Christmas 2010

I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!  Ours was fabulous.

This Christmas has been a bittersweet Christmas this year.  I was so looking forward to Tim's family coming to visit.  We planned on Tim's mom, his younger sister and her hubby and three kids, and his younger brother and his three kids coming up from Texas.  We also thought we'd have his younger brother's wife and six kids and his younger sister and her hubby and their five kids come down from Idaho.  However, due to work schedules and snow forecast only those from Texas came to visit.  What can I say - we must have scared off the others.  We had an enjoyable 4 days with family - visiting, shopping, and visiting Temple Square.  It was fun to see them and I can't wait until we can head down to Texas next year (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that nothing major comes up to nix our plans).  Monday, my mom called to tell me that my Aunt Mary passed away.  We knew it was coming, but it was still quite a shock.  I guess I kind of hoped that it wouldn't happen soon.  However, Aunt Mary is in a better place and will be reunited with her family once again.

Christmas morning seemed to come too fast.  Apparently, Sterling woke up at 3 am - because Tim woke up with the dog and found that Ster was in the living room playing with his legos.  Not his new toys - he didn't touch those.  And he didn't go back to sleep!  He was wide awake until 10 pm - no nap, no nothing!  Me, I had a nice nap =)

Anyway - Ster was spoiled once again.  Each year I keep telling myself that I am going to limit what he gets.  But every year we manage to spend more than we planned on.  He was happy though - he got alot of what he wanted.  But he is already talking about what he wants next year!

Here are some pictures:

His gift from Tim Jr - he was hoping around making monkey sounds. 

Some of his gifts

Ster with his present from Santa

Remember me telling you about his find?  Well, we told him they were for the Sub for Santa family - but gave them to him from his brother and sister and nephews/niece (they  never send him anything or even call to talk to him - but we always give him a gift and say they sent it to him).  He caught on Christmas Night.

Happy New Year!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

OH NO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ster found the presents!  Are you kidding me?  WHY!

AAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHH!

At first we stashed them in our trailer.  Perfect place, right?  Well, I've been a bit nervous about that because I was told that was the first place thiefs would look.  I told myself it was locked so it wouldn't be a problem.  However, the teenage boys that visit their grandparents behind us pulled up while I was standing at the door with the goods in my arms.  I don't trust them as far as I can throw them.  So, I told Tim we needed to bring them in.  So we did.  And I put them in our storage room behind some stuff so that it was hidden.  Tim told me to wrap them, but I kept putting it off.  What a stupid procrastinator I am!  Tuesday Tim needed our 5-gallon jug and so I had to get it from the storage room.  That was what was hiding the gifts.  I had stuff in bags behind the jug with a large mailing envelope on top to block the view just in case he walked in.  I have the XBox on a shelf with his backback covering it - it was jammed in there so it would stay in place.  But, I did place 2 of Ster's Santa gifts on top of the envelop in plain site - because he NEVER goes down there!  I didn't worry about it because Ster NEVER goes down there unless I send him down for something.  Never.

But I can't say never, now, can I!

I was at work and Tim had to go to Physical Therapy - so Ster was home alone for about 1 hour (we've left him alone before - he does pretty good on his own).  I was about to leave work when Ster called and asked why we had a bionicle toy and hot wheels downstairs.  WHAT!?!  He told me he was down stairs and saw some toys and asked why we had them.  I told him to stay away from the room.  Yeah, right.  I'm sure that as soon as I said that and hung up he went right back downstairs to look. 

I got home and asked him what he saw - because I was thinking that he probably saw everything.  He listed about 1/2 of what I had.  Apparently he didn't see the XBox (unless he was smart enough to keep quiet about it, but when I went down there it didn't look like the backpack had been moved) nor some of the board games.  But every single thing that was supposed to be from Santa he saw.  Go figure.

Needless to say, the things that Ster didn't see (or what I think he didn't see) are now in another location that he will hopefully not find.

Now what do I do?  And don't tell me to return those items - because I don't keep receipts unless it is a big purchase.  I'm thinking that Santa may be bringing the other items he didn't find - but those weren't on his list and he'll have a cow if Santa doesn't bring him something from his list!

And in case you are wondering, I told Ster that those toys were for the family we chose to do Sub-for-Santa for.  We told him we were doing that but we didn't tell him who we were helping nor that we already took the presents over!  His face fell.  He told me that he liked those toys and wanted them.  So I told him that the family we are buying presents for have a boy his age and I knew that if Sterling liked those gifts then that little boy would like it.  He was so sad - it nearly broke my heart.  Nearly.

Sterling made it to 9!

Yesterday was Ster's 9th Birthday.  I can't believe my son is 9 years old!  Where has the time gone?

I remember when I found out I was pregnant.  I was so excited.  We had been trying for a couple of months and I was very disappointed each month to find out I wasn't pregnant.  I didn't want to announce anything because of the "what ifs" and had told Tim that we should wait a while.  Yeah, that didn't work.  And it wasn't me who blabbed!  I wanted to tell my parents first - but Tim blabbed to my brother Scott.  (I don't know if my mom even knows that yet).  Anyway - I was so excited and nervous all at the same time.  I wasn't one bit nervous about the pregnancy - about feeling sick, any discomforts, or any of those horrible things women have to go through.  I was scared spitless about delivery - in fact, my doctor scheduled the induction date for 1 week before my delivery and I asked him if we could hold off.  (i didn't tell him I didn't want to go through delivery - I justified it by saying that another day would be best for tim's work schedule).  I had an easy pregnancy - I was sick only a few times and had heartburn a couple of times.  Ster kicked but it sure didn't hurt.  It was so easy I told Tim I could have a dozen babies (that quickly changed after Ster was born).  And, labor and deliver was a snap!  I was started at 7 am and had him at 12:10 p.m. (I would have had him sooner, but my doctor checked on me and then headed back to his office - he had to turn around and come back).

I sure love my son.  Oh there are times I'm ready to ship him out, but I love him so much!  For all the times Ster has made me want to pull my hair out, he has made up for it by being so darn cute.  He says so many cute things and I have been really stupid not to write them all.  I look at him and my heart swells and I feel such overwelming love for that child. 

I can't remember if I have written about last Christmas and the terrible mistake Santa made.  Ster wanted an Xbox.  We thought we had him convinced that a Wii would be better - so Santa bought a Wii.  Two days later, Ster changed his mind.  Oh well, right?  Yeah, well a few days after Christmas Ster asked me if I had asked Santa for my camera.  What could I say but "yes"?  So he asked me why I got what I wanted from Santa but he didn't get what he wanted.  "I wanted a Xbox but he brought a Wii!"  And Ster has not forgotten that.  When Tim was in Qatar, we were at Wallyworld looking at toys.  Ster found one he wanted and begged me to buy it for him.  I wouldn't and told him to ask Santa for it.  Right there in the toy aisle, Ster gets so upset and tells me "No!  I'm NOT going to ask Santa for this.  He'll bring me the WRONG TOY!  Just like he brought me the WRONG GAME.  I wanted an Xbox and he brought a Wii.  He'll just give me the wrong one again!"  He was standing there so upset because Santa would bring him the wrong thing.  Let me tell you this:  I've learned my lesson and Santa will bring him what he wants - not everything on his list because his list is too long, but what Santa brings will be on his list.

What a child I have.  He is tempermental, can be very cranky, is stubborn, disobedient to me, slower than cold tar at times. But he is my child and I love him dearly!

Taxes

Sterling asked me yesterday if Santa Claus was rich.  I told him I didn't think so.  I wish he was!  Anyway:  this was our conversation:

Ster:  Well, Connor said he was rich.

Me:  I don't think he is, but others may think he is rich.

Ster:  I don't think he is rich.  If he was rich, he'd have to pay taxes.

Me:  Are you learning about taxes in school?

Ster:  no.

Me:  Then why are you talking about taxes?

Ster:  Because.

Me:  What are taxes?

Ster:  When you make too much money you have to give some away.


Well, okay.  Not exactly right, but pretty close =)


Ster must really think Santa is rich.  At day care, they made a "Santa Wish List" by pasting pictures of what they want onto paper.  Ster had 2 pages completely filled on both sides.  When Brooke told him that she didn't think Santa could bring all those presents, he replied:  "Yes he can.  He'll just go back to the North Pole and load back up."  Smart kid.  Too bad it doesn't work that way.  My list would be 10 pages long!