Christmas 2011

I am going to post Christmas in several sections. If you are planning to read this entire post, be warned that it is long! I'm playing catch up a bit here.

First, with Jeff taking a couple of days off, we had some great family time. The weather has been so nice here. Very warm and sunny for a December in Boise. We made a trip to the park one day and the girls had a blast. Jeff caught some cute pics. Once again, he was taking all of the pictures and was not in any of them. We have none of Jeff from Christmas morning either! We need to do better at remembering to get him in the pictures.

Oh no...mud in the tunnel! Get me out of here!

I must post some pics from our train ride on the North Pole Express we took on December 23rd. It was great. Many Rigby's were in attendance and Aunt Abby came too, which the girls loved. The whole North Pole Express idea would have gone off better with snow, and I think their Santa may have thrown back one too many egg nogs that day, but otherwise it was a great time.

I'm not going to put captions with all of these pictures. I think they pretty well speak for themselves. Family, fun, bonding. It was fantastic.

Thayne posing...

Sometimes there are just no words.

:)

Christmas Eve...

We had a great treat this year to have Aunt Abby and Lawrence and Marsha in town. They, along with Thayne, Angel and family, joined us for a fun Christmas Eve dinner. Angel brought this:

This was stunning! And full of yummy treats too.

Not to be out done, I provided a pumpkin pie from Costco. :) 

From now on I know who to call on when I need an awesome dessert!

Unfortunately, we didn't get any other pictures from our Christmas Eve gathering. It was a great memory for all of us though. The kids played. We ate too much. We enjoyed some egg nog and sparkling cider. Watched the annual Rigby Family slideshow that Jeff puts together. We opened a few gifts. And then called it a night! Lawrence and Marsha headed over to Thayne and Angel's and we stayed home and opened our annual Christmas PJs. 

                                  Hammer Time!                                                   Christmas Eve PJs

Christmas Morning...

Abby joined us for a fun Christmas morning. The girls slept until about 8:00. Church did not start until 1:30 so we had plenty of time to open presents and have breakfast. Abby made us a fantastic breakfast including Creme Brulee French Toast with Buttermilk Syrup, hash browns and scrambled eggs. YUM! The girls had a great time and it was a sweet memory with them. And yes, we went overboard for the girls. As I said to my father-in-law as he gave me a big grin with his eyebrow raised, "Don't judge me!"  :)

After going to church that afternoon, we headed over to Spencer and Jamie's and had dinner. Greg and Lora were in town from Georgia and it was awesome to see them. Again, no pictures from this event. I think we were sort of in a Christmas coma by this point and forgot our camera. We had a fantastic dinner (Jamie is a great cook!), and enjoyed visiting with everyone. Greg is going to come back to Boise in June to participate in a triathlon for his 60th birthday. Seriously! Triathlon. 60 years old. This is inspiring and I will definitely be there to cheer him on.

And finally some Christmas tidbits...

--- Lovely gifts I received:
- A Sodastream home beverage maker from Jeff. I can make just about any kind of soda you can think of with this baby. Love it! Jeff spoiled me with lots of fun gifts.  He also insisted that I go out and buy some new clothes to update my wardrobe. I love this man!
- Pillows, pillow patterns and fabric to make pillows from Abby. I've been talking about my plans to make interchangeable pillow covers for all of my decorative pillow needs in the house. I have a serious vision about how fantastic this is going to be. Abby, being aware of my lack of sewing skills, put together this awesome gift for me. She made several for me, then used the patterns to cut some out for me and gave me the patterns and instructions so that I will be in pillow making heaven. Such a thoughtful gift. I think I am going to have an open house soon to showcase my pillows. :)
- The cutest framed photo from Diane of she and I and our girls at the coast. The frame says Sisters are Forever Friends which is the perfect description of us.

--- Lovely gifts I gave (if I do say so myself):
- I did the 12 days of Christmas for Jeff and gave him clothes. He really liked it and is looking so hip these days.
- I put together a photo book for all of the Rigby's which included photos from the last seven years of slideshows. It was pretty simple, but a lot of fun to look through. So much has changed in seven years!
- Jeff helped me transfer some cassette tapes into digital files for my family. These tapes included many of my mom talking and brother Andy who also passed away several years ago. Hearing their voices again meant a lot to me and I think it will be a nice piece of family history for everyone to have.

---Fun gifts the girls received:
- The cutest pillows made by Grandma Rigby. They have pockets that hold a journal for Lizette and books for Lexi. They are so cute! Marsha is so talented and always makes the cutest things for the kids. The girls love them and love having them on their beds.
- The scooters! We've been having scooter races and the girls are both getting the hang of how to ride these things.
- Barrel of Monkeys from Aunt Abby. Abby has one at her house and the girls love them and play with it every time we go. They were thrilled to get these for gifts and have their very own barrel of monkeys.

-- Once again, I got too caught up in all of the frenzy of the holiday season and did not enjoy all of the simple moments as much as I should have. Don't get me wrong, I had fun and loved every minute of watching my girls enjoy it. It's just that by the end of Christmas day I was exhausted and ready to have it be over. I wish I wouldn't get to the point of feeling that way. I need to simplify much more and take time to enjoy the true spirit of this special day.

I am going to quit typing now because I realize that this post is very, very long! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and have a very Happy 2012!!

The 12 Days of Christmas and a lovely quote

Every year I try to figure out something clever to give Jeff for Christmas and it is very difficult. If you've read my blog much or know us at all, you know that Jeff is a gadget guy. He loves all things technology and something in that arena would be a perfect gift. However, he has pretty much all of the gadgets that I know of. I'm sure there are some left out there, but we either cannot afford them or I just don't know that they exist. So, I'm left with trying to figure out something else. This year the light bulb went off way early in the year. Jeff and I went to see the movie "Crazy, Stupid Love" and in the movie they talk about the 17 wardrobe essentials for men. Steve Carrell's character was in need of a makeover and his style savvy friend took him shopping for these "17 essentials". Jeff and I got to talking about it and Jeff said he felt like he needed a style makeover too.

(Imagine the light bulb going off in my head at this moment)

I am no fashionista by any stretch of the imagination. I could use a makeover myself! But, I decided to do some research and give Jeff some wardrobe essentials for Christmas. Since men as a rule don't usually have clothes on their Christmas list, I decided to try to make it fun and give him these essentials by doing the 12 Days of Christmas for him. 

This started a few days ago, and so far it's been a lot of fun for both of us. He has liked the clothes and is excited to get a more current look going.

Would you like to know some of the tips I have learned? 

From reading some fashion blogs and other online articles, I have found that every man must have several basics in their wardrobe. A nice pair of shoes. A great pair of jeans (or two or more if jeans is what you wear most often), and preferably dark. Dark is in. Some good khakis or chinos - flat front, not pleated. At least one nice, solid colored tie (more if you wear ties a lot). One good white shirt. A good, versatile coat--the one recommended was a military style coat in a neutral color. Some quality, basic t-shirts that can be worn alone or under things. And then depending on your career, a good selection of shirts (casual or dressy) and sweaters that can mix and match.

Layering is definitely in. And as far as color combinations just about anything goes. Although many articles did suggest that you keep staple items basic, neutral colors and add a pop of color with a tie, a t-shirt, scarf or other item that doesn't overpower your look. 

So far, Jeff has a new coat, pants, shirts, jeans and a sweater. More to follow over the next several days. I think I may be more excited than him because it's been fun to shop for all of this for him!

Speaking of Jeff, I read something today on Nienie that reminded me of us and I think most of you can relate too. Here it is:

Love is a temporary madness. It erupts like an earthquake and then subsides. And when it subsides you have to make a decision. You have to work out whether your roots have become so entwined together that it is inconceivable that you should ever part. Because this is what love is. Love is not breathlessness, it is not excitement, it is not the promulgation of promises of eternal passion. That is just being "in love" which any of us can convince ourselves we are.

Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and a fortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossom had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.

Louis De Bernieres
I love that! That is so true. Love is not a fairy tale, but it doesn't need to be.

Peppa Pig and "Foo Poops"

My girls...I love them to pieces! Just had to share some more of their latest happenings.

Lizette is obsessed with the show Peppa Pig.  If you haven't seen it, it is a show on Nick Jr. about a family of pigs and I believe they live in England. They all speak with British accents and say things like cheeky. And instead of saying mommy, it's mummy. I think it is a cute show. I don't know that it teaches the girls much other than how to speak with an English accent and snort, but it is cute.

The thing is, Lizette is so obsessed that she really wants Peppa to be real. We had to go outside the other day so that we could see if Peppa was out there. I'm a little torn here. I want to tell Lizette that Peppa is only a character on a show and does not live outside of the TV, yet I can relate to her imagination. I used to believe Donny Osmond was my husband living in our house. I remember having that kind of imagination. She is five after all. And I personally would rather her be obsessed with Peppa pig than some of the other characters out there. Dora is really getting old and I've really had enough of the Disney princesses. So, Peppa Pig it is. If Lizette picks up the British accent, we'll know she's been watching a little too much.

Then there is Lexi. She cracks us up all the time. With all of the new words she is learning, she has some interesting pronunciations. Yesterday, she was asking for Fruit Loops and called them "foo poops". We had other kids here and they were all laughing hysterically. I have to agree, it was hilarious.

Lexi's obsession these days is with her baby. She carries it everywhere and is so motherly with it now. If she has to do something and put the baby down, she will ask me to hold it. She loves it when I hold it and treat it like a real baby. She can't go to bed without it now and it's so cute to see her holding it in her sleep.

These girls are just so cute right now! I'm trying to make the most of each day with them because I know before I know it they will be all grown up. I can understand now why so many parents want to keep their youngest kids a baby for as long as possible. We don't get those moments back. Even though it is exciting to see them growing up, it pulls at the heartstrings just a bit.

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas...Design on a Dime Style

I love getting our Christmas decorations out each year. I love all of them because there are so many good memories and sentiment attached to them. Most of our tree ornaments were my mom's and brother Andy's. Marsha has made the cutest decorations for all of us and I love putting those out. But this year when I decorated I was feeling like we needed a few items to pull it all together. So after watching some HGTV shows and brainstorming I came up with a few ideas. I spent $50 and I think I did okay. Maybe not Pinterest board worthy, but I was happy. 

The base of this wreath is the one Marsha used for our wedding reception and gave to us. I've used it as a base for many different wreaths and this year I decided to use it for Christmas. I spent $4.00 total to put it together. Most of the decorations used in it came from Goodwill. 

The base of this is a piece of ironwork that hangs on our wall in our family room. The colors are blues, greens and yellows and not very Christmas like so I decided to cover it with Poinsettias. If I had it to do all over again there are a few things I would change, but overall, I think it's kind of cute. 

In the past I have hung up our NOEL stocking hangers and stockings on our mantle and that was about it. This year I decided to take it up a notch and buy some garland. I found this pre-lit garland at Tai Pan for $9.97. And then used the rest of my Goodwill floral selection to spruce up the tall basket things on either side of the mantle.

The tree isn't anything different than any other year, but I just love our tree. We found it at Lowe's one year at a day after Christmas sale for 75% off and I am so glad that we bought it. It is starting to show some wear and tear, but I still love it.

This isn't anything fancy, but it is simple and I kind of like it. I bought the vase for $5.00 and filled it with ornaments, and now I have a Christmas centerpiece. 

I also bought a couple of wreaths to hang on our outside lights on the garage. I forgot to take pictures of those. Anyway, most of my money was spent on the poinsettia arrangement, and everything else I got for super cheap. So, there you have it. I am obviously a little bit proud of my decorations or I wouldn't be blogging about them!  :) What can I say? I love Christmas and I love decorating so I get a little excited about this stuff.

Lizette and Lexi News

Thought I would post a few updates on what the girls are up to these days.

Lizette is getting to be more grown up each day. And I must say she is SO responsible! She gets up every morning and makes hers and Lexi's beds before coming downstairs. She is so sweet with Lexi and tries to teach her right from wrong. She calls Lexi sweetheart and it is so cute to listen to her be so motherly. She recently had a major breakthrough at the Rigby family party. All the kids were taking turns singing for the family and Lizette leaned over to me and said, "Mom, tell Grandpa I want a turn!" I was shocked! She got up there and sang "A Child's Prayer" in front of everyone and didn't miss a beat. I was so excited for her because I know that took a TON of courage. She also volunteered to say a prayer at church recently without coaching from me at all. Wow! I would say she is definitely beginning to come out of her shell. She is a smart girl. She says things like "in fact", "actually", and "definitely" in the correct context all the time. She sounds so grown up when she talks. She is doing great with her reading and is catching on to math quite well too. I can't wait for her to start kindergarten. I think she will love it! She loves her friends and especially loves it when they come over to play. She is shy but social. Lizette loves to dance and we are going to get her into dance lessons soon. When we went to the Nutcracker she told me during the performance that she wants to be on stage like that soon. "Not when I'm six, Mom. When I'm five!"  I guess we better get those dance lessons scheduled!

Lexi is just a joy all the way around. She is a bundle of energy that never seems to stop! She is a feisty little thing and we have to constantly keep an eye on her interactions with her sister and others. If she sees something she wants she will grab it and run. It's actually pretty hilarious, but in the interest of trying to teach her kindness and manners, I don't let her get away with it. It's funny because she is really feisty like this all the time, but if she sees that she has really made her sister sad over taking away a toy or something, she will immediately run back and hand it back to her and say "Turn? Turn?" It's her way of asking "do you want a turn now?" She does have a big heart and loves to show love and affection. She is always good for lots of hugs and kisses. She loves to take care of her dolls and it's so cute to watch her hug and kiss them. She is still pretty leery of strangers and even family that she is not used to being around a lot. She perfected her frown for Grandpa at the family party last weekend (sorry Grandpa). She is quite the little comedian. She loves it when she does something to make you laugh and will do that thing over and over again to get more laughs. Her speech is coming along great and she can speak in pretty understandable short sentences now. She has caught onto counting really well and can count to ten. She is great at puzzles and loves them. Her favorite toy: the iPod. They have some great kids apps that she loves. I'm thinking of getting her an iPod case for Christmas because she  has pretty much taken ownership of the iPod. 

As sisters, these two are already so close. They do fight, but they are learning to work things out more and more each day. They love to make each other laugh and love to giggle together. It's cute to watch. As I said, Lizette is the responsible one always trying to teach Lexi. Most of the time when Lexi is ornery with her, Lizette will just laugh. I think because it's so funny how blatantly ornery Lexi can be! It makes us all laugh. Lexi can also be very sweet with Lizette and I love that they already have such a strong bond.

Jeff took some family pictures of us recently and I thought the few that I chose for this post depict their personalities and relationship pretty well. :)