Lucky 7! (Let's celebrate with a giveaway!)

So it has just occurred to me that this is the end of my 7th year of blogging, and this is... wait for it... my 700th post!

Do you or do you not feel that this deserves some sort of celebration?  I do!  It makes me kind of sad to see so many family blogs so neglected.  It's like a blog ghost town out there in the little family blogosphere, when I pop in on some old friends and their last post was sometime in early 2010... and then a dried sagebrush blows by...  There was a blogging boom for sure, and then so many blogs went bust.  I'm happy to still be around, and I hope someday my kids will be glad that I kept at it.

And in the meantime, before they realize how awesome and hilarious I am, and what a fine job I have done of chronicling their lives, I hope that this blog is still serving some purpose for YOU too, and that occasionally you come away from here with a smile. That would be gratifying.

So, how about a good old fashioned giveaway?  Just comment, say something like, "Good job for blogging for 7 years!"  I'll randomly pick a winner and send you a package filled with, what else, 7 of my favorite things.  7 days of the week, 7 wonders of the world, 7 dwarfs, 7 books in Harry Potter, 7 years of blogging and a package filled with 7 of my favorite things.  Obviously.

So comment away!  Let's celebrate!

(And please, if you read this, just comment.  I don't care who you are.  I mean, what if there was only like 1 comment, from Jayna?  Yeah, that would be embarrassing.  My giveaways of old-before blogging went bust-had like 30 commenters, but now I have no idea who's even still reading, so comment, I beg you!)

And I'll keep this open for... what else... 7 days!

White Elephant Winner

Have you ever heard of the gal who wants to "win the internet"?  Similarly, I want to win the White Elephant.  A white elephant gift exchange happens once a year, but I think about it many times during the year.  As I thrift, I keep my eyes out for fabulous White Elephant finds.  It's a fine art, you know, giving an EXCELLENT white elephant gift.  It's an art that cannot be explained or taught, you either have the magic or you don't.

I think I do.

In past years, I have given such gems as a HeMan/SheRa Christmas DVD special (come on, that's a total winner), a giant cheese hat (maybe it's common in Wisconsin-not so here), and some fishnet stockings (which were mostly funny because of who received them... great grandma!) 

But this year, I feel that I outdid myself, and wanted to document my success.  This year, I gave a thing that I cannot believe is in actual existence, but it is.  Ready?

John McCain paper dolls.  John McCain.  PAPER DOLLS.  Ha ha ha ha ha, I can't believe this is a real thing, but it is, my friends.  It is.  The paper doll itself (middle picture) kills me.  John McCain in his unders and black socks.  Ha ha ha ha!  Perhaps I have underestimated the number of politically minded little girls in the country, but there must be quite a few for some company to have given the green light on this publication...

But my real favorite gift and perhaps the best white elephant I have ever purchased is:

The Gold Digga.  

(Filled with gold Rolos.)

Is this not THE ULTIMATE White Elephant???  And I am absolutely POSSESSED with the desire to KNOW.  WHO made this?  Who hand bedazzled this giant black goblet?  Who WAS the original Gold Digga and why were they a Gold Digga instead of a Gold Digger?  Aaaaaaahhhhh!  I must know!

I am PLEASED to report that this was the gift of all gifts at this year's White Elephant.  Everyone who's age begins with a 2 and has two digits wanted this thing, but ultimately this gold digga triumphed...

But really, the triumph was mine because I am certain that I won this year's White Elephant!

Christmas Day of Great Joy

Oh, we had the best Christmas ever!  Everyone was healthy, everyone was happy.  Everyone was excited about every gift received.  We had just enough-but not too much.  Everyone showed sincere gratitude for great, thoughtful gifts.  I feel like we really got it right this year.  It was just the best, most blessed day ever.  The kind of day that sprinkles that magic memory dust on our recollections and will make us look back on our years of parenting with extreme fondness because we once had that really perfect Christmas.

 Although he received some well beloved boots, garbage trucks and plenty of Thomas, Spencer's favorite present was actually Leah's...

Let It Go! from Bethany Weed on Vimeo.

Here he is in action with it.  I tried to get him to sing "Thomas and His Friends" because that's pretty adorable too, but he wouldn't have it.  He elects to sleep instead.

At the breakfast table, Cody received his heart's fondest desire-a basketball hoop, and promptly declared his plan to play basketball for BYU.  I hope so because that would really make staying up until 2 in the morning putting it together very worthwhile!

 I think Leah changed costumes 12 times.  From Super Girl to Cowgirl to Elsa... well, what can I say, Target's 75% off Halloween costume sale was good to me...

Ryan got a t-shirt from his Alma Mater.   

(If you get it, you are a preteen of the 90's.

Ryan wants to add that he watched this as an actual teen.
And enjoys it just as much as a 30+ year old man.

That's embarrassing.
But then again, that's how I knew this shirt would be a winner.)

 It is just so ideal to have one day of the year where the answer is always yes, and the goal is just fun and happiness.  Yes, you can have chocolate at 8 in the morning.  Yes, you can have a 5th cookie.  Yes, you can play Mario Kart all day.  Yes, I will play a game with you.  And another.  And another.  Until 10pm.  Because there is nothing more important to be done today, no chores, no errands, NOT EVEN GETTING DRESSED.  Nothing more important on Christmas Day than happiness and togetherness and joy and we had copious amounts of all.

Holiday Happenings

 Ok, here's a random rundown of so many little holiday things that have been happening around here!

Musical Performances:

Each grade at the kids' school gets assigned a holiday to sing for.  2nd graders get Christmas!

That little smurf knew I was there.  100% knew I was standing there trying to take a picture of him.

He got to introduce the song "Silent Night" (sung in German), but his music teacher was totally blocking my shots of Cody, so I have no actual singing action recorded.


Nathan has also performed with his bass at a number of school holiday functions.  For those not fortunate enough to attend, here are a few clips from his at home concerts. 



Good King Wenceslas from Bethany Weed on Vimeo.


And a trio that the kids worked very hard on:



Jolly Old St. Nicholas from Bethany Weed on Vimeo.


Nathan also received his Arrow of Light, kind of a big deal for people who care about scouting.  (Secretly, I don't, but I'm a very supportive parent.)

And he's a very handsome Arrow of Light.  (Not so much holiday related, but it did occur during this whirlwind Christmas season, so it belongs in this post.)


We had a simple little holiday craft: pine cone ornament making.

Next year, I think we're going to attach Nathan to a hot chocolate IV.  It will save us washing hundreds of mugs, because I think that kid drinks 3 cups of hot chocolate every day!


And we made sugar cookies (with the left over blue frosting from Cody's birthday.  I finally figured out what to do with that stuff because I have leftover BLUE frosting every year!  I finally realized that if we just did snow related cookies-snowflakes and snowmen-that the BLUE frosting would actually be appropriate.)

Nathan frosted, Cody and Leah decorated and I absolved myself of the outcome!  Everyone's happy.



We tried a new hair thing on sister.  Pretty cute the night before...

But REALLY cute the next day!
 

But Leah's darlingness is too much for one Christmas dress. She had two.  (WHAAAAAAT??  I only have ONE daughter.  I MUST BE ALLOWED CERTAIN CONCESSIONS!)

Actually, they're all pretty cute, even the ones not in dresses.

And Sunday was Weed Circus Day at church.  Ryan wrote the Choir Christmas program, and sang in it, including as a part of a quartet AND a solo.  Nathan and Cody both sang in the children's choir.  Nathan also performed in the bell choir.  Cody gave the scripture in Senior Primary, and Leah gave the scripture in Junior Primary.  Spencer, I'm sure was somehow indispensable in nursery, and I just hung around, trying to soak up a little of their celebrity.   But I should note that rather than hanging around, it seemed that people just wanted me OUT of the picture... like the sweet grandmother lady in our ward who grabbed my husband as we were passing (and I didn't notice until I arrived at our mutual destination... alone) and started telling him how she has a lovely lovely granddaughter in Costa Rica on a mission and how she is just so impressed with Ryan's goodness, just his pure goodness that you can really see shining from him when he sings, and how she hopes her granddaughter will marry someone just like him, and how hard it is to find someone GOOD like him, and etc, etc, etc.  This is where I arrived (after realizing that I was missing my other half), introduced myself as his WIFE and had to sadly tell her that THIS particular good man was, in fact, quite taken.  She seemed a little let down. 

See?  Taken.  (And this was taken after our office Christmas party.)

And with that, I think we're ready for Christmas!

Celebrate, celebrate your happy day!

Buffalo Bill Cody The Kid turns 8 today!  Who can believe such a thing?  And yet, I've done the math and I'm pretty sure it's true.

This kid has been the same kid from day 1.  Happy, attentive to others, sweet, easy and loving.  I would weep great tears of joy if I could go back to baby Cody and snuggle him again.  Luckily, 8 year old Cody is still willing to cuddle (although he isn't as pocket sized as he once was.)

But since he is kind of the same, I don't really know what else to say about him on his very important 8th birthday, so I thought I'd interview him-see if we could delve into the depths of Cody's mind and learn something new about this kid.



What is your favorite thing to do outside?
     Play soccer.

What is your favorite holiday?
     Halloween.

What do you want to be when you grow up?
     A chef, an actor and a worker.  

 If you were invisible, what would you do?
     I would go around tackling people.

I am very proud because…
     I won all my games in my basketball season.


If I were President I would…
     Say no taxes!

Name one thing you do really well.
     Basketball.

Describe what it means to be a good friend.
     To include people in your games and play with them.


I wish there were a law that said…
     No taxes!

What makes you feel sad?
     When people don't play with me.

What makes you feel happy?
     When I'm with my mommy.

If you could fly whenever you wanted, where would you go?
     I would go to Disneyland and cut in all the lines!



So maybe we didn't learn much new about Cody (except that he has a real problem with taxes), but we still know the same things that we knew at the start: that he's a great kid who deserves the best 8th birthday ever!

Basketball!

It has been basketball season.  Don't worry.  It's been NO PROBLEM getting 2 boys to 2 different basketball games every Saturday morning while their daddy is at work from 9-11, (but really 8:30-12, counting travel time), and to keep Spencer entertained in the 6 inches or sideline space where I have to keep him OFF the court and NOT playing with the balls... ... ...  I cannot tell a lie.  I'm not sorry to see this basketball season go!

Let's talk about Cody's team first.

Cody is just such a great little athlete.   He just kind of gets it.  As soon as he gets into the game, he decides he's going to score.  Right now.  So he dribbles down and does it.  Then the pressure's off.  He's already scored, so if he happens to do it again, that's great, but at least he showed his mama that he could do it.  His coach has been excellent and other than the fact that he weirdly got placed on another school's team, he's had a pretty good season.

Nathan, on the other hand, has had a pretty strange season.   It's been one thing after another, from Nathan trying out and making the AAU team, to 3 weeks into the season, them CANCELLING his team and telling him that sorry, there's no where else for you to play basketball, to then a kid on a random team breaking his collarbone (sorry, kid) so Nathan got his spot.  So then Nathan got a spot on a regular Y Ball team, part way into the season.  His coach is a nice man who doesn't know a thing about basketball, so these 5th graders have gone the whole season without learning a single play.  No one on his team even knows who's supposed to do what, like who's supposed to dribble the ball down the court.  Nathan ends up doing it as often as anyone, and if you know even a tiny bit about basketball, you know that the big man (Nathan is) does not take the ball down the court.  His team, not surprisingly, hasn't won a single game.  And that doesn't bother me-the losing part-it's more the fact that I feel like he hasn't had any teaching this season, when he actually should have been playing and learning at the higher level of AAU that kind of bugs.

They almost won a game.  Once.  A kid on Nate's team got hurt, and with 20 seconds left in the game, Nathan went in.  Score was 17-18, the other team was up.  Nathan got the ball... and shot it... and it rimmed out.  OH!  If there was ever a time I wanted to rewrite history!  But all that game, Nathan was playing his guts out, and he told me afterword that he felt like that game unlocked a few new modes for him.  The "Mad Bull" mode, and the "Running for the Car" mode.  (Basically, apparently Nathan has a Beast Mode, he just calls it the Mad Bull, and the other thing is a panic mode-he had to run down the street once to try to catch me.  Anyway... so I guess unlocking those modes was reason enough to play.  :)

You know, even though Nathan's season was... um, weird... at best, I am glad that my kids have opportunities like this.  More than once as I was taking one or both of them to practice, I just thought, how nice it is that my kids get to do something so All American as play basketball in the winter.  That's just ideal and I'm glad we can provide that for them!

Thanksgiving 2014

We had a grand old Thanksgiving this year.  Everyone helped with the cooking, which really just makes everything amazing, don't you think?

All of these lovely people stayed with us (I'm always so proud of our house for being able to comfortably host big gatherings!) and we had a great time together.  I made Aunt Heather's sweet potatoes, which Nathan ate about 12 servings of at the meal itself and polished off the leftovers before the next day.  They were a hit with that kid, and I think everyone else liked them too.  Actually I'm not sure that anyone else got any, but I'm sure if they had, they would have liked them.  :)  It was a perfect meal, followed of course, by Bingo.

Aunt Jan, did you know that we stole borrowed the idea of Thanksgiving Bingo from you?  Many moons ago, actually, so it's a tradition that has been going strong for about 8 years now.  Good times, with Grandpa Don always coming up with new and extreme ways to get Bingo-postage stamp gets 4 prizes, and the inner circle gets 5! and other wildness like that. 

All in all, we went to movies, played lots of games, ate lots of food, and had LOTS to be thankful for!