So this is Christmas

Last night we braved the cold for some downtown Christmas cheer!  The (real and ginormous) Christmas tree they have set up in Faneuil hall is spectacular!

 And Jason showed us his new partial cube!  Cambridge Associates moved buildings this week to a much nicer one near the Aquarium station.  Very feng shui.

And Lincoln wanted to try out everyone's phone :) He looks like such a homeless man.

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook

The prettiest ones are Jason's :)  I think his heart grew 3 sizes last night.

Weight Loss Ad

Jolly Old

Well, one of my boys will go to strangers.  Lincoln wants nothing to do with this man.  Maybe next year!

Parley has become the wiggliest squirmiest squirrel!  Sacrament meeting is pretty intense/ridiculous with him!  Oh that plane flight next week...

Little N

 My friend Kristi is due any day with her 2nd, so I was more than happy to take her toddler this morning while she got some things done around the house.

And what else would I do with a little girl in the house but dress her up and do a PHOTOSHOOT! 

 We've all decided that little N is the prettiest little girl in the ward.  Oh those curls!

 

 Thanks for letting me steal her away, Kristi!

Pie Part II

Remember how I got the flu literally just before we sat down for Thanksgiving dinner?  Good thing ward Christmas parties mean more jello and more pie!!

Link & I had fun with this one this morning.

 I can't believe how long he spent cutting things out over and over again.  He won't really do anything with playdough except take it in and out of the container, so I guess cookie cutters are the way to his heart.

Get this, you can mix one egg yolk with a drop of food coloring and paint pie crust cut-outs!  Pretty huh.  I bet you could get way fancy with different Fall colors.

 Ya, they look delicious, but they're just nasty pie crust pieces with egg yolk painted on!

 Did I disguise tree leaves as holly well enough?

And The Prettiest Sight You'll See

Its not really Christmas until the fresh pine wreath goes up!  I'm kind of proud that this year I made a finger bleed while putting it together, haha.

At the Christmas Party Hop

At Jason's ritzy holiday work parties, I feel like I am married to the incredibly successful and filthy rich business man that I know he will surely be :) Congrats on your promotion lovie!

It's a Girl!

Welcome to family!

Kate Beckett (aka Nikki Heat)

We bought a 2007 Honda Fit!  With only one previous owner and 40,000 miles on it, we think we found a goodie.  It looks like it will be a tight row of eventually three car seats, but we had to get something squatty for all the parallel street parking around here!  Loving the hatchback for stroller space, and I'm mostly just in heaven having something with air-conditioning and power locks!!!

 

A Cozy for Patty

 I fell in love with an Etsy shop that makes laptop covers for ~$50, and thought surely I could make one with the scraps off my sewing room floor.

True that.  With a little quilt batting between the layers, it probably won't save my lappy from a bad fall, but aleast she looks cute!  Plus, the more I dress up my laptop, the less likely Jason is to keep stealing it, right?

The Death of a Schroed-Man

It is with heavy hearts that we say goodbye to a good friend:

Schroeder, the Hyundai

We knew this day would come, but at the ripe old age of 12 years old, he still feels so young to us.

This little guy has been a part of our family from the very start.  You could say he is the reason we are a family in the first place because it was in this very car that Jason asked me out on our first date.  

From Utah to San Diego, Maine, Idaho, Houston, Ohio, and Boston, he has carried us to family, cruise ports, vacations, and homes.  With our memories of better times, we send him on to a better place.  Though he is junk-yard bound for a mere $325, in our hearts, he will always be our little money pit.

Rest in Peace, Schroeder.

Feb. 9, 2008 - Dec. 6, 2012

The Hatter

 

Lincoln got a new hat, and from the moment he laid eyes on it, the two have been practically inseparable!  He wears it all day around the house, he wears it to preschool, he wears it to bed.

 

What a funny guy!  

(And notice Jason's participation in No-Shave-November.  I actually don't hate it.)

Another Stocking Was Hung

 Its DECEMBER!  FINALLY!!

Baby Wash

A Tree Skirt

Thanks to Dancing with the Stars being only one hour instead of two last night, our tree now has her own Christmas outfit!  Plus, I can wear it as a skirt for myself the other 11 months of the year!

Just kidding, that's ridiculous.  As is my obsession to fill December with as many crafts as possible!!

What a Doll

Lincoln and Parley each drew one of their girl-cousin's names for this year's Christmas cousin gift exchange, and since I'm still in a peg-painting fix (and since putting babies in charge of giving a gift really means Mom is in charge of giving a gift), I couldn't resist making more dolls!  I know their mothers read this blog, so as long as they don't show this to their daughters, it'll still be a surprise.

My Kids are Cute

Pie Day

Happy Thanksgiving!  This was our first Thanksgiving to spend away from family, so we spent the holiday with some old and new friends from our ward.  Our hosts, the dear Gregersens, are our new role models, and are 100% the couple we want to become.  The spread was beautiful and the meal was delicious, except I got some flu bug just before we sat down to eat, so I missed out on the entire meal!  Well, I had a few bites.  What a let down.  At least I got pictures!

Behold, the 16th rainbow ribbon jello I've made?  It takes over 8+ hours of diligence, so it only happens once a year.  I do believe it looks best in a trifle bowl.

Now THAT's a Thanksgiving dinner.

(The favorite pie of the night was actually NOT my blueberry pie, but the chocolate one behind it!  Thank you Mom Millar for the Lion House Pies recipe book that I finally had a chance to use!  These recipes are definitely repeats)

A Letter to my Younger, Newly Betrothed Self

Dear newly betrothed self,

Congratulations on finally getting a man, you old maid :)  Just so you know, Jason was worth the wait and endless journal entries of how woefully single your lonely little life is.  Thanks for not settling, you won't be sorry.
 
Keep in mind that you will both be better people in four years.  You will understand the other much better, know their insecurities even more, know how to help and when you should drop a matter altogether.

Don't let yourself be bothered by how many times Jason will leave the car lights on, because you will rack up several careless parking violations yourself.  I know you are worried about the little things, but trust me, these are shortcomings that will be easily overlooked as soon as you taste his cream cheese chicken.
 
Don't get discouraged when you feel you will never get pregnant.  Don't lose hope when you miscarry.  More little bundles are on their way!  Money will get really tight, and you both will be really scared, but it will always work out.  There will be times you'll be frustrated with each other, but there will be times that Jason will melt your heart like butter. 

If you ever wonder what your marriage will be like four years from now, know that it is stronger, better, and as happy as ever.  You never need to doubt that you made the best decision of your life.

Love, your happily married self of four years

PS--Its not a good idea to color your hair the week before your wedding, and don't go to that one nail salon for a wedding manicure, just do it yourself.  Wear warm stockings under your wedding dress, and don't forget to pack a WHITE bra, you silly girl.

Young Women in Excellence

Last week we held our Young Women in Excellence!  We (meaning mostly a dear Sis. Gregerson) put together a cute program with "The Worth of a Sole" theme.  It turned out so cute!

If you can't tell, we had a pair of shoes in their value color at each table.  I'm so proud of my girls!