Wrapping up

Christmas Eve--all the Cushing and Cropper clan got together at Grandma and Grandpa's for a wonderful dinner and games!

Christmas Day--so much fun!!!  We had to wake Wade up, but Rhiannon was awake from 3am on!  We had a blast opening gifts, and then from noon on, everyone gathered at G & G's again.  We loved the new space in their home--plenty of room to spread out!  It was great to see great-grandparents, Aunt Rochelle, and our friend Autumn, too!

Sunday, Dec 26--We drove down to Provo for baby Magnolia's blessing.  Derrick did a great job on that, and he and Traci treated us to an amazing build-your-own-nachos lunch at Pinnacle afterwards.  It was great to be with Derrick, Jordan, Logan, and their families!!!  CAN'T WAIT FOR SHEEN REUNION IN JULY!!!  That night Rhiannon and Wade went to Uncle Brett and Aunt Jaymie's house for another cousin sleepover with McKaleigh, Colton, and Alex!  They had a BLAST together (thanks, Brett and Jaymie!!!)

Monday, Dec 27--We picked the kids up and had another Christmas at Best Buy with our Christmas money and gift cards.  Among the many purchases made were the X-Men trilogy "on Blu-ray,"  more Wii motion controllers, Toy Story 3, DS games, and a new DS lite game system for Wade!!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you, everyone!  That night we enjoyed a get-together with some of Jason's old friends and their families.  We had yummy Thai food and a fun FHE lesson given by Joe.  Thanks, Westenskows, for having us, and thanks to the Yohos, Cleggs, Gottfredsons, Pias, and Westenskows for a great evening!

Tuesday, Dec 28--Happy Birthday, Uncle BRANT!!!  We got up early and drove up to Idaho to see Grandma Sue and Uncle Max.  The visit was too short but very sweet.  We hung out with them and got a pretty tasty lunch at JB's, and then we headed back to Salt Lake.  That night we went to Uncle Matt's Octapella concert.  Highlights for me were the great music and kissing Jason under the mistletoe!  Yay! :)

Today--We'll start packing up today and hope to get home tomorrow, but there is a BIG snowstorm heading this way, with lots of snow expected all the way from Salt Lake to St. George.  If we get held over another day, that'll be fun, but I am KICKING myself for not bringing a little Primary project that needs to be finished by Sunday... Oh, well!  Maybe it'll help me stay up til midnight on New Year's Eve! :)

Tron, cousin sleepovers, date night

Just trying to get all this down so I don't forget!

Tuesday--woke up to more snow and bad roads.  We didn't feel good about going up to Idaho that day--hopefully  next week will be better!  The kids played in the snow more, and then later in the afternoon we ventured out to see a family-first:  an IMAX 3-D experience.  We watched Tron Legacy and had a really great time!

Wednesday--visited Great-Grandpa Rod and Nan; the kids had a blast with cousins Sam, Tyler, and Lilly with a sleepover at their house.  (Thanks, Heather and Matt!)  Jason and I got a date night and ate at Cafe Rio, then came home and watched the Utah/Boise State game.  I lost track of how many workers were in the house that day, and it is almost done! Grandma is such a TROOPER with all that going on!

Thursday--hanging out, and looking forward to a Sheen mini-reunion at Pinnacle tonight!!!!!!!

Snow! Shopping! Construction! Awesomeness!

We made it up to Salt Lake on Saturday with absolutely ZERO problems on the road.  A little rain, and gray skies the whole way up, but the roads were great.  Traffic wasn't bad either!  Instead of stopping by Grandpa and Grandma's, we went straight to the Throndsen family Christmas party and had a really great time there.  I realized afterwards that I was in full-blown travel mode--hadn't washed my face, brushed my teeth, or put any  make up on before the party. Oh, well!  Thanks so much to Grandma Lola and Grandma Deb for a fun evening!

On Sunday we took it easy in the morning and went to the Parleys First ward's Christmas-themed sacrament meeting.  It was wonderful.  We'd skipped out on a chance to see David Archuleta and Music and the Spoken Word (thanks for thinking of us, Robyn and Heather!), but the music at Grandma Deb's ward was pretty awesome, too.  Seeing Jason's friend Al in a Christmas-red jacket was awesomeness, too.  More relaxing in the evening and then Brett, Jaymie and kids came up for dessert and visiting.  Rhiannon's cousin McKaleigh brought Christmas early for Rhiannon with a PILE of cute clothes she'd grown out of.  Rhiannon is in heaven and has worn McKaleigh's stuff non-stop! :)

Yesterday we woke up to a couple inches of snow on the ground.  The kids bundled up and played in it for at least 2 hours.  More awesomeness!  We also got some final Christmas shopping done and stopped by the Crown Burger downtown  for a yummy lunch (Adam from Man vs. Food ate there, too! :)). 

This morning we woke up to a bunch more snow and bad roads.  We were going to head up to Grandma Sue's today, but we just weren't feeling good about it, especially since Jason spun out twice just moving the van into the driveway here.  Since Friday there have been terrible accidents on the road, and people have died.  We felt better about staying off the roads today, and hopefully we can go up to Idaho next week. 

The really big, exciting news has been the major addition that Grandpa and Grandma have done on their home.  It's amazing.  I've taken pictures and will have to load them up later, but just imagine a beautiful new exterior with stone work, a huge dining area and great room upstairs, and massive bedroom downstairs.  A giant hole was dug in the yard for the expansion, and the roof had to be adjusted, too.  It isn't finished, and there are workers all over the place, but it hasn't been bad.  I'm amazed at how much work has been done!  Grandpa and Grandma have done so much to make us feel welcome and comfortable--we're so grateful!  And we are SO happy for them!

So today we'll sit tight and probably play in the snow more!  Stay safe, everyone, and Merry Christmas!

Ready to hit the road

We are just about ready to hit the road to Utah tomorrow.  Jason came home safe and sound from DC this afternoon, and we've got Wade's final flag football game tonight.  Should be interesting, since it rained all morning long! :)  We are so proud of him for trying something new, trying his best, and being a good sport!

Today Rhiannon joined a very select "club" at school--she was presented a "million dollar bill" and congratulated for reading over one million words so far this year!  It was quite a surprise to both of us--I was "woo-hooing" all over the place and Rhiannon was grinning ear to ear!

I don't know how often I'll get on here while we're on vacation--so our best to all and....

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!

Kids

Rhiannon

--recently read Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse  (she will not be allowed to read Breaking Dawn for several years, though)
--I don't think she has too many bad dreams, but every night she asks me to tell her that she won't have any nightmares
--is making good progress with piano and very faithful about practicing.  She's filled the house with Christmas songs lately!
--is quietly boy crazy
--has most of Mindy Gledhill's songs on her Anchor CD memorized (we sing along in the van)
--does NOT get excited when people ask us about going back to DC someday and we say maybe when the kids are older
--has zero interest in getting her ears pierced; she's really worried it will hurt
--likes purses; she collects cute ones that she finds at thrift stores
--tried out for the school's spelling bee this week and got out on words "asterik" and "billycan."  I still don't know what a billycan is.
--is taller than me when she wears her "heel" shoes to church.  You can imagine how fun that is for her!


Wade

--gave me a sticky note yesterday that said, "your awesome"
--also gave me a sweet hug and kiss on the cheek yesterday, probably because I've been doing that to him a lot, too!
--trying to read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows right now
--was so happy when Dad taught him and Rhiannon how to play Star Wars Battlefront with the PlayStation controllers
--has been complaining about his leg hurting lately (I hope it's just growing pains)
--list maker, list maker, list maker
--has improved a lot in flag football; the last game he played he blocked two people at the same time!
--LOVES searching iTunes; right now he's into movie soundtracks and has a long list of albums he'd like to purchase!
--is trying to grow his hair out "until at least March," after years and years of buzz cuts, he looks really different!
--must be getting taller, too, because he can reach the chips in the pantry and keeps growing out of his church shoes!

Catching the spirit of Christmas

I'll admit it, I've been a little too crazy busy lately to really feel that sparkly Christmas feeling.  I am SUPER EXCITED, TOTALLY STOKED, and R-E-A-D-Y to get out of town and spend Christmas with extended family this year.  But the downside of that is being rushed to get everything done before the trip.  I had these grand plans of baking up a storm and delivering fresh-from-the-oven goodie plates to neighbors and friends around town.  That isn't going to happen.  A few neighbors on our street who we know well will get a bag of M&M's with a poem attached:


M & M Christmas Poem




As you hold these candies in your hand
And turn them, you will see
The 'M' becomes a 'W',
An 'E', and then a '3'.

They tell the Christmas Story--
I'm sure it's one you know.
It took place in a stable
A long, long time ago.

The 'E' is for the East,
Where the star shone so bright.
The 'M' is for the Manger,
where the Baby Jesus slept at night.

The '3' is for the Wisemen,
Bearing gifts, with which they came.
'W' is for Worship,
Hallelujah! Praise His Name!

So as you eat these candies
Or share them with a friend,
Remember the meaning of Christmas:
It's a love that never ends.

And hopefully the rest of our friends we know and love will know that we're thinking of them!  Truly! 

This afternoon I was driving all over town delivering not goodies, but new 2011 class binders to our fabulous Primary teachers.  I finally caught some of that Christmas cheer as I visited with each person who answered the door.  I gave hugs, said lots of "MERRY CHRISTMAS," and let people know that I appreciated them for their service and kindness.  It was a good reminder that Christmas is NOT all about the shopping and baking and preparing--it's more about letting people know that you care!

Jason's work party

Jason was a trooper yesterday.  He woke up in DC at 2:45am California time, made it home around 2:30pm, and then we went to his Christmas party for work til almost 9:30.  Quite a long day for him, but he was a good sport about it.

This year's party was a blast.  We ate at Casey's BBQ (the dinner was awesome, but my favorite part was the garlic mashed potatoes...yum...) and played the traditional white elephant game.  There were some C-R-A-Z-Y gifts going around that night, everything from a vinyl "We Are The World" recording (the guy who unwrapped that was funny--"too bad I don't have a record player") to Disney Princess dominoes to a camo Snuggie.  I laughed pretty hard when I realized someone was opening the gift we brought to LAST year's party--nothing says love like re-gifting white elephant presents! :)

The best part of the game was the last 2 minutes.  Earlier that night Jason had been joking with friends at our table about how awesome it would be to wrap an autographed picture of yourself.  So the last few minutes of the game went like this:

1.  Stuffed Christmas mouse was taken from someone--we never saw that coming.
2.  Person who lost the mouse stole the Snuggie.
3.  The person who lost the Snuggie got to open the very last gift on the table, which was, you guessed it, an autographed picture of our friend Steve!

We laughed and laughed and laughed so hard that our voices hurt!  It was a fun night.

For the game Jason gave away his 1st Class pjs from our Lufthansa flight, and in return I got to take home some of these:




















Slipper Genies for dusting your floor, and a microfiber dusting glove.  I don't know if I could have come away with a more perfect gift! HAHAHAHA! :)

I wish I was making this stuff up...

I thought I'd share my substitute job experience from today.  It's a doooooooooooozy.

Let's start with the positives on today's job, shall we? First, there were some really sweet kids in the class. Second, I didn't cry. (Key word is I--I did make some kids cry,though). Oh, sorry, I'm supposed to stay positive. The kids liked my stories about Christmas ding-dong-ditching, and they loved it when I read aloud in strange voices. For my very first full-day job, I survived. (Is that positive???) I did what the teacher asked me to do in the lesson plans, except for the math problems at the very end. I wasn't found at the end of the day weeping in a corner or stuffed into a trashcan.


So here are some other things that happened that give you a clear picture of the overall day:

1. I dealt with a cryer, LOTS of tattle-talers, and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of talking. Some day these kids will be awesome presenters or politicians, any job where you get to talk/talk/talk and listen to your own voice all day. It's funny, though, I think the cryer was the hardest one for me to deal with. This person cried about EVERYTHING.

2. I got lots of help from other adults on campus, yelling at my class to quiet down outside because there were people in class. Yeah, and I was standing right there in the middle of it all, too. Heck, I even got help from the PRINCIPAL when she found one of my kids on the sidewalk with a sprained ankle. (No, this was not at recess--we were just walking back to class, and two kids started running after a ball. Kid #2 fell, sprained his ankle and went home. This is the part I feel the worst about.)

3. The very last minute of the day, I handed out Smarties, ONLY to the kids who'd had good behavior that day. It was probably about half the class. One kid, who'd really been crazy, acted surprised when I didn't give him a Smartie. He rushed out the door, sobbing, right when Rhiannon and Wade were there waiting for me. They looked at me with this "You made someone cry???" expression! Just pile it on, folks!

4. During the day I confiscated baseball cards, a Burger King Zhu-Zhu pet, a tiny skateboard, and a scary contraption made of broken paper clip pieces and an eraser. I should have confiscated ALL of the teacher's extra stash of pencils, erasers, dry-erase markers, a certain kid's scissors, and that darn pencil sharpener,etc, etc, etc.

5. Have you heard the expression "a sign of things to come"? Well, I got a BIG SIGN the first 10 minutes of class. The school district's counselor was out sick, so I read a story I had in my backpack, a drippy sweet story about how we all have invisible buckets that we fill by being kind to others, etc. Our invisible bucket is emptied when we're unkind. There were a few kids who got the message of it and had smiles on their faces. Guess what the rest of the class was doing? Trying to steal their neighbor's invisible bucket! I'm laughing about it now, but at the time I was stunned. I just didn't see that coming.

Well, my worst fear came true today. I became one of "THOSE" subs, the person who has zero control and manages to let the whole school know it. Oh, and the sub who makes kids cry, too.  HOPEFULLY it can't get worse, right? RIGHT?

I'm signing off on the longest day EVER.  May future jobs be less eventful!!!!!!!!

Thanks, Logan!!!!!!!!!!!

Nothing says Christmas like some new Coldplay! :)

Thanksgiving 2010

Thanksgiving was excellent this year.  We had a nice traditional meal with Howard and Sandi, enjoyed watching Texas A&M beat t.u., had a fire going in the fireplace, and had an all-around relaxing day.  I was surprised and pleased to find that even though I'd been on my feet most of the day, I wasn't tired and felt great!  (of course that all caught up to me the next day, but that's okay!)

Sandi brought some DELICIOUS apple pie, 2 bags of yummy rolls, and cranberry sauce (all homemade).  I prepared the turkey (LOVE THE OVEN BAG!!!), mashed potatoes, fruit salad, and green bean casserole, and then I heated up some store-bought gravy and stuffing. 

After dinner we played some Apples to Apples and then oohed and aahed over pie for dessert!  We were so happy to have Howard and Sandi come over to make the day complete!

I did a very little bit of Black Friday shopping around midnight, and then Sandi helped us with an annual family photo shoot later in the morning.  That weekend we also had a "blast" (no pun intended) shooting off Wade's cool rocket kit that he got for his birthday!  

We also spent the weekend decorating the house for Christmas--I'll get pictures up later!  Merry Christmas!!!!!!!