No Landon with the Clause's This Year

We took the boys to SLC again, stayed in a hotel, had dinner, swam the night away in the indoor pool while watching the snow fall through the hotel windows, ...got ready for bed,...and then it hit. Food poisoning. Landon. Macaroni Grill. Seafood Linguini. All. Night. Long. And continuing in the morning. Poor little boy. We all went to Santa's breakfast without him, and he was very content to sit and watch TV in the hotel room- (no appetite afterall!) So, no picture of Landon with Santa this year.

We also had plans to deliver food boxes to some elderly people as a volunteer service for the Utah Food Bank. That didn't happen this year either...Landon was too sick. So after checking out of the hotel, we drove on to Eric's parents house for the family Christmas party. Luckily it wasn't long before Landon started feeling much better, and was able to enjoy the night with all his cousins. He was in the best mood after remembering how awful he felt. We had a great night with the family. The cheese soup in bread bowls was delicious, the chime ringing was hilarious, and the gift giving was great. As always, a very fast weekend. Just 2 days before Christmas- how time always flies! (Oh, and YES, I called Macaroni Grill to let them know that they need to CHECK THEIR CLAMS!)

No such thing as "Simple"

Simplify they say. Keep it simple. I realize that there is no such thing, really. I mean, you can simplify each individual thing to the best of your ability, and there IS such a thing as being organized and prepared, (for example having your Christmas cards out on time, and other such gratifying things...) but at Christmas time, simple is just not possible in my humble view. Buying less? Yes. Easy December? No.

But the realization I have come to is that Christmas can't be easy, you wanna know why? Cuz it's the season of giving, sharing and thinking about other people. And that is OK. If your Christmas seems hectic and you find that the reason is because you are thinking about what to give to others and who you need to help, then...you are doing the right thing. Secret Santa, The Giving Tree, the families in need, the neighbors you haven't introduced yourself to yet, the people you visit teach at church, the collection drive in which you need to remember to put out the "gently used stuff" on your porch, the class parties you are helping to plan for the little kids who are really important in your life, the giving gifts to neighbors to foster friendships, etc. etc. Nope, Christmas can't be easy. And it's ok. Just keep on moving and LOVE it! (Even if that means you wake up THINKING at 3:30 am and you have to get up at 4:00 cuz you just can't bear to let the time be wasted...yawn.)

Whistling All the Way Back to the Car

Small confession. There have been plenty of times in the past 10-13 years that whenever we go somewhere where there will be crowds or the public in general, Eric and I (mostly I) have to give the "we-are-going-to-have-a-good-time-in-public, we are-not-going-to-get-annoyed-with-people-or-our-own-kids" pep talk. I am just being honest. We have had to really work hard to have a long day with all the kids, in crowds of people, and still be smiling at the end of the experience. I am not sure if we are the only ones who have to prep for this kind of thing, but the combination between His and My personalities calls for it.

This year we decided to start a Temple Square tradition of eating at the restaurant on top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, seeing the lights, and watching the JS movie. Before our reservation at 3:30 PM, we did some shopping at the Gateway Mall. I love that mall. We worked up a nice appetite and before we knew it, it was time to head over to Temple Square.

Well, the restaurant is a nice one. You don't go in there in your scrubby clothes, and you hope that no babies will scream and ruin the ambiance that the pianist on the grand piano is creating. This was my hope as the server said, "your table is ready, follow me." I gave "the look" to my boys and they knew I was saying, "ok, here we go. Remember the 'manners talk' earlier today." They all gave me "the look" back as if to say, "don't worry mom, we can handle it." So we enter with the boys following Eric, and me guiding Bronson while holding his hand. All of a sudden SMACK! I guide my little man right into the corner of a wooden booth. And he really smacked into it hard. I see the cry developing into a scream and I quickly exit before everyone turns to look. I just let Eric go ahead and I take Boo out to calm him down very quickly because at this point, I am starving.

Ok, he is calm, pacifier in place (I know, he is getting old for a pacifier, but if you think I care even a LITTLE bit about what someone else thinks about that one, think again. That piece of plastic is my truest friend and my security when things don't go my way...) and we are ready to try again. A miracle occurs and we all enjoy the best dinner I have had in a really long time.
It was a buffet, my fave. Soup, vegetables and salads of all kinds, shrimp and cocktail sauce, Lion House rolls with sweetened butter, cilantro chicken (and other meats that did not tempt me), desserts such as mousses, bombs, eclairs, creme brulee, layered cakes, tarts, ...you name it. It was my one meal for the whole day and I am sure I ate all the calories of 3 meals in one. The boys were on their best behavior and we had such a great dinner as we watched the sun set behind the Salt Lake Temple which was the perfect view out the windows. Camden said, "Can we come here every week?" Very funny, child. But, what about every year? Yes, ok. Every year it is.
We walked around a little bit, watched the lights come on, ran over to get in line for the movie, and again, a perfect experience in the Legacy Theater. Short of Boo getting a little antsy, the movie was very enjoyable for us all. Eric's parents met us there just in the nick of time and we all enjoyed sitting together and then walking around to look at the lights afterward. We took pictures, said our goodbyes, and as we walked the downtown Salt Lake streets back to our car, Eric and I were actually whistling a Christmas tune. We were! Perfect Family Days only happen now and then. You know, the really perfect kind. This fit right into that joyous category, the one where you would not want to be doing anything else but being right there with those people. (who make those Ethan kinds of faces that crack me up)
And when we are smiling and whistling all the way back to the car, long after the sun goes down, after muscling through the crowds, you KNOW that it was a REALLY great day. Thank you, my little family.

It was such a fun few days!

The boys were out of school on Wednesday. We have had so much fun...I love not having a schedule and having them around the house playing. Thanksgiving was a blast. We drove to Eric's sister's house and spent the day with his family (minus one of his sisters and his brother). Thank you again to Curtis and Alissa who were the best hosts this year...the house was beautiful, the food was great, the kids played so well together and everyone relaxed! There was: lots of food, talking, laughing, watching TV, having Eric around, hearing laughter from the kids, card playing, more eating, talking on and on, etc. It was just a great day. To top it off, we brought a lot of our dry beans and white rice to can while there. The in-laws had a canner at their home, so I brought empty cans and we ended up sealing 40 cans of beans and rice. I am officially DONE with my year supply. What a feeling!

Friday was also relaxing as we put up all of our Chrismas decorations. Camden was my best helper this year. While the other boys went outside to play, he worked hard with me in the house, hanging up all the ornaments on both trees. Good job, Camden! Saturday was my last bit of Christmas shopping (DONE!), and Sunday, another perfect family day, complete with the baking of 2 more pumpkin pies. Could it get any better than this? I say, NO. Monday has made it's way around again, so it's back to cleaning, organizing, and staying on task with real life, but SHOOT...what a great last week it was!

This week, to look forward to: The Jim Brickman Concert downtown. I think it's going to end up being a night out for Landon and me (Eric won't be able to make it...), Thursday is a fun "girls' night out" at the neighbor's house, and Saturday we have reservations with the kids at the Roof Restaurant in SLC. That is located on top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It's hard to get reservations this time of year, but I got lucky with a 3:30 PM dining time. It will be a start to a really great family tradition of dinner, lights on Temple Square, the Joseph Smith movie, and some SLC shopping!

I have just realized that I have been blogging for a full year now. I started a year ago with some pictures of our Christmas decorations, and I find myself here once again, posting some of the same things. (Ok, I just can't quite part with my pumpkins... I love them.) Deck the halls people, and enjoy the season once again!

Happy Thanksgiving

This morning we are headed to Eric's sister's house for our Thanksgiving day. The boys are excited to play with their cousins and grandma and grandpa. I am excited to have a day outting, a husband who isn't at work, and a new haircut. I decided to go on a whim yesterday for a cut. My boys like my hair better long, but I am quite enjoying the new do. It stays put all day long...I'll go long again someday, but for now short is it. (I can still put it in a very short pony tail for working out...)


Speaking of working out, I am so happy I forced myself out of bed this morning for an invigoring ride on Eric's bike. Too cold you say? Not a problem. He has it in the basement on a bike trainer. So his bike has turned stationary. Whew, what a good workout. Now I am ready for some good food. My strategy: I wore really tight jeans today (don't worry, I have a long sweater over the top) as to prevent me from over eating. I will probably just end up miserable, but I'll let you know if it works.

The main reason for blogging is that I want to journal some of the things I feel so thankful for before we leave for our festivities this morning. It's important to me to make this day meaningful and to think about the things that make my life complete.

1. I love my home, I love my things, I love my conveniences. It really is worth is to work hard and get a good education because the opportunities that come afterwards are AWESOME!!! But, all those things could be swiped away in one second. I know what is really important. I am so glad to be a mother of boys- it's loud, it's wild, it's unorganized at times, but what an honor to have been sent these boys to our home. They are so kind and respectful to me and Eric. They help me around the house like I never thought boys could. At this point, they still want to be around me....I will enjoy that!

2. And wow, ...I am so grateful to be able to stay home with them. I love being home- cleaning, organizing, creating. I was just making a bow last night for our Christmas wreath and I caught myself taking such care to twist and turn the bow just right to make it look beautiful. There is something within me that loves to create and then stare at the beauty of it all. I look around me everyday, and watch my life and all that I have helped to create.

3. I am thankful for my husband. Love that man- and we are mostly always winning at this marriage thing. Without the church to guide me, I would have been single long ago, I know it. We have worked and continue to work really hard together. He is dedicated and takes such good care of us out there in the working world. Then he comes home and helps here too. Someday I will go back to work very very very part time, (it would be nice to have my own money and stop dipping into the family budget...) but for now home is GOOD.

4. I am thankful for Jesus Christ. I know he is real, I know he lives, and although we are here on earth and cannot see Him and God, I know they are there. We didn't just "happen" here. There was a creator, and there is a plan, and ...it's all about becoming better and learning what we need to learn here while on this earthly journey and becoming like Christ. I have perfect faith in this, and feel SO happy to know WHY I AM HERE, WHERE I CAME FROM, and WHERE I AM GOING. Everyone can know,...you just have to ask for yourself. Some roll their eyes and make fun of faithful people who put their trust in a God they cannot see. I say, go ahead and make fun,...you will know at some point too.

5. I am thankful for my friends. I have a lot of friends that I have met over the years of school and school, and ...school. I appreciate you, my friends, wherever you are. I love you, plain and simple. Thank you for giving me a break and being understanding of my faults. That makes a true friend.

6. Let me NOT forget my family. Now that I have been a mom for 10 1/2 years, I can truly see how much a parent will do for their children. Eric and I have been blessed with such good parents. Good, in every meaning of the word. Honest, loving, hard working. How great it's been to be raised with awesome siblings, too. What a fun life we have had Eric, growing up as the oldest of 6, and me...smack in the middle of 3 girls. We are such good friends now and I love it.

Happy thanksgiving everyone!!! Be careful...and eat a lot of pie. (I already ate a piece of my pecan pie I made. Do you think anyone will notice???)

Final Results

Ok, I am learning a good lesson on not being a sore loser. We went this morning to the final award ceremony for the Ultimate Loser contest. We LOST. The 9 AM team won, each getting $300. This is the hard part: We very much won in overall weight loss pounds AND overall percentage. But, because the attendance averages into that, and because we had ONE person who decided to miss several days a week no matter how hard anyone tried to talk him into coming, ...we lost. Our percentage for weight loss was a full 2 percentage points higher at least, but when it came down to averaging everything in, we lost by a decimal point. I already had it in my head that this may happen, and I had decided that when they announced the other team's victory, I would clap and say, "GOOD JOB". That I did. But, boy, that is a hard way to lose. Lucky for me, that guy on our team didn't show up this morning. (I know, what a surprise, right?!) If he had, I am afraid I wouldn't have been able to be very Christ-like or understanding, knowing that he didn't make any effort when the "going got tough".

I have to say that I shed a few tears about this next loss I'll tell you about. We were all rooting for our teammate to win the overall individual prize of $3000. His ultimate desire was to buy his wife a camera with part of that. He lost, too. The guy in second place on another team, dropped 25 pounds in a week which gave him just what he needed to come out on top. It was hard to see our teammates face, trying to be brave. That is a lot of money, and I know he needed it. His wife was there ready to congratulate him and the other dude was awarded the grand prize. My heart just broke for him. I actually cried- oh...you should have seen him and how humbly he congratulated the winner. If any of you could have been with me the last 8 weeks to see what an emotional roller coaster this has been, and to see how hard everyone worked, you would be able to understand the emotion behind this post.

My final results were better than I thought. I lost 14 pounds, 11 inches (not 7), and 8% body weight. We were all still in good spirits as we stood around patting each other on the back and eating our healthy muffins, quiche and smoothies. All is well in the end, but like I say, ...what a huge lesson in patience and understanding. Here is the game I like to play. I say to myself, "Becky, maybe that guy on our team had to take his mother for chemotherapy treatments every morning that he missed and was very private about it." I am still willing to give him the benefit of the doubt, it's just going to take me a minute. And I will keep fighting my human-ness to the end, in every aspect of my life. That is what it's all about, after all.

A Little Less Pear, thank you.

Well, it's officially over! The 8 weeks have passed so quickly. Most of the girls on our team hit the gym this morning by 5am to sit in the sauna before the 6 am weigh in. The final weigh in this morning was complete with measurements and pictures. This week as a team we lost almost 80 pounds. IN A WEEK. Unheard of. There was one guy this morning who dropped 17 pounds IN A WEEK. 17! There was another person with 9, another with 6, 5.2, 11, etc. etc. I myself, only contributed 1.8 (almost 2, mind you), with my total weight loss of 14 pounds and 7 inches gone from my body. I didn't make my original goal, but I am not going to be sad about that. I am a little sad about this experience ending though. It's been so fun to be part of this team and to workout with them every morning and to get to know myself better in this new situation, one of competition and teamwork. Luckily we won one of our Saturday challenges and we get to come back for a month with our trainer right after Thanksgiving.

So here is to continuing on to the final goal on my own time and without the BodyBugg strapped to my arm. We have the option of buying the device, but I think I will pass on that. I know full well what this body of mine burns after wearing that around my right bicep for 8 weeks straight. It feels good to be free of the "tracker". You know what also feels good? That I am more of a thinner pear shape then I used to be. Once a pear, always a pear, ...but a little less pear, pleeeeeaaaaaase! Onward and upward. No more weight loss posts until my final goal in about 12 more pounds. Today: no workout, a nap, plenty of water. Hallalujah, I made it.

But, hey...don't go away for too long. You have to stay tuned, ...tomorrow morning is the awarding of the prizes- 8 AM. All 3 teams show up to see who wins. We are rooting for Josh on our team to get the individual overall biggest loser prize of $3000. We are also hoping to be the winning team, each getting $300. We are way ahead for weight loss, but lagging big time in attendance due to one very rude guy who missed about 20+ days and seemed not to care. If anyone said anything to him, it made it worse. Frustrating. It all averages in and makes this a very very close competition with the 9 am team right on our tail. It's not really over til it's OVER.

A Father/Son Tradition, Takes Off Once Again

Last year at this time Eric was taking one boy at a time to the university basketball games. It was so exciting for each one to have a turn with dad and on the way home they would stop and get a shake from our favorite ice cream stop. Well, the length of time they stayed at the game became shorter and shorter as the season went on, (due to the ice cream ending). The tickets for the games were NOT cheap, the games were VERY loud, the boys would come home very exhausted and it was always way past bedtime. Well, this year we got smart. We saved money by not buying the season tickets, the kids get their ice cream and ...dad and son actually get to talk one on one instead of yelling over a crowd of people. To top it off, Eric then has a little time left over after the boy is tucked safe and sound in bed.

Ethan was the first one last night to have a turn. We purposefully chose Ethan to go first as he has really fought for some extra attention lately and not always in the cutest, sweetest ways. You could really feel his excitement when we told him he was going first. Driving home from Camden's 1st grade singing performance, you could just see Ethan trying to control his smile, and trying to understand, "you mean, I just get to go with dad?" YEP. "Right now, tonight?" YEP. When Eric and Ethan got to the ice cream place, Eric asked him, "well, what do you want?" He was so excited he said, "I don't know, you just choose for me!" Sweet little boy.

This picture makes me laugh...Ethan always has the funniest faces. I call this one: "happy chipmunk"

Tonight was Camden's turn. Not only was he happy about it, he was WILD and one at a time, he made each of the other boys WILD too. He even made ME wild, in a "I am going to the looney bin" kind of way. Cam chose Cold Stone and as soon as we had our family prayer and scripture reading, I hurried them out the door for ice cream then marched the 2 little boys straight to bed for some heavy duty tucking-in while turning on some bedtime songs. Back upstairs to guide Landon through the last bit of homework, and ...GOODNIGHT to him too. Fun day, long day...time to re-coup from all the fun.

I highly recommend parent/child time. What are some of the things YOU have tried with your kids??? And if you haven't tried this yet, you should give it a try. I figure, if they can bond and talk to a parent now, they'll be able to talk to one of us much easier as the teenage years creep in. That's the hope anyway.

Love Letters

Today in our Relief Society meeting, we had a lesson on the letters that Joseph Smith wrote to his wife and the positive outlook he had despite the persecution he was under. I was thinking about my lack of writing in my journal and since this is a journal of sorts I would like to list a few things about a few things. I am going to go and write a love letter to each of my children and one for my husband in my journal. It's important for them to know how I feel about them, about life, about God... about the truly important things in life. I want them to never ever wonder.

For starters, here are some things I feel thankful for. These are the things that start filling my mind as November, the thankful month, rolls around. I do spend a lot of time documenting my weight loss goals and the progress on my home. Those things are hobbies that I enjoy and am happy to spend some time on. But, I know they are not most important. Here are some things that are more important to me than pictures on a wall. Here are some of the smaller more simple things that make me feel truly HAPPY with my life. Every couple of days I am going to journal about what I am grateful for.

So, I am grateful for:

*The sun and the walks outside with my family and the birds' nest the boys found today in a tree
*Our home
*Plenty of food to eat and that I don't have to wonder what I am going to feed my children
*A husband who is smart, kind, loving, honest and good
*A healthy body, healthy kids, and a healthy husband (minus the back problems)
*Good friends and the chance to make new friends, and value friendships more and more as I get older
*For the belief I have in something bigger than myself. A God, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and the Hope and Faith that that allows me to develop and hang on to when things seem scary or uncertain...and that I don't have to worry about what anyone else thinks of me.
*Good parents who are good grandparents who support and love
*My mini van that runs well and that has it's snow tires on now- ready for a big snowfall
*My gym membership- that I have a way to exercise and feel good
*That I can stay at home with my boys
*That I live in America- that we have the chance to vote and that we don't always get what we want...God Bless the USA!
*That I was raised to love and that I try to learn how to love more
*Mountains
*A comfortable bed
*For children who help me around the house and tell me that I am the best mom in the world
*The fact that I can fit into some of my clothes again
*That my 4-year old has found a funny face to make when he thinks I am mad at him...that I can't help but laugh at
*That my 10 year old is very responsible and loving to his brothers, especially the baby- that he is a good communicator and will talk to me
*That my 6 year old sang very well and was so reverent in church today
*That my 20 month old loves to go to the nursery at church, and to the gym kids' club
*That I have slippers and a heater in my home, cuz I get cold very easily sitting here blogging

These are a few of the things that I am feeling today. There will be other things in the days to come. I love November. I will try to be a thankful person, always looking for what I have been given today...always expressing gratitude for the things I am blessed with. Because I am so blessed. Beyond my belief.

Saturday- Swim Challenge

Our 6 am team won this morning! It was difficult but so fun. We each had to swim 3 laps (50 yards each...down and back). Each lap was with something different: 1. Holding a 10 pound block 2. Kicking only while holding a kick board 3. Arms only with the styrofoam block between the knees. So, that was 6 lengths of the pool for each person. I didn't realize how hard that would be to try to swim with a 10 pound block. I could picture the other ones because I had done that before, but wow. On the way back with the heavy block, I thought I was going to die. (And I was even more scared for other members of our team.) After we had done all of our hard laps, we had 3 to go as a team. So, me and 2 others swam a 50. I went first, then a guy, and our anchor was awesome. She swam her heart out and we won by about a 1/2 length of the pool. So we won a free month of personal training- the best prize yet!