Christmas went well

this is a brief history of Christmas with Heidi. I started with buying stuff I thought she would want. I'm not that thoughtful so usually didn't go well. I would get the wrong size or style would not be right. I then started buying her a gift card to a place she likes. She loved it, she could shop and get what she wanted, like 2 gifts in one. I started to think what if she looses the card? then we're out of luck. So I went to giving her money then to just telling her what to spend. That was pretty lame and lazy of me. Now she just buys what she wants and gives it to me to wrap. Works out great she gets to try it on and pick it out so she's happy with it but it leaves me out a bit.
So this year she asked me to get her three things that I thought of on my own. I am a last minute guy but I came up with some good stuff. These are the clues she gives me to help out. Something I use a lot like a hair dryer because you broke mine. (rc work) but not a hair dryer because I just said that. Think of the brands of things I use or things I like.
Then one day she asked if I've seen her scarf and that she can't find it anywhere. BHAM! I think hat scarf and glove combo! She loved it!
I also notice she uses her heating pad EVERY NIGHT. So I decide to find her a BIGGER one. I search and search and come up with a 30 inch by 60 inch digital heating pad for a massage table. Its not here yet but I bet she will love it.
3rd gift idea I'm kickin all kinds of stuff around finally I decide she uses the garage a lot or used to and she uses her car a lot. so I clear out the garage so she can park in it. No more cold mornings or waiting for it to warm up or clearing it off.
I think she could use a 4wheeler with a plow to clear the driveway a little better. I wonder if I should just surprise her with it???

My boy Max

this one reminds me of a photo of Justin at the beach.

this is the cutest kid ever

taking a rest after a fierce gun battle. I was tired because Max is a better shot and I died a lot.

sometimes he does a total pose. its like he knows he can be cute and just does it to make us laugh.

I think a couple of people are trying to get my attention here

He can do a pretty scary face when he feels the need.

HD has a talent for getting him to do a nice smile. It took me a minute to realize this was in our back yard.

This kid really reminds me of Calvin, as soon as the camera is out here come the silly faces. This one is some gangsta askin "you wanna piece a me?"

My Favorite Memories of Sambo Rambo and other fond things

We helped out with a play/ dance thing this week, it was good times but Friday night we were cleaning up when I noticed that I missed a call from my mom. I called back as I sat in my truck waiting for Michael (bro in law) and Devin (nephew) to come back with an empty truck to finish loading. Mom said she had a surprise and put little Sambo on the phone. It sure was fun to talk to little Sami. After the phone call Devin and I were driving back to Highland and I was telling him all about Sami Antha. We laughed as I told the sorries of her sitting on our laps in church and sucking on your chin, or sticking her fingers in your ear to clean out the ear wackers. I didn't mention the time she beat me in a spelling bee when she was five.
I remember when she went to work with mom and dad everyday and sat upstairs watching land before time over and over and over. then she would come home and watch it again and say all the lines along with the characters. The sister missionaries sure loved her. they came to see her everyday. She was so cute as a little kid with bouncy curly hair. Everybody just loved that kid.
Oh and I remember making up a song and singing it to her. "Sambo Rambo where'd ya get that... uh...dang bow." then Sami " hey that doesn't rhyme." then she sang it with the real rhyming words. I must be white trash because hearing a little girl curse made me laugh.
I know she gets tired of these stories and everyone tells the same ones but it was still good good times. I think Roni loved little sambo the most. they loved to play together all the time and sure don"t remember them fighting. But I don't remember any of the girls fighting much.
I remember getting into it pretty good with Justin a couple times... a day. I think the worst of it was that he and I both took karate and so it wasn't just pushing and shoving, it was jump kick to the head and karate chop to the throat or open palm to the nose. Watching my nephews now I'm like "just take it outside and settle it like men." I guess my perception of a "man" is a little out of whack.
I also remember playing out back in Sunny Clutters house. Me Justin and Shasta decided to eat dog food, only we told Shasta she had to eat cat food because she was a girl. Then we made her stand against the wall and threw dog food at her.
One time we made a fort under the willow tree and set up a tent. Setting stuff up was more fun then cleaning up so the tent got left up for like a month or so, when we got around to taking it down it was full a freaky looking spiders and I got a little creeped out.
I remember playing hide and seek in the yellow house and we would always stuff little roni in the cupboard above the stairs and then leave her there. Or we would stuff her or the twins in slick sleeping bags and send them flying down the stairs towards an open heat source. Justin and I would laugh and laugh. There is a chance I was a bit of a tormentor when I was growing up.

The Christmas Miracle

As an adult I have , in Christmas past, felt the pressure to pull off a miracle. My wife and I would set a budget of what to spend on each other and Max, then we would set off in different directions with shopping karts, later we would meet up with the gifts for Max and determine what we could get and what needed to go back. Then I would run around the store buying up everything I could get. I would go over budget by, well... a lot. Then rush to the register to purchase my pile and then to the car to hide it. Later I would sneak it in and wrap it but be careful to keep it hidden until Christmas morning. Then BAMB!!! A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!! Two things would happen that I didn't expect 1 my kid just plain didn't care, 2 my wife was a little bothered I had spent so much more then our budget without discussing it. What the Freak!! I just pulled off a Christmas miracle and no one is happy about it. Now I have seen both sides of this deal. As the father of a family the pressure of making everyone happy and as a child who expected more because I was told there should be more. This of course is my own perception of it. In reality I have a very unworldly wife who cares more about time together with loved ones then gifts and a son who is plenty happy with a 97 cent matchbox car. The pressure was all my doing. I realize that as the father and leader of the home a happy Christmas is about my attitude. If I feel stressed then the family is stressed, if I'm grumpy the family is grumpy. So I came to the conclusion I'm gonna forget about pulling off a miracle and just have fun with Christmas. I don't really care about getting a gift at all. I know my wife doesn't either and Max is really easy to please. I bet if there were no present under the tree he wouldn't even notice, just having mom and dad for the day to play games would be a ton of fun for him. We all know that its about the birth of Christ and we need to focus on that and we have all heard the stories of the family who does a ton for others or what ever. I know we will find service for other people, with HD thats a year round thing so I'm not gonna stress about that either. I'm just going to sit back, relax, spend some time with the family, play some games and come what may.

Strawberry Milk and Nacho Bugles Don't Mix

The other night HD and I went out on the town for a night of classy culture. She scored us tickets to a play at the Hale center in Orem. It was A Christmas Carol. If you have never been to the Hale center in Orem its very different then your typical play house. The seats are all around the stage and the stage is lower then the seats, with each row of seats higher then the row in front of it. Its really cramped and a little off to be looking straight at those who came to see the play. I'm used to only seeing the backs of their heads and a stage. This makes it difficult to use props because anything you put on stage blocks someones view. It was a great play! The actors did a fantastic job. The only thing was, I felt as though we were the "back" as it seems like I got more view time of the backside of a plump Mr.Scrooge then I would have preferred. Some people behind me were shaking ice in their cups and chomping on it, I asked HD which was worse a cell call or shaking ice? I think it may be a tie. HD even turned to give em a look, thats how bad it was. HD agreed to give a couple of the young actors a ride home, so we waited a few min in the car. We had not had dinner yet because of a big late lunch and I was enhungered. I spot a small gas station across the way and decide to grab a treat. HD asks for a chocolate milk and I snag a bag of the nacho cheese bugles for me. For some reason the strawberry milk reallllly looks good so I grab one of those as well. Back in th car I am really enjoying my snack when my stomach starts to turn. manoman it was not good, but I just keep eating. I payed the price with an upset stomach that night and into the next day. But I will always remember that date night. I think you should do something really memorable every once in a while otherwise you wont remember the good times and I never want to forget the backside of a plump Scrooge!

Kathi comes to visit

some small children turned up at my door last night. they seem to have a lot of fun but I think one just turned vampire. its the yougest of the 3 and the only girl. when she looks at me she smiles but after this attack I think it may be for reasons different from what I originaly thought which was of course she thinks I'm awesome. Now I think she sees a meal.