1st Annual Sub-4-Santa/Ugly Sweater Christmas Party

In honor of the Christmas season, I decided that I wanted to throw a Christmas party this year. I wanted to make it more than just a party so I copied an idea that my sister Catherine did and made it a Sub-4-Santa party as well. We found a family through a friend of my in-laws and then we split up their needs between everyone coming to the party. It was so much fun to be able to focus the party on the needs of another family and I was amazed at the generosity of all who came. We wrapped the presents first thing because the family we were doing it for wanted to be able to meet the people giving them the gifts.

My in-laws' friend brought the family over to our condo and we were able to meet their beautiful family. The mother had three darling children-who were so excited for the presents I don't know if they are going to be able to wait till Christmas to open them.

We had so much food and so they stayed and ate dinner with us. It was such a great experience to be able to spend time with them. My friend Lindsey had suggested that we should also make the party an ugly sweater party-it ended up being really funny. Not everyone participated, but those who did looked great. We couldn't find any at D.I. so we ended up getting both pete's and mine at Walmart in the Women's section-Pete's had sparkles and sequins on it.

We ended the night with a white elephant gift exchange-we got a reusable soda jug so big it had to come with its own carrying case. Ryan loves it and keeps trying to drink out of it, but the hole is bigger than his head.

Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a great night and also for your generosity.

Tag I'm it

My friend Megan tagged me a long time ago and I am finally getting around to doing it-sorry meg I am a little slow. I decided I must be a really weird person, because it was actually quite easy for me to think of 7 random facts about myself. So here goes:

1. I can't handle it when people chew on wood-ie. popsicle sticks, toothpicks-it makes me gag and I start dry heaving and I even have a hard time thinking about it. My father-in-law is obsessed with popsicles and thinks it is rather funny to torture me.

2. I grew up in a family of all girls and none of us were given middle names and I always wanted one so in high school I decided to start telling people we all had gems for middle names. I was Anne Crystal (beautiful isn't it?!) and the best part was that people who had known me for a long time believed me.

3. Pete and I always watch shows on the Disney Channel to fall asleep at night and I love them. Hannah Montana is my current favorite, but Pete loves Kim Possible.

4. One of my goals when I went to BYU was to make it into the police beat-I came close, but never quite made it.

5. I sing songs like Copa Cobana and Grandma's Feather bed to Ryan and I was known to make up interpretive dances to them in college.

6. I am a list manic-sometimes I make lists about needing to make more lists-Pete and I were going through some old boxes of mine when we first got married and found old lists I had written in high school.

7. I am a hopeless romantic when it comes to books and movies, but I can't handle it when people are cheesy to me in real life-Pete learned that the hard way.

So there are some random facts about me, I hope you still read my blog after reading them.....

Just me and my blankie!

Poor Ryan has had a rough week and a half. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving he had to get six shots that caused him to get a high fever and to moan most of the night. Two nights later because of his love of bananas he was so constipated he was up the majority of the night-Pete and I went to bed at 4:30 that night. He also came down with a cold, which he still has and then this last Friday his fever came back and he still has that as well. We are definitely going to the doctor tomorrow. I have felt so terrible for him, but have been very grateful for his blanket. He has recently become more attached and since becoming sick he has become super attached to his blanket. I am glad he finds comfort in something so small. I think I need to get a blankie of my own.


p.s. Jessica, I hope you notice which blanket he chose to become attached to.