I BELIEVE

Wow wow wowwow WOW. I'm a little bit on a high right now! Like serious euphoria, where my head feels all light and my eyes won't quite focus, I think my body doesn't know how to handle this much excitement--its been too long!

So we just found out we've been approved to move into a townhome! I hate to jump the gun and somehow it doesn't work out and you'll find out lately that I've killed myself, but they're drawing up the lease right now and hopefully we'll get moved in the next day or two.

ITS A CHRISTMAS MIRACLE!!!!

I am so gosh darn happy right now I think I just may pass out.

Sorry and a Christmas Letter

Wow guys, I just noticed I lost a follower! Terrible thing to do at Christmas, where's your sense of giving?! Whatever.

So I've been a terrible blogger/reader/commenter AGAIN, and I have to apologize AGAIN because my life is just seriously in upheaval. Its a little bit rough, if I do admit. But I miss you guys and I think of blog posts all the time and then forget them. (I haven't been sleeping well, and I'm pregnant, my mind is mush.) So I'm going to add the Christmas letter I sent out for you all to read, yes it has my kids' and my husband's names and probably more info. than I should share but I'm going to do it! And just so you know, Queen inspired me to write my letter this year because I wasn't going to do it until I read her post about Christmas letters. :)




Christmas Letter 2009

Its that time of the year again, which means I need to write a Christmas letter. Now over the years I’ve written many a Christmas letter (and by many, I mean approximately seven), some were just fine, some not so good (like the one I did as a poem, except it didn’t rhyme so good-like), and my personal favorite was last year’s “scriptural” letter; but this year I’m going in a different direction. I read the other day that people don’t like Christmas letter’s, I can’t imagine why they wouldn’t so I read on, and the reason was because they felt like it wasn’t “real”, that people built up their lives into sounding much better than they actually were! “Well”, I thought, “I don’t make things up, I just look at the positive…right?” So in an effort to ‘keep it real’ I’m going to be completely honest in this letter. I’ve really held back in years’ past, just so you know.

Starting with David…well lets see…we found out recently that Dave’s a genius (although colorblind) and got excepted into a highly acclaimed school (I’m not telling you which but it might rhyme with Hamford…). We are a little disappointed its not a better school, to be honest. And since he’s so smart, he’ll graduate in only five months! He’ll be going the end of January and coming home the end of June of next year. Hopefully he’ll come home even more toned than he already is (seems impossible really now that I say it), and full of persistence, dedication and army green clothes.

Then there’s Bethany, she finished up kindergarten and started 1st grade, kind of the way things go, unless you’re a genius of course. She also learned how to ride a bike without training wheels this past summer and can do flips off the roof and other phenomenal tricks you couldn’t possibly imagine. She loves to make art masterpieces and is really starting to read some big books, I caught her with the encyclopedia the other day almost finished.

Madelyn just recently turned four and is as girly as can be, she loves dresses and dolls and princess stuff and algebra and designing clothes. She’s still a tiny little thing, weighing only a few pounds more than her brother and wearing clothes almost two years smaller than her age, but we like her that way. Fun size.

Samuel is one and a half right now, he’ll turn two in May (I had to put May because last Christmas letter I said he was born in June! Woopsy!), he’s doing all the normal things 18 month olds’ do. Like reciting the Declaration of Independence and building toy trucks to play with, oh how he loves his trucks! We love all his funny mannerisms and the way he shrugs his shoulders when you ask him a question!

Last but never least, is me! I started out the year as Young Women’s president still, and went on many, many exciting trips without my family of course; to exotic places like Yuba and Heber and such. By the end of the summer we all took a trip up to Washington for Dave’s sister’s wedding and decided we liked it so much we’d move there! So we did that in October (moved to Washington that is), but not before finding out “SURPRISE!” we were expecting our fourth baby (yes, on accident. That’s what the ‘surprise!’ means. You know you were all wondering.). This baby flips and kicks like a champ, I’m positive it will be an athletic prodigy.

So in a nutshell, that’s us and that was our last year! I hope you found it very refreshing and not at all “braggy” or “unrealistic”! And if you read between the lines very carefully, you’ll see what our year was actually like!

Now for the most truthful part of the whole letter: I’ve been feeling very “Cindy Lou Who” lately, as in “Where Are You Christmas?” and all that. I think this time of year its too easy to lose sight of whats really important, and why we actually are celebrating. Is it really about the presents and the decorations and the food and good smells? While I love those things and look forward to them all year, I would trade it all to make Christ the center of Christmas. I hope I can remember Him as we go about this busy time, take a minute and make some changes. Atleast that’s what I’m trying to do, and that’s the honest to goodness truth!
Have a VERY merry Christmas,
Love, The Lassens’
David, Melinda, Bethany, Maddie, Sam & “Surprise”

I like Camping, but really this is Just Silly

I'm a pretty normal girl. Well, in the sense of shopping. I really like shopping. And I really like finding a good deal. Normally, when I go shopping I can find TONS of things I would love to have and wish I could buy. Thats normally. But things are not normal because my body is not normal. Its bulbous, and round and lopsided. I hate it. Don't get me wrong, I think pregnant bodies are adorable and lovely and super cute.

Just not mine.

Nothing looks right, nothing feels right, everythings uncomfortable and tent-like. Poo. I went shopping yesterday and came home tired, out of breath and super frustrated. Do you guys like maternity clothes? I don't. I think they're expensive and unflattering and ugly. I hate the shirts with the ties in the back, its like a sure fire way of saying "hi, I'm fat." And the pants, good ned, the pants. Do they think our butt ends halfway up our back? And do they think my thighs are two times fatter than my butt? And you'd think there'd be some better way to make them, since you have to constantly hike them up, over and over and over. Bah.

I know I'm whining.

I'm just not a sweatpants and t-shirt kind of gal. It depresses me to look frumpy and not put together and I've got enough bringing me down right now. So what do you guys do when you're pregnant? Do you just deal with it until you can wear regular clothes again, or do you know a secret to dressing for pregnancy? This is my fourth time around, you'd think I'd know by now but no. HELP ME! Pretty please? *batting eyelashes*

You Guys Are Cool

So I probably shouldn't tell you guys this because it will just solidify how absolutely narcissistic I am, but thats not the point I'm trying to make...last night I couldn't sleep and I was bored and so I started reading all your blogs (sorry if I didn't comment, I was reading from my phone, no commenting from there. poo.), when I finished reading your posts, I started reading some of my old posts. And then read some more of my posts, and some more and an hour later I was finally tired. The things is, yes I enjoyed what I wrote and thought some of it was funny and entertaining and sometimes not, but the reason I kept reading was because of all your comments. You guys kill me, you are so funny! Plus, I really miss my friends like crazy and I've been feeling super lonely, so it was like having a conversation with my friends, and I really needed that!

So thank you guys, for being awesome, being supportive, being funny and just what I need! You rock!

Why Blogging has Ruined my Social Life

So, first off, I love blogging. LOVE IT. Can't wait to move and be in my own place and blog as much as I flippin' want. BUT, I noticed the other day that there is a drawback to blogging.

And that drawback is this:

Because I blog about pretty much whatever I want to (I do edit a little...sometimes...I think) and people get it and laugh at it or whatever, sometimes I talk like that in REAL life and I've noticed thats just not socially acceptable. You know, to just say whatever you're thinking outloud right at that moment, people don't always like it. And the other problem is, because I have bloggy friends on here that really get my sense of humor, I forget that not everyone else does! So I'll say something I think is totally hysterical and people look at me, like WHA???

Oh well, its the price I pay. (I like you guys better anyway...) :)

Why Men Are Dumb

So I was thinking the other day in the shower (its where I do all my best thinking--no, seriously) how unfair the difference between men and women are. As a teenager, and really now too lets be honest, I was a total romantic. I would daydream about the boy I had a crush on all the time, I would spend tons of time imagining what it would be like when we got married or picture him thinking about me just as much as I was thinking about him...sickening I know. Now, the sad realization hits me:

Men don't think about us, nearly as much as we think about them.

Those jerks.

And I don't mean that they don't think about us at all, because they do, they think about what we're going to make them for dinner, or about what we asked them to do that day, you know, stupid kind of stuff.

They don't sit around on their breaks at work thinking how soft our skin is, or how pretty the gold specks in our eyes are, or how they would just die if they couldn't be with us...sigh

And that is why I love Twilight, because Edward is a girl and says all the right things a girl wants to hear. I need a little more girl in my husband and a little less sports addict. :)

SOOooooooo...

Okay, okay okayokokokokay OKAY, I am FINALLY getting around to blogging! Its been forever, have you all forgotten about me? I wouldn't blame you, I've been a horrible blog friend as of late. :(

Its hard to blog now, besides the fact that I'm using an incredibly ridiculously slow computer that freezes up all the time, and that things are different and crazy, I also have my mother in law here ALL THE TIME. So I feel like I'm being watched! Or I just feel stupid being on the computer, its dumb and weird and well, thats just how I feel. Also, its hard to blog because by the time I get done catching up reading all your blogs, I've been on the computer for an hour and am freaking exhausted. Stop doing that! Sheesh.

So anyway, I guess I should let you all know how things are going...right? Do you want to know? I'm feeling very insecure about this! Things are not really at all how I expected them to be, not that thats bad (its HORRIBLE! j/k!), its just different and I'm trying to adjust. But the friends and family and old friends thing just isn't the way I had pictured it. So I feel a little lonely, and a little bit of a pity party for my myself since everyone gets to go on with their lives while I've put mine through total upheaval. Poo.

Enough of all that, whats been going on...well, my husband got a seasonal job, at See's Candies no less, it will be a magical Christmas filled with yummy sweets...And he took his first test with the Army Guard, he did great and got a high enough score to do what he wants with them (which is military intelligence). He takes his language test on Monday and we're really hoping and praying he does REALLY good on that one, its important. He'll probably swear in on Monday or Tuesday and then we can FINALLY find out when he'll leave for basic training.

I mostly just fantasize. Yes, I can admit that I have a fantasizing problem--it's really not that big of a deal guys! Mostly I fantasize about apartments or houses, basically moving out of my in-laws (I don't want to sound like its horrible here, I just want to live in my own place yo). So I frequent a lot of realty websites, just fantasizing when/if we can ever own our own house...hmmmmm...

Okay you're losing me, I better get going before I slip back into fantasy land! Miss you guys, I'll try and be better--promise!

Ch-ch-cha-Changes

Well I'm finally getting a chance to sit down and let you guys know we didn't crash and die, we didn't get lost and drive 1000 miles in the wrong direction, we didn't lose all our boxes in transit--we made it! We're up here in Washington and trying to settle in, I gotta be honest its a lot harder than I thought it was going to be! I don't want to get into that right now, just hoping things will get easier soon!

Did you have an awesome Halloween? Our's was a little crazy (obviously), but I think the kids had a good time and of course they made out with a ton of candy, that I've already eaten the best of. No pictures though, I didn't have my camera out. And I didn't dress up. What a bummer of a Halloween.

p.s. I miss Chick-Fil-A.

Rambling

Its Friday guys. FRIDAY. That means I have until Tuesday to get everything I need done before my mother-in-law gets here. Oh Lordy, help me! I think I just may be able to get it decent before that time, but man in the mean time I'm freaking out! Besides the fact that I need more boxes. If you see a lady rummaging around behind the gas station, its just me looking for boxes. Its okay.

I finally got up the nerve to ask for help though, you know to someone besides my husband who doesn't really help anyway. I don't know why its so hard, but I just feel so weak to have to ask someone to help me. Stupid I know, but thats how I feel. So my kids are going to play at a friends for a little bit while I pack up my kitchen. I'm just hoping the little break away from each other will be good for us. Because at this point everyone in my house hates each other. My kids are bored, there's nothing to do, mom's busy packing, so they get into trouble and are naughty. Lots of yelling going on here. Its fantastic.

I signed up to bring chili to our ward cook-off thing next tuesday. Why did I do that? All my cooking stuff will be packed away by then, I'll be leaving a day or so after that, why do I feel the need to over-extend myself? Its so stupid.

Okay, I'm done talking. Great on you for reading all this, since I know its super up-beat and happy. Can you tell I've hit my limit? I'm tired and I'm sick and I'm overwhelmed and I HATE PACKING. Okay, gotta get back to work, enough whining.

p.s. Do you guys watch America's Next Top Model? Because I am LOVING this season with the "petite" girls (i.e. SHORT). I totally missed my chance, I'll never be a top model now! waaah! Anyway, ANTM and Bejeweled Blitz are my only escape from reality. Bless them.

Deep Thoughts...

So sorry I haven't been around, I feel like I'm running around with my head chopped off, but things are starting to come together. Doesn't moving suck?! I really hope the next time we move someone else will do all the work. Here's hoping.

So even though I really shouldn't be wasting time, I did wanted to blog for a minute about friends and how that all works when you're moving. This was just something I noticed the last week or so, you let me know if this has been your experience too. So I think there are two kinds of friends when you're moving away, the friend that takes every chance they can to spend time with you before you have to go and the friend that totally drops you because you're gonna be gone soon anyway. Its interesting, and I totally understand both sides of it. The friend that just lets go as soon as they know you're leaving, I think, does it out of a sort of self-protection. It hurts to have the friend leave so instead of spending time together thinking about how much you're going to miss them, you just separate yourself from them so its easier. Do you think thats right? Or are they just not a real friend and don't really care you're leaving?

Its been really funny for me to see though, its probably easier for me because I get to go back home where I have plenty of family and friends I look forward to seeing; so it doesn't hurt that much. But still some people surprise me with their reaction. You know whats sad though? Really thinking about it, I would probably be more of a "separator" friend. Good thing to think about.

So what do you think? What kind of friend would you be, and have you had this experience?