Birthday James!

James gets giddy about birthdays. So giddy that back in January, we created a paper chain countdown to help him picture when his birthday would actually be here. Apparently that means I've successfully done my job at spoiling him over the last 2 years. (Oops.) It also adds a lot of pressure. A couple of weeks before his birthday, we decided we wouldn't do a party this year. Then, with the Corona-Virus going on, I'm so glad I didn't have a party planned because basically everything is cancelled (including church) and nobody is really leaving their homes.

We talked about taking James to the movie theater for the first time on his birthday, but we didn't because of the virus. We did take James to "the donut shop" also know as the Lehi Bakery the weekend before because it was closed on Monday, James' actual birthday. James picked out his own donut and was thrilled with the green sprinkles. We meet Grandma Langlois at the Lehi Bakery sometimes, and he is very fond of that place. I can't blame him because the donuts are so light and fluffy.

On Sunday, March 15, we sang to James at Nana and Papa's house. He loved the attention and left quite a bit of spit all over the apple crisp dessert. Nana and Papa gave James a big car carrier and Simon and Esther gave him a coloring mat!

On Monday, March 16, James' presents awaited him downstairs. In fact, I think he knew something was up the night before. He may have heard us working on getting everything ready and got out of bed a couple of times (which is rare). We got training wheels and a helmet for James' bike! My friend Kaitlin gave him an astronaut book along with an astronaut launcher. Balloons made everything even more exciting!

(Still working on learning to ride this)

We had a big breakfast of pancakes and eggs! For dinner, we went through the drive through at Chick-Fil-A and got James his very own kids meal with chicken nuggets, french fries, and chocolate milk. Later, we watched the movie "Frozen 2" which none of us had seen. To top it all off, James got to pick his own cupcake (pupcake is how he pronounces it) from Cravings. I have never let him have his own before. He wanted to get a cupcake that wasn't messy. Good luck with that!

Although it was kind of a different birthday due to the unique pandemic, I'm glad we could spoil James. Here are some things I want to remember about James right now:

James is extremely smart! He talks constantly and speaks well. Most people think he is much older than 3. James has lots of energy and I have to remind him that if he wants to be wild, he can run around in the basement. James likes to know the schedule for the day and what's going on. He asks, "what's happening after that?" He enjoys going to story-time at the library weekly and is stoked to be big enough to attend "preschool story-time" for big kids. He can listen to me read him stories for A LONG time which makes my heart happy. He loves going to the gym (or gymboree) while I workout and I think it's mostly because of the unlimited T.V. 

He cannot wait until preschool begins in September and is extremely disappointed that a yellow bus won't be picking him up.  He LOVES Macaroni and Cheese (He definitely doesn't get that from me). He knows the words to some primary songs (I Love to See the Temple, I am a Child of God, Families Can be Together Forever, The Wise Man, Nephi's Courage, etc.) I said he knows the "words" for a reason. We're still working on his singing voice. ;) He absolutely LOVES nursery and is very social constantly asking about his friends. James is the best big brother and often asks if we can go wake Isabelle up when she's napping because he misses her. He lives for playing outside! We sure do love this tender-hearted boy.

A couple of days after James' birthday, he continued to ask me when his friends were coming over for a party. Next year it is, buddy!

Joint Birthday Party

We embraced how close together our birthdays are by having a joint birthday party this year! I've always thought it would be cool to do, and I followed through and made it happen.

By far the hardest part of the planning process was deciding who to invite. Once I finally felt settled on who to invite, the rest was easy. I was nervous that our kids would wake up during the party because karaoke can be LOUD. (especially depending on who is performing--Andrew.) I put the kids to bed before 6:30 to ensure they were good and asleep beforehand. I also had loud sound machines going in their rooms (which I don't typically do) and blankets under their doors to attempt to block out as much sound as possible. They didn't wake up which was a miracle because karaoke got intense. At one point, the T.V was shaking so much I thought it would fall over.

Andrew was a beast during karaoke as per usual. Together, we sang, "Never Enough" and "I Can See the Light." Andrew also sang, "Love the Way you Lie," "Ocean Avenue," and "Sugar We're Going Down." I couldn't stop laughing during his performances. He is a talented performer and engages the crowd well.

I'm surprised I didn't get any questions, comments, or concerns from our neighbors because of the noise. My sis said she could hear Andrew and I singing outside. We even had to crack a window.

Jill and Rob happened to be in town this week from Massachusetts and I was so happy to have them join the party. My sisters and I sang, "Sisters" and "Teenage Dream." Yes, I stayed true to my alto harmonizing throughout. 

All the guys sang, "My Girl" and all the girls sang, "Man I Feel Like a Woman." It was definitely a memorable night. I had a blast and woke up this morning with a sore throat from all the singing.

My "favorite thing" was the book, Eventown. Andrew's was Sour Patch kids. He ended up keeping his favorite thing which he was thrilled about. I got a Cravings Cupcake Giftcard which I'll put to use immediately. The gift exchange was exciting and I liked that everyone left with a gift. It felt less awkward than having everyone bring us birthday presents.

I had way too much food. I am my mother. That is way better than running out of food though. We got Costco pizzas. (4 was overkill.) To drink we had root beer, sprite, and bottled water. I had a veggie tray and fruit as well as 2 kinds of chips. For dessert, I made cucpakes, and homemade oreos. I didn't really want to make everyone awkwardly sing Happy Birthday to us. My friend also brought cheesecake. There are so many leftovers! 

I had to throw away my first batch of cupcakes after burning them. I wasn't pleased about that.

Attendees: Kristee and Kyle Chandler, Brady and Jessica Morton, Rob and Jill, Jess and Chris, Cynthia and Andrew Hollis, Shaylee and Josh Alling **The Humrichs, Skidmores, and Hendricks  couldn't make it.

Maybe a joint birthday party will become our new birthday tradition. I guess we'll find out next year.

Finished Basement

We've been talking about finishing our basement for a year plus. It finally happened. Once we decided to move forward with finishing it, it was a quick process. Once I set my mind on something, I'm pretty determined to get it done. We learned a lot throughout the process and are so glad it's done. (Although, it seems like the word done has taken on a whole new meaning.) The most important, big things are done, but small things keep cropping up. (For example, we are waiting for a powerful window cleaner to be delivered for the basement windows.) I really appreciate Andrew throughout this process. He worked on the basement after coming home from work almost every night. $2,478.95 spent, 11 gallons of paint later, and countless late nights/hours spent down in the basement. The result-- a play space for James! He's thrilled.

WHAT WE DID...
Finish the family room in the basement. (Not the entire basement.) It sounds so simple. It wasn't. The basement was such a mess. Yuck.

WHAT THIS PROJECT ENTAILED....

-Replacing the bottom foot of the drywall in a few areas. (It was torn out due to flooding.)

-Lots of mudding and sanding... 3 layers worth

-New baseboards in the flooded section. We were able to find the exact same baseboard at Home Depot!

-New trim around the closet and the furnace door... The trim is not identical to the old trim which is too bad. It still looks good though.

-Painting. The basement walls guzzled up so much paint. The walls were a tanish color before and now they are white. Also, the walls are a bit textured. Originally, we were going to sand them down. We decided to skip that step and I think it was a good move. In addition to painting the walls white, we also painted the baseboards, ceiling, railing for the stairs, closets, and doors. It was a lot!

-New closet doors! One of the previous closet doors was missing. (I think it was damaged in the flood?) We had to buy 2 new ones, so they matched. 

-New light fixture for the stairs. And guess what? It's already broken. It fell down and survived the fall just fine. It did not survive James playing with it though.

-Carpet! It looks fantastic! I feel like pictures are deceitful with the actual color. It's not gross brown like our carpet upstairs.

-New blinds.

-New switch plates for the lights and other electrical outlets. The old ones were a yucky, faded yellow.

-New shelving mounts to make the closet shelves sturdier. (Still waiting for these to arrive in the mail.)

HELP!

-We are not experts by any means. Someone in our ward (Brady Merrell) helped Andrew with the first layer of drywall which then made it possible for Andrew to continue the other layers confidently on his own. 

-My parents! My dad did the baseboards and trim which was challenging. We so appreciate it. In order to do the baseboards, my dad purchased a mighter box. I had never heard this term before. My mom watched the kids while we painted and having them out of the way was incredible. 

PICTURES...

So many trips to Home Depot. I'm not eager to head back.

We couldn't have done this project without the van. (Notice the drywall strapped on top.) Also, we can take out seats which was helpful.

(Still waiting for the new closet knobs to arrive in the mail)

WHAT'S NEXT?

We finished the basement knowing that it would benefit us no matter what. We are considering moving to a home with a fenced backyard. We thought finishing the basement and fixing the flood damage would ensure that we sell our home fast and make even more money. If we don't end up moving, it is a perfect play space for James. If we stay, we will buy some furniture and organizational shelving for the basement. Right now we are kind of in limbo. Wish us luck with this decision. It hasn't been an easy one.

Fresh Start

In With the New... 2020
I've been working on making my blog posts from 2019 into a book. I do this each year and it is way more fun now that James can look at them. Wow, what a memorable year! We went to Hawaii! Isabelle joined our family! Andrew got a new job! The list goes on. One of the goals I'm most pleased I accomplished last year was reading 55 books. That being said, the number of books I want to read this year is less steep. 

I'm sure nobody else has interest in my goals for the year, but here they are: (Hold me accountable!)

Physical

• Floss daily. Typing this, I know I won't floss 365 days this year. This goal may be the result of a conversation over the break with Andrew's dentist brother...
• Eat more fruits and vegetables. 
• Drink more water.
• Beat my Strawberry Days 5k time.
• Be diverse and try some fitness classes other than PIYO.

Spiritual

• Write in my Come Follow Me journal weekly. 
• Set weekly Come Follow Me goals as a family.
• Start and Finish the Book of Mormon.
• Read the second Saints book.
• Kneel while I say my prayers each night and morning.

Personal

• Blog at least twice a month. (I didn't set this goal last year and fell off the deep end.)
• Continue writing daily in Isabelle's "One Line a Day" journal.
• Send birthday cards to relatives.
• Write at least 2 thank-you cards a month.

Educational

• Take a class to earn credits towards renewing my teaching license.
• Read 40 books this year.
• Attend a parenting class. Send help! 

Joint

• Attend the temple monthly.
• Read a book together.
• Pay off xx amount of our car loan. 

Andrew set goals for the new year as well. We usually spend the first Family Home Evening of every new year working on goals. I'll refrain from posting his. I can't wait to see what 2020 and this new decade has in store for our family.

Holiday Season

I admit... having kids during the holiday season makes the season more fun. This is not the case for everything though, so I'll count the holidays as a win.

The littlest things excite my energetic son. Watching "The Grinch" was the best in his eyes. Seeing "The Santa Clause" was just as good and James asked if we could watch more Charlie frequently. (He didn't know the name of the movie.) Each time we got a new Christmas card in the mail was thrilling for James and he "helped" add it to the wall. Going to see a live nativity was exhilarating and the fact that James knew Mary and Joseph (our friends) about pushed him over the edge. He had so many questions during the program. Delivering wrapping paper to our friends and neighbors was equally stimulating for James and he kept tabs on all of his friends by ensuring we delivered some to them. Teaching James Christmas songs was extra neat too. His favorite was "Shepherd's Carol" and he constantly asked me to sing him "Mary, Mary." 

Snow makes for more fun than anything in James' eyes. We went to Eden with Andrew's family for Christmas this year. James had the time of his life with dozens of cousins to play with and tons of snow. He was fearless while sledding and even went off some jumps. Izzy loved being carried around by all of her cousins and got her hair done in a ponytail for the first time. The "favorite things" gift exchange, white elephant, ABH video, and talent show made for a terrific week. I was able to read 2 books while there (completing my reading goal for the year) and we played so many games! Splendor was a hit. Some things we don't want to dwell on too long are Andrew's injured shoulder. He fell while snowboarding. My forgotten boots and gloves. (Thankfully Malia grabbed my boots for me.) Our car getting stuck in the driveway. It made me rethink our decision to buy a van. Snow tires are definitely in our plans for the future.

After returning from Eden, we went tubing with my family. James wasn't scared at all and was giddy gliding down the mountain. We also had a snow storm and James and Daddy made a snowman. They named it and everything. James talked to the snowman as if he were a human. It was adorable. 

Jill and Rob flew in for the break. We will be seeing them less now that they live in Massachusetts. We didn't waste a minute of the time we had with them. We continued the Denning Salsa tradition and made and delivered salsas around the neighborhood. We got cozy matching pajamas. The boys got "Dunder Mifflin" pajamas. My dad loudly asked, "What's Dunder Muffin?" which gave us all a good laugh. We played many games... Hand and Foot, Secret Hitler (Chris gave this to Andrew for Christmas), Scheming and Skulking, a new meme game, and more. The ladies went to see "Little Women" which was a hit! I LOVED it and am dying to reread the book. We went out to eat a couple of times and had many family dinners. We tried the restaurant at the jail called "Serving Time Cafe" which I've been wanting to do for over a year. It has rave reviews and I was disappointed by my tasteless burger. Oh well.

Delivering salsa in style

For Christmas, Andrew booked me a massage and I can hardly wait for that! He also got me some other things-- a yoga mat for the PIYO class I attend at the gym, a workout shirt, and a reading light clip that I can attach to my book. This was so thoughtful! I usually require less sleep than Andrew, so now I can happily read in bed instead of escaping to the closest in hopes of not waking him. Andrew's main gift from me was tickets to Tuacahn this summer to see the play "Count of Monte Cristo." July can't come soon enough! Some other noteworthy gifts are: an instant pot which I broke in last night, thanks mom! An 8 man tent for Andrew which we will use this summer at the Ditto reunion. A new flagpole/flag that says Ditto for the front of our house and an adorable pink jacket. For James, we tried to stick with basic things: a need (3 pairs of pants), a want (paint book), something to read (Tikki Tikki Tembo), something to wear (Snowpants and gloves). Santa brought him blocks. We are so blessed!

We had an amazing break and we are all sad to see it end. Andrew had lots of time off of work and we made some unforgettable memories. Today is his first day back at work and boy do we miss him. I've heard "when will Daddy be home" a few too many times already. We are so grateful for this time of year. Teaching our kids about the Savior's birth was a unique experience. I'm eager for next Christmas already and so is James for that matter.