Christmas week

Because the New Year is approaching, we decided it was time to turn Jacen's crib into a toddler bed. There are two reasons why we just went ahead and did it: 1) our crib was among the 2.1 million cribs that got recalled for having a drop-side, so instead of buying a new crib, we took the side off; and 2) we wanted him to get used to sleeping like that so when we seriously start potty training him at the first of January, he'd be able to get out and use the potty when he felt like it. He loves his new big boy bed!

We took the time this past week to go see the Christmas lights downtown, like we've done the past couple of years. We are going to start a tradition and get our picture taken at this spot every year. We had our picture taken there last year and Jacen seemed so small... It looks like the same picture from last year! Looks like we need to buy new winter jackets :P

After having breakfast and reading the Bible passage of Christ's birth, we opened gifts. He really doesn't look happy in this picture... He was actually really overwhelmed. We didn't know why but as I was talking to a co-worker last night who has a daughter about the same age as Jacen, she pointed out her daughter was also too overwhelmed. Jacen was so overwhelmed he began putting unopened gifts on the kitchen floor. If we would've given him just the stuff from his stocking, he would've been a happy camper.

Just around the time he began freaking out.

Later that morning, we went up the street to Elijah's mom's house and opened more presents there.

And I didn't think I was that good of a girl this year, but apparently I was! I got a Wii for Christmas. I've always thought they were cool and wanted one just "because", but couldn't justify paying $200+ for a video game system. Somehow Elijah saved money all year to buy me this. He also got me the Super Mario Bros. game for the Wii which is awesome! It brings back old memories from when I was a kid and played it on the Nintendo 64. I'm looking forward to getting Wii Fit Plus soon so I can lose some weight, along with Elijah. My goal is to drop about 30 lbs this next year. I hope Elijah and I can both succeed!

Since when?

I just had to blog about this super quick because I really thought it was quite sad.
I blogged a few weeks ago about the true meaning of Christmas and how we really need to think of whose birthday we're celebrating.
Tonight we're going to go to Fashion Place Mall to get a picture of Jacen on Santa's lap, and although Santa is a nice man, he's not the focus of Christmas like SouthTowne Mall thinks he is.
This is what showed on SouthTowne Mall's website when I went to look for Santa's hours:

Really? Since when did Santa Claus become the "Most Essential Man" of the Holidays?
I thought it was Him:

Now, unless I missed something, Christ has done a lot more for us than Santa has.

A couple of years ago, Elijah and I started reading the passage of Christ's birth straight from the Bible, first thing when we wake up on Christmas morning. It has helped us remember the true meaning of Christmas throughout the day, especially when the day revolves so much around presents.

Merry Christmas to everyone!

As I sit here...

... with a massive headache due to the lights (the one that I'm always awarded with when I work in Special Care Nursery), and I'm bored to death, I think of all the wonderful things in my life right now.
Elijah was absolutely AWESOME this semester. I mean, I couldn't have pulled the grades I got if it hadn't been for him supporting me and my studies. We made a pact a few months ago that if I gave him a son and helped raise him, he would extend the same courtesy to me and let me study. It worked out well. Obviously, we had some problems along the way, but they were the usual annoying rocks that come and go as we walk the path of life. He's so good that he knew I didn't have time to enjoy life so he'd help me out by getting fun DVD's to watch, DVR'ing my favorite shows, and he even got me from the library the new Backstreet Boys CD that he for sure hates, but knows it makes me grin from ear to ear :D

Jacen has been a sweet boy for me. He got into trouble, but I'm sure it could've been a lot worse. He stayed in his crib for hours on end without making a peep so I could sleep (one day I accidently overslept and left him in there during his nap for almost 4 hrs!!!!). When I needed to study while he was awake, he'd beg me to read a book for him for just a couple minutes, and if I said "Sorry honey, but I can't read to you right now", he'd sit right next to me on the floor and read to himself. One day he even sat under the dining room table and waited for me to finish. I know, it may seem sad, but it's as if he understood and just did his own thing. That little guy is an angel.

Another wonderful thing in my life is being given an awesome opportunity to work with a geneticist for research. I never thought I was interested in genetics until I did research on bacterial genes. Then I was even more amazed to know my anthropology department chair thinks I have the potential to work with the human genome and do well with it. That's a huge blessing.

 And one more fantastic thing? I can get through anything if I have enough...

...CHOCOLATE!!!!

Proposal anniversary!

Five years ago, today, Elijah proposed to me. I didn't even see it coming. It went something like this:
He had asked me if he could take me out on a nice date, and obviously, I agreed. We went down to Temple Square and he took me up to The Garden (by the way, too expensive and food was average, however, the view was fantastic). We had our dinner, and he looked really nervous, but I didn't think much of it until he told me he wanted to go for a walk around Temple Square. It was snowing, and I was wearing sandals, so I said no. He was still persistent and I kept saying no. Eventually, he got so upset I finally just said, "Fine, you have 5 minutes!"

We walk around for a little bit and because my toes are mostly necrotic and frostbitten from the cold, I announced I wanted to go back to the car, although the five minutes weren't up yet. He then quickly proceeded to get down on one knee while a group of Young Women walking around for their Mutual activity began screaming and shouting, "Oh my gosh!!! He's proposing!!" or "AAAAHHH!!! That's sooooo cute!!!!"

He took my hand, and from then on, I can't remember what he said (either from the shock of being proposed to or hypothermia), but he slipped the ring I had picked out on my left ring finger, and we hurried back to the car.
It was a memorable night.

I can't believe it's been five years. We have been through SO MUCH in the last five years... I mean, they say you're supposed to love and support each other through the bad and the good, and we've done exactly that. We've been through lots of unemployment periods, sickness, a complicated pregnancy, the usual marital problems, and the good, such as a fun and "interesting" honeymoon, cool vacations, finding out we were pregnant when we weren't planning on it and welcoming our handsome baby boy into this world, getting my degree.... If we can make it through all of this, I'm pretty sure we can make it through anything. We've been together for 7 1/2 years now. It's been great!
Elijah's definitely my opposite:

I'm constantly uptight and stressed; he's totally laid back

I'm not great with kids; he's an AWESOME dad

I want to work outside the home; he wants to be a stay at home dad.

We fit perfectly.

Now... what to do for our 5 year anniversary coming up at the beginning of March. He wants to go out of town, but I don't. Any ideas?

Live Nativity

So my neighbor invited us to go see this live nativity program in Draper last night that was absolutely AMAZING. I had never heard of it, but that's because they never advertise and hope it's spread by word of mouth. It's put together by a Stake in Draper every year and it only runs for four nights at the Stake Center off of 12100 South and about 700 West.
Before going, my neighbor told me people drive all the way down from Boise, ID to come see this. And the line is VERY long. She said a few years ago they did an unofficial count and in four nights there was 20,000 people that walked through. It's all done outside, and the volunteers (mind you, they're all church members who do this out of their own time and money) construct the set and do all the costumes, and bring in all the farm animals (which I'll mention more of in a minute).
So Elijah, Jacen and I get there around 7:15pm and we meet up with our neighbors. They have little bon fires to keep people warm, and you go through each point and there's someone doing something, for example: there was someone writing the Bible passage for the account of the birth of Jesus Christ, then another stop with the Three Wise Men, etc... They have all sorts of animals walking by, including sheep, goats, chicken, baby cows, and you can even pet two camels (which, by the way, I was told they were the same camels used for filming Independence Day with Will Smith) then you get to go inside this stable where it's very tight and crowded with the actors doing different things such as building baskets, or cutting up wood, or there was even a beggar. The last room you walkthrough is a room with Mary and Joseph, and a real baby Jesus. That was the most reverent room of them all. The baby was asleep and Jacen points, "Was dat?" They made it look so real, it was fantastic, I mean, even baby Jesus was only wrapped in blankets and had no clothes on.
While I watched baby Jesus in the manger, I got very emotional (although I didn't cry, thank goodness!). I was very touched because the whole Christmas thing isn't about gifts or decorations. I mean, seriously! Since when did Christmas become a time to worry so much about gifts? It's so easy to forget about our Savior during this time, and that makes me really sad. It shouldn't be that way. Christmas should be about remembering the birth of Christ and everything He has done for us. Worrying about gifts and decorations and all the food can come last.
I hope all of us makes a point to remember and keep in mind the true meaning of Christmas this Holiday season. Isn't that what it is all about?!

NOTE: I feel bad I don't have pictures to post but that's because picture taking isn't allowed due to the fact that the flashes could scare the animals.