today....

The holidays are a funny thing for me. I think I feel every emotion in the world in these couple of weeks. Happiness, joy, excitement, frustration, stress, anxiety, ugh.. you name it.. I have felt it sometime between Thanksgiving and now. Maybe this is normal, maybe it isn't. In my quest to really simplify the holidays and truly focus on the reason we celebrate Christmas I have also felt a lot of peace. John tells me I have actually been quite bah humbug. ( ie. the absence of the 10th annual neck n' nog... I'm so sorry everyone- next year!). Bah humbug..me?? Oh well. Lucky for me the emotion I feel today is grateful.

Grateful I have a warm house that is full.

Grateful for funny, good kids.

Grateful for generous friends, neighbors and ward members that helped warm and feed some refugee families.

Grateful for full bellies.

Grateful for the presents that are hidden in my closet that I get to wrap up for my kids.

Grateful for our families.

Grateful for friends visiting.

Grateful for moments that remind you just how much you really have.

Grateful for all of you.

I helped my mom a little bit with some service projects for some refugee families from Burma. My ward rallied big time and it was amazing. I dropped all the stuff off to the branch president's house last week. I put it in a big white van with Parker's help and we drove away.

Today one of the service missionaries called my mom and invited us to the Burmese Branch Christmas Party. I took my kids and we got to watch these beautiful kids act out the nativity, sing songs and be so excited over the small gifts they received. The pleasure and the gift of being there was all ours.

It was the perfect way to spend today.

Ruby.

Ruby's birthday came and went. I still can't believe it! It was so fun to celebrate with family and friends. I am always amazed at the network of support we have, and ever so grateful for it. Happy birthday Ruby! We love you oh soooo much!!

a new post...

Ugh. I have serious bloggers block. Is that a thing? I think, hey, I should write a new blog and then nothing comes out. I am uninspired, or maybe just tired. I dunno. Anyway, I figured I should write a post just to get it out of the way. Ya know, then maybe I will feel like blogging again. Well, we will see. It is late-ish...(Depending on which side of my family you tell time with- It is late for the Parkers and maybe dinner time at the Connors?) Anyway, all the kidlets and the hubby are tucked into bed. I am awake. Seems to be that way lately, like I just can't turn my brain off. How can John fall asleep so fast, like mid-prayer? That I will never know. Okay, back to my point. It's quiet here. Super quiet. It feels nice. And that has led to my random random thoughts which follow....

I like Christmas lights. I wish they were on year round, and that it wouldn't be tacky. I just like them.

I also really like gingerbread boys. Adrianne made some today and invited us up to decorate them. The second time around they were delicious and I think I ate ten. Yum.

I am feeling super duper nostalgic about life lately. How on earth does Ruby turn one in less than a week? As crazy and insane as the days feel, I would love to just slow down time, just to soak it all in more.

As a side note to that.. the past year has been a complete blur. Okay, maybe I don't want to slow down time more. The days are long enough. I should just enjoy it more along the way.

We are finally addressing the bathroom remodel downstairs and Sophie's room just got some new spiffy bead board to replace the original bead board in that room. John is a super star and tool belts are kinda sexy.

I got together with my "teacher friends" this past week. I just CANNOT believe the luck that we had teaching together at the same time and at the same school. I love those ladies...

I am sad that Parker's imaginary friends (Marco, Frank and Ronnie Reynolds) don't get discussed much any more. I try to ask Parker about them and their pet deer, but it's like they are just not that cool anymore. It was so awesome when they were part of our everyday lives. RIP Marco, Frank and Ronnie Reynolds... I hope you come back. ( p.s. how awesome are those names?)

Off to get the tree tomorrow. We have a favorite lot. We have a favorite kind of tree. The kids are stoked (mixed with a little bit of anger because they were told by us genius parents that we would get it on Thursday and again tonight.. so if it doesn't happen tomorrow Sophie may never forgive us.)

Happy holidays. Hope they are off to the perfect start.

near and dear to my heart....

these two things:
1. my mother in law- she is amazing. she is kind. she is talented. and she is having a concert tomorrow night at 8pm in salt lake city at the first presbyterian church. 12 C. street. it is thee perfect way to start your holiday. she also has a new christmas cd. it is already in the christmas rotation at our house and playing in my children's rooms at night as they settle down. tickets are $8 in advance/$10 at the door. visit www.coriconnors.com
2. families helping families- the charity that the concert is benefiting. they build houses for families in rocky point, mexico that desperately need houses. my family has done this for the last couple of years over christmas break. john and i will be going this year. it is a good cause.....
http://www.fhfmexico.blogspot.com/

i know the video is long, but it is worth watching. and my dad is just so cute.

see you tomorrow night... after BYU creams Utah. he he.

happy birthday babe!

Happy Birthday John! We love you so much!!

go steelers.

I am simply tired of looking at myself as an old lady, I needed a new post. So, in honor of the annual Silverado work trip to a NFL football game.... (John, Big Dave, My dad and my brother in laws are in Denver for the big game tonight)....

Go Steelers! Have fun boys!

growing old....

My super hip and hot friend Sunny turns thirty this very day. In her honor her new hubby threw her a surprise "old person" party. In my younger years I would do anything and find any reason to dress up. I had a hot pink pair of spandex that were quite often in the rotation. Call me lazy, or old, or busy or just too tired... but I haven't dressed up in forever. I think this weekend with Halloween and this party is putting me back in my groove. Watch out folks...

Kerstin borrowed us some hot outfits...complete with fat suits to wear to the party. They were rockin'. Thanks Kerst!

Kerstin, Shannon, Sunny and I as old ladies.

Kerstin and I.

Meanwhile... it just happened that the time of the party and the time of a concert we had tickets to happened to be the same. It may be that John finds a lot of cool music and keeps us in the know with what is new and good. It may also be that I bring a lot of good music to the table too... Jesse McCartney, MJ, The Outfield, Enrique... the list could go on forever. That being said there is always one album a year that John introduces me to that I just can't get enough of. This year it is Say Hi. (The band formerly known as Say Hi to Your Mom). Anyway, it was this certain band that was in concert last night, so I sent John along by himself and I went to party with some of my favorite girls.

Needless to say I was giddy (still am) when John brought me home a signed Say Hi LP that says, "I love Ashley". John swears he didn't tell him to write that. Either way, I'll take it.

I'm sure that one day John and I really will get old, and our fat suits won't be fake and we will still be sitting around listening to records, sipping diet cokes out of goblets. Not a bad way to grow old. In fact, I think it sounds heavenly.