Thank you Grandma and Papa Musick!

We got to start opening gifts early this year thanks to Grandma and Papa Musick! Darek loves his bear and took over everyone else's gifts too. He took the pink bear for baby Mia, ate Blayne's M&Ms (but Blayne made sure to hide his "treasure"), and desperately tried to get my teapot. Thank you so much for thinking of us! We love you!

(He wanted that bear strapped on his back :)

A wonderful man

My "Papa" (my dad's stepdad) passed away last Wednesday. It was unexpected and, as events like this often do, has put things in perspective. He was a wonderful man - I always remember thinking that he was like Popeye or Mr. Clean because he was so strong. He lived in Virginia, so we didn't get to see him very often growing up; but I remember every time we left at the end of a visit, he'd come out to our minivan and shake the whole car with all of us in it. Us kids thought it was amazing, but he always had a tear in his eye as he said goodbye. He was quiet, but always serving others.

I wasn't able to go to his funeral because of the cost, Christmas travel, pregnancy, etc., but I truly wish I could've been there to honor such a wonderful man. It has reminded me how important it is to make an effort to see and visit with those we love while we have the time. I wish that I'd taken Darek out to Virginia to meet him, but I just didn't do it. It has reminded me to take the time to be there for the people I love.

Happy Late Birthday Grandma T!!!

Happy late Birthday Grandma T! We sure love you and know that we're very blessed to have you in our lives. Thanks for being such a wonderful grandma to Darek and for continuing to keep Blayne in line :). You're a great example to us and we're grateful for all you do.

Three reasons why these last two days have been awful:

1. I have a cold

2. It has snowed almost non-stop and is supposed to continue through the end of the week.

3. My maternity clothes have gotten too tight...around my thighs.

Blayne told me this morning that he was going to be so nice to me this week it was going to drive me crazy (so romantic :). It was a good thing he had made that decision because I put him to the test today. It was just one of those days where I felt like being contrary. I'm not getting enough sleep because my nose is stuffed up and Darek's sleeping habits are a mess. So I found a way to be negative about everything. You know how sometimes you can tell you're overreacting and being ridiculous, but you can't stop? - That's been me today. Thank goodness tomorrow is a new day. And thank goodness for my patient, wonderful husband :)

And for the sake of putting up a picture - I took a photo of Darek's dinner. He poured his chocolate milk into his bowl of chili

And after he'd gotten everything he could with his spoon, he drank it:

All in a day.

Bless the makers of Crayola

It says on the box that Crayola markers are the most washable markers. It's the truth.

I left him in the basement while I got ready and he found a marker. It was everywhere, but it really did wipe off like water.

So cute

Darek's friend Elena came over for a few hours last night. Her bow fell out of her hair, and when I went to put it back on, Darek absolutely insisted that I put it in his hair. Luckily, Grandma T has already purchased hair bows for our baby girl, so I pulled one out to put on Darek's head. Precious.

Thanksgiving

Like most married couples, Blayne and I have alternated Thanksgivings and Christmases between my family in Iowa and Blayne's family in California. After travelling for both holidays for 4 years, we decided that with our family growing, we would have to cut our travel down to Christmas only.

Since we weren't going to them, both of our families decided to come to us in Idaho. Let's be honest, having both families in a confined area can mean drama. But as it turned out, we had one of the best Thanksgivings ever (at least for Blayne and I did :). The holidays are definitely one of the times when more really is merrier.

Blayne's family arrived first (after a 13 hour drive), and we put them to work. They helped us hang blinds, hang bathroom fixtures, and clean, clean, clean. Blayne and Teri (my mother-in-law) were in their element with "to-do" lists and a crew to carry them out (me, Kenny, and Keri).

My family arrived the day before Thanksgiving (after a 17 hour drive). My mom took over cooking and cleaning and everyone looked after Darek - no wonder I enjoyed it so much, it was like having a staff on hand :). On Thanksgiving day, Blayne got to play in a ward football game for over 3 hours - his dream come true and later we all enjoyed an amazing Thanksgiving meal.

We watched movies, played games, talked and just had a wonderful time. By Saturday afternoon, everyone had left to go home and our house seemed so empty! I'm so thankful for my family (both immediate and in-laws) and for the support and love that they give us. Blayne and I could not have imagined a more wonderful Thanksgiving.

More Space

There are several reasons why I haven't been able to get on the computer lately and it all started with trying to get our basement finished before Thanksgiving - we were expecting Blayne's parents and two siblings along with my parents and three siblings. Holy cow.

First of all, we owe a huge shout out to our hero, Jay Anderson. He contracted out just about everything for us: framing, electric, sheet rock (hanging, texturing and taping), plumbing, trim, etc. Then he spent a lot of his own time making sure things got done and even primed the entire basement.

The week before Thanksgiving, it was time to paint and it needed to be done before the carpet could be laid. It just so happened that painting was the one thing I had said I would do myself. Not only was it my responsibility to get it done, but Blayne happened to be TONS busier with work because of the upcoming holiday and our trip to CA earlier in the month. So at 7 months pregnant, I undertook to paint the approximately 800 sq. ft. basement by myself.

I had 3 days to get it done and had to do it all while Darek slept. I was up until 12:30 am those nights trying to get it all done. My friend Brooke saved me a couple days in a row by letting Darek play at her house while I painted like a madwoman.

It was crazy, but it was so so so so worth it. The winters in Idaho are harsh and long, so we are very grateful to have extra space for Darek to run around. We were able to fit everyone in our house at Thanksgiving and, while Idaho is not a hot vacation spot, if anyone wants to come visit we have space!

This is the main room. There's also a playroom and a bedroom.

The bathroom.

This is Darek's favorite part of the basement. It's the area underneath the stairs. The previous owners had framed out the kid-size door and window and Darek absolutely loves that he can open the door himself and hideout in there.