Christmas In California (Part 1)

This year for Christmas we decided to go spend about 10 days in Tyson's hometown with most of his family (we missed you Taron and Sam!) It was so good to see everyone and let Becca play with her Ratliff cousins that she never gets to see!

Playing and Visiting!

Liam and Becca spent a lot of afternoons together, often fighting over toys, but this was a sweet moment where they were just listening to grandma's music box together. Is it just me or do you love shots of kids together from behind? I sure do!

We also finally got to go over to Trevor and Aimee's and meet sweet baby Reginah for the first time! Yay for cousins!

And of course it would not be a trip to Ridgecrest without getting some fabulous mexican food at La Fiesta! Their rice is the BEST EVER! I wish we had more good mexican places close to us!

Becca was loving her rice and beans and my chicken out of my chimichunga.

There was a LOT of this: Kids running around chasing each other, playing games with Uncle Tyson (and Uncle Tevan when he got there).

Paige especially was enjoying Uncle Tyson.

What a sassy face!

Playing horsey on daddy's lap...there was a line up to take turns!

Reading bedtime stories with Grandma Ratliff.

Tyson and his older brother Thane. I thought this was just a funny shot...Tyson kind of looks liek a mini-me.

Christmas Eve!

The Ratliff family does their Christmas dinner on Christmas eve, so it was a very full day of fun and family!

Becca and Grandma.

Making cookies for Santa...I use the work making lightly, we didn't have time to make dough, so we just bought some.

Daddy helping out.

They turned out yummy though!

Putting sprinkles on the sugar cookies.

We thought she had dumped WAY too many.

But they REALLY spread out in the end, so it worked.

Opening a present from Uncle Scott! How sweet is he? He said "Since we don't get to see Becca a lot, I wanted to get her something!"

She LOVES her tiger. She slept with him every night we were there!

There was a lot of "leg" rides going on!

And our Yummy dinner! Roast Beef, mashed potatoes, gravy, Grandma Ratliff's amazing rolls, fruit salad, yorkshire pudding, green beans and cranberry-gingerale punch! Mmmmm.

The kid's table!

Mmmm look at that food! SO good!

Tyson and me at the Christmas Dinner table. Mmmm mmmm.

Heath was tuckered out and fell asleep eating!

Then we had the kids dress up and act out the nativity. Becca was a wiseman with Galen and Liam.

Here they all are!

Then Becca opened her Christmas Jammies!

A minnie mouse christmas nightgown! Which she calls her Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Jammies! Then we went to see Christmas light dispays around town, Ridgecrest really has some awesome neighborhoods that REALLY get into it! I wish ours up here would!

Putting cookies out for Santa!

And a very tired girl laying out her stocking for Santa!

Our family's stockings, waiting for the big guy!

So, next time Christmas day! And all the fun goings on. I hope you all had a great Christmas!

New Years Goals 2011

Like I did last year, I want to publicly list my new year's goals. I think without writing it down, it loses potency and power. Plus I wanted to post how I did on last year's goals:

2010 Goals:
1) Didn't finish my novel, but got REALLY close, and spent the year doing lots with my blog My Pile of Books, making great author, writer, and reader friends! I love books!

2) Didn't lose the weight by my anniversary, but lost it in the course of the year and found out and am getting medical help for why I wasn't getting pregnant. Overall an improvement!

3) Didn't do as well on my Temple attendance goal, but I went 3 times, which was honestly three times more than last year...here's to doing better next year!

4) I think I did pretty good with this one. We were VERY busy with family fun, but that is how it should be!

Okay! On to the NEW YEAR!!!!!
They might sound familiar from last year, but hey, as you can see...I still need to work on those!

1) Lose 10% more body weight and/or get pregnant. Pregnancy is #1 on that list for me, but as I am trying for that, it is my #1 goal...BUT part of this goal is working out at least 3 times a week for 20 minutes MINIMUM (starting Monday if my darn cough/cold is gone!).

2) Temple attendance. Again I am setting the goal for 6 times since I sadly didn't make that goal last year!

3) In line with Temple attendance...I want to improve on the quality of my prayer, so I can be more in tune with the spirit and with what the Lord wants for me. I LOVE this quote:

"A key to improved prayer is to learn to ask the right questions. Consider changing from asking for the things you want to honestly seeking what He wants for you. Then as you learn His will, pray that you will be led to have the strength to fulfill it."

(Elder Richard G. Scott, Conference Report, April 2007)

I am going to print it and put it on my bedroom wall to remind me to pray for what His will for me is!

4) This time I really mean it when I say that I am going to finish that novel, and even start a new one! To do this I am going to work on it at least 3 nights a week! I know that doesn't sound like full commitment to those who write EVERY day (ie. most professional and those who desire to be professional authors), but that's a lot for me, but it will be a start to a habit that will be fun and fulfilling!

5) ORGANIZE!!!!!! My home is way too cluttered. I need to get it organized!

6) No more "X needs to get done."'s But more GETTING it done!

So that's it for me this year. All the most important things to me that I want to work on! How about you? What do you want to accomplish this year?

December Goings On - A Catch-up Post!

Hey there! We have been so busy this month, which means I had a lot to blog about, but no time to blog about it! So now it's time for the catch-up game! This post is HUGE. Sorry! I just have SO much to post that I didn't want to break it up into different posts instead you get it all at once!

Tyson's 31st Birthday!

Becca was excited for Daddy's Birthday!

Tyson's breakfast of choice, sausage and waffles!
Birthday Kisses!

And help opening birthday presents!

Proof that I was involved in the day, dinner at The Red Iguana! Mmmmm!

Becca and daddy enjoying chips!

Tyson was in heaven with his ginormous plate of food!

Then back at home Becca was very excited for cake!

Tyson and his cake! Ummm, yeah and I forgot to buy candles...so we used the 2 and added a candle in front (kind of hard to see) and then the 1, so 31!



Ready to cut into it!

Yummy devil's food cake with vanilla-almond buttercream frosting!

Happy Birthday Tyson! We love you tons!

Ward Christmas PartyI didn't get a lot of pics, but I did get Becca enjoying her hot chocolate!



Christmas Card Photo Shoot This was the picture we ended up choosing.

This was my other favorite.

Other December Activities
Color Me Mine!
I took Becca to Color Me Mine to paint a mug for her Grandma Ratliff. We had already gotten something for my mom, so we'll have to do this for her another time. But she LOVED it!






Incredible Pizza Company
We went to IPC for FHE one night and Becca had an absolute blast! It's a fun place, but I'm glad we got it at a very discounted price! It can get expensive doing all the fun stuff!


Shoot the ginormous bugs game.

She absolutely LOVED riding the go carts!

Celebrating with Friends!
On the 18th we went to see Tron Legacy, went to Buca di Beppo with Shauna and Andrew for a late birthday celebration for Tyson and decorated Christmas sugar cookies! It was a SUPER fun day!
Happy Birthday, Buca Style!

Ah, newlyweds!

The plate of our bests.

I can't claim the idea for the arms made of toothpicks but it turned out super cute!

Our happy family!

Again, not my idea, I stole it from Shauna, but they turned out cute!

DAZ 3D Christmas Party
Let's see if anyone is still reading...There was a change of venue from Carver's to Madeline's the day of this dinner, because when they called the number for large party reservations, the guy put us down for San Diego not SANDY! I guess Carver's uses just one number to book these for all their locations? Seems odd to me. Anyway, Madeline's was yummy and it was really fun!


Gift #1 Tyson opened, and was stolen immediately, then there were some mint truffles that were promtply taken!

Then this, which would have been awesome for his office...but it was also taken.

Then this was a giftcard that was taken.

And what we ended up with. Every year Tyson opens a lot of presents, I guess he's just good at picking them out, but bad at picking his number for order of opening(we were number 4!)


Sunday the 19th Family Pics!
All dressed up in our Christmas best!

Becca Quote of the Day!

This morning I walked over to Tyson and kissed him on the cheek. Becca promptly said "Don't kiss my prince!"

Then I told her that mom and dad were married and it was okay. Then she said: "But I'm a princess."

I asked: "Is mommy a princess or a queen?"

"A queen" she said.

"If Becca's a princess, and mommy's a queen, what's Daddy? A king?" I asked her.

She stopped to think. "No, he's Tyson."

After laghing, I said, "That's sounds about right to me!" ;)

Ah ha!

It was the bag of broccoli that oddly looked completely normal, but upon opening the bag I almost passed out. Who knew one could make broccoli wine...that still holds the shape and look of fresh broccoli...

What IS that?!!!??!!!

Okay, so have you ever sat there in your house thinking... "What IS that smell? Where the heck is it coming from?"

Tonight I felt like a blood hound, a very old, Rusty from "Lady in the Tramp"-type blood hound sniffing my house for that musty kind of funky smell that has been building. Walking from room to room turning and sniffing trying to lead me to the source. I ended up in the kitchen...and still couldn't find anything.

Did Becca leave a cup with milk in it somwhere? Are the potatoes in the cupboard going south? Is there a diaper missing? Serioulsy people, annoying.

I think the medications I am on right now are making me a little crazy. I get energized at night, don't sleep well then am a complete zombie and want to sleep in till insane hours (today I was in bed until almost 10). So I decided the best course of action at 12:20 at night when Tyson and I were settling down to bed, was to go downstairs and clean out the entire fridge. I threw out EVERYTHING that could be a source of any oldness or smell. Literally everything. Even food that I sniffed and they smelled just fine.

I found some veggies and fruit that were going south, but other than that I don't know if I got it. If I conquored the lingering "humph".

Has this ever happened to you? Or am I just insane? Have you ever felt like a blood hound who has lost their sense of smell in your own home?