Christmas '08

Well time really flies by and can't say we were having too much fun. The holidays always seem so rushed. I am amazed at how simple of a holiday can become such tiresome task. The true meaning of Christmas is so easily lost.
So here's a quick wrap up of the month of December. After my great birthday, the kids and I put up Christmas lights and realized some of them didn't work. Then I decided I'd get to them asap. They're still the same and not all up nice and neat anymore. The warmth of the first weeks of December really threw us off. I didn't even want to turn the lights on after it snowed the first time, fearing a burnout of all. Not to mention you really wouldn't see anything below 16 inches of snow.
I decided to have a Christmas party for my church kids and my kids friends. WHAT A MESS! I definitely learned from my mistakes this time. I have to separate ages or else it becomes major ciaos. They all didn't seem to mind the party though. Afterall I'm supposely the coolest party host to ALL ages.
Then on to the gifts and goodies for friends, neighbors and family. I got the kids friends, most neighbors and 2 family members done. Not even close to normal. I didn't even make my famous truffles.
Kids were out for break and Tanner was with his dad for a week and a half. The girls had fun helping prep the house for Christmas. Scott worked nonstop plowing snow and had very little sleep. The house had to be sound proof when he was home "OR ELSE". So the kids would play with friends in the daytime at our house and late afternoon til whenever at their friends house.
I surprising haven't been too sick and fatigued. I've really watched out for over doing things and stressing. Maybe that is why all my to do list wasn't done this season.
After Christmas, Saturday the 27th, Tanner was baptized and after that we went with my family to eat and visit the lights at temple square.
Tanner struggled making the decision to be baptized at first but like always when he makes up his mind to do something it gets done no matter what. We almost didn't have the baptism on that Saturday because the stake center hadn't even been scheduled until Christmas evening. Talking about Christmas day, Scott worked that morning snow plowing for the second year in a row and was able to get off work in time to pick up Tanner from his dads'. My mother and father were spending Christmas with us at our house for the 1st time and things were moving forward as planned. Then around 1pm the power went off at my house. It was that way until around 7pm Christmas night. When all the family was together we started unwrapping presents. The sun was going down and we all were unwrapping as fast as we could, while trying to see what each received, taking a picture and hurrying before the night set in completely. Around 5pm it was too dark and cold that we all went to eat at a Chinese buffet. While in the buffet, it started snowing like crazy. It really didn't ease up at our house for sometime. Luckily the power was on when got home and we could all warm up in bed. Of course, Scott was called out to plow at 2am again and was gone until 7pm the next day. Then the morning of Tanner's baptism he was called in to work AGAIN!
He told his boss he had to leave at 10:30am so he could get to Tanner's baptism on time and his boss wasn't too happy!
Can you believe it? He had worked for 3 weeks with 1 day off including Christmas Eve, Day, Day after and then that Saturday and he was upset with having to let him go 4 hours early.

As for New Year's eve, we did what we always do. NOTHING! Knowing this I volunteered to babysit for my friend so she could go out. The 2 boys didn't even make it 1 hour here and were already sleeping. Their little, 3 years old, sister however beat all of us almost.
Tanner was at the neighbors spending the night, Christiana was with Vicki and Faith was here with us. She too fell asleep before midnight. No surprise there!
SO HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! And may all of your New Year's resolutions last longer than before. :)