The Fuller Family: Merry Christmas

Thank you everyone for your kind words of encouragement and success stories from friends and loved ones. We appreciate all the information you can pass along and are confident we can manage Marion's allergies without causing too much disruption to her life.

In addition to checking with us before you give her any tastes of food, please keep this quote in mind, its from a list of 10 things children with allergies wish we knew.

http://www.foodallergy.org/page/peanut-allergy

5. If grown-ups kiss me, right after they’ve eaten something I’m allergic to, I’ll get itchy spots.

If your dog licks me, I’ll get itchy spots too. I don’t feel quite brave enough or know how to tell you this, but I’m hoping you will remember; if you’ve just eaten something that I’m allergic to and then kiss me, I may get hives. So please don’t kiss me right after you’ve eaten that particular food.

30 - Waking up early. I told you - you would become one of my favorites, and I am happy to say, I now know the wisdom of 'early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy wealthy and wise' okay so I'm working on healthy - maybe wealthy and wise will follow.
29 - Working out - yes, you have become one of my favorites this month. 2 weeks in and I am loving the early morning routine with the hubby.
28 - Evening walks down a quiet street
27 - Brown Paper (or cardboard) Packages... {tied up with string}
26 - My two cuddle bugs!
25 - Our Bedtime Routine is definitely one of my favorite times of day. The family all together winding down with snuggles, tickling, story time and one more family prayer for the day.
24 - Our Lord. He is risen!
23 - Turning a day around. Its hard on a 2 and 1-year-old when things don't quite go right, but its wonderful to see the joy on their faces when a simple activity turns it all around.
22 - Not saying goodbye - my Granddad would never say bye, goodbye or anything remotely resembling it. It was always okay sport, talk to you soon, but never goodbye. And it applies to not only everyday living but the end of this life. Talk to you soon Granddad!
21 - BBQ, sunshine, and grass to run in!!!
20 - Waking up EARLY (5AM early), I will get used to you, and you will become one of my favorites.
19 - Compromises
18 - Getting Healthy - while the process is definitely not my favorite, the end result will be
17 - Time, just time... Ephesians 3!
16 - Cousin fun! Early Easter! All things FAMILY
15 - Balls, slides and all things summer.
14 - The peace He gives when we truly turn our worries over to him.
13 - A wonderful doctor who's calm, concerned and has it all together (even if we don't love the drive).
12 - Giggles and Smiles
11 - Afternoons spent outside, just being kids
10 - The way kids get goofy after dinner when you've been out all day... makes it all better.
9 - When it all comes together :)
8 - A quiet, calm bath
7 - Quiet moments when kids play together (Marion got in on it too, just don't have a picture of that)
6 - Learning that some favorite meals (ribs) aren't all that hard to cook
5 - Goy catching a glimpse of Grampa at work and running into his arms - a perfectly happy moment
4 - Evening Walks as a Family
3 - Coming Home
2 - Cherry Wood (I love all things Cherry Wood)
1 - Good Friends & Lots of Laughter!

20 - Flopsy-Mopsy! Yes, I was the queen of flopping, anywhere, anytime, during any activity. Goy discovered the joys of falling backwards tonight and it reminded me of all the times I earned the name Flopsy-Mopsy!
19 - A Year Ago... So, a little over a year ago we had a birthday dinner for Justin at the same restaurant we went to today for Erin's dinner. At the time of Justin's dinner, I was 8 months pregnant, Goy was 13 months old, Lukas was 2.5 and Kaylee was three months old. Now, Marion is crawling and about to turn 1, Goy is a toddler full throttle into the touchy twos, Lukas is in preschool and can spell his name and count to at least 5, and Kaylee is over a year and walking and talking like a pro... where does the time go? Seems like we blinked and poof- a year was gone... I loved you 'year', I will love this year just as much and will miss it when its gone too... but time marches on and I must admit, I spend more time enjoying time in its present tense than wishing for it in its past...
18 - Curls, Curls, Curls... oh and don't forget the spray leave in conditioner. I remember my Aunt Robbi doing Haley's hair when she was younger than 5, and boy did that girl have curls. The beautiful, unruly, couldn't get them untangled for the life of you toddler curls. After our adventure in curls today, I'm thinking its almost time to start using conditioner. At least in the tub, Marion is starting to get little tangles in between bath times.
17 - Volleyball, Best Friends and Life Moving On... Ran into one of my best girlfriends since probably middle school today, you know the friends you fought with one day and laughed the next, but were always there for you... She's got little ones too now and though we haven't seen each other in 5 years, we were able to strike up like we always used to.
16 - Crafting, you know, preschool, kindergarten crafting... The kind with cherrios and elmers glue and construction paper, plastic scissors that until Freshman year of high school I thought couldn't cut anything but paper... thank you Paul for clearing that one up... yesterday's memory was Miss. Connie. I guess working with Goy and his friend during day care and getting to do those fun crafts, story times, dance time, cuddle time... it just takes me back. Kind of a circle of life thing.
15 - Miss. Connie was my first (other than mom and pop of course) teacher. I spent two wonderful years with Miss. Connie, and though I don't get to stop in and visit often since I've started doing day care, I get to hear all about her. She has touched so many lives, and continues to, that I get to hear updates from friends whose kids go to Miss. Connie's school. I have the best memories of all things Miss. Connie (and no, I will never stop calling her that), there was even a time when she would babysit me, I sure felt special getting to spend more time with her. She's just one of my favorite people, and way way way too many good memories to count.
14 - "I don't understand why we have to clean for company" I remember saying that anytime mom got us to do a (should be done every or every-other week) clean on the house. Her response was, "I want it this way for us, but I can only get you to do it when we have company coming." Mom, I finally get it. It never used to bother me having clutter on the counter, or laundry undone, or dishes in the sink. Now - I love having a spotless (except for the toys being played with of course) house. I'm no where near that yet, I still have to get our room and the garage under control, but we've got the majority of the inside organized, de-cluttered and clean. It's a breath of fresh air!
13 - Rainy Days - too many in my memory to count, but I love the hard rain when it pounds on the roof and reminds you how blessed you are to have said roof, and fireplace, and electricity so you don't have to sit in a dark house all evening. I loved all the rainy days growing up just sitting around the living room with the fire going. A rainy day's just not complete without a fire.
12 - Moving?!? - No we aren't moving, but we have yet to get completely unpacked (okay the boxes are unpacked, but it seems like 90% of our stuff is just sitting in the garage waiting for me to find it a place in our new home). Tonight, I was able to get the office probably 80% done, but it got me thinking... I was fortunate enough to not have to move from the time I was 3 months old until I left for college at 18. Since then, boy oh boy, I've moved six times... 6 times in 8 years. And each of those moves has held the promise of moving forward, continuing onto the next chapter in my life. As much as I'd love to never move another piece of furniture or pack and unpack another box, it's exciting to see how we fit in a new place.
11 - So this one isn't really my memory (pretty sure I wasn't even a thought in mom and pop's head when this one happened) - My mom shared with me when Goy was born about his first sleepover when he was a toddler. He got his backpack ready and was off to Grandma & Grandpas and didn't give another look back. That was us today, Goy got to have his first toddler sleepover, and was just way too excited. Made me feel good that history can repeat itself in such a cool way.
10 - Living close to grandparents. I was spoiled growing up for many reasons. And one that I never took for granted was growing up so close to both sets of grandparents. Until I was in middle school, all four of my grandparents lived and worked 15 minutes away (max). After that, I was still blessed enough to have one set that close, and now that we've moved 'home' my children get to have one set even closer than I did, and my grandparents are still just a 15 minute drive away.
9 - A Blustery Day Picnic. One of my favorite birthday parties growing up was A Blustery Day Picnic. Mommy got little clear (but colored) lunch pails and Winnie The Pooh stickers so we could all decorate up our lunch pails. We made PB&J's, had little bags of chips and juice boxes, and took our blankets out to the front lawn under the huge maple tree and had our picnic. Of course no Blustery Day Picnic is complete without Tigger, so Mommy made an awesome Tigger cake. My all-time favorite party.
8 - Cozy. I never thought much about the size of our house growing up. It was perfect. It fit us, it wasn't too big or too small... I loved our home growing up. I always thought that the size was perfect to keep a family close, any smaller and you'd drive each other crazier (ignoring those teen years of course), and any bigger, you'd never have to be in the same room. The first house Frankie and I had was much bigger than I ever thought about having as a child, and though it was nice to have all the separate rooms and not have to be right on top of each other, I am loving having a smaller home. It helps us stay close as a family. I don't miss out on evening movies because I'm doing laundry or cleaning the kitchen, because it's all connected. I love cozy. I live for cozy...
7 - Sewing. Whenever I sew a gift for someone, I'm asked where I learned to sew... I remember watching my mom sew my Halloween costumes, and Grandma Jo sewing dresses for church because I didn't come prepared, and Grandma Fran sewing clothes, quilts, you name it, she did it. I've always been surrounded by women who knew the value of creating something with their hands, and I love it so much. When I've been away from my machine for 3 months I start to itch :). Back to it next week for sure!
6 - Safety... Might be an odd memory, but I was thinking today about how safe I've felt in life, first at my parents house because they always protected me, then on my own because I felt equipped to handle anything (okay, I was a lot naive), and now because I have the most wonderful protector in this life in Frankie... but mostly, I have security, safety and hope through Christ.
5 - Singing along to the radio - I'm not sure when this one started, but the earliest tale I've been told of is a 3-year-old in the back seat belting out to Linda Ronstadt, and there's video of me making up songs that would go on for hours (picture me sitting directly in front of the TV so they would listen to me and just making up words as they came - not usually making much sense either).. I still sing along to the radio, and to myself, and anyone who will listen, so I'm not sure if this qualifies as just a memory, but I love it just the same...
4 - Tickle-fests! We used to have huge tickle-fests when I was growing up, one person would start tickling (usually I was the one getting tickled, though Mommy did have her share of it), and soon enough the whole family would be piled on the couch tickling everyone, and laughing until tears were falling and you couldn't catch your breath. These days, our tickle-fests include a giggling 2-year-old, a squirmy 11-month-old and two parents enjoying every moment. Ah, love those family memories that get a chance to repeat themselves.
3 - Peas... When I was little my Grammy (great-grandma) forced me to eat a huge bowl of peas because she was convinced I was going to perish from my horrible diet (mostly potatoes, rice, graham crackers... you know good old starch). I resented her for the longest time for how she always treated me, but in the 10 years since her passing, I've realized the love she had in her heart for me. All the times I thought she was picking on me because she didn't like me, or I didn't measure up, I know she was doing it all because she loved me so, in fact, looking back on that memory (and the one where she kicked me to the curb -literally- for her dog biting me, little terror that he was) I'm certain she was so tough on me because she expected great things from me, I'd even venture a guess I was a favorite... she just didn't know how to show it. And I've never looked at peas without thinking of her since (or little terrorist dogs ;P).
2 - A year ago, I was 8 months pregnant with a 14 month old just learning to walk... where did the year go? Yes, it was a year of trials and struggles we never thought we'd face, but I will forever be grateful for the time we had, just the four of us all day, it really made up for the months Frankie spent away the previous year... and now he's home every night (okay, this is starting to sound like a blessings list... guess it is, my memories are definitely a blessing).
1 - For the last 6 years (yes it's actually be 6 years), the last week in February reminds me of wedding preparations for a perfect 2/26 wedding, and of our honeymoon, the beautiful drive up the CA and OR coasts to our home for the week at Depot Bay... Just so many wonderful memories enjoying a week away from responsibility and getting to enjoy life with the one I love...

31 - Blessed with a year of mixed blessings. We've made it through a lot of tough times this year and have so many wonderful memories all at the same time. So blessed for 2010 and the joys and sorrows it brought.
30 - Blessed to have posted so many pictures this year that my web-album is full, only slides from here on out. I'll work on getting it all figured out next year, but until then, I'm counting my blessings, and taking too many pictures is one of them.
29 - Blessed by 15 minutes... you know who you are - thank you for your 15 minutes today!
28 - Blessed by a quiet day, love these quiet, snuggle-in days.
27 - Blessed to be home again. With sick kids, Momma doesn't get much sleep, so blessed to have them home in their own beds again.
26 - Family Day 3 - blessed to spend an evening with the Fullers, and an Aunt of Frankie's I'd never met.
25 - Blessed with a perfect Christmas morning and a warm car to drive down to a perfect Christmas night.
24 - Family Day 1 - blessed to spend an evening with the Wilsons!
23 - Blessed with the symbols of the season. Making Christmas cookies for the man in red today got me thinking about the candy cane, the Christmas tree and most of all, the baby in the manger. I know Christ wasn't actually born on December 25th, but I love turning my thoughts to his birth and all the miracles around it. Thank you Christmas cookie cutters for turning my mind to our Savior.
22 - Groceries! I used to (2 years ago) dread coming home with a lot of groceries. Don't get me wrong, I love a full pantry, it was just the bags on the counter and having to put it all away. I don't think I'll ever take a bag of groceries for granted again. We've never been to the point where we didn't have food, but with all the cutting back we did this year, its so nice to have a counter-full of grocery bags! So blessed to have an over-flowing pantry, fridge and freezer.
21 - LONG naps... it has been over a week since the kids took a long nap and today, they decided to take their long nap together!!! WAHOO!!! Momma got to let out some of her creative juices (sometimes they act more like naggings :)). So today I was blessed with the little ones naps coinciding and lasting long enough for me to make 10 bows... yes that's right, 10!!!
20 - Blessed with memories (yes, copying Mommy here). Every time I bake Christmas goodies, or even just a normal dinner recipe, I have fond memories that seem to pop up. My fudgeball recipe is of Mommy in the kitchen mixing and letting me help to roll them out. I love December - it's the cook and eat all the fudgeballs you can handle month :).
19 - Blessed by safe travels on a blustery day. Heading down to church today was a little scary with how stormy it was, but we made it safe and sound. So blessed.
18 - Blessed by technology. Today I got to meet a wonderful friend in person and actually hug her. We've been chatting back and forth on email for months now, and commenting on each other's blogs, all the while feeling like we were meant to be friends. So blessed to be able to make friends this way and doubly blessed that my mom was so sure we'd hit it off right away. Now I'm sure I've got a friend for life.
17 - Blessed to be included. We are blessed to be surrounded by family and life-long friends who want to include us in their lives, their days and their parties. Thank you for letting us tag along and have a wonderful Christmas evening.
16 - Blessed by tickles. It's so much fun when a child starts to feel comfortable around you, so comfortable, that she wanted to join in our tickle fest! Just makes my heart feel good.
15 - Blessed by chemicals... yes, I love chemicals, the really strong, kills ants for 12 weeks and only use outdoors kind of chemicals... and blessed by a husband who will go out in the very cold weather to spray all around the house to keep the little pests out of our nice warm house.
14 - Blessed by Christmas. I love this time of year, the decorations, the music, the lights and all the smiles you see when you're out and about. Most of all, I love that everyone's thoughts turn to the Savior and His birth. I love getting emails in my inbox asking everyone to remember Him, even if it is only at this time of year, I love that people aren't afraid to talk about Christ and how important His life was (and is). So Blessed by Christmas.
13 - Today I must take a moment to appreciate what a blessing it is to be busy. On days when I feel like there's too much to do and never enough time to do it, I have to remind myself how blessed I am because of it. I am so thankful that the Lord has blessed me with many many busy days to keep my mind and body moving with all good things. My grandpa says if you cross everything off of your to do list for the day, it wasn't long enough.
12 - The Present! My favorite line in Kung Fu Panda is when Master Oogway tells Po "Yesterday is history, Tomorrow's a mystery, Today is a gift, that is why they call it the present"
Today is definitely a gift.
11 - Friends... Tonight we were blessed to be included in a group date night. It was so much fun getting to know new people better, and getting to catch up with some dear friends. I am blessed by my old, new and future friends.
10 - Laughter. If you were in our house tonight when Frankie got home, you would have heard laughter (okay - giggles really). Goy was tickled to have time outside to play with Daddy and Marion got some undivided Momma time. I just love hearing our babies giggle... we're truly blessed.
9 - The Savior's Sacrifice. I am blessed to be covered by His grace when I meet my Lord after this life. His blessings are eternal! Which means, when this life ends, it's not our final goodbye. So Blessed!
8 - TRADITIONS!!!
Traditions are such a blessing to me. I love each and every one of them. From the family get-togethers around the holidays to something as simple as reading a bedtime story to Goy & Marion. Traditions built me, they helped shape who I am and they remind me of years gone by and the people I miss. This year, my heart turns to Granddad a lot... and that leads me to another blessing - I'll wait for tomorrow to share it :).
7 - Today I was blessed with work! It's wonderful to be able to work at home with the kids, and the little girl I watch is just too cute for words and very easy. I'm excited for her and Goy to begin to play together more, but for now we'll settle for side by side play. It's a blessing to be starting day care in my home town - a woman called me today said she'd asked a lot of people and everyone she asked said I am trustworthy and good with kids... definitely wouldn't have that kind of a name in any other town - God blessed us by bringing us here for the support, community and many other reasons too long to list.
6 - Go-With-The-Flow Kids... it makes it so much easier to leave the kids for a FULL day with Gramma when I know they are so easy going. God truly blessed us with go-with-the-flow kids. I often joke that if I had to do Goy's labor over again (yes all 6 hours of pushing too) I would if it meant getting such an easy kid, and Marion is just as easy. Thank you Lord for blessing me dearly!
5 - Rain! Yes I believe rain is a blessing. It washes the earth and gives everything a much needed drink. I love the smell right before a big rain, and the smell and feel in the air after. Sure it's not the most convenient when you have to be out and about, but it sure beats the alternative.
4 - We are blessed with time. Time to spend together, time to study God's word, time to laugh, time to love...
Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8.
(v.1To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven- KJV)
3 - Dogs are a huge blessing and although we don't have our own right now, we get to borrow Grampa & Gramma's sometimes. They truly are man's best friend (or woman's in my case).
2 - It is such a blessing that the kids love bedtime. It makes life so much easier that they get excited when it's time for bed.
1 - We are blessed with Frankie's job and blessed that he loves it. He loves that he gets to learn new things and that he does many different things throughout the day, and that he works with wonderful people who enjoy what they do. And we are extra blessed in the security this job provides.

Since I want to continue to blog in Goy & Marion's voices... I'll post my 30 for Thanks over here - check back each day for my new one...

30 - Today, I'm thankful for everyone's thankful 4s :). Thank you for letting me tag along on the wonderful ride a month of thankfulness gave us. Now, on to Susu's next challenge?!?
29 - Sunshine after a few days of cold. We got to enjoy some of the beautiful sunshine this afternoon and it was so nice to let the kids get the fresh air without having to bundle them up to their eyes :).
28 - Chicken Noodle Soup (and Mommy close by to bring it - Thanks!). We're all under the weather today and it was so nice to have Mommy bring down a box of get better goodies.
27 - Frankie's willingness to help others. Frankie and Pop were able to help someone out today and it just felt so good knowing that they both did it because they wanted to, not because they had to, and that they wanted nothing in return.
26 - Happy, calm shoppers... After a scary hour at Toys R Us, I'm thankful this morning for the calm and understanding shoppers at Wal-Mart and at Kohls and thank you Kohls for having the rest of the things I needed to get so I didn't have to try to go back for the 5am Toys R Us sale!... And I'm happy for the many naps I got to take this morning :).
25 - Aunt Mary. Yes today I'm thankful for my Aunt Mary who continues to invite us to Thanksgiving dinner and keep the Wilson traditions going even though we're not always able to come (okay, so it's been years for us - but we're hoping next year!). She is such a giving person and loves family most of all. I guess that's because of where she came from, you need only to look as far as my grandparents to see why their kids are so loving and all about family! So thank you Aunt Mary for continuing to invite us.
24 - Surprises! Two of my favorite guys surprised me today and it just made my day.
23 - Labor - yes I'm thankful for the hard, going-out-of-your-mind back labor I had - because when I get hurt at all now I automatically compare it to labor... and 99% of the time my thought is "this is nothing compared to labor..." so tonight as my toe aches from what I think is a small fracture (clumsy Caela at it again...) I'm thankful that I had hard labor and now know yes mommy, I can do hard things and I will get through it (you were right!).
22 - Rubber Babies - Goy took a bad fall off the side of the couch today and was barely even fazed by it, after that he had two more falls (I think he's going through yet another growth-spurt) - so we cuddled a lot today
21 - A fire in the stove all day long. The house never really did warm up after being gone all day yesterday, so today, Frankie stoked it up well and got us all cozy warm. I just love my wood-burning stove
20 - Parties - I just love when there is a birthday or special event. Seeing the cousin's play together is so much fun!
19 - Girlfriends - having someone close to us that can come over for impromptu pedicures and a good visit.
18 - Miss Kaylee - Today Kaylee turned 1, I can't believe how this year has flown. I'm so thankful that she remembers me and feels comfortable with me. Being an Auntie is the best.
17 - Going with the flow - Today I drug my kids all around town and they just went with it, a few cries and breakdowns, sure, but for their age and how little fun they got to have - they're rock stars!
16 - Schedules... I love having my kids on a schedule that I can count on, it makes life so much easier.
15 - Customer Service (it's not dead after all) - I know this one's silly, but after spending over 30 minutes on hold with the 800 number for our rental insurance company, I decided to shortcut them and get some good old fashioned local customer service, and whew my problem was resolved after a few short, pleasant minutes!
14 - Old Friends - The kids and I go for walks every morning we can get it together :) and our walk takes us right by the house of a friend from high school and his wife, they are expecting a baby and it's so great to be close to old friends who are in the same stage of life.
13 - Sunny Saturdays, yard work, morning walks when the neighbors are all out doing yard work. It's so peaceful and reassuring to know we're in a good neighborhood
12 - Hugs from loved ones - especially one you haven't seen in years - it's like a warm cup of hot chocolate to know you're loved so much
11 - Granddad & Grandma Jo for being our shining light
10 - G.G. Pa & G.G. Ma for too many reasons to list
9 - Coming home - quite literally, and finally appreciating all that a small town offers and all that it doesn't!
8 - My "in-laws" who welcomed me in long before my last name matched theirs
7 - My brother & his family who remind me to enjoy the busy times
6 - My mommy who's become my best friend
5 - My Pop-a-dop who's taught me so much (including how to laugh)
4 - My beautiful daughter who brings a sweet smile to my face
3 - My handsome son who always makes me giggle
2 - My wonderful husband who never gives up
1 - Heavenly Father & Christ and Their love for me

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