More Photos - Christmas at the Poe House

My nephew, Jaxson. (above)

Can you see the elf ears? Aunt Shannon let Bethany wear her elf hat on Christmas.

More Christmas

Our Tree - Christmas Eve

This is what Santa left for the girls.

Bethany was disappointed this year when she opened clothes.......shucks! I've gotten away with it every year until now. Mallory, however, was thrilled every time she opened a box with clothes inside. Go figure!

Oh, I could just eat this little girl up!

Christmas 2008

Our Christmas season was full of fun and love and busyness. After my last post, we had Bethany's Christmas program at school, well it was held at the local college. Mallory was extremely upset that she could not go up and sing on the stage after Bethany's class finished. Thank goodness Aunt Anita was there to entertain Mal outside with Gatorade and snacks while the program continued. We did have to let her go up after all was done so that she could sing on stage, too. What a little ham!

We put up our tree for a Family Home Evening, but ended up moving it to the other side of the room later on. That was fun....for Brad and his dad. I just watched. : )

We went out for Chinese on Christmas Eve with the Bennett family, as is their tradition, spend our 1st Christmas morning in our own house and then rushed over to local grandparents' house for more gifts, and then moved onto my family after that. It was a very busy day, but we had lots of fun - especially watching the little ones enjoy what Santa had left for them. Games were played, new movies were watched, and many of us have been reading new books ever since that day. One of the bummers of our Christmas was that it did not snow- our Californian family members were quite disappointed. What is with rain in the winter? I would much rather see white flakes falling, than have to chase Mallory out of the water puddles every time we go outside. I never did get to the sugar cookies with the kids, but they did help me make the easiest of holiday treats. (pretzels, Rolos, and pecan halves) Yum! Brad and I were reminded of how much fun we used to have buying lots of presents for each other for our first Christmases together, but we have since decided to just do stockings for each other and spend our holiday budget on our loved ones. It feels so good to find the right gift and watch someone find joy in what you've chosen for them.

Since then we've been reorganizing bedrooms and closets and toy shelves and bins to make room for new things, and starting a new load for Goodwill. I still haven't put away my Christmas decorations, but they are all laid out on my dining room table awaiting their boxes. I'm still trying to sort out my goals for the year. I want to make sure they're reasonable. Maybe I'll fill you in when I complete the list, so that I'm held more accountable.

Hope that you all have a Happy New Year and are blessed in 2009!

The Flu

So, it's bad when you're so sick that you wish you were giving birth rather than being sick...AGAIN! I know, when you give birth there is a miracle at the end of the pain, so of course that must be better than being sick. But, seriously, as I knelt on the bathroom floor late last night.....I couldn't help but cry and think about how much better it would feel to be pushing out a baby! Crazy, I know. I started feeling nauseous before church yesterday, but I couldn't stay home because I was handling primary by myself because the other lady who does it with me was out of town. So, I felt yucky and queasy and hot and cold, but I made it through church before the full-blown flu/virus hit me. My body was so violent to me....it hated me yesterday. But, even though I haven't eaten anything for a couple of days now, I am feeling better. The worst thing left is the soreness in my back and ribs from being sick and achy....it hurts to laugh or even lay down. I'm going to try and eat some soup and jello this evening while my family gets to eat real food. And, I'm praying that my kids and husband don't get this because it was brutal. Ok, I'm done complaining.....the positive thing is that I had a priesthood blessing yesterday evening and I know it made a difference. I'm so blessed to have the gospel of Jesus Christ in my life!

Things I'm thinking about....

* I saw the Twilight movie tonight, all by myself, and I liked it. Some of you may think going to a movie by yourself is weird, but it is strangely empowering. Someone told me a while back that I needed to try it -to be comfortable just being with myself. I liked it.

* I have a new goal to get into a routine/schedule. I've been floating through my days for too long. Wish me luck!

*My quads are killing me! A friend of Brad's has been putting us through workouts the past couple of nights after the kids are asleep, and my body has not been properly exercised in so long....I'm feeling it. Again, wish me luck! I SO need to get healthier.

* How can a tiny 2 yr old be so exhausting?? I'm having new mothering experiences everyday right now. It's a good thing she's so darned cute. ;)

* I love and miss my friends. One thing about Facebook and blogging and all that is that I get to feel like I have my friends right here with me sometimes, and then I remember that they aren't here. Kinda sad, but I'm so grateful for the contact. It's so rewarding to catch up with high school friends, college friends, friends from different churches I've attended, and family, too. I'm really thankful for these technological advances. Internet and DVR....two of the best inventions ever!!!!

I am ashamed......sort of ;-)

I haven't cooked, barely cleaned, slept little, ignored my boxes of Christmas decorations, mothered at less than my best, and been a neglectful and distracted wife this week. Why? Because I finally picked up the Twilight books that everyone has been raving about. Once I started, I couldn't stop. I finished Twilight Sunday night, spent all day Monday trying to find a copy of New Moon (brad tried, too) and finally located a copy to borrow. I finished it on Tuesday night, and my hubby bought Eclipse that day, so I started it Wednesday and finished it on Thursday morning. I had to wait until Thursday evening to start Breaking Dawn because Brad was not coming home until really late that night. I drove with the girls to meet him for dinner, and he playfully accused me of only coming to see him to get the book. I have to admit, it was half of my motivation, but I did want to see him and for him to see the kids. I waited until I got the kids to bed that night, which took great restraint, and then read for 4-5 hours straight. I had no idea how long I'd been sitting there. I took some breaks on Friday, wanting to stretch it out longer, and today I finished it. I loved the finish to the story, but I'm gonna miss it, too. What interesting characters and great writing! There is just some kind of therapeutic release that comes with reading a good book, taking you into another world. Now, I need to get re-focused....post-Twilight series.

I know, I know......I'm silly for taking these pictures, but it was so pretty!

Our little getaway...

I neglected to take any new photos at the temple when we went a few weeks ago, but when we got to our suite that night we were pleasantly surprised. It turned out that we had been booked in the Presidential suite, the Jefferson suite to be exact, and I just had to take pictures before we messed it up. This was definitely the nicest suite I've ever stayed in, and just happened to be the cheapest room I found near the temple. When we came home, Bethany was singing "I Love to See the Temple" and I asked her to do it on camera. After several tries so that I could get the perfect video clip, I settled for the best one and decided to stop being a stage mom. You can see that the first and second verses were meshed together a little bit, but I hope you enjoy it. I cannot get enough of my girls singing primary songs, well - any song, really.

Random Things to Share

I just realized that I haven't blogged in like 2 weeks, so here is what has been going on with me....

• My brother, Daniel, and his family spent the last several days at my house for Thanksgiving and we had a GREAT time with each other and the rest of our family who came together for this holiday. I LOVE to see my kids playing with their cousin, Jaxson, and the patience that my nephew, Matthew, has with the little ones.


• I baked an apple streusel pie from the Pampered Chef cookbook, and it turned out yummy! I wish I'd taken a picture.


• We had tons of snow on Tuesday. I'll include some photos. Notice the ruler that I held above the snow, and then the ten inches that were covered up when I put it to the ground underneath! We got a couple more inches after that. Brad and I actually enjoyed shoveling our sidewalks and steps and putting down salt. That may change by the end of winter, though.


• I went shopping with my mom on Veteran's Day, with Brad last Saturday, and with the whole family on Black Friday. I think I'm finished. Unbelievable, huh? Now I can wrap and enjoy the rest of the season. Maybe I'll bake goodies this year....


• Because we've been visiting with our family I haven't started Christmas decorating yet, and I'm SO ready to do that tomorrow. The question is, how will I get everything up from the basement while Brad is at work? I'll let you know how that goes.


• I talked with a friend of mine last night who has been having major struggles in her life, and I was reminded of some very painful experiences from my past. I'm grateful to know that I've come through to the other side after hurt, pain, grief, fear, and so much more and am truly happy. Without my Savior, none of that would have been possible. When people say I'm strong, I truly cannot determine where my strength really exists amidst all that has been given to me. I have felt the love and support of my Father in Heaven through prayer, the hugs and tears of friends and family, words of wisdom, priesthood blessings, and in so many more ways that I won't list here. Thank you to so many of you who have loved me and allowed me to struggle and fall short yet continued to be my friends. I am so blessed! I feel so humbled to know that I have the responsibility now to share my own life and lessons with others, and maybe somehow help in even the tiniest way. Isn't that what our trials are really for, anyway, to help us grow and then be able to better understand the trials and tribulations of others? I am even thankful for those trials, now.

My Favorite Place on Earth

I get to go to my favorite place on earth this weekend!!! Brad took tomorrow off and we're going to drive to DC tonight with the girls so that I can go to the Washington DC Temple tomorrow morning, and I'm so excited. Isn't it sad, though, how you know you're sacrificing to do something wonderful, but this little thing inside of you tries to convince you that it's not worth the trouble.......I woke up this morning with this lazy feeling and thoughts like, "the kids aren't going to sleep well, and the gas and food will cost more than we can afford, and I'm not going to be able to do very much because of the long drive, etc., etc." You-know-who wanted me to feel that way and think those things, but he did not win!!!! I have not been able to go often, and every opportunity that comes available, I need to take it. I feel so amazing and loved and safe and special when I'm in the temple. Not only do I get to do some pretty great work for somebody else, but I get to feel wonderful while doing it. And my favorite part is sitting in that celestial room afterwards, praying and feeling the love and peace offered me there. Plus, our girls get to be on the temple grounds and visit the Visitor's center which I feel is so important for them. I want them to love the temple and want to attend long before they're old enough to actually go inside. And, on top of all this happiness we get to visit with a treasured friend of mine, Erin, while we are in the area and her two little girls who we love. Tom is running a marathon that day, so we won't get to see him, but we love him, too and will miss him!