F.Y.I.

Okay, here's the scoop- The last two months I have been on Clomid, and it makes me crazy. Not like, "Oh man- SHE CRAZY!" Like, seriously emotional, depressed, and high anxiety. It is definately at it's worst during the 5 days that I actually take the medication, followed closely by the week of my cycle (Sorry to any males who read this...), and a third runner up and also quite out of my mind is the week of Ovulation. Which really only leaves one week of the month for me to just be mildly crazy, instead of insanely crazy.
ANYWAY- Why am I telling you this? A few people have caught me on the phone or in person during the 5 days of taking the meds, and have come away seriously considering having me committed. So, Someone suggested that I just let everyone know when those 5 days are, just so you know if I do happen to fall apart while in your presence...don't worry, it's not me :o) ....it's the meds!
So just so you know, Starting tomorrow (Monday) and through Black Friday, I will be taking the Clomid.
Don't not call me or come see me...I promise I won't bite your head off...it's not like that...I just may need a little emotional support and/or encouragement and/or a tissue!
Sorry, and thanks.

The Advent...

For each day of the advent calendar we will have a small piece of paper rolled up like a scroll and tied with a ribbon for Jaxon to open. Of course going to all this work, you can't just write on the paper what we will be doing, it has to BE FUN!
So, here is the wording for the first few days...more to come...my brain has shut off for the night-
Christmas is coming so very fast,
The days go so quickly they don't hardly last.
So- early each morning come on and check here
To stretch out our holiday fun and good cheer.
We'll count down the days until Christmas has come,
And every day we'll do something fun!
It might be a treat, an activity or snack,
and then the next morning you get to come back-
Remember the spirit of Christmas is Giving,
Living our lives how Christ wants us living,
Be kind, be helpful and try not to fight,
So we can count down to Christmas eve night.


24 days until Christmas (Put up Nativity)
The Nativity set is our activity number one,
So we can remember God's Wonderful Son,
Christ is reason for Christmas each year,
Let’s make him the center of our nativity here.


23 days until Christmas (Activity bags for drive to Cali)
Day 2 brings a treat for this special day,
A bag of fun for the car as you get on your way.
Follow the clues to find your special sack,
Then hop in the car, sit back and relax!

22 days until Christmas (caroling to Grandpa’s hotel room)
Day 3 is here and what does it bring?
Christmas Caroling and you get to SING!
Go to Grandpas hotel room and knock on the door,
And when he opens it he might fall to the floor.
Because your singing will be beautiful and cheery,
He’ll like it so much, his eyes might get teary!
Don’t forget the cards that you drew,
To give Grandpa Ferrell a big, “THANK YOU!”

21 days until Christmas (matching socks to wear to Disneyland)
Day four and what do you think you will get?
I hope you haven’t put your shoes on yet!
Christmas socks for all cousins to wear,
Socks so cute that others will stare-
At the cousins with matching socks on their feet,
That’s a Christmas treat that just can’t be beat!

20 days until Christmas(Christmas M&M's and Christmas songs in the car)
We’re driving back home on Day five you see,
So what could our special advent treat be?
It’s a little bit of candy that’s colored red and green,
In the cutest candy cane shape you’ve ever seen.
Also some music about Christmas past,
To help our drive go by Super Fast!

19 days until Christmas(put up Mistletoe and kiss)
Day six is a special day in our list,
Because it’s the day that you will be kissed!
If you stand under Mistletoe you get a big treat,
And this treat is NOT the kind you can eat!
If you happen to see someone standing right under,
Run kiss their cheek, and so they won’t wonder-
Say, “Why did I kiss you, why, don’t you know?”
“You’re standing right under the MISTLETOE!”

18 days until Christmas(Pictures with Santa at the mall)
Who brings us presents during the night?
Who uses reindeer to help him take flight?
Why- it’s Santa or course, who else could it be?
So off to the mall we’ll go sit on his knee!
Take a picture with Santa with a smile ear-to-ear,
So he’ll know that you’ve been extra good all year!

"The Scouts Say..."

Now that I will be spending my Wednesday afternoon with the Cubscouts, I think I will start a weekly-ish blog post called "The Scouts Say..." and just write the funny things that the boys say. I really do love this age group, as it is the same age I taught in school. I forgot how funny they are!
So here is my first installement-
1. One of the boys said (and he was DEAD SERIOUS...)
"I hope I don't get called on a mission to Russia. You can't have a companion there, and then you get thrown in jail. Then the mission president has to come bail you out, and then you have to live in the mission home and make 62 cheeseburgers a day. I DON'T WANT TO MAKE 62 CHEESEBURGERS A DAY!!!"

2. We were talking about Native Americans-
"YEAH! That's what I want to be when I grow up!"

3. Talking about being good citizens and bad citizens-
"Our neighbors were being so loud and rude! They had a party in their driveway and they kept "beer vomiting"
me: "Beer vomiting?"
Scout: "Yes, I don't know exactly what it is either, but it makes you drink a whole lot of beer really fast. Beer Vomiting!"
(Did he perhaps mean "beer bonging"? I'm not even positive what a beer bong is, but it seems to make more sense that "beer Vomiting"...?)

That's it for "The Scouts Say..." Stay tuned next week!

What on Earth?

Little Jaxon D has been acting so strange lately! I am going to chalk it up to a growth spurt, and just hope he "grows out of it!"

Here are some of the current things he is doing that are very unlike him-

1. SO SO SO Whiney.

2. Cries at the drop of a hat

3. Eats ravenously (SO not Jaxon)

4. Falling asleep anywhere, and ANYTIME (also NOT Jax)

5. Sleeping like crazy

Last Friday he fell asleep in the car at 6:15 and wouldn't wake back up, so we just put him to bed and he slept a solid 12 hours.

Then yesterday, he fell asleep in the car at 4:40!!! Seriously!!! I knew he was tired so I let him sleep in the carseat while I read a book, thinking if I moved him he would wake up cranky, but if I left him in, he would get a good 45 minute to an hour nap.

40 minutes later he woke up and was cranky and crying and disoriented. I could tell he was still so tired, so I said, "Let's watch a movie on the couch!" I laid him down and covered him with a blanket and by the time I got the DVD in, he was out again.

(Let me interject here- that Jaxon is a babywise baby. Thus- he is a great GREAT sleeper...but he ONLY sleeps in his bed! That's how he was trained. With the exception of the car occasionally and mostly when he was really young, I have never NEVER seen him fall asleep anywhere else in the house.)

At 6:00 I tried to wake him up because we were supposed to go to a fun family night activity at 6:30...after rubbing his head and saying his name loudly...all he did was start snoring.

At 6:15 I turned on the lights sat him up, and wouldn't let him snuggle into me. I succeeded in starting 15 minutes of non-stop crying...all with his eyes closed. I put him in bed and rubbed his back till he stopped crying, and again he slept till 6am. 13 HOURS OF SLEEP!

Also, yesterday for Breakfast he ate:

1. One bowl of yogurt

2. One bowl of cereal

3. One baggie of pretzels

4. One whole banana

5. Half a bagel

6. One carton of blueberries

7. A juice box

8. A capri sun

Jaxon is NOT a big eater...in fact...it would be stretching it a lot to even call him an "eater" at all... it's basically dead last on his priority list. (Must me nice, huh?)

Any ideas on what is going on with this kid???

Dude- Idea....and a new calling!

Jaxon's cousins have all been singing the "Doe A Deer" song lately, and he decided it was high time he learned it as well. He has never been to music class, and never seen Sound Of Music...so he has no idea what it means, or what it's for. Today in the car he sang-

"Dude. Idea. A Film Idea"

Hysterical!

Next.....My New Calling----

DEN LEADER!

That's right folks, I'm now a Cub Scout leader!!! (Webelos I believe!)

When I found out I was meeting with the bishop this morning I was excited to go get a new calling. I got released from the Moms and Tots playgroup leader and member of HFPE committee last week, so I was excited to start serving again.

This morning when I got to church and found out I was actually meeting with the bishopric counselor over primary, I WAS SO SAD! Don't get me wrong, I love kids! I taught fifth grade and loved every second...the problem is that for the first 6 years of my marriage, I NEVER GOT TO ATTEND RS-EVER! I was in Primary or Young Women's the WHOLE 6 YEARS! This past year, I have absolutely LOVED Relief Society. I love the interaction, I love the lessons, I LOVE IT!!!

I asked the Bishopric member Did it count as refusing a calling, if I just refused to meet with him??? He just laughed and started the meeting. We shot the breeze and then he said,

"Well. This calling IS in the primary, but you would still get to attend RS on Sunday."

I thought, I can't imagine what that could be, but bring it on! When he called me to Cub Scouts, you could have knocked me over with a feather!! But I am REALLY EXCITED!!!! Everyone I talk to says Scouts is SUPER FUN! I never thought of myself as serving in scouts, but now I am really excited to start!

I'm sure this calling will bring lots of funny stories and activities....so stay posted!

24 days of Christmas Countdown Advent Thing...

Okay, so my dear friend Michelle in SF emailed me what her family did for the Christmas Countdown last year and I got lots of good ideas from it. Then my SIL Emily and I sat down and planned out some more...we are going to do several of the activities with Emily's girls...Jaxon loves those girls more than he will probably ever love a real sister...and hopefully my Sis Amber and my other SIL Tricia. I had big plans of making the cutest hanging advent calendar ever...but lets' be serious...this isn't the year. So we are buying them on Etsy. We found cute ones that we can use for several years!
A lot of people wanted to know what we were doing for our countdown, so here you have it-
(Anything that starts with ** means we are doing it with cousins)

24 days of Christmas

1 Tues- Set up Nativity- talk about true meaning of Christmas
**2 Wed- Christmas Travel bags (Christmas coloring book) (for Driving to DISNEYLAND!)
**3 Thurs- Caroling and thank you cards to Grandpas Hotel room
**4 Fri- Christmas socks to wear to Disneyland
**5 Sat- Sing carols in the car and have a Christmas treat (FOR DRIVING HOME)
6 Sun- Put up Mistletoe and kiss
**7 Mon- Pictures with Santa at SS mall-
8 Tues- Take change to Salvation Army buckets
9 Wed- Go through old toys to donate- "Santa's Workshop"
**10 Thurs- Christmas Craft at the park
**11 Fri- Gingerbread houses from Costco kits
12 Sat- Candlelight dinner
**13 Sun- Drive/walk to See decorated Christmas houses
14 Mon- Donate food to food bank or secret santa
15 Tues- Call Rogers Grandparents and Cousins and Sing Carols to them
16 Wed- Make Christmas cookies for next day
**17 Thurs- Decorate cookies 4pm at Grandpa and Grandma’s
**18 Fri- "Christmas Eve" at Grandma and Grandpa’s
**19 Sat- Rawhide in time to see tree lighting at 6
**20 Sun- Temple lights
**21 Mon- Caroling (dinner?) Grandparents neighborhood
**22 Tues- Christmas breakfast at the park
23 Wed- Christmas movie with popcorn/hot chocolate
24 Thurs- Make and leave treats for Santa and Reindeer

I am seriously giddy to start this!!!

Chair update!

Hello and thank you to all of you who volunteered your excellent array of chairs. (Mostly green, in case you were interested) Here's the scoop- I've decided (again) NOT to do Christmas minis. Boo, I know. I've just been super stressed with A LOT of unrelated and overloading things going on, and I decided a while ago that December was going to BE FOR FAMILY! All my scheduled photo shoots and corresponding editing would be done, and we were going to party it up, Christmas style. Thus, no Christmas Minis. THEN...I thought, Well...it wouldn't be THAT much editing, and it would be nice to have the extra cash for Christmas...so I thought, if I can find a chair that I love, I'll do it.
Then today I have been planning our family Christmas/Advent/Countdown tradition that we are going to start in December (more info to come for those interested) and I just remembered again how much I want December to be about family. I love shooting mini sessions, but it would be at least 2 full days of shooting, and 15+ sessions to edit... that's just too much time away from Jax this December. So, thank you to all of you who threw your chair in the ring, they were cute and I would have used pretty much any of them, but I'm going to pass this year after all.