Best. Christmas. Ever.

Wow. Christmas is so much more fun with children. This was the first year Parker understood what was going on and it brought me back to my childhood a little. In fact, I was so excited for Christmas this year that I could sleep Christmas eve. I woke up around 1 am and didn't get back to sleep until around 4. Well, part of that was excitement, the other part was anxiety. I woke up having braxton-hicks contractions every 5 minutes. How terrible would it be to go to the hospital on Christmas eve? It would ruin Christmas. I ate a little something and took a nice warm bath and finally they slowed down after about an hour.

I was a little stressed because my family was all coming over for a big Christmas Breakfast, then we were meeting up with Matt's family to go sledding, and then a big Christmas dinner party that evening with them at my house (not to mention I hosted another Christmas dinner at my house just days earlier). It was a big, busy and wonderful day.

Parker loved all his presents. He is such a spoiled boy, being the only grandchild on both sides of the family.

The breakfast was delicious. I made this french toast, but added homemade orange syrup (recipe from Amanda). There were no leftovers.

Then we took Parker sledding for the first time up Big Cottonwood Canyon. He LOVED it. He also discovered the joy of snowballs. He would pick up a handfull of snow and yell "SNOWBALL!" as he threw the chunk at us. Then Matt decided to go down a bigger hill and snow flew all over poor Parker's little face. Matt tried to take him down that hill again, and Parker just looked back at me with his arm extended and said "mama" as if asking me to save his life. Poor kid is always tortured by his daddy.

Here are some fun Christmassy things we did this year:

• Made an advent calendar and counted down 'till Christmas
• Went to a live nativity with Grandparents
• Went to temple square
• Made an ornament to represent our year
• Did a service project for those less fortunate
• Had french toast for breakfast on Christmas morning
• Went sledding
• Sat in Santa's lap
• Made gingerbread houses
• Listened to lots of Christmas music and drank lots of hot cocoa

Top 50 moments of 2010

This year wasn't as "adventurous" as 2009, but there sure were a lot of changes and things to keep us busy.

1. Helping my students dominate the Salt Lake Valley Science and Engineering Fair
2. Fixing up our condo...just to sell it (Why did we wait so long to finish it?)
3. Selling our condo after living there for 3 years...a great 3 years!
4. Moving in with my parents for 3 months while our house was being built (Where, I might add, there was no room for us)
5. Feeling like my life is in chaos while we live at my parent's house (My clothes were in boxes the entire time)
6. Discovering Parker's talent for singing
7. Learning about the stress and fun involved in have a house built
8. Parker finally getting to go to nursery & LOVING it (& his parents loving it even more than he does)
9. Parker learning how to hit a baseball
10. My sister-in-law Rachel marrying Spencer
11. Going to Youth Conference with the Bluffdale 1st ward as "Goodly Parents"
12. Winning free Bosch kitchen appliances ($7000 value) from the Home Expo
13. Learning that "Sprinkler World" is completely incompetent in designing a sprinkler system AFTER we installed the whole system and then having to redesign it ourselves so it would work. I'm a little bitter.
14. Painting all the doors, trim, and accent wall in our new house
15. Matt graduating with a B.S. in Accounting from the University of Phoenix (and having the student loans to prove it)
16. Quitting my job
17. My brother Casey marrying Sheralee
18. Parker learning his ABCs
19. Finally moving into my brand new house
20. Matt and I running the Ragnar Relay
21. Hydroseeding our yard and watering it a bit too much. Who knew that grass could grow mold?
22. Expecting baby boy #2!!!
23. Unpacking all of our books and office furniture and finding out the next week that I was pregnant and needing to pack it all up again and move it to the basement and needing to move all the baby stuff upstairs into that same room
24. Decorating my new house - work in progress
25. Getting a fancy shmancy smart phone - at least fancy for me.
26. Taking a lot of naps - that first trimester is a killer
27. The principal convincing me to keep my job (under my conditions)
28. Starting to potty train Parker and then getting lazy about it
29. Experiencing the scariest thing in my life when Parker had a seizure
30. Riding in an ambulance for the first time ever
31. Paying a ridiculously large hospital bill for sitting in an emergency room for 20 minutes and a dose of Tylenol
32. Continuing our tradition of sharing a Cafe Rio Pork Salad
33. Taking a 4 day break from life to read the "Hunger Games" series
34. Participating in the first ever "Great Lakes Relay" from the Great Salt Lake to Utah Lake. Our team took 2nd place (out of two teams)!
35. Being called to the Young Women Presidency again
36. Fun vacation visiting Sarah & Eric in Cedar City to see their new house
37. Parker turning 2 and discovering that it isn't terrible at all
38. Matt attending Grad School for his MBA
39. Practicing making the best chocolate chips ever (and gaining a few pounds in the process)
40. Matt becoming superman and starting to finish the basement along with going to school and juggling a busy career (it should be done before the baby comes)
41. Parker discovering Buzz Lightyear
42. Watching "Arrested Development"
43. Taking Parker Trick or Treating for the first time
44. Learning how to make homemade rolls
45. Parker learning how to dunk a basketball
46. Hosting 2 Christmas parties at my house within 2 days of each other -- it almost put me into labor.
47. Matt winning the ugly sweater contest
48. Having Christmas in my new house and making new Christmas traditions
49. Going sledding on Christmas day. Parker LOVED it when snow wasn't flying in his face (thanks daddy)
50. Going home early and going to sleep well before midnight on New Years Eve. I'm getting old...or boring...or both.

Overall, this year was one of change and gratitude. Matt and I are both so grateful for everything we have been blessed with. Here are some things to look forward to in 2011:

Having a baby boy
The basement being finished
Reading more books
Completing P90X and being in the best shape of my life
Matt running a marathon
Getting my PR for a 5K
Lots and Lots of rock climbing
Finishing our yard
Vacationing with our families
Starting a garden
Parker learning how to read
Saving lots of money
Having tons and tons of fun!

Keeping the Romance Alive

I don't know about you, but sometimes (and by that I mean always) it is hard to think of things to do with Matt without spending a gazillion dollars. That's why I'm so excited that I discovered a new blog called "The Dating Divas." Seriously. They've given me tons of fun date ideas. I personally know two of the "divas" and they are awesome. Plus, this week they have a giveaway every single day. I would encourage you to check it out.