Merry Christmas 2014!

Merry Christmas!!! I can't believe in another week it will be 2015! Where did this year go? Well we got our Christmas wish! It snowed!! We woke up to a beautiful winter wonderland...and it kept snowing all day! In fact, Jeff spent most of the morning plowing the street and our neighbors driveways. It made for a beautiful Christmas.

Since Laurin was working today, the kids decided to wait until she got home that night to open the majority of their gifts. It actually turned out to be a very pleasant Christmas. I was worried that the kids would be whining all day that they wanted to open their gifts, but they didn't. They did get to open their stockings and a few strategic gifts to keep them entertained. Because we were waiting for Laurin, the kids decided to have breakfast first before they opened anything. We did our traditional waffle bar! I think this is more dessert than breakfast, but hey, it's Christmas!

After breakfast, the kids opened their stockings and a few gifts. The boys got new snow gear (their old gear was a little tight on them) and we got a new Wii game and a couple DVDs from my parents to keep us entertained throughout the day.

Finally, Laurin made it safely back home (we were a little worried with all the snow) and everyone was able to open the rest of the gifts. From Jeff, I received a some new appliances, the movie Maleficent, a hand warmer, and some new plates. I got Jeff some new boots, these Chris Peterson knives he's been wanting (supposedly they're some of the best knives in the world because of how he makes them), and I made him a scrapbook chronicling our courtship, wedding and honeymoon. I actually let him open that gift after the kids went to bed last night. It was fun reminiscing about our miraculous beginnings. He truly is my best friend. I know we have our moments of frustration where one or the both of us don't necessarily handle the argument well, but we always work it out. We become stronger because of it. We learn more about each other that allows our love to grow. He has been the best gift I have ever received. I will have to work hard my whole life to show him that. I sincerely hope everyone has had a Merry Christmas. I hope we've all been able to reflect on the life of the Man who saved us all. I hope we can carry His spirit with us the whole year through. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve!

Today was not at all what I expected it to be. Jeff and I had planned a fun day with the kids. We had activities planned from morning until we opened our Christmas jammies that night. The day started off normal enough. We took the kids to lunch then to see the new movie Annie.

During the movie, Jeff received a text that threw our day off. Daisy, our jersey cow, finally had her calf! We had been waiting for days. In fact, we had days where we had plenty of time to deal with this, but today, when we had so much planned, was the day Daisy decided to deliver. Jeff left half-way through the movie because our neighbor (who luckily noticed the birth) said that he felt the calf was struggling. The rest of us stayed to finish the movie then rushed home to see the new addition. The calf seemed to be in a bit of shock. He wasn't moving much. In fact, he didn't stand on his own for a couple days. This is our first time with all of this so we were all pretty anxious that the calf eat. Jeff tried to milk Daisy, but that was an adventure in and of itself. Needless to say, we (and by "we" I really mean Jeff) had a learning curve ahead of us! Still, Jeff stuck with it and the calf has done really well in the days since. I love my husband. I love that he has a desire to learn these skills. I can't say that it is something I've been overly interested in; yet his desire and determination has inspired me to try new skills as well. For better or worse, it is hard for me to try new things. I don't handle failure or frustration very well, but if I never try, I'll never know.

Well we still tried to maintain our Christmas Eve traditions, even with the chaos of the new calf. While Jeff was working with the calf, the kids, Grandma Penny, Katie and I set out our luminaries. This was the warmest year yet! In fact, there wasn't any snow on the ground. It has been a "warm" December and, although I hate to admit it, I was a little disappointed that we may not have a white Christmas. 

After we lit the luminaries, I busied myself with preparing our traditional "Bethlehem" dinner (eating foods that can be found in the Bible...with a few modern additions) while the kids went out to see if they could help Jeff with the calf. Finally, everyone came in to eat. 

It was later than we had planned it to be, but we still read the Christmas story in Luke 2. It was a short and simple Christmas Eve devotional this year, but I think it has been the best. I know I've heard this story for many years, but it helps me to reflect on that first Christmas...and the first gift of Christmas - love! (John 3:16) Finally, the kids were able to open their Christmas jammies.

After that, I was ready to shoo the kids off to their bedrooms so Santa could come fill their stockings, but Jeff had another little surprise. He had me open a gift he had bought for me...that benefited the whole family. Chinese wishing lanterns! I loved it! We all got to write a wish we wanted for the New Year then we lit the little candles and watched them float away. 

Now we were ready to send the kids off to bed. Actually, Laurin had to go back to Ogden because she had to work the next day. The boys went down stairs to settle into their fort. Each year, they've built a fort to spend the night in on Christmas Eve. The boys actually built this fort on Sunday and made improvements to it all week long. It has been their biggest one yet!

Once the kids were all "nestled in bed", Santa was able to come and fill their stockings. Even though Daisy threw a curve ball, we still enjoyed our chaotic Christmas Eve. 

12 Days of Service: Day 12

Just like last year, our last day of service was to provide silent acts of service in the home. I have to admit, I'm not sure we did as well at this one as we did last year. It seems everyone gets so wrapped up in the busy-ness of their lives that we forget to serve the people who matter most. I was pleased to see the boys make efforts, but I wondered how much more effort we could really make. I know I definitely have room to grow in this area as well. Sure I pick up after the kids, do the laundry, cook, clean, run them to their sports activities, etc., but do I really serve them with love? Do I show them the respect I try to teach them to show to others? Or do I take my grouchy moods out on them? Do I truly practice what I preach? And, if not, what am I teaching them? Sometimes I think these days of service benefit me more than they benefit others. I am far from perfect. I have ample room to grow. I need to try a little harder to be a little better. I need to show love and service to those I love the most. I hope that as I do so, I can be a true example of what it means to serve with love.

12 Days of Service: Day 11

I can't believe we're only a couple days away from Christmas! I know I've said this before, but it comes quicker and quicker each year. Today we were lucky enough to have all the kids home (including Laurin) to help with our service activity. It has been nice to have everyone around and to not have sports activities or school functions to attend. Today's service was delivering gifts to our friends and neighbors. There are always so many we want to give so we have to find gifts that are economical but fun. This year we decided to give out wrapping paper. We encouraged people to get "wrapped up" in the true meaning of Christmas. Since we did have so many to deliver, we split up. I took the boys (and my niece Kaia who was hanging out with us) and Jeff took the girls. The boys insisted it was a race so, at times, Dallin would sprint down the streets to deliver some wrapping paper while I drove Danny and Kaia up to other houses on the street. Needless to say, Dallin was a bit tired after we were through (those streets aren't little and the houses aren't close together!), but we did "win". My silly boys and their constant need for competition! It was a fun night!

12 Days of Service: Day 10

It is the Sunday before Christmas! I can't believe it! It has come so quickly...after so much anticipation. I have to admit that it doesn't really feel like Christmas though. There's no snow! Now growing up in AZ this wouldn't be surprising, but for the past two Christmases I have kind of gotten used to having the ground blanketed in white. I guess I should be grateful for the warmer weather, but I'm still worried what January will bring. Anyways, even though we haven't had snow, we have had rain. We woke up to a rainy, cold morning. Luckily today's service activity was easily completed in the home - writing letters to the missionaries in our church congregation. We have several individuals serving full time missions for our church in various parts of the world. Each of us chose a specific missionary and wrote a nice Christmas letter. I remember serving a mission...and I remember how much I loved to receive letters. They were my lifeline to home. It didn't matter who they were from, they were always a welcome surprise. It's crazy to think that in a year from now our little family could have a missionary out in the field. Laurin is poised to leave next fall...and Amber the fall after that. Letters will be our link to them as much as they are a link for them to us.

12 Days of Service: Day 9

Today was another family service favorite - leaving candy canes on the cars in the parking lot at the hospital! It is always fun to hear the kids imagine what the people may be going through or how the candy cane will effect them. The boys quickly worked through the parking lot before anyone came out to his/her car. We didn't really get to see anyone receive their candy cane, but we were happy to bring a little Christmas joy to the people there that day.

After we left the parking lot, we had another opportunity to serve. We grabbed lunch before heading over to Krystle's house to help her and Jordan (and Nolan) pack up the Pod that would be delivered to Houston. I'm still so sad to think that in a couple weeks they will be in Texas. It has been nice to have one sister close to me...now they're both in different states. Still, I'm excited for their new adventure. Because I was charged with watching a very active one-year-old, I didn't get the chance to take many pictures, but I had to take at least this one. Dallin was the little monkey boy in the Pod. He was small enough yet strong enough to stand in the back of the Pod and strategically place the boxes and other items as they came. I was actually a little worried that everything would fit, but it did! We were there for only a couple hours. It was a quick move...and we were grateful to help out! It was a great day of service!

Fun Christmas activities!

Today was a day full of Christmas fun...for me anyways. This was the last day of school before the holiday break so Danny's class had a little Christmas party and I was invited to help out. Danny's brave teacher decided to let the kids make graham cracker "gingerbread" houses. I say "brave" not only because of the mess that was inevitable, but also because of the sugar rush that would follow! Still the kids had a blast. Danny was quite methodical in his construction and decoration.  I was actually impressed with his final product. The rest of the afternoon they spent watching Christmas movies, reading Christmas stories, and having hot cocoa and donuts while in their pajamas. Oh to be a kid again!

That evening, after our service activity, Jeff and I dropped the boys at home and actually got to have a date! It has been a few weeks since we've been able to have a Friday night date. I knew I missed them, but I didn't realize how much until I was alone with Jeff enjoying an evening as husband and wife....that didn't involve errands for the kids or other obligations that we worked into our "date" night. I am a firm believer of the importance of a continual courtship even after marriage. I know our family situation is a little different because I married into an already existing family, but I think for anyone...even young newlyweds without any kids. It's just important to always remember the one you chose to love and to continue to kindle that flame. In any case, we received a gift card to Brick Oven so we went to dinner there before heading to the Hale Center Theater in Orem to watch A Christmas Carol. I love this production! I love the moral it portrays and the reminder it is that the most important things are the people we come in contact with - family, friends, neighbors, strangers. We are truly God's hands of heaven on earth. He needs us to love others...not only during Christmas but all year through! It was the perfect date night with my perfect date. I love you Jeff!