Christmas Hangover

Symptoms typically include:

• Chronic fatigue,
• Major grouchiness,
• Frequent anxiety attacks when trying to figure out where to put all the new "crap" (grouchiness always accompanies this),
• Depression at the thought of taking down all the festive decorations,
• Bloating and cramping from eating way too much junk,
• and Denial that it's finally time to put the Christmas music away.
  
  So, anybody else having a Christmas hangover? Please tell me I'm not alone. -Ash

A Christmas to Remember

And I'm not using that phrase to be cheesy. No, this Christmas was truly one to remember, mainly because just like Thanksgiving, the stomach flu decided to visit our house again with a vengeance! Here's a rundown of the past few days at our house...

Tuesday: Gavin came home from preschool saying that he didn't feel good, and ended up throwing up late that night. I felt so bad for him since he dealt with this just a month ago! But as usual, he was a sweetie about it and never once complained.

Wednesday: Gavin woke up feeling much better, so we decided to head down to my parents' house for their annual Christmas Eve party. We had a great time with my whole family, starting out with an awesome dinner compliments of Martha Stewart... er, wait, I mean my mom! (Seriously, my mom is the best cook - eating her food makes me want to move back home!). :)

We then moved on to an intense game of Christmas Bingo. Ha ha, bet you've never heard of playing Bingo on Christmas Eve, have you? (With the exception of you Christensens!) Well, it's a tradition my grandma started years ago when we were young - all the grandkids would play Bingo for fun little prizes she had bought and wrapped for us. We loved it and always looked forward to it! And even though my grandma has been gone for 16 years now, that tradition of her's has stuck like glue in our family. We still do it every year, though the prizes have changed slightly (my dad buys fun prizes for the kids, but the adults typically get funny or white elephant prizes). We love it, and Christmas Eve wouldn't be Christmas Eve without it! (The picture above is of Gavin holding up one of our most memorable white elephant prizes from this year - a random hippo plate with a plate holder!)

After that, we exchanged gifts with everybody in our family. I got some awesome gifts, such as darling picture frames from my parents, a new church bag, political books (of course, ha ha), cute serving bowls, and money for food storage. Greg got a bunch of money for his car and some movies. And the boys, of course, got spoiled with toys. I didn't take a ton of pictures, but here are a few I did get...

Gavin with his favorite present of the night - a Curious George stuffed animal.

Poppy helping Ty open a gift.

The boys in their Christmas pajamas and slippers.

Finally, at 10:30, we went outside to pack up our car, only to realize there was an inch of new snow on it, and the snow was still coming down. We rushed to get our stuff in the car and get going before the weather got too bad. The roads weren't too bad through Utah County, but the point of the mountain was terrifying. The wind was howling and you could hardly see where you were driving! Fortunately, the weather cleared up not too much longer after that and we were able to get home in good time.

Early Christmas Morning: As expected, Santa came in the early hours of Christmas morning, spoiling our kids once again! Also, I had a big dinner planned for Christmas day, so I had set my alarm for 4:00 AM to get up and put a roast in the crock pot. Well, when my alarm went off, I woke up to see that our bathroom light was on and that Greg was no longer in bed. Yep, you guessed it, Greg now had the stomach flu! So I spent the rest of the night in Gavin's bed, hardly sleeping and worrying about Greg.

Christmas: I was woken up at 7:45 by a very excited Gavin, saying, "Mommy! Santa came and brought me the train I wanted! Come on!" Sneaky boy... :) I then heard Ty screaming from his crib, "Mama! San A Caw!" (Santa Claus) :) So the three of us all headed downstairs to see what surprises Santa had brought. Gavin got a new wooden train track, Shrek the Third, and a stocking full of fun stuff. Tyler got a Thomas the Train track set, Bee Movie, and a full stocking too. The boys played with their toys for quite a while, and patiently waited until Daddy felt well enough to come down for presents. Then the spoiling began yet again! (Seriously, I have no clue where we are going to put all these toys!) After that, Greg headed back to bed again and I tried my hand at assembling all the boys' toys. If you ask me, I think I did a pretty darn good job! :) The only thing I was unable to assemble was Tyler's new wagon, and Greg was able to do that later in the day when he was feeling better. Since it was kind of a crazy morning and it seemed I was always busy helping one of the boys with something or another, I wasn't able to get too many pictures. But here are a few I did get:

Gavin with his new train track.

(Santa left us a note informing us that he originally thought this would fit on Gavin's train table, but was sadly mistaken when he started to assemble it on there. He had to reconfigure the whole track to make it fit! Good job, Santa! :) )

Tyler checking out his Thomas train track.

Opening more presents... as if they needed more! :) (I cut back a ton this year, and was so worried the kids wouldn't get enough. Boy, was I mistaken!)

Opening Ty's new wagon. Both boys were so excited to open this since it was so big! :)

Playing with the Geotrax Quarry that my parents gave Gavin.

Tyler checking out his new set of wheels. :)

The day ended on a much more positive note with Greg finally feeling better. We were all able to sit down and play with the boys for a while, which was a lot of fun.

Well, we hope you all had a Merry Christmas, and that you were actually well to celebrate the day! :) -Ash

***P.S. If you have any more patience left in you, check out the blog below about Gavin's birthday and other craziness! :)

Catching Up...

I am dreading even beginning to write this post because I have so much to catch up on! But I better just get started before I back out and put it off any longer... :)

Temple Square Tradition

Well, let's see, I guess I should start on Monday, the 15th. Our family has a Christmas tradition of always going to see the lights at Temple Square. We get together early in the evening, eat at Old Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square, shop around a bit, then head out to see the lights. We have seriously done this tradition for as along as I can remember, and this is the first year that we decided to tweak it a bit - or should I say A LOT. That Monday night was absolutely freezing, and since the lights at Temple Square haven't been all that great lately anyway, we actually opted to not even go see them! We just got together for dinner, walked around Trolley Square, and goofed around taking family pictures. While it was definitely different than usual, we still had a great time. I particularly enjoyed staying inside where it was WARM! :) Here are some pics from the evening:

Dinner at Old Spaghetti Factory - yum!

Ty and Aiden playing on the "super clean" floor. Don't you love what an awesome parent I am - taking a picture of my kid on the floor instead of telling him to get up?! :)

Gotta stick in a pic of my newest nephew! Aww, what a cutie!

The cousins sitting on Santa's chair.

Our newest family picture. Would you believe this is the BEST family picture we have EVER taken? Well, believe it, cuz it's true. Our kids (especially Ty) typically don't enjoy having their pictures taken, so I was thrilled when this one actually turned out good, with us all smiling no less! It was truly a Christmas miracle! Ha ha.

Another family pic of sorts, with my mom and Linz. (Unfortunately, Dan and Kristin couldn't make it down so that's why Kristin isn't in the picture.)

Gavin's Preschool Christmas Program

Oh, wait a minute, I have absolutely NOTHING to write or post about this because Gavin refused to do it! That little stinker... He said he wouldn't go up cuz he didn't know the words to the songs - yet, all I've heard since that day is him singing "Jingle Bells" at the top of his lungs. Perhaps we need to review the "honesty" lesson in FHE next week. :)

Gavin's 4th Birthday

Seriously, how is it possible that I have a 4-year-old? It just feels extremely bizarre! Anyway, Gavin turned 4 on the 17th, and had a great day (despite the "tormentuous Christmas program" incident in the afternoon). He loved all the attention he got, and of course, he loved the gifts! My family all came over that night for a party and we had a great time! Here are some more highlights in pics:

The fam eating dinner.

A very excited Gavin with his present from "Connor and Yeden" (Gavin says Aiden "Yeden" - it's quite the crack up!)

Again, check out the excitement! This gift came from Ta Ta (Kristin) and Dan.

(Also, Gavin got the cutest little red Razor scooter from my parents, with a matching McQueen helmet, but somehow we never got a picture of that! I feel so bad Mom and Dad, but I promise to get a pic of him on it soon!)

Tyler also benefited from this party, as he got to open all his birthday presents from my family! He especially loved this cute little bike my parents got him.

Gavin with his "dead dinosaur" birthday cake (at least that's what I lovingly call it. He picked it out all by himself, and whenever I would say, "Don't you like McQueen or Scooby Doo better?" he would just say, "No! I LOVE the dinosaur skeleton cake!" Oh boys... I will never understand them!)

Blowing out the candles (with the help of Connor and "Yeden"!). :)

It was such a fun night, and I think Gavin really enjoyed himself. And while we're on the subject of Gavin, I just wanted to write a bit about what a good kid he is. While he can be extremely obstinate and stubborn (hmmm, wonder where he gets that from?!), he can also be the sweetest, most loving kid you will meet. If I ever leave his room at night without saying "love you" or giving him a kiss goodnight, he is always sure to call me back in to remind me to do both. He is also so sweet with Tyler. Every morning, Ty usually wakes up about 30 minutes before I want him to - 7:30 to be exact. :) I typically lie in bed for a few minutes before getting him, but the second Gavin hears him up, he is always running into his room to try to help him. Gavin is also an incredibly social kid. He thrives off of having friends around, and always does well with them - rarely getting into fights. He is just such a great kid, and I love him to pieces (even when he does throw a fit at his preschool program, embarrassing everybody around him!) :)

Well, a lot more happened last week (such as my first time going to Bunco, 6 hours of baking cookies for neighbor gifts, and a visit from Greg's sister Michelle), but no pics from those and frankly, I still have a whole post to write about Christmas! So I'd better stop while I can. :) -Ash

Dear Christmas Cards,

Due to budgetary shortfalls over the past year, we are going to have to let you go this Christmas season. Our most sincere apologies to you, as well as those friends and family who usually receive you. We hope to be able to re-hire you in the coming years, but for now, please accept our most sincere apologies and love as your severance.

Sincerely,

The Swensons

Tyler Turns Two!

Aww, gotta love alliteration (I know, I know, it's the crazy English major side of me coming out!). :)

Well, our little guy (who's not so little anymore!) turned two yesterday and I can hardly believe it. He should still be a baby if you ask me (but shouldn't all our kids?!). My boys' birthdays always seem to be really hectic with it being such a crazy time of year, and yesterday was no exception. I'm pretty sure I was running around from sun-up to sun-down trying to get ready for the birthday party/graduation party I had planned for both Ty and Greg. But since it was Ty's birthday, I did make sure to stick in a couple minutes here and there to just sit down and play with him, which really made me realize just how lucky I am to have him in my life. I remember being a nervous wreck when I found out I was pregnant with him, mostly because I was nervous about how close he was going to be to Gavin, but I also just couldn't stomach the thought of having another hard baby like Gavin was. I'm pretty sure Heavenly Father knew my fears though, and that's why he sent me Ty when he did. He is seriously the sweetest little boy. Since he was a baby, he has always been so sweet and loving. He loves to cuddle with me and whenever I get mad at him, he gets so upset and hides his face. He just has the sweetest little spirit and I feel so blessed to have him in my life.

Anyway, last night, I decided to throw a birthday party for Ty and also a graduation party for Greg (Greg was supposed to walk yesterday, but being the party pooper he is, he wouldn't! So I figured we needed to celebrate somehow...). We had Greg's family come down from Idaho (my family will come up for a party on Gavin's birthday), and it went really well! We had dinner, opened presents, ate cake and ice cream, and went and saw Christmas lights. Here are some highlights from the evening:

Gavin and his cousin Livia enjoying yummy soup in bread bowls!

This was my favorite part of the night! Since Greg was such a party pooper and refused to walk, I decided that he needed to have his own little graduation ceremony at home! (I love embarrassing my hubby, if you can't tell!) :) I turned on graduation music, put my graduation clothes on him (notice the lovely length on the sleeves!), and made him walk (a whole ten feet, ha ha!) to come get his mock diploma from me. He was thorougly embarrassed and more than ready to get those clothes off by the end, but hey, at least now his graduation feels somewhat official! :)

Yay, we finally get Daddy back! :)

Greg reading his totally awesome, homemade diploma! :)

Gavin opening an early birthday present from Grandma and Grandpa. He has wanted Hungry Hungry Hippos for a while now so he was extremely excited to finally get it!

Tyler opening a present. He was so excited, he just went from one present to the next.

Ty blowing out his candles. (I was an idiot and cut the cake before putting the candles in! You may call it "being blonde," I call it "being exhausted." :) )

I think Gavin liked the cake, how about you? :)

Overall, it was a great day and I'm just thrilled to see Ty growing up strong and happy, and see Greg "officially" graduated! :) Now only a few days left until Gavin's birthday! Oh the madness, it never ends... :) -Ash

Euphoria, Sadness, Gratitude, and Madness...

This past week has been a crazy one, and it has definitely had me on an emotional roller coaster! Here's a rundown of what's been happening...

Last Tuesday brought major euphoria into our home when Greg turned in his last assignment EVER for school! Seriously, I cannot believe this day is here. As I explained a few months ago, Greg has always hated school and I never in a million years thought I would be able to convince him to finish. So it was a pretty great day... until...

I got a call from Greg informing me that our good friend (who had helped Greg get his job at Qwest) had lost his job that day. I wish I could put into words how horrible I felt (and still feel) for our friend and his family. It just upsets me beyond words that so many people who are in no way responsible for this economic meltdown are the ones getting hammered for it. It just seems so unfair and wrong. This past week, my thoughts and prayers have centered around our friends because my heart just breaks for them everytime I think about it. We also just saw Greg's good friend (the Elder's Quorum President) lose his job as well. They ended up moving a couple weeks ago and are hoping their home doesn't get foreclosed on here. All of this put together has just had me in a very somber mood lately. I really thought Greg and I would be so thrilled when he was done with school (and we were, for a few hours I guess!), but ever since all of this has happened, it has had us wondering if Greg is next? This friend of ours was selling a whole lot more for Qwest than Greg ever has, so it just doesn't make sense why he would lose his job and not Greg. But as we've had these thoughts, we've also had the opportunity to realize just how thankful we are for what we have and we've noticed the Lord's hand in everything...

This year has been a hard one for us, and I know we both complain about it on almost a daily basis. But seeing dear friends lose jobs and struggle during these hard times has really made us take a hard look at our lives, and realize that we need to stop complaining so much and just be grateful for what we have! Even though we definitely have regrets about Greg leaving T-Mobile and trying out a new career path, we are still so grateful that Greg even HAS a job right now. We are so grateful that we still have a home and a healthy family. And above all, we are so thankful to have the Lord in our lives. I have no clue how people can be atheists and not commit suicide. Having that constant hope and help in my life is just about the only thing that has gotten me through these hard times. Looking back, it is amazing for me to think about this past summer and see just how much the Lord has helped us through. We had been pulling money from savings every month since January just to get by (since A World of Tile had lied to Greg about his pay), and by July, our money was almost gone. I just remember this pit in the bottom of my stomach wondering what in the world we were going to do. I considered going to work somewhere, but when I prayed about that, I got a strong feeling that that was not what I was supposed to do. But then I thought, "Well, how in the world are we going to continue to pay our bills?" I wasn't given any answers to that, but I just felt like things would work themselves out. And sure enough, we have had numerous opportunities come up within the past few months that have helped us make enough money to get by without me having to go back to work. In fact, to this day, we actually have more money in savings then we did back in the summer. I am just really thankful to the Lord for everything he's given us. It has been one heck of a year, but I would never change it because I think it was the only way the Lord knew he could humble us and make us realize that his hand is in everything. I just hope we never forget the lessons we've learned this past year, because they've been invaluable.

The rest of last week, of course, was filled with fear and uncertainty about Greg's job. Everytime my phone rang and I saw that it was Greg, I would just get this knot in my stomach. Fortunately though, we made it through the rest of the week without a job loss (and as of 1:00 today, Greg confirmed to me again that he is still employed! Phew! :) ) We decided we needed to do something fun to get our minds off of everything, so on Saturday, we decided to throw a very spur-of-the-moment neighborhood birthday party for the boys. Though it was definitely filled with moment of chaos and madness, it went much better than I had planned and I think the kids all had a great time. Ty and Gavin got spoiled with presents, Mom got her fill of social time with the other moms, and Dad got some quiet time in the bedroom! :) So I think everybody was pretty happy in the end.

Well, I'm sorry that was such a long post. I could have written so much more because it has just been a really crazy week and I have so much on my mind, but I will spare you all the boredom! :) So stay tuned for the upcoming birthdays of Gavin and Ty, as well as a completely humilating (at least that's what I'm hoping for!) graduation party for Greg! :) -Ash

8 Things...

My little sister Kristin tagged me. (And I'm sorry if you are all totally bored with me doing tags, but hey, they give me something to post about!)

8 Favorite TV Shows:
1: The O'Reilly Factor (of course...)
2: American Idol
3: What I Like About You (re-runs, of course)
4: Hidden Potential
5: Price is Right
6: Designed to Sell
7: Millionaire
8: Deal or No Deal

8 Favorite Books:
1: Twilight
2: New Moon
3: Eclipse
4: Culture Warrior (Notice I didn't put Breaking Dawn here cuz frankly, I didn't really like it!)
5: Winds of War
6: War and Remembrance
7: A Bold Fresh Piece of Humanity
8: An Inconvenient Truth (I'm reading this right now and Glenn Beck is hilarious...)

8 Things that Happened Yesterday:
1: Took Gavin to preschool
2: Got the van lubed
3: Watched my neighbor's kids
4: Proofread 40 pages worth of Greg's schoolwork!
5: Cried for my friends whose husband lost his job yesterday (and said quite a few prayers for them too)
6: Practiced the piano
7: Worked on invitations for the boys' birthdays and Greg's graduation party
8: Watched The Grinch

8 Things to Look Forward to:
1: Greg officially receiving his diploma!
2: Seeing the lights at Temple Square with my family soon
3: Christmas Eve party at my parents' house
4: Christmas morning and seeing my kids' faces
5: A baby girl! Ha ha, yeah right...
6: Inheriting my parents' baby grand piano. :) In many, many years, of course...
7: Figuring out what we ultimately want to do with our lives
8: Republicans taking back power!!! :)

8 Things on My Wish List:
1: This stupid recession ending soon so I can finally calm down
2: That people I know will stop losing their jobs
3: That Obama will govern moderately
4: A second running car
5: Again, a baby girl... :)
6: A brand new kitchen with all new cabinets (no more oak!) and granite countertops!
7: Enough money in savings so Greg can open his own business
8: A new paint job through my whole house

8 Things I Love About Winter:
1: Christmas, of course!
2: Snow, but only when I don't have to go anywhere
3: Yummy soup
4: Skiing (even though I haven't been in 7 years!)
5: Going to the cabin
6: Feeling like I can actually be in style wearing modest clothes! :)
7: Honestly, I can't think of two more things that I love about winter because frankly, I really don't like it! So sorry. :)
8: ............

8 People I Tag:
Whoever wants to do it! :) -Ash