Merry Christmas

Ella's Eighth

my favorite things about ell this year -
cleaning out her room (bear with me) and finding an entire garbage bags worth of notes and pictures
the way she spells her friend sophie's name "sope"
when she begs grant to let his webkinz marry her webkinz
the way she sings happy birthday to people when they visit her pretend restaurant

Christmas Greetings

Thanksgiving

Our first Thanksgiving dinner at home with just the 5 of us. It was actually really great and we may have caught the "stay home" fever for future Thanksgivings. C was very nervous about my first attempt at a Turkey but as anyone knows, anything can taste delicious doused in that much butter.

The "Thankful Pig" that we stuffed full of notes about our favorite things about each other. We read the notes after dinner. A great tradition.

All Hollows Eve

Halloween started early this year at our house. I had surgery the first week of September. Days before my surgery, Grant confessed that he had two big concerns:
1. I wouldn't feel good enough to decorate for Halloween after my surgery, and
2. That I would die and Cory would marry a monster that ate him.

So Grant and I kindly asked C not to marry a monster if I die, and we pulled out the Halloween decorations on September 1.

On Halloween day, we were greeted by...
Little Red Riding Hood
A member of the S.W.A.T Team
and
"Joe" the Chuck-E-Cheese employee, complete with mullet and 64 oz mug of who knows what.

Once Halloween was over (actually, almost to the very second it was over), the witches were replaced with Turkeys and the pumpkins were thrown off the roof. Because . . . well, why not?

Birthday Wishes

zachary,

you have the most infectious laugh . . . remember when we went to the Oakley rodeo and the dog's did all of those funny tricks? no one around us was really laughing at the dogs. they loved your amazing, hearty, eye-watering laugh and were laughing right along with you.

you are so good with your little cousins . . . and any other toddler you spend time with. we are always so proud of your patience, tenderness and responsibility with them.

you are smart, determined, loving and kind.

happy birthday!
love,
cage

Mothers Day Wrap-up

Here are some highlights of Mother's Day week-end:

First

Cory is in charge of the Cubscout Bike Rodeo Pack Meeting on Tuesday. So on Saturday he decided to build a "bike teeter totter" for the scouts to ride across. The truth is, it's actually pretty cool...too awesome for me to ride my bike across. I left that to the boys.

Greg

Greg

Zach

Cory

Second

We had Grandma Doris and Grandpa Hal over for a pre-Mother's Day brunch. We fixed cinnamon french toast bites with blueberry sauce, steel cut oatmeal (for C since he can't eat the eggs), fruit and brown sugar bacon.

Third

On Mother's Day, C and the kids gave me a new bike. We took a long bike ride around the neighborhood. We rode through the park which was full of kids playing tag. People were out walking and sitting in their yards. It was a perfect Mother's Day.

Home for Christmas

Naughty or Nice List

Things Santa heard in the Memmott house this week:

"When Santa asked me what I wanted and I said I would like to be surprised, do you think he knew I meant a Nintendo DSI?"

(Squeezing Mom's arm): "Mom, do you think you are fat. Because I think you might be fat."

"Grandpa, what is this I am eating?" "A sausage." "No. I mean what animal is it?" "A pig." "Oh good. I am eating my favorite animal."

"Are there going to be some presents that when I unwrap them I am going to say 'boring, only clothes?'"

"Has Santa packed his sleigh because I might change my mind about all my presents."

Yes - ALL these quotes came from one child. Can you guess which two children are nice and which one is Ella?

Chinese Christmas List

This is Ella's Christmas list in Chinese:

This is the translation:

"I want a Teddy Bear because I love them. I want a toy puppy. How is Christmas? I mailed you a note. Love, Ella"

Halloween Hodgepodge