Merry Christmas

In the spirit of consistency (which I am totally into btw) . . . . . I will NOT be sending out Christmas cards this year. It would be a shame break my six year record of neglecting such a popular tradition.

Although I do LOVE getting Christmas cards, I just haven't been able to get myself excited about sending out my own. 1. For some reason I feel like my cards have to be handmade, and I just don't have the energy 2. Not only do we not have any NICE family pictures, but we don't have even ONE single SNAPSHOT of our family all together (which is quite ironic because my husband is a professional photographer and takes pictures of HUNDREDS of other families each year).

Who needs a family picture anyway (totally overrated) when you have a Wacom tablet to DRAW a perfectly good one?

Apparently the artist thought that the Fairchild ladies needed to be toplesss this year.

MERRY CHRISTMAS
from Boy Head, Girl Head, Loca, The Beadsa, and Toots

Maybe next year will be the year for me to be inconsistent. I might suprise you all with a REAL card, but until then .. . . . . don't count on it.

My Happy Birthday

Today I turned 31. In honor of my birthday I actually took a shower, put jeans on, AND I am wearing my best belt.

This is also my 100th post. I didn't plan this very special 100th post to come on such a blessed day. I just happened. And its only taken me 2 years to get here. Maybe some more exciting things will happen in my life, so I can get to my 200th post before 2011. Who knows.

I must admit. I used to get so excited for my birthdays when I was little. Who didn't? I was even so excited all the way up to college, and then I started getting older and older, and for some reason it just wasn't as exciting anymore. Maybe its because as I get older and older, I get more and more boring?

A few years ago, Damon decided that birthdays were going to be very special occasions in our house. If he can, he takes birthdays off work. Some people think it is ridiculous that he would do such a thing. I think it is very noble. My husband loves me, and he loves our precious babies so much. It makes me so happy that he would want to stay home to celebrate and pamper me, and my girls on our birthdays. Because he does this, I can honestly say that once again I am excited for my birthdays. He always has something fun planned and makes my birthday so special. I hope that the men my little girls marry someday, will treat them as well as Damon treats me.

My 31st birthday festivities began at about 11am when I finally rolled out of bed. IT does seem a little weird to be waking up that late, after all, I am not a teenager anymore and I think sleeping in that late is absolutely absurd, but I did stay up til 4am. So it was much needed. Don't judge me.

We went and got a couples massage. It was awesome (Thanks Stacey. We finally cashed it in after a year! You're the best)! Susan babysat our kids, decorated the house, and made my absolute fave dessert of the year, the lemon blueberry trifle. (this time I took a picture, although I did have my way with said trifle before I took the picture. poor planning on my part). I LOVE SUSAN.

And instead of spending gobs of money at Outback, which would have been my restaurant of choice, I chose to spend $20 on Costco Steak and have Flamers BBQ it for me in the 18 degree weather. HOW RUDE of me. But he totally did it! I love him.

I scored a gorgeous new guitar. She is so shiny and I am just delighted to welcome her into our family. I will now try to remember how to play. It has been WAY too long. My friend is going to give me some lessons and I can't wait.

Damon serenading me with a very appropriate "Wild Thing"

Erika (I LOVE LOVE LOVE YOU) got me what I have needed for like 10 years but never could bring myself to buy. A wheat grinder. I don't have many passions in life, but one of them is food storage. You should know that I have so much food storage and I just keep getting more. The problem is, I don't know how to use it, so if something were to happen, I am sure we would get sick of boiled wheat for breakfast lunch and dinner. BUT . . . soon I will know how to make bread and I can even grind my own wheat. I will be just like the little red hen. (Thank you in advance Linda).

Since it is my birthday, and my 100th post, I will go ahead a share with you 31 very important and fascinating things about ME. They will be different then the amazing facts I shared with you on my 30th birthday, which could be hard, because there really isn't that much to me. Here goes:

1. Salmon is my favorite food. And these days, avocados come in a close second.

2. Burned out light bulbs drive me crazy.

3. I don't know why I like torture, but I chose to start eating healthy and losing weight in December. Why? I'll never know, but its working. I lost three pounds last week. I'm not bragging. I'm just proud of myself.

4. I can't stand liars.

5. I can't stand fake people.

6. I am always about a year to year and a half behind in the fashion world.

7. I don't discriminate. I feel just as comfortable in Walmart clothes as I do in designer clothes. I'll wear anything, but as you know, I prefer sweats.

8. I have a horrible time falling asleep most nights. Probably because my brain feels this is the time to think. Some nights I take Melatonin to help me get to sleep. The only problem with that is it makes me have crazy dreams that usually include Rush Limbaugh with no clothes on. (I have got to find a better way to get to sleep).

9. In the winter, I only shave my legs on Sunday. Again . . . . . don't judge me. I just found out I'm not the only one.

10. Damon thinks I have a really nice rack. I agree.

11. I am still deathly afraid of the ocean.

12. I still hate traveling, but sometimes I do it for the team.

13. I photoshop all my zits out of pictures before I post them on my blog. What? You thought I just had naturally flawless skin?

14. I LOVE my brother and sisters. My parents aren't too shabby either.

15. I LOVE my friends.

16. I am a horrible oral communicator. I do much better writing out how I think and feel.

17. I am going to get in a swimsuit this summer and look GOOD, even if I have to pay for lypo. Believe it.

18. I still need to learn to keep my mouth shut.

19. I am not done having babies, although I swore I was. I cannot and should not be held accountable for anything I say during pregnancy and approximately 9 months after.

20. I LOVE Colorado (not only because its beautiful, but because Josh and Erika live there) and if we ever move, it will be there.

21. I DID NOT like Twilight movie. I thought it was horrible acting and extremely cheesy. Some have given me grief because of this, so I will say something positive now: I think they did a good job of condensing the book into what little time they had. But still . . . . . . .

22. I DO like High School Musical series. The first one is my favorite. I know this might be shocking, but I even choked up a little at the end of the third one. Do they really have to graduate?

23. I still hate the spotlight. I get nervous diarrhea cramping at the thought of having to be in front of a large group.

24. My favorite color is black. Is that a color?

25. It is safe to say that I will NEVER wear a pair of "skinny" jeans. My thighs would never forgive me for exposing them to the world like that. I would just be too humiliating.

26. It really bothers me that they don't sell pink guns. I mean, COME ON. Lots of chicks are into shooting. Its definitely something to think about.

27. I am such a night person. I can stay up all night, which I actually do more than I would like. I surprise myself with how little sleep I can go on, although I am sure I am not very pleasant to be around the next day.

28. I need a vacation.

29. I don't swear quite as much as I did last year.

30. I won't eat food at any potluck unless I know where it comes from (who made it). If they live in a dirty house(especially their kitchen) and I know for a fact that they don't wash their hands after they go to the bathroom or pick their nose, you better believe I WILL NOT be eating their grub. Call me snobbish . . . . I call me smart.

31. What you see (read) is what you get. This is the real me.

Thanks Flamers for another awesome birthday. And thanks to all you friends and family for all your birthday wishes. I am so blessed to have you all in my life.

And with these 31 fascinating things about me I am sure all of your lives are now more complete! Now . . . . . . I've got to go and play with my shiny new geeee-tar. PEACE OUT.

Paybacks?

Ava. I often wonder about this girl. Don't get me wrong. I LOVE her to pieces. And so does pretty much everyone who knows her. I just haven't been able to figure her out. Although today, I do think that I had a major breakthrough.

I went to Fred Meyer. I was doing a little shopping, and my darling girls were of course out of control. It just so happens that in the very same isle as me, was my high school chemistry teacher. This may come as a shock to some of you, but I was very disrespectful to this teacher. I have gotten better over the years (so I think), but I tend to be a little sassy, and unfortunately, this teacher got the brunt of it because . . . . well . . . . . . I didn't like her. (That was back when I only wanted to have the cool teachers who only wanted to be your friend and weren't really interested in teaching. They just wanted high schoolers to think they were cool, because they obviuosly didn't have enough friends their own age). This teacher wasn't like that. She honestly tried to teach, and I would have not part of it. She was also a really nice person. I am so ashamed.

Anyway, back to my story. So I see her in the same isle, and like I said, my kids . . . . . out of control. Mostly Ava, because that is just her nature. I did not want her to see me for a couple of reasons. 1. I was so embarrassed of the way I had acted back in the day. 2. I didn't want her to see my Ava being so disrespectful to me and have her think in her head "hmmmmmm, Libbie totally deserves a kid like her after all the crap she put me through."

I successfully avoided her. But it really got me thinking. Why is it that I have such a hard time with Ava? Edyn and me get along great. Lila is a peach so far, except for the stunt she pulled the first six months of her life with the whole colic/not sleeping thing. But Ava. . . . . we butt heads like no other. Since I am such a genius, it has taken me this long to figure out why. WE ARE JUST LIKE EACHOTHER. Seriously. There are just so many similarities.

1. Ava is sassy. I am sassy.
2. Ava is bossy. I am bossy.
3. Ava is stubborn. I am stubborn.
4. Ava has blue eyes. I have blue eyes. ("Mom, our eyes match.")
5. Ava tells me I am mean all the time. I call Damon a jerk all the time.
6. Ava has been peeing her pants lately even though she has been potty trained for 2 years, because she is too lazy to get up and go to the bathroom. I pee my pants when I cough or laugh too hard, jump on the trampoline, or while attempting aerobics.
7. Ava is always feeding her face. I am always feeding my face.
8. Ava has never been really cuddly or affectionate. I have never been cuddly or affectionate.
9. Ava is impatient. I am impatient.
10. Ava will not take no for an answer. I will not take no for an answer.
11. Ava has her own agenda. I have my own agenda.
12. Ava hates going to bed. I hate going to bed.
13. Ava is crazy when she is tired. I am crazy when I am tired (and most other times too).
14. Ava likes to yell. I like to yell at Ava.

OH. MY. GOSH. The list goes on and on. Is no wonder we butt heads. I have never been a big book reader on how to raise kids. Not because I don't think they don't offer valuable information. I just think that every kid is different, and there are so many methods out there. Some things work for some people, and other methods work for other people. Its just too overwhelming. What I want, is for someone else to read the books and tell me what would work best for me in this situation. Anyone interested? I will totally pay you.

Since I am sure no one will volunteer for that one, I think I am definitely going to be reading up on how to do better with this baby o' mine. But until I can fit it in my busy schedule, I will show her all the love I can, because after all, she is pretty adorable.

Yes, that is a BeDazzler in the background.

Thanksgiving Festivities

I have a small confession. I have been playing on facebook lately, and just haven't even had the desire to blog. How can I be such a traitor? I don't know, I just can. But I vow to repent of my ways and keep up on this blog thing, because after all, it is my journal. (Another thing I haven't been keeping up on for the last . . . . well . . . . . 6 years).

We have been keeping very busy as usual. And now that the Holiday Season is here, the festivities have begun. I LOVE everything about this time of year, even the cold.

A couple of weekends ago we headed down to Nampa to see my OLDEST (hee hee), yet VERY SEXY sister! Of course we had a blast. We were introduced to my new favorite game, called Ticket to Ride. Check it out. I bet you will like it.

Another highlight of the weekend was that we got to see some very good friends we went to BYUH with. Oh man . . . . we had some good times back then at old Temple View Apartments, and galavanting all over Oahu. It was so good to see you guys! And Damon is now officially a Boise State fan. He even has the shirt to prove it.


We kicked off Thanksgiving with Taco Wednesday the night before. I think that this will be our new tradition. So much fun. We had tacos of course and had these friends, and these friends over to play games. I of course talked a lot about how bad I was going to demolish everyone, but as it turns out I ended up getting schooled. Dang. You're going DOWN next time El Donaldo!

I also came up with the most genius idea. I don't know why I have never thought of it before. Probably because I am not a genius. I got beads for the girls to play with (from Walmart of course) and make necklaces while us parents played games. It kept them busy for such a long time that we actually got to play without them bothering us! From here on out, I will be buying a crafts like that and setting up a craft table whenever we have friends over.

Thanksgiving was . . . . well, lets just say I have had better. Don't get me wrong. I had a good time, but the dinner was actually a complete disaster. And it was my fault. Now, I don't mean to break my arm patting my own self on the back, but I can cook a mean turkey. I have done it many times, but for some reason this year was not my year to shine. I put the thing in the oven at 9:30. Then I went about my day, doing this and that getting ready for the meal I was to host. I should have known things were gonna get ugly when I broke my fancy (and when I say fancy, I mean its glass and not plastic) glass from Walmart. Well shoot. I was going to actually use those for dinner. And since I was going to have 7 Adults, no big deal. I still had 7 fancy glasses to use. I would just go and buy another one at a later date.

I continue to prepare the meal. Damon is helping. He peels the potatos and we get everything ready. He goes to wash some of the dishes, and what do you know? He breaks a fancy glass! DANGIT. Now I am down to 6. This really puts a damper on my place settings, which you should know by now, ususally consist of paper plates and cups, but after all it was THANKSGIVING and I was trying to glam it up a bit. Oh well. I guess we will use the plastic cups.

By now the turkey has been cooking for 5 hours, Just the right amount of time. We take it out of the oven. Everything else is cooked and ready. Damon goes to carve it. Guess what? NOT DONE. WHAT THE HECK. So I cover everything else to try to keep it warm and we put the turkey back in the oven. Everyone is sitting around watching TV and I am sure starving. I know I was.

While the turkey cooked for a whole EXTRA HOUR, I decided to make a lemon blueberry trifle in my fancy new trifle bowl from pampered chef. If one thing turned out good it was definitely this. DELICIOUS! But of course I forgot to take picture cause I was so flustered. After I make my trifle, I decide to do some dishes. And guess what? I broke my FREAKING 9x13 glass pan all over the place. (yes, i said "freaking", deal with it)! This is when I just about lost it. Just ask Damon's mom. She was sitting right there when I started uttering profanities. I may have made her a little nervous. Sorry Sharon. I clean up broken glass for the third time. I am tired of getting glass shards in my bare feet, (its is starting to hurt), and I'm thinking that plastic is the ONLY way to go for me.

We take the turkey out, and what do you know. . . . STILL NOT DONE. I mean COME ON. So we just carved the blasted thing and put it back in the oven for a few minutes and an HOUR AN A HALF after our actual start time has passed, we finally sit down to eat some hot turkey, yet COLD everything else. Better luck next time Libbie. I have already decided we are having tacos for Christmas. I am so DONE with turkey and glass for the time being.

After dinner, the rest of my family came over for dessert. Of course Edyn and Uncle Tyson were the entertainment. Edyn is always wanting to have "Dance Offs" with people, and Tyson has the sweetest moves of all of us so he gets to be the lucky one to compete with the 5 year old! Its just unfortunate when he dances better than Edyn. She is not very happy about that. If you ever have a dance off with her, make sure she wins. She is a sore loser. (Mariah, I WISH SO BAD I would have taken some pictures of you in your dance off. You gotta come over again so we can reenact that one. HILARIOUS)!

After the dance off, more friends and more games. Fun stuff. Now I am not usually much of a game girl, but I think I am starting to like it, even though I lose all the time.

I can't even remember what I did the Friday after Thanksgiving. I can tell you what I DID NOT do though. SHOP. I would rather pay more than wake up early and deal with all sorts of people, who I would just end up kicking or pushing out of my way because I can't handle crowds like that. (YES, I am a feisty broad)! I would rather go later and keep what little sanity I do have left.

Saturday. I TOTALLY remember what I did this day. One of my favorite things. I took my little guy Walter out for some target practice. He loves me and I love him. I have a hunch that he is gonna get a little friend for Christmas. So excited about that one. Thanks to Meeeyatch and Nan for taking us out to Pasco and for the good times. This will DEFINITELY have to happen more frequently.

After a long night of work Saturday night, Thanksgiving weekend was a wrap. Now, Christmas time! The most WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR!!!!