The last few years I haven't been in the mood to decorate for Christmas. I hang something on the door and line the sidewalk with some lights but that's about it. Two years ago I was pregnant with Emily and sick and miserable so I didn't do it. I don't know why I didn't last year except it's just so much work. Now this year with Ivy walking I knew we couldn't even do a tree. Then there is the whole stocking issue. When we were first married I found a book of counted cross-stitch patterns of the alphabet with santa. It was so cute so I started making them: M for mom; V for Verity I can't remember if I made the D for dad or the A for Andy or not. I bought coordinating ribbon and fabric and was going to have awesome stockings. Then, life happened. I don't have time to make 8 letters! So, each year on Christmas Eve I hand out my new and appropriate stockings- Target bags. I don't hang them by the chimney with care. I stuff them wherever I can in my closet so the kids don't get into them before Christmas Eve. I figure all the stuff is from Target so why mess with a good thing. My mom was just reading me an article yesterday about the importance of making holiday things special (beautiful decorations, stockings, wrapping everything in the stocking-even the small stuff...). Maybe it's just me but I don't have time to wrap the small stuff let alone clean up all the wrapping paper after it's been ripped of the tiny item. I don't know if it's my advancing age or my circumstances but when it gets to be holiday season, I go into "take it easy" mode. I know that if I go to every activity, if I put out every decoration, if I wrap every tiny gift, or worry about my stockings, I will be a stress mess and I will miss the beauty and the spirit of the season. We skipped out ward (church) Christmas party last weekend, but I loaded all the kids in the car and we went and looked at Christmas lights. As we were going down a street where all the houses have these BIG candy canes out by the street, I heard Emily say "COOT". That was such a great moment. If we had been at the party with 100 other people and kids running around we all would have missed it.
I don't know if people come into my house and think I'm Scroogish for my lack of apparent holiday decorations. It makes me a nicer person and a better mom at the holiday season if I focus on my family and not my stockings. I want to teach them to appreciate the joy and beauty of the season. In my heart, I have a beautiful tree, lighted garlands draped everywhere and great stockings with Santa on them. In my home I have beautiful Christmas carols playing and 6 beautiful kids to teach about the birth of Christ and all that means for each of us. I can't sing Silent Night without getting a tear in my eye. I feel so blessed to have the life I have any the kids and husband I have. If there was just a way to decorate with my feelings, I would have a house that would make Martha Stewart jealous!

We got a new mettress set about a week ago (our old one was about 12 years old). It has a latex pillow top and is just heavenly. I was pretty picky about what we got. I wanted something that just made me ahhh every time I laid down. ( I think I deserve that). After the delivery guys left, I went into the bedroom to admire it and I just started laughing! I am not exaggerating when I say it is huge! I know I'm not tall but it comes up to my hip(the footboard is nowhere to be seen). Well, I've been sleeping awesome!! ( I can't remember when I have slept so well - I have 6 kids). So today Reid tells me he's decided he doesn't like the bed. I felt a little nervous with his announcement but knowing he won't go get something else for another 12 years, I relaxed. He called it the sleep bed. He said he can't go in and just lie down to watch tv anymore. Everytime he gets on it he falls asleep. It's true! It really is the bed that makes you say ahhh when you lie down but that is all you can say because after that, you're sound asleep! Just what I wanted.

On December 5 Ivy's adoption became final!! We got the papers in the mail today. 10 months and a lot of big words later and we are legally her parents.

Being a BYU alum, I got an email today with a link to this site. It is a Christmas video published by the fine arts dept (sort of). Go check it out. The song is beautiful and the photography is just great. I've been listening to it for the last 30 minutes straight. I think it is a free download too!

It's been so long since I have had a chance to blog that I actually forgot my password and just had to reset it! How sad is that? I'm not sure where I've been or what I've been doing that has made me so neglectful of my Blog but I apologize. I do know that when my attention is not focused on babies, bad things happen. Emily managed to cover herself in Midnight Pomegranate body cream today in the time it took me to fold 1 (count it one) Christmas letter. (And I do not exaggerate when I say she was standing right behind me). So, that is why I am up at 11 pm blogging.

Is there anything happier that Sonic happy hour? Everyone I talk to loves going to Sonic for happy hour. By 2:00 my body is screaming for a diet Dr. Pepper. I heard something the other day about going green or something like that and they were talking about how many styrofoam cups were thrown away daily. I felt a little responsible for that (but not enough to stop me from going).

I had a dessert yesterday that was so good. My favorite candy are Rocher. I'm not sure how to spell them but I am sure they are delicious. Well, if you like the hazelnut flavor in Rocher you'll love this dessert. All you do is frost brownins with Nutella and then sprinkle with chopped, toasted hazelnuts. It's really rich and really sweet and really good!!