Jesus, is that you?

So...there is actually a very innocent sweet story behind this before everyone gets all up in arms about any kind of irreverence.
My sister-in-law has been coming over about 3 nights a week to watch the kids while I go to work until Christopher gets home. The kids ADORE her and are doing so much better than I ever could have hoped with this transition. It has been fairly smooth, all things considered. She plays games with them, runs around outside, bakes cookies...all of the wonderful fun things that they love.
One day, she decided she wanted to do a Tae Bo workout video. She thought that she might be able to get away with it if the kids were involved and trying to do it too (for "fun"...do you remember when we thought exercise was "fun"?) So to try to explain it to the children before she turned it on, she said
"I am going to put in this video and there will be a man on there and he will be telling us what to do and we will do it!"
Dallin didn't miss a beat
"Is he Jesus?" he asked in a completely innocent and awestruck way.

LOL No, Dallin Billy Blanks is not Jesus.

On the plus side, isn't it wonderful that it is so simple to him that Jesus tells us to do something and we DO it...that's it.

25 Random Things About Me

Yep, this is another random information quest about me. I got tagged and so here is my answer

1. I have only ever kissed 1 man--and I married him
2. I LOVE water. I drink it all the time. I drink at least 12 glasses a day.
3. I do not love milk. It is disgusting. It is only good for cooking and to make the cereal wet (I do NOT drink the milk left in the bowl either---I know it's wasteful, but I just can't do it)
4. My house is almost always in a state of disorder because I am such a perfectionist. I know, it seems like a contradiction, but it is true. I am finding a lot of wisdom in the FLY Lady method.
5. It took 5 years to have my first child. I went to the dr thinking we had fertility problems only to have him tell me that I was already pregnant! Yes...I felt stupid.
6. My 2 children are 19 months apart because we thought it would take a long time to get pregnant again....it didn't.
7. I love to listen to country, soft rock, some alternative, and christian music. I know lots of the lyrics but I can't tell you who sings them.
8. I have only recently(within the past 6 months) begun wearing makeup on a daily basis--before that it was reserved only for Sundays.
9. I tend to be very hard on myself and feel very inadequate in groups of my peers, but apparently I come off as calm, cool, and collected. Maybe I should have been an actor! LOL
10. I eloped with my husband after deciding that we should go ahead and get married "right away" at a Hogi Yogi during lunch. We were married in the courthouse in Park City 4 hours later. I wore a purple dress because it was the only thing clean in the dryer. We will be married for 8 years Feb. 5
11. My husband and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Mt. Timpanogos temple July 2005. I was 7 months pregnant with Dallin. It was the most spiritual experience of my life. The spirit was so strong and I just tried to drink it all in. I really felt the preparation was entirely worth it.
12. Although we lived in Utah where there was a temple every 10 minutes, we did not get back to the temple while we lived there (except for sealings or weddings of friends). Now we live in Texas where the nearest temple is 1 1/2 hours away and I am hoping that we can make it back this year.
13. I have to have my children via c-section because my body does not release the chemical to allow me to actually soften and efface to allow for childbirth, but I don't really know any different so I am not sure if it is harder or not.
14. My favorite job ever was working for Griffith's FoodTown in Coalville, Utah. It was truly like being part of a little family and I loved managing an 8 aisle complete grocery store. It really taught me a lot.
15. My favorite color is purple--I tend to go towards the lighter shades
16. I don't know when the last time was that I actually read an entire book or magazine. It intimidates me because it seems so daunting to finish that I usually don't even begin.
17. I love to dance. I have taken ballet and jazz and have never felt more graceful or free.
18. I can't watch scary movies even if I think I want to. It keeps me awake and scared to death for weeks on end. After I watched The Ring- I wouldn't go to the bathroom by myself because I had to pass the television set.
19. I have discovered that I really enjoy doing my daughter's hair artistically and accesorizing her bows. I am going to try my hand at bow making.
20. I don't have any regular tv stations or cable in my house right now--just movies and netflix. It is not because of a moral highground, it is just because I am unwilling to pay for it.
21. I was a blond when I was little.
22. I love seeing my kids grow and change, but I also pine for the babyhood they are leaving behind.
23. I love being a mom 99. 8% of the time.
24. I once shaved my head completely bald when I was 23ish. We are talking with a BIC razor.
25. I love having highlights in my hair, but I don't love paying for them so mostly I'm all natural!

Our Big Ol Christmas Holiday Post (better late than never)

So I have procrastinated this for so long with everything we have been doing that I realize it is very late. I weighed out whether to post it at all, but for extended family everywhere and for posterity...we did have a WONDERFUL busy Christmas. Here it is for your postponed enjoyment!

The Kellogg Family Christmas 2008It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Around Thanksgiving time, Nana and Papa began pulling out all of their wonderful Christmas decorations. They really do an amazing job on their yard so it takes a couple of weeks to get all of the outdoors and indoors holiday ready. The kids and I went over for a walk and Papa and Uncle Michael were decorating the yard. Both kids were in the middle of everything! So very excited to help get ready for Christmas. I'm not sure if Papa and Uncle Michael felt quite as helped as the kids thought they were being. LOL Dallin was bouncing up and down - "look mommy! reindeers! look it's christmas eve!" I help! Let me help" It was magical to them to see it coming together.

Also my parents put up a BIG Santa looking at his list in the entry way. He is about as big as Dallin. First thing, my kids did was to try and pull off his glasses. We quickly explained that Santa couldn't bring toys without his glasses---that put an end to it VERY quickly. My kids kept hugging on and talking to the big Santa all through the holidays. "Are you ok Santa? Hi Santa! I be good Santa", but I have to say that my favorite was on Christmas day when Kate kept quietly going over to Santa in the middle of all the hustle and bustle to put her arms around him and say "Thank you Santa!" and plant a kiss right on his cheek. What a sweetheart!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree
It was of the utmost importance to Dallin this year that we have a tree right away. Apparently "Santa can not come without a tree and snow". We were able to con our way out of the snow part, but the tree was VERY important. Dallin was so into it, that we actually went out and got our first REAL Christmas tree. We really enjoyed it. It was sooo beautiful and smelled great the entire holiday. Plus Dallin had watched the Caillou holiday movie and wanted to be able to pick his tree out. Fortunately, we were able to guide him towards the cheapest real tree at Wal-Mart. Then we bought a few red plastic bulbs and some silver jingle bells (aka kid alarms! LOL) and we went home to being our first real tree trimming. The kids were so excited. Dallin insisted that we sing "all together" Jingle Bells and Feliz Navidad over and over. Surprisingly, he knew most of the words! He bounced back and forth decorating the tree with the pure joy and magic of childhood Christmas shining in his eyes. I wanted to hold onto this year's magic forever. Kate helped decorate the tree too, although most of her ornaments were simply shoved between two branches. We got them all up and Dallin put the angel on top. When we turned on the lights, it was truly quite beautiful. The kids DID move some of the ornaments, but we soon enacted the "if you touch the ornaments you are in the corner" law and it soon ceased. Dallin, very protective of his tree, was sure to tell me every time Kate touched the tree. (Although a couple of times, I did catch him coaxing her over to do it....and then he would tell on her...what a turkey!)
Jolly Old Saint Nicholas, Lean Your Ear This Way

We celebrated the traditional German St. Nicholas day on December 6 by having the kids put their shoes outside their bedroom doors before bed. Christopher's great grandmother was from Germany so we like to keep some of that tradition going. The kids were very excited. Dallin thought it was Christmas Eve (AGAIN). Even Christopher and I put our shoes out. We told the kids that St. Nicholas was going to come and check on them before Christmas Eve and that if they were good he would leave a treat in their shoes. Dallin thought that was "so silly!". We read the story of St Nicholas, made cookies for him, placed them by the shoes(Dallin wanted to leave him all 24 cookies the kids had decorated and insisted that he WOULD eat them ALL...luckily I convinced him that 3 was enough so we could keep some too) Then they were off to bed. I thought Dallin would NEVER go to sleep! The next morning, they each got a Christmas ornament and a couple of small trinkets. They were soooo very excited.
Feliz Navidad ("Fleece Navi gog")
We also had a lot of fun getting together with my family and doing things like decorating sugar cookies, making snowflakes, driving around to see Christmas lights, and singing Christmas carols. Dallin LOVED singing Christmas carols this year. His Favorites were Jingle Bells and Fleece Navi gog (Feliz Navidad). He actually knew most of the words and would spontaneously break into song and ask everyone to join in. It really kept the Christmas spirit burning bright and brough a lot of joy into the holidays. Dallin would sing and dance (even with baby Maddie..who was very happy to do it with her Daddy's help) Whenever we would all sing together, Dallin just beamed and relaxed so completely. He actually sat there one night and almost fell asleep after singing carols for an hour (and still didn't want to stop) It was fun letting the kids decorate cookies this year. Kate usually ended up more frosted than the cookie and ALWAYS frosted her cookie with the wrong end of the knife and POURED on the sprinkles. Dallin used EVERY color of frosting on every cookie and tons of sprinkles as well. The kids weren't really into the "snowflakes" but enjoyed going after a pieve of paper with safety scissors. The grownups made some cool ones though with Santas and snowmen and candy canes. We even made gingerbread houses together out of graham crackers and candy (which my kids feasted on through the month)
We also got to go to our first Christmas parade in Pflugerville. It was hard to wait for it to get dark enough (it was a light parade), but once the parade started and the candy started flying...my kiddos were mesmerized. Uncle Willie even fought a pack of little girls to get a necklace for Kate. My favorite parts of the parade were when the police escorts came with their sirens to start the parade right in front of the float with Santa on it and Dallin said "Santa is being ARRESTED!!??" LOL and the last float of the parade that said "Keep Christ in Christmas" and then had a big Santa and sleigh theme...hmmm...lol
O Little Town of Bethlehem
We went to Burnet Texas and saw a live nativity (Main Street Bethlehem). They had actually recreated what Bethlehem was like with costumes, buildings, actors, animals, food. It was quite amazing, but WAY crowded. Dallin was a man on a mission. He was there for one purpose and one purpose only...to find Baby Jesus. It was so precious. He kept asking "Where is baby Jesus? Are we almost to baby Jesus? Baby Jesus, where are you?" We followed the star and after some time, found baby Jesus in the stable. After he shouted "There he is!!", Dallin took Kate and they ran over to the stable scene. Then kids both knelt down by the hay bales and looked on silently only occasionally would Dallin look at me and say "look mommy it is baby Jesus...shhh...he's sleeping!". After that, he was satisfied and we went home. I was very impressed by how reverenced my kids were. I half expected Dallin to go crawling over the hay bales and ask Mary to hold Jesus or be jumping up and down yelling, but he was so still. It really touched my heart how much this meant to him.
Silent Night, Holy Night
After much waiting and anticipation, Christmas Eve finally arrived (the REAL Christmas Eve...not the one Dallin thought it was every time we did anything for the holidays). We had our traditional Subway sandwiches and we acted out the Nativity. I read this year. Dallin was a shepherd (with a candy cane), Christopher was a donkey (LOL), my dad was a shepherd, my mom and Michael were wisemen, and Tammy Will and Maddie were Mary Joseph and Jesus. Kate was nothing as she was rolling on the floor throwing a temper tantrum. It was funny (as most family pageants with small children are) but also spiritual and reminded everyone of why we were celebrating to begin with. We all got to open a gift--new pjs for Christmas day! Then we made some cookies for Santa and left them out with some milk (and some carrots for the reindeer by the fireplace) We slept at my parents' home and it took the kids FOREVER to fall asleep. Dallin finally crawled in and fell asleep with Kate...you could almost see the visions of sugarplums.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas
Christmas morning came early...about 4:45 am. Thanks to Netflix streaming movies, we were able to keep the kids in our room watching Rataouille ("Rata tootie") until 6am when the missionaries arrived and everyone was ready to go out. We ran out and Dallin checked to see the carrots and the cookies...yep...both eaten...amazing! Then on to see what Santa had left. What a HAUL! We were all VERY spoiled and had a great time playing and opening gifts. Dallin got a scooter and the roller skates and Kate got her own (mom powered) bike complete with helmet. They were VERY excited! They rode around and around and around the house all day. Kate and Maddie got long pretend hair and it was funny to see them running around with long pink/purple hair all day. Dallin and Kate also got lots of other fun toys and nice clothes. They were especially excited about their new cooking set from Grandpa and Grandma...yes, we are playing "food" much more often now. We had a beautiful Christmas dinner and then hauled all of our things back over to our house.

It was a wonderful holiday season for us and we hope you all had wonderful holidays too. It was amazing to be with my whole family and see Maddie's first Christmas. You could see the magic and the joy of it all on Dallin's and Kate's faces and it really made me feel the spirit of what Christmas is about even more this year. I look forward to many more years of magical Christmas seasons and memories.

44 Randomnesses.....Valerie

Here is one of those fun "things you didn't know about me" things (don't worry. I have real posts coming again soon!)
1. Do you like blue cheese? yes
2. Have you ever smoked? No
3. Do you own a gun? No
4. What flavor kool-aid was your favorite? cherry
5. Do you get nervous about doctor appointments? only when I am worried about some kind of result or I think it might be serious
6. What do you think of hot dogs? beef franks all the way!
7. Favorite Christmas movie? Elf
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? water
9. Can you do push ups? one...maybe....does it count if I look like I'm doing the snake?
10. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My wedding ring!
11. Favorite hobby? email, blogs, online scrapbooking
12. Do you have A.D.D.? no
13. What's one trait you hate about yourself? I am overly sensitive
14. Middle initial? A
15. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment? 1-Chili makes me feel sick 2-I should be doing other things right now instead of this survey 3-Man, I am tired. It's only 8:30!!!
16. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water, Dr. Pepper, Cherry Pepsi
17. Current worry? Being able to keep up a physically demanding FT job and still be wondermom
18. Current hate right now? having to work
19. Favorite place to be? chillin in my room
20. How did you bring in the new year? banging pots and pans at 8, then going to bed at 9:30.
21. Where would you like to go? DisneyWorld
22. Name three people who will complete this? Heidi Sharp, Mom, Heidi Dickinson
23. Do you own slippers? Yes, but I don't wear them,
24. What shirt are you wearing? blue sweater and jeans, tennis shoes
25. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? I don't know, but it sounds WONDERFUL!
26. Can you whistle? yes...softly
27. Favorite color? purple
28. Would you be a pirate? probably not, i get seasick
29. What songs do you sing in the shower? don't usually sing
30. Favorite girls name? Kate Alivia
31. Favorite boys name?Joshua
32. What's in your pocket right now? my wallet
33. Last thing that made you laugh? both of my kids singing the Little Einsteins theme song (but they would just sing the last word of the phrase...a little late...each time)
34. What vehicle do you drive? 2004 Dodge Neon
35. Worst injury you've ever had? c-section
36. Do you love where you live? YES
37. How many t.v.'s do you have in your house? one.
38. Who is your loudest friend? my brother, Michael
39. Do you have any pets? yes. 1 cat-Patch
40. Does someone have a crush on you? my hubby...oh, and Tammy who keeps poking me on facebook
41. Your favorite book? Book of Mormon
42. Do you collect anything? photographs
43. Favorite Sports team? Texas Rangers.
44. What song do you want played at your funeral? God Be With You Till We Meet Again

Things Valerie Has Done...

Things I Have Done...

To participate just copy and paste in your own blog, and bold all of the things you have done.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept over night on a train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23.Taken a sick day when you're not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone Deep Sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the changing of the guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone's life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Ho Ho....Nooooo!!! Our Visit to Santa

Yep, the picture pretty much says it all

She was so excited to see Santa "santa santa santa" until we tried to put her on his lap. Then all bets were off and thus began the screaming, arching, wriggling mass that was captured in this Kodak moment. Since that time, she has refused to be left with anyone or sit on their laps...LOL She also will have very little to do with the jingle bell necklace he gave her.
Dallin on the other hand, has NEVER cried with Santa (so it was kind of fun to experience this..in a twisted way) and marched right up to Santa and told him that he wanted roller skates for Christmas and that he was being good and he was making Santa some cookies. Since that time, he has pointed out every white bearded man and insisted that they are Santa.

Thanksgiving Day

Ok so I know this post is a bit late, but I had to post it quickly because the Christmas posts are starting to come (so you may want to check back daily for a bit).
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving day. It is hard to believe it was only about a week or so ago. We went over to my parents' home and had a DELICIOUS turkey dinner. Everything was cooked to perfection. It was amazing. I loved the smells and the tastes, and the laying about afterwards with family(and the going out almost in the middle of the night for the sales the next day wondering if you were crazy and the deal was really worth it...LOL...good times good times...love ya mom).
The kids were really cute this year. It is so much fun watching them experience things for the first time and develop their own sense of self. Dallin ADORED the stuffing. My mom actually made extra because she knows how much he likes it. I think he must have had about 10 helpings (I am NOT exaggerating here). Kate has discovered the joy that is cranberry sauce from a can (that's my girl!). I think she ate at least half a can all by herself. I really had to fight her for it. LOL We all told what we thankful for. Most of the adults were thankful for family, friends, and jobs during this uncertain time, but I think my favorite was the kids' answers.

WHAT ARE YOU THANKFUL FOR?

Dallin: Is it my turn? Is it my turn? Oh ok! I'm thankful for the potty!!!
(I am too!!!)
Kate: ME!!!
(no self esteem issues here! lol)

I feel blessed to have such a good husband who is also a wonderful father, and I am truly amazed that the Lord has sent 2 such special blessings into my life, my children Dallin and Kate. I am grateful to live near my family and I am LOVING every minute of it. I am thankful for the church and the gospel, but especially for my growing testimony and the love of Jesus Christ. I am blessed that we live in this wonderful country in a beautiful home with enough food to eat and a job for my husband. I pray that we may all continue to remember how blessed we are and to feel grateful through the coming year.