Who do you Hate? That's your date!

I love the things my kids learn at school. Actually it makes me very nervous, especially when Jake, the oldest and only 6 at the time, came home one day from KINDERGARTEN and told me that boys can marry boys in Massachusetts. That one really freaked me out. But since that shock, they've come home with new jingles, jokes and tricks, and all a lot less scary. Such as:

"Lemonade, Iced tea, Coca-Cola, Pepsi, turn around, touch the ground, kick your girlfriend (boyfriend) out of town - Freeze!" Every time we have lemonade with dinner that song surfaces.

Or,

"Open the gate. Pick some flowers. How many flowers did you pick? That's how many boyfriends you have!"

Or,

"Open the gate. Who do you hate? That's your date." I used to always say, I hate nobody, but the kids wouldn't stand for that as an answer. I had to name someone, so I've learned that if I say Daddy, then he's my date. But I feel like I always have to follow up with "I don't really hate him."

Today, Hannah must dropped that gig on Annie, because she came into my room giggling so hard I could barely understand her, and she told me, "I get to go on a date with Daddy. I said I hate him (giggle, giggle) and I'm going on a date with him." She was getting the biggest kick out of it. Lately we've had a battle over who gets to be married to Jeremy. Annie insists she gets to when she's older (who can blame her), but I always argue and tell her he's taken so back off and leave my man alone! So after she announced her date with Dad, I said I want to go on a date with him and she agreed that we both get to date Dad. Then I told her, "I get to kiss him, not you, and I planted a big one on him" Then she tried to match me and kiss him on the lips, but he wouldn't stand for it and kept giving her his cheek. Ha, Ha I win!

I sure hope Annie finds someone as great as her daddy to marry. He's a real catch!

The Christmas Hangover

The Highlights and Lowlights of Christmas 2010

High Lights

Soups and breadbowls on Christmas Eve

Hearing the Christmas story twice - Christmas Eve and Christmas Night

Jeremy getting to be King Herrod, saying "Foiled!" when the Wisemen went the other way -leading some adults (Jarred) to make Scooby Doo comments

The other actors were pretty good too: Abby - Mary, Jake - Joseph, Hannah and Annie - Angels, Kalicia and Devon - Shepherds, Oliver, Simon and Talmage - Wisemen

Watching the kids open their loot on Christmas morning

Jake got a remote control car, Abby a camera, Hannah a Go-Go my Walking Pup, and Annie a new bike (Sorry, Jake - somehow I missed your picture)

Hearing the Dutton's perform two nights before Christmas

New Christmas PJ's from Grandma Platt

Sharing Christmas breakfast with Mom, Dad and Matt

Pigging out on Red Vines and Whoppers - my favorite treats from Santa!

Jamming out with Rock Band - we finally got a Wii with Rock Band -as it turns out, none of us have a lick of rhythm, but we enjoy every minute of failing out of the songs

Learning how to bowl a strike in Wii bowling

A great White elephant exchange - always a surprise and great fun (this year some KY made it into the mix of gifts - good job, Joe) . We scored a framed quote and picnic blanket

The annual rendition of White Christmas by the Goodman Brothers and Dad (The tradition started out with Grandpa Goodman and his 3 sons). My bros and dad do it as passionately as the older generation.

A delicious Mexican feast on Christmas night.

Low Lights

The Christmas hangover when the house is trashed and the anticipation and excitement is gone

Annie being sick the week leading up to Christmas and even a few days after

Hannah being sick this week, not able to enjoy her new loot

That's it for the low lights. Not many. It was by all means a wonderful Christmas and we hope for many, many more.

Christmas by the Senses

I love Christmas. I love the anticipation on my kids faces waiting for the big morning, and I really love that all of my senses get hit during the Holiday season.

I love the smells of the season. The gingerbread men ornaments, the yummy goodies that I spend hours baking and my parents' fresh real tree (that used to be my favorite smell of the season in my house until we got ourselves a fake tree).

I'm definitely a fan of food and eating. I get giddy just thinking about all the yummy flavors and treats. I love the soups and bread bowls on Christmas Eve, Whoppers, Red Vines and all the plates of tasty goodies delivered to our house.

Last night we went on a hayride around my parents neighborhood. Their neighbor has the best light display set to music, it's truly a sight to behold. My other favorite sight is our decorated house. We don't have a lot of cool decorations, but my kids don't know that. They think our house is amazing at Christmas, especially the tree that they get to decorate, in all its mismatched glory.

I just read that December is statistically the coldest month is AZ. It definitely makes it feel like Christmas when I get to get bundled up in a sweatshirt and sneakers instead of flipflops (cold is a relative term - I mean it gets to be about 115 in July, so a freeze warning seems downright Michigany to me). We even get to burn a few fires in our fireplace. But sipping hot chocolate and burning a fire makes it feel like Christmas for sure.

I think my favorite part of Christmas is getting to hear so much music. Some I can do without, like the Santa that Grandma Taylor gave us that sings Jingle Bell Rock until my ears want to fall off, but I'll take that sound with gratitude that my ears work, so I can hear the music of the performers at the temple or my ward choir singing with such passion at church. There are amazing voices everywhere, and though I wasn't one born with one, I sure can appreciate others. I cry at least 5 times during the holidays when I listen to amazing music, such as the song, "I, said the Donkey..." which is my fav this year, or any rendition of "O Holy Night". I love singing along with all my favorite songs or even singing without them in the background, until Annie tells me to stop singing because it's ugly - gotta love that honesty.

The sense I love the most is the feeling of love and gratitude that abounds (I don't know if that counts as a sense, but it's my blog, so I say it does). I'm thankful to my Heavenly Father for giving me His Son, so that I can live again. I love the feeling of joy when I get to serve others and when I feel like I've successfully taught my children the importance of serving others. This week Jake has attempted to make me breakfast in bed twice. The first was Mini-wheats with milk and a cup of Crystal Light fruit punch. The second was this morning when he started making me waffles, but I foiled his plan when I came into the kitchen. But the happiness on his face because he was serving someone was so priceless.

Merry Christmas!

Jake's 9

Today, my dear oldest child and only son, Jake, turns 9. It seems like just yesterday I was being called to go to the hospital to be induced with him. I brought a deck of cards and my mom insisted that I would not feel like playing cards in the hospital, I'd be in too much pain. But alas, no contractions for Karrie and at around 3:00 after lots of games of gin, and hours of pitocin, Jake's little heart was distressed and he couldn't take much more of this long labor (at that point I was dilated to a 2, and I got to the hospital at a 1), so Dr. Layton recommended a a c-section. I don't remember much after that, just being scared. At that point things moved really fast. I was given some medicine and about 2 minutes alone with Jeremy, then off to the OR. By 3:30 Jake was here, with his loud hearty cry, big mouth and what I thought was red hair. I was taken back to my room without him where I got to start making calls. I was super cheery because I was totally numb and my family couldn 't believe I had really had him. It was quite funny. I hadn't even really gotten a chance to hold him and soon everyone started showing up to see the cutie.

It wasn't until the next day that I felt like I really bonded with Jake. We had a lot of alone time and it was cherished. He was perfect and, oddly, I fell in love with his ears. To me they signified how perfect his tiny body was.

Jake has been such a great boy over the years. He is cute, smart, very coordinated, a fiery competitor, a vigorous teaser, avid sports fanatic and a gentle soul all at the same time. Happy Birthday Jake, I love you!

Jake went through a mad Superman phase. He wore his cape ALL the time. He would go to Walmart in it and ALL the old people would comment on how safe they felt knowing they had the Man of Steel protecting them at the store. This picture is of Jake being Clark Kent with his cape sticking out of his shirt and tie.

Jake at the end of this soccer season. He is a really good soccer player with some amazing moves. He's a lot of fun to watch when he drives up the field for a score.

Jake had his first piano recital last night. He did really well. I'm so proud of him. He only sometimes complains about practicing and he's learning so much. Way to go!

Boo! Did I scare ya?

Every morning I get greeted by the same scary surprise. Hannah, without fail, will try to sneak into my room, the kitchen, the bathroom when I'm going, anywhere... to try to scare me. It is always "Rarrrr! Did I scare you?" And Jeremy and/or I have to jump a mile, only sometimes faked, and she laughs with complete satisfaction at scaring her old parents. I have to admit, she has her moments where she is really stealth and can genuinely make me jump and that just makes her even more proud of her accomplishment. Tonight, she went so far as to put on a mask in the Walmart toy aisle and then snuck around the corner to scare me. Hannah has always been her own person, but lately her individuality has made me laugh out loud sometimes. Maybe it's the happy, juicy cheeks that make her so endearing, or maybe it's her fun personality, but she is definitely a sweetie!

(On a side note for any who care - I certainly do -Last week she had her first clean urine sample in the past two years. She is finally free from a UTI. It was a glorious doctor's appointment - And I think it has contributed to her happiness. We have finally found something that works and she is so much less stressed, as am I).

Four. No, Five... Who's on first? Who.

(Abby on a normal night doing her homework - all business)

(This is Abby this week - a hysterical, giggling mess)

Every night Abby has reading homework, and a lot of it sometimes. Last week I made our own Abbot and Costello bit. She had a list of words to read and number four was the word FOUR. So when she'd get to it she'd say "four" and I'd say, "yes, I need you to read number 4". Then she'd say "four" and I'd pretend to be annoyed and say again, "yes, do number 4" Then she'd squeal and giggle. This would go on for a few minutes until I had no more witty ways to tease her, so we'd go on to number 5 and so on...

Well this week, she once again had the word four, but it was on the review column of words and this week it was number 5. She was devastated that we'd have no way to joke around with it.

(here's part of her list)

1. way

2. find

3. follow

4. found

5. four

6. full

But her ever so clever mom came through. Here's how it would go down...

Let's read your words, Abby. Start with number 1.

way

number 2

find

number 3

follow

number 4

found

number 5

four

OK, you can do number four again

found

Now do number 5

four

Abby we already did number 4 can you read number 5?

four

No, we're not doing 4 we're doing 5. Please read it.

four

Abby, I'm getting kinda tired of this, Stop arguing with me and do number 5

four

OK we'll go back to number 5 later do number 6...

full...

Ok are you ready to try number 5 again?

four

Forget about it, I quit. Go have your dad help you (At which point, Jeremy takes over the game for the next 10 minutes, until I tell them she really does need to get her homework finished and she goes on, but not before she is hysterical and can hardly breathe from laughing so hard. It will really be a sad week next week when the number four is no longer on her list.

But it beats last year when I'd arrange her sight words to be read in this order - I- like- to- go- do- do... She never really appreciated that one. I've come a long way. And Abigail really does have a great sense of humor. I love that girl!

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever!

We went last weekend to see the play the "Best Christmas Pageant Ever". And it really was the best Christmas pageant ever! It was a children's production and absolutely hysterical. I had recently read the book to the kids not sure if they'd like it, and they loved it. Hannah started counting down the days two weeks prior to the big play. They were all so giddy to go. And believe me, it was no disappointment. I laughed out loud, Laura even snorted once she was laughing so hard, then I bawled, no surprise there. It was amazing. Those kids were so talented. I'd highly recommend anyone in the East Valley go see it this weekend before it goes away. After the play, the kids got to meet some of the actors. Their favorite, by far, was Gladys - the meanest Herdman of them all. They even got their picture taken with her and were a bit surprised that she wasn't mean in real life. At one point Annie asked if she could tell her a secret. She whispered, "Are you the meanest Herdman?" I laughed really hard. I wasn't sure she got anything out of the play at all, but apparently she did.

A good night, a great play with a great perspective on what Mary must have felt like, great company - the Ricedorff's, Laura, John, and Mom and Dad, and a super fun way to bring in the Christmas spirit.