FHE old school...

So, tonight for fhe, we will have a Christmas centered lesson. At the end, I'm going to ask the kids to create a "program" for rick and I since we will be here on Christmas. I can't wait to see what they come up with! Frosty the Snowman, dance to Oh Lamore (no idea how you spell that), a nativity where Mary was happy but sad, Saturday night live style skits...the sky is the limit people. I just wish I had the infamous videos to show them how fun it is to make fun of yourself 20 years later!

Thanksgiving Break...

I'm getting smarter...I've learned my kids function much better with structure. So, I planned things for Thanksgiving break. I had one craft for each day, one outdoor activity and mandatory normal bedtimes. It has left me sane after a week of the kids being home! We did some fun crafts - we made oreo turkeys, decorated t-shirts with bleach pens, painted wooden letters, and painted cans for a totem pole. For our outdoor activities, we went to the park, or just played outside on the trampoline (beautiful weather!) or played in the street. Carter could kick a soccer ball back and forth to me for HOURS and Jake was practicing basketball and the girls played on their bikes or hung out with the neighbor kids. And, bedtime was MANDATORY with the exception of Thanksgiving. The kids went to bed late but Carter didn't get up til 8:30 and Malia didn't get up til 9:45 (that's my girl). The other activity we did every day is reading outloud from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The boys both wanted to read it to get AR points at school, so we decided to do it together over vacation. It has been a great read. I think we will do another one over christmas.

Anyway, that's how I survived Thanksgiving break with no diet coke. It is truly a miracle...and they go back to school on Monday so I can finish up my Christmas shopping and get ready for the holiday season. I plan to do what I did last year...the bare minimum. Meaning...I won't volunteer for everything and I will take time to enjoy the season and my children. This will be one of our first Christmases ever spent in our own home so I'm determined to make it memorable for them and THAT takes planning!

Pregnancy Pics

For all you non-facebookers. A couple weeks ago I went to Cali to have Judy take some pregger pics. Isn't Judy fabulous? It only took 3 days of airbrushing to make me look presentable! Thanks Judy!

If you want to check out a few more, you can go to http://judyphan.blogspot.com/2009/11/maternity-portraits-with-kristin-part.html

It's official...

I've gone bananas! As of 5 minutes ago, I have registered for my first (and most likely last) marathon. Wednesday, January 13th I will be flying out to Pheonix, Arizona with the intent of running PF Changs Rock N' Roll marathon that will be taking place on Sunday, January 17th. I told myself that I needed to run a 20 miler before I'd commit to a marathon and on Saturday I did. I nearly died doing it but with the correction of some rookie mistakes (not eating before, not drinking water during, running in the snow, running by myself) I am crossing my fingers my next attempt will be less torturous. Wish me luck family and friends because I'll be needing it around mile 20 when I decide I'd rather run myself into oncoming traffic than continue the upcoming 6 miles.

I said what????

At work on Friday, my boss called from a conference room. Knowing it was him, I answered and said, "Nobody's home." I then answered his question and hung up.

I heard chuckling in the background. So, when I went into the room a few minutes later and he wasn't in there, I said to the other attorneys in there, "You liked that, eh?"

They said, "Yeah, especially when you said 'Love you' before you hung up."

My jaw dropped! I could not believe it. So much for being a wise guy.

I'll let you know what the pink slip says on Monday. :)

FHE

Tonight's FHE was given by Carter. It was on the first vision. At the end, I asked if anybody had any questions. Malia raised her hand. Her question was, "What was the earth when we were still in Valencia?" My response..."Uhhh....what should you do if you have a question we can't answer?" Malia's response "The clouds are white, the sidewalk is yellow, the grass is green and the sky is blue."

All righty then. That concludes this FHE.

Congrats to Jake!

Jake came home from school today with the biggest smile on his face...he made the Varsity Basketball team at school. He was practically giddy. So Mark, if you still want the job as his manager, drop out of school and move to Fresno and get your game face on!