New Years Resolutions

Wow, Breanna.  Sexy.

I feel like if I share my New Years resolutions, it is like telling your wish when you blow out birthday candles.  It is jinxing it.  I will give an overall "hint" to each of my goals, though:

• Something about my health 
• Something about my spirituality (specifically goals toward scripture study quality)
• Something about my family (specifically learning unconditional love and forgiveness)
• Something about being a mom
• Something about my professional life
• Something about my personal finances

I know.  WHEW!!  Lots of work to do.  But two days into it, I feel like the goals that I made are really very reachable.  I have planned out very small steps in hopes to reach my goals.

On to bigger and better things, though.  Today was a good day.  I made homemade bread for the first time in my life (ok, second... the first time this last week was....how to say.... horribly unsuccessful.) and it is YUMMY.  (Thanks to Kari and Teresa for great tips that made it work).  Then I went to see Sherlock Holmes for the 2nd time in just as many days (I loved it...).

Breanna and little man.  Asleep during game night.

Then game night.  We played two new games at game night today.  Mystery at the Abbey and Nottingham.  Both very, very fun.

My little man had a rough day with sleeping.  I am trying to get him to go to sleep on his own, but it ends up with both of us in tears.  I think I will go back to rocking him to sleep every time.  I love that time with him and makes me feel better about my mothering skills.

Or maybe it is just a great excuse when I "accidentally" fall asleep with him.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to all my friends and family.

Our family did the huge, lovely, loud, fun New Year's party at the Ray's home. Tacos and fun! We started a tradition last year called the bean auction. It is a long, chaotic party that is great. We bid (and won) a darling stuffed teddy bear with a blue nose and blue heart that Aiden LOVES.

Disaster struck, however. Seems that penicillin and tacos don't mix. After throwing up twice, I had to take my little monkey and we left the festivities about 9:30pm and went to bed.

Happy First New Year, my little man.

Sorry you have a mom that is a dud.

Can't even stay awake to welcome you into the next decade.

But then again, you didn't stay awake, either.

No pictures, PLEASE

Today I drove to Tremonton to get a root canal. Dustin is the best dentist in the world. Jodi is the best assistant in the world. I love them both. But right now I love them both for the following reasons:

• Dustin doesn't make it hurt. At all. (The last 3 times I have had dental work, he has put me under sedation which is AWWWWESOME, but this time, I had to drive home, so...)
• He jokes around
• He let me have the gas.
• Jodi offered to take a picture of me in the nasal mask thingy, goggles, totally out of my mind for this blog. No thanks!
• They let me come on Dustin's day off.
• Neither of them judged me.
• They didn't laugh when the gas went a little too high... and so did I.
• Because they are just simply two really great, loving, awesome people.

Thanks, Dustin. Thanks, Jodi. You guys saved my tooth. And my sanity.

Happy Birthday Uncle Chris

Happy, happy birthday Uncle Chris!

This year you are turning the big 3-6.

So tonight you ate sour cream and raisin pie

Because if you ate regular cake you would die.

There. That is my birthday poem for Chris. (For anyone who is confused about the poem, Chris is allergic to wheat. So we got sour cream and raisin pie - his favorite - to celebrate.)

Today we also had an amazing milestone. Aiden fell asleep in his crib by himself - TWICE! Usually it is a cuddle, bottle and wait.....and wait..... before he falls asleep. Then, he only stays asleep for 20 minutes.

I got to stay home from work because of an allergic reaction to Percocet (see the toothache post from Sunday - had a really bad reaction including vomiting and fever). Bad news. But tonight feeling much better. Tomorrow- root canal. Joy.

A Very Merry UnBirthday to you!

My big boy is six months old yesterday! We had a fun "unmerry" birthday cake at Smedleys when I got home from work.

Uncle Chris's Birthday is today and we went to MacCools for dinner last night and I got VERY sick. Not from the food. It was before the food came out. I think it was a reaction to medication I took earlier. But poor Chris had to eat his birthday dinner with a shivering, comatose dinner guest. We will try again tonight over sushi - maybe.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!!

HAPPY UNBIRTHDAY AIDEN!

Teeth and Gigger

We didn't go to church today. Aiden felt fine. Mom had a toothache to beat all other aches. I have had a severe kidney infection. I have gone through birth naturally for over 37 hours. Neither of those pains have the equivalent of tooth pain. After crying, pacing, ice-packing, and crying more, I found something that worked. Vanilla. Yeah, weird, but swishing with vanilla extract worked. And worked great.

So, we got our house clean today. Aiden has found out that splashing in the bathtub is great fun. It wore him out and he fell asleep with his small Tigger blanket which Uncle Chris loving refers to as "Gigger".

I love this little man. *Sigh*. Tomorrow back to work.

Christmas 2009

Uncle Chris gave us a giant Monkey for his little Nunky.

Aiden's Christmas Haul.

Christmas Eve. So tired.

Aunt Jodi.

It looks like he is evil. But he loves his books!!

My beautiful kid Christmas Day.

Hard to see, but this ornament has a picture of my mother in it. This on Jodi's tree, but all the kids have this ornament to remember her.

Rachel and her favorite Christmas toy.

Aiden in his Christmas jammies. Notice the feet - little reindeer on the toes.

It is hard to tell, but he was asleep playing with his toes. In his sleep. So funny.

Christmas was WONDERFUL!! Oh, how I love Christmas when I have a child. The magic is back. The magic that was swept away with loneliness and 12 years of single - back. And I loved it.

"Santa" wrapped all Aiden's presents in sparkly blue paper this year because Aiden loves shiny things and Aiden loves blue, so combine the two of them and it is heaven. His coordination is getting better and he can grab something and hold on tight. This includes sparkly wrapping paper.

Aiden, Uncle Chris, and I went to Goodwins this year for Christmas. Jodi and Dustin are such gracious, thoughtful people. We went up Christmas Eve and had a wonderful dinner of turkey, ham, potatoes, green beans, rolls, and tons of desserts. Then, Jodi and Dustin had arranged for us to go to the old Garland Tabernacle so Chris could play the old pipe organ. It was spectacular. It is the most amazing old building with authentic wood working and a balcony. So cool. Then we went caroling.

The little girls were so excited for Santa, but they were surprisingly great at going to sleep. But the next morning, Uncle Chris and Mom (Becki) woke up around 6:00am to get ready for the kids. Getting dressed, brushing teeth. But none of the kids woke up until about 7:30. Lovely. And they opened presents.

My family is too good to me and to Aiden. Aiden got so many fun gifts - it took 2 boxes to get it all home. Everything from onsies to toys to binkies. But his favorite gift was from Aunt Jodi. It is a play set with farm animal buttons. The whole thing lights up and blinks and plays looooong songs. Aiden loves it. Mom loves it. It is so fun.

Mom got the best gifts ever - Uncle Chris gave me a new KitchenAid mixer. (YAYYYY!!) and a new IPod (mine old was beyond broken). Jodi and Dustin gave me the coolest food storage (including baby food... yay!) and a fun cooking with kids basket that included recipes, a book, spaghetti sauce, gingerbread cookie shaped noodles, a chef hat and an apron with turtles on it for Aiden. I loved it. They are so thoughtful.

After presents, we enjoyed a magnificent breakfast of blueberry french toast, hashbrowns, bread, cocoa, and more yummy things than we could possibly eat. Then we played games. And talked. And played games. And talked more. Uncle Chris was more than happy to play World of Warcraft with Dustin and Ethan.

About 7pm, we had to say goodbye. It was so sad, but we had to pick up Roman from the Smedley house. I missed my little puppy.

When we got to Smedleys, more fun presents and stories. Aiden got onsies, clothes, clothes, clothes and more toys. Mom got a digital picture frame (YAY!) and a snuggie thing for Aiden's car seat.

My family is so wonderful. I thought a lot of my mother on Christmas Day and now I understand her fanaticism about the day. Being a mother makes it so much fun. I also thought so much of Mary (mother of Christ) and how on this day we celebrate his birth. As a mother of a boy, I am in awe that a woman would have such a wonderful miraculous blessing as a baby knowing that he would be killed and sacrificed for all mankind. And what a burden to carry. I have thought of my Savior this day as well. For his life, for his death, and for his glory that gives me the opportunity to spend the eternities with my dear mother, my family, and my son. To me, Christmas is a holiday of hope. Eternal hope and wonder.