Santa Made it After All!

For the past 10 years we've maintained a strict Christmas schedule. Christmas Eve is with Bruce's family. As soon as we're done, we load up our stuff, dogs and now Kids, too and drive in the nasty fog to Red Bluff. We get there around 1am. Wake up around 6am to check stockings with the little kids. And just when we're ready to crawl back in bed for a few more hours, the whole family is up and ready to go. I've been adamant about doing this for a few reasons. Well, 2 really. 1- Bruce has a hard time getting up in the morning for anything other than work or hunting. 2- I have brothers and sisters that are so much younger than me and I want them to have memories of me being a part of their Christmas morning. I'm afraid they won't think of me as there sister if we don't have shared memories like that. So, we continue to do this...All my friends tell me I'm crazy for doing it this way. I've never cared. Until this year. It might have been that Magnum has become horribly nuts without Buddy and I don't want to deal with him at my parents. It could be because I really want a chance of losing the Christmas morning bags under the eyes...A little of both I guess. I decided that this year we would sleep in our own beds, have Santa come to our house and then go to Red Bluff. It figures that once I decide to change this of my own free will I am forced into it due to car trouble. Whatever way it happened is fine. I loved having my first Christmas morning alone with Bruce and our kids. I'm so happy to have my own family to share these traditions with. Bruce borrowed his mom's car so that we could go to Red Bluff Christmas Day and be with my family. That was so wonderful of her. As it turned out, we were able to have a great Christmas after all!
P.S. I did get a really great hot chocolate maker with lots of yummy gourmet chocolate. THAT was fabulous!

Christmas Eve at the Anderson's

The Anderson's is always our spot for Christmas Eve. It's the place where you never know what may happen. So, I come armed with stilettos and a large purse. (I'm joking, it just came to me and sounded so Godfatherish I had to say it.) This year was no exception. When it came time to leave, still having been uneventful...we thought, "What a wonderful holiday it was." That feeling lasted about 2 seconds after Bruce went to start the car and it sounded like a gun went off under our hood and smoke came out and once again...I related the Anderson's family Christmas to a mafia movie. The kids instantly burst into tears..."Now we'll have no Christmas!! Santa will skip our house...This sucks, Mom!" I'm thinking to myself, they have no idea how badly this sucks...Merry Christmas, Tanja. Santa didn't get you you're IPod or the make-up or anything fabulous...Just a broken down car, a fat bill to pay because of it and 3 crabby, crying kids. Now we've come full circle, right smack into a Griswold family Christmas. We caught a ride home awhile later from Bruce's sister. I put the kids to bed around 11:30pm, got ready for Santa and made to bed around 12:45. Not bad.

Christmas Happenings

So what if I'm behind in my posting....I've got stuff going on. I do have alot I want to post...not much time to do it in. So, this may come in increments...I'll start with the Eve of Christmas Eve. Bruce & I have a tradition that we go look at Christmas lights the night before Christmas Eve. Growing up this was something I loved doing with my dad & my siblings. We can't do it on the actual Christmas Eve now because that is the Anderson Family Christmas. The same way, Christmas Day is to my family(the Boone's). Hence, we do it on the Eve of Christmas Eve. We all are geared up in our PJ's...we pack a thermos of hot chocolate. We load the CD changer with Christmas tunes and we're off for one of the greatest nights of the year.

Some Christmas Cheer

I now know if I ever have any true devastation in my life, alerting my friends and family via this blog will not do a thing for me....Cameron has regained his place in my heart as the king of whatever he wants to be the king of. Something about how cute is or something. I've been so busy with stuff that I hadn't posted my LLL happenings, which I've been dying to do. (I like everyone to know that you need to be in a great LLL club to really be a cool person.) We had our holiday breakfast...tons of waffles w/ creme freche, jam & berries;tons of baked yummies, chicken apple sausages, & hot chocolate. We had a very fun gift exchange. I came home with the most charming homemade sign from the ever-so lovely Molly.

It was just a blissful morning. Then, yesterday, we went to The Chateau at Carmichael Park to carol for the residents there. We sang for about a half hour. Our children handed out homemade gifts to each resident. We were happily surprised to see Spencer's kindergarten teacher there visiting her mother. We had no idea she was there. I'm so sad to say we didn't take photos...I played the piano and a few of the kids performed vocal & piano solos. Oh, it was so enjoyable. This is the best tradition in the world....(I say that alot! Traditions are just all great!) This one really is amazing. It's a little stressful after being at church for 3 hours and being at the piano for so much of my day(I played a ton at church that day.) but when we leave our hearts are so full of joy for bringing Christmas cheer to these people. I thought about my Grandma. She was in a godforsaken home for a very short time and I will be very upset about that for along time. But, doing this year after year somehow relieves me of some of that. Thanks my LLL ladies for all the Christmas cheer that your brought back to me!!! Merry Christmas!

The Grinch Stole Christmas

Today, I lost all Christmas spirit....I'm really serious. The Grinch came in the form of a child. More specifically, Cameron. Trying to Christmas shop with 2 kids in tow is miserable. It is nothing but sheer torture. I'm really angry that they can kick & scream and embarrass the hell out of me but I have to be calm, kind & collected. It's total horse shiz. I want to fall down and kick & scream until I can get what I want!!! Anyone still looking for my present, get me a heavy dosage of valium, a set of earplugs & a nanny. Nothing less will please me.

A little bit of this and that....

I would really love to make this post reflect my wit and humor....frankly, I'm too tired and just want to get these pics up...So, here it is...Friday night ward party and Saturday in RB with the fam...who could ask for more.





Here's Patrice and her girls with her son, Jaydon

This is Aubree, another sis, probably talking to her BF, Tony

Here's the Boone baby, Megan with my baby, Cameron

Sarah(#4) with her daughter, Danyelle

My youngest brother, Jay(the kid named after my mom's OB)

Taylor with her mouth full of candy

Taylor-Do you see a theme?
Spencer with his gingerbread cookie

My sis, Stevie and her nasty cookie(they all tasted nasty)
The whole gang(minus a bunch)

Gramps announced the cookies are terrible.

And a final "Jingle Bells" sung to Grams & Gramps by the Jingle Bell club

Featuring Cameron

This kid is the kid that makes my head spin trying to keep up with his activities. He is constantly making messes, trying to be helpful, but creating havoc. He tries so hard to keep up with his older brother & sister. He has no fear. He's fallen out of our treehouse, fallen off the kitchen countertop, & who knows how many more falls but he gets right up & goes for more. He also has quite a personality....more like an attitude. I'll say something like, "Cameron, don't be mean to sissy." He'll respond in a huffy voice, "Mom, YOU don't be mean." Or I'll say, "You need to listen to mommy." To which he says,"No Mom, YOU Listen!" Our pediatrician has told me this is very typical 3rd child behavior. I don't know...On Thanksgiving Day, as we were driving to my parents he was screaming. It was so awful. Then about half way there, he's crying, "My ear hurts." Luckily my brother, Chris, was there & checked his ears and then hooked us up with antibiotics for his ear infection. However, Cameron has been especially cranky ever since. My 2 other kids have had coughs & sniffles for what seems like forever. They don't deal with it quite this way. They've maintained some level of kindness toward me.

Yesterday, I was trying to finish up decorating for Christmas...Cameron was driving me crazy. I was just about to lose it when he threw his arms around me and said, "I love you SOOOO much, mommy." Ahhhhhh. All I could do was hug him back, eat a chunk off of his cheek and think that this is the most wonderful little guy ever! (And he really is.)

Advent Calendar

If you're interested in the sock calendar, here are the activities I have in mine:

1st-Decorate the house
2nd-Get the tree
3rd-Decorate the tree
4th-Make paper chains for the kids room
5th-Ward Christmas Party
6th-Make Gingerbread Houses
7th-Go to the Messiah performance
8th-Caroling Rehearsal
9th- Watch Christmas movies
10th-Make Christmas Gifts
11th-Christmas Storybook Night
12th-Polar Express Night
13th-Apple Hill
14th-Make Christmas Goodies
15th-Deliver Goodies to Friends/Neighbors
16th-Write letters to Santa
17th-Have a family over for dinner & Christmas movie
18th-Family sing-a-long night
19th-Dinner Party
20th-Last minute shopping day
21st-Caroling at Senior home
22nd-Read Story of Jesus' birth & make Reindeer Food
23rd-Annual drive to look at Christmas lights in our PJ's w/ thermos of Hot Chocolate & Christmas carols blasting
24th-Go to Grandma Anderson's for dinner & gift exchange
25th-Christmas Day w/ Grandpa & Grandma Boone

Some of my friends included doing the 12 Days of Christmas, Making Wrapping Paper, Christmas Cards, etc. You can make mail Christmas cards a task for the day. Keep it simple...The point is to alleviate the stress of the season so that our homes can be filled with peace to focus on the real reason we celebrate: the birth of our Savior.

Welcome, December!

We're home from RB. I really had a great time. The day after Thanksgiving, I went shopping w/ my mom, my sister, & my sister Sarah & my sister, Stevie(yes, she's named after Stevie Nicks & it's a good story for later.)We are not the early riser type so we didn't get out until 10 or so. It's Red Bluff, so we started at the major shopping spot in town, Wal-Mart. I got some $4 pajamas for the kids. Whoopee!! We headed up to the Anderson outlets. Gymboree got me. Those kid stores really know how to trap me without much effort. Then we went to Maurice's. I swear, my narcissism was at a peak in the dressing room. I'm seriously angered that I didn't think to take pictures because I had such a fabulous time there. I do feel bad for my sisters and mom that sat so solemnly while I paraded myself around the dressing room like I thought I was a rock star. My mom, she's the greatest, got me an early present and those of you that saw me at church know how smashing it was. (Again, I didn't take a picture...but I will of that dress because it's fabulous.) Here's a picture of us in the car...Sarah didn't make it in.
Saturday night, my mom & dad took Bruce & I to dinner. We had ribs,(again so fitting for Red Bluff)really great ribs I might add. No kids. Then we went to the Christmas parade downtown. Now this is no Macy's Day parade...this is in true RB fashion, Mexican's in low riders and a whole lot of tractors and cowboys in big trucks. I really love hanging out with my mom & pops.

But now we are home, so,it's time to get busy...laundry, laundry and more laundry. A little bit of dusting and....Yeah! It's Christmas time. I will be spending the rest of today decorating. My Christmas carols are already playing. I went to Starbucks this morning to get my grande hot chocolate w/ whip. Today is the day to go (RED) at Starbucks. I've actually been going there alot lately. I got a $40 giftcard from the soccer coaches for being the team mom. Another disorder I may have...A $40 giftcard in hand and I suddenly feel like a pimp at Starbucks! Spencer got up early to cut out snowflakes for each of his classmates. He's very thoughtful that way. My first thing to go up in my home was my advent calendar, of sorts. It's actually socks strung using a long piece of ribbon and clothespins. Each sock if filled with a treat and a "to-do today item". For instance, today the treat was 3 hershey's kisses and a paper that says decorate the house. So, not only do my children get the normal tasty surprise to help countdown the day until Christmas, I get to maintain my sanity by having all the Christmas stuff scheduled. Only 1 thing a day, that's easy! One day will be making Gingerbread houses. Another will be making reindeer food. The next might be Christmas movie night. It's all very exciting....This whole wonderful thing was a live, laugh, love project. My friend, Ashley, started this tradition in our club and I love her for it!
I'm proofing this post before publishing and I can't help but get a kick out of myself. I'm a bonafied nut job...(No offense to anyone mentally or emotionally challenged in any way...I refer only to myself as a nut job.)