Christmas 2011

Slowly but surely....

This is the photo I used for our Christmas card. I took it myself because....I'm cool like that. Though I will say I had great plans, but some people had other ideas and actually think you can go out, snap ONE picture and you're good to go. No. so my little shoot didn't go as I planned.

I love this girl. LOVE.


This Christmas I wanted to do a 12 days of Christmas/random acts of kindness type thing for the 12 days leading up to Christmas, but we were all sick and I was pretty much out of commission the week I should have started it.
{A little background info}
At the end of August, I got a cold that turned into a sinus infection. I do not like to take meds if I can help it, and I do know that sinus infections can go away on their own, it just typically takes 8-10 weeks. I did not have usual symptoms. I did not have pain/pressure on my face/sinuses or dental pain. No fever, no cough. I had green, one-sided thick mucousy nasal discharge (aka- SNOT). Then I started getting constant headaches (which is extremely rare for me. By the time Thanksgiving came around, I was exhausted. More than ever. Infection taking over me? YES! I finally went to the doctor after Thanksgiving....round one of antibiotics and nothing. No change. I wasn't interested in going to the doctor with two kids, so when Derek's parents were in town, I was able to go back to the doctor for stronger antibiotics. Full course of antibiotics and....wait for it.....nothing. No change. Derek insisted I was better even though I could barely pick myself up off the floor and take care of my kids, so I saved some of my tissue filled GREEN THICK SNOT to show him. Arden had a sinus infection too. I called the doctor back for round THREE of antibiotics (same one I was given the 2nd time) the week after Christmas. This is also when Arden was put on antibiotics for an eye infection and Easton was put on his antibiotics for his sinus infection. At some point while the three of us were on antibiotics, Derek got sick and finally went to the doctor and came home with a sinus infection, double ear infection, eye infection and two antibiotics. Fabulous. We are all better, but I do still have my green one-sided discharge. It's awesome. Did I mention this was my first ever sinus infection?!
Back to the story-
The first week of my two week plan didn't work out since I couldn't pick myself up off the floor so I figured we would just double up our acts of kindness the second week.

Day One: Arden gave gifts to both of her ultra sweet teen dance teachers.
On the way home, we went to Wendy's to buy a gift card and were going to do our 2nd act of kindness but it didn't exactly work out as planned and I was totally embarrassed so I don't think I'll share it =).

Day Two: We dropped off toys to the local Christmas Bureau and left a Walmart gift card on someones car.


Day Three: We dropped off food and formula at a local food pantry. We pumped gas for an elderly woman.

Day Four: We had wonderful plans to buy hot chocolate for a Salvation Army bell ringer. There is a frozen yogurt shop that I knew sold coffee beside our grocery store. Of course they would have hot chocolate too, right? WRONG. Plan B- We would buy him some candy in the grocery store. (There is a Starbucks across the street, but seriously, who wants to run in for two minutes for hot chocolate with 2 little ones?! Easton does not do multiple in-and-outs well.) After doing our shopping, we came out and curse you! He was GONE! On a lunch break, I guess; so we waited. and waited. Arden REALLY wanted to see him and give him the box of candy, but Easton started getting fussy, so we wrote 'Merry Christmas' on the box left it on the store pillar beside the bucket.

We also left quarters in the candy/toy machines for a lucky kid(s) to find.

Day Five: We baked and baked lots of cookies. We delivered some to the sheriff's office. (Derek later questioned that idea since most people don't like policemen, they might've thought we laced them. Hmmm....maybe we should've taken them to the Fire Dept instead. Oh well.) We also baked cookies for our neighbors.
Someone licked the beaters of the red dough. I won't say who though.

Day Six: We baked some more goodies and left a box in the mailbox for our mail woman with a 'thank you' note for going above and beyond and the $5 Wendy's gift card.
We left 3 other gift cards on random peoples cars in parking lots.

I wish we had more time to execute all of the ideas I had planned, but I do hope that we brightened at least a couple of people's day!

Two days before Christmas, we got the best news we could've received and it was such a wonderful Christmas gift!

Christmas morning was nice. We didn't get the kids much because they are so young, I don't want them to start expecting a lot. We were going to do three gifts (three wise men) but the things we had for Arden were small so we got her a few more. Easton got a set of sports balls, official NBA mini basketball and an activity table (previously Arden's.) Arden was enjoying each gift she opened and Derek kept trying to rush her. I had to remind him to let her enjoy herself and it that it didn't matter if it took her all day.

Her favorite gift was her princess shoes (set of 3) and tiara.
This little lucky girl also got her very own tablet with a fruit on it from someone.

After Easton's nap, we went to see my Dad's side of the family.
Ashley came a little after us and Arden was so happy to see B.


She LOVES Brigham, Ashley, and Mark. Can you tell? Brigham fell asleep in the car, and he was sort of out of it when they came in so Arden wanted to hold him. He wasn't feeling so good and just wanted his mom but he did finally get down and play with her.

My mom flew in Christmas morning and my aunt and uncle from TN drove all morning to be with us. We had a big dinner (with Ashley, Mark and Brigham too) and a snowball fight in the yard, then we opened gifts. Issa even came over! Which Arden proudly tells me everyday is her best friend!


Auntie Becky and Uncle Paul stayed for a few more days and so did Mimi. Arden's favorite thing to do with Mimi is cuddle. She always says she wants Mimi to hold her.
Arden looks so pitiful in this photo. It was the day her eye infection arrived. (Christmas gift from Ashley, Mark, and B! :))