Early morning workout.

 Life right now is busy, but good and content.  I have been potty training a puppy and my little three year old Becks, and that has kept me somewhat homebound the last week or so.  Days spent helping kids with school projects, building dioramas about Arctic Foxes, reading, memorizing, etc.  Taking care of kids with colds, doctors appointments, church callings, trying to get bids for the basement.  Squeezing in a ski day here and there.  Cleaning. Laundry. Typical day to day stuff.  

I'm proud of myself for the habit of running/exercising that I have developed over the last few years.  I get up early and I'm done by 6:30 or 7, ready to start the day.  I used to be a night owl, but I have transformed into a morning person out of necessity with kiddos. That is MY time.  I need it.  It is the only time of the day that is totally mine, no other pressures.  It has become more of a mental benefit than anything, and if  I don't drag myself out of bed, the rest of the morning I can't seem to get going.  Without fail, I'll be in my pajamas until noon.  

So it is what it is, and that is how most of my mornings go.

 But yesterday.  Yesterday presented itself with a little added bonus thought on my way into the gym.  There is a man that works at the  front desk and he is friendly and says hello every morning.  One day we figured out that his wife and I have the same last name of Westenskow and we sorted out the family tree to find out how we were all related.  So now we are friends and he keeps track and gives me a hard time if I only run into the gym for 20 minutes and then leave.  Yesterday as I was walking in I stopped to look at the women's bodybuilding/fitness poster on the door - Wondering who these people are that do this sort of stuff.   This guy at the front desk asked me when I came in if I was going to enter that contest.  "The bodybuilding contest?" I said almost laughing.  "Yeah, why not.  All you have to do is start dieting, working out, drink distilled water and get a tan."   

Oh, that's it?  So you're saying, all I have to do is actually get toned, work out MORE, diet intensely, and get this fair skin of mine all tanned and leathery?  Dude, I am in, if  that is ALL have to do! 

 I can just picture myself on stage, all pulled together with a nice orangey spray tan,  high heels.  I'd have to bow out on the string bikini deal and wear my trusty tankini with supportive straps that allows me to chase my kids all over the pool.  My family sitting in the audience watching mom flex muscles that currently don't exist, but COULD if I start training now.  Yeah, I've got a pretty good visual of this whole thing and it ain't pretty.   Soooo tempting...

He kept saying oh come on, you could do it, to which I replied that this was the most ridiculous conversation I have had in a long time and that was why I was laughing so hard.

  I like to think he was trying to be complimentary, but I'm not dumb enough to believe he was serious!  Maybe he was just mocking me.  Now that's just cruel.

Anyways, it made it a little less typical of a morning, and for that I'll say thank you!

Ethanisms

This kid is a maniac.  I took him skiing and when he gets off the lift, he goes straight down.  He thinks it's boring to do any sort of turns.  You just pray he doesn't kill himself. When he gets down to the bottom, he sort of has to start all over.  He whines, Why do you convince me to go on this again?  Why Why Why... I just want to sit here in the snow. Why why why!

And then we get to the top and he's like, "C ya!"  He's a crazy whiner.  That's what my new name for him is.  

He has had some funnies this last month.  Here are a few:

1:  Pulling into a gas station, he asked if he could go in and get a drink.  Kerry said no because we were almost home.  Almost crying and absolutely dumbfounded,  Ethan then asked, "Do you want your SON to DIE from THIRST!?"    He really wanted to know.

2.  Kerry said to him one day, as he always says things like this in hopes of getting lucky later,  "Hey Dooders.  Why is your mom so cute?!"     Ethan's reply was that it was "because she wears make-up and a mask."

3.Ethan getting ready for church one Sunday morning, asked me if he could take his Lego guy to church.  "Nope bud."  was my reply.

"Well, Ok Mom.  It's just that my Lego guy wants to know more about the church , so that is why I want to take him."  Nice try.  In fact, very clever.

4.  He keeps asking me why I CONVINCE him to do everything.  "You keep convincing me and convincing me and convincing me to do things.  Why! Why! Why!"  These things he is referring to are putting on his shoes, coat, getting in the back seat for carpool, etc.  I think he means "Nagging" rather than convincing.  Or maybe "persuading" would be a better word.  That's the fun part about kids learning new words - not knowing exactly how to use them yet.

Eva's Strategy Worked!

Over the holidays we had a surprise nativity brought piece by piece to our doorstep each night, along with a note about the particular piece.  It was really a cool idea and I have to thank whoever it was that did it for us.  The kids really looked forward to it each night.  So much, that Eva and Ethan concocted a plan to discover who it was.  

"No, don't do it you guys.  I'm sure they want it to be a secret.  Just enjoy it"  is what I told them.  However, they had a slew of ideas up their sleeves:

Hide outside in the bushes

Hide in the back of Grandpa's truck that was in our driveway and 'wait' for them to come.

Bury themselves in the snow on the front lawn, with only their eyes uncovered so that they could see who it was.  

All great plans, but in the end, this is what worked.

Eva, Ethan, and Eva's friend decided that they would turn off all of the lights in the house so it looked like we weren't home.  They pulled out the big flashlight, and sat waiting by the inside of the front door, waiting, waiting, waiting.

I wasn't worried - I figured they were too early in the evening for it to come.

Ding Dong.

In an instant I heard them all shuffle to their feet, scrambling to open the door and Eva yelling "Caught Ya!!!" as the poor person ran to hide.

" I got em'  I got 'em"  Eva exclaimed.  

"Who was it?  Could you tell who it was?"  I asked.

"Yes!!!  It was............A Person!!"

Good Work Eva!  SuperSleuth!

Beckham  just informed me that I am despicable!  Don't mess with the little dude's cereal or you'll get called that too.....

Introducing...Jack!

Our newest arrival brought straight from the North Pole Christmas Morning. He even had his own Christmas sweater! We love him - what a sweet little guy. He is a Shih Tsu puppy that has kept us hoppin' since Christmas morning. Somehow he just seemed like a Jack to all of us except Becks who is insistent that his name is "Candy Bar". He will not call him Jack - he said Jack is a train's name, not a dogs name.

Santa's little elves - Jonny and Brooke, graciously took in our little fluff ball on Christmas Eve to have a sleepover with their little Maltease "Rambo". Cousins! At 6:30am they arrived, ready to see the faces of the unsuspecting children. Kerry and I were the only ones awake, so all 4 of us just sat whispering in the front room until the kids woke up -more excited than any of them! Kerry finally put the puppy in his kennel to let it start barking a little to wake up the kids, and we crawled back in bed and Jonny and Brooke hid in the front room. Instead of barking, it was this high pitched yelp that was actually a little frightening. Ethan woke up and heard it, but he thought it was Eva coughing. We yelled to him from our bed to go out and see what was making so much noise, but he was a little hesitant until we went with him. We had thought that there would be a lot of mayhem from the kids, but they were actually very calm when they saw the puppy. "Oh, we got a puppy!" Ethan said to Eva and Becks. All three of them, still half asleep, just sat close to it and tried to process the fact that their was a little puppy sitting in their living room.

They adore their new little puppy, but they still had some serious present opening on their minds. Becks got....surprise. MORE TRAINS!
Eva asked for a digital camera that has "fashionable face plates". She also got a fluffy bathrobe and Wii Sing.

Ethan was holding out for more Lego sets - particulary the Secret Agent 5 and the Droid Star Wars ship, and was surprised with the Star Wars Wii game. All of the kids got Webkins - those things are addicting!

Later that morning we had a big brunch at our house with my whole family. We started this a few years ago, and I love being able to get everybody together early in the day. Everyone brings fruit for a big salad and we make

baked french toast, juice, and bacon.

Later that day, after naps and endless toy set ups, we headed up to my parents for a Prime Rib dinner and a little Rock Band competition. Just being together is the goal, and this year that was accomplished. We wished that Steve, Harms and Devyn could've been here from Hawaii - we missed you guys!