Christmas Card

I had plans of sending out Christmas cards this year.  That plan fell through during the sicknesses and the business of December.  I wanted new family pictures to hang on my wall because Audrey has grown so much since the last ones.  On Christmas Eve we all got dressed and took a few.  Audrey was tired and some of the pictures didn't come out right.  We've planned to give it another try at the end of the week.  There are a few that I'm in love with...here they are.  

We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Sick

Audrey and I missed our trip back home to see my sisters wedding because I woke up with the stomach flu.   There is nothing I hate more.  A couple days later Audrey got it. She had a couple awful nights and during the day she did a lot of this.  

I felt pretty terrible about missing my sister's wedding.  It was on my mind the entire week. I heard the she was a beautiful bride.  I'm still waiting to see the pictures.  The pictures that I will be missing from.....still sad. 

Moving...again

 I was a little teary as I walked away from our apartment.  I was attached and it happened over such a short period of time.  I watched Audrey do a lot of growing there.  It had become our little sanctuary.  As a result it took me a good week to fall in love with this place.  I'm glad I've finally unpacked all the boxes and life is falling back into normal pace again.  This move was so much harder and I'm not exactly sure why.  I was so overwhelmed and Audrey got sick the day we decided to move.  It was a nightmare.  I just remember sitting there thinking...where's my family when I need them.  A couple hours later I got a call from Merian.  The next day she went shopping with me, unpacked my kitchen, and even started my dinner for me. She and her family have been too kind.  I will never be able to repay her. 

Can I just say....I love not having to share walls and neighbors conversations.  Its weird to have so much space....I'm not sure exactly what to do with it. Once the Christmas decorations come down it's going to be pretty bare. 

 Audrey has been trying to tell me for a week that she just wants to go home.  After being in Utah and then moving it was a difficult transition for her.  She's been doing much better these last couple days.  I think she likes having more space to run.  When the clouds clear up and my backyard isn't a swamp anymore I will have to show her the wonders of playing outside.  I'm sure she will never want to come inside again.  

We decorated for Christmas on Sunday.  We made gingersnaps and rice pudding and decorated the tree together.  Audrey loved helping me decorate...she also loves un-decorating, but we're working on that.

Late Thanksgiving Post

Thanksgiving in pictures.  It was really nice to spend a week at home with Paul last month. We quilted, colored, made food, ate food, made headbands, celebrated birthdays and babies,talked and laughed, played with blocks, and saw animals.  Audrey got to ride her first horse....something a mother can be proud of.  

There's nothing like home.  Hours after arriving it felt like I had never left.  I love having long conversations with my Dad in the morning before everyone gets up.  I love spending time with my sisters in the bathroom as we get ready for the day.  I love being in the kitchen with my Mom.  I love movie nights at Jenn and Derricks.  I love talking about the old times with my brothers, and creating new memories with Paul's brothers.  I love watching Audrey spend time with each of her grandparents...even if it's only from a distance. I love to listen to Paul have long conversations with his Dad that he could never have with me.   But most of all I am so grateful to be apart of such an amazing family and that I have the resources to be able to go home to visit them.   

Audrey's Animal Noises

Her favorite noise to make has always been the lion. Lately she does a lot of Elephant.  

It just ain't like it used to be...

Hahaha...can't go a Halloween without having a posed scared photo.  Totally classic.    

We had our ward Halloween Party Saturday Night.  I had good intentions with the costumes but I seemed to have one blunder after another.   I was making Paul's costume.  I had him try it on before I finished and he told me he looked like the green giant.  I gave up and let him be the green giant....I'm pretty sure he didn't want to be Peter Pan anyway.  After finding Audrey's tinker bell costume, I was looking for the perfect blue night gown that I could refashion at the thrift store to be Wendy but came up empty handed.  I settled for refashioning something into a fairy costume.
Next year, like every year, I commit to start earlier.  Earlier means crazy awesome costumes!    
I found out this year that I can no longer allow myself to eat endless amounts of sugar without side effects. ugh!  It must be a sign that I'm getting older.  I also found out trunk-or-treat isn't like it used to be when I was a kid.  A plain dark trunk with scary music just isn't acceptable anymore.  Next year I will be prepared to deck my trunk out with all kinds of scariness.  I also realized that polite trick-or-treating is a thing of the past.  If you want 20 pieces of candy just stick your grimy little fingers in there and take what you please.  And by all means, yell things like...."I'm not leaving till I get my candy!"  I bought 4 bags of candy thinking that I would have a few Snickers left for myself but I was sad to find out that the ward we were combining with had 170 children in their primary!  No Snickers for me.  By the time we started with the trunk-or-treat Audrey was exhausted.  She didn't even get to visit one trunk.  Maybe next year.  Maybe tomorrow I'll get brave enough to visit my next door neighbor....or maybe I won't.   

Girly Girl

Audrey loves everything girly.  She loves to pretend to put on her make up in the mornings with me.  She loves painted toes, crossing her legs, and headbands.  The only problem is that she likes to touch and look at the headbands, which isn't conducive to keeping them on her head.  A few weeks ago I took on a project.  I wanted to learn how to make all the cute headbands that I see floating around facebook and pinterest.  It took me a couple weeks to actually get up the ambition to do it.  I was pretty proud of the results.  

Now back to working on the Halloween Costumes.