Christmas, Christmas Time Was Here

Now I'd better post about it before it's next year....

Colby got a battery powered four-wheeler.  The coolest gift ever.

Our nativity scene.  Colby actually left his headpiece on for the entire story.

Funny sidestory: we have a motion sensor snowman that talks and plays music when you walk by.  I turned it around so the kids wouldn't set it off when they walked by for the navitity.  Nicole stood behind it to take pictures and every time her camera flashed the snowman would go off.

 What good is a big present?  To eat breakfast on, of course!

Dresses I made for my girls.  This was the easiest fabric I have ever had the pleasure of working with.

 Now Clay has Ticket To Ride USA, Europe, and Germany.

And what did I get for Christmas?  Well, it's the exact same watch I got last year.  Only this one won't get lost.  I promise.

Your Attention Please!!

Hello.  My name is Andrea Hayes and I am known as unapproachable.

I had a great talk with a friend a while back and she revealed this about me.  Okay, I thought. Something to improve on.

Last night I went to a great party and at the end I was talking with a great group of gals and I mentioned what my friend had said and  apparently everyone still thinks this about me.  "I always think you are mad at me."  "You look like you don't want to be talked to."  Well, no wonder I don't have many friends!  Of course losing a child and going through the mourning process for two years will put a damper on my face.  Of course I haven't been smiling!  I was sad, people!!!

But that I still look like this bugs me.  Because I am not mourning anymore. I am finding happiness in life again.  Too bad my face doesn't show it.  So this is something to work on.

So, for the record, I AM approachable!!  I consider myself a friendly person and once I get to know you and feel comfortable around you, my funny personality will show.  Please give me a chance!  Please talk to me and say hello to me.  Really, I am a nice person.

(Disclaimer:  I am also shy and hate to be rejected so may not always approach you first.   Also, I may be in a bad mood depending on what events occurred on any given day, but usually get over it with friendly conversation.)

Post With No Name

I haven't blogged for a while but, really, who wants to read about the mundane tasks of my day.  I get to play with a cute little boy (who is NOT mundane) but, man, he is a pooper!!!!  He also would love nothing more than to play in that glorious snow (cough) but his mommy is a bit of a wimp.  I do not play in the snow.  But I do make a mean cup of hot cocoa!!!!


I am happy to say that I am 100% excited about this holiday season. After Austin died, the last thing I wanted to do was celebrate anything.  That gloom has past.  I am singing Christmas carols, and I am so excited to watch Colby see the tree lit up (which will be put up this Saturday).  I have finished all of my Christmas shopping except one present and I have a couple ideas for the Christmas gathering that we are hosting this year.  Yes, I feel good right now.

Oh yeah,  I am being put in nursery in January.  I'm not too thrilled about that but I have ideas there too!!  Hopefully they will make it easier for the kids and more enjoyable for me.  

Colby Is 18 Months Old!

 Our little Colby is 18 months old today.  He is such a character.  He loves to do things to make us laugh.  His favorite thing is to walk around the house with a wet washcloth on his head.

Here Colby is all dressed up for church.  One minute after taking this picture, he took the tie off and broke it.  The tie never made it to church.

 

We bought a new dog carrier for Cuddles.  But someone else thought it made a good playhouse.  We had a hard time getting him out of it!  Every time we would open the door, he would pull it shut again.

 

For the First Time

 Every year that we have been married, Clay goes fishing with his dad the week of his birthday.  This year he didn't go fishing so for the first time in 11 years we were with him on his birthday!  We celebrated by having a little party for him.  The first party was cancelled because Savannah, Clay and Colby were sick.  We rescheduled and invited some of Clay's little friends. (And their parents!)

Here's a picture of my little Tigger, Dorothy, and Wicked Witch.  They got so much candy at the ward trunk or treat that they didn't even miss going real trick or treating!

And here's a picture of my latest sewing project.  I love it when I make something for the girls that they love so much they wear it as soon as it is clean!

What Time Is It??

See this watch?

Clay gave it to me for Christmas last year.  It looks much nicer than my old one.  It has diamonds around the face, a purple face (my favorite color!) and it also says the date.  I love this watch!

Too bad it is missing.

Last Wednesday (a whole week now) when I was helping the girls with homework, Colby pulled on it so I took it off me, and put it on his arm and he walked into the kitchen (we were at the kitchen table).  Later I went to get it off the floor but it wasn't there.  Not to worry!  I'll find it in the morning!

That was a week ago.  Every day since I have been pleading with Colby to find my watch.  We have looked up and down, inside and out, over and under and seriously all around.  We moved the fridge and stove.  Clay took off the air return vents in case Colby put it through there.  We looked under, in, and around the couches.  Clay even took apart my piano.  We have looked in every room in the house, in every drawer and cupboard.  I even looked inside the oven and dishwasher.  Clay thinks it was thrown away with the trash, but I ALWAYS shut the pantry door where the trash is because Colby loves to get into things.  When I open the door, I immediately shut it 'cuz that kid is fast!  I am very sure (but not entirely, of course) that it didn't go in the trash.

For the past few days I have been wearing my old watch, but this morning the wristband broke.  Woe is me!  I hate not knowing what time it is!!

So if you have any ideas of remote places that it could be, let me know even though I've probably already checked there.

(And I'm harboring a tiny hope that Clay will get me a new watch for Christmas that looks amazingly identical to the one I lost.  And this watch ain't going on no baby's arm!!!)

Status

Clay--Sick with flu.

Me--Sick with cold.

Savannah--Sick with flu.

Dakotah--Not sick yet!!

Colby--Was sick with flu this weekend.  Better now.

Verdict

We will not be trick or treating on Halloween.  I wrote the answer to my own question in my last post.  It is not a Sunday appropriate activity.  Sunday is a time of respite from other daily activities and a time to think more about Christ and the gospel.  Kind of hard to do this if we're running around the neighborhood dressed as the Wicked Witch and Dorothy, begging people for candy.

This is an excellent opportunity to live what we believe and not just say what we believe.  We are more restrictive in our home on what is okay to do on Sunday every Sunday and it would send a mixed message to our kids if we allow them to trick or treat on Sunday.  They have missed birthday parties and have lived.  They are young enough that they have plenty of Halloweens in their future to enjoy.

One comment from someone I don't know suggested having our Sunday rest on Saturday.  That doesn't quite work for us.  For one thing, we go to church on Sunday.  Another reason is as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints we believe that Sunday is the day set aside not only as a day of rest, but as a day to go to church to worship and to do missionary work and spend time together as a family.

So this Halloween, we will hole up in our family room and gorge ourselves on the candy I bought.  We will go to the trunk or treat a couple days before.  Then we'll move on to the next holiday.   And I will have peace of mind, knowing I made the right decision for my family.

Opinions Needed

This year, Halloween is on a Sunday.  So are we going trick or treating on Sunday?  Is it going to be changed to Saturday?  I don't want my kids to miss out on trick or treating, but it doesn't fit in the "Appropriate Activities for Sunday" category.  If it's on Sunday it would be really lame to have the whole neighborhood out, but my kids can't go.  Yes, our ward is having a Trunk-or-treat night, but I think those are so lame.  It takes away the whole fun of going door to door.  Trunk to trunk just isn't fun.

So what do you think?  I really need some ideas on how this holiday should be handled.

Savannah

Our sweet Savannah was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints a few weeks ago.  She took part in a mini photo shoot with the other young lady who was baptized the same day she was.  These are some of the pictures they took (besides the first one).  Isn't she so beautiful??

 

 

(PS is anyone else frustrated at Blogger?)

When Sisters Get Silly

Things I'm Excited About Today!

I finally became a winner!! I entered a drawing for Scentsy products even though I never win anything. Ever. Once my friend had a giveaway on her blog and I won but she didn't think it was fair that I won because we are close friends so she redrew. So even when I'm a winner, I'm a loser. But I won the scentsy drawing!! I won a full-size warmer and three bars!! Hooray!!

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Mr. Clean. How could I have gone so long without knowing the wonders of Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser? My shower shines like it never has before with little effort on my part and it even wiped away dry erase marker that had been left on the whiteboard for a little too long. Hooray!!

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School starts on Monday. I will be able to grocery shop with only one child. Hooray!!

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We just received a package from Fedex that was the Ticket To Ride game Europe edition. We didn't order it and we don't know who it's from. I have entered a few things online. Could I have won again?

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Did I mention I'm a winner??

Happy Birthday to Dakotah!!

Dakotah's birthday was actually Saturday, but I a now getting to her birthday post. I just wanted to share pictures of our sweet, energtic girl who is now a big 6 years old!!

I absolutely love this picture. She is so beautiful!

(She can get a little attitude sometimes!)

Dakotah is such a sweet girl. She has a lot of spunk in her tiny body and she makes our days so fun!! We love you, Kotah!

Happy Birthday to Cuddles!!

Today is Cuddles' birthday and she is 10 years old!! While it may seem strange to devote a post to our dog, she was, after all, our first child, as some of the following pictures prove. She was quite spoiled before other children came along.

We received Cuddles as a gift from my aunt and uncle who have a dachshund of their own.
Look how tiny Cuddles is!!

Being an only child for a while, she was showered with a lot of attention.

She slept with us,

we wrapped her in our favorite blankets,

she slept on my lap,

and Clay's.

She loves to get presents as much as anyone.

And now that other siblings have come along, she has adjusted well.
She puts up with the silly things we like to do to her.

And at the end of the day, no matter what, she always loves us.
Thank you, Cuddles, for your constant companionship.
We love you!!!