"It's almost Christmas Eve!!!"

I don't know where Holden figured out this phrase, but he keeps saying it with delight: "It's almost Christmas Eve." In other Holiday Cheer news, when asked why we celebrate Christmas his response is: "Is Jesus' birthday."

As of this minute, he is walking around around the house saying: "Merry Chrismas Daddy." I love that little guy.

Zoë is rockin' the casbah as a baby.

She is serious so easy (comparatively speaking.) Granted, outside of my parents I haven't made the trek with boy kiddos without help, but the nights and days at home are immeasurably easier with her than they were with Little Bits. I think it's because she's such a good nurser AND I am not pumping every two hours to bottle feed... plus she sleeps consistently at night with a good 4 hour stretch (last couple of nights it was 5 1/2 and 6 hours). And yes, I know you're not 'supposed' to let a newborn sleep more than four hours, but she is over 9 lbs and had gained her birth-weight plus almost an entire pound by the 2 weeks mark... this baby is getting plenty of nourishment (and I am just supplemental pumping to make sure I remain BESSIE the MILKBEAST).

Holden as an almost 3-yr old plus Zoë as a newborn (post VBAC) is soooo much easier than being a brand new mom with Holden as a newborn post cesarean. I seriously kind of feel like a functioning member of society... as opposed to an angst ridden hermit.

Just in time for the holidays!!!!

Of course it's a GREEN Christmas...

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Many of you probably saw the link on Facebook, but my Monthly article for Make & Takes was featured on Thursday. You can check it out HERE. It showcases some green ideas you can still implement, like my favorite way to wrap presents (presents for my sis-and-bro-in-law below), and also touches on the GREAT CHRISTMAS TREE DEBATE.

Additionally, I thought I'd include a couple of pictures of Holden at the BReakfast with Santa event at Discovery Gateway. Last year Santa kind of freaked him out. This year he ran up to him, kept following him around and asked a few times if he wanted to eat with us. I keep trying to refer to him as "The Spirit of Santa" (yes I believe). But I don't want him to be devastated when he learns the guy doesn't actually come down the chimney and deliver presents. That said, I told Holden at one point that Santa doesn't actually come down our chimney, but he was emphatic that he did. I didn't force the issue or the debate. (I mean seriously, what kind of a crazy person would try to debate with a two year old?!?!? Remind me I said that, how easily I forget!)

But I was honest (though I was always raised to believe if you DON'T believe in the Spirit of Santa, he DOESN'T bring you presents--which is a good compromise I think). Truthfully I'm really glad Holden believes in the magic... it makes it easier for me. Hey, the kid is going to believe what he's going to believe - and I am thankful for it!

Merry Christmas!

OK, here's our Christmas Family Update. Many of you probably got one in the mail, but I'll put it here for the others interested and a few additions (since time moves so fast in Mangum-land!) ;)

The Bullet Points (aka our 2010 Wrap Up)

Together we

• Traveled to New York AND Hawaii with Danny’s family
• Went to California with the Suite-side and hung out with M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E
• Painted our living/dining room and have (almost) removed all the random blue painter’s tape that keeps showing up sporadically in the crevices
• Survived assembling a composter for the garden (this is a bigger deal than we are letting on)
• Spent a lot of time down south (in Saint George) and up north (“Upstate Utah” in Eden) and even took a couple of overnights in Park City

Sabrena

• Mom = 24/7, doin’ Mom things,
• Took up running, did a few races, and finished her first marathon (Saint George, Fall 2010)
• Planted a garden (with Danny & Holden;s help)…and gardened and weeded and gardened some more (the boys were not as active in this part)…and then ate the fruits of our labor.
• Baked and cooked and read — a lot
• Tried to save the planet…again
• Taught some yoga, took some yoga, tried some martial arts yoga, took up HOT yoga
• Is looking for a new theme for baby #2, but how do you top Holden’s legendary mantra “Procreate in 2008”?!?! (We are not announcing ANYTHING)...Three months until Danny's new *insurance kicks in, so we are in 'practice' verses 'trying' mode.

Danny

• Is in his second year working at Zions Bank and keeps getting promotions despite the recession SCRATCH THAT!
• Just got a new job working at Mountain West Small Business Finance (my Dad's place of work) as a Credit Analyst. Among many things we will be enjoying with the new job at MWSBF, one key piece is much better Health Insurance (thus the 3 month interregnum to make sure there's not slimy insurance talk for 'pre-existing condition)
• Spends “free time” (ha!) working with the Scouts and as the Discovery Gateway -- Salt Lake’s Children’s Museum -- Chairman of the Development Committee (Holden loves the fringe benefits that come with Daddy’s community service!)
• Is still celebrating Brandon Burton’s block at the Utah football game (especially since there wasn't much to cheer for at the Bowl game)
• Loves to ride his bike and wishes his wife would provide as many opportunities for him to ride as he has provided for her running
• Perfected his patience through supporting Sabrena in her new hobbies (e.g. organic gardening, bouts of vegetarianism, buying local, finding a free-range turkey from a local farm for Thanksgiving, et cetera, et cetera)
• Is Holden’s best bud and has already taught his son how to ‘wind up’ before pitching (in our living room, of course)
• Played a little softball, but not enough.
• Watched a bit of Sports Center, but not enough (this point is heavily contested in the home, as to how much television is a bit/a lot).
• Can categorically deny that mushrooms do not make vegetarian pasta sauce “hearty,” despite some very compelling arguments from his wife

Holden

• Loves bay-ball (baseball), boot-ball (football) and bah-ball (basketball)
• Is a great helper in the kitchen and loves to bake with Mommy
• Has early signs of a green thumb (if bowling pumpkins in our living room is any indicator?)
• Prefers to pick and eat cherry tomatoes and carrots from the garden – dirt and all
• Discovered marshmallows much to his mother’s chagrin (of course I didn’t introduce him!)
• Is a bibliophile like his mother – favorites include “Andy Warhol’s: Flowers,” “Stephen Colbert’s: I Am America and So Can You” and “Sandra Boyntons: Pajama Time” (lately he's been in-love with this John Deer Flip Book he found at his cousins. I don't think it really fits in with the Michael Pollan flow I'm trying to recreate around here.)
• Unlike his mom, is a SERIOUS DOG LOVER. He’s already in cahoots with Dad for a puppy…
• Can speak in tongues, obviously. (We assume that’s what the animal noises are? Maybe it’s just his love of God’s creatures great and small, though he tried to mount an emu at the petting-zoo this fall, so the jury’s still out.)
• Is an active participant in Mommy & Me Yoga (on and off his mat at the studio) and loves Book Babies at the Library
• Turns two in February; and is constant entertainment and the main source of joy for his parents.

We’ve had a great year and are thankful for health, happiness and the tremendous opportunities we’ve been given. We hope you and yours are doing well; and wish you all the joys of the season. All our best – Danny, Sabrena & Holden

You can follow our misadventures at www.suitespots.blogspot.com

This letter printed on Eco-Friendly “forests paper”- 2 trees planted for every 1 harvested (But this is obviously a digital version...)

HAPPY CHRISTMAS!

P.S. Holden is getting a balance bike for Christmas. I seriously can't wait!

Through the Holidaze

So this is the first time in a few years that I haven't posted for the 12 days of Christmas; but my 30 Days of Thanksgiving (ok, 25-plus?) darn-near plumb-posted me out. :) Please say that last sentence with a southern belle accent... or a british accent for kicks.

But there are a few things worth noting (at least that I can remember) that I want to jot down (forgive me if I've already posted these.)

Tis the season:

• Holden got croup this month. It was really scary for us having never experienced it first hand as parents. Fortunately it was not so bad he had to go to the ER, but we did end up going to the doctors after the worst of it had passed and he got that steroid shot, which made his attention span even smaller than normal. (Ever heard the expression, "You're like a two year old on steroids? Well, maybe we invented it, but with good reason.)
• Holden still isn't speaking 'properly' (?), but he does think every word has a sound. Not just animals. For example, when I ask him to say "Santa" occasionally, he'll say "anta"... but mostly says "Ho Ho Ho" with inflection on the second Ho. It's really quite adorable.

Our Awesome Little Family posing with "hoHOho" at the Discovery Gateway "Breakfast with Santa" on Saturday. He ate breakfast with us and then we had a whole hour with the children's museum to ourselves... oh, and Santa played too!

• Holden also likes to run around the house with a clothes basket on his head...usually when he's just in a diaper or training pants. I think he got this one from Danny (not so much the training pants or diaper part. Just thought I'd clarify... stranger things have happened at this house)
• WE ARE STILL EC-ing. (It's been almost a year and a half!!!) Good thing there are so many environmental benefits, because it's getting long...yes, I know he's not even two yet. People ask me all the time if Holden's potty trained. My response? "Potty-trained, yes. Diaper-free, no," And believe me, there is a difference.
• This year I feel the most 'ready' for Christmas in the gifts, and cards, and all that jazz arena...but I've felt like I'm lacking in the spiritual side this year. Usually it so much easier for me to feel more spiritually at Christmas time. I haven't had as many experiences this year, but I know I can always 'get that feeling' when I'm holding or snuggling with Holden and I think about Mary caring for her new little babe...and the conditions in which she brought for that child. Then yes, I definitely feel something.

Holiday Pictures - FINALLY POSTED!

Well, I finally got our Christmas and New Years pictures posted to FB. But, of course, in true Suite-Mangum style, I will give you a little snapshot of what the album entails.

The highlights:

Our little Reign-Dear on Christmas Eve... It was indeed a Christmas Miracle he kept the antlers on long enough to catch this picture. Sure he doesn't look too thrilled, but being adorable is hard work (at least that's what I remember from the golden years.)

I think Holden looks old(er?) in this picture... maybe it's how he's wearing his shirt is (all cool-guy sleeves rolled up, etc), or something. But for some reason or another, I really like this picture. For starters - when did my hair that long?!?! (We just chopped it two years ago!) And my cheeks are all sucked in so it takes away from my Christmas (and post-preggers) belly that shakes like a bowl full of jelly (is self-deprecation still 'IN' for 2010, or is it passe?)...Either way, praise for you soft lighting, kabuki brushes and bronzing powder.

I already blogged about this once... but my wrapping creations felt like they were getting more creative, and better looking with each passing December day. I felt like Christmas Eve under our tree looked like an artistic mess.

Christmas Day at Holden's Great Grandma's (G.G. as we've deemed her, for 'Grandma Great!') He's sporting his new digs he picked out at the Children's Place outlet in Saint George and a knitted cap his Daddy wore in his youth. I mentioned on fb that I think he looks like an extra from Leatherheads --if George Clooney(sp) and Rene Zelwegger(sp) were babies. I liked that movie; Danny slept through it. That has nothing to do with Christmas.

Just settled down for a long winter's nap?
Before we even made it to GG's, we took a detour on the Holiday Express and stopped off at Danny's parents (more presents?!?!? Goodness gracious!) Holden was exhausted but managed to work in a little nap on his Aunt's Bed (thanks Anne!). It's times like these I am so thankful I have *good sleeper... it seems like all the kid needs is a car seat or a mattress (any mattress mind-you) and he can snuggle in. (A lovie and an adult to cuddle with does wonders as well.)

Christmas Morning with the Cousins.
Mama Suite and Grandpa TOM (The Old Man - my old man, that is) gave the Suite grandkids PJs Christmas Eve afternoon. We went over to my parent's after we had opened our presents at home.

New Year's Eve was spent up at the Mangum get-away in Eden.
The place has plenty of room for Holden; and Danny's parents had brought ALL THREE DOGS! Which is a total treat for Holden because he, like his father and most of the Mangum side of the family -- extended and all --are all dog lovers. Me? I love animals, and am happy to give money to the Sierra Club, etc to help protect God's Creation... but I wouldn't really say I'm a dog lover. Yeah, I wouldn't say that at all. But if you're going to have dogs around, at least these ones don't attack my child when he tries to 'pet' them and instead rips out their hair or tries to take off a dog ear (we're still in the teaching mode.) So the dogs were there, and Holden was in heaven. Danny was in heaven because of the Big Screen TV the size of Texas in the basement.
It was also Holden's maiden sledding voyage. The preparation looked like a scene from 'The Christmas Story." Thankfully the kid EC's so I could potty him before the 30 layers were on. All that for about 8 minutes in the snow.

Happy New Year All.

*Good sleeper is really a relative term, isn't it? But I really feel like what we have 'works'... so to each his own, eh? And a shout-out to 'The No-Cry Sleep Solution" for the blessing it's been for us.

My Letter to Santa - Seventh Day

I'm sending this USPS later today, what do you think? I don't want to be too demanding, but I want to make sure Mr. Kringle knows I mean business.

*****

Dear Santa,

How have you been? As you know, I have been a very good girl this year (despite YOUR COMPLETE FAILURE at fulfilling my ONE and ONLY Christmas to be famous wish from last year.) But as you know I am a very forgiving individual and so instead of my request to be famous turning into the proverbial 'wish for a pony'... I've changed my tune.

This year - make me skinny.

There are many reasons to fulfill my grown up Christmas wish, but here are three key areas that make this a selfless request:

THE ENVIRONMENT
Skinny people are smaller and therefore use less resources. It won't take as much material to clothe me. Plus, I won't eat as much (because from what I can see, skinny people usually don't eat much).

MY SON
No one wants a chubby mommy. I mean sure, I'm great to snuggle up with. But I'm pretty sure Holden wants a mom who is cute and cool and youthful. And no one can be cool that is destined to live life in sweat suits because nothing else fits.

MY MARRIAGE
Really I'm doing it for my husband and in the name of building a better family. If I'm skinny, I'm more likely to 'be in the mood.' And for some reason, that makes my husband really happy.

So are you going to deliver, or what?!?!

Please hurry and make it so, or all these chocolate chip cookies I made for you will be gone before you get here.

Yours truly,
Sabrena

*****

PS. When I started this letter I was typing too fast for my fingers and accidentally wrote 'Dear Satan." Am I supposed to read anything into that?!?!

This is not a craft blog, but...

I decided that in the spirit of trying to have a more GREEN Christmas, I would re-purpose old magazines (most of which Holden has already ravage through) to wrap gifts.

Holden digs Elmo... or basically anything red. He doesn't watch Sesame Street, but he picked out that Elmo toilet seat AND the Earth's Best crackers with the red Muppet on the box.

So I figured he'd dig this:


Here's a sample of the library books we wrapped. We started a new Mangum Christmas tradition this year: 25 Christmas books in 25 days -- unwrap one each night (or two in one day if we miss a night for some reason or another.) I guess it's our advent calendar of sorts; but the 'gift a night' bit has been kind of like Hanukkah for Mormons. And since we don't have 25 Christmas books, we just borrowed a few from the grandparents and checked some out from the (government run, socialist neighborhood) Library. It's been fun. I even picked up 'The White Nights of Ramadan" to make sure we are appreciating other cultures. Now I just need to add one about Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice, and of course: Hanukkah.

Tis the Season.

12 Days of Christmas - Day Deux

For your Holiday enjoyment (drum roll please.....) More Christmas Sweater Pics!!!!

Would you ever guess that this:

Came after this?

Or this?
Or this?!?!

Poor Danny... Holden decided he wanted to be down crawling (or somewhere else) every other time we tried to get pictures of the two of them together.

Favorite Holden moment of today:
Watching him rock-out to Sissel and the MoTab's Christmas Album.

Favorite Danny moment of the day:
Coming home from a church Messiah performance/fireside finding my husband had already parented Holden down for the night AND was making chocolate chip cookies with our nephew.


Life is Beautiful. . .

And to all a good night.

12 Days of Christmas (Christmas Card Letter #1)

On the first day of Christmas...
And so it begins again (remember last year's 12 Days of Christmas.)

Well, I started working on our Christmas cards today -- Danny helped. He's such a saint. And since I am behind deadline on writing the "suite family Christmas letter" (been my job since I was 12), I opted to leave out an official update on our mangum-family cards and give the blog address instead. Which means THIS is where I am going to post OUR MANGUM FAMILY CHRISTMAS LETTER!!!!

But I haven't actually decided what type of letter to write. I tend to be quite loquacious, as you all know, but I love it when I get ones (cards that is) from friends that highlight their families with three to five bullet points for each family member...

So I figured that would be a good start, eh?

So here we go:

danny

• working at zions bank as a SENIOR credit analyst
  
• fun & super helpful daddy
• looks great in argyle (sweater & socks)
  
• studying for the GMAT
• took his awesome wife to Boston for her birthday because that's the kind of guy he is

holden

• 10 months old - though and old soul (it's in his eyes)
  
• Six teeth, more on the way - but still hardly ever cries
• Loves his big boy bed (twin mattress on the floor) and will crawl into it for nap and bed time!
• Rocking the Baby Bjorn potty (we hardly ever clean poopy diapers - huzzah!)
  
• Saying goodbye to the bottle - only uses it with water at nighttime
  

sabrena

• trying to be all domestic and stuff
• trying to be a good mommy
• trying to be a good wife
• trying, trying, trying...
• And HALLELUJAH -- Ditching 'the pump' in less than two months!!!!!
• 

(Christmas Card?) Sneak Peak

We're down in 'sunny' St. George for a mini vacay. And since the weather is typically much more pleasant in SG than SLC, we decided to get some family pics taken by Allison Davis. (Maybe we'll even get a Christmas Card out this year!) It rained yesterday and snowed last night in 'sunny' Saint George... but fortunately for us, Alison found some great spots and the lighting was all right...

She posted a few of the pics here; and once I get the CD from her, I'll post a few more and load them on facebook.

We ALL need tans (except "Little Bits" as he is, of course, perfection). And yes, I recognize my thighs are bigger than my husbands... thanks for pointing it out.

Tuesdays with Sabrena -- Part II; Because I couldn't think of a catchier title

Picture of the Day. . . me and my Tatum at the reflection pond at El Tempo. Just as a side note, when I asked her and her little brother Max what they liked better. . . the temple or Costco? Good News, they both responded the temple. :)

Random Thoughts I probably shouldn't share with the masses:

* My feet have smelled a lot like apple cidear vinegar lately

* I really enjoy my job (that's a weird thing to say, right?) Seriously, I kicked-ace and took names at my meeting today. . . I shouldn't brag, but it felt great to be so prepared!

* Sometimes I wonder if I'm a figment of someone else's imagination

* I've already started listening to Christmas Music in my car (and I sang Christmas Carols to Danny Sunday night in bed)

* There's this girl in my Monday yoga class that I "compete" with in my head. Like who has the lowest Warrior I or who does the most chatarunga (I know I spelled that wrong). Anyway, that COMPLETELY defeats the purpose of yoga . . . I need to "stay on my mat"

*I taped the number "135" on my scale in the bathroom, because I was tired of seeing 150+ pounds on the scale (this has actually done wonders for my self esteem too!)

Have an uber fabulous Tuesday.
For Halloween I think I'll dress up as someone who's mentally sound... costume ideas?

P.S. And a special hello to my friends in cyber-space from Parsons...I'm sending you fabulous little law ladies an extra dose of Suite-Chi. ;) Danny says you're out there, but there's no way to really know . . .