How to Loose the Holiday Weight

Step One: Nice comfy clothes

Step Two: Go to a warehouse full of TRAMPOLINES!!!!!!!!

Whose ever GENIUS idea it was to make a warehouse with wall to wall trampolines is going down in my book as all time HERO....seriously...it might beat out Disneyland for the happiest place on earth. Nevermind the fact that both Britt and I walked out with rolled ankles, Justin walked out with a crinkled up neck and Alissa walked out with a screwed up back...we will just look past that part.
I'm soooooo going back.

Like a Child.

I LOOOOOOOOVE Christmas. I think you already know this. Berns LOOOOOOVES Christmas too. We get all giddey, wake up at 4 am and wait for everyone else to get up, we shake presents...not just ours, but everyones, we like giving and wrapping presents and probably use waaaay too much scotch tape on them. We eat too much candy and pie for breakfast on Christmas day. Our diets consist of frosted sugar cookies shaped like candy canes and christmas trees. We fight with the "real" children about who gets to play Mario Kart on the Wii next, or take the children's remote control helicopters from them so we can give them a go. We track Santa on nomad.com to see where he is. We are children.
Christmas this year was no exception to this. We had a GREAT christmas. The only thing missing was little Riley. She got to spend Christmas with her dad this year up in Colorado Springs--but when I called her, she was so excited about all her presents she didnt have any time to talk. She was too busy playing with the eleventy billion toys that she got.

This is our giddeyness....our sickness....our addiction. Enjoy. Santa brought Berns a ping pong table!!! (showing just the paddles...he had to travel back to Vegas to get the rest. Santa couldnt fit the table in his sleigh)

Santa brought me an iPod Touch...sweeet. Zoie discovering how to unwrap presents! Lets be real---she only really cared about gold wrapping paper.

Santa brought Zoie a pony!!!

My wonderful lovely husband bought me a new camera lens for Christmas. It is a ZOOM lens. Any of you that know Riley know that its pretty much impossible to get a picture of her without her running or hiding her face. Now I can get a picture! I'm super excited! Here are some pictures I took with my new lens :) Granted it's not nearly as good as Justin's pictures...or even Britt's for that matter--but the fact that I was across the room and took these up close pictures makes me uber happy. Who wants to be the next model??

Rocking Christmas Eve

What is Christmas without the ridiculous traditions of Christmas eve? Shall we list them? Yes we shall:

1. Eat a ridiculously large dinner that makes you hurt so bad but crave more food....and then the apple pie presents itself.

2. Stockings made out of men's tube socks, puff paint, felt, glue, a lil bit o this, a lil bit o that...lets be real now...how can that combination NOT be fabulous?

3. The Holiday Show Down....did you really expect NOT to have a musical extraveganza with my mother around? Jess of course sang a beautiful song...so did Nate....and then there was Damon--who played the clarinet while tap dancing...Berns and I who rewrote the lyrics to Proud Mary to fit the Christmas Story, Justin who did a lyrical dance to Alissa's Rockin Around the Christmas Tree, Mom and Tommy with their rejected reindeer telling jokes, and Paul--who was the partridge in a pear tree. Need I say more?

4. Secret Santa--everyone picks a name prior to Christmas--the best presents are always given by Britt's children. This year the prize goes to Cole who designed a sleigh with a picture of Tommy driving it...it was fantastic. But Im not gonna lie--the train Jack painted me is superb.

5. Mom reading "The Littlest Angel" a book my grandpa read growing up...makes everyone cry...thanks Gramps.

6. We end the night with everyone getting new PJs to wear that night...Berns got feetie pajamas...with sock monkeys that adorned the feet...and they zipped up...priceless. Pictures to follow as soon as I yoink one from Justin.

Dont Wanna Wait...

So...ya...again...late with the posts, but hey--I'm just making it so the holiday season lasts longer. Nothing wrong with that!

The minute Thanksgiving leaves our house we get super excited about Christmas. I am a bit ridiculous when it comes to Christmas. I think I get this from my mother...thanks mom! I love Christmas!! Nonetheless, just because it's Christmas time, the Costa household still remains the same....goofy and odd. However, I think Christmas brings it out a little bit more. We all get overly giddey and full of excitement...must be something in the Egg Nog.Riley dressed and ready for the snowy winter wonderland that Vegas has proven to be.

Zoie eats the bows that are supposed to decorate the presents. They are overrated anyways.

Riley spent many days and hours cutting and folding to make millions of snowflakes...which she later hung on our tree....everywhere...

We at the Costa house decided to wrap up Zoie as a present. I would like to note that the box she is sitting in is a child's size 12 shoe box...she is a small peanut.


And then there is Berns who gets SOOOOOOOO excited about Christmas that he does things like this...Lets face it...there is no explanation for him.(If you are wondering, yes, his ties from his pants are tied to his ties from his hoodie...)

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

I'm a tad bit late in posting a few things...but I'm getting done before Christmas, so I still get points for that right?

So right after Thanksgiving we got in the holiday spirit and put up our Christmas tree!! Being that the one that we had last year was a measly 3 feet, I convinced my wonderful husband to buy me a new one! So we trekked out and found a nice fluffy new tree, nice fluffy new ornaments, and nice fluffy treats to keep us nice and fluffy.

Riley decided to help decorate from afar. She was "cold" so sat on the couch and regulated from there. She directed us on where to put ornaments and candy canes....that doesnt sound like her at all right!? Moohaha.

Zoie decided that the shopping for the tree and ornaments was down right exhausting and slept through the entire thing....oh well.

Nonetheless, our tree looks pretty decked out in silver and purple bulbs...although, I needed to buy more purple....again...oh well.

Did I mention we didnt buy enough lights for the christmas tree so they are few and far between? What can I say--we are amateurs--just wait to see new years creation!

First things first--get the skirt on the tree.

Berns RISKING HIS LIFE to put the star on the top...

There she is in all her glory...more purple bulbs are needed huh?

Lit up...darn camera for not capturing in her best light...

Something is just not right here....

So, um..if you have read this blog long you will know well that I HATE cold weather and I HATE snow. Let me quote myself from a previous blog: "I hate cold weather. Cold weather and I have an extreme dislike for each other."

Now, when Berns and I decided to move to Vegas I thought I was in the clear! After all, it's hotter than Hades in the summer, and in the winter it was cold--but nothing like the bone chilling winters in Durango or Utah. Apparently I was wrong as this is what is going on outside my window....



Is it just me, or is there something kinda ironic about a palm tree with snow on it? I'm telling you...something is just not right here...

GALO DOIDO

I have been neglecting my duties as the blogger in the family and feel I must repent. Therefore...let me finish reminising about our trip to Brasil...hey, there is nothing wrong with posting a month late...

So, since it was my third time to Brasil Berns figured it was about due time to experience the "religion" that Brasil is and got tickets to a soccer game! It was his favorite team against...well...um...that doesnt matter. The whole fam (and quite a few of the extended fam) dressed up in their black and white attire (I think they look like referees) and chanted Galo's theme song. The team is called Atletico--their mascot is a Galo...or in English terms a Rooster.

These games are INTENSE. This was just a normal, everyday, no big deal game and there was atleast 45,000 people there. They are LOUD, and CRAZY, and INSANE...but very very fun. Picture going to the superbowl on steroids. I cant even imagine what a final game or champion game must look like.

I video taped the fans as they scored...but i cant for the life of me find where I put the video, so I just pasted one from youtube...

The game was great fun...even if it did start at 10pm. I highly suggest it to anyone going to Brasil. Afterall, Brasil isnt Brasil without soccer and crazy roosters...

Waiting for the game to start...

Riley on the field with the players before the game...so fun

Watching with great intent...soon to be soccer player??

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOAL!

The crazy fans..

The ridiculous crowd

Uncle Felipe after the victory.

Our little mustard seed...

So, I'm taking a small break from posting about our trip to Brasil to tell you all how grateful I am for miracles...Story time...

Last night around...615ish we were going about our night as we normally do. Riley was in her room playing with dolls. I was in the living room with Zoie just playing and watching TV, and Berns was taking a shower. I cant remember what it was, but I had to run to tell Berns something. Our bedroom is about 10 feet from the living room, so I put Zoie down to play on her mat while I ran in there really quick. In the 5 seconds that I was in there all the sudden I heard her SCREAMING. It was the kind of scream that says "I'm hurt".

Needless to say I RAN out of the room only to see that she had somehow gotten across the living room and fell all the way down the stairs. This is a stair case of 14 stairs...with tile at the bottom. May not seem like much, but when you are only 15 pounds and 24 inches long, it is quite the drop.

I started to scream and ran downstairs to grab her. The second I picked her up her eyes got droopy and she tried to fall asleep. Being that I spent the last however many years of my life working in the medical field, I knew that this was NOT GOOD.

I yelled for Berns and Riley to get in the car and we were going to the hospital. Once we got there the staff was pretty urgent in getting her in. I felt awful. It was terrible to listen to her cry of pain. They also made her lie on the bed without being held until they knew if she had any injuries to her head or spine. She did not like this at all. I cried as I saw her there screaming attached to a heart monitor. It is the most awful experience. Berns gave her a quick blessing and him and Riley decided to say a prayer. Riley cried because she was so worried about her little sister.

They were quick and got her in for a CAT scan of her head and spine... Zoie screamed the entire time they tried to get the scan which made it a little difficult--but they were successful. After that they told me to lie on the bed with her to calm her down....minutes came and went and the doctor came in and told us the CAT scan was completley clear. Both Berns and I looked at each other in utter disbelief and smiled. All she had were a few red bruises.

They kept her another hour to monitor and sent us home just with the instructions to monitor. On the way home she tried to grab things, smile, and talk...our little Zoie was back to normal.

This morning when I woke up and looked at her, the bruises were COMPLETLY gone...there is absolutely no trace of any bruise, scratch, NOTHING on her. She is happy and cooing and playing like nothing happened.

My faith for things unseen has grown over night. I'm greatful for the power of prayer, the angels around us, a husband who holds the priesthood, and the man above that smiles down on the children.

Berns keeps telling me that someone picked Zoie up and just placed her at the bottom of the stairs because there is no way she could have made that fall without being atleast a little black and blue. What a little miracle....

I'm Gonna Soak Up The Sun

Being that I am an INCREDIBLE mother (listen to the sarcasm in my voice) I didnt have swimming suits for my girls when I got to Brasil. To my defense, no one was selling them when I went on a shopping spree to find some. Both Riley and Zoie had outgrown theres. And since you cant possibly go to Brasil without swimsuits, Auntie Mariana picked some up for the girls....Brasilian style. I told Riley that she was only aloud to wear her itty bitty bikini in Brasil this one time.
Dispite my failed attempts at finding swimming suits for the girls, we enjoyed quite a few days soaking up the sun (when it wasnt raining) and enjoying the pool! There was even times when Riley decided the rain couldnt stop her and she would continue to paddle and dive.

My little fish Riley--she spent HOURS in the pool.
Zoie LOOOOOOOVES the water. Its hard to tell by the pics, but she really did.

Riley drinking guarana by the poolside--life doesnt get much better than that!

Zoie sunbathing...moohaha

What a beautiful view!!!

hahahahahaha *breathe* hahahahah *breathe* hahahaha.

you cant really tell--but it was POURING rain in this picture, but she refused to get out of the pool.

um...seriously?