Birthdays, "Thanks", turkey, left overs, rock bands, the movies, rediculous book about vampires and somersaults....

Well, nearly a week has passed and the mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving are all gone, along with all the veggies and stuffing. There's still a bit of pie left over, an abundance of ice cream in the freezer, and enough turkey and cranberry sauce for the next two or three days. Looks like we clean up Thanksgiving pretty well around here. Well actually, here's the secret- I made soooo much of everything, I begged our guests to take more than they'd probably ever eat of leftovers home with them. So they took want they wanted, and we've been working with the rest. I'm not someone who particularly likes left overs and neither is Spencer, but Noah's been working overtime stuffing his belly with stuffing and turkey.

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving. Sadly, I can't brag like most of my friends and say we went anywhere special other than home. This year, we're home bound for the holidays. It's our first time ever sticking around Utah for both Thanksgiving and Christmas- but I'm just not up for traveling- not with two kids at least. Traveling with one kid was simple, but traveling with two- a toddler and a baby- things get a little more complicated. Especially the packing!

Back to Thanksgiving... Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays- it ties as my
3rd favorite right along with Halloween, and follows behind the 4Th of July and Christmas. I love Thanksgiving because what's better than enjoying a great meal with family and friends!!!

Spencer doesn't quite appreciate the Thanksgiving spread on the dinner table as much as I do- he hinted a couple of times that we ought to all just go out to eat on Thanksgiving- come on, who go's out to eat on Holidays besides Ralphie's family on "The Christmas Story"???

I volunteered to fix the feast this year. It was my third year making the Thanksgiving meal. Our guests besides ourselves included Spencer's parents, his younger sister Megan and his Uncle Gail and the Campbell's family friend Mata and her daughter Eden. In the last few years I've really begun to like cooking A LOT! Cooking is sort of therapeutic. If only I had a personal grocery shopper- I'd have fresh goodies to cook with all the time. I HATE grocery shopping! I toughed it out and did all the grocery shopping 3 days before Thanksgiving- I managed to get everything I needed in just two stops at different stores without forgetting a thing-(that's quite an accomplishment for me, considering I almost always forget some important food item).

I prepared what dishes I could the day before Thanksgiving- I figured this way I wouldn't have to be in the kitchen cooking "all day" on Thursday.
I can't say I love preparing a turkey- especially a 22 pound turkey! The thing weighed nearly as much as Ian weighs, but it was a little more awkward to handle than a kid, cuz it was oooey, goooey and slimy and the thought of raw turkey germs and Salmonella poisoning had me scared for my life. I bleached everything the bird touched! It only took me an hour to wrestle the turkey into it's bag and roasting pan and get it all seasoned up. (I realize an hour is 55 minutes too long, since on Food Network all the chefs only take 5 minutes to prep a turkey). So obviously I'm not a speedy cook.

I told Spencer's family we were going to eat at 4pm; I'm notorious for always being a little on the late side when it comes to having meals ready to serve. I did pretty well on Thursday though, cuz everything was ready to eat by 15 after.
We ate Turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied sweet potatoes, gravy, rolls, homemade cranberry sauce, roasted brussel sprouts, green beans with bacon, corn, and yellow squash. I was actually full before we even ate, cuz I munched on pickles, olives, and veggies and dip all afternoon from the appetizer plate. I asked Spencer's sister to be in charge of the drinks and Spencer's mom was responsible for dessert. I think there were 6 or 7 pies to choose from- Apple pie, Lemon Meringue, Key Lime, Berry Medley- and there was even a ton of ice cream. As Rachel Ray might say, "Yummo!!!" Noah and I made quite the pair- I ate the lemon meringue mixture from a piece of pie while he enjoyed eating the crust. Kinda reminds me of how I used to be with my dad- (he's allergic to wheat too). Before I developed my wheat allergy, I used to eat all the crust from his pies and pizza's he would scoop the topping off of.

We went out Thanksgiving evening to watch "Enchanted" with my sisters families.

Noah loved being with his cousins- how could he not when there were sooo many of them there who he loves to play with! The movie was cute; pretty clever actually. I definitely recommend it to those who haven't seen it. I wouldn't recommend "Fred Clause" though- Spencer and I went out a few days before Thanksgiving to see that in theaters and it was kinda a drag. I will recommend the "Bee" movie. That's a really cute one. I wasn't so sure about how I'd like it initially since I'm not a big Jerry Seinfeld fan, but it surprised me and it too was actually really clever and amusing. Noah thinks now that every bug is a "Bee", including his ants (which by the way are still alive- who knew that ants had such a long life- it's been over a month now and even though I've neglected to feed or give them water on a couple of occasions they still have managed to survive in their little habitat! They're little ant warriors- I swear if they got loose, they'd attack me first!)

Spencer's birthday was the day before Thanksgiving this year- on the 21st. I'm amazed I remembered the correct date this year, since I've always gotten it confused with my dad's birthday thinking it was on the 20Th. My sister Tricia celebrated her 33rd birthday on the 16Th, my dad celebrated his on Tuesday the 20Th and Spencer turned the big 29 on Wednesday! He's such a Grinch about his own birthday, so he had me promise I had no "special surprises" planned for his birthday. Well, I honored my promise and didn't make a big deal about his birthday the day it came- no Captain Hook Birthday parties- bummer... he actually went out with some of his friends for lunch and that was that. I offered to take him out to dinner, but he was too full to eat out again. I did surprise him the day before his birthday with a "Very Unhappy Ooooey, Goooey, Pumpkin Birthday Cake". Noah actually thought the cake was for himself. Funny kid.

So Spencer doesn't like a fuss being made about his birthday, but he does of course love an excuse to get a new "toy" he had no other excuse for getting. Let me explain... You see, Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, I was in no mood to hit the stores. I just don't understand why anybody would want to wake up at 3 in the morning to go shopping and and fight crowds and grumpy people over toys! Where's the sense in this all?!!! I absolutely hate crowds!!! I hate rude shoppers too, and there's already enough rude shoppers in Utah County every other day, why would I want to stand in long lines with them?! Spencer cruised over to Best Buy and Sears around 2am on Black Friday, but after seeing the long lines of people already standing outside the stores even before they opened, he retraced his steps and came back home to sleep. He wanted to look at t.v.'s and video games I suppose. Anyhow, that Friday night, we went up to Lehi to visit friends of ours we hadn't seen for a month or two. The husband had also just celebrated a birthday and he got "Rock Band"

(It's a video game for XBox 360 that comes with a set of drums, a guitar and a microphone.) The guys all played "Rockband" while the wives chatted and took care of the kids. Spencer couldn't stop talking about how cool "Rockband" was, so this instantly gave me a hunch he was already secretly planning to get it for himself. My hunch was right, and by Monday night he was on the phone calling every store to see if they had it in stock. He found it of all places at Walmart- hmmm, imagine that. So since Monday night, my living room has transformed into a grand stage with a Christmas tree that Spencer preforms his "Rock Band" gigs in. Occasionally, Noah lends a hand on the drums and helps Spencer out. I tried out for the drums, but Spencer chose not to make me part of his band- I guess I sucked that bad during my audition.... Okay, so seriously, there hasn't been any crowds packing our living room or crowd surfing going on in our home, but it has been a bit noisier with "Rock Band" around.

Spencer went to the BYU/University of Utah game down at the Cougar stadium last Saturday. He took a friend with him. He said it was one of the greatest BYU games he's ever seen- I don't have a clue as to why- I chose not to even watch it on television. Any break from watching sports I can get, I'll take it!
If Noah's not playing the drums for Spencer, he's been busy dancing. The kid loves to dance!!! He'll dance to just about anything, and what's really impressive is he picks up on the different beats. Along with dancing, he likes to turn somersaults. That's right, our contortionists son is also a gymnasts, imagine that! He turns somersaults all the time! He even manages probably 3 out of 5 times at turning a PERFECT somersault. His physical therapists told us before that we should put him in gymnastics or tumbling, but I still have yet to sign him up. I guess he's trying to show me on his own he'd be an excellent candidate for gymnastics... Because he's been doing somersaults so much lately- Noah has coined the phrase "I did it!!!". He says it all the time now when ever he accomplishes something. It's precious to hear him taking pride in his own work.

Ian is growing like a weed-

he's already outgrowing 12 month old clothing and he's only 6 months old!!! Need I say anymore about him?!!! He's totally solid and he's soooo soooo long! Not many more inches and he'll be the same height as Noah. He such a wriggly baby- it's no surprise he has a little bald spot on the back of his head- he's constantly moving even in his crib even while he's sleeping. He has wanted so badly lately to play with Noah; I'm almost sure that by the time Ian learns to stand he'll be off and running! He's still such a pleasant and happy baby-although, he's made the last week a little tougher on mom and dad than he usually does. Number one: He started sleeping straight through the night just after he was a month old; but for some odd reason, over the last week and a half, he wakes up at least 4 or 5 and sometimes 7 times during the night. He just wants to eat- that's all, then he go's back to sleep until he gets hungry again. It's frustrating, because like I said, since he was a month old our nights have been peaceful and sem cries, but now, his cries are disrupting the peace and my sleep! I'm hoping this is just a phase and maybe he's just having growing pains or he's teething. I can't see or feel any teeth there yet, but for all I know, maybe they're shifting underneath his gums. Number two reason for why Ian's been a bugger lately: Well, simply put, for the last 4 days in a row, he's made a number two in the bathtub while I've been bathing him! That right, he's been pooping in the tub! It's sooo disgusting, but I've got a routine mastered to clean it up quickly. It's funny cuz if Spencer's around, he'll ask me what I'm going to do about it?... as if only mothers like to do the dirty work. Noah's response is always funny if he sees the mess in the bathtub- he just stands there with a look of disgust on his face and says "EWWWWWWW"- I guess he doesn't remember he used to take a number 2 in the bath tub too once or twice before. So yeah, the joys of being a mother. Truly I love being a mother and wife, but it's during times like the ones above that I envy the rich folk who can afford maids and nanny's who will clean up messes.

So as for myself- well I've been busy the last couple of days during the evening after getting the boys to bed reading the book "Evening". It's the 2ND book of the "Twilight" series. I finished "Evening" last night, and again- sorry people but I'm not a big fan. The main character, Bella, just really bugs me, and werewolves and vampires- I'm just not digging it. I am though anxious to read her 3rd and final book- I want to see where this story goes.

Most of my Christmas decorations are up, but not everything. The stockings are hung-well, mine and Spencer's and Noah's. I still have yet to get Ian one. The tree only has the lights on it- I'm working on putting the bubbling lights on next- those are a little bit trickier. The lights have been up and on outside now for about two weeks. Noah loves the Christmas tree, especially with all the lights- he thinks the lights are glowing "balls" of color. I didn't buy sparkling lights- you know the kind that flicker "on" and "off", but you would think so if you came by to see our tree, cuz Noah likes to constantly tap the "on/off" button on the Christmas lights. I can't wait till he sees the bubble lights- those are soooo cool and they're what I remember about Christmas when I was really little.
I love that I can validly get my Christmas tune "fix" now with out being scorned. It's the Christmas season now and what better than Christmas tunes??? Gotta love them.

Not only is it the season to be "Merry" and "Bright", but apparently it's the season to be preggers too. Let me explain- I'm almost at a loss for words. I checked my email today, and to my surprise there were three, I repeat, THREE, announcements from my friends that they were all preggers!!! Probably half the woman I know are glowing with child. Let me begin with those people who closest to delivering. Tricia- my sister Trish is due to have her 8Th child any day now; Becky- she's having a boy sometime in December too; Amy- my old roommate is having her 2ND boy in January; Lacy- my old mission companion and friend is having her first child the beginning of February; Amanda- she's having a girl in February; Janna- my sister-is having another boy the first part of April; Cassi- my slimy green friend from San Diego is having a baby in May; another friend- whose name I can not disclose at this time is having a baby in June; I have another friend who doesn't want her name shared yet who is also expecting in June; and then there's Ruth- a friend and a Sister from my mission who is expecting in July! Lot's of chickas expecting! Is there anyone else out there I failed to mention?!?! I'm think I've gotten to the point where if a friend claims she's been "sick", I immediately presume they're prego.

Well I've rambled on enough. I guess I'll end my post here and get back to putting the finishing touches on the tree. By the way, this Friday me and the boys are packing up for the day and we're taking a drive up to Rexburg, Idaho. I don't know anyone there except for my old roomie/good friend Sheena, so I'll be hanging with her and seeing the old town for the day. I hear that Rexburg has a "Jack in the Box" now- I love their cheap tacos and fries. Hopefully it doesn't snow. We'll just be staying there overnight and then we'll make a quick trip back in the morning.