Sunday Christmas Program

Yesterday was a great day. Elizabeth sang with me in the choir program at church. She attended all the practices with me since early November. She is the youngest member of the choir, I am so proud of her. She sang her little heart out and she had no problem learning the songs. None of them were even remotely familiar either. I really don't know how well we sounded. I never received one complement or even an acknowledgment. But either way it was a very good experience. I hope she continues to sing with me! She looked so pretty in her new dress Grandma Farnsworth bought for her. I wish I had a picture. I'll have to get one soon and post it.

She also gave a wonderful talk in primary, she had double duty. She talked about the birth of Jesus and all the people who came to worship him. She wrote it all herself with very little help from me. She is so smart! I told her the story once and she caught right on and understood everything, from the angel appearing to the shepherds and the 3 wise men finding the new star in the sky and bringing gifts for the baby Jesus. She is learning that it is important to give more than to receive. I was so surprised to find that, without any help whatsoever, she had wrapped a present addressed to me and put it under the tree. I'm so excited to find out what it possibly could be. It's probably something she found lying around the house, but the jester is so darn adorable, I won't care one little bit if it is.

Merry Christmas, All! Only 3 days to go!

Getting the Christmas Tree

Last year we decided that we would make a new Christmas tradition by cutting down our own tree. You have to go in the mountains where there is snow to get the Christmas tree, right? Or it just doesn't feel like Christmas! Especially when we don't usually have a White Christmas where we live. So we packed up the kids, brought along some hot chocolate and warm clothing, and ventured up to Cedar Mountain in search of the perfect tree.

Too make a long story short....we wandered off onto a side road thinking we would be fine. Well, we didn't get far before we discovered there was alot more snow than we anticipated and we got stuck! If any of you have a Honda Odyssey you can understand that they are not the best vehicles to be driving through the snow. It probably wouldn't take much to get that van stuck, we should have used our heads better. But we learned our lesson! Luckily there were people ahead of us who were able to push us out. 45 minutes, and several frustrations later we were able to be out and on our way to find the tree.

We didn't go far before we stopped a the side of the road. The snow was deep, up to our knees and we were already hungry and tired. Kevin quickly found the tree while we stayed by the car and played in the snow. It was an adventure we won't soon forget! The tree is beautiful and still smells fresh! Maybe next year we could do without the frustrations, though.

From our home to yours: Have a very Merry Christmas!!

Ward Christmas Party 2008

We had the best Ward Christmas Party this year. The food was delicious and the entertainment was a blast! We haven't beed to a party like that in quite some time. It was more of a Hawaiian theme than Christmas, but we loved it.
Afterwords, Santa came and the kids loved sitting on his lap, except for perhaps Eli, who gave Santa a "look" and tried desperately to get away. But he didn't cry.

In the first video below: Our Bishop is the big guy in the red shirt. His wife is next to him in the red shirt and blue skirt. I think it's safe to say that she has a little more "rhythm" than him.:)

In the second video below: If you look closely at the children sitting on the floor you can see Elizabeth doing a pretty good job mimicking the dancers. Kyler's having fun too. They've got "rhythm" too, if I do say so myself.

We had a blast! Merry Christmas!

Kyler and Santa

Eli and Santa

Elizabeth and Santa

Making Cookies With Mom

Yesterday afternoon it was blistery, cold and snowing. Elizabeth was off to a pizza party with her primary class, so Kyler and I made yummy chocolate chip cookies. He was such a good helper and had no problem staying on task. He helped with the measuring, mixing, stirring, and the best part...licking the beaters. He even helped with the scooping.

As you can see I couldn't even get him to stop long enough to smile at the camera. Believe me I tried! He just began to ignore me about the fifth time I asked him to say cheese. He was focused and determined to get the job done. It's amazing how different kids can be. Elizabeth likes to help but when it gets too boring she's off doing something else. But Kyler just sticks around until the job is done. We had so much fun making cookies together, and they were the best cookies we've EVER made!

2nd Graders Sing at Lin's Market

Sometime last month Lin's hosted an Open House to start the holidays and to promote their nice new renovation. The 2nd Graders from Hurricane Elementary sang a little program. The store was jam-packed, but luckily I was able to grab a quick snapshot. Aren't they the cutest bunch?? And smack dab in the middle is my beautiful daughter. What an awesome picture!!

I've been tagged...

I'm not sure I quite understand what it means to be "tagged." I've come across the idea a couple of times when reading different blogs. But now I have the privilege to join in the fun. Good thing it isn't difficult to figure out. I am listing 3 things that I value and 3 things I don't value. Here I go...

Value
1. Life- It is a very precious gift. In any shape or form, creation is the most fascinating thing anyone will ever experience. Whether you are able to hold a newborn baby that you've been carrying for 9 months, or even reap the benefits of gardening at harvest time, there is something very spiritually uplifting when you engaging in the act of creating life. It makes every hardship worthwhile.

2. Food- Good food. Mmmm Mmmm, there is nothing in the world better than filling an empty tummy with tasty, comforting, yummy, well-prepared meals. And don't forget the supposedly occasional treats, particularly chocolate! Heavenly Father gave us taste buds so we can enjoy our food. The hardest part is making sure I don't over-indulge.

3. Relationships- We are all here to help one another, to help lift each other's burdens and to strengthen bonds of families and friendships. "No man is an island."

Things I don't value
1. Disrespect
2. Swearing
3. Disobeying (my children in particular).:)

Now, I need to tag 6 people. If you would like to join in, please list the things you do and don't value. I tag....Cara Nelson, Shawna Wolsleger, Katie Seely, Lori Roberts, Shanna Wheeler, Nikol Jordan.