When life gives you lemons...

...make lemonade, and you might get $20 for your trouble, as well.

Last week we were doing some last minute Christmas shopping at Wal-Mart (for things we couldn't find on Amazon). It was two days before Christmas and the store was extra crowded and busy because people were finally able to venture out after being snowed in for the weekend. The lines to check out were incredibly long, but there was really no way around it. You just had to stand in line if you wanted to buy your stuff. So we got in line and waited about twenty minutes before we got to the register. While we were waiting, we were treated to a tirade of complaints from the girl in line behind us. She tried a couple times to find a manager to complain to, as well. I don't know what she was expecting from a manager. It's not like they were going to whisk her to the front of the line or anything. EVERYONE there was tired and frustrated and just wanted to go home, but EVERYONE had to wait in long lines to check out.

So the family ahead of us was getting ready to pay for their stuff. The mom took out her card to swipe it through the machine, and somehow she missed and the card bounced off the platform and flew through the air and incredibly fell down the crack between the register counter and the counter with the bag carousel on it. After staring at the spot where the card disapeared for a second in disbelief, the lady and the cashier start trying to get it out. The lady's two teenage kids were laughing while they were trying to help, and the lady was a little embarrassed about the whole situation and apologized for the delay. Adam and I were just amazed at the one-in-a-million chance the card had of falling into the tiny space between the counters. I felt bad for the lady and was trying to show her that we weren't mad or annoyed at this unusual situation that extended our already long wait in line. The girl behind us, though, was VERY annoyed and was letting everyone know.

After about five minutes of trying, they finally got the card out, the lady (carefully) paid for her stuff, and she and her kids gathered their bags to leave. Right before she walked away, though, she put a $20 bill on top of the bag carousel and told the cashier to put it towards our purchase. We thanked her, and tried to tell her that it wasn't necessary, but she had already hurried away before we could give it back. We stood there, kind of shocked. Nothing like that had ever happened to us before. We were sure, though, that it wouldn't have happened if we had been complaining like the girl behind us.

Christmas in Pictures

We had a very enjoyable Christmas this year. On Christmas Eve we went to our friends Dustin and Holly's house for their Christmas Eve party, and then woke up on Christmas morning to find that Santa had come!



I have video of Joshua looking through his stocking and opening his presents that I will have to post later. He got a toy cell phone in his stocking that he LOVES and he didn't want to do anything else after he found it.






He also got a new hat and gloves, a new belt (which is still too big for him, we found out today), new pajamas, some new toys, VeggieTales videos, and an Elmo plush doll, which he also LOVES! He was cracking us up with his babbling comments after he opened each present. Mostly, it was some form of "Oooo" and "Ahhh", which mostly sounded like "oo-OO-oo," with his voice inflection going up in the middle. It was pretty cute.

Then it was off to Grandma and Grandpa Pratt's house for the rest of the day. My brother and his family were there, too, and we all had fun times.



You can see in this picture the traditional bopper balloons and sugar cereal. Growing up, we hardly ever got sugar cereal, so for Christmas breakfast we could have whatever cereal we wanted. My favorite was always Lucky Charms.



Opening presents at Grandma's house.



You can see Kevin and Taylor taking careful aim at Adam, preparing to make use of the traditional Nerf guns. Johsua and Ryan are vying for the other Nerf gun.



Joshua got a fun farm tractor with a wagon from his cousins. He also got some cute new clothes, some books, and a little folding table and chairs from Grandma and Grandpa.





The kids had fun playing with a lawn game my parents got.



Elmo had fun taking pictures.

We played games, relaxed and looked incredulously as it continued to snow off and on throughout the afternoon.



We had a yummy ham dinner before Kevin had to leave for work. All in all, we had a nice relaxing day, and I'm glad we could spend Christmas with family. Joshua doesn't quite understand the concept of Christmas yet, but he had fun opening his presents and playing with his cousins and his new toys.



Adam took this picture of Joshua before he woke up the morning after Christmas. You can see him cuddling Elmo while he sleeps. Joshua loves his Elmo, and it makes us laugh every time he tries to say "Elmo" (El-MOH, usually shouted, while elongating the last syllable).

Yesterday, Erik and Gina (Adam's brother and sister-in-law) briefly came over to exchange gifts. They live in Yakima, along with Adam's parents, and were in town visiting Gina's family for Christmas. While Yakima isn't that far away, the mountains make it difficult to get over there, especially in the winter. We miss seeing Adam's family that live over the mountains, so it was good to see them, if only for a little while.

I have really enjoyed the Christmas season this year. We kept things pretty simple, and it was great to be with family and friends, listen to Christmas music, participate in Christmas traditions, and have a feeling of Christmas Cheer this past month.

Happy Christmas to All!

Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a Frankie.




The stockings were hung by the bookcase with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there.




The children were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads.
And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap.

When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below.
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer.

***

And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot.
A bundle on toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler, just opening his pack.

His eyes-how they twinkled! His dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow.

***

He spoke not a work, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings, then turned with a jerk.
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose!

He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, 'ere he drove out of sight,
"Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good-night!"

-Clement Clarke Moore

Snowed in

We went to the temple on Saturday to be with my cousin as she went through for the first time. We drove both of our cars to my parents' house (which is on the way to the temple) and dropped off Joshua and one of the cars and Adam and I and my mom drove in the other car the rest of the way to the temple. The session was very nice and it was great to be in the temple with lots of family around. Adam had to take off soon after the session was over to make it back to Puyallup/Graham for his shift at Papa John's, so my mom and I got a ride back to my parents' house with my brother and his wife. We spent the rest of the afternoon making Christmas goodies that have become traditions over the years. I make church windows, Kevin makes white chocolate candy that my Grandma Holmes used to make, my mom and I make toffee and peanut brittle, and this year Brandie made fudge.

While all this was going on in the kitchen, it started snowing outside. And it didn't really stop until Monday mid-morning. By the time we were done making goodies, the snow had already accumulated on the roads and freeways. Mind you, there was already packed snow on the residential roads left over from the last snow storm we had a couple days earlier. Since Adam had taken the four-wheel-drive-capable Jeep for delivering pizzas in the hazardous residential streets, I wasn't willing to venture out on the roads to try and go home in our little Corolla. So we had a slumber party at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Kevin and Brandie had come prepared to stay the night, since the weather forcasts had predicted this huge snow storm. I wasn't so prepared, but oh well. Joshua and I made do with what we had. The snow kept falling on Sunday, and since Adam had the Jeep, I convinced him to come to us since I didn't think the Corolla was going to take us to him any time soon. He packed some things for us and joined the slumber party. The kids all had fun playing together, and the adults had fun playing board games after the kids went to bed.

On Monday it finally stopped snowing and we measured 9 inches of snow out in the back yard. Kevin was excited to take his kids sledding on the hills at the elementary school up the street. Joshua borrowed Ryan's boots and heavy coat and we went out to see how deep the snow was.



Yeah, it was deep enough that he couldn't really walk around in it at all. He wasn't enjoying the snow very much. I think he got snow in his boots and his feet were cold.



Adam decided to shovel off the front porch. What a nice son-in-law.

After Kevin and the kids came back from sledding, we all had lunch and then the girls wanted to go make snowmen in the backyard. Kevin went out to help them and they also convinced Grandma to come out and help, too.



The Daddy snowman is completed!



Then they set about making the rest of the family.



Brandie joked that this was going to be their Christmas card picture next year: Brooklynn, Kevin, and Brandie in the back row, with Ryan and Taylor in the front row.



Adam started making a snowman, but it looked more like a tower, so he turned it into a Christmas tree. He sprinkled green Jell-O on the sides and spread mustard on the star.



Now my parents will have a family of snowmen and a snow tree to look at out their kitchen window for the next couple of weeks.


On Monday afternoon, the freeways were clear and we decided it was time to try and venture home. We didn't have any problems getting out of the neighborhood (I was in the Jeep and Adam was able to convince the Corolla that it could make it on the slick compacted snow), and we made it home safe and sound. All in all, it was a fun weekend. If we had to get snowed in, I'm sure glad we were able to be with family. It was a great way to start the Christmas week: making goodies, playing games, watching the snow fall, and being with family!

Annoying Rent-a-cop

It has been snowing for the past couple of days here in the Seattle area, which means hazardous driving conditions (since so few people here remain sane or intelligent on the road when it snows). I realize this, and thus have driven more cautiously on the roads between home and work. And I have safely arrived everywhere that I intended to go during this whole stretch of bad weather.

This morning, when I got to work, I was in a good mood. So I went to the part of our parking lot with no cars in it, but with an inch or two of snow on the ground, and then I proceeded to do a couple of emergency-brake slides around corners. Mind you, I never broke 10mph in these slides. So after one loop sliding around corners, I pulled into a parking space with a smile on my face.

Then the rent-a-cop who works for one of the other companies in my building pulls up behind my car and starts getting all condescending, saying "I'm asking you to be VERY careful when you pull into this parking lot."

Knowing full well that (1) this rent-a-cop has absolutely no authority over me or the parking lot and (2) that I was completely by myself while sliding around the deserted corners in the empty part of the parking lot, I had no patience for her lecture. She said, "If you hit another car, you would be reliable." At which point, I interrupted her and said, "No, actually, I would be liable. " And she countered with, "Well, you would be both."

I pointed out that I was nowhere near any other cars, and then just plain got fed up with her. So I said, "Whatever," and walked away to go in and do my job. My department manager had just parked his car and saw that the rent-a-cop was harassing me, so he stopped to talk to her after I walked away.

After he came into the building, he came over and said, laughingly, "So you ruffled the feathers of that security guard, eh?" I recounted her lecture to me, along with my retort, and he laughed some more. Apparently, she has hassled him about stuff over which she has no authority, too. Today, she told him that she is "just trying to get people home safe." To which, my manager said, "But we all just got here." He chuckled a little more and as he walked away from me, he said, "At least you woke her up."

I don't know why people think that being a security guard gives them any authority whatsoever over what people do. After all, they aren't even allowed to confront people who are breaking into cars in the parking lot. All they can do is call the actual police to deal with that. So instead, they just harass people like me and think that they are doing something important.

Snow!

It started snowing Saturday night. It wasn't a whole lot, but evidently it was enough to cancel church. I think the roads were pretty icy, too.



Later that afternoon it started snowing again, this time harder. One of Molly's favorite spots is laying on the floor looking out our back sliding glass window. She seemed to be enthralled with the snow, so Adam decided to take her out in it.



She does not care for the snow. When he put her down, she slunk into the house as quickly as she could. Poor freezy kitty.

When Joshua woke up from his nap, we took him out for a few minutes. We don't have any coats for him that are heavier than his sweatshirt, so we didn't want to stay out for very long. Also, I told Adam to put Joshua's gloves on, but he decided not to.







Joshua had a lot of fun for a few minutes until his hands started to freeze. I took a little video of his first time in the snow. Please to enjoy!

19 Months!

Joshua turned 19 months old this past week. Here are a few pics of what he's been up to this month.



Laundry baskets make great toys. He pushed this basket around or sat in it and played for most of that day.



Lately, when he doesn't want to do something I tell him to do, or if he's just feeling playful, he will go and "hide" in the curtains and wait for me to find him.



BOO! I see you.



My aunt Ella Mae gave Joshua this tub of really nice blocks that she got from her work. (They were going to throw them away.) Joshua LOVES them, as does Adam. When we found out we were having a boy, Adam was really looking forward to playing with all the cool toys that little boys get. Now his son is getting old enough to play with the fun toys and Adam's inner child is in heaven.



This one?



I'll hold it for you.



Hanging out with Daddy.
Funny story, Joshua likes to blow kisses, but he hasn't been a big actual kisser. Yesterday, after seeing Adam and I kiss, he grabbed his daddy's head and swung his face around so he could kiss him on the lips. It was funny and really cute. Now he likes giving kisses.



I'm flying!



And he wouldn't be a toddler if he didn't make messes. This sippy had been half full when somehow he pushed the nipple part of the lid down into the bottle and all the milk came out. You can see all the splatters on the floor and cupboards. He had a blast playing in the mess on his try until I discovered it and got out the paper towels.

Speech-wise, he is improving every week. Just this past week I've noticed him trying to copy what I say, which he hasn't had much interest in up until now. He tries to say tickle tickle, quack quack, oink oink, and balloon. He can say pretty well kitty, cheese, more, moo, baa, oof (woof), bye, and shoe.

It is so much fun to see his little personality come out more and more as he gets older. He loves to run around and play with his toys. He is constantly babbling and is curious about everything. He still loves to chase the kitties and has a new-found love for doggies. When we saw Adam's brother's family in Yakima for Thanksgiving, he followed their dog around everywhere, and when he goes to our friends Holly and Dustin's house, he loves on their dog every chance he gets. As he gets older, he is also realizing that he is his own person and is more and more forceful in exerting his will. This provides many teaching moments for us parents to try and show him how to make good choices. It can sometimes be frustrating, but this is what we signed up for as parents, right? Right?

Haiku to Chiropractic

Back pain for two weeks,
Thought it was a pulled muscle.
Or a tight, tight knot.

What to do for it?
I asked knowledgeable friends,
"Spine adjustment, quick!"

Not a pulled muscle,
But instead, it's a pinched nerve.
Made an appointment.

Chiropractor said,
"Yes, it's a pinched nerve, I'll help
To get it unpinched."

Thank you, thank you, Doc,
I'm on my way to healing.
Pain-free, hear I come!

'Tis the Season

I've been getting more into the Christmas spirit this past week. On Wednesday, my mom and her sister Ella Mae and I (and Joshua) went to A Victorian Country Christmas at the Puyallup fair grounds. It's basically just like the Fair, only smaller and most of the booths sell Christmas related things. We had fun walking up and down the aisles looking at all the booths. Joshua did really well in his stroller, just chillin' out and watching the crowds around him. We all went to singing/dance concert and then had dinner before walking through more booths. Seeing all the Christmas decorations helped us all get in the mood and I started getting excited for Christmas.

That evening, while we were there, Adam was at home bringing in the Christmas decorations from the garage and setting up the tree. Tonight while Adam was at work, I was inspired to finish putting up the decorations. I put on the Christmas music channel on TV and decorated the tree and put some other decorations around. I'm keeping it pretty minimal this year, partly because I'm not looking forward to putting it all away, and mostly because I'm having some back problems and didn't want to be up and about for very long.

Joshua had fun helping me. He was especially helpful in stacking and unstacking the various boxes. He also had fun with my Santa hat.


He thought it was quite the fun game to yank off the hat as quickly as he could after I put it on and throw it as far as he could. I had to act fast to try and get some pictures of him in the hat.


Like this picture. This cracked us up! I think this was after he had a little too much egg nog, if you know what I mean :)

So now our house is decorated and I'm feeling a little more festive. 'Tis the season to be jolly!