Merry Christmas!

Hope you had a Merry Christmas!!!!

Carter... try to smile AND open your eyes at the same time!

There we go.









I have instant babysitters to take Kaitlyn off my hands at all the family events. Yep it's tough, but someone's gotta do it.



And now for the second nativity production of the day...
Camels, giant dogs, same diff.




Santa made a visit to our house!


Logan thinks Jenna's new bike is his.


Rice cereal, sweet!!


All Carter could have gotten was Buzz Lightyear and he'd have been happy. It wasn't until yesterday he actually started playing with his other toys.


And all Jenna needed was a unicorn pillow pet!


The pillow pets already came in handy. Having so much fun is EXHAUSTING!


We had a great Christmas! And NOW if someone could tell me how to make these little bits of heaven...


A couple neighbors brought them by and I think they are the best thing I have EVER EATEN!!!!!!!!! White chocolate oreo balls?? Merry Christmas to ME!! :)

Miracle Bowl?

Nate and I are on the same page on almost everything in life. We understand each other. Yep, me and Nate= match made in heaven.

Oh yeah… except for one small thing, which I have mentioned before…

SPORTS!!!! NATE LOVES THEM! AND I DO NOT! Believe me I know i'm the weird one here!! Why can't I just follow the crowd and GET IT! Poor Nate.

So here is the conversation Nate and I had last night, pretty much word for word, just illustrating this point once again…

He'd recorded some old BYU game and for some reason wanted to show some of it to me.

Nate: "Hey, can I show you the last part of the Miracle Bowl?"

(ummmmm are you really talking to me? Okay okay… I can be mean about this or suck it up and just play along…)

Erika: "Uhhh… sure… like, how much do you want to show me?"

(But what I really mean is how long are you going to make me suffer?)

Nate: "Only the last 4 minutes, it is really awesome."

OKAY WELL then, if it's AWESOME!

(It really does make me laugh that we've been married 7 years and yet he still tries to get me interested in football. I am telling you it is not programmed into my brain to like any football, EVEN if it is called the MIRACLE bowl. I am completely hopeless.)

Erika: "FOUR MINUTES! That's FOR-EVER in sports! I mean, uh, …. okay."

Nate: "So let me explain to you what is going on, BYU blah blah, blah blah, blah blah. And blah blah blah blah, blah blah. Does that make sense?"

Erika: "Uhhhhh huh."

(Actually my mind wandered a little so I couldn't tell you what you just said, but since I definitely don't want you to explain it again I will simply smile and nod. I really am a jerk huh?!!)

I am looking at football players running around and then I think I see a touchdown.

Erika: "Did BYU just score a touchdown?"

Nate: "Yeah they did."

Erika: "Oh, so they won? That was it?"

(THAT was what you wanted to show me?)

Nate: "NO! Erika, I just told you the score was 45 to 25 and were down three touchdowns!"

(Whoops, my poor listening skills have been revealed!)

Nate: "Do you even know how many points a touchdown is?"

(AWWW come on I am not THAT dumb.)

Erika: "YES! 7?"

Nate: "No, 6 points actually. You can get extra points for blah blah blah blah blah."

Erika: "Well I think 'extra' points are pretty dumb. I mean why can't a touchdown be a touchdown, why do you have to have 'extra' points."

(ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT APPARENTLY A TOUCHDOWN ITSELF IS NOT 7 POINTS. But I was totally adding in the extra point already, something like that.)

Nate: "You realize you are making fun of the coolest sport in the WORLD."

Erika: "Did you just say I'm making fun of the coolest sport in the world? Like, Africans think football is the coolest sport in the world?"

Nate: "OKAY let me rephrase, the most POPULAR sport in the U.S. I mean, it's not my fault third world countries can't play football."

(Are we having this conversation?!)

Erika: "NATE!!!!!"

Nate: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! You know I didn't mean that like it sounded."

After a few seconds,

Nate: "Erika, you are not falling asleep, come on this is REALLY cool! I just do not think you are GRASPING how HUGE this is, Erika."

(Ya think?!)

So I watch BYU make history in this Miracle Bowl from 1972 or whatever, not really sure cause I wasn't listening. I get that it was an amazing comeback. And I was mildly interested. I get that Nate is wildly into sports and he wanted to share that miraculous moment with me, not because he thought I'd be magically converted but because he wanted to share his passion with the woman he loves if just for a small moment. So I really tried to make it sound like I really enjoyed it too.

Erika: "That was pretty cool."

Nate: "Well thanks for kind of watching that with me."

You're welcome.

And that is how we roll. Understanding that we just don't understand each other! When it comes to sports anyway!!

(So I just realized between last post and this one Nate sounds like a sports maniac who can't screw in a lightbulb & he may not appreciate that... but I'd like to state that anyone who knows Nate at all knows he is so extremely smart that it isn't fair for anyone else. REALLY! I have several stories to back that up, including getting a 5 on the AP calculus test in high school when he only actually attended class like 5 times...) plus he has a Master's degree! AND he chose to marry ME so YEAH he is extremely smart.

(who sometimes can't screw in a lightbulb right.) ;)

I'm a chicken I'm a chicken!

Running around like my head's cut off, i feel crazy busy and yet what do I have to show for it, NOT MUCH! I am a person who likes to chill I'm not too fond of being busy all the time and running here and there, especially when it means making sure 4 kids are ready and buckling and unbuckling carseats 12 times a day. AHHH. I felt pretty wound up this last week. I mean you know it's been THAT KIND OF DAY when the bright spot of your day is finding the best, closest parking spot ever at Walmart, right next to the handicap spot! I'm pretty sure my eyes filled up with tears and I said aloud, "Somebody IS looking out for me!!!" Yep I can definitely be dramatic. Anyway here are some pictures of the kids in the snow.





Snow angels!



Jenna told me her angel needed a face (a little creepy though?)

Mmmm snow.

Logan getting me with a "snowball."



I had to take a picture of all our cute stockings.

Growing up there was an older couple on our street who could never have children. We called them "Grandma" and "Grandpa." Grandma Woodland made all of us kids stockings. So when I had kids, my mom continued the tradition and has made all of my kids the same exact stockings. I love them. It makes me think of Grandma Woodland. She passed away when I was 13. Grandpa Woodland still lives there though and is actually the one who sealed Nate and I in the Bountiful temple. He definitely holds a soft spot in my heart. Anyway that's my story about our stockings! My mom's on the ball, Kaitlyn's even up there.


So yesterday we decided to have a family sleepover! We pulled out our mattress and we all slept on in front of the Christmas tree.






Here is a random picture of Kaitlyn, who slept great in her crib. Next year, baby girl!


Was I uncomfortable, yeah. Did Logan switch positions 800 times, yes! But I think this will have to be a new tradition, the kids LOOOVED it. And before that we drove past the Layton Park lights, picked out a redbox (Shrek 4) and hit the dollar store to get some snacks. WHICH brings me to Nate... NATE! Oh he cracks me up. So he has never been to the dollar store and as we are walking up and down the aisles you should have heard him. He was SO excited. He's like, "LOOK ERIKA, THIS is really a DOLLAR?!" I'd say, "yep it's the dollar store." but then he'd find something else and be like, "look at THIS, THIS is not one dollar, is it? Are you sure?" and I'd point out where it says, "Everything $1" all over the store. He's like "I just can't believe it is all a dollar! I mean LOOK barbecue sauce for ONE DOLLAR! There are SO many possibilities here! Look, erika, you can get whatever salad dressing you want for just one dollar! This is AMAZING." He kills me, he really does. Then we got home and ate the cheese puffs from the dollar store, which are, of course, disgusting, and then I think the wonder of it all sort of went down...

I swear it's times like that I am like THIS is why I love him so much. I mean who else can try to change the kitchen light bulb and two minutes later NONE of the can lights in the kitchen work AND the garage door won't open??? (who knew those were connected.) I love this guy. (our electrician friend had to come fix it.) We laughed for awhile. Way to be handy, Nate. :)

Anyway. Enough making fun of Nate. I will save some stories for another time.

Okay what am i doing blogging there is so much stuff to do. Blah.

Cheesy smiles & bacon!

How could this face not brighten up your day?!







Well, that last one she's about to sneeze, but I had to add it anyway.

So this is random, but wanna know what Nate told me the other day as we sat down to eat dinner?

"This might sound weird, but this meal is beyond my wildest dreams."

BACON FRIED RICE, people. It will make ALL YOUR DREAMS COME TRUE!!!

Okay gotta go, geez I have no time to blog lately.

If the refrigerator could talk

Dear Gomm Family,
Hello, it's me, your fridge. I do hope I am not overstepping my bounds as an, ahem, appliance, but I just wondered if you happened to be aware of a few Tupperware containers back here that should probably be thrown out?
Yours truly,
Fridge


Dear Fridge,
Oh, hello there. How very nice of you to bring that to my attention! I will do my best to take care of it.
Yours,
Erika


Dear Gomm Family,
Hello… it's me again. I was just going to give you a friendly reminder about these containers in the back. Not that it's my business, but they are really looking pretty bad.
Thanks in advance!
Fridge


Dear Fridge,
Ohhh it's you again. Yes I remember about those old leftovers back there. Believe me I want them gone just as much as you do. I will try to get to it.
Sincerely,
Erika


Dear Gomms,
Helloooo. So I can't help but notice those leftovers are STILL HERE. Do you realize the longer you wait the more difficult this will be for you? Just looking out for your best interest.
Cordially,
Fridge


Dear Fridge,
Sigh. I KNOW they are still there. I KNOW. Let me just be honest with you okay: The thought of taking a peek into those containers pretty much ruins my whole day. Just trying to muster up the courage.
Chow,
Erika


Dear Erika,
Look just get it over with. Be strong. Just sayin.
Fridge


Fridge,
Dude if you want it done YOU do it.
I am just saying you are just an appliance around here so maybe you should start keeping your thoughts to yourself.
Erika


Erika,
I WOULD do it IF I COULD, and if I COULD it would not need to be DONE because I would have been RESPONSIBLE and thrown them out light years ago. I mean we're not talkin Thanksgiving leftovers, you know this is like ANCIENT. And you can ignore it all you want, but there are like SEVEN ROTTING meals back here. How old ARE you?
Fridge

Fridge,
Oh YEAH like talking DOWN to me is gonna make me do it? Don't give ME attitude buster!! Come on, COOL IT. Take a CHILL PILL, yaknow what I mean?
Erika


Erika,
Ohh HO HO look who's getting all PUNNY. How about YOU take a grown up pill and CLEAN ME OUT!
Fridge


Fridge,
Well FINE!
Erika


Erika,
FINE!
Fridge


We are not on good terms here….

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmm at this point should I throw all seven plastic containers away? Pretty sure what's in them is unrecognizable to the human eye. Pretty sure after what I'd see in them I couldn't eat out of them anyway. Pretty sure you're all wondering how I could let it get so bad. Not sure. But hopefully I have learned my lesson.

Let it snow, not.

What Carter did during nap time.





It was everywhere. Including up Carter's nose.


Good-bye, cheap styrofoam stuffed monkey. Tossed out with the pizza boxes and dirty diapers.


And while I was vaccuuming up the styrofoam, which stuck to everything so it was the funnest thing ever, Logan was in the front room breaking ornaments. I was too mad to take pictures of THAT.

Story of my life!!!

Which bring me to: What is the fine line between anal cleanliness and living in a pigsty when it comes to trying to keep the house clean with FOUR KIDS? WHERE is that line?? I need to find it. I keep going back and forth between, OHHHH it's okay my house is a disaster, to oh my heck my house is a DISASTER. Everything I do gets undone 5 minutes later!!!!!!! Go with it, or let it drive me crazy??? It's tough sometimes.

Oh well.

I also go from being stressed one minute to laughing at something my kids are doing or saying the next--- THAT my friends is how I keep sane and why I enjoy my life so much. :)

Like, maybe ya had to be there, but it was sure funny to hear Jenna and Carter having a huge debate over whether knee high shiny black boots are GIRL boots or BOY boots.

For the record they are most definitely Jenna's boots... but Carter thinks they are pretty awesome.