I'm not too proud . . .

. . . to take a vacation (or two) when they fall in my lap!

So, last June, my mom told me that her parents were planning a cruise in January for their 60th wedding anniversary and taking all their children and spouses. My dad had decided that he couldn't go since it was during his basketball season (and a very critical point as well.) Some may not understand this decision, but if you've ever been a high school coach, you understand how much time and effort you spend trying to get your players to learn what it means to be committed to something and to never let your team down, and that if you were to take a vacation in the middle of the season, you would be the biggest hypocrite in your gym and completely lose the respect of your team. I know that even as an assistant coach, I wouldn't even miss one practice unless there was an emergency. Sooooo, my mom said that she could still bring a roommate along on the cruise. Tami was there, and I suggested that she go, since she had never been on a cruise before, and she had never spent any time away from her kids since becoming a mom. But before I could get too excited for her to go have a great vacation, she informed us that she was pregnant and due in January! Around that same time, Violet announced that she was also expecting (due in February), so she wouldn't be able to go either. Of course, both of my little sisters play basketball, Sullivan is on a mission, and Tyson would be back in school in January to finish his degree. So, since nobody else could go, I told my mom that if I wasn't pregnant too (which I wish I was), I would go. And now it's just a few days away! I am SO looking forward to spending this much time with my mom, and getting to know my Alaska aunts and uncles a little better (oh, and I suppose I might enjoy the beaches, excursions, food, entertainment, and warm weather, too!)

The only downer is that Tony can't come along. I have felt bad about that, and when he starts giving me a bad time about leaving him and the kids home alone while I go have a great time, I actually do start to feel bad. But the guilt was alleviated a bit in November, when another great vacation opportunity fell in Tony's lap! The school district is sending him to Washington, D.C. in April to attend a special education conference, and since his flight, hotel, and food are all paid for, and we had enough rewards points to pay for my flight as well, I'm going to accompany him! Washington, D.C. was next on our list of vacations we wanted to go on; we just never thought the opportunity would come so soon or be so affordable! So, we're going to go a couple days early to make sure Tony gets to see the things he really wants to see before his classes start up.

So, if anybody else wants to send a free or nearly free vacation my way, go ahead! I accept.

My (Christmas Break) Favorite Things

I realize that this post is LONG overdue, but I thought I'd do a quick rundown of our awesome Christmas vacation. Here are a few of my favorite things:

Our visit to Temple Square (in 40 degree weather!)

The Mayan--Oh, how the kids love this place!

A trip to Discovery Gateway, where the kids all found something right up their alley.

Smiles on the kids' faces on Christmas morning. Christmas was pretty fun as a kid, but it's much better as a parent!

We had a white Christmas this year, something we don't always have. We got tons of snow and very little wind. We enjoyed it by doing lots of sledding in a variety of ways: on the elephant hill in the back yard, at test hill in Cokeville, on a sleigh with a team of horses, and finally--the favorite--riding on an old satellite dish behind a truck with cousins.

This list simply wouldn't be complete without mention of the FOOD! Although I enjoyed it all, I really loved these little creations by Tony: jalapenos filled with cream cheese and parmesan and wrapped in bacon. Yum! Yum!

The Big 5, Pretty Preschool, Snowflake Fest

Some highlights from this past week:

Mylie turned 5! We had a fun party with cousins, aunts, uncles, and grandparents, as usual. My parents came over from Cokeville for the party. They're so good to come over for my kids' birthdays as often as they can. Mylie loved her #5 cake, and I was excited about my new cake pan that can do number and letter shapes. That's about as fancy as it's going to get for me in the cake decorating department, I'm afraid.

She loves her new pillow pet from Grannie T.

Wednesday was our preschool Christmas party at our house. The kids and moms had a great time. The preschool kids all drew names and brought a gift for one other child. Mylie got make-up, and within five minutes, all the little girls looked SO BEAUTIFUL!!!

And finally, we had our 2nd annual Snowflake Fest here at the Micheli house. I say "annual" because the kids have loved this so much last year and this year that I'm sure this is going to become a Christmas tradition around here. They just love all the different designs they come up with! I love it because it's simple--computer paper and scissors--and fun. There really isn't much mess--just little scraps of paper that we scoop into the garbage to clean up, and I can leave them up for a few months here in Wyoming where winter lasts half of the year!

Here they are in creative concentration mode:

And we all love the finished product!

Not Left Out

Connor has been starting to wonder just a bit whether it's possible for Santa to get to every single house on Christmas Eve. And that leads to wondering if Santa is even real. But his faith in Santa has been restored since Santa sent him THIS awesome message in my email! (The kids have had a ball with these!!)

SANTA, SANTA, SANTA

Last night was the ward Christmas party, and OF COURSE, Santa was there. Connor had no problem sitting on Santa's lap and telling him just what he wants for Christmas (a Mythbusters kit, air hockey table, or old fashioned sled).
Mylie, on the other hand, has always been afraid of Santa, and had never sat on his lap . . . until last night! I didn't really think she'd do it, especially when we got to the church, and she instantly started crying, saying she couldn't do it, then cried off and on while waiting in line, but when the time came, she mustered her courage and climbed up on his lap so she could tell him that she wanted a barbie house. Afterward, she told me that it actually wasn't scary at all!

I guess to reward her for her bravery, Santa send her a special video message to my email this morning. Click HERE to see it!

P.S. There was no WAY Mariah was sitting on Santa's lap! But with me holding her, we did get close enough to talk to Santa. He asked her what she wanted, and she said, "Toys." She shouldn't be too hard to please!

What I Miss

Sometimes I just miss people and things. I've been feeling that way a bit lately. It doesn't mean that I'm not happy with my life as it is now, because I am. But as memories come to me, I just feel a longing for other good times I've had as well. Here is a short list of what I miss:

Flowers--I suppose my yard is still changing each day and the snow comes, then melts or blows away, and then comes again. And, of course, there are a few more deer droppings each day, too. But I miss the beautiful changes that go on in the summer months.

College Life--I moved away from Laramie about 6 years ago, and I have missed it ever since! This is where I found lasting friendship, got an education, met and married my husband, had my first baby, lived in awesome little dumps also known as cheap apartments, and watched TONS of Cowboy/Cowgirl sporting events! Those were good times.
T.--To respect his privacy, I'll simply refer to this kid as "T". "T" came into our lives 5 years ago, first as a student in Tony's middle school Special Ed. classroom. The very next summer, he did a life skills summer school program on our ranch, spending 60 hours with Tony (and our family) that summer. Soon after that, Tony and I became respite care providers, and his time spent with us increased greatly. He even lived with us for a couple weeks at a time on two different occasions as his family dealt with some trials. We had a bedroom for him, and he was here often. Our entire family grew to love this kid--his tickling, his singing and dancing, his "You're crazy!", and his smile. This summer he moved away unexpectedly and I didn't even get to say goodbye. We hope to see him again sometime, but every time I drive by his house, my eyes fill with tears. We had a lot of good times with "T". Some of my favorite memories with him are going to state basketball, the county fair (a few times), and Lagoon this past summer.Pregnancy--Okay, okay, I know some of you would like to throw something at the computer screen right now (Holly?)--but as the time goes on, I do actually miss the miracle of having a little baby growing inside me. I'm sure it helps that I've had very smooth, sickness-free pregnancies. And as much as I enjoy a flat stomach as well, I'm kinda missing this little bump!
Digital Scrapbooking--I'm about a year and a half behind on this, and it's something I enjoy doing! I need to quit missing it and just get in gear and get on it again!

Sullivan--His birthday is coming up soon, and I've been thinking of him so much lately. I know that two years will be over quickly, but lately it feels like he's already been gone so long and it's been less than 6 months! He's such a good kid, and I really miss him!

Sunny, Sandy Beaches--Luckily, I'll get to enjoy them again in a little over a month! I'm getting so excited!

Good Move

I know this move was long overdue (my mother has been hinting at the need for it for awhile now--"She really is a pretty girl when you can see her eyes."--etc.) and we finally got around to it this week.

Look at my pretty girl before

(I actually put her hair up and out of her eyes this day.)

and after getting my favorite little-girl bob!

She really is a pretty girl when you can see her eyes, Mom!