Christmas Joy

First of all I apologize if you can't see the slide show. For some reason it shows up on my edit post, but not when I publish it. My background is being wierd too! Stupid blog. ANYWAYS! Even with all the stupid drama that came before Christmas (see my previous post) our Christmas celebrations went without a hitch! When they started looking through their stockings I was just waiting for Tristan to comment on the things he saw, but he never did. They were both so thrilled with all of their presents and it was so much fun to watch their excitement!

Christmas Eve morning we went to the Duffin's for lunch. Jason wouldn't have his kids on Christmas until late Christmas day so they opened presents on Christmas Eve at Ron & Becky's. Afterwards we came home and made our gingerbread cookies for Santa. We didn't have time to decorate them, but they were still delicious!

Next we went to the cemetery to visit Liam and sing some carols, followed by dinner at my parents house. After many, many pictures we came home and the kids exchanged the gifts they picked out and bought for one another. When I was reading a Christmas story to Stella, Bill starting "Ho, Ho, Ho"ing down the hall and totally freaked Stella out! Her eyes got real big and she started reaching for the covers. She wanted to make sure she was in bed when Santa was there! It was pretty funny and took some convincing to let her know Santa wasn't there yet.

Christmas morning started about 8:00 for us. The kids ripped through their presents pretty fast. They had a little time to play before heading over to my parents for breakfast. We didn't spend as much time as we usually do at our parents house since we were just with them the day before. It was nice to have most of the afternoon to hang out at home, watch movies, and let the kids play with all their new stuff. Not to mention the wonderful 1 hour nap I took! It was a really fun couple of days!

We still haven't made it to Temple Square, but will hopefully make it there this week before the lights get taken down. I try to keep focused on Christ during the Christmas season and hope my kids are mindful of Him too (as much as a 3 & 6 year old can be at least). I am thankful for my Savior, His example and the many, many sacrifices He has made on my behalf. I hope that in the year to come I can be more like Him. Definitely one of my New Year's resolutions!

BA HUM BUG

As many of you know I have had a few Christmas catastrophe's this year. Both involving poor Tristan. I am just writing this so that I will be able to look back years from now and laugh. Tristan is such a smart little thing and I love him for it, but there are times when I wish he wasn't quite so smart and so dang observant!

Catastrophe #1

It seems like lately Tristan and his best friend Ty are seeing what they can get away with at my house. Tristan loves to make him laugh and will do pretty much anything to keep him entertained. Last week when Ty was playing at our house they were supposedly playing "basketball". I figured while they were playing I would clean the bathroom. Fifteen minutes later I come out to check on them only to find them in the living room setting up the train track that we had gotten him for Christmas. Tristan was busy assembling it while Tyler had ridiculously large scissors in hand trying to open the box.

I had to do a double take when I realized what they were playing with. I was so angry and incredibly disappointed. I was really looking forward to seeing his reaction Christmas morning and now I won't get to see that. Tristan is so cute when he gets excited about things. He gasps and I love it! Now I will miss that. Not to mention all the other presents were by the train set - unwrapped.

We had the presents locked up in Bill's hunting room. The kids know not to go in there since that is where all of Bill's hunting supplies (guns not included. Those we keep in a safe at his parents house) are kept. I had no idea why they decided to go in there in the first place. I still haven't gotten a straight answer from him. Anyways, he pushed the chair over to the book shelf is in our computer room to try and get the key. When he figured out he was too short he came upstairs, got my keys off our key-holder, and unlocked the door himself. Little. Stink.

Needless to say he was grounded from playing with Tyler the rest of the week, won't be getting his train set for Christmas (not to worry though, he will get it for his birthday in Feb.), and won't get the monster truck he asked Santa for. We didn't want to be completely mean about it, but he had to know what he did was not OK. He shouldn't have been in Bill's hunting room and that was our biggest problem with what he did. We talked with him and agreed that if he didn't talk to Stella about the presents he did see and was good, maybe Santa would bring him something else. Maybe. He's been a good boy so far, so I'm pretty certain Santa will leave a few gifts for him.

Catastrophe #2.

Last weekend I went and bought the stocking stuffers. As I was putting all the groceries away Bill called the kids upstairs and so I hurried and shoved the (plastic) bag of goodies in the oven. Yes, we all know where this is going. I figured this was a safe place because the kids wouldn't see it in there plus I wasn't using the oven to cook dinner. Not the brightest I idea now I see in hindsight.

Fast forward a few hours later. I decide to make apple crisp. That's right. I pre-heat the oven. Tristan is my constant cooking companion so he is there by my side always. He asked, "Mom, is the stove hot?" Me: "Yes. Oh shoot. YES!" As I opened the door the Walmart bag is quickly melting, boxes falling apart at the seams, chocolate melting. Seriously! Use your brain Alicia! I threw everything on the counter and quickly covered it with a towel to try and hide it from Tristan. Of course he saw pretty much everything.

I've decided it's too much work to lie to our kids even if it is in good fun. I'm just going to tell him there is no Santa, no Easter Bunny, and where babies really come from and be done with it! I won't, but I have thought about it.

So there it is. My hectic Christmas season. And as Melissa pointed out, this all happened the day after my last post about holiday stress and trying to find my inner zen. It was a nice thought that didn't last more than a few hours! Ah well. Merry Christmas and a Ba Hum Bug!

'Tis the Season to be STRESSED?

I'm not gonna lie. I am feeling the holiday stress this year! I wish I wasn't because I LOVE this time of year. I always look forward to Christmas and try not to get wrapped up (no pun intended) in the stress that comes with it, but this year I'm feeling it a little. I am trying to find my inner zen (hence the picture above). Just when I thought I was done with the kids shopping I keep remembering something else I was planning on getting. Then there's the teachers, leaders, etc., etc. I haven't even sent out Christmas cards yet! They've been kind of an after thought, where most years it's the first thing I get done!

So I want to know how you all deal with Holiday stress and what some of your traditions are? We will be going to see the lights at Temple Square tomorrow. It will be nice to focus more on "the reason for the season". It's so easy to get all-consumed by the presents. I need to remember what Christmas is really about and not worry so much about the presentation under the tree. I really think the parents care more about that than the kids do! I know I do!

Last year when my dad talked in sacrament during Christmas he talked about giving a gift you want to give the Lord. Something you want to change, improve, or give up all together. Write it down, wrap it up, and put it under your tree. Maybe this year I can give up stressing too much and enjoy being in the here and now more.

Anyways, I hope you all (along with me) can find some peace and joy in the season. Stress less and focus more on what Christmas is really all about. Merry Christmas!

Stella's Dance Recital

Stella had her Christmas dance recital today. I have to admit I was a little nervous about how it was going to be after seeing her at her dress rehearsal 2 days ago. She looked bored, tired and pretty serious. Granted we had had a long day, but still. Today I was amazed by her gracefulness and how she remembered all the dance moves! She was so beautiful up there I can't help but feel a little emotional and extremely proud of her!

 

The sweet taste of success!

Go Jazz Go!

Bill has ALWAYS been a big Utah Jazz fan. I have too, but usually if there is nothing else on T.V. This year has been pretty fun so far to watch them! They tend to have a pretty big finale' at the end of each game. Makes things interesting. We have just recently started reward punch cards for the kids and once they reach 16 punches they can choose something they want, whether it be a small toy or time with us they can pick. It has worked really well! Stella even comes and asks us if we need help (knowing it will earn her an extra punch on top of the one for doing the chores). She's catching on fast! Bill thought it would be fun to take them to their first Jazz game to start out the rewards. They had fun for the first half then started asking when it was time to go home. Bill and I had a great time though! They did like the Jazz Bear quite a bit. He was pretty entertaining this time. Next time we're sticking with ice cream rather than overpriced (but still worth it) tickets!

What We're Thankful For...

So this year we decided to do something different for Thanksgiving. We made a "Thankful" jar and for 2 weeks wrote what we are thankful for. It was a lot of fun and something I want to carry on as a tradition. Next year I want to be sure to start it at the beginning of November. I loved to ask the kids everyday and hear what they would list. Here are our thankful cards all put together.





I love that Tristan is thankful for Tyler, Jesus, his "gun shot" & Lightening McQueen. And that Stella is thankful for art, snow, Duke and Princesses. Of course we are all most thankful for each other, but had to make sure to think of all the other things we are thankful for. I love this month for the very fact it heightens our gratitude for all of the blessings we enjoy everyday.



We enjoyed 2 Thanksgivings again this year! We spent Thursday afternoon with the Duffin's and Friday evening with the Robbins side. It was so much fun and so yummy! The kids had so much fun playing with their cousins, Stella was so disappointed it had to come to an end. The whole weekend was such a blast catching up with each other, playing games and watching some sports. I know I loved every minute and I hope everyone else did as well! Happy Holidays!

Halloween

I can't believe I haven't blogged about Halloween yet! Things have been so busy lately. I guess that's pretty typical for this time of year tho. Anyways, Stella was a "nice witch" and Tristan wanted to be Spiderman. I loved both of their costumes. I picked out Stella's costume (forgetting that she has already been a witch once before) but luckily she loved it too. The little hat is what sold me. I had to have it! I mean, she had to have it :) Tristan surprisingly wanted to be Spiderman. Surpring because he has NEVER even seen any of those kind of movies before! He looked pretty dang cute in it though.





We went to our neighborhood trunk-or-treat the week before Halloween. So fortunately for us once we started to run low on junk we were able to go trick-or-treating yet again. The weather was pretty dang cold both times, but the kids lasted until Tristan had to go potty and couldn't wait much longer! Stella also had her very first school parade. That brought back memories of me doing that and my mom coming to get me ready and looking for her as I was walking through the crowds. Now I am that mom! I love it! She has tons of hair so that was what helped us spot her from the distance. I love Halloween. I love that it is in the fall time, I love that it is the beginning of the holiday season, and to be quite honest... I love the candy.

Doing the Walk for Dot

This year we did the Breast Cancer walk again. I really enjoy doing this and want to continue to do it every year. It's great to be a part of something bigger than me. It's inspiring to be surounded by so many people who are survivors or are walking in rememberance or in honor of someone they know who has suffered from breast cancer. I have mentioned before that my grandma is a 2 time survivor. She is such a fighter and I admire her strength so much! My work in the past has walked for someone and this year it was in honor of my grandma. I was so excited and we called it 'Doing the Walk for Dot'. Unfortunatly not many of my co-workers were able to make it this year, but half my family and bff Melissa were able to make it. It was a great start to my day! Don't forget to get your mammo's and as someone's shirt said, 'Feel up your wife - save a life'.

Fabulous Fall

We have been enjoying all the beauty that comes with fall. It is in my opinion the best season in Utah. We have driven in the mountains to check out the colors changing and we went at just the right time, not the right time of day. We only had a little over an hour of light. The colors were so vibrant. I took the kids to Cornbelly's and they had such a blast! We'll have to go again next year!




Bill has been hunting as he does every fall. He hasn't had any luck so far. He just left for 6 days to try and get a buck. It's what he loves to do so I guess I just wish him luck and hope he enjoys himself. His dad went down with him which he was glad about. Hopefully they don't freeze to death!

Summer Wrap Up

I am doing our summer wrap up in good faith that the weather will soon be changing from 90 degree to 70 and cooler. We had our last summer camping trip at Strawberry. We even managed to catch a few decent fish!

We took the kids to their very first Bee's game. Okay, all of or very first Bee's game. They didn't pay much attention to it and the most exciting thing to them was the little train that took them around the stadium. Of course.

Stella lost her second tooth! Her top two are loose already. I'm just hoping the bottom two come in before she loses her any more.

We had a little field trip to Airport 2. Tristan was totally mesmerized by the Apache's. They are much bigger up close than they look on 'Blackhawk Down'! It was pretty cool to be there.

Bill took the kids on their first little bird hunting trip. They only got one bird, but they were thrilled from what I heard. I think we definitely have a future hunter in Tristan. He is such a Duffin boy!

And last but certainly not least, my brother Shaun received the award for Deputy Sheriff of the year. He has had a pretty rough year and so it was good to see him get awarded (even if he didn't want it) for all of his hard work. He has always been a hard worker and goes above and beyond what is expected of him. Bill, my parents and I went down to St. George to see him get the award. It was an amazing event to be a part of. I believe cops are the unsung hero's. They do so much more than bust people for speeding. I am really proud of Shaun as well as his amazing, supportive wife. It was also great to see my Grandma and Grandpa Olsen. I don't get to see them too much so it was nice to spend some time with them.

My Teeter Tot

Tristan started preschool a few weeks ago. His teacher is Ms. Shannon at Teeter Tots. He loves preschool! When I dropped him off the first day I had to make him come back and give me a kiss goodbye! He was so excited to play and explore. He has a few friends from our neighborhood including his BFF Tyler. If he comes home with a gumball it's been a good day, if he doesn't I know he either (A) was naughty or (B) swallowed it. I can't decide what's worse. I can't get much information out of his as to what goes on at preschool, but as long as he is happy each time he goes I don't mind too much. I can't believe my baby is in school now. I'm going to need a puppy or something to fill the void.

What we've been up to lately

It seems like we have been so busy lately. We have tried to cram as much fun into 3 weeks of summer vacation as we possibly could! Here are just a few pic's of what we've been up to this month. Stella's favorite ride at Lagoon was the swings. (barf) Tristan was quite the daredevil this time compared to Disneyland. I think that warmed him up for Lagoon. He loved the Tidal Wave the most. (double barf) It appears I didn't take a picture of the Tidal Wave. Sorry T. Here the kids are mapping out our big day. Too funny. My posse. A.K.A. "Extended Family" right Eichelberger's? We did do the bounce back the following week. We didn't tell the kids where we were going. We just pulled up to Lagoon and they were so excited! We did Lagoon A Beach that time. We didn't last too long since the kids didn't want to go on any of the slides. Maybe when they get older we'll go back. That evening we had our neighborhood 24th of July parade. Stella wanted to go to that so we made sure to be back in time. Tristan totally ditched us and stayed with the big kids on their bikes at the front. Tristan learned how to ride his bike without training wheels. He manages to keep up with Bill and me too. He is a pretty speedy little guy. His bike has already had 2 flat tires. Stella started school the end of July. She is now a big 1st grader! She was excited to start and has done much better adjusting than I thought she would! She comes home still wanting to do things and very happy. She loves her teach Mrs. Parcell. I don't get much details out of her, but that's typical. She already received an award for the "Principal's Pride Ceremony". She said she received it for helping other's who need extra help and for being a good friend. We are very proud of her and her sweet spirit. Last weekend we went camping with the Earl's to Current Creek. I haven't been there since I was a kid and Bill has never been there. It was so pretty and the weather was perfect. It was nice to catch up with old friends. The trip was too short, but worth the trip.