Christmas

 

Christmas came lightening quick. Christmas Eve just did not feel like Christmas Eve. We had such a nice December, with no snow. It was like the best Christmas present ever. I even mentioned to Mark how grateful I was and how the heavens were gifting me. I spoke too soon. That night it snowed like 8 inches and blew all over place. I should know better. I am starting to feel like the heavens maybe cursing me...

 

We were all still feeling pretty junky and full of snot, but Patti's 12 days of Christmas were still going strong. The Monday before Christmas we went caroling, something I had never done before. I didn't feel great, Mark hates singing, and it was cold so we were kind of dreading it. But we had such a great time. Paige loved it and said multiple times how fun it was. She has a serious obsession with Jingle Bells and since it was one of the few songs we all knew the words to, it got sang quite a bit. Christmas Eve we crashed another Crapo party and felt grateful to be included.

 

Paige and Bowen holding down the kids table. Bowen is eating real food, Paige is eating a bowl full of shredded cheese.

 



 

Patti even included Paige in the cousin Christmas jammies. Seriously, Paige was on cloud 9. I felt so grateful to them for letting us crash all their family events. They are a wonderful, close knit family, and we felt blessed to be a part!

 

Paige and all her friends

 

Christmas morning at our house. All the parties were catching up with Paige. She didn't wake up until about 9:30. If only I had known she planned on sleeping in, it would have been the best Christmas present ever to sleep until 9:30! Paige's big bean bag chair couldn't fit in Santa's sleigh, so hopefully we see that through the mail here in a week or so. Santa's elf had some ordering problems that didn't manifest themselves until the last minute. Guaranteed by Christmas does not in fact mean that. I have SO much to be grateful for, and having Paige in our lives is just the best, but man, Christmas morning sometimes just feels awfully quiet and incomplete. It is a strange feeling. I remember last Christmas thinking how different this one would be, and here we were, in exactly the same place. Except with our hearts more guarded and a bit scarred. There are days I feel pretty positive and patient about the whole adoption. Other times the road just feels LONG. Oh it gets hard. And discouraging. And old. And confusing.

 

Christmas cereal lives on! This tradition is something my family does.

 

Paige in her Christmas jammies finally ready to go.

 

We lack a photographer and the ability to take good pictures of ourselves, but we tried.

 

And then this happened. Everyone else in the world was so excited about a white Christmas, and I was the realistic one who hates cold and snow. We went to dinner at Mark's parents and then went to visit my grandparents. By the time we got home, there was some serious wind and drifting. Our neighbors got stuck, we got stuck, then Mark got stuck trying to get us unstuck. It became a neighborhood affair and about an hour later we were all able to get out. I really think that people who love this type of weather need to be evaluated. Snow, I loathe you.

 

Paige mostly got toy food and My Little Pony paraphernalia. She loves to play restaurant and throw parties. I got her a sandwich kit, cake, and money. It has been a huge hit. She did FaceTime with Mom, Dad, and BJ and made them all food. When they were done, I started to pick things up and Paige got really upset. She told me I couldn't put the food away yet because her customers weren't done and she would lose their trust. No kidding, those were her exact words. Lose their trust. That kid takes it seriously! Mark got a new laptop bag that isn't as cool as I thought it was online. Kind of a bummer. Mark got me an iPhone 6 which is pretty stinking cool. I spent the next day setting everything up and updating iTunes. I finally imported all my old cd's and organized all my playlists. Memories for sure. I feel like I am 18 again, dragging Main and headed to soccer games blasting tunes.  It was a great Christmas and we feel very blessed to have each other, wonderful friends and family, and a renewed love for our Savior.  He IS the gift!

Pre-Christmas

 

I was pretty excited about Christmas and Paige's birthday this year. Paige is old enough to finally "get" things and she was excited about everything and it made the season really fun. It forces Mark and I to be a little more fun. We really are trying to figure out our own traditions and what we want to do now that it matters a lot more. Mark can be a bit of a Scrooge about some things, but even he made an effort this year to make things different and special. We still have a ways to go. My parents. well my mom, was a Christmas rock star. We had so  many fun little traditions that made it so magical. There are few things better than Christmas as a kid! 

 

 

We started things off by visiting Santa. We waited at least an hour to see him. Mark was out of town on business, so this was all Paige and I. Fortunately we had this crazy second Fall and it was really nice. Waiting outside wasn't too bad! Paige was a whole lot of talk and kind of froze up once she finally got to Santa. She wanted to give hugs and cuddles, but wasn't really interested in chit chat. She requested presents was all. Easy enough!

 

As much as I hate braces, they are working. I have seen a big difference in the last few months. This little beauty loves to take pictures and selfies. We are creating a social media monster!

 

Really though, could she be any cuter? And of course Kitty Cat has to be a part. That poor little cat is well loved.

 

Paige's birthday is always a little bittersweet for me. It is so hard to see time fly by. I can't believe my sweet little baby is 4. I remember the events leading up to and surrounding her birth like they were yesterday. I have never been so excited and anxious about anything in my entire life. It was so wonderful and SO hard. It was hard to watch her birth mom go through it. Broke my heart a bit to know I was breaking hers. It taught me so much about sacrifice, love, and really strengthened my testimony. Needless to say, Paige's birthday just feels extra special and a time of deep reflection. The last two years I have felt added pressure and sadness knowing another year has passed and she has yet to have a sibling. The age gap widens. It shouldn't matter, but it sometimes just feels like a big deal. A 4 year span.

 

 

I taped streamers up again for Paige. I must have either gotten high quality streamers or heavy duty tape, or both. Paige tried to break through these in the morning and bounced right off. I had to laugh a little bit. She woke up and was so excited about it being her birthday and being 4. Even though the door burst didn't go as planned, Paige loved it and made me tape them up a few times. One of the first things she asked me that morning was where her family was. I kept telling her that Mark and I were both there and we were her family. She wanted to know where the REST of her family was....umm...I guess Mark and I don't throw a big enough party!

 

I tried to fill the empty seats again with some of her babies. She has been on a birthday kick for months and these are always her party guests. I thought they'd do for the real deal, but apparently not! Not lively enough for Paige this time!

 

:Little one was super excited about her presents. My Little Pony was the them for birthday 4.0. She got spoiled and loved every minute of it. Even if Mark and I are a bit lame. At least we bring gifts!

 

My sister-in-laws should both be on Cake Boss. I should not be. But I wish I was as talented as they are! Paige really wanted a pony cake and I thought mine turned out pretty well for being not a baker, and not artistic. Of course this was my SECOND attempt that day. I am glad I took a picture because when we transported it to the church it broke. I was slightly crushed. Paige was fine.

 

 

Our good friends usually feel sorry for us and our lack of social well-being. Patti really went all out this year to include us in her family traditions. She did 12 days of Christmas for us and it was awesome! Paige really loved it. Plus, there was a party every few days. Family Home Evening landed on Paige's birthday, so we told Paige it was her party. She was beyond excited. Patti went to a lot of work to put a bunch of games together and it was really fun. We enjoyed being there with everyone and Paige felt extra special!

 

Paige is pretty certain these are her "peeps" which I am grateful for. She couldn't have picked a better group of siblings/cousins/friends/family

 

There was even a piñata. 4 year old party bliss. The next morning, Paige woke up with her new Rainbow Dash plush and said, "Mom, you are never going to believe this.....but today is Rainbow Dash's birthday!" Said in her most excited voice ever. The girl likes a good birthday party.

 

In addition to birthdays, I was in charge of Mark's family Christmas party. We went to an indoor sports complex, and then out to the elementary school here for dinner and games. I made a bunch of different soups and planned some fun holiday games. We centered the night around missionaries and missionary work. It was fun to hear about the boys' Christmas experiences from their missions. We also adopted some of Mom and Dad's missionaries to send some things too. The family Christmas party was a lot of work, but I think things turned out well and I am SUPER glad it is not my turn for another five years. Yippee! Since Paige's birthday was on a Monday and I was in charge of the big extended family Christmas the weekend proceeding her birthday, we had a second birthday the following weekend so Mimi and Momma Liv could come celebrate with us. Basically, we had a party every night and Paige was sure they were all for her!

 

We love these two so much. They made quite a long drive up to the middle of nowhere to spend some time with us. Paige was so excited to have them here. She was CRAZY and wild the entire time. Poor Mimi and Liv got  lost on the way out here, and Paige kept asking if they were lost in the woods and if they would be ok. We are glad they finally made it out of the woods and hung out with us! After they left, Paige told me multiple times she missed her friends.

 

 

Here is a very dirty TJ. He gets to be at pony camp all winter. Tucker needs a turn out there. Tucker has been naughty lately! The other night Mark and I spent a few hours in the freezing snow and wind chasing him and his two mare neighbors. We enlisted a few friends to help and it still took two hours. I finally caught him after running a mini marathon. I was pooped!

 

 

Besides parties, I went to yet another dermatologist appointment because of some misunderstanding. I figure if I go every two weeks there is no way I can be surprised and die. I also hit up the OBGYN. It felt like I was at a doctor appointment daily. Mark has been making fun of me. The OBGYN was discouraging and usual and it appears the rollercoaster of emotion is only beginning. Grr. Mark, Paige, and I all got awesome cold and coughs. But no doctor visit for that. I had already spent all our flex money. Fortunately we all lived.

 

November

 

As soon as Halloween ends, it is time to mourn my birthday. I honestly can't believe how fast time is flying. Fortunately, 31 seems a lot like 30, so it was a little less depressing. I told Mark that the only thing I wanted was money for wardrobe purposes. My closet is sad. It is mostly full of YMCA soccer t-shirts and clothes left over from high school. Even though I have acne and braces, I would like to pass off as an actual adult wearing actual adult clothes. Mark came through and hooked me up with a Visa gift card I didn't have to feel guilty about spending. To top things off, he babysat Paige on a Friday night so I could do some shopping with some girlfriends. SO fun! Beth of course can make ANYTHING a good time and Kayla is absolute icing on the cake. These two girls are hilarious, not to mention wonderful examples to me. Love them both! And for the record, after this Beth decided not to be my friend anymore and hasn't hung out with me since. She swears they've "caught the death" or something over there. I feel like it might have more to do with me forgetting to close the dressing room door behind me after I invaded hers and forced her to make decisions for me.

 

 

Beth always takes the best pictures, or really just pictures. My camera roll is bleak without her in my life! I will say we hit up some seriously good deals and pretty much blew through my gift card in one night. But I scored big! We also ate Italian since Mark won't ever let me choose that.

 

So pretty much the day after my birthday, winter came in like a lion. Temperatures plummeted to below zero and so the months of being cooped up began. Since it was freezing, the power company felt it was a good time to do maintenance and cut all power for the day.  Mandi graciously allowed Paige and I to hang out in her heated house for the afternoon. Minnie, Woody, and Fat Baby put on quite the concert.

 

Michelle and I decided to take the littles to the trampoline park and this is the best picture I could get of Paige. She is always on the go and refuses to stop for any amount of time, even for pictures.

 

Of course when we are home, she wants me to take pictures of anything and everything. This particular shot is entitled "Best Friends" per Paige's request. Ok, so it is pretty cute and I am glad she insisted on capturing the moment.

 

Thanksgiving was pretty low key. We went to Mark's parents house along with his brother's family. I have really enjoyed seeing Paige get older and interact more with her cousins. I think she really craves being around other kids. I'm grateful there are plenty of them around to act as pseudo-siblings. I can't believe Brianna is getting so grown-up! She was just a baby when Mark and I got married. Ouch. Makes me feel old.

 

 

That pretty much sums up November for us. It felt like kind of a crazy month. I struggled a bit with anxiety, especially after my dermatologist check-up. I went to a new place and they pretty much told me I was dying. That was fun. Spent two weeks coming off that ledge. We had a few adoption opportunities to stress over, but of course nothing panned out. But it's always fun to get  your hopes up. Around Thanksgiving, the furnace died and since it was the holidays, we were stuck out in the cold, literally, for almost a week. It felt like we were camping inside. Kind of a mini adventure you might say. It reminded us to be REALLY grateful for the everyday comforts we take for granted!

Halloween

For months Paige talked about being a "durl pirate." I am not sure where that idea came from, but she never veered from it. A Facebook friend posted an adorable picture of her little pirate in a cute tutu/skirt. I can't sew, but I discovered I could make a tutu. I think it turned out pretty well and Paige made one cute pirate! I ordered her boots from Zulily for church, and they doubled for her costume. I was glad to see them on our porch when we got back from our trip. Halloween was the day after we got back and I did not have time for finishing touches. I was so glad I had it all ready before we left. Sadly, we missed all sorts of party's and carnivals while we were gone, so Paige only sported her costume for an hour or so at the trunk or treat. We tried to add a few houses for VIPs but Paige was pretty tired from a busy week and was quite the pill. She was pretty done with the costume and putting on a show and didn't last the night. You could tell our busy travel week had taken its toll!

 

Adorable. The eye patch lasted for 1 minute. The earring was a bigger hit.

 

With Dad at the Trunk or Treat

 

Argggg. I actually got her to say it.

 

Her cute ruffle bum. We were fortunate to have GREAT weather for once.

 

Hitting the first of three houses. We love grandparents "real" and adopted ones! She gets spoiled by them all, even when she refuses to cooperate:)

Disneyland Trip

Even though Mark's travel schedule can sometimes be a drag, it isn't without its perks. The frequent flier miles, gold medallion Delta status, and serious Marriott points can be pretty fantastic. Mark had a conference scheduled for late October in SoCal and it was just too good to pass up! Paige and I decided to crash his plans and we had a marvelous time. Mickey Mouse was a huge draw, but knowing that he AND Grandma and Grandpa live in same neck of the woods is just ideal.

 

The trip itself was full of learning moments. We learned Paige gets car sick, and that when she says her tummy hurts, I need to take her seriously. The very first day of our trip we headed down to San Diego to meet up with Mom and Dad who were finishing up a conference of their own. Halfway through the trip, Paige started to complain and I assumed it had something to do with the thousands of treats I had shoved down her to keep her happy during all the airport travel. Not so. She stunk up the rental car pretty good. Mark ended up having to make a car switch the next day after the valet warned him his car was uninhabitable. Fortunately for Paige and I, we headed home with my parents and were able to do some serious laundry and car seat disinfecting! Once she threw up, Paige was much happier and we hit up the beach. It was Paige's first time seeing the ocean, and it really wasn't that warm, but it didn't bother her much. Mark and Paige chased waves and got soaked. She was honestly wild with joy!

 

 

Do yourself a favor and zoom in on her face. Pure joy.

 

 

Mark had to work for the first few days, so Paige and I bunked with Mom and Dad and hit up Disneyland on our own. After fending off another carsickness episode and some serious traffic, we finally made it to the happiest place on Earth, and it did not disappoint! Paige was in heaven and I had so much fun watching her light up. She had a serious fondness for the characters and couldn't get enough. I could bore you all with lots of shots, but I will spare you and choose a choice few.

 

Being so tall, I guess I felt the need to crouch down for this photo?? Hmm. 

 

 

She gave kisses to each and every character she came in contact with. Melts your heart a bit. Oh to be a kid and believe in magic again.

 

How do people capture fabulous shots of the Dumbo ride? I took about 20 shots and this is the best I came up with. Anyhow, Mom and Dad only had one day off, so we traded them in for Mark for our second Disney day. It was so fun to have two full days and not feel stressed about cramming things in. We were able to do all the rides we wanted and spend time in character lines.

 

Goofy was probably our longest wait but how do you pass up Goofy?

 

 Mark and I made Paige wear cowboy boots to boost her height. She was so close to the 40 in mark, which is basically the requirement to ride any of the cool rides. With her boots on, she was like 39 and 3/4. Sometimes our plan worked, other times it did not. We hit up Splash Mountain very first and somehow Paige made the grade. We walked right on and rode the thing 4 times in a row. They didn't even make us get out of our little log! Paige screamed "Again, again" after each time and the workers obliged. It was a blast!

 

She loved it so much. I snapped my own footage but kind of wish I would have splurged on the photo they take as you head down the big drop. Priceless!

 

The lines weren't too bad, but got busier as the day went on. Especially as we neared Mickey's Halloween Party. Paige did really well in the lines, mostly due these My Little Pony figurines I picked up at Wal-Mart for 2 bucks. Easy for me to pack away, and perfect for her little hands. They would gallop along the chains and line dividers and I would stick them in my pockets on the rides. She loved showing them to anyone who would take the time to look. Paige let Belle hold Twilight Sparkle which was a pretty big deal. Belle was super sweet about it and talked to Paige about horses. She told Paige she had a horse named Felipe, and Paige told Belle she had a horse named Tucker who lived at home. Belle thought they would probably be great friends.

 

The ponies did provide a bit of drama. We went on the Storyland boat ride or whatever it is called and I let Paige keep her little pony with her since it was a huge barge type thing that went about 2 miles an hour. Once we got back to the dock, Paige slipped on the edge of the boat and her little pony figurine took a dive into the water. Paige was hysterical. Major breakdown. Initially everyone, including myself, thought she was hurt and had hit her head on the dock. It finally clicked that she was just watching Rainbow Dash sink to the bottom. Apparently, there is no crying at Disneyland so a worker nabbed us and took us to a gift store and told Paige she could pick out any toy she wanted to replace the one she lost. ANYTHING. On the house. Mark and I were stoked and couldn't believe we had the magic ticket. There was some seriously nice Disney merchandise at Paige's fingertips. Christmas people! Well, Paige was too hysterical and upset about Rainbow Dash and she refused to be consoled. She wouldn't pick a darn thing and wouldn't even be nice to the worker people who were being seriously sweet to her. We somehow got out of there with this Minnie Mouse car thing that was the closest thing they had to a figurine in hopes it would fill the void of the lost pony. Opportunity wasted!

Paige's favorite character by far was Woody. She literally held on for dear life and would not let go. Woody was so cute to her and really hammed it up.

 

In order to meet Anna and Elsa, you now have to rush to Fantasyland first thing to obtain a call back ticket. The line used to be 4 hours long, and people would actually wait 4 hours to meet them. To try and simplify things, Disney now provides tickets with a call back time, almost like a Fastpass. They only give a limited number out and we barely missed out. I blame it on the 4 times we rode Splash Mountain. Paige was pretty bummed, but since it was Halloween, lots of park goers were dressed up. We found this girl wandering the streets of California Adventure and Paige was so excited. I asked the girl if she would mind posing for a picture and she was so nice about it. No she isn't a Disney worker and not the "real" Elsa, but I thought she looked pretty legit and so did Paige!

 

 

Disney was an honest to goodness blast. I wish Paige would have been 40 inches tall. She loved the rides and had no fear, but we were turned away from a few for being too short. Paige was also so sad about not being big enough. We did manage to "sneak" her onto Soarin, Splash Mountain, and Tower of Terror. I was pretty shocked we made it onto that ride, and even more surprised that Paige LOVED it. The entire time we were in line I was thinking we were the worst parents ever. Paige was the youngest by like 10 years. Even the line was  bit spooky. I kind of thought we would be booted at any moment, but we made all the way to the elevators and I thought, "Crap, we are actually gonna make it on the ride and I will scar Paige for life." Paige, however, really has no fear and laughed from the very first drop. She immediately asked to ride it again but it literally was the last ride we rode before the park closed. It was fun way to end the trip.

 

 

The trip was perfect, minus the throw up, and it was hard to come back home. A few more fun things Paige said on the trip:

 

After a long day, we hit up Cheesecake Factory for dinner. When the waitress came to take our order, Paige flipped open the menu and said, "I would like cake, two waters, and a salad." Mark and I couldn't hold back the laughs. The little stinker is seriously 3 going on 30. And no, she doesn't eat salad, but she will eat cake.

 

While racing to make a flight connection, "Mom, I have super speed, should I use it?"

 

She's a picky eater and it makes life away from home interesting. I think more restaurants need PB and J's on their menus. Anyhow, she was pretty excited to get home and eat her own food. I gave her some Easy Mac the first day back and she says, "These seem to be wonderful!" That kid. I guess she's easy to please as long as you have the right stuff. It's as healthy as cardboard, but easy.

 

 

Fall Catch-up

Somehow time went into warp speed, and before I knew it, I was two months behind in blogging. I am not sure if I am actually that busy or actually that lazy. Maybe a combo of both? Anyway, we will do our best with a few blog posts to catch up to speed. Fall really was lovely around these parts, and we did our best to soak in every glorious moment before the impending doom! 

 

Beth and I were fortunate to snag some great rides before the weather turned. Some were more glorious than others, and this particular ride was easily a favorite. Mark sold Scout, and our trainer Sherman informed us he had been working with a big gray horse for a few months and he might be a good fit. Since Tucker was out of commission, I needed a mount and decided to try the big guy out. Let's just say big is an understatement. Fortunately Beth is tough and basically my ranch hand and saddled him up for me. Had it been up to me, I would have been sunk! The weather was beautiful, the scenery was stunning, company couldn't have been better, and the big guy was a perfect gentleman. He really is a gentle giant and I am THRILLED Mark decided to buy him!

 

 

After spending a good portion of the ride coming up with some awesome names for this beautiful boy, we found out his name is TJ. I like the ideas Beth and I came up with better!

 

View from the top. Seriously magical.

 

Yum. We had a hard time wanting to come home. I could have rode forever!

 

Beth keeps me sane. Literally. In so many ways. She's a blessing in my life for sure!

 

Since the weather was so great, Paige and I were able to do quite a bit of exploring down in the river bottoms. She loves a good walk! We spent a lot of afternoons trekking around with the dog, listening to music on my phone, and just enjoying the good life together. Nothing fancy, but oh so fun.

 

I loved that on this particular excursion she insisted on the binoculars.

 

 

We loved this rock beach. Paige would throw rocks in for hours! I enjoyed sitting down and observing until I discovered that spiders also loved the rock beach.

 

On one particular glorious fall evening, we hit up the local straw maze. It was pretty great and this little turkey led the way the entire time. She did a great job and pushed us through pretty quick. We somehow nabbed the attention of the newspaper and made the front page. It's hard to be a celebrity sometimes.....

 

Of course we needed to hit up Bear World and Beth's house a few times. I snapped this picture on one particular outing. These two have a love/hate relationship. Fight one minute, hold hands the next. I really think they are great friends, they just happen to be three and being three is just hard.

 

 

At some point this fall, Paige turned 15. Seriously though, I can't believe how grown up she looks and can I say gorgeous? What a sweet, wonderful, beautiful little one. Just love her!

 

We discovered that Paige is a pretty serious bike rider. We apparently should have bought one months ago. One Saturday afternoon, we decided to check out a bike shop and couldn't get Paige to leave. She rode this bike in the store for a solid hour and then pitched a fit when we left. Mark caved and ended up bringing the bike home from work one day. At this point, things were getting cold so we back out all the cars and Paige rides the bike in her indoor arena. The first week she rode the bike each day for 3 hours. 3 HOURS! Serious love. She insists that Roxy comes in and joins her and they have a marvelous time. Paige requests Roxy's presence and then when Roxy busts into the garage Paige usually yells, "Surprise Roxy!" Every. Single. Time. It's hilarious and Roxy loves the surprise each and every time. I can usually hear Paige cheering and laughing from the garage while I am doing dishes. Too fun.

 

Mark and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary in October. I am not sure where the time went. I can say I love him more now than I did ten years ago. We've seen a little bit of everything in the last decade, and I am grateful to have such a good husband at my side.