Get to Know Me Holiday Edition

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
He sets them out on individual couches or chairs

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
Usually colored - not the tiny ones either

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No

5. When do you put your decorations up?
Usually put up house lights Thanksgiving day and tree sometime in December. This year has been very different...

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Mashed potatoes?

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child:
Big family parties at our house each year

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Not sure. By the time I was 6.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
Yes, and sometimes for a few nights before!

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
Usually colored lights, garland, and meaningful ornaments. This year has been different.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it?
Love it! But I don't have to go out in it much, either, so... (and I'm from AZ)

12. Can you ice skate?
Never tried, but I doubt it, based on my last roller-blading escapade

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Possibly the horse I sort of got (I paid for some of him, but was surprised Christmas morning)

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
Family. I love the lights and music.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Maybe homemade caramels

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Big family party at my parents. Which I'll miss this year.

17. What tops your tree?
Usually a star. Nothing this year. Though there is currently a polar bear up there...

18. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving?
Definitely giving

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
O Holy Night, I think

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Yum! I love peppermint. None of that strawberry/blueberry/otherberry junk...

We sort of already did Christmas, at least part of it. If anyone wants to see pictures, you can go here.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=29496&l=338a9&id=525931074

Busy Weeks

I haven't updated for a while because things have been too crazy around here! My mom came to visit on October 13th and stayed for about a week. It was so fun (and helpful!) to have her here and Reilly loved it. It was hard for us to send her back home, but I know they were missing her too at that point. :) One of the coolest things that we got to do during that week was that Jeremy and I went to Nauvoo, all by ourselves. My mom and Reilly just played all day while we were gone...




As you can see from the above photo, it's definitely Autumn here, and I love the changing colors! It is getting cooler, too, which I don't mind, but it's hard when the wind is cold and blowing.

We mostly enjoyed Halloween. We had a big double-ward Trunk-or-Treat (see pictures below) that Reilly actually did pretty well at. It was pretty cold though, and there was an almost misty rain. Whether it had anything to do with that or not, Reilly woke up the next day with a fever, and continued to run one (low-grade) for 3 days. He continued to be cranky and cried/whined almost non-stop it seemed for another several days. It was NOT any fun. All I can figure at this point is that it was connected to teething, but I just don't know. I'm just glad he's back to his mostly-happy self at this point.

Towards the end of that period, two of my friends from college, Karen and Naomi came to visit. That was really fun too, and I'm glad Reilly wasn't grumpy their whole visit, and we even got to leave he and Jeremy home one day and visit Nauvoo, which was really fun. I'll try to post some pictures of their visit at some point, but I didn't take that many, so we'll see if any turn out. :)

At this point we are just jumping into Jeremy's second trimester. I am 32 weeks along and starting to get really uncomfortable toward the end of most days. Otherwise we are doing fine, and Reilly keeps us busy and entertained. I'm really looking forward to the holiday season now!