Christmas 2009

Before I start my post I just wanted to let everyone know that at the start of the new year, I will be making my blog private! I know it will be hard to see when I update, but I figure if people want to read it, they'll probably remember to check. So, if you are a reader of my blog and want to still have access, just send me your email address. My email is prizzfam@cox.net. Thanks!! ~Liz~

On to Christmas.....

Our holiday was wonderful this year! The pace felt very relaxed and we really enjoyed our time with all of our family. On Christmas Eve, we had dinner with Jess' family and then headed out to my parents where the grand kids ALL get to be in the Nativity Song. After that, the kids get to do a talent show for the family and then open their presents from the grandparents. I always love to see how much my nieces and nephews have progressed in their music throughout the year. I video taped Mason's part if anyone wants to watch.

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We also get to see both families on Christmas day. I know, we are very lucky to be so close to both. But I think the best part of Christmas was just taking our time that morning with the kids. We started a new tradition this year of only three presents each. I got this idea from a friend. The idea is that Jesus received three presents, so why should we receive more? Of course, that doesn't include everything from the extended family. The kids told us this was the best Christmas they have ever had and that the day was perfect. I don't think a parent can hear any better words at the end of this day. But anyway, the time with our kids is what made our Christmas this year! It was a wonderful day with lots of love!

I take way too many pictures ALL the time and then I have to post them all. I have a problem. So feel free to skip the video! I wanted to make it for my family. I hope your holiday was wonderful this year!!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Family Pictures

We had an old friend take our family pictures this year. She is getting her photography business going to help earn money to adopt another baby. If you need your pictures done and also want to help support her cause, check out her site HERE. She does a great job and is really good with the kids! :-)

Jess' Mishap

I have been waiting to do this post until we found out what the result was. Well, it's still not over but we are far enough into it that I think it's time.

On November 5Th I was laying on the couch taking in some good old down time when I got a call from Jess. He was suppose to be out playing softball, it was only about 30 to 45 minutes into his game. I said, "Wow, you guys are done already?" He said, "Well, I am." That was the "Oh, crap!" moment. Not fun. Anyway, I guess he was up to bat. At home plate, they put this mesh netting under the dirt. Well, it wasn't buried well enough! When he took off to run, his cleat hooked on the netting, twisting his knee, creating a popping noise. Jess calls to tell me while he is driving himself to the emergency room! Which we have learned now not to do if you know it's not broken because they won't do a dang thing about it. Waste of time/money!

Anyway, he has spent the next 3 1/2 weeks on crutches going through all the fun protocol of an HMO insurance. Referral/ referral/ referral....... blah, blah, blah. Finally, on November 30Th, he made it in for surgery. I believe, and he may correct me on this later, that he tore his meniscus. He was so anxious about the surgery because the one he had a year ago allowed him to walk with out crutches about a week later. Right before the surgery, the doctor told us it would be pretty simple. He would go in through a scope, clean it up, and Jess should be putting pressure on it by Friday, (yesterday). Well, after the surgery, the doctor came out to talk to me. Not a good sign. This is Jess' third surgery in a year and this is the first time the doctor has come out to talk to me. Anyway, I guess it was pretty bad when he got in there so he had to put some cushions in on either side of the meniscus to keep it from being bone on bone. Jess now has to be on crutches for four weeks with out any weight baring load on the leg. He won't be able to run for 3 months. I'll just say, he is handling it as well as can be expected. :-)

This whole situation leaves me feeling grateful. We have wonderful insurance. Jess has been on a desk job lately so he is still able to work. I have been able to see him a little more. And, it makes both of us appreciate what the other one does. Jess hates not being able to do things for himself and I will miss having my Christmas lights up this year. :-( But I am very grateful that everything worked out well and he is on his way to recovery.

Thanksgiving 2009

I have to say, I don't really love Thanksgiving. It's never been my holiday. I feel like there are so many times during the year when you sit down for a wonderful meal with the family. What I DO love about Thanksgiving is the four straight days I get to be with my family. This is the only 4 day weekend Jess gets during the year and THAT is why I love this holiday!

Anyway, this year was my family's turn. My mom has started doing a big Thanksgiving dinner a couple weeks before the actual holiday so that she can have us all there. So when the actual day comes, she really doesn't have anything planned. I have really been wanting to spend some time with my sister Debbie and her family. They moved to Arizona about three years ago and we just don't get to see them enough. SO, I invited myself for Thanksgiving!! Instead of staying at their home in Arizona, they invited us to stay with them at their place in Rocky Point, Mexico.

I know, it's not really Thanksgiving tradition or weather but we definitely had an amazing holiday and a wonderful time. It was so much fun watching my nieces and nephew play with my kids. I loved that Debbie and Jon were able to get to know my kids personalities better and that I was also able to get to know their kids better.

We spent almost the entire trip in the sun and water. My kids absolutely LOVED the ocean! On our last day there, we had some pretty big waves and the kids were able to chase them out and then run from them. One of them took Maddox out pretty good. It was hilarious!

We attempted to build several sand castles, buried lots of feet, and dug many holes. Maddox came home with a gallon size bag of sea shells. Debbie, Conner, and I also took some jet skis out for a little while on Friday. I loved it! I don't think I would mind investing in some of those. :-)

Jon also took the kids to what they call the "Dirt Mart." The boys loved it! They both came back with a sling shot and a top with their name engraved.

We saw many shrimping boats out every day because it is their shrimping season. Jon went to town to buy some on Saturday. I can't believe how good they were! I have never been able to get Jess to try shrimp that wasn't battered and deep fried. These were so fresh that there was no fishy taste. Jess even ate several of them. They were so good!!

I forgot to mention that poor Jess was on crutches the entire time. I was surprised to see him hoof it to the beach on two occasions. He was a real trooper. He really loved the trip, despite his handy cap!


Thank you so much Debbie and Jon! We had a wonderful time and will remember this Thanksgiving for a long time! We love you guys!!

Potty Training for Disneyland

About three months ago my sister Brenda told Claire that she would take her to Disneyland if Claire learned how to go on the potty like a big girl. Apparently, bribes only work when they are not coming from the mother. I couldn't believe how she went right to work. That very day she told me she wanted to start wearing panties. There were accidents here and there but for the most part, she had it down! Now she is fully potty trained and waking up in the morning dry. She will even wake herself up at night to use the bathroom. I am really so impressed with her.

Well, my sister kept up her end of the deal! They went to Disneyland on October 29Th AND the 30Th! I was so sad and jealous. :-( But my little girl really earned it. I couldn't take that away from her. It was all she talked about for two months. Anyway, my two stipulations were that she had to take LOTS of pictures and HAD to be home for Halloween. Now I realize that this post is a little late, BUT some UN-named person lost the picture CD. Whoops! :-)

I thought these pictures would be best for the blog book. She took well over 200 pictures. I think she held up her end of the deal. :-) But I had to post all the ones of the two of them together. Claire LOVES her Aunt Brenda! Who wouldn't? She spoiled her rotten!
 

Claire had the best time. Her FAVORITE part of the trip was, of course, the characters. Now, when ever anyone gives her any attention, she holds up her finger and says, "I saw Mickey, and Minnie, Snow White, and Cinderella! And Goofy loves me. He gave me a big hug!" She doesn't care who it is. It's happened at church, the grocery store, and everyday when ever anyone comes to the door. It's almost been a month and it is still on her mind. She really had a wonderful time. Thank you Aunt Brenda!!

Drama/Halloween/Birthday

Does it ever feel like things just come and go so quickly that if you blink you will miss them? That is how the last week was. A lot happened in such a short amount of time that I really didn't have much time to think about any of it.

Halloween turned out to be completely different this year. Jess and I didn't dress up. I know, so not like us! We didn't go to the Trunk or Treat, first for us. And we couldn't get Mason to smile much. :-(

Mason went to his cousin Austin's birthday party on Friday night for a sleepover. I was suppose to pick him up Halloween morning at 10 am. At 9:30 when I was getting ready to walk out the door, I get a call from Erin, Austin's mom. She said, "Uh, we've had an accident!" I said, "OK?" She then tells me that Mason's front tooth has come out, completely. It took a second to register what this meant. This is Mason's permanent tooth. Neither one of us knew what to do. So I frantically called Jess to get a hold of our dentist while I tried to get a hold of Mason's dentist. Within a couple of minutes I had called Erin back to tell her that my dentist was going to meet me at his office. Well, in that time, Erin's friend/father of one of the party goers/Endodontist had shown up to pick up his son. He took the tooth, shoved it back up into place and then he and my brother Kevin took Mason over to his office. Mason now has stitches up his gums and a wire going across his front three teeth. Hopefully it will take and his tooth won't die.
I have to say that I could not be more grateful to that generous man. He was on his way to his daughter's basketball game on his day off that was also a holiday. He spent two hours working on Mason. We are also taking Mason back to him for a check up in a week and then in two weeks he will give Mason a root canal. So I want to slip him a little referral, if you need a great Endodontist, see MATTHEW COX!!!
So here is what happened to cause this drama..... He was jumping from side to side in a bounce house and his tooth hooked the net. When he dropped, the tooth was yanked out! He really handled it way better than I ever would have. And I have to say thank you to Erin and Kevin for handling it so well. Erin was in there hugging him and being very motherly, thinking of the missing tooth, which is something I never would have even thought of. And Kevin spent the two hours at the dentist office with us, helping Matt prepare everything.

Erin and Kevin invited us over to Erin's sister Sarah's house for Halloween night. Every year Sarah puts on a Chili Cook Off with her family. Then all the kids split into different age groups and head out to trick or treat. This is the first year my kids have ever trick or treated door to door and they loved it. They loved being with their cousins, they loved walking the streets, and they loved coming back and dumping their candy to see what they got. I have to say that Jess and I liked it a lot better too. It brought back so many memories of how we used to spend our Halloweens. We had a great time and hopefully they'll let us crash next year! (hint-hint)

I don't know if we were able to get a smile out of Mason all night. I don't know if he just didn't feel good or if he didn't want his teeth showing. In case no one knows, Mason is Duke from G.I. Joe, Maddox is Snake Eyes from G.I. Joe, and Claire is Cinderella. Her favorite princess. Jess and I did wear black for Halloween so we should at least get points for that, right?

I am lucky enough that Erin's kids and my kids are the same age. Mason and Austin in the top left, Maddox and Seth in the top right, Claire and Brooklyn in the bottom right, and the group of dressed up party goers in the bottom left. You can see why my kids had so much fun!

Jess' dad dresses up pretty freaky every year and we usually find him hiding some where. One year we came home to a dead body laying on our front lawn with a knife sticking out. This year was by far the freakiest! You can tell by the pictures. Maddox was even scared. You can see him hiding behind Jess trying to get away. It's one of the traditions we have come to look forward to.

On Sunday, the day after Halloween, Jess turned 31!! The last year has just flown by. It seems like we were just making a huge deal about the fact that he was now in his thirties. We spent the day with just the two of us. Jess' mom, Jill, kept our kids on Halloween night until Sunday at about 5:00. It was so nice to have that time together. I have to say that I am married to the greatest man ever!! There are so many reasons why I love this man. He is perfect for me! Happy Birthday Jess!!!

HALLOWEEN BUNCO 2009

We had another Halloween Bunco!! This is my favorite Bunco night ALWAYS!! I love to dress up and I love it even more when my friends have to dress up with me. I can't say that they are all good sports about it, but whatever! It makes for great pictures.

My friend Nicole hosted the Halloween Bunco this year and it was WON-DER-FUL!!! I have to say that it's a whole lot more enjoyable to dress up when I'm not cleaning, decorating, and cooking all in one day. 'Cause you know that's how I do it! Everything last minute. So THANK YOU Nicole for another wonderful Halloween Bunco!!!

She even went all out with creative food! Of course, being the nerd that I am, I took a picture. Yes, I know, I bug with my camera. Sorry.



Here are all the ladies in their costumes....

HALLOWEEN BUNCO 2009



HALLOWEEN BUNCO 2008



HALLOWEEN BUNCO 2007

This Is My Life

Do you ever feel like everything you do is just pointless? Of course you do. Most of you are moms and I think that is part of our job description. Being able to do our duties knowing full well that we will have to do them again tomorrow. I know, I know, this is the life I chose and I wouldn't choose any other but I'm entitled to vent every once in a while. Today is going to be one of those days.

If you've been wondering why my blogging just hasn't happened, it's because I just can't seem to get it together lately. And NO, I'm not pregnant! So, what IS wrong with me?

I guess here are some hints.... A couple of weeks ago I was in our hall way and Maddox says to me, "Mom, my teacher told me to hang my letter train on my wall." Half paying attention I said, "Okay buddy, we will." He then says, with great pride, "I already hanged it!" Of course, immediately a red siren is going off in my head. I said, "You did, huh? Let me see."

I said, "hum...uh...Maddox...how did you hang your train on your wall?" He said, VERY matter of fact, as if DUH, "With my glue stick!" My response, "ohhh." I couldn't even get mad at him because he was so proud and his teacher did tell him to hang it on his wall. And really, if you look at the picture, you will see that it really is pointless. There are nicks all over the wall from where he has so sweetly thrown blocks at it because he can tell where they hit.

Next up, Maddox comes in yesterday and says, "Mom, Claire is coloring on her Vans!" So, I of course freak out and jump up. I say, "Claire, what are you doing?!" She says, "Maddox did it." UGH!!! And he did!! I look at his Vans and he has colored on his too and then came to tell on Claire! Seriously?? Why????

So this morning, I think, well at least I will have something to blog. I go get my camera to take a picture of their shoes and I can't find Maddox's shoes. Then he tells me they are out back. OF COURSE THEY ARE! His AND Mason's Vans were in the grass filled up with water from the sprinklers. Yep! This is my life!!
 

On a happy note, I'm pretty sure Claire is potty trained! :-) We still have accidents here and there and I put a diaper on her at night. But, I don't think I'll be buying diapers again. Which means, that is the first time in over 8 years that has happened. Aww, progression! :-)

Baby Violet

My little sister Diane had a baby girl on Friday night. Violet LaRee Rees! On Saturday morning she called to tell me. I realized I didn't have a whole lot going on so I had Claire and I showered, packed, and on our way to Cedar City in less than two hours.

Oh the way up, I stopped in St. George to see my friend Annie, who was down from Idaho. We were able to spend two hours together eating and just chatting away! It was so much fun to see her. I wish I was smart enough and had pulled out my camera. Bummer!

This is the cute little family, minus Daisy, their two year old!


Me, my sis, and baby Violet!


My SIL, Necia, is now living in Cedar City so I was also able to visit with her. We didn't go to bed until 3 am because we were just talkin' away. While I was visiting my sister, she took Claire around to see all the grandparents.


Grandma Prisbrey has this cute little puppy that Claire could not get enough of. I think she would have stayed and lived with them if they let her. She just wanted to carry this little guy around like a baby.


Then on Sunday, my sister had made it home so we stopped by her house to see the baby again. Right after I got there, three of my other sisters showed up. So we had to get picture, right??


This is a picture of all the sisters that went up to Cedar when Diane had Daisy two years ago. What a lucky girl she is to have sisters that will drive three hours to see her in the hospital! :-)