Some Christmas Favorites

So there were some Christmas gifts that were given that were my favorites this year. I am going to save my very most favorite for last, but we will start here with Jake. Every year Jake tries to figure out what his brother or sister is giving him, and usually Sally somehow accidentally gives it away. Well, this year, she and I worked together to convince Jake she was giving him some kind of pink Webkinz. Jake was pretty concerned. So when he opened his gift from Sally and it was the guitar strap he REALLY wanted, he was surprised and thrilled. Sally was sneaky and asked Jake which strap he liked best--it was ALL her idea! Great job, Sal!

Kash is WAY into John Deere. So Santa did a great job and put a John Deere hat and t-shirt in Kash's stocking. He also got some cool tractor and truck movies from me and Brian. But he LOVES his hat--wears it every day.

Sally is quite sure Santa is the most amazing guy around. She asked for a digital camera and got a pretty darn nice one, especially for a 6-year-old. She thinks it is so cool she got a red camera and kept saying all day how great Santa was. He really is great, isn't he?!

So, this is my all time fave this year. Ben and Jake are big Steelers fans and both have thought about getting a jersey. I don't know how many of you have looked at these jerseys, but they are VERY expensive. And me being me, I could never justify getting one of them. Ben really has wanted a "Ben Roethlisberger" jersey for a long time and looked online lots, but the cheapest we could find was around $80. Well, my sister saved the day. She called and as we were talking about gifts she said she thought she might be able to get a good deal on a jersey through one of her friends who works for a sporting goods store. We got a great deal on the jersey (still a lot for a shirt I think but so worth it) and made Ben's day. The look on his face says it all! Christmas is so much fun!

More Jake

I told Jake when he learned an entire song instead of just the intro, I would post a video again. Well, he has been diligently working on some AC/DC songs and told me this morning he was ready to post "Back in Black". He tried singing too, but the newly learned song is not down pat enough to play and sing at the same time--I am sure it will be another post another day.

We had a great Christmas, hope you all did too.

Christmas Eve

It is hard for me to believe that a month has passed since Thanksgiving. I am usually really good about getting a Christmas card out, they actually sat on my desk for the last 3 weeks. But it was the kind of card that required a picture and the picture just never got taken. So for the first time in YEARS, there will be no card from the Owens. I promise to do better next year. As far as this holiday season, we have enjoyed it so far. The kids are all very excited that today is Christmas Eve. Kash can hardly contain his excitement and would really like to open all his presents RIGHT NOW! Patience is not his virtue! Sally, much to my chagrin, has been counting presents under the tree. She gets excited when she thinks she has the most, we had to have a talk with her about that. We have been doing the 12 Days of Christmas for two of our neighbors we thought might enjoy it. One has recently gone through a divorce and the other lives here alone without any family close by. It has been lots of fun to try and secretly deliver gifts, although both have already figured out who we are. That is okay, I think they have both enjoyed it so much and my kids learn the joy of giving. Tonight we have lots of fun things planned and for me, tonight is far more fun than tomorrow. We are having 5 missionaries from our church over tomorrow as well. I am glad we can share our home with them, I know what it is like to be away from home for Christmas.

Jake, Ben, & Brian got to help with a live nativity this past weekend. I don't have a picture of Jake, I forgot my camera the night that Jake was the shepherd, but I have one of Ben with Brian. He looked like a marshmallow because we had him layered so much--it was very cold the night he was a shepherd. The family who hosted the nativity submitted an article to the church news, the link is http://www.ldschurchnews.com/articles/56328/Texas-Nativity-scene.html. None of the pictures in the article are of my boys, although they looked exactly the same. Other than Brian was a really big shepherd. It was fun for the boys and a great thing to do this time of year. I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas, it really is the "most wonderful time of the year" for so many reasons.

Delirious

So while Ruby is very cute, she is not a good sleeper at night. I can't even remember the last time I slept for more than 2 hours at a stretch. Needless to say, I am a bit exhausted. Many night, Ruby ends up in bed with us. Well, I have noticed that she really does sleep better when she is in her own bed, but I am not good at letting my babies cry it out. So I have been at least trying to give her bottle to her in her bed, I just stand by the side until she is done. This has been working pretty good and she is getting herself back to sleep a little more too. Two nights ago, I was standing there holding her bottle, and I was FREEZING, so I put her in bed with me so I could be warm. BIG mistake, she just tossed for the next 4 hours. So last night, I was completely worn out! I got up to feed her once, and then the next time she woke up, I was in a delirious state. I pulled her out of bed because in my dream/awake state, I was sure she had told me she needed help counting poinsettias. Yes, you read that right. My almost 8 month old needed help counting--and she TOLD me that!? Brian and all my family can verify that I do and say INSANE things while I think I am still sleeping. When I realized Ruby was even in bed with us, I put her back in her bed and she slept a bit better. I figure, she is our last, someday I will sleep. And no amount of sleep anyone could ever offer could replace my sweet little girl! It is all worth it, even if I do lose my sanity.

Happy Birthday, Grandma Sally!

We wanted to wish a special Happy Birthday to Grandma Sally, Brian's grandma. We all love her so much and wanted her to know we were thinking of her.

Jake: We miss you! I love music like you do. Hope you have a great birthday and a Merry Christmas!

Ben: You are always nice. And you are always fun. I am always glad to see you. I love you and Happy Birthday!

Sally: Happy Birthday! I hope you have a good birthday and I hope you have a good Christmas, I hope I do too. What do you want for Christmas? I want a digital camera. I am glad to be named after you. Love, Sally

Kash: Do you want a 4 wheeler for your birthday? Or do you want a motorcycle? I like those things. I love you.

Jen: I love you, Grandma. You & Grandpa were so kind to me the first time I met you. I loved coming to your house in Richfield and spending time with you there. You are so warm, friendly, talented, and all-around wonderful. I am so glad you were part of the package when I married Brian! I hope you have a wonderful birthday! Love, Jen

Brian: Grandma and Christmas---they just go hand in hand. We love you and hope you have a great birthday. Wish we could be there to celebrate with you, but know we are thinking about you on your special day. All the best, love Brian.

She must be cute

My mom gave Ruby this outfit while we were in Utah a couple of months ago. I had it hanging in my closet and saw it there yesterday and thought we had better get some use out of it before Christmas was over. I love the outfit--the little cap isn't something I would make her wear out--but it sure looks cute! I figure if she can pull off looking good in a cap like this one, she must be cute for sure! The little video is Kash singing to her--he sings to her ALL the time--I love it!

It's a FIRST!

Every time we move into a new house, Brian tells me he is going to put up Christmas lights outside. I believed him when we moved into our first house and bought lights, but they never got put up on the house. So our next house, he said it was really going to happen so I bought clips to make it easier to put up the lights that were still in the box from the first house. It never happened. So then it got to be kind of a joke between the two of us. Last week, Brian says he thinks he will put lights up this year, I laughed. But today, it actually happened! Apparently, Amarillo is WAY into Christmas lights! I am sure our neighbors think we are Scrooges with the amount of lights we have compared to them, but if they only knew....

I had to get the oil checked out in the Suburban today and when I got home, I found Jake & Ben on the roof helping Brian. I think they were mostly having fun crawling around on the roof. But we have lights!