After Christmas Update

Hello! I was going to try and post a whole photo album on here, but it didn't work the way I wanted it to. So instead I'm going to post an album on facebook tonight and sometime later on myspace. I will put a few pictures on here though.

We had a really great Christmas! We were in ID with my in-laws, who are awesome. We stayed for about 5 days or so. My mother in law is an angel. Jana and I have been having gallbladder problems since having babies. Jana's is way worse, though, and I can pretty much eat what I want as long as I don't go overboard on fatty foods. Diane (MIL) made every dinner twice, one normal and one fat-free. Amazing! Usually I just ate the normal, but the last night she made this amazing chicken and suffing casserole thing and I had the non-fat. Delicious!

Chaela also met her cousin Addie (along with several aunts and uncles) for the first time ever. They were so cute! Addie is almost 6 months old, so she can almost sit up on her own and is grabbing things and fun stuff like that. It made me way excited for Chaela to get bigger, even though she's already growing so fast!!

I took some pictures on the ride home. Snow in the mountains, pretty sweet!

Chaela slept through opening her presents, but she got some good stuff. Lots of cute outfits and a fun photo album from Addie that she can even chew on!

There are a ton more pictures, so I know pretty much everyone can see them on facebook. Go look! Love you all!

Oh, I almost forgot. She started smiling on Christmas Eve! Best present ever!!!

Christmas Smiles

Chaela pics and Christmas Stuff

Here are some lovely pictures of Chaela! My awesome friend Heather sent me her old camera, so now we have one that works well!! Woohoo! Some of these will be great to show her boyfriends when she gets older... if Will allows her to have any! Some of these are really cute, though.

So my sister in law Jana made a post a little while ago on some of the Christmas traditions she had while she was growing up. Since I like to be like her, I thought I would post on that too because it's a really cool idea.

We had a few traditions that are really fun that I'd like to continue with my kids. The best one was that every night for a week before Christmas, the elves came and left small presents in our stockings. I remember when I was younger getting a koosh ball (remember those?) and a Lisa Frank glitter pen and those types of things. Oh, and always some kind of chocolate Santa. Delicious! I always thought that was really fun.

Another one is that we always got to see both sides of the family because most of them lived within a half an hour of each other in IL. I really, really miss that. With Will being from ID and my family being from IL and OH, I don't think we'll ever get to see both sides on the same Christmas. So family, whichever side you may be on, I'm going to need you all to pick some area and settle in it so we can be close to everyone!!

Anyways, when my dad's side gets together on Christmas day (mom's side does Christmas Eve now) they make cake and dip. Basically it's chocolate cake in hot chocolate sauce. Soooooo good! The only thing is that "traditionally" the recipe passes from mother in law to daughter in law. Since my dad's mom taught it to my mom, my brother's future wife would be the only one to learn it. Too bad that's one tradition we're going to have to put an end to, haha!

We also do an advent calendar every year kind of, but it's the same one every year. It's Mickey and Minnie decorating the Christmas tree. Each day is an ornament, then a present, and the last day is a star. Don't worry, Jana, we always had to rotate who got to put on the star, too.

We watch a million Christmas movies like all of the old claymation ones. "Rudolf," "Santa Clause is Coming to Town," "The Little Drummer Boy," and my personal favorite, "The Year Without a Santa Clause." Now add "The Grinch" and "Elf," too, because those are awesome. And, of course, it wouldn't be Christmas for my mom without "A Charlie Brown Christmas," or for my dad without "The Santa Clause."

Of course Christmas eve or morning we'd read the Christmas story from Luke chapter 2. Oh, and Christmas eve we get to open the present from my parents, usually clothes and things. My mom always either bought or made us pajama pants. I love it! I can't wait to start new traditions and carry on the old ones with my own family. Things are still so crazy and unsettled that we don't have our own stockings here (we do in ID and I'm sure we will in OH) and we're too poor now (after buying presents and things) for me to go out and buy some. Maybe I could hit up the dollar store, though, and do the elves this year for Chaela. That could be fun. I'm not too worried about this year because she's only 6 weeks old, but next year I'm going to make sure we have our own tree and stockings and everything.

I love Christmas! I'm excited to see Will's side of the family this year, but I can't wait until next year when we can spend it in OH and IL!!!!! Merry Christmas in case I don't post again before then (with finals this week right up until an hour or two before we leave for ID, I don't really see it happening)! I'll get some more pictures of us at Christmas up as soon as I get home!

Merry Christmas again!!

DONE!

Hello! It's after 1:30 and I just finished all of that stuff I told you about in my previous blog! WOOHOO!! Except for taking the finals, of course, but that's nothing. I just typed 20 pages of nonsense in one day!

Oh, also, Will and I sold our contract today, and we'll be moving into his friend's basement before the end of the month. I'm pretty excited about it, to be honest. Chaela will have a yard to play in, rent is the same for a MUCH bigger and nicer place. Well, the kitchen is small, but it has lots more cabinet space, so that's ok. We can work around the other stuff. Also, the people we're renting from said that I could plant part of the garden! I love having a garden!!!! Yay!

Alright, I'm too tired to put a picture on this. Besides, Chaela will probably want to be fed the second I lay my head on the pillow and I have class at 9:30 in the morning. Much love!

Nerd.

Yeah, I'm talking about Will. Who is shocked? No one? That's what I thought! I know, I know, I'm the one who married him. Oh well. I love him, even though he's crazy!! Oh, I'm talking about his Halo posts, in case you were wondering. I usually (usually) don't just randomly call my husband a nerd. He does something to deserve it often enough that I don't have to, haha! Love you Will!

Anyways, I've been really, really busy lately. I'm trying to make up all of the assignments I've missed AND get ready for finals the week after next. Ahh! Here is what I still have left to do:

Elang 223: 10 page text analysis (due 2 weeks ago)
Study for final
Semantics: Midterm Exam (due Nov. 8th)
4-6 pg Semantic explication of a scripture passage
Historical Linguistics: Annotated Bibliography with 25 sources
Take final (20 paragraphs on Austronesian language family)
Phonology/Morphology: Homework Exercises
Take-home final
Most of this stuff has to be done by Thursday except for taking the actual finals. Oh, and I just finished another 10 page paper that was due on the 6th of November! Don't worry though, my professors are all really understanding. My one professor even said he'd understand if I didn't do his final! I don't know if that means he'd give me an A or just that he wouldn't be upset with me. Better not to risk it, haha! So I've got to do all of that stuff. Total I'll probably end up typing 20+ pages in the next few days. Joy! Oh, and also, my bishop wants to talk to me on Sunday. What a time to get a calling! Oh well, I'll do my best!
That's all I've got for now. No new pictures of Chaela yet, but Kristin will be here with her camera next Saturday, so sometime around then we'll have more pictures for everyone. Yay! She's doing good, by the way. She's awake a lot more. We had two rough nights in a row and I was afraid she was getting colic, but last night she was fine, so I'm hoping those nights were just a fluke!

Halo 3

This Monday Bungie is releasing 3 news maps for Halo 3. The first one Standoff is a mix between Blood Gultch and Coagulation. Rats Nest looks like a pretty big map, it looks like a remake of Terminal from Halo 2. Foundry looks like a basic map, not sure if it's a remake or a new map. Bungie says that these maps are the best maps they have ever created for any Halo. So it's exciting! Just some more maps for Christmas bros!

3 New Halo 3 Maps

AFC Champions! 12-0

Well tonight's game I have to say was a bit of luck on Patriots side, with two 4th down conversions in the last 2 minutes of the game. Who would have thought Baltimore would have almost ended the Patriots seemingly endless win streak, not me. Anyway I know I'm the only Patriots fan here, but I have to post about it because after all posts are all about whatever I want it to be about, Ha! Well the Patriots were down by 4 and then scored a touchdown and I do have give kudos to Baltimore for the last play...8 seconds on the clock...55 yard line...down by 3...Boller tosses up a hail mary deep right to Clayton. Clayton catches it even though there 3 Patriots on him and then is tackled on the 3rd yard line. Saved by 3 yards. 27-24 Patriots. It was an intense game! The Patriots aren't doing as well these past few games. They have almost lost against teams that would seem to not be able to compete. So hopefully they step it up. 12-0, I guess you can't complain about that. GO PATRIOTS!

Keeping up with Will

Ahh! Will has posted a whole bunch since I have! I can't let him beat me! I don't really have much to say, except that I turned in my first homework since having Chaela today. Woohoo for getting back in the game! Now I only have about 35-40 pages of papers left to type in the next week and a half. Joy! Nothing like leaving half the semester's work until the bitter end.

I just remembered something else that happened! We were all sick this week, including Chaela. Talk about scary, having your 3 and 1/2 week old not wanting to eat, throwing up, and having diarrhea really freaked us out. She's better now, though. She's actually eating better than she did before she was sick! Will was the last one to get it. He was home from work today. He was up all Saturday night throwing up, just like I was up all Tuesday night. Fun times! At least it didn't happen to us all at once. But we're all good now. Everyone can eat full meals again.

So that's us right now. We're all healthy again. Now I should really stop wasting time and get started on all those papers! BLAH!!!!!

Oh, and the picture is just random. It's us at the OSU-Michigan game. Wasn't too much of a game... Posts are more fun with a picture!

Happy Family!!

Yay! It's family! Well the Saturday before everyone left we went to Temple Square to enjoy the lights and take some family pictures. And that's what we did, Chaela was very good, mainly slept the whole time in her warm stroller. It was really cold there, but we all survived and would you look at that sweet Patriots hat! 11 and 0. That's all I have to say about this season. They're unstoppable! Well I already posted earlier today so there's nothing else to write. Just wanted to show off the family portrait. The end.