new year's eve, our little sunbeam, and a super embarrassing moment.

what kind of a mom does it make me that M and i didn't even tell Ellie that it was New Year's Eve?
and that we didn't even give the slightest mention that at midnight there would be a party and celebration- and that millions of children all over the world would be staying up late to bang on pots and pans and throw confetti and eat junk food and drink delicious bubbly drinks?
and that instead we put Ellie + Alice to bed early so that we could have friends over and have our own party sans children...?

well... it sounds pretty awful when i type it all out like that, but it was totally worth it because we had a totally awesome time with some of our much-younger/cooler-than-us-friends, without worrying about grumpy kids, messes only children could make, and having horrible meltdowns the next day. plus, being able to socialize without kids makes you realize that you are human- that you can talk about things other than poop and sleeping schedules, and that you like music other than Disney songs and lullabys. it was refreshing. we played celebrity, ate delicious food (think fancy cheese plate, individual 7-layer dip cups, grandma's cheesecake, and much more), made fun of Lady Gaga's freaky octopus costume, and, of course, toasted in the new year with some bubbly (aka Martinelli's). i didn't take a single picture of the decor, took only one picture of the food (my slice of cheesecake)...but redeemed myself with the awesome photobooth pictures.

the next morning we were blessed with 9 am church (sense a teense bit of sarcasm? i mean, 9 am church the morning after New Years = crap, i've got a serious case of red-eye). but mostly, i am serious that we are blessed with 9 am church this year- we've only enjoyed 9 am church like once since we've been married (because of how moves and schedulings have worked out in wards we have been in) so i've been idealizing this 9 am start for quite some time... and i was totally right- because even though it was super tough rolling out of bed, getting everyone dressed and hair-did, and throwing everyone + our 5 duffle-bag-sized-church-survival-kits into the car in a timely fashion (amidst being semi-prepared for our Sunday duties) it was as awesome as i imagined it would be come 12 o'clock. how i adore (and have missed) Sunday naps.

but now i'm rambling passed the really important junk i wanted to talk about.

1st important thing: Ellie had her first Sunday in Primary as a Sunbeam! all last week, and all day Saturday, and allllll morning before church she kept saying, "i get to go to Primary now. i'm going to be a Sunbeam. i'm not in nursery anymore because i'm a big girl. do i get to go to Primary now? is it time to go to Primary yet? i get to go to Primary, you know." yeah, she was kinda excited. it was super cute realizing that she knew Primary is a special place to be. and it is.

being in Primary to see her come in and experience her first Sunday there was one of the most special things for me to witness as a mom yet. i felt like it was a little gift to watch her expressions and see her little fingers wiggle and wave at me as i sat up front. she looked so little there with all the other big primary kids, and was so sweet listening to the songs. when we introduced those cute lil beamers, i called them to the front and she held her little fellow-sunbeam Chase's hand. it was like they were nervous but proud to be there together. i wish i could have photographed it- but it was one of those things that my mind took a photo of and i hope to remember forever. it made me realize that she is still so little, and that i am so lucky to have such a cute little human in my life.

2nd important thing (the embarrassing story): we were sitting in Sacrament meeting. (yes, another Sacrament meeting embarrassing moment to compete with this one). i was feeling a little "full." (hey, it was January 1st. i just had the best eating holiday break EVER, which = indulging shamelessly and frequently in homemade cheesecake, chocolate peppermint cookies, peppermint rice krispy treats, bread, fudge, roast, potatoes, rolls, pies, flan, caramels, truffles, and every other sweet or high-fat goodness covered and/or smothered in butter). M had to help me zip up this cute little blue dress that my grandma had sewn for me a few years back..it was a tight squeeze, but it zipped, and stayed zipped as long as i didn't breathe. i love that little blue dress so the sacrifice of not breathing is always worth it.

so there i was in sacrament meeting- the sacrament was being passed. it was dead quiet (minus my children talking loudly and occasionally yelling). i had my bags of books and treats (aka battle gear) laid in front of me, and Ellie asked me for something. i bent over to get it, and POP, scrrrrakzkzzizii, pppow. what the!?? my zipper had POPPED. as in BROKEN. as in SPLIT OPEN. this is no joke. i immediately slammed back to the pew. i sunk down real low. and starting inhaling and exhaling very quickly (i hadn't been breathing, remember?), and thoughts buzzed around my head (insert a swear word or two here), "did the dude behind me just see what happened? did he see my underwear? did he see my BRA? gasp! oh my gosh. how embarrassing. who else saw? does everybody know that i am completely undressed in SACRAMENT MEETING??" so i tried devising a plan for what i should do ::took a piece of bread:: what to do what to do what to do? ::eyes got big trying to communicate to M of my crisis:: ::folded arms for water prayer::  ::sweat dripped down neck::  ::finally got M's attention:: then the person behind me, a friend of ours (praise the heavens) leaned over to me and said, "Liz has a blanket in the car if you want it." so the dude sitting behind me had seen the embarrassing zipper-popping-incident. great. ::head hangs in shame::

i was able to slip on my diaper bag as a back-pack (bless that bag), and hold my dress together on my way out- and then i bolted home and had to use the scissors to cut myself out of the dress. no one would notice that i was wearing a red dress instead of blue one when i got back, right? all in all, it was a pretty humiliating experience- one that i just wanted to scream out kind a like this:

 

but who needs that kind of extra attention on themselves when they are already half-clothed because of eating too many treats?

and so i guess i should add some sort of diet to my new year's resolutions with the rest of America.
but diets aren't really my style, so maybe i should put "make a billion dollars so i can buy some new dresses" on there instead.

yes, that one seems better to me.

happy new year, everyone! my annual letter is coming soon.

p.s. to the grandma's and family peeps out there, in my previous Christmas post, i added a video of Alice and Ellie dancing to Jackson 5's Santa Claus is coming to town. Alice's dancing skills are pretty adorable if you wanna check 'em out.

xoxo