Confessions of a weak bladdered woman!

Christmas confessions.......

1. I don't think I ever had a disappointing Christmas growing up. We were pretty blessed. I know my parents worked hard so we didn't want for things. (It wasn't like I had everything I ever asked for but for a girl who grew up in a trailer I had all I needed!)

2. My favorite Christmas gift was the Kitchen Aide Brandon gave me a few years ago. It should be the family portrait he drew (it is a close second but I love that blasted kitchen aide! I use it almost every day!) One day my favorite will be a bigger diamond!

3. I want a bigger diamond.

4. One year I got B a guitar for Christmas and wrapped it early. It wasn't hard to guess when the box was shaped like a guitar! (I tried to build a box around it so it wasn't obvious....lame!)

5. I usually get sick after Christmas and B has to take Christmas down all by himself. We have been married almost 14 years and I think I have only helped with one! (I think that almost makes it a tradition right?)

6. When Christmas is over IT IS OVER! I can't wait to get all the Christmas down (or for B to do it)! The house all of a sudden feel cluttered and there is to much stuff in it! GET IT DOWN! Then it feels naked and clutter free!

7. I want my Christmas to be Christ centered. It is hard.

8. I like staying home for Christmas. I miss my family but it is too hard to pack ALL of Christmas and then bounce from house to house. Y'all are welcome to come to my house!

9. I DON'T like lingerie for Christmas. That is NOT a gift for me! Our first year we were married I thought it would be cute to get Brandon "Christmas pajamas" but instead of jammies for him I got some "JAMMIES" for him! (a nightie for me!) Tradition is that you open p.j.s on Christmas Eve! Who knew the missionaries would be there that night?

10. I pee my pants every night that we do the 12 days of Christmas (knock and runs) so now I have to be the get away driver. (Who doesn't toot and laugh and pee when they are running away?)

Merry Christmas!

Secret Santa!

Every year the Jeffords family does secret Santa for someone! (But we call ourselves something different....I will not tell because we don't want to give away our secrets!) It is one of our favorite traditions that has brought us sooooo much joy! Every year has brought amazing and unique experiences. (One year someone started leaving us gifts every night when we would do our drop offs! My kids/me loved that!) :) This year the budget didn't seem to be able to squeeze out the 12 days. We decided instead to do something small with our "knock and runs" because it brings us such joy and is such a fun/special memory. I don't say this to toot our sneaky horns.... The last 2 nights we have been on the receiving end of the "Secret Santa". The most generous Santa I have ever come across. Last night was so much fun and humbling. THEN AGAIN tonight. I had no idea the receiving end felt like this! There are so many emotions. I feel eternally grateful that someone would take the time and money and energy to bless my little family. I feel overly blessed. I feel selfish for loving it so much and feel like there are so many other people who are more worthy. I feel sooooo loved. Who ever you are....if you read my blog.... We love you! And "Thank You" can't express the way I feel. Our lives are forever changed by you! May you have the best Christmas ever and may your family feel and be as blessed as you have made ours!

I love this guy!

So, yea.... I love him! He makes me crazy with his forgetfulness, and lack of organization and he CAN'T multi task to save his life BUT he is fun to look at and is a super kisser! He also loves me unconditionally, will check the house for ghosts in the middle of the night, get me a drink of water, put the kids to bed, bring me flowers, not get too mad when I go out of the budget, serves God with all his heart, puts his family first, embraces my crazy, can admit when he is wrong, provides for us, makes me laugh harder than anyone I have ever met, doesn't like to watch sports, AND he's a super kisser! I love him!

Quote of the day!

SO our kids receive 3 gifts from Santa because that is what the wise men brought the Savior. A little cheesy I know, but it keeps us from getting out of control and keeps a little bit of the reason for the season in the gift giving part. Max thinks LONG and HARD about his 3. He takes it very serious. This year he told Santa the 3 things. It took him a while to remember the 3rd thing and I thought Santa was a bit impatient for my boy. I wanted to yell at him and say "DUDE YOU ONLY BRING 3 GIFTS...LET THE BOY THINK! SO in Target he showed me something he wanted (not one of the 3 things!) I told him I thought it was a little expensive for Santa to make AND I bet Santa had all ready made the gifts he asked for. Max went on and on trying to figure out a way that one of his gifts could be switched. Finally I told him to let it go. About 10 minutes later he said, VERY HUFFILY, "But the Wise Men brought the Savior REALLY COOL GIFTS!" Then he let it go.

It made me both laugh and cry. I know he knows what the 3 gifts were. He calls them "Gold, Frankincense, and MUIR (my maiden name)." I just don't know if he KNOWS what they all are. I love that little boy!

Confessions of and unbalanced woman

I love that friends and family have picked up the confession sessions! I really love hearing your personal "shares" (or overshares as my hubby calls them) it makes me feel closer to y'all! I love that my cousin Mary started it or stole it from someone else, who knows! I love the title because I am unbalanced BUT I think I am changing my title because I found one that fits me better. Better than unbalanced you say? YES...... are you ready......

CONFESSIONS OF A WEAK BLADDERED WOMAN! Not a secret if you take my classes at the gym. No air jacks for me or I will pee my pants! 4 kids, 1 bladder and no Mastercard to do bladder surgery....you do the math! ANYWAY, Let the confessions commence......

1. Here is a real personal one..... after work outs I smell like a crouton! I don't know whether to gag or be hungry! It's gross. Some girls still smell good after a killer class but I am just going to say I work harder than ALL of them and I am totally NOT jealous or their pretty smell! :) Nothing a little spray can't mask!

2. I want to sing........ a solo......... and make people cry because it's sooooo good and they had no idea I could sing like that! Standing Ovation good! Alas I don't sing. When I do Juliet "shooshes" me....she's 2.

3. One day I will have enough money to fly all the mommies I love to a destination for a mommy weekend and pamper them and we will all wear matching track suits with our names on them and eat steak. There may or may not be a testimony meeting (all religions welcome....no politics just what you feel in your heart.) I think it will be a little like Oprah's favorite things show but on a smaller scale. I will sing a solo there! (I am thinking "On My Own" from Le Miserable)

4. I yell to much.

5. I kill plants. I don't mean to but I don't have a green thumb. Maybe if I watered them instead of Diet Coking them.

6. I secretly (not so secret now) want to live back in Utah....next door to my mom or in a compound with all my friends. No stupid UTAH girls aloud..... you know the kind.

7. I think I would abuse my kids if I moved back to Utah and I had to get them ready in snow clothes, and boots, and gloves and hats, and pack your shoes in your back packs. That makes me sweaty. (crouton anyone?)

8. I have to pee every time I go into a store. You can't take a full cart into the bathroom. You can't pee by your car in the parking lot. All of that adds to the yelling in #4.

9. I don't remember my previous confessions so I am afraid every time I do them I will repeat some. :( (It's probably early onset ahlsheimers)

10. I am always pretty sure I have a lot of things. Cancer, Parkinson's, Lou Gerick's (sp?), MS. In other words I always think the worst. Boo. A head ache is never a head ache. It is a brain tumor. Weak hands are MS and not a crazy hard bicep work out. I have cancer of everything. 2 weeks ago it was cancer of the labia.....turned out to be an ingrown hair, don't worry. WHY would I share that? Because I really want to work on this. 3 days of being OBSESSED with it. Driving people crazy (poor Brandon). Lessening what people who REALLY have these things are going through. Borrowing worry. Don't sweat the small stuff.....it really is just an ingrown hair!

Happy Happy Birthday Juliet Dear!

Happy Birthday Juliet! We love this little stinker! She makes us laugh soooo hard almost on a daily basis! I can't believe that she is 2 today! Her middle name is Zuzu from the Christmas show "It's a Wonderful Life." Jimmy Stewart's little girl was named Zuzu and when he "comes back" from not being born he realizes it when he finds her rose petals in his pocket. He shouts out "Zuzu's petals! Zuzu's petals!" It makes me cry every year. It is also how I feel about Juliet. Sometimes when I get lost she brings me back! I am lucky to be her mom! Daddy Loves: "The way she greets me when I come home. The way she smiles with her whole face and shoulders when she's really happy and her refusal to perform on request!"

Mommy Loves: "How she is every persons favorite in our family! They all want to be around her. She is like the glue. She also says full sentences to shock you but then when you flip out over it she will say something like, baba or mungy!?!?!? I love that she has renamed her blanket, Mungy and McDOnalds is Buckey! We will forever call them that!"

Yes, sad/proud to say that is diet coke in her cup. (I will say that Nana gave it to her though...but I didn't stop it.)
Papa and Uncle Ryeley are 2 of her favorite people! Seriously, we are dead to her when they are around. She has had a special love for Uncle Ryeley since she was 6 weeks old.
Dash Loves: "I love that she plays and I love her with me. She loves me. She is my favorite baby sister!"

Darby Loves: "I love to play with her and she has a great personality and she old enough that I can have a conversation with her. I love that she is really into dancing and she dances around the house a lot and she sings too!"

Max Loves: "She's cute, she's adorable and she's playful!"

Callie the Cat loves: "that she can't reach me on the top bunk and I can still out run her...meow"