Christmas 2009

As we reflected on the past year, we realized, with much gratitude and joy, the great blessings Heavenly Father has granted us. We are employed, healthy, and happy. What more
could we want? We have enjoyed many special moments together and marvel at the blessings and miracles we are granted daily. Through our successes and struggles, we are more aware and grateful for what we have: a most amazing family.

Steve just finished his 2nd year working for the U.S. House of Representatives for Congressman Mike Simpson. He runs the office here and represents Mike at meetings and ceremonies. It has been a great experience for him as he's able to set his own schedule, work with wonderful people, and make connections with people all over southeast Idaho. He also serves on two community economic development boards, one as the chairman. He took somewhat of a "break" from local politics this year, determining to spend more time with our family. It's been marvelous for us. However, politics is "in his blood", and he still meets regularly with local Republicans. He currently serves on the Stake High Council, and we joke about dad "going to his church", but he usually takes at least one week a month to come sit by us at ours. His entrepreneurial spirit is still alive and well. He spent much of the year taking courses on internet marketing, looking at some avenues for a business that "runs itself". Through success we had in some direct mail pieces we created and sent out for a couple of friends, a new idea was born, and he's most currently working on a direct mail business. He's a wonderful daddy and husband, patient, funny and so supportive. We love him more than we can express!

I spent the year being the mom. Running kids wherever, volunteering many hours at the school as the PTO secretary and in classrooms, helping my boys with their homework, doing 323 loads of laundry, making 1,089 meals, and cleaning up the house too many times to count. I really love being a stay at home mom. I serve as the Stake Young Women President, which comes with the perks of working with awesome youth leaders (and their adult leaders) on things like youth conference and girls camp. The summers are pretty crazy, but I get to attend those stake activities with my girls and love the special testimony-building moments we have together there. When I make time for me, I love reading, blogging, card making, baking and spending time with my kids and sweetheart.

Sarah has had a great year this year. With a low-fat diet and handfuls of medicine, her health has improved dramatically. She feels so much better most of the time which has greatly increased her spirits, too. She is a Junior at Century High School this year, only missing a handful of days so far. She turned 16 and attended her first big dance this fall. She has a great group of friends now, and spends her time doing what teenagers do (whew...finally!). She likes to be with her friends, a good book, her mp3 player, Facebook, and the guy she attended the dance with (not necessarily in that order). She's recently found a new hidden talent in the choir at school and loves to help in the kitchen. She's in the Laurel class presidency at church and is a great example of faith and goodness.

Rachel has spent her year fulfilling her dream of going on the American Heritage Tour with the 8th graders in the community next spring. She decided last spring that she really wanted to go, and after Steve told her we couldn't afford it (over $2500), she moped for a couple of hours. He let her, then talked to her about ways that SHE could afford it. She put her mind to doing just that. Within a week, she had 6 children lined up for piano lessons, several babysitting jobs in the wings, a yard sale scheduled, and plans for a hand-delivered coupon packet (daddy's specialty) during the summer. She worked really hard, and by the time school started in the fall, she had earned $2100 of her money. She turned 13 this summer, traded her glasses in for contacts, started wearing make-up, and turned into a beautiful young woman overnight. She also serves in her Beehive class presidency. She loves to play the piano, read, write on her blog, and be with her friends. She's pretty excited to be at a public high school next year and wear "normal clothes" to school again. With all her drive and self-discipline, it's been so fun to watch her grow and mature.

Bryson had a pretty life-altering year this year. After so many struggles with school and some hard times at home, we finally found out that he has Asperger's Syndrome, one of the high-functioning autism spectrum disorders. So since summer, we spend our days in rigid routines, going to psycho and occupational therapy, encouraging social and physical experiences, and loving and enjoying our sweet boy with new eyes and hearts. He has responded well, and with his new accommodations at school and home, is thriving. He is still an incredible artist and loves to draw. He recently discovered that he kind of likes to read, too. He loves prehistoric creatures, ancient civilizations, and any animal that's ever existed (and some that haven't). He also loves cub scouts and just beams with pride when he earns his awards. Bryson is my special buddy, loving and sweet, tender and quiet, and good all the way through.

Joshua has decided this year that he prefers to be called Josh. (I think it's because it's faster to write.) But, he's still the same sweet, cute, cuddly kid he's always been. His darling little smile has saved his life on many occasions, as he's still our busiest, most inquisitive child. He builds traps, tears things apart, wrestles with his dad, and comes up with the most amazing things most of us couldn't even fathom. It is fun to watch his face light up when he finishes reading a book, or gets his spelling words right. He's excited to be in school all day, but is still practicing just paying attention and sitting still. He's a cuddle, a laugh, and a wildly vibrating ray of sunshine.

Nathan is such a fun little boy. He's very intrigued with letters and numbers and also loves to draw. He and Mom spend a lot more time together alone and we've become such good friends. He loves to go run errands with mom, play on the computer, read stories, watch movies, do puzzles, and make play dough "cookies". He is usually very loving and sweet, but has practiced his different moods and independent thinking a lot more this year. He's really grown up a lot, and has become quite a strong-willed little boy. He makes us smile all the time with his funny little antics, and has decided lately that he's either a pirate (aargghh!) or Santa Claus (ho ho ho!), complete with costume. We're so grateful he's in our family, too.

We have been so abundantly blessed this year, but among our greatest treasures is our wonderful family and the incredible blessing that we can be together forever. We couldn't stand it any other way.

The Christmas Spirit

This month has flown by, and despite my greatest intentions of doing something different this year to help us feel the Christmas Spirit, life has gotten in the way, and there are many things we haven't done. However, we have had a sweeter, kinder spirit in our home with more patience and love. We attended Christmas Piano Recitals, The Gateway Foundation's "A Dickens Christmas", the annual Dixon Family Home Evening complete with Christmas program and the children acting out the Nativity, and Grandma's Cousins Christmas Party. The girls and I sang in the choir and Rachel played a piano solo for the ward Christmas program, we gave gifts for some children in our ward that needed them, and have been busy enjoying Christmas movies, projects, and treats. The boys count down each day, and still haven't figured out if you count "today" or not. Although it's not been quite what I wanted for us this year, it's been a good month. We're reflective and grateful, happy and healthy. I watched this video that was posted on the church website the other day, and it made me stop and think again. Sometimes we just need a little of a child's sweetness to help us stay focused. The Christmas Spirit

Biggest Loser Update: The Wall

Here's an update on my Dixon Girls Biggest Loser challenge...

Five years ago, I lost 28 pounds. I wanted to lose about 37, but I hit a point that I couldn't get past. I called it my wall. For months, I kept at it, trying to break through, but just couldn't get past it. I finally decided that with that weight loss, I would just be happy being that size, and be grateful that I shed the other 28 pounds. ...And, here I am again...

I'm happy to announce that I hit that point again about 4 weeks ago. My weight has been fluctuating right above that since. I've been pretty frustrated because no matter how hard I work out and regardless of what I (don't) eat, it doesn't seem to make a difference. I would really like to lose at least 7 more pounds, and be within the middle of my healthy BMI range. However, my ultimate goal is, of course, to be healthy and have the energy I need to keep up with my kids. I feel like I've already begun to accomplish that one. So, I'm doing okay, just want to figure out how to get past "the wall"!

I recently finished reading Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture (great book!) and pondered some of the things he taught. The one thing that has stuck in my head the most is something he said about brick walls. "...A brick wall isn't there to keep us out. It's there to give us a chance to show how badly we want something." So, my brick wall (the point where I quit losing weight over and over again) has become an even greater challenge for me. It's the point where I get to decide HOW BAD I really want to lose those pounds (be a size 10, get in better shape, establish healthier habits...etc.). And I have decided!! I'm going to bust down the wall by working my butt off (literally). And if I can't bust it down, I'm going to use all my new-found energy, and just climb over it!!

Christmas Time

It's finally here! It's Christmas time! I love this time of the year. So far, I've celebrated with handfuls of mint holiday m&m's, decorating the house, making hot chocolate, watching the Polar Express, watching my boys and honey shovel show, and playing endless hours of Christmas music. The kids helped me string popcorn and we decorated the tree last night, too. It's so pretty. I loved sitting around it together last night, talking about Christmas and what it means to us and what we want this year to be like, while we enjoyed the soft music and cuddled around the sparkling lights. I'd really like to do something this year with my kids to help us feel and remember the true spirit and meaning of Christmas.

We watched the First Presidency Christmas Devotional Sunday night. That was a great step in the right direction. I loved the message from President Monson. I was reminded us about my need to simplify and just spend time together doing the things that help us remember Jesus. I also enjoyed Pres. Uchtdorf's talk about how over the years, even in Christ's time, people have spent so much energy trying to "find" Christ, but because they're focused on the wrong things, they end up missing him. The music, Pres. Eyring's talk, the whole spirit that I felt, snuggled up in my blanket in my festive living room, made me feel a sense of peace, and confirmed that we really need to do something that would help our family feel Christ in our lives, most especially during this wonderful Christmas time!

Kristina sent me to the lds.org website and there's a resource to help families put Christ back in their Christmas celebrations. Here's the Link: Christ: The Real Gift of Christmas. It was so cool, the list of ideas—some of which we're already doing, and the ones that I really want to try this year. There's the 12 days of Christmas, where you read a scripture about the birth of Christ, each night, the 12 days before Christmas. There are lots of other neat ideas, too. We're also talking about giving some of our Christmas budget money to help someone who has less than we do, and needs more than they have. The kids are pretty excited about that, too. We have been so abundantly blessed this year, we definitely need to do something to show the Lord our gratitude.

Is My Birthday Here Yet?

Nathan is at that age where he gets so excited and anxious for events coming up. For days before Halloween, every day he'd say, "Is How-een here, yet?" Then we'd look at the calendar and count and talk about how much longer he needed to wait. The minute we were through with Halloween, Nathan started asking (many times a day), "Is my birthday here, yet?" We followed the same routine each time until I could finally say, "Yes, it's here. Happy Birthday, Nathan!" He was a little frustrated to realize that he would have to wait until later in the evening to have his party, though. He was so excited when we I decorated his cookie "cake", when we blew up balloons, and when we started bringing out presents. He danced around the living room singing, "My birthday's here...it's here!"

So, on November 4th, my "baby" turned four. He's so grown up and so sweet. I'm so grateful that he's mine. Heavenly Father knew I needed him last to make me smile and laugh, keep me young and fit, cuddle and love me when I need it most (and when I don't) and to amaze me with his goodness. He has an angry streak that doesn't take much to come out, but most of the time (as long as nobody teases or crosses him) he's such a sweet and happy little boy! I love you, sunshine!

Nathan's train cake was actually a giant sugar cookie.
He really doesn't like cake much.

Make a wish...

Opening presents

The very favorite present, by far, was a "Mario Mushroom" Bryson made. Steve helped him cut a wooden ball and stick, drill the hole, and sand and glue it. Bryson painted it all by himself. Nathan loved his mushroom so much, he wouldn't even put it down to open his other presents. He slept with it for several nights after and it was his constant companion for days. So cute.

He Watches Over Me

I woke up this morning thinking about Veterans' Day and feeling gratitude for the many blessings I have in this free country and those who have sacrificed so I could have them. I obviously had no idea what was in store for me today. My gratitude for other things was enlarged as the day went on...

I was bringing Sarah back from school and ran over something on the freeway. By the time I had taken the exit, I could feel the pulling and hear the awful noise of a very flat tire. As soon as I could, I pulled over and parked. With Steve being out of town and unable to rescue me, Nathan and I would have to fend for ourselves. I remembered I was a grown-up resolved to handle this on my own. I remembered that I had been too lazy to put away the stroller yesterday, so it was still in the car. I was wearing my pajama pants and a trashed sweatshirt, but had (for some unknown reason) put on real shoes instead of my slippers, like I usually do. So, Nathan and I got out and walked home. It was only about 5 blocks. We went home and I exercised, showered, and tried to think through what to do.

I called David to see if he was available to help during his lunch break, if I couldn't do this by myself. He said he was available and happy to help. When we were ready, we loaded into the truck to go take off the flat tire and get it fixed. However, the truck wouldn't start (not really a surprise, but I was hoping). Nathan and I loaded instead into the stroller again and walked back to the suburban. Much to my dismay, I discovered that the jack and lug wrench were bolted into the cubby to keep them from rattling. I got the wrench free, but the bolts on the jack wouldn't budge. I decided I would just wait for David to come rescue me. Just as I was getting out of the back of the suburban, a nice man pulled up in his truck and asked if I needed help. After I explained what was going on, he said his name was Mark and he actually had a hydraulic jack and lug wrench in the back of his truck. He spent the next half hour taking off my tire and changing it to the spare. (Anybody else know how to get that "spare tire holder" down from under the bottom of an SUV? I never would have figured that one out on my own! Well... unless I read the directions.) Anyway, he got the tires changed and things cleaned up for me, wished me well, and got me on my way. I thanked him and asked if there was anything I could do for him, and, as I expected, he told me no and that he was just glad to be able to help. We parted ways and I headed to the tire store where they repaired my flat tire. Four hours and and only $10.95 later, the whole ordeal was behind us.

On my way home, I reflected on the many things that were in place to make that difficulty as painless as possible for me. Shoes instead of slippers, a stroller, how close we were to home, nowhere else we had to be, a brother available to help, Mark - my hero of the day - who just happened to be in the neighborhood at that time with the jack and wrench we needed in his truck and nowhere else to be, and a simple flat to repair instead of a whole tire to replace. The more I think about it, the more little details I see and marvel at how much my Heavenly Father must love me. He couldn't keep my tire from going flat, but He softened the blow the best He could. I don't believe in coincidences. I believe in miracles.

Halloween with Mystery, Inc.

This Halloween's costumes were inspired by a cute little dog costume I bought at our school yard sale last August for Nathan. Since the girls are a little too big to do the whole Halloween and Trick-or-Treating thing, I thought we should have them all be the Scooby Doo gang. That way, the girls could dress up, too, and help the boys for me! Besides, the boys love to watch the old Scooby Doo cartoons. They all loved the idea and we went searching for clothes and accessories to make it work. Both the other boys had clothes that worked great, and for the girls, we hit three different thrift stores and Wal-Mart, and borrowed a few accessories from a friend, and had everything we needed. I was so excited with the way their costumes turned out, and the kids all loved them. Bryson had a brilliant idea that Steve and I should dress up as the "Mystery Machine", but we declined. Sarah, Bryson and Joshua all won movie tickets in the costume contest at the school carnival, and we got a lot of comments. Joshua's yellow hair ended up being a nice neon green, and Rachel's red hair spray ended up all over everything in the bathroom, but it was so cute, and so worth cleaning up the mess!!

Freddy (Josh), Shaggy (Bryson), and Scooby Doo (Nathan)

Velma (Sarah) and Daphne (Rachel)

The whole gang from Mystery, Inc.
Scooby-dooby-doo!!!