Christmas Celebrations

Dallan, DEC 30 2008

Greetings from the land snowed under. We had a delightful Christmas. The toys were opened, the clothes ignored, The chocolate smeared, and the surprises surprised. Jon and I did not try to strangle or hurt each other Christmas Eve in regards to a new bed. Jon had the brilliant idea that a few days before Christmas we could “break” Erica’s bed. Then haul it to the shop to “fix” it and have more than 12 hours to paint the thing. This sounded like a good plan. So When She was watching a movie I removed a few choice bolts and then let the bed lie in pieces in her room. Later when I sent her to her room to “pick up 10 things” She soon emerged from her room with the biggest crocodile tears and heaving sobs while carrying her foot board into the kitchen to “Show me that ‘Hunter’ broke her bed!” I expressed my concern for her broken bed and assured her that Daddy could fix it out in the shop. So Jon came in later and carted the “broken” bed to the shop. We painted the little pink bed a beautiful metallic blue and were quite excited to set up the beds. After the kids were sleeping (which was gratefully by 10:30) we began our assembly project. Jon ventured out into the freezing cold snow storm to bring gifts in from their hiding placed out in the shop. I pretended I was working on something inside. We had everything put together and the Christmas tree presents ready to go by 12:30. At about 7:30 we heard the footstep pounding up the stairs and we were soon swarmed over by our eager children. They coxed and prodded and pleaded with us to please get out of bed. We did and we were soon amid flying packages. We had our kids open up their clothes first. And Erica decided to try some of her new clothes on. So she picked them up and hurried off to her room before Jon and I realized that she was bursting in on her big Christmas surprise. I heard a cute little girl gasp and then a giggly shriek before I realized what had happened. Jon and I jumped up and raced to her room to see her reaction. She was of course looking a beautiful new daybed all white with pink flowers and all done up in her strawberry shortcake bedding motif. She was standing shockingly still with her mouth hanging open. Jon asked her what “that” was. She said “Dad you fixed my bed.” Jon and I laughed and asked her if Dad made her bed bigger “Yes you made it so big!” Hunter just wanted to get back into his crib. He is slowly adjusting to the toddler bed. We were snowed in for Christmas. All of the roads were closed or had advisories to only travel them in the case of an emergency. So we hung out at home. Then the next day we slowly packed up and headed to the farm on some pretty yucky roads. We arrived safe and sound with out any problems and settled into visiting and playing at the farm. Until Monday afternoon when the roads were clear again and we figured we had better head home. (we had eaten all the food by then anyway) . Now I am trying to dig myself out from all of last weeks laundry. It is a huge mountain but like every week I do manage to conquer it only to have it built up around me again next week.
Hunter continues to make unbelievable messes, Just during this letter he tried to drink a bottle of strawberry flavored conditioner. The bathroom is a bit slippery now. He then tried to chase the conditioner down with the syrup left on the table from breakfast. The kitchen is a bit stickier now. And currently he is covered in a brown chocolaty hue. He has spread candy wrappers near and far and we had to order our children Christmas morning to hide all candy back into the depths of their Christmas socks or else they would lose it to Hunter. He even ripped the wrapping paper off the gift to Uncle Rex from Mom and Dad! I think that Hunter slipped under the radar for being Naughty this year. Because Santa did spoil him with more toys than anybody else in this house.
Anyway I can hear the laundry has beeped and that means I need to get back to work. We love you and Hope you had a great Christmas. I loved talking to you. And yes one day I will write my book. But in the mean time my most important job is that of a mommy and not that of an author. Keep working hard. Your most important job right now is to be a missionary. Keep up the good Work and keep writing each week. We need your letters like we need oxygen. Otherwise there is no way Mom would be able to let you go away for so long. Have a great new years celebration even if you are suppose to be in bed by a decent hour.

Love Monica and all of her snot-nosed goblins.

Dallan Letter Dec 21 VOMIT MONSTER

Dallan, Merry Christmas! DEC, 21 2008(Vomit Monster)
Well Dallan, you know how two weeks ago I wrote to you and told you what a klutz I am and that I was sporting a huge gash down my shin from tripping over a drawer. We double my klutziness. I know have two gashes on my shin. How does this kind of thing happen twice you might ask. Well I will just put it into one word “HUNTER”. See Hunter is really trying to out do his oldest brother. And has discovered that if he pulls out the drawers that go under my bed that the drawer becomes a convenient step stool and he is able to crawl up on my bed with ease. Therefore the reason I continue to trip over my drawers is because Hunter is pulling them out and I am not realizing that they are out until it is the middle of the night and the room is dark.
My kids have been having a blast trying to speak in Spanish. You would laugh so hard at their efforts. They are all the time saying “gracias.” and “Feliez Navidad” And counting to ten. I am glad I did take Spanish in high school because for years I have felt like it we a complete waste of time. But now it is so fun to name things like “la Leche” and “hermano, Y hermana,” My kids think I am so smart, and they laugh when I tell them to “get back to trabajo!” (that does mean “work “ doesn’t it?) Just laugh at me OKAY!
This week has been like any other crazy week. We were visited by a few different unwelcome guests. Our first guest tried to kill us, until we tore it apart. Our second guest jumped around and attempted to gross every one out and our third guest showed up on the rebound and has me home from church today. Who are these guests? Let me tell you about them.
In our living room there are 7 large single pane windows. While cosmetically appealing they do not keep the Idaho cold out as well as a lizard like myself would desire. No problem someone in the past had the same attitude and installed a wood burning pellet stove. On Monday I turned the said stove on and had it burning for a while, to take the chill off. Then for some reason it went off and I had a large amount of smoke come into the room. Well that wasn’t too cool but I turned the stove on again to get it going and eliminate the smoke this worked until the fire suddenly went out and deposited a large billowing cloud of smoke in the house again. I figured that the chimney must somehow be clogged with snow or something and did not bother with the stove again. I turned down the thermostat all the way so that it would not try and turn itself on again. As the day went on I forgot the mess but could still smell smoke and figured it was from the earlier smoking moments. Well about 4 pm my carbon monoxide alarm went off. And I realized that I had not turned the fireplace all the way off somehow. So I unplugged the thing and opened some doors and windows, turned on fans, Turned off the furnace , and packed all of the kids out of the house for a visit to grandmas. We waited for a few hours and then Jon checked the chimney all seemed clear and the detector wasn’t beeping anymore so we turned on the heat and tucked our kids in bed. At almost midnight the carbon monoxide detector starting beeping again. So Jon and I got up and went to our now evil looking fireplace and scratched our heads trying to figure out why It kept on trying to kill us. We used a flashlight and in the beam we were able to see smoke still coming out of the cursed thing. So we did what anybody would do to their enemy. We starting tearing the thing to pieces. And finally we found our problem. There was a smoldering fire UNDER the fireplace area. So the smoke wasn’t going up the chimney it was just floating out the vent. So we cleaned that out and opened all the windows and doors again. Threw extra blankets on all the kids and jumped back in bed. See What had happened was the last time I had cleaned out the fireplace I had dislodged a key like piece that sits in the ceramic stone where the fire normally burns. I didn’t know I had done this so as I was using the fireplace the pellets were falling all the way through and made a pile under the fireplace . That was what had caught fire and was smoldering underneath. WE count our blessings that we are not dead.
Our next visitor showed up the next night in the form of Vomit. Erica showed her unlikely friend on the way to the ward party and then again at the ward party, but we persevered so as to see SANTA. Then in the night our visitor because fast friends with Hunter and in the morning had a split personality and jumped ship to Marcus. I had to rescue the school from his wrath. Back home we laid about and hung out close to the porcelain bus and about the minute I thought perhaps I could make it to the grocery store Hunter let us know that He still was being visited by an unfriendly friend. All puke aside we had a lovely Friday and Saturday.
Sunday morning greeted us will another round of upchuck all over Marcus’s bed and I mean ALL OVER his bed. So Marcus, Hunter, Will and I are skipping Church. Jon left feeling as if somehow he had been conned and that it should be his job to stay home with the kids. I pointed out to him that he had a lesson to teach and I did not have anything like that. Also I have been feeling sick all week and would rather not go. And I was only sending him with 2 children and keeping 3. And one of those was very likely to barf all over something and the other two could easily blow poop out of their diapers. If I went to church I would expect he keep the three “explosive” children. He decided that Stiles and Erica were the better choice, although he did leave here throwing dark looks and muttering under his breath, something about a game on TV.
I am hoping our guests will soon depart and leave us alone for the next few holiday weeks. But if they don’t I guess we will just try not the spread the “Joy” of their visits with any of those who we love and appreciate.
Good luck to you and Merry Christmas. I am looking in the mailbox everyday hoping your letter will show before Thursday so I can share it with the rest of the family over the holidays. We love you and miss you. Our hearts ache that you will be missing from our celebrations this year but we smile in spite of it and know that we would not have it any other way. We pray that your efforts will bless our brothers and sisters in Mexico and that they may come to know their Savior, Jesus Christ. Work hard. The Church is true. President Monson is a Prophet. Joseph Smith restored the gospel to the earth. The Book of Mormon is the word of God. It was prepared for us in our day. There is amazing power and testimony in that book of scriptures.

Love Monica, Jon, Stiles, Marcus, Erica, Hunter, and William. (But not the vomit monster)

BLEHK

SO the vomit bug has shown his ugly face at our house. First it was Erica on the way to the ward party and then again at the ward party. Hunter was hit next in the middle of the night and the next morning a few minutes before the school called and asked me to come get Marcus who then spent the rest of the day in bed or on the bathroom floor. Just when I thought we were mostly past this demon Hunter spilled his guts again-thankfully on the kitchen floor. After all of this mayham I needed a long hot bath. I had just settled in with a good book and strict instructions to my kids that I was not to be bugged unless someone was bleeding. Less than 5 minutes into my bath I was called out. Hunter was not bleeding but had stuck his hand into the toaster, While it was on. So he had burned his little fingers. Not to bad- no emergency room but definitely painful little blisters. He is tough. After a while I decided that since my bath was ruined and the temperature was now not as hot as I would like it I threw my Hunter in much to his delight. The water relived the pain in his hand, and much to my delight he quit crying. Where is Jon in all of this-HUNTING.

Christmas on KLCE

Our local radio Station KLCE "Klassy" is known for playing Christmas music all through the month of December. So my radio has been tuned to their station and is usally on and playing softly in the background for the better part of the day. Today Erica came up to me and told me that "Christmas comes from KLCE." Who knew that she was listening that close. Then she asked if we could listen to "the KLCE Christmas song" (The radio station jingle) I was in tears because I was laughing so hard. Then Marcus told her that "Christmas dosn't come from KLCE it comes from Santa, and they are not the same guy."
Stiles explaination of how Reindeer fly goes something like this. " Santa has a magic whippin' whip and the whippin' whip gets the reindeer to go fast enough that they fly." remember that Stiles calls the wooden spoon the "whippin' spoon."
Marcus is sure that reindeer don't really fly but that they run so fast that it just looks like they are flying.
Stiles informed Marcus that the Santa at the ward party wasn't the real Santa. "Because Santa can't be everywhere so he has lots of helpers."
Oh the Joys of Children and their belief in the magic of Christmas.

What have your children said to show you that they BELIEVE?

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Dec 15 2008 Happy Birthday Marcus.

Dallan Dec 15, 2008
Well another week has managed to escape me again. And No I did not get my house all put back together after the shin dig for Mckinzie. I might have if I had been a bit more diligent and if my kids were a bit slower on the search out and destroy mission they always seem to be on. I did manage to get my Christmas letter finished and I took them to the post office this morning and yes I even got yours posted. So it will be a bit late but if you got all of your holiday cheer in one day you might burst. So my letter might be more of a new years glad tidings message.
Yesterday was Marcus 6th birthday. It is crazy in my mind that 6 years ago I was looking at my alien eyes child and then he morphed into a lemon head ,and then this silly little blond kid, into my cowboy, and now he goes to Kindergarten and is usually instructing all of us about the rules and showing me how he can read! Anyway we invited all to his party, but apparently you were a no-show AGAIN. Camille backed out at the last minute something about really bad snow and ice covered roads. (wimp) But we did end up with a bunch of little cousins and we ate and had the blue cake that Marcus had requested. His main request for his birthday was a bike. A green one. Well I frosted his blue cake and with green frosting drew a bike. As he blew out his candles I pointed out that on his cake was his green bike. While Jon wheeled in the shiny new specimen, under cover of a blanket. Marcus was thrilled. However I think he is twice as jazzed about the bow and arrow set that Stiles got for him at the dollar store. He has been hiding behind corners and shooting at us all day. Even the piece of cardboard that the plastic bow was attached to has gained a reverenced spot in his bedroom. It doesn’t matter that Jon forked over $60.00 green backs for the begged for bike the cheep bow and arrow set that will be broken and dead before Christmas still ends up the biggest winner. I think the Bike might have been a bit more favored if it wasn’t single digit temperatures outside and there wasn’t a bunch of snow everywhere. I keep telling Marcus to get bundled and head out to the big shop but I think he is waiting for Stiles to show up.
Speaking of Stiles, I got a call from the school today, apparently Stiles had a accident in PE that involved some kind of board. IT hit him in the face and made a gusher of a bloody nose and cut his lip. They were requesting new clothes for him since his were pretty messed up. Jon ran over to the school to deliver a new shirt and brought back the sweatshirt that was very much indeed covered in blood. Jon said that it looked like someone had whacked him with a two by four down the center of his face. I am expecting a fairly bruised up little guy to get off the bus today. Oh the joys of childhood and the dangers of PE.
Speaking of PE Marcus said the funniest thing yesterday in church. MR. Bybee the PE teacher is in the other ward that meets in our same church building. Yesterday we saw him as we were getting ready to leave. Marcus said “MOM. That is Mr. Bybee, HE knows everything.” I thought it was great.
Speaking of school teachers and Plays, On Saturday Jon and I had a real live date. We drove to Blackfoot and dropped the kids off at Jason and Camilles, Then we had dinner and went to the Nuart theatre to see Jason in his play. IT was perfect casting in my opinion. Jason was Cast as the father who would rather not have anything thing to do with the Christmas pageant at the church. IT was so fun to watch him. The Play was done almost entirely with kids from the JR high where Jason teaches. When it was Jason’s turn to take his bow the kids on stage with him literally went wild with applause. IT is very evident that they really enjoy having Jason as their teacher.
I am in the process of weaning William to a bottle. IT seems to be going well. He is not to stressed with the idea and it is making things a bit easier on me. I wouldn’t be trying to wean him so early in his babyhood but Jon and I are going to Hawaii the end of January, and they don’t allow kids on the trip. So Will has to stay behind. And I think my babysitters will like me a whole lot better if he is already okay with the idea of a bottle before I abandon him on them.
Hunter is a true Hudini when it comes to getting out of his crib/cage. It is very much time to move him into a toddler bed. Jon and I have great plans for this for Christmas. Erica is getting a full size bed and Hunter will be moved to her Toddler bed. This means we have to change the pink theme of her bed to something a bit more masculine. SO Santa’s elves have agreed that in the dead of the night on Christmas Eve, we will be painting and rearranging furniture until Jon and I are sure we don’t like each other anymore. It should be a great Christmas to remember.
Anyway, I wanted to let you know that we love you and we pray for you always. WE miss you. And are looking forward to your hump day. It is coming up. But you already knew that. Wanted to say Merry Christmas and that we are so proud of you and are thankful for your example.

Love Monica , Jon and 5 helpful little elves.

Up to the shoulder blades

I realize that I messed up in my letter to Dallan and did not inform everyone of my "GOLDEN" experience that happened on Sunday. (Feel free to LAUGH OUT LOUD) While we were sitting in Sacrament meeting and enjoying the testimonies William let out a loud and juicy sounding sound. I could feel the movement of his little body because he was as most babies are seated snugly in Mommy's lap. I knew this was more than just a smigie of a mess and started to gather the necessary items. I then could smell the tell tell odor and leaned over to My dear sweet Jon and informed him of my intention to escape with the baby. I hitched the diaper bag over my shoulder and swept out of the chapel. Halfway down the hall I looked down at my dear William and instantly realized that continuing to cuddle the little guy was not a good idea and immediately began holding him at arms length so as not to smear any goods. Once inside the ladies room the mommy who was already changing her dear precious saw my gooey predicament and instantly snatched her baby from the changing table. Some might say she was trying to be nice but I am sure she was more concerned with getting out the path of destruction. I layed my baby down and then proceeded to wash myself down first so as to not smear more items with the golden stuff. after I ascertained that I was no longer a threat to the sanitation of the room I began removing the gooey clothing from my son. He giggle and cooed at me while I continued to throw everything in a gratefully close sink. After using half of my diaper bag's stash of wet bum wipes and having to wash clear up to Williams shoulders and all the way down to his feet (yes even his socks did not make it out without a battle wound) I proceeded to clean up the changing table. Most the paper towels on the roll went towards this effort and then we were finally clean. All I had was a pair of sleeper Pajamas with Christmas Choo choo trains on them. -They seemed like a blessing. After carefully diapering (and I did for a moment deliberate if I should diaper with Hunter's larger size diaper should there be more poop in store) and dressing my smiley baby. I proceeded to wash out the offending clothing. I normally would have just attempted to deal with it at home but there was just TOO MUCH. After making a mess of yellow in the sink and on the surrounding counter top another sister entered with her little girl, on seeing the mess I had made they quickly excused themselves with excuses like they really didn't have to go (yeh right she was like 8 months pregnant!) and they left. As I was cleaning I realized that all though Wills vest didn't make it through the ordeal totally unscathed it would not be horrible to put it back on him over his Jammies and make him look a bit more dressed up. So I slapped the vest on him, put all the rest of the wet drippy, and still quite golden after much scrubbing, clothes in a plastic bag which I shoved to the bottom of the diaper bag in hopes that it would not wiggle itself back out before we got home. I cleaned the bathroom sink and counter the best I could with the remaining paper towels on the roll and headed back to sacrament meeting. Well to make matters worse we of course were early to the meeting to get a good seat and the door to the chapel is not in the back but rather in the front (stupid design!!) and as I tried to make it back to my seat I could not escape the notice of most of the family who instantly burst into quite fits of laughter and giggles in knowing that William had a blow-out. Well now they know ALL the details. HOPE I MADE YOU LAUGH!

I am a KLUTZ

Dear Dallan, HO! HO! HO! And all you other CRAZY people December 8, 2008
“OH the weather out side is frightful…” Yes that is right it is snowing this morning, not the big peaceful fluffy flakes but the usual Idaho piercing, biting ,coming down sideways, and slashing across any exposed skin kind of snow. But some how it puts us in the Christmas spirit. Last night we were able to listen the first presidency Christmas devotional. It was so much fun to have our kids all around us and listen to the hopeful messages from our prophet and his councilors. I hope you might have been able to her their message as well while you are sunning yourself there in Mexico.
Yesterday we had a big shin dig here at my house. Jason and Camille- well Jason blessed Mckenzie with the help of a lot of great men. And Camille put on a feast afterwards at my house. We were filled to the brim but every one had a little bit of elbow room. I had a ball cleaning my house and getting it all decorated for Christmas and now my task is to go clean it all up again. I am thankful we have such a large family and that we live close enough to all get together and celebrate special occasions. It reminds us that family is the MOST important relationships we can have. Jon and I’s attitude is that we don’t mind the mess because we love the people who keep bringing it. As Jason and Camille were leaving last night I told her she owed me big. And Jason said “NO! You still owe us for helping you move!“ I think he is right and we might be getting closer to even. We did miss you and MJ and Cody but since all of you were sunning yourselves in Mexico we didn’t feel too bad.
My family knows I can be a klutz. I have never felt like I had tremendous athletic ability. But this week shows that I am a major walking disaster in the dark. For starters there is a step in the stairwell up to Jon and I’s bedroom that is just a bit narrower that all the other ones (building codes were not strictly enforced when this house was built) Anyway I am very aware of this step and usually make sure my foot is solid on this step. Early Thursday morning as I am descending the steps in the dark to wake the kids for school I was not fully awake yet and my fuzzy pink slipper did just that. I slipped and fell down the stairs. As I lay at the bottom of the stairs on the cold linoleum kitchen floor and called out “OW! I HURT MYSELF!” No one in the house moved to come to my aid. I called again. And the house stayed silent. I decided that I had not broken anything and the bus was going to come at 7:15 anyway so I picked my fuzzy pink bathrobe clad self up off of the floor and went to work. I did wrench my shoulder pretty good and have been belly aching about it ever since. Then the very next morning about 4:00 am I got out of bed to Put William back into his crib and I of course could not see the open drawer sticking out from under my bed and I tripped over it. Well because I was holding William I couldn’t put my hands out and catch myself so instead I had to drag my leg along the corner of my drawer to get my feet out in front of me to catch myself and the sleeping baby (that was the most important part) So Now I have a long gash that runs the entire length of my shin. It smarts a little bit especially when the kids try to climb up my legs into my lap. Moral of the story I should stay in bed!
So those are the best stories I have for the day. But I do have to let you know that Jon just came in and asked what I was doing. I told him that I was writing to my brother. He asked if you had ever written a letter to me. You of all people know that the answer to that is in the negative zone. I told the truth and he called you a loser for not writing back. I told him that I have threatened you with no more letters if I did not receive a letter for Christmas. He did not seem convinced. I defended my sitting on his computer to write letters with the attitude that these letters go to all of my brothers and sisters and that his family also read them on our blog page. He still seems upset that I was sitting in his chair in the office. SO SELFISH! No not really. Jon is a sweetheart. He even brought me the prettiest pink roses on Saturday night just because
he loves me. What an awesome husband. (You could take a few notes for when you get married)
All the kids are doing well. They are counting down the days until Christmas with gusto and are beyond hyped up about the whole Christmas celebration. Jon and I are a little bit tickled about the season too.
Marcus birthday is next Sunday and we are planning another big shin dig at our house to celebrate him turning 6 you are invited but I think it is a little bit out of the mission boundaries. I can really not believe that he is 6! It feels like just yesterday he was playing baby Jesus in the family Christmas pageant. Now he is a wise man.
Keep up the good work and when you need a little pick me up remember Elder Eyrings talk about their family Christmas pageant and how Samuel the Lamanite was having to dodge the balls of tin foil. It definitely makes you think that if that kind of thing happens in the home of one our apostles then our home may not be to far lost to the adversary! We love you . The Church is true. Christ Lives! He died to save us all. And with out Easter there can be no Christmas. Love Monica.

sneek peek

So here is a sample of the pictures we had taken. I honestly had no idea that my hair has gotten so dark! I always thought I was a blond! I guess I lost that when I had kids right!


Here are my Momma's Boys

Daddy's Baby Girl

My Handful!

The Jonathan and Monica Woodin Family 2008

trimming the tree

Dear Dallan, DECEMBER 3 2008

GREEDY!!! GREEDY!?! What is this greedy stuff? I write you a good long letter almost every single week. Any YOU are calling ME “greedy.” You are lucky to be getting a letter this week after a comment like that. In fact after I get my Christmas letter from you, you just might not get any more letters from me. I’m good with that. No but seriously did you have a good thanksgiving? I did and I am almost caught back up on the laundry. -- nope Now I am not.
For Thanksgiving , While Mom, Dad, and Garrett were busy sunning themselves, We had Jon’s brothers Ed and Jason, and his wife, Nanette. Nanette’s brother and his roommate who is from Chicago with us. Only 15 folks 16 if you count William and 18 if you count the twins Nanette is carrying. We did the usual thing ate, ate, and ate. We smoked a turkey in Jon’s new smoker it was good but not quite the traditional Thanksgiving taste. We threw all of the kids in and out of the hot tub. Then early on Friday morning (4 am)we blasted out of here to fight the mad crowd of shoppers anxious to get the good deal. I got all the things That I wanted on my list so now we just need to get a couple more things and play the count down waiting game.
We had tickets to the Saturday night Jazz game and we thought we had them sold but at the last minute the guy backed out so Jon and I and Todd and Wendy found babysitters and headed down to SLC only to watch the Jazz get creamed! Then as we were traveling home we missed the Pocatello exit and were almost to Snowville when we realized our mistake. So By the time Sunday morning rolled around I was very very tired.
On Monday for FHE we decided that since it was the first day of Dec. it was a good day to decorate a tree. I had already VETOED the idea of cutting our own down and sent Jon off to town to find one. HE came home with a beautiful tree from LOWES and then we started hunting for our tree stand. Well long story short we couldn’t find it. We don’t know if it got moved when we moved or lost or whatever so I sent Jon back to town. He came home with a tree stand entitled “Santa’s Last Stand” I think it cost more than the tree but so far I LOVE, LOVE IT! It only required one spearing of the tree and no extra adjusting and there is no string attached to a hook in the ceiling to hold our tree up. I even moved the tree by myself and the thing did not even wobble and waver. If you are in the market for a tree stand don’t mess around! I highly recommend this kind of stand. Anyway by the time we got the tree up and had tested and threw away half of the strands of lights we have, we allowed the kids to put on only the cutest ornaments and then sent them to bed.
On Tuesday I finished decorating the tree and putting up Christmas decorations. It is no wonder why Mom would often lose her cool when we would try and “help” her put up Christmas. I truly now know why she did not enjoy it. And why we were often sent the other room. Christmas is for Kids but the decorating part is not that fun with kids.
William can now roll from his back to his tummy. He is in much greater danger now of being stepped on. Erica keeps dragging him around the house like a dolly. And Stiles loves to lift him up way over his head. Hunter continues to give him kisses on the head, so usually Will has a great big sticky slimy spot some where on his cranium. Marcus is often upset because someone else is “hogging William” when he wanted to play with him. Since Will started to giggle and wiggle he is a popular kid around our house lately.
Jon got on and rode our colt MAC on Saturday for the first time. Mac was totally cool with the whole deal. Jon was able to saddle him up and get on without Mac being tied up or anything. Jon has been watching a lot of U TUBE on how to train your horse. I must say it is awesome to watch Mac follow Jon around like a little puppy dog.
Marcus is on the count down to his birthday. He has it all marked on the calendar and is proud that he can count the days now. I can hardly believe that he is going to be 6! He has informed us that a green bike for his birthday would be awesome but a red one wouldn’t be so good because Stiles’s bike is red.
Hunter has figured out how to fold his arms during prayer. I didn’t think he was going to get it. I am not sure what put him over the edge, if it was Jon or Nursery but one day he just started doing it and he will usually hold the pose until the end of prayer. It is making all of our prayers a bit more reverent.
Anyway I really need to go now and clean and wash and fold and change and wipe and be a mommy.
The church is true.

Love Monica and the MONSTERS!!!