An Inconvenient Truth

Last night, Emma learned an inconvenient truth.  One of my friends saw Samuel with us and said, "oh, I have a huge compliment for you."  Then she proceeded to tell us how she had her visiting teachers over and how they ended up mentioning Sam.  They all agreed that if they had been 12 year old girls they would have had a huge crush on him.

 Emma was not impressed.  "That is so wrong!  Take that back!  He can not be handsome.  He's my brother."  Sorry sweetie, I'm afraid you do have a handsome brother! --even with the scar

This year it's all about me!

Update:  I can't believe that I forgot that on my actual birthday, my wonderful friends took me out and we did pedicures and lunch and dessert!  I love my wonderful friends- Kim, Lynette and Jaci!  They are the bomb!

Yes, I got to be selfish this year- but not for the whole year, I promise.  But for the first time since my beautiful daughter was born, I took back my birthday- just for the year.  I love, love, love having my only daughter born on my birthday and I have no problems giving it up to her, except for this year.   This year is mine.  I told her point blank that she wasn't getting a birthday this year, because this year it was all about me.  Now, next year- that is going to be a fiesta of Emma!  On our birthday, I did run a bunch of roses over to the high school for her.  The lady in the office said that it was the second delivery to her that day.  Really?  Who else brought my daughter in something.  It turns out two friends brought her in big balloons.  One had it delivered and the other one just gave it to her.  The one friend had a birthday on the same day, so Emma (feeling bad that her friend hadn't been given anything) gave it back to her with a happy birthday to you!  She also taped a bunch of balloons to her locker for her.  When I told Rob that I was going to bring in flowers to the school he said, "Are you sure?  I wouldn't like having to carry around a bunch of flowers all day!"  I reminded him that was because he wasn't a girl!  Girl's actually like you to make a big deal about their birthday and what is a better way than carrying around balloons and flowers so everyone knows it's your birthday!?

Robert- with much instruction, planned the party for my birthday.  He said, "basically you want a nine year old boys party?"  Now he had it!  Ha!  So yes, we went to laser quest.  

Then we went out to Cho's Asian restaurant.

Then we came back for cake and ice cream.

The boys played with my new bike trainer and attached the odometer while the girls played Oodles.  It was  a good night!

Our birthday's pretty much took over the entire week.  Rob put a new chocolate something on my pillow every morning.  Every morning I forgot- seriously, you would think I would get it after a while, but when you are up at 5:30 am making lunches and breakfasts and getting everyone out the door at different times, your brain doesn't always remember incidentals!  So every morning I had a surprise!  

On our actual birthday we did have cake that Rob made with Max's help.

And balloons.

And presents!

 Rob got me one of those bracelets that have beads for special things.  I have ones for all the kids birthdays, Rob birthday, our anniversary year, and beads that have to do with me, like proud army wife and a running shoe and a scrapbooking one.  He also got both Emma and I Kindle Fire's.  I don't know if I will get into mine, because I am way too cheap to buy any more books.  We have so many books!!  Trying to check them out from the library is impossible, though.  On one list I am number 667 on the wait list.  Yep, I am never going to see that book before I move!

Friday Emma had some friends over to watch a movie and eat pizza's that they made themselves.  

Rob asked on Sunday, "Are we finally done with your birthday's?"  I told him yes, but then Emma quickly put in that she hadn't had her Chinese that she had wanted and couldn't we go to Chinese on Monday?  Ah, let's just extend this birthday out a little more- you are only 415 once!

Formally Yours

They decided to have a winter ball for the youth.  Everyone dressed up- all right, all the girls dressed up.  The boys were in their usual- because let's face it, most girls can find someone to borrow a formal/semi-formal from, but the boys usually rent a tux.  And nobody was renting anything for a church dance!
Emma borrowed mine.  I have used it so many times, lately!  (Sarcasm)  They did have a Christmas ball, here, like they are suppose to in every unit, but we didn't go.  Rob says it's because I didn't tell him that I wanted to go, but I only said it like 5 times.  In D.C. they had them also, but they were close to a $100 a piece to go.  I wonder how many people showed up to those!!  So I haven't worn the dress since we lived in Texas.

Anyway,  Emma wore mine, but even though she has more to fit inside a  bra than I do, her 5'4 frame is just smaller all the way around than my 5'8 frame, so the sweetheart neck kept falling.  I overlapped the zipper and pinned it and then I pinned both her bra straps to the gown.  Still, I told her, "No bending over!"  I suppose, since she is turning 15 here in a couple days, we better invest in a modest one for her.  I can't believe she will be able to date in just 1 year!!

I drove the girls up.  I gave out bandaids to pretreat all the heel blisters.  Still a couple of them developed some nasty ones.  One had just gotten a pair of really cute nude heels that were way to high.  She told us the story of her mother telling her that they were too high, but getting them for her anyway.  While walking into the church, Emma says to her friend, "Tiffany, walk normal."  To which Tiffany replied, "I can't."  I replied, "She can't walk normally Emma, her heels are too high!"  LOL  Tiffany yelled, "No their not Sister K!"
After I dropped them off, I picked up snacks and came home to a house full of guest to watch a football game.  We had a fun, relaxing night.  The girls came home around 10:30 pm and got into pajamas, immediately.  Then they told us all about who said what and who smelled the best and who twirled them on the dance floor.  I have a feeling I better enjoy all that talk, because I have three boys coming up after Emma.  Boys don't talk very well.  When Rob talks to his mother or sister or someone on the phone.  I'll ask him what they said, when he hangs up and he'll say, "nothing."  Really, they just sat their on the other end of the line for 20 minutes not saying a word?  Curious!  Any advice on how to make a guy talk?

Other Miscellaneous Holiday Fun

Watching a Clamation Christmas- Rob's favorite.

Being, once again, Party Mom for Kindergarten.  

This holiday we made graham cracker structures and decorated them, painted green and red pencils with white stripes- they turned out so cute! 

 And had a cake walk.

Made Mom lots of cards to go along with her birthday calendar.  

That took some time!  She's got lots of people to send birthday wishes to!!

Making holiday Candy Apples- that's right, Candy Apples ain't just for Halloween, anymore! 

 The Young Women loved, loved them!  I made traditional caramels for all my adult friends.  One of them ate the entire thing in Sunday School!!

And last, but certainly not least, going and shooting our new guns! 

 Fun, fun, fun!  I don't know why I didn't realize how loud they were and that they shoot fire out of the end of them.  I must have jumped out of my skin half the time we were there.

  I did shoot, though

 and by the end of the clip, I felt a lot better about it and wasn't shutting my eyes every time I squeezed the trigger.  Rob kept trying to show me how to work the gun before, in case of intruder while he was away, but I never felt comfortable.  I feel a lot better about it now, especially since I hit close to where I was suppose to every time, except once!

Promoting New Years

Rob's number for promotion just missed December.  His Mom really wanted to see a promotion, but since we aren't with a regular unit, nothing was really planned.  That meant we got to do it all!  Lucky us!  Rob took care of the ceremony 

and Carolyn and I took care of the reception and the New Year's party afterwards.  You can't ask people to give up their New Year's without holding a party.  Luckily, again, most of them had plans and we only ended up with three families at our house- Perfect!!  

Everyone just orders a cake.  They have the new ones now where they can spray paint anything on them. But since I did that cake for his change of command, I have made it sort of my tradition.  

I like the flag cake and it taste oh, so much yummier than a store bought cake!

I bought all these chocolate Lindt balls with red and gold and blue wrappers- more as decoration, but also so people could enjoy one.   I forgot my son would be there.  Grandma said he only ended up with about 6 handfuls!  Robert confiscated some, I confiscated some and Grandma confiscated some, but Joseph is tricky!

New Year's was a lot of fun.  

It was also Kelly's birthday, so we did have birthday cake.  

It was picked out by her 7 year old daughter so it was pink with more pink!!  We played Oodles, dance partied it up and had lots of food.  We shouted out Happy New Year's twice- once at 10:35 pm so the families of small children could go home and put the over tired children to bed

 and again at midnight when the ball dropped.  Midnight was much more fun, because we broke out the fake champaign and the spray string!

We were so thankful that so many people took time out to come and see Rob.  The Dean family came up from Kentucky- just for 6 hours.  

Andre promoted Rob and then sic-ed his three oldest boys on him for a good wrestling match. 

I only say it was good, because I wasn't there to watch and although Rob came up sweating and with the wind completely knocked out of him, nobody died or got seriously injured!

Mike was the MC

 and Tony was the sound master (he didn't want to have to get dressed up in a uniform.)  All the families came.  Rob's councilor at school came and was impressed at all the guys that were there.  Even a few families from the ward which knew nothing about military promotions came out.  

We called our friends from Virginia who had moved out here a year before us, the day of the promotion (oops!) and they still came!  They and the other Air Force couple we invited both sang the Army song at the end (even though they told me that in good conscious they couldn't sing it!)  Wow, we felt really loved!  Dianne helped keep the food coming at the reception as well as Carolyn and Gary. 

 She also took the majority of the pictures for us. 

 Congratulations Lt. Col. Rob!

Backing up to Christmas

I know you have been waiting with baited breath (where does that phrase come from?) for this post- all about our December.

Christmas is one of my most favorite times of year.

 I love decorating, I love the colors,

I love finding the perfect gift for people, I love the traditions.

On the night of the 5th, as normal, St. Nicholas visited us.  This time he brought a note from Santa Claus, saying that he had received the children's notes and was working on getting them the things they wanted.  Also he explained that his 10th cousin several times removed aka St. Nicholas was borrowing his sleigh this year in order to make it to all the European families scattered throughout the globe.

Each of the children received some candy, a book and a little toy.

Our Ward Christmas party was fun.

  Max is the only one that will go and see Santa Claus now (sad face).

Christmas Eve, I had to work, but Rob's Mom and Step-dad were with us, so they made the traditional clam chowder dinner.  After I got home we ate and had our traditional retelling of the birth of Jesus with accompaniment from Emma, Mom and Joseph.

I was the angel this year.

The kids opened their pajamas and left out a plate of cookies that they had finished while I was at work and root beer- Santa is too nice to say he doesn't enjoy warm milk, but we know better.  Root beer is always a crowd pleaser!

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.

Christmas morning the kids all pile in our bed until we decide to let them out,

but they always have to wait a little longer on the stairs

 while Mom gets the camera.

The children have always gotten a quick note from Santa, but this year he wrote them an entire letter.

(Someone has been reading Letter's from Santa Claus by J.R.R. Tolkien!)

It was a good Christmas with lots of good stuff

Joseph found one present tied to Rob's still floating birthday balloon.

Max really, really wanted a nutcracker.  I'm not sure why, but he never forgot to mention it when someone asked and he looked at them at every store we went to that had them.  

Heaven's help us- now we have all kinds of guns in the house!  Sam starts his gun safety class in January.

 and way, way too much sugar to consume! 

 I gained about 4 pounds!  Good thing for New Year's resolutions!