Thanksgiving and other stuff!

Well, I feel like it's been a while since I wrote on here, so I thought I'd give an update. I'll try to keep it exciting! The first pic of the rose stem with the note attached is from a story my dad sent along before Thanksgiving- the overall idea is that we should thank Heavenly Father for the thorns along with the roses. The thorns in our lives strengthen us and build us up and help to mold us into eternal beings. So, I shared the story with my Sunday School class and gave them each a rose stem without a flower. I asked them to think of any trials in their life and during Thanksgiving week, to think of them and thank Heavenly Father for them and to think of how they have grown because of those trials. The other thing attached is a baggie of pumpkin choc chip cookies! It's a weight watchers recipe I got from my friend Camille. Good news is, is that these are low fat! Other good news- there aren't any weird ingredients. Just a spice cake mix, can of pumpkin, and choc chips! Very easy to make and sooooooo yummy- I ate a million of 'em. Except, I think it's only a weight watchers recipe if you don't eat the ENTIRE batch. lol.. They're THAT good- you gotta watch how many you eat. After 4 batches, I'm still trying to learn how to eat in moderation! :) After a ton of trauma and last minute fixes with our car and thanks to Rachel for being my chauffeur- we were able to go to Boise for Thanksgiving! It was a short trip-Tues LATE evening (4:30 am) to Friday afternoon. Josh had to work on Sat. :( But it was great to be there. We spent the first day catching up on some lost sleep and then spent the evening with Josh's dad.

We went to an Egyptian place for dinner and then caught a bit of ice cream from an old fashioned ice cream parlour- Goodies! We went back home and watched Ratatouille- which was pretty good!

The next day for Thanksgiving, Josh went with his mom to volunteer serving the homeless and I stayed back with Holden. Then we all went to Josh's Uncle and Aunt's house to eat and visit with cousins. It was so delightful and exactly what I needed! They were so much fun and I felt like I was home with my own family gathering for the holiday.
We then went home to a turkey that a kind bishop had cooked for us. This wasn't just any turkey. He cooked it in a dutch oven in the ground with special secret spices! It was amazing and looked awesome! Holden couldn't wait to get his hands on some! :) We ate more turkey and rolls 'til we were stuffed again. Then we just relaxed the rest of the night.

Our little family with the turkey!

Grandma Mercer also found out about Holden's love for the refrigerator. So she let him get inside and look around a bit! It was the best part of his vacation!

Along with loving the refrigerator, the dog Scruffy was next on his list! He had never seen a dog before this one. He was amazed at the little animal! Grandma Mercer would sit outside on a chair with Holden and just talk to him and let him feel the outside air. Holden loved his time with Grandma.

The last pic is of Holden wearing Josh's favorite hat when he was a little boy!

Can I just say how much I love my kid!? He is always so happy- I am so grateful to have such a sweet boy! I know all moms think this so I know you don't mind me saying it! The next day we packed up and went home. It was a very short, but nice and needed vacation!

Next on the to do list when we got home was to decorate for Christmas! Instead of a real tree this year- of which I am a total advocate btw- I decided to simplify especially with our limited space and Holden's roaming fingers! I put up my white wire tree instead.

I also put our stockings up! Check out these stockings. A friend of ours had his mom make them for us. Aren't they so fun? No way I could ever fill those, so I think their just for decoration and we'll use other stockings for Christmas morning! Although in the future, I'm sure our kids would love it if we filled them! hehe :)

I put up our nativity over the tv...perfect place eh? lol It was the only place big enough and out of Holden's reach...I KNOW that's one thing he wouldn't keep his hands off of!

I'm playing with the idea of puting up garland, so we'll see if it happens. After decorating, I made some spice potpourri for the stove and soon enough our house smelled (and still does) like Christmas! The very last thing to do was put on the movie Polar Express. I have now watched it about 30 times since Monday! lol I love it and it makes me all teary eyed every time. The little boy in the galoshes is soooo sweet and cute. Also, I would like to point out that at this time of year our carpet actually looks fun and adds to the spirit of Christmas with the plaid and all! lolThis is Holden's happy face! lol He is soo excited to have all this stuff up. Amazingly enough, he just looks at everything, and he'll touch a light on the tree once in a while but he doesn't pull anything down. He mostly just sits in front of the fireplace or in front of the tree and stares and babbles. Again, he loves the lights! Also, he is soo funny. Whenever I pull out the camera, he'll just be sitting there, then I tell him to smile- and it's like he knows exactly what I'm saying because he will pull a perfect smile whenever I ask him to. lol We get such good pics it's funny he loves to pose so much... I guess that makes him a poser...LOL jk I love his guts!

Okay- I think that's enough for today. Hope you enjoy the pics and that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Now it's on for Christmas! YEAH!!!!

My Semi- Busy Day!

Well, today started early! Now that Holden is an early riser, I really have no choice! We went to the care center today and helped out with the Relief Society. The little kids from our ward came today and sang "Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree", "I'm trying to be like Jesus" and "Hinges". It was so cute and the women at the care center loved it. I had to post these pics because they were so cute.

These are just other pics from the care center as well.

Nita the Relief Society Pres. and Holden

Virginia, Mary, Holden, Me, and the reluctant Amy-

she finally gave in and was smiling in the end!

Daniel, Irina, Sarah and Aloah

This is one of my favorites! Afton and Jenna-

Doesn't Jenna have the cutest little smile? She is sooo sweet!

Also, I had to add a pic of the yummy Manicotti Rachel brought us when I was sick.

It was soo good! YUM! YUM!

Now, time for some Holden pics in the bathtub! He is so yummy! We love his guts!

He loves his toys!

I think his lips are blue-

This was the end of the bath and his little lips were quivering!

Yes, this is our "dear" caught in the headlights!

He loves bath time and cries when he has to get out!

Well, after all of this excitement, I decided to take on the task of writing thank you notes to those who helped out while I was sick. I had fun though creating some on the computer. I heard this once, and I loved it so I thought I'd do it. I heard a lady say that she never wanted to return someone's dishes to them empty! So she always put treats in them. So, I baked some cookies and filled everyone's dishes with them. Now aren't they glad they decided to give service? lol Maybe not, but I bet it's a much sweeter deal! :) Heck, who wouldn't love to get their dish back filled with goodies! I thought it was the least I could do for all of the help we received!

Now, one last little thing I promise and my saga will come to an end. I finished reading the book, The Christmas Jars. I don't know why I am so emotional- I think there's just something special about the Christmas season that brings my emotions to the surface. As I finished reading the last few chapters, I just cried and cried. I thought it was the sweetest book ever. I recommend it to start out your holiday season especially Thanksgiving- remembering all of the blessings that we have been given. Also, reflecting on all those who have served us should light a fire in us this season to really find ways, even small ways, to brighten another's day. We never know the great effect we can have by doing simple things this holiday season! Okay, I'm off my soap box, but again, I love this time of year with Thanksgiving and Christmas so close! There is such a great feeling of love and excitement in the air! We get to decide how to make the best of the season- and may this include giving to others to honor those that have given to us, and making a real difference this year! Luvs to all! Night Night and sweet dreams!

I Feel Like I'm On a Tilt-A-Whirl

WHOA! Thank goodness things have stopped spinning around me-especially when I close my eyes. I had a bit of fun this past weekend- it was like my own private carnival-There was only one problem- I couldn't get off the Tilt-A-Whirl.

On Friday night I was in the middle of making dinner when I suddenly got REALLY dizzy and just flopped my body onto the Luv Sac! Now if I'm flopping my body onto anything- that's a good choice! Well, I thought I was just moving too fast and needed a moment-until it got really bad. Josh always makes fun of me because I always fear the worst, but in this case I KNEW I was right. I knew I had a brain tumor! Something was not right. lol I couldn't even move my head without feeling like I was going to throw up. I tried closing my eyes and I would just feel like I was spinning out of control. It was miserable. I decided to go to bed and after 11 hours of sleep, I felt much better.

I got up, fed Holden, gave him a bath, put him down for a nap-when it hit me again. I literally fell down and could not get up. Being miserable and not able to move I debated back and forth my options: 1. Stay here and be miserable- and hope Holden NEVER wakes up 2. Drag myself to the phone and call for help! Might make me throw up- but at least there might be help and a solution.

So, with much effort I literally crawled to my phone and called my bro in law (a doc). He confirmed my first diagnosis of a brain tumor! Okay.. not really- so it was only an inner ear infection- but it just as well could have been something worse- it sure felt like it. Anyway, I guess it had TOTALLY screwed up my equilibrium. I had flashbacks from the night Josh and I were at the County Fair and Josh and I both got sick on a Tilt-A-Whirl ride and Josh ended up throwing up on a ride. lol...we can laugh about it now ...right hun? lol I may be sleeping on the couch tonight! Anyways...Good news, there was medicine to help with the spinning, bad news, no medicine to kill the virus. I just had to wait it out.

Josh was at work and I could hear Irina (my upstairs neighbor) walking around upstairs and thought I would see if she could help. I called to ask her if she could pick me up some medicine. You wouldn't believe me unless you had seen it yourself- the events that took place next.

She not only picked me up medicine, but some other groceries as well. She came down right when Holden woke up from his nap, changed his diaper, fed him and made me some food as well. She had already called the Relief Society and the presidency was at my house in less than 20 minutes. I can't tell you how stupid I felt lying on the floor unable to move- not to mention- in my pajamas, no make-up etc...VERY UGLY- let me tell ya! :) They made a bag for Holden, got me into bed and told me to have Josh pick him up when he got home.

That night, Josh picked up Holden and they sent him home with dinner. Irina kept coming down to check on me. The next night my visiting teachers brought dinner as well. I have to tell you- sometimes I have felt that I am a strong person and that besides having a baby, I wouldn't need to utilize the Relief Society system for my benefit. I can take care of myself and I am the one that should be helping others. But I can't tell you how full of love my heart was to those women, who dropped absolutely EVERYTHING to come to my rescue and aid. My eyes are tearing up as I write this because I don't know that they will ever know what a blessing they were this past weekend. Before I called for help, I was just praying to Heavenly Father that Holden would just sleep all day because there was no way I could even stand up, let alone take care of him.

What a blessing to be part of such an amazing organization. I honestly don't know what I would have done. I guess I could have called my family, but they all live in SLC. Not that they wouldn't have come if I needed them, but living so far away, I would have felt it too much of a burden and that it would have been a trauma!

I hate feeling like that- useless. But I think it's a friendly reminder that we are all human and sometimes we need to put our trust in others and allow them to help us. Thanks goodness for the Relief Society. I'm feeling a lot better now- a little dizzy still but able to get around. And...as far as any workout is concerned- no...it didn't happen- not a chance! Also, I was NOT about to post any pics of this event- don't even ask! lol :)

Aunt Sue's Legendary Burritos!

Well, I finally decided that I needed to pass on a wonderful family recipe. My Aunt Sue makes THE most incredible burritos and a couple few weeks ago she was nice enough to take the day and show me how she works her magic with the burritos and also her homemade bread. I will never be the same- neither will our freezer! I have already made another batch to fill our freezer for those nights when I'm too lazy to make dinner, or too lazy to make Josh a lunch! Guaranteed, he doesn't mind one bit. I think secretly he hopes I will stay lazy so he can have them every day!

 

Anyway, I wanted to share the joy, so I told my friend Camille about it and today we made another amazing batch of the scrumptious burritos. I only got one pic because we were going to have her hubby take a pic...and by the time I remembered to have him take it, he had left. :( Oh well, at least we got Camille browning the onions...one important step in making them! You might even be able to smell them if you get close enough to the screen! :) Okay, I was kidding, back away from the screen- it was a joke! Anyway, you never know when you'll be the recipient of a legendary burrito. I'll try to pass on the love!

Also, we had another fun day with our two little boys as they followed each other around and laughed and laughed at each other! What cuties!

The Ladies' Night Blunder!

Okay, so we just had THE most wonderful time at Ladies' Night Out! I went with a bunch of women from my ward to Cafe Rio, where we: shoved through line like cattle, ate yummy food (a little too spicy for some- Amanda!), sang Happy Birthday to Irina, ate cheesecake, chatted the night away- and STILL made it home before dawn! What a night! This was my first time going, and I will be sure to make a spot for this every month! It was so nice to get out of the house and chat with these absolutely beautiful ladies. They are all so much fun. I think it was just what the doctor ordered. It's always fun when you realize you have so much in common with others and friendships start to bloom! Now, of course none of this sounds like a blunder...until I wanted to post this blog!

I took a bunch of pictures...even video of the evening documenting along with my friend Rachel, and I get home to post this blog- and what do you know? I didn't have my memory stick in the camera. All of the pictures are in the internal memory. Not too bad you say? What's the problem? The problem lies in the fact that we don't have the cord that connects the camera to the computer because it was stolen along with our video camera last spring. I feel like such a dummy. So, that is my blunder. A perfectly crappy ending to such a perfect night. So, my apologies to all who attended and hoped to see their smiling faces on this blog. Maybe I'll figure out a solution...but until then, just imagine how beautiful you all looked! Again, so sorry! :((( But all in all it was a wonderful night and I can't wait for the next one! Cheers!

BYU FOOTBALL IS HERE!

Josh and I went to our first BYU game together. Kim and John had tickets they weren't using so we took them up on the offer! It was so fun to have a little time as a couple and to get out in the fresh air.

The game was so fun from touchdowns to cougar tails! I think we ate more than we watched the game- but that's the fun part right!? lol It was funny because I have been to games before but it was Josh's first, so I had to explain a lot to him! I had to explain why everyone was beating their arms like drums while the band played the Star Wars theme. By the last touchdown, I even got Josh to "Ra ra ra ra ra, Goooooooo Cougars" actions and all when they played the fight song! He got really into it. Every time they played the cougar "growl" Josh started clawing the air...hmm it was like he was a little kid again! lol It was quite memorable. I have forgotten how much fun they are and we had a great time! Thanks again John and Kim!

 

Holden's First Halloween

Okay, I thought I would add to the Halloween fun by posting some pics of Holden's First Halloween. Earlier in the day on Halloween, we went to Center Street in Provo where all of the shops give out candy and they have little carnival games along the streets. It was actually quite fun. We got his first "Trick or Treat" on film! You can also see the outfit I made in all of it's glory! Good thing I made it big enough to last a few years! lol I also made a little spider bag to go along with his outfit to put all of "his" candy in. As we went trick or treating that night, people kept asking what he would like...I told them EXACTLY what "he" would like and what "his" favorite candies were! lol On another note, he was a little fussy ( I don't know why! Not being able to breath in that outfit might have had something to do with it! lol ) so I thought I was smart by giving him a little crunch bar(still in the wrapper mind you) to slobber on while we went from house to house. Well, he was being sooo good and it made me so proud, until I looked up and realized why he was so content. He had broken through the crunch wrapper and had eaten HALF of the candy bar. He had chocolate all over his hands face and ...yes...the spider costume! :) We laughed so hard- so much for not having chocolate until he is at least 1. Well, all said and done, he is okay, but for some reason, I can't get him to eat his plain rice cereal anymore! jk But we really had so much fun with him on his first Halloween!