Ice, Ice Baby

Since we're iced in with no school today and no place to go, I figured it's a good time to catch up on my blog. We started getting freezing rain yesterday afternoon. School got out an hour early, and by last night they had already closed school for today. We just found out it's cancelled tomorrow as well, since the rain is supposed to continue and temperatures are staying in the teens at least until noon tomorrow.

I've been wanting to do an update on the kids, so maybe I'll go from youngest to oldest.

Trista is into dressing up and Dora lately. Here she is with an army hat on with her Dora slippers and Dora panties (not sure what happened to the rest of her clothes). She loves to watch Dora, answering questions and dancing along with the show. She found her two Dora swimsuits from last summer and has been dragging them around along with her Dora blanket. Today she was carrying them around in the toy baby carrier as though they were her baby dolls. She's also very attached to the little wooden necklace that Angie's family gave her for Christmas and has been wearing it day and night for a week now. She calls it "Zoey's necklace" and often tells me she misses Zoey. The other day she found Alexis' play makeup.

She came in my room with Alexis' purse full of makeup thrown over her shoulder and said, "Where's Lexis, Mommy? I very pretty!"

Apparently she thinks all cosmetics should be applied in the general area of her mouth.

Dallin makes me laugh a lot lately with all the crazy things he says and does. Here he is holding the photo album full of pictures of him as a baby. He's been getting it out everyday in order to admire himself and show everyone that he "was the cutest, happiest baby!"

Also in Dallin news, I'm making a prediction right now that he will grow up to marry a blonde. He seems to be very partial to pretty, blonde ladies. We watch The Biggest Loser together, and every week when he sees Tara (a blonde contestant who was a plus-size model) he reminds me very adamantly that she's his favorite. Then we were in Target the other day when two cute college-age girls walked by. Dallin blurted out (definitely loudly enough for the girl to hear him), "I like that girl right there, Mom. That girl in the green, I like her a lot!"

Spencer loves playing the video game Austin brought him at Christmas. It's just an old Super Mario game that he plays on our Nintendo 64 (I know, we're a little out of date in the video game dept., but that's the way we prefer it), but Spencer has really been enjoying it. He likes school, especially playing soccer at recess, and he's looking forward to hopefully playing on a baseball team this spring.

Each night (well, most nights) we read scriptures together as a family, and I've been really surprised lately at how much Spencer actually learns and remembers from what we read and talk about. Half the time he's messing around and doesn't seem to be listening at all, but it's nice to know that he is retaining some of what he hears. He keeps telling me that all he has left to do is learn to cook, then he'll be ready to go on a mission.

Alexis..., well, Alexis has been, ummm, what I'd call quite cranky lately. She seems to oscilate between very happy and excited, and crabby. Isn't this happening a little early? She is still very helpful at times though, especially with Trista. She loves babies and can't wait to be old enough to babysit on her own. Today Carley, Chuck, and Nate are here since their power is out, and she's been helping to entertain Nate. She and Carley also had a short hairdressing session together.

All in all we're well and happy and looking forward to some warmer weather. Until then I'll just be happy that at least we still have electricity!

Christmas

We enjoyed a really fabulous Christmas season! I thought I'd share some pictures of all the festivities!

Our home teacher (actually his wife) made us this huge sugar cookie gingerbread man. It was sooooo yummy (I absolutely LOVE sugar cookies)!!! They brought it after the kids were in bed and I couldn't resist eating some of it immediately. Jordan was afraid that at the rate I was going the kids wouldn't even get to see it, so he took this picture just after I ate the first arm. The kids did get to see it the next morning, but between the beginning and end of school that day I managed to eat the rest of him from the neck down. I'm not kidding. I can't believe how little self-control I have. I even put the whole cookie sheet in the oven to "hide" it so I wouldn't see it everytime I walked through the kitchen, but as it turns out, it's not that hard to open the oven door and break off another piece. Thanks Ashley--it's your fault I've had to hit the gym so hard this week!

Angie and her crew got here on Friday before Christmas and stayed with us until Tuesday. Isabella, Alexis, and Kaylee "hanging out."

Before we went up to my parents' for Christmas we opened gifts over the phone with Grandma and Grandpa Post. Thanks for the books and the $$$!

Dallin (with his new book from G&G) and Trista.

We travelled to my parents' house Christmas Eve day to spend a few days eating, playing, and celebrating Christmas.

Becca with Jacob dressed as a shepherd for their family's part in the Christmas Eve Program.

Alexis, Kaylee and Bella doing their song and dance for the program.

Alexis wrote a Christmas story that included everyone at the house as one of the characters.

Trista, Grandpa Smith (who had dermatitis on his nose just in time to look like Rudolph for the Christmas season!), and Grandma Smith.

All of the grandkids gathered in front of the tree for a picture.

Dallin(4), Spencer(6), Jacob(2), Kaylee(9), Isabella(6), Alexis(8), Trista(2), Braden(11), Zoey(2), Nate(1), and Austin(12)

All the kids on the stairs at 6:00 Christmas morning, waiting to be told they could come up and see what Santa brought them.

Everyone looking at their new stuff!

Zoey and Trista each got a new stroller to push thier babies around in.

Trista

Dallin, Jordan and Vicky

Angie and Dustin

Carley, Chuck and Nate

Mom making cranberry salad for Christmas dinner.

Jordan (pronounced JERDEN, very loudly, in a low scratchy voice) and Jacob

Trista and Aunt Becca

The Prizewinner of Rogers, Arkansas

Those of you who've read the book will know that I stole the title for this blog from The Prizewinner of Defiance, Ohio which I read a few months ago.

Anyway, just wanted to mention that I've become the prizewinner of Rogers, Arkansas; more exactly, the radio prizewinner of Rogers, Arkansas. I'm an avid radio-listener, my radio is on ALL the time when I'm in the car or kitchen, and over the past two weeks my listening has paid off!

On Black Friday I was at a stoplight in between stores when I flipped radio stations and heard "Be the 9th caller right now and win a $20 gift certificate to Old Navy!" I thought, "What the heck, I'm stopped at a light anyway," and dialed the number. Busy. Dialed again. Busy. Dialed one more time, and what d'ya know? "You're the 9th caller, congratulations!"

Then this past Tuesday morning I was listening as I cleaned the kitchen when the radio station decided to have a contest for listeners to call in for Christmas Karaoke. They wanted people to sing their favorite Christmas Carol--the funnier the better. Since I really have no shame when it comes to competition, I decided to call. I must have been desperate, because I kept getting voice mail or a busy signal, but continued trying off and on for about an hour. Finally I got through and was able to sing the most nasally version of "I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas" that I could muster. I was able to save my family and friends a little bit of embarrassment by only giving my first name (let me tell you, Jordan was PROUD when I told him about it), but I guess thats all down the drain now that I'm telling YOU! At the end of the competition I was named one of three winners for the day--yahoo! a $10 restaurant gift certificate and a Christmas CD! (I would have thought my dignity was worth at least $20, but I guess I overestimated.)

All of this winning lately reminded me of the previous prizes I've won from radio stations--that's right, these are not the first of my radio triumphs. The winning began in high school when I won some pizzas and soda for being the correct caller. And a few years ago I won a small prize pack and had my name entered for a trip to the final four. But the VERY BEST radio victory came about nine years ago when I lived in San Jose. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire had just become really popular and so, of course, the radio station I listened to began their own version of the game. One day I was the lucky caller. I answered the first two question correctly and opted out of the third to win $300--that's right $300!!!!

And so, my advice to all of you who think that you're just not lucky enough to win, is that if you listen to the radio enough, push redial enough, and really, really want it bad enough, you too can be a Prizewinner. BEST OF LUCK!

Thankful

I know I'm over a week late since Thanksgiving was more than a week ago, but this morning I'm feeling thankful for my kids and wanted to mention two thing in particular.

I'm thankful for Trista, because she's always so thankful! I was reminded of this a few minutes ago when after getting her dressed I helped her into the chair and covered her with her favorite blanket, ready to watch Dora, and she said, "Thank you, Mommy." Most of you know that as a Mom you don't really get all the "thanks" you deserve. But from Trista I get a lot of thanks. Some of them are for such little things--like simply answering a question. One example--this morning, after dropping off Alexis and Spencer at school, Trista asked, "We going my house, Mommy?"

"Yup, we're going back home now."

"Oh! Thank you, Mommy!"

The second thing I wanted to mention is how great it feels when my kids get along well or do something nice for each other without being asked to. This was the case recently with Alexis and Spencer when they decided to write a love note to each other. I was really touched by Spencer's note to Alexis, and while it doesn't really seem to be true most of the time, I'll definately save it and treasure it, and use it to embarrass/hold against him when he's older.

In case you can't read it it says:

Thank you for everything. I love you with all my might. You are my best friend. I will never hate you and you will never hate me. Because I love you. I would never ever hate you. I have to say this again. I love you and I will always love you.

Little Helper

Today Trista and I did some Thanksgiving baking while all the other kids were at school. After making the pumpkin bread we started on the dough for the rolls. I sat her on the counter next to the mixer and the canister of flour. Before I knew it she was dipping her finger into the flour and licking it. I didn't really say anything the first time--I assumed she'd realize that white flour alone just doesn't taste good, but I guess she thought otherwise. Back went her little finger several times, and finally she went for a whole handful. You would have thought it was sugar the way she was just eating it. Gross! Who wants to eat a whole handful of flour? I kept telling her to stop and that it was yucky, but she just didn't agree. She'd eat a little bit of flour, then spread some on the counter and drag her finger through it and say, "Pretty, it's pretty Mom."

Consider this your warning if you're having Thanksgiving dinner at my house: Your roll probably has a little bit of Trista in it. Eat at your own risk!


Later, on the way home from preschool, Dallin and I had an interesting conversation.

Dallin: Why is your heart right here (pointing to his chest)?

Me: I guess Heavenly Father decided to put it in our chest to keep it safe. Our ribs help protect it.

Dallin: Chests stink.

Me: Well, mine doesn't.

Dallin: Yes, it does. Heavenly Father made our chest stink so that if bad guys come and they try to get our heart, it will stink. I can smell it right now.

Me: Maybe you just have gas.

Where do kids come up with these things?

Third Annual Cancun Vacation

A few weeks ago Jordan and I got to go to Cancun for our third annual vacation together. We really love getting away, just the two of us to relax and reconnect. This time while there we took a 3 1\2 hour bus ride to Chichen Itza to see the Mayan ruins. It was a fun and educational trip!

On the bus trip back we stopped at a huge natural well that you could take stairs down to and then jump from the ledge inside into the water. The pictures are kind of dark, but hopefully you can see the vines that are hanging from the opening above ground all the way down to the water. It was beautiful!

For me the highlights of the trip were no cooking, doing dishes, or cleaning up for an entire week; going to bed early and getting up to play tennis, body surfing in the ocean, reading Jane Eyre (for the first time), and of course spending time with my Honey! Can't wait 'til next year!

Flintstones, Meet the Flintstones

We had a fun, exciting, candy-filled Halloween. Hope you did too!