Merry Christmas 2010

Yes, it's technically 2011 but I figured since I don't ever leave myself enough time to send Christmas cards out and I haven't been blogging here very regularly that I could kill two birds with one stone if I wrote a proverbial Christmas Letter and put it on the blog.  *Brilliant!*  And since I just barely put away the last of the Christmas decorations last night technically it is still the holiday season, right?  RIGHT!

This has been a crazy year for all of us marked by the birth of Erica.  It has been a wild ride adjusting to life with diapers and feeding schedules and dragging around all the trappings that go with a baby but it sure has been fun.  Erica is coming up on her first birthday this month and has started to be defiantly willful - much like her mother as much as I hate to admit it.  She can crawl so fast it is hard to keep up with her and has started to take steps when she feels it benefits her, but never when we want her to.  She has an amazing nanny (that we love and could not live without) and is the happiest kid ever.  She is the spitting image of Erin when she was a baby but at the same time is nothing like her.

Erin turned 9 in October and is such a joy.  She kept her room clean - without asking or prodding - for 72 days earning her a cell phone for her birthday in October.  After which she went back to her slothful ways and is constantly being threatened with it being taken away if she doesn't clean her room.  *sigh*  She is in the 3rd grade, loves to read, loves learning cursive, amazes me with her multiplication tables and still loves dance.  Even more so, she loves being a big sister and is such a help with Erica.  (Even though her room is a danger zone with choking hazards galore!)  She is a classic "tween" with her new love of music, eye shadow and lip gloss. 

This year was a tumultuous one for Erin and her dancing.  The 2010 dance season was very successful with her team placing first or second at every competition. Then her studio announced they were closing, she won the cover-girl contest at the STARS Nationals competition in Las Vegas and we promptly had to find a new studio.  We are now settled nicely at Synergy Dance Academy and she is making friends but missing her old ones still.  The 2011 competition season begins in March and we are super excited.  Well, Erin and Terra are super excited.  Daddy is dreading it and Erica has no idea what it is. 

This has been an amazing year for Clint and I full of traveling and family time.  We spent the 4th of July in Montana at his little sister's wedding.  We both agreed that if we were to ever leave Utah it would be for Montana - what a beautiful place!  Then we spent Memorial Day in Seattle for the same sister's reception - it was a crazy road trip we did up and back in 3 days and thus didn't take the girls.  It was nice to get away together and even the two speeding tickets we got didn't mar the great weekend.

This year was a transformation year for me.  After I recovered from childbirth - which didn't take long since two weeks later I was back in my jeans - I did my second round of HCG and dropped another 25 pounds.  Then I went back to running and never looked back.  I ran two 5K races, a 10K and in October my first half marathon - 13.1 miles baby.  It was amazing and this year I am not slowing down with Ragnar scheduled in June with Clint and ten of our closest friends.  Should be amazing fun!  188 mile relay race from Logan to Park City in two days.  Sounds crazy, I know!

Clint is still working on getting his knee 100% healthy from his ACL surgery a couple of years ago.  He had another recent MRI showing that there has not been any new injury to his back and got the go-ahead to hit the gym - which we are doing together as a family.

Our life is crazy busy with both of us working full time jobs, Erin dancing three nights a week, the gym 5 times a week and hanging out with amazing friends and neighbors.  So now you know why I have little time to blog!  In all my spare time (ha ha ha) I am still working on writing my novel - I'm on yet another re-write - and Clint is doing projects around the house since he is constantly in motion.

So from our house to yours - we hope your 2010 was a great year and we  hope your 2011 is ever better!

Love,
The Lufts

December 2009

December was devoted mostly to getting the baby room done - which actually translates into me nagging and Clint procrastinating.  Sometimes I think my nagging actually drives him to further procrastinate just to see how far he can push me.  But even knowing this I am powerless to break the cycle.

Christmas this year was very low key and much different than in years past... perhaps the theme for 2009 should officially be 'breaking old traditions' since lots of things changed this year in the way we celebrated the season.  Instead of exchanging gifts with my siblings, we decided to do charity instead.... We pooled the money we would have spent on each other and adopted two homeless youth from the angel tree at work.  There is no better way to put our prosperity into perspective - even in tight times like these with new babies on the way and economic recessions abounding - than to give the gift of daily essentials.  Imagine if you were living on the streets... makes that new powerbook and iPod seem so trivial, doesn't it?

Novemer 2009

What a month November was! I wrote 50,000 words of the first draft of my novel and became an official winner in this year's annual NaNoWriMo competition. I've already recapped it here on my "other" blog if you want to read about it. Clint and Erin were both so supportive of my efforts this year allowing me to completely neglect them both for most of the month so I could focus on my writing. I couldn't have done it without both of them - a fact I'll be sure to remember when I'm published... so I can write something completely fitting in my dedication. Emphasis on the 'when'!

Erin's dance team performed at the Jazz game half-time.  This was Erin's second Jazz game and this year was even better because her cousin, Brynlee, is on the team. Makes the pain of paying $20 a ticket for upper bowl seats to watch a little less painful when half of your family is also required to be there with you. Of course, I am not a fan of basketball so I read a book the entire time (except when they danced) and took a lot of flak from my siblings... but I can handle them! And I only had two days to read before book club!  It was a very long and very crazy day that I had to handle on my own since Clint couldn't get the time off from work. The life of a dance mom is a crazy one... luckily I have Amber to share the insanity with!

The day started with having to be at the arena just after lunchtime... which meant I had to burn a day of vacation so we could hang out waiting for them to allow us onto the floor to rehearse. This is Erin with Brynlee and Taegan chilling before it was time to do make-up.

They let parents go down to the floor of the arena when the girls rehearsed - something they did not allow us to do last year. It's no doubt the only time I'll ever sit in seats that close to the court. That place is massive even without people filling the seats!

Between rehearsal and the performance we had about an hour to grab some dinner and get the girl's hair and make-up done. Luckily, Amber (aka my fabulous sister in law), was with me to help carry all our crap when we walked to Gateway - or rather I waddled while they walked. It was fun to watch Brynlee get all made up in her first "official" performance make-up.  Looking back on last year's performance, I could see what a difference a year of competition had made in both my comfort level of applying make-up and Erin's ability to sit still.  I know Amber and I are both looking forward to the girls being old enough that they can do their own make-up!  Of course, on the flip side I know the "it's only for competition" line won't work for Erin much longer and then she'll want to borrow my eyeliner and wear mascara every day. *shudder at the thought!* I'm enjoying her youth while it lasts...

At game time, we left the girls in this crazy hot room full of like a hundred dancers between the ages of 5 and 18 from all over Utah to wait out the first half until their performance. I thought I was going to pass out from heat before we could escape that little cramped room and begin our hike to the nosebleed seats. Brynlee was a little nervous at that point but luckily she had her cousin, Erin, to ease her fears - that and coloring books and DS games.

It all culminated in an awesome show. It still amazes me what a natural Erin is with performing in front of crowds. She has never once been nervous - just goes out there and does her thing and has a blast doing it.

So... here's where the video of the performance is supposed to go.  But the file is too big to upload!  It is kind of long (but only 5 minutes!) and probably only grandparents and die-hard dance enthusiasts will appreciate it but still it is supposed to be here...  I'll now attempt to become an expert at video editing on the computer so I can at some point get it posted.  (Wish me luck!)

It wouldn't be a post recapping November without Thanksgiving. Typically this is not an enjoyable holiday for me ever since the year I got married and had to start contributing as a grown up (and burned the mashed potatoes that year!) My Mom's side of the family has a very cool - albeit kind of insane - tradition I grew up with where we celebrate Thanksgiving with a formal, four-course, sit down meal (on china even) whose menu hasn't wavered since my childhood. We're all getting older and the last four years the planning and hosting of Thanksgiving has transitioned from my Mom's generation to mine while continually expanding to not only encompass all my cousins but also their spouses and children. The family is as close as ever but getting ginormous. Denice, my ultimate party planner extraordinaire sister, and I armed with our spreadsheets and months of preparation planning (some might call it OCD) have taken over the logistics of Thanksgiving from Mom and Gram and I have hosted this meal - for 25-30 people depending on who joins us vs. the in-laws for dinner - at my house for the last three years because I have the only place with space enough to host the crowd - kind of. I know this because we had a split Easter celebration for the first time ever earlier this year because of space. (I could host but who wants to hunt eggs in the mud pit in the back yard that is our current long-term landscaping project?)

Yes, you heard me right - I'm knocking on 40's door and I have only once in my entire life celebrated Easter without all my cousins. Weird, but true. And that isn't even my Italian side of the family.

But, we're talking about Thanksgiving here...

Several factors this year had me dreading the whole prospect. Like I'm almost 8 months pregnant and I'm attempting to write an entire novel in one month just for starters. The thought of the effort involved - three days of cooking and cleaning my house and moving furniture and setting up the tables the day before so we can set them, etc - was not appealing. Then, Brett and Amber decided they were taking their kids to Disneyland and would not be in town for Thanksgiving dinner. Without the six of them, there wasn't going to be that big of a crowd for our immediate family. Which got mine and Denice's wheels turning... What if we didn't cook and clean and stress and clean up afterward and instead just went OUT for dinner this year? We floated the idea past the entire family but in the end the tradition was too strong for everyone to break at once and thus it was just our immediate family sans Brett's clan who decided to take the plunge.

Talk about heaven...

We got reservations at Tuscany and this is Denice and I actually enjoying dinner instead of worrying about the exact timing of when to put the potatoes into the serving dishes to insure they are still warm when Dad finishes cutting the turkey so we can all eat warm food.

Erin got to dress up in her fancy dress and sit between Grandma and Pa at THE GROWNUP table instead of being banished to the kid table in the corner of the kitchen. Although, she was the only kid at dinner and ended up being a little bored.

We all agreed this is the way Thanksgiving should be spent. With loved ones who you actually still love at the end of the day instead of being so stressed out that you want to kill each other. (Yeah, if you think I'm a bitch, you should meet my sister!) No wonder Denice and I both kind of hate Thanksgiving when we are being honest with ourselves... We ate early - us, my parents, my brother Shaun, Denice and Amber's family who also got ditched when they decided to go to Disneyland. We relaxed and laughed and ate traditional food that tasted amazing and were waited on by professionals. No cooking, no dishes, we didn't even have to clear the table! Like I said... Heaven! Afterward, we went back to Denice's, watched a movie together and ended up at Gram's house with the rest of the extended family for pie in the evening. We all agree it was such a great and relaxing day that we are going to do it again next year and let Brett and Amber enjoy it with us! Hell, it just might be the new tradition every year!

 Speaking of new traditions... it has become a tradition to participate in Black Friday - something I swore for years I would never, ever, ever do. Until last year when I tagged along with Amber - the bargain shopping queen - and discovered Midnight Madness shopping in Park City. Seriously, it is worth the drive and the crowds for ONE store and until my kids can no longer wear clothes from The Children's Place, I will be at the door when they open at 12:01 AM on Black Friday. How can I pass up a sale where I can get jeans for under $5? Erin and her cousins had their traditional sleep over at Grandma and Pa's house while we all climbed in Brett's mini-van and shopped. Clint even when with me this year and helped pick out clothes for Erin. Brett & Amber had driven home from California that morning so what was another couple of hours of driving, right? I had to work on Friday so Clint and I only did the three or four Park City stores and then parted to head home and get some sleep. Brett, Amber, Denice and cousin Amy then shopped all the early bird ad's in the valley until something like 9:00am. I still think THAT part is crazy but if you have the stamina - and Amber to pour over all the ads to find the great deals - I guess it is worth it!

Erin was off track the first part of November and one day Clint took her to the Aquarium for another installment of "Disneyland Daddy" while I was at work. She has such a love for animals and I know it is because they do these kinds of things together. As always, I am jealous of all the time he has at home with his job but also so glad for the time they get together. I've said it before and I'll say it again... 12-hour shifts do have their benefits when you only work 3-days every week!

Erin talked for days about all the creatures they got to see. Although, she was too scared to put her hand in the tank with the rays. I blame Animal Planet and the fact that Clint let her watch the special they did about "the Alligator Hunter" when he died - by being stung by a ray... Oh well, it's nature, right?  She didn't want to leave and Clint practically had to drag her out of the place.  Can't ask for better than that in the dead of winter!

October 2009 - revisited

I know, I know... we were just here and theoretically haven't moved on yet.  But I just 'found' some more photos from THE BEST MONTH of the year... on my work laptop of all places.  Like I haven't sabotaged myself enough with obsessive organization by organizing our family photos based on which camera they came from, now I'm haphazardly saving photos on my work computer?  Yes, that's the Universe becoming unhinged because of my lack of organizational sanity and forethought folks! 

But, I digress....

I took Erin to Gardner Village with "Backseat Becky" for a girl's lunch.  We had an insane wait for a table since everyone else in the city had the same thought that weekend due to a bout of nice weather.  So we decided to see what all the fuss was about with their "Witches" while we killed time.  Basically, they put up Halloween decorations and make a scavenger hunt type of game out of it so the kids in tow with their crafty, shop-a-holic moms will drag them to every nook and cranny of the gathering of shops looking for all the Witches in hopes said moms will spend spend spend.  We fell into that trap for caramel apples and cotton candy and barely escaped with our lives and some fun photos from Becky's camera.

 

This was Erin's first Witch of the afternoon and she thought it was so cool to sit next to her on the bench.

 

This poor witch had seen better days since she's missing a hand!  Oh well, don't I look fab in my favorite hat with my cute baby bump?

 

Hands down, Erin's favorite witch on display.  She thought it was hilarious this one was in the outhouse - caught with her pants down no less!

 

I teased Erin that this will be her in about eight years ... and instead of crashing a broom, a car.  But then it dawned on me that it wasn't really that funny and  instead posed for a picture.  Thanks, Beck-ster, for a great day and for sending me photos because back then I wasn't cool enough to have a phone with a camera yet!

Did I mention Halloween?  Oh, I did?  muhahahah

This year I wasn't the new girl at work who'd only worked there for a couple of weeks and didn't want to scare the co-workers with my obsession with Halloween, so I went all out and in the process convinced a couple of my co-workers to do the same.

 

This is us posing for the official costume contest - the 20's (Melissa) the 50's (Michelle) and the 80's (me) all in one photo.  None of us won - because one team had a KILLER group costume that even I voted for - but at least we got photos for posterity!  (And, yes, that is a real corsage on my wrist.  I don't mess around when it comes to costumes!)

Michelle is a total ham - and I cannot get over how amazing this photo was of her!

 

Doesn't she look exactly like you picture a mean 50's housewife?  At least that's how I picture I would look if I was expected to play the part of the 'Leave it to Beaver' life of oppression women were forced to endure back then!  The best part is her bra strap showing which was completely unintentional on her part and made the costume complete!  God, I love Halloween!  And that I'm not the only person who dresses up every year at work.  And that my company embraces the holiday with all the respect it deserves!