Christmastime and new traditions 2012

Oh it's the loveliest time of year!  It really is and I'm so happy.  I am pretty pleased that I seem to be happy in whatever time of year I'm in.  This summer, I just loved summer and absolutely didn't want it to go away but now I love Christmas and want it to stay forever (okay maybe not some of the annoying music you hear too much at the mall).  How cute is little Lizzie up here?  I'm so thrilled her Christmas coat lasted another year.

Last night, Paul and I had the best evening cuddling up on the couch together and looking at the tree and talking about how happy we are to be sitting in our own homey home in our log cabin with our lights on.  I can hardly believe I'm at this spot in my life where I've always wanted to be.  We are looking forward to a lifetime of creating our own special traditions and I love hearing other people's traditions and gleaning from them.  We came up with one of our own last night - sharing our favorite things with each other every year.  You know, like that song "my favorite things."  Whoever wrote those lyrics really did a good job of encapsulating it, I mean you don't get much better than cream colored ponies, raindrops on roses and girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes but wouldn't it be fun if our family did our own list of Favorite Things at the end of the year every year?  Ahem, I hereby declare a new McAllister family tradition:

Our Favorite Things (and here are some things we shared last night)

• Big, wet, sloppy kisses from little Lizzie
• Me and Paul snuggling in bed together on a Saturday morning and letting the morning creep in on us instead of waking up and jumping out of bed
• Minimoons!
• When Lizzie says "Mas Pu" which means "I wanna watch some Winnie the Pooh" (just so you know, this is very limited because I'm trying to adhere as much as I can to the idea of no TV for her before she turns 2)
• Our home
• The view of Mt. Timpanogos from our home
• Receiving yummy Christmas treats from our neighbors (which we've been getting a lot of lately)
• Making yummy treats for our neighbors
• Getting Christmas cards from our loved ones
• Deer tracks in the snow
• Looking at the elk camped out near us
• The snow and the way Lizzie calls it "nose!"

Another tradition I'd like to begin when the kids are a little older is something a lady I recently met told me about.  She wanted to make the story of Christ at Christmas come alive to the kids so she and her husband created a "Nazareth Dinner" on Christmas Eve.  It consisted of finger foods that perhaps the people of Nazareth ate long ago like pita bread, cold cuts, cheeses etc.  It was fun for her kids because it was different and they could use their fingers instead of utensils.  Then the parents would read from Luke 2 and each kid had finger puppets to represent different parts of the nativity like the shepherds and baby Jesus and when they heard them mention the different characters, the kids would hold up the appropriate finger puppet.  The lady who shared this told us that it became such a great tradition that now, even years later, with her boys all grown up, they will not let go of the tradition and insist on getting out their finger puppets and having their special Nazareth Dinner.  I love it!

Santa, you ask?  I dunno.  My parents didn't do much with him and I think it's pretty silly how much some people get into it.  I'm gonna keep him low key.  Here are some more pics to share Christmas cheer.

Lizzie kissing her little cousin Baby Ben

President Monson's special table at the annual DMC Christmas party

Me playing harp at the DMC Christmas party at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building

What an honor it is to play at this party (third year now!)

View of our lovely home with some lights

Our harp and tree

Lizzie in the snow (haha she's kinda scared of it!)

She loves trying on this hat

Making some Christmas treats - Paul helped me make this look pretty

With Paul at the lovely Grand America Hotel, a pretty place to be this time of year

Lizzie with her buddy Kendrick at Chuck E Cheese, she loved the "horsey"

Our lovely home

I really enjoyed decorating the mantlepiece

God is good

Just a quick post.  Wanted to share the blessings of our Heavenly Father.  About a month ago money was very tight and we were very stressed.  Paul has been working really hard on refinancing both of our homes and it has come through.  This means we get to skip two mortgage payments in the next two months for our triplex and then two more with our log home.  Incredible.  We both got tears in our eyes when we realized the blessing this is.  Who knows what 2013 will bring?  We know at least a healthy baby boy but they can be expensive and fiscal cliffs and all that so this is a real blessing.  Just wanted to share...

What's Lizzie's up to at 20 months

So I have a good excuse for not posting on Lizzie's 20 month birthday.  I had all these fun pics to upload and guess what??  I am out of photo space on google!  Who knew that was possible?  Of course, I can upgrade but the question remains to upgrade or not?  I get so annoyed by small online fees which add up to a lot, if you know what I mean.  On the other hand, I can't stop posting pics.  While I make a decision, here are some new developments with our sweet little Lizzie:

• She has NO idea what's in store for her with our new baby boy (neither do I, eeks!)
• She does love to hold and cuddle baby dolls these days and takes one with her even to the daycare at the gym.  She is so loving and nurturing with the baby doll.
• One of our favorite phrases is "da baby."  She says this a lot.  She also says "mas!" a lot when she wants more of something or if she just wants something in general.  Funny (if perhaps borderline annoying at times).
• There is nothing cuter than the little vocal chords of a little girl.
• She will repeat anything Paul and I ask her to say and about half the time she gets it right and about half the time says says "mateet."  No idea where it came from but she tries so darn hard.
• Everyone loves Lizzie, the nursery, the daycare, and her parents.  
• She seems to learn about 5 new words a day and she loves to read books with us
• She also LOVES Winnie the Pooh which her dada lets her watch sometimes when I'm not looking too hard.  It's soooooo cute the way she says his name "Puuuh."  I need to get that on video
• She is trying really hard these days to eat with a spoon.
• She might be able to potty train soon.  I'm personally scared to get into that so I'm probably holding off too much.  She does pee in the potty sometimes.
• She gets the evening giggles.  So cute!
• She still gives out a lot of besos and abrazos.
• She and her daddy adore each other.  I love it!

Well, that's about it for now.  Good times with our favorite little girl in the whole world.  I love you Lizzie.  

We're having a boy!

Can you believe it??  We are really happy and excited.  I just had a feeling I was going to have a boy.  We said a prayer of Thanksgiving.  It's just a thrill and I have no idea about boys or how to raise them but I can't wait to find out.  I love you baby boy...

Lizzie at 20 months - Multimedia ; )

I'm starting to get more comfortable calling her Lizzie.  Here she is making adorable animal sounds all while "hiding" from me.  Soo cute!

How I'm doing

Here I am at about 18 weeks.  Feeling good these days.  I've felt the baby kick off and on already, much sooner than last time around and it's such a fun feeling, like a little goldfish wiggling around. I've been really great about working out this time around and we find out in a week if it's a boy or girl and get to see our next babe.  I can't wait!!!!!!!   And on top of it all, Thanksgiving is tomorrow and that'll be nice.

I was telling Paul that the day that I cook a turkey for Thanksgiving will be when I have crossed the last frontier in my life since I grew up in a vegetarian home with parents from different countries (meaning, Thanksgiving wasn't a huge deal in our home and we had fish).  So far, I've been skirting around the issue and making fun/nice stuff like pumpkin pie and sweet potato casserole with marshmallows (yum) and I will continue to do so as long as I humanely can (I still have never made mashed potatoes from scratch before, just with those dehydrated potato pearls, lol).

But I digress. My real reason for posting was to reflect on this special day and something that my yoga teacher (I suddenly love yoga these days whereas I never had patience before for it, funny, huh?) asked us to do.  She asked us to think on 5 things we were grateful for each day and that we would be lifted out of any sort of depression or sadness.  Not saying I have these things although I will admit I am sometimes anxious but not depressed.  Anyway, I decided to share my five with you:

This Thanksgiving 2012 am grateful for:

1.  Paul - my husband who constantly strives to do better and who ALWAYS wants to do the right thing.  I feel like I need to live up to his image of me and what I am and this in turn makes me into a better person so it really is true in our marriage - he makes me want to be a better person.
2.  Our sweet Elisabeth - I have been reflecting lately on her loving and tender personality and how I am really starting to get to know her as a person.  I love the kisses and hugs she gives me and the way she loves to be held and her happiness.  She is a genuinely good person with no meanness in her.  I LOVE that.  Being without guile is something that always attracts me to others and it's a rare quality which I need to develop more.
3.  Our baby on the way - Paul and I can't believe the blessing we have of having another child and I am sure that each one will astound us and fill us with joy.  Every day I pray for our baby to be of sound mind, strong body, and sweet soul (it worked with little Lizzie).
4.  My parents - I am really grateful that they are not divorced and that I didn't come from a broken home.  They have done their best.
5.  Jesus - I am more mindful of Him than I ever have been in my life and yet there is so much more I could do to think of Him and be there for Him.  I try to ponder this question which I know He will ask me when I pass on to the next life "What have you done for me?"  Am I ready to answer that?  What have I done?  I am working on serving Him better.

I remember about seven years ago my life was not nearly as wonderful and happy as today and I remember hearing president Monson quote the D&C verse "Let your home be a house of prayer, of fasting, of..." well, I can't remember the rest but it wasn't any of those wonderful things but guess what??  Yup, it sure is now!!

Thank you dear Lord and Savior!

What Paul and I did during elections

Yup.  Guilty as charged.  Above is a picture of us kissing on the Strip in Las Vegas.  That's where we spent election day.  Haha.  Just kidding, well kind of.  We did go to Las Vegas but not for the high life, we went to canvas and campaign for Romney and it was one of the best weekends of my life, especially with Paul as my buddy.  Not only that, my Aunt and Uncle Stacey and our friends Aaron and Krysti Libby came along as well.  

On the bus on the way there

With Krysti Libby

With Aunt Iza, I'm so glad she came

Yes yes we all know how this story ends.  Obama won, Romney didn't, but it was one of the best things I have done because I got to meet and mingle with all these wonderful people who believe in the same dream as me and Paul, that we can work and fight for America and do it by going street to street.  I'm definitely sad that Romney lost and I'm not sure where this country is headed (there's much talk of fiscal cliffs) but I like to know that the "little people" are good and noble and ready to help.  

We drove out Friday evening in a bunch of busses from Orem and the mood was joyful for all of us.  We left Lizzie with my cousin Jemmy and Paul's mom so we left her in good hands.  The next morning, and every morning following, we went to a rally at one of the headquarters in Vegas where some director would give us a speech about how important it was what we are doing because Nevada was a swing state.  I loved those rallies.  Then, we would hop into 12 person vans and get dropped off at various neighborhoods to pass out Romney info and precinct voting info to the homes of people who were independent to ask them not to forget to vote.  The people in the van were a delight and we got to meet a lot of people on whose doors we knocked.  Some were friendly and some weren't but we felt proactive and positive.  We did the same thing for four days (at night we played and went downtown with our friends and family).  On Tuesday night we drove back home and got there at about 2:30 a.m. on Wednesday.  It was pretty tough to listen to the results the whole way back.  I was especially bummed that Romney didn't get Nevada.  Well, that's about it but it was unforgettable, especially with my best friend in the world - Paul.   

Paul - the master canvasser

Standing in front of headquarters with Aaron and Krysti during the rally

This was by a pretty swanky neighborhood

The rally

On the strip in front of a canoe sculpture

At a Romney dinner (they paid for food, transportation, and hotel wow)

At the rally

Nice weather there for Nov - 81 degrees and sunny

Our van team - I love em!

Halloween

We had the warmest Halloween of my life (ay ay ay Global Warming!!).  It was about 70 degrees and we dressed Elisabeth up as a cute lil Tinkerbell and took her to our ward's trunk or treat.  Good times.  

Catching up: Arizona

I think I have one more big catch up and that was our trip to Arizona with my parents which was very nice.  Paul had to go there for a business trip (Phoenix) and we invited my parents along and we stayed at a nice resort in town.  We spent a lot of quality time together at the lazy river and the pool and Lizzie really seemed to like it.  My cousin Sheldon and his wife Nancy and two kids Adrian and Calea also came and that was a lot of fun!  I am so happy we all had that time together.  Below are some random pictures first of our trip to Colorado and then some great Arizona pics.  We really enjoyed our time together at the temple as a family.