My tantrum

The Christmas Season is my favorite time of the year.

I love Christmas lights and music.

This year though I didn't "cry when I took the tree down".

You see, we live in a small apartment.  Well, maybe it's not terribly small but we moved from a house that is easily twice as big AND we had a big yard AND our own driveway AND a shed to store things in.

AND most importantly a PLAYROOM. 

Here we have 1100 SMALL square feet and a storage unit across town that has more than half of our possessions....you know those things that we couldn't "part" with.  (Bring on summer because once we move I'm parting with a lot of that stuff!)

This leads me to be a GRINCH!

I'm crabby and cranky.  

The kids are driving me bonkers because there isn't any room for them to play.

Christmas "exploded" in our room this year because I didn't want to deal with them under the tree in our already cramped living room.

I am OH SO READY to be out of this apartment!  

Seriously...

Ready!

On a happier note, Happy New Year!  2011 is going to be a fabulous year....I can feel it in my bones.

The boy that I worry about the most....

turns out to be one of the sweetest boys I know.  

Some days I feel like pulling my hair out because he CAN NOT keep his room clean and can't ever find anything....I mean anything.  He's obnoxious, loud and well just plain boy.   

But, he was the kindest kid I know today; which brings tears to my eyes.  Because out of all the things that drive me crazy about him, my fear is that he will be "the mean mormon" kid.  Sounds silly, I know.  But I knew a few too many of those "mean mormon kids" and because of them I almost didn't join the Church.  

In Samuel's class at school they earn "economy dollars" all month long doing their "jobs", keeping their desk clean, turning in their work etc.  The last school day of the month they have an auction.  The kids can bring in items they want to auction off and they get to keep the "economy dollars" they earn from the auction.  

Now, there is a girl who isn't very well liked in his class.  There are various reasons she's not well liked none of which matter on this blog, however suffice it to say today the other kids weren't very nice.  She made a paper doll to auction off and no one bid.  That's right, no one.  As the teacher was telling her she was sorry that no one wanted her homemade doll Samuel stood up and said he wanted to buy it.  All he had left was 10 economy dollars and so he offered her that for the doll. 

I don't know how she reacted except that she thanked him. 

And, I am proud.  

Proud that he's a nice boy and proud that he did what was right.  He showed kindness to a little girl who probably doesn't see a lot of it.  Any time of year is a good time to show kindness, but what better time of year than at Christmas for him to have done something like this.  

I sure do love this boy, and I'm grateful for the lesson he taught me today!

New Picture

Just so you all know, Carson in the picture above is my adorable nephew.  I did this layout for our Baxley/Mobley family Christmas letter and thought it was cute so I put it on here.  

He is cute though, and I would claim him any day!

I thought I had plenty of time before Christmas....then I realized it's already December.  

Where did the time go?

We've already had Christmas concerts, sung Christmas carols, played TONS of Christmas music, wrapped presents and I've been sewing for what seems like forever. Could be that I started playing Christmas music at the beginning of October, and so I feel like we'd never get to Christmas.

I'm getting excited though.....SHHHHH....it's a secret.  My parents, sister and nephew are coming in on the 20th.  The kids don't know and I'm THRILLED for the surprise.  Mind you, I don't like surprises.  However, I LOVE love LOVE the fact that the kids don't know their coming!

KatieJo was saying just last night how sad she was that we didn't get to see Grandma and Grandpa Baxley and Auntie Cori and Carson for Christmas....I almost blew it right then and opened my mouth.  It's a good thing Stuart was sitting next to me or I might have.  

So, they will show up at the door on the morning of the 21st as they get in really late the night before, with presents and breakfast in hand to surprise the kids.  I can't Wait!!!!!!

On a side note.  Samuel had his first basketball practice last night and as we were getting in the van to head to practice he looks at me and says: "I already know a few skills for basketball".  

I replied:  "Oh, and how is that?"

"Grandpa (Baxley) taught me and I even beat him a few times."

 So, watch out Richland...Samuel "the Basketball King" Mobley is on the courts!

Celebration

Maija turned 2 this week.  

I'm having a hard time realizing she's no longer a baby and is very much a toddler!

We all had a great time celebrating her birthday and it feels like we celebrated ALL day long.  

We took cupcakes to play group (they also ate a cupcake while I was decorating them),

and we had cake and presents that evening.  We were sugared up!

 

I'd say she asked for pizza, but she technically didn't.  It just happens to be one of her favorite foods so that's what we had.

Please note that I had to re-do her hair about 3 times (she normally leaves it alone, but not today!)

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet Girl!!

I've been reading back to my posts when I first started blogging.  My how things have changed!  We were happy in Rawlins for many reasons, but the Lord new better and away we've gone back to Washington.  I fought it with everything I had, but in the end I had no choice except to go along with the move. 

I was talking to my mom this morning about how good this move has been for all of us.  Neither of the kids had many friends in WY, but here when I drop them off at school they are surrounded by their friends.  As a parent, that is a WONDERFUL sight to behold!  Both of them are doing so well in school and have adjusted to the school better than either of us could have hoped.

Stuart loves his job, not that that is a new concept to him but it's always nice.  And I have made quite a few friends here as well.  We all feel so loved and to be honest it feels like we've come home.  I haven't even been
"homesick" for my family which is terribly odd for me. 

I really hope we are supposed to stay here, I am almost afraid to plan too far ahead because I'm scared we'll have to move again.  I hope and pray that we don't have to....except to move out of this apartment!

Come!

On Monday I took  Maija, Phillip and a friend's little girl who is about Phillip's age to the play ground of dreams.  (We call it the castle park, but it's real name is the Play Ground of Dreams).  Maija and Phillip are used to playing on whatever they want and when we got there off they went to play.  "D" however is an only child and doesn't play with other children very often and she was a little lost as to what she should be doing with the other kids.  Maija stopped and noticed that D wasn't playing and so she walked over to her, grabbed her hand and said "Come!"  I may just be emotional right now, but having just made a big transition in our lives and being in the process of making new friends myself it really struck me.  My eyes may have been "sweating". 

Then I found this quote by James E. Faust
“The commandment given by the Savior was to love others and yourself. Am I secure enough in my love of myself to laugh at myself, to admit mistakes, to graciously accept a compliment? Am I secure in my love of others to smile and say hello to a perfect stranger?”


If I could only be more like a child!  My goal during the next few months is to make new friends, and literally say "Come!"  Some very lovely sisters have done that for me here, and with my new calling as the Relief Society Meeting Coordinator I have the perfect opportunity to do just that.

Pictures!

I finally changed our blog header, a friend of mine is trying to hone her skills to start a photography business, and so practiced on our kids at the park the other day.   I LOVE them, and I didn't have to fight with them to take them.  THANKS MONICA!

I finally found the cord to my camera and then for some reason I couldn't get the pictures to download onto the computer.  After quite a few frustrating days I figured out there was something wrong with one of the pictures on the camera and deleted...and now I can post pictures again...YAY!

We really did have a pretty good summer.  KatieJo and Samuel each stayed 2 weeks at my parents house in CO.  Samuel participated in a British Soccer Camp, and swim lessons; and KatieJo spent her time doing swim lessons and shopping with Grandma and Auntie Cori.  KatieJo also got to spend some time in Idaho with the Mobley side.

Samuel at soccer camp

I LOVE this picture!

Grandma and Grandpa and our 4 munchkins

Auntie Cori and the kids swimming.

Samuel turned 7 three days after we moved in.

First day of school!

He lost his first tooth!

Playing twister.  Well, KatieJo and Samuel playing, Maija just "playing around".