happy new year

As I have been for the past month or so, I'm still a little behind on everything- including celebrating the new year.  Here, on Jan 10, I'm starting to get excited about the prospect of a new year full of adventures, surprises and hopefully not too many challenges.

Our holiday vacation was epic in proportion.  We were gone for almost three weeks, made a large circle across 11 states and drove almost 3200 miles.  Jon started talking about wanting us to be be team truck drivers when we retire so we can see more of the country.  Not sure how I feel about that one.

I was excited to get the mail when we got home and read all the Christmas cards from friends and family.  On the other hand, it made me totally bummed because in the craziness of our holiday- I didn't get any cards mailed out to family and friends.  And now on Jan 10, I think it's a bit too late to send them out (even if I had them all done and ready to go, which I don't).  I think we'll send out an email with pictures and hope that makes up for my total inability to accomplish that task this year.  I guess I'll use the 30+ homemade cards I actually finished for next Christmas.  Now what to do with the 40+ holiday postage stamps I bought?  (Because I'm sure that by next Christmas, postage will have increased.)  And what to do with the 70+ copies of the holiday picture of my kids?  Wallpaper?

I'm hoping that this trend of being about a week late with everything is not an indication of how my year will be. 

a happier, more detailed holiday update

Jon wrote a much better blog post about our recent travels.  Read it.

a time of many firsts

Over the past 6 days, I have experienced a few firsts:

• visiting the states of Iowa and Nebraska (if only to drive through)
  
• getting to meet new children of good friends
  
• driving down Provo Canyon at sunset (very pretty)
  
• watching inches and inches of fat snowflakes fall from inside a warm house instead of from inside our minivan (so glad we got here just 12 hours before it started)
  
• over the past 24 hours- cleaned up the sick from all three of my kids (sorry to grandma and grandpa for making a mess of their house and thank you for helping clean it up- it wouldn't be a vacation without someone getting sick, I guess)
  

Merry Christmas Eve

mustering up some Christmas cheer

I blame my sickness earlier this month for my lack of holiday spirit. I really just can't get into it at all this year.

I'm rushing around trying the get ready for our cross-country drive this weekend and it's stressing me out. That on top of Christmas cards unfinished, Seth's class party to organize and run on Friday, and literally freezing cold temps that make me never want to leave my house again until March. Humbug.

So to liven things up a bit, I'm going to include two videos of the kids. Eventhough, I'm not feeling it- I'm still trying to make this holiday season fun for them.

The first video- Jon filmed. It's way long- 6 minutes, so Iunderstand if most of you can't make it through the whole thing (I almost didn't). I'm not shown in the video thankfully because I was in the height of my horrible sickness- as you might be able to tell from my voice.  The second video is way shorter- so if you only want to watch one- watch that one!

MIA, indeed

Just when I thought I was getting back on my feet after returning from our AZ vacation, my legs got swept out from underneath me- I landed hard on my back and that's where I've been for the past four days.

I never, never, never get sick.  Seriously, the last time I was really sick was when I had mono nine years ago.  And this time seemed way worse than that (but maybe it was because nine years ago, I didn't have a houseful of husband and children who depended on me).

I think getting strep throat as an adult is like getting chicken pox as an adult- 1,000 times worse than when you get it as a kid.

And now that I've sort of reentered the land of the living today, I'm realizing that we're leaving for our (3 week) Christmas vacation in 11 days.  Um...I think I'll go back to bed.

intruder update and vacation pics

The good news is- we have 2 down. The bad news is- we have an infestation.

In other, better news- I have uploaded pics of our trip to AZ here. I'll post more details soon.

I miss AZ (post UPDATED)

Yes, we made it back....48 hours ago. And I still haven't unpacked and cleaned up everything. I plan to post pics and stories of what we did soon- as soon as I get my house back to normal.

We left sunny AZ at 7 am, at 75 degrees and landed in IL at 11 am, at 30 degrees. We drove home in blowing snow and arrived to find ice-coated porch steps. Cruel reality.

You guys in AZ don't know how good you have it.

****I just went into my pantry to get stuff out to make cookies for Jon for mutual tonight. Guess what I found? Little holes chewed into all my bags of sugar and rice and popcorn. And crap literally all over the place. Welcome home.