CHRISTMAS WANTS

When I was in about first grade or Kindergarten we had a Christmas concert and we performed the song "All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth." The kids that were actually missing their two front teeth had a special part where they got to sing the words "Then I could wish you Merry Christmas!" at the end of the song. Being the singing and performing fanatic I was at that young age (watch out Annie, here I come!) I was so jealous of the kids that were actually missing their two front teeth.

This year in 2008 Cy Gummow is one of those lucky kids who is missing his two front teeth. I took him outside for a quick chance to document the momentous occasion. What a cutie!

FAKE PLASTIC TREES

Introducing the first ever Sallay family Christmas tree! When it comes to Christmas it is always about two things for me: my Christmas cards, and my collection of Santas in a star shape. I bought this tree after Christmas last year at Big Lots for half off, and I have been worried that I would be a dud with broken lights this whole year. But no need to worry because our adorable pre-lit fake tree is a winner. While Brent was putting it together, I asked him if he was glad that he married someone who has no interest in hunting down and setting up a real tree. He of course said an enthusiastic "yes."

You see, my childhood tree hunting memories are a disaster. Every year my parents would fight over which tree to buy, and the fight continued as it was set up and decorated. When my mom finally realized my dad hates Christmas and bought a fake tree, peace was restored to the Evans home. So now I am all about the fakies, especially the ones with the lights already on them...GENIUS!

While the Gummows were here for a short visit I had the boys help me decorate the tree. They did a great job and I got some great pictures. I love these fruit ornaments. I bought them about 6 years ago to decorate Salt Lake Antiques with the intention of eventually using them to decorate my tree. The look so cute all together it kills me!

GOBBLE

Spoiler Alert for people who don't want to know how easy it is to make cranberries.

Today was Stella's first Thanksgiving. However I am not sure she noticed since she is a baby, and Thanksgiving is sort of a man's holiday anyway. Don't get me wrong, I look forward to my candied yams and impressing everyone with my cranberries every year. (Do you all realize how easy real cranberries are? Boil a cup of sugar, a cup of water, a bag of cranberries and stir...so good and almost a sin not to make them.)

This year was kind of different since it was the first Thanksgiving ever that my dad's store was open. He has sold his building and we need to get rid of a lot of stuff in a short amount of time, so we had a television ad running today. I was shocked that he was totally busy this morning (I mean who shops on Thanksgiving Day? And I consider myself a shopper.) I like working there when it is busy so I actually worked for the first time on Thanksgiving. So right now I am terribly exhausted, and wondering to myself why I am thinking I need to write this post. But I guess I figure if I don't do it now, it will never get done.

This year since the numbers were few on both the Evans and Sallay camp we had Thanksgiving together. My sweet grandmother wanted to host again, and it was a lovely time. Oh, and I can't forget to announce that we have a new nephew today born all the way in Qatar. Little Christian, welcome to the world! Note: I bought this Gap outfit last year before I knew whether or not we were having a boy or a girl. Brent gave me a hard time about it, but I told him to get over it since I was sick and pregnant. I deserved it. So Stella was able to show off her Thanksgiving attire, even though it was a tiny bit too big.

RILEY, ASHLEY, & AVA

Yesterday I headed up to the canyon with my niece and her parents to take some family pictures. Brent surprised me when he asked after seeing the pictures, "Are they like, outdoorsy?" I wondered if he knew them at all, and replied, "Remember when Riley moved to Utah to become a ski bum?" Brent only tends to remember people's traits that also apply to him, so perhaps he only thinks Ashley and Riley like movies and The Shield. (To be fair, Riley was watching football when I got to their house, and I forgot that he likes sports.)

I love Ava. There is a joke now about how she looks in pictures. We keep seeing Blue Steel, and we are waiting for Magnum...but I think it was too cold for Magnum. I thought these turned out really nice. As usual, I am sharing my favorites:

ORDER DESSERT FIRST

Last night we had my friend birthday dinner. It was a weekend night and we are a big group so I chose Hire's so we didn't have to fight the crowds. Other than our uninterested waitress that acted as if she hated us, and didn't ever bring Brent his Oreo malt that he had to walk to HER to order, it was a lovely dinner. After we ate we came to our house to watch the ever anticipated Krisi and Eddy wedding video. Which prompted me to pop in our classic homemade films such as "Ricki Lake" and "The Animal Harasser."

My only regret for the evening was not getting a root beer float since I was too full after my ham and cheese. Here is a lesson for us all, if you want dessert...skip dinner. Thank you to my long loving friends that bought me a gift to last a lifetime....a scanner! Yea! No more taking pictures of my pictures! Hooray!

ANOTHER YEAR OLDER x lO

So it is official, I turned 30 yesterday. I was surprised that turning 30 depressed me since I have been practicing for the big day by saying I am 30 the whole of 2008. But I found myself close to tears at 11:50 the night before as I realized that this was the end of my 20s. You know, I really liked my 20s, and I guess it was harder to say goodbye than I anticipated. Here are some pictures of me blowing out the candles. I posted that first picture because my face pretty much sums up how I felt about the day, and Stella looks cute. Well I guess I can't stop getting older just like I can't keep Stella from getting bigger.

I keep thinking about turning 20. That year it was my "magic" birthday because I was turning 20 on the 20th. It was my second year at Ricks College. Heidi made me meet her in the library where her and some of my since-estranged friends came screaming "Happy Birthday" with a wheelchair. Then they drove me all around campus in said wheelchair telling everyone that I was old and it was my birthday. It was quite the non-sensitive-to-the-handicapped parade. They also bought me my favorite meal from Applebee's, which we ate at like 15 times on the trip where we met. Then, my sweet roommates knowing that keeping a secret from me is desperately tricky, threw a non-surprise birthday party for me. What makes me worried I guess is that this day does not feel like a decade ago, but just yesterday.

FIVE MONTHS AGO

Today my tiny baby is already 5 months old! Being pregnant with this baby certainly did not go by this fast! Stella gets cuter by the second so it is fun to be able to be her mom and see her constantly. When friends, family, or strangers see Stella she is complimented as follows:

• Her big fat kissable cheeks (from her daddy).
• Her bright happy blue eyes (from heaven).
• Her adorable outfits (from her mom).

I tried to get some 5 month pictures in the leaves, but Stella was only interested in picking up the leaves and eating her crinkly discoveries. Man I love this kid.

IT'S A FINE LIFE

It was a whole ten years ago that I found myself in my second year at Ricks College rooming with three other girls that I either didn't know or had just met a few times. Jody, a girl I had spent a summer term with, was a delight, and I wanted to be her roommate...even if that meant living on campus. Well, she decided to get married that summer, so I showed up to school feeling like I was starting all over again. Living on campus with girls you don't know is supposed to happen your first year. However, things worked out great...meet Cindy, Stephanie, and Natalie--my wonderful and delightful roommates.

These days, Cindy lives in Burly, Idaho and comes down to Utah for doctor's appointments, and this trip she spent a night with me and then organized a little reunion with girls that aren't always in the same state.

There is nothing like living with friends. You really can't appreciate how great it is to be able to spend so much time with great girls when you are 20 years old. As for us, we were so different, but we had a lot of laughs together. Ahh, to be young again...when else would I have time to choreograph and videotape a "Newsies Review"? Please do not ask to see that footage!

Thanks for lunch girls!

Note: Since I don't have a scanner (which I want with all my heart and soul), I actually took a picture of these pictures. Genius right?!

SO SOFT

I just absolutely adore the kitties and the cats of the world. About two years ago we had to put my childhood cat Froken down, and I have been even more in love with felines ever since. You see, Brent and I are terribly allergic to cats and so we will never have one...it breaks my heart all the time. The other day we went to the library (Brent is obsessed with the library these days), and they had tiny kittens. I said pretty please to Brent and he said, "NO!"

Ashley has two cats, and one is more sociable than the other. Today Stella got to pet her first fluffy cat named Murray. I think she liked it, and Murray played along because she is used to Ava poking at her and has resigned herself to a life with babies.

I hope that I am not looking forward to a life of whining for the four legged feline friends, because we are never going to have a cat. A fact that will haunt my soul forever.

MISS AVA

Ashley wanted some 6 month pictures of Ava to send out to everyone. We got her in her cutest dress (again a gift from Heidi), and her new red shoes. It only took like 5 minutes to get these adorable pictures. Enjoy looking at my ever-so-cute niece.

WINTER CHIC

I have really enjoyed just being a mom and not having to go and sell antiques day in and day out. But now that the weather has turned I am getting a tiny bit of cabin fever just staying home. I can think of lots of indoor adventures for older kids, but the only indoor thing I can think of doing with a child Stella's size is to take her shopping with me. Well since I am not working, shopping is not the best activity for me. What is a girl to do?

So today when it was sunny and a tad bit warmer I called Ashley and demanded a play date. I thought we could get out and get some fresh air. Plus I thought I could get Stella dolled up and take some winter themed pics. You know you SO want to see them...

A special note about this pea coat: When I saw it at Baby Gap this spring I wanted it so bad, because it totally looks like a coat I would wear. However, I never pay full price for anything... especially at Gap. I had to almost run out of the store to resist the urge to just buy it and feel guilty later. When Heidi came to see Stella in the summer she surprised me with the coat. Isn't she the best friend ever?!

ALMOST EDIBLE

Our neighbor has this tree that I didn't take much notice of until all of its leaves fell off. The tree now has these adorable red berries and I keep thinking I want to go snap some shots of them. Today with the rain they looked almost delicious so I decided to go and practice some manual focusing.

You see, so far I have really only used my camera's auto focus mode, and it has suited me just fine. But I realize that if I can get proficient at manual focus I will have much more control over my photographs. You should have seen me out there taking pictures while holding an umbrella AND practicing my focusing skills. You would have been impressed. Here are a few of my favorites.