Pa-jammy-Jam New Year's Eve Party

It was fun to have a pajama party for New Year's Eve. Scott, Kate and I were the only ones left at Chris' house at midnight. Everyone else bailed out early. Close to midnight, Chris and Scott started playing Rock Band and Michelle and I were gabbing and missed the New Year. We started hearing all the celebrations outside and ran down to tell the boys that they missed it. Kate was wide awake playing with her new favorite playmate, Presley, having such a jolly time it took work to rip her away from all the fun. For days she asked to go back to Chris and Michelle's house and play with their "castles". Taylor & Brooke
Adley

My Bro: Chris

Sami

Me, and my sisters

Chris and Michelle: The hosts (thank you for a great time--everything was perfect)

Scotty-boy

Katie-girl

Christmas Moments

Kate in front of the tree after the Christmas Eve-Eve Progressive Dinner with my family

Christmas Eve Nativity with the Bangerters

Whitney and Hailey are angels, Todd and Cherish are shepherds, Zac and Jessica are Joseph and Mary, and Kate and Ashlee are two of the three wise men. By next year, we'll have our third wise man with the two new members of our nativity who will be joining us in 2009. Cherish and Todd's baby will be 10 months old and Jeff & Anna's baby will be a perfect baby Jesus (I'm crossing my fingers for a boy).

Christmas Morning, around 7:00 am: Kate's gift from SantaGreat-Grandpa Cherry with Jessica, Zac, Hailey, Whitney, Kate, and Ashlee after Christmas morning brunch

Who needs Christmas presents when you have Uncle Todd: The Toy

A rare photo of my mother-in-law actually allowing me to take a picture of her. I did threaten her. :) Thank You, Kathy!!!! That's Scott's Dad in the background. I love you guys!

Kate in front of Grandma & Grandpa B's Christmas tree

I plan on stealing some photos from Jeni to add to my Christmas Moments so they will be more complete...

The thing I love most about Christmas is that it is Ours. My family and Scott's family in all their contrast, unfolding simultaneously in parallel.

My family's tradition is that we have no tradition. Every year our celebration is something shiny and new. My mom loves to reinvent Christmas somehow. I don't know why, exactly, but I love that the thing we can expect is the unexpected. Every year the menu is different, the game we play is different, the activities we do to bring on the Christmas spirit-all different.


Scott's family's Christmas is like a record they replay. Each year builds upon the next and the only way you can tell them apart is the year on the photo, the hairstyles of the ladies, or the age of the grand kids. I think this made me a little uncomfortable the first few years we were married. I kept wanting my family to settle down and have traditions I could count on like my in-laws. Then I wanted my in-laws to spice it up a bit. Now, I get it. I love it. I love that I have the expected and the unexpected and both are magical in their own way. Scott's family is my anchor and my family is the sail.

Donde Esta Santa Claus?

Kate was able to see Santa several times during this Christmas season. First at the Ward Christmas party the first week in December.She wasn't even scared like last year. She went right up to him with a big smile and let him pick her up. They walked all around the cultural hall and said "Hi" to everyone. She talked about it for weeks.

Then, Christmas Eve she saw Santa twice and the second time he was with Mrs. Claus! Very cool.

I find myself still caught up in the magic of Christmas. I thought for a moment each time I saw Santa that I still believed-that it wasn't someone playing the part, but the real deal.

The Goings-On & What Not

Random moments from November to December:

Kate is funny about her shyness. Shy one minute and a complete HAM the next. Scott and I have been trying to figure out if she has a rhyme or reason to this behavior. So far, we think it is aimed at men, but not boys. She is even shy around Scott for a few minutes right when he gets home from work. It drives Scott crazy. She runs away from him and finds me. Then after a minute or two, she gives him big loves and tells him she loves him. Then, within seconds after he is out of the shower and all ready she asks him to play with her and her "people".

Kate chewing gum. She sneaks into the gum a lot. Then, for several hours after swallowing several pieces of gum, she smells like mint. It's nice because it helps to cover up the strong vinegar smell from all those pickles.

Things Kate loves: Puppy-Puppy; cousins; Grandparents; telling fairytales; playing with fairies, princesses, castles; pretending to be a ballerina, witch, fairy, princess, or mean step-mother, and dishing out pixie dust.

Do all kids eat snow habitually and bring it in the house in pots and pans to sup at the kitchen table? Do they even eat it out of the gutter like Kate? Yuck. Kate will escape at least once a day to scamper in the snow barefoot. What is it with kids that they can withstand that kind of pain? Do they have slow reactors, bad circulation or something? Of course, within a minute she is screaming for help and of course my shoes are no where to be found so... brrrr!

What a blessing that we finally had a good snow storm. Now it feels like Christmas.

Here's Kate getting creative with our new TV box (Scott's very large, christmas present that he bought for himself). At least it's not a snowmobile. : )

Of course, all the coloring tuckered her out. I'd like to say she actually took a nap--no such luck.

Check out My FIL's New Biz

So, since Scott and his brothers took over their Dad's Plumbing business, Gary's been keeping busy going back to his roots as a woodshop teacher and doing what he really loves. Cherish, my SIL, put together a blog for him to make a little money. Check it out: www.garyswoodshop.blogspot.com. I have several of his creations in my house, too. He made me a potterbarn-esque headboard, two very sleek bedside tables, and a sideboard/sofa table that I love and everyone throws compliments my way for them.

"Flower 4"

Okay, I was tagged to pull up the 4th picture in the 4th folder on my pictures--Thanks Paige ; ). Unfortunately, the 4th folder had all the sample pictures that came with the program.

BORING

So I had to cheat and go to the 5th folder.

This is Scott and my Dad playing Foosball during Christmas break last year.

What's Your Favorite Christmas-Picture Book?

Okay, if you know me well, you know that I LOVE books and children's books are my favorite! Even before Kate was born I was collecting Christmas books in anticipation of my future family. I have a small collection of Christmas books and I pull them out of their hiding place December 1st and start reading one everyday to Kate at bedtime. Today, while I was reading A Christmas Dress for Ellen, by Thomas S. Monson, I couldn't hold back the tears. But I was surprisingly embarrassed to be crying while trying to read to Kate. I just knew she would say, "Mommy why are you crying?" Luckily, she was zonked and didn't have the slightest idea the her mom is a bawl-baby. But then, I was embarrassed that I was still reading the story, aloud, while crying, even though Kate was asleep. But, I finished the story just the same. And it is a lovely story. If you don't have it, I recommend it. If you have any favorite Christmas-picture books, I'd love some more suggestions so I can add to my collection. Scott usually buys me a new one to open Christmas day.