Christmas 2008 . . . Wow!

Well Christmas 2008 has come and gone. . . It was a whirlwind!! (Enough of a whirlwind that I haven't blogged all month!) What have we been up to?

The first weekend of December kicks off the holiday season with the Priddy Family Christmas Party up in the Salem area . . . 16 kids, multiple families, and lots of fun!! Alas, my camera's batteries died before any pictures were taken; I'm thinking it was left on in the camera bag. Ahh well. Next came decorating the tree, wrestling matches for Elijah, school, taking the kids up to see "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" in Salem, enjoying Mom's Sweet Adeline's Christmas show, Christmas shopping, work, Faith getting sick, a week out of school for snow (the week before Christmas), Christmas Eve, Christmas, and then we had the Wasko Family Christmas Party yesterday. . . . with today spent taking the kids shopping with their Christmas gift cards. Whew!

Oh, and did I mention that the boys and I painted their bedroom and then I gave them a surprise Christmas present by having Mom & Dad take all the kids overnight (thank you so much!!) for me and my pals (Thank you Kim & Blandon!!) to assemble their new beds and bookcases. Joel threw together a TV stand and the boys were delighted with the new room.

Needless to say, all I want to do for the next couple of days is a whole lotta nadda! I'm pooped!! Fortunately Joel & I are off work until the 5th and so we have some time to unwind. (NOTE: Faith just snuck into my room 20 minutes after being told to go to bed, gave me a kiss, and told me I'm the "bestest mom ever". . . Now I hear the boys hollering "go to bed Faith!" . . . always something!) My plans? Reading a good book, scrapbooking, cleaning up our room. . . And, possibly (no promises here!): Blogging ;>)

My take-away from this holiday season? I'm very thankful for my many blessings and the joy of the Christmas season. I'm thankful that I really feel God's presence. And, next year I'd like to push myself to make the effort to put together an advent wreath. . . That's something we did when I was little and I think that it really helps me build up the anticipation for Christmas and prepare my heart to celebrate the gift of love that God's given me. There's something about lighting the purple candles each night for about 15 minutes, singing "Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel" or "Oh Come All Ye Faithful" and saying a prayer of preparation while looking forward to lighting that pink candle that signifies that Christmas is almost here. . . That's something that I need to do next year so that I force myself to slow down on a daily basis and appreciate the season of Christmas. As is, I love this season and the joy of it all! I am busy by choice: I choose to try to experience all the season has to offer. Alas, I can't fit it ALL in (no sledding, caroling, I'd love to host a Christmas party, and the children's Christmas show is delayed until January) - but I'm very grateful for all the fun we've had!

Here's a few pictures for you to see what we've been up to. . . . Merry Christmas and much love!!

My lovely children after attending "The Best Christmas Pageant Ever" at the Pentacle Theater.

Decorating the Christmas tree

Brothers :>)

Daddy's Girl"The stockings were hung. . . "

Christmas Eve mass . . . Alas, the other pictures taken were blurry (bummer!) ;>)

Cheese!

Can you roll your tongue? I can't.

Grandma Sherry (mom) made Faith a very special Christmas dress :)

That's my boy!!

Guitar Hero World Tour was a big hit at our house!! We even got Mom & Dad (Grandpa and Grandma) into the gig. LOTS of fun!

Elijah is a "expert"-level on the guitar!

Joel's got "expert" on a couple songs . . . He and Elijah like to compete but Elijah tends to beat him ;>)Faith's a beginner. . .
I really like that Guitar Hero now has the beginner level -- it means that Faith can participate on the drums and guitar. She's doing pretty good at keeping the beat :>)

I can do the "easy"-level but it takes a lot of concentration!

Merry Christmas Mom!!

Dad is infamous for his wrapping presents in duct tape (oh the joy to unwrap the gift wrap to find a box with layers and layers of duct tape and newspaper). . . So this year I returned the favor. . . This is layer 1.

Here's layer 2.

Mom is a duck fan about to attend the Sun Bowl (leaving at 3 AM tomorrow) to receive an award on Grandpa's behalf -- so for Christmas she received a pair of "Beaver" earrings I made at my friend Barb's Christmas party. Mom said that's much better than the Beaver T-shirts (which tend to give her duck loving body a rash). . . What a goob!

Many thanks. . . The boys are HUGE lego fans and Isaac is thanking Elijah for the new Bionicle.

Some of the stocking treats on Christmas morning.

Our joyful Christmas tree . . . LOVE Christmas!

This was the kids today: This is how I see them all the time -- Elijah not quite paying attention, Isaac screwing around, and Faith being silly. Ahhh, love these kids!

Merry Christmas!!

Time to update my top 25 i-tunes

i-tunes top 25 most played songs:
1.) Waiting for My Real Life to Begin by Colin Hay
2.) Never Again by Kelly Clarkson
3.) Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick
4.) Eyes by Rogue Wave
5.) Girlfriend (Featuring Lil' Mama) by Avril Lavigne
6.) Because of you by Kelly Clarkson
7.) All We Are by Matt Nathanson
8.) --
9.) Moments by Emerson Drive
10.) How to Save a Life by The Fray
11.) I Will by Allison Krauss
12.) One More Day by Diamond Rio
13.) Someday by Nickelback
14.) So What by P!nk
15.) Jesus Walks by Kanye West
16.) Far Away by Nickelback
17.) Boondocks by Little Big Town
18.) Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie (remember her as Stacy Ferguson on Kids Incorporated?)
19.) Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn
20.) Creep by Radiohead
21.) Finale: Friends forever from Scrubs: My Musical
22.) Guy Love from Scrubs: My Musical
23.) In Too Deep by Sum 41
24.) Breakfast at Tiffany's by Deep Blue Something
25.) Sun Comes Up by John Legend


Previously (10/27/2008):
1.) Waiting for My Real Life to Begin by Colin Hay
2.) Never Again by Kelly Clarkson
3.) Eyes by Rogue Wave
4.) Breathe (2 AM) by Anna Nalick
5.) Girlfriend (Featuring Lil' mama) by Avril Lavigne (Faith's favorite!!!)
6.) Girlfriend (Junkie Remix) by Avril Lavigne
7.) Because of You by Kelly Clarkson
8.) How to Save a Life by the Fray
9.) Moments by Emerson Drive
10.) All We Are by matt Nathanson
11.) I Will by Allison Krauss & Tony Furtado
12.) One More Day by Diamond Rio
13.) Far Away by Nickelback
14.) Boondocks by Little Big Town
15.) Jesus Walks by Kanye West
16.) Big Girls Don't Cry by Fergie (Man! It's been a long time since I listened to that one!)
17.) Someday by Nickelback
18.) So What by P!nk
19.) Sun Comes Up by John Legend
20.) For the Last Time I'm Dominican (Scrubs Musical Soundtrack)
21.) Guy Love (Scrubs Musical)
22.) Finale: Friends Forever (Scrubs Musical)
23.) The Little Things by Colbie Caillat
24.) Walking in Memphis by Marc Cohn
25.) Forgiveness (Just Friends Soundtrack)

I am thankful. . .

Alas, it's a few days past Thanksgiving but I'd still like to reflect on my blessings. . . Joel is out with the kids taking them for haircuts and I am thankful for the quiet household where I can sit and think :>)

I am thankful for Elijah and that he's proud of how well he can play "Guitar Hero" (and that he's accomplished a few "expert"-level songs). I'm proud that he's trying wrestling for the very first time and that he's developing some interests on his own; he's courageous to take on the sport without his brother attending practices with him. It's cool to see him try his own things.

I'm thankful that Isaac still likes to hang out with me and talk (even if it's just hearing the entire story line of the latest video game). . . I like that he's willing to help me with projects and that he'll cuddle with Faith and sleep next to her when she's having nightmares (Faith sees Isaac as her hero). I like that Faith looks up to him and that he's a good guy worthy of her admiration.

I am thankful that Faith is so eager to learn and that she encourages me in my faith. . . She's been attending a catholic school and it's helpful that she is the only other member of our family who really pushes to go to church each Sunday. She sings happy Jesus songs and tells me the cutest antidotes about how "God bless you" means "God is blessing you" and how it's not one word but two: "God blessyou" :>)

I'm proud that I have smart, sarcastic, funny kids that like to cuddle me too :>)

I am thankful that Joel really is trying to make things better for our relationship and I'm thankful for our time to talk and that we're adding date nights (two dates so far!!). . . I'm thankful that he's willing to take the kids for haircuts.

I'm thankful that we have two goofy dogs that make us laugh and are loyal despite Faith's trying to hold Oliver or get Kali to chase her tail. ;>)

I'm thankful that the shoppers were out on Black Friday (with me) and that people are still trying to stimulate the economy. I'm hopeful for a better tomorrow. . .

I'm thankful that I have family support with periodic check-ins because they haven't heard from me for awhile.

I'm thankful for having a girlfriend who takes me shopping and teaches me the fun of purses and "pretty shoes" AND who understands my feeling like "one of the guys" and doesn't judge me for it.

I'm thankful for "my boys" at work who make me feel smart, funny, competent, and protected. I feel encouraged and like I can continue to grow. . . That's really special in this crazy I.T. business.

I'm thankful that we're making progress on the house (slower than I'd like) but that the windows and roof aren't leaking and the toilet has quit flooding! I'm thankful that, despite the washer & dryer's threats to break-down, it's hopeful that they'll wait until after Christmas!

I'm thankful that we have cars that run and friends who gave us a car when our other one was totaled. I'm also thankful that the gas prices have dropped down to less than $2 after hitting the $4 + mark this past Spring!

I'm thankful to have cozy sheets and comfy sweats to lounge around in. I'm thankful for the creativity and freedom and humor and . . . . so much in my life!

I'm thankful that I live in God's country -- with lush green as far as the eye can see, mountains within an hour's drive and the coast within an hour's drive. . . I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth and I am thankful.

Praise the Lord for all my blessings!

Dear Children. . .

Dear Children. . . Tonight is a historic night -- our nation has elected its first African-American president (a mere 40 years or so after the Civil Rights movement). Admittedly, I've been a Obama fan in a large part because he is so different than our usual candidates.

Let me tell you a bit about my experiences: My elementary school years were in the era of the Cold War -- remember a week or so ago when we talked about nuclear weapons and the threat our nation felt? Remember how we talked about the mass destruction of Hiroshima countering our experiences at Pearl Harbor? Remember how we talked about our current threat of nuclear weapons coming not from controlled, governed nations but instead coming from radical terrorist groups who buy them from greedy people willing to sell to the highest bidder?

I come from a childhood of seeing numerous presidents vie for office with promises of improvement only to become "politicians" who seem to say what the public wants to hear but act in a way that will win them the most influence (in other words, think of the "cool kids" at school who will do whatever it takes to be popular even if it means doing what they know is wrong). These experiences of my childhood have made me cynical -- I have grown to feel like "why even bother voting" because to vote feels like I'm choosing one liar/name-caller over another -- and it feels like I'm endorsing those behaviors. It's been sad and frustrating.

I've longed for the Presidential leadership of our history; the inspiring speeches and changes made by presidents like Abraham Lincoln and Franklin D. Roosevelt and John F. Kennedy. I felt like my parents were so interested in politics because they had experienced truly great leaders and they knew that things could be different.

In my lifetime it's been debated whether or not we should even question when the President lies to the nation -- like we're not quite clear whether or not that's right or wrong. We've seen people with questionable ethics but have felt like we need to accept it because all politicians are like that -- truly good people can't get elected.

I feel like tonight we have hope for change. . . This is the first time I've felt like that. Admittedly, I would support McCain as president had he won because I believe in democracy -- in making decisions based on the majority and then supporting the candidate once those decisions have been made. I think John McCain was a good candidate: He, too, made great arguments and he genuinely wanted to make the United States a better place. Alas, he had experience in the political realm and I've been skeptical of him being a "politician" like the stereotype I've defined over the years. I believe he's made mistakes over the years and that he's tried to learn from them. I trust that he's a good man.

And, I voted for Obama. Why? Because he inspires me. Because for years, I've wanted someone who inspires our nation, who is willing to push for what he believes is "right" and who doesn't speak in terms of "I will. . . " but instead speaks as "We will. . . " When I listen to Obama speak I do not hear a "politician" instead I hear a leader -- that's a big difference to me. Admittedly, I'm cynical enough to question whether or not he's for real and whether or not he will live up to his campaign promises, but I took this chance for you -- how can I not take a chance on someone who wants to make the world a better place for you?

I want to believe that Peace is Possible (the theme of a youth convention I'd attended in Junior High shortly after the Berlin Wall came down). I want to believe that we can find compromise with other nations through talks and not might (similar to how I encourage you boys to talk it out and resorting to violence only when you are physically threatened). I want to believe that our nation doesn't need to have such a big divide between the wealthy and the welfare populations. I want to believe that all people can have their basic needs met. I want to believe that we can have a UNITED nation that isn't divided by politics, race, or social background. I want to believe that this world can be a better place for you than it currently is -- understanding that the world swings on a pendulum between trying to improve and becoming lackadaisical.

I have hope that Faith, at 6 years old, will not experience the cynicism I've acquired and that she will have hope and faith in our country.

So, dear children, I hope that tonight is the beginning of a better world for you. God bless us all!

Love you,

mom

Happy Halloween from our house to yours. . .

. . . A couple days late, but I wanted to share. Here's some pictures from Faith's Halloween Carnival and Halloween night :>)

Faith's butterfly pumpkin and little smiley face, Elijah's triangle-eyed smiley face pumpkin, and Joel's Jack-Skelton pumpkin. . . totally cool!

Faith & Madeline D.

Elijah dressed as Freddy Kruger (he's not wearing the mask yet), and Isaac (see name tag below), and Faith as Princess Jasmine.

Remember trying to wait patiently to FINALLY get to go trick-or-treating?

Remember going door to door trick-or-treating?

Remember clowning around with friends?

Isaac stayed home handing out candy with his buddy, Jacob -- we had a rule that he couldn't scare anyone 6-years-old or younger. This is Isaac's first year not going out for candy. . . He's getting so big! He seemed okay with it, though.

Each year Joel & I escort the kids (walking the dogs on their leashes) with me hollering after the kids "Remember to say Thank you!" These are the days that I'll always remember :>)

Happy Halloween 2008!

A Couple Pet Peeves. . . Just gotta get this off my chest

Okay, if not through a blog then where else can I vent these frustrations? Here's a couple for you (can I hear a "Amen!" in the chorus?!?):

1.) People who abandon their shopping carts literally two spaces away from the cart corral in a parking lot. . . This is a true symptom of laziness. I mean, come on people!

2.) People who are obviously looking at their GPS or i-pod or what-have-you (as it illuminates their face in the darkness) and drive 30 mph in a 55 mph zone on the back roads towards home. Seriously: Pull over!

3.) Major Halloween pet peeve is all those parents that drive their children around for trick-or-treating. Do you want to know what contributes to obesity in our country? Teaching your children that it's easier to drive around the neighborhoods rather than walk and making sure that they get a lot of candy and sugar for their "efforts." Remember when we were kids and you pushed yourself to walk a little further just to see if you can get your candy basket a little fuller. Granted, we rarely had candy at our house and so it was worth the extra effort. Fruit snacks weren't common place at my house and we had limited "treats" -- Halloween meant walking for a couple of hours to get a candy stash to last you for awhile. Additional irritation? Those parents driving their kids around mean that my kids are waiting on the curb to cross the street because they see on-coming headlights and we end up waiting just to have the car stop with their kids about 10 feet away: Seriously, you're slowing down our progress! Final irritation? SAFETY RISK!! Tons of little kids wearing dark clothing and, in their excitement, they're running across the street to the next house. We're in the suburbs -- blocks & blocks of houses and here's these parents driving their children and about to run over mine!! Thankfully, we've completed our annual Halloween trick-or-treat session and I survived this years' heart attack with the cars about to hit kids.

Grrr. . . .

Anyhow, just had to share. Note, I accept the shopping carts abandoned in the parking lot when your child has just throw up in the backseat, I accept the people driving 30 mph as they slow their car to the shoulder of the road because they just answered their cell phone and are receiving bad news, and I accept the parents driving their children in monsoon or snow-storm weather. However, for the rest of you: Get a clue!

Seriously!

Okay. . . I'll climb off my soap box now.

LOVE my boys!!

Okay, I've been working on scrapbooking and I stumbled across these pictures of my boys. The pictures are from March, but I absolutely LOVE them!

These two brothers can drive each other nuts occasionally ("he won't let me play the game!") but they're also self-declared best friends. Granted, when they were little and a friend picked on the other brother, we would tell them: Friends come and go but brothers are forever!

Other memories? When Elijah was born Isaac couldn't say "baby" and so Elijah was called "Bay" for the first year or two of life. . . Then he was called "Yay-ya" (sounds like "Lijah") and Elijah called Isaac "I-yik." I smile thinking of how, when they were four and five, they'd tell me that when they grew up they would live together. When I told them that they'd likely move out and live with their wives and children they firmly told me that it's okay, their family can live with them too ;>)

As for these pictures, they were doing what they do: being silly and being brothers. They'd been dressed for church and after church they found some of Joel's ties to play with: wrestling, silliness, and me breaking out the camera. . . .

Man, I love these boys!!!!

YAY for Faith!!! She's a Jog-a-thon Champion!!!

Faithy participated in her school Jog-a-thon this year as a kindergartner. In all actuality it should be called a "Jog-a-TON." Faith's goal was to run 10 laps this year around the track. . . with Daddy's encouragement and a lot of drive she ran 20 laps! (That's roughly the equivalent of 5 miles!!)



Friday was her school's Jog-a-thon and Joel had taken the day off of work to cheer on his girl. This means that I dropped them both off at school and Daddy volunteered in her classroom and Faith "showed him off" to her friends. Joel told me that one of Faith's friends had her shoe untied and another classmate offered to tie it for her, but the little girl said, "No, I want Faith's Daddy to do it!" . . . These are the kinds of things that make Faith beam with pride :>)

So, Joel & Faith spent a VERY cold Friday (it was in the high 30's to high 40's most of the day) jogging the track at Ohara. He told her that if she made it to 20 laps then he would give her a piggy-back ride. . . Well the two of them jogged and walked the whole 1.5 hours and she made it to 20 laps and Daddy made it half-way around the track with her on his back :>)


I am so proud of her and her determination! She's been a strong-willed girl and the occassional challenge, but she showed me that this strong will can also be a real benefit. Many of her friends took the leisurely approach of walking a bit and then sitting and drinking water or eating their snacks and playing, but Faith was a real trooper and made her goal. SUPER cool!

Way to go Faith!!!!

It's awesome to watch Isaac play football!

I am so proud of Isaac! He's playing his first season of football (as tackle) and it's so cute to see him bond with his buddies on the field (smacking helmets and taking helmets off, raising them up, and hollering for the kickoff return). Granted, Isaac is 12-years-old and nearly 5' 8" and so he's still got to grow into his body -- but I love the happiness and fun he's having. (Next year will definitely be Elijah's turn!)

Here's some pictures of my boy:


LOVE this kid!!!

Family Camping Trip to Newport

"Smoke follows beauty"

Well, we're trying to make camping a annual occurrence (at least!) . . . but we're not quite to the "tent camping" point. And, it's not because we're wanting to play it safe; it's because we're two parents who work full-time and don't have time to pack all that STUFF! So, instead, we trekked off to a yurt in South Beach (down in Newport, Oregon) and had a terrific time!!

The weekend of September 12-14th was a real blessing, here's some of the memories (in no particular order):

* FREEZING the night we arrived: It had been in the 90's when we left the Willamette Valley in shorts and t-shirts and we arrived about 9 PM to a cool, damp wind and goosebumps! Thankfully we didn't need to set up a tent because we had our yurt (heater included) to keep us warm. For those of you who haven't done yurt camping, it's handy because we had a bunkbed with a twin mattress on top and full mattress on the bottom. And, we had a futon, table, and chairs. Plenty of room for our lot!!

Here's our yurt

Animals aren't allowed in the yurt and so Kali kept pushing it right to the line. . .

Instead, the dogs slept in their crates in the back of the Jeep :>)

* We had a lot of fun with the dogs -- especially enjoying Kali's experiencing the "wild" for the first time (she's nearly 2 years old and we missed our camping trip last year). Her ears perked up to every little sound, she smelled everything (and attempted to crawl under the yurt), and had her tail wagging almost non-stop! Between her mushing us on the beach and figuring out how to untangle herself from the trees (she was on a 30 foot leash tied to a tree) -- she was a lot of fun!


Specifically, on our first day she chased off some sea gulls picking at a crab. When she went to sniff the crab, she was surprised to find that it was still alive (and wiggling ever so slightly -- poor thing!). Kali thought that this was a wonderful toy and so she picked it up and tossed it into the air repeatedly. She would tire of it and go to explore the rest of the beach, but whenever the sea gulls tried to come back she would chase them off and toss the crab a few more times. (What a goof!)

Also, my parents came camping with us and had brought their dogs: Lira (a lhasa opso) is known for stealing toys and treats from other dogs. . . Well, our dogs had bones to chew on and so Lira tried to steal the bone from Kali. . . . Kali jumped up, growled at her, and threw her big malamute body between Lira and the bone. (No agression, just protecting her "treasure.") We laughed as Kali kept burying her treats at the campground and then unburrying it and moving it whenever anyone came near. . . . Seriously, she's a goofy dog! Great entertainment!

* SMORES: Camping isn't camping without smores. I got a kick out of Joel and my mom comparing techniques to create the perfect smores. The kids, Dad, and I all just hold the marshmellows over the fire and call it good, but Mom & Joel have to move the logs around to get the embers just right and then toast them ever so precisely. It was very funny! (And, there were the obligatory comments about how I'd burnt the hot dogs . . . cracked me up!)


* The Beach. . . The beach is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. The waves are so life-giving and spiritually refreshing and the windy beach is soothing. I LOVE IT!! And, God blessed us: Our second (and last) day there, we had a beautiful, sunny day with about 70 degree weather. There was a slight wind and it was perfect! The kids built sand castles together, Oliver (our jack russell) chased sea gulls, and we had a fun time.


Seems like a majority of my shots at the beach are "butt shots" -- Faith gets so busy playing she just doesn't want to pose for me. I don't push the poses because it's so good to see them having so much fun.

Joy

Elijah and Oliver. . . Do you see Elijah's wet pants? ;>)

* Walks through the campground: Mom & Dad didn't get a spot next to us and so we spent quite a bit of time trekking from one spot to the next. Even the trek to the beach was about .5 a mile: Funny thing is that Elijah wanted to complain about the walk but Isaac had just come back from a camping trip with his best friend, Jacob, where they had done a 10 mile hike and so Isaac told Elijah "this is nothing!" ;>)


* Faith packed for herself. . . Again, we are two full-time employees and parents. . . I made the mistake of letting Faith pack for herself. What does this mean? She packed slippers and costumes to wear -- no shoes and nothing warm. So, Saturday morning Grandma watched the kids while Joel & I made a run to Walmart for some clothes for Faith. Fortunately their summer attire was on sale and so we were able to buy sandals for $1 (Praise God!). Needless to say, I learned that Faith isn't quite ready to pack for herself!

Anyhow, those are some of the memories. . . Here's a few more pictures just for fun :>)

The kids watched "High School Musical 2" on the car ride over and then again in the yurt. . . Technology addicts!Isaac didn't want his picture taken which led to all sorts of brotherly-fun and wrestling! :>)

Oliver was constantly getting himself tangled up. . . crazy-making dog!

Special memories. . .

Isaac's favorite memory: Getting to see Grandma and Grandpa.

Elijah's favorite memory: Getting play with the dogs and having smores and "the best part was spending it with my family."

Faith's favorite memory: "It's something that you get wet and it's water. . . I gave you a clue!" . . . Playing in the ocean!

LOVE these kids!!