I am the mother of a big kid: Jolie has her first loose tooth! (bottom left)

10 Things About Us:

1. We love to laugh. Our fave thing to do together is watch funny shows. (Arrested Development, Simpsons, It's Always Sunny, just to name a few.)

2. We have lived in 3 states together. Utah, Colorado (briefly), and now California.

3. We love Italian food. And Coke Zero.

4. We are homebodies. We just love to be home together.

5. We sleep in the same bed but with different blankets- he likes his feet out and I am a total blanket stealer.

6. He is a democrat I am a republican.

7. We love to read.

8. We like to say we grew up together. (we were considering we have been married since I was 20.)

9. We are best friends.

10. We really are "seriously so blessed."

I know I have the most amazing marriage. I am just so stoked I get to spend eternity with my best best friend. I love you Landon. Happy anniversary.

Wow. It has been a whirlwind few days but I got the last gifts in the mail this morning! Now I can just kick back and enjoy this lovely chilly 57 degree Christmas-y weather! Have I mentioned how much I LOVE living here?

Here it is 10 days to Christmas and I have basically not even started my Christmas shopping. And almost half my gifts have to be shipped to loved ones elsewhere. How do you get everything done with 3 kids in tow? And it going to pour all week! And what do you get for those MALE loved ones on your list who pretty much have everything they want? Isn't this supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year? Try the most stressful.

Sorry for the rant.

Ho ho ho. (My attempt at being jolly)





P.S. Don't worry about me, this happens almost every year and I always pull it off.

My amazingly talented Aunt Sandi took some pictures of us on Saturday. Here is her photography blog where you can get a preview.

The older kids love to play with Jolie.

The primary played the chimes. Very sweet, yet totally off!

Daddy and Lucy enjoyed the show.

My girls waiting for Santa.

Jolie was scared of Santa, until he showed up and she was the first one to jump on his lap!

Lucy was so excited to finally meet Santa.

It is the year 1999. I am a student at Orange Coast College in southern California. I am working for my uncle's very successful mortgage company and making quite a bit of money. I have no expenses as I live at home with my family. I don't think I was even paying for gas for my car! (Thanks dad!) So what did I do with all of that scratch you ask? Why SHOP of course! I had several pairs of $200 jeans. I had Banana Republic EVERYTHING. I had more shoes than I had ever had in my life. Life couldn't get much better.

Now it is 2000. I am a student at BYU. I have an apartment full of fun, amazing, fellow shoppers and I was loving it! I didn't have a job but since my sister was living in a much pricier apartment than me my dad still felt like I should be given the same allowance as her, so money was not sparse. My roommates and I had way too much fun throwing parties and watching silly movies and borrowing each other's clothes.

2001. I'm engaged! So what I am marrying a poor college student. He is so amazing and he loves me despite all my silliness. He is my best friend. We can tell each other everything. It is a typical evening for us. Have dinner, watch a movie, go for a drive. We end up at our usual spot at a park nearby. Things are a little tense. He turns to me and tells me he is worried. He is not sure I understand what it is going to be like to be married and poor. Do I really get that the shopping and eating out will end? Do I really believe I can handle it? I am floored. Of COURSE I can handle it! And then it hits me. Nobody thinks I can do it. Probably not my family and definitely not my friends. I'll show them!

And I do.

Today I would consider myself a recovering shopaholic. I still get a rush every time a spend a good amount of money in one place. Even if it is my monthly trip to Costco, when that register tells me my total is well over $150, I get a high. Sure I wish I could run out to Nordstrom and buy a fab pair of boots, or some amazing Gucci sunglasses. I would LOVE to do up my house in nothing but Anthropologie decor. But I am a mom. I am a wife. I have responsibility to my family and I am so pleased to sacrifice for them. And I am proud of myself. I know I have grown up.

I see so much of myself in Becky Bloomwood! If you haven't read the books, get them! I bet you will see some of you in her too.

We had an amazing Thanksgiving feast yesterday at my mom and dad's house.

The girls even enjoyed the fare.

This was my contribution: cherry and peach pies!

There was a lot of bouncing as well.



All my siblings were together on this day. It was so fun! Thanks mom and dad.

Can I just say one more time how much I love kindergarten!

She told me later after receiving the award that she was "so proud she almost cried!" Silly girl.

(in no particular order)

1. Trying to sleep. Reese has decided sleeping at night isn't for him after all.

2. Going to and from one school or another.

3. Deciding where the money for a new dishwasher will come from, darn that South Bay hard water!

4. Never ending laundry, who knew just one more kid would make the piles stack up so?

5. Wondering how it could be almost December already.

6. Albertson's. I seem to spend my life there lately.

7. Helping Jolie with her homework. Being a kindergartener is busy!

8. Reading the Shopaholic books- LOVING THEM!

9. Dressing and undressing endless Polly Pocket dolls.

10. Snuggling a VERY sweet baby!

I will try to get on top of this blogging business again. No promises.

About Jolie and Lucy's magic spoons? A while back the girls were having a hard time staying in their room at bedtime. They would come upstairs with excuses like I am cold, I need a drink, I need a new stuffed animal, or the most frequent: I am scared!

One night after the 3rd or 4th time upstairs us parents were getting a bit (OK a lot) frustrated. Landon was about to lose his temper I could tell and he ran into the kitchen and grabbed a wooden spoon. I have to admit I was a little freaked out. What was he going to do? Beat them? A few minutes later I hear giggling coming from the bedroom. Then up the stairs came a very proud Landon with a story of the magic spoons and their powers to keep little girls safe from all that frightens them in the night.

This worked for a few nights in a row! All the girls needed was their spoons and they were safe!

One night this conversation took place.

Jolie: Dad, I know these spoons are just pretend. They aren't really magic.

Landon: Well, have you had scary dreams lately?

Jolie: No.

Landon: Then I guess they work.

Jolie: Hmmm. Maybe.

The girls still use their spoons every night. And I am permanently without 2 of my wooden spoons. It doesn't always work these days. (The powers must be wearing out a little!) But just another reason why I love my creative husband.

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I tried not to. I didn't want to. But there it is. I particularly like the second one. The songs are pretty catchy. And my girls LOVE it! Even Lucy is in love with Troy Bolton. And the girls both walk around pretending to be Sharpay. We had a girls' day yesterday and went to see the 3rd installment. My girls were singing and dancing in their seats. It was beyond cute! The big finale of the show was a song called "High School Musical" and I couldn't help but feel like dancing myself. I am so silly.