MERRY FREAKIN' CHRISTMAS!

It's that time again...one of my favorite times of the year now that I don't work in retail. Some of you readers mistakenly believe that I am a Scrooge and hate Christmas...let me clear this misconception up for you once and for all. I LOVE CHRISTMAS! What I don't love is when people skip over Thanksgiving and start celebrating Christmas the day after Halloween (Bini!-just kidding!). But now that Thanksgiving is done I'm ready to get into the festive spirit! This year I'm not going to send out cards and letters of what our family is up to...I'm just going to blog it instead and that way I don't spend all my present money on stamps. BARGER FAMILY NEWS 2009 Jesse- He'll be 1 year on 12/18 and is getting so big and independent. He walks everywhere, but doesn't run yet. He loves to be chased around the house and tickled. He also has 9 teeth (6 on top, 3 on bottom) and still shoves everything into his mouth. We're ready for that phase to pass. It's so rewarding to see him learning things each day. When I ask him where Jesus is he looks right at the picture of Christ in the living room, and even growls when I ask him what a tiger says. The other night I was showing him pictures and saying the words and he was trying to repeat them. You still can't tell what he's saying, but he sure is making great efforts toward talking. He eats everything and sleeps all night and is still the happiest boy I've known. Sami- She will be 2 on 12/16 (Noel's Birthday!) and is still crazy and big. She has adjusted very well to having a baby in the house and mostly ignores Jesse. She has claimed the recliner in our living room as hers and sleeps on it every night, which is fine with me as long as she keeps out from under our bed! Casey- He turned "old" this year (30) and has decided to finish school!!!!!!! Right now he is attending the College of Technology at ISU and drives to Pocatello each day. That parts stinks, but it won't last forever. He's also working part time on campus, which means he is hardly ever home. He's having some fun at school and is becoming a ping-pong champion on his lunch breaks with some of the other guys in his classes. Casey has become a wonderful father and loves to play with Jesse until he needs his diaper changed. Most Sundays Jesse is with Casey all through Church so I can teach our Primary class. It is a huge help for me to have him around so I can actually get a few things done. Cami- I'm in my 3rd year of teaching and loving it! I can truly say it and mean it this year. Even though I hate leaving Jesse I'm fully enjoying my work. When I'm not teaching I'm home trying to catch up on household chores or playing with Jesse. I figure that my dishes won't care if I clean them quickly or not, but Jesse can feel if I am neglecting him and he is more important than my dishes. It's hard to be a working mom, but knowing that it won't last forever helps me make it through the day. I'm also trying to cook healthier meals, and sew more to help us save money. So far I've only made a pair of PJ pants for Jesse and me and a stocking for Christmas. But that's more than I've done in a long time. I'm hoping to learn more crafty things and become more creative. Here's hoping that every one of you has a merry Christmas!