Merry Christmas Eve

This year we were delighted to have a Secret Santa do the 12 days of Christmas for us. Every evening someone left a little treasure on our doorstep and the kids had so much fun finding it the next morning. This was the run down:
Oreos for dipping
2 scotch tapes
3 packs of gum
4 sharpies
5 chapsticks
6 koolaids
7 fruit roll ups
8 hot chocolates
9 glue sticks
10 ball point pens
11 apple ciders
12 sour candy canes
Then about 4 days ago, surprise surprise, someone ELSE started giving us secret santa gifts on our door step. One of which was a bag of tangerines and the "Christmas Oranges" story which me and the girls all too turns reading. We love that story, a great one about appreciation. This week off school has gone so quickly! The kids have really enjoyed their time off to play with friends and just play at home. They have been good sports about doing 20 minutes each of practicing, chores, reading, and excercise each day.

This week was full of activites. The week started off with Chad and Robin coming into town, and the kids having a movie night with their cousins and uncles. Wednesday was "GRANDMA SANDY's GRANDCHILDREN CHRISTMAS CRAFT PARTY" and I don't know what happened but I have lost all the pictures I took there which saddens me greatly because I had some really cute ones!!! Every December our dear Grandma Sandy used to have a Christmas party with her grandkids, and Aunt Wendy Snow has elected to carry on the tradition since Gma Sandy's passing. It is the greatest! Aunt Wendy had the kids paint big boxes full of Whoppers Candy, and glue reindeer heads and tails on them and attached this poem to the final product:
"Each Christmas Eve when Santa wiggles
Down the chimney to deliver cheer
Grandma Sandy would get such giggles
To find the gifts left by the reindeer.
'Waste not want not' was alwyas her theme
So she would hurry to find a scoop
For Grandma could make it even seem
It was a treat to get reindeer poop."
The backside is cut so that Whoppers come out where the Reindeer's bum would be.
After the craft cousins had fun playing "reindeer games" and "Boola Boola" and eating reindeer cupcakes. And then at the end a fun surprise...Santa visited! Austin Snow was a great sport and dressed up in the Grandma's Santa costume and looked absolutely fantastic! The kids exchanged presents and opened them. The kids have enjoyed having a neverending supply of reindeer poop (whoppers)ever since. It created great memories for the kids, and I hope they remember them forever because I don't have any pictures of it. :(

Jared's 34th birthday was Thursday the 22nd. Jared spent from 6 AM to 2:45 PM fishing up at Strawberry Reservoir. He caught 9 beauties, and brought 4 of them home for a fish fry. We went to TUCANOS with all the Schauers clan as we do every year and stuffed ourselves silly. Chad and Robin brought their kids over while we went out so we had more cousin time with Miles Morgan Megan and Mitchell. That evening we relaxed in the hot tub and enjoyed watching "A Christmas Story" and laughing at life's thrills and deflation of thrills.

Friday was more Schauers excitement. Jared worked at the office all day while the kids and I cooked and cleaned and prepared ourselves for the annual Schauers Progressive Dinner. Its usually on Christmas Eve but to accomodate Grandpa Neil and Chad and Robin we had it on the 23rd this year. We had appetizers at Wendy and Keith's, and the Snow kids did a funny Christmas skit for us, we then went to Justin and Shawna's for soup and Bailey and Shawna sang a pretty song for everyone, we then went to Aaron and Amy's for salad (my personal favorite!) and Lexi sand "Away in a Manger", and then we came to our house for roast beef, rolls, and Au Juice. Savanna played "Carol of the Bells" on her violin and sang "Sleigh Ride" and Fiora read a Christmas poem she wrote and sang "Santa Clause is Comin to town" and Weston played "Christmas Bells" on the piano and sang "holly jolly Christmas". Whew! It was a program to remember. We topped off the evening at Heidi and Lynn's house for dessert and some more fun games. Grandpa Neil and Bonnie brought many gifts and distributed them throughout the night. The kids got books and dolls and pillows, and I got a tea set from China and a hand painted fan! Also Bonnie gave everyone banana bread. Those gifts were unexpected and nice. It has been a very merry Schauers Christmas Week!

The kids are excited for Christmas tomorrow, but we still have a lot of celebrating to do with the Barretts before then...hopefully my camera will cooperate this time!

Fishermen

Jared and Justin Schauers, always looking for an hour or two to go fishing. They bought a little portable boat that can be docked just about anywhere and fits in the back of their trucks, and so far they have made good use of that purchase. Fishing makes life worth living for Jared. Remember that ABC4 interview I had last month? Well I asked Jared to come with me because I was a little terrified, but it happened to be the morning of the "maiden voyage" of their new boat, and when Jared told me that I knew I was 2nd in line of importance, and I could see the dread in his eyes if I insisted he come with me instead, so I braved it alone. He really has "the touch" and catches many fish most every time he goes. He always sends me these pictures too, so I thought I'd make use of a couple from his last trip to Strawberry and write a post.
Jared often gets glossed over on this blog but he is a wonderful dad and businessman and brother, and a pretty good husband too so he deserves mention. He took the time to escort his brother Chad home after a week of cancer treatments this last weekend, just so Chad didn't have to spend 7 hours alone in the car yet again. I can tell he is trying to adjust his parenting approach lately, and it melts my heart to see him keep his cool and try unfamiliar techniques. Jared is always willign to listen to the details of my day, and I love to sit in the hot tub with him and catch up on our busy days. He got us a big screen TV for Christmas and its been fun to spend long winter nights watching movies. Thanks for taking care of us so well Jared! We love you. You are a good CATCH!

Christmas in the air

Here is Weston on the air hockey table at Trafalga. I've failed to mention in previous posts that Jared got each of us a POAP this year (pass of all passes) so we often take the kids to Trafalga to entertain them during cold winter saturdays. The kids love the rock climbing wall, the 4D theater, lazer tag, and air hockey. They do not care for mini-golf, which is my favorite, so we have to make a few compromises when we go.



Last week Savanna had her very first orchestra concert. She has been a very good sport about playing with the elementary school orchestra, its twice as much practicing on top of her violin lessons and some of those songs are not that easy! I was able to be part of the "team" and accompany the orchestra so it was a fun concert for us both. Grandma Rappleye and Grandma Barrett and Karli were very kind to come watch and support us, thanks so much!!! Savanna did a great job.



Weston and Fiora have been participating in the school choir and had the opportunity to see at the Lindon City tree lighting ceremony. They had a great attitude about singing their Christmas songs in 20 degree weather! Weston was on the front row so he got to be in the newspaper because the above picture of the choir was on the front page of the daily herald. Again, Grandma and Grandpa Barrett and Grandma Rappleye very nobley and bravely came to watch the kids sing. A double thanks because it was COLD. I did feed them ham bone soup for their efforts.



Weston lost his first top tooth yesterday (oh dear, I don't have any more kids with only cute little baby teeth on top.) He twisted and pulled it out himself when I wasn't there, but left many bloodied paper towels in his wake for me to clean up so I could be a part of it. He was so funny trying to find a smile that would show his top teeth, his smile doesn't show his teeth very well. What a handsome and brave kid!



Jared was getting the mail one afternoon and he found this letter in the mailbox that said "To Santa." We opened it up and found that Fiora had taken it upon herself to write Santa so she can get what she REALLY wants this year. If only Santa could get kids everything they ever wanted. When Fiora does something so cute and funny as that, I'm surely tempted to get her SOMETHING on that list. Unfortunately I can't find a giant blue or pink teddy bear anywhere.