Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!!! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday. I am so grateful for this time of year when we can spend time with friends and family and remember Christ's birth. Christmas Eve was a wonderful afternoon and evening at Jared's parents.We ate lots, opened presents and had the 2nd annual Christmas pageant. Greyden graduated from baby Jesus to a shepherd this year, but he didn't last very long.

He really just wanted to play.

Christmas Morning brought sleeping in (thank you grey!), lots of snow, hot chocolate, homemade cinnamon rolls and presents of course. Check out this rocking motorcycle! Thanks Dad & Mona! It was the perfect white Christmas. After presents we played outside in the snow. We then spent the afternoon with my family and had an amazing feast.

TAGGED: 6 things

Just in case you want to know even more about me, I've been TAGGED by Denise to tell 6 things about myself! Here goes...

1. I am kind of OCD about certain things. I have to have cans & bottles in the shower, pantry and cabinets facing forward. I will rewrite post-it notes and shopping lists if I make a mistake. I won't just cross it out; I have to start over. I take eggs out of the carton strategically so that it is balanced on both sides.2. I've never really had a nickname. Is that weird? I have never gone by any shortened version of my name either. It drives Jared crazy that he has to use 3 syllables! My brother used to call me Tina Turner when we were kids because it made me SO MAD.3. I am such a kid when it comes to Christmas. I LOVE the magic of it all. I love the lights, food, family, music, service, friends, decorations, snow, shopping, presents, Santa. EVERYTHING! I actually get depressed when it is all over.4. My first concert was Backstreet Boys with my sister. I had a serious crush on Nick Carter and thought for sure that I would be able to meet him afterwards. We tried to find the tour bus and hung around Fiddler's Green forever after the concert.5. Jared & I got married REALLY fast! It was three months from the day we met to our wedding day. We met Feb. 17th (three days after I moved to CO) and got married May 17. And I'm totally in L-O-V-E with him! I couldn't be with anyone better for me. That could have turned out really scary.6. I always planned on growing up and becoming a career woman. I got my degree and was hoping to move to NYC. Life changes. Funny how things have turned out... Now I'm such a HOUSEWIFE! I cook, clean, scrapbook, decorate, do the mommy thing. I actually have a wheat grinder on my list of things I want. I never thought I would say that! Hmmmmm...

Pam, Victoria, Amanda & Amy YOU'RE UP NEXT!!!

I guess he likes rap

Santa is Scary

Unfortunately, after waiting in line for over an hour, Greyden decided he is terrified of Santa. He was SCREAMING and all the poor kids in line were probably wondering why Santa was being so mean to Greyden. Of course they have you order the pictures before seeing Santa. Now I know why. I am stuck with 4-3x5's of Santa, Greyden and myself! Not quite what I imagined... At least I got some cute pictures of him with the reindeer while we were waiting in line.

The culprit

This morning I woke up and went straight to the mirror to pluck a few stray eyebrow hairs. Unfortunately for me, my fingers were slippery and the stupid tweezers slipped and smacked me in the eye ball. I couldn't open my eye for over an hour. Good news... I'm not blind. I went to the doctor and apparently sliced my cornea all the way across from top to bottom. As soon as she looked at it she said, " Oh WOW. That must have hurt." I don't like to hear that from the eye doctor. It was all good news except that I can't wear my contacts for a week. So I will either be wearing my stupid glasses from high school or one contact. I tried the one contact thing earlier and it really threw my balance off. I might just have to let my eyebrows grow in because I'm scared to touch them again.

A Happy Late Birthday to my Love...

Jared is one year older! We celebrated his birthday this past weekend by pretending we were single married again. Oh the days... Thank you Jodie for taking Greyden for us. We filled our Saturday with a matinee movie, dinner and a play downtown. Then we slept in until 8:30 on Sunday and ate breakfast in bed with Grey's Anatomy episodes on repeat. It was great!
I cannot believe how quickly the years are going by. We have been together for 5 of Jared's birthdays. Rod--You make me smile. I LOVE YOU!

Snow Day Activities

When we're stuck inside because of snow we have to be kind of creative. First Greyden digs through my clothes and pushes my pajama pants around the house. I find lots of socks, underwear, shirts in strange places. Greyden then messes up my makeup drawer, unravels a roll of toilet paper around the house and pulls out all of my spices (covering himself with cornstarch). After he is done tearing apart the house in 5 seconds flat, he grabs his favorite book about baseball and gets cozy with Cooper.

Faith in America

Whether you are a supporter of Mitt Romney for president or not, I know you will be moved by his "Faith in America" speech. I watched it live this morning and was extremely impressed. It is about 25 minutes, but is well worth the time. You can also read the transcript here.

Oh yeah... Go MITT '08!

Florida

What can I say? I had such a good time in Florida that I was actually depressed for a day or two after getting back. Ugh... It didn't help that I woke up at 2:15 denver time to travel back, walked in the door and had to hurry out to make it to the last hour of church.

My days in Florida consisted of sleeping in, making my way down to the beach and coming back up to watch some Desperate Housewives and eat lots of ice cream. I read two books and watched the entire first season of Desperate Housewives. I ate SO much junk and I loved every bit of it with no guilt. I think I've started something that I'm going to need frequently.

Aaaaah... This was me every morning:Christmas in Florida is very different. Everything is decorated with these huge things:My sunset walk on the beach with my mom:
My mom & I went kayaking in a bay and the mangroves and I swear I saw an alligator get in the water.I rented a bike one day to explore the island by myself. Here are a few photos I took:

A Problem in Paradise

Luckily I have free internet here, so I can still stay connected! As you know, Florida has very high humidity. I love everything about it except for my hair! Have any of you seen this episode of Friends where Monica's hair reacts to the humidity in Barbados? Um, yeah. Mine is getting suprisingly close to that.

Okay... here is the best photo I could get. This is my hair AFTER blowdrying it straight & using a really hot flat iron. It just would not get straight as hard as I tried. I'll post my Florida pictures soon.

I'm off...

to paradise! 5 days of not being mommy! 5 days of books, beach, movies and naps. My mom has a business trip to Sanibel Island in Florida and I'm going with her. I can't wait to be selfish and do whatever I want. Is that bad of me? I am actually excited for the first time in my life to travel on an airplane. I can just sit, eat snacks and not have to try to contain a one-year old. Don't get me wrong... I love my child. I'm just ready for a little refresher.

A late Thanksgiving

I have a few pictures from our Thanksgiving week. Jared got to be home from Wednesday on. It was such a nice, family-filled, relaxing week. We had an early Thanksgiving dinner with most of my extended family on Wednesday. This is my grandma with a funny looking Greyden.
Thanksgiving Day we ran the Turkey Trot. It has become our tradition. Three years in a row so far (2 for Grey)... It was FREEZING! Notice how bundled up we are.After the run we headed over to have dinner with Jared's family. Here's Greyden with his cute bib from Jodie & ready to eat! Notice the black eye? :(

Repeat?

Is this year's Christmas card going to be a repeat of last year's? Apparently he hates having his picture taken.

First (or second) Snow

I LOVE SNOW!!! We had a weak snowstorm last month, so it didn't really count. This week it has been so cold & snowy and I love it. It gets me so excited for a holiday season of fires, hot chocolates, warm blankets and my warm hubby.
I put some hot chocolate in our cocoa-latte (BEST thing ever!) and we went outside to play with the dogs. Greyden got all bundled up in his new snowsuit thanks to Grandma & Grandpa K. It was perfect for a long Thanksgiving weekend at home.

Congrats Jatoria!

congratulations to jordan & victoria! 11.16.07

Trouble, Generations & The Dancing G

I have been such a slacker at keeping this updated lately. I apologize to my fans out there! :) There hasn't been much free time for anything lately. Hopefully we will be able to relax with the holidays coming up... probably not. Here are a few things that have been going on around here lately:

I have been rearranging Grey's room to make room for the toys we seem to be accumulating quickly. This is one of my projects I have been working on to get the books off the floor. I have a few other things waiting to be painted. Someday...
Last week I was in the other room working and noticed that things had gotten very quiet in Grey's room. I have learned that when there is no noise there is trouble. Sure enough he had found a red marker and decided to play with it and eat it! I wish I could show you the red marker spots all over the hardwoods along with his hands, clothes and face. This photo will have to do:
Greyden is the only great grandchild on my side. He is so blessed to have been able to meet every great grandparent of his. It is a very rare situation. My amazing grandparents came to town a few days ago and Greyden got to see them. My grandpa came over with my mom to get some FUN playtime in.
Lastly, Greyden has started dancing to his toy airplane that sings a little song. It is quite catchy. I find myself singing it most of the day. Jared put the dancing into a little video for your viewing pleasure.

Welcome Baby Addison!

Our adorable new niece is here! Pam & Jason welcomed Addison last night. She was 5 pounds 15 ounces and 18 inches long. We got to visit them right after she was born and she is just so tiny and beautiful. Congratulations!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! This year was Greyden's first real halloween. We went to Gaylord St. to trick or treat at the shops. They shut down the block, play halloween music, have a haunted alleyway and all the shops hand out candy. It was so fun to see all the cute kids dressed up. Grandma & Grandpa K, Pam, Jason & Ryan all met up with us there. Ryan was the cutest little dragon ever.

After that we went down to Highlands Ranch and did some trick or treating with the cousins. I felt weird getting candy which they probably knew I was going to eat. I did give Greyden a mini M&M. As soon as Jared & I got home we split it up between the two of us. hehehe!

One year down....

Greyden turned one last week. I am a little slow at getting this posted. We've been sick around our home and not getting anything done at all! We had a nice family birthday party to celebrate and he had a blast opening gifts and eating cake. I cannot believe it has been a year! It is funny how different I thought things would be a year after having a baby... I thought I would be back to pre-baby weight, I would know what I am doing as a mother, my life would be a little more normal, my brain would be fully functional. Funny how things don't quite work out that way... I do have a little buddy and I'm never lonely! :) Happy First Birthday GREY!

Sick & Bored....

So I really should be in bed because our family has been sick in bed for days now. Instead I'm working on my church lesson for tomorrow. I did a search for a YW song and came across a quiz that tells me what I'm worth in dollars. :) Apparently I'm worth $2,304,000 but I'm not exactly sure what that means.

I am worth $2,304,000 on HumanForSale.com
How much are you worth?

I love Fall!

I love when summer starts fading into fall. It is one of my favorite seasons. The air is cool & fresh. The leaves are bright golds, reds and oranges. Snowy days are just around the corner. We get all cozy inside with hot chocolate and blankets... I love it!
Yesterday was the PERFECT fall day. I took Greyden over to Wash Park to play in the leaves and swings. He didn't quite know what to think of the leaves and it took him 10 minutes to move. I guess I need to get him outdoors a little more.

HAPPY FALL!

The Half

We did it! Our friends Joe & Leslie and Dave & Carrie ran the Denver half marathon with Jared & I. We woke up Sunday morning to find the temperature at 40 degrees and raining. The temperature didn't go up more than a degree or two throughout the morning and the rain continued on and on.
Throughout the race I dodged huge puddles even though my socks were soaked and squishing with each step. For the last 8 miles I could not feel my arms, hands or face. At the end of the race I couldn't move my mouth to talk and my lips were blue for another couple hours until I finally warmed up. I finished in 2 hours 17 minutes which is really bad, but I'm just proud that I made it to the finish line without taking any shortcuts (I saw some people cheating & I really wanted to follow!)
In spite of the tough weather, it was so much fun. I have never done anything that difficult before and it felt so good to finish it. I found myself getting a burst of energy at each mile marker for about a quarter mile. Then I would drag again for the last 3/4 mile. There were lots of people cheering us on and loud music which helped a lot.
I spent the afternoon trying to lay down between chasing Greyden around the house. As soon as I put him down for his nap I passed out! Joe & Leslie had us over for HUGE steaks and potatoes for dinner. Thanks guys!!!

Mitt Romney '08

I got to go see Mitt Romney speak last Wednesday at the DU law school. I have always been semi-interested in politics and the future of our country. I haven't paid much attention lately but assumed Mitt Romney might be someone I could support.
After hearing him speak I am positive this man is right for the job. He has his priorities in the right place. Our country is heading towards a scary place with lazy people feeling entitled to things without having to work for it. We need a strong leader who actually has morals leading us. We have seen him in action with the Salt Lake Olympics. He is able to take something heading for disaster and set it on the correct path.
His main goals for our country are to strengthen family, the economy and our military. He actually recognizes the importance of strong families to move our country forward. I will get off of my soapbox for now, but encourage you to look into the candidates for presidency and educate yourself. Get involved!

I did try to get a picture with him and followed the crowd for 20 minutes but just couldn't push my way past everyone. We were in the 8th row and I got this one from where we sat.

Almost 1!

Only a few more weeks until Greyden is 1! There are two other kids at our church that are turning one, so we had a little halloween party for them. It was hilarious watching all these kids run around in their costumes. I'm going to have to have a halloween party every year just to see all the cute costumes.
Greyden LOVED the chocolate cupcake and ate the entire thing as well as some of Lauren's cupcake. At the time I thought it was adorable. Last night when he wouldn't sleep it wasn't so cute. I had too many cute pictures, so I made a little movie out of them.

Vegas Baby!

I apologize in advance for the size of this post. We had a wonderful time in Vegas. We went with our friends Jenn & Eddie and their 1 year old daughter, Olivia. Thanks guys! They let us use their timeshare which was right behind the Flamingo. Greyden & Jared both behaved themselves rather well. :) Here are some highlights of our trip:

Eating at our FAVORITE restaurant in Vegas. The Harley Davidson Cafe has the best BBQ you will ever eat. Greyden slept in his stroller the entire time which made our dining experience even better. My sister and her hubby met up with us the first day. YAY!
The free circus at Circus Circus. They had contortionists (see freaky photo below), trapeze artists and all kinds of other crazy things.The Lions at MGM. I wanted to take one home with me. SO CUTE!
The Fountains at Bellagio are one of my favorite things to watch. Greyden was a little frightened the first time he saw them, but quickly warmed up to them.Our night out ALONE. Our friends took Greyden on Wednesday and Jared & I went to see the Cirque du Soleil: Mystere. It was incredible! Our seats were in the third row so we could see the sweat on the performers. After the show, we wandered around the strip, watched the fountains at Bellagio again and got a very late dinner at the Paris. We felt like we had been out all night and it was only 11:30 when we got back. Hmmmmm.Lastly, but one of my favorite things... Lounging at the pool, reading and soaking up the sun!