord bless us. I had a friend who lived directly across the street from our secret house. We stayed warm standing in her kitchen with the lights out watching the whole thing go down. We had a couple families in on it with us so there were about sixteen people poking their heads out the window secretly hoping the dads would slip and fall as they ran away, but no such luck. They did almost get caught. The dad of the family walked by their huge front room window right as the presents were being set on the stoop, but no such luck there either;)

12/22/08~ We woke to six inches of beautiful fluffy enticing snow and my dog peeing on the floor. After I'd done the whole nose in the pee and thrown her outside to snow that came up to her haunches, I realized why she opted for the carpet. Feeling bad I got the shovel and dug a little path down the steps and cleared an area for her relieve herself without punishment. That got me all pumped so I went and shoveled my driveway and walkway and stoop and a little path for the mailman. Ooh, I love the snow.

12/21/08~ I don't know if it was just the fact that I'm going to be gone the next two Sunday's, but I really enjoyed the kids today in Nursery. We got to go into Primary for a little bit to watch a nativity puppet show and the kids did so good sitting there watching, it was a bit surprising. Bug threw up the night before so she had to miss church. She got to go hang out at Big D's sister's house and play with Bailey, Kayla's new yorkie puppy. He is so tiny and cute, of course, what puppy isn't cute.

12/20/08~ I spent today catching up on all the Christmas presents that were started and never finished. I have these one crafty presents that I started over a month ago and never finished. I think I am so scared that the recipients are going to like them so I'm dragging my feet in finishing them. Well, I finally finished them today and I really like them. If the recipients don't like them I will just bring them back home with me. It really felt like a lazy day because we didn't go anywhere, but when Big D and I sat on the couch at the end of the day we realized we really got a lot accomplished. Yeah for us! That and we got my brother Brook to ask a woman from his ward, whom he's been ogling for a year, out on a date. Up to this point he'd never even said Hi. I wouldn't say he's shy, he's just lost his confidence. Big D and I had a bet on if he'd really call and ask her out or not. We told him if he'd do it we'd pay for his dinner and movie. I didn't think he'd take me up on it because a couple nights before I promised him $50 if he'd just say Hi and introduce himself to her. I was wrong. It took him another fourty-five minutes but he called and now they are going out on Tuesday. Yeah for us again!

12/19/08~ I got my Visiting Teaching done. I always drag my feet in setting up appointments and going, but once I'm done I feel so good, that and I love my sisters I go to. They are all elderly woman whom have seen more of life than I probably ever will. One lady, Ethel, is so spiritual she blows me away. I just look up to her so much. Larue, is a spunky woman whose been inactive probably her whole life but she doesn't mind us comeing over to visit. I love talking to her, she makes me laugh. Loraine is a lonely woman who is blind and deaf. She has a special place in my heart. She loves it when I bring my kids over for a visit.

12/18/08~ Grandma Honey, Rae, and I went to see "Twilight" for the second time. I know, I know, I didn't like it the first time why would I subject myself to it again, especially at $8 a ticket. Here is my reasoning, I figured maybe if I didn't have my two sisters mouning next to me about how bad the movie is I might enjoy it a bit better. So, for safety sake, I asked two people whom I knew loved the movie the first time, to go with my the second time. I have to admit I enjoyed it. It still isn't my favorite movie in the whole wide world, but I did enjoy it better the second time around.

12/17/08~ I took my final this morning. I don't think I did that great. I just couldn't get my brain to focus on the task at hand. It didn't help that my final was at 7:30 a.m. I am just praying I get a 'B' in the class. I don't know what my problem in this class was. I loved the class and I started off strong but my writing got worse and worse as the semester went on. I guess it's a good thing the class ended when it did before I started getting horrible grades on my papers.

12/16/08~ The boys and I decided we'd shovel sidewalks and driveways today. We had a great time! We even decided to try and start a "Good Deed Elf Tag" when the kids get home from school. We are going to get everyone a shovel and drive around and just stop and hurry and clear their walkways before we get caught. Then we leave a little note on the front door telling the people they've been tagged by the good deed elf, please pay it forward and have a Merry Christmas. We'll see how well it goes.

12/15/08~ Big D is so excited about the three inches of snow we got that he got the snowmobiles out and drug the kids from one end of the street to the other, even if they didn't want to be. I think he is mainly relieved there will be snow in the mountains for our big snowmobile trip after Christmas.

12/14/08~ There was something in the air in Nursery today. Half the kids were way too hyper and the other half was crying for their mommies. Have I mentioned how ready I am to be released? I need to chill or my next calling is going to be worse. The funny thing is I don't dread the Nursery all the time, six days a week I am happy with my calling.

12/13/08~ You'd think we would get sick of Santa, but nope. This morning we went to have breakfast with Santa at my in-laws church. The kids got to decorate a picture frame for them to put pictures of them and Santa. Bug keeps telling Santa she wants a lump of coal for Christmas, I think she might be getting too old to sit on Santa's lap if she's being sassy. Of course it does make my job easier, we'll see how funny she thinks it is when that is all she gets Christmas morning. Now where to find coal.

12/12/08~ My brother, Brook, works with a guy who looks just like Santa. He even goes around playing Santa for people's private parties. Well, my brother set it up that we'd be over at his house and Santa just happened to show up. The kids thought it was great. We had wrapped presents for Santa to give each of the kids and they thought that was so cool to be able to open a present before Christmas.

12/10/08~ My very last day of class. What a glorious day it is. Not that anything special happened. My professor asked if we had any questions about the final, then every question asked he replied with, "I can't tell you that". What good was it to go to class? On top of feeling the urgency to go to class because my professor was supposidly going to go over the final, I had to pack a plastic baggy because I've been suffering from boughts of nausea. I was horrified I was going to hurl in the middle of class. I don't know if anyone has ever experienced that before, but I did in the third grade and it was not pleasant.

12/9/08~ I wrote all my Christmas cards today. I feel bad when I can't send one to everyone so I choose people whom I don't get to see very often, and they are the ones who get the cards. Everyone else's card/gift is my presence at the parties and harassing phone calls to wish them a Merry Christmas. I know you'd rather get a card but too darn bad.

12/8/08~ I am so in the mood to go Christmas shopping, but I'm already done. I think this is were I get myself into trouble. I get done too early and everyone compliments me on my organization skills for it, but then I'm still in the mood to shop and I continue doing so. It is really bad for our budget. Maybe next year I should wait until the week before Christmas then start my shopping. I'd probably save money because I wouldn't be spending twice as much. That and I'm a late bloomer. I tend to get my brilliant ideas for people's gifts after I've already bought them something else. Then I can't decide what to do so I tend to give them both, also bad for the budget. I need to learn when to say when. I wonder if they make a patch for shopaholics? The funny thing is this is the only time of year I love to shop. I love the people, don't get me wrong I hate crowds, I just love to see families out with their kids and the magic in those young eyes. What I wouldn't give to be able to feel that Christmas magic again.

12/7/08~ Big D and I stayed up until 2:30 a.m. talking. I don't know why but when I stay up that late, and I'm extremely exhausted, I sleep horrible. I need to realize I'm not a young pup anymore, I can't stay up all night and wake up ready to tackle the day. I'm really lucky I didn't accidentally bite anyones head off.

12/6/08~ I've been up since about 5:30 a.m. writing and what not, couldn't sleep. Bear came up about 8:20 a.m. and gave me the best cup of Jo ever. I hope someday he understands how much those mean to me. I think there is something about having his heart that close to mine that really makes my heart skip a beat. We have a special bond and I think it's because he gives me enough lovens to make up for his twin not being here to give me his own cup of Jo. I don't even think he realizes he's doing it, it just happens.

12/5/08~ It's getting closer to Christmas, and while I have all my shopping pretty much done, I do not have all my crafts done. I've been working on my crafty Christmas presents and I'm getting a little worried that some people won't like their gift. I know not everyone is a crafty person. I just hope they feel the love that comes along with the gift. I hope that when someone opens a crafty gift from me they receive the message that there isn't anything in the stores that can convey my love; so I had to put my time, energy and love into this present to show you how special you are to me.

12/4/08~ I got a phone call from my nephew, Matt. He is getting his girlfriend a yorkie for Christmas and was wondering if he should get her a male or female. He decided on the male so he can possible breed him with Kinnzi if we decided to go down that road. I offered to let the puppy stay at my house until Christmas so he could really surprise her. I am so excited to have a little puppy in my house. I think Kinnzi is going to love having someone around for her to play with who is smaller than her. Who knows depending on how well she does with the puppy we might think about getting her a buddy in the future. It would have to be a very distant future seeing as how they are such expensive dogs.

12/3/08~ I didn't have my afternoon lab today so I brought my nephews, Lowell Jr and Hyatt, home when I picked Bear up from their house. Hyatt was so excited to come over and then as soon as he got there he kept asking when I was going to take him home. I don't think he was in a socializing mood because he'd start crying every two seconds and then he found me in the kitchen telling my he peed, he's in the middle of potty training. At first I was all excited for him until I looked at his soaking wet pants. All I can say is I am so glad I am done with the potty training phase of my life.

12/2/08~ I bought Kinnzi a new nail trimmer. Every since the last horrific experience with the groomers I haven't taken her back to one. So her nails are getting way too long. Her nails are so hard that I'm having a hard time finding clippers that won't crack or splinter her nails. I found this cool thing called "Pedipaws". It is a rotating emery board for dogs. You stick their nails in a little hole and it files their nails down with out damaging them. It took me a good hour before Kinnzi would sit still and let me do it but I think it is a success.

12/1/08~ I had a paper due by noon today and I didn't even start it until about 10 a.m. Talk about procrastination. Big D was teasing me the night before saying, "Procrastination is the theif of an A". He usually says the theif of eternal life, he thought he was pretty clever. But I got the paper done and sent off thirty minutes early. Now lets hope my grade does not reflect my laziness.