Monday, January 1, 2018

Happy New Year!

The older you get, the faster time goes.  Hard to believe another year is gone.  As usual, we celebrated New Years just the 3 of us.  We played some Uno and then watched the ball drop in NYC on tv at 10:00 our time.

My New Years Resolutions are pretty much the same this year because, unfortunately, I don't seem to accomplish them the previous year!
1) Lose weight.  I need to lose 30-40 lbs.  Cook more at home.  Try new recipes.  Walk 5k-10k steps/day.  Do the elliptical every day.  Walk Tulla when it is nice out.  Drink less Starbucks.  Drink more water.  Eat only one piece of chocolate/day.
2) Start scrapbooking.  Scan/take photos of momentos.  Scan great-grandparents' birth certificates.  Start with Nathan's baby book.
3)  Work on clutter.  Go through papers in office.  Get bookshelves for scrapbook room and organize that room, including going through the travel papers.  Get quilt made from Nathan's baby clothes.  Get custom bookcase in Nathan's room.
4) Clean e-mail
5) Spend more time with Nathan
6) Go to Chicago for GG's 100th birthday
7) Find a new doctor.  Get a skin cancer test.  Go to a vein specialist for my leg.  Get shoulder checked out.  Improve cholesterol and triglycerides.
8)  Go through pictures.  Sell pictures.  Get pictures on walls.
9) Get new furniture.  Patio set, kitchen set, entertainment center and coffee table.  Refurbish hope chest from great-grandparents.  Epoxy garage floor.
10) teach Nathan to swim, ride bike and tie shoes.
11) Give personalized Christmas gifts next year.  Photo books?  Get an outdoor nativity.
12) volunteer
13) Spend less time on computer.  This is a tricky one, though, if I am going to be working on pictures and e-mail.
14) Read the Bible & pray every day
15)  Relax more!
16) Do not complain on Facebook
17) Go to bed by 10
There are a lot more, but I know that most of these I have mentioned already probably will not get done.  They say if you write them down you have a better chance, though.

So grandma and grandpa came 12/5-12/12.  We went to Dave & Busters on Saturday, 12/9 for Nathan's birthday party.  We got pictures taken at J C Penney on 12/10.  The ones of Nathan came out great.  He wore a new cowboy hat that grandpa bought him while they were in town.

Nathan read the Night Before My Birthday Book on 12/14.  At the end it asks what dreams came true this year.  He said getting a cowboy hat (fresh in his mind).  He could not think of anything else.  I mentioned going to the Vermont Teddy Bear Company and he wanted me to put that down.  He did not like my suggestion of going to Vegas for the Monster Jam World Finals or any of our other trips.  I think going to Vancouver would be on his list since it was his first time going out of the country.  I also mentioned grandma and grandpa coming to celebrate an early birthday and Christmas with him.

Nathan turned 8 on 12/15!  I surprised him by having his bedroom decorated in Star Wars when he got home from school.  He knew we were redoing his room, but he did not know that it would be done that day!  Grandma, Grandpa, mom and dad all chipped in to make it happen.  That night we went to Peter Piper Pizza for dinner.

On 12/16 we went to the movies to see Ferdinand and Star Wars the Last Jedi.

Nathan's 8th Bday Questionnaire:
favorite color - green (& yellow)
favorite toy - white jet w/flames & ultimate garage
favorite show/movie - Terminator & Star Wars
favorite thing to eat for lunch - Grandma's grilled cheese
favorite thing to wear - Harley Davidson shirt w/lightning & Star Wars shirt
favorite game - soccer
favorite snack - Oreos
favorite animal - cat
favorite song - Air Drums
favorite book - Battle Bugs
best friend - Jade
favorite cereal - Lucky Charms
favorite thing to do outside/place to go - Dave & Busters & Funtastics
favorite drink - lemonade & egg nog
favorite holiday - Christmas & Veteran's Day
What do you like to take to bed with you at night - Slithers the yellow-bellied sea snake (along with a million other stuffed animals)
favorite thing to eat for breakfast - dinosaur egg oatmeal
What do you want for dinner on your birthday - Peter Piper Pizza
what do you want to be when you grow up - soccer player, football player, basketball player, race car driver, truck driver, runner, vet, President (he is going to be a busy man!)
favorite thing to do at school - play at recess, dodge ball at P.E. and art class
food you don't like - sushi
what is something you are good at - Slither I O (computer game), tag, kissing mommy, farting
favorite food - brownie & carrot cake
favorite vegetable - carrot
Ones he added this year!
favorite person in the family - mom, dad the farter, grandma June, crazy grandpa Fred, GG, crazy Bella, Scaredy Tulla, one and only Nina, Aunt Lisa
favorite dog - wiener dog
favorite reptile - snake
favorite bird - parrot & turkey vulture (turkey vulture? Out of so many pretty birds he picks a turkey vulture! He has a turkey vulture stuffed animal coming for Christmas)
favorite pizza topping - pepperoni
He could have added a bunch more to this questionnaire, but I thought we better quit while we are ahead!

On 12/21, I went to Tucson Botanical Gardens, the Reid Park Rose Garden and Pima County Cooperative Extension Gardens.  Nathan had a half day that day and started his winter break.  Nathan finished the 2nd quarter on honor roll.  93.8 in History/Geography, 86.1 in Reading, 100 in Recitation (demonstrates respect and consideration of others), M for Art, M for P.E., M for Music, 88.9 for Science, 94.0 for Math (uses class time constructively), M for Spanish and 93.4 for English.

I went to the Reid Park Rose Garden and the zoo on 12/23.

Christmas Eve we went to church.  Santa came that night and left a lot of gifts for Nathan!  Christmas Day we stayed home and Nathan played with all of his new toys (legos, cars, dvds, soccer ball, star wars slippers, Toys R Us and Dave & Busters gift cards, etc...).  One of his favorite gifts was a turkey vulture stuffed animal!  During his birthday interview he revealed that the parrot and turkey vulture are his favorite birds.  I got Paul tie racks and a mouse pad with Nathan's picture on it.  He got my car cleaned inside and out a couple of days prior and bought me new windshield wipers!  We told each other we would not get the other gifts this year since funds were running low.  Nathan made us a nice card with a $1 bill in it!  I bought honey baked ham for myself, but other than that we did not have a big meal.  Paul ended up cooking food out on the grill.

We went to the Phoenix Zoo on 12/28.  It was crowded.  I think the best attraction was watching a baby orangutan with its parent.  We returned to Phoenix the next day.  Paul and Nathan went to Legoland and Rainforest Cafe in Tempe.  I went to Butterfly Wonderland and Odysea Aquarium.  Aquariums are very challenging when it comes to photography.  Most of my pictures did not turn out, but they had a few cool exhibits like the big tank full of clownfish and another of just lionfish.  I did not think it was worth buying a membership, though.  I may go back to try and get better pictures, but overall I was a little disappointed.

New Years Eve we played Uno for awhile until we watched the ball drop in NYC on TV at 10:00 our time.  We were all in bed before midnight.

Today is a new year.  Paul took Nathan to work for awhile and then they are going to Dave & Busters to use some of his gift cards.  He got one from us for Christmas and he got some from Aunt Lisa and Aunt Tracy.




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