Competition

I probably should preface this post with a true statement about myself: I am a competitive person. And now that you know that, I shall proceed.

As a Cub Scout, Damon had his first opportunity to participate in the Pinewood Derby. Which, of course, meant that he chose a design for his car and Jeff did almost all the work on it. Handling a hacksaw, drill, file and spray paint are not exactly something our 8 year old is capable by himself. Plus, I think Jeff was reliving his "glory days," remembering building cars with his dad when he was a Cub Scout.

The finished product was a sweet looking little red and yellow car, weighing in just under the limit of 5 ounces. Both Damon and Jeff were quite proud of it.

We showed up at the church ready to race. Jeff was disappointed by the track, which was not up to his standards, and didn't even have an electronic timer on it. He kept telling me how pinewood derby was the biggest event of his year as a Cub Scout and he was hoping it would be similar for Damon.

(Sidenote: The Activity Days girls had also been invited to participate, which I think is really cool. I would have loved to build a car when I was growing up.)

The racing started and consisted of several different heats. Two "judges" sat at the finish line to declare which car won each race. Although it became clear from the start that it didn't matter which car won. Everyone was going to be a "winner."

At 7:00, the racing was declared over and the awards were given out. Every kid got an award. I have absolutely no problem with that at all. I think everyone who built a car deserved one. Two awards were given out for sportsmanship, which I think was a great idea. But not one single mention was given to who actually had the fastest car. Heaven forbid we mention the obvious--that some cars actually raced down the track faster than others.

And that's what I have a problem with. I'm all about sportsmanship and focusing on the kids having a good time. But I also don't think there is anything wrong with a little competition. Would it have been so bad to have awards for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place (one category for the boys and one category for the girls)? As much as we want to pretend otherwise, real life is FULL of competition. And while we don't need to ONLY celebrate the victories, there are many, many lessons that can be learned from losing. Determination, hard work, dealing with disappointment...those are things we all need to learn at some point. Why not in a setting that is perfectly set up for it--a car race?

I'm not just saying this because Damon's car was super fast and won every heat it was in. If his car had been the slowest, I still would have rather some awards been given based on performance. It would have provided a little bit of incentive to build a better, faster car next year and maybe encourage a little character development as the kids deal with both losing and winning (it's also important to learn to be a gracious winner. Something Damon needs to work on).

(What is Kyla doing this picture? A backbend out Jeff's arms?)

Overall, it was a fun night. I know that a lot of hard work went into making it enjoyable for everyone, and I don't want to diminish my appreciation of them at all. I just wish we (as a society) didn't feel the need to take competition out of everything. Maybe you feel differently. But I'm a competitive person. Which means I always want to win.

Never ending winter

I really don't like winter. When Jeff retires and our kids are grown, I don't plan on sticking around for winter. We will either travel somewhere warm or we will be snowbirds in St George or Arizona. Or both. Preferrably both. But for now, we just bunker down and hope to endure.

We spend a lot of time indoors. Big pregnant mama isn't taking the kids sledding or skiing or out to play in the snow. Especially when the temperature is well below freezing. It just isn't something that sounds fun at all to me. So the kids have to use their imaginations, and I have to use my patience as they find things to do.

One night, they were playing with some boxes that had yet to make it to the recycling, and decided to create some camping equipment for their bears. This one is Allie's.

And this one is Kyla's. It makes me laugh. Apparently, Kyla's bear is homeless, and hoarding trash. And making a hat out of paper.

But this is pretty much the norm. The kids are excellent at making messes. I mean, gold medal worthy. If only their ability to clean could catch up to their ability to make messes. Then we'd have something we could take on the road.

In other, less depressing news, Allie lost her first tooth. It has been loose for weeks (months really) and suddenly became extremely loose while she was eating. I told her I wanted to take a look and popped it out with very little effort. She was as excited as she could possibly be until she noticed a trickle of blood. Then she went into panic mode. Allie doesn't do well with blood. Even a tiny amount that oozes from her own mouth. She refused to let me take a picture for several minutes until the blood had all dried and she had cleared her mind of that fear.

I was remembering back to when Damon first lost a tooth (and before) when he was afraid of the tooth fairy. You can read about it HERE. He was quite afraid of losing a tooth, and even let Allie put his first tooth under her pillow and collect the money. Funny.

Allie has been having emotional issues again lately. I had kind of thought she had outgrown them, but it doesn't appear to be so. She has been waking up with bad dreams again and really having a hard time communicating when she is upset. She just shuts down when she doesn't want to deal with something unpleasant. Jeff and I are really trying hard to get her to talk about things, but she can be completely unreasonable. Last night she woke up crying and I went to see what was wrong. She said she couldn't go back to sleep. So I told her to lay down and close her eyes. It was great advice, really.

This only made her mad and she proceeded to cry more and more until she was screaming, waking everyone up (but Carter, thankfully). I went in again to talk to her, but she could neither tell me why she was crying or what I could do to make it better. So I took Kyla into our room and shut her door, which of course only made her MORE upset. Finally, after letting her scream and cry for a few minutes, I went back and tried to be a little more understanding. I laid next to her and tried to get her to calm down, reminding her of some of the things we have talked about in the past when she is feeling anxious (breathing, imagining things that make us feel calm) and she started to calm down and said she was ready to go back to sleep.

This morning when I was asking her about it, I asked her how she felt (bad). I asked her why she was feeling scared. She told me she felt like there was dirt all around her (I don't know if this was true or if she was just trying to think of something to say, but I acted like I believed her). We talked AGAIN about ways to calm down and I had her go through an exercise where she tightens all her muscles, one group at a time, and then lets them relax. She didn't act like she cared that much about it. But I hope, with time and more practice, I can help her deal with some of her negative emotions. If only she'd talk to me about them! That's the most frustrating part.

One more thing about Allie: every story she tells me lately starts like this: "a boy (or girl) in my class..." and then she goes on to tell some outrageous story (like "a boy in my class tried to dip his chicken nugget in ketchup but instead dipped it in soy sauce", or "A girl in my class has a baby brother who fell off the tub into the trash can)". It's getting a little old. I mean, if she were to be believed, she is part of the most fascinating class in the history of public school.

Maybe I'll use it against her. Have her describe how someone in her class feels when they are scared. We'll see if that gives me any insight into her...

The Rules

A new set of rules, according to Allie and Kyla, as written by Allie.

1. Be cerfol

(be careful)

2. Owols wach kids

(always watch your kids)

3. Owols Hep Yr Mom

(always help your mom)

4. Owols Be Saf

(always be safe)

5. Let yor grls her gro long

(let your girls' hair grow long)

6.Nevr lev yor kids in the snow

(never leave your kids in the snow)

7. Nevr smel stinke stuf

(never smell stinky stuff)

I will try to abide by these rules. :)

January thoughts

First, a couple of pics from January.

This is the way Kyla eats toast. She eats the hot buttery spots first. Most of the time, she eats the rest too, but occasionally she just wants a couple butter bites. It makes me smile. And then I feed the rest to Carter, who is only too happy eating everyone's leftovers.

This has been a very cold month. Many days the temperature never got above freezing. One day I took Carter to get his second flu shot and I was feeling especially chilly. When I checked the temperature on my phone it was 10 degrees. At noon. BURRRR! And the underside of our deck has become a death trap. Look at all those icicle daggers! Beware!

As it has been much too cold for this sun loving girl, we have spent a lot of time indoors. I haven't filled up my gas tank since January 1. It has got to be some kind of record! How long can I go? In this pic we were making gingerbread cookies. I'm not sure what Kyla was doing.

Also, it's definitely not a very flattering picture of me, but I'm going with it. I don't have very many pregnancy pics this time around. And it will make a nice transition into a few thoughts about pregnancy.

I realize I don't have it all that bad. My morning sickness, while awful, doesn't begin to compare with some of the horror stories I have heard. I don't gain an exorbitant amount of weight (40 pounds or so). I have never had gestational diabetes or placenta previa or preterm labor. I don't have to deal with a lot of serious trials while I am pregnant.

I'm also not going to be featured on I Didn't Know I was Pregnant anytime soon, either. Because although I don't have it terrible, I certainly know I'm pregnant. My biggest complaints are major heartburn (which is easily remedied with daily Prilosec), achy legs (for which I wear compression stockings), and sore muscles under my belly when I do any lifting or major housework. These aren't new problems, but are things that I can count on pretty much every time. However, they are getting more troublesome. Especially the sore muscles. I have to turn the vacuuming over to Jeff, as that is getting to be painful now. He also has to carry everything for me, as I am already sore from carrying Carter around so much. I do wear a very attractive belly band, which helps when I am out running errand or on my feet a lot, but annoys me when I'm sitting down because it's so constrictive.

But, really, those aren't a lot of things to complain about. No sciatica, no bed rest due to pre-eclampsia (besides that one week with Damon), and not a lot of swelling of the hands and feet. My complaints are minimal.

I had also never had a UTI. Until recently.

On Sunday, I woke up feeling a little off. The pressure on my bladder seemed a bit more extreme than normal and I was uncomfortable. I got the kids ready for church and we went to sacrament meeting at 11:00. I was only planning on staying for sacrament meeting because Kyla and Carter weren't feeling great, but I thought we should at least make it to one meeting. By the beginning of the meeting, I had already felt the need to pee 5 or 6 times, and I was increasingly crampy. We made it through the sacrament, when Jeff told me to take the kids home. Kyla had coughed about 100,000 times and when she wasn't coughing, she was stifling the desire to cough. So, we came home.

My back was really starting to hurt on the left side, and I thought maybe if I laid down for a bit it would help. Instead, it just got worse. It was a long few hours waiting for Jeff to get home. I was pretty sure I had a bladder infection, after reading my pregnancy book and noting how many of the symptoms I was experiencing, so when Jeff finally pulled up at 2:00, I called the OB on call to find out what to do. I certainly needed to do something. He told me I needed to go to Instacare, because Monday was a holiday and I shouldn't wait until Tuesday to be seen.

So, that's how I ended up at Instacare, watching Johnny Depp as Willa Wonka, unable to sit still for more than a few minutes at a time. I was able to get some prescriptions and took some Extra Strength Tylenol when I got home (I should have taken that HOURS earlier, as it really helped with the ache in my back), and started feeling a little better.

Sunday night was not great (my back still really hurt, and sleeping with a heating pad only helped a little), and was made worse when another d@&* smoke detector started beeping and calling out "low battery" all night long. Finally, at 3:30, Jeff and I both got up to change the blasted battery. But by morning, I was feeling a lot better. Probably back to 80% of "pregnancy normal." Still crampy, still needing to pee a lot, but the back aches had subsided dramatically and the burning sensation was gone (thanks to a pill that turns my pee bright orangish yellow!). Thank goodness. I had heard that UTI's were painful, and I can now attest to just how true that statement is.

The sad news is that I have to give up my baths. Apparently, you aren't supposed to take baths longer than 30 minutes, as they can be the cause of nasty UTI's. And I have taken at least 2 or 3 baths a week for a while now. Oh how I love it. And I'm just not sure 29 minutes in the tub is going to cut it. We'll see.

But add UTI to the list of pregnancy experiences I wouldn't have had without this pregnancy. I'm not sure how many other "firsts" I'd like to add to the list.

Song

Recently, I was looking for the video I took of Damon singing the song he sang at his baptism, "When I am Baptized." And I can't find it. It may have somehow gotten deleted. And I keep thinking I need to have him sing it again.

Today, though, Jeff left his phone home and I found a pirated copy of the actual baptism day and his song. Of course, the quality isn't good (it's from a phone), but it's priceless to hear his little voice. So I thought I'd share.

HERE

11 months

I thought I better post this picture before this handsome love turns one, which happens in two weeks. During the last month, he has been teething like crazy. He now has three teeth on the bottom to go with the two on top, and his latest trick is grinding them together. Seriously? A teeth grinder with 5 teeth?

He has also become a little more adventurous around the house. Meaning: he likes to create messes. If there is a drawer or cupboard he can reach, he will open it and pull things out. If there are things on the coffee table, he will throw them on the floor. If the fridge is left open, he will empty out the doors he can reach in mere minutes.

Carter also cautiously explores every room (and toilet) in the house. If a door is open, he will crawl as fast as he can to the very edge to look out. But he will go no further. He isn't daring like Kyla was. Instead, he is content to get to the edge and stop. His favorite activity is still climbing the stairs and looking out over the family room. I did catch him on video tumbling down four or five stairs, and his reaction is always the same: I can't believe I fell! I knew it was going to happen! It's like he's mad at someone else for his own clumsiness.

He still isn't close to walking. He can stand. And stand and stand and stand, but when it comes to taking steps, he just isn't ready. Probably because he knows he will fall. He has started leaning and letting his feet follow, but I don't think he'll be walking by his first birthday. Hopefully soon, though. We'll keep working on it.


We are working on some signs (eat, please and more) and he may actually be getting it. He has signed eat a couple of times, but not with any consistency. He gets what he wants by crying until someone (usually Kyla) give in and give him whatever it is he wants to eat.

I still think of him as a baby, even though he is about to turn one. He just doesn't seem like he's ready to enter the toddler stage yet. But please let it be soon. We're down to less than 10 weeks before Baby Jimmer is born (haha, that was a Facebook joke from earlier in this week. NOT what we're going to name him/her).

More on that later...

Resolutions

Yep, it's that time again. I actually enjoy making resolutions, because I feel such a sense of accomplishment when I achieve them, which isn't all the time. I enjoy the experience of evaluating myself and recognizing areas I need to improve and then making the changes. I realize this isn't something everyone enjoys, but for me, it is a good thing.

My personal goals for this year are broken into five areas:

PHYSICAL

1. My goal is to have a natural birth. Going into labor on my own, no epidural, and a speedy delivery. While that is the goal, I'm not 100% committed to it. My experience with Allie wasn't exactly my favorite, I am hopeful that with a little more preparation, I can do it again without so many negative feelings afterward. Of course, this is all based on the assumption that I will go into labor on my own and not need to be induced, which changes everything. I'm sure I will write more about this later.

2. Post baby, I want to participate in a sprint triathlon. I know I'm a bit late to jump on the bandwagon of triathlons, but I don't have a bike, I don't really know much about swimming, and I hate running. Are those obstacles I can't overcome? We will see.

3. Get back to pre-baby weight. Ideally, I would like to be back to my pre-Carter weight before Jeff and I celebrate our 11th anniversary in the fall. We'll see how that goes, too.

MENTAL

1. Read 50 books and write reviews on Goodreads

2. Finish my blog book and get scrapbooks caught up

3. Write more. Not only blog posts, but also some of the stories I have running around in my head that no one has ever read.

SPIRITUAL

1. Keep up with the New Testament Sunday School lessons, and RS lessons

2. Do temple work for 50 people (endowments, initiatory, sealings) and write down all their names

3. Index 1,000 names for FamilySearch.

EMOTIONAL

1. Learn more techniques for dealing with anxiety and help my kids learn them too

2. Work hard not to be discouraged. I know this is Satan's way of getting to me, and I have definitely had moments/hours/days where I have been discouraged and have found it hard to get over it. I don't want to give him the satisfaction this year.

FAMILY

My goal is no more yelling. I will ask nicely, and if I'm ignored, I won't lose my temper.

Jeff's goals are to be more patient and to help out more

Damon's is to deal with frustration in ways other than crying

Allie's is to concentrate and stay focused

and Kyla's is to leave Carter alone.

Lofty goals, probably. But a good place to start.

After Christmas

We loaded up the kids and headed to St. George Christmas Day. Well, first we had to take down the tree and vacuum up the 100,000 dry needles that were all over the floor. I didn't want to do it (it was Christmas after all, I just wanted to get down to see my family), but it was good to get it done before we left.

We spent the week after Christmas having all kinds of fun. The kids stayed up WAY too late (one night at 1 am we went down to check on them and Damon and Allie were STILL awake!), but I tried hard not to worry about it and just enjoy our vacation. Even if it meant we were all a little sleep deprived.

My cousin, Rebecca, invited us to ride horses with them on Tuesday and seeing how we didn't have to do any work, but just show up and enjoy all their planning, how could we say no?

Carter didn't seem to realize he was a part of anything new and exciting.

In fact, he put on his best cowboy face while posing for this picture. Can't you just imagine drawing a hat and mustache on him, and laughing at what a perfect little cowboy he makes?

How about now?

Allie wanted to roast just for the sake of roasting. I'm pretty sure she didn't end up eating this hot dog. I, however, smelled like campfire for the rest of the day, as I roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for the other kids who were busy riding the horses and playing in the dirt.

This was by far the best weather day we had while in St. George. Notice no one even needed a jacket! The rest of the week was rainy and cold and we were stuck inside.

Carter hated wearing this Santa hat, but I managed to get a picture of him in it before he tore it off. What a Grinch.


Once the rain came, we had to get creative. We played a lot of games together...

...and Grandma Karen helped all the kids make sugar cookies, which thrilled everyone.
Especially since that left us free to play Settlers. I wish I had counted how many hours we spent playing, but it was a lot. I like to keep track of the numbers we roll during the games, and Damon was helping do just that during this game. And of course, he was playing with his hair.

We had some friends (Hookers) come over for a visit on Thursday, and Jeff and Wayne wanted no part of the chit chat. Instead, they took the kids to Pirate Island for all kinds of fun. Eric and Kimmy tagged along, because they are still kids at heart. Tara, can you get the pictures from mom's camera and post them so I can steal one? Thanks!

We also snuck in a few minutes of personal time with my grandparents. Jeff has been working on a coffee table book of photos of my grandpa's ranch for a couple of years, and he was finally ready to give it to him. It turned out awesome and I think they really loved it. I love this picture of us, and I will love telling Carter all about them someday when he is older.

We had such a fabulous time. I wasn't ready to come home, especially since it was only in the teens when we got here, but it's always good to get home and get everyone back into the routine of life. And I'm happy to report we are all back to reasonable bed times.

Christmas card and letter 2010

For those who didn't get a Christmas card in the mail, here is ours from this year. I figure those who follow my blog and Facebook already know everything anyway, but here you go...

Initially, it doesn’t seem like a lot has changed in our lives during the past year. But when I sat down and actually thought about everything that happened in 2010, I realized that wasn’t exactly true. And I guess that’s why we write these letters at Christmas time, so those who aren’t a part of our lives every single day can still be a part of our lives. So, here is how life has changed for each of us over the past year:

Jeff-Became partner in his brother’s orthodontic practice, got called as Executive Secretary in our ward, and suffered through a fairly painful season of BYU football. His new talents include planting flowers and trees and maintaining our yard, as we spent a lot of time landscaping our home during the summer and fall.

Krystal-Adjusted to life with another baby, learning to juggle 4 kids (not literally. That really would be newsworthy!). She was able to play basketball in the Utah Summer Games with two of her sisters and realized that she is getting old. Her new talents include getting pregnant without even trying. Baby “Caboose” is scheduled to join our family in March, and we’re both excited and terrified!

Damon (8)-Was baptized in July, causing his parents a moment’s pause to reflect, again, on just how old they are getting. He started third grade in the fall, and played flag football for the first time. His new talents include writing reports (both for school and for fun) one keystroke at a time and playing the piano one note at a time.

Allie (5)-Started kindergarten in the fall and surprised everyone (including her mother) by already being able to read. She also had her herniated belly button repaired and now thinks she should be able to wear bikinis. Her new talents include swimming across the pool and riding a bike without training wheels.

Kyla (3)-Secured her place in our family as the most injury/accident prone over a 6 week stretch during the summer. During that time, she had stitches in her chin, second degree burns over much of her thigh, and staples in her head. Still, it hasn’t slowed her down. Her new talents include keeping herself afloat in the pool without drowning (it can’t be called “swimming” yet), riding a two-wheel scooter and starting to write her letters.

Carter (10 months)-Joined our family and immediately caused drama. He contracted RSV at three-weeks old and ended up in the hospital for 12 days, four of which were spent on a ventilator. After a shaky start, he has grown into a healthy, normal little boy. If you consider 24 lbs at 10 months normal. Or little. His new talents include crawling up the stairs, clicking his tongue, refusing to say “mama,” and waving hello.

As we prepare for the dark days of winter, we are very grateful to celebrate the birth of our Savior, the Light of the World. For no matter how much things change (or seem to stay the same), He remains the constant in all of our lives. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from our home to yours! We love you!

Love, the Trapnell’s

Jeff, Krystal, Damon, Allie, Kyla and Carter

2010 Recap

1. What did you do in 2010 that you’ve never done before? Got myself and 4 kids ready for 9 am church alone.

2. Did you keep your New Years’ resolutions and will you make more for next year? I thought I did, but I can't seem to find a record of them. I'll keep looking. This needs to be its own post.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth? I did, Noel did, and Julie did. All boys!

4. Did anyone close to you die? no

5. What countries did you visit? none. Boo.

6. What would you like to have in 2011 that you lacked in 2010? a few more decorations on my walls

7. What date from 2010 will remain etched in your memory and why? July 24th, when I thought I was miscarrying and found myself extremely relieved. Also, the first of August when I found that I was NOT miscarrying, but instead was having another baby. Shocker.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year? Making the transition to four kids.

9. What was your biggest failure? Not losing all my baby weight (I still had five pounds to go) before getting pregnant again. OOPSIE!

10. Did you suffer illness or injury? not me, just Carter. He was hospitalized with RSV for 12 days, 4 of which he spent on a ventilator. Longest 12 days of my life, and probably the ones filled with the least amount of sleep ever! Kyla also had stitches in her chin, burns on her leg and staples in her head.

11. What was the best thing you bought? the dvd player in the van.

12. Where did most of your money go? loans and house payment. And that will be the same every year until the loans are paid off.

13. What did you get really, really, really excited about? Jonny leaving on his mission, Carter's birth two days later, Heather telling me she was pregnant and due 10 days after me...

14. Happier or sadder? I would say happier. I really am content with my life.

15. Thinner or fatter? Thinner. Then fatter. Still, thinner than last year at this time, but only because my due date is March instead of February this year (that just sounds wrong).

16. Richer or poorer? Richer, although it sure doesn't feel like it. We put in our yard this year (HUGE expense), paid a ton in medical bills, and will do it all again when this next baby is born. I guess if we want to actually feel like we have more money, I should stop having babies.

17. What do you wish you’d done more of? Spending time with girl friends and SIL's. I love that!

18. What do you wish you’d done less of? Stressing

19. How did you spend Christmas? With my family. Christmas Eve with the Trapnell's, Christmas morning with my husband and kids and the rest of Christmas break with the Esplin's. Perfect!

20. Did you fall in love in 2010? Yeah, with my Chubby Bubby, Carter.

21. What was your favorite TV show? Our favorite new show is Nikita on the CW. Reminds me of Alias. Unfortunately for Jeff, the main girl does NOT live up to Jennifer Garner.

22. What was the best book you read? I read 35 books this year (that I kept track of on Good Reads. I know there are a few I read that have slipped my mind, but those are the ones I can remember). I read 45 last year. This year I'll shoot for 50. I should be able to do it, especially if I am spending a lot of time nursing this spring.

The best book I read was The Help by Kathryn Stockett. The best non-fiction book I read was Superfreakanomics by Steven Levitt. The best YA book I read was Tuck Everlasting (I'm biased--it was also my favorite book as a kid). The best new author I discovered was Janette Rallison and her YA books.

23. What was your greatest musical discovery of 2010? The album "Speak Now" by Taylor Swift. Is that sad?

24. What did you want and get? an epidural, a healthy baby boy born 2+ weeks early

25. What did you want and not get? Central vac and water softener. Maybe this year?

26. What was your favorite film this year? I don't get to see many movies until they come out on dvd, so I would have to go with a kid movie. How to Train Your Dragon or Despicable Me.

27. What did you do on your birthday? Went to lunch with my SIL's, had dinner with my aunt and her family, enjoyed a pumpkin cake that my brother made. Nice.

28. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? For those people that I love not to have to struggle so much.

29. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2010? Hand me downs from my SIL. Jeff has promised me a wardrobe makeover as soon as I lose the baby weight this time around. I'll hold him to it! But you still won't find me in skinny jeans. These thighs just weren't made for them.

30. What kept you sane? a trip to Boston with my mom and sisters. Although stressful flying stand-by, it was such a wonderful time. And Legal Sea Foods still has my mouth watering...

31. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? This sounds like a British question. I'm not sure I "fancied" anyone new, but I do have a new appreciation for Sarah Palin, the person. I'm still not sold on Sarah Palin, the politician.

32. What political issue stirred you the most? The passing of the new health care law. I'm not a fan.

33. Who did you miss? Lots of people, but two stand out: my brother Jonny and April Ferguson.

34. Who was the best new person you met? Carter

35. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2010. Tough times pass, even when it seems like they never will.

36. What songs will always remind you of 2010? Ke$ha's "Your Love is my Drug," Train's "Soul Sister," Travie McCoy's "Billionaire," Katy Perry's "California Gurls," BoB's "Airplanes," Taylor Swift's new album, but especially, "Back to December" and "Speak Now," Sugarland's "Stuck Like Glue," and my favorite Glee songs, "Poker Face" and "I Dreamed a Dream."

37. When you think about 2010 what sticks out in your mind? Health expenses

38. Best moment of 2010? Watching Damon get baptized, and listening to him sing, "When I am Baptized."

Christmas Countdown

I am way behind. Christmas is going to have to be a couple of different posts, with this Countdown being the first. Our wireless adapter broke on our home computer and it's been too much of a hassle to get everything on the laptop. But since I want to get this year's blog published into a book, I need to do it. Even if we don't have any pictures from Christmas day. I guess we were too busy taking video to make up for the past few years...

This is the countdown chain Allie made at school. Every night she would take off a chain, until she was left with just a bell. It was a lot of fun to watch her chain get shorter every night.

And here is our advent calendar, which really only consisted of moving the Christmas tree to the next day. I think this was a really good way for Kyla to work on her numbers, as she always wanted to be the one to move it. Nice investment, especially considering I got it for $1.00.

Christmas is a time for treats. And we loved having someone ring the doorbell almost every night to bring us a treat. It was exciting to find out what we would be having next. And with so many of us sharing the treats, they never lasted more than one night. Carter, who loves food and treats more than anything, always knew how to get some for himself. He begs from the one person who is sure to give in--Kyla.

He also helped himself. One night, the kids left the brownies we had received on the floor in the kitchen. And the bloodhound Carter sniffed them out. By the time I found him, he had a handful and a messy face to show for it. I had to let him finish it, just for his sneakiness. We call this picture, "Hey! Unto you a child is born!" in honor of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, which we read together before Christmas. Can't you just hear those words coming out of those chocolate covered lips?


We waited until Christmas Eve to take the kids to see Santa. Not on purpose, but that was the way it worked out. I wanted to go to the Riverwoods to see what they have done there (I've heard it's awesome), but Santa is only there from five to eight at night, and those times just seemed to be so busy every night. So, we ended up at the mall on Christmas Eve around noon. And there was no line to see Santa. We may have found a new tradition. Jeff took one picture. He felt bad when we weren't buying any of the rip off packages they sell, so only took one. Even though no one was waiting and I'm sure they wouldn't have cared. Oh well, it turned out cute. Carter acted as though Santa didn't exist. I don't think he even looked his way. At least he didn't cry. And Santa wanted to keep Kyla. I told him we wouldn't miss her. :)


This last picture is out of order, but we got to see the kindergarten Christmas program during the last week of school. Ah, the benefits of living in Utah. The kids still sing songs about Jesus, instead of just having a "winter festival." Allie made a cute Christmas tree, if I do say so myself.

I don't think there is anything better in the world than the excitement of kids waiting for Christmas. The anticipation is great, and we spent all month feeding the fire. We watched all kinds of Christmas movies, ate ourselves sick, and celebrated with friends and family repeatedly. Kyla wrote a letter to Santa telling him she loved him and to bring her candy. Damon asked his questions about the reality of Santa, but stopped short of demanding the truth. Deep inside, I know that he knows, but he is determined not to face the facts. I like it. And Allie changed her mind daily about what she wanted, making Santa's job much harder.

Overall, though, December was a great month and I'm sad to see it go....