The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

So I haven't blogged for a while, therefore, you are all going to be subjected to what I like to call Blogorhhea, in other words, I have had much building up, and it's all coming out now. I just realized how disturbing that was....sorry.

First on the list was our new tradition, the annual viewing of The Christmas Carol at Hale Center Theater in West Valley. Scary place, good theater. Joe's parents used to take his sisters and him to the play every year when tickets were relatively cheap, and now Joe feels very strongly about continuing the traditon. As an avid theater-goer myself, I am on board. My first Christmas Carol was last year, and one of my dear, dear, friends, Adrien (affectionatly known as "adge-rawn". It's a college thing) was Fred's wife, and the singing homeless woman. Last year my favorite part of the Christmas Carol was seeing Adrien, and hearing her sing again. She has the beautiful voice--it's a high, gorgeous soprano, with a vibrato like chocolate. I hadn't heard Adrien sing since she graduated SUU and I came back home to finish up at UVSC. I was determined that she was going to sing at my wedding, but she was on her mission. Oh well. Back to the point. The point was that this year, Adrien wasn't in the play, and I missed her a lot. The other woman who sang "Silent Night" was an alto, and it didn't feel quite right without my wonderful Adrien. But it was still good. The Christmas Carol is always good. Joe and I have decided that we are going to keep up the tradition of taking our kids to the play, even if it means saving up for a year for the tickets, once our kids are old enough to sit that long.

The next weekend, Joe and I went to Temple Square with Joe's good friend Steve, and his wife Emily. They got married just two months after we did, so we do stuff with them once in a while.

Our customary Joe-Take-the-Picture picture

Here is the Nativity on the Reflection Pond

The temple is so beautiful!

I have other pictures, but right now my computer is being retarded and won't let me pull 'em off the camera. Dumb technology.

Our actual Christmas day was so fun. Joe got a stool for work, clothes, and lots of videos and video games. I got a print that I've been wanting for some time now, the Lehi Roller Mills picture by Eric Dowdle:
I also got the BBC Romance collection (YAY!) complete with Pride and Prejudice (ahhhh....Collin Firth), Jane Eyre (who doesn't love a romance about a teacher and a crazy lady in the attic?), The Scarlett Pimpernell (those crazy French. They're always chopping off someone's head), Tom Jones (I hear this one is dirty. I don't know if I'll be watching it...), Emma (I hear Clueless is loosely based on this one. Very loosely), and a few others I can't remember right now. I was a very happy camper, even though I have only seen Pride and Prejudice. I have new sick movies. YAY!

And a recipe book holder. Just what I wanted--no, not to cook, but to hold up my books at school. Silly, I know, but I have been dying to have something hold up my books while I am busy typing the many quotes I use when creating assignments. So, fun. We love Christmas! And, I am even more excited to report that, since this is the last Christmas without baby, that it's the last Christmas to be spoiled, spoiled, spoiled, by a husband who shows his love in many ways, but particularly in gestures.

Perhaps my favorite gift of the season would have to be baby-related. Joe and I have been saving for a couple of months to buy the glider I have wanted for the baby's room, and the day after Christmas, thanks to a few gift cards from family, we finally had enough to go order it and pay for it in full! You should have seen the lady's face at Vintage Oak when I informed her that we wouldn't be needing a payment plan...we'd been saving. And the look got even better when I handed her a envelope full of cash to pay for the chair. I must say, I am now becomming more Bingham than Jones. Paying for something with cash?! Unheard of, in the Jones clan. Those darn Binghams!

My other favorite gift was my 22 week ultrasound! On December 23rd, we were able to go get a good look at Baby, now no longer a gummy bear, and see everything safe, sound, and oh-so-cute! So what are we having? See if you can tell. If you tilt your head to the right, you can see the baby's face. His/her hand is on his/her cheek with the thumb sticking up. Can't tell what the baby is? That's okay. Neither can I. And the doctor didn't look, either.
And we're not going to find out. I know that people are really frustrated. I have had more than one person tell me that I can't have a shower because "what will I buy?" Guess what? Babies need more than clothes, even though I know that's what people like to buy. So, if you are so inclined, and this is mostly for those few family members that are having fits over what to buy, Joe and I are registered at Babies R Us and Target. (Please note: I am not asking for presents. I have just had a lot of people ask me how they are supposed to know what to buy if they don't know what I'm having. How did people eve have babies before all of this technology?) If the colors look kind of boyish, it's because I let Joe pick them out, since I seriously doubt a baby girl would be really upset if we got a blue diaper bag. It's not because I know something you don't. (Side note: I was so close to going back on my resolve--I want to know, too! But it was my idea, I talked Joe into it, and he was going to hold me to it. They asked if we were going to find out the sex while I was in the bathroom, so I really didn't have a say. Sigh)

So, what are we doing now that Christmas is over? Well, I have been working for hours on lesson plans for when the baby comes, and today I went to the high school to get late work graded and entered since the term end the week we get back to school. Joe goes to work everyday, but doesn't really do anything. Even with all this snow, people are reluctant to fix their cars. We cleaned our house, an event that doesn't happen too often, and it has (happily) stayed clean over the past few days. That's about it. Merry Christmas to everyone, and we hope that you have all had a wonderful Christmas, and that everyone will be safe on the roads tonight. But if by chance you do have fender bender, take your car to AutoMenders on 45th south. Behind Lowes. Happy New Year!