We hit the point where Cole couldn't be left alone on the couch, bed, or really anything two inches above the floor a long time ago. But I didn't realize Cole actually enjoyed high surfaces. I think the first time he somersaulted off the bed, he was a bit shocked but he liked it. A lot.
So much that Jeff kept right on encouraging the daredevil behavior until I told those boys to knock it off. I can only imagine when he's 13 and flipping off something several feet in the air... like the roof.
Friday, January 21, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
So this was Christmas: The Tree
My Christmas tree is very special to me. Sure it's not real fancy but I don't think I'll ever part with it. It's got a handmade sort of feel to it and I think it is beautiful! Plus, it's the perfect size for our tiny living room. When my grandparents got off their mission, my grandma started purging all their Nauvoo stuff. And since Jeff and I were dirt-poor newly weds with absolutely zero Christmas decorations and no $$$ to buy any, she let me have everything from their Christmas in Nauvoo.... the tree, two strands of Santa's, a string of handmade knitted mittens, jingle bells in red, yellow, and blue, and these funny angel and Santa stick people.
The Nauvoo ornaments.
Not exactly a Nauvoo ornament in the sense my grandparents gave this yarn doll angel to me, but I did buy it at some random museum in Nebraska on our drive out to see them on their mission! Had to have it, even thought it cost a pretty penny, because my grandma would spend hours making yarn dolls with me as a kid. 
Our neighbor Vickie collects ladybugs... she has probably 3,000 of them in her house... so naturally we have a ladybug for good luck on our tree.
Just in case we forget our names.
Or our anniversary.
My mom's tree has about 4,567 ornaments on it (total guess but I'm sure I'm close) so she felt sad our tree the first few years of our marriage was sort of naked. Thanks to her, I now have snowflakes, and various handmade wooden and metal ornaments of gingerbread men, candy canes, sleighs, bells, Santas, and snowmen.
We bought these metal ornaments on super clearance the first year we were married. Jeff picked them out and they match the decor perfectly!
Kind of random to have a bird house on the tree but it makes me laugh every time I see it. My grandma always find some creative way to give me birthday or Christmas money and one year it was stuffed inside this birdhouse. It reminds me of her so I'm keeping it!
Pearl made me this tree out of a cinnamon stick, garland, and buttons at daycare. Isn't it awesome? She did the buttons all by herself!
I can't remember if my grandpa or my cousin, Zac, made everyone these little tops. I'm leaning to my grandpa. Jeff will remember for sure! 
I made these felt mittens and socks the year my grandma died. I was actually finishing them when we got the call to get to the hospital.
Speaking of my grandma, a couple of very special ornaments in addition to the whole Nauvoo start of our Christmas tree. My grandma died three days before Christmas seven years ago. It was unexpected and devastating. That year, our friend Palmer got me this ornament and poem. I cried, my aunts cried, and I still cry when I see it. 
The year after my grandma died, my grandpa took all their stain glass from the Peacock Cash Store in Orangeville, Utah (My grandma's parents owned the store and it had a big stain glass window in the front. When they tore the building down, my grandma and her siblings split the glass between them.) and had two ornaments made for everyone in the family. He also had my aunts make a history book about the Peacock Cash Store that he gave with them. More tears every time I see these.
Finally, the crowning jewel of my tree... the star Jeff made for me when we were dirt poor. The only thing he had was the toilet paper roll - he "borrowed" some tin foil from his parents. I will never replace it! I love it.
The Nauvoo ornaments.
Not exactly a Nauvoo ornament in the sense my grandparents gave this yarn doll angel to me, but I did buy it at some random museum in Nebraska on our drive out to see them on their mission! Had to have it, even thought it cost a pretty penny, because my grandma would spend hours making yarn dolls with me as a kid. 
Our neighbor Vickie collects ladybugs... she has probably 3,000 of them in her house... so naturally we have a ladybug for good luck on our tree.
Just in case we forget our names.
Or our anniversary.
My mom's tree has about 4,567 ornaments on it (total guess but I'm sure I'm close) so she felt sad our tree the first few years of our marriage was sort of naked. Thanks to her, I now have snowflakes, and various handmade wooden and metal ornaments of gingerbread men, candy canes, sleighs, bells, Santas, and snowmen.
We bought these metal ornaments on super clearance the first year we were married. Jeff picked them out and they match the decor perfectly!
Kind of random to have a bird house on the tree but it makes me laugh every time I see it. My grandma always find some creative way to give me birthday or Christmas money and one year it was stuffed inside this birdhouse. It reminds me of her so I'm keeping it!
Pearl made me this tree out of a cinnamon stick, garland, and buttons at daycare. Isn't it awesome? She did the buttons all by herself!
I can't remember if my grandpa or my cousin, Zac, made everyone these little tops. I'm leaning to my grandpa. Jeff will remember for sure! 
I made these felt mittens and socks the year my grandma died. I was actually finishing them when we got the call to get to the hospital.
Speaking of my grandma, a couple of very special ornaments in addition to the whole Nauvoo start of our Christmas tree. My grandma died three days before Christmas seven years ago. It was unexpected and devastating. That year, our friend Palmer got me this ornament and poem. I cried, my aunts cried, and I still cry when I see it. 
The year after my grandma died, my grandpa took all their stain glass from the Peacock Cash Store in Orangeville, Utah (My grandma's parents owned the store and it had a big stain glass window in the front. When they tore the building down, my grandma and her siblings split the glass between them.) and had two ornaments made for everyone in the family. He also had my aunts make a history book about the Peacock Cash Store that he gave with them. More tears every time I see these.
Finally, the crowning jewel of my tree... the star Jeff made for me when we were dirt poor. The only thing he had was the toilet paper roll - he "borrowed" some tin foil from his parents. I will never replace it! I love it.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
So this was Christmas: Random stuff
I really don't have that many Christmas decorations, if you skip counting the five trees scattered throughout the house. But there's a few.
Like my awesome, wish I'd just leave it up all year, robber alert hanging on the front door.
Or the magical reindeer dust our neighbors gave Pearl to make certain Santa didn't miss our house. The stuff paid off. 
My nativities. I've scaled back immensely considering pre-kids I thought I wanted to collect them. But then I realized I had no where to put them! So I put out my favorite nativity cross stitch I made and my favorite nativity set with the stable (aka garage) that my dad made me. Hint, hint... I still need the goat and cow to complete the set. Another nativity my parents gave me for Christmas one year. And this little boat nativity from Peru that my friend Libbey gave me. Which I totally spaced taking a picture of and refuse to go find it the dungeon downstairs for the sake of this post. Someone remind me about this next Christmas. 
A stack of Christmas books that I cursed almost every day because I couldn't figure out where to put the dang things. Especially once the presents started to pile up under the tree. Next year, I'm stealing another mommy blogger's idea and wrapping them up with a numbered tag on them so Pearl and Cole can open one every day in December. Yes, I almost have THAT many Christmas books... but we love them! 
Our handmade Christmas stockings. I can't part with mine... my grandma made it. All the cousins have similar ones and I treasure it. I made Jeff's stocking and every year Santa thanks me for making it so big. You can stuff just about anything into it. Confession. I still have yet to finish Pearl's "Santa" as she kept calling it. Ok, so she kept asking when I was going to be done with her "Santa." Don't even get me started on Cole's! 
Or my personal favorite, the single present Pearl wrapped by herself for her little brother. He loved it.
Then there's the wreaths hanging in all the windows. It's a bad picture, but trust me they are so cute hanging in our tall, skinny windows. Love the old-time feel they bring.
And the infamous "white bear." When I worked at Dillard's they would give all the employees a bear at Christmas. I collected three in my retail stint but none so soft, cuddly, and in high demand as this one. Jeff and my friend (and roommate) Kristy fought and fought over "white bear" the second I brought him home. Serious, there was a rumble for him. So I begged, pleaded, and bartered with HR and the dock guys to let me have three of them. One for me, one for Jeff, and one for Kristy. 
Now that I've actually done something with these pictures, I'm regretting not getting pictures of a few more random things that come out only at Christmas time. For example, the latch hook Santa rug I made as a kid and hang on the bathroom door. Or the cookie jar my brother gave me. Or the gorgeous Lenox platter with birds on it that I never get out of its box for fear it will break but wish I had a party and an excuse to show off. I got it 90% off at Dillards.... hid it in the backroom for months! Oh well. Next year.
Like my awesome, wish I'd just leave it up all year, robber alert hanging on the front door.
Or the magical reindeer dust our neighbors gave Pearl to make certain Santa didn't miss our house. The stuff paid off. 
My nativities. I've scaled back immensely considering pre-kids I thought I wanted to collect them. But then I realized I had no where to put them! So I put out my favorite nativity cross stitch I made and my favorite nativity set with the stable (aka garage) that my dad made me. Hint, hint... I still need the goat and cow to complete the set. Another nativity my parents gave me for Christmas one year. And this little boat nativity from Peru that my friend Libbey gave me. Which I totally spaced taking a picture of and refuse to go find it the dungeon downstairs for the sake of this post. Someone remind me about this next Christmas. 
A stack of Christmas books that I cursed almost every day because I couldn't figure out where to put the dang things. Especially once the presents started to pile up under the tree. Next year, I'm stealing another mommy blogger's idea and wrapping them up with a numbered tag on them so Pearl and Cole can open one every day in December. Yes, I almost have THAT many Christmas books... but we love them! 
Our handmade Christmas stockings. I can't part with mine... my grandma made it. All the cousins have similar ones and I treasure it. I made Jeff's stocking and every year Santa thanks me for making it so big. You can stuff just about anything into it. Confession. I still have yet to finish Pearl's "Santa" as she kept calling it. Ok, so she kept asking when I was going to be done with her "Santa." Don't even get me started on Cole's! 
Or my personal favorite, the single present Pearl wrapped by herself for her little brother. He loved it.
Then there's the wreaths hanging in all the windows. It's a bad picture, but trust me they are so cute hanging in our tall, skinny windows. Love the old-time feel they bring.
And the infamous "white bear." When I worked at Dillard's they would give all the employees a bear at Christmas. I collected three in my retail stint but none so soft, cuddly, and in high demand as this one. Jeff and my friend (and roommate) Kristy fought and fought over "white bear" the second I brought him home. Serious, there was a rumble for him. So I begged, pleaded, and bartered with HR and the dock guys to let me have three of them. One for me, one for Jeff, and one for Kristy. 
Now that I've actually done something with these pictures, I'm regretting not getting pictures of a few more random things that come out only at Christmas time. For example, the latch hook Santa rug I made as a kid and hang on the bathroom door. Or the cookie jar my brother gave me. Or the gorgeous Lenox platter with birds on it that I never get out of its box for fear it will break but wish I had a party and an excuse to show off. I got it 90% off at Dillards.... hid it in the backroom for months! Oh well. Next year.
So this was Christmas: The sunroom
I think the sunroom (more like ice chest in the winter) is my favorite room of my entire house at Christmas time. I'm not really sure why... it's the most neglected, it's always the last room I decorate, the last room to get un-decorated, and the least used. But there's just something warm and cozy about it when it's all decked out. The soft pink glow from the colored lights strung around our windows, the three nesting trees covered in cookie cutters, various snowmen decorations from my mom, the colored balls hanging in the windows, and the handmade felt ornaments from Jeff's childhood hanging from the ceiling just ooze Christmas goodness.
Cookie cutters aren't exactly the first thing you'd think to decorate a Christmas tree with... unless it's your first Christmas away from home and they are the only thing you have! I had a gigantic box of colored cookie cutters that I'd take babysitting with me and figured they would look cute and crafty on our tree when I was in college. The first Christmas Jeff and I were married, they also adorned our tree. Then Jeff bought me three nesting trees on "black Friday" at Jo-Ann's the first year we lived in our house and told me I could get a "grown-up" tree now with white lights. So they were relegated to the sunroom. Elephants, money symbols, various shapes, cars, trains, moose, baseball bats, and the 100 other cookie cutters (there really is 100 of them on these three trees) don't have much to do with Christmas but I'm telling ya, there is something wonderful about them on a Christmas tree. Homemade, childhood, magical sort of feel.
This miniature gingerbread couple came from Nauvoo. I got them when I went and visited my grandparents on their mission. I love them. 
My honest thought when Jeff's mom handed me these felt ornaments was to give them back to her. I figured they would end up in the box, never to be put on our tree. But then I thought our sunroom needed just a little something else to make it magical. They were perfect. They hang from the ceiling from a strand of lights and I just love them. They make me happy every time I walk under them. 
Cookie cutters aren't exactly the first thing you'd think to decorate a Christmas tree with... unless it's your first Christmas away from home and they are the only thing you have! I had a gigantic box of colored cookie cutters that I'd take babysitting with me and figured they would look cute and crafty on our tree when I was in college. The first Christmas Jeff and I were married, they also adorned our tree. Then Jeff bought me three nesting trees on "black Friday" at Jo-Ann's the first year we lived in our house and told me I could get a "grown-up" tree now with white lights. So they were relegated to the sunroom. Elephants, money symbols, various shapes, cars, trains, moose, baseball bats, and the 100 other cookie cutters (there really is 100 of them on these three trees) don't have much to do with Christmas but I'm telling ya, there is something wonderful about them on a Christmas tree. Homemade, childhood, magical sort of feel.
This miniature gingerbread couple came from Nauvoo. I got them when I went and visited my grandparents on their mission. I love them. 
My honest thought when Jeff's mom handed me these felt ornaments was to give them back to her. I figured they would end up in the box, never to be put on our tree. But then I thought our sunroom needed just a little something else to make it magical. They were perfect. They hang from the ceiling from a strand of lights and I just love them. They make me happy every time I walk under them. 
So this was Christmas: Aggie Tree
Gag... another Christmas post you're thinking. Well, this one is for me. I always love taking gobs and gobs of pictures of all the Christmas decorations, much to Jeff's dismay, but never do anything with them. They end up taking space on our hard drive and trust me, there's a lot of them! So I decided to have one last shabang with the holiday season and post pictures and memories of all my decorations.
Besides, it gives me another excuse to not write any New Year's resolutions. Tomorrow, I'll feel guilty but for now, I'm going to relish in the Christmas spirit. Oh and to save me the headache of going through all 7 gazillion Christmas photos, I'm breaking this one last Christmas post up into four.
Being the True Aggies that we are, we have a tree dedicated solely to the Aggie Blue and Fighting White. Technically it's Jeff's tree (even though I set it up and decorate it) but this year, Pearl claimed it as hers and her best friend's tree. Everything on the Aggie Tree is silver or blue from the big blue glass balls to the tiny blue glass balls, blue candy canes, blue and silver stars, silver and blue star garland, and blue lights.
Our tree topper is of course Big Blue. And yes, Big Blue has blue balls. I can hear the rolls of laughter now. My husband is funny!
It's ridiculous how much I paid for 10 of these ornaments when you consider they are just stuffed with silver garlandly things. But I just couldn't help myself when Jeff found them at the USU Bookstore one year. It was the one surprise he got for Christmas, 10 of them individually wrapped and stacked in a pyramid. 
I'm tempted to leave the Aggie tree up all basketball season. It matches our big "A" banner hanging in our bedroom window.
Besides, it gives me another excuse to not write any New Year's resolutions. Tomorrow, I'll feel guilty but for now, I'm going to relish in the Christmas spirit. Oh and to save me the headache of going through all 7 gazillion Christmas photos, I'm breaking this one last Christmas post up into four.
Being the True Aggies that we are, we have a tree dedicated solely to the Aggie Blue and Fighting White. Technically it's Jeff's tree (even though I set it up and decorate it) but this year, Pearl claimed it as hers and her best friend's tree. Everything on the Aggie Tree is silver or blue from the big blue glass balls to the tiny blue glass balls, blue candy canes, blue and silver stars, silver and blue star garland, and blue lights.
Our tree topper is of course Big Blue. And yes, Big Blue has blue balls. I can hear the rolls of laughter now. My husband is funny!
It's ridiculous how much I paid for 10 of these ornaments when you consider they are just stuffed with silver garlandly things. But I just couldn't help myself when Jeff found them at the USU Bookstore one year. It was the one surprise he got for Christmas, 10 of them individually wrapped and stacked in a pyramid. 
I'm tempted to leave the Aggie tree up all basketball season. It matches our big "A" banner hanging in our bedroom window.
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