We Thank Thee O God For a Prophet!

Northstar at Tahoe

We loved our trip to the mountains to enjoy some good friends and the SNOW! Joe took the girls out the night we got there and they played and played and played! Aaron and I stayed inside that night and visited with friends.

We had a hard time finding snow clothes for the kids. There aren't many stores that carry children's snow gear. I know that it doesn't snow here, but you would think that being just a couple hours from Tahoe we would find something....but it was a challenge. The only thing we found were some boots at the Children's Place for Brynn, so we snagged them just as they were about to close (they have a darling shoe store by the way). Brynn and Abby ended up wearing their old snow bibs, size 2T and 4T, but they worked. The next day we bundled Aaron up with a few layers of sweats and some other random snow gear we had around. We weren't out for too long so we all survived.

Abby making snow angels.

Brynn is her snow cave they created.


Waiting for the shuttle to Northstar Resort
Amy, Evan, Peter, and Karen - Karen is my friend that I run with and her husband Peter is a law student at UC Davis - he accepted a job in San Francisco, so they will be leaving in a few months...I am so sad!

Evan is Karen's brother and he and Amy live at King's Beach

Peter wore some of his daughters pants as a hat. It's hard for us Californians to find snow gear, well okay, it's easy to find adult gear, but Peter still wore the pants.
The Degraw Family - Kim, Cliff and their kids Hailee and Kaden.


Sledding back at the cabin. We all took a few runs down. It was fun to play in the snow, but I was more than happy to leave it up there. :)

The cabin was on a golf course and there was a semi-frozen creek that bordered the golf-course.
Joe testing out the timer on the camera and the strength of the ice.
The best part was warming up in the hot tub!

Did you know there is an LDS church very close to the lake. We saw it from the road and thought, it had to be....and it was! The Cole's and Degraw's attended on Sunday, we went home Saturday night. I would have loved to see what the members were like...if they were out of towners, semi-dwellers, or if they really lived right there.
Beautiful Lake Tahoe in the winter.
Before we left we took a quick peak at the lake. So beautful! The whole way home Joe kept talking about how he could figure out a way to live even closer to this place...... we had a wonderful time!

Tuesday Tell All - No Regrets, Just Lessons Learned

When I read this weeks TTA assignment, to finish these two sentences,
I wish I would have.........
I'm so glad I....................
my mind reflected on many things that I wish I would have done before I was married, or before I had children, and also things that I was glad I did before I was married, or before I had children, many were trivial things that don't really matter any more. But I also thought about two other experiences that take me to a very tender place. They are the circumstances of both my maternal and paternal grandmother's passings. As I think about my grandmothers, I feel a greater desire to strenghten family bonds and to strive to improve my relationships with my family. Both of my grandmothers brought peace, serenity, humor and love into any situation. They were examples of unselfish behavior, they both loved their families and were devoted to each member, with a Christ-like unconditional love unseen in many people. And so with that....

I am so glad I was able to tell my Grandma Binks good-bye.

It may sound silly to some, but as a teenager I would lay awake some nights worrying that my grandmother's wouldn't be alive to witness the day I would marry. It was literally a gut-wrenching worry....How could I ever handle the reality that two of the most important people in my life might pass on before this event happened. I didn't think I could ever handle it. Some nights I prayed that their lives would be spared until that time. Grandma Binks died a little over 2 years before I was married, but Grandma Vest was able to be there with me on that special day.

My Grandma Binks suffered from many health problems for as long as I could remember. She had been through countless surgeries and recoveries and had really just hung in there. At about the age of 78 she took a permanent turn for the worse and that final year became very difficult for her. She suffered from congestive heart failure and doctors told us it was just a short matter of time before she would pass on. That was in July of 1996. By the time Christmas came we were all grateful to have her around. I remember seeing her at the Binks' Family Christmas party in December and how she spoke of her love for her children and grandchildren and also her love for Grandpa being "the humblest man she knew."

I was a student at Ricks College at the time. Not only was I busy with classes, I was also a cheerleader and so many of my weekends were tied up with athletic events and practices. It was hard to find time to get home, and I jumped at any chance I had to go.

Grandma had held on longer than the doctors had predicted and for some reason that made me think that she was invincible. It was almost as though I had forgotten the prognosis and if I didn't think about death happening, it wouldn't.

My mom continued to me write letters via email each week about what was going on with the family and about what was happening with Grandma. My mom and her 7 living siblings took turns being the "Binks Meals on Wheels." They would bring dinner to my grandparents every night of the week each sharing some special time with them. I will never forget some of the sweet experiences she wrote about in those emails. My favorite being the "trip to Hawaii."

In February of 1997 I was overwhelmed with the pressures of school and we were just getting ready to leave as a cheer squad for basketball regionals in Coeur D'Alene, ID. I had lots of homework I needed to get done, but I really felt that I needed to go down to Utah before I left for the regionals. It was a rare weekend when I didn't have some type of cheerleading function, but this particular weekend there was nothing. The following is an excerpt from my journal about my trip home that weekend.

February, 22, 1997
I went home this weekend and had such a great experience. I was able to see my grandma. It has been such a hard time watching her struggle so much. She is an incredible woman and she has been through so much......On Sunday I went to visit her and when I went to leave, I walked over to her chair and gave her a hug and told her that I loved her. Speaking is so hard for her right now, but she said, "You know that I love you!" That day as I pulled to leave, she held onto my hand a bit longer and looked into my eyes without saying any more words, she just held on and wouldn't let go...I felt through her eyes she was trying to say good-bye. She just kept looking right into my eyes. I wish the moment could have lasted forever. I walked out to the car with Joseph, and told him I knew that would be the last time I saw her. I didn't want to go. I wanted to just stop time and be with her. What an incredible memory she is for me and so many other people. I am so proud of her and so proud that she is my grandmother. I love her with all of my heart. I think of her as a wonderful example.

The next week I left for the basketball regionals and participated with the rest of the squad. At the end of the week it was time to head back to Rexburg. On the bus ride home around midnight I was listening to a tape that Joe had made for me. It played the song, "Love Remains" by Collin Ray. I couldn't help but think of my Grandma and Grandpa Binks, I felt a sweet feeling inside as I remembered some of the experiences my mom had shared with me and my own experience from the previous weekend.

We arrived home around 5:00 a.m. and I immediately called my mom to let her know I had arrived safely back to Rexburg, (this was before the wide use of cell phones). It was then that she told me that Grandma Binks had passed away late the night before.....As I look back on the circumstances of her death, I can't help but think of the many tender mercies of the Lord I was afforded that helped me through that hard time. The things my Grandma Binks taught me are worth a post in and of itself, but more than anything she taught me that people are important....to value your time with people...nothing was more important to her than a short or a long visit with someone. As far as she was concerned, you were the most important thing in the world at that time. Her passing was hard for all of us, but the peace I felt thinking about my last moments with her, seemed to lessen the pain. I will forever cherish that moment.

I wish I would have had the chance to say good-bye to Grandma Vest.

Grandma Vest was one of those sweet women who rarely complain....even when they are in tremendous pain. Because of this, her death came as a great surprise to us all. I remember my mom and dad talking about her failing health and her frailty and how she would probably only last another year....but they predicted that Grandpa Binks would pass on before she did.

A couple of weeks before my grandma's death she was with us at the BYU baseball game to see my brother Wade play. I had just returned from my first doctor appointment for the pregnancy of my second child and was eager to share the news with Grandma. She was so pleased to hear the happy news. She loved hearing news about our life and it always made it all the more fun to share.

One week before her death we all went out to eat as a family to celebrate my Grandpa's 80th birthday. I remember seeing her walk in slowly dressed to the nine's, with the smell of perfume and pretty jewelry. She played with Brynn and was so excited that Brynn would finally come to her. (Grandma had a unique voice because of a tumor she had had in her throat. It was very scratchy and raspy, but it was all I had ever known, so it was just Grandma to me. Her voice scared some of the young great grandchildren when they were very young). After the dinner grandma invited us to come to her house, but Joseph and I felt we had too much to do so we headed to run our errands.

A few days later it was memorial day. our family has a tradition of going to the Memorial day Program at the cemetary every year. Grandpa Binks was receiving a special award and we knew this could possibly be his last time he would be able to attend the Memorial Day Program at the cemetary so we made sure we were there to support him. I thought about going to visit Grandma, in just a couple of months we would be moving to Spokane, WA for Joseph to attend law school, and I wanted to get as many visits in as I could, but I put it off for another day.

On May 27, 2003 I woke up and got Brynn ready and started to do my normal routine of cleaning and doing laundry. We were living with my parents as we prepared to head off to law school, and at 1:00 my Grandpa Vest called me asking for my dad. He didn't sound as chipper as usual, and he seemed pre-occupied...like he wasn't interested in talking, very out of character for him. I told him my dad's cell number and then he asked how and if it would work if he called or if he had to call him on a cell phone......he was sounding disoriented. When the call ended I hung up the phone and continued my work. I couldn't get the call off of my mind, so I called my mom. When the secretary Jeneane answered I felt a knot in my stomach because I knew something was wrong. She asked if I had talked to my mom. I told her no and then she said, "Oh, Amy you're grandmother has passed away! " I was speechless....I told her thank you and then called my dad's cell phone. When the call picked up there was silence and some sobs coming from both of us. Neither of us could say anything. I wanted him to say it wasn't true....that she had been revived and that things were going to be okay. After hearing the definite news, I fell to the floor and cried , "I didn't get to say good-bye!"

After a few minutes I called each of my siblings to let them know. Having the burden of telling each of them was like reliving the moment over and over again. It physically hurt to say those words. We all knew that eventually it would happen, but we were prepared for a downturn and then a predictable end, not a sudden end with no warning.

I wasn't able to have the good-bye I wanted and expected to have and this was very hard for me. It took months until I didn't cry over her death and the sadness I felt that she was taken unexpectedly. Part of that sadness came from being so close with my parents, because we were living with them at the time, I saw my father go through the grieving process of someone so dear to him. I cried because of the hurt I felt, but also because of the sadness I witnessed in him. I found comfort in remembering that while she didn't complain much, her pain was tremendous, and her suffering was over. She was not the type that wanted any fuss made about her. She went about doing good with quiet dignity, and this is how she passed away. The days after her death I spent writing and writing and writing..... about everything I loved and could remember about her. I also wrote a short good-bye in my journal. So if I had the chance to say good-bye to my Grandma I would say. "Grandma, I love you! Thank you for showing me what it feels like to be loved. Thank you for always being so caring and interested in my life, and for paying special attention to the details, for always remembering my birthday, and for being there for me during hard times. I will always look to your example forever. I love you!"

So...as the TTA assignemnt stated...."When ones door closes, another one opens." While we were able to share with Grandma the news about our new addition, she never did get the chance to meet Abby.....but when Abby was born we had to laugh. You see Grandma had beautiful black hair that, according to her hair dresser, she never dyed. I find that easy to believe since my dad will be sixty this year and still hasn't really even started going gray. We laughed because Abby was that open door for us....she was born with lots of thick black hair. I remember looking at her immediately after giving birth and thinking, "Are you sure she came out of me?" She looked like a little eskimo baby. I flew to Utah with her when she was 4 days old and I was asked more than once if I had just adopted a new baby and was taking her home. It had to look pretty funny to see such a contrast between mother and baby. Our little joke is that Grandma passed a smattering of black hair down with Abby as she entered the world. Grandma's are a treasure!

So my lesson learned. Strive to always put people first and when you "feel" that you should call someone or visit someone, never let the moment pass.

What Is a Grandma?

A grandma is warm hugs and sweet memories. She remembers all of your accomplishments and forgets all of your mistakes. She is someone you can tell your secrets and worries to, and she hopes and prays that all your dreams come true. She always loves you, no matter what. She can see past temper tantrums and bad moods, and makes it clear that they don't affect how precious you are to her. She is an encouraging word and a tender touch. She is full of proud smiles. She is the one person in the world who loves you with all her heart, who remembers the child you were and cherishes the person you've become. ~Barbara Cage~

These Moments....

We've had some sweet moments around here lately, the kind that make you slow down and remember what's most important, and the kind that make you feel good all over inside. Tonight as I wait for cycles of laundry to finish, :) I think I'll write about them before the memory fades.

Sweet Moment 1) We have a family ritual that we do every morning and night after family prayer. Let's see if I can find the words to describe it. We each put our hands on top of one anothers and we do a simple cheer. Joseph and I started a version of it when we were first married and when Brynn was beginning to first talk, we chose 3 principles we wanted as a family focus and used simple words she could say to form our family cheer. We actually tried to add some more phrases this last year thinking the children could handle a little more than the simple cheer we do, but they refused! They have proved many times to be creatures of habit! After the ending of the cheer we shout, "Sure love ya!" as we throw our arms in the air, and then everyone gives a hug to each person in the family. For as long as Brynn could talk, immediately after the cheer, she has always said, "Hugs!" and a couple of year's ago, Abby came up with the phrase, "Hugs all around! Hugs all around!" Which she faithfully repeats every night.....

As silly as this ritual is, it has been such a sweet experience to watch our children as they come to the realization of and choose to be part of "the family cheer." For the first few months of life, they are simply held in the arms of mom or dad while we do the cheer and then are squeezed relentlessly by siblings.... then when they are able to walk, they usually wander away distracted by some toy or other object, and cry when overbearingly hugged by the older sibling.....but then something happens...there has always come a point when each child has decided to take part, never formally taught, just all by themselves. It has happened in a different way for everyone, but it has happened nonetheless.

Not too long ago Aaron decided he was ready to take part and it has been so sweet to watch. I love that moment of awareness in a child. A couple of months ago he started to fold his arms, furrow his brow, and bow his head during prayer....and then after prayer he ends with an exhuberant "A-en!" Then without missing a beat he puts his hand on top of mine or Joseph's ready to do the family cheer. He can't say the words, but with a huge grin, he mutters along with the rest of us....dipping his hands down for the "Sure love ya!" and throwing them in the air at the end. Immediately after, even before Abby can shout, "Hugs all around! Hugs all around!" He stretches his arms out wide and as far back as they will go and takes off running to into the chest of the nearest family member to give them a great big hug...and then holds it for a few seconds before moving to the next person. This boy LOVES to hug! He makes the rounds to each person before he gives anyone a second helping of his love. I love his new awareness of what's happening around him!

Sweet Moment 2) Aaron has been going to nursery now for 2 months and he LOVES it! We have a routine now....after sacrament meeting I carry him to the nursery room and he runs right in turns around and waves and goes straight for the toys. When the 3 hour block is over, I go to get him and EVERY week he does the cutest little thing. I walk in and he looks at me with a HUGE grin and then as if he's a quarterback trying to fake me out, he switches his weight from the right to the left to the right, sort of swaying back and forth, and then turns around and in a dead sprint runs into the other room with his arms flailing behind him. He then buries his head into the wall with his hands near his eyes and after a few seconds peeks around at me with a giggle. I then pick him up, he waves to the nursery leaders and then we are off! I love his personality.

Sweet Moment 3) Tonight while I was picking up around the house, Joe and Abby were already asleep (he's not feeling totally great right now), Brynn was finishing up some home work and Aaron was wandering around like he does when he's tired. I heard Brynn talking to him for a few minutes in a very sweet, motherly voice...he was asking for milk, which we ran out of tonight, and I heard her say to him ever so gently, "Would you like some water? I'll get you some water okay! You stay right here, and I'll get you some water in your sippy cup!" I heard her climb on the counter, open the cupboard, fill up the cup and then a few minutes later I noticed the lights were dimmed and I heard an unfamiliar melody she was singing. I walked into the family room to see that she had made Aaron a little bed with an extra crib sheet from his bedroom. He was surrounded by pillows and blankets all tucked in. She was singing lullabies to him. When I went to put her in bed...she likes to be carried to bed by Joseph or myself EVERY night...onto the top bunk....I don't know how long we'll be able to keep it up...but she says it makes her feel loved, so we'll do until it's an impossible feat....anyway, I asked her what she was singing to Aaron...she told me that she was singing lullabies that she had made up about him. I asked her how she did that and she then proceeded to give me the following lullaby lesson. "First you come up with a hum...then you use nighttime words like lullaby, goodnight, close your eyes, go to sleep. you are loved, and then you say his name....Aaron." She sung an impromptu lullaby for me before she went to bed. I love these moments when they are getting along and being so loving. These moments make me want to freeze time.....just to stop and enjoy.....but, things keep moving and in a few hours they'll be up and eating at each other's throats again. That's the cycle of things isn't it?

Random bits of what we've been up to.....

Joe went snowboarding for the first time in a looonnnnngggg time! Hooray for him! On Saturday he went to Northstar Resort in Tahoe and had so much fun! Tanner and James said they couldn't believe how well he did, especially for his lack of involvement in the sport for some time. He LOVED it and is excited to go again before the season ends! (Maybe he'll even blog about it himself!) We're hoping to get up there for some fun together...hopefully it will work out. We are heading back up to Northstar this weekend with our friends who have a connection with a cabin there. No skiing, maybe sledding though! We are excited to see the snow for a couple of days....and then to leave it there! :)

Joe has had a busy month and has been working really hard and this was a much needed break. He had state survey right before Christmas and passed without any major problems. At the beginning of the year his facility embarked upon a major remodel project and so he is dealing with all of the construction issues associated with that. His great attitude amazes me.

While he was gone, we turned the satelite radio onto the The Beat-Dance Hits station and danced our way through the housework. After we had finished our work, I sent the girls out to jump and I popped some popcorn with Aaron...he's easily entertained. I made the mistake of leaving him with the bowl while I posted about Abby's hair/train accident in the next room....a few minutes later I heard an interesting sound and so I ran into the kitchen.....

to find Aaron crunching and spreading popcorn all over the counter and floor.....which, of course, had just been freshly swept and mopped!

I learned that popcorn is easily cleaned up, especially when it's not loaded with butter. Whew!

For dinner we decided to make homemade pizza! The girls had lots of fun mixing and rolling out the dough. I tried a new dough recipe with whole wheat flour and it was pretty good.

The finished product. YUM!

I'm grateful for my talks with my mom on Sundays (everyday really, but especially on Sundays). Sundays get a little long with Joe in bishopric meetings, so it's nice to talk and pass the time. This past Sunday during our chat, Aaron grabbed the goldfish box and thought it would make a nice diaper cover. I grabbed the camera as fast as I could before he started kicking it all over the place. I love the curiosity of this age..."I wonder what would happen if I...." has to be going through the mind of a toddler constantly!

Abby started pre-school this last week! It took us a while to find exactly what we were looking for, but we finally found it and we are all pleased. She loves it! She goes in the morning twice a week for a couple of hours, and Brynn goes in the afternoon everyday, so they miss one another for a couple of days a week, but it's fun for me to spend the time with each of them without each other. The two girls almost seem like one when they are together......they are inseperable. Having each of them one on one (with Aaron too, of course) is a great reminder to me of their individuality....as much as they seem like one, they are very different.

Today while Abby was at pre-school, I had BYU-TV playing in the background as I did my morning work. I was bathing Aaron when I heard Brynn exclaim, "Mom, come quick...hurry, you'll miss it! I can't hold it much longer!" I went in to find her doing the routine along with the BYU's "Total Body Workout" that airs in the mornings. Silly Brynn! She was so proud of what her body could do.

We went to go to Fairy Tale Town yesterday after school and realized it was closed...BUMMER! it's straight across from the zoo, so it was a quick fix. The zoo costs twice as much as FairyTale Town, so I wasn't thrilled, but when we arrived at the window and I pulled out my checkbook the clerk told us her ticket computer was down so it was a FREE day at the zoo! WAHOO!

In the coming weeks we're looking forward to......

*Northstar with the Cole's!

*A trip to Trinidad CA, for the Trinidad to Clam Beach Run

*Laguna Beach with Joe while Grandma Rowene babysits the kids in Woodland!

*Disneyland with Grandma and Grandpa and the St. George crew

*The Amgen Tour of California...especially their ride through Woodland!

Our Minor Train Wreck

Our kids have really enjoyed the train set, and since figuring out how to keep it together most of the time, we have too! We did have one minor accident last week. We finally put batteries in all of the motorized trains and the kids LOVED it. Abby decided to try to take the train for a ride all over her body. She ended with her hair, and Thomas went to town, spinning those wheels round and round until he had collected so much hair that he could spin no more.

I tried and tried to get the hair our without taking drastic measures, but in the end, I had to take the scissors to Abby's hair. She was fine with it....she wanted the train out! I felt bad about taking these measures. I told Abby we would have to cut the rest of her hair as short as the part we were cutting out of the wheels.... but in the end things didn't turn out as bad as I had expected. While I was doing her hair on Sunday morning (the day after the wreckage), I noticed that her hair looked as beautiful as ever and there was really no evidence of the accident. Whew! She learned her lesson....but Aaron did not. He put the train in her hair the very next day.....luckily, again the damage was minimal.

Before - Notice her sad expression.... and for those of you who knew us in Spokane, do you recognize the "brown crown?" She still wears it, we've just hit the two year mark. Luckily, she alternates with about 12 other "crowns." She even has a crown she wears just for bed.

After

Abby's wish for all teenage boys.....

The Chirstmas blog is getting a little stale, not due to comments (thank you everyone), but until I have time to start something new, here is an experience we had ( and even wrote about) a while back, and for some reason I didn't get it posted. For the record......

I know I write often about the things she says, and I need to do better at including what everyone else says, but I guess she just consistently takes the cake when it comes to commentary. So today after we picked Brynn up from school we were walking to the car (we drove because we had to go to get haircuts after school). Anyway, today there was a motorcyle policeman patrolling the area. We hurried across the street to get to our car. I was holding Aaron, Abby was by my side and we went to open the passenger side door of the van, Brynn went to open the driver side sliding door and before she made it to the door, she heard the policeman from his speaker, "Get out of the road, get out of the road, get out of the road."

As I was buckling everyone up the officer came over to inform me that she was in the road with her back turned away from traffic, and that it was a very dangerous thing to do. I told him thank you and then leaned in to continue buckling, only to see Brynn's lips quivering, Abby's eyes wet with tears and her lips puckered up like a puppy dog. I told them it was okay, he was just trying to keep them safe.

Anyway, when we got to the salon parking lot a few minutes after the incident, Abby said, "Mom, I wish that no teenage boys in the woold (world) would ever decide to be policemen when they grew up."

She was 3 1/2 at the time and it blew me away that she took the nervous feeling she felt and concocted a wish about something I had no idea she even knew about. Since when do little girls understand that at some point a teenager has to make a decision about what to be when he grows up. Things like this continually keep me on my toes. I often think she experiences life in a much more complex way than I do because of how her brain works.

Christmas

December 24, 4:30 PM Grandma and Grandpa and Emily arrived safely! After spending a couple of days celebrating Christmas (and attending the BYU win) with the St. George crew, my family made the long drive to Woodland. I was finishing up some last minute grocery shopping at the Nugget in Davis when I received the phone call that they were within minutes of our home. They beat me there! When I arrived the kids were ecstatic, they couldn't stop screaming and yelling! There was alot of joyful noise echoing through the house!

Aaron went in for his usual cuddle with Grandpa. He seriously loves this guy. They spent lots of time together Aaron's first year of life. They don't see one another very often, but Aaron always remembers him and it is as if they have never been apart.

Mom of course jumped right in and got down to business. She wanted to make gingerbread houses with our kids....and for anyone who knows my mom, she never takes shortcuts. She didn't use graham crackers and frosting....she made REAL gingerbread and REAL gingerbread house icing (I call it edible glue). They put the houses together on Christmas Day.

Abby's Birthday Surprises!

They brought Abby's birthday presents with them, she felt totally loved and taken care of. So much in fact that Abby said, "Mom, Santa doesn't need to bring me anything.....Grandma and Grandpa brought me EVERYTHING that I asked him for!" I love that little girl so much!

Aaron took full part in all of the excitement and joyful noises. He was such a character!

A little R&R on Christmas Eve. (Hmmm...maybe this late nap explains his later behavior!)
Getting ready for Christmas Eve dinner. We broke from tradition since we weren't sure when mom and dad were going to arrive. We made the usual ham dinner for Christmas day and had clam chowder and sourdough bread for Christmas Eve. We finished off with fresh apple cake butter rum sauce and vanilla bean ice cream. YUM! It was fun to pull out our China. We really don't use it very often, but I need to make more of an effort to do so. It's fun to eat on the nice stuff once in a while. I remember begrudgingly getting it when I got married, telling my mom I wouldn't be using it anytime soon. Now.... I'm glad, it isn't something I would spend money on right now, so I'm glad I already have it.

After dinner we watched the Nativity and then read a Christmas Story and watched some home videos and reminisced about Christmas' past.... The girls fell asleep on the couch so Joseph carried them to bed. Aaron was a little night hawk and actually stayed up to watch Santa work his magic. He played with his new Christmas toy as we put it together. Hopefully his memory isn't too sharp yet! We finally put him in his crib at 1:30 AM, but I think he would have pulled an all nighter if we had allowed. Santa had lots of work to do. He mangaged to get a few things all out and set up and then asked us to put the rest together later, so he could make his next stop :o) !

Aaron teasing his favorite guy!

We didn't take many still shots of Christmas morning. We were all caught up in the excitement of it all. Hopefully we caught some on video...hmmm!
We were very pleased with our Greg Olsen canvas of The Gentle Healer. This picture brings me such a peaceful feeling when I look at it. It will be a nice addition to our home and I am sure will help us to remember the source of our happiness and peace. Thanks mom and dad... for this and for all the other kind gifts. (This is us in all our Christmas glory... aka- exhaustion. I can't remember if I changed my clothes and put them back on after bed, or if they ever came off, we were spent, as you can tell!) While everyone was enjoying the presents, Emily and I whipped together our Christmas Morning Quiche, gnochies, fresh fruit and juice. This year I tried a couple new quiche recipes and they were fantastic! Emily made the traditional whole wheat crust the night before. She does the BEST pie shells. It was fun to work with her on the meal. Normally we have homemade cinnamon rolls, but after our late night, the last thing I wanted to do was make roll dough. Mom did it later that afternoon. They were the best and gooey-est ever! We enjoyed an abundance of good food. It really felt like a celebration!

Truthfully, after doing Christmas at my house. I am amazed at how organized my mom is every Christmas. She does a formal Christmas dinner with a wide variety of tasty homemade dishes, including homemade rolls, and then she turns around and puts on a formal Christmas brunch with gourmet food and homemade rolls on Christmas day. She always seems to have everything running so smoothly. (Mom, you have to tell me how you managed that all when Santa needed help too! You're energy amazes me more and more every year I am alive!) I felt sort of sleep deprived and scrambled...but we survived! I guess I'll get better at organizing it all and knowing what order to do everything as time goes on!

Christmas Day-Abby and Emily working on their masterpieces.

Grandma and Brynn with their's.
Santa's helper taking a much needed nap. We were up until 3:30 a.m. helping Santa with his surprises. It was fun working together to create a little magic for our little family! Experiencing life with your best friend is so fun! Together, creating life's experiences for your children is the best!
Aaron has this funny thing he does with my dad. He puts his hand up, like some Star Trek sign and holds it there until my dad puts his up in the same fashion. It's so funny because it's so consistent.

Aaron and his little elf!

The finished product!
Abby's masterpiece!
This is what we were putting together until 3:30 AM. We were about to help Santa put the trampoline up, but decided it was too late and too cold. My mom, bless her heart, worked so hard to put the track and all the stuff together and Aaron kept sitting on it. Every time she walked into the room during the week, she would rebuild it, I kept telling her to leave it, because it would keep getting messes up, but she insisted on fixing it everytime. As we were putting it all together, I said to my mom....."Okay, this is Aaron's present, but I wonder how long it will take until the princesses take over the station?" Look below and see for yourself.
Yes, less than one day and princesses were found all over the tracks, towers, and railroad cars. It was pretty funny. It's a good thing we are consecrated in this house!
That's it for the pictures with my camera. I'll have to add more pictures and more about our Christmas Eve festivities and Christmas week when I get a hold of Joseph's camera ( and a little more time).

But a couple of funnies to record before I end.....

As we were getting things ready, we set up some foam pads for the kids to sleep on (I think dad ended up sleeping on it though). When our guests arrived Abby ran in and said, 'Come on you guys come and look at the head foams (we think she was thinking headphones) for us to sleep on!" Tonight she said, "Dad, I want the head foams in my room." We started laughing and she then called them the "bone heads", before she got it down that they were foam pads. She is a nut!

The kids have been referring to their Christmas stockings as "beanstalks." We have no clue where they got this, other than the "stalk" and "stock." ??????

While we were shopping with everyone at the Vacaville Outlets, the kids were hungry so I got them a Subway to share. Abby spilled some of her water on herself. She hates it when she or anyone else spills water on her. If I even touch her with wet hands she has to go change her clothes. Anyway, when I wasn't looking, she took off her rooskies and put them by the car heater to let them dry. We all went into Gap to find her some jeans. When we went to try them on, she couldn't because she didn't have her rooskies on so we watched Brynn try some clothes on. My mom and I were talking when all of the sudden Abby lifted up her skirt and started shaking her bare booty in the mirror to the music playing overhead. I was mortified! But at the same time, we couldn't help but laugh. This little girl has me in stitches daily!

Some memories I want to remember.....the purse "situation"....."Grandpa, how much were these french fries? I think you should take them back!" ....shopping....running....belting High School Musical into the karaoke....more shopping.....eating delicious food.....talking.....staying up way too late....watching reruns of the Office every night and laughing until we cried.....Abby's huge bump from trying to get off the tramp....BJ's Brewery and Grill....more shopping.....Abby's booty dancing.....talking one on one with my Dad.....talking with Mom and Emily....seeing my kids love and be loved by my parents.....seeing Joe get excited about the gourmet waffle iron from Mom and Dad....seeing Mom put the train together over and over again..... seeing Aaron take it apart again and again.....time to just be together, doing nothing but that! Thanks for everything!