Tag...Christmas

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate; although I like Egg Nog too

2. Does Santa wrap the presents or just sit them under the tree? When I was a child Santa always just set them out for us. So far, in my home, he has wrapped them.

3. Red or white lights? I have white lights on our tree. We don't have lights on the outside of our house yet but I'm sure they will be colored.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No

5. When do you put your decorations up? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving unless I get antsy.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish? Wow, that is hard. I like Christmas dinner better than Thanksgiving. I like it all…the ham, the potatoes, my mom’s ROLLS, the cheeseball and above all the Shrimp Dip! (Recipe below)

1/4 Cup milk
1 T. Mayonnaise
2 T. Lemon Juice
-Beat the above ingredients into 8 ounces of soft cream cheese
Add:
2 T. Finely Minced Onion
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Dill Weed
1/2 tsp. Soy Sauce
1 Cup Chopped Shrimp

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? I have so many. My mom always went out of her way to make Christmas special for us. Now that I’m an adult with my own family I am in awe at how she made Christmas so special each year. She is amazing! We had/have the tradition of having a Christmas Eve party at our house and Grandma and Grandpa from both sides would come over. We would eat and open presents and I just remember LOVING that night! I remember my Grandma Zobell would make us pajamas every year.
Unfortunately my favorite childhood memories revolve around “stuff” because as a kid that is what it’s all about. I fondly remember the Christmas I got my Cabbage Patch Kid. I remember being told MANY times that Santa was having a hard time finding Cabbage Patch Kids for everyone that wanted them and I could very well not end up with one on Christmas morning. Imagine my surprise when I woke up to one! I was elated!

BY far my favorite Christmas morning was when Jenny and I got the Barbie Dream House. I don’t remember asking for it so it was a shock that “Santa” got it for us. I can honestly say that it provided hours and hours if not years and years of play for me and my friends. I can remember spending from sun up until sun down in the basement playing Barbies! I loved it.

I could go on and on but I will conclude with this one. It is kind of corny. Normally I HATED chores but around Christmas I didn’t mind them so much. I remember usually the day of Christmas Eve we would get up early, put on the Christmas music and start cleaning the house. I can still smell cinnamon and cloves on the stove and hear Andy Williams singing in the background while we dusted, mopped and vacuumed. I can still feel the anticipation of having family over that night while we got the house looking spotless!

8. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When I was a child we could open our Grandma and Grandpa’s gifts.

9. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? I had the MOST fun decorating our tree our first year of marriage. I remember seeing the idea at Robert’s craft around October and starting to think of ideas to make it my own. I took Mike there and showed him what I was thinking and he was immediately ANTI! He did not trust me at all. I ended up making some old fashioned felt ornaments that look like gingerbread and the rest are bulbs and fake old fashioned candy. Colors are red, green and white. When it all came together Mike admitted to me that he thought I was crazy and that we would have the ugliest tree – but he liked it and was very impressed with my vision coming together. He apparently lacked the vision. Last year I made some real gingerbread men to hang on the tree and I intend to do that each year as a tradition.

10. Snow: Love it or hate it? LOVE it until after New Year’s Day. Then it can go away.

11. Can you ice skate? Not very well. Don’t like it too much.

12. Do you remember your favorite gift? Well, you can probably look above and figure out that as a child it was probably my Cabbage Patch Kid and the Barbie Dream House. As an adult….probably my digital piano that Mike got me, it got me playing the piano again which was nice.

13. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Although from all the above statements it doesn’t seem like it – the most important part of the holidays for me is trying to remember and instill around me the reason for the season. I like the focus to be on Christ and family.

14. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Tassies! (Recipe below)

6 ounces of Cream Cheese
2 sticks of Butter
2 Cups Sifted Flour
Cream butter and cheese until light and fluffy. Add flour and mix by hand. Press dough into small tea bisquit pan. Put 1/2 piece of pecan in bottom of shells you have pressed out.
Filling:
3 eggs
1 1/2 C. Brown Sugar
Pinch of Salt
1 1/2 T. melted Butter
3/4 tsp. Vanilla
Beat eggs, add brown sugar, butter and salt. Add vanilla. Pour into pressed out shells over pecan half and sprinkle with chopped pecans. Bake 350 degreees for 17-20 minutes.

15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve Party with the family.

16. What is on top of your tree? Star

17. Which do you like best giving or receiving? Giving of course; especially if I feel like I found the “perfect” thing.

18. Christmas Song? I have a ton so I’ll just list some of my favorites.
“I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” – I cry whenever this one is sung at church!
“Sleigh Ride”
“O Come All Ye Faithful”
“Joy to the World”
“Let it Be Christmas” – Alan Jackson
“Some Children See Him”

19. Do you like candy canes? Not Really.

I tag anyone who feels like doing it!

ER

Last night I was laying in bed around 10:30 and heard what I thought to be our neighbor's dog. He sounded like he was choking on a bone or something and I was getting annoyed because I was trying to get to sleep. Well, after a couple of minutes of hacking I heard crying and realized that this sound was not coming from the neighbor's dog it was my poor Sadie! I ran into her room and she was crying, laboring to breath and burning up! I was in a panic. She had been perfectly fine all day and it came on so quickly. I called the after hours nurse and she told Mike and I to take her to the Emergency Room. Once we were there and after waiting for what seemed like forever they diagnosed her with Croup. Poor thing. They gave her some anti-inflammatory medicine and sent us on her way. We put a humidifier in her room and she slept soundly once we got home. She seemed better today but was still not her old self. The funniest part of the whole thing is that she was fascinated by her raspy voice and pretty much sang all day so she could hear it. Although it was funny, it did about drive me bonkers by the end of the day!

Changes!

As many of you may or may not know, I have changed my work schedule recently. Our devoted babysitter Malissa got offered a job she could not refuse but unfortunately that left us without a babysitter for Sadie. After much stress and prayer we were able to work it out. I am still working at Nu Skin but I went back to my old job at the warehouse and now work nights. I was also able to cut back 10 hours so now I only have to put in 20 a week which has been nice. I work Monday and Wednesday 4-midnight and then I choose either Tuesday, Thursday or Friday to put in my other 4 hours which is normally 6-10. It has been great being home with Sadie during the day and I'm sure once my body adjusts to late nights I will really like this new schedule.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was quite an adventure this year. We went to Arkansas to spend the holiday with Mike's brother Alan. We had the whole King tribe there with Grandma and Grandpa, Alan and Dianne and their daughters Katherine, Stephanie and Kelly. This was the first time Alan and his family had seen Sadie in person. I think the girls had fun with her and I know that Sadie enjoyed all the attention. Despite Sadie not sleeping, getting into everything, getting the stomach flu, and being the worlds worst traveler...I think we had a pretty nice time. Aunt Dianne made a delicious Thanksgiving feast and we appreciated them letting us come and stay with them although I'm pretty sure they were happy to see us leave. We will not be doing this again any time soon, or at least until the kids are older! Here are some of the pictures from the trip.

Sadie playing in the leaves!

Sadie with Katherine, Kelly, and Stephanie

Aunt Dianne is nicer than mom....she let Sadie play in her pantry and mess it all up. She was in heaven!

Playing with Grandma King

Thanksgiving Day playing with Grandma

12 Month Stats!

Sadie had her 12 month well baby check up today. She is a very healthy and happy little girl! Here are her stats.....

Weight - 23.3 lbs (83 %tile)

Height - 30.5 inches (90 %tile)

Head Circumference - 19.1 inches (99 %tile)

She is above average on all...especially head! I don't think she has an abnormally big head but I guess 99% of babies have smaller ones than her. We like to think it's because she's so smart. In the picture she is wearing the cute dress that her Grandma Brereton gave her for her birthday....no smiles for this picture.

First Steps!

Sadie took her first steps on November 8, 2008. She was standing up next to mom and next thing we knew she took off....about 3 steps. She has been pretty proud of herself ever since but only does it on her terms. She is getting better and better with practice and we are looking forward to the new experiences that walking brings!

Happy Birthday Sadie!

Sadie turned ONE on November 6, 2008! She had such a fun day...or should I say Mom and Dad had such a fun day. Family and friends came over to help celebrate and have cake and ice cream. Sadie loved all the attention and has been enjoying her new toys that were given to her as gifts. She is one spoiled little girl!

Sadie's 1st Birthday Cake!

Opening one of her presents from Mom and Dad.

Opening Aunt Rachelle's gift

Her reaction to everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to her was priceless. She was loving every minute of it and even clapped when we were all done singing.

She had NO problem diving right into the cake!

This is Malissa and her little family. She watches Sadie during the day while mom is at work. From left to right is Devon, Cody, Malissa and her youngest Karson is down in the left hand corner helping Sadie open presents. Malissa was an answer to our prayers when we were looking for someone to watch Sadie. She has taken such good care of her and Sadie loves her and her boys so much! They are so cute with her and are the best kids ever! It makes it easier to go to work when you know your daughter is in good hands. We are so glad they came to the party to celebrate! Thank you Malissa for everything you have done....we LOVE you!

Halloween!

Sadie was a lady bug for Halloween. Her Aunt Jenny often refers to her as Sadie Lady Bug so we thought it was very fitting. She had a very eventful day starting with accompanying mom to work for awhile after which she went to visit Grandma and Aunt Rachelle at work and then on to Dad's work. We made it home just in time for a much needed nap and then it was off to the ward trunk or treat. Of course she had no idea what was going on but she was a good sport and had a lot of fun getting attention just for being so darn cute!

Have you ever seen a cuter lady bug?

She's a mischievious little lady bug! Look at that grin.

Sadie and our neighbor Scott became fast friends at the trunk or treat after he fed her a Pixie Stick!

Reading

I have found Sadie like this numerous times in the last month. She has found the joy of reading I guess. She will turn the pages, point to things, babble to herself and even crack herself up at times. Once she is done, she tosses the book aside and it's onto another one. It's been fun watching her entertain herself and enjoy her books so much.

Becoming Domestic

This year I made an attempt at being domestic and decided to learn to can. This has been something I have been afraid of doing and have put off for quite awhile. I intended on doing tomatoes and peaches this year but my neighbor Lorrie told me that she would teach me how to do cherry and apple pie filling. This sounded way more fun than tomatoes and peaches so I opted for sweet rather than practical. This will not surprise anyone who knows me. It was a lot of fun and left me with quite a sense of accomplishment. I'm actually excited for next year when I can try more things.

I've Been Tagged.....

Okay, I don't usually do these, but maybe that's because nobody has called me out on a tag until now...thanks Mandy! I have to list 6 of my quirks, so here it goes. (I may have to call Mike in to help)

1. I can't go to bed with dishes in my sink, actually I hate having dishes in my sink PERIOD, no matter what time a day it is.


2. I can't go to work without making my bed. My mom taught me well I guess. There have been maybe a handful of times when I have left the bed unmade, but I seriously think about it all day until I come home....and then I make it!


3. (The next 2 are from Mike, and that's only because he gets in trouble about these two things all the time) I am obsessed with my kitchen floor being crumb free. I hate feeling crumbs or dirt under my bare feet when I'm in the kitchen. I like to think I have eased up on this one since Sadie came along but Mike would probably disagree.


4. This one is a lot like the one above. I hate having dirty counter tops. Because I have granite counter tops it is impossible to tell when they are dirty so I will wipe them off a million times a day just to ensure they are clean.


5. Since Sadie has come along I am a very rigid schedule follower. She eats dinner at 6:00 and if anything comes in the way of that I get a little uptight. When "Little House on the Prairie" comes on, she knows it's time to eat. I have her trained like Pavlov's dog. (Oh my poor little Sadie) Same goes for her bath time and bed time. Bath at 6:45 (when Little House is over) and bed time at 8:00! It works for us and I like to think that I'm like this because I have to go to work and it makes things easier if we are on a schedule and not because I'm OCD; you can be the judge.


6. Okay this is a stretch but it doesn't have to do with cleaning so....when I go grocery shopping I have to go up and down every aisle even if I KNOW I don't need anything on that aisle. It messes up my rhythm if I don't. The only aisle I skip is the dog food aisle. That may be the reason why I come home with so much more than I need!



Okay, now that the whole world knows that I'm OCD I tag Malissa, Britney, Jesicca, and Michelle. Have fun ladies!

We're Back!

I know, you are all sick of looking at Sadie's 9 months stats. I haven't been lazy just busy and this wasn't a priority on my list. I have updated you below on the last 2 months of our life. It has been crazy to say the least, but we are all doing well and glad to be back in the game. My hope is that I will be more diligent from now on.

Daddy Who???

The BIG announcement this month is that Mike got a new job! Hooray! He is still at Xactware but in a new position. He is going to be a Technical Account Manager (whatever that means) and he will no longer be traveling. We are all excited about the change and now Sadie will get to see her daddy every day, not just on the weekends. Congratulations Mike, we are so proud of you and so thankful for the hard work you put in to support our family! We love you!

11 Months

Sadie is 11 months old. I can't believe that she is going to be one soon. Her latest trick is standing up. She usually pulls herself up to the couch or her toy bucket and let's go. She gets so excited and proud of herself, it is fun to watch. She is still getting into everything and has to be watched like a hawk. She is continuing to try new foods, a few of them are cornbread, pancakes, rice, green beans, peas, french toast - really anything she can beg out of us while we're eating dinner. She's like a little puppy dog, at our feet begging for food. Actually today her sitter Malissa gave her part of a grilled cheese sandwhich and she loved it! She has 4 new teeth that decided to come in all in one week. That was a tough week for mom and Sadie but we're glad they're in! She has 4 on top and 2 on the bottom. She is such a good little girl, we couldn't ask for a sweeter child. She is so much fun and such a blessing to our entire family!

Hogle Zoo

From the post below you know that I was planning on going to the zoo with Sadie and Mike after I got my cast off. Well, I could barely walk but I was determined to go. When we arrived Mike quickly realized that there was no way I was going to make it around the whole zoo walking at the rate I was going so.....he rented me one of those carts you see in Wal-Mart all the time. At first I was mortified but I knew he was right and to make the day nice for all I humbled myself and gave in. I think I would have been okay with the whole thing had the stupid thing not beeped every time I backed up....that was embarrassing.

Sadie loved the animals and was happy until the very end. She pointed to all the animals and ooed and awed at them. Her favorite was probably a little monkey that had white Elvis hair. He jumped up to the window to her and scared her, but she loved it. We had a great family day and it was needed after Mike being gone to England for 2 weeks.

Sadie on the carousel. She loved it and without prompting immediately started waving to everyone as she went round and round.
Sadie and dad with the white alligator

Sadie and mom

Sadie and dad again...the giraffes were probably her second favorite. We watched them for quite awhile.

My Foot Saga

WARNING!!!! THIS MIGHT GROSS YOU OUT!

Around the 4th of July I started experiencing a lot of pain in the top of my foot between my toes. It would swell up and I could hardly walk. Well, after ignoring it for about a month I decided to go see a Podiatrist. Well, I wasn't stupid, I knew I had a HUGE bunion on my toe but the pain wasn't anywhere near that so I didn't think it was related. I was wrong. My lovely bunion was pushing my big toe towards my little toes, as you can see in the picture below. This was causing a nerve between my toe to be pinched, therefore causing the pain. It has been pinched for so long that it built scar tissue on the nerve and the only way to relieve the pain was to remove the nerve. Also, my bunion had to be removed otherwise my big toe would continue to drift towards my little toe and more nerves would be pinched. Surgery was scheduled for August 29th and I was having my bunion removed and the nerve taken out. No big deal right? I think I can go on the record for the most naive patient because I had no idea what it all entailed.

Surgery was great! I would go under anytime, any place. I have never slept that well in my life and when I heard the nurse waking me up I was angry. I wanted more drugs and more sleep. I wasn't in a lot of pain but I had to wear a cast on my leg/foot for 4 weeks. Of course I chose the most obnoxious color there was.....HOT PINK! Those 4 weeks were probably the worst weeks of my life. I had to hobble around on a cast and try to keep up on everything in my life....oh....and Mike was in England for 2 of those weeks which made it harder but, I did survive.

I was so looking forward to the day I got my cast off. I decided to take the day off and go to the zoo with Sadie after it was all over. Here is where I get really naive. I showed up at the doctor's with my shoe in hand ready for the cast to be removed and me to walk out the door. The nurse removed my cast and all the gauze that was wrapped around my foot. It was disgusting! To my surprise when I looked down at my foot, there was a pin sticking out of the top of my foot. Now, from the x-rays I knew that I had pins INSIDE my foot, in fact 6 of them to keep my toe straight, I had no idea that I had one on the outside. I politely asked the nurse what it was and she said, "That's your pin dear....he will be removing that today, don't worry it doesn't hurt." I was sick to my stomach and wanted to run out the door right then. Well, she was right, it didn't hurt BUT the doctor had to use great force in removing it which was a bit shocking. I didn't watch and was bracing myself for the pain, luckily it didn't hurt but once the pin was out, I looked down and there was a geyser of blood coming out of the hole where the pin was. It was awful, I had no idea that was going to happen. Apparently that is normal.

So...needless to say I did not put my shoe on and walk out of the doctor's office that day. I put a lovely black shoe on that I have to wear with my wrapped foot for 2 weeks and then we'll see about putting my shoe on. It has been a long recovery (going on 6 weeks) and very annoying. I will be glad when I have full use of my foot again and can bend my toes. The bright side of this whole saga is that I might just be able to wear pretty shoes that I've never been able to before. Happy Day!

Before

Before


During

After (sorry this ones a little gross)

Crazy Hair Days

Sadie has very versatile hair - here are some of our favorites.......

If you can look past her crazy rocker chic face, this is her usual one curl on top standard

Sadie's hair is naturally curly. This was a very good hair day for her!

Sadie's babysitter Malissa did the ponytail while I was at work. It is so cute, but I don't have the paitence to do it. Malissa has fun because she has 3 adorable boys....but I don't think they let her put ponytails in their hair.

9 Month Stats!

Weight - 20.59 lbs (80 %tile)

Height - 28.5 in (82 %tile)

Head Circumference - 18.5 in (98 %tile)

So as you can see from Sadie's stats.....she is still chubby, tall and apparently her head is slightly big. We love every inch of her though!

Cascade Springs

Saturday we decided to try to beat the heat and head up Provo Canyon. We got KFC and drove up to Cascade Springs for a picnic. Sadie loved it up there; her little head was turning back and forth trying to take it all in as we walked along the trails.

Don't look too excited guys! Sadie's picnic lunch consisted of mash potatoes and gravy and biscuits...she LOVED the biscuits. You can tell she has southern roots!

We fed the fish some of our left over biscuits. Sadie had a hard time sharing.

Dad dipped her feet in the water to see how she would react. She seemed to really enjoy it. I decided to feel how cool the water was just in case it was too cold and it was FREEZING! We are shocked that she loved it so much.

Just Because

While I was at the grocery store last Saturday, Mike found Sadie in a little predicament. She had opened the drawer and got stuck. Apparently Mike heard her crying and found her like this. Of course he left her there to go get the camara. She knew if she let go she was going to fall and hit her head, good thing dad came to her rescue, even if it was a little delayed.

I had to put this picture in just because it was so darn cute! This was on July 24th and I stayed home with her that day. We spent a very lazy day just napping and playing on the floor with her toys. It was wonderful!

Best friends. Mike had a training in Orlando and came home with lots of goodies for Sadie. Least of which was her life size Winnie the Pooh bear. She sleeps with him every night and talks to him in the morning when she wakes up.

Accomplishments!

Sadie has accomplished some new things this past week so I thought I'd mention them.
She FINALLY got her second tooth.
She began to army crawl - which means she hasn't mastered lifting her tummy off the ground while in motion.
And last but not least....she began saying "Uh Oh".
It definitely was a big week for her!

Xactware Party

Mike's work party was at Thanksgiving Point this year. We went to Farm Country and showed Sadie all the farm animals. The turkeys were her favorite only because they gobbled at her and caught her by surprise. We saw horses, pigs, goats, chickens, turkeys and cows. They had a nice dinner for us and after was entertainment. Sadie only made it about 30 minutes into the entertainment and she was out...so we headed home.

She's ready for mutton bustin'

Dad, Sadie and the turkey's

Notice our matching Xactware T-shirts, even Sadie got one. (LOL)

Ready for bed!

Fourth of July!

I think we packed in as much Fourth of July celebration possible this year. We all had a good time but we were beat by the time the day was over. We started the day at the parade. Russell and Mike were kind enough to stake out spots the day before so that Sadie's first parade would be a good experience. Thanks guys! We wanted her to see it all, even if she won't remember it. This is the first year in a long time that almost the entire family came to the parade and that made it even more special!

(From left to right) Cousins Whitney, Madison, Jessica (holding Sadie) and Ashlyn

Whitney and Sadie

She made it until about 20 minutes before the parade ended. All the excitement wore her out!

After the parade we headed home and had nice long naps to gear up for the second half of our celebration. We had a picnic at the park and then headed to the BYU Bell Tower to watch the fireworks. Believe it or not, Sadie lasted until it was over. She loved the fireworks and wasn't afraid at all. She just watched in amazement and clapped through them all. She was asleep by the time we got home, but I think she had a pretty fun day.

Daddy and Sadie at the picnic

Playing at the Park

Mommy and Sadie

Waiting patiently for the fireworks

Congratulations Sadie!

Thanks to the help of friends and family, Sadie won 1st finalist in the KOSY 106.5 American Baby Idol Contest. We are disappointed that she didn't win Grand Prize, but 1st Finalist ain't too shabby! She won two tickets to the American Idol Concert on July 14th. We have a hard decision ahead of us - 5 nieces and 2 tickets! Wish us luck!
If you would like to see the top 3 winners go to www.kosy.com

Sadie's First Swim!

Sadie experienced her first swim this week. The weather was finally hot enough to take her out. Mommy got her a little pool that was just her size and Daddy got her the little "surfer girl" swim suit!

We knew she would love it because she loves her bath! She splashed around for about an hour and was loving every minute of it....I'm sure part of it had to be because it was 95 degrees outside and it felt wonderful!
The best part....she had a good 2 1/2 hour nap after. She was exhausted.

Souvenir

Mike brought Sadie a souvenir from England when he returned on Tuesday. He bought her a little Paddington Bear that he purchased at Paddington station. She went to bed with it that night and when we went to check on her before going to bed, she was all snuggled in with him. I think she liked her souvenir.