Making Time and Space for Christ

We finally cleared off a spot to display our favorite nativity set.  It was embarrassing that it took so long.  Everyday I would look at the boxes in my living room and think to myself, "I've got to put that up today."  My excuse was that I needed a safe place to put it.  The place I had in mind (where it is in this picture, and as you can see, is hardly safe) was at the time filled with the gingerbread houses we decorated.  I threw those away in the middle of the month to make room for the nativity, but then it was time to get the Christmas cards ready to send out and they began to occupy this same spot.  

As this went on during the month I thought of how symbolic this was to my life sometimes.  Too often, I let other distractions and things that really aren't as important, get in the way of my time for spiritual matters.  I realized that I needed to make sacrifices to make space for Christ and the nativity in my home, and that I needed to make some sacrifices in my life to make time for Christ. 

This quote by Elder Henry B. Eyring touched me:

“We will have to make some hard choices of how we use our time. But there should never be a conscious choice to let the spiritual become secondary as a pattern in our lives. Never. …

“… When we put God’s purposes first, He will give us miracles. …

“… Those apparent prison walls of ‘not enough time’ will begin to recede, even as you are called to do more.”

Too often I let spiritual matters become secondary, just as I made my most important Christmas decoration secondary to other traditions.  The change won't come overnight, and I know it will take work, but it's choice that I know I need to make.  

Happy Birthday Abby!

Our sweet Abby turned 8 years old on December 19 at 2:31 p.m.  We are so happy to have Abby in our family.  She has been a delight since the day she was born.  Here are a few things that I LOVE about Abby.

*She NEVER forgets to say her prayers at night, and she likes to say them with her dad.  If she ever falls asleep watching a movie or in the car, and we take her to bed, it never fails, she comes to our room in the middle of the night to ask us to pray with her.  I am grateful that her faith is strong and that she values that relationship with her Heavenly Father and earthly father. 

*Abby is very inquisitive.

*Abby reads and comprehends well.  We are always amazed at the connections she makes during family scripture study.  She is rather rambunctious, but she always surprises us with the comments she makes.  

*I love Abby's long, slender, and muscular legs.  She has a very nice split/straddle that she likes to show us often.  When she's dancing, I love watching her leap through the air with her long legs.  

*Abby is a great worker!  She loves to help out around the house and has a great attitude when it comes time to work.  I like to remind the kids that if they can find joy in work, they will have a happy life.  Abby always reminds me that she finds great joy and satisfaction in work. :)

*Abby loves rituals.  Every morning she comes to give me a big hug and to receive her hand kiss.   If she forgets, she'll run back from the bus stop to give a hug and get a kissing hand.  

*Abby is a great conversationalist and is never at a loss for words.  She's fun to take places, because she always has something to talk about.  

*Abby loves celebrations.  She will find even the simplest event worthy of celebration.  I will never forget the year she told me how excited she was for our family's St. Patrick's Day Party.  I thought to myself, "What party?" Then I got busy planning. :)

There are so many things I love about Abby and I'm so happy to have her in my life!

She woke up early on her birthday to open up her presents.  She was excited and very grateful to receive the Kanani doll that she wanted and the Zoku ice pop makers she's been wanting for a couple of years now.  She expressed gratitude over and over throughout the day and said over and over that it was the best birthday she had ever had.  

We had to pick my parents up at the airport from their trip to Hawaii and then take them to the temple to see my cousin get married.  The kids and I walked through the Joseph Smith memorial building to look at Christmas decorations, then we went to Deseret Book where the kids all picked out a small prize.  Abby requested to have lunch at the Lion House Pantry.  It's one of her favorite places to eat and it was a wonderful coincidence that we happened to be near there on her birthday.  

That night Joseph's mom and my parents came to celebrate with us.  Abby chose strawberry cheesecake for her birthday treat this year.  Some of our children are pretty consistent with their choice in birthday treats, but Abby always has us guessing.  

Abby is very excited and looking forward to her baptism and confirmation on January 7, 2012.  

We love you Abby!  Happy Birthday!

Activity Days

I'm the activity day leader for our ward and I LOVE it!  It's been lots of fun.  I especially love that I get to be with my girls.  These are a couple of the activities we did in November and December.  In December we made "Service Snowflakes" with the idea that the girls would perform an act of service and leave these service snowflakes around their homes, encouraging the person who finds it to perform another act of service for someone else.  We had a short discussion about the importance of service before we assembled them.  I purchased the ribbon and snowflakes at Hobby Lobby and made up the poem to go along. 

In November we made Gratitude Journals.  We had a lesson on gratitude before we made them.  I encouraged the girls to write down 3 things they were grateful for everyday.  My friend Staci made the pink one.  She gave one to each of our friends at the end of law school.   It's always fun to write in, but also so meaningful to look back at the many blessings I have been grateful for the past 6 1/2 years.  I bought composition books from the dollar store, but later found nicer ones at Wal-Mart for a few cents cheaper.  I'll have to remember that for next time.  We covered them and then I made a page for instructions for them to place in the front of the book.

The Spirit of Christmas and the BEST eggs I've ever eaten!

One might wonder what a plate of eggs has to do with the Spirit of Christmas.  

We've tried pretty hard with our family to make sure our children understand the reason we celebrate Christmas, to commemorate Christ's birth.  We've told his birth story over and over.  We talk about his birth in Family Home Evenings, we make a special effort to visit nativity's that tell the story, we visit temple square, we've visited creche festivals, we've participated in Christmas concerts where hymns have been sung to tell the story of his birth, etc.

Last week I had the feeling that we had done a good job of teaching about the reason we celebrate Christmas, but I felt like our family lacked the application of it in our lives.  I heard lots of "I want....I want....I want....".  I heard lots of fighting among siblings.  Lots of yelling.  I felt like I had failed a little.  I wanted to hear more of , "I would like to give....." and I wanted to see more kindness among our children.

For Family Home Evening we talked about this.  We talked about what it means to have the Spirit of Christmas.  The kids did a great job telling us about what they knew about Christ's birth, but we had to explain to them, that it wasn't enough to know the reason we celebrate Christmas, we must apply that knowledge and ACT!

I shared excerpts of this article from the December 1974 New Era Magazine, entitled "The Spirit of Christmas."

The spirit of Christmas is something I would hope every young person would have in his heart and in his life, not only at this particular season but throughout the year....

...... I wonder if each might profit today by asking himself, what gift would God have me give to Him or to others at this precious season of the year?

May I answer that question and in all solemnity declare to you that our Heavenly Father desires each one of his children to render unto him a gift of obedience so all will actually love the Lord our God with all our hearts, all our minds, and all our strength. Then, I am sure, he will expect us to love our neighbors as ourselves.

Were the Lord here today, I would not be surprised if he would instruct us to give generously of ourselves and not to be selfish, nor greedy, nor contentious, nor quarrelsome, remembering His words recorded in 3 Nephi, when he said:

“And there shall be no disputations among you. …

“For verily, verily I say unto you, … contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who … stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.

“Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, … but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away.” (3 Ne. 11 :28–30.)

I plead with you to rid from your lives any spirit of contention, any spirit wherein we might view one another for the spoils of life, but rather that we might work with our brethren and with our sisters for the fruits of thegospel of Jesus Christ.

I trust we will not forget at this Christmas season the gratitude that must be within our hearts and that yearns to be expressed. I hope not one of us will take his birthright for granted. I hope no one will forget his mother or his father, but rather that each will honor father and honor mother. What finer Christmas gift could they receive than to know that a son or a daughter was honoring them by honoring God and living his commandments?

Once in Corpus Christi, Texas, a proud father came forward to me and slipped into my hand a letter from his son serving as a missionary in Australia. May I share this letter with you? It may suggest a format whereby you might express gratitude to your parents as a special and lasting Christmas gift this year. The letter reads:

“Dear Mom and Dad:

“I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for the many wonderful things you have done for me. I want to thank you for listening to the message the elders presented to you when they knocked at your door and thank you for the way you grasped the gospel and made it the mold by which you shaped your lives and the lives of your children. I love each of you very much.

“Thank you for the way you taught me, for your love which you expressed in many ways. Thank you for directing me in the right pathways, for showing me instead of forcing me. I am thankful for your beautiful testimonies and for the guiding love in which you helped me gain mine. I know the gospel is true. My few experiences here have strengthened my testimony. I pray that I might live up to your expectations, and with God’s help I will.

“Thank you again, Mom and Dad. “Your loving son, David”

What finer expression could a boy give his parents than the gift of gratitude?

I hope that in addition to the gift of gratitude that you bestow upon your parents, you will share this same gift with others of your loved ones—your brothers, your sisters, your relatives, your friends, those with whom you mingle and associate. They can benefit and be profited if you will give of yourselves in helping them to see the truth and to avoid the quicksands of life. Perhaps you may be the one able to light a spark in the lives of others and thus enable them to see their possibilities, rather than the problems that beset them day by day.

I would hope we would become experts in the field of human relations. Mr. Roger Woodruff, a great American industrialist, went from one end of this country to the other telling us how we might better get along with one another. He developed what he called a capsule course in human relations. He taught:

“The five most important words in the English language are these: I am proud of you.

“The four most important words in the English language are these: What is your opinion?

“The three most important words are: If you please.

“The two most important words are: Thank you.

“The least important word of all is: I.”

Isn’t that a part of the spirit of Christmas, really—to forget self and to think of others?

This message was exactly what our family needed to hear.  The girls looked at us a little sheepishly, I'm sure because of the guilt they felt from the fighting that had taken place earlier.  

I hope that we can think outside ourselves enough to really give in a meaningful way to others.   We're helping with a Secret Santa this year, and it's been really good to see the kids get excited about that.  I really want the kids to think about others before themselves, but I feel strongly that it needs to start within our family.  Sometimes it's easier to do something big for someone that you don't live with or even know very well, but doing the small, simple things every day, to and for those you live with, who know your weaknesses and vulnerabilities, well that can be hard!  

Anyway, so what do eggs have to do with it?  Well, the morning after we had this Family Home Evening lesson, I came home from working out at the gym to find Brynn cooking eggs.  I said, "Oh, are you making your breakfast?"  She replied, "No, I'm making them for you."  They were the best eggs I've ever eaten.  Something is sinking in.

Sandy Health and Rehab Christmas Party

Joseph held his Christmas Party for his employees at the Southtowne Expo Center this year.  We had a busy week and I wasn't sure I was going to make it.  Brynn and Abby's choir performed with Alex Boye earlier that day and had another performance that night.  I was supposed to volunteer backstage and I had to figure out what to do with the boys.  There were too many things working against us.  BUT, a few phone calls and last minute changes made everything come together and we were able to attend together.  I coordinated to help out with the concert in another way.  Shawny went to the concert and brought the girls home and Casey and Melissa babysat the boys.  It was a fun night.  

He did a great job and his staff seemed to enjoy themselves. They had a dinner, raffled prizes and had a dance.  He also had a catered meal from Goodwood for the 25 people who had to work that night.  He has a total of 148 staff and I think that including spouses he had about 100 that attended. Hopefully we'll get more to come out next year.  It was a fun night.  As usual he was an animal on the dance floor.  We both had some fun.  We've decided people need to dance more in life.   I've been awful with the camera lately, so the only pictures are from my iphone.

Temple Square

We took our much anticipated trip to Temple Square on Friday night.  Because of the boys fascination with trains, we decided to meet Joseph at work and ride TRAX up to Temple Square.  They thought this was a special treat!  We are always amazed at the spirit we feel while there.  Christmas time at Temple Square is especially magical.  I am so grateful for the experiences we have had this Christmas season to help us remember the Savior.  

Alpine Living Nativity

We had an amazing experience for Family Home Evening this past week.  Driving around town I've noticed a banner advertising the Alpine Living Nativity.  I took note, thinking, "We should go to that." We are always trying to look for opportunities to reflect on the reason we celebrate Christmas.  This happened to be a perfect opportunity.  I didn't get any pictures that are a true reflection of how amazing this experience was, but those moments that meant the most were almost too special to pull out the camera.

Luckily I had heard that we needed to dress warm.  We all wore snow clothes, complete with hats, boots and gloves.  I even wore my wool long johns under my jeans.  We were so grateful that we were prepared for the cold.


You start out parking in a church parking lot and then standing in a line to wait to ride on hay in a horse trailer up to where the nativity was.  Once we got there, we sort of expected to just sit and watch someone read the story from Luke Chapter 2, while some people acted out the nativity, but it was much more than that.


When we arrived, we were greeted by some shepherds who talked to us briefly about the story of the Savior's birth. There were barrels of fire for people to stand around to keep warm as we made our way to see the baby Jesus.  I became choked up and touched from this point on.  One of the shepherds explained to all of us what we would do.  They then told us that the culminating event was to see the baby Jesus in the stable.  They explained that the baby Jesus was a real baby, not a doll.  He asked all of us why we thought it was important that baby Jesus was real.  He looked at Aaron and in the sweetest voice Aaron said to him, "Because Jesus is weal."  We made our way up the hill.  On our way up we saw goats, sheep, shepherds, camels, a donkey, a Mary (with child in womb) and Joseph.  We also saw a Roman Soldier on a horse.  Each told their part of the Christmas story. 


Inside the barn, they had set it up like a Bethlehem market street. We were greeted at the city gates by wise men.  A carpenter and blacksmith were working on their trade, there were pottery makers, weavers, bakers, shepherds with their sheep, live camels for the kids to feed, and many sights and sounds from the time thousands of years ago when Jesus was born.  


As we left the market place we followed the star to where the baby Jesus lay in the manger.  I expected to hear music playing as we culminated the experience.  There were carolers singing outside of the barn where the baby Jesus was, but as we entered the barn there was a silence and stillness.  It was a stark contrast from what we heard inside the market with people bustling about.  As we entered the barn, Aaron held my hand, looked up and said, "Mom do I get to see Jesus?"  The way he said it was filled with such a great desire to be able to see the Savior.   It was so tender.  I explained to him and reminded him that Jesus is real, that he is living, and that he is an adult now, but that this was a baby that they were pretending was Jesus.  There was such a powerful spirit as we entered the barn to find Mary and Joseph looking down and adoring their newborn babe.  They baby was sweet and pure and happy.  We kneeled around and peeked at the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in the manger.  I couldn't believe the silence.  Even my two very rowdy and lively boys were still.  We were all very touched.  At first when we left, I thought that would have been nice to have music playing at the manger scene.  Then I thought about that night so long ago and the silence, stillness and peace there must have been that night and I realized that the silence was most appropriate. 


We felt such a powerful spirit that night.  We hope to carry on this tradition with our family.  It was a great way to learn about and reflect on the birth of our Savior.  

A Winter Wonderland in Fairview

We attended Kyrie's baptism in Fairview at the beginning of December and we were surprised to see a fresh blanket of snow.  We don't have any snow on the ground in Highland right now.  Isaac loved it and took a roll in the snow before we left.  The only way to get the snow off of his herringbone pants was to let it melt!

A Twist in Our Plan

A few weeks ago we had plan to attend "Festival of Trees" at the Southtowne Expo Center.  We traveled to Sandy and visited a few stores before we went.  As we got out of the car I realized that I had left my purse at home.  This wouldn't have been a big deal except for the fact that "Festival of Trees" only accepts cash and checks.  Joseph had his wallet, but he only carries cards in his wallet.  I carry the cash and the checks.  I hoped he had placed his debit card in his wallet so we could go to the ATM, but alas no, he didn't have that either.  We decided to go out to eat at  Cafe Rio and then to Joseph's building for a visit.  I've been a couple of times with Isaac, but the kids in school had never been.  

We walked around each hallway and looked at his "Festival of Trees."  He has 9 or 10 trees throughout his building.  The highlight of the night was when he showed the kids the therapy gym and therapy pool.  It was hard keeping them from jumping in.  We turned to see Isaac taking of his shoes and socks and starting to get his shirt and pants off.  It was so funny!  In the therapy gym, they enjoyed running up and down the "bridge" steps, throwing balls and scooting themselves on the round wheeled chairs all across the gym.  Our disappointment from not being able to attend "Festival of Trees" was soon swallowed up in the joy we felt from meeting his night staff, visiting with some of his short-term and long-term patients, getting treats from his office, and of course visiting the therapy gym.  It was a great Friday night!

If you or anyone you know in the Salt Lake Valley, need inpatient or outpatient physical therapy, send them to Sandy Health and Rehab.  

The Nutcracker

We've really missed having the girls perform in The Nutcracker this year.  As crazy as it made our Christmas season last year, it was a great memory.  Their ballet school doesn't do a Nutcracker, but it's a whole 6 blocks away takes about 6 minutes to get there and back.  It's a far cry from the 35-40 minutes we traveled to and from dance in San Diego County.  There are definitely trade-offs.

 We were trying to decide which Nutcracker to attend this year.  There are a few at the Covey Center in Provo and the one at Capitol Theater in Salt Lake.  When we started talking about going, Isaac wouldn't stop asking about it.  For about a week, everyday he would say, "We going to Nutcracker today Mom?"   Well our wish to attend the Nutcracker came, but in an unexpected way.  Mom called me one Thursday afternoon to tell me that her sister Mary had extra tickets to the Nutcracker at Capitol Theater in Salt Lake.  We LOVED it!  We had to spell out where we were going to Isaac couldn't tell.  We knew he would be devastated to find out we were going without him. Such a fun memory and a tradition we hope to keep.  

Gingerbread Houses

We kicked off this season with the decorating of Gingerbread Houses.  Every year I swear that we won't make them the next because it's such a messy project!  It's a mess to make them, and I feel like I'm cleaning up coconut and tiny candies for days to come.  My boys were found nibbling on them for about a week.  I finally threw away the remnants a couple of days ago, and who knows, the memory might be fading enough to do them again next year.

Thanksgiving with the Vest's 2011

Thanksgiving 2011 was spent with the Vest Family. We anticipated this event all year long because Grandma and Grandpa gave us the assignment early on in the year to memorize "The Living Christ" as a family to kick off the Christmas Season.

We enjoyed a yummy dinner with contributions from everyone. Mom and Dad did the turkey, vegetables, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sauce and stuffed mushrooms. Scott and Annette made the mashed potatoes. Chad and Jenn brought the cranberry fruit salad. We brought the sweet potatoes and Cornucopia Salad. Wade and Sara did the rolls. Stephen and Emily did the Vegetables in a Cloud. We all brought pies. I think there were enough pies for each person to eat their own. :)

Dinner was amazing. I LOVE Thanksgiving Dinner. All of flavors come together so well. I love when we each get to contribute something to a meal. Sara did something fun with the rolls this year. The night before Thanksgiving she asked us all to name something we were thankful for. She wrote them on strips of paper and then placed them inside of the rolls. When we ate our roll on Thanksgiving we had to guess who said what. Most of us without a major sense of humor told of serious things, but there are a few who told of serious things they were thankful for, but in a funny roundabout way.

After dinner was over, the women cleaned up the kitchen while the men took the kids to the park. We had pie and then we gathered together to have a kick-off to the Christmas season. My mom asked each family way back in January or February to memorize parts of "The Living Christ." We couldn't put up a fit about having our family memorize a couple of paragraphs because she memorized the whole thing by herself. I think she memorized "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" too, but I could be wrong. Anyway, she's ambitious. It really was a neat experience. My parents ended together and were very emotional as they said their part....

"We testify that He will someday return to earth. "And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together" (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son."

We ended with each family telling a story from the scriptures about the Savior's life.

I love my family. I love my immediate family with my husband and children and I love my parents, siblings, their spouses, and their children. We all have such different personalities, struggles/challenges, interests, and talents. There are things I love differently about each of them. I am grateful for their sense of humor to help lighten me up when I get a little to serious about life. I am also grateful for their dedication to the Gospel and the desire to do what's right. They inspire me and are excellent examples to me. None of us are perfect, but I believe that each of us are really trying to do our best.