Christmas Prep

Wow! What a week!

On Monday I had a meeting in the morning, and Levi played with other kids of parents I was meeting with. Its odd, sometimes he is so social, and sometimes he just wants to play alone. A stage I am told. I noticed he was starting to get really sick, so we took it easy that day. In the evening we went to Christmas Storybook Land in Albany. It is just what it sounds like. Think of every story you were told as a kid, all Disney stories, all Mother Goose and Grimm Brothers stories, and all nursery rhymes. They had a display for probably every one. The walkway was lined in Christmas trees and lights. Towards the end they had three model train sets. This is where Levi fell in love! He couldn't get enough of the trains, even when we had to leave. I decided I would take him back later on in the week.

Tuesday we found out Justin's grades. He thought he got a 'C', two 'B's and an 'A'. However, he got three 'A's and a 'B'! I am so proud of him! I knew he could do it! It is so nice when all your hard work pays off. He is still dreading this next term, but I know he'll do great!

We found out on Wednesday that our scary crazy neighbor finally moved out... completely! He hadn't given us any problems since that one weekend, and the ducks are even starting to come back! We are glad to be rid of him, but I do feel bad for his whole situation and living in denial when he really needs help!

Friday morning Justin and I got our new camera in the mail. We had some store credit at Best Buy, so we have been searching for a few months and finally found a great deal. It is an 8 MP, with 5x optical zoom, 3x digital zoom. We got it for only $127!! Plus it came with free shipping, and a free 2 GB memory card!! We are so excited. I have been spending a lot of time checking it out and looking at all the features. That evening Levi and I got all dressed up and went to our ward Christmas Party. He looked great, and was probably the best dressed little man there!

Saturday was another busy day, as most Saturdays are! In the morning I ran all over town doing stuff for church, and running errands. In the afternoon, once Levi was awake, we headed to Albany. We bought two loaves of bread and went to a popular lake there to feed the birds. There were seagulls, geese, ducks, and regular birds. Levi was in heaven! He loved it. He even heard trains go by and was yelling 'Choo! Choo!' frequently. We then took him back to the Storybook Land and let him watch the trains longer this time. On the way out we stopped and let him sit on Santa's lap. He didn't scream, but he did reach for his dad, as you'll see in the picture. After that we dropped Levi off with Justin's parents and went on a mini-date. We don't get to go out much, our dates usually are when Levi is asleep and after Justin gets home from work. So it was nice. We tried a new restaurant in North Albany. It is called the Smokehouse Cafe. It had southern style food, and bistro style food. We both enjoyed our ribs, and really liked the fact that they had a 'BBQ Sauce Bar' so we could add as little or as much sauce as we wanted. Not only that, their prices were all around $5! They also had smaller portions for people like me. It was good food, good price, and great company. That evening we attending my sister and brother's ward Christmas party. My sister was in charge of it, so we got invited. She did 'A Night In Bethlehem' and it was a hit! I was very impressed, and loved the feeling there. The ward members dressed up for the time period too. They had little shops and such all over the cultural hall that you bought things (food, goodies, etc.) with some pebbles everyone was given. It was well thought out and well put together. My hat goes off to you Alicen!

Sunday night Justin performed with our ward choir (that my dad conducts) in front of the Stake. I think he really enjoyed himself and had a great time. He really enjoyed at the end when they all sang the 'Hallelujah Chorus' from Handel's Messiah. They sounded wonderful too!

Well that's our week, and after all I've done today I know this week will be busy too!