Andrew's Baptism

Today was Andrew's big day. A double big day at that. We crazy Mormons baptize our kids when they are eight. This year Andrew's birthday landed on the first Saturday of the month which is when they prefer to do baptisms so he got to be baptized on his birthday. We showed up with very little time to spare so we barely had time to get just one before picture and it was right next to the bathroom at that. Oh well...I think the world would stop spinning if either the Yules or the Diesens were ever early for anything. It was a great evening with lots of friends and family. Thanks everyone for traveling in to see him, or helping with planning and all that good stuff. Grandma and Grandpa Yule helped out with talks and prayers, Grandma Sue put a little book together for Andy - a collection of testimonies from his family members and friends, and Maddy, Kelsey and Bailey sang. Andrew was very excited for his big day and loved seeing everybody.

8 Years Old!

Andrew turned eight on January 3rd. Holy cow, I never thought I would be the mother of an eight year old. He is growing up WaY too fast.

He had a really simple party this year. I have no complaints! Last year 13 kids showed up and it was a zoo. This year Andrew just wanted a couple of friends and I didn't try to convince him otherwise. I helped the boys make their own homemade pizzas, then we had cake and ice cream, opened presents, played and that was it. Nice and simple just a way a birthday party should be if you ask me.

One of Andrews' friends wasn't sure if he wanted to try to make pizza. He told me it was too hard. So I asked, "If I make it for you will you eat it?"

He replied, "Oh yeah, I'll eat anything except for poop."

Yeah, because that just might be on the menu.

Boys...good grief.

Ten Years

January 2,1999

Ten years of marriage in the bag. Check.

I remember my now-brother-in-law, who at the time was still married to his first wife (confused?), told me and Tim shortly after we were married, that if we could make it through the first year we would be okay. A year went by and we were like, "what the heck was he talking about?"

We are kind of an odd couple and yet we are perfect for each other. I say odd because, well...if I so much as put flip flops on, I am taller than him. And I don't think I have ever weighed less than him...uuummmmmm...moving on. He is very social, I like to sit back and people watch and not say a thing. He's musical, I'm not. I was a dancer, he is probably the suckiest dancer you will ever see (he gets his moves from the Caddyshack gopher). I could keep going...but these are all the little petty things that actually make a marriage kind of funny if you ask me.

It's crazy how much you think you know a person when you first get married. Looking back ten years ago, Tim and I didn't know squat about each other. Even so, it's been a pretty smooth ride. I can honestly say in ten years we have never had an honest to goodness FIGHT. Ever. We are very lucky.

Some of the things that make our marriage work:

We make each other laugh every day.

We don't "sweat the small stuff".

Tim never leaves for work without kissing me goodbye, even if I am still asleep.

We are honest with each other.

We allow each other independence.

We both thoroughly enjoy toilet humor, we disgusting children of the 80's. (I have to make this count for something).

We respect each other.

We have stupid nicknames for each other: Peaches, Swan, Poo Poo Face, Sir Poops A Lot, Stinky...you get the picture.

We prefer being addressed by our stupid nicknames rather than our real names.

We flirt.

We trust one another completely.

It's been a pretty easy breezy ten years and I have no reason to think the next ten will be any different. I have no complaints. I snagged me a good one. He is a good guy, this Tim of mine.

Christmas

Christmas came and went. We were lucky enough to have my mommy here visiting for the festivities. (Yeah I'm in my thirties and still call my parents mommy and daddy.) She's been wintering down in Arizona and wanted to come up for Andrew's baptism on Jan. 3rd. Her plane came in on the 24th and we had a nice Christmas Eve dinner at our house, just the 4 of us. She stayed until later the next day and then she headed up to Plains to visit the zoo and we headed out to Tim's parents' for Christmas dinner and a little sledding (I forgot to take my camera out there). All in all it was a pretty relaxing couple of days and nothing overly exciting or funny to report...except that Tim got a onesie.

This little piggy went to market


Making cookies for Santa

Andrew made this at school for us...a snowman with Andy's face on it.

This was Andrew's favorite present...'Potty Putty' that makes fart noises when you squoosh it. Why would Santa leave something like that?

How many grandmas do you know that are cool enough to wear Spongebob pants?

Grandma Sue got a family book from us made here. Grandma Vicky got one too.


Andrew got more climbing holds for his rock wall. So now we can finally finish this project. (I got a ski helmet I was breaking in).


And finally...a drumroll please for the onesie...

Yes, those are penguins.

Seriously...we are very blessed and grateful for all that we have, especially in these crazy, unsettling times. But most importantly we are very grateful for our family and the relationships that we have. My mom put together a 'treasure box' for each of us. She contacted everybody in the family and had them tell something they admire about all their siblings and even their siblings spouses and kids. She wrote everything down on cards, organized them by family, and put them in boxes for each of us. She put some blank cards in as well so we can continue to add to it. It was so fun to read what everyone had written! Thanks mom for all the hard work you put into that! We love it!

Oh Charlie Brown Tree

We just got our tree up a couple of days ago. Kind of late I know. The cats have been having fun with it as usual. Once a year they get to pretend that they are wild animals. The smell of a real, live tree makes them freakin' crazy! (they are used to staying inside 24-7 because we have crazy cat killer neighbors). Last year Squirt almost tore the tree down and broke I don't know how many glass ball ornaments. And I don't know why the water in the tree stand tastes better than the water bowl I put out for them but that's where they go for their drinks now.

We would really love to go into the woods and chop our tree down but that has only happened a few times in our married life just simply due to lack of time and lack of sunlight in the afternoon. So it's off to Pink Grizzly to buy...ugg...buy our tree nowadays. We consider purchasing a tree sacreligious but what can you do in busy times like these? And if I'm going to buy a tree from anybody it's going to be from Pink Grizzly because those Clouse boys are smokin hot. Even Tim thinks so.

We are "subby" folk around here (sub-alpine), yes Charlie Brown tree people. It's a good thing because our home could not handle anything chubbier. And Tim and I both love that our ornaments can actually dangle like they are designed to do.

Luckily we found our tree within just a couple of minutes because it was about 1 degree outside - I'm not exaggerating. We got to our nice warm home, put on some Jewel Christmas music, put some water on the stove and got to work. Andrew insisted on putting the star on first, kind of taboo, I know.

Don't you love the matchy matchy fuzzy guitar pants I made last year?
All done! Time for cocoa!

Unacceptable Advertising

I wish I had been there first hand for this one...but I wasn't. I almost peed my pants when Tim relayed me the story. He and Andrew were driving home when they both spotted a particular billboard. It was an advertisement for a local gym or something. It was a giant picture of a rather flabby mans' bare chest. And he was hairy. This was Andrew's reaction...

"OOOOOOHHHHHH....AAAAGGGGHHHHH...THAT'S GROSS!!! That man's got a hairy chest!" (Tim's chest is like that of a twelve year old boy so a hairy chest is not normal in Andrew's opinion apparently.)

He continued on with his disgust, "That is NOT acceptable! Dad, look at that sign!" Then he decided to read what it said, sounding out his letters very carefully. "No more man...boobs. BOOBS???...AGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!"

My poor child is going to have nightmares tonight.

Eternal Wendy's

Yesterday after church, as we climbed in the van and got buckled up, Andrew was super excited, talking about how Jesus will come to earth again...and how we will be able to "hug a bear" because all the animals will be nice.

We added that the animals also won't have to eat each other and we won't need to eat animals either. He shrieked like a little girl..."WHAT??!!! But what about Wendy's? How will they get the cow meat?"

Kids are so weird.