Rockin' Around The Christmas Tree

I had quite and enjoyable Thanksgiving this year. This was the 'off' year for our family, so originally we didn't have anywhere to go. I really don't mind, we just planned on going to Marie Calendar's or something like that for dinner. Since, my husband doesn't put to much stock into this holiday. Because us Americans were basically traitors to England, then made a holiday out of it. No, he is a good sport. Plus, he loves good food. Anyway, my brother invited us to his house down in Provo. They have just one daughter who is Jacks age. This is the only cousin who is Jack's age, her name is Jodie. So we went down for a nice, small, and quiet Thanksgiving dinner, just 4 adults and and 3 kids. We arrived about 12:30 PM, then spent the next little while finishing up the dinner. We sat down around 2:00 and had the best food. The turkey, was fabulous! The company, and conversation was awesome. After dinner, we played the game Apples to Apples. I played this at a girls night a few weeks ago, and fell in love with it. So I borrowed the game from my friend Annie Palmer, and took it down with us. We had a lot of fun, Scott won the game. Afterward, we all went and saw the new Disney movie "Bolt." It was O.K. Jack enjoyed it, and Audrey got bored after about 45 min. So I spent most of the time running around the movie theater. Literally doing laps, around the circular complex. Every now and then, we would stop and I would watch Audrey, run circles around a column, or play with the water fountain. Finally, she sighed and asked to be picked up. We went back in the theater and finished the last 10 minutes. Ahhh! Movies with toddlers! It could be a movie in and of itself.

This is Jack (4) wearing a Santa hat, and because we only had one hat, Audrey (2) is actually wearing a stocking on her head, to be like her brother.


Jack (4) had to have his picture taken with "His" dog, Bisto (4).


Audrey, (2) was so cute. Here she is playing with all the unused, old stockings and santa hat. She played for a long time like this.

Friday, after Thanksgiving, we set up Christmas. It was so much fun. Our tree has the bragging rights of a family with young kids, and we love it. We went to Walmart and for a few things, (no, not toys), and my husband saw this stable. He thought it would be perfect for my nativity scene. My nativity is about 40 years old, it was given to me by my Grandma Jones, who is now deceased. I love it, but it is a white ceramic, so when you have white, or off white walls, it disappears. The stable adds some color, and highlights the Christ child with Mary and Joseph. I then bought some green fabric, and made some background to go behind them. It helps alot, though the background still needs some work.
My children keep pretending they are presants, and hiding under the tree telling me to "open me up, and take out the toys." They are being really cute.
I am so excited for out sister trip to Las Vegas. I can't even think about anything else. I still have to go to a meeting tomorrow, help Jack with his talk, teach a lesson, and pack. I am going to be so giddy tomorrow. I just can't wait.
VEGAS BABY! VIVA LAS VEGAS! WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS, STAYS IN VEGAS!

Thankful

My friend Lori, did this on her blog, and I thought with it being the season of Thanksgiving and the fact that nothing interesting happened in my life this last week, I do this for my blog. But I always enjoy things like this anyway.

5 Things I am Thankful for: I might find it hard to stop at 5 though.

1. The gospel. This gospel has given me an eternal marriage, an eternal family. Has picked me up when I have been so far down. Sees my efforts and makes up for the rest. Taken care of me, forgiven me, and has blessed me in every aspect of my life. Without this gospel, I am nothing.

2. My husband and family. There is not a better man in the world than my husband. Who better to put up with my craziness, make up for all my weaknesses, and be the most incredible father than Chris? No one. My children, Jack, is extreme in everyway possible. He laughs loudly, plays loudly, cries and complains loudly. Then he loves extremely, with his actions, with his words, with his whole being. Audrey, is tender, she shows her affection, is grateful for those around her. Stubborn, she gets what she's after, and as long as those are the right things, I can't ask for a better gift.

3. Job security. For the first time in our life, we see longevity with this company. It is a very secure, and satisfying feeling.

4. My Friends. I have been worried about becoming depressed this winter, which always seems to happen to me at this time of year. But I have people to talk to, places to go. People that I am interested in knowing how their day went, and that I feel are genuinely interested in mine. I love my friends, and with them I don't think I have to worry much about depression.

5. My Mom and Sisters. I love them. Near or Far, you can't fart without anyone of them knowing. I like being in their business, and I like them in mine. I like that I can have an opinion, that someone else might shoot me for, and they can agree with me, and react like me.

Do I have to stop now? I suppose I should. Only for the sake of typing, but my list could go on forever.

Guy Fawkes Night!

This is Chris burning Guy Fawkes at the stake.


Audrey feeling the heat of the bonfire.


Jack in the background with Lexi Johnston, Ariana and Kylie Welch

Happy Guy Fawkes Day!!

O.K. so Guy Fawkes Day is officially on the 5th of November, but we celebrated it on Saturday,
November 8th. This is a major Holiday in England. Chris and I celebrated it every year, before we had kids. Then due to a lot moving around, and the fact that kids in the cold around a campfire can be very difficult, we stopped celebrating it for a few years. But, incorporating English traditions into our family is important to us,
and we wanted to continue this one on particularly. We were talking about having a party a few months ago, and decided to do it. We have a backyard with no grass in it yet, A fabulous group of friends, and doing it at home, people can take a break from the cold if needed. So we went ahead with it and had a fabulous time. We told everyone invited to bring their own meat to Bar-B-Que and a traditional English dish to share. It was so much fun talking to people about what they were bringing. I had a lot of people asking me if I knew what this or that was, and considering I am not the English one, I was kind of confused. My favorite was when Heather Boone called to ask me what a "rasher" of bacon was. I just laughed because I had no idea, I asked my
friend Claire Nelson, who is from England and she responded "Uh, a piece of bacon, duh!" How silly, it sounds self explanatory when put that way, but I didn't get it. We had a good group of people come, and it was craziness while we were BBQ-ing and eating our food, then everyone settled around the fire or in the living room, to talk and hang out. It was really good, because Roseann Davis had been really sick, and Tifny Cano had little baby Kaitlin that she didn't want in the cold. So those two along with a few others stayed in the house, while most people braved the cold and stayed out by the campfire. I went in between both groups, and had the best time socializing. The kids had a lot of fun as well, they ran between the bedrooms, downstairs, and outside. There were a few scuffs and fights, but mostly they got along really well. It is fun to see us Moms and Dads becoming better friends, and see our children become quite the gang themselves. All in all the evening was a hit. One thing great about being a member of the church is everyone's willingness to clean up afterward, no matter where you are. Everyone helped put chairs away, and cleaned up the plates and stuff, so it make the clean up for Chris and I almost minimal. Thank You Everyone for coming! Plan on next year, we will do this again!

These are just some cute pics of the kids over Halloween.

Audrey with a mustache. How cute is she? (2yrs)

Jack as Indiana Jones with a mustache (4yrs)

Jack (4) with Mom (30) with our Jack-O-Lanterns. Sheilas is on the left, it is princess crown. Jacks is in the middle, it is a face that he did all by himself. Chris' is on the end, he is a pro and looks forward to pumpkin carving every year, seeks out his favorite design and spends the rest of the evening working on it. Good job, Sweetie!

Jack (4), being as sweet as can be.

Jack (4) decided to dress up in this duck, Halloween costume. He is such a goof, it is only size 18 months. He was totally playing the part as well, walking around quacking and even laying some eggs.

Audrey (2) reading a book, one of her favorite things to do.

Audrey (2) smiling for the camera. This pictures tells us that she comes from Chris' side not Sheila's

A Brand New Year

Well last night, I was able to attend a New Year's Eve Broadcast meant for the Youth. A taping to be played on New Year's Eve. It was so awesome. Originally I was told it was to be a First Presidency's Message, for the youth. But, it wasn't. And that was O.K. Before the event started someone noticed Sister Julie Beck sitting the row in front of us. A couple girls and I got up and introduced ourselves to her. She was amazing, looked us right in the eye, and hugged each one of us. She was genuinely glad to meet us. You could just feel her spirit, and I was thankful to meet her. Sister Beck is the General Relief Society President.

The theme for the night was "A Brand New Year" we heard a short message from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, which was inspiring. He talked about Joan of Arc and how she refused to deny her religious beliefs, and therefore died at the stake. He made it a point to mention how he doesn't want us to die, but that we should stand up for what we believe in. He said "One life is all we have" and that "Each [person] gives their life to what they believe in." It was soooo good.

Then Brother Dalquist and Sister Dalton the Young Men and Young Women's General President introduced the Mutual Theme for 2009. Timothy 4:12 "Be thou an example of the believers. . . ." That should be good theme to study on next year.

The rest of night was a concoction of Singing, movie segments, and narrations. It was fun and lively and brought me to tears a couple of times. It is not a hidden secret that I am little over the top. I am big in my actions, and voice. That is how I feel about the gospel, I just want to scream and jump, about its truth sometimes, and that is how this fireside was portrayed last night. I wish General Conference could be that exciting. It was 2 1/2 hours long, and did not even feel like it. It really gave me hope for the future. These youth are incredibly strong. It also gave me courage to be the mother I am, and confers I am doing the right thing by staying at home with my children. I hope my children are at least this strong, hopefully stronger for the next generation.

One last fun thing we did, at the beginning they handed everyone a Strength of the Youth Pamphlet, at one point in the program they had the whole auditorium hold up the pamphlet, and stated that this pamphlets is a symbol of our standards and we are showing them to the world. It was so wonderful, I am getting choked up now remembering it last night. I am so thankful to have been a part of this. I can't wait for the DVD to come out.

YWIE 2008

Well, last night we had a very successful Young Women in Excellence. I love it when things just flow right. The program for last night was planned entirely by inspiration, and went exactly as planned. The spirit was there, and all was good. We had tables for the girls to put there displays on, then for the program, I gave a talk, so did our Bishop. Then, the Young Women recited, mostly memorized, the Proclamation on the family, then each girl was given a minute to answer the question of how she had strengthened herself during the year, then time was given to those who had any performances or slideshows or something. Then we closed and had refreshments. Short, simple, to the point, but exactly how it should have gone.
I love working toward things like this, and this has been a huge part of my life the last month. I am glad its over, and I can enjoy the holidays now, one reason I had it early in the month. Then after Christmas is over, I will start planning New Beginnings. But of course this week, I still am looking forward to the Fireside, and Guy Fawkes Night.
I had a lot of fun at Super Saturday, I made a Family Home Evening Board, and Christmas Crackers, which is very traditional in England. A tradition we have wanted to keep up, but they are so expensive to buy, but now I know how to make them, so we will do it every year from now on.

A week in the life of. . . .

Well this week started off with Jack being in the Primary Program on Sunday. Jack is only a sunbeam, so this is the first time I have ever had a child in the Primary Program. Strangely enough, this is the first time Chris and I have ever really enjoyed the Primary Program. I was so stinking proud of him. He got up to the pulpit and said his lines - memorized - perfectly. Beaming from ear to ear. I enjoyed watching him sing. It was almost as if, he kept on doing what he was doing and just sang as well. His good friend and only other sunbeam classmate, Sheyla Davis, was up there with him and the two looked as if they could have been married or on a date. They started to sing "I am a Child of God" and while they were singing, they would look at each other smiling. It was so precious. Those two are quite the pair, I love watching them, and I am glad they have each other to be buddy's with at church activities. Audrey also enjoyed watching Jack, she kept calling out to him, and waving "Hi" and when we gave her some fruit snacks, she tried to go up and share with him. What a sweetie, I am glad she loves her brother.


This is a picture of Jack and Sheyla Davis one day playing Fireman and Paramedic

Monday I learned how to make homemade Laundry soap. I was quite intrigued by this idea, a little leary, but intrigued. We made it there together, then were able to take some home with us, to try - see if we like it. Turns out, I love it. I was worried about the smell. I wanted my laundry to smell clean and fresh, and it does. The idea is to use the homemade soap for about three weeks, then take a week and use Tide or whatever. I am making it myself tomorrow, we'll see how I do on my own. Then again we'll see if I like it over time.
Tuesday we had our weekly playgroup, or Talkative Tuesday. I love it, I love hanging out with my friends, while our kids play. Audrey is at that stage, where I can't let her just go play, so a play group is real beneficial for her right now. I really enjoy the break in monotony of the normal week. It is therapeutic to be among women who share your same worries and troubles, I love those women ( and you know who you are) and I love Tuesday's.
Mutual was fun on Wednesday - the youth had their own Halloween party or Octoberfest Party, as they wanted it called. It was absolute craziness, but I loved it. I have some young women, that just go completely Ga Ga, when we have the boys there. We had some inactive young men show up, twins, who are quite cute, and some of our girls just went berzirk.
I voted on Thursday, early voting, got it out of the way, don't think I will change my mind in the next four days before the official voting day. Chris feels it is very important for me to vote, I do as well, but my vote kind of counts as two. Because Chris does not have the opportunity to vote, though he still pays taxes and is accountable to our laws, he makes sure that I take advantage of that right. By the way, I am not complaining, yes he could choose to become a citizen, but that is entirely his decision. I will support whatever decision he chooses.
I am looking forward to Super Saturday in a couple of days, I enjoy doing crafts. I am making a Family Home Evening Board, and Christmas Crackers. Then of course, Young Women's in Excellence is on Sunday. I feel ready for it, a little stressed, but nothing to lose sleep over. I think we have a good program. I am not one to have silly themes like "The Jungle" or "Oscar Night." I keep it on the spiritual side, because I get more inspired that way, and it just feels right. So our theme is "Strengthen Home and Family." We have been studying and working on memorizing "The Family; A Proclamation to the World," I had every intention to have the whole thing memorized, but then I had my miscarriage and I really lost interest in doing so. But, I have tried really hard this last week, to become very familiar with certain paragraphs - Hey, I do what I can do.
Time for some pictures - I have every intention to use this blog as more of a journal, that everyone has access to. And since I don't scrapbook, I would like to fill my book with pictures. Here are some fun ones.

Jack actually took this one of us, he's got quite the eye. October 2008


Jack being a crazy monkeyhead - September 2008 (4 1/2)


Strike a pose! This is Jack right in the middle of his dancing . September 2008 (4 1/2)


Audrey all went from the rain, and giving us her cheesiest smile - September 2008 (2)


Audrey just laughing - in her PJ's June 2008 (1 1/2)

Family Photos Week

What another fun filled week. Audrey got sick on Wednesday and spent the day throwing up, after Chris gave her some medicine to stop that, it started coming out the other end. I felt so bad for her. Her energy didn't seem to waiver though, she just played right on through being sick. We bought her some powerade to rehydrate her, and that is just as good as Kool-Aid in her mind, so she loved it. By the way, powerade, gatorade, and pedialyte are all the same thing, remember that and save some money next time. So she got better, but passed it along to Chris and I. Friday morning Chris started with it really bad. I never got as bad as him, but I had a slight temperature, and those horrible body aches all day. I didn't ever have an appetite, but I finally forced something down about 4:00 in the afternoon and started to feel better after that.

Saturday, Jack went to the Primary Program practice, and I went with the youth to do service hours at D.I. A week or so ago, I didn't really want to go, but after thinking about it, I thought it might be kind of fun. I enjoyed it immensely. I priced and sorted out shoes. It was kind of fun, because I was looking for any shoes in the sizes of my family. I wouldn't mind doing it again.

Then Saturday afternoon, we took family pictures. My dear friend Lori Welch (Yes, you are dear to me) came and took the pictures for us. Family pictures can be the most dreaded thing, especially outside. But we survived and made off with a bunch of cute pictures. Those are the pictures above.

Halloween is in a few days, I suppose we will try to put on happy faces for the kids. I wouldn't mind doing away with this holiday. Maybe I will try to start a new holiday instead - The "I don't want to have to buy candy for other kids, and have my own come home all high on sugar, and wear our own clothes because I hate costumes" holiday. We can celebrate by doing exactly what was stated. I am sorry I am so much of a halloween grinch. Sometimes I wish I could like it more, but I just don't.

I am looking forward to the first week in November a lot things going on out Young Women in Excellence, Being a part of a taping for a fireside by the First Presidency, having our attic insulated, a trip to Salt Lake and GUY FAWKES NIGHT!!