Kickin' it with Strep Throat!

Well this week went by really fast because I spent half the week sick in bed with Strep Throat! I came down with it Monday morning--chills, body aches, fever, sore throat, swollen glands, general all-over ickyness . . .you get the "lovely" picture . . . well after 2 days sick in bed, by Wednesday morning I was getting worse (not better) I thought to myself, "You are not winning this battle. Time to see the Dr." So I did. Found out I had Strep Throat. Got a Shot in the bum. And by that evening I was feeling better. Thursday Even Better. And Today Quite Well indeed.

I am so thankful for loving family who helped me so much while I was sick! Tuesday I was so sick! And school happend to get canceled due to cold weather. My first thought was, "Oh good Samantha will be home to help me with the little girls." She is so good to get them food, or put on a movie, or read to them, or play with them . . . I was very glad that I would have her . . . but then the phone rang (7:45 a.m.) and it was my Dad calling to see if we knew school was cancelled. When I answered and sounded so bad, my Dad said, " Is this the White's?" He didn't even recognize me. Well when Mom and Dad heard that I was sick--they insisted on coming over to get the girls!! Dad came and helped me get them ready and then he and Mom took care of them ALL day--breakfast, lunch, and Mom sent dinner home with them for all of us! Thanks Mom and Dad for all the TLC!! Then on Wednesday (on my way back from the Dr.) I phoned Diann to tell her that I was sick with Strep, but that I would still come teach TaVaCi (probably not the wisest idea to expose all the kids to Strep, but I didn't know what else to do?) well Diann would not let me teach. She was so kind and told me she would take care of my classes and that they would just work on the words of songs and review what they already knew. She also arranged for another TaVaCi Mom to pick up Sam and Kenzie and bring them home again, so I wouldn't have to leave my house. That was great because I was able to sleep that afternoon. I am so grateful for wonderful parents and a wonderful mother-in-law. It was terrible to be so sick, but it would have been SO much worse without family there to help me.

Mod Podge Extravaganza!!!

White Family Chore Chart!
Magnet board with our pictures and various pictures of Chores at our house!

Metal flower as a corner embellishment!

Chore Chart in all its glory!

We hung it in between our kitchen and our dinning room table!

Around New Year's we sat down with the girls and talked about setting goals. Some of the goals were individual and some were family oriented. The girls "set" a goal for me of coming up with a "chore chart" for them. I honestly don't know where they got this idea from, but they were really excited about it and wanted us to have one. So I made one. I take almost full creative credit for this project . . . a long time ago I saw (somewhere?) an example of a chore chart that someone had made using a pocket-chart, they put pictures of the chores in the chart next to the person's name . . . that was way cute. I made my own version of this. I took a metal sheet and mod podged paper to it, then I glued the metal sheet into a wooden frame-which I also mod podged paper onto, then I hot glued strips of ribbon across it- to section off each person, then I got these 3x3 wooden tiles(?) and mod podged pictures of each person and pictures of various chores at our house, and then hot glued magnets on the back of those. Honestly the finished product is sooooo cute! The pictures don't do it justice! (Can you tell I am just a LITTLE proud of myself?) I am going to add a few more chores to the chart, but here it is so far! There is also an "extra" space at the bottom for when we have another baby (no this is not an announcement, just wishful thinking at this point). This project took A LONG TIME and it was kind-of difficult, but I loved doing it, I had a blast shopping for the materials and putting it together! AWWW Creativity. Love it.

Dr. Coach White

Scott is in the green shirt!

I think we scored one more time after this was taken, and we won!!

Scott talking to the ref.'s

Here are some pictures of Scott coaching at a JV Madison Home Game. The JV have not really had the best season, basically they haven't won a game all season, but last night they did it! They played Pocatello and it was a great game to watch. We were so excited! This is a great boost to their self confidence, we hope that they will do better from now on! Scott still loves coaching. We are doing our best to support him and go to his Home games. I went to their Bonneville game last week, I rode the bus with Scott and the team. It was interesting to be along for the ride. I actually got to watch the game instead of managing my "3 ringed circus, " it was a fun evening to spend with Scott (and the team).

December 25th Chrsitmas Day!!!

Sam with her Santa gift! A "chou chou" doll ---which is pronounced "shoe shoe" it is the brand name and now also the actual name of her dolly, and we tease her that her doll must be Chinese. This doll cries and her cheeks turn red and then she grows teeth! Yes, my friends teeth. What will they think of next?
Whit with her Santa gift! A baby doll that cries, giggles, says Mommy and Daddy--when you push her tummy! Whit loves this baby and has been the best Mommy to her!
Kenz with her Santa gift! A littlest pet shop house! She has had a great time playing with all her little pets, in the big house!

All three girls after the madness, posing in front of the Christmas Tree with their Santa treasures!

Merry Christmas Girls!

Christmas morning had finally arrived! I could hardly sleep that night, I was so excited to see their faces on Christmas Day! I was the first one awake although I did not get up. I was waiting for the girls to come get us. They showed up in our bed at about 6:15 A.M. I was totally ready to run out there with them, but Scott made them wait until about 6:45. . . then we went out into the front room to see what Santa had brought them! They were delighted with their gifts and all of us got a new DVD in our stockings--that has been a fun tradition for us. We then got to open our gifts under the tree! We all took turns and watched each other open presents. The girls were so cute to each other when it came to their "sister" gift exchange gifts, they were saying thank you's and giving hugs. Then we got showered and dressed and went over to my Mom's house for a big Christmas breakfast! So yummy! My Grandpa and Grandma Robison came over and Becca and Nick were their too! Then we opened the gifts that they had for all of us! After that we came home and tried to get organized and give Whitney a nap. Then we got to go over the Scott's Mom and Dad's house for Christmas dinner (we are well fed on Christmas) we brought over the gifts we had for them and we also got gifts from them! Our favorite gift being "12 hours of FREE babysitting" from Karissa! Thanks Karissa! Then we spent the evening talking and playing games together. It truly was a very Merry Christmas. We are so very grateful to have our parents so close to us. Scott and I both feel so blessed that we get along with each other's families so well. We have a great time no matter who's house we are at.

Christmas Eve

Scott in head-to-toe Boise State gear! His Christmas Eve "P.J.'s" were new Boise State warm-up pants! The other stuff he already had: beanie, long sleeve T, and slippers all Boise State!
Go Scotty! Go!

Whitney, McKenzie, and Samantha in their new Christmas Eve night gowns! Very soft and fleecy! So cute! It is getting harder and harder to find them "matching" clothes because they range from the "Big girls" department all the way to toddler. So we were so excited to find these carter night gowns for all 3 girls!!

Our little Ladies!

Christina in tiger print silk P.J.'s! Very lovely!!

We had the best Christmas Eve!! That evening we went sledding on our hill and had a blast! It had dumped so much snow that week that the snow plows had pushed up a huge mountain of snow on the side of our driveway, this was perfect because the new mountain of snow connected with our existing hill and made one heck of a sled ride! After sledding for about an hour we came in and thawed out. Then we had sloppy joes for dinner! The kids picked what they wanted and that was great for me super easy cook and clean-up! Just right! Low stress. Then we opened our Christmas Eve gifts of the ever traditional night before Christmas Pajamas! The girls were nearly bursting with excitement to open a gift, so it was a good thing that we let them do that first thing after dinner. Then we read about Jesus being born from Luke 2 in the Bible and watched a movie version of it as well. Then (as tradition dictated) we drank hot apple cider and ate popcorn while watching a "Christmas Movie" this years selection was the ever hilarious "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"---complete with Jim Carey antics and all! It's a favorite! We had the best time just being together as a family and enjoying each other's company and personalities. Then we put the girls to bed. This is the one and only night out of the year on which Samantha (our resident night owl) goes directly to sleep. (so funny.) After the girls were in bed Scott and I had some items of business to take care of the in kitchen. We were assigned to bring the creamy potatoes and a pie to Christmas dinner (with his family) the next day. So Scott set out to make the pumpkin pie (seriously from scratch, with pumpkin we had gleaned ourselves from an actual pumpkin) it turned out famously! I made the potatoes and we were set! Then we needed to wait. To make sure that "visions of sugar plums" were well on their way . . . before playing Santa. While we were waiting . . . Scott was being very secretive . . . he made me stay up stairs while he "worked" on something for me. I was completely at a loss! I had no idea what he had planned! Well it turned out that "Santa" brought me an ipod shuffle in my stocking and "Santa" had already loaded it with some of my favorite songs. When I put the ear pieces in and started listening I got teary eyed because my favorite song was playing. It was a wonderful and sweet surprise! Way to go "Santa"! We had a fun and memorable Christmas Eve, there was a peaceful feeling in our home that night. It is rewarding to watch our children interacting together and the older they get the more fun we have together forming our own traditions.

A Visitor for Christmas Break

Samantha's first grade class has a pet turtle named, Tiny Tim. We voluntered to have him over Christmas Break! I thought that all the kids would want to keep him, but it turns out that we were the only ones who even offered. Go figure? We have loved having him at our house! He eats worms. So gross! He eats 7 of them every other day and then we give him fresh water everyday. Really simple.

Merry Christmas. -Journaling-

So here we are a little less than a week before Christmas and I find myself just now settling into the "Christmas Spirit" of the season. The past 3 weeks have been so full of parties and performances that it has been difficult to focus on much else. We do still have 2 big family parties to attend this weekend, the Robison party on Saturday and the Thompson (White) party on Sunday night. I am looking forward to those 2 parties since it is just family. The girls are so excited about Christmas and Sam has been counting down! Every morning she informs me of how many days we have left until Christmas. We had the girls buy gifts for each other and they loved picking something out for their sisters. Scott and I bought one gift for them to share and that is it (under the tree) they will get a Santa gift and stockings--but all in all--a simple and relatively small Christmas. I know that they will get gifts from Nana and Grandma Diann and they are getting gifts from a cousin gift exchange, but this year is feeling better to me--as far as not going over board on the "stuff"--Yeah!! It helps me feel more calm inside. The other fun thing that we did with the girls was that we got names off an Angel Tree! They loved picking out gifts for someone that they didn't even know, but for someone that actually NEEDED a gift for Christmas. Very good experience for us all.

Scott continues to be-Chiropractor, JV coach, husband, father, 1st councilor in the Elder's quorum . . . and I know that he is getting a bit worn out. He is looking forward to a week long break here at Christmas. Coaching has been a big time commitment for us all. I miss him. I am trying to be supportive and encouraging (this is one of his big dreams) but I still miss him. He is my best friend. The girls and I have gone to all his home games, we don't stay for V or go to away games . . .but we are doing our best to go to as many as we can. I do want to go to some away games, but I will try to leave my "3 ring circus" at home when I do.

I am glad that December is almost over and that life can get back to a more normal pace--I was barely keeping up with that--- Y.W.'s is going great. We went caroling last Tuesday and they seemed to enjoy that, very Christmas Cheer and all. We do have Baptisms coming up on the 23rd, I hope we have enough girls still in town to make it worth the trip.

Samantha just had her Christmas singalong and they sang a song about a big, red sled. It was cute. Her whole class wore scarves. She is not the tallest in class any more. I think that she is slowing a bit and may possibly average out---much to her dismay, her life's ambition is to be taller than me--- She looked darling up there with her new Christmas dress on and her hair in pigtails with big red bows. (I love having 3 heads of hair to do--one of the many perks of having girls, I LOVE to do their hair). The past 3 mornings Sam has gotten up with me to do Yoga! (I get up almost every morning at 6 a.m. to do Yoga). She was also my little exercise buddy in the summer--getting up early to walk 2 miles with my Mom and me every morning. She is so insistent on getting up. I actually love having her up with me.

McKenzie just had her pre-school sing along this week too! She was darling up there in her silver skirt and red sweater ( a combo of last year's Christmas outfit and this years)--she was not pleased that I was mixing the 2 outfits, but the out come was darling!! She kept telling me that they didn't match, " They don't go together!" she protested! (she's been watching too much "What not to wear!" on TLC) This last year in pre-school has been just what she needed to finish getting ready for kindergarten! I am very glad that we did not send her this year! Kenzie sometimes struggles to feel good about herself, and uses phrases like, "I can't do anything good!" and "I don't fit in this family!" sometimes I know it is just the DRAMA coming out in her, but sometimes I worry that she really does feel that she is not good enough. She really is the most like me of all the girls. I feel where she is coming from. I try to pay special attention to her and try to boost her up.

Whitney is talking very clearly now. She says and does the funniest things! She just cracks me up! Like this morning she had pulled her night shirt down around her waist and was running around the house. I asked her, "Where's your shirt?" and she said, " I naked!!" I later found her trying to give herself some medicine, through her belly button with a baby medicine syringe! I don't know? Go figure! Also when I cut up apples for them I make them eat the peel. Whit always rebels and won't eat it. Well, I bought some green apple this time and the peel is so tough, I don't even like to eat it. So I was cutting off the peel for everyone. Whitney could not get over it! She kept say, "Mommy cut a peee-ll off fooor mee!" over and over again! Also once when I was doing her hair I got a little hairspray in her eye. Since then when ever I do her hair and I don't get hairspray in her eye she tells me, "Mommy, you din-nit get har-spway in ma eyee!" over and over! So cute!

I feel so very blessed. I have so much. I am very grateful for my life and my family. My heart is full of joy and happiness. I am grateful for Scott and all that he does to take care of all of us girls! He is a wonderful man. Love you Scotty!