Christmas morning

Finally, Sam woke us up around 6:30.

I went for the camera and started taking pictures. I noticed Nathan was eating a cookie. I couldn't figure out where he had found it, but I took it away, cleaned him up, and watched the kids open presents.

The next thing I know, I look down and Nathan is eating another cookie. I could not figure out where it came from, but he was really enjoying it. I let him eat it until Jeremy found finger prints and crumbs. Once again, I cleaned him up.

Finally, he led me to his stash. Santa had taken a few bites of the cookies, but never finished them. Nate had no interest in the presents, he just wanted cookies. It was Christmas -I just made him finish it in his high chair so his daddy would relax. (Below is Nate with the funny monkey Santa brought him).

Olivia asked Santa for a Bella Dancerella Cheerleader set so she could be a real cheerleader.

Santa brought Sam a construction guy suit and a metal detector.

Christmas was 55 degrees. We went to the park where Sam found two bottle caps and some treasures.

Christmas Eve - Later that night

While the missionaries were over, we watched a nice little Christmas movie and somehow, Olivia fell asleep during the movie. One kid out - it seemed too good to be true. She is usually the hardest one to get to sleep. Nate went down with out a problem too. Sam helped me lay out cookies and milk for Santa and carrots for the reindeer. He was so excited, but went to bed well. He actually fell asleep after only a half an hour. Jer & I were thrilled, we thought Santa was going to come a little early this year, but a half an hour after Sam fell asleep, he heard Santa's bells. Of course he couldn't go back to sleep after that. Finally around eleven, I had Sam take a hot bath, hoping it would help him go back to sleep and keep him busy long enough for me to get some work done. It worked, but I'm pretty sure he almost caught Santa making a delivery - it was close. We told Sam that Santa couldn't come until everyone was asleep. He decided to sleep in our room because he still couldn't sleep. I was asleep by midnight, Sam was still awake, watching us sleep and waiting for Santa. I know because he woke me up three more times that night. I didn't mind, I remember getting that excited when I was little.

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve, we spent the whole day in the kitchen. We started by making cookies for Santa. Then that evening we had the missionaries, Elder Lusk and Elder Schweikart over for pizza. Elder Lusk brought the kids a gingerbread house kit and had lots of fun putting it together.

Christmas Parade

Saturday morning, our little town had a Christmas parade. It was so much fun! It was a freezing cold morning of 29 degrees, so we bundled the kids up warm and walked up the street to watch the parade. I pulled out my camera only to find that my battery was dead, so I don't have any pictures. The parade started with a mile long entourage of fire trucks, lights, sirens and all. Yes, it is comforting to know that our county fire department is so well stocked. Sam went crazy, he loves the firemen. The fire trucks were followed by a mile worth of tractors, including the biggest tractor I have ever seen. Yes, once again, Sam went crazy. The parade included Mary and Joseph with a donkey, as well as a nativity scene. It was nice to see the important stuff included too. The kids thought the best part was the candy. Every float had candy, it was like Halloween all over again.

After the parade, we headed over to the county library to see Santa. We received a nice Polaroid snapshot. (Nathan was home sleeping)

Aren't kids supposed to look happy when they meet Santa? Sam was concerned about the authenticity of this particular Santa. Earlier Santa appeared in the parade, but the kids were not impressed. Olivia informed me that the parade Santa was not the real Santa because he did not have a long enough beard. Sam didn't think the real Santa was going to be at the library either, so we warned him to be careful, otherwise he might be disappointed Christmas morning. After we finally met Santa, we never finished our discussion as to whether this was the real Santa or not. I didn't want to go anywhere near that conversation again, but I think their expressions say it all.

It'a A Wonderful Life

This afternoon, our family sat down to have a quiet time and watch a nice movie together. We watched my favorite movie of all time, It's A Wonderful Life. I can't really think of a better movie to watch over the Thanksgiving weekend. It's a great Christmas movie to bring in the holiday season and it has such a great story line that really puts everything into perspective. I really do have a wonderful life. I have faith. What a strength it is to know that I never have to face life alone. I have been blessed with a great husband who loves me and always puts me first. I have been blessed with the opportunity to raise three beautiful children who are healthy and clever and full of love and laughter. I have wonderful parents who have given me the world. I was never hungry, cold or in want. You taught me the importance of education, family and what love is really all about. With you, I was always safe and I know that no matter what happens, that will never change. I am grateful for my in-laws. You raised a wonderful son. You taught him to be independent, responsible and a good father and you have welcomed me and loved me as your own. I have fantastic brothers, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law. You are the hardest part about living so far from home. I have been blessed with many opportunities to spend time with my grandparents and really learn from them. They have a rich history and they always have a way of making me feel like I am someone extra special. I am grateful for good teachers who have expanded my horizons.

I am grateful for my friends. You are generous and thoughtful and I am better because of you. You feed me, sometimes literally, but your goodness feeds my spirit and inspires me to be better. Actually you give me hope that maybe I'm really an OK person and you make me want to be better. At the end of the day, it's really all about the people in our lives. "Remember, George: no man is a failure who has friends."

Thanksgiving

The Table

Every day when we eat our dinner,

Our table is very small

There's room for father, mother,

sister, brother, and me--that's all

But when it's Thanksgiving Day and the company comes

You'd scarcely believe your eyes,

For that very same table stretches

until it is just this size.

(Author unknown)

Jeremy spent hours shining this silver for me to use.

Many of these peices belonged to Jeremy's Grandma.

The kids table

The Guests

This year for Thanksgiving dinner, we invited some good friends and the missionaries to join us. We had a total of 17 people. It is so nice to have a dining room that can fit everyone. It was a really nice day. I'm so glad we had others to share it with.

The Elders (left to right): Elder Mardanlou, Elder Lusk, Elder Jacobsen & Elder Gallegos

The Sisters (left to right): Hermana Timmerman, Hermana Gonzalez & Hermana De La Cruz

Doug & Heather (their three children were off playing with our kids)

My wonderful husband who made it all possible, I really put this poor guy to work.

My Hard Working Buddy

I appreciate Sam for many reasons. He makes his bed every morning and practices piano before going to school. He is always looking out for his little brother and he is at that stage in his life when he loves to help out around the house (at least when it is on his terms). I'm sure that it is a wonderful phase that he will grow out of, but for now I am enjoying it. Last week, Sam came home with a special reward. He was named Student of the Month for his school. That same day, he was very generous and raked up the leaves in the backyard for his dad, which was no small task.

5 Years Old...

So last week we had another birthday at our house. Olivia turned 5 years old.

Last year, we had a big party with decorations and all. It was a lot more work than I had initially expected, so this year I was thinking smaller, just a few friends over, no big deal, right? I only sent out a few invitations, no decorations, just some of Olivia's favorite foods and a little moving music because she loves to listen to music and dance. But then somehow, within the first 10 minutes, something else happened. Everybody arrived and when I say that, I mean EVERYBODY. It was the first time that everyone who was invited, actually made it. We had the birthday girl and her friends, along with their moms, (who were a huge help, I could not have done it without them) and lots of little siblings. I suddenly found myself surrounded by 15 little people under the age of 5. So much for an easy little party.

Everyone seemed to be having fun, but we couldn't keep the kids from running off to the playroom, they all just wanted to go upstairs and play. I quickly put the crafts and games aside and did away with everything else I had planned, except the food and one meager attempt at the hokey pokey - which was basically me standing in the middle of the room with 5 moms and 10 of the 15 kids staring at me. Some things are better just forgotten (thank you Jenny for not taking a picture of that one). I made some glitter wands for the kids to dance and move around with. My house is now filled with glitter. At the end, I loaded the kids up with pink ice cream and pink cupcakes and sent them home. I can only wonder what those five moms were thinking about my organizational skills. I promise, I have had better moments, however that day was not one of them. Olivia loved it, and disappeared for 3 days to go play with all of the fun new things she received for her birthday - which was about how long it took me to recover and put the house back together.

Trick or Treat

Halloween costumes. So much fun. Nate was easy, he is a cute little clown. Olivia was an elephant for trick or treating at the zoo, a Little Mermaid Bride for the library Halloween party, and last night for trunk or treat she decided to be a cheerleader. She has not yet decided what she will be for Halloween night. Sam is a raccoon. Nathan is scared of the raccoon. Sam thinks it is funny and has made a game out of scaring his little brother. For those of you who haven't seen Sam in a while, he's really the one who should be wearing the clown suit. He has turned into quite the little entertainer with one volume.... LOUD!

They take after their dad....

I am now the ward librarian, so every Sunday, I get lots of visitors at church. People come in and ask me for supplies or copies and we talk for a while. This morning, I noticed a reoccurring theme in their small talk. Within a matter of 10 minutes, I had 3 people tell me how much my kids look like their dad. I actually hear that A LOT, and honestly, I couldn't agree more!

Pumpkin Patch

On Saturday afternoon, we finally went out to pick our pumpkin. There is a little pumpkin patch about 10 minutes down the road from us. I pass it all the time, and always think about stopping. Saturday I realized we only had a few days before Halloween. The weather was a perfect fall day with a little chill in the air. The kids had lots of fun.

Every day we pass by the most beautiful horse country. That's part of the reason we fell in love with this little town. Here are some pictures of what we get to see everyday.

Finally...Pics of our new home

Here are a few pictures we have taken of our home.

The Entry way. (The wallpaper really does look better in person)

The Living Room (no we didn't pick these curtains, they came with the house. We just haven't had a chance to replace them yet).

The Kitchen

Dining room

The Family room

And our bedroom

Play room up in the attic