Sunday, December 27, 2009
I was very sad in the weeks before Christmas when I was unable to find my camera. We missed so many great opportunities to document this wonderful holiday season. We have been so blessed this year and don't even know where to start in counting our blessings. We are grateful for our family both immediate and extended. We had a great Christmas and are very grateful to all those who helped make it a Christmas to remember always!!!
We hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and have a great new year!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
We had the great opportunity today to spend the day with Grandma and Grandpa Oborn. It was a very exciting day. Mom and I spent the morning at Lowe's picking out paint. Then we spent the afternoon painting the my kitchen and removing wallpaper from the living room. The kids got home from school and after homework and chores the joined in. Dad and Brady hid in the basement "working" til we sent them for pizza, then they joined in the fun.
I love the result. My kitchen in a smoky blue, and the living room no longer has forest green with peach, pineapple, boarders around it at chair rail height. Lots more work to be done over time, but for now this is a huge improvement and i feel like I can start making the house our home.
I should have taken a before picture and if I owned a digital camera, I would take and after, but alas, I do not. And I have NO idea how to get a picture form my phone to my computer. Maybe I should figure that out. I have some HILARIOUS video of Miles and Uncle Brady playing that would be fun to share as well.... hmmm.... something to add to my "need to do" list.
Thank you Grandma and Grandpa... a Christmas present I will never forget!!
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Today we spent the majority of the day with out electricity. Around 10 am while I was changing lightbulbs in the kitchen chandelier, the sound of silence and darkness filled the air. No humming fridge, dishwasher, laundry or radio. The quiet hum of our computers and my plotter silenced for a short period of time... or so we thought. After a call to the local power company we got back to our morning. We showered, kids did chores and we waited for power to return so we could iron clothes, blow dry and curl hair for church, shave faces and dry the last load of clothes. But to no avail. The power did not return. So we cleaned off the coffee table, put on confy jeans and sweatshirts, and settled in to spend the afternoon without power.
We sent the kids in search of a board game, they came back with our poker set and asked us to teach them to play poker... hmmm.... not sure how I felt about that I turned to Brady with a question in my eyes. "Ok, but without the chips, no gambling- this is just like Yahtzee." Which we play on xbox. So began the introduction of pairs, 3 of a kinds and full house. After a few hands we moved on to BlackJack, cuz that teaches math right?
4 hours into our back out I made another call to the power company. They said they were working on the "situation" and were hoping to have it back on in a hour or two. So I left to Kmart to find a shovel to dig out the 6 inches of snow on the driveway and left Brady to entertain the kids. When I returned the house was humming again. The furnace was on and the house was almost toasty again, the fridge was purring away and I could here the xbox in the basement.
Our life had returned to normal.
As we were sitting in the silence I reflected on a black out during my childhood. I remember mom and dad running around filing pitchers and bowls with water. Collecting all the candles and candle holders, and bringing in wood for the fireplace. I told the kids of spending a full day or night without power. Grandpa Oborn keeping the fire roaring for heat and carrying candles to the bathroom for light, then not being able to flush the toilet. They were fascinated. Here we were watching the power guys drive around the neighborhood trying to find the problem, knowing the power would be on shortly. Mom must have lived in the WAY olden days!!!
Friday, December 11, 2009
Very late!!! and I am awake watching UFC fights with my husband. Why are we still up?I don't know. Since we moved we NEVER watch TV. Over the years w/ have been spoiled by unlimited cable channels and DVR. Here we opted for simplicity. We only get the basic channels, VERY basic, 2-13 and no DVR. We have learned about Hulu, and watched both downloaded and RedBox movies. Tonight we are catching up on the last season of The Ultimate Fighter. I know you have all been dying to know who won this year, :).
But I have really enjoyed not having the television as part of our everyday life. We spend so much more time together. We talk more, the kids play more, we just sit in silence more. we've even started to read again. I think the kids have watched TV only 3 times in the last months since we moved here.
So as I sit here, falling asleep in front of downloaded fights that aired last week, I wonder why we've wasted so much of our life in front of this stupid screen. We have come a long way since moving into this house, and I think we have left the television behind, at least for a while.
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Megan is having her new baby tonight... I think. We are babysitting Thomas. He is currently laying in the pack and play, drinking a bottle and twirling his hair. It has been years since we've had one so small over night. He is VERY tired but fighting off sleep. He loves being with his cousins and boy do they love having him here. It's like a brand new toy. Everything becomes louder and larger as they run around the house entertaining... doing anything for a laugh or a smile.
And he does his share of entertaining. He dances, plays ring around the rosie and to everyones delight, calls them all by name, or some sound they insist is their name. Even Brady is enchanted by this ball of sunshine. Brady was coming up the stairs. Thomas went running toward him, and launched himself off the top step into Bradys arms. They have a great relationship. We call him "tom-tom" He is a little navigation device. He makes sure you know exactly what you are doing at all times. I saw a quote today that I want to make for Megs to put over his bed. It says, "The Prince knows who's in charge around here... and it's not the King or Queen."
So shall we take bets on how much sleep we get tonight? It's been a long time since I was woken in the middle of the night by a tired, hungry, wet baby. And Thomas is a Mommas boy, Im not sure how he's going to react to me coming to his early morning calls for attention.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Here I sit in bed next to my husband. We are both self proclaimed ubber-dorks. It is 8:45 and after dinner, scriptures, prayers, checking homework, showers and tucking everyone in for the night, we grabbed out laptops and crawled into bed. I have been lost the last few months with out a laptop. (mine crashed!!!) then to my great delight- an add for a $30 netbook from Verizon I did spy!!! And it's just perfect. Unlike my hubby I don't have huge files of music or edit large photos. My vinyl design is reserved for my desktop and locking myself away for hours in the basement.
Rather this machine is my little friend, my companion.... I LOVE to organize myself. I am a list maker. I have had a planner for as long as I can remember, but have been dying to take it digital, as I AM an ubber-dork. But alas, my desktop is TOO big, and my blackberry too small- but this is JUST RIGHT.
I organize myself using Cozi.com. and I love it. I can send lists via txt to my hubby or children to remind them of chores, groceries to get and To Do lists. I have Brady, mine and the kids calendar all feeding to it so it reminds me what to do when. And now it is all at my finger tips, sitting in my purse waiting to be refered to and perused. IT FITS IN MY PURSE!!!!
So here I sit in my bed, next to my hubby, playing on my new toy, while he surfs DJ stuff on the internet. Quality time at it's finest!!!
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