January Come and Gone

It was an exciting month, but as always... It went by too fast. Too fast in fact to blog about anything. So, here's a quick review. Two friends had babies, which instilled a major case of baby fever. (Don't worry, I'm over it.) I joined Facebook, which I still am getting used to. My favorite cuz had a birthday (Happy Birthday Linds!), and my sister too. Sonja is starting to read. What tha!!! And she started a ballet class at school. Lots of late nights at work, with still no end in sight. That pretty much sums it up.

We're going to Fish Lake at the end of the month, and I'm so excited. It used to be a New Year's tradition. However, the last time I went there was no Angel and no Sonja and I was helping my cousins sneak beer out of our parent's cooler. Good times! I'm excited to keep the tradition alive, with a few minor adjustments. Now, we have to bring our own beer. Angel is going to get his first taste of ice fishing with my pops. We'll get to ride snow mobiles, take Sonja sledding, cozy up in the cabin and play games... I can't wait!!

First Night '09

We weren’t sure what we wanted to do to celebrate the New Year. It’s never really been a big deal for us. But at the last minute I decided we were going to live a little and do something fun. So, we bundled up and went to The Gallivan Center for First Night. We rode Trax and got there around 7 pm. First thing’s first… Ice skating!!! I’ve been wanting to get ice skates on Sonja for a while now, and this was the perfect opportunity. We had a blast! Angel and I whipped her around the rink, and she wiggled her little feet like she had it all figured out. After our ankles were done for, we decided to warm up with some hot chocolate and fresh fried donuts. We checked out a couple shows and people-watched for a bit, then decided to head home. We watched a flick, which put as right at the countdown to midnight. We yelled, “Happy New Year!” gave kisses, then crashed. That was definitely a New Year to remember.

Merry Christmas!!

Christmas just gets better and better every year. Sonja is just so much fun! She made cookies for Santa with grandma and grandpa. In the morning, there were only crumbs left with a thank you note from Santa himself… (well, from my mom.) She thought it was the greatest thing that Santa personally left a note just for her telling her how great her cookies were. It was something my mom and dad did for me every year, until I recognized the handwriting and caught on. We woke her up early Christmas morning, and she went nuts! A sled with a giant bow, overflowing stockings, a mountain of presents, and a glowing fire… It was so exciting! And yes, she got her cupcake maker from Santa, along with a chef hat and apron (from grandma and grandpa) that she refused to take off. Mommy and daddy got her a kid’s digital camera to possibly spawn a young, talented photographer. I’ll post some of her work soon. I hope you all had a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

A Romp in the Snow

With all the snow, fresh and glistening in our backyard, we had to get out there and mess it all up!

Sonja’s 1st Sleepover

Sydney, Sonja’s BFF, stayed over and… they were perfect little angels. They camped out in the living room and watched Sleeping Beauty, then went right to sleep. It helped that it was almost midnight by the time the movie was over. Hey, whatever works. Chris and Breanna, it’s your turn!

Sonja's Christmas Performance

Sonja had her very first Christmas Performance at her school on Thursday. She sang three songs with her class. One of the songs was The Reindeer Hokey Pokey and she kept losing her antlers. Hilarious! Daddy, Grandma and me were beaming with pride. And, they were surprised with a special visitor... None other than Santa himself! Sonja finally got to ask him, in person, for a cupcake maker.

Candelaria Christmas Party

Our Candelaria Christmas party was so much fun! So many people we haven’t seen in such a long time were there. Instead of gifts, we all brought donations for the Utah Food Bank. There were so many kids this year, and they all kept busy making decorations for the donation box. Elaine had a house full, which was surprising with the weather being so bad just a couple hours earlier. It was so great having everyone together just laughing and having a great time. That’s really what Christmas is all about. And of course, the ladies had a traditional shot (or two) of Tequila Rose.

Sushi with the Girls

It was the girls of Maggie Sottero’s turn to celebrate Christmas, sushi style. This year, our party of three grew into a party of eight! We went to Mikado’s in Sandy and laughed the night away with lots of Hot Raspberry (Purple Haze) and Pomegranate (Pama) sake.

Christmas with the Homies

We had our annual Friend Christmas Party at Mountain Mike’s Pizza this year. Angel and I didn’t show up in the required “ugly sweater” and we were almost tossed out on our @$$. Luckily, Angel was off the hook because he was the only guy who showed up in a black tie for Kate’s engagement party (at least that’s what he’s saying), and Tenille had an extra ugly sweater just for me to change in to. Chad won the grand prize, shoulder pads and all. I couldn’t look at him without cracking up! We did the boy/girl gift exchange, and I was envious of one of the boys’ gifts, a bucket of beer and a playboy. No, not for the playboy! Then, we played a friendly game of Cranium, boys vs. girls. Do you even need to ask who won? Of course, the girls kicked booty.

Oh Christmas Tree

Here is our Christmas Tree! Angel has a gift for untangling beads and hanging lights and ornaments. And Sonja can hang decorations all by herself now! Well, on the low branches. Every year since she was 5 months old, Sonja has put the star on the tree, so we’ve decided to keep that one of our Christmas traditions. We will also choose a special ornament for the year together as a family. For 2007, we have one for our wedding, and for 2008 we have a “Santa Claws” that my mom brought back from Boston.

I Love Surprise Pics

When my sister came, she had pictures from our wedding that I’ve never seen. Over a year later, it’s really fun to see different scenes from that day. There’s even a few from the bachelorette party and rehearsal dinner. If any of you still have mystery pictures from the wedding or any other get-together, stop being stingey. I wanna see!

Sista, sista!

I was so happy to get to see my sister, although it was under sad circumstances. Her great-grandpa passed away, so she drove from Arizona on Thanksgiving morning. With me being in Park City, I didn’t get to see much of her, but at least Sonja got to see Haylee. They are wild together! Two kids? This week, it’s a NO!

Tenille’s Baby Shower & Birthday

Yes, two dual baby shower/birthdays this month. Now it was Tenille’s turn. We went to my uncle’s condo in Park City to celebrate the anticipated arrival of Cora Michelle. We ate, played games, ate, gave gifts, ate, watched movies and… ate some more! In the morning we went to Squatters for a birthday brunch. It was another busy weekend, but such a good time. Melanie came all the way from sunny San Diego, and I couldn’t have done it without her. Carrie even surprised us, and came down one canyon and up another just to hang with the girls. Congratulations Tenille, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Black Friday

WE DID IT! For the first time, I bravely participated in Black Friday madness. Angel and I were in line at Target by 5:30am. Doors opened at 6am and by 10 o’clock, we were outta there AND crossed every last person off our Christmas list. Target LOVES us! It wasn’t too crazy. People were a little pushy at first, but we weren’t there for any of the big-ticket items. Angel was great at moving me through the crowds when I was on the verge of freaking out. By the time we were done, we didn’t even have to wait to check out. Man, it feels good to be done. I’m definitely doing this again next year!

Thanksgiving

Sonja and I spent the night in Tooele Wednesday night to spend some QT with mom and dad a.k.a grandma and grandpa. Thanksgiving morning we watched some of the parade and left for Grandma Colleen’s. I think next year I’m going to have my grandma teach me how to make her traditional Thanksgiving meal, so I can pass it down. It would be a shame for none of us to know how it’s done. The best part was watching my grandma kick Angel’s butt bowling on Wii. Ya, you heard right! She kicked Mr. Gamer King’s B-U-T-T! She’s my hero.