A Season of Giving

I love Christmas. One of the things I love most about Christmas is the giving spirit. For the past couple years, our neighborhood has hosted a little get together for people to bring donations for Christmas. It's great because we can get all the neighbors together for some hot chocolate and donuts, and stand around fires as we come together for a good cause.

Last night, our neighborhood had our annual Christmas get-together. We had a great turn out! I'm so grateful to all the people who helped out with treats and donations. With everyone's help, we were able to gather a lot of needed items to donate to The Family Connection. Hopefully these items can really help some people out there who are in need.

Another thing I love about this time of year is the reminder that it is about how blessed we are. We are truly blessed, and Christmas time can really bring out the best in good people. I love hearing heartwarming stories of people helping other people. That's what it's all about.

I also love getting together with family and friends to celebrate the season. It's great going to parties with family and friends to celebrate the birth of our Savior. What a blessed time of year!

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!

Hannah's surgery

Well, Hannah had surgery yesterday. She had her tonsils and adenoids removed, and got a new set of tubes put in her ears. She was just supposed to have a tube taken out, but when the doctor got in there, her left ear was infected, and he asked if we would be okay with doing tubes again. Since they were already in there, I told him to go ahead.

Hannah had to have her tonsils and adenoids taken out because of breathing problems. She has always been a mouth breather. She has also been a really loud snorer, and occasionally has apnea episodes while she's sleeping. We decided that her adenoids were giving her troubles and got her checked out. The doctor said that taking the tonsils out would also help with the problems, so we did both. I'm really glad we did it because after the surgery, the doctor told us that her adenoids were totally blocking off her nasal passage. And, he said that her tonsils were huge, too. Interestingly enough, on the way home from her surgery, she started to fall asleep in the car, and she had her mouth closed and was breathing through her nose!

Poor Hannah. I feel so badly that we had to put her through that, but it was something that had to be done. Right now, my biggest fight with her is to take her pain meds, but I'm making her take them at least for these first few days to keep her comfortable. She drank really well yesterday, and I'm hoping she'll continue that. We're all stocked up on Jell-O, popsicles, pudding, yogurt and ice cream, so Hannah should be set for the next few days. Hannah is such a little trooper. She's been such a good and brave girl through this. I'm praying for a quick recovery for her so she doesn't have too much pain.

Headlamps are the COOLEST!!

And, I totally have one. Yeah, I pretty much look like the dork in the picture except my head isn't shaved. Are you jealous? (lol)

Well, you should be. It's an Energizer brand, and it's got a red light, and 3, that's right, 3 different LED functions. It's equipped with an adjustable head strap and padding under the light for my forehead comfort. You can also adjust the angle of the light. It's perfect for those times when you get to the movies late and need to look for a seat. (Picture me walking in wearing a headlamp saying, "Excuse me, are these seats taken?" (hehehehe))

But, in all seriousness, I really do have a headlamp. Now, what on Earth would I need a headlamp for? Well, I have been running on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays with some other ladies from the ward. We go at 5:30 AM, so it's still pretty dang dark outside. We have so much fun. Sure it's early, and I kinda feel like a crazy person wearing a headlamp, but it really does help. I really enjoy running, and it's been great to go with other people and chit chat on the way. Yesterday, we ran about 5.1 miles and it felt great. It's a little cold when you first start out, but by the end you're cookin'. Monday morning, it was drizzling a little and I wore a bright yellow rain-type jacket of Greg's. Not only was it big on me, but I looked quite conspicuous. Greg told me I looked like I was wearing a fishing jacket. I felt a little like the bad guy in "I Know What You Did Last Summer."

So, if you ever want to go running on Monday, Wednesday, or Friday morning, just come on over to my neighborhood at 5:30 AM. Then, you could see me wearing my headlamp. Or, if I'm feeling particularly cheeky one day, maybe I'll wear it to Wal-Mart. ;)

2 trips to Black Island Farms

The last couple weeks, the girls and I went to Black Island Farms. We went the week before Halloween with Mandee and her kids when Greg and Jamie were out of town. The girls all had a great time running, climbing and sliding. Here are some pics from the first trip:

Top: Brooklyn cheesing it by the pumpkins

Bottom: Hannah in a corn stalk tunnel

Top: Brooklyn on a slide

Bottom: Hannah with a big grin before she slides

Then, last Tuesday, Greg and I went with Jamie and Mandee and all the kids again. Needless to say, the second trip was much easier since the dads were there. It was really fun. We went on a "hayride" (I saw no hay - LOL!), and got to pick out our own pumpkins. Here are a few highlights:

Left: Family photo op

Right: Brooklyn picking her pumpkin

Left: Greg and the girls sliding down the big, white slide

Right: All of us on the "hayride"

I didn't have any pictures of Hannah picking her pumpkin because she didn't really want to. I do, however, have a picture of her picking her nose.

Aw, cute little Hannah.

Leelou Blogs Launch Party!

They're having some pretty cool giveaways. Check it out!

Happy Birthday, Angel Abbey!

Happy Birthday, Abbey! Today would have been Abbey's 8th birthday. I can't believe she was born 8 years ago today. It seems like another lifetime. She was so tiny when she was born. This would have been a big birthday for her. She would actually be getting baptized a week from today. That's a bittersweet thought. I know she's perfect and never needed to be baptized, yet I would have loved to be there for the occasion.

I can't help but watch the kids in primary whose class she would be in. I wonder whom she would be friends with. She would probably be one of the tiniest 8 year-olds ever. My girls would possibly be handing their clothes up to her. (lol)

We usually do something to commemorate her special day, but today I just don't have it in me. I know there's no etiquette on how long you can celebrate your late child's birthday, yet it seems like we need to get past that at some point. We'll probably just do something fun with our girls today. They'd like that.

I just thought I'd share a few photos of Abbey with you all. Thanks to all of you who loved her as much as we do.

Abbey and Daddy in Minnesota

Mommy and Abbey

Abbey in her cheerleader costume from Build-A-Bear Workshop (so cute!)


Happy Birthday, Angel Abbey!

Find me if you can.

Okay, please tell me I'm not the only one who does this.

Hi, my name is Brandi, and I daily hide from my kids - sometimes several times. I even have designated hiding spots.

No, this is not a game. We are not playing hide and seek. Yeah, I'm hiding, but I don't tell anyone I'm hiding. I sneak off hoping that no one finds me for a few minutes. Does that make me a bad mom? Nah, just one who's about to blow a gasket at any moment sometimes. We all feel like that occasionally, right? So, hear me out. Here's the scenario: both kids (both 2 year-olds) are playing. Suddenly, someone starts crying and whining over something they want but can't have. The other one is taunting her sister. They both start running for mom to rescue them. I calm them down, only to have them start up the drama again about 14 seconds later. So, instead of yelling and screaming myself, I decide to go hide for a couple minutes. Usually, by the time I come out of my hiding spot, the girls are happily playing again. No harm, no foul. Come on, will someone else please admit to me that they hide from their kids at times, too? Please.

Okay, so I actually have a couple of hiding spots. My favorite one is in our walk-in closet. I hide on Greg's side next to his dress shirts and the gun safe (don't worry, it's a small gun safe). Anyway, I can stand up back there and no one can see me. Sure, I have to tilt my head to the side to fit standing up, but the girls haven't been able to find me yet. (lol) Another spot I use is on the side of the couches in the front room. If I'm really quiet, they usually don't look for me there. Last night I even hid behind the island in the kitchen when I heard some whining coming my way.

I want to set the record straight. I don't hide from hurt or scared children. I only hide when the whining has gotten to me that day. I have to say that having two 2 year-olds can be somewhat of a trial at times. One minute I want to run screaming down the road (picture Phoebe from "Friends" with her crazy run), and the next minute I can't get enough of them. I just love those little girls!

And, I wanted to add that hiding is a way to be alone for a few minutes sans children without ever having to leave the house. Strangely enough, I also look forward to going out to get the mail each day as well. I really need to get out more.