Christmas Eve

We had the pleasure of spending Christmas Eve with Grandma Susan, in her beautiful home. We had a fun night with Jane & Aaron and the kids, and the many activities Grandma had planned for all the little ones. After a delicious dinner, the kids started on their dessert.
They each got to make their own snowman out of mini donuts, donut holes, pretzels, peppermint patties, mini Reese's peanut butter cups, and mini M&M's.
They had a ball making them, and kept constructing them until they were covered in powdered sugar. (Hmmm . . .maybe that's what precipitated this snowstorm!)

We love our cousins, aunts, uncles and Grandparents!!

The kids all gathered around to hear Grandma read "Twas the Night Before Christmas". During the story there was a loud noise outside, and we heard some jingle bells. When Grandma went outside to see what it was, she found a small Santa sack full of presents!
She had called Santa on his cell phone and asked if he could stop by the party. He was too busy, so he dropped a little bag from his sleigh while he was flying over for the kids.

The kids loved their new PEZ dispensers.
Then Grandma gave them each a little Christmas present.
Reed got a fun animal book. The girls all got matching baking sets with aprons.
Then I gave my kids each their traditional Christmas Eve gift.

I made the girls matching nightgowns, and Reed some puppy pajama pants.
Then we headed home, for there was much to do before going to bed. First we had to write Santa his note, and leave him and the reindeer some snacks.
Because we don't have a fireplace, we had to put the magic key on the door so Santa could get in.

Then it was bedtime, and it was so hard to fall asleep.

December - part 2

On Bella's last day of school she had an assembly. It was just for the students, but the parents that were volunteering that day in the classrooms attended. All the kindergartners and first graders sang "Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer" in English, and then in Spanish. It was so cute, and they did a great job.
On Monday night we had an extended family Christmas gathering, with Jeff's cousins and aunts and uncles. It was so much fun, as always, and the kids loved participating in a Nativity.


We also had an opportunity to go to Temple Square to see the Christmas lights. We went at the beginning of the month, before it got too cold, and before the crowds hit. It is such a beautiful setting for lights, and they do such a fantastic job lighting up everything.
The kids loved it, the adults loved it, and we all felt the warm Christmas spirit that only Christ can bring.
It was a great way to start off the month. As always, we love attending fun activities like this with Jane & Aaron and their family, and Grandma Susan.
Merry Christmas everyone! We hope you had a wonderful Christmas season like we did. We have loved visiting with you over the phone, seeing you in person, and receiving your Christmas letters. We miss you all when we are far apart!

Snow anyone?

Snow? Oh, we have lots and lots of it. It's all been too wet to build snowmen with.After one of these many snowfalls Jeff was out shoveling. Reed was insisting on going out with his daddy (as he often does). So I bundled him up and sent him out. He was a bit hesitant at first, but quickly grew to love it.
It was hilarious watching him follow Jeff around. My favorite photo I took of them is blurry - but I think you get the picture.The other day Bella went sledding with her little friend Mikayla. Typically her friend can stay out for 3 hours. Bella came back into the house after 30 minutes. After being sent back out by Mikayla's mom, she lasted another 30 minutes and was done. She told her mom, "I guess I'm just not a snow kinda gal". But yet when she came home, she told me over and over again how much she loved sledding. She's hilarious.

And today, on Christmas Day, this is the storm we received.It was so, so windy, snow just clung to every little surface. It was crazy how you couldn't see hardly anything because the snow was just blowing everywhere. It almost looks like there are little reindeer tracks on our porch.

December - part 1

This is a recap of many things we did this month. We had so much fun, and were so busy. I would hate to not have the photos in my journal.The month started out with a trip to the Ballet (or as Sofie calls it, "the Bella - way"). The girls were completely enthralled and mesmerized. It was put on my a dance company that Janelle (a little girl we carpool with) dances with. They do it every year. This was the first year that she was eligible to perform in it. You have to be at least 8 years old I believe. So I took the girls with Jessie (another carpooler) & Samantha, her little sister. Lolly (Janelle's little sister) was there with her family as well.It was called "Molly Mouse's Sugar Plum Debut". It was the music from "The Nutcracker" and it was darling. The costumes were excellent, and the dancers did such a great job. We can't wait to go again next year. Both girls are still talking about how much they want to do Ballet now.Here they are with "our little star of the show". Janelle is next to Bella, holding the flowers.


Next up was a holiday concert with the West Valley Symphony. They had a choir join them for the performance and it was awesome. If anything got me in the holiday spirit, it was this concert. I was all excited about Christmas after the concert. My friend Chantelle plays the cello, she's in the last photo, upper right hand corner.Where else can you see the Grinch and Santa together? They played "You're a mean one, Mr. Grinch", and the soloist sounded just like the one on the movie. It was cute and both of them handed out candy canes to all the kids. The do concerts a few times a year, I can't wait to catch another one!

Sofia had her preschool program. She did a great job with all the little actions to the songs, and singing so well.
It was based on the story "Twas the night before Christmas". She had a line to say, which was "As I drew in my head and was turning around, down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound."
She always has fun with her little friend Samantha, and they love going to school together.Her teacher Ms. Beckie is fabulous as well. We love all the hard work she puts into running a successful preschool.

We had a playgroup and a surprise guest showed up - SANTA! And he had the first gift of Christmas for each 0f the children.Needless to say, mine were a bit reluctant to sit on his lap. Like most children, they like him from afar. Unfortunately the only one I got of Reed is blurry. It's okay, it's not like he's smiling or anything! And in most of these photos, Sofie has a funky smile. Oh, it's such a great age for smiling.

'twas the night before Christmas . . .

and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nicholas, soon would be there.
The children were nestled all snug in their beds, while visions of sugarplums danced in their heads.And, it's done. I'm off to roll out the cinnamon rolls for breakfast, and then I'm going to bed.

I wish you all a very Merry Christmas, and I hope you enjoy it with your families and loved ones.

Shake it!

It just wouldn't be Christmas without doing "ElfYourself"!



Send your own ElfYourself eCards

December's halfway over?

Since discovering that it was December, I've been a little on the busy side. I have the blog posts stacking up and much to post. I have finally downloaded the Phoenix photos on my computer (not too many) and will post about the last couple of weeks soon. Hopefully tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Dayna!

One of my favorite photos of the two of us was taken on the day she went skydiving. I wanted so bad to do it with her. Sadly, now I will never do it, because I have little ones. I'm not that gutsy!

So, today she turned another year older, and if you know Dayna, she is always wiser. She's extremely smart and very savvy. Always stylish and her home is absolutely beautiful. She has impeccable taste. She's one of the only women I know that is skinnier after having babies than before (and she was skinny to begin with!).

While in high school, (she was a senior, I was a sophomore) we were often confused for one another. At the end of the day we would tell each other which of their friends said "hi" to us thinking that we were the other one. This did work to my advantage though, because the security guard "joe rent-a-cop" always thought that I was my sister. Seniors had an open lunch, sophomores did not. But I left everyday to go home for lunch, and never heard another thing about it.

Dayna and I have lived both near and far from each other and have been very close. We ran a successful business together, ( I remember a couple of entrepreneurial experiences) I even lived with them for a while, when I started culinary school. It was extremely difficult for me to move to Utah, so far away from her, after spending so many hours together running our business, and raising our kids together.

Dayna, you're a person I'll always look up to, and strive to be like. Forever an example to me. Thanks for the fun times, the sad times you helped me through, and the many memories.

I love you!

December already?

I can hardly believe I'm decorating for Christmas.
Maybe it's because I just took down my Halloween decorations on Monday.

Happy Birthday Dean!

I love your strength, courage, wisdom, faith, and wit. You have an awesome family, I love them so. I love you and think of you often. Miss you tons! You're the best!

Twilight once again

Thanks go out to Torie and Challene today. They hadn't seen Twilight yet, so I went with them last night. It was much better the second time around. Pattinson still isn't the Edward in my head while reading the books, but he's gotten better since my first screening. Still wish he wasn't just wearing t-shirts and jeans the whole time, and I wish he had a better car.

Challene was hilarious to watch it with. She screamed so loud at one point the whole theater was cracking up. Maybe I'll really like it if I watch it a couple more times . . .

Happy Birthday Dianne!

My sister Dianne is having a birthday today! Let me tell you a little about her, and our relationship.

She is older than I (well, all my sisters are older. Yes, it's great being so young!) and I have always looked up to her. I have many, many memories of her reading me bedtime stories, giving me baths, getting me dressed for photos, etc. Most of all, she did my hair every morning that she was home (not away at school or on a mission). And not only did she just do my hair, it was always so cute and stylish in fun fancy braids, with ribbons. I always received compliments on my hairstyles when Di did it.

Don't get me wrong, it's not like my mother watched soap operas and ate bon bons. She had her hands full running a household and being a wife and mother to 10 kids.

I had the opportunity to live with Dianne when I was 19. I left home and moved to St. Louis to live with her. I loved it! We had so much fun, I learned a ton, and have many great memories of our time together in Grandma's basement (not our grandma, that's another story).

Then we decided to move to - and went to Phoenix. Had we ever been to Phoenix before? No. Did we have jobs in Phoenix? No. Did we know anyone in Phoenix? Not really.

It was a hard first year there, but we got through it together. We didn't always love it, and we were pretty poor. But we still managed to have fun and we got very close because of it. I then left on my mission and circumstances changed for both of us.

After my mission when I looked into what profession I wanted to go into, I chose Culinary School. I researched all the schools and found the one that was a great education at a price point I could afford. The bonus was it was in Scottsdale.

Long story short, Dianne and I moved in together again, and once again began our adventures, while both in school.

She has always been a role model to me. Dianne is the best, and favorite, aunt around. We had so much fun staying with her on our visit home, and already miss her.

She's now a fantastic teacher, who puts her whole heart and soul into her fourth graders. They love her to pieces and I do to! Thanks Di for being you, and for helping me become the person I am today. I love you!