One load down

Yesterday we took a trailer load of all the boxes and stuff that I had packed through the week. We were also able to take some of the furniture that we weren't needing. It was nice to get the rooms cleared out again. Now we have room to walk. Of course last night Michael and I brought all the food storage (wheat is about the extent of it) upstairs and now it looks like it did before we took the load. We also took the kids to see their new school. They seemed to like it. It's much bigger than where they are now. All the kids k-12 are in the same building but they keep the younger kids separate from the older ones. I must say as we walked through the school, it brought back a lot of memories and nervous stomachs. I remember all the times I had to go to a new school and I felt it all again. I hated moving for the most part and I feel bad about making the kids move now. I know they will be fine but I sure remembered how I used to feel. Anyways, we were able tog et quiet a bit accomplished yesterday. Now I just have to pack up all the odds and ends and clean the house. It will be a crazy week. Tonight we are going to a party that the Olsens are throwing for us. The kids are excited. There will be about 20 kids there, most of their closest friends. It will be fun but sad. Tomorrow at church they will have a potluck for us. Michael is thinking of skipping it! He hates potlucks. The kids love them though. Then after the weekend it's down to business. Friday we will take treats to school and have pictures taken. Zane's teacher is having aprty for him and she declared it Cowboy Day in honor of Zane. All the kindergarteners are supposed to dress up in western clothes and they will have a party in the afternoon. Zane thinks that's cool. It will be a sad but exciting day.

Moving

Well, for those of you who don't know - we are moving. Each time we move it seems to be a bigger job. We ahve more kids and they have more stuff. Plus it gets busier each time we do it. We found out Friday and I have been packing and sorting ever since then. We sat the kids down after school and told them what was going on. They knew it was a possibility, they had seen the house and listened to us talk about it. There were still tears, especially from Maddi. I really felt bad for her. I kow what it feels like. I moved after kindergarten, 1st grade, the middle of 2nd grade and then again after 2nd, after 3rd, after 4th, after 8th, 9th, 10th, my freshman year of college, while I was on my mission my family moved so I came home to a new place and many times after that. I was always shy and it was hard for me to do so I could feel her pain (although I never had to leave as many friends as she is having to leave). She will be fine and so will the rest of them but for now it is hard for her. Yet, she is excited for some of the changes. I hope we don't have to do this many more times though. We are excited for Michael to have a new job. He has put up with a lot here and it is time to move on. At McCrossan's he will be in charge of the horses and he will be working with the boys. They have the big draft horses there and the wagons and sleighs. They go all around to parades, in fact they will be at the inauguration parade next week. It will be a good move for us we feel. They will be in an excellent school system in Tri-Valley. It will be three times the size of Hendricks school, so that will be a change. Right now they know everyone in the school. We had a family home evening lesson last night. They asked questions, voiced fears and concerns and we talked through everything. Later htis week we will go see the new school and meet teachers. Anyways, that is the latest news form us. We will keep you all updated as we go.

Friends

Here are Zeke and Dillon with two of their best friends. They came over yesterday to play. Sadie is Zeke's age and Ellie is Dillon's age. They always have lots of fun playing together.

Happy Birthday Zeke!

Yesterday was Zeke's 3rd birthday. He had a fun day. He and Dillon decorated the cupcakes with m&ms. We ate pizza for supper and had cupcakes and ice cream later. Today he had a few friends over to play. They had great fun playing. We ate lunch, opened presents and had more cupcakes. I can't believe he is 3. He has sure grown up fast lately. In less than a week he was potty trained, even at night. He's talking better and becoming much more independent. I suppose that is good, but it doesn't seem like it should be happening yet.

Happy New Year

Another year has come and gone. Out with the old and on with the new, or so they say. Goals are set, plans are made. This year I'm going to do it. I'm going to lose my weight, clean my house so it is never messy again and so unexpected guests will be able to get through the front door and feel good about being at my house. I'm not going to yell at my kids. I'm going to get dressed in real clothes, not lounge pants, everyday and I'm going to do my hair and wear make-up, even if I never leave the house all day. Then we go to a New Year's Eve party. We don't stay until midnight but we don't get home until 11:30pm. When we left the party everyone was given late Christmas presents that NEEDED to be opened as soon as we got home. So we quickly tear through the presents, get on our pajamas and get to bed before midnight (11:50). Olivia wakes up at 4 am and then again at 6 am and then for good by 8 am. Zane, Dillon and Zeke rush downstairs to play with the toys they opened last night. Makenna comes down later and Maddi is still in bed although she can't be sleeping because Olivia is upstairs talking really loudly to her! So it's New Year's Day, the first day of my goals. I wake up tired because I haven't slept for very long. I eat almond bark covered pretzels and a Diet Dr. Pepper for breakfast because I am too tired to get out something proper. I am still in my pajamas, my hair is not done, I don't have make-up on. The house is a mess from all the boxes and wrapping paper, toys and clothes (they were also given hand-me downs yesterday) everywhere. I haven't yelled yet but I think that's because my voice isn't working yet. So, as you can see (hopefully you can't see, but I'm sure you can imagine) my goals are quickly on their way to being accomplished. Maybe next year I will go green and instead of using paper to write down my new year goals, I will just save a tree and not have any! HAPPY NEW YEAR to all my fellow goal makers!!

Makenna's note

Makenna made a red heart card for me and Michael and put it under the tree for us for Christmas morning. I thought it was so sweet that I wanted to share what it said.



When it's Christmastime I love to share. You love to spend time with your family. This year I do not care about presents. I want to spend time with my family and friends. I wanted to give you something special this year, so I wanted to give you a special card. It means I love you because you take care of me. I wanted you to be happy today. I love you. I love you. Love Makenna James Christiansen

Olivia's hair

Olivia cracks me up. She has a personality like I have never seen before. She knows what she wants and nothing is going to stop her from getting it. She is the messiest little girl I have ever seen. She loves to color on any bare spot of skin she can find. One day she got a marker and pulled up her shirt and colored on her belly - in all the colors, then she pulled up her pant legs and did the same. Then she colored on the backs of her hands, pulled up her sleeves and got as much of her arms as she could, colored her mouth and then went to work on the bottoms of her shoes. After she was done she would walk around showing everyone her artwork. She was so proud! When she eats it gets everywhere. We can't keep a bib on her and they don't make them big enough to hold her mess. Her hair is constantly coated with things I probably don't want to know about or it's stuck to her face from her latest snack. When you look at her you can see it in her eyes. They are full of what's inside her. You can see her mood in her eyes. Her hair, though, says OLIVIA. I love it in the mornings when it doubles the size of her head and she has to tilt her head way back to see. I love it right after the shower when it's all curly and soft. Static cling does wonders for it and so does ketchup and suckers. Here are a few pictures and by looking at her hair you can get to know our little angel, Princess Lala.

Christmas

What a fun couple of days! Christmas Eve morning the kids opened the presents that they give each other. We do it in the morning so they can have the day to enjoy whatever it is that they get. They were excited to finally get to open something.

That evening we went to the Feslers again for dinner, a little program and games. The kids love it. There were 17 people there this year. We are thankful to have them to spend the evening with. We got home around 10:45 and got the kids ready for bed as soon as possible, then Michael and I finished up what we needed to do and got to bed by midnight. I had most everything wrapped beforehand so it didn't take too long. We had to fill the stockings and set out the presents and write a thank you note from Santa. Then I had to put a treat next to each one's pillow (from Santa).

Michael got up at 6 to go do chores and I got up to make sure I hadn't forgotten anything. Dillon came down while Michael was gone and checked out his stocking. The others eventually trickled down the stairs, with the help of Michael, and we opened presents. It was a lot of fun. Despite the budget that I put myself on, we had the best Christmas we have ever had. I was blessed to find great deals and everything that the kids wanted was on sale. Maddi's favorite thing was a laptop that Stacey and John found for us (for free). Makenna loves her leapster (that I had to fight for the day after Thanksgiving), Zane loves his leaptser and his light up star wars shirt. Dillon loved everything - his train set and his hot wheels town. Zeke loved Olivia's horse and Olivia loved her doll.

The biggest hit though was the ride on battery operated 4 wheeler we got from the Walbas. Michael and I accidentally found it at Walmart. It was the display model and it was on sale for $99, regularly $298. It even came with an extra battery. I was so excited about it. We saved that for last and the kids went crazy! Everyone took turns sitting on it. That afternoon we took it upstairs in the barn and they drove it around. Olivia was the all-time passenger. Even Zeke could drive her around on it. Anyways, it was a fun day that we got to spend together. Yesterday my friend Sara, came over and brought presents for the kids. I have known her since 5th grade. They got play dough, markers, crayons, coloring books, construction paper, and drawing pads. They love that stuff and immediately put it all to use. It was in the 30's yesterday so when we got back from town they went outside and played on the big snowpile that Michael had made for them. They loved that. Today they are planning on playing on it again.

Never Alone

A few months ago, I made an entry about life and how things can change so quickly. It seemed everything we had been planning for was ripped right out of our hands just as we were supposed to be receiving it. Since then we have been looking for answers and a way to move on. Answers haven't necessarily come, but very unexpected blessing have been given to us. We were still able to meet our goals despite the loss of Michael's bonus and raise. We have been able to sit down and do a budget so we can continue on our financial path with success. Things have still been frustrating, some days more than others. We have spent several months now waiting and wondering what was going to happen next. I don't do well with the unknown so this has been extremely hard for me. This started at the beginning of October and now Christmas is upon us. We have spent the last few months looking for jobs, hoping for opportunities and trying to make the best of what we were dealing with. We were surrounded by good friends and family that supported us and helped us. Without them we would not have made it as well as we did. Still there were times when I wondered why. I wondered where Heavenly Father was in all of this and when He was going to let us in on His plan. There were days I felt forgotten and wondered what I was doing wrong. Well, I've had some time to think about things and I've had some wonderful things happen to me over the last month that have opened my eyes to the fact that I am not alone. Little things, have brought knowledge to me that even though I still don't know what is in store for us, Heavenly Father has not left us. As a family, we have been blessed. We have faced a lot of sickness this season, but nothing has been too serious. Zeke went to the hospital, but he came home quickly. Another little kid has been in the hospital since Thanksgiving and won't be home for Christmas. She had the same thing Zeke had, but she got in worse shape than him. That is huge to me. There have been little manifestations to me as well. Ones that wouldn't have meaning to anyone but me, but through them I have been able to feel Heavenly Father's presence. I still don't know why things happen the way that they do, I still struggle with the unknown, but I am very grateful for the blessings that we have.

Christmas Morning

Christmas morning is finally here, we’ve waited for so long
The children are dancing and singing as the radio plays Christmas songs.
Each stocking has a candy cane; there are presents under the tree
Bright packages with ribbons and bows are such a sight to see.
The children’s eyes sparkle just like the Christmas tree lights
The magic of the moment makes everything merry and bright.
The air is filled with joyful squeals as gifts are opened one by one
Santa Clause thought of everything, nothing was left undone.
The magic that was felt all season long is still filling the air
Oh, to be a child on Christmas day without a single worry or care!
To feel the joy of the moment and forget about yesterday
Nothing that tomorrow brings will ruin the special day
Believing hearts and child like faith is what makes the day so special
So close your eyes and step back in time to when you were a child so small
Take in the magic and with each opened package, feel the excitement grow within.
Then this day will be filled with wonder and amazement as you become a child once again