Dear Christmas,

Dear Christmas,

I am in love with you. If you were a person I would marry you-Kate would fight me over this, but I'd win because I'm a scrappier fighter, holla! Our life together would be filled with so much goodness: presents, delicious food, the cabin, gingerbread house contests, Christmas with the cousins at Paradise Bakery, service, snow (okay this would get old), sledding, tubing, cross country skiing, sleeping in, Texas Roadhouse, movies, scrapbooking, 1 hour of church the Sunday before Christmas (whoever thought of that was genius), Jazz games, Christmas carols, and spending time with the people I care about most (although some could not make an appearance).

I could go on and on.

Lovingly yours, Becca

Although I'm currently going through a Christmas withdrawal, I'm so grateful that Christmas continues to come every year and never disappoints.

Here's a picture re-cap:

The following picture happens when you are the only two siblings home for Christmas. One night we stayed up late trying different ways to carry each other around. Seriously? Ya seriously.

Two ladies and no baby
The Mimi on Christmas Eve
Rrrosa freaking loves ChristmasThe Food Network would be so proud

Ruby hammering
Kate trying out my new camera

Christmas

Rubes dancing the night awayScott looking very festive

HenryChristmas in Paradise with the cousinsCassie-hot to trot. Kate looks like the happiest girl aliveI heart WillCross Country skiing

Tetons from the cabinHenry and PoshRuby and I created the diversity gingerbread house.She's bringing pregnant backMoose

This Month is NOT Such a Special Month...

And neither are the next two really. I'll be honest, when Christmas is over, I get a little depressed. Not the I-want-to-go-in-my-room-and-never-come-out kind of depressed. But the man-this-weather-sucks depressed. Or the where-did-my-Christmas-break-go? depressed. Or why-do-I-live-in-such-a-freezing-tundra? depressed. Or I'm-still-in-school? depressed. Or where-is-my-boyfriend? depressed. And do you want to know what's the most depressing thing of all? That we still have another 3 months of this nonsense. 

January is lame. February is even lamer. And March! Don't even get me started on March. Sheesh! If I could I'd stay in my bed for the entire month of March. Every year. All month. In. My. Bed. 

Although I should be looking on the bright side this year. March won't be so bad, at least not for a day or two. I will be getting a new nephew during that dreadful month. Which equals most likely missing school, which equals me smiling more and scowling less. Plus, I'll have a new baby nephew to mold into someone awesome(Becca isn't the only mind-molder). But seriously, January is 31 frigid days. February is 28, but throw Valentine's Day in there and the fact that you don't have a boyfriend, makes this month even worse than January. Then March comes and people are like, it's not so bad, there's St. Patrick's day and maybe a Spring Break and a new baby... What good does St. Patrick's day do for me? It's some weird Irish holiday that's not important enough to get work or school off. Also, if I'm not wearing a lousy piece of green something on my person then I get pinched by people who think they're being clever and funny. We're adults now people! Stop pinching me. In fact, I've made it a point NOT to wear green on St. Patrick's day just to show that I'm not supporting it. And then there's my Spring Break. Okay, that's nice, a break from school. But in recent years it has dwindled down to a measly 2 DAYS! It used to be a WEEK!!! I don't know how that happened. I think the evil dictators of the school board set up a plan to slowly start removing days from our spring break in an attempt to make it so we wouldn't really notice, but they haven't fooled me! I miss my week long spring break. And on top of that, what's with it being in March? March isn't Spring! It's the dead of winter! What am I going to do in the dead of winter on my "Spring Break"? Yeah, great, maybe I'll go lay out and try to get a tan while sporting boots, ski gloves and a hat. SPRING BREAK '09!!!!!!!!

But then April comes, and it's still not real warm, but you can tell that winter is thinking about going away finally. And then the light at the end of the tunnel continues to become brighter and brighter with each passing day. The end of the semester is nearing and summer is closing in. Ahh joyous, beautiful, lovely, flower-filled May! AND my Golden 22 Birfday. 

I guess I'll just keep my mind on the glorious month of May and hope that I can survive the next three dreary, gray, white-skinned months which lie ahead. 

Fraughton Family Fun

Fraughton background: Father Cody and Father Hal met on missions in England and have been best friends since. Brother Cody is named after Father Cody.

Dad: Cody 

Mom: Charli

Children: 

Jodanna--Tanner

Kyle--Ashlee (Kyle is Cody's best friend)

Mal--Nate

Seth

Sennett

Ryker

1. One Christmas Seth asked for an original Civil War bayonet.

2. Once Sennett didn't change his socks for three weeks, he'd shower and put the dirty ones back on.

3. Seth also went through a hygiene challenged phase and Kate told him that if he didn't start showering she wouldn't play with him anymore. We were all grateful to Kate when Seth changed his ways.

4. Cody had a similar talk with Kyle. 

5. While tubing at the cabin Seth punched Mal in the face, she was wearing ski goggles and they broke with the force of the punch and gave her an immediate black eye. Mal's attitude infused response, "That didn't hurt."

6. Mal's "gravity defying miracle ride" snowmobiling through the treetops.

7. Jodanna and Mal's cat fight almost caught on tape. Hint: it involved a brand new CJH cheerleading uniform, a bowler hat, and music.

8. Tanner always bribing us with chicken strip baskets and blizzards from Dairy Queen. IE: 1000 jumping jacks=1 medium blizzard. Why you ask? purely for his entertainment.  One particular incident, Tanner talked Mal into running for as long as she could for a chicken strip basket AND blizzard.  We followed her in the car, yelling discouraging remarks out the windows. Unfortunately for Mal, when she was done she was too sick to eat it so we reaped the benefits of her fun run.

9. "Geez Mal."

10. Kate and Seth rolling Sennett up in a big slap of heavy carpet and leaving him in the gym to scream until a responsible adult got home.

11. Plays.

12. Duck hunting. Only success: when Seth finally caught the uncatchable white duck.

13. The Summer of Pogo.

14. Father Cody got very festive for Lake Powell one year, when he tried to Nair his chest while on Ambien.  The result: a perfectly shaped V in the center of his chest. What does V stand for you ask? Victory

15. Kyle jumping off the houseboat onto his pregnant mother's air mattress to see if it could withstand the impact, two words.....duct tape.....and another four....what were you thinking?

16. Charli's themed birthday parties.

17. Tanner sometimes referring to older women as old battle axes.

18. Sennett...cheetos and a grape soda mustache.

19. Seth and Kate dressed Sennett up as a homeless person (he was 9) complete with drawn on beard, cutup clothes, and a sign reading "Homeless, God Bless" and had him stand outside of Albertson's begging for money so they could buy candy. A cop rained on their parade and sent the homeless boy home.

20. Mal trying to teach Sennett how to rollerblade down the enormous Somerset hill.  Her words of advice before she hauled down the hill backwards? "If you crouch down, you go slower." Oh how naive. As she started nearing the bottom at a very high speed she realized she had two choices one: chance the main street intersection or two: road rash. She chose the latter.  Did that deter us from our final destination...lunch at Spanky's? No my friends, we just sent her to the bathroom to clean herself up while we enjoyed our delicious sub sandwiches.

21. I don't know how we got away with watching Dumb and Dumber as children but it quickly became our favorite movie.  One day at the Bountiful Bubble, we talked Sennett into walking up to Ashlee (Kyle's then girlfriend and now wife) and saying "Nice set of hooters you got there." When she exclaimed, "What?" He replied with, "the owls, their beautiful." Her face was priceless.

22. One time Cody and Charli got into an argument about which side of the family Seth got his talent from.  It ended with Cody walking out of the room and Seth and Kate hysterical on the floor.  Kate later claimed he got all of his talent from her.

23. Seth faking a broken arm on April Fools Day. 

24. In the Fraughton house every Christmas and birthday the boys get one thing: 

"Hi Seth what did you get for Christmas?"

"A Gun."

"Again?"

"Ya, but it's not just any gun, it's a blah blah blah blah blah."

"Oh, cool. Well I can't wait to see you shoot it, Scott would be so proud."

25. One year, which we like to refer to as "Dream Big Christmas" all of the Fraughton's got animals: a cat, a bird, and a snake.  Well within weeks the cat killed the bird, the snake disappeared and a while later the cat ran off.  Well it was a valiant effort. 

26. In our movie making stage we really capitalized on having a new baby around. Brand new baby Ryker became the star of our next film.  Mal was the hysterical mom, Sennett was the caring husband dabbing her brow, Seth was the crazy doctor, and Kate was the nurse.  Mal successfully delivered a 16 pound naked baby Ryker who refused to cry no matter how many times Seth slapped his butt, Kate saved the performance with stifled fake baby crying.  The video went on to win many awards.

Thanks Fraughton Family for all the good memories, we could go on and on.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Mr. C

Good things happened today in Miss C's 2nd grade class.  For weeks we've been working on brainstorming and writing, the problem is getting them motivated about it; we've written letters to Santa, we've written about what they want to be when they grow up, what they're thankful for, blah blah blah.  Today I decided that we were going to compile a list of what Mr. C needs to have in order for Miss C. to marry him (they don't realize I will have his last name, unless it totally sucks, like Balls or Butt, count me out of Mrs. Balls). This was a good time people, here are the best ones:

He has to own a Viper (car)

He has to want to wrestle when he gets home from work (ummmmm...)

Not too hairy

Some facial hair

Not too tall or too short

Rich

Likes Dr. Pepper

Nice--after someone said this, a boy piped in and said, "ya you don't want someone grumpy like my dad, he just comes home from work and drinks Pepsi."

I love 2nd grade it is so hilarious, they think George Clooney is President for heaven's sake. 

I'll drink to that!

If Becca Were Bella...

Utah is Awesome for these reasons.......

Whenever I'm driving through Utah I wonder where the weird names came from and then I'm just thankful that they exist because they've provided me with many a laugh.

1.Kanarraville

2. Scipio

3. Paragonah

4. Salina

5. Levan (navel backwards)

6. Kanosh

7. Kanab

8. Panguitch

9. Toquerville

10. Pintura

11. Toole

12. Roy

13. Mona

14. New Harmony

15. Circleville

16. Parawon

17. Kolob

18. Manderfield

19. Draper

20. Milford

21. Filmore

22. Minersville

23. Browse

24. Duchesne 

People should consider naming their children some of these names. 

Flashback Friday

We need to do Flashback Friday more often because childhood, no matter who you are, is weird and hilarious. Kate and I were talking about this memory the other day and it's definitely cyberspace material.

When Kate and I were between the ages of lets say 4 and 12 we had a little secret. We didn't know it was a big deal until we had a little bus stop encounter. Weird stuff happens at bus stops people--like sometimes people bring beef in a baggy to the bus stop in the morning and knaw on it until the bus comes and throughout the whole bus ride. Anyway...that's besides the point. So one uneventful morning at the bus stop some kids were talking about underwear and how they knew some siblings who shared underwear. They were acting so appalled and disgusted as they were telling this story. Then the storytellers turned to us and said, "you guys don't share underwear do you?" Kate and I looked at each other with horrified faces, screaming from the inside, please lie, please lie, please lie. By the grace of heaven we both replied with, "oh no, never!" I remember our conversation as we walked home from the bus stop that day:

Kate: "Geez, I didn't know sharing undies was that bad."

Becca: "I know, we're the same size and it all looks the same I don't see what the big deal is."

Kate: "We have to start writing our initials on our undies."

Becca: "I know, think of how bad it would be if they knew we've always shared undies."

Kate: "Mom is not going to be happy about this."

*Once again, this picture has nothing to do with this post except maybe they are walking to or from a bus stop. I just really like it and I think it needs to be appreciated. Holla!