White Trash Christmas Party

I'm so behind on blogging. I'm still posting about Christmas which was well over a month ago! But I couldn't not post on the famous Little Christmas party. As you know our friends the Littles host a fabulous Christmas party each year and Mike and I haven't missed one yet. There is always a theme to go with the party and each year they get better and better. I wasn't sure how the Littles would top last year's Jersey Shore Christmas theme but they did. We had a White Trash theme and it was hilarious. I'm so glad Mike and I brought our camera to capture these hilarious memories. BONUS we had almost all our HS friends there, such good times. As always the Foulgers and Hottingers were missed greatly!

Too bad Mike and I already owned most of our attire. The best part of our outfits, the GIGANTIC MUGS were my sister Katherine's. Thanks for letting us borrow them. It completed our white trash look. PS Mike's beard is real. Yes real my friends.

Long lost twins separated at birth, reunited at the Christmas party.

More white trash goodness from the party.

Top right: Jessica's shiner. Don't worry it's not real, but didn't she do a stellar job with the makeup? So WT.

Top left: What do you do if you can't open the presents? Pull out your huge, rusted knives that are attached to your belt. Good thing Cubby and Jon were so prepared.

Bottom right: You see Ryan and think David Koresh right? I figured that one out and I must say I was spot on with that look alike. And did you see what present he was holding? Walmart is the capitol of WT.

Bottom left: Nothing says WT like a net, see-through jersey.

The men. Aren't us ladies lucky? It's ok to be jealous.

Our lovely hosts:

One of the best looking couples of the night by far. Jon went as far as buying his wig at a professional wig shop. We all take these parties pretty seriously.

If there had been a real contest for the most WT couple these two would have taken the cake.

I can't help but laugh when I look at this picture. No words do justice.

Look Sarah, I got a picture of Nick. He was there!

The whole clan looking amazing!

Man I love my friends. I hate the thought of us missing this party next year. Wipe a tear.

For more crazy Christmas parties click here, here, or here.

Christmas 2011

Remember how Christmas was over a month ago? Me too. Makes me sad. The Christmas Season was so fun this year and all over too quickly. Charlotte was so excited to have Santa come to our house. She did so much better visiting Santa this year than last year at our ward Christmas breakfast. It's just a shame we can never get that girl to look at the camera!

Poor Santa. He was a real trooper to let ALL of us sit on his lap.

Christmas Eve was low key and lovely this year. We spent the evening with Mike's parents, his aunt Peggy and brother Brad and his family. We ate a delicious meal and had our own version of Christ's birth. It was actually quite comical. With only 4 kids, which included a 9 month old we had to improvise with the story.

We tried to get Charlotte to an angel, but wouldn't keep the halo on, so a shepherd she became.

A shepherd who held onto a stuffed dog all night. :)

Charlotte and her cousin Ellee.

Two peas in a pod. Ellee had the role of Mary and did a splendid job.

See, Charlotte really did have to hold the dog all night.

Me and my girl. Darling little shepherd if you ask me.

After the Nativity the kids all opened a small present from Steve and Carol. Charlotte was much faster at opening presents than last year. Between Christmas and her birthday 4 days later she's a pro at opening presents.

My darling hubby. Love this boy.

After a few presents we went home and opened the mandatory Christmas pajamas and new Christmas book. Charlotte got jammies with Santa all over and to this day asks to wear them every night. She loves them. Emily came over later that night and we all enjoyed watching the Muppet's Christmas Carol. Mike is a real trooper to watch that movie with us since Emily and I can quote the entire movie word for word.

Christmas morning started bright early like every other day at 6:30 a.m. Since we were going to church at 9:00 a.m. we decided to open our presents together as a little family.

Looking good bright and early. :)

We made the mistake of having Charlotte open a toy first, once the present was opened she just wanted to play with it instead of opening her other presents. It really wasn't that big of a deal and we were so happy she was so excited about her present it just made opening all the other presents a looooonnnnng process.

Playing with her plastic farm animals. Cheap toy that's been a hit, gotta love that.

We went to church with my parents and had a lovely service filled with music and a simple message on our Savior. I wish Christmas was on a Sunday every year. It was so nice to spend part of the morning and be reminded of the reason we celebrate Christmas in the first place.

After church we went back to my parents house for brunch and presents. Since we were all dressed up and fancy we tried to a nice family picture.

Take 1:

Take 2:

Someone was quite DONE if you can't tell just after the second picture so we called it good. Maybe next year we'll get a decent family picture.

We of course couldn't stay in our fancy clothes all morning so we changed back in our jammies, yes even Mike and I, I think we were more determined to get in comfy clothes than Charlotte was.

Best cousin shot of the morning.

Breakfast was absolutely delicious. I'm so going to miss my mom's Christmas breakfast next year. We stuffed ourselves full and licked our plates clean. We opened presents and just enjoyed being with family.

After hanging out at my parents house we headed home for naps. We all crashed, and I can't think of anything better than long naps on Christmas afternoon. Not kidding. We spent the afternoon and evening with Mike's family and had a grand time. We felt like we had to soak up every minute this year spending time with our families on Christmas since it's not likely we'll be leaving Cincinnati next year for Christmas. :(

And as I'm sure you all feel the same, it was over before we knew it. I love the Christmas season so much when we get to reflect on the life of the Savior and spend time with loved ones.

Other highlights of the Christmas season included:

**taking Charlotte to see the lights at Temple Square. By the end she had tears rolling down her cheeks because her hands were so cold. I promise she had gloves on, just not very good ones. :( She did enjoy the lights and seeing the temple.

**White trash Christmas party at the Littles. A post on that to come soon!

**Mike's work Christmas party. We ate delicious food and danced the night away. Even Mike got his jiggy on and it was so much fun!

Only 10 more months until the fun can begin again!

2012 Word

The middle of January is already here and I think it's high time I publish my word for the year.

Put it out there. Make it real. Commit to it.

Da dada da!

Grateful

grate·ful/ˈgrātfəl/

Adjective:	Feeling or showing an appreciation of kindness; thankful.
Synonyms:	thankful - appreciative - beholden

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues."

President Thomas S. Monson October 2010 General Conference

It seems that 2012 is going a year of change. Our biggest change coming in June when we move to Cincinnati. While Mike and I were visiting Cincinnati a few months ago, I had a slight melt down in the hotel Sunday evening. And although I was excited about this new, beautiful place we would someday call home, I was feeling overwhelmed, anxious and nervous about all the things I would have to adjust to. Find new friends, navigate a new city, unpack a house, find new places to take Charlotte, hopefully find a new running buddy, new grocery store, blah, blah, bah. I felt my eyes tearing up and let all the emotions come out. Poor Mikey. He's a saint to listen and love me. During the middle of my meltdown something came over me. I had a small, clear moment when I realized I'M LUCKY I GET TO DO THIS. THIS MOVE IS A GOOD THING! I'm telling you these feelings came from above because I had a very strong feeling of peace come over me. I knew it was all going to be ok and we would love our time in Cincinnati for how ever long it may be.

This moment has stuck with me. I realized I need to be more grateful for this opportunity as well as so many opportunities that come my way.

We all know people who are grateful are happier, and I sure want to be a happier person.

So for 2012 I'll be grateful for...

the chance I have to learn and grow in a new place, rather than be upset I have to pick up and move.

the body I have, rather than always wish I was in better shape.

the time I have to be at home all day with Charlotte, rather than wish some of the hard days away.

the snow, rather than hate the cold, white nuisance.

etc, etc, etc,

Cheers to a happier, more grateful year!

Some pinterest goodies to end on....

I read this quote on one of my favorite blogs, Another Mother Runner. I didn't want to forget it or pin the entire post so I'm sharing the quote here.

Another Mother Runner blog highlighted Erin Moeller who is running the Olympic marathon trails on Saturday. Erin shared that her college running coach used to say, "A positive lie is better than the negative truth; and what the mind believes, the body achieves."

You can read the entire post and the quote in context here.

I know we are supposed to be honest but don't you agree with this statement?

Any thoughts?

Is a positive lie better than a negative truth?

Still mulling this one over, I really like it but not sure I entirely agree. I'll have to sit on this idea for a bit.

And PS if you are in need of some running inspiration, which I find I'm desperate for these days, you should follow Another Mother Runner blog. Talk about some amazing women out there hitting the pavement. I love it.

2011

2011 was a fantastic year. Here's a look at some of our family's favorite memories.

Charlotte's hair grew to be long enough for piggies and she learned how to walk just shy of being 13 months old.

Our little family drove to California for a vacation. We hung out with Mike's parents, met up with the Foulgers for dinner and Charlotte played in the Ocean for the first time.

It was such a fun trip.

On our way to California we stopped in Las Vegas for a night. Mike's wonderful sister Jamie watched Charlotte while Mike surprised me with tickets to see the Lion King. An amazing show and so fun to be with my Mikey.

Charlotte had her first official haircut. My baby is growing up!

Our little family took another vacation to Las Vegas and St. George. We enjoyed perfect weather and enjoyed being with our little family.

We found out Mike matched in a GI spot at the University of Cincinnati!

Mike officially finished his INTERNAL MEDICINE RESIDENCY!!!

I ran the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay with my extended family. We had an amazing adventure for two days, running up and over the beautiful mountains of Utah.

We partied and celebrated Mike finishing his residency, starting his chief year and matching in Cincinnati.

We went to Oceanside, California with the Walkers. Charlotte loved, loved, loved playing in the Ocean and visiting Sea World. It was an absolute blast.

Charlotte and I went to the most beautiful place in the world, Glacier National Park with my extended family. We missed Mike greatly but it was so fun to hike and be with family.

Charlotte continued to grow up and make us smile and laugh every day. She learned how to walk on her tip toes and jump. She hasn't stopped jumping since.

I was able to PR in the ten mile, 5k, 10k and half marathon distances. I never thought I would get my groove back after having a baby, but I did. It took a ton of work and dedication but I felt like in 2011 I was back to my old running self.

Sports Am Ten Miler Freedom 5k

Deseret News 10k Hobblecreek Half Marathon

I went to Chicago to visit all my old friends. Even though I got sick and I missed my babies, I loved seeing my "second family" again.

Mike and I went on our first real trip without Charlotte to Cincinnati. We both got so excited to move to this beautiful city and loved having perma alone time for 3 days.

Trick or Treating on Halloween was a blast this year. Charlotte enjoyed walking from house to house and asking for a treat. She looked darling in her little ladybug outfit made by yours truly. And we can't forget that we had the absolute perfect weather that evening.

Running the Sports-am Turkey Trot this year with many of my dear friends was one of the biggest highlights. Seeing each of my friends have their own success with the race meant so much to me. Not only did everyone rock that race but we all laughed together so much that day. I love running and I love my friends. :)

Attending the Littles' annual dress up Christmas party was of course a hit! The theme this year was white trash and I'm not sure I went 5 minutes without laughing the entire night.

Still need to do a post on this awesome event.

Christmas was a dream this year. We got to spend time with both sides of our family and still have time for our little family. This Christmas season was special for us as we tried to teach Charlotte about the true meaning of Christmas, celebrating the birth of our Savior. We realized how blessed we are as a family to be surrounded by so many loved ones and to have a close relationship with our Savior Jesus Christ. Not to mention it was so fun to see Charlotte open her presents and want to play with them right away!

We ended 2011 with our darling babus turning 2. We love this little girl with all our hearts. She has brought so much joy to our lives and continues to do so each day. I can't believe she is 2. Time flies.

As you can see it was a fabulous year. We definitely had our hard moments, frustrations and down times, life wouldn't be complete without those moments. But the good outweighed the bad and hopefully we were able to grow a bit from each of those experiences.

2012 is looking to be a good year already.

Cincinnati is a mere 6 months away and we can't wait.

Mike gets to begin doing what he really wants to do, Charlotte is starting a dance class, and I'll be turning 30.

Bring it on 2012!

2

Happy birthday to my darling Charlotte.

These 2 years have flown and have been the most fun, hardest, challenging, rewarding, best years of my life!

Life would not be complete without you.

You have us both wrapped around your tiny fingers and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Love you babus!

Hope everyone has had a HAPPY, HEALTHY, CHRISTMAS, filled with LOVE, JOY, FRIENDS and FAMILY!