Christmas x 7

Yep! We got to celebrate seven times! It was so fun to be with friends and family. I'll be back soon with pictures galore.

xo

Merry Christmas!

We just finished exchanging our gifts to each other. One major perk about being married: you get to do things however you want! "Wanna exchange tonight?" "Um, OK!" And that was that. We both feel very loved. Hope you do too! Merry Christmas!

Mishaps

So, how'd you like that last post? Computer malfunction. But let's be honest..."Peter"... 'nough said.

I have one more Christmas present to buy, a few to wrap, and my house is a mess. Peter, the usually cleaner one, has ransacked the house! Syprupy waffle plate(s) on the coffee table, batter on the kitchen counter, oh and you know their's dishes in the sink! Aye! I haven't even been home! Did I mention the laundry basket is overflowing? It is. Well, I could get up and get crackin' or I could take a nap. I'll let you spend five whole seconds figuring out which it will be.

peter

Christmas Spendor

Yesterday, Peter and I met Mom and Dad at the spectrum. My kids gave me $150 to spend there. Say WHAT?! After some lunch and a quick looky loo we headed home, took a nap and then the 4 of us headed to church. We stopped by Grandma and Pa T's casa afterwards to pick them up and swoosh them off to dinner at Outback (another very generous gift card). The plan, as posted about yesterday, was to then drive up to Balboa for a Christmas light stroll. Well, we were all feeling rather stuffed after dinner and the weather outside was frightful. What? Didn't you see the sprinkles on your windshield and the jack frost nipping at your nose?

Did you guess it? We bailed on the itinerary, stopped by the store for ice cream and the 6 of us gathered around the fire, built a Christmas puzzle and baked cookies. Um. Ya. It was as awesome as it sounds. Excellent veto of the plan.

As for today, and I am not backing out, Cynthia and I are going to a youth orchestra concert at Concordia! One of my fifth graders will be playing and she gave me 2 concert tickets. Cynthia, the little musician, is pumped as am I! One awesome thing about a huge family- you always have someone to take with you! Peter will be earnin the big bucks tonight. Merry Christmas!

Break me off a piece of that

That's right; the final bell has rung! School's out! I was probably the only teacher not counting down the days 'til break. Truth be told, I love my job, my kids, my staff, my school, shall I go on? And I miss them when away! I woke up at 3:30 am Thursday morning and 4 am Friday because I was so excited to get to school and hang out with my 5th graders. Call me crazy! Don't get me wrong though, if two weeks of vacation come walking by, I'll snatch those bad boys up like money lying in the gutter. And so I have, consider my vacation time snatched. We've already had a very successful 12 hours. We hung out with both families last night, stayed up late and giggled at each other for hours, and currently, are sleeping in. Well, one of us is at least. I was too excited to get this party started!

Yesterday was a pretty amazing and crazy day! We had our Christmas party first thing. Peter came in to play. They couldn't wait for me to open my presents (btw, sooo generous!) Then we started our gift exchange. Soon after, Elizabeth, Rachel and Mr. Harp came in for a visit. My kids were inthralled. Elizabeth makes a great teacher! The other 5th grade class couldn't stand to be left out so they came over too. All my kids were on the floor in a circle with Elizabeth in the middle, rotating the harp periodically so all could see. Then we had recess, watched Sign of the Beaver, had lunch and went home! Whew! What a whirlwind!

As for today, how 'bout a boat parade and some Christmas lights down at Balboa? Bundle up!

Grandma Called

So, I don't know if you know this but I go to bed really early most nights. At 7:30 pm, I head for the potty, think about brushing my teeth and then proceed to turn off all the Christmas lights in the house. I don't have a problem with this. I go to bed earlier than probably 99% of my students. Blame it on the pregnancy, blame it on the job, call me cranky if <10 hours....it's just how it is right now and I like it. (Peter, not so much)

Well, tonight, at 8:45 pm, Grandma A calls. She immediately starts with, "Did I wake you?" "No." Next question, "Are you in bed?" "No, I'm justing sitting here with my small group." "Oh, OK, well I won't keep you. Call me when you're finished." "You mean tonight or tomorrow?" "Tonight's good. I'll be up." "OK. Will do."

Yep, Grandma stays up later than me. I'm pretty sure all three of my Grandmas stay up later than me. Whoopsie!

Snowball Fight

Yesterday I had my kids clean out their binders. For 3 minutes they searched their dividers for unnecessary papers. Then! I told them to wad them up into balls and stand on either side of the room. Man, were they excited! On my mark, they threw paper balls at each other for 30 seconds. All you saw was white and all you heard was giggles. When I called time, they had to gather them on each side and count to see who had the least. Least balls=winner. We played three times and you would have thought I took them to Disneyland! They were sweaty, huffing and even puffing. I love my job. I love my kids. Tomorrow we have our Christmas party and then we're off to break. Oh how I'll miss them!

A Little Christmas Spirit for Ya...

He's got a Serious Knack

for making AWESOME things!! A couple weeks ago at Forest Home, Peter wanted to "gather sticks and make something." Uh, ok. Honestly, I thought it was mostly just a ploy to get me to hike. We gathered and gathered, hiking higher up the mountain for the perfect sticks. We loaded them in Civy next to our suitcases and headed home. A few days later, he got down to business.

And the final product & its creator....

Holiday Cheer

Tonight, Peter and I have our first "work party". We've never been to one of those. I feel so grown up!! We're both so thankful for our jobs. It's fun to tag team this money thing.

Fussin' for Nothin'

Wrapped up my report cards this morning. Round one of hopefully many report card rounds... Let me just say, I don't know what all the fuss is about! They weren't difficult or even that time consuming...and I think I did it right. Yesterday I uploaded all the grades and this morning I started on the comments, 29 to be exact. I have 34 students but I don't write the special ed report cards. By 11:05 am, I was finished and asking myself, "That's it?" I went back to my room to gather some day-to-day assignments to grade and started on that. By the end of the day, I felt pretty darn accomplished.

Back home, I took a nap to gear up for our big event tonight...Styffe Family Christmas Card Picture! Oh yes! At 9:30 pm, 10 Styffes will gather in Brea and hope to smile all at the same time, in the same direction. See why I needed a nap? It was cut short though; Peter decided he wanted to make mom's famous pretzel jello. Bang. Bang. Bang (smashing pretzels). Whooosh (water running). Bang. Bang. Bang (pots). "Lauraaaaaaaa, how do I......?" Yep, nap went out the window. I told him if I was grumpy tonight he just needed to remember- Bang. Bang. Bang.

Alumni Pride

Two and a half years ago, there were 4 of us. Now, seven. The stockings hung by the fire with care are fillin' up! How many will be hanging in ten years?

Light it Up

Last night we were at the Biola tree lighting. It is my favorite Biola tradition. This year, I finally convinced mom and dad to go, too! We met Tiff and Jar on campus and ate Panera that we had picked up on the way as we waited for the show to start. It was so crowded! They also had booths set up where you could shop for Christmas presents. It was pretty awesome. We also enjoyed the hot chocolate, apple cider, and Peter's favorite- the cookie decorating table. Afterward, we stopped by the Higgins' house to continue the merriment.

I should also mention that before we headed up to LA county, we had a very exciting doctor's visit. Both newbie grandmas and my dad (grandpa) joined Peter and I for our 24 week check up. They really wanted to hear the heartbeat. All 5 of us crammed into the room (6 if you count Baby) and waited for the doctor. It was pretty precious to watch (particularly the grandmas) bubble over with excitement. Dad just felt a little awkward being at the "lady doctor's appointment". All is well with Baby Styffe. They measured my stomach for the first time, gave me paperwork for my gestational diabetes tests (oh joy!), and answered our few questions. I have one more monthly appointment and then I'm down to 2 trips a month...the time is nearing. She also referred to my "3rd trimester" and that freaked me out a bit. I'm not ready for that big needle thing!

On our way out, we received a list of classes we could take to "prepare". Man, are those expensive! I would like to take the free hospital tour though. I can just imagine how a bunch of round, waddling women look rounding the corners in the hospital for their tour...if I was a nurse I would probably giggle every time I saw them coming. Yes, that's why I'm not a nurse. Thanks for checking in!

Date Night

Did you know that Cheesecake Factory has a ridiculously amazing happy hour?? Oh ya- appetizer and two meals for <$15. That's where we'll be tonight!

xo, p&l

I love my job!

A peek into D2...

xo, p&l

Baby Daddy

Now that is the cutest baby daddy I have ever seen! Just imagine in a few months a mountain climbing backpack strapped to his back that's meant to carry a baby. Oh yes! He's found one and it is already on the registry. Baby has the coolest dad ever. Can't wait to watch them have their adventures and be apart of the ones that don't require me to climb to the top of a mountain.

xo, mama bear

And we're back!

New chapter (making a family) = new blog!

You'll learn all about our day - to - day, baby Styffe's growth, our jobs, and how crazy we are about each other. Enjoy!