Merry Christmas

It's Christmas morning - about 7:30 am. We actually got to sleep in compared to my brother's family who woke up at 5:30 am. Brady, Luke and Rachel wait with excitement upstairs.Ethan is wide awake (probably because we already went the neighbor's house to let their dog out)Maike, well let's just say she isn't a morning person... Jared and I had a wonderful morning just watching the kids open all their presents and as usual our presents waited till last.

Legos, legos and more legos -- Jared spent most of the morning happily putting legos together with the boys.

Maike found a Star Wars costume for Brady's dog "Ruffy".

Nana came from AZ to have a fun holiday with us.

Can you guess what movie Maike thinks is the greatest movie ever made????? Her family sent all kinds of German chocolate and treats that we have been trying each day. Yummy!

Jared becomes one of the kids. (In all actuality, he really is just a big kid all year long.)

Smiles all around, what a fun day.

Here's the pile, anybody want to jump into it like a pile of leaves?

Christmas Eve

I must admit, I woke up in the middle of the night before Christmas Eve worried. I felt I did too much and didn't get the kids involved enough. I didn't help them see the true meaning of Christmas. I woke up several times through out the night with these same thoughts.

Luckily for us, Rachel's 4th grade class made Christmas cards for the local nursing home at their party on the last day of school. Since I am her room mom this year, I offered to have our family take them. So Christmas Eve had arrived and we needed to get them to the nursing home. We all got ready, including Maike and Lana - Jared's mom, and drove over. Inside the foyer was a beautiful grand piano. Lana made herself at home and started playing Christmas carols and the kids handed out some of the cards to the ladies sitting there. Our family then gathered around the piano and sang several hymns. Ethan even accompanied us for Jingle Bells on the piano. Rachel and Lana sang Stars were Gleaming. I was really feeling the spirit of Christ. This is what it is about.

We then went and knocked on doors to many of the residents. If they asked us in, we would give them a card and sing We wish you a Merry Christmas and talk for a few minutes. These residents were overjoyed and so were we. Rachel kept talking about the last resident we sang to, she wanted us to sing again and again.

Afterwards, we decided to go to Temple Square to see the lights. The only downside was it was extremely cold and the main buildings had already closed for the night. We strolled around for about 45 minutes and then figured since we couldn't feel our toes and fingers that it was time to head home.

I was so glad that my Heavenly Father heard my prayers and knew my worries and helped me figure out a way to make it better. Merry Christ (mas). Mas in spanish means more. How appropriate.

Gingerbread Houses Galore!!!

I could not believe all the candy we had for decorating Gingerbread houses.Brady was the most interested of all 8 kids from start to finish. He built his house and decorated it. Then had a full imaginary battle with candys fighting and demolishing the house. I think he spent over half the 2 hrs with the icing bag in his mouth. What do you think? Ethan was more interested in a quick version of a gingerbread house that could launch lego ships. Luke wasn't interested at all in decorating, just eating the candy.

Rachel was very creative, using a bell chocolate candy upside down for a chimney and then having a present "stuck" on the chimney. Also, look closely and you can see her white gate in front of her house.

My house was fun. I went for the thatched roof look with Chinese noodles. Then I copied Lana's idea for green and red house lights. But my most proud feature is the chocolate bench in front.

Our friends, the Harwoods, came and we had TONS of candy and lots of fun.

My friend Kathy's house with the white chocolate roof and wreaths in the windows looks great! She had a hard time finishing because she wanted to keep adding and adding to her house.

MoTab Choir Christmas Concert

Last Saturday night, we took Maike and Rachel to the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas Concert.

Maike was amazed at how big the LDS Conference Center is. I've heard before that you could land a 747 airpline inside. As you can tell from these photos, the Conf. Center was packed. Luckily, Jared dropped us off a few blocks away and we got inside with just enough time to find seats and save him one. By the time he got there, they had closed the doors and were only letting people inside that already had a seat saved by someone else.

Natalie Cole performed. She sang beautifully but it sounded like she was not fully able to really belt out some notes. The amazing song was an organ solo of the Nutcracker suite. Man, his feet were flying across the organ foot pedals. Immediate standing ovation when he was done. WOW!

It was a beautiful night. Thanks Mac Christensen for the tickets (he sent Lana - Jared's mom - some tickets since she used to be in the MoTab Choir- and we lucked out to be able to use them since his mom doesn't live close anymore).

1st Thanksgiving for Maike

We were so excited to share our American Thanksgiving with Maike this year. We invited our friends, the Harwoods, to join us. Always funner with more people around to help devour all the food. Otherwise it would have just seemed like a normal Sunday dinner with slightly more food.

I forgot to warn Maike not to fill up on the appetizers though. So much good food. It makes my tummy full just remembering it.

Forever Family

This last weekend, Jared and I flew down to Arizona to attend several family events all cramed into that one weekend. It was absolutely wonderful! On Friday, our cute little nieces Ivy and Elly were sealed to their family in the Mesa AZ LDS Temple. All dressed in white, this wonderful family, including the 2 older children, were sealed as an eternal family. "Lively Ivy" just smiled and laughed during it and "Elly Belly" was totally asleep. These beautiful little girls are so loved by everyone. Their birth mothers made very brave decisions and hopefully they will be reassured that these girls will be extremely loved all their lives.

On Saturday, our nephew Isaac was baptized. I loved the smile that was plastered on his face. He was so excited that entire weekend. We are so proud of him. We also played at Keaton's birthday party that day too.

Then on our last day, Sunday, Ivy and Elly were blessed in church. Jared and I stayed with Geoff and his family so we were able to be helpers with the girls at home, feeding, changing, playing, and anything else needed for them. We got to help dress them in their pretty white dresses. The twins also wore the bracelets that Rachel made for them. So cute!

I am so grateful that we were able to be in AZ this weekend with our family and participate in these ordinances of the gospel. Last week, Rachel asked me what I would do if one of them (my kids) died. I confidently answered that I would be very sad that they are not with me but that I know that we are an eternal family and that I would be with them again. I am so grateful for this knowledge and the strong reminder of the power of the priesthood from this weekend.

Attitude of Gratitude

Sometimes I feel it is cliche to start the whole gratitude thing, almost like it is forced. Last week I went in to get my first root canal in my life. After sitting in his chair for 2 hrs and he wasn't done, I knew something wasn't right. Aparrently the infection had calcified making it impossible to drill all the way through the canal. Not wanting to risk breaking the tooth with more drilling, the endodontist recommended minor surgery to cut through the gums to the bone and go up the tooth from the bottom - I like to call it a "reverse root canal". I had convinced myself that since the endodontist would only be giving me a local numbing shot that the dental work was minor and I would be fine in a day or so...boy was I wrong. When he finished, he said that it would take 7-10 days... What?! With a swollen jaw and brusing, I've come to realize that it was "surgery". So this year, just having had minor mouth surgery, I really see many things to be grateful for.

1. breakfast cereal - glad that my kids don't mind eating it for dinner on those nights I haven't felt like cooking.

2. crunchy food - toasted sandwiches, etc. I've been relegated to only eating soup, yogurt, and soft foods. Five days after surgery and I still can't bit down very hard. I can only chew on one side of my mouth. With 15 stitches, I have to keep anything away that might pull them loose.

3. Myomed, ice packs, ibuprofen, and loritab - made the pain more like a discomfort.

4. a wonderful, understanding hubby - when I finished the surgery, I drove to his work and just cried on his shoulder. Then he said everything would be okay. Life was good again.

5. a healthy family - yeah sure, we've battled the flu a couple of weeks ago. But in general, we are fairly healthy.

6. wonderful friends - one of my friends kept Brady the entire day of my surgery, another friend brought me chicken noodle soup and a frosty for lunch and also dinner, and another brought us dinner. And another brought me soup again for lunch. So much thoughtfulness.

7. my faith, prayer, and a listening Heavenly Father. I've laid in bed, praying about various things, worries, etc. and I know he listens and is comforting me.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Last night was the Fall Ball - Daddy & Daughter Dance. It was Rachel's achievement day group (girls 8-11) from church. Since I am 2nd Counselor in the Primary, I oversee the achievement day girls and was lucky enough to get to be involved in this fun night. All the girls and their dads came dressed up in their best. (One of the dads even wore his tuxedo) The girls made boutineres out of candy for the dads and they also had coursages for the girls. Jared and I taught a little bit of Cha Cha and Waltz and then the "dates" danced and danced. The whole activity lasted only an hour and it was a little hard to end the dance because so many dads and daughters were having so much fun. I tried to only dance with Jared for the few steps that we needed to help demonstrate the Cha Cha and Waltz and then left him and Rachel on their "date". Brady and Luke came and just ran around the church during the dance but came in at the end for brownies and ice cream and a little bit of dancing.

Ethan's latest creation

Pretty scary if I say so myself. Wouldn't want to meet him on a back alley somewhere dark!