Christmas tag

I've seen this tag and I thought I'll give it a try. It has been forever seen I've done that and considering that: my kids are on bed, for the first time in a long time is Saturday and no one is sick and finally It is almost midnight and I am not tired. , So here we go.

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
I love wrapping presents. I could never get enough of it, so if you need help just call me
2. A real tree or Artificial?
I don't really care but Spencer does. He loves the smell of fresh pine and I love to have my tree up and decorated early, so we compromised last year. I could get an artificial tree as long as I got Spencer a candle that smell like a pine tree.
3. When do you put up the tree?
It is really hard for me to wait but I try waiting for the day after Thanksgiving
4. When do you take the tree down?
In Ecuador we believed the Wise man didn't come until January 6Th, so I don't take my tree down until the 7Th.
5. Favorite gift received as a child?
My first bike. I believe I was five and although it was a quite cheap boy's red bike I loved it
6. Hardest person to buy for?
Spencer. He never ever tells me what he wants. It is always a guess with him and that's why he ended up with a shirt from the Big&tall department last year ( My bad)
7. Easiest person to buy for?
You could say the kids, although this year I found myself returning and exchanging a lot of toys I had already bought them.
8. Do you have a nativity scene?
Of course! It is the main thing about Christmas. My grandma used to hide the baby Jesus and she wouldn't lay him down in the nativity until after X-mas dinner on the 24Th, but Julia kept getting mad at me about baby Jesus not being where he should be last year, so I guess we'll try that tradition later.
9. Mail or email Christmas cards?
I don't have a preference, although it is cheaper and more fun to create one and just e-mail it to everybody
10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
On my last Christmas in Ecuador I just got one pair of shoes. NO more, no less. I was excited until I put them on and then . . . nothing, big let down
11. Favorite Christmas Movie?
"The King is Born" by the living scripture. We have made it our tradition to watch this movie on Christmas Eve
12. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
As soon as I see good sales coming up, which are usually after Halloween. I do it little by little depending on the sales. If you didn't know, I am a bargain shopper.
13. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Hmm! Yes, sorry.
14. A favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Eggnog, Peppermint Ice cream, Candy cane hot chocolate
15. Favorite Christmas song?
I love to hear my Spanish Villancicos. In English I love Silent Night and Away in a Manger, but I enjoy listening to any of them. They just cheer you up!
16. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
If I could go to my mom's house, I would probably travel every year, but since that would take a lot of money and time, let's just say I'd prefer to stay home.
17. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
No, I can't. I only knew about Rudolph the red nose reindeer my whole life until I came to the US
18. An angel on the tree top or a star?
I really love having a star over my tree and be able to explain all about it to my kids.
19. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
I love to see a lot of clear lights on my X-mas tree.
20. Open presents on Christmas Eve or morning?
Here is another compromise. I am used to opening my present at midnight and playing with them until two in the morning. Obviously kind of unrealistic with two little kids. Spencer is used to waking up early on X-mas to open them. The compromise is that we open one family present on Christmas eve and the rest on X-mas morning.
21. Most annoying things about this time of the year?
1)you never have enough time to get everything you need to do. 2)the tendency of people to forget that it is a time to remember the Birth of our Savior and not a shopping season. 3)grumpy people everywhere
22. Favorite Ornament theme or color?
I love gold and red. I don't own anything in particular just things that happened to be left over on the 90% off clearance shelves
23. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
The perfect Spanish dinner would have: Turkey, Home made hot chocolate, raisin bread, oven cooked potatoes and sparkling cider. The perfect English dinner would have: Ham, Funeral potatoes, apple pie and eggnog.
24. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I can honestly say that I already have everything in my life to make me happy. If anything though, a good night sleep + sleeping in one morning would be pretty much welcome.
25. Eggnog or wassail?
I love Eggnog, but I can only have so much of it. I am not even sure what the other one is, never tried it before.
26. When do you start listening to Christmas Music?
After Thanksgiving
27. What is the last thing you ate?
My neighbors brought us some caramel nut chocolate candy. so I ate that "yes, I ate chocolate"and a glass of nest quick strawberry milk
28. What is your favorite drink?
Hot Chocolate
29. Last people you spoke to on the phone?
Spencer
30. What are you listening to right now?
My husband's Nintendo Wii background music
31. What color are your socks?
White
32. Places you have lived?
Ecuador, NY, Ogden and Syracuse.
33. Favorite season of the year?
Christmas, with headaches and stress but I just can wait for it every year!
34. Most enjoyable things about the Christmas season?
Feeling the spirit of the season. The joy that you get by giving to others and spending time with those you love

crazy november

Well this a was a crazy month indeed. Spencer got Pneumonia. We all got sick with the cold. He had to take a couple of days off from work (never done it before) because of that.

I turned 26. getting so old. my cute family baked me a b-day cake. I have to say I love this kind of cake better than those pre-made ones. Thank You Spencer, Julia and Josh for a beautiful birthday, even though we celebrated it a couple of days later. last but not least without even been looking we decided to get a new car. My Mazda3 was starting to feel a little bit too crowded with two kids and their stuff. I felt like I was playing tetris every time I went grocery shopping, so a bigger car was starting to become my day dream.
Spencer surprised me and on my b-day we went to the dealership and got it. So long cute goldie car I'll miss you not, welcome to the family mini van ..I love you

halooween blast

Halloween came and went really fast. We did a lot of fun stuff before the 31st and on the 31st we had so many things going on that the whole day went flew away

We had a little neighborhood Halloween party for the kids, with a real witch , games, treats, magic potions and everything.

We waited in line (Spencer's least favorite thing to do) to go through the Syracuse pumpkin walk. Julia and Joshed loved seeing so many pumpkins lit up and carved so beautifully

On Halloween we trick or treated at grandma Smith and at great grandma James house first and then we headed for ToysRus. After that it was to the mall.
before we made it home though, we went to our church trunk or treat where we were able to visit with friends and enjoy a hot chocolate with donuts.

our pumpkin this year

was "Franky", Mickey & Cinderella

By the end of the night we came back home where Julia loved giving out candy to the trick or treaters.

I think that was her favorite part of whole day. she would looked at the kids standing at our door and give the most candy to whoever she though was dressed the funniest.

October surprise, my mom's visit

I missed posting a couple of great times we had.

My mom came and surprised us on the first of October. We had fun together, but she mainly got to meet his new grand son adn re-start her bond with Julia.
We went to the children's museum, the zoo, and we were also able to watch conference together for the first time since either of us got baptized.
I know my Father in Heaven knew about this special time and blessed those speakers with the right words because during the Saturday broadcast we were both in tears.
My kids love their "Lita" short for abuelita(grandma). We really miss her so much. every time we ask Julia where is lita she would get sad and say :"lita bye bye on plane"
Hopefully next year it will be our turn to go and visit them down in Ecuador. Until then I'll guess we'll have to be satisfied by exchanging pictures.