Wow time flies. I can't believe it has already been a month since my last post. We made it through the Ward Christmas Dinner, though I hate to refer to it as just "making it". I was able to get things organized and I was not so stressed as the day arrived, but of course things didn't go as planned. We traded serving with another ward and we had about eight people from our ward go to help with their Christmas Dinner, then they ended up sending about 15 people over to help with ours (which was way more help than we needed). I got to the point where I was almost hiding and avoiding the kitchen as to not be bombarded with questions of what to do, since there wasn't really much more to be done. As for the dinner, instead of serving 200, which we planned for, we ended up serving nearly 250. Everyone got a plate, but nobody got seconds. The food was all really good, but I felt bad that we didn't have any extras. Being a bit embarrassed that I had under-planned, I stayed in the kitchen for the rest of the evening, cleaning up while the "entertainment" was going on. That was probably a good idea, however, as we didn't get the clean-up crew we had hoped for, probably because the "program" went on so late, so at least I had most of the cleaning done by the end of the evening. Oh well, I guess I'll be a little more prepared for next year.
The day after the Christmas Party I had a dentist appointment to get a cavity filled as I wouldn't want to try to go through the Christmas holiday with a tooth that is sensitive to sweets. Since the cavity was between two of my teeth, both teeth had to be drilled and filled. We do have dental insurance and it is great for preventative, but apparently not so great for repair work. I was expecting to pay between $60-80, so when I was checking-out and they let me know "my portion" was $160 I was extremely disappointed and tried not to cry while I was still in the office. The receptionist jokingly said, as I was leaving, "now you can go home and tell your kids you just spent all their Christmas money." I replied "yeah, and I wouldn't be lying". I'm sure she had no idea how true that was. Things are sure different now that we are living without credit cards. When we spend $160 on the dentist it is really $160 immediately out of our pockets and is much more noticeable. All in all it is better not to be getting deeper in debt, but it is taking a lot of getting used to. Unfortunately, my tooth is still a little achy and cold sensitive from the filling, so I still have to be careful what I try to eat on that side of my mouth.
Tomorrow is a day of Christmas performances by our kids. At 10:30 in the morning the girls will be performing a couple of dances during a Christmas party at our local fitness center. Then at 1:30, Andrew will be singing at the mall with his singing group from school. Lastly, at 2:30 Ashley and Andrew will be playing a couple piano pieces for their Christmas recital. It will be a busy day, so hopefully the kids can get some sleep tonight, though the three who will be performing tomorrow are all out with Ryan tonight and will be going to a movie that doesn't start until 7:30. At least the movie is only 90 minutes, so it won't be too late when they get home as long as the incoming storm doesn't slow them down.
The girls had another bout with strep throat and Austyn was found to be a carrier, though he never got "sick". Luckily no one else in the family got sick and we have only had the usual runny noses and coughs.
We celebrated Thanksgiving here in Salt Lake, as we were not able to make the trip to Colorado. It was much smaller dinner than we have had the past several years, but still plenty of good food. I ended up working pretty much every day that week (including Thanksgiving and the day after), plus some extra work probably making up for those who were able to take the holiday off. We didn't even try to get any of the great shopping deals on the day after Thanksgiving, or even at all that weekend. We've found our favorite time to shop is closer to midnight when the kids are in bed and the stores aren't so crowded. That was when we shopped for Austyn's birthday, the night before.
Ashley was baptized Saturday December 2nd and had a wonderful day. We were joined by many family members and friends to celebrate her special day . . . . . . she sure is growing up. Later that evening we took the kids bowling. The three middle kids had their own lane with bumpers on the sides to keep the ball out of the gutters. It was Austyn's first time bowling and he had a blast, he was excited with each turn, whether he knocked down one pin or all of them. Alexia had fun too. Ashley was a little more concerned with the score and didn't have as much fun as her younger siblings L. We'll have to help her with her sportsmanship. Andrew bowled on my lane with open gutters and did reasonably well himself. Of course I still won J, but he's a good sport and had fun playing the game. Ryan and Adalyn just watched, but I think they had fun too.
Austyn turned 5 years old just this past Saturday, December 9th. We took the kids to Chuck-E-Cheese for lunch and playing (not the best idea on a Saturday afternoon). The place was packed, but the kids didn't seem to notice the crowds, they were too busy playing.
Adalyn just had her 10-month check-up this past week and is doing well. She is still without much hair and without any teeth, but it doesn't seem to bother her. She is really close to being able to crawl and has mastered her rolling capabilities. She is able to roll all around the room to reach what she is after. She of course must put everything in her mouth, so we have to be extra careful to keep the floors clean and free of small objects. She is a very smiley baby and loves to kick her feet and bounce in her bouncer. She also enjoys listening to music and will often try to "sing along" if the kids are singing or humming a song. We have to be very careful to keep her fingernails cut short, as she has given Andrew, Ryan and Me each a bloody nose with a quick flick of a sharp fingernail up the nose when we weren't paying attention, all on different occasions.
We have a storm coming in tonight with the promise of snow, but the temperatures look like they will be warming up above freezing before next weekend so we probably won't have any snow left for a "White Christmas". With Christmas on Monday this year, it will probably be the first year I am not shopping on Christmas Eve. I think it will be nice to have a quiet Christmas Eve, however, and take the opportunity to teach the kids more about the true meaning of Christmas.
The kids will be off-track for three weeks beginning the week of Christmas. I am still hoping to take them out to California for at least a week while they are out of school, but it will probably depend on the size of my next check. I have been trying to work extra, but it is hard to even get my regular work done with so much going on around here all the time. So, I still don't know if we'll make it out there or not.
I guess that will have to be all for now. Austyn and I need to find something for dinner while everyone else is out, and it sounds like Adalyn is getting hungry as well. I hope you have a Wonderful Christmas and an Awesome New Year!! Julie
No comments:
Post a Comment