Christmas 2011

Christmas this year was a little rough. It will most likely be remembered as the Christmas of sickness. It all started Christmas morning at 5am with Spencer awake, sick to his stomach. The puking started an hour or so later, lasting a couple hours, and then he slept the rest of the morning. It was sad - Christmas morning without Spencer just isn't the same. He usually does the video and I take the pictures, and it's just fun enjoying our girls excitement together. Instead I did Christmas morning alone, with Spencer coming in as often as he could to join us.

Madi was up by 6:45am wanting to see if Santa had come. Elle was still sound asleep, but I let Madi get up to go check and see the stockings. She immediately ran to the cookie plate and found crumbs and two notes from Mr C. himself. She was thrilled, had me read her letter from Santa, and then wanted to check out her stocking! Madi's excitement was adorable! I especially loved her comment of, "I never really told Santa what I wanted for Christmas, but I know he got me just what I needed!" Such a good girl!

I made Madi wait to open any of the presents from Santa until Elle woke up, around 7:30am. Unfortunately I was busy working our video camera, that I never got any pics of the girls with their stockings. They had fun though and were ecstatic with what Santa had brought them! Spencer was bummed to be missing out on all of it, and I was bummed to be a lone parent. Christmas morning breakfast is always made by Spencer (which obviously wasn't going to happen) so that tradition was thrown out the window. Then with church at 11am, followed by our plans for dinner at Spencer's parents at 3pm, I felt rushed and confused as to what to do. I knew we wouldn't have much time after church for present opening, so I let the girls open a few things before church- things I knew they'd be excited to play with and could buy me some time to shower and get ready. Posing together in front of the tree was a requirement before any more presents could be opened!

They opened their shopping cart (coolest shopping cart ever!) and game of twister from the Calhouns. We LOVE both- thanks guys!

Then they opened their present from my parents- another "purple baby" for Madi with 3 handmade blankets for her triplets, and a "Tangled" baby with the Rapunzel dress for Elle. And just as I thought, as soon the girls opened their presents, they were immediately off in their imaginary worlds, playing babies and princesses. It was fabulous and bought me some time to shower and get dressed for church.

I knew Spencer wouldn't be going to church, but I still wasn't sure what I would do. I wanted to listen to the Christmas program and didn't really want to bring both girls, so as soon as Madi told me she really wanted to go to church, I knew who I'd be taking. Elle stayed home to keep Spencer company while I headed off for the sacrament meeting Christmas program with Madi. Luckily after church Spencer was starting to feel a little better. We opened a few more presents- the girls got their traditional 4 gifts from us: a need, something to read, a want, and something to wear! Here they are, posing with their "something to wear". Of course, their babies always have to be in the picture too- so much for trying to see their new outfits!

Thankfully it wasn't an extravagant Christmas. After moving in and getting my Christmas presents 20 days earlier- a new front load washer and dryer, as well as a new fridge, I reassured Spencer that I have everything I need and threatened him against getting me anything else! Of course he never listens! I am very excited about my new Blendtec though and have made smoothies everyday, as well as soup and milkshakes. Anything to "make life smoother" is a welcomed gift from me!

My gift to Spencer came a couple days before Christmas- a new 46 inch Samsung LED TV. Something I definitely dragged my feet about getting, but it's already made a good addition to the family and most importantly- made Spencer very, very happy!

By 3pm Spencer was feeling much better and we ended up going over to Mom and Dad Jenkins for dinner and to exchange gifts with them and the Terry family. It was good to hang out, but very rushed (which I didn't like). Spencer and Brandon had arranged a little "singing holiday gram" for their buddy Mike who had held up his promise of bringing home a "special someone" for Christmas. This holiday gram was to be delivered at 6:30pm, making us leave by 6pm. I tagged along, leaving the girls in the car with a movie, while I video taped Spencer and Brandon's performance and got a good laugh. Such silly boys! Afterwards I rushed home to get my tired girls off to bed.

As if I hadn't already had an exhausting day, the night that followed was ten times worse! At midnight I woke up to Madi screaming in her bed. I ran in to find out what was going on. She was screaming that her stomach hurt and she was going to throw-up. I didn't have time to grab anything- just scream for Spencer to get up and bring "something" while I stuck out Madi's pillow to catch as much vomit as possible. It was disgusting. And it just kept coming. Spencer was delirious and still not quite sure as to what was going on. He had only heard a lot of screaming, but luckily came stumbling in with a bucket (a little late). He held the bucket for Madi while I tried to clean off her top bunk as much as possible. We got Madi into the bathtub - still not feeling well, and Elle moved into the toddler bed in the playroom. I immediately started laundry, completely threw Madi's pillow in the trash, and scrubbed carpets. All while Spencer was in the bathroom with Madi trying to calm her down, wash her face and hair, and holding the bucket every time she had to dry heave. She had the lovely diarrhea as well, making her need to get out of the bath several times to sit on the toilet. Finally around 1:30am we got her into clean jammies, on some clean blankets with a bucket. But the fun didn't stop there. She dry heaved all night- waking up crying every 15-30 minutes. Since I naturally fly out of bed for every cry my girls make, I was always the first to get to Madi, but once 4:30am rolled around, my stomach was churning and the baby was flipping out from my flying out of bed so often. I finally had to just let Spencer take care of it, which he did like a pro and finally got Madi to sleep. The girls were both awake by 7:30am. Spencer and I took turns taking care of the girls while trying to get more sleep ourselves. Luckily Madi was lethargic the entire time and just wanted to watch movies and sleep. And Elle played happily alone all day. So Monday was basically a lazy day. But of course the fun didn't stop there. After a sick free day on Tuesday, with everyone feeling better who did it hit that night but me! I got sick around 8pm and threw up at 11pm. Unfortunately my parents were supposed to come Wednesday morning, but I knew I'd need to let them know what was going on. I called the house at 11:30pm and told my dad the bad news. We figured Elle would be next, so they changed their plans and canceled the trip. Elle never did get it and everyone was actually completely healthy the rest of the week. I was bummed because the rest of the week we had 70 degree weather and I ended up taking the girls to the beach by myself. Oh well, I guess it's better to be safe than sorry. Mom and dad have rescheduled their trip for Jan 11th and Karlee and Jeremy will just have to come visit later this summer.

Christmas Eve and the Nativity

Leading up to Christmas, Madi had become obsessed with acting out the Nativity. It was a daily event at home, with Madi (who insisted we call her Mary) being pregnant with baby Jesus, traveling to Bethlehem where a star shone in the sky (our huge flashlight used for this) for the shepherds and wise men (all sorts of dolls used) to find her in the stable. She turned her small pink step stool into a manger where, after delivering baby Jesus ("purple baby" was always used) Madi would wrap him in her softest blankets and then proceed to sing all sorts of primary Christmas songs. I got so used to her daily enactments that now as I type this I wish I would have snuck in and got the whole thing on video, at least once. I mostly just savored the quiet time where she would be off in her own world, leaving Elle to play quietly, and allowing me to get some housework done. But luckily we did get complete video of the final production, done on Christmas Eve with the help of 5 cousins, 1 sister, and a dog. Madi was in complete heaven and took her part very seriously. Grandpa Al was the narrator, Spencer was on video, while Lindsay and I snapped some pics.

Eric (age 7) was Joseph and Madi was Mary, riding Truly (the donkey) into Bethlehem:

Joseph with Mary who was "great with child":

Our shepherds: Elle and Tyler (age 3)

Brittany (age 12) and Ashley (age 1) as the "wise women":

After delivery, Madi carefully wrapped baby Jesus and layed him in the manger:

The wise women presenting their wonderful gifts:

Madi's a natural - such a great mama:

The entire cast, complete with Kaitlyn (age 8) as the angel:

After the nativity, Grandpa Al read all the kids "The Night Before Christmas." Then Madi and Elle unwrapped their new jammies, we said our goodbyes, thanked Boppi for the delicious clam chowder dinner, and headed home to set out letters, cookies, and chocolate milk for Santa.

For two little girls obsessed with wearing dresses, they both got their first (of probably many) nightgowns.

Both girls got to help stir up the chocolate milk:

Then layed out with some sugar cookies and letters:

It was a pretty prefect Christmas Eve!

Christmas Time

Moving at the beginning of the month made for a very busy December. I found myself feeling guilty that during the month where I ought to be thinking more of others and finding opportunities for my kids to be doing service, I've been homebound- getting unpacked just thinking about all the things I need to do and get to set up our new home.

It was a crazy Christmas weekend (more coming on that later) with a sick husband and then a puking daughter. Cleaning up vomit the day after Christmas was definitely the quickest way of moving on after the holiday. Last night I was completely exhausted and sleep deprived after being up for most of the night, starting the first of 7 loads of laundry at 1am, and and then completely sanitizing the house later that day. It felt incredible to get a full, uninterrupted night of sleep last night with a happier, healthier daughter this morning.

But before I document Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, I thought I ought to include a bit of the fun that we had earlier in the month:

December 10th we got our Christmas tree. Love that we were able to go in short sleeves with light jackets! The girls were super excited to come home and put on the lights and decorations- they were great helpers this year.

After getting our Christmas tree, we headed off for the annual Camarillo Christmas parade. I haven't been to a parade in ages and really enjoyed myself. Elle and Madi were tons of fun- waving to everyone, clapping super loud, and yelling "Merry Christmas!!" I especially loved how Elle even got her baby in on the waving action.

Our front row seats that got even better once we moved across the street into the island where the sun was out of our eyes. Have I mentioned how much I love Camarillo weather!!?

The girls were most excited about seeing this guy:

December 15th Santa came to Madi's preschool class. I didn't go, but I was told how when Santa asked Madi what she wanted for Christmas she told him all about her "huge list" at home. Nice- I've got the greedy child! The next day was her class' Christmas party, so Elle and I joined at the end to decorate gingerbread cookies and then hear Madi and her classmates sing their Christmas songs. Adorable- I got it all on video.

December 17th was Camarillo 2nd wards Christmas party. I've never been in a ward that throws parties to the extreme like the 2nd ward does and I was super excited to go. Lindsay, Shaun and their kids had gotten into town Tuesday night so it was extra fun for my girls to be there with their cousins. The party was based on the book/movie "Polar Express". All the kids came in their jammies and got picked up by the polar express train after dinner. They were taken to a gated area where the "conductor" of the train (Bishop Evans) read the story of Polar Express and then talked to them about the meaning of Christmas.

Then they got to line up to see Santa who gave them the first gift of Christmas- a bell. It was such a great idea, amazingly decorated and had the best hot cocoa and dessert stations!

I love how excited my girls both were about seeing Santa. You can't tell from the pictures, but they could barely contain their excitement from across the stage. Elle was waving and yelling, "Hi Santa!" And then as soon as they made it across the stage, Madi jumped right up for a huge hug!

December 23rd we met up with mom, dad, and the Terry family to go see the lights on Gemini street. The girls have been enamored by all the Christmas lights this year- commenting on our "boring house", asking when we're gonna put up our lights. Shoot! So it was definitely a treat!

Madi got to ride over in the scout with Grandpa Al, Kaitlyn, and Eric- making it extra special for her.

The whole gang:

One of my favorite houses:

Madi's favorite:

Elle's been completely obsessed with the Grinch this year. She asks to watch "the naughty movie" (which is the Grinch who stole Christmas) every single day. So when she saw this house (below) she totally freaked out and wanted to go back several times (hence why so many pictures):

Overall it was a fun month of December. We've enjoyed being close to family and sharing these memories with them!

Move IN day

The morning Spencer and I flew back to California was a crazy one. We got in around 8:40am, picked up our car, drove to Camarillo, picked up the girls, and immediately drove over to our new place to get the keys from our landlord. We did a quick walk through and then the movers, who had already been waiting for an hour, began to unload the truck. Spencer stayed for a few minutes but then had to take off to drop Madi off at school on his way to work.

Elle played in a corner of the family room while I directed boxes. Since the movers also had to set up everything that had originally been taken down in our last place, the whole process took longer than I'd expected. Thank goodness Lindsey Bell was able to pick up Madi from school for me. The movers left around 4pm and then I unpacked as long as possible before heading over to Spencer's parents for dinner. Since we had no food at our house, we were all starving and a home cooked meal was just what we needed for the long night of unpacking ahead. It was late and we were all tired (especially Elle who hadn't gotten a nap in), but the girls were insisting that we stay the night at our new house. I did want to keep unpacking, so I managed to find the comforters to the bunk beds and some other blankets for the girls to sleep on, and put them to bed as soon as we got back to our house.

The week that followed is now a complete blur in my memory. Spencer had to work everyday and had an exceptionally busy week with depositions and hearings- he drove up to Fresno on Tuesday, Palm Springs on Wednesday, and LA on Thursday. Leaving at 4 or 5am and not getting home until after 7pm made for a very tried (and completely useless in regards to helping unpack) husband. Aside from a Costco and Target run, the girls and I would leave the house only to take and pick up Madi from school. One day she didn't even go to school cause we were waiting around the whole day for the plumber to come replace the faucet for our washer/dryer to be plugged into. But we survived- well, I should say I survived. Just as expected, the girls were in complete heaven with the boxes and boxes of toys, babies, stuffed animals, etc. being unpacked left and right. One afternoon I found Madi in the baby's room with all the stuffed animals lined up, playing school. I had to snap a picture:

Now, I might not be the best packer, but when it comes to unpacking and organizing, I take serious pride in my ability to get it done fast! That's probably why I started to get discouraged come the end of the week when it seemed as if I'd unpack all day (and long into the night) only to find that the mess wouldn't go away. It was super frustrating and I was definitely not the happiest wife. Spencer would ask me where something was (which is a joke in our house that he can never find anything, but I always know where everything is) and I'd immediately snap at him about not knowing where anything was!! It took almost an entire week for our house to seem livable. By Sunday I was feeling better and able to slow down a bit, relax, go to our new ward, meet some new friends, and finally feel like we've moved to Camarillo (such a great feeling)!

Then this past week we put off the last of organizing (my office and the garage need some serious help, and I'm still waiting for pictures to be hung) to enjoy the holidays- do some baking, get a Christmas tree, attend a parade, go to a Christmas party, and do some shopping. I'm definitely feeling behind and am ready for our house to be completely put together, but realize that it's gonna take longer than I expected.

Despite the craziness, frustration and disorganization I went through (and am still going through) with unpacking and trying to set up a new house, I am very much in love with our new home and area. Eight years ago I came Camarillo for the very first time and fell in love. It's hard to believe that in just 7 1/2 years of marriage Spencer and I are living exactly where we've always wanted to live. I seriously keep pinching myself to make sure this isn't a dream.

And not only do we live in Camarillo, but we also have a house with a backyard, a garage, and a fireplace (all things I'd only wished for up to this point in marriage). I love it- all of it! I love our new backyard that we've already had a couple afternoon picnics in.

Oh, and did I mention we have an orange tree! SO excited about the already ripe oranges on there!

I love our outdoor patio in the back with complete privacy from our neighbors. I love that the girls have a place to dump their sidewalk chalk, draw pictures, race their cars, and ride bikes and scooters down all the "secret pathways" (as Madi calls our walkway that wraps around the entire house).

I love our fireplace where we've already sat next to and read Christmas stories while eating popcorn, drinking hot cocoa, and listening to the flames crackling.

I love having a garage to store all our extra stuff- and most importantly a great place for my new workout room (which I should take a picture of to show the complete disarray it's in right now).

We'll definitely be changing things around in the next few months. I'm trying to figure out where I want everything. Having a living and family room is a new concept to me and I don't want to have a big room of just wasted space. For now it's a perfect place for the tree, but come January I might have to make it into an office or something. Still deciding.

Right now pictures are lining the wall- waiting for Spencer to come home and hang.

Our first visitors arrive on Wednesday the 28th. We're super excited and will hopefully be ready with an organized house by then!

Utah travels

On Thursday, Dec. 1st Spencer and I did something that we hadn't done in 5 1/2 years. We got on an airplane together- with no children in tow and took off for a weekend in Utah. It was an extremely fast and very eventful weekend, but amazing! Of course we missed the girls and called often, but we made sure to soak up every second of our time alone. Thursday night we stayed at Aunt Fay and Uncle Bob's new lakefront cabin in Huntsville. It's gorgeous and we can't wait to go back for a longer trip this summer.

Friday we went to Logan for the day to spend time with Grandma Jenkins (who will be turning 100 this June!!), Jeremy, Tanna, their kids, and my dearest cousin Eliza. The day couldn't have been more perfect- eating lunch (or "dinner" as they call the noon meal) at Grandma's new place and having 2 hours to just sit and get caught up with her.

Then I headed off to Liza's new house in Smithfield while Spencer went to hang with his brother Jeremy so they could do what only guys would do - go fly fishing...in the snow! It had been way too long since I'd last seen Liza (we figured over 4 years), so it was a much needed reunion. After catching up I headed back to Logan to meet up with Spencer, Jeremy, and Tanna. They got a babysitter and we all went out to the local burger joint there on Center street. I'm sure Tanna and I bored the guys to death with our mother/women conversations, but it was so wonderful to hang out with Tanna and get caught up on her life and get her thoughts on everything. We got back to their place in time to see the kids off to bed. They are such adorable kids and I hate that Madi and Elle barely know these cousins. Hopefully we'll be able to change that now that we live much closer. We left Jeremy and Tanna's later than we should- it had snowed earlier in the day and roads were a little slick. Thank goodness for our big Yukon rental. Friday night we stayed again at the Huntsville cabin, and then packed up and left Saturday morning for Salt Lake City.

Spencer and I had originally planned on getting to Salt Lake earlier to be able to walk around and do some shopping, but we were so enjoying being able to sleep in and take our time in the morning that it never happened. Saturday was packed with Bobby and Amy's sealing at 1pm, some pictures after, and then a big party at Bob & Amy's clubhouse that evening. It was a lot of fun and I was really glad that Spencer and I were both able to be there (had we been still been living on the east coast, I would have probably gone alone).

Love those big temple doors! Bob and Amy look pretty good too!

Amy finally resulted to holding her veil cause the wind kept blowing it in her face. How she's standing there without a jacket is beyond me- I could barely snap pictures my fingers were so cold.

All of my siblings except for Jen were able to make it with their spouses. Clark and Jo drove out, so they had the triplets and Tish and Curt brought Ezra. But other than that, no other kids came. We all hung out Saturday night at Aunt Annie's before saying our goodbyes Sunday morning.

(Not loving this pic of me- something about being 6 months prego and feeling extremely large. The bright red sweater didn't help me blend in much either.)

On Sunday Spencer and I were able to stop by and see Adam Eshenroder and go to sacrament meeting with him. Then we took off to go visit Jocelyn and Michael at their apartment. We stopped back by Aunt Annie's for dinner and to meet up with Karlee, Jeremy, Bobby, & Amy to drive up to Temple Square. Every year, on the first Sunday of December, Spencer makes some comment about wishing we could be at the Christmas devotional, and this year he got his wish. Bobby scored us some tickets and we were thrilled to be able to be there. After the devotional, we braved the winter cold and walked around Temple Square a bit to admire all the beautiful Christmas lights. There simply is no place like Temple Square at Christmas time! It was so beautiful and a perfect ending to our weekend getaway!

(Huge thanks to mom Jenkins for letting me borrow her coat for the weekend. All of our winter clothes were then on the moving truck, being driven across the country.)

Instead of driving all the way back to Provo just to get up and leave at 5am the next morning, we checked into a Marriott by the airport and were asleep by 9:30pm. We were exhausted! We flew out Monday morning at 8am and got into LA before 9am. We drove straight to Spencer's parents to pick up the girls who were beyond excited to see us! I loved hearing all about how much they missed us. Elle kept telling me over and over, "you go away and I miss you sooooo much!" So sweet! The moving truck was already at our new place and ready for more craziness to begin (which is the next post- coming soon)!