Christmas 2009

this years Christmas was a bit different from the one we're used to.

we missed the hustle and bustle and going ons with family.

we missed the delicious home cooked meals and mexican feasts.

we missed cozy homes decked out in christmas decorations.

we missed the lights at temple square.

perhaps we even missed looking out the window and seeing clean white snow.

but we made the most of our own little Christmas here.

my favorite part was having ryan around...

and going to the park. i think sid was just as excited as i was to have him there.

another favorite was going to a friends house for Christmas dinner. their families make us feel so comfortable and welcome. and the food was sooo good. prime rib, lobster mac and cheese and bread pudding were a few items on the table. sid had a blast playing with his friend, Baden and all the boy cousins. they filled in for our family quite well.

Sid loves his woody doll from grandma heap. thanks grandma! woody apparently flies. i think he's a bit confused from recently watching Peter Pan.

sid's great at jumping and fake crying. and he does a pretty awesome skeleton dance.

apart from the ugly watch, ryan gifted me with a beautiful dress that i LOVE. i think it helped pull off my RS lesson i gave today.

i love the holiday hymns we get to sing in church and especially loved a talk in sacrament given that was built around the words in the song Away In a Manger.

Now onto the New YEar!!

curious?

for those that asked or couldn't get the link to work. this is the watch i was hoping to get in the mail. is it ugly? it looked really pretty on the model in the catalog.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas (finally!)

snowflakes hung (i love)
ryan napping
eliza in her reindeer outfit (the tights are my fave), happily sucking on a binky and playing with her hands
sid sleeping
dough rising for christmas morning orange rolls
chocolate pie made and chillin in the fridge
fingernails painted Comet Loves Cupid red
"winter wonderland" playing in the background

and some Christmas cheer for the grandma's.....

hope everyone's christmas eve plans go as smoothly as i hope mine do.

a few things

sid is now in a toddler bed. he's doing well. he cried a bit the first night and we haven't had too many problems since. i hear him bonking his head on the wall every now and then..and that wakes him up enough to cry but then he quickly conks out again. Eliza is sleeping in the same room with him at night. so far so good, i guess. wish they'd sleep in later than 5 am. but whatev.

so at the top of my christmas list was THIS watch. pretty right?!

well, then i checked out a review that said it was sooo so awful. so i told ryan about it and asked if he got it. the good husband he is, did of course. so when it came in the mail he let me open it to see how it looked and possibly take it back if needed asap. OH MY GOSH!!! it is the ugliest thing ever!

and for the price?! you gotta be kidding me. it looks like it came from a junk yard and what's that tumor thing sticking out trying to pass as a purple stone? the big face doesn't even work. so bugged. whatev.

Russell oh Russell. you totally should have won. i thought you were a jerk at first..but i soon came to love you. thanks for being on survivor and making it to the end for my and Ryan's entertainment. you deserved the money and the title. Natalie had no strategy, despite what others may say. anyone can lay low and cross their fingers hoping for luck. ryan swore he'd never watch survivor again. that means i lose too...because i loved having something to watch together. please oh please come back for the villains vs. heroes. if possible i will vote for you. you rock.


i've decided i HAVE to have a chocolate pie for christmas. i don't know why..i never really have cravings...but for some reason my tongue is telling my brain it needs this. (why don't my love handles ever speak up?!) do i even really like chocolate cream pie? i don't know. so if anyone has an amazing recipe, please send it my way. i don't want to be disappointed.

my wall needs this

another giveaway i entered here

snow is over rated

72° outside. no wind. no sweatshirts even. not needed.

we swung, we slid, we chased, we slept,

we chatted with friends about christmas traditions and gifts for the men in our lives.

a pretty perfect afternoon.

☃=☹

㈆

Love, Taza

these headbands are soo so pretty.

unfortunately they're not in the budget.

maybe i need to go back to Fantastic Sam's. and move back in with my parents.

brother & sister

sid looked so cute holding eliza the other day i had to snap a picture
but sid looked kinda goofy so i tried again
and again

this one cracks me up. eliza's big eyes "no! not again!"

so there is such a thing

as duck boots.

when i came home from my mission nearly 5 years ago... ryan, always being ahead of the trends, had told me duck boots were all the rage. i had no idea what he was talking about. i thought for sure he had heard wrong. i even tried to look em up and found nothing. finally, thanks to her, i now know what ryan was talking about and if i lived in snowy utah still, they'd probably be near the top of my list.

now 5 minutes after 8:00 i'm going to get tucked into bed and before totally conking out, going to write out the depressing feelings of how i've failed as a mother today and what i can do better tomorrow. it's mostly about sid now sleeping in a toddler bed and throwing screaming fits for a few minutes before giving up and how i'm feeding eliza and can't go in to give him comfort or security. is that gonna cause major emotional problems later on? like a lack of trust or confidence? seriously...i'm trippin.

3 cheers to an early night!!

Sundays with Sid & E

sid is becoming quite the little talker. at least at home he is. when playing with cars he tells me they're going "too fast". after completing a task, he gives a triumphant "TA DA!"
when being picked up out of bed he asks hopefully "no poop?" i think he's wishing it away. probably tired of having a sore bum.
in the kitchen he helps me stir the noodles, or quietly entertains himself with the measuring cups in the second drawer.
the rainy weather this week brought first puddles to splash in.
we're working on counting and colors and the circle shape.
he had his first viewing of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer...it got a double thumbs up.
and mini christmas dance parties to end the day.

lil Miss E has proven to be sids opposite. loving interaction and often demanding that you hold her and talk to her. she doesn't like to be left alone...especially if no one is in view. she loves watching sid talk and play and following my every move. she's growing so fast and i'm learning to sit and enjoy her while she's little and has those kissable chubby cheeks. she's finally got a pretty good schedule going which is helpful in making life easier and more pleasant for everyone.

happy friday

it has been a busy and crazy and fun week! i am officially done with all christmas shopping and feel like i can finally relax and just enjoy the spirit of the holiday.
enjoy watching miss e's feet kick and kick and kick
enjoy sid clapping off beat and swaying to the christmas tunes.
enjoy harry potter with ryan by the light of our first christmas tree. that's tonight and can't wait to finally see the Half Blood Prince.

there were so many recipes i wanted to try...so many crafts i wanted to make...they will have to wait until next year. i look forward to it.
i did however try making my own caramels.
they turned out really good. i wonder how they ship? a select few will be recieving a parcel full.

also made the best pretzels in town with Jesica. still in love with the marshmallow ones.

had a girls night out last night. my friend jenn is having a baby girl next month so it was in their honor. a little baby shower if you will. i always look forward to hanging out with these girls they make me laugh and escape from motherhood for a bit...i didn't get home until 11 pm! EeEK! i can't remember the last time i willingly stayed out that late.

all of us are in the same ward and i'm grateful we're all in it together!

random thoughts

i take really really hot showers. so hot, i'm nearly sweating for an hour afterwards...i'm not, of course, obviously that would defeat the purpose of a shower, huh? but i love it hot tub, sauna like hot. i think it's the reason as to why i never get sick.

while in my HOT hot shower this morning, for some reason i thought about portraits. and how i've had 3 people draw pictures of me. one was a hot headed nasaly missionary in scotland, the other a lesbo, and the third a guy who worked at a theme park. he asked if he could do one of those cartoon sketches of me as a chipmunk.

is it okay if sid eats the HALLS he found in my diaper bag?

i know i've mentioned the wiggles twice too many times...but Dan Tucker, one of the songs they do, is a sexy cross between Anthony wiggle and Daniel Day-Lewis in There Will be BLOOD. a little treat for me (and now you) while watching my billionth episode.




no matter how many times i kiss and squish my face into eliza's cheeks..i don't think i'll ever be satisfied.

i have issues with leftovers. because of my grandma and the starving children in africa (i think one is living with us) i can't just throw them away. so i eat them. help me please.

Grosgrain: Social Darling Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: Social Darling Frock GROSGRAIN GIVEAWAY!!!!

i'm giveaway happy! maybe i'll win this one!! so pretty

to break the fast

we had these super delish twiced baked potatoes and marta's meatballs.

i had made the potatoes weeks earlier...you just freeze em and they are there, ready to go when you need them. so nice and easy.

meatballs went in the crockpot. both a hit.

ryan especially likes the potatoes.

Twice Baked Potatoes (allrecipes)

Ingredients
2 medium baking potatoes
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
1 tablespoon milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 (3 ounce) package cream cheese, cubed
2 tablespoons sour cream
Paprika

Pierce potatoes and bake at 375 degrees F for 1 hour or until tender. Cool. Cut a thin slice off the top of each potato. Scoop out the pulp and place in a mixing bowl. Add butter, milk and salt; beat until fluffy. Beat in cream cheese and sour cream. Spoon into potato shells. Sprinkle with paprika. Place on a baking sheet. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until heated through and tops are golden brown.

Sundays with Sid

sid is excited bout christmas