Santa Claus is Comin To Town

6 Months

I'll be totally honest. His 6 Month Birthday was "kind of" a little depressing for me. My little infant newborn was no more... I used to try to put the blame of him NOT doing something on the fact that he was still a teeny tiny (well, a BIG) newborn. He's 6 months. Everything says "6 Months and Older". Infant Tylenol. Baby Toys. Developmental Landmarks. "6 Months and Older". I know I'm silly but I had a really hard time with it...

ANYway... Of COURSE he had to have a Santa Suit for Christmas (Thanks Auntie Nanette!). Instead of me telling you why, we'll just make some comparisons as to how Spencer is like Santa!

1. He is roly poly and has a tummy that shakes like a bowl full of jelly. He still doesn't roll over (the doctor approved that it's okay for his lameness in that area stating that "who would want to when he has to throw all that weight over" but not to worry).

2. He is as white-skinned as Santa (that is, of course, because I'm assuming that Santa is white... oh gosh... I'm getting into Political Correctness. You get what I mean).

3. He is jolly like Santa. He laughs at EVERYTHING.

4. He likes cookies and cakes like Santa (well, are Gerber Puffs the same thing?). But he IS a very good eater, probably just like Santa. He is so good at eating because he has 4 teeth already and 2 more about to break through.

5. He has rosy cheeks like Santa.

6. He wears XL clothes (Spencer's in 12 Months already)

7. He brings joy and happiness to those around him...just...like...Santa.

*And how come I'm the only photo-retarded person in my family? Will someone PLEASE show me how to take better pictures?

Sister's Antics...O Christmas Tree

Oh, and let me remind you that this also was under the supervision of Auntie Heather. :)

Santa's Lap

So, what was Spencer doing the whole time we were busy? This is what he was doing. Playing with Randi (see the DeRoest's blog) and taking pictures with Santa. This is what he told me, "I had so much fun with Auntie Randi. She played with me and gave me so much attention. She was also fun to snuggle with and fall asleep in her arms. I LOVE to go to Auntie Randi's house!"

By the way, is it just me, or are all kids this age okay with Santa's Lap cuz they just don't know any better?

THE Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

So, I don't want to give anything away, but you HAVE to read this fun story my friend Erin posted on her blog about our infamous chocolate chip cookies. I can't say anything more about it or it will ruin the ending.

http://erinssingalongblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/holiday-celebration.html

You rock Erin!

Sisters' Antics, Christmas Version

Need I explain?

(shaking my head...heheh)

Oh, and let me mention that this was all under the supervision of Auntie Heather. :)

Chinese Fire Drill

Heather's Trip...Random things

Well, Sunday was mostly spent cleaning up (I know, I know..."Saturday is a Special Day, it's the day we get ready for Sunday...) Well, Saturday wasn't so good of a day to do that so we spent Sunday playing "catch up" Check out this funny video of Heather all of a sudden breaking out "Chinese Fire Drill" with the girls. hahaha. I still laugh when i think of it. The girls slipped and fell so many times. And little did the girls know that Heather had set the timer for 20 minutes but kept stopping it so she could work in more jobs for them to do! Way to work it!

The Trip of Love, Part 3 (Cont'd)

Day 4-Saturday (Cont'd.)

Sierra Vista Christmas Parade "Nightlights"

So, both Showbiz AND my Girl Scout troop were walking in the parade. It was fun though! The Girl Scouts dressed up as elfs and Showbiz decorated a truck while walking and dancing behind their blaring music.

I don't have any pictures of Showbiz yet but once I get them I'll post them cuz they're so dang cute. I was so happy the parents were just took over and did everything. That way I could focus on Girl Scouts.

Here are the little Girl Scout elfs. You can't tell because of the flash but we wrapped little battery operated lights around them so they could be lit up along the route. And we taught them "We Are Santa's Elves" to sing for the audience. They had a really good time. Luckily it wasn't as cold as we thought it was going to be. We were prepared though! We had hand warmers, Toe-sties (warmers for inside your shoe) and hot chocolate at the end of the parade.

Xoe & Xanthe walked with Girl Scouts for half the parade and then jumped out halfway with a few of their friends who were doing both too, and ran back, did a quick costume change and performed with Showbiz down the parade route

All in all it was so much fun! Here are some pictures of Heather with Spencer during the parade. She said he was so tired but was so mesmerized by all the floats and their lights.

The Christmas Tree Experience, Part 3

Day 4-Saturday

A.M.-RUSH (last minute of course cuz that's how we Schultz's roll) to quickly get a Christmas tree before Showbiz show Call Time at 12:30.

Side Note: Normally I would get a tree from Walmart or Home Depot. HowEVER the last two years Brian has been gone for the Christmas Season. Many of you know my story last year when I showed up to Walmart 3 1/2 months pregnant after rolling into town to put on our ward party (literally driving straight from Phoenix to the ward building with my car loaded up) after producing huge catering parties ("Qwest"...for those of you who know what that means). The girls were so desperate after that, even though I was wiped out and not excited about getting a tree, that they unloaded the whole "catering van"...chafers, loaded bins and all. However, if any of you have been to Walmart to buy a tree, they're not very helpful and me being prego and toasty, I turned around and drove myself to a tree lot where they put the stand on and tie it to the top of the car.

So, this year, even though I had Heather, we only had about 30 minutes to pick out a tree...I didn't have time to mess with doing it myself. So, I headed down to the same Christmas Tree Lot, only to find the most arrogant and rude sales guys who obviously didnt' know what they were doing. They thought I was an idiot when I asked them to put the bag on before the stand and that they weren't allowed to tie it to the top of the car. Ok, seriously! What Christmas Tree Lot DOESN'T tie the trees to the top of the cars? They were obviously new. And they kept saying over and over to me, "We're not responsible what happens to the tree or your car once you leave here." I was like, "Ya, ya. I think I have a LITTLE experience with Christmas Tree Lots... having had my ex manage one for about 15 years!" Ya. These guys didn't get tipped at all!

The girls watching the guys tie the supposedly "banned" tree on top of the car. See the bag around it? And the tape on the tree stand legs? Ya....that was me. I had to school them on how to do that. Idiots....I'm a little bitter. Can you tell? Maybe not in these pictures, but there are pictures where you can see my annoyance at the whole situation. I spared you from having to see those. :) (Plus they're my fat pictures and I, of course, have to show you only the best pictures i can right? heehee)

Schedule for the Rest of the Day?

Don't worry. It was still very busy. A Showbiz Show at the Life Care Center Senior Citizens Home...lunch...and then off to get ready for the Nighttime Christmas Parade.

Heather's Trip, Part 2 (Cont'd.)

Day 3-Wednesday (Continued)

• Highlight of the Day #1: After the Elementary School show (see yesterday's post), the girls had a Half Day so Heather stayed to be a visitor in their class. This was one of the highlights of her visit for them.
  

Noteworthy Quote

Heather: Did your friends say anything about me?

Xanthe: Ya, my friend Desmond (which by the way is a hottie himself that I might add and Heather agreed) said, "Hey! Your aunt is hot."

Heather: The funniest thing is that I actually was flattered by a 9 year old saying I was hot!

• Highlight of the Day #2: Going to Golden Corral with Auntie Heather. Xoe & Xanthe LOVE this place. We never had Golden Corral in California so this is their first experience with it and they want to go all the time! Guess the love for buffets runs in the family! The restaurant's trick is they charge next to nothing for the kids but an arm and a leg for the adults! The bread is f'amazing though!

Rest of the Schedule

Wrapping presents, cleaning the house and heading off at 6:00 p.m. to our Church Ward Christmas Party for the girls to perform at.

Cute Pictures

The Trip of Love, Part 2

Day 3-Friday

So...we revamped Showbiz Kids here in Sierra Vista. It's been fun. Especially cuz we're doing it as a Parent Co-Op so there is so much help from everyone. It's been great. However, this weekend that Heather was here, we had 4 shows, PLUS I had Girl Scouts walking in the Christmas parade (of which we had to have costumes too). So you can see that Heather was a VERY welcomed visitor. Have I said it enough? Well, get used to it cuz I'll be saying it a lot more.

8:30 a.m. Call Time for Showbiz at the girls' Elementary School. Keep in mind I'm still mostly in charge of a lot of the group, with responsibilities like having to bring and set up the sound system, all the extra costumes, etc., etc. So I have to be there even earlier than everyone else. It was so nice to be able to leave Spencer home with Heather and she just put him in the stroller and walked over with him when it was time for the show.

Waiting for the Show to Begin

Xoe Helping to Open the Show

"Frosty/Jingle Bell Rock"

"Rudolph" Special Dance Number

...Yup that's me down in the front. What was I thinking wearing that sweater? By the way, I'm ready...ready to shed my fat suit.

"Rap the Halls"

Here's a little snippet for you of Xoe rappin the halls!

Xanthe's "rapping" was before Xoe so Heather didn't catch it in time.

Closer

("Christmas Is" and "We Wish You A Merry Christmas")

Is any of this beginning to sound a little familiar to some of you? :)

After the Show

And how cute is this kid waiting for the show to begin?

Kicking off the Happiest (Busiest) Season of All, Part 1

Heather's Visit

Brian's gone for 3 weeks to Germany. He left December 1 and comes back this Saturday. Yaaa, with everything going on, I knew I needed some moral support. :) My sister Heather came out for a visit and let me tell you, it was so needed. I clearly took advantage of her being here. She helped us kick off the Christmas season, as well as helped me get through one of the busiest weekends of the year.

I'll probably do this in a few posts. Here goes:

Day 1-Wednesday

Heather got here on a Wednesday night...just in time for Xoe to lead her patrol for Girl Scouts. I didn't get pictures of this but Xoe told me when she found out Heather was trying to get there in time, "Mom, this means a lot to me that Heather's coming. More than she'll ever know." hehe. Cheesy, I know. But I'm guessing it meant a lot to her. heehee :)

Day 2-Thursday

We dropped the kiddies off at school and went shoppin!!! We also went to the school to have lunch with the girls. They were so excited. They really wanted to introduce Heather to their friends. We also did grocery shopping, which was amazing to do with another helping hand.

After school, we took the girls Christmas shopping. Brian gave each girl a $50 gift card to spend on me, Brian and a gift for their sister. They thought they were rich...until they found out almost every gift in Target cost at least $20. Their dreams of spending whatever was leftover was squashed.

That night, we also went out to dinner to Texas Roadhouse. They just opened here in town and we hadn't been there yet. Yeehaw! The girls loved the fact that they could eat peanuts and throw the shells on the ground. I wasn't happy about it when I picked up their sweater at home the next day and found the pockets jammed full of peanuts.

So, a little about my sister Heather. She is the youngest sister of the 8 of us. But we don't think of her that she's the youngest. She's just like one of us. She's way cooler though. She totally keeps us all in style and makes sure we keep the "cool" factor going. And isn't she so beautiful? She's so sweet and unselfish, so willing to go the extra mile for anyone. She loves my girls like their own. I love when she is here because she encourages my girls' love of pop culture, where I fail miserably. There's just so much about my sister Heather. I guess I should wait until her birthday to say all this. Needless to say, she is amazing and we love her. She keeps us laughing all the time and brings so much fun wherever she goes. Well, this was how it was when she was here. She would just break out into craziness, or she would do normal things...like totally clean my house, do my laundry and take care of Spencer when I was too overwhelmed to do anything. Thank you, thank you Heather!

More about her trip tomorrow.

Fall Pictures

These are my babies. Aren't they so amazingly cute? I can't believe two of them are already 9 years old, soon to be 10. It truly stumps me that they are so old. I'm so happy that Heather (my sister) was able to capture their fun personalities and beauty on camera. Enjoy...

Beware....lots of pictures to follow