The best way to spread Christmas cheer is by singing loud for all to hear.

Sunday was our one-year anniversary. To celebrate, yesterday we went out to Applebee's for dinner.

Jacob ordered a salad. I ordered a steak.

It made me giggle.

Baby, it's cold outside

In case you were wondering how I'm feeling at this exact moment in time, allow me to inform you:

I'm ridiculously giddy with anticipation.

Anticipation for what? Christmas? Seeing all of the nieces and nephews and siblings-in-law in a few days? Well, yes, that too.

But in just two short hours is the FOURTH GRADE CHRISTMAS PARTY!

And I'm surprising all of "my" former students just by showing up.

I can hardly wait!

Just sayin'

If first trimester morning sickness is anything like having the stomach flu for an extended period of time, I'm not sure I ever want to bear children.

Countdown

At this moment in time, I am:

1 day away from completing student teaching
2 days away from seeing the lights on Temple Square (it'll be Jacob's first time!)
3 days away from giving a talk in Sacrament meeting
8 days away from attending "my" fourth graders' Christmas party
10 days away from our one-year anniversary
13 days away from driving down to Arizona for Christmas
16 days away from Christmas.

Bring on the Christmas cheer!

He knows when you're awake

Thanksgiving was still enjoyable, despite my parents and Emily being unable to come up to Utah. We went to my Aunt Barbara's house and enjoyed spending the day with our relatives.

Heather double-dog-dared Dustin to make a snow angel:

Crazy kid. Check out the snow in his ears.

On Black Friday, Jacob stayed up until 7:30 in the morning shopping. I? I am not a shopper. I went to Walmart with him at midnight and was grumpy the whole time. Thus, he did not require me to go to the other stores with him. He pretty much took care of all of his Christmas presents -- makes shopping easy for me!

Among his purchases, he bought our very first Christmas tree:

No, I kid! This is what it really looks like:



Please note the plethora of presents wrapped in the same plaid wrapping paper. Remember that time I was banished to the computer room for THREE hours? Jacob did some of his shopping for me at DI and bought over half of those presents for a grand total of $16. What can I say? The man knows how to stretch a dollar. Although why he chose to use only one kind of wrapping paper when I clearly bought two varieties to add some diversity to our tree, I do not know.

Also, while we were at DI, I found the cutest Halloween decoration I just couldn't pass up:

Really, have you ever seen a cuter Frankenstein?

And while we're on the topic of decorations, here's the crowning jewel. It just isn't Christmas until Santa adorns the toilet seat.

Why yes, I did just post a picture of our toilet. When Jacob saw this lovely little addition, he asked, "Will it stay clean?" I told him, "If you pee on it I will CUT you."

And for good measure, here are some pictures of us (old pictures -- as in from before the move -- but pictures nonetheless), just in case you've forgotten what we look like.



Few things bring me greater joy than seeing him wear an apron. I had to cajole him into wearing it at first, but these days he'll put it on of his own accord to do the dishes. Precious.



We always crush our graham crackers on the floor. It's tradition.





The goose is getting fat

Jacob just asked where the packing tape is.

He's wrapping Christmas presents.

Should I be concerned?

EDIT: He just asked if we have "a lot of rubber bands." What is this man trying to do?

Bah humbag.

Dear Blizzard of 2010:

You were heralded as the winter storm that "will far surpass anything that we've seen, probably for the last several years." We were prepared for gushing winds and torrents of snow. Teachers were crossing their fingers for a snow day at our school, and BYU campus even shut down just in case.

When you finally rolled around our town, you dusted the ground with three to four inches of lightly falling snow -- less snow than Mother Nature dumped on us Saturday night.

The Great Blizzard of 2010 was underwhelming, to say the least.

But apparently you were still fierce enough in other parts of the country to make driving conditions hazardous enough to cause my family to cancel their trip up to Utah for Thanksgiving.

And for that, I shake my fist at you. You stink.

Love Strongly Dislike,
Jennifer