No More Tonsils...

My cute sweet Camryn went into Primary Children's last Friday to get her tonsils taken out. She has been getting strep throat all the time, and we just decided to have it done while she's out of school.

Look at how big those things are!!


Surgery of any kind is just scary. It really makes you think about what "could" happen. Camryn and I sing a song from Grease together "You're the one that I want, oouu oouu oouu Honey" We have actions that we do with it and all. We sang that on the way to the hospital and my prayer the whole way was to please let me be able to sing this with her for years and years to come!!

She was really excited to have it done because she gets ice cream and popcycles!! I kept telling her it was going to hurt, but the ice cream sounded soooooo good. My poor little girl has been MISERABLE for the past couple of days. The minute the pain medication starts to wear off she is crying.
I just love her so much and can't wait for her to be happy again and ready to eat popcycles!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

There are so many fun pictures to blog for Christmas, I could go on and on. So I'll just start with this segment.

Our holidays started out with a fun trip to see the Mall Santa. I sure miss the Dickens Festival Santa!!!



Christmas Eve was so much fun, with the pinata, and cousin nativity scene. Our cute Mary and Joseph. Wow, Mary must have had some labor with that baby Jesus!!


In the Hammer home we like everyone to express themselves they way they'd like. Along with our boy angels we had these three "wise women"....



Steve giving his baby a Christmas kiss!!! Yes, he was reluctant about the 5th child, but he LOVES her!!!

Our Christmas Eve evening starts out with a drive around our neighborhood to look at all the Christmas lights, and some special Hot Hot Hot Hot Chocolate!! Then we come home and Steve reads "The Night Before Christmas" to the kids. It was so funny this year, at 5:30 pm our kids were asking to go to bed, they were SOOOOO excited!!

Cute NEWTON Kids on Christmas Eve

BEFORE........

AND AFTER......

The Newtons had a WONDEFUL Christmas, hope you all did too!!!

AHHHHHH.....WHERE IS MY GYM!!!!!!!?

Ok, Lady of America closed on October 20th. And it is now December 20th, and NO GYM!! I am dieing not going to classes!! I miss teaching and I miss taking classes. I walked by Thrive (the new gym) last night and they have nothing new and don't look like they'll be opening any time soon. Which leaves me still working out in my living room, teaching and inspiring all my invisible friends!! (they all love my classes and are just looking fabulous by the way)

I wish you could hear me working out and telling myself, "Just 4 more, come on, think about fitting in those jeans, think about the cookies you ate."

I NEED TO GO TO CLASS!!

I stopped nursing a little over a month ago and I am finally feeling like myself again. I had a goal to be back to pre-baby weight by Christmas. I'm 3 pounds away right now!! I still have to work on toning up more too. If I had my gym I would probably be there by now!!

Ok, that was my fit, I'm done now.

Christmas Cards...

I LOVE getting Christmas cards!! It is so fun to find out how people are doing and to see how cute thier families look. I have a tradition that I put them all up on my pantry so I can look at them whenever I walk by. So, thank you to all of you who send cards, I love them!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Update on kids...

Just a couple of funny things about my cute kids....

My Linden is still in love with her boyfriend. When we originally got her cell phone we talked to the sales lady about minutes and texting. She suggested we get unlimited texting. We looked at the plans and there was one for 200 texts $5. We chose that one. I really think the girl must have laughed her head off when we walked out the door! Yep, Linden used 200 in like 2 days! So we upped it to 1500 texts a month. Oh wait, I got my bill and she had done 2500!! $33 later, we upped it to unlimited!! Oh how I love teenagers!!!

When Camryn wrote her letter to Santa, she added a part that said, "Santa, you ROCK because you wear red and white and cheer for the U!!!" We've raised our children right, they believe in Santa and are forever red!!!!

Brandon was emptying garbages the other day and he went into Linden's room and pulled out this picture she had drawn a long time ago. He looked at it, and looked at her and said, "What the hell is this doing in the garbage?" Just like it was a normal thing to say. Linden said she burst out laughing and had to tell hiim that Hell is one of those swear words we talk about not saying!!!

Braden asked for a motorcycle last year from Santa, Santa thought he was really smart and brought him a bike that looks like a motorcycle. He was thrilled, but this year he wrote his letter again being a little more specific, asking for a motorcycle that goes by itself. Nothing else on his list, just that.... I guess we'll wait to see if he's on the nice or naughty list!!

Ryan is just an angel. I can't imagine my life without her. She is talking and laughing and playing with toys and rolling and I just LOVE this stage!! I love that she's not mobile yet and getting into things, just happy to play with toys in the awesome Baby Einstien saucer (thanks Mary!!) It's fun to watch her use her little hand too when playing with toys. I wondered if she would. Another thing , when I'm out in public with her I find myself making sure her little hand is showing. I don't know why, I guess I just don't want it covered like I'm trying to hide it. We just love her for who she is and she is perfect!!!

Wheeeeewww, that's a lot of kids!!

A Mother's Letter to Santa

Santa,

I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my doctor and sold
sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the
school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out over several
Christmases, since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on
the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles, and who knows
when I'll find anymore free time in the next 18 years.

Here is my Christmas wishes:

I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple,
which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze, but
are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the
grocery store.

I'd also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of
my last pregnancy.

If you're hauling big ticket Items this year I'd like fingerprint
resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music, a television
doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals, and a
refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide
to talk on the phone.

On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, 'Yes, Mommy'
to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and
three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power
tools.

I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting 'Don't eat in the
living room' and 'Take your hands off your brother,' because my voice
seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard
by the dog.

If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time
to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of
eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a
Styrofoam container.

If you don't mind, I could also use a few Christmas miracles to brighten
the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a
vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if
you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding
payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family.

Well, Santa, the buzzer on the dryer is calling and my son saw my feet
under the laundry room door. I think he wants his crayon back. Have a safe
trip and remember to leave your wet boots by the door and come in and dry
off so you don't catch cold.

Help yourself to cookies on the table but don't eat too many or leave
crumbs on the carpet.

Yours Always,

MOM...

P. S. One more thing...you can cancel all my requests if you can keep my
children young enough to believe in Santa.

I LOVE CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

MY FAVORITE FAVORITE PART OF CHRISTMAS IS THE MUSIC!! I HAVE A RULE THAT I CAN ONLY LISTEN TO CHRISTMAS MUSIC THE WHOLE MONTH OF DECEMBER. I SOMETIMES WONDER IF I'LL GET BORED OF IT, AND NEVER DO. MY CARPENTERS CHRISTMAS, BARRY MANILOW AND KENNY G CD'S WILL BE WORN THROUGH BY CHRISTMAS DAY. MARK MY WORD, YOU CANNOT BE IN A BAD MOOD LISTENING TO CARPENTERS CHRISTMAS!!!!

Here are some fun things going on at the Newtons....

DECORATING THE CHRISTMAS TREE...




WE LOVE WATCHING CHRISTMAS MOVIES TOGETHER...

WRITING LETTERS TO SANTA!!! My favorite comments are the "Don't worry mom, this one's expensive, but you won't have to pay for it, Santa will get it" I don't fall for it as much when Linden writes her letter asking for an IPOD and IPOD Home!!!