new new new

Alright, so here's the deal. I'm feeling like I'm a little post-obsessed with Facebook. I post my thoughts at least once a day, and a picture and/or a video of my sweet baby girl at least once a day, as well. I'm pretty sure that's more than anyone really cares to hear from one person, even though I know that more than half of my FB friends post way more often than I do. But I still feel like I've begun to go a little overboard. So here I am.

I will probably try to limit myself to posting about once a week. I'll gather the pictures/videos and thoughts at the end of the week and do a big post. Hopefully this will keep me off FB a little more, also.

So, what's going on with the Hyde's right now, you might ask? Or maybe you follow my FB feed, so you aren't wondering that. But if you are, this is what we have been up to.

Me: The last few weeks have been pretty busy. I did the black friday thing this year for the first time! Well, not technically my first time because I tagged along with Julie once, but this year I went all by myself and I actually bought stuff.

• I started out by going to WalMart at 10pm. BIG mistake. I got really lucky and found someone pulling out close to the door, but oh my HEAVENS! I have never seen so many cars in my life. There was Walmart, with strip mall stores on either side of it, a 1/4 mile long strip mall at a 90 degree angle to it, a Red Robin and a few other restaurants parallel to the Walmart, and another strip mall on the other side of that. So imagine this gigantic square of stores/restaurants and the entire enormous parking lot was full, and WalMart was the only thing open. YIKES. So I went inside, and again, a mistake. I'm an extremely claustrophobic person and this Super WalMart was wall to wall people. Regardless, I REALLY wanted this tupperware set that was on sale for $6. Now you're thinking tupperware? Really? I know, I fought insane crowds and sucked up my claustrophobia for tupperware. I'm such a weirdo. But I've used it several times since then and I love it, so whatever! 
• Next I ventured over to BonTon (a department store in the mall, I know, I hadn't heard of it either) and got there around 10:30. It opened at midnight. I waited outside the BonTon in line in 30 degree weather from 11 to midnight and what did I go there for? A three-piece set of cookie sheets. Again, you're thinking.. really?! Cookie sheets?! but they are AMAZING. And I love baking. It was absolutely worth it. Don't judge.
• I got home around 1:15 am and slept until 4:45 am and then picked up my cousin Awdy and we went to JC Penney for luggage, a toy, and a $94 amherst ring that was on sale for $29! Boo Yah! 
• Last, we went to Dick's to get Markham an Under Armour Fleece Jacket and I was really hoping that the $164 The North Face jacket that I want would be on sale, but no such luck :( Someday.
• I got back home around 6:15 and slept until 10:30. And although I got choppy, limited sleep, it was well worth it. I had a blast! And I couldn't have even done one minute of it if it weren't for my sweet, gracious husband who puts up with my ridiculousness and agreed to stay home with Lynlee. I so love him.

Since black friday, I've finished my Christmas shopping, wrapped all of the presents, packed all of our Utah presents, sent out Christmas cards, and baked! I've done SO much baking. I made alligator sugar cookies, chex mix (two batches), muddy buddies (three batches), toffee cookies, no bake cookies, chocolate crinkle cookies, snickerdoodle cookies, and peanut brittle. I feel like I've seriously been running non-stop. But I'm loving every minute of it!!

Lynlee: NMVBM,;KQTWE4RTGYUHIJKRTYU. For the last half hour I've been fighting her pushing the keys, but I decided for her segment I would let her go crazy for a minute. First thing she did was push the caps key, lol. Then she proceeded to bang on the rest of them, but then she got distracted by her BieBear. What's a BieBear, you might ask? It's a stuffed animal Justin Bieber bear that Markham gave me two Christmas's ago in my stocking... as a total JOKE! ha, because who likes Justin Bieber? Not me... ;] (no, really, I don't. The only good thing to come from Justin B is www.lesbianswholooklikejustinbieber.com. seriously, check it out) Lynlee, along with me, has been so busy. She has gotten all of her Christmas shopping done. She has rolled over, learned to sit up by herself, and can stand up with her back against the couch. It's pretty amazing. Just in the last month or so she has really started to become more alert, and loves playing with toys and reading books. She is SO excited to see her grandparents in a week!

Markham: Markham has been so so so so busy with track. Pretty much from August to the beginning of December, I only see him at night. And on the night he has his radio show, I don't see him at all. Rarely on weekends. But I get a month with him during Winter Break!! They just had Cross Country National Championships where the guys took 24th out of the 300+ teams nationwide. Yeah, pretty amazing. And last weekend they had their first indoor meet where every single one of Markham's throwers PR'd (set a new Personal Record). Good start to the indoor season, I'd say. Markham has also done all of his Christmas shopping, including taking me on a "shopping spree" and then wrapping everything I picked out. The Bum! He tricked me into picking out some of my own presents haha. Well, all in all he is doing well. And Simon, who, according to me, is still an unwanted house guest that has long overstayed his welcome but Markham can't seem to part with him, is finally warming up to Lynlee little by little. When she was first born he wouldn't even come near her. But just recently she has started to really show interest in him and he's finally beginning to let her pet him. If he's laying on Markham and I hold Lynlee up to him she will reach out and pet him but sometimes she grabs his fur and starts to pull and that's when he runs. But at least he doesn't fight back. So I'm really happy about that.

All: Our next big adventure begins this Friday. We are headed back down to New Stanton to stay the night with my Aunt Pat and Uncle Roger and on Saturday morning Roger will take us to the Pitt Airport to begin our month-long vaca. We'll fly from Pitt to Houston to San Antonio where Markham will attend a coaching conference for the week while Lynlee and I spend the week in Austin with my Mimi. Then that next Thursday we will fly from San Antonio to Denver to SLC where we will spend 30 whole days with our families!! I am so excited to see everyone and to get to spend so much time with them. I am excited to introduce my little Lynlee to those who haven't met her yet, I am excited to see Lisa (Markham's sister) and her family, who will be in Utah for Christmas, I am excited to see my sisters, who are totally my best friends, and I'm excited for so much more (and Cafe Rio!).

Well, this was much longer than I anticipated it being, but I guess once I get talking I don't really stop!

I realize that blogs are a lot like picture books. You don't want pictures with small-printed paragraphs below them, and you definitely don't want long-winded paragraphs with no pictures (my blog post today). You want lots of bright pictures with one or two sentences below them. I promise that that's how the remainder of my posts will be.

Okay, guess that's it!
See you next week!