A Merry Little Christmas!

Christmas this year did not disappoint! On Saturday night, we had the Ellison Family Christmas Party/Dinner/Bingo game. It was great fun! For a brief moment Paul thought that he had gotten the "Don't Hassle the Hoff!" stained T-shirt which is a gift from last year, but alas, it was stolen in Yankee Swap by the Radmalls. We hope it returns next year with a new stain. Afterwards, we went to Shelley's where a few men watched the BYU game on the DVR and the rest of us played 31. We enjoyed having the Williamsons there. Some people may think that they have the most entertaining cousins on earth...they haven't met this crew. Endless laughs!

On Sunday we were so happy to see the DC Sampsons at dinner. They were so cute! They ran out to our car right when we pulled up. Sabrina almost instantly warmed up to them again and loved the attention that she used to get weekly. I didn't see her almost all night because Chloe had her...oh, how I miss the days!! Eli entertained me with stories of lost teeth and Noah is always ready with a joke. We really have missed them and are so happy to have them here!

Monday brought the big Christmas Eve Party. My family must love me (and Shelley) because they all complied with the "pajama party" idea. Begrudgingly, Jake and Jeff wore the matching PJ's my mom bought them (as a joke), and we did get them to admit that they have never been so comfortable at a party! We did a nativity reenactment which was cute for about 1 minute before all characters became restless. Then came the talent show where Subby danced with Dad, Maya, and Jack (I wish I could post this video...it's bound to become a classic!) and the Radmalls entertained us all with a kazoo medley. We were smoked in TV Scene-it (too many 70's and 80's shows). Thank you Shelley for a great time!

Christmas morning was a delight as Sabrina and Paul loved their gifts. I enjoyed mine too, but I just couldn't match their giddiness over running shoes. Sabrina got a table and chairs, food and dishes, a vacuum, a rocking butterfly, and many other gifts. She opened them and then made breakfast for Minnie. Paul wasted no time getting his new sweet IPOD set up. Then we were off...first to my parent's for breakfast and then on to the Sampsons for lunch, chit chat, more gifts (a Magic Bullet...Thanks Shannon!)and some deep discussion (and NO I would not wear the same outfit everyday for a year if it meant I got all my clothes free forever!). Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you all had a good one!

Hmmmm...

For our faculty Christmas Party, we played Human Foosball by holding on to PVC pipes and kicking around a kickball. That's all I'm going to say about that.

When in doubt, HIRE out!

And never buy an old (I mean REALLY old) house. We spent all last weekend without a kitchen sink because it was clogged. (I seriously lost sleep because of it). I tried every trick I could think of. NOTHING worked. We even went in there with an auger and cheered (and nearly vomited)when we pulled out a bunch of gunk. But our efforts were in vain. I am happy to report that an actual plumber was just the thing we needed. This house gets less and less charming!!!



Paul is done with 2 out of 3 finals! HIP HIP HOORAY! Sabrina and I have been so lonely. Only one more week and he'll be ours officially. He feels like they have gone well so far so hopefully this confidence translates to a job in DC for the summer. Like his mom told me once, "With those good looks, he can have anything he wants!" I agreed with her then and now.



Sabrina surprised me this week when I sat down with her to look at a toy with a clock on it. I was showing her the numbers and she started counting along with me all the way to 10 (she skipped 8). I was shocked. I have never counted with her (I know, just call me "Mother of the Year"). I think she learned it from Sesame Street or Barney (her two favorites). Like most tricks though we have already worn it out. When I asked her to count today (several times) she said, "No!"

She is a sponge right now, taking everything in. It just all comes out a little funny. I can't say much for her pronunciation. Stories about Shelley translating for me as a toddler are legendary. I called my cousin Trisha "Bisha" until Kindergarten, I swear. I think she's the same way. It's weird to see so much of yourself in your kids.


Miller (Lindsey South) and I got Aish (Ashley) to join us this week for a 5:15 stroll/jog, and man was it cold! It was fun to be with these ladies again though. It felt like we should be toilet papering or something. Today Miller and I met again and were 10 steps into our run when we turned around and headed back to our cars and into our warm beds. Sometimes fitness just isn't worth it!


And I have one more thing to report... (I am shocked if you are still reading this by the way!) Polar Express Day in the first grade went well. The kids enjoyed the movie (I thought it was a snoozer...the book is way better) and hot chocolate and punching their tickets and wearing their pajamas. They were more than a little disappointed to find out that a Read-a-thon is nothing more than reading. Happy Holidays everyone!

First Grade Funnies

You'd never guess that the following story problem would be confusing to understand, but then I'm not 6:

Amy ate 6 candy canes. Then she ate 3 more candy canes. How many candy canes did she eat?

Seth: Zero. She didn't eat any.

Me: Let's read that again. (We read it again)

Seth: Zero. She ATE some, but she didn't EAT any.

With a quick explanation that ate and eat both actually mean that you eat, he was fine. Next time I'm going to phrase things like this:

Amy eated 6 candy canes. Then she eated 3 more candy canes. How many candy canes did she eat?

Much more clear...right?

Tantrums, Colds, Weird Rashes, and Loneliness

Say goodbye to babyhood, welcome to the toddler years. So this week Sabrina has grown an official opinion about everything. The problem is that her opinion is always in conflict with my opinion. On issues like, "How much Barney should one watch per day?" and "How many pancakes are good for your health?" and "How many meals should mom be making pancakes?" and "What should we do with our food, eat it or throw it violently all over the floor?" our ideas differ greatly. Where did my sweet, calm, content girl go? Ever since one Jack Radmall taught her how to say "no," it's been her favorite word. She's still great, we've just been spoiled for so long that I don't know quite how to handle the instant (and loud) tears or the half-hour long tantrums. (Suggestions are welcome!) We're hoping it's just because she's been sick.

We've all been sick in fact. Last night, Sabrina broke out into a weird rash that spread over her body in 20 mins. It looked kind of spotty so I took her to the after hours clinic to make sure she didn't have chicken pox. She didn't thankfully, and when she woke up today, it was all clear except on her thighs and knees. Bizarre.

I have one more thing to vent about...law school. We have officially not seen Paul before about 10:30 or 11:00 any night this week (11:30 tonight). He also leaves at 7:00 AM. Isn't there a limit to how much your brain can absorb in one day? Sabrina gets SO EXCITED when Dad's home that she pulls out all her cute tricks. They had a dance party the other morning that was hilarious. When I turn on the music and dance, she just shouts her favorite word (NO!!) and runs away. I can't wait for Christmas Break!