Cook Family: What an eventful month!

Well first of all I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas!!

This month has been very full! Our first Christmas party was on December 10th. This was our annual Fire/EMS party hosted by the Rowhers. I love pot luck parties!! Especially being pregnant!! They always have prime rib at this one, and that is something James loves, I am not much of a fan because I like my meat well done. Anyway, we always have a good time at this party. We eat and then do a white elephant gift exchange. I walked away with a for her "adult only" present, that I so kindly took off the hands of some poor young fireman that was pretty embarrassed by it :) James was able to hold onto some really cute red neck wine glasses (small mason jars hot glued to candle stick holders, they really are cute.) some mini crown royal bottles, cookies, razors, and a grinch t-shirt that says "I am a big deal". It was a lot of fun to see what people came up with for the presents, some normal and some well not so normal. It is also fun to see peoples reactions when they open them! I wish I would have taken some pictures, but I left me camera on the piano in another room and was not in the mood to go get it once I sat down. It was a lot of fun but once the presents were all open I was ready to go, I had James run me home quick so that he could get back.

mini cherry and apple pies.

Our next celebration was my work Christmas party on the 17th. This was held at the Old Spaghetti Factory in Boise. I always enjoy this party cause we walk away with good stuff :) A committee is formed about a month prior to the party to help plan it. I volunteered to be on it this year.... Oh and I volunteered to get the pies for dessert, which I ended up just making mini pies because I never got around to asking a local place for them ( I know bad me, but I do like to bake). The people on the committee will gather items that can be given away as gifts up until pretty much the night before the party. So after we eat dinner Capt draws out names (that we wrote on a ticket) and we get to come up and choose a bag, we have no idea what is in them, most have some good stuff but some have well not so good (such as a hug from from a co-worker). You can choose to keep the bag or take one from the "risky" table (this table had the not so good and really good stuff). So it was pretty much a game of chance. The cool thing is that everyone gets to participate. James and I got a $40 gift certificate to a restaurant in Meridian, some free sandwiches at Dicks BBQ, a thing of chocolates, and something to Les Shwab (I think an alignment but can't remember). After that they have another drawing for some "larger" items. I was lucky enough to have my name picked!! I got a really pretty 2ft tall bird house (a just to look at house). After that we play another game with white elephant gifts that we all bring. I can't remember what we all ended up with on that one, but we got some good stuff!!

After my work Christmas party (that got done at 7) James and I decided to take advantage of having a baby sitter for K.C. and we did what most couples do... we went and walked the mall :) Ok so that's not what most people do but my choices are limited being 8 months pregnant! We walked the entire upstairs and downstairs. I was in search of a coming home outfit for the baby but did not find what I was looking for. It was just nice to have some alone time with my husband without a toddler!

On December 19th we were able to go to Keegan's High School band concert. K.C. loved the Jazz band and danced to every song. He wouldn't sit still enough to stay in the auditorium so we had to hang out by the doors. We were not able to stick around for all of Keegan's concert band songs, but we did get to hear a few. Cameron's concert was the next night but I had to work and James had told my parents that he would pick them up from the airport so we had to miss that one, sorry Cam. In other news with Keegan, he got braces!! Kinda sucks that they put them on right before Christmas but he is surviving.

The best thing about Christmas has always been Christmas vacation!! Well when your still in school that is. The older Cook boys have been off school since the 21st and have been at our house for most of the time. Which is nice for me because they are such big help with their little brother and he doesn't have to go to daycare when I work.

Christmas Eve I decided to do something a little different in our house, honestly I had forgotten about the tradition that James has which was eat Pizza and watch Christmas movies. I decided to have a nice dinner and invite my parents over. I was going to have prime rib but my Dad had mentioned having steak instead cause he had had a lot of prime rib lately. I ran the idea by James and he didn't mind. So James and the boys BBQ some steaks and I made garlic mashed potatoes, buns, green bean casserole (believe it or not my first ever!), some crunchy shrimp things (that were like a wonton but open), deviled eggs (yummy!!) and my mom made a 7 layer salad. I was going to make an apple pie but the pre done apples I had put in the freezer didn't look good after I unthawed them so I scratched that idea. My mom had made more then enough pies for her Christmas dinner so she brought over a lemon merange pie (my favorite!). We also had some yummy sugar cookies that I got from Bountiful Basket. I put Cameron up to the task of decorating them and he did a great job! After our meal I let all the Cook boys open a present. I have started a tradition of my own of getting them all pajama pants, so it's not hard to guess what will be in that gift! The boys also go to open the family gift from my parents. They got the game Risk. KC got to open one of his to. It was a good night and we still ended it with watching Christmas movies.

K.C. with Gpa and Gma Oostra

Christmas Eve dinner

Cook Family of 5 and counting...

Cookies Cam decorated

Christmas morning was a lot of fun, The boys got to start with there stockings. K.C. enjoyed pulling everything out. Then they got to open up their gifts. K.C. had a good time opening all his toys, he would play with them and then move on to the next. James and I both got each other cooking things, he got me a toaster oven and I got him a cast iron skillet. Keegan and Cameron made out with some gift cards and now we need to go to Cabelas so they can spend spend spend!! James made a nice breakfast and we chilled out until it was time to go to my parents house. Keegan and Cameron we not able to join us for that, it was time for them to spend Christmas with their Mom.

Christmas gift from Aunt Shelly, he Loves his new doggie!!

Christmas afternoon was spent at my parents house. My Mom prepared a nice ham and mashed potatoes! After lunch the Idaho grandkids (the other half of my parents 13 grand children live in WA) and Grandpa and Grandma got to open their gifts. K.C. had fun playing santa with his cousins but every gift had to go to Grandpa. It was really cute, he had a lil tiff with his cousin Ben (who is 4 months older then him) on helping Grandpa open his gifts. Unfortunetly this was right during K.C's nap time so he wasn't willing to sit still to take a picture with his cousins with the scrafs that Grandma had made them. It was a lot of fun and K.C. had fun playing with everyone. It was kinda of nice to get everything done by the afternoon. James and I went home and me and K.C. took a nap and then veged out for the rest of Christmas day. I unfortunetly woke up that morning feeling like crap with a horrible cold (that I am still fighting) I am sure that the boys didn't mind though, I could barely talk most of the morning :)

James has also had a very full month. There have been some changes at the Fire Department and he is now not only in charge of the Fire side but also the EMS side to. He recieved a new title this month to, Canyon County Chiefs Assoc President. Congratulations honey!! So my busy husband has just become bussier.... no surprise there. Oh and to make 2012 even busier for himself he has decided to go back to school! He has to change his bachlores degree to fit into what he wants for a masters, that means he has to take more math classes and he is so excited for that!! I know my lil college boy will do just fine.

In other baby news ........

Well one the 22nd I ended up going back into labor and delivery to get checked on. For 2 days off and on I was having some really bad sharp pains in my abdomin and wasn't sure why, that along with some contracitons. So after I got off work Thursday morning I headed over. They hooked me up to the monitor and sure enough I was having some nice contractions. They took another test and it came back negative (which is a good thing meaning no baby should come in the next 2 weeks) and well they just couldn't explaine the pains I was having, go figure. Everything looked fine and the baby is doing good. I was instructed to start taking my medication round the clock now until I am 36 weeks along (I am almost 34 now) instead of just as needed. I am so ready to have this baby, it has been a very frustrating pregnancy. I had a regular check up Friday morning and we have decided to cut back my hours to 20 now at work. Hopefully this will help with the contractions and the swelling I have.... Cankles I have cankles!! I was also taken off night shift and will be working swings, this means K.C. will not have to go to daycare though so that will be nice. I was also very happy to see that I did NOT gain any weight this time! Yeah!! I had gained way to much for my liking in the prior 4 weeks.

33-34 weeks along

In other K.C. news......

So for the last few weeks K.C. has decided to be an early riser, no matter what time he goes to bed he is up pretty much by 7am. No more sleeping in until 8. Most mornings he is up aroung 6:30. I have come home from work a few times now and he is already out of his crib. He has aslo started to go to sleep on Daddy at night. Which I have to say is pretty cute. Since there is not much room on Mommy's lap I don't mind a bit. Our lil boy is growing up way to fast!! I can't wait for him to be a big brother, I will defintely have my hands full then!!