Post Christmas Post

SO I totally had my Pre-Christmas Post on a roll and then I didn't get it posted.
Anywho, my Christmas post would've been awesome...
Let's recap the events of the season...
BIL and SIL get into town at midnight-ish a few days prior to Christmas... we HAD already been sleeping for a few hrs... HAD... I'm just glad Kalea stayed asleep through all the ruckus!
What else???
We spent Christmas Eve day/early evening with Steve's family- we had a turkey & ham dinner with all the fixings-YUM. And Santa came while we were all huddled in the basement.
Kalea definitely got spoiled this year- but I mean she is only 4 mths out of heaven and has been a perfect angel so she kinda deserved it!
Us big kids must've been pretty good too because Santa gifted each couple with a Samsung camcorder- YAY!
I really was happy with this gift for many reasons, but most of all because it means I don't have to beg Steve for one for the next year!
After we were done at Stringham's we went to my parents for the night and Christmas Day. They invited Annet- our African friend who is definitely an inspiration. Last year she couldn't sleep over, but this year she did, so that was AWESOME! We sang carols, watched It's a Wonderful Life and ate too many homemade chocolates. It was really fun though. We also got spoiled over there with gift cards and clothes and more stuff for Kalea- including a BUMBO which is my new best friend.
I'm so glad I can put her down on the counter now and she doesn't fuss because she can watch every move I'm making! My back is so grateful.
BONUS: We got to talk to my missionary brother on Christmas morning!
I love that kid so much, he is the coolest. I love talking to him, especially now with his little California accent, it's so cute- he doesn't appreciate it as much as he should. He's having a lot of success out there and is really wishing time wasn't going by so fast. I'm so impressed with how he's changed- well not really changed, just let himself emerge I guess- he's always been this way, I think he was just scared to really just be himself before the mish. I'm glad he's figured himself out, cuz I've always thought he was pretty great.
For selfish reasons I'm excited that the year went by so fast and I hope this next one speeds by too!
All in all it was a great Christmas with lots of family time,
and by that I mean hours of playing Rockband!
I hope everyone else had just as much fun as we did!

Name Games

Let's just get right down to it. We chose a name for our little girl that was different and unique. It's Hawaiian and pronounced a specific way- phonetically correct. I guess some people missed that part of elementary school. Kalea does not equal Kayleigh- it's pronounced Ka-lee-ah. I only bring this up because we attended Steve's work Christmas party last night and on more than one occasion my child was referred to as Kayleigh- even after we had introduced her as Kalea and used her name a few times to try and politely correct people. So today I wake up and the first thing my mind reflects upon is how often in her life Kalea will have to correct people, and boy I sure hope her teachers at school pronounce it right, and I hope she's not too shy to correct people... My mind doesn't normally work this way, and it makes me worry that maybe we should've given her a more North American name, like Kayleigh.

Christmas

First of all, thanks to Sarah for forcing me to make my blog beautiful- if I don't say so myself!
Next, oh my goodness!

I can't get over how ridiculously hard it is to find anything, (ie. cards) that say

"Merry Christmas"

They have a whole whack-load of gorgeous, sparkly cards at Michael's and every single last one of them says "Happy Holidays" aka "Bah Hum Bug".

Whatever happened to "Merry Christmas" anyways?

It makes me sad to think that my kids are going to grow up in a world so

"politically correct" read intolerant of Christianity.

I'm no Scrooge, really I'm not,

I just refuse to say "Happy Holidays"- that's what teachers say before summer break.

I have goals for the upcoming year like losing the baby weight and being more active, but until the new year begins I have one final goal to complete for 2008

I am going to say

MERRY CHRISTMAS

to anyone who crosses my path.

I don't think it's rude/malicious/unkind/politically incorrect to use this phrase at this time of the year- even to people who may not share my beliefs.

Why? you might ask

Because I had a Muslim college professor from the Middle East, who taught me that although he might not believe that Jesus was the Savior of the world, he does believe that Jesus was a good and a kind and a charitable person- someone to be celebrated.

He didn't mind the card I gave him that said

Merry Christmas

Prof. Malak was happy to be thought of at this time of the year. It didn't matter that my beliefs and his were different, it mattered that the spirit of goodness, kindness and charity go forward. So I'm on a crusade to spread the Christmas Spirit, not holiday cheer.

After all, we have holidays all year long

Christmas only comes once a year.

So Merry Christmas!

Sleep-ish

It's been a loooong 24hrs. When I was 18 I could stay out until almost 5am on a weeknight and wake up and be bright eyed and bushy tailed for work at 8 or so. When did things change??? Last night Kalea woke up at 1 and stayed up until 2:30/3ish. I conceded and took pictures to document our time together- she was, after all, being soooooooooo darling I couldn't help myself. Steve slept in another room- he likes sauna type warmth, and I can't stand sweating while I sleep. So Kalea and I fell asleep in the Big Bed. Well she normally sleeps until 9am, last night 5am WTH?!?!?! I was bleary eyed and stumbled my way up the stairs to make her a bottle- this is what a good mommy does, right? I came back to find that Steve had heard the goo-ing and gaga-ing that accompanies these early morning rituals. I remember thinking how nice it would be to be 18 again, with all the energy that comes with the freedom of being an adult... I handed Steve Kalea's bottle, then I lay on my bed watching the Man of My Dreams(who has to work at 7ish) feed his daughter a bottle. I fought sleeping, really I did, but he told me to close my eyes, so I did. I don't know what time the Man actually left for work, but I'm sure happy he got her back to sleep. As for the rest of the day... She's slept for a total of 2hrs today- I hope this means she sleeps all night? I am intrigued by her level of energy today, it reminds me of someone I once knew... I on the other hand, am TIRED, like really tired, the kind of tired where you're standing in the window rocking your baby and you feel your head bobbing because you're actually rocking yourself to sleep. The kind of tired that makes you blog about how you used to sleep and now you don't- riveting for all who read it I'm sure.

I Did It

That's it. I can't handle it anymore. I GIVE UP. You got me. I couldn't resist it for another second.
I AM BLOGGING!!!
How's that for a first post?