i've been too busy reading blogs about other peoples lives...

to blog about my own. SAD, SAD... but true. BUT here is the first step to a new, better, blogging me in 2010. i'm actually sitting down, 12 days in, 3 kids at school, one asleep, lunch dishes still in the sink, to catch myself up on the end of 2009.



MATT'S BIRTHDAY



matty matt matt matt turned the big 35 a week before christmas and he is the king of always guessing what his gifts will be or what we are going to do, so this year i was super nervous in planning a surprise party for him. i thought i was sunk a few weeks before when i was checking with people to see who could come and got some calls back. he came home that night and was checking the caller id to see who had called! just for fun! i didn't think to clear all the phones and i thought he was getting suspicious that 3 of his friends called on the same day. he told me he wasn't but i still have my doubts! with the help of my sneaky brother, he showed up late enough to let everyone arrive and put him in the spotlight for a bit. we had friends from the ward, colorado, college, and the service all show up to celebrate his big day. i'm not the worlds greatest party planner, but everything went off ok. we played matt trivia, ate cafe rioish burritos, had aunt malee's famous german chocolate cake (matt's fav) and ended with a rousing game of pictionary (which we have not played forever!) after everyone filtered out at 10ish, and my parents had the kids, matt and i headed across the street for a late night movie.



lots of work, but so worth it to see the look on his face when he walked through the door! and i would share that look with you, if i wasn't too crazy that night to take pictures. so yes, fabulous night and no pictures to prove it!



CHRISTMAS



in some ways, busy...in others, not so busy

we had all hawes family functions before christmas and all mcqueen's after. it made it nice as matt got tithing settlement done before we had anything big to get to. our hawes get together was at moms, complete with candied orange slices, cinnamon bears, homemade carmel, and peanut clusters. a christmas tradition in my family since before i can remember. my kiddos ache for hawes functions as they are getting fewer as the kids get older. aunt cheri planned a fabulous dinner followed by a family talent show complete with singing, tumbling, piano playing, and sword fighting (pray the "hawes family singers" never hits youtube). there's always the reenacting of the nativity. difficult with 20 some odd kids, but doable none the less. notable this year were the scantily clad angel and female wise man. can't wait to see what next year will bring.



christmas eve was spent trying to get neighbor gifts out. boy, of all the advice i've received about being the bishop's wife, no one prepared me for the barrage of neighbor gifts the bishop gets at christmas. we kept getting and getting, which means i had to keep baking and baking to give back. it was fun to be the recipient of so much love and good will and next year i will be better prepared! we then headed to matt's parents as his sister and family had just flown in. we had a yummy christmas eve dinner and program, let the kids play a bit and then got in our new jammies to head home and await santas arrival.



christmas morning, everyone slept until 7:30! what a christmas treat! we had a leisurely morning opening gifts and being glad we didn't have to go anywhere. the kids favs:

MEGAN:

a new camera and a dress that isn't too girly

ISAAC:

a ds and a rugby ball

MALLORY:

oodles and oodles of makeup and a real tea set

ELI:

a bat cave and a new scooter that is like the big kids'

MATT:

a tv, finally, after 4 years sans one

we spent the next week sledding with cousins, watching new movies, and taking a break from reality. we had a few mcqueen functions to attend and had a great time with cousins we see only a few times a year, if that. it was fun to be with matt's dads family (on what would have been ardes' 99th birthday)to reminisce on grandma ardes and her legacy. a lovely lady sorely missed but lived such a full life.

NEW YEARS

we rang in the new year with mary and travis and kids at 7 oclock on new year's eve as mallory couldn't wait any longer. every year we tear up newspaper and throw it all over when the clock strikes...um, seven, i guess, in this year's case. we also stayed up playing a great new game, tabago. super fun if you're smart. less super fun, if you're dumb, and getting dumber, like me.

life started back up again on the 3rd for everyone and we've just been plugging away since--except now we get to watch tv!!