Christmas Day In The Morning

Christmas Eve was full of fun traditions: yummy snacks, clam chowder dinner (Applegate tradition) , jammies from Santa's Elves, the Christmas story FHE, cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. Our family was full of ENERGY and EXCITEMENT, and as Mommy, I wasn't sure when the evening would end. Finally we were able to get the boys to bed and the parents settled down for a quiet evening.

Boys in their Christmas Jammies:

Christmas morning was a different story. I awoke bright and early at about 5:00 to feed Gunner, but I couldn't fall back to sleep. I was so excited for Christmas! You know that butterfly, googly feeling in your stomach? Yeah, I'm 26 and I still get it on Christmas. Kit totally made fun of me, but there I was awake and wishing my boys would wake up, too. I waited until it was almost 7:00, then I succumbed and woke them up. Yes, I WOKE them up. You would think they would wake up at the normal time (between 6:30 and 7:00), but no, not on Christmas! So, I woke the boys and the day got started. Josiah was so cute and excited about everything. He ran to the table and checked to see if Santa ate the cookies, etc. Then in great excitement he discovered Santa brought exactly what he wanted-a Leapster. Gavin was kind-of grouchy and more excited about pulling the the stuff out of his stocking than he was about the music player Santa brought (he loves it now). Then the carnage of wrapping paper!! Quite the mess, but oh, so much fun! Even Gunner joined in (with a little help from Daddy).

The Loot:

Gavin loved all of his presents, but he LOVED his new horse. At first the horse was christened Badger, but as of today, its name is Fin (not sure why). Josiah's has the dignified name of Frank (heeheehee).Aunt Ashlee's gift has afforded us many laughs. Josiah received a doctor dress up kit and Gavin received a military kit, complete with binoculars, a map, compass, canteen and flashlight. Quite fun, as you can see. Papa allowed Jos to cure his illnesses and Gavin spent the majority of the day viewing life through his binoculars.

Gunner is showing off his orange OSU shirt his Grammy and Papa gave him (all the boys, including Papa and Kit have new OSU shirts). I'm sporting my new jeans (thank you Steph and Kit) and my kind-of blond hair. Yes, blond. If you're curious you'll have to email me.

We had a wonderful Christmas. We enjoyed having the Applegates with us, but missed our friends and family who were away. Thank you for the wonderful gifts and love. WE LOVE YOU and wish you a Happy New Year.

Grammy & Papa

The boys were so excited for their Grammy and Papa (Kit's mom and dad) to come. To Josiah their arrival heralded in Christmas, Santa and gifts and simply time spent with them. He had been asking when they would be coming and was quite disappointed when he realized they wouldn't be arriving until after he and Gav had gone to bed. They arrived safely Friday night. They had been here just a little while when Jos had a bad dream and woke up. I took him to the bathroom and when he recognized Grammy's voice he got so excited. He bounced out to give loves then practically rushed back to bed "'cause when it's morning we can all play together!" Of course it took a bit longer for him to calm down enough to fall back to sleep! Saturday our boys woke bright and early and hurried to our room for permission to go out to the family-room (our house is quite small, so the family-room doubles as the guest-room). We kept them corralled a little longer until it became impossible, then let the monsters loose. Gavin, in typical boisterous fashion, yelled, "Shhh, Grammy and Papa are sleeping!" Needless to say, the house was up and going soon after.



We all went out for Shrimp Po'boys for lunch then split up. Jan (Grammy) and Kit tackled the grocery shopping (remember I don't do much of the cooking in my house) and Mike (Papa) and I took the boys to the pet store to kill time and buy crickets for Mohaunna (our gecko). We congregated back at the house for some quiet (wishful thinking) and relaxation. Papa played games with Josiah and Grammy snuggled down for some bedtime story reading.



Today I woke up early to get a head start getting ready- church starts at 9:00 and we have only one bathroom. With only a few tantrums (Josiah and Gavin) we were out the door. Church was nice and Christmas-y and I enjoyed the spirit of the season. I enjoyed Sacrament Meeting and being able to actually listen! (thanks to Grammy, Papa and Gunner, who needed to be nursed). Jan served us a yummy meal and I was spoiled not having to cook or clean (yes, I was ordered out of the kitchen). We're now resting at home (Kit and Papa are enjoying naps) and gathering up our energy for the festivities to come!

Super Heros!

Gavin loves Super Heros. I am not sure where it all started, he doesn't watch any shows other than PBS really...but he LOVES Spider Man and anything that resembles a Super Hero. His Grammy bought him Spider Man jammies and some new Spider Man underwear and he is in seventh heaven. He will come bounding out of his room, come to a halt, pose with arms spread wide and shout "Spidey Man". He is always out to get the "Bad Guy" and to save the day. A few days ago we all went for a walk (it was a balmy 75 degrees) and simply had to wear the Super Hero cape. (My mother picked it up for Jos in Utah when she took Jesse to the MTC. It is double sided with the symbol for Super Man on one side and the symbol for Batman on the other. It is Josiah's, but Gavin will fight tooth and nail to wear it.) So off we go on our walk. Josiah leading the way on his bike, I'm following with Gunner in my sling and Kit is tailing with Gavin on his big wheel. Gavin has just learned to pedal, but he forgets to steer as he pedals so he will go in circles. He did that for awhile, then decided to make a run for it by pulling a Fred Flintstone and using his feet to run him where he wanted to go. All the while his Super Hero cape is flapping in the wind. I had to smile at him, bright eyes and rosy cheeked, I remembered how much fun being a mom can be.

Another Super Hero incident occurred Friday. I was in Gunner's room nursing and I heard the back door open and shut. The boys had decided to go out back to play. This doesn't worry me too much because we are fortunate to have a large fenced-in backyard. I finished nursing and went to check on my big boys. What a site! Josiah was being "constructive" with some extra lumber we have and Gavin was being (surprise!) Spider Man and off to get the "Bad Guy". Unlike the real Spider Man all decked out in his spider suit, this "Spidey Man" was clad only in his one-of-a-kind Spider Man underwear and scaling our fence. Quite the sight!! I grabbed the camera and had to snap a few. Fodder, my dears, for his dating years! Gotta love being a mom!

I've Been Tagged!

My little sister tagged me, so here goes with the answers!

5 things I was doing 10 years ago:
1. I shook a Christmas gift (something I never do) and knew immediately it was the newest Work and the Glory book I had asked for
2. Was dating a boy named Randy, a wrestler on Uncle Jamie's team, and we did the Christmas lights thing
3. Was quite cute and thin, but thought I was fat (don't I wish I was that size now!)
4. Was working at Premium Ice Cream (being their best drive-thru girl!)
5. Thinking I was being edgy listening to Jagged Little Pill and annoying Steph with my country music

5 things on my to-do list:
1. Straighten the house
2. Finish Gunner's stocking
3. Hang the stockings
4. Did I mention straighten the house?
5. Make Christmas cookies with the boys

5 snacks I enjoy:
1. Sweet things, lately (chocolate!)
2. Fruit (but not pears, I dislike the feel of them)
3. Chips, Jan's shrimp salsa and guacamole
4. HOT Krispy Kreme doughnuts (they can actually make me happy)
5. Vegetable tray (with hummus)

5 things I'd do as a billionaire:
1. Have savings
2. Buy Kit a fun car (not too fun, but something like the jeep thingy he wants)
3. Upgrade to a nicer van
4. Buy a house with a beautiful library full of books
5. Do secret acts of service (like giving young marrieds a couple hundred dollars just because I've been there or buying a needy family their Christmas, etc.)
6. Buy fun gifts for my family/friends any time I get the urge (Sorry, I needed to add 1 more)

3 bad habits: Should I pick the worst or the not-so-bad ones?
1. Sometimes I go in the bathroom and pretend so I can get a mini-break from life
2. I have a hard time making up my mind
3. I de-junk often (not so bad, but I de-junk a lot of Kit's stuff)

5 places I've lived:
1. Chesterfield, Michigan (between Detroit and Port Huron)
2. Stillwater, Oklahoma
3. Provo/Smithfield/North Logan, Utah
4. Lexington, Kentucky
5. Pullman, Washington

5 jobs I've had:
1. Dog washer
2. Premium Ice Cream (a diner)
3. Labeau's (a family restaurant/ fast food place)
4. Interlibrary Loan (lending) worker in the Harold B. Lee Library
5. Receptionist at OSU Animal Hospital

5 things you probably don't know about me:
1. Despite being very practical, I'm a romantic at heart (I love happy endings, boy gets girl, rainbows, etc)
2. I hateJames Bond movies
3. I love to turn music up loud and dance around, with my boys or alone...anything goes
4. The image of my boys duct-taped to the wall makes me giggle and relieves stress (not doing it, just the image of them splayed and taped to the wall with a piece over their mouths, heeheehee)
5. My favorite fairy tale is Beauty and the Beast

Doing this was kind-of fun. I wonder what Steph's will be like.

...their stockings were hung by the chimney with care

Or shall we say the ugly beam that runs across my ceiling? At least the beam has some use to it! I finally got Gunner's stocking finished, so today I hung them up. I decided to let you see my attempts at decorating...where are my sisters and mom when I need them? I like the stuff on my tree, but my tree is kind of wimpy (better than our previous one and we got it after Christmas sales for six bucks). I wish I knew how to make it look its best *sigh*. I do like my refurbished snowman outside my door (courtesy of my mom) and the simple wreath I made (yeah! my bow making skills came into use). I love Christmas and all of its trappings! I always feel lighter, happier, more in tune with my Savior. I love the feelings that make others smile at you in stores and make me smile in return!!

Even Josiah and Gavin have a tree in their room. It was the first one Kit and I had after we got married. Josiah takes great pride in his decorating ability and is always begging me for "the perfect ornaments" he sees at the store.

I also thought I'd include a couple pictures of Gunner. He has gotten so big and cute (to me). It is hard posting pictures of him, I have found, because I want you all to see him as cute as I see him. It always seems that no matter how hard you try, your baby looks like they have gigantic noses (which Gunner has a bit of a bigger nose anyway), alien-sized heads, and drool everywhere. Despite that, I thought I'd let you see his heart-warming smile. He doles it out as often as he can catch your eye. He is always grinning at the antics of his big brothers and seems to already admire and love them. It is beginning-the hero worship that causes brothers to get into way too much trouble. Uggh! I love that my boys are close brothers, though. I love my sisters so very much so I am glad my boys are starting such a wonderful and rewarding relationship. If my sisters are reading this, know how much I love you, appreciate you and miss you to distraction!!

Aren't babies so cute sleeping! I love my children most when they're sleeping (heehee). Gunner still refuses to take a binkie, but he is getting more and more atached to his thumb.

Housekeeping?

It is ten o'clock at night and I'm gazing around my house. One might venture to ask what exactly I did all day. It couldn't have been mopping-I have spots on my kitchen floor. It couldn't have been doing dishes-I have dishes in my sink. It couldn't have been doing laundry-I have a load sitting in the basket next to my couch. It couldn't have been picking up-I have a stuffed giraffe attempting to cook a little wooden pizza for a midnight snack in the middle of my living-room floor. Exactly what have I been doing with my day? I must have dreamed I cleaned my house (although I prefer the dream of a balmy deserted island with a fabulous book to read and a studly cabana boy bringing me cute drinks with little umbrellas in them). *Sigh* I guess this means I must attempt to set my house in order, yet again, tomorrow.

Here Comes Santa Claus!

Here comes Santa Clause right down...an air strip! The Coast Guard ATC had their Christmas Party yesterday and it was so fun!! Our kids loved how Santa's Helper came to visit the base via a coastie helicopter. It was so fun watching all the kids' expressions and hearing their squeals. Gavin (up on his Daddy's shoulders) kept leaning over and shouting "It's Santa, Mommy! It's Santa coming to town!" He did, however, hide his head as the helicopter landed. He dislikes loud sounds immensely. Despite the non-Christmasy weather (it was in the seventies and ugly humid) the feel of Christmas was all around. They had Christmas music blaring from the loud speakers and the kids could decorate cookies, wreaths and play in those giant blow-up jumping castles. They even had a climbing wall. Jos was eager to follow the other kids up, but after standing in line a few minutes and calculating the risks, he decided to demure. Right before we were leaving he gathered enough gumption to try again, but they had started taking it down. He was a sad boy.

Another fun aspect of the party was the planes and helicopters. They allowed the kids (and adults) to go in and sit and look around the air crafts. It was sure eye-opening. I even sat in one. I don't think it is something I'd love...I felt as if I would be flying in a tuna fish can, but it was sure neat to see!

Here are some of the photos from the party. Pay particular notice to poor Santa's face in the picture with Gavin...he looks like he's had a long, hot day! Poor man--he'd been doing the knee-thing for hours!

Hello! From Us

Hello! Yes, we've decided to start a blog...with family and friends leading the way, we've decided to follow. The update on our family is as follows:

Kit is in the Coast Guard and stationed here at the Sector Mobile, AL. I stay at home with our 3 boys. Josiah has just turned 5 and is our mischievious, clever and biggest-brother boy. Gavin turned 2 in October and is FULL of energy. From jumping off of our dining room table to climbing bookshelves and bunkbeds, he keeps us on our toes (in the attempt to stay away from the ER). Last, but not least is our 3 month old son, Gunnison. Gunner is our sweet boy, full of smiles and love and definitely a planned part of our family by the Lord.

I am adjusting to life with three kids. They are a handfull and I grimace (that's putting it nicely) probably as often as I smile daily. I do love them and I hope they will grow up knowing just how much their daddy and I love them. Their antics keep us laughing, which is good or we might be crying :P.