Christmas So Far

Grandma White sent this little people wagon with big legos ahead of Christmas and we decided to take Avery on a spin. She likes to play with the lego-blocks!

Christmas Eve: (see above pics) We all got together at Steve & Jenn's for the celebration and feast. My parents and brother, Ben, are in from Tennessee for a week. There were 9 adults and 9 kids total! We chit-chatted, exchanged gifts, and had a little Christmas program. Simple enough! (Well, except that I stayed up 'til 2 a.m. the night before making food and made Brian help me until 1 a.m.! It all turned out very good so it was worth it!) Avery took 2 hours to finally fall asleep for her afternoon nap. Poor child. She was good after that (and before, just not during).

Christmas Day: (see above pics) We had a simple morning just Brian and I and Avery. I've realized that the kids bring all the magic into Christmas. I can't wait 'til Avery knows what Christmas is all about! Later we met up at Louis & Katherine's house. We skyped lots of family. Love skype. Everybody had a kick out of "Photo Booth" on our mac. It's a sure entertainer!

The water looks inviting...

What are you doing to me, dad?!?

Day after Christmas: (see above pics & video) Avery's first dip! She's never been in the water before now. What a cute suit from Donna. :) She slowly warmed up to the water and even began to really enjoy it! What a fun kid. The pool was a lot of fun for all the kids and I enjoyed it quite a lot too- especially the big slide!

Sunday: (see above pic) Mom, Dad, and Ben are with us now and came to our noon sacrament meeting. Mom took care of Avery at church while Brian and I gave talks! We took it nice and easy today.

Monday: It is now monday. Brian went to work. The rest of us took a tour of the Bean Life Science Museum and even got to see a live reptile show! Now we're sitting here watching Batman begins (at least Ben, Avery and I). Mom and Dad are napping. I guess Ben is now too. ....and avery. It looks like it's me, the blog, and batman. Talk to you soon to finish up Christmas.

To Do List

Wow, I have a list here of 19 to-do's and only one is left unchecked! I don't think I've ever had so many checked off at once! I love making to-do lists because it makes me feel organized and accomplished. To be realistic, there will always be some to-do's that never get checked because they are so habitual (like dishes and budget and sweeping now - because of Avery). I am proud to say that I have DONE the bathroom! That was the worst thing on my list. I need to make Brian do it one of these days. I've been stuck with it most times because, well, if I've got time during the day then it ought to be my duty while brian works at school. Either way, though, he gets it next time!

A fun mental note I learned somewhere: Consider all the to-do's turning into ta-da's when you've done them! You're ta-da list is full of all you've accomplished that day. Be proud of it! Whoo-yeah!

Yahoo!

I'm so excited for Christmas!!! It's going to be a white one!!!!! Today I'm taking care of a lot of prep work: cleaning the bathroom (which has been put off for too long), straightening up the house, laundry, wrapping presents, shopping for a few more groceries I forgot (including dry ice for homemade rootbeer next week), getting dollar store treasures for a scavenger hunt I'm hosting for my nieces and nephews, and basically getting all my errands and planning worked out. I'm so excited for my mom, dad, and ben to come out to Utah and that we get to hang out a lot all together with my two brothers (and families) as well!

Ten Months Old

Brian had to remind me she is TEN months old. I didn't believe him at first. Really?? Ten?? That means she's 2 months away from turning 1! I'm already thinking of what we'll do for the big day. I'd like to try something untraditional from the normal cake mutilation ceremony of a 1 year old, but who knows. I guess it is kind of a fun tradition. We'll see! Beautiful Avery is branching out more every day. She's always looking for something new to do or see, but can still engross herself in old toys. *She has learned how to pull up on her own about two weeks ago!* When crawling, she often gets up on her feet and hands (rather than knees and hands); I think it's practice for standing. *She has officially cut her first tooth (about a week ago) and it's showing up on the bottom.* As of a few days ago, she's finally beginning to really drink from her sippy cup rather than fake a few sups. I'm always afraid she is getting dehydrated because nursing is still her complete source of liquids, but I'm feeling better about it now. Way to be growing, our Silly Avery!

About A Budget

On our trip to Idaho this weekend, Brian and I got to talking about our budget. Mostly it was me trying to figure out really how a budget should work. I do the budget. How strict should a budget be? How do you budget for the unforeseen necessities? What good is a budget if you are okay exceeding the allotment for one category? When is it okay to dip into savings for something (in the condition of paying it back quickly)? Are we in control of our money or is our money controlling us?

The hardest thing is figuring out the purpose of our budget. Sure, the budget is to help us not go haywire with our money. I think it's also a great way to evaluate where our money is going and push ourselves to be frugal. This gives me a sense of pride. The little details of a budget are what I struggle with most. I came to the conclusion in the car that there's no perfect way to sort your money and rule it. I feel that the most important thing to keep in mind is to BE CONSERVATIVE. If I "go over budget" on some category but feel that I was conservative or wise with my purchase nonetheless, then I'll think nothing of it. (Think of it: if you always over budgeted for things so that you never went over budget, where is the push to be frugal?) The real test comes at the end of a paycheck, when I've used that allotted money and I evaluate to see if I could have been MORE frugal on some things or if what I pulled out of savings for was legitimate, etc. Pulling out of savings is not (and should not) be a light thing. Only under the current circumstances in our lives do I feel justified on certain things. Once we have a real job, there should never be an excuse to pull from savings unless it is an emergency.

My final note is that I want you to know I LOVE the circumstances we are in. Yes, living pay check to pay check can be unnerving, but I really do love that it pushes us to be conservative and gives me pride in doing so. I love that we can even still save 10% of our income for savings (barely). I think living humbly also helps us recognize our many blessings. I'm grateful for God's tender mercies and opening the windows of heaven to us that we might not even have room to receive what he gives. Family has been most generous to us and I would be ungrateful not to give thanks to them and recognize their love. They are often the means by which God demonstrates his mercies.

Curly

Will she have her mother's curly hair? I'm thinking it's looking so! Perhaps it's still too early to say for sure, but take a look. Maybe we'll get to have great "bonding" times in the future like my mom and I did with her yanking the knots out of my hair in the tub. I've actually grown to be very appreciative of my hair over the years despite how I felt about it before (as probably most curly heads do). I imagine a curly headed child of mine and it simply makes me GIDDY inside! YOu know, I don't mean this to sound negative, but the more Avery grows (particularly as her hair comes in), the more I realize her wee baby pictures aren't quite as cute as I thought. I mean, talk about what a head of hair can do for your cuteness! I look back and think, "wow, she's really come a long way." And I bet I'll continue to say that as she grows more beautiful everyday. See there, it's a very positive thing really - she started out lovely and is more and more lovely every minute. And I couldn't say all these things about her appearance without paying a few words to her beauty that comes from within. Avery is a sweet, kind, loving, happy, and curious little girl. She makes us smile lots. :) love you, baby.

Do not be Deceived

Christ and Satan both have the ability to influence tremendously. In fact, it's Satan's job to make things appear good or true. With the craftiness of the devil, it can be hard to distinguish good from evil merely by using logic. Jesus came in a time when the Jews were all about upholding the law and everything was logical. When Jesus professed to be Christ, it was totally illogical to them... He did miracles on the sabbath and excused sinners and even told the Pharisees they were sinners. They were the ones who upheld the law so strictly; how could they be sinners? Jesus must be of the devil.

When we come upon decisions or are trying to discern the truth and what is good, we can use logic, but let's listen to the Spirit and the way it makes us feel about the matter. The Spirit will guide. Do not rely upon logic alone. To the Jews, Jesus was just another man trying to convince people that he was the Messiah. They were not in tune with the Spirit and what it could teach them. Be humble & listen.