At Arms Length - 2011

 This is what Travis and I look like
-at arm's length. 

Man I love these pics.

I love "US"!

Kick Off To Christmas

So the first weeks of December were crazy busy.
Our PTO does a Holiday Craft - each student makes a gift to give to someone.

Women's Club of Manheim assembled cookies, had a cookie auction, and a Holiday Tour of Homes.

Bella's dance studio did multiple Saturday preformances at retirement centers and the town square.

We went to the Manheim tree lighting with friends and their kids.

We took the kids to the Washington DC Temple grounds to see the lights, a Bell Choir, and enjoy the Christmas Kickoff.

I'm totally entrenched in the Christmas Spirit.  What about you?

What do you do to get ready for Christmas?

Issac Birthday Wrap Up

Issac's Big Day - Enthusiastic as always Issac treated his 6th birthday as the best ever.

He wanted a dragon cake!

To go to Chuck E' Cheese!

To get a Degadar race track!

And to stay up late to play with his toy after all the kids were in bed.

All of his birthday wishes came true.  What an easy kid to please!

Below the Knees

So ran a new personal best mile today.

 7 minutes and 21 seconds.

Feeling pretty proud.

 Hoping to get below 7 minutes by February.

Someone told me today that I have the most defined calves in bootcamp class.

They are getting quite toned.

Especially when I am running/jumping.

But still I can't find a pair of knee boots that fit around these calves.

There is way too much muscle.

Let alone fitting the jeans I want to wear tucked into them.

And let's be honest, it wouldn't be a great look on me anyway.

Big thighs too.  Mostly muscle.

But I still want to wear it.

And speaking of limbs I have fingers.

They have been used for the past month to create beaded masterpieces.

Christmas stockings from Mary Maxim.

So many inappropriate jokes have been made in our house recently.

About my beadwork being Native American.

About Asian sewing sweatshops.

And occasionally a bit about more sequins than a wedding dress.

But I swear these babies will be done by Christmas.

Even if it kills me.  Which it won't because

"I'm a survivor, I'm not gonna give up, I'm not gonna stop, I'm gonna work hard".

Yeah sorry about the Destiny's Child lyric quoting.

This is what happens if you work out at the gym to much.

Crazy tough girl music gets stuck in your brain.



Mini-Me

Dear Issac,

I love your blond hair that is as shocking to me as Kody's red. I guess I just expected brown in all of my kids.  I love your eyes that change color with some frequency alternating between blue, gray, and green.  I love your little pug nose, your full little kid lips and kisses.  I love that your hands are always warm and super soft and that you love to hold my hand still.

I love your fierceness, your energy, your enthusiasm.  I love that your whole personality is infectious and wherever I go people comment on all of these things.  I love that you are a leader and not a follower.  I love that you are the first of all the kids to say thank you for anything whether it is a little snuggle time, taking the family out to eat or finishing a family vacation. 

I love that your passion extends to those things religious and how deeply you feel them.  I love that you pop off the bench for dinner to kneel for prayers extending that to almost every time you pray whether the rest of us or kneeling or not.  I love that you love when I sing to you at bedtime and always request church songs.  I love your sleepy little voice that sings along fading in and out of relaxation so deep you are barely singing at all, but you can't help it.  I love that when you are in church your singing is filled with as much excitement as you have when playing sports.

I love how much you adore learning and school specifically.  It makes my job so easy when you soak up knowledge like a sponge trying to absorb every last drop.  I love that you walk around the house all day saying words and then spelling them out as best you can.  I love the notes you leave for me all over.  I love that your Kindergarten teacher laughed at parent/teacher conference and said, "You warned me.  He isn't like Bella at all.  But he is equally great."  And then went on to gush about how much she loves you and how well you are doing acclimating.

If you haven't guessed yet, I just love you.  I love the little things and the big things.  And I love even more that people always think that you and I not only look exactly alike, but act the same too.  Because I love who you are and it makes it a little easier on those less than great days to look at you and know there is even a modicum of so much good floating in me too.  I am in awe of you and know that someday you are going to be the man that every girl dreams of calling her husband.  I love that about you too.

Love, Mommy

PS Happy 6th Birthday!