Christmas and Such

We had a fine Christmas. I got an iPod Nano, and it's so small, I honestly don't think I'm going to have it for very long. I lose things, you see. Nils had it engraved with my name and phone number in case I lose it. That's nice and everything, but like someone's actually going to call me when they find a stray iPod. I'll enjoy it while I have it. And I'm going to try really hard not to lose it. I promise. I got Nils a surround sound system. He's been crying his eyes out for YEARS for one. This is what I've learned from this experience: From now on, I'm getting my husband whatever techno-gadget noise making thing he wants (within reason). In years past, I've done the thoughtful, homemade gifts, or something mushy or sentimental. While he likes them fine, I've never seen his face full of such sincere joy while opening a gift as I did Sunday morning. So forget thought and sentiment. I'm going to Best Buy from now on. Anders got a Big Wheel and a Thomas the Tank Engine track-block set. Addie got a couple of baby toys. She just doesn't care yet.

We painted our room last night. We've had the paint since September, and I've been very curious to see what it would turn out like. I gotta say- it's blue. We only did two walls because of the blueness. We weren't too sure last night, but we woke up this morning and agreed that we like it. I'm glad we only stuck with the two walls. I would probably feel like I had been swallowed up in the sea if we'd done all of them.

Okay, I have to go- I have an appt. at the gym. I need to write more about Anders' sleep training, so don't let me forget.

Where to Start....

Monday: Nothing too exciting happened. I puked at the gym, though.
Tuesday: Nils got a huge pen order. He had to make 25 pens by Friday.
Wednesday: My Grandma died. Sad, weird day. Nils worked all day at Craft Supplies, and all night on the pens.
Thursday: Had a Christmas party with girls in the ward. Nils worked until 2:30 a.m. finishing the pens.
Friday: I took the kids to Salt Lake to my brother Greg's firefighting graduation.
Saturday: We all drove to Price for my Grandma's funeral. It was sad, but good at the same time. She would have been 92 next month. We had to get home, because I've been planning a Christmas party with my high school friends, and it was here. It was lots of fun, they stayed until midnight. I was pooped. Got the flu.
Sunday (today): Woke up feeling a bit better, went to church, etc. Started feeling crappy during Primary, and have felt miserable the rest of the day and night. I really hope I get over it quick.

Now, for a tribute to Grandma. My sister spoke at the funeral and asked that we write a favorite memory of our Grandma. My paper was folded in half, so she forgot to read it. Here's what it said:

My favorite times with Grandma were when she would take one or two of us to her house in Mapleton to spend the night. We would stop at Allen's grocery store in Springville on the way, and she'd let us each pick out our very own box of cereal. She would even let us get the sugar coated stuff. I always had fun at Grandma's house, because she had a TV with a remote control, and she let me eat all the sugar cubes I wanted. It was really all about the sugar at Grandma's. Besides sugar, however, I loved spending time with her because I knew she loved us so much and she loved having us with her.

The End.

It's Cold!

I was just trying to recap the week in my head, and the only thing I could really remember was how very cold it's been. I don't know what the deal is with the arctic air, but it can leave anytime. It's been 10-20 degrees during the day, and zero or minus at night. It's too cold to go outside at all! Our windshield washer fluid has been frozen all week, and our windshield is disgusting. There's nothing we can do about it. Well, I guess we could clean it off at the gas station, but that involves getting out of the warm car.

Other than the cold, it's been a rough week. Nils has been deathly ill all week with the flu. He won't get better until next week, however. He's too busy to actually rest and heal his sick self. Next week, after finals are over, he can rest and recover. If he makes it that long. Anders has been sick this week as well. I'm the only one in our little family that hasn't gotten it yet...knock on wood. Usually I'm the sickly one with the random diseases.

We had our ward Christmas party tonight. It was pretty fun. Santa was there at the end, and Anders looked absolutely terrified. He said to me, "I don't want to say hi to Santa". Addie had a ball crawling around the gym floor. She kept trying to lick the lines that make up the basketball court. It was funny.

I'm so tired right now I can't think of anything else....

Is the week over yet?

Alright, what a week. Oh my. So Addie's been sick as I previously mentioned. Monday I took her to the doctor because she still had a fever and was very listless. She was pale and like a little rag doll. The doctor looked at her ears, throat, etc. She said her throat was red and sore, and that her ears looked wonderful and fabulous, but that may change. Yesterday she screamed all day. Not a cry or whimper, but full-on scream, non-stop for hours and hours. I took her into the doctor again, and low and behold, 2 ear infections! She didn't go to bed last night until about midnight. Oh my. Non-stop screaming, all day, all night until midnight. I know ear infections are no picnic. They're torture, actually. Tylenol wouldn't touch the pain, had to break out the Motrin. Today she slept in until 10 (usually gets up at 6:30 or 7:00), and she's on her second nap, just past 2:00. Something tells me she's tired. No more sickness!!! It's miserable for everyone.

Both Anders and Addie are asleep right now. Anders has been really good about taking naps lately. He doesn't fight me at all, ever since I changed the name from "nap time" to "quiet time". Napping is optional, but quiet time is not. He's been napping every day for the past couple of weeks. It's wonderous.

We went to Costco last night to break up the monotany of screaming.... there are so many things there that I want to buy. Not for myself, even. The toys! Oh, the toys! I wish I could buy my kids everything, but I know that would be stupid. There are so many fun things there that I know Anders would love, and Addie's starting to be interested in toys and interactive stuff too. We're going to keep Christmas real low key while we can, one or two Santa gifts per kid. It would just be so fun to buy everything they ever wanted.

Nils is going right from work to school, so he won't be home until 7:00- and then I have to leave right when he gets home for a Primary meeting. Then I have to go to the gym after that. I can't take the kids to the gym during the day when we are carriers of diseases. It's rough. How I look forward to the weekend!

Sick Addie

Addie's sick. I don't know with what, but she's had a temperature all day and has been lethargic and snuggly. I have a feeling we'll be visiting the doctor tomorrow. There was a sign on the gym daycare door the other day that said there had been an outbreak of chicken pox. That would be just swell.

So we went to Salt Lake last night in an attempt to go to the Church History Museum to see the Joseph Smith exhibit. We got there about 7:30, and they closed at 7:00. It was absolutely FREEEEEEZING, and we had taken trax. So we had waited at the trax station for 10 minutes freezing our buns off, then walked a block or so to the museum to find it was closed. We walked around Temple Square for a little while, then got back on the train. Anders loved the train. We went with my Mom and Greg and Britta, and he had a great time. Poor little Addie was burrowed into me like a groundhog the whole time. She was so cold. THEN, on our way home a blizzard came out of NOWHERE. It took us 2 hours to drive home. Holy crap. There were cars sliding all over the road, some flipped over, some spun around. It was very scary and horrible. We were just pooped when we finally got home at 11:22 pm.

We sluffed church today, because we're evil. Actually, we weren't going to take Addie to church, and we figured we had such a traumatic night last night that we deserved a day of rest. It was kind of nice to lay around all day. We let Anders color in his special "marker book" since it's Sunday. Honestly, I think he spent the better part of 2 or 3 hours coloring in it. He's been saying all week that he wants to to go church, and I think it's this book. He loves it. Perhaps it will help us in converting him to the gospel. Who knows!

I'm done- a sink of dishes awaits me.

Saturday Madness

What a wild day. The kids both got up at 7:00, which I think is just cruel. I went to the gym, came home, showered and went for a haircut. Came home, went to Super Saturday. Came home, and we went to Target and the mall. Anders cried pretty much the whole time. We came home, had dinner and put those rascals to bed! I've been reading a book called 1-2-3 Magic for disciplining Anders when he acts up. It works well, but public settings require you to ignore the screaming. It's great when people look at you and your screaming child. Their looks vary from "That's funny", "Those poor parents", "Get your kids out of here", etc. Anyhoo, I'm just physically tired tonight. I was going to go to the store for groceries, but I don't think I can muster the energy.

We got a fun book for Anders to play with during church. It's sort of a dry-erase book that should keep him occupied for the duration of Sacrament Meeting. That's one of our biggest stresses, that hour of the week. The past few weeks I've been stuffing him with candy to keep him quiet, but I think people are starting to notice and it doesn't look good. Plus, it's not good for him in any way, really. We're going to keep this book for church only, so he doesn't get to play with it at all during the week. We'll see how that goes. It's so funny to see the difference in Anders and Addie. Anders has always been a challenge during church. He was born that way. He screamed through church as a newborn, and hasn't stopped since. Addie's fine. She doesn't fuss during church and is just more content in general. It's nice to have one be a little easier in that way.

Okay, I'm done. I think I'll do something that requires little energy. Typing is just too much for me. Bonsoir.

Funny Stuff

I need to write some of the funny things Anders has said lately before I forget. We were at Macey's the other day grocery shopping. We saw a man in a long black trench coat with long black hair and some stubble. Anders said to me, "Mommy, it's a Jesus!" I laughed and laughed out loud. The guy actually looked a little scary, which added to the humor of it all.

My mom bought him two Spiderman shirts last week and he's in love with them. He's never seen a Spiderman show or anything, but somehow he knows who Spiderman is and thinks he's AWESOME. So we went to our neighbor's house and Anders said to their little boy, Caleb, "Yes Caleb, I AM wearing a Spiderman shirt!", as if Caleb asked or cared.

On Halloween when we went trick or treating, Anders told us that he didn't want to say "trick or treat" at the doors. We asked him why, and he said, "Because I'm much too shy." Much too shy? Where did he get that one?

I've been taking Anders and Addie with me to the gym everyday, and they play in little daycare there. Anders loves it. When I'm done working out and go to get them, he almost always says, "No, Mommy! Go exercise! I'm not done yet!" It makes me feel so loved.

He's been saying a lot of funny words in general. He uses the word "Spooky" a lot, he says, "Oh my GOSH!" all the time, and also says, "Oh Shoot!". It's a good thing we don't swear.

What a boy!