Merry Chirstmas!

The Weekend in Pictures cont. . .

Tonight we decorated cookies. Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Nathan, Auntie Sarah, Uncle Seth, Auntie Carlie, and Auntie Whitney were all there having a good time. The guys enjoyed watching "Top Gear" downstairs, and the two younger Aunties had a wonderful time playing dress up and having a tea party with the kiddies. We all had a really good time tonight. Merry Christmas to everyone!! We love you!

The Weekend in Pictures

It's been a busy weekend for us, just like everyone else, I'm sure. Whitney (Nathan's youngest sister) arrived yesterday. We're so excited to have her with us for a week. After going to the airport, we stopped by my Aunt and Uncle's house, and you'll never guess who dropped by . . . SANTA!! Marlee was excited, Vance was okay about it, and Noah didn't even want to be in the same room with the man in the big red suit. He wasn't even crying, it was sheer terror!! He would not go near Santa. Vance talked to him, with me sitting with him. Marlee was great, she asked for a necklace and slippers - Hello Kitty ones. It was a fun night, but just the beginning of the festivities for the next few days.

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas!!

I am proud to report that I only have one more present to buy, and we're officially done Christmas shopping!! This is a first for the Ormsby family. We usually are out running around on Christmas Eve trying to finish up. I'm so excited to just sit back, "relax" (if that's ever really possible), and enjoy the few days leading up to Christmas. Last weekend Nathan and, and I (along with Sarah and Seth) went to the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas Concert, the King's Singers were the special guests this year. It was a great concert and we had a really good time. We also tried out the new Cheesecake Factory restaurant in Murray. Yummy. Thanks to Mom for babysitting, the kids had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa too.

I can't believe that we only have about 7 weeks left till our new baby is here!! He still has no name, and I'm beginning to think that he might not have a name when he's born. Poor little guy. Marlee's getting excited, she remembers the boys being born, and keeps telling Noah and Vance that she'll show them around the hospital. The boys have no idea what's going on. Vance seems to think the baby is a monster, and Noah thinks the baby is crying in my tummy. I'm finally starting to feel better. I've had strep throat, an ear infection, and bronchitis for about 3 weeks now. FUN!? I still loose my voice every morning and night, but other than that I really am starting to feel good again. I don't think it's fair that on top of being pregnant, I've had to be sick too, but I've survived.

Noah and the peanut . . .

While I was cooking dinner with Marlee tonight, Noah (who was watching a movie) walked into the kitchen whimpering.

"Mom, ouch.", he said and pointing to his nose. I looked over and saw his eyes watering, and his right nostril red and HUGE. I quickly glanced over to the table where he had a cup of roasted peanuts, but it was no longer there.

"Noah, is there a peanut in your nose?" I asked, trying to remain calm.

"Yes Mommy", he answered with the saddest eyes. I reached down, and felt his nose. Sure enough, there was a hard round peanut stuck up his nose. Luckily I pushed it back down his nostril to the point where I could reach it and pull it out. It was a funny moment once the peanut came out and he left the room, but now I worry that he's going to do it again, or that Van will.

Marlee never did anything like this. Why are boys so weird? How does a 2 1/2 year old think to jam a peanut up his nose? I'll never understand. Being a Mom is so fun!?

One more photo . . .

What a day!!

Saturday was a day of fun, fun, fun! Marlee had a fabulous birthday!! She was especially excited that she got her snow storm that she asked for. :)

Marlee a.k.a. Monkey

Happy Birthday Marlee!! We can't believe that you're 5 years old!! We love ya Monkey!!

Madame Marlee

I know this isn't the clearest video, but you can see enough to know that our entertainment for Thanksgiving was simply amazing! We saw this stunt no less than 20 times, including the boys joining in. The other "show" was the boys trying to catch a laser beam dot. Think of all the dogs on Funniest Home Videos, that would be my boys. They were entertained for over 15 minutes chasing a little red dot. Thanksgiving was great! We all had a really good time, and had plenty of food to eat. I'm proud to report that my kids like pumpkin pie, and that Nathan even ate a piece.

Gratitude #3 & #4

Marlee: "I am grateful to have breakfast together." (We all sat down together this morning, instead of doing shifts.) And yesterday she said, "I'm grateful for my blankets and Jeffery (her giraffe).

I was grateful yesterday that I married a man that can handle doing gross jobs around the house. He had to clean out a drain in the laundry room that had 30+ years of "junk" in it. I'm so glad that he could handle it. I sure couldn't. The smell and sight of it all, had me heaving over and over again. I'm grateful he did it. Thank you Nathan.

Today I'm grateful for the Internet. I love being able to keep in touch with friends and family that are far away. I also love all the information I can find at my fingertips. If I need a recipe, solution to a problem, or just want to learn something new, it's all here on the Internet. Thank you technology.

Tis the Season . . .

Just thought I'd throw this out there. It's halirous!! And it'll get ya in the Holiday mood. Watch out Osmond's, the Ormsby's have got talent . . .

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=9532984102
(sorry, I can't seem to get the link to work, so, just copy and paste to get there)

Gratitude #2

Marlee: "I'm glad for cold water to drink". And no, she wasn't even drinking at the time. Impressive?!

Me: I've gone a week without treats. It's something new I'm trying. I'm allowed 2 days a week to "cheat", and call those beautiful days "treat day". I've been looking forward to today, so I can make yummy Baked Caramel Corn. YUM. So, I suppose you can say that today I am grateful for 2 things:
1. Teat Day, and
2. BAKED CARAMEL CORN!! Here's the recipe, trust me, you'll love it. . .

1/2 C. butter
2 C. brown sugar
1/2 C. corn syrup
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla
5 Quarts popped popcorn
(or 3 bags of microwavable popcorn)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Foil line and spray/grease a large roasting pan (I use my big turkey one). Pop popcorn and pick out kernels that didn't pop. (This is a bit tedious, but you don't want to bite down on one). Place popcorn in lined roasting pan. In a medium sauce pan, over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Once at a rolling boil, boil 4 minutes WITHOUT stirring. Remove from heat, and quickly add vanilla and soda (this will cause the mixture to foam - perfectly normal - it's what you want to have happen). Pour over popcorn, and stir to coat evenly. Bake 45 min to 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. ENJOY!!

Gratitude

"Gratitude creates the most wonderful feeling. It can resolve disputes. It can strengthen friendships. And it makes us better men and women."
-Gordon B. Hinckley

In honor of one of my most favorite holidays, Marlee and I have decided that every day till Thanksgiving we will say something that we are greatful for.

Jenny: I am greatful for my family. My own little family (including the little one inside me), and my amazingly HUGE extended family.

Marlee: "I'm thanks for Mom and Dad."

Little Baby Boy

So, we still haven't named our little baby boy. We're trying, but no name seems to be quite right for him. We have scheduled his and my C-Section. His arrival date is February 4, 2008. Mark your calendars folks. I think it's pretty cool to know the exact day and time. Yes, there is the chance of him coming early, but I doubt it.

I'm feeling fine. Just tired and moody all the time.

This little guy is a night owl. I can set my clock to him. Every night at 10:15 pm he starts wiggling. I think he's already a DDR fan (Dance Dance Revolution game). He "dances" constantly for about 3 hours, and then sleeps till about 7:45 am. He then decides to practice DDR again for an hour, and then sleeps the rest of the day. Interesting.

sick

So, since we got our flu shots last Thursday, someone in this house has been sick everyday . . .

Noah was sick Thursday, lucky him, they wouldn't give him his shot. He had a fever and cried all day. Then he woke up Friday like nothing was ever wrong.

Nathan was sick Saturday (okay, so no one was sick on Friday). I personally think that his camp out on Friday night wore him out. So, he was lethargic all day.

Marlee had the fever on Sunday night, but like Noah, woke up Monday fine.

Vance had the fever on Monday night, and woke up this morning fine.

Now it's my turn. I have a cold. I have so much pressure in my head that I think the right side of my face might explode. Yeah. Hopefully I'll wake up tomorrow and feel fine?!

Marlee's prayer

Here's Marlee's prayer last night . . .

"Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for making us brave when we got our shots today. Amen."

Yes, we got flu shots yesterday, and yes, she was very brave.

Finally, Halloween . . .

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

BOO!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Red punch?!!

I know, red punch! What was I thinking even having it in my house? I must be crazy, but it just tastes to darn good. The boys decided they wanted a drink, so they got the punch out and tried to drink it out of the pitcher. Obdviously, it didn't go very well. They kept saying, "Mess! Mess!".

Halloween is just around the corner!

Our visit with Nan and Koro

First-timer

So, we've taken a new approach on trying to get Marlee to obey the first time we ask her to do something. It's called being a "first-timer". (I got the idea from my Mother-in-law's friend) We were in the car yesterday reminding Marlee she needed to be a first-timer when we got home. Her reply was, "Mom, I HATE being a first-timer!" I think this is going to take some work. :)

8 years and more . . .

Happy Anniversary Nathan!!

(I know it's 6 days late, but it's the thought that counts. Right?!)

I LOVE YOU!! Here's to many, many more!!

P.S. Please don't eat all that butter.

Our Visitors

Nathan and his Dad
Tara and Freyr
Karen, Alvan, and Nathan

Here's a few pics of our family. We've been having a great time with Nathan's parents, and sister. We've been doing all kinds of stuff . . . Flowrider, eating out, test driving "American" cars, golfing, getting manicures/pedicures, attending the temple . . . just to name a few. We still have a couple more days together, I'm sure will pack a few more things in.

And the baby is . . .

. . . a BOY! That's right folks, we're having a boy. I had my ultrasound yesterday morning. Everything looks good so far. We're blessed. We don't have a name picked out for him yet. We can't seem to agree on anything. We're taking suggestions at this point. We need ideas.

We've been busy having fun with Nathan's parents, and sister. They flew in last Friday night, and will be with us till the middle of October. We have some fun things planned for the next couple weeks, so stay tuned for pic's and posts.

ELEPHANT PARADE!!

Laceration

Now we'll be able to tell a little easier if we're looking at Noah or Vance. :) (And yes that is a booger in his nose.)

Our trip to the ER

That's right, last night at 7 o'clock Noah, who was having a wonderful time spinning in circles, collided with the corner of our coffee table. The corner of the table felt the need to ram itself deep into his head, just above his eyebrow. So, off to the ER we went. (After I called Nathan and told him to hurry home - he was out renting a movie for our "relaxing" night. Ha ha) Noah was amazing. By the time we got to the ER he was as happy as can be. He flirted with the nurses, and didn't have a problem with anyone touching is 1/2 - 3/4" laceration. The doctor decided to "super glue" it shut. That was fine with us, I didn't like the thought of a needle being inserted into his forehead. We were in and out of the ER in an hour. Amazing!! I must say I'm very impressed with Ogden Regional. Kudos to them. So, that was our exciting night. I'll take a picture today, and post it later.

Oh, I have fixed my comments settings so that everyone can leave a comment now. So, feel free. :)

Treasures . . .

These are some photos of my treasures I found yesterday.

This is Van as a tiger (also known as Tigger)

Van again. Noah was at Grandma's during this photo shoot.

And here's Marlee.
This is my awesome wreath that I've wanted forever and ever.

Saturday is a Special Day

Saturday is a special day, it's the day . . .
. . . Jenny went costume shopping (for Halloween),
. . . Jenny went to "Super Saturday" (also knows as Craft Day for Enrichment)
and . . . Jenny finally got her square wreath she has wanted for almost 2 years now!!!

Can you tell today had a theme? Me, me, me. I spent the day with my friend Jen (notice her awesome name?!). We fought off women at stores this morning for extremely cheap Halloween costumes. Then, I went to her ward (my old one) for Super Saturday. There we ate crepes for breakfast, talked a lot, and then had tosdadas for lunch. What crafts did we do? That's strictly confidential. Not really, we made some bracelets, and got the much desired square wreath! I left Nathan with the kiddies this morning at 8:30 a.m., and did not return till 3 p.m. Thank you Nathan. I had a fabulous day.

Crazy 8's

All right, I thought I'd try this "list". It ended up being harder than I thought. Enjoy.

8 Things I'm Passionate About (passionate seems like such a strong word)
1. That I HATE crumbs!!
2. I can’t go to sleep until I’ve checked on my kids one last time, and have told Nathan that I love him.
3. “Sanitizing” everyone’s hands as soon as we get in the car (after being anywhere in public).
4. Using parentheses (You’ll notice that a lot).
5. Being with my family, and laughing.
6. The color red.
7. Watching the weather report – daily.
8. Trying to be a better mother everyday.

8 Things I Want to do Before I Die
1. Run a marathon.
2. See my children grow up to be good and decent adults.
3. Earn a college degree.
4. Visit Italy and Mexico.
5. Write a children’s book and a primary song.
6. Serve a mission.
7. Play a piano concerto with a symphony.
8. Be able to parallel park.

8 Things I Say Often
1. Close the fridge!! (I remember my mother saying this one too)
2. Did you flush? Did you wash your hands?
3. What time are you going to be home?
4. Where’s your cup?
5. Stop, Don’t and/or NO!
6. Get that out of your mouth!
7. Clean up, clean up. Everybody, everywhere. (This is usually sung)
8. Sit down!

8 Books I've Recently Read (in no particular order)
1. “Peculiar” by Mary Ellen Edmunds
2. “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” (we all know who wrote this)
3. “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince” (again, we all know she’s richer than the queen)4. “Oh the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss
5. “A Treasure of Bunny Stories” by Beatrix Potter
6. “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown
7. the Parents magazine cover to cover every month
8. the Ensign (I know the last two are mags, but they are quick reading and don’t demand a long time commitment)

8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over
1. Anything and everything by Jack Johnson
2. “Over the Rainbow” – Israel “IZ” Kamakawiwo’ole
3. “Where the Streets Have No Name” – U2
4. “My Heavenly Father Loves Me” (primary song)
5. “Get’cha Head in the Game” – High School Musical
(I love that Noah and Van sing along to this one)
6. “Snow (Hey Oh)” – Red Hot Chili Peppers
7. “Song for a Winter’s Night” – Sarah McLachlan
8. Prelude in C-sharp minor Op.3 no.2 – S. Rachmaninoff

8 Things That Attract Me to My Best Friends
1. Can laugh at life’s situations.
2. Can keep a secret.
3. Has children (so that I know I’m not totally crazy)
4. Likes Dr. Pepper
5. That she has the same name. (Jenn) I know, it’s weird
6. Isn't quick to judge.
7. Is someone I’d like to be when I grow up.
8. Can make me try something new, like going shopping the day after Thanksgiving.

8 Things I've Learned in the Last Year
1. That toddler aged twins are just as hard as newborn ones.
2. I can solve a Sudoku puzzle (and that it’s addicting)
3. Your child can drink out of a dog’s water dish and live to be perfectly fine.
4. The smell of fried chicken can and will make me throw up in the grocery store.
5. Leading the music in primary makes me sweat uncontrollably.
6. It’s amazing how different a room can look when you paint a wall.
7. That my children have a better sense of direction than I do.
8. Everyday is filled with “Tender Mercies”, if you take a moment to notice them.


Marlee wanted to add something about her . . . this is what she typed. . .
Lovemomormsbymarleefftfr6r6momlvehgygtfmarleemomlove

We're happy little Vegemites

Marlee, Noah, and Van (left to right). Notice they're showing their muscles.
"Our mommy's say we're getting stronger each and every day . . ."

We're in!!

We'll it's official. We now are a part of "blogger". Hopefully this will be a bit easier to update. It'll be a little slow at first, while I (Jenny) try to learn how this all works. But I do plan to post a couple of times a week.