It's a virtual forest...

It’s time to start taking down christmas…

It always makes me a little sad that the season is over, but it is always nice to get things put back in order. I thought I would take a few pics (since nobody except Heather ever makes it down to Tooele) of all the trees that make an appearance during the holidays… as you can see, I might just have an obsession…

I think my favorite is the tree in the formal living room… though it alone takes me several days to finish. So many trips up and down the ladder… but it is worth it.
I also love having a tree in the kitchen. Grab a good book, light the fire, and snuggle up on the most comfy couch in the whole house…
The tree in the family room is the one that the kids decorate… it is always the most fun. It is full of memories. Every ornament made in school, or given by a neighbor, not too mention the many many ornaments collected by the kids. It is tradition in our home to let the kids choose their own ornament every year. We put their name and date on it somewhere. The idea is to eventually let them take them with them when they get their own homes with their own trees… but to be honest, I don’t know if I will be able to part with them. I will cross that bridge when I come to it…
So I’m off to start dismantling… hope to be done by Valentine’s Day…

Sleep is over-rated...

Says the girl who isn’t getting any… I seem to have found myself with two adorable little gremlins in my bed. The kind that toss and turn and kick and prod and want to sleep on top of, if not underneath me all night. That kind of gremlin. You wouldn’t think that little somethings so small would require so much of my king-size bed…leaving me with so little. But they do. And they did. And I am stiff and sore, and oh so tired. And the best part is… I have 3 more nights of this to look forward too. For some unknown reason, these particular little gremlins insist on MY bed… no other will do. Apparently I am the big winner. My husband (who slept downstairs in the spare bedroom) thinks this is hilarious. “Wow, you look comfy”, was my greeting from him this morning… ha… shows what he knows. But here’s the thing… I happen to adore these little creatures. My two little nieces, whose most favorite thing in the world is to stay at Joey’s house. It might have a little something to do with being spoiled rotten while they’re here. That is my job. My duty. And I take it very seriously. So to my little sis I say… enjoy your break while you can… you owe me.

Happy Birthday little bro...

Happy Birthday to you....
Happy Birthday to you....
Happy Birthday dear TROOOYYYY...
We sure do love you...

Yep... the little bro is 40 today. 40. I love saying that. He hates hearing it. Bummer...

I wanted to share a breathtaking recording of O Holy Night… which was recorded by a friend of mine and my husband’s. Kenneth Cope is truly a gifted man. The artwork is by Liz Lemon Swindle… I can’t really say that I know her, though we have met. Her depictions of the Savior are truly amazing. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do… Merry Christmas from me to you…

Christmas in Ogden...

So I really seem to have tradition on my mind... or at least my blog... this year, but hang in there with me for another Christmas memory. If you've ever been in the Ogden, Utah area at christmas time, you may have heard of Christmas Village. I know that Temple Square gets all the 'claim to fame' during the holidays... but hey, it's got nothin on Ogden's City Hall. Both are amazingly beautiful in their own way. Temple Square in a very classy, winter wonderland sort of way... Christmas Village in a "I've somehow taken a wrong turn, and ended up in Santa's Workshop" sort of way. ( I should mention that Christmas Village encompasses a full city block, so it is truly something to see...)

I haven't been to Christmas Village for years. I had a strong desire to see it this year... through the eyes of my two nieces. I wanted to see the magic through their eyes. So Jordyn and I drove up yesterday, went for pizza at another Ogden landmark, Tony's Pizza... (anybody who is anybody from Ogden knows about Tony's Pizza...) then bundled up to go see the lights. My nieces were so excited to see everything, though Dantley did keep asking when we were going to go into Christmas Village. She had a hard time grasping the concept of going to, as opposed to going into... and hey, who could really blame her... the temperature was hovering in the 15 degree range... a yeah... BRRR....Anyway, there were tons of lights and displays to see, as well as Santa and Mrs. Clause and the Grinch wandering around, plus some live entertainment in the apitheater. Here's a few pics...

Sarandon and Jordyn all bundled up...
Little Miss Dantley being a good sport. I was actually trying to take a picture of the very very sad, pathetic face she had been displaying moments before... but out comes the camera, out comes her smile...

What??? Is that a lovely display of a child in bondage? Why yes it is... it took me a minute to realize this was Hansel and Gretel... but give me a break... my brain was frozen... Ha. So there ya go... another tradition revisited this year. Glad we made the effort. Be even gladder when my toes thaw out...

Tradition... to the next generation...

I read an article in Woman's Day mag last night that cracked me up... it was titled 'Here's to a year of NUTCRACKER moments'. As in a special experience you can't wait to give your kids that bombs- or at least, unfolds in a way you didn't expect. The author calls it being 'NUTCRACKERED'. She says when visions of sugarplum fairies dance in a mom's head, logic doesn't stand a chance. All I was thinking was that my turn had come at last to enter the theater holding hands with a wide-eyed daughter decked out in velvet, crinoline and black patent leather. The first strains of Tchaikovsky will play. The curtain will rise. So will the goose bumps... and then there is reality... Please bear in mind that this poor author's daughter was only 3 years old... and her son was 5. Not many kids that young have the attention span to sit through a ballet without getting restless, getting bored senseless, or falling asleep... all of which happened. Her expectations were too high. Now anytime she plans something special where her bubble is burst is called being nutcrackered... too funny. The Nutcracker holds a very special place in my heart. The very name means tradition to me, my mother, and my daughter. When I was a little girl, I would often find Nutcracker tickets in my christmas stocking. Not every year, but several times. My mom was trying to raise 4 children alone on a very fixed income, but she managed to scrape enough together to provide me with some very special experiences. When I was married and had 4 kids of my own, she wanted to pass that tradition on to them. She wanted to be the one to take them to the nutcracker for the first time. I was welcome to come along for the ride, but had to pay for my own ticket. My 2 oldest sons were good sports, and made an effort to act like they enjoyed it. My daughter and youngest son (who was 4) were mesmerized. 4 years ago mom was fighting colon cancer, and I had a prompting to take her to the Nutcracker... my treat. I bought 3 front row tickets, and took her to dinner afterwords. What a special night. She died the following September. I will never regret the money that I spent that night. Some might say frivolous... I say priceless. I couldn't bring myself to go the following year without her. My daughter asked a few times if we were going to go. I felt bad having to tell her no. She enjoys it as much as I had as a child. The next year just the two of us went. It was an emotional experience for me, but in a good cleansing way. This year my sister's oldest daughter is 5. Old enough to have her first time. I know that if mom were here she would have wanted to buy her first ticket... so I did it for her... (of course if Heather wanted to come along she would have to pay for her own... fair is fair after all... ha). What a magical night. Sarandon was anything but bored. She was literally on the edge of her seat, and a few times started dancing right along with the ballerinas. I won't say my emotions didn't get the best of me, cause they did. Mom was there. I could feel her presence. How glad I am that being NUTCRACKERED has better memories for me... though I do remember taking the kids to Disneyland for the first time... I was so excited. I couldn't wait to share that with them. And what happened??? NUTCRACKERED. Yep... they were little dream killers... " is this it? Where are all the good rides...?" Phrases that still haunt me to this day... but that's another story...

Jordyn and mom in 2004

Sarandon... isn't she adorable?

Sarandon and JordySue...

Me, Heather, Sarandon, and Jordyn...

This is a clip of mom's favorite number from the ballet... the Grand Pas de Deux . She thought it was breathtaking, and it is. Listening to it now is like having her arms wrapped around me. Enjoy...

Am I a Grinch? Nah...

I am the opposite of the grinch... though if you asked my kids, they might tell a different story. Anyway, I absolutely love the holidays. House is decked out inside and out...finally...(maybe I'll take you on a V tour someday). I have a total of 14 trees on the main floor of my home . I know this because my nephew announced it to me the other day... as in "Did you know you have 14 christmas trees in your house?" Actually, I think he said like 29, or something insane like that. He was counting things that were soooo obviously not christmas trees... but related to the pine family in general... as in wreaths, and garlands wrapped in the light fixtures...sorry Payton, but that doesn't count. I love all the sights, sounds, and smells associated with the holiday season. I love the traditions. I love to match my wrapping paper, as in I need like them to coordinate. Not only that, but I like them to coordinate with the tree that they are under... there, now you have had a small glimpse into my OCD world... (ok, not really ocd... but I do get teased about it). I came across this fun test on My Crazy Life With a Toddler, and thought I would check it out. I was pretty sure I wasn't a grinch, but needed validation... just had to make sure. Here's the consensus...

You Are the Furthest Thing From A Grinch

You love and live for the holidays. You even love the Grinch! You're in the holiday spirit year round... because you're all about celebrating and giving.

Are You a Grinch?

So are ya? Take the test and find out.

Let me know what you find out. It's always nice to know what kind of riff-raff I am associating with...

I want to go back in time...

but just for a visit every now and again… Look at the excitement on those babies faces… they are precious. It seems like only yesterday that they were that small… and innocent. Those babies are now much bigger… and smarter… and not so much in awe and wonder of this magical season. The oldest is now 21, and the youngest was 14 a few days ago. I’m not saying that I would go back in time indefinitely. I wouldn’t. I love the time in life that I am in right now. For everything there is a season. Having older kids has it’s perks. I have a lot more freedom now. We have a lot of fun together. They do their own laundry. But every once in awhile I have a brief longing for days gone by…to see those precious babies again…

My baby boy is 14 today... 14. That's pretty old for the baby, don't ya think? I look back at pictures I have around the house, and it's almost surreal... like were they ever that little? Sometimes it seems sooo long ago, and other times it seems like just yesterday. What an adorable little guy he was... so full of it... we never ceased to be entertained by the things he would say. Now don't get me wrong... he is still adorable, but in a BIG clumsy teenage boy sort a way. His voice is in the process of changing... and he now uses a razor. Yep. One of his proudest moments was when he realized he was taller than I. It seemed to have happened over night. He used to compare heights constantly. I would always say, "Not yet, bud." Then one day, not only was he taller, but by several inches... literally overnight. That's how it seems to happen. So for you young moms out there... enjoy every precious minute with your babies... cause one day they're going to be taller than you. Happy Birthday Colton...

I remember when...

“I remember when… we decorated our house (or tree, or apartment - or whatever else!) for the holidays”.

My mom was THE master of tree decorating. Known for it for miles... well, maybe not miles, but still... anyway... our tree was always a masterpiece. Took forever to decorate. She was fanatical about the wires from the lights not showing... so you had to wind in and out of every branch, tucking here and there to disguise them. I have inherited this problem obsession. No two similar ornaments can hang too closely together, and ALL ornaments need to have equal spacing between them. This is paramount... I mean very very important. Does it take some time to set up the tree? Yes, it does. Now this might be manageable if I didn't find it necessary to have 3 full size trees on the main floor of my house... (which I do), and bear in mind that the mack daddy tree (my pride and joy) is 12 feet tall. Yep. Have I put it up yet...ummm.... no. I have saved the worst for last. It requires many many trips up and down the ladder. But it's worth it. I remember the first time my mom called to tell me that she had a genious idea. She was tired of dealing with the lights every year, and decided to just wire them on... and put the tree away with them. Aha, I thought... BRILLIANT!!! And it was. We were doing this for years before some OTHER genious started marketing pre-lit trees. Oh, to go back in time... we could have made millions.

Announcing...

Here 's a fun little diversion that I had absolutely no time for this morning... but did anyway... thanks On The Verge...I'm always looking for a new way to procrasitinate doing the things I should be doing. Anyway, I made a virtual baby... isn't he cute??? (Did I hear you say creepy??? Shhh.... you should never tell a new mother that her bundle of joy is creepy... he is Bee-utiful... and looks absolutely nothing like any of my 4 children as babies)...check out how he follows the cursor around... ohhh... cute....