The Best Things About 2008

2008 was a very good year for me. It was filled with love, laughter and fun! Mostly because of the children....

My favorite moments of 2008

• Mallory's first steps!
• Spending days shopping with my sister in Dallas
• A Broadway Musical and Sushi with my parents and sister.
• Calvin getting a clean bill of health!
• My first trip to IKEA!
• Playdates with my friends!
• Mom Night Out with Loralee.
• Seeing my parents with my kids.
• Celebrating 4 years of wedded bliss!
• The night I ran off to Bear Lake!
• Riding Thomas the Tank Engine
• Trick or Treating for the first time!
• The Magic of Christmas with the kids.
• Britney's Comeback!

My favorite movies of 2008

• Sex In The City
• Baby Mama
• Forgetting Sarah Mashall
• The Bucket List
• 27 Dresses
• Definitely, Maybe
• You don't Mess with the Zohan
• The House Bunny

Movie I haven't seen yet but I think I'm going to Love!

• The Women
• My Best Friend's Girl
• Vicky Cristina Barcelona
• Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist
• Zack and Miri Make a Porno
• Four Christmases
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marley & Me

My favorite songs of 2008

• You're Gonna Miss This by Trace Adkins
• Womanizer by Britney Spears
• I Kissed A Girl by Katy Perry
• White Horse by Taylor Swift
• Say by John Mayer
• Don't Blink by Kenny Chesney
• Home by Blake Shelton
• Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bettingfield

My Favorite Blogs of 2008

• Chasing Wentworth Miller
• The Stiletto Mom
• June Cleaver Nivana
• Csquared Plus 3
• Motherhood in NYC
• Is There Any Mommy Out There?
• Playgroups Are No Place For Children
• Bernthis
• Adventures of a Texas Blonde
  

Happy New Year!
I have a great feeling about 2009!

I Ninnished!

See this girl? She is a miracle. An unexpected surprise and our true love child. When you are in her presence, you can't help but smile and feel LOVE. She is sweet and loving, playful and funny and so incredibly smart! Her Daddy is smitten with her!


Mallory is not your average almost 2 year old. She doesn't play very much. She prefers to read or draw or just sit on your lap and do whatever you are doing. She loves her babies (she is the mother of twins) that she sleeps with and her books. She does seem slightly interested in the new toys she got which we spent much time deciding on....she is a complicated girl!

Mallory loves to talk and we laugh at/with her all the time. She loves to eat and when she is done she announces I Ninnished. Her Nana brought her dog to our house and I loved hearing her follow him around saying 'Hi Pup' in her singsong little voice. Lately she is rejecting her nickname of MOO and tells us her name is Moema. Oh my, and she is picking out her own clothes...I foresee some challenges from this one!

But my favorite...in all of the world is when she gives out kissies. I just love her kisses!

Mallory would like to thank everyone that sent her presents. She loves the clothes (that's my girl) and unfortunately....she hates the Cabbage Patch Doll (Sorry Bobbi). She would also like to send a shout out to her Uncle Mandrew (this is what Eckie calls him) for feeding her many of her meals. She turned him into her servant while he was here!

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I am excited to announce that in THREE DAYS...my sister and I are launching a new blog! It is called Girls That Shop! Bobbi and I love everything about shopping so we decided that we needed a place to follow our passion! We will be posting about clothes, make up, shoes, handbags, clothes, leg warmers and anything else cool that we find! Join us for our Grand Opening on Thursday because we have a prize to give away!

No Thank You

See this little boy. He is a joy....he is my baby. My first born and my darling son. He is funny and serious and focused and loving and independent. He loves Thomas, cars, trucks and pizza. He must have been a very good boy this year because he got 22 presents. It took two full days to open them.
His least favorite gift was clothes (which I loved) and his favorite toys are his new Ford Bronco, his Rocket and his Trains. And this week...his sister nicknamed him Eckie!
He has been cracking us up this week. When you tell him something he doesn't want to hear...he wrinkles up his face and yells No and does this evil little laugh (which we find hilarious) but we are trying to break him of this so I told him to instead say No Thank You.

This is working out great. When Poopa tried to give him more food, he said No Thank you. And then when Uncle Mandrew asked if he could have some of his marshmallows, he said No Thank You. Cracked us up!

Yesterday, Alex and I were the only ones up and he came over to the couch and cuddled with me for about 10 minutes. My heart was overflowing! If he only knew how these little things he does make my whole day.

Alex would like to thank everyone that sent him a present. He is a very happy boy right now.

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Nuttin for Christmas

The lyrics to this lovely song came from my local newspaper. An article by Mark Saal.

Nuttin For Christmas

Verse 1
My parents broke my piggy bank
It's the e-con-o-my
To fill our SUV's gas tank
It's the economy
We can't afford to deck the hall
Buy stuff at the shopping mall
Mommy's turned to alcohol
It's the economy

Chorus:
Oh, I'm gettin nuttin for Christmas
Folks here on Main Street are mad
I'm gettin nuttin for Christmas
Cause Wall Street's been nuttin but bad

Verse 2
December sure is looking bleak
Blame Ben Bernanke
Against the yen the dollar's weak
Blame Ben Bernanke
They bailed out banks not in the black
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac
Now GM wants it's cash stack
Blame Ben Bernanke

Chorus
Oh, I'm gettin nuttin for Christmas
Mommy says Daddy got canned
I'm gettin nuttin for Christmas
So you sub-prime folks can pound sand

Verse 3
They say we're in a re-cess-ion
There goes the GDP
And headed for a de-press-ion
There goes the GDP
But I believe, I truly feel
Our economy will heal
Course, I still think Santa's real
There goes the GDP

Chorus
Yes, I'm gettin nuttin for Christmas
It's such a sad holiday
I'm getting nuttin for Christmas
Cause Dad lost his 401K

Elfcapades ~ Playtime

Hello All...It's me Vincent again. Wow has week gone by fast! We have been very busy and you know what they say...busy is as busy does.

We were very, very, very excited for Saturday because that was the day of the big Tea Party and we were the only gentlemen invited. We had a lovely time visiting with Mallory, Kate and Haylie. They are very good girls.

On Sunday, we decided it was the perfect time to bring the Santa book to the children. This book explains all about us and Santa and where we come from. We were very excited to show them about our lives at the North Pole.

On Monday....we climbed out of our sleep sacks and took a train ride.


Tuesday, the children opened their letters from Santa and they were so happy to hear from him!

Wednesday was a great day! Poe and I found these building blocks and we built a little castle to play in. Alex was really excited to see what we had done and Mallory just destroyed it. She is still a baby and doesn't know what she is doing.

Yesterday....we just hung around.

Dear Santa,

We are happy to report that the Weiss children were very well behaved this week. We observed them playing together nicely, saying please when them want something and hugging and kissing each other. The boy wipes off the Mother's kisses but we checked the handbook and this appears to be normal behavior. We did catch them trying to clean the kitchen floor with strawberry milk. We are pretty sure they are not aware that strawberry milk is not an acceptable floor cleaner.

Poe is very excited for Saturday as the Nana and the Uncle Rob are arriving from Colorado. Poe is quite taken with the Nana and has asked permission to go to the airport with the Daddy to pick her up. I guess he has learned his lesson about running off willy nilly.

Please continue to keep these children on the NICE list.

Candy Canes and Tinsel,

Vincent and Poe

P.S. We are going to be very sad to go home....

And now....A special announcement from The Mother.

** ** **

This Santa Claus book is amazing. When it arrived from the North Pole I was so excited to read it because it fully explains Santa. My 2 year old was talking about it for days and learned all kinds of new words that I wouldn't have thought of. It truly reinforced the magic of reading.


Many of the pages have items to unfold or that slide out from the page....this page has a real letter from a little girl to Santa asking that her baby sister's missing lovely be found and returned so that she will be happy again.


I love this page. It explains about Santa traveling the world and there are two items that slide out...a map of his journey and Santa's year long journal! So cool! Probably the best $14 I have spent this year!

5 More Days Until Christmas!

Do Me A Favor

Hello dear friends....we are friends right? I feel like we are friends even though I have never met many of you. When you visit my house (blog) and leave me an amazing message (cuz I'm on the couch eating bon bons when you were here) I want to give you a shout right back. But I can't because you haven't checked the box on your Blogger account that says show my email address.

I love to respond to all of the fabulous witty thoughts that you all have but most times....I can't. It is so frustrating because you are all so thoughtful and I have so much to say.

So do me a favor...go to your Blogger account and edit your profile and show your email address. I promise not to sell your email or stalk you or anything.

********

So....did anyone watch Momma's Boy on Tuesday night? Do you like any of the guys? What do you think of JoJo's Mom? Piece of work right? I wasn't going to watch this show but I was too lazy to get off from the couch after watching The Biggest Loser. YAY Michelle won!

Also...since we are talking about TV. Has anyone heard if Lipstick Jungle is really being cancelled? There are so many rumors out there and I can't get a straight answer.

And since we are still talking about TV. Have you caught Imagination Movers? My kids' love this show and I have a slight (don't tell hubby) crush on Scott. He is the one with the goggles on his head. Oh, he is just so cute! And don't tell Anthony!

Christmas Home Tour 2008

I really dropped the ball. I was so excited to participate in the Christmas Tour of Homes and then after my tea party...I just fell apart for a couple days. But I have had a couple days to rest and now I'm ready to carry on!

Our family room is the heart of our home. It is where we spend the most time and is where the toys are....
I love our mantle....this is were our Jim Shore Nativity lives and is my absolute favorite decoration. Every year we collect a new piece.


One of our favorite additions this year is our Advent Box. Every morning after breakfast, the kids' remind me that they get their Cannie!


I just love the vinyl cling that I bought this year and I'm going to leave it up year round.


Our tree...needs a lot of work but the kids keep taking the ornaments off. Maybe next year...


Another favorite this year...our Elves (Pincent and Poe) and our Santa book. We are also displaying favorite pictures from last Christmas.


Thanks for coming by!

A Carol from My Hubby's Girlfriend

Selma Blair is Calvin's pretend girlfriend. It used to be Lindsey Lohan but I told him that was gross and now she likes girls anyway so he picked a new one.

Selma.

Here she is singing a little ditty with MY boyfriend. Just kidding. I'm in love with This Guy!

Holiday Tea Party 2008

Yesterday, Mallory and I hosted our first annual Mother/Daughter Christmas Tea Party. I spent many weeks deciding on my menu and purchasing little items to make everything perfect.

Many, many years ago. I had a dear friend Adrienne that introduced me to the fabulous world of tea and tea parties. For Christmas one year, she gave me my very first antique tea pot, cup, saucer and plate. It is a cherished possession of mine. Adrienne made such an impact on my life and she now owns The Canterbury Tea Room in Greeley Colorado.

Ever since then, I have wanted to host my very own tea party.

The Menu....

Cucumber Tea Sandwiches, cut into triangles
Pineapple-Cream Cheese Tea Sandwiches, cut into rectangles
Scones with Clotted Cream and Strawberry Jam
Spritz Cookies
Whipped Shortbread Cookie
Cherry Tassies

Earl Grey & Christmas Blend Tea from Adagio Teas
Apple Cider

I had hoped to serve Strawberries filled with cream but I couldn't find mascarpone cheese in all of Ogden. Next year....

The Swag!

Homemade Hot Chocolate Mix, cookies from the tea party, a Curly Wurly candy bar, The Christmas Box book by Richard Paul Evans and a cookie cutter...all in a beautiful red felt bag!

My beautiful friends and their daughters!

I had so much fun planning and throwing this party! There was snow lightly falling outside and The Nutcracker playing in the background. I loved making this memory with my daughter and our friends and I am already thinking ahead to next year!

Angel at the Top of the Tree

My friend Aimee just sent me this story and I thought I would share it with all of you. There are some traditions of Christmas that I have always wondered...now how did that come to be? Sometimes, the explanation is very surprising....


A Christmas Story for people having a bad day:

When four of Santa's elves got sick, the trainee elves did not produce toys as fast as the regular ones, and Santa began to feel the Pre-Christmas pressure.

Then Mrs Claus told Santa her Mother was coming to visit, which stressed Santa even more.

When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two others had jumped the fence and were out, Heaven knows where.

Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the floorboards cracked, the toy bag fell to the ground and all the toys were scattered.

Frustrated, Santa went in the house for a cup of apple cider and a shot of rum. When he went to the cupboard, he discovered the elves had drank all the cider and hidden the liquor. In his frustration, he accidentally dropped the cider jug, and it broke into hundreds of little glass pieces all over the kitchen floor. He went to get the broom and found the mice had eaten all the straw off the end of the broom.

Just then the doorbell rang, an irritated Santa marched to the door, yanked it open, and there stood a little angel with a great big Christmas tree.
The angel said very cheerfully, 'Merry Christmas, Santa. Isn't this a lovely day? I have a beautiful tree for you. Where would you like me to stick it?'

And so began the tradition of the little angel on top of the Christmas tree.

Elfcapades ~ Poe Gone Wild

Greetings! It's me Vincent...Alex and Mallory call me Pincent and I think it is so adorable. They are both getting really good at looking for me and Poe in the morning when they wake up and we love finding new places to hide.

We have had a pretty busy week and one of us has logged some frequent flyer miles. ahem. Poe heard that the Daddy was going on a weekend trip to Denver to attend a Bronco Football game. I was not aware of this but I guess Poe's Great Grandpa used to be John Elway's Elf....and he thought #7 still played for them.

Poe made a split second decision to jump into the Daddy's carry on and hitch a ride to Denver. For a few hours we didn't know where he was and then this picture arrived.

There is Poe in the seat pocket! The Daddy found him in his bag. We made arrangements with the kids' Nana to keep an eye on him.

But Poe just couldn't keep out of trouble. He thought he was helping Nana wrap presents.

Sunday morning, Nana came downstairs to this mess. Poe tried to make breakfast and because he was unattended....he ate all of the sugar! We heard a rumor that he had been up late playing World of Warcraft and was trying to keep his blood sugar up!

Poe tried to redeem himself by bringing some books home. I guess he is forgiven....

On Monday night, me and Poe decided to watch a movie. My favorite of all time is A Christmas Story and it took us a while but we found it.

We tried to find a snack but alas...there was only fruit and we don't eat fruit!

Tuesday and Wednesday we were very good and only hid around the family room...first in the toy box and then in the Mother's sewing basket. The kids' are very good about putting us to bed at 7:30pm every night and they even got us an extra blanket when it was really cold.

Thursday, we brought a gift for the children because they have been so good. Not only have they been behaving themselves but they have been kind to each other. Now the kids' have placemats for the table that they can keep track of the days' until Santa comes. Mallory doesn't get the whole *days til christmas* thing and keeps changing the days while she is eating. Silly kid.

Yesterday....some correspondence from Santa arrived and the Mother is going to help them open them tomorrow! We are so excited to see what Santa has to say!


Dear Santa,

This has been a very good week with the Weiss children. They are being very good and they number of naughty step visits has declined! We did have that little incident with Poe and it is up to you if you want to write him up....but he has been working really hard to make up for his absence. We are looking forward to attending Mallory's Mother/Daughter Tea Party this weekend and meeting some more children. We will spread some North Pole happiness!

Spritz & Fudge,

Vincent and Poe

P.S. We think the children are ready for The Santa Book. Please send it as soon as possible.

Try JibJab Sendables® eCards today!

What I Need...according to Google

I discovered this awesome blog the other day called The Secret is in The Sauce. It's not a food blog but a blog that features totally awesome blogs of people that love comments! That blog is made for me. I love comments! But really who doesn't?

While I was hanging around checking out cool blogs, I found Julie and she had the funniest post! She googled Julie needs....and found all kinds of things she didn't know she needed.

Since I love to copy/borrow/steal great ideas I thought I would give it a try.

Connie needs a new home! If this home is outside of Utah, then yes...she does.

Connie needs to clean the restrooms. Okay. Yes, I might be a little behind....

Connie needs a tan! I am VERY white.

Connie needs new shoes! Always....

Connie needs to stick with doing whatever it is she does all day. Fine! Gosh!

Connie needs a heavy hand to find her ultimate release. That is a little personal don't you think?

Connie needs a lot more attention. I was feeling a little neglected....


And that was all the good stuff so I decided to see what Connie Wants...


Connie wants Europe to back off! Really? Is Europe following me?

Connie wants to be different. I think I am....

Connie wants to be on the telly. Oprah are you listening?

Connie wants to hear from you! I love comments....

What does Google think you need and want!

by the way...if you haven't already...do this on your blog and then come tell me so I can read it and comment.

Welcome To Utah!

I'm starting this new feature here at my little blog so if you love Utah or you don't want to hear me bitch and moan about Utah then you can skip this post. I will be back to blowing sunshine up your butt tomorrow. Maybe.

You see....when a transplant to Utah encounters something bizarre or frustrating or stupid about Utah. The natives will pat you on the back and say, 'Welcome To Utah.' Which you would think is very nice but it means....Sorry you are stuck here and yes, things here are jacked up.

There have been a number of things that we have found irritating about this place. The lack of quality seafood, the lack of ethnic restaurants, the lack of alcohol in a mixed drink and the lack of Starbucks stores. But the scenery is AWESOME! Okay. So there you go...I don't hate everything.

Yesterday, my little friend showed up just as my husband was leaving for Denver. You know this friend...the one that makes you crave carbs and chocolate and wine and makes your insides twist and hurt. Anyway, my little friend wanted Pizza and then when I pulled out the Domino's coupons she decided she wanted a Philly Cheese Steak with extra provolone and Doritos and a Coke. She was jumping up and down she was so happy.

So...I got online and ordered a cheese pizza and a sandwich. Then I saw they had this kick ass thing where you could track your pizza! Cool! Then it said my order was cancelled. Poop.

I called. The dude told me he was meaning to call me. Because their delivery guy was having car trouble so he didn't come in to work. So....he couldn't deliver my order. I was dumbfounded.

From Wikipedia:

Domino's Pizza, Inc. is an international fast food pizza delivery corporation headquartered just outside Ann Arbor, Michigan United States. It was founded by Tom Monaghan. There are currently about 8,500 corporate and franchised stores in all 50 states and 55 countries.

Get the Door, it ain't Dominos...their NOT the Pizza Delivery Experts!

I told the guy...that he was working at DOMINOS...and that their job is to deliver pizza. He said he was sorry. And then I asked him if they only have one delivery driver. He said YES. One delivery guy for a 20 mile radius. So I asked if another Dominos with a delivery driver could bring me a pizza and he said no because I am in HIS delivery area. Lucky Me.

Papa Johns brought me pizza and wings about an hour later...apparently they only have one driver too.

**********************

My husband is at the Bronco game and it had been on for about an hour when I decided to check and see how they were doing. I went to all the usual channels and then ESPN. No Broncos. The game is not being shown in Utah. AGH!!! This is the second game we have not been able to see. Freakin Utah!

How I'm going to BlogHer 09

For most of my day...I am a mother/wife/maid/cook/referee. But for at least an hour here and there....I am a blogger.

Blogging brings me joy, it brings me a sense of community with other people that I wouldn't normally have being a stay at home mom that rarely leaves her home.

The deal is that I don't get out much. I am a Non-mormon living in Utah, the town I live in doesn't care for outsiders and finding friends has been a little difficult. Without the friendship I have found on the internet....I surely would have lost my mind. Blogging is like my job!

So last year when I heard about the BlogHer conference in San Francisco....I thought how wonderful would it be to meet some of the people that I have 'met' on the internet and meet more bloggers/friends and learn more about this thing that I love.

A couple weeks ago, I told my sister about BlogHer 09. She is a new blogger and said she would go with me. We got really excited and started making plans. When I told Calvin that I was going to Chicago in July. He said NO. Then on Wednesday, I mentioned again that I was going to BlogHer and explained the importance of it. And then he said something to me that I don't think I will ever forget. He said....

Are you going to use your own money to go to BlogHee?

My own money? Seriously? Your money IS my money. Here is an illustration.....and it's BlogHER, not Blog HEE.


After I explained how his money goes into the little piggy and then directly into MY piggy, I also told him that I was planning on using the $1000 that Obama is going to give me.



The next day, I attended a playdate in Liberty (ironic since I wanted to LIBERATE myself) and we discussed how inconsiderate it was of my husband be less than excited for me to do something for myself AND for him to expect me to somehow come up with my own money when I don't have a job outside the home.

Well, we hatched a plan where I would either charge Calvin for sex...or childcare.

I'll let you know how it goes. Either way....

I'M Going To BlogHer 09!

Elfcapades ~ Sleigh Ride

Hello beautiful people! It's me Vincent! I wanted to share with you what has been going on here with Alex and Mallory this week. First of all, Santa checked in on them over the Thanksgiving weekend and he saw how lively and deafening they are. He decided that this was a job for TWO elves and sent a trainee named Poe with me. Poe and I are getting along great by the way. I love teaching him everything I know.

So, he also saw that the dear Mother of these happy children had a broken coffee pot so Mrs Claus sent a new one along with us. We like to take care of our Mommies...they are the backbone of life!

Our second day in Utah was pretty exciting. We wriggled out of our sleep sacks and decided to survey the land from the top of the Christmas tree. It wasn't decorated yet so we didn't break anything. Alex noticed that we were missing right away!

He looked for us almost everywhere.

He spotted us at the top of the tree! I think he heard us giggling.

Then he tried to put us back to bed! Alex...it is only 8:03 am. We want to play!

Tuesday night we sent a message to Santa that we needed some wheels. This house is too big for our little legs to get us around. He filled our request in a timely manor and send us a sleigh. It really didn't occur to us to ask Santa for something to PULL the sleigh with.

But Sam came through! By the way, Sam is our new BFF (best friend forever) he is the best guy and he takes fabulous care of Alex when we are away and protects him during the night!


Thursday we decided that the kids would LOVE some cool new dishes. Alex got Santa plates and cups and Mallory got Snowmen. We decided to give Mommy some time off and we served them their favorite lunch!

This morning...Mallory found us hiding in the kitchen with the Gingerbread lady. She is our favorite person at the North Pole because she helps Mrs. Claus with the cookie baking.



Dear Santa,

Alex and Mallory have been pretty good kids this week. There have only been a few visits to the naughty step (3) and Mallory has cried quite a bit but we don't think it is all Alex's fault. There seems to be a little issue with biting here....the children keep biting their Mother but we think it is because she is so sweet. (we want to bite her too) Alex has been very loving to a couple of pretty young ladies that are friends of the Mother. He was seen giving them hugs over and over.....with a pretty big smile on his face. This behavior was observed at something called a playdate where we spied two more children to report on. We will send a separate report of Haylie and Sophie.

Poe is doing an excellent job and I think he is going to make a terrific magic elf!

Gumdrops and Lollipops,
Vincent & Poe

P.S. Thank you so much for the sleigh!

Wordless Wednesday

The Elves Are Here!

Vincent arrived this morning and he brought a helper named Poe. Apparently...my kids are a little too much for just one elf to handle. They brought the kids an Advent Box to count down the days to Christmas. Poe hid some M & M's in the box marked 24....and Alex grabbed most of them with one hand and stuffed them in his mouth, only leaving a few for poor Mallory.

We tried to take the kids to a Christmas Parade on Saturday night and it didn't go very well. We arrived about 20 minutes early and I brought snacks but just minutes before it was going to begin...both kids melted down and screamed to go home! I guess we will try again next year...

Also, tried to take some pictures to include in our Christmas Cards. As you can see from the picture in my header....that also went poorly.

I don't even want to think about taking them to see Santa at this point. The hubby thinks that I am trying to do stuff with them too early, that they aren't ready. What do you think? What age should you start doing activities like this?