Saturday, December 31, 2011

New Year's Eve

The fog settled in early as we prepared for our New Year's Eve festivities. Kelly and the girls made salsa, and our friends Trish and Smith joined us for games. Heather's friend Grace came to hang out too. We snacked, played board games and laughed a ton. All the girls participated in at least one dance on XBox Kinect, but the little dudes kept going like Energizer bunnies! As the ball dropped, we counted down, popped our poppers and toasted with our traditiona. Happy New Year!!!

Friday, December 30, 2011

Top 5's

Top 5 -- Things I Did Right in 2011

1. Had more Family Night lessons
2. Hugged my girls often
3. Submitted an article to a magazine
4. Spoke publicly advocating for my community
5. Investigated my lack of interest in life

Top 5 -- Things That Need My Attention in 2012

1. My weight and exercise habits
2. Regular Family Night lessons
3. Dates with my husband
4. Playing with my girls
5. Finishing projects


In the LDS Living emails that we get on Mondays, they provide a Family Night lesson. I have taken to printing these and using them for short, meaningful lessons rather than letting the evening go by with nothing taught. I like the format, and I need to make sure some kind of spiritual lesson happens every week. It is just too easy to let the weeks slip by.

Our girls are growing up so fast, and I'm continually reminded by the 5'4" twelve-year-old young woman who walks down the hall every morning. She still lets me hug her which is wonderful. I think I need to add some fun, though. Both girls are used to me being the executive director of day-to-day family affairs, but I'm making plans to fit in some Disneyland trips. When we look back, those fun times are the little moments that will be big moments in their memories.

While speaking out publicly at three school board meetings and writing several letters to the school board members regarding the closure of our elementary school, I used the writing momentum and whipped up an article for Seeing The Everyday, one of my favorite publications. They have accepted my article and will print it in their winter issue. More to come.

I also got to the bottom of my depressive mood and learned about Vitamin D deficiency; all is currently under control and back to normal. Unfortunately, when you spend two years not caring about much, there are consequences. I've gained nearly 40 pounds in the last two years and have gotten out of the habit of regular exercise. I need to begin the process of turning that destructive pattern around and get back on track. I've also got to get projects finished. This problem has been going on longer than two years, and I don't know what I wait for. I need to dig in and overcome this procrastination. It's ridiculous.

Lastly, and most importantly, Kelly and I will celebrate 25 years of marriage this next August. We have forgotten how to court each other and cultivate our relationship. It's easy to do when you get so used to someone and family life is busy. But it's very important for staying connected, and I want to bump it up on the priority list. Hear that, honey? I'll be asking you out a lot this year. Unless you beat me to it, which would be very romantic. Hint, hint.

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Headache...Blech

My Dad drove home yesterday morning, and Beth and Kevin flew home last night. We had a wonderful visit with everyone, and Beth and I were even able to squeeze in another viewing of Breaking Dawn. After they left, we watched Captain America and Kelly headed to bed so he could get up for work. He's off tomorrow and Friday, so we're pretty stoked.

Unfortunately for me, I spent the day in the company of a horrid headache. I was able to treat it yesterday, but not today. My chiropractor is out of town, so I have to wait for it to go away on its own. I wanted to take the girls and do something fun today, but it was not to be. They watched a movie and played video games, so I don't think they were suffering (sarcasm). I'm hoping for a healthier tomorrow. We really want to check out the Irvine Skate rink at the Spectrum. Here is my short list for heaven:

chocolate
no weight gain
no headaches

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Soccer & Enchiladas

Soccer: We got an invitation for Jenna to meet at the park this afternoon to play a little soccer. Before all the kids eventually arrived, it was three dads and their daughters playing a little daddy/daughter soccer. Kelly and Jenna had a little friendly dad/daughter competition. Oh who am I kidding? There was nothing friendly about it. Kelly challenged, Jenna came out like a tiger. Petersons are not competitive. Not at all.


Enchiladas: Kelly pulled out the leftover turkey and worked his magic for dinner. Turkey enchiladas with green sauce. Oh yeah.

Monday, December 26, 2011

Project Vinyl

Whilst the rest of the household was busy playing XBox Kinect this evening, I grabbed a project that has been waiting about 4 years for me to complete. These vinyls were ordered at a party, and I've never gotten them up on the wall. I have one more to do, but I'll have to paint first. Here are the results starting in my kitchen and working back through the hall to our master bedroom. There is a canvas display and picture collage I worked on tonight as well. Feels good to check this one off my list!


Sunday, December 25, 2011

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas! Here is a little snap shot of our day:

Before church...

After church...

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas Eve

We piled in the car tonight to do some holiday lights sight-seeing. A neighborhood right near us had a house with an elaborate light and music program, and they even made the local news headlines. We stood for about 10 minutes mesmerized by the dancing lights and music. Afterward, we dropped off a few last-minute gifts to friends, toured another neighborhood we always love to see and headed home. Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a good night!
~ home sweet home ~

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Cinnamon Rolls!

Kelly made cinnamon rolls tonight, and our friend, Michelle, came to learn. The best way to adopt Kelly's grandma's recipe is to make them with Kelly, and she did just that. We (I count me because I washed dishes) made three batches. Michelle mentioned her mom using string to cut dough, so we got out some fishing line and had fun cutting. Sarah and Jenna watched that part. Warm and gooey goodness abounds on my kitchen counters.

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Graham Cracker Houses

The Holbrooks invited us to make graham cracker houses with them tonight. It was so fun! The construction phase was just as important as the decorating. My girls had a blast, and we loved seeing the creativity. Thank you Holbrooks!
Jenna's house with peekaboo roof tops
Heather's house/hacienda (Christmas tree inside)
Caleb's Pentagon
Jonathan's castle with drawbridge
Matt and Brittany's house with garage
Hannah's house with icicles
Brett's ship
Sarah's house with manger for baby Jesus