The Christmas Letter

01 – We rang in the New Year with our friends in Oregon at Cody and Margaret White’s wedding and celebrated the Price Family Christmas. Josh left for school in San Diego and I returned home with Jackson to live with my parents while our house was on the market. 

02 – Josh flew home to surprise me for my 30^th birthday. At my birthday party we surprised everyone else by announcing that I was about five months pregnant. Jackson had an Almost First Birthday party at my parents’ house before we moved to Nevada. It was a great way to say goodbye.

03 – We got settled into our new place in Fallon, Nevada. Jackson had another First Birthday party Easter weekend and Josh’s family drove down to celebrate. I was glad they could all be here to help him learn to walk. After that, he was unstoppable!

04 – My mom came to visit for her birthday. She and Jackson had quite the reunion. When she left he spent quite a bit of time looking for her all over the house. 

05 – We celebrated Mother’s Day in Las Vegas. The trip was a hilarious reality check for us, but we made the best of it despite my contractions from too much walking. Jackson loved the pool at Circus Circus and we visited the Hoover Dam on the way home. 

06 – Oh baby! Silas arrived early on June 21; I wasn’t due until July 6.  Silas was a surprise all around from the very beginning. We didn’t know the sex in advance, but I was shocked to discover that he was NOT a girl!

07 – Back up arrived! I am so thankful that our families were able to visit and help us once Silas was born. Mike and Cammy stayed with Jackson while we were in the hospital. My mom and Aunt Laurie spent their entire vacation doing dishes, laundry and washing diapers. Poor Aunt Laure even got pooped on! My dad came later in July– he was the entertainment. Josh’s sister Amanda and her fiancé Dan came for a weekend and took some amazing newborn and family pictures for us.

08 – All of my family went home and Josh and I learned how to hold down the fort on our own. These boys are hard work! Josh’s Uncle Gerry and his girlfriend Sue came to visit for a few days to meet Silas. 

09 – We celebrated Josh’s 30^th birthday at the bowling alley with a few friends and a lot of Camouflage décor. Josh went to Washington for a week for school and stayed another week for an elk hunting adventure with the men in his family. It was just the boys and I at home for two weeks. Despite Silas having pneumonia, I held it together; but we ate a lot of macaroni and cheese. 

10 – Jason and Mary Price came for Halloween. Their daughter Declynn and Silas shared their first Halloween. Jackson was a football player and Silas was his ball. Jackson wasn’t so much excited about the candy as he was just getting stuff. People could have been handing out rocks…

 

 

11 – We celebrated Mike Price’s 50^th birthday and retirement in Oregon. It would have been a perfect weekend if that darn deer had stayed out of the road… We co-hosted Thanksgiving with our friends Brian and Ashlee Shields. My parents came for the feast and a week of visiting. They had a great time watching Jackson explore at the Nevada Discovery Museum. 

12 – I finally found the right job! I’m the Operations Clerk for the Child Development Center. The commute is about three blocks and both boys are just down the hall from my desk. Jackson seems to be excited for Christmas and looks all over for his Elf on the Shelf every morning.

And a special mention for Aunt Marilyn and Uncle Bob who we didn't get to see this year but have inspired me to write a Christmas Letter!

The Boy's Gotta Eat

Growing up, my brother was the hungriest person I knew. We would sit at Shoney's buffet watching him eat one plate after another. The worst part was when we had all finished, he would go to the bathroom and come back with a hollow leg ready for round two.

Eating was such a priority for this kid that he had to pack snacks for our paper route, only four blocks long. Once he sat on the corner and ate a bowl of cereal. He packed a bowl of Fruit Loops, a thermos of milk and a freaking spoon. We had a Pizza Hut jug that held about a half gallon. It tipped over in the wagon once filled with Kool-Aid and we were forced to deliver a few pink newspapers.

I think my favorite was when he pulled two cold hot dogs out of a fanny pack on a bike ride. Hey, at least he was willing to share!

A Little Too Quiet

I was feeding Silas on the couch and Jackson was being so good! He was playing with his toys. Just sitting there. He was so quiet. And then I realized, wait, he's a little too quite.

Sure enough. The little stinker was finger painting with a whole box of food coloring! It was everywhere. On his clothes. On the floor and the rug. On his face. He even ate some and was chewing on that scary little pointed cap.

I couldn't risk him painting the carpet and walls so I carried him to the tub. As I'm stripping him down I smell the smell. He pooped too! I couldn't put him on the changing table, again, the walls... So I took his diaper off in the tub and put it in the sink.

Of course, why wouldn't there be corn involved. So now I'm picking digested corn off his legs, back and butt. It's at this point that he realizes the end of the tub resembles a slide and goes for a ride. I've never cleaned a tub with toilet paper before.

By the time I get the water running I realize that if this wasn't so damn funny I would have been crying. Lesson learned. If he's awake, it should never be that quiet.

Better Half

I've never said the words My Better Half. It's gaggy, it's cheesey and sometimes it's just not true.

But now I get it. The other person is not the better half of the couple. The other half just makes life better when you are a couple.

In December Josh and I were apart from Christmas to February. It sucked. At some point I just turned into a Crab Apple.

My mom has been staying with us to help with the boys for the last five weeks. Less than two weeks in she started to miss Dad. I almost laughed. Two weeks? Suck it up lady! But now we both understand.

It's scary to think that some day I might have to go months without seeing my husband. I used to think that military should be paid more for this inconvenience. Now that I've been there and done that, even for a short period of time, I know that money wouldn't fix the misery of being separated anyway from your better half.

There She Blows!

When I saw the doctor on June 20 I hadn't felt the baby kick in almost a whole day. She sent us to Labor and Delivery for a Non Stress Test to be sure everthing was ok. After about 20 minutes on the heart and contractions monitor we were reassured that everything was fine and they sent us home.
That night, as I was making Deviled Eggs for a picnic, I thought to myself, "So help me, if I make all these stinking Deviled Eggs and then don't get to go to the picnic because I'm in labor I'm going to be so mad." Apparently that's all the motivation Silas needed to make his entrance, some stinking Deviled Eggs.

At 8am on June 21 I sprang out of bed, I freaking peed my pants! I couldn't stop peeing. Every step I took, there was more pee. I had officially lost control of my bladder. Wait...that's not pee! I sat on the toilet, still in my sweat pants, and started making the calls.  I was glued to the toilet. I had no other options. I felt like Old Faithful.

I was completely unprepared. I had to pack a bag. So I stuffed a kitchen towel in my pants and went to work.

Luckily, my friend Marissa was kind enough to watch Jackson while we went to the hospital. When we dropped him off I was afraid to even step inside. It's bad enough I turned my own bathroom into a Slip and Slide. Could you imagine dripping on someone's floor?

Not only did Marissa watch Jackson for the day, she even made sure those stinking Deviled Eggs made it to the picnic.

Boob Job

So, the other night I'm sitting on the couch with my husband and aunt while breastfeeding Silas. I had an itch on my forehead. Both hands were a little full; one with boob and one with baby. But I leaned in to scratch anyway. Fail. I slammed my face right into my boob. I boob punched myself.

Ten minutes later, sitting there in a nursing stupor, I realize that at some point Silas had detached himself and laid down for a nap. I was so freaking tired I hadn't even noticed. I just sat there holding my boob in my hand. It was like my nipple was watching TV.

Breastfeeding is hard work.

Meet the Kerns

About four years ago, on June 6, to be exact, Josh had the pleasure of meeting my family. The whole family. All at once. I threw a party to celebrate what I thought was the end of my home renovations.

Josh arrived just a wee bit late because he missed the exit to my house and drove half way to Crescent before he could turn around. I was in the kitchen when he got there. I saw him walking down the driveway to the backyard. He was about to walk right into the snake pit. I tried to catch him, but it was too late. He stood on the patio in front of 50 strangers and announced, "Hi, I'm Josh."

Thank goodness he's not one bit shy. It could have been terribly awkward. Most normal people would introduce the person they are dating to their parents in a quiet setting. Oh no, not me! Why not throw a huge party, invite the entire family, all your friends and coworkers? Just rip the Band-Aid off quick.

I'm sure all the booze helped too. By the end of the night Josh had made my brother throw up on the fence during a game of tippy cup, offered my dad a polite explanation on each of his visible tattoos and celebrated my cousin's 21st birthday at the dive bar down the street.

He was awarded the seal of approval by everyone, phew! We all must have made a pretty good impression too. I don't think he would have kept me around if my family sucked. Family tends to be a package deal.