Christmas

Well Christmas has come and gone. And it was a great first Christmas for us. :) I think that Pookie had the most fun out of everyone. Most of our pictures are of Pookie enjoying her toys and unwrapping gifts. Next year it will be baby. Dave and I were too busy opening our presents and enjoying them to take pictures (we got a few in early).

My new blanket- this thing zips up and turns into a nice little wrap (complete with sleeves). I love this thing. And so does Dave. And Pookie for that matter.

Pookie was in fact helping to unwrap her presents. She would grab a piece of the paper with her teeth and pull. It was pretty cute, but pretty hard to get a picture of. She's unwrapping a box of Milkbones here. She also got some new balls for playing fetch and a rope (about as big as her) for chewing on.


Our Collection. :) Mwahahahahah. :)



Dave opening his stocking (obviously these pictures are not in chronological order).

Christmas Eve Dinner. We knew we would be celebrating Christmas dinner with Dave's family, so I wanted to do something special for just us. :) It was fun but we ended up eating too much of the appetizers and didn't have much room for dinner.

So Christmas was awesome! I got lots of cooking stuff- including a cookbook of my Grandma's (that she got when she was a teenager). Dave surprised me with a super awesome electric mixer so now I can make bread so much easier (if only I could have had it when I was making the rolls for Christmas Eve dinner). :) I love it! I am going to start making homemade bread all the time now. :)

And we got our first baby stuff! My mom sent us a washing pad (so cute!) and the cutest onesies! My favorites are the ones that say "I heart Mommy" and "I heart Daddy." :)

Dave got a lot of books and camping/emergency gear. He also got some more games so he spent the weekend working on those. :)

The rest of Christmas day was pretty lazy. Dave cooked and I sat back and relaxed. :) For dinner we went up to Xan's house and had some tasty Spanish food- Paella (the really good stuff) made by Dave's mom and Dave brought up Spanish Tortilla. Everything was so tasty! Julie brought her Karaoke machine up and everyone hopped on and sang (except for me- for good reason).

We had been told to expect a HUGE snow storm but nothing materialized all day (or even while we were celebrating at Xan's). However, the moment we got home the skies unleashed a huge amount of snow. It was so wonderful! Dave and I watched a movie that night and watched it snow. :) It was the perfect wrap up to our first Christmas together.

The rest of the weekend was pretty quiet and slow. I have been playing on my DS all weekend. :) And not doing housework like I should have. :) We have another 4 day weekend next weekend and I am so happy about that. But then comes the dreary- no holidays/no sun/no fun period for the next three months.

Christmas Eve

It's hard for me to imagine that it is Christma Eve... at least I have a half day today. And I don't have to come back to work until Monday. Once I get home I am going to start baking. I have some Christmas cookies (and last minute presents) that I want to deliver tonight. Well, more specifically, that I want Dave to deliver for me. :) (mwahhahahaha I love having a husband to run errands for me).

I am also going to prepare our Christmas eve dinner. We are doing a family dinner tomorrow so I want to be able to have a special dinner for just Dave and I this evening. We're going with the traditional Pond-Vogt dinner (Cornish Game Hens, mashed potatoes, stuffing, rolls, etc) menu. I am excited. I had to convince Dave that Cornish Game Hens were really just mini chickens and not some weird alterna-food. I love those mini chickens.

Yesterday disaster semi-struck. I realized late in the afternoon that I had sent a package out but had forgotten to include a present for one of the family members. So basically, everyone EXCEPT ONE person got a Christmas present from Dave and me (and in some cases, people got two presents). Oh my goodness I was so embarassed and felt so horrible. So now I am rushing to try to get a present done and in the mail. With the next few days off I am sure I can get it done and in the mail on Friday or Saturday (fingers crossed).

The pregnancy is going okay. I am not as tired as I used to be, which is a great change. However I have started getting Evening Sickness. Actually I feel pretty sick on and off throughout the day, but by dinner time I don't even want to think about food or even cooking. The good news is that Dave gets to work on his cooking skills. The bad news- my evenings are pretty crappy. I'll be happy when this stage passes too. :) Our next appointment is at the beginning of January (the wait for the second appointment hasn't been as bad as the wait for the first one). We'll meet the doctor and listen to the baby's heartbeat again. :)

Oh yeah... if anyone knows a way to send some Korean Barbecue from Hawaii to Utah (quickly) please let me know. I have been craving (very specifically) Peppa's Korean Barbecue- the Meat Jun and the (red) dipping sauce that goes with it.

Christmas Memories

Lately I have been reminiscing about Christmases while growing up (and in my "adult" life). I've learned the hard way that the only way to spend Christmas is with family- it makes all the difference in the world. :)

Here are some of the Christmas memories that stand out in my mind. They may not be my favorite memories, but they add to my appreciation of Christmas with loved ones. (Caution: my memories may be different from what actually happened, but because this is the way I remember them- this is they way they are being told):

In the 3rd Grade I decided that I wanted a white Christmas and started praying/wishing for one. I remember that the day school let out for the holiday break (we were taking our cat to the vet), it started snowing. And it kept snowing. It was amazing. We had snow on Christmas. I don't know if the technical description for a "White Christmas" is that it has to snow on Christmas Day, but there was a lot of snow on the ground and that was good enough for me. That was also the year that our pond froze and we skated around on top of it. That was fun.

My parents had Santa come on Christmas Eve- it was amazing! He handed out our gifts and we got to eat cookies with him (I think).

I remember the last Christmas where there was all six of us kids. I think it was the first Christmas in the Brookside house (it was so long ago). I loved having Lara (Leanne), Molly, and Matt with us. It was always a treat for us little kids when the big kids came to visit. :)

I remember the first Christmas I spent alone (in Utah- after going away to college). It added to my appreciation for every Christmas after that I was able to spend with family.

Last year I flew down to California to spend Christmas with my mom, dad, my sister Molly and her family (and also Mickey Mouse). Mom and I walked along the beach in the morning and we saw dolphins playing in the waves. It was the first time I had ever seen dolphins in the ocean like that. A few days later we went to Disneyland and saw their Christmas Parade. We also saw Cinderella's Castle covered in snow and The Haunted Mansion done up like the Nightmare Before Christmas.

I remember Christmas at my Grandma Pond's house. Grandma had this little statuette of the three kings that would play "We Three Kings." I always had to wind that up when we were decorating the Christmas Tree- or watching the Christmas tree get decorated.

I remember my Dad's apartment by Peacock Lane. I specifically remember this one Christmas where we all bundled up and walked over to the grocery store lot to pick out a Christmas Tree. It wasn't a special tree, but this memory just stands out in my head. And then we all dragged the tree (thanks Dad!) back to the apartment and decorated.

In conjunction with that memory- we would bundle up and walk through Peacock Lane which was right behind the apartment building. Peacock Lane was a street of houses where each of the houses would put up lights or displays and there were horse drawn carriages and hot chocolate vendors. People would line up to drive down the road and we had the advantage because we lived close enough to walk through.

This isn't really a Christmas memory, but it is a winter one so I'll include it. There was one year that the ponds in Westmoreland Park (by my Grandma Pond's house) froze over and everyone was skating on them. My Dad bundled us up and took us out there. The thing that I remember the most was when my dad would bundle us up he would have us wear his socks. And these socks were so big on us that they would cover us right up to our thighs. :)

A Christmas tradition that was started after my mom and dad (Tom) got married was that we would go cut down our own Christmas tree at one of the many Christmas Tree farms in Oregon. The one we went to had a train that we would ride out to the middle of the farm. We'd hop off and start searching for a tree. Once a tree was chosen, Dad would cut it down and drag it back to the train where we'd load it up and put in on the car. I remember that we always left the tree farm with a candy cane. :)

There is also the first Christmas I spent in Hawaii after moving back in 2004. We woke up and walked along the beach in Kailua. I can still feel the sun on my face that morning. :) I remember being so grateful for being there and being with my family.

And finally- I remember the Christmas Buns that my mom would make on Christmas morning. We would wait year round for these tasty treats. :)

And this year. Well, this year is the first Christmas that I'll spend with Dave. We're going to be able to create our own family traditions from now on. It kinda makes me tear up (stupid hormones). :)

I wish you all joy and happiness during these holidays and in the coming year. You are all in our thoughts this Christmas. :)

Spilled the Beans

I was going to try to surprise Dave this Christmas with just a small present. So far Dave has already figured out everything that I have picked up for him (even his stocking stuffers!) I figured this would be one last chance to try to sneak something in.

Yesterday afternoon we arrived home and there was a package waiting by our door- Dave's present. I tried to scoop it up without Dave noticing (I don't honestly know what I expected- how was he not going to notice this good size box that had suddenly appeared in my hands?). Dave was curious and I tried to hide the box so that he couldn't even try to guess what it could be all the while saying it wasn't for him, that it was mine.

Anyway, so I hid I the box of goodies (after opening it and double checking that everything had arrived) and Dave threatened to to sneak a peek. This morning when I woke up I noticed that the door going to the room I had hidden the box in was open- and that it had opened sometime during the night. So I stalked into the bedroom and accused Dave of sneaking a peak at his books. And I realized a moment too late that I had spilled the beans. I hoped against hope that Dave wouldn't catch on to the magic word but he did.

And so it is another Christmas where I was unable to surprise Dave. Oh well- maybe next year.

Christmas Decorations amid the snow.

I finally took pictures of my Christmas Decorations! Whoo hoo! Okay- kind of. Not shown are some garlands that I have draped on the table and in the kitchen. Also, we have Christmas lights up around the sliding glass door and in the living room.

This weekend was a super-lazy one for me. Except for early on Saturday morning and late Sunday evening I did not leave the house. A big storm blew in over Friday night... early Saturday morning it started snowing and did not let up for a good portion of the day. (We got more snow on Sunday too). Over all, I would say we probably got about 6-8 inches of snow. Now imagine trying to walk a dog about 10 inches tall in that stuff. :) Once Pookie figured out that it was snowing out, she refused to leave the stairs.

Anyway, I spent Saturday baking Christmas cookies. The only batch that turned out well was the chocolate chip cookies. I got a bunk recipe for Chocolate Crinkles so they were all pretty crappy (Note to everyone: Do NOT use the Joy of Baking recipe for Chocolate Crinkles- they are little dough balls of nastiness). I have to do more baking this week (Snickerdoodles and real chocolate crinkles).

Sunday, I moved from the bed to the couch and that was pretty much it. I napped on and off all day- Pookie was a lazy dog and curled up next to me. She's a good little cuddler.

Last night we went to a Christmas Program with our friends the Woodburys. It was such a good time. :) I love that family.

Anyway, back to work this week. I can't believe that Christmas is next week! What happened to the time? :)

Christmas Cards and Presents

Okay, so I think I am almost there- I think cards and packages are going out tomorrow. I hope. I have them somewhat created and most are addressed too. Now I just need to get Dave to sign them and then have him take them to the post office. The cards aren't as fancy as I had imagined them in my head (probably a good thing), and in most cases I used premade cards (I feel kind of dirty saying that).

Anyway... I feel better now that I have those at least started....

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas....

Well it is finally snowing again! It's only been a month.... :) I was worried that we wouldn't get any snow before Christmas but here we go. We've got some melty stuff going on right now (lots of snow flakes, but not so much sticking). We are getting another big storm this weekend though. :) Just in time for Dave and I to hang out at home and relax.

The weekend was a good one. We went to the baptism and blessing (I was all emotional). It was good to sit down and talk with family and just relax. Sunday was a pretty lazy day as well. I am trying to get the last of my Christmas presents ready. I have been seriously slacking on the Christmas cards. YIKES! I hope I can get my act together.

Dave shaved his beard

Dave finally gave up on the beard last night and shaved it off. I think I am okay with that. :)

I am already buying Christmas decorations. It's not even Halloween yet! (Although I did get a screaming deal). I made my own wreath too! Well, I guess I should say I decorated my own wreath. It's pretty cute if I say so myself (I'll post pictures later). It definitely looks like an amatuer decorated it though. I told Dave that I wouldn't put up any Christmas decorations until December 1 so I have to put everything in a box until then. And this starts our collection of holiday decorations! :)

Oh yeah and we watched Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. Man that movie was crap! When did Indiana Jones turn from an archeologist to James Bond? It wasn't so much adventure as it was stupid. And aliens? Come on. It's like the writers weren't even trying. My favorite part is where Indiana Jones escapes/avoids an atomic bomb blast by climbing into a fridge. Of course the fridge goes launching into the air and Indiana Jones tumbles out just fine. It reminds me of watching the end of GI Joes when I was young... a whole bunch of kids are running around a junk yard playing hide and go seek when one of the kids tries to climb into an old abandoned fridge. Mr. GI Joe stops them and lets the kids know they shouldn't play in abandoned fridges or else they might get stuck.... Now you know, and knowing is half the battle... Anyway, I'm amazed Indy survived the fridge.