Have a cup of Christmas Cheer

Our first Christmas back in Utah was a success! I loved being able to spend Christmas in our newly finished basement, wake up Christmas morning in my own bed and being able to spend a little more time with all of our family rather than having to hurry back to the warmth of Arizona.

Mc made out like a bandit! I was especially excited this year to give her the kitchen that my Grandpa had made for me when I was two. He so lovingly and skillfully refinished it and I was set with the task of fake food, dishes and the like. I wish we would have given her this present last because she didn't want to open all the other gifts- just play with the fake food and the kitchen. I really wish I had taken some before pictures. It was a dark brown wood with a yellowing counter top...all redone. I also took a picture of the back. You can see my grandpa's beautiful penmanship- the first "Merry Christmas Tisha 1984 Grandpa Jim" and then Mckinley's, "Merry Christmas Mckinley 2010 Great Grandpa Jim". Such a cool memento- we were both two years old. Just so grateful for my Grandpa and his willingness to do that for me. Overall, she was loaded up with dinosaurs, books, clothes, candy and pretend lipstick (which also made the favorite present cut). The only downside to Christmas for Mc, not having an advent calendar the day after- every day since, the first thing she asks for is as chocolate. She also took a liking to "How the Grinch stole Christmas", called "Inch" at our house and I don't think we will be finding it on TV so regularly.

You can just see the excitement....

Mark and I also had an amazing Christmas. Mark got pretty much everything related to Cafe Racers (the new rage in motorcycles) as well as our little escapade to a Bed and Breakfast, commencing this evening. Mark gave me a Shark vacuum- (for real, how did I live without a lightweight vacuum with hardwood floors??), a GPS and my coveted Hello Kitty watch. We got a wireless printer (hallelujah), Les Mis tickets (excited!!!) and I was given a Brother "Project Runway" sewing machine. Still terrified to give it a whirl but it comes with an instructional DVD...so maybe soon. Our parents are amazingly gracious and we are so blessed.

Mark and I also went all out to win @ the Ellison Christmas Eve party- I was a genius and forgot my camera so...those pics to come later. Christmas 2010 was a success. Next year, we will have two kids and Mc will have a better understanding of what Christmas is all about. Here is to hoping your New Years is awesome and 2011 is even better!

Medium American Cheddar- 2010

This is what happens when you leave the block of cheese too close to the edge of the counter where toddler hands can reach. Apparently, Mckinley prefers her cheese fresh from the block.

In other news, my best friend Nausea has reared it's ugly head again. I was feeling pretty good for a few days, told the world I was doing better, and then WHAM...back to feeling like death warmed over. I have discovered the mints seem to help and the brushing my teeth (although gagging mid brush) seem to help.

We are ready for Christmas at our house and I can't believe it is 4 days away. Where has this month gone? It makes me realize that this pregnancy is going to fly by, I am going to have a 3 year old and two children before I know it and come February, we will have lived in Utah for a year. I will say, I still can't get over how beautiful fresh powdery snow is, that my house actually looks "Christmas-ey" (icicles, snow covering the lights on the roof) and the fact that I get to wake up in my own bed on Christmas morning. Here is to hoping Santa finds you all!

The Wee One

Here is our little bean @ 12 weeks. I have to admit, I was a little nervous today. Last appointment the doctor said it might be too early to hear the heartbeat- and it was. This time, the Doppler was on my stomach for what felt like an hour and there was still nothing....I almost started to cry because I had expressed to Mark how scared I was that might happen- we have all heard the horror stories. I think the Doc sensed my anxiety and got me in for a quick ultrasound. Not even one second after the wand hit my stomach- there it was...beating heart, swimming around, legs, hands...all of it. What a sigh of relief! Still too early to decide if it was a girl or girl (yes, there was no boy choice) but we should be able to find out @ the next appointment. Just glad to have a healthy baby so far. And, here is to no barfing this whole week! Truly, a Christmas miracle.

Dinosaurs still seek Him

At our house, it is only normal that the Dinosaur is also making it's way to see the babe in the manger.

I do have to give Mc some major credit this year. The Christmas tree has remained unscathed (unlike last year where most of the ornaments made it to the top 4 inches of the tree). She even has a little tree in her room that she has not touched once. She discovered the joy of the advent calendar this year and has shared her desire for a "dragon" with Santa.

December in Utah has been bitter cold but the prospect of not having to fight the airports this year or take a week vacation to spend Christmas with family, is quite enticing. For a little family outing on Saturday, we hit the Winder Dairy. It was nothing like the grandeur I remembered back in the day- their little street had THE best Christmas lights. I assume most of them have died (since they were ancient when I lived there) so only a few houses held strong. The Dairy was like I remembered it...minus the scones. THEY RAN OUT! We patiently waited for our fresh scones dripping with honey butter but alas, have to return with our "free scones" voucher. I did run into an old friend, Cami Thomas and we were able to chat- She hasn't changed a bit but let's remember the previous post (6th grade) and hope I have.

Hippity Hop Down the Memory Trail

It's that time again! To take a look at some hideous picture from my past and reminisce. This picture is from my 6th grade year. I remember that this was the year I had to have retakes THREE times. I still remember that jacket. It was like a colorful garbage bag. This was also the year that I started rocking the "top of the head" half pony tail and the jelly roll bang. Braces, zits and all- does it get any uglier?
Some highlights from 6th grade-
*notice our teacher, Mrs. Hayes, is not in the picture. She was a rather portly woman and I still remember on the first day of school, that she told us she had a chemical imbalance that made her fat- not the smartest idea with a bunch of insensitive 6th graders.
* The summer before 6th grade I went to the school almost everyday to see if they had posted the teachers for the upcoming year. When I found out I had Mrs. Hayes, I cried and pleaded with my mom to move me to Mr. Banker's class (the cute, young teacher who played Garth Brooks songs on the guitar). To no avail, I suffered through that year with Mrs. Hayes.
* Take note of the skinny kid, front row, blue striped shirt. That my friends, is Ben Brawer. I got a white slip (disciplinary action) for hitting him with a snowball. About a decade ago, I saw him at a gas station. He ran up and gave me a hug out of the blue. Random, and he remembered my name. A snowball in the face will do that to you.

It was an interesting year. I learned to really like Mrs. Hayes, was the Math Olympiad of my elementary (that is before I discovered Algebra. It ruined me) and ultimately, kissed my adolescence good bye. I would like to tell you the "top of the head" pony tail would not be making an appearance in 7th grade, but that would be a lie.

How Zombies Inspire Gratitude

Mark and I have discovered AMC's new series, "The Walking Dead". It isn't your typical brain eating Zombie sitcom...it is SO much more...well, not really but we like it. While we were watching last week, Mark and I got on the topic of what we would like to have at our disposal in a post apocalyptic situation- so on this Thanksgiving, I will be grateful for the things that would be taken with me should I have to flee the Zombie strewn city of West Jordan or things I would miss in life should I have to live in a tent avoiding the "Walkers" that were out to eat my brains.

1) Photo albums. Oddly enough, in the series, the main character knew his wife was still alive because when he woke up(think coma in a hospital, fever comes, everyone is infected, he lives because the Zombies thought he was dead) and found that his wife had taken all the photos and albums from their home. Remember, zombies don't care much for mementos. I too would miss my albums, Mc's baby book and all the journals I have kept since high school. I would be so grateful for those memories.
2) A shower/hot water. Living outside means no running water. No electricity means no pilot lights. I am so glad that every day (well, on the days I find time) I get a warm shower and truly only have to take a cold one by choice.
3) A compass. Mark's suggestion. Too often we use our little "rear view" digital direction to tell us which way we are going. Bless the mountains in Utah for I now have a little better sense of East/West but if you were living in the woods, a compass would be handy in finding your way to the "safe zones".
4) A crossbow and impeccable aim. Zombies are apparently drawn to the sound of gun shots- you could kill a deer for dinner or shoot a Zombie directly in the head with an arrow and no one would be the wiser. I am grateful that Mark owns a bow and that I took archery classes in 7th grade.
5) A gas siphon. All the abandoned cars and no way to get the gas out. How glad I am for the Chevron and being able to just go and fill up my car.
6) A toothbrush. Although a Zombie wouldn't care if I had 14 days worth of plaque on my teeth, I however appreciate a minty refreshing brush at least 3 times a day.
7) Tampons. Need I say more.
8) Water purification system. Man, do I take clean water for granted. This week in Park City, lots of people couldn't drink their tap water. Assuming you had no water storage, no bottled water....think about what you would do. So glad that I can drink water straight from the tap or buy fresh water readily at the store.
9) Washing machine/dryer. This week, all the ladies in the camp were talking about how they missed their Maytags as they hand washed clothes. Don't get me wrong, I am sure the clothes smelled and looked "better" (let's face it Zombie blood just doesn't come out) but really, there is nothing like taking a shirt fresh from the dryer and knowing that your stain stick did the job.
10) Scissors- Had never thought much about giving or getting a haircut in the wilderness but consider the massive amount of mullet-sporting men roaming around after weeks of not a trim. Not only could they be used for cutting hair, fabric, fingernails but a great close range stabbing tool. But really, what would you do without scissors? No more "coupon clipping" more like coupon tearing, how would you open go-gurts? Crafting would lose it's lustre and going to a hairdresser- the flowbee (vacuum haircutting system) failed. Miserably.

All Zombies aside, there are so many small things to be thankful for. I don't think I take enough time to think about what I would really bring or miss if I had to leave my home in a hurry. I thought about it briefly as my family's homes were in peril with the fire in Herriman, but I am grateful for our new found sitcom to remind me on a weekly basis, there are things that I take for granted EVERY. DAY.

Quartet

legs on a dog, cat, or iguana

Nations in the United Kingdom

The Beatles

sides of a square

Years to a US Presidential term

seasons in a year

noble truths in the Buddhist religion

quattro

williamson family members

that's right...our family is expanding to F O U R. this pregnancy hasn't been as smooth as mc's. morning sickness is a beast and i am hoping 2nd trimester brings some relief. we are excited, scared, nervous, anxious and surprised that unlike with mckinley, this process happened rather quickly. the focus is now being shifted to potty training, diaper hoarding and preparing for all the joys of a newborn. (*totally stole this idea from my friend Amy)

This is Halloween

I love me some Halloween! We had a little pumpkin carving party on Tues. and it was great fun! We blasted some "Nightmare Before Christmas" and displayed our best knife skills. We also discovered, in our attempt to find the perfect pumpkins, the Winco in all it's money saving glory. That night, we also got our first snow for the year. It was cold but beautiful and the smell of the wet grass, candles in pumpkins and FALL was intoxicating.

Mckinley made a beautiful brightly markered pumpkin.

Mimi, Papa, Britty and Brayden were able to share in the festivities.

Mark- joined Mc in just "drawing" on his pumpkin and decided to place it so lovingly in the back of the pack because it was the "reject" pumpkin.

All lit up...my favorite part of Halloween!

Retraction- Princess style

In my previous post, I had mentioned that Mckinley seemed disinterested in all things Princess. That WAS until Miss Kate, graciously gifted her with a box of Disney Princess Dress ups. At first, she was mainly interested in the rings, "pearl" necklace and bracelets but then she discovered the dresses. Since Monday, we have had the Aurora/Sleeping Beauty dress and crown as the daily staple. She LOVES it. Just glad that I was able to catch Mckinley discovering her "inner princess" with the camera.

One year older and wiser too....

10:22 AM and you made your entrance into the world. I should have known that being six (Yes, SIX!!) days late, this would set the pace for the stubborn, strong willed little girl that was entering our lives. You were an angel- a stork bitten, blond angel and all ours. What a blessing you are and we are so thankful you chose us to raise you and be with you on your journey.

Some things we love about you right now-


1) You love go-gurts!


2) No princesses or dollies at this house. You are all about "dine-saurs" and "dagons".


3) You love bath time and to "schwim". Your little nakey bum is so edible!!


4) "Shoes on", "shoes off"- a pretty good indicator of if we are staying or going.


5) You love to be outside!


6) You are learning to "snuggle"- every now and then we (daddy more often) get a few minutes before bed time.


7) You can count to 10- "seben" is my personal favorite.


8) You are the master of unscrewing, uncapping and opening anything.


9) You love "pretties" and to put on lip gloss and chapstick.


10) You are so empathetic and compassionate to others.


WE LOVE YOU! Happy 2nd Birthday, Mickey Doo!

You call me a WITCH as if it's a bad thing

Living in Utah definitely has it perks and I can now add one more to the list-- WITCHAPALOOZA!! We had an excellent time @ Gardner Village for a ladies night- myself, my mother, Bree, Heidi, and Kelly. We met together Saturday afternoon to embellish our own hats- feather boas, glitter, ribbons and bows, and then met @ 5:30 to visit with other witches and bask in the Halloween decor @ all the fabulous little shops. The show commenced @ 7:00- food, singing and a great show! The theme was "Ghosts of Withes Past" (cleverly adapted from "Ghosts of Girlfriends Past"). It was great! We had so much fun singing along, dancing and just enjoying each other's company. I can't wait to go next year and now that we know there are people that go WAY beyond black clothes and green face paint, I will be on the look out for a sweet dress and witch shoes for next year.

Until next year ladies-" i'll get you my pretties!"

My mother and my sister and I.

The Witches!

Just a little patience

I guess I started this post below last week...never posted it. I think I got too busy or Mckinley threw her lunch on the floor or something. She has become quite challenging (no need for "I told you so's") but it seems like sometimes that EVERYONE makes a comment about how "active" our child is. She tests my patience pretty much everyday and I sometimes wonder how in the world can I handle working from home (40 hours a week), handling a toddler who needs constant attention or she is coloring on the wall( herself, the couch, the dog), and then eventually, having another child at home.

**I started today with a goal of not using the word "no" to Mckinley. That goal got chucked out the window at 9:34 AM, as she dumped crushed up goldfish crackers all over my new leather ottoman. My patience has been super thin lately and I am really not sure why. Yes, she is a toddler--the phrase "Terrible Twos" is all too familiar but it is funny, I pray for patience and to be a better Mother and it seems like the Lord sends those tantrums and screaming fits as a "test".

I went and listened to Stephanie Nielson (nieniedialogues.blogspot.com) @ BYU last night. First off, that is one kooky place. Nerdy kids all over sporting their BYU blue- I hope the Aggs beat them! :) Second, I went with my sister-in-law, Marianne (who bless her heart is the Young Women's President) and a bunch of 16 year olds texting and rambling about Taylor Swift...wow was that agonizing ( is that what I have to look forward to?!?!?). Anyway, Stephanie was amazing. What an inspirational spirit. She just radiates- now, for reals, I am not just "drinking the Kool-aid" and on this kick....I have followed her blog for a long time and think she is really a great example of patience and the kind of mother I want to be.

Here it is 10:15- still have a few hours left to work, Mark was a dear and has mopped the floor and dusted the furniture...I have to give that man mad props too. He is super receptive to my Mt. Saint Helens breaking points. He comes home from a 12 hour day, takes Mc without complaint and let's me do my thing. I am sure I am not the easiest to live with most days but he really is my match and is able to talk me off the ledge.

Anyway- there you have it. A not so fluffy post and kind of a glimpse into the craziness of my life. So next time you see me, take a look at the cuticles- They are a pretty good judge of my stress level and right now, they resemble something close to ground beef.

Excuse me but can I be you for a while

For lack of anything else exciting to blog- a post that is a hodge podge of random. I guess being the first day of Autumn, a few of the posts are summer related and all of the posts include Mckinley (surprise, surprise). I was looking at the birthday ticker today and it is crazy that my baby is going to be two in a few short weeks. We have a two year old....can it be??

Let's begin with this one...we hit up Park City for Labor Day and this is Mc and Mark on the Alpine slide. She LOVED it! Being half (I say 3/4's) Mark, she was fearless and Mark said she kept saying "gehn gehn" (again again) over and over and wanted to go faster. She loved it!

This is Mc with her cousins Finn and Sophie. They are super close in age (about 2 months apart) and it is fun to see them together. My cousin Ashlee (their mom) and I have always been close and to see our kids together, now that we live in the same state, is awesome. This picture captured them about the only time they sat still, to eat their ice cream @ Grandma Cookie's 71st birthday party.

A few weekends ago, my mother and I hosted a yard sale @ my house. Mark was a trooper and at the end of the day, chilled with Mc and our niece Brynlee. Does Mckinley look like her daddy or what? And for the scrapbook, this is right before Brynlee peed through her diaper onto the couch. Guess she was just really comfortable with Mark.

And lastly, Mckinley right after I tucked her in. She has her "beebies" and nothing makes her more happy than to go to bed. She actually asks for "nigh nigh" when she is ready for bed. What a sweetie. We sure do love her!

A little something from the archives

This is me in all my 2nd grade glory. This weekend, I picked up a box of old school papers from my mom's house and came across a few gems.

Now, keep in mind, 2nd grade for me was one of the best years of school I can remember. My teacher, Mrs. Gadd was amazing. I remember her peach colored turtle neck, brown polyester pants and the nervous "hold my arm under my boob and lift up" twitch that made her ever so charming. I brought her flowers (picked from someone's yard on the way to school), wrote her notes and thought she was amazing. 2nd grade was also where I got my first 15 minutes of fame with the weather man, Lynn Randolph. He used to do "Weather School" and our class got picked to host. I had drawn an amazing picture of a girl outside in a rain coat almost getting struck by lightening. Mrs. Gadd also had us keep a daily journal and this was one of my favorite entries- the theme was "By the time I am twenty years old I hope that...". My spelling was superb (note: 'collage', 'scailorsip' and 'sergen'). I had aspirations of a mission (which was going to be to Russia- I was sure of it) and to become a plastic "sergen". I also find it funny I had the desire to be "popiler"..even at an early age we have our priorities.

As you can see from the picture, we did reports- this was the Zebra report and my Zebra plains (salt dough and rice dyed green). I would like to say this was ALL my idea but my mother was quite the skilled diorama maker. I rocked the sweet side pony, jelly roll bangs and dreams that were far beyond my years. Hope you enjoyed this trip down memory lane.

Come on girls! Do you believe in love?

Sorry for the crooked video! Any help in that capacity would be appreciated. Until then, touch your ear to your shoulder. Worth the watch! :)

Happy September! It seems like summer went by way too quickly with not nearly enough trips to the pool or days spent outside. Fall is almost here and I am super excited for the weather, pumpkins on my porch, sweaters and Halloween.

Mckinley is getting too big! It still amazes me that she has been a part of our lives almost two years in October. What a sweet blessing! She is constantly entertaining us with her dancing (as you can see in the video she has a love for Madonna, like her parents. Yes, even Mark!) and now whenever I get the camera out she says "Chhhhheeeeeessssse". We did have a monumental tantrum this week- screaming and yelling "Daddy, hep me" (translation, Help me!!!). I have never had so many people looking at me in TjMaxx like I was kidnapping this poor little girl (mind you, shopping cart full of things for HER!!). She loves Cory (the dog), her stroller, coloring and go gurts. She loves her "shows" which she requests in the morning and before naps. We sure do love her and are so lucky to have such a sweet spirit (minus the aforementioned tantrum) in our home. Here is Mc giving Cory a hug.

Tomorrow for Labor Day we are making a trip to Park City to ride the Alpine Slide and the ziplines before they close them for the season. I have wanted to go all summer so I am pretty excited to rock the zipline.

We'll all float on....

I am a list maker. Post its. Old receipts. Planner. Basically whatever I can find, I will write out the things I need to do on a daily basis. There is something super satisfying for me, at the end of the day, turning to my list and (on most days) seeing that I accomplished all I set out to do in a day. Currently, I am overwhelmed ("you can be overwhelmed and underwhelmed, can you just be whelmed?") with the massive quantities of things I must accomplish today, before I head to Phoenix for the rest of the week.

1) Teleconference @12:00
2) Laundry- all inclusive folding, putting away
3) Pack
4) Print boarding passes
5) Get Mc's clothes picked out for the rest of the week- not like I don't trust Mark. He usually can match up some cute shorts with various tops, but it's fun for me.
6) Shower- Whoa...#6 on the list but some days, it doesn't even make the list. Don't judge.
7) Run
8) Hit the park with friends- I have been in Utah since Feb and seriously, have friends that I saw more when I lived in Arizona.
9) Barnes and Noble to purchase "Mocking Jay"...need it for the plane.
10) Wrap up my work week

Mark has been in Detroit since Monday so it will be great to spend time with him tonight before I leave for the weekend. I am excited to get back to Phoenix and to spend time with friends. I still miss it every now and then.

The mornings are starting to cool off which means Fall isn't too far off. I haven't lived in a state the has "seasons" for a long time so I am excited for the leaves changing, the smell in the air and Halloween!

Well, plenty to do. Asta Utah! Here I come Phoenix!

All dressed up.

And this my friends is why I love my daughter. She is super stylish- always wanting her "dudes" or her "gasses", fluffy shoes, and some hair accessory that doubles as a bracelet or "pee-ey" (pretty). We have our Toy Story shirt accented by the "Toy Story 2" case as she intently watches "Toy Story 2"- don't judge the mullet- she just got out of the bath. Lastly, her swim getup. She is so much fun!

Boston- the finale.

There was so much to see and do in Boston- definitely get the Trolley 2-day...we got to see a little bit of everything! We left the hotel early in the morning and didn't come back until late at night (except for those two days where I came back after breakfast and took a nap). On Sunday, we were pretty much Zombies and tired #1 from the two hour loss from the time change #2 Power vaca-ing it up for four days.

I was obsessed with the architecture and how quaint all of the buildings were. Planter boxes on almost every window, bright paint and shuttered windows. The Tremont Temple which had amazing brickwork. There were little streets that had rows and rows of Victorian Homes- most of which are historically protected and have remained true to the period even down to the metal knockers on the door.

Of course there was Cheers- burgers and fries weren't really on the menu any night so we never ate there but, still cool to walk by every morning on the way to breakfast.

Thursday we hit the New England Aquarium. For you Utahns, this is no Utah Aquarium. This was a three story indoor Oceanic Wonderland. This was the tank that ran right through the center of the entire building. The shape of the turtle (to the left) that doesn't look very impressive- in real life, this is Myrtle an 80 year old turtle that has lived at the Aquarium for FORTY years and weighs 560 lbs. She was amazing.

On our travels, there was this little building, coincidentally named "The Littlest Bar". I want to live in a building like this. There were little metal stars all over, the fire escape, again, said planter boxes. So cute.























Friday, Jim and I ventured to the Museum of Natural Science while Mark and Deb conferenced it up all day. We walked ALL the way which made for interesting adventures. We met up with a dude from Holland who was in the US for the first time and also on his way to the Museum. On the way back from the Museum, a couple dudes wheeling a dead body out of the hospital. Wish my camera was at the ready but that was one of the highlights of the day.

Petrified Lightening (below)- where lightning strikes the ground and is so hot it makes glass. The lightening show was awesome! Think a large guy who kind of looks like the comic book guy from the "Simpsons" in a life size birdcage shooting electricity through it....good times.







Mine and Jim's thermal body scan. Very "Predator"esque.














They had birds, seashells, animals, books, "how it works"- we spent three hours at this place. Well worth the money for all that we got to see.





Mark and I on an ass. The guy taking the picture thought he was hilarious with all of his "ass" jokes. Boston Harbor- we took a little cruise out during a beautiful day. The ocean smelled great and it was just nice to look back and see the city we were staying in. Made me really wish I knew how to sail.



Fenway--not really a "mecca" for any of us but still cool to be there while a game was going on and see all the hustle and bustle and $40 parking.


That is the last of the posts about Boston. We really had an excellent time and I am really excited to go back someday.