The Wintermas Mix 2010

I love the holidays, and I love a good soundtrack to the holidays. This is not your average "NOW! That's what I call Christmas Vol.25" mix. This is a mix I have been working on that hits every emotion for me during the season, and when the holidays are over, I go right into my Winter mix to help me get through the LONG, COLD, DARK days and nights. I hope you all enjoy it as well.

Part 1- Have some Holidays:

1- Frosty The Snowman- Fiona Apple
2- Oh Holy Night- Sufjan Stevens
3- A Change At Christmas (Say it isn't so)- The Flaming Lips
4- I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day- Pedro The Lion
5- Star Of Wonder- Sufjan Stevens
6- Christmas Time Is Here- Ivy
7- Did I Make You Cry On Christmas Day- Sufjan Stevens
8- Holly Jolly Christmas- The Format
9- The Christmas Song- The Ravonettes
10- Xmas Time Is Here Again- My Morning Jacket
11- White Winter Hymnal- Fleet Foxes
12- Winter Song- Sara Bareilles & Ingrid Michealson
13- Blue Christmas- Sheryl Crow
14- Away in a Manger- Sufjan Stevens
15- Mamacita, Donde Esta Santa Claus- Guster


Part 2- Making it through Drearyary:

1- Cold Hands Warm Heart- Brendan Benson
2- Rosyln- Bon Iver & St. Vincent
3- The Weather- Built to Spill
4- Selfless, Cold, and Composed- Ben Folds Five
5- A Long December- Counting Crows
6- How My Heart Behaves- Feist
7- Yellow- Jem
8- West Coast- Coconut Records
9- Sleep- Azure Ray
10- The First Song- Band Of Horses
11- Big Jet Plane- Angus & Julia Stone
12- Flowers in December- Mazzy Star
13- Are you Lightning- Nada Surf
14- Turn Out The Light- The New Amsterdams

Hope these songs bring you as much joy as they will for me the next 4 months of Cold.

First the worst...

I hate the first day of a "lifestyle change" DIET... The enormous container of SPICE DROPS- my favorite- were calling out to me all day, and believe me, by 8 PM tonight and having been on house arrest due to a sick baby, they were SCREAMING for me to eat them. I didn't give in... not today. I needed to prove to myself that I could have at least some control again. Amanda and I put our family on a group diet yesterday. We all weighed in, and we are committing to eating better and exercising. We set goals and we will check in every Sunday night. The reward will be looking great on our family trip to Lake Powell in June of next year! I just keep making excuses as to why I can't get it together, so this is it, no more, I am doing it. I have done it before and I will get control again. I ordered a few new cookbooks on Amazon (my latest obsession) yesterday, and cannot wait to whip up some delicious and nutritious meals.

HAdoubleLOWdoubleEN

I know this post is a little late, but we had a great Halloween. I loved Bo's costume and could not get enough of him in it! We went to 2 great parties at both Grandparent's houses and got spoiled with all sorts of goodies. I had even made pumpkin cake pops for everyone. I will have to post a picture of those later.


The hot dog being eaten by Shanna and Mitch the witch hat.



Ketchup, Hot Dog, Mustard



With Antoine Dodson



Mama Mustard and Little Mandog



I surrender.

twenty eight

November 18 turned out to be an interesting day this year. It started with Kyle getting his birthday present for the next 3 years (an ipad) a month ago. Me working a 13 hour day, Kyle working, Bo waking up with a horrible illness, awful runny nose, high fever all day, which resulted in an evening trip to the Instacare, interrupting dinner plans and a birthday cake made by a fabulous sister. I felt awful that the day turned out to be such a bust, but I guess it is part of growing up. We had plans for the weekend so I told Kyle to pretend that Thursday was just another day, and that his birthday was on Saturday.
Last night we went on a DATE!!!!! We were both so giddy all day about being able to go out together and hold hands, and stare into each others eyes, and enjoy a meal together. Sister Alisha babysat for us. It was great. Kyle wanted to go to Tucano's at the Gateway. We stuffed ourselves and drank as much Brazilian Lemonade as humanly possible. We got to shop and enjoy browsing the stores. Even the wet weather didn't stop from laughing our heads off the whole way home making fun of people driving in the snow. So it ended up being a decent birthday after all, just a few days late. I don't really want to tell you all a million things I love about Kyle because that will just make everyone jealous that they don't have him, but I do want to share 28 things I KNOW about him:

1- Kyle knows EVERYTHING about sports. This probably comes with watching ESPN and listening to sports talk radio every single day.
2- Kyle could fall asleep anywhere. And within record time too.
3- Kyle makes up endless nick names for people/pets.
4- He loves his job. Loves it.
5- Kyle has NOT ONCE said a bad thing about his or my Mom.
6- Kyle HATES healthy food.
7- Kyle is frugal when he needs to be, and frivolous when he wants to be.
8- He got in trouble on a mink farm.
9- Kyle is EXTREMELY patient.
10- Kyle would rather lose an eye than put his laundry away.
11- He looks forward to waking up at 6:30 on Saturday mornings to play Basketball.
12- He loves to tease his Nieces and Nephews.
13- He can whistle like you wouldn't believe.
14- Kyle is smart. Very smart.
15- Kyle loves to snorkle.
16- He used to build Jeeps and looks forward to doing it again one day with Bo.
17- Kyle looks amazing on a scooter.
18- He can make up new words to any song.
19- Kyle could live an eating only candy.
20- He had a Slimfast and a doughnut for breakfast for a week.
21- Kyle LOVES LOVES LOVES our baby boy BO.
22- Kyle had his photography featured in a gallery in downtown SLC.
23- Kyle makes me happy
24- Kyle has worked very hard to keep us always moving forward and out of debt.
25- He is afraid of snakes.
26- Kyle is extremely loyal.
27- Kyle loves ELECTRONICS. ANY ELECTRONICS.
28- I LOVE HIM.

KYLE, you are the best.

Much Needed

Tonight, Kyle attended Mitchell's setting apart to become a missionary. When he was filling me in on what was said during, and the advice that was given, he told me this great quote that the Stake President said: "A righteous Mother's intuition is the purest form of revelation." I think I needed to hear that more than anyone that was there in that room.

Lights Out

Kyle and I have a new goal. In bed by 10 PM Sharp. We have so many things going on during the day, and it is so hard to have the energy, when we stay up so late doing mindless things : Poking around on the Internet, watching TV, playing on the Ipad, etc... And, Bo has been sleeping awful lately. So, on Sunday, we started going to bed earlier. It has been great! I feel just a little bit more rejuvenated which is what I definitely need right now! And, I just switched out our regular sheets for our comfy new flannel ones!!! Warm and Cozy. I sleep so much better when I am not tucking a blanket around me all night long so no cold air sneaks into my sleeping space. Great nights ahead!!!

Weekend Wrap Up

Wow... What a weekend. I barely had anytime to breath. I am writing a quick post though to do a quick catch up of things. Friday was spent running around like crazy, getting in naps and feedings, getting nails done with Bo there (AWFUL), putting together 3 MORE outfits for Sorensen family pictures, and getting to DTSL for family pics. Bo was such a grumpelstiltskin, but we managed to get through, feed him a good amount of liquids, then headed to Leatherby's to get completely wasted on cheap greazzzy food and a bowl full of caramel with a tiny bit of ice cream mixed in. I had a hangover the next morning from it all. Saturday was also insane, more cleaning, running around, Microdermabrasion, chopping an insane amount of veggies at mom's. And today, Mitchell's day... I can't talk about that right now... sniff... maybe another day. But I have to close the computer right now. I have 12 minutes to wash face, brush teeth, get in bed to snuggle for a minute, then lights out at 10. More on that tomorrow.

8 months...

Time please slow down.

Cold Hands, Warm Heart...

A feeling is coming over me. Something I haven't really ever experienced before. I am EXTREMELY excited for Christmas. Kyle and I have really tried to simplify the season this year. We won't be creating the obnoxious list with pictures and detailed descriptions of things we want, we won't be emailing ideas, putting items in online shopping carts, and I definitely won't be snooping around. Not that any of those things weren't fun in the past, we are just having a change of plans for the Holidays. Every time I think about it, I literally get butterflies. I am so excited to show Bo everything about Thanksgiving and Christmas. Have him taste all of the delicious things I love about Thanksgiving dinner. Teach him about the Pilgrims and the Indians. Let him watch football with Kyle for a few hours while I nap... And Christmas... Oh the things I can't wait to show Bo at Christmas... That will be in another post. I am putting my decorations up tomorrow. I can hardly wait.




Thia is fun family photo from Christmas morning 2 years ago.

I smell trouble...

I am doomed. Bo is already turning out to be quite the little mischief. Here are some things he enjoys:

Playing with Penny's water dish, and everything in it.





I love Penny hiding behind him in the first photo.

Playing with anything electrical:




Making goofy faces when I am trying to take photos:



I am smitten though.

First Family Photos

We had Family photos taken a few weeks ago by our personal family photographer Matt McFarland. Matt did an incredible job, and I am very happy with how they all turned out. Bo was such a stink that day due to teething, but we managed to get some goods ones! And I would also like to note, I had been all over the valley looking for outfits to wear, and we ended up wearing things that we already had in our closets. I was so proud of myself for saving some money for once. Kyle was too. Here are some of my favorites that I will be plastering all over my walls, fridge, and facebook.

Returning.

I knew I would be bad at this blogging thing. But, I am going to rededicated myself for my own satisfaction of having a record of family memories. I haven't been doing much with the blog, because I keep a Journal of my own in a pink sparkle notebook with a lock and key. But really, I love having the pictures to go along with the stories. So I am starting up again. I am going to be playing a little catch up but it will be worth it.
We will start here:



This is my life right now. My Misters. I am so grateful for them. Kyle is amazing. He works, goes to school, works on homework, is Mr. Mom 2 nights a week, takes care of me, and is turning out to be a pretty decent parent. BO loves him. I love the way BO grabs Kyle's beard when he is being held. Kyle does so many fun things with Bo. They play catch, Noggins, and go on walks to touch the leaves together. I just feel like they are already best buds for life.

Bo is growing at an incredible rate. I feel like October was the biggest learning month. Every single day he did something new. I am continually blown away at the things these little beans learn. He is starting to do long division!!! No not really, but I wouldn't be surprised.

I feel like us 3 have some pretty good times in the past and ahead of us. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy a good 3 hours alone every Friday, but I am always anxious to get back.