Fa la la la la la la la la

It's no secret that I hate cooking...a lot. But Christmas time is one of the few times I really try to do a good job. I don't know how to make any of the usual Christmas goodies like fudge or peanut brickle (brittle? what the heck is it called?) or even sugar cookies. We do have a few things we're pretty good at baking. So today was my baking day to make some pumpkin chocolate chip muffins to go in gift bags for a few friends. I'm going to tell you a story that is really the quintessential reason why I hate cooking.

It starts out with a few errands I had to run. I had to go to the doctor this morning. After that I picked up the kids from my Mother-in-law and headed to the bank, then the $1 store, then Safeway (where I had to go through the line twice because I realized I'd forgotten something after I'd already bought my stuff), then the pharmacy and home again. I was pretty proud of myself that we made it through all that without a major catastrophe.

I find when I put the muffin liners in the tins that I accidentally got jumbo muffin liners instead of normal ones. I dug through my cupboard and found some regular ones, slightly squished but I figured they'd do. In my first tin goes. After about five minutes I walk past the counter and what do I see? 1 1/4 cups of oil staring me in the face, mocking me. I pulled the muffins out and tried to salvage them but I had to throw the entire batch out.

I stared over again.

Since I had to throw away one whole tin of liners with my bad batch I now have to use the jumbo liners. I dug through my cupboards again and found more regular ones but these look like maybe they've been attacked by wolves or at least something heavy enough to mash them flat...but I use them anyway. This batch goes fine except when you use liners that start odd shaped you end up with muffins that are odd shaped.

Most of the muffins were fine. Enough that I could keep the really strange looking ones. However, if you are one those people who got our muffins and yours look strange, I'm sorry. I really tried. I did. They still taste good.

Santa?

I'm purpretrating a lie! Santa Claus! Yup. I struggle with Santa. Not because I don't like the kids thinking they get tons of presents from someone they've never seen, but because I feel like a big liar making them think that.

I purposely deceive my children each and every year. I didn't expect to have a problem with it but now that Madilyn really believes in Santa I feel even more guilty. Is she going to be the kid that gets made fun of in school because she's 9 and still believes in Santa? Will she be disappointed when she finds out that we've been deceiving her?

Am I nuts? We do it. We get them excited for Santa and enjoy the pure elation every Christmas morning. But somehow it still feels wrong. Does anyone else struggle with this?

If not, I'll get off my moral high horse and continue the lie of all lies.

A Sad Day

The day I always knew would come, at last has come at last. (I hope someone knows where that quote is from. Karli if you don't I'm sorely disappointed in you because I think you were in the show too.)

Anyway...my darling little Emma is growing up. Not only did she turn three two months ago, she is potty trained, and now (sniff, sniff) she pronounced an 'l' for the very first time. Her 'r's have slowly been coming along. I didn't cry the first time she said 'store' instead of 'stoy' or 'more' instead of 'moy', but when we she said, "Look mom I'm all cuddly", not 'cuddwy', I almost lost it.

I don't want her to talk like Elmer Fudd up into kindergarten. Its more the outward expression of her growing upness that I find myself struggling against. Now that she's three she's entered the wonderful realm of arguing, opinions, and tantrums (ok so they were already there but they reach a whole new level at 3). Maybe its because with Madilyn I was always looking forward to the next great thing she would accomplish. But with Emma, I know whats coming and I'm not ready to move on, but obviously...she is.

I'll miss you my little two year old. May we always remember when we 'dwessed cuddwy to go get moy fwom the stoy."

All I want for Christmas

It's happened. Madilyn lost her first tooth at our ward party on Friday night. She came to me with blood on her face and mouth and said, "We were wrestling and my tooth fell out." Jer looked around in the dark and found the missing tooth.

She was visited by the tooth fairy that night, but here's the debate, does the tooth fairy take the tooth or not? We don't know. In Jer's family she did, in mine she did not. Actually in mine we were lucky if mom remembered to leave the money. Sorry mom but its true. (However that's not so bad for a kid. Mom forgot once and when I asked her why the tooth fairy didn't take my tooth I magically found like a 5 or 10 dollar bill under my pillow within a couple minutes.)

So to take or not to take?

Oh, Madilyn asked me the next morning if she looked older, like a six year old, without her tooth. I told her it had definitely aged her.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

He came to town yesterday at the Santa Parade but we didn't see him because it was cold. I'm talking cold. Cccccold. But we saw lots of great bands and cars with twinkle lights on them. I thought it would only last an hour, turns out it was planned to go for 2 1/2. We didn't stay that long. Did I mention it was cold? Anyway, good times had by all.

Thanksgiving of Firsts

Thanksgiving is over. Turkey (raised by my brother and family) was eaten. Games were played and Holly won Golf AGAIN.

I wanted to make a list of the interesting assortment of firsts for our family this Thanksgiving.

- First road trip in our van. It was awesome. We didn't have to unpack it to get the kids in or out.
- First major road trip for Garrett.
- First time its take us 16 hours to make the 12 hour trip to Grandma and Grandpa's house.
- First time we've had to stop twice in one hour.
- First time I've had to lay down in the back of a van to get my baby to nurse.
- First time (that I can remember) that my sister-in-law Holly has won Golf (the card game). Way to Holly!

It was a fun and good to see family but its good to be back safely home.