Well, I thought that sitting down and filling in the family calendar would make me feel more organized, like our family would be under control when we jump back into the routine tomorrow.  I was even thinking I would feel some kind of relief knowing that we were getting back into a routine.  WRONG!!!  I feel completely overwhelmed and hopeless and I just want to curl up somewhere and cry!!!  It is going to be busy, despite the changes I have made to try to keep things sane.  Money is going to be tight at least until Sept when I can start to be paid for doing therapy.  But, forward we look and forward we go, I guess, one day at a time.

But before we dive headfirst back into real life, here is a brief overview of our very blessed Christmas.  Unfortunately I have not taken many picture this year, half the time I forget the camera.  Here are a few of the ones I did get, however.

Actually first, Thanksgiving.  We went to Cheyenne and had a lovely visit with Mike's parents and grandparents.

 

This is how Yia-yia's rock their big babies...

 

 

And Maryn got cuddles from Papa.

 

 

When we got back we went to the beautiful Trees of Diversity exhibit and the Utah Cultural Celebration Center.

 

Here is the wreath of flags, which was pretty cool.

 

 

A small section of the hall of flags, but lookie...WALES!!!

 

Some pictures of the actual trees of diversity would fit nicely here but I didn't upload them, not even sure what I've got. 

 

Christmas morning, the children found gifts from Santa.  Weaponry.  I am going to have to have a chat with Santa, but in the meantime, the kids were thrilled.

 

 

And finally, VanGogh came to our house on Christmas. 

Every year on Christmas Eve, Heavenly Father does something to remind us of what is really important.  This year's sacrificial lamb was my dad.  He didn't "trip over a cord," no silly, he "flew across the office."  He smacked the top of his head into the door frame, creating a huge gash.  So, as I got home with Collin/double ear infection/pneumonia boy, mom was taking dad to spend the afternoon in the ER getting a head full of staples. And believe it or not, this is with some of the bandages removed.  Looks like Van Gogh after he hacked off an ear.

Thankful for the blessings of 2010, and looking forward, if rather apprehensively, to 2011.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This year I thought I would just have the kids lay on their tummy in front of the tree for the Christmas card picture.  Easy, I could get it done "right now" when I thought of it as it required no prep work. 

Maryn did not like the idea from the very beginning, which turns out ok because we didn't have the right lens or the right settings on the camera yet.

 

 

 

 

 

Ok camera settings fixed, children ignoring the instructions to look at us, except for Collin who had an itch.

 

 

 

Um, closer, but no.

 

 

 

Ian was getting bored and decided to try to fly, taking off by pressing against his siblings.

 

 

 

But then he wore himself out.

 

 

 

Oh my gosh are we ever going to be done?

 

 

 

The dog was very curious about what was going on and kept trying to get in the picture, so we decided to stop fighting it and roll with it.

 

 

 

That of course did not last long.

 

 

 

Not even trying anymore.

 

 

 

 

And finally....completely on accident....

 

The Christmas card picture.

 

I thought this was supposed to get easier as they got older?

 

 

Yesterday was Late Start Monday, a ridiculous convention in the Tooele School District to give teachers more prep time.  The students get out a couple hours early every Wednesday and go in a couple hours late one Monday a month.  Heaven forbid we give children a routine or consistency, which has been proven over and over again to aid the learning process.  It would be easier on the kids to just have four days of school a week, or get out an hour earlier every day, or something so they had some consistency and predictability.  What do I know, though.  I studied polisci and psychology.  Anyway I digress.

Yesterday was Late Start Monday.  Ian came out into the living room about 8 am sticking a thermometer under his arm.  I felt him, he didn't feel hot at all.  I helped him take his temp since he had the thermometer basically taking the temp of his shirt sleeve.  No temp.  I told him he was fine.  He still said he didn't feel right, but couldn't point to any symptom.  It made me think of that scene from Up where Russell says "My knee hurts!"  Carl asks "Which one?"  And Russell responds "My elbow hurts."  The embedding on the clip has been disabled or I would share it.  I hugged him and told him he would be fine at school.  Secretly, though, I thought he had an ulterior motive.  He had been saving up for a DS game, and was going to pick it up that day.  I thought his antics were kind of cute.

He came home with a 101 fever. 

Whoops.  That Mother of the Year award slips through my fingers yet again.