Fiesta Navidena

Spanish Branch Christmas Party -- Not like your regular Mormon Christmas Parties!

I'm alive, well.... maybe.....

So I got a sweet message from Amber making sure I was okay since I haven't posted anything in a while. Well, the past few weeks have been a whirlwind. I'm planning the branch Christmas party and I've been trying to get all of the decorations and such together. I have also been putting together the branch choirs and the actual Christmas program for the Sunday service. In between there has been music classes/piano lessons I'm teaching along with volunteering at Kelly's school, shopping for Christmas gifts at Unique Thrift (best thrift store in town) AND getting sick in the middle of it all. I had some weird virus that gives you flu-like symptoms for just a few days. Weird. So here's a few of the things that I find note-worthy:

1. I have found THE best gifts for the kids at a thrift store here in Louisville. I'm just ecstatic. Perfect condition, super cheap, and it's totally what the girls wanted! Kelly is super into diaries/journals and scribbles in them constantly. She always reminds us that they are private, but of course little sister finds her way to them to look at them. WELL, while I was at Unique Thrift, I found one of those "password" diaries where you have to say the password before it will unlock for you. Okay, this is a BRAND NEW item that normally costs $40. It also has a little movable lamp inside of it and a secret compartment as well. SO COOL. I got it for $1.30. I'm so stoked and I know Kelly will be too. Isabelle loves stuffed animals and big Barbie cars and I found both. I also got a couple of other really cool gifts there all-in-all totaling $21. Not too bad for a LOT of presents in really really really good condition or brand new.

2. After 2 1/2 months I finally finished the gift I made for my mother-in-law. I was soooo excited to give it to her and she absolutely loved it! (We exchanged Christmas gifts at Thanksgiving). She's way into bird watching and has been wanting me to crochet her something for a long time.


3. I'm in the process right now of making decorations for the branch Christmas party this friday. I'm trying to cut costs on decorations since the majority of our budget goes towards food. Once again I got some amazing deals at Unique Thrift. I showed up one day just trying to get some cheap ornaments and garland and such and they announced that all of their Christmas trees were 1/2 off that day only. Oh My Gosh...... I got one 4 1/2 foot tree for $2.50 and another 4 1/2 ft pre-lit tree for $8.50. Awesome!!! Then, we got another free tree from Shane's office. Now I'm making a bunch of paper snowflakes using Martha Stewart's instructions and those pom-poms that Candace showed us.



4. And last, but certainly not least, today is my mother's birthday. She's 49 years old. Okay, she's not 49 years old, but that's what I've been telling everyone for the past 5 years because I kept forgeting to actually ask how old she was. Turns out she's 54! She looks dang good for 54! (You know you do mom!) Anyway, I thought I would list just a few things that I love about my mom:

• All of my friends loved my mom growing up. She was like the cool mom that all of the kids wanted.
  
• She was literally the only person that could handle 5 super smart-mouthed kids that loved to push her buttons just to see if she would ever crack (she never did).
• She always made me feel beautiful and loved, and what more could a kid ask for?
• She's a dedicated wife and mother and a great role-model for me

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!

I've been tagged by Heather

Here are the rules:
1. The player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves - try to find 6 you haven't already posted about.
2. At the end of the post, the player tags 6 people and posts their names, and then goes to their blog and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog for the rules.

1. When I was younger I was convinced I could speak "cat." To this day I am still taunted by my brothers for that belief. ( I was really convinced that I could)
2. I twirled a flag for my school's marching band for three years. Marching bands out here are very competitive and very demanding. It was way cool and much harder than you think.
3. When I was in 7th grade I was on the academic team. That was also the same year I thought it was genetically impossible for boys to grow bangs. yeah. True story.
4. I have had a calling in music since I was 12 years old except for 6 months while living in Idaho. Usually it's been playing the piano for sacrament meeting or choir and once I lead the music. When I was 12, my oldest brother left for his mission leaving no one in my branch to play the music for sacrament meetings. My branch president gave me the calling to take over even though I couldn't even play the "easy to play" hymns. But, of course, with the blessings of a calling and a LOT of practice, I got better and better. Now, here I am still doing music callings all these years later.
5. With both of my pregnancies I knew exactly when I got pregnant (even before the test could prove it) and that I was having girls before I had an ultrasound. Now that's pretty cool!
6. For as long as I can remember I have always wanted a little boy named George. I think it's a lovely, funny country name and I really really really wanted a little George. Well, when Shane and I were dating, I expressed this to him and he said "okay" as long as we could name the 1st boy after him. I was okay with waiting for a second boy when we were still thinking we were going to have 5 kids. WELL.... 2 crazy kids and 1 certifiably crazy mom later and I'm not getting my George. Once in a while I still throw a fit.

Okay, I tag: Laci, Amber, Jessica, Jackie, and Emily

Have Fun!

Too good not to post

So my little brother called one day asking if he could come over and take pictures of us doing "normal" things with a ski mask on. Being the wonderful sister that I am, I agreed right away. I actually think the family portrait is pretty nice! Definitely going up on the wall.

Late night visit to the E.R.

Poor little Isabelle had to make a trip to the emergency room late Saturday night. She was being silly and "stole" Kelly's seat during dinner when Kelly got up. Kelly wasn't too happy about this and started pushing Isabelle off of her chair. Isabelle was trying to stand up as Kelly pushed and next thing you know Shane and I hear a loud "THUNK" (we were in another room when it happened). Poor little Isabelle let out a loud scream and sat up with blood running down the back of her head. Shane and I of course freaked out and Shane took her to the hospital. She had to get three stitches, the poor little thing. Fortunatly the hospital was great and gave her a little elephant to keep her occupied and happy. She had a little syringe with water to "wash" her elephant and they gave her plenty of gauze to wrap it up as well. The doctor said she was really brave and she didn't scream once while getting the stitches. We still have to keep an eye on her and wake her up at night to make sure there's no hidden head trauma (that should be fun). We also have to wash the wound several times a day to make sure she doesn't get an infection. I'm just glad my little girl is okay!

Baby Blanket

Some friends of ours from church are having another baby and I thought I'd make a blanket for them. This blanket was actually started 2 years ago for someone else and I just never got around to finishing it. So, when I found out they were having a baby, I pulled it out and finished it up just in time. I forgot how fun it is to see a finished project... it's been a while. :-)

It's a small blanket, it's designed to be used for a car seat. The middle is done entirely in knit and then the edging is done in crochet. I don't think I've ever mentioned this before, but I am a lover of more classic crafts. I'm not really into scrap booking or other newer "crafty" things. I would much rather master crafts done years ago. Sometimes I feel like such an old woman for being 26!

My baby is 6 years old!

My baby girl turned 6 on sunday and it's been a very strange thing to look back at how much she has changed.

When she was a baby the poor girl cried and cried and cried (or maybe I should say "screamed"). And now she's this quiet little well-mannered little girl with so much love in her heart. I thought I'd take a page from Keri and make a list of 6 things you may not know about Kelly:


1. She's the best big sister in the world -- From day one she has tried very hard to be so nice to her little sister. Rarely do they fight and Kelly is quick to forgive her when they do. Isabelle is a lucky girl.

2. She's an artist through and through. She could do artwork all day long if you let her. She's also very emotional about her artwork. Take for instance the picture of the pumpkins. After she finished painting them, she set them outside for the whole world to see. The next day we found the small mouse one with its face chewed off by ravenous squirrels. She cried and cried for 2 days.

3. She's an insomniac just like her mommy and can't take naps just like her daddy.

4. She loves church -- She loves anything that has to do with the gospel. She always wants to listen to her scripture scouts CD's (they tell scripture stories) and listen to children's hymns. She looks forward to Primary every sunday and gets very upset if she's sick and has to miss.

5. She's working really hard to overcome her fear of food. Ever since Kelly was a baby she has had a fear of food. We are not sure where it comes from, but it's been like that her whole life. These past several months she has told me she really wants to change and eat new foods, and so she's trying very very hard to overcome. She's so mature for her age.

6. Her smile melts my heart every time.

Happy Birthday Kelly!