Christmas Past

It was over before I knew it. It seems as though this Christmas season was faster than any others I can recall. Perhaps it is because I am pregnant and spend a lot of my spare time sleeping or practicing my birth preparations. Perhaps it is because I spent my days busily preparing for Christmas and it all just went by in a blur.

We had a lovely Thanksgiving at Ken's parents house. A couple of days before that Ken and I got the bulk of the shopping done and then we reevaluated some of the gifts and had two more trips back to stores to get thing just right. We had a nice Family Home Evening at home on the 30th when we decorated the tree. We had the missionaries to dinner twice and we attended a couple of parties. We enjoyed the company of friends and family. On the 24th we spent the evening with Ken's parents and siblings. We enjoyed a nice Christmas dinner and a reading of the Christmas story complete with dressed up grandkids and presents and lots of singing. It was perfect.

We came home to bed and awoke to a house full of presents and excited children. I think in the future we will not recall the presents (there were many) but we will think of the fun and the chaos. We did sing in the ward choir this year (Ken, Kayla and me) I will remember that. We sang Oh, Holy Night and I was to emotional to sing during part of it. It really made me think of how special this time of year is. The line in the song says "Behold your King, before him lowly bend" and "He knows your needs". I felt at that moment that he truly does know me.

Today things are getting back to normal. I bought some storage tubs for the new toys that need to be put away. The tree was taken down and the decorations carefully wrapped up for next year. I vacuumed the whole house and moved all the leftover treats to one spot where I have since been pushing them on my kids to eat before they are inedible.

I feel the need (probably pregnancy-related) to clean and put away everything. I have just a few things left to get ready before it is time for the baby. Today marks one calendar month left till my due date. I spoke to a good friend at church that will loan me her bassinet for the few months I will need it (woo hoo! Something else I don't have to buy). I am borrowing a (new) car seat from my sister in law and that should be over here soon too. That marks the end of my physical preparations. I don't know if we are ready emotionally yet.

Much of this week will revolve around the kids. They are out of school this week and while Ken is at work we have many things planned. I have many candy canes that need to be made into cookies. I thought we should make at least one batch :) We also plan to attend the children's museum before our pass expires. Brady's actual birthday is on Friday so I have a cake to make.

I have no doubt that this week will pass as quickly as the last and it will be the past soon. I plan to try to savor as much of this time as possible. This is my last few nights of decent sleep and my last week with my kids home before the new baby. This is the last few days of the year and the last few days of the decade. I will have to give some thought to my resolutions.

Today we learned about reverence in class at church. I have some ideas to make a more reverent house and more reverent children. I am not sure why but Sunday mornings are hard for our family. We have lots of conflict and strife some Sundays. Today was also a change day for the kids and that is hard too. Today was the last day on 11 o'clock schedule. Next year we meet at 1:00. I think I will prefer church from 1-4 with a new baby.

In the picture above (taken on 12/20) I am wearing my Christmas outfit and my hair that needs a cut. It is the most recent of my belly pictures. It probably won't get much more dramatic from here on out - I am unable to eat much due to a tiny stomach space and horrid heartburn. The upside is less gained weight on my part. Kinda takes the fun out of holiday eating when I dread the after-effects.

I hope that all of you had wonderful Christmas-times. How bright the new year appears from here :)

My Tee-Bee

Today is my sister Tracy's birthday. She is still a twenty-something (lucky!). Tracy was born last in our family and I remember when she came home. I recall how tiny she seemed. I remember thinking that she was too perfect to belong to our family. She was a very tender hearted child. Often she would empathize so much with others she would cry on their behalf. Mom always made us cut her slack on that. Tracy had to grow up early. With our mom's illnesses, someone had to be caretaker. Most of the older ones were out of the house and off living our own lives and Tracy got to be the one to help out the most in her teen years.

Tracy lived with me 4 times other than when we were growing up. She has always been rock solid in her testimony and her devotion. She is so loving and caring of others. Tracy made choices in her life that have made me look up to her. She has shown me the way to be instead of the other way around. Most of the times I lived with Tracy after I was an adult was when I was going through great personal trauma. She always had a listening ear and had great insights into my dilemmas. We have been roommates through thick and thin.

We worked together at my last job and she grew that little job into the career that she now flourishes in. One of the things I have always admired about her is her persistence. Many times I would have quit on things had I been in her shoes. She keeps on going and stays positive about the future. Somehow she balances a huge workload and service with church and time with friends and family.

Tracy is the best auntie on the planet. She remembers birthdays and Christmas for her many nieces and nephews. She attends all the events that she can from soccer games to dance recitals.

Tracy is also supportive of me when secretly she thinks I am making a crazy choice. She loves me unconditionally and never says "I told you so".

We don't live close anymore but I am confident that someday we will again. We share a love of rodeo and purses, shoes and fashion and people watching. We also share a sense of humor and a love of Jane Austin and book reading.

It is amazing the sisterhood that we share. We all (4 of us) came into the world so different yet there are not any 3 other women I would want to be with forever. May we all live on the same block in heaven!

I love you Tee Bee and I hope your day is awesome. I know you have many goals for the new year and I want you to know that this is the year that you conquer your foes and have one of the best years of your life. Cool having a birthday at the end of the year, you can set all of your resolutions at the same time! Last year at the end of the year we talked about our goals for 2009. I remember our conversation. Aim high for 2010. It is a new decade and you deserve the very best.

Love, Cindy

Getting Ready for Baby

On November 14th, my good friends Katie and Emily threw a baby shower for me. Emily is on the left in the picture, Katie is on the right.

There were plenty of gifts from my good friends.

Emily made this cool baby carriage cake from scratch. So cute!

L-R: Jennica, Carolyn, Olivia

Sheila, Cristeen

Rachel, Carmen

Catrina and me

We had a light lunch that was delicious.

Kathleen, Anna, Laura

We played Candy Bar Memory.

I opened aforementioned gifts. They are so cute and I can't wait to put her into them.

Cristeen is due one day after me and we compared bellies. She is having #5 and mine is #2. We look great!

I put the crib together and a few days later my new mattress came from my dear sisters (Thanks Collective!). I made the bed with the new crib bedding that I got shortly after I found out I was having a girl. I love it. I prefer simple and clean to characters and loud colors. This set was made for me.

I still need to find a bassinet and I have been looking on Craigslist for just the right one. I haven't found it yet. I have the dresser/ changing table refinished and ready to go:

This piece had a former life as a china hutch. Someday I will use it for that again. For now it works perfectly as my changing table and the cupboards underneath have baskets for her clothes. I am a little superstitious so I have not washed anything except a few items that are newborn size. I keep thinking that I will find out she isn't really a girl after all.

I would love to find a recliner or glider of some kind to go in that room. They are all really expensive and so I don't think we will get one for now. The room that we have the crib in will have a divider of some sort to shield the baby room part from the office part but I have not yet found the right screen or divider. I keep looking and hope that we can put something together before she actually sleeps down there.

I toured the hospital on Thursday evening to see how things are there. The nursery had a new arrival just as we were looking in the window. The nurse was efficient but not loving as she diapered and wrapped him and washed his hair. Poor thing cried the whole time. Who knows where his mom or dad was. I have requested to have the baby kept with me for the first hour (on my chest) and then Ken or I will bathe her. We are not planning to be separated from her unless there is some urgent medical need on her part. I pray that things will go as I am hoping.