Christmas Day

What a fun Christmas day! And I even got dressed before the kids got up so no pink robe in these pictures. First thing we do is open the "Christmas Box" and read all the service we did or noticed each other doing as our gift to the Savior in the month of December. Then we do stockings and presents! This year the kids seemed to just appreciate everything more, there was no exclamation of "What else?" or "I wanted ___ not socks!" We took our time opening everything and Grandma and Granpa Schauers were here and Uncle Todd to participate in the fun. I will be sad when our kids are grown up too much to merit the Schauers presence on Christmas morning. We left the spoils around 10:30 and went up to Eagle Mountain to participate in more Christmas giving/recieving. It was a non-stop fun day, and we were all a little exhausted the next day. I think it is a perfect end to a really great year. We are so blessed.

One of the things the kids and I did for Grandparents this year was a calendar of pictures the kids made. I generated the months with pictures of family members on their respective birthdays on the computer, but the kids hand made the pictures for each month. Here are some of the pictures they drew for the calendar:








Jared and I were commenting on how the Christmases are all starting to run together, we couldn't remember one from the next. This is what I want to remember about this Christmas:
-working on Calendars for grandparents every Saturday in October and November
-the kids got water bottles just like Mom's in their stockings and loved them!
-Calendar for Uncle Todd too, and he loved it!
-the first year I obeyed Jared and did not buy him any Christmas gifts (he bought himself an ice fishing pole and auger
-luggage for the kids full of clothes for their "big" gift
-giving money to many people in need, at Jared's direction
-Secret Santa for a neighbor family
-the kids passing out treats for the neighbors
-our fiber-optic Christmas tree light bulb finally burning out
-all Fiora wanted was a glitter ball, 2 bucks
-Weston and his remote control car
-Savanna waking up first and dragging the other kids out of bed, and watching "A Christmas Story" until Dad got up
-The nativity at the Barretts
-Progressive dinner with Schauers on Christmas Eve, and my kids singing "Chocoloate in my Stocking" (Weston), "Up on the Housetop" (Fiora) "Away in a Manger" Savanna
-Singing "Peace Peace Peace" with Shawna Schauers
-No fighting all day!

The Nativity 2009

Savanna was Mary, Joseph was Joseph, Travis was baby Jesus, Fiora and Lucy were angels, Kayden, Trevan and Weston were shepherds, and I was the donkey. Everyone else was a choir. This very simple (we hurried through and didn't even do the wise men) and surprisingly smooth nativity recreation was a very fun for the kids. I included some pictures of Kynsie holding Holly's baby doll Sophie, she's only 6 days old here!


Also Savanna worked very hard this year in her school choir, she stayed late Thursdays and went early some Tuesdays. The end product was a Christmas concert in the mall and at school. She was an excellent singer and the cutest one in the whole bunch! Grandma and Grandpa Schauers and Grandma Barrett just happened to be in town when she sang at the mall so they got to see her perform, good job Savanna!

Jared is thirty something

Today is Jared's birthday! We love him. He has been a great example to me of being very generous this year. We celebrated at my parents on Sunday and Barretts sang the birthday medley of 7 songs to him, he requested his favorite brownie trifle for the second year in a row for a birthday cake, and received many nice gifts too! Today I made him a german pancakes with all the fixings breakfast and gave him a gift--6 pounds of pistacio nuts!! We had a fun lunch at Tucanos with the office folks and a few spouses (I was invited!). Then we topped the day off with a dollar-movie, Spaghetti with a chance of meatballs, which we all thought was very funny! Jared is at the Snow's watching the BYU Bowl game as I blog. Hopefully they will win and complete his very special day.

Ward Christmas Party

We had fun and the ward christmas party! They had the best looking Santa I have ever seen. The kids aggressively fought their way to the first of the line to sit on Santa's lap. They got a candy cane. Savanna sang "In the Shadow of the Temple" with the activity day girls. Fiora ran around saying hi to her friends. Weston refused to eat his potatos but he liked the turkey. I got to see my Westover friends one more time! Jared got full. And I enjoyed the brownie dessert.

Studying for finals

I am officially done with finals. Last night was the final final, at 8:00 PM. It was late, I was feeling very giggly while we were trying to study. I think I did well despite my tiredness. I was satisfied with all but one of the exams, and overall very pleased with the semester. Happy for a break now!



This is Maranda and Kim and I studying late last night, one is how we really feel and one is not. You guess.

Welcome Sophie!

Holly and Bill managed to have themselves a girl! We are way happy for them. Here is little Sophi and me, just one day old. The kids all took a turn holding her, briefly. Congratulations Holly and Bill!

Mom can have sugar now

My substance abuse class assignment to abstain from something I ingest that I love is over. Here I am opening the candy my kids wrapped up from Halloween and saved for me. It was harder on them than me I think. They didn't like the idea of having to be off sweets at all. I guess we've conditioned them as true North Americans, sugar's in everything in our culture.

Christmas is coming

If you look too closely at the tree you will notice that I let the kids decorate it this year. There are clumps, overlaps, loners, and gaps. I just want them to have good memories of decorating the tree, not of mom being analytical about it. Grandma Sandy sent us a wooden advent tree, you put lights on it to count down. We got to paint and glitter it ourselves! Weston believes adamantly in Santa Claus this year, he keeps asking me if I do too. But I just say "I believe in Jesus." We went to Walmart last week and saw a "Santa" there taking pictures with kids. Weston turned to me and said, "NOW do you believe in Santa?" I said no. "But we SAW him Mom!" I'm such a scrooge.



It's snowy and cold this week. Jared gets nervous when it gets below freezing because of all the properties he manages, he was complaining about the snow and Weston argued, "Snow isn't awful, snow is fun!" We spent some time outside having fun in the snow today.

Bye bye Westovers

You know that feeling when someone you can count on to talk to, exercise with, watch your kids, and serve each other decides to move away? That's how I feel this week. Our friends the Westovers are moving today. Shelene Westover is amazing, she has two kids my kids age and she and I swapped babysitting while she was working on Nursing school and I was doing prerequisites. She went to school, watched my kids, and all while being pregnant with twins! She is an inspiration. I just adore those twin girls. She has been my running partner for this semester so I feel like she has really helped me stay sane through school. They found a great house in Lehi and even let Jared be their realtor. I wish we could keep them around, good bye Westovers!

Holly's Baby Shower

I made a money tree for my sister holly for her 4th baby coming any day because she isn't knowing the gender until she/he is born. Food Games Family. It was fun!