Fancy some reading?

I just started reading Ken Follett's book, Pillars of the Earth. I wanted to see if all the hype it was getting is really accurate. Its a looooooong book, 973 pages. I'm usually able to return books to the library before they are due but I'm thinking I'm going to definitely have to put an extension on this one. My brother could probably finish this book in a week. Anyway, I'm curious to see how the author creates a 900+ story with the characters I have been introduced to thus far.

I finished Elizabeth Gilbert's, Eat, Pray, Love book while I was on my flight back from Cancun. I really enjoyed this book. It was basically a book about her quest to find balance or harmony between pleasure and spirituality. My favorite part of the book were her travels in Italy. I would love to experience Rome and Naples one day. My words are not sufficient enough to do it justice. I thought it was worth reading.

Mascara

I need your help. I am desperate for a good mascara. Everyone I've tried always flakes and leaves me with black residue below my eyes. I don't need more to add to my dark cirlces! Does anyone have a mascara they love? Or that doesn't leave them with racoon eyes? I've tried Covergirl, Maybeline, Clinique and one from Costco.

Isn't he adorable?

Here's my new nephew Zane! He's pretty cute. Check out that blonde hair!

Welcome baby Zane

Mae and Clay had their baby last Friday night. Zane was born at 10pm measuring 20.5 inches long, strawberry blonde hair, and 7 lbs. 15 oz. I don't have any pictures of him yet but I just wanted to say we're so happy to have him here! I went to the Williford's house last night to take a shift so they could get some sleep and I am already amazed at how good Zane is. He slept in his cradle the entire time! My boys never would have done that. Congratulations Clay and Mae! Welcome to parenthood. :)

Our trip to Cancun

We had a glorious time in Cancun! Actually, I probably had a better time than Steve since he was in meetings most of the time but he still had a good time.

Most relaxing moment: Thursday's manicure, hair cut, and facial...it doesn't get much better than this.

Most romantic moment: Steve and I had dinner on the beach in a little casita. It was so gorgeous and the food was delicioso!

Most food eaten: Friday night's seafood buffet in the Ritz. We all stuffed our faces with Lobster Thermidor, grilled lobster tails, shrimp, tuna, sushi, fried calamari, seafood paella, seafood ceviche, there was too much to name and don't even get me started on the dessert!

Most laughable moment: getting a flat tire on the way back to the Ritz from Tulum! It was dark and the mosquitoes were out to feast. Thankgoodness for the handy men to quickly get us back on the road.

Most educational (for me anyway): the tour of the Mayan ruins in Tulum. We had a great tour guide, Alma. Unfortunately we arrived at the ruins close to closing time so she had to quickly take us on our tour but she did a great job and I was amazed with how well preserved the ruins still were. The tour was the icing on the cake for me.

List

1. I can't believe I'm going to Cancun tomorrow. I wonder what it will be like. I feel out of my element but I'm excited. I don't think I've been to the beach by myself where the only item on the agenda was to read a book and soak up some sun in at least 4 years...wow. Besides the fact that this is mine and Steve's first "international" trip together in the entire time we've been married. 2. My sister Mae is probably going to have her baby while I'm gone, I should just accept that fact. I am having selfish thoughts trying to will the baby not to come until Saturday night. Sorry Mae. 3. I wish I could seperate myself from my children easier. I hate leaving them but I love the idea of going away without them. Weird. My mind betrays me by feeding me worse case scenarios thus filling me with dread and trepidation. Is this what its like to be a mom? I know they will be in excellent hands and its only 4 days. 4. I really like the book I'm reading right now. Its by Elizabeth Gilbert and titled Eat, Pray, Love. She's a good writer. The first 1/3 of her book was about her time in Italy and I just LOVED that. I want to visit Italy for 4 months too and eat at Pizzeria da Michele in Naples, see Rome and everyone grossly displaying public affection, eat gelato and pastries, ride a gondola in Venice, meander around the cathedrals and museums.... 5. This is the last day of antibiotics for Luke...HALLELUJAH!! 6. Where did my interest in cooking go? I just don't want to do it anymore. There are about 5 dishes I like to cook. Unfortuneately for me I tire of those 5 dishes too quickly. I used to love to see what I could whip up, how well I could follow a recipe, what a new dish tasted like. (sigh)

Mmmmm

This morning we made the chocolate croissants from Trader Joe's. They were so delicious that I'm dedicating an entire post to them! I think they were better than Vie de France. Let's not discuss the fat content and calorie count though....ignorance is bliss. I bought them in the frozen isle and took them out last night to let rise on a baking sheet. This morning they had quadrupled in size. I baked them for 20 minutes and I had croissant heaven!! Mmmmm....

Merry Christmas!

Our family had a great Christmas morning yesterday. Ethan woke up bright and early but he patiently waited for Luke and his Dad to wake up before opening presents. Each present was a new thrill! The first stage was opening our presents at home. Then my family came over and we all made a delicious breakfast! It was a feast to behold. I think my favorite was James' German pancakes and Clay's sausage balls. Then we had the second stage of opening presents. Everyone left for naps and we didn't even bother giving Ethan a nap. He played with all toys and I think he enjoyed having free reign while Luke was asleep. After naps we went over to my parent's home for dinner of Christmas Eve leftovers (yum!) and the third and final phase of present opening. Phew! We also dressed Ellie and Ethan up and read Luke 2 and they acted it out. Luke wanted to be a photographer instead of a shepherd. Go figure.

Thanks to all our family that made it such a great day for everyone! Thanks for all the Christmas cards, email included.

Here's a special poem a friend of mine shared with me.

From Santa with Love
By Michelle Davis

A long time ago in a land far away,
A child was born on a cold winter’s day
He wasn’t the baby you’re thinking about
But another small lad, he stood short and stout
He grew up to be quite a caring old man
He loved little children, everyone in the land
He found the “Good Book” and studied its pages
It was the story of Jesus passed down through the ages
His heart overflowed as he read, could it be?
A love so divine that he died just for me?
A twinkle appeared in his eye on that day
He found a road straight to Heaven and Christ was the way
As Christmas came closer, his heart filled with joy
He’d show God’s people he loved them – every girl, every boy
He made lots of goodies and stocked up his shelves
Yes, Santa was busy and so were his elves
He was filled with such love, that he wanted to share
So he handed out gifts to kids everywhere
Praise be to God, let the Angels sing
For this jolly old man spreads love for the King
As he steps into the chimney, he looks high above
And whispers, “Happy Birthday Dear Jesus, from Santa with Love”

Joy School Christmas party

Last Tuesday was our Joy School Christmas party. We had a pot luck dinner with all the parents and kids. After dinner we got the kids changed into their costumes and they performed the Christmas skit they had been practicing for a couple weeks. I think it went really well! I was beaming as I watched Ethan sing his songs and play his little part. If I can figure out how to get the video I took of it from the tape to the computer than I'll put some on here. I can't believe we are half way through with Joy School already. It has been a lot of fun and I know Ethan has really benefitted from it.

Visit from the Vegas Rasmussens

A few weeks ago our favorite Vegas Rasmussens came down for a visit. We had too much fun. Allen brought his Rockband game and immediately began setting it up upon arrival. Ethan and Luke were thrilled to see their cousins, Adam and Jake. Saturday we got a babysitter for the four boys (what a brave girl she was to do this!) and took Allen and Anna with us to the Seegmiller Attorneys Christmas party. They have a beautiful house and the entertainment of the night was free Botox injections (none of us partook) and massages. Anna and I ended up being able to squeeze in for a massage before we left. My favorite part was getting Steve to sing "Sound of Silence" with me on Karoake and then hearing Ev and James to "Papa don't Preach." On Monday we all packed up and headed to Disneyland. We tried to make sure they didn't miss anything they wanted to experience, I think everyone had a grand ol' time. Then Tuesday was a full day of Rockband!! We're thinking of going pro....hahaha.... We also went to Ethan's Joy School Christmas party. I'll talk about that in the next post though.

Here are some pictures of the weekend...

We started things off on a sweet note by eating the Gingerbread house I had made with the boys earlier.

Sunday we went for a walk and checked out this house down the street that gets all decked out for Christmas. The boys are sitting on the fake snow.

We are on our way in to Small World. I have to say that this is my favorite ride at Disneyland during Christmas time. I get excited about it just looking at this picture!

This is our first family picture at Disneyland. It was about time!



We are definitely a bunch of monkeys.

The cousins strike a pose: Luke (2), Ethan (3), Adam (3), Jake (1)