Christmas 2009

Christmas has already come and gone. It was a fun day but also a relief to not worry about shopping anymore. Xander has been spoiled and we are happy. Now I need to think about my New Year's resolutions. I can't believe it will already be 2010 in a few short days. My life was completely different at the beginning of this decade. I was in high school and living with my family at home when 2000 started. Now in 2009 I am a college graduate, have a career, am married for almost 6 years now, have a house and became a mommy 2008. It's amazing how much can change in 10 years, especially in your 20's.

We just had a laid back Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve I made my very first ham dinner. I made so much food we should have called some people up and invited them over. I still have leftovers I'm not sure we are going to finish. It went well so I might keep that as a tradition. We then went to Temple square to see the lights. It was really cold, but there is just something beautiful about being near the temple, lights or not. It really helped me feel the true meaning of Christmas, especially seeing the beautiful Nativity scene. We put Xander to bed and then finally finished wrapping all his presents.

The next morning I got up early, not as early as when I was a child, but I guess I still feel the excitement of Christmas morning. It's not a morning to sleep in! Jerry and I opened presents before Xander woke up. I got spoiled with a new Zune, so now I'm trying to sell my old one. Jerry's big present was a toaster oven. When Xander woke up we showed him how to shred up the wrapping paper and he had a good time opening all his toys. I think it was a little overwhelming for a 17 month old, but I'm sure he loves all his new toys. I'm actually going to box up some of his old toys and save them for future siblings. He doesn't need a million toys all at once.

We had a big Christmas breakfast. We had this tradition in my family growing up, so I thought I would keep it up in my home. We then packed up and spent some time with family and exchanged presents. It was a good Holiday this year but it went by way too fast! Now I'm returning to work tomorrow and having to work through the New Year. I guess it's better then working Christmas. Happy holidays and New Year to everyone!

The Holidays are here again

As soon as Halloween ends, it feels like Thanksgiving is the very next week, and then all of the sudden we are out putting up Christmas decorations. Jerry and I put up decorations in two parts. The first night we did the indoor stuff and then last night we put up all the outdoor decorations. We accomplished all of this after Xander was tucked away in bed. Of course we want this to be a family event, but at his age, he would just make things difficult. Maybe next year he can help a little. We put our tree in a room out of Xander's reach because I just know he will keep attacking the tree when I'm not looking. We still let him enjoy it by letting him have some supervised time with the tree. I think it was exciting for him the morning he woke up and saw all the Christmas stuff. He was only 5 months old last year so I'm sure he doesn't remember any of it. Now he can finally enjoy things more, even if he doesn't understand.
I finally started Christmas shopping after Thanksgiving, but I'm nowhere close to finishing. Of course we are going to spoil our only child. He is the only little one in my family too, so he will get spoiled by my family I'm sure. There is so much to think about, I just hope we can find a way to focus on what matters most and that is Jesus Christ and our family and friends. I was going to post a whole blog on what I am thankful for, but I will just add it in here.
I am getting old, but at 26 I have accomplished what some people dream their whole lives about, but for whatever reasons don't always have. I have a loving husband, a career, a nice shelter and a sweet little guy. Life is busy and crazy, but I try to be grateful everyday for what I have. Xander makes me crazy, but he is also so funny and sweet. He makes me forget the crazy times when he smiles at me or gives me a hug. I'm just grateful for my little family and I just pray that we can have a strong bond with each other. I am grateful to have been raised in the LDS church my whole life. I believe in it and I know I would be lost without it. I might not even have my little family today without the gospel to help me straighten out my life. I'm grateful for the family I was raised in. I think they are crazy, but I know we all love each other, and I know they are always there for me to help me and love me. I have so much and I try to remember that everyday. Happy Holidays!

Xander's first surgery

Xander has had congestion problems since he was born. It was so bad I think it contributed to me not being able to nurse him. I had to pump all his milk for his first year. I would address the congestion issue with his pediatrician at every singe appointment and he would keep brushing it off. I kept saying that I wanted him to be better by the time he reached his first birthday. Well he wasn't better. Everyone who meets him thinks he has a cold and I have to explain that he has always breathed roughly. Finally I had enough and I begged the pediatrician for a referral to an ENT. In the meantime my son failed a hearing test in both ears and still hasn't said his first word yet. The doctor found fluid in his ears and recommended that we put tubes in and remove his adenoids to help him breath better. I was so nervous, but I finally decided that nothing else was helping and surgery might be the answer.
We took him to the hospital this morning and they examined him before his surgery. They were concerned because of his rough breathing, but I told them it is how he always breathes. They checked his lungs and said they found a problem on one side. I never knew there were any lung issues. It meant that if he was having breathing problems because of anesthesia, he might have to stay overnight to be monitored. We still made the decision to go ahead with surgery. The workers were really nice and kept telling us what a cute little boy we have and they gave him a stuffed animal to keep and hold onto in surgery. I almost cried as the wheeled him away. I can't believe how hard that is to see somebody take your baby away to cut him and put tubes and wires on him! I don't think I could have watched the surgery.
The surgery went well and they were surprised at how much mucous and fluid build up was in his ears. The cleaned him out and removed his adenoids. I was hoping to hear a difference in his breathing, but he still sounds pretty congested. I'm still hoping to see some good changes in the next couple of days. However, the doctor wants to do a blood work up on my son in 30 days to see if there are some other issues. I am so glad a doctor finally is willing to see that he is having problems and wants to help, but I'm nervous we wont find out what is wrong. He even wants to test for Cystic fibrosis. My poor little guy!
Despite his congestion, he is so happy and playful. He loves to wrestle with mommy and daddy. He has a beautiful smile and laughs a lot. In fact he even played this afternoon on the same day of his surgery, until he got too tired because of the drugs. He is a tough guy and a fighter, but I just pray we can clear up these problems.

Halloween Fun

Being a mad scientist
Our decorations

Xander's pumpkins

Cute little monkey

It has been a fun month for our family. Halloween is only one day, but it is one of those holidays that seems to be celebrated all throughout the month just like Christmas. I think this holiday is becoming more popular because you don't have to run out and buy presents for everyone you know. You just celebrate by decorating your house with ghosts, witches and monsters. You have to decide if you want to dress up and what you want to be. Buy a large bowl full of candy and you are ready. I love being scared so I try to go to spook alleys every year, and Jerry got me in to going to corn mazes. We have been going to corn mazes every year since 2003. My favorite was one in Farmington that has since been replaced by houses. It was fun because you get a small map and you go through the maze not only trying to find your way out, but looking for checkpoints. When you found a checkpoint you stamped it off on your card. I miss that one, but I still find it fun to go wandering around a maze aimlessly until we find our way out. This year Jerry and I went to a maze in Syracuse. Jerry decided if we just kept making left hand turns we would eventually get out and he was right. We also went to a spook alley in Salt Lake and Frightmares at Lagoon earlier this month.

On Halloween day we went out to a pumpkin patch in Farmington and picked out two large pumpkins. Xander had fun walking around and playing with the pumpkins. He is becoming quite a pro at walking and now trying to start running. He has hardly any sense of separation anxiety or stranger danger, so he tries to wander far away from us whenever we go out. We carved pumpkins as a family, which is a tradition I'm sure we will carry on throughout the years to come. We just let Xander watch this year. There is no way I am handing a curious toddler a little carving knife!

After our pumpkins were carve we dressed Xander up as a monkey and took him down our street for a little trick or treating. He is too young for candy, but I will let him eat a little chocolate or a sucker once in a while. We love decorating our house and have a talking skeleton. Jerry would talk through him and try to scare the kids who came to our door. Unfortunately we get very few trick or treaters on our street. I think it is a combination of things, that more and more people are opting to do trunk or treats, go to the mall and other alternatives. We also live at the very end of a dead end road and perhaps people don't want to walk all the way down. I think we ended up getting at least a dozen. When we bought our house in 2007 I was looking forward to finally getting some trick or treaters. We lived in a condo before then and didn't get any kids at our door. We had a good time and it was Xander's first year trick or treating.

Our baby is walking

I'm a proud parent, but sad at the same time. Xander has hit the milestone that I consider the difference between a baby and a toddler. Babies crawl and roll, but toddlers walk. For the last couple months Xander has mastered cruising and pushing his toys all over the room. One day he was playing with his car and I looked over at him. He just let go and took four steps forward. Soon he was taking steps, but falling a lot. Within a couple weeks he can walk all the way across the room and he can stand himself back up without support every time he falls. Now I will have to start buying him functional shoes instead of the cute booties that babies wear just for looks. I know that children grow too fast, but it is just crazy watching your own child hit their milestones. Now we need to get him talking next. He seems to be a little behind since he doesn't even say mommy or daddy yet. I just don't feel like I can call my first baby a baby anymore.

I love this season

Xander at 3 months old, Halloween 2008

Hanging at the beach in Pineview

I'm getting so excited for Halloween this year. I don't think it's the actual day that I get worked up for, just the whole season itself. I love being scared by watching scary movies and going to spook alleys. I have been going to spook alleys for as long as I remember. I love dressing up scary. I know some people dress up like clowns and princesses but I think Halloween is a day to dress up like something creepy. My excitement began at the end of August when I walked into a craft store and already saw fall decorations. Now I have been obsessed with going to stores and looking in the holiday section and debating on how much I should spend on decorations. So far I have purchased a small black Halloween tree and some decorations. I'm still looking for some Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments to add to my tree. I am also hoping to add something awesome to the outside of my house. We already have some cool outside decorations and apparently our house has a reputation to uphold on Halloween night. Xander will be 15 months old and I think he is old enough to do some Trick or Treating. I am hoping he will be walking by then. We have a monkey costume for him this year. Last year he was a dragon and we just put on the costume for 15 minutes for pictures. I am excited to start decorating my house. Yay for fall!

Xander is getting close to walking. I see him standing more and more on his own. He loves to walk around our living room and kitchen with anything that he can push. He will sometimes be standing on his own and take one step, but then he will immediately go down on his knees and crawl. He is getting so fast at cruising and crawling. He has so much energy! I'm excited to see those first steps. I think it is coming soon.

I love boating

Crawling around the boat
Hanging out with Grandpa

Xander and Mommy

Me waterskiing

My parents wanted to wait until my siblings and I were a little older to purchase a boat. I was 14 when they bought a 1970's Apollo. I was so excited to try out some water sports. I got tubing down right away but mastering the knee board or skis took me a bit longer. By the next summer I was up on the knee board and having a good time. I tried to pick up water skiing next, but that requires more strength from the skier and from the boat's engine. I was strong enough but the boat ended up being a lemon. I was so sad, and I think I even shed some tears when we discovered that this boat was almost beyond or even worth fixing. It was old and just not well taken care of by the previous owners. We were able to sell it to a new owner who was willing to invest time and money to get it running again. After a few weeks of searching we finally found the perfect boat, a '97 Reinell. It had a little cuddy in the front which is perfect for Lake Powell beach camping. It was large enough for our family of five and a lot newer then the Apollo. I mastered water skiing, slalom skiing and wake boarding and I still love them. I don't do any tricks, but I love being behind the boat. I have a lot of great memories of boating. We spent tons of time down at Lake Powell. That boat survived a couple infamous storms at Lake Powell. I awoke to one of those storms to see the boat top coming down on top of me because the wind was so powerful it bent the poles. With the exception of my sister, we all shared a love for boating. Now my parents have moved from Price and have a house at Bear Lake. That is where I have been boating for the past couple years.
Our boat is still going strong. I know it is my parents boat, but they technically share it with their now grown up kids. I love boating so much, I even went when Xander was just 6 weeks old and I was still doing some postpartum recuperating. On September 1st I took Xander on his second boating trip. He went on his first trip in June. I think he likes boating. I can't wait to buy him a pair of training skis and watch him enjoy a piece of my childhood. I hope Jerry and I can buy a boat of our own someday and enjoy water sports with our kids. Jerry does a little water skiing and I hope I can get him to love boating more. I miss going to Lake Powell. I was 18 the last time I went and I hope I can make it back down there soon.
On my previous post I was talking about my brother Michael's engagement. For reasons unknown to me, the engagement is off for now. I was hoping to be friends with his fiancee, but things seem to be strange between us. Maybe someday I will get a sister-in-law. Someday Xander will have cousins, but they may be a lot younger then him.