Weekly Wrap-Up

Monday-It was so hard to go to bed Sunday night and get up early on Monday since Chirstmas vacation was over. Don left for Atlanta. We did FHE on Sunday night so that he could be here. We have implemented a new rule. Along with the no playing with friends we have decided that Monday will be No TV Monday in attempt to eliminate 1 non-essential thing from our lives. Connor and I did homeschool and started a new BYu independent study history class. We are also reading the John Byetheway book on Honoring the Priesthood and a book about Daniel Boone.
Tuesday the kids had Karate and I helped in Cayden's class.
Wednesday-Cody stayed home sick and Don came home from Atlanta late. Connor went to his last time of 11-year old scouts. I made a huge pan of Baked Ziti and homemade rolls and monkey bread with all the necessary ingredients courtesy of my mom for Christmas-thanks mom.
Thursday-Cody was sick again and stayed home. Caleb and I went to scouts. I have not slept worth a dang all week partly from the 2 weeks of staying up late and getting up late and then with Don being gone. Caleb went on a field trip to see the Las Vegas Philharmonic. He was supposed to wear nice clothes-ie slacks and a nice shirt and so we got those out Wednesday night. Thursday morning he had gotten up a little earlier and put on his suit with a tie. When Don got back from taking hiim and Cayden to school he said that he watched the other kids walk into Caleb's classroom and most of them were still in jeans and t-shirts. A few were in slacks but Caleb was slightly over dressed. Don and I decided that the jacket and tie would not last all day and would be in the backpack when he got home. We were correct. Thursday night I got a phone call from one of Cody's girl friends wanting to reserve him for January 24 for the Reverse dance. She knew that Cody would be 16 by then so she wanted to make sure she got him first. I said that it would be ok and then she wondered if she could come over "ask" him. She and her friend came over after dark and and made chalk outlines of "bodies" and wrapped caution tape all around the yard. Then she taped a sign to the front door that said "Cody, I will just "die" if you won't go to Reverse with me" Cody was asleep in his room the whole time and Connor and Caleb were in the backyard when the girls came over. Cody had no idea anything was going on and Connor and Caleb were freaking out because "someone was in the garage". We had to tell them to hush and just wait because it was a surprise for Cody. They were about as excited as Christmas morning. When the girls got done they ding dong ditched us to let us know and then we sent Cody to the door to see. He was shocked! The girls were waiting across the street in the dark and ran over after a minute of watching Cody. Cody is currently trying to figure out a way to answer her. I am not sure that I am ready for this yet.




Friday-Cody really wanted to stay home again but 3 days in a row is not a good idea with 5 honors classes. Connor and I did homeschool again. I finally had a breakthrough. When we read Daniel Boone I read and he gets to be Dainel Boone and act out what the story is saying. He can't hardly sit still so at least this way he has to listen to understand what to act out. Maybe it will work. I love Fridays. We didn't do much. I felt like I had the flu on and off this week-mostly on especially Friday. I did nothing the rest of the day and the kids just messed around.
Saturday was major yard clean up day. We cleaned up the back yard and cleaned out the garage and storage room and washed the car that had been cleaned since we went to Utah. The kids worked hard even though they complained and fussed and fought the whole time. It is so much fun being a parent. I made broccoli cheese soup and more rolls and more monkey bread.
Sunday-Today was Connor's birthday. He woke up bouncing off the walls. He got to choose breakfast and dinner. He wanted to have biscuits and gravy for breakfast and grandpa's chicken spaghetti for dinner (I made it though). We made him wait until after dinner when we grandma, grandpa, Aunt Dena and Laura came over for cake and ice cream. He wanted a Skor cake which ended up being Butterfinger cake because we had no Skor candy bars. We sang to him and let him blow out the candles. Then he got to open his gifts. He got a pair of binoculars and some new white shirts for church from us as well as an IOU for a new bed set and some posters that were ordered 10 days ago but did not get here yet. He also got some moola from grandma and grandpa and an Itunes card and a new zip tie and a tie tack from Aunt Dena. The gift of the evening was the new cell phone. We put it in a box and then in a bag. As he was reaching into the bag Don said "Now Connor I have to tell you something really important." It got really quiet as everyone turned to listen to Don. As Don was saying that he was dialing Connor's new cell phone number and the phone began to ring. Noone knew what is was and Connor as soon as Connor figured it out he went nuts! He was whooping and hollering and he jumped out of the chair and ran around the couch to the family room ecstatic. It was pretty funny and Don got it all on tape. It was a quick celebration as Connor and Don had to go to the Priesthood Preveiw meeting.

We have had to improvise with the candles the last few birthdays because I have forgotten to buy candles. We used a 6 and a 5 and 1 regular candle to make 12.
Connor had to sing with his class Called to Serve and of course he sang it with gusto. The other boys sang with their heads down and like most 11 year old boys. That is one of Connor's favorite songs and he sings it like he means it.
Cody had his interview today for his birthday next Friday and he was sustained in church to the office a priest. Connor will have his interview next week and and will be sustained then. Both boys will be ordained that Sunday after Sacrament meeting. In case any of you are wondering Cody will not be getting his liscense or a car for hs birthday. You have to have a permit for 6 months here in Nevada and he has only had it for 3-not for the lack of me trying to get him to do it but he just is not overly concerned about it just yet. He can get his liscense at the end of March assuming he gets all his drive time in which is 40 hours worth. It might take longer as he has driven for all of 20 minutes in the last 3 months and that is not for the lack of trying there either. We ask him all the time if he wants to drive and even Grandma Dottie has called to tell him that she wants to take him but he declines every time. Oh well just keep on saving me on car insurance!
December and January just kill us! My birthday, Christmas, Connor's birthday, Cody's birthday and then Cayden's birthday on February 6 does not make for a very thrifty month. Come February 7 there will be a moratorium on spending-oh wait we are going to Disneyland, then Provo for Owen's blessing and then Don and I are going somewhere nice for our anniversary. Hmm I wonder what April is looking like. Curse you Easter Bunny!

While You Were Not Sleeping

So I am not sleeping at the moment and you must be thinking that it really is not that late but I have tried to go to sleep earlier the last few days because we have been being such lazy bums over the Christmas break and I have been so tired the last few days. **Important Info-Lortab is not stronger than Dr. Pepper-what? you thought I gave it up for New Year's?-nope not on my resolutions list. I have had a headache for 2 days and my neck started giving me trouble AGAIN so I have been taking Advil and Tylenol on and off all day and then finally broke down and had a Dr. Pepper at 6:00. You would think that it would be out of my system by now especially because I took a Lortab for my neck and headache at 9:30 but alas I am still awake. Don is in Atlanta which just compounds matters-stress, single parenting, lack of sleep, etc. So you may be wondering what I have been doing for the last 2 hours since my kids went to bed.
1. I have updated my Good Reads list-even going to my bookshelves and looking at all the books that I have read this past year and the ones that I have purchased to read-wow! I need to stop buying books.
2. I have wasted a few minutes on Facebook but not much-I really don't like Facebook-I feel like a snoop.
3. Ordered a few books from my local library as well as a few seasons of CSI NY and Bones.
4. Flipped channels
5. Watched the news twice
6. Blog hopped
7. Checked my email twice
8. Looked at the KSl site twice just in case anything changed in the last 2 hours.
What are the things that I could be doing but would rather waste time online?
1. Read one of my many books that I recently realized that I have.
2. Laundry-it's never ending
3. Shred a large pile of documents from the files that I cleaned out last night.
4. Clean one of the many areas that I made a list of yesterday.
5. Dust my shoes
6. Watch one of the 3 movies from Netflix that I have had for 2 months
7. Make a list of the lists I need to make
What a dilemna-are you bored with this post yet? Well let me humor you with a little story about what not to do.
Speaking of the shredding of documents-Last night I decided that I was going to go through my filing cabinet because I am running out of room and it is time to make the 2009 files and move the 2008 folders down. In order to that I needed to through the pile of receipts and bills and checkbooks and medical records that date back to 2006. (Is there a pill for OCD?) The to-be-shredded pile got quite large so I enlisted the help of the kids in shredding this stuff. We overheated the shredder twice and had to wait for it to cool down. We filled 1 black garbage bag with all the shreds. After the second overheat I decided to quit before I blew the whole thing up. I told Connor to take the bag of shreds outside to the garbage-mistake #1. Instead of going directly to the garbage cans he took a detour to Caleb's room to show him. Caleb had taken a shower and was getting out. Well if you know my kids you will know that they do not even attempt to dry off even a little when they get out of the tub but instead like to get out, then grab their towel. Sometimes they bypass the towel all together and just start putting on their clothes soaking wet. Occasionally they do get the towel off the hook so that they can throw it on the floor. In order to get their towel, they have to reach around the corner into the other part of the bathroom. Occasionally they happen to glance in the mirror and make the discovery that dancing in front of the mirror naked is much more entertaining than just regular dancing. Even better than that is dancing naked in front of the mirror when you are soaking wet because the water flies off of you and onto the mirror making really cool designs. Sorry I digress-back to the story. So Connor goes in bathroom and shows Caleb the big bag of shreds. He tells Caleb that it is really heavy and so Caleb decides that he has to test his incredible muscles He goes to pick up the bag to see how heavy it actually is. At that very moment-the stars were perfectly aligned and my guardian angel was out for coffee-Connor reaches up from underneath and flips the bag upside down. Can you guess what happens next? 1 black garbage upended with a billion little pieces of shredded paper dumped out on the the wet bathroom floor. I was so mad-mistake #2. I should have taken a picture but it was such a wet horrible mess I grabbed the vacuum instead-mistake #3 Since I was in my office when the disaster happened the boys had to walk all across the house to tell me. Keep in mind that Caleb is still wet, wrapped in a towel (you did not think that he would dart through the house buck naked did you?) and the static in the air thought it would be fun to join the party and attacked Connor's clothes and socks so plenty of those happy little pieces were stuck all over him-well now they are all over the house. Not a happy moment and not my best entry for mother of the year. Note to self-find a pill for OCD and just burn the stinking stuff next time (without the help of the kids).I think that I am staring to get tired so I bid you stalkers all farewell. This blogging thing is much cheaper than a therapist!

Ok so I just reread my post from last night and realized that the Lortab must have been doing something because some of my thoughts and sentences were slightly incoherent and my spelling was awful-I know that I reread it before I posted it but obviously not with my brain on full power. I guess I should seriously not not drive while on Lortab. DUI is much worse than BUI-Blogging under the influence.

December to Remember Part 2 or Happy New Baby

We left for Provo Saturday morning after hurrying to pack everything we own and straighten the house. We stopped in Mesquite for lunch and drove straight through to the Kolob exit so that we could throw out the trash so mom did not barf-must have been leftover sickness from Friday. After an uneventful drive-thank goodness-we arrived in Orem at just the right time to meet all of my family at Chuck-A-Rama. This family meal was paid for by Mawmaw as her gift to all the adult grandkids. She has decided that this will be a new tradition. Works for me. All of my siblings and their spouses and kids were there except Laurel who lives in Albuquerque and all of my Aunt Pam's kids were there except for David who is on a mission. If I can count right I think that there were 32 of us. So much easier than buying gifts for 12 grandkids and 8 spouses. After dinner we went to my mom's house, opened gifts for that side of the family and had our Second Annual Christmas Jeopardy Showdown. After an hour of tense competition Caleb and Don took home the coveted Gnomeholio that has adorned my brother's mantle since last year when he wagered a hand to answer the Final Jeopardy question. He was the only one who got it right regardless of his wager. This time he wagered "your mom" and all his money and he lost. Caleb and Don did not have the absolute correct answer but made an actual wager that still left them with the most moola at the end of the game. On Sunday we went to church, came back and took a nap while watching 3 hours of the weather channel while Comast got the cable working again and then had a yummy dinner of roast and mashed potatoes with the family again. After dinner we played Mad Gab-possibly a new family favorite and watched something that I can't remember. Monday we went shopping and to see Bedtime Stories-pretty cute and pretty short :) Don and Connor and my brother Chris went to a Jazz Game that I gave Don tickets for for Christmas while Caleb, Calley and I went shopping again. Caleb wanted to shop for clothes more than go to a Jazz game. Tuesday we went to Burger Supreme and then Tales of Despereaux. Don and me and Chris and Anne went to Yes Man-don't bother it was nasty- and then to Olive Garden while my mom graciously watched the kids. Our plan was to go home on Wednesday so we went back and got things mostly packed so that we could just get up and load on Wednesday morning. Well at 9:00am my sister called and said that she thought that she was in labor. She went to the doctor who told her to go home and wait because she was not for enough along to go to the hospital yet. At 11:00 my mom and I went out to her house and got Abby so that she would not drive her mama nuts while her mama laid on the couch counting contractions. We took Abby home and played with her all afternoon. Suzanna went to the hospital at 2pm and Owen Ryan Pitts was born at 8:02pm that night. Don and I took Abby out to see her new baby brother who she thought should be named Tigger incidentally. We had to wait for a bit while the nurse did all those normal tests on Owen before we got to see him. She kept him an exra long time we thought but she said that he was breathing pretty hard so she wanted to watch him. Hmm maybe it had something to do with the fact that he was screaming his head off because he was sprawled mostly naked on a hard table being poked and prodded while his mommy was in another room far away from him. She watched him for a bit and then decided after calling in the respiratory therapist to tell her things were ok that we could see him. Don and I went on a food run for Suzanna while we waited. It was New Year's Eve and most things were closing up but we were able to snag Arby's right before they closed. We made it back and were able to see and hold Owen for a few minutes before we took Abby back to grandma's for the night. We left the hospital and got back to grandma's 10 minutes before midnight. We grabbed the pots and pans and the poppers, put the New Year's Eve tiaras on the kids and waited for the ball to drop. The kids ran outside banging pots and pans and screaming at the tops of their lungs. There were alot of fire works going on around us and down below in the valley so other than it being 15 degrees outside it was fun. It took a few minutes to get the boys settled down and to bed. WE got up Thursday morning and packed up and ran out to the AF hospital to so that the kids could see baby Owen for a minute before we headed out of town. We also stopped at Mawmaw's to get some doughnuts and chocolate milk that she bought for us for the ride home. Oh-Chic Fil A was a requirement for the ride home too. We got home around 5 and unloaded and unpacked and then started putting away all the Christmas stuff. We got all the inside stuff packed and put away Thursday night and then finished with the outside stuff on Friday. And with all that the holidays have come to a close around here-just in time for school to start on Monday.

December to Remember Part 1

The kids last day of school was December 19 and then the fun and festivities really started! We went to Forgotten Carols that night in St. George. This has been a tradition for us the last few years. I really think that this is production is what brings me the true spirit of Christmas. I think I need to see it in October or at the latest before Thanskgiving so that I can remember what Christmas is all about. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner that night before the show-apparently blowing th tradition of going to Pizza Factory according to Cody. Then on Saturday we went into Vegas for the Adams' family Christmas party. First we did a bit of pre-party shopping and then we met at Darbie's house and put togther 100 or so sack lunches for the homeless. We made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and then put in a huge orange, a bag of peanuts, a granola bar, a bottle of water and a small baggie of Christmas candy. Then we loaded up and drove down to Main and Owens and handed out the lunches. That is such an eye opener down there. There were people just layed out up and down on the street with their blankets and backpacks. Some of them even looked like they could just put on a suit and walk right into a bank or an office building. We had all 100 plus handed out in less than 10 minutes. Then to cancel out all the good that we did we went to Bucca Di Beppo and stuffed ourselves with fantastic Italian food. I hope that we can make that a new tradition-and not just at Christmas. Sunday we went to church and I gave mt talk-see previous post. Also Connor and Caleb decided that they were going to rearrange the rooms AGAIN! This time Connor decided that he should move into Cayden's room and Cayden should share the room with Caleb. This seems to be a Sunday theme here. There is some sort of confusion as to whether or not they got permission from Don who was asleep in the chair. They say that they asked Don if they could do all of this switching around and that he said yes but Don says that he was asleep and vaguely recalls responding in the affirmative to their request but won't confirm that he remembers what they asked for. They could have asked to take the car to Vegas to buy smokes and tequila and he would have said yes at that point. Don and I actually had discussed the rearrangement of the rooms in an attempt to curtail the fighting that goes on between Connor and Caleb-let's hope it works. Monday, Don took the boys to Vegas for their annual shop for mom and eat out trip. Don has done this for as long as I can remember with the kids when they have been old enough to be a help as opposed to a hindrance in the matter. I do believe that taking children shopping at any age is a hindrance but what do I know-consequently this shopping trip only happens once a year-probably because it takes that long for Don to work up to it again. I stayed home and finished up the neighbor gifts and the gifts for friends. I did spend time visiting my good friend Wendy that day because it was her birthday. That night for FHE we finished up the delivery of gifts and read a few Christmas stories. Tuesday was clean the house for Santa. Connor and Caleb went to Grandpa's to make their traditional gingerbread house and then the Zundel's came over that evening to share gifts with each other because they were leaving for California the next day. Wednesday we got ready for all the Christmas Eve excitement. Don and I made a last minute run to Walmart for my tradtional "we need to get this for so and so and what if it's not enough for so and so, so we better run to Walmart to be sure" trip. Then we came home and got ready for our big dinner. We did it here at our house and I even got out the good dishes that we never use. We made bacon wrapped asparagus, homemeade salsa and a cheese ball for appetizers. Then we had 2 turkey breasts that were delightful as well as twice baked mashed potatoes, spinach and clementine salad and homemade rolls. We had a short and not so reverent Christmas porgram about the night in the America's when the Savior was born. Dave and Amy were our narrators because Grandma and Grandpa forgot their glasses. Cody was our pianist from a distance we sat in the family room and he played the piano in the front room. He was really fast and we were really slow so it did not sound the best but oh well. It was not the most spiritual of programs because of the fact that I have children. At one point during one of the songs-I can't remember which one-Cayden stood up and went to the middle of the room and started twirling like a ballerina. There ya go-prime example of my life! After the "program" we had dessert. I made Buche De Noel, and chocolate pie and we had a pumpkin pie from Costco. It was tasty. The point was to do all the work on Christmas Eve so that we could have leftovers on Christmas Day. After all the company left we watched some of Christmas Vacation and some of the 24 hours of Chirstmas Story that was on TBS. Cayden was concerned all month that because the Christmas tree was in the front room away from the fireplacfe that Santa would not see it when he came down the chimney and then he would leave without giving out the presents. He decided early in the month that we needed to write a note to tell Santa that the tree was in the liviing room. So on Christmas Eve Don made a sign a that said "Santa, the tree is this way" with and arrow pointing toward the living room and taped it to the wall just above Don's reclinder so that Santa would be sure to see it. Cayden was quite relieved. Cayden also set out some cookies on Monday to be sure that we did not forget. He just set them on the hearth without a plate because Santa did not need a plate. We convinced him that we would leave out some fresh cookies and milk right before bed on Christmas Eve. That was a hard one to swallow for him. Anyway, after reading the story of Christ's birth from the Bible, and opening our traditional pajama present, the kids went to bed but not to sleep. Santa waited until 11 but then just started to put out the stuff because there was alot to do. Did you know that a big wheel takes as long to put together as putting out all the other gifts and the stockings? I did not know that either but found out while Santa built the Big Wheel-trying hard not to use profanity while beating plastic pieces into place. The rule for Christmas morning has been as follows for the last few years. The boys cannot come out to the family room but they have to go to Cody's room and then he calls the house phone from his cell phone and then we go and get them-with the camera all together. Caleb said that he woke up first at 5:00 but waited until 5:45 to wake up Cayden and Cody. Cody said that he was awake until 3:00 because he was so excited for Santa. So we got up at 5:45 and saw what Santa brought and opened presents. The kids made a haul as usual. Cody got a digital camera and accessories and a new bed set with the comforter and sheet. Connor got an Ipod and an Ihome. Caleb got a Nintendo DS and accessories and Cayden got a Big Wheel and a new CD player for his room. The 3 younger boys each got Terrainiacs-big tough remote control car things-too. Don gave me a DVD/VCR combo for my room and a neoprene sleeve case for my laptop and a lap desk for my computer so that it is more comfortable to use it in my bed. I also got Mamma Mia and my own pink set of tools. Don got Sirius sattleite radio for his car, new cologne, some new books and some clothes. I forgot to make the traditional breakfast casserole on Christmas Eve so instead at 7:00am I made it after opening all the gifts and let it sit until 9:00-it still worked even though it did not stand overnight. Don and I went back to bed until 9 while the kids watched one of their many new movies. We have had a big breakfast Christmas morning at our house for the last few years and this year was no different. We had the casserole, grits, bacon and pancakes. Amazingly the breakfast only took about 20 minutes to get ready while the dinner the day before took 3 hours to get ready. All of these meals were consumed in under 30 minutes but the breakfast took the least amount of time to prepare. Hmm-maybe we should eat breakfast all the time. After breakfast and cleanup we went to Grandma and Grandpa's and opened our gifts from them then we watched movies and vegged the rest of the day until dinner at 5. We did it again at our house-this time we used paper and plastic. Don's mom made Rigatoni and Darbie made Frog eye salad. We also had left overs and more appetizers-I made crab cakes and we still had the cheese ball and chips and salsa. It was fun day filled with what we do best-sleeping and eating. Friday I woke up super super sick with a stomach bug and stayed in bed all day while the boys and Don put the house back together and did laundry in anticiaption of leaving for Provo on Saturday.

Twas The Week Before Christmas

And all through the house
The boys were making mom crazy
And so was the mouse-(the one that lives in my pocket remember?)
Mom was a maniac, she was really stressed out
Her talk to prepare was the reason no doubt
The presents weren't wrapped, the shopping not done,
All of this chaos is really no fun.
Then Sunday it was, hallelulah it's here!
Mom gave her whole talk without hardly a tear.
The talk was all finished, the message complete
Now it was time to go home for a treat!-(See's Candy please!)
Thank goodness it's over, thank goodness that's through
Now maybe she can get to the real list of To Do's.
Laundry to do and presents to wrap,
Guess what-instead she went for a nap!

Here is my talk-it is pretty long so skip to the end if you want! Please excuse all the grammatical errors-it's not like I have to turn it in to my English teacher or anything! Oh and if you were at church and heard me give this talk today then you can just stop reading right now!


I think that I am the last person that should up be up here telling you about the spirit of Christmas and how to be calm and peaceful. Giving this talk is not up there on my list of things that help me to be calm and peaceful especially 4 days before Christmas. I think that Heavenly Father really gets a good laugh at me sometimes. So that being said-
How has your December been? Dashing through the snow. Deck the Halls. Haul out the Holly, Rocking around the Christmas tree, shop, wrap, bake, shop some more for those who I forgot to buy for, drive here, drive there, decorate, write lists, check lists once or twice or even three times, hurry Santa, run here run there, don’t be late. Hang the lights, decorate the tree, fill the stockings, School parties, work parties, neighborhood parties, Concerts, plays, programs. The Tabernacle Choir, The Nutcracker, Forgotten Carols, The Magic Forest, the Festival of Trees. Cocoa, eggnog, See’s candy, cookies, cake, caramel corn-exercising double time because of all that junk. Busy, busy, busy,! (deep breath) It’s only December 21 but I’ve been tired all month! What am I doing wrong? Something’s gotta give! Wait a minute I know another song.
(Slowly) Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, all is bright. What do these words mean? This is what I think of when I think of these words.
(slowly and quietly) Silent-still, hushed, quiet, noiseless, tranquil, solemn
Holy-sacred, consecrated, hallowed, blessed, divine, reverent
Calm-serene, peaceful, unruffled, composed, restful, comfort
Bright-clear, vivid, light, shine, sparkle, glowing
These words that we sing time after time, year after year have special meaning when we apply them to our own lives. Are there times in our lives that we are silent, quiet, and still? Do we make time to be holy, and consecrate our time, talents and abilities to our Heavenly Father? Can we find places to be calm and peaceful even amid the upheaval and uncertainty of this time? Where is the clear, vivid and bright light that should emanate from us as we try to become more like our Savior?
Jesus Christ, that highly anticipated infant whose birth has been celebrated with song and story, is a perfect example for us of how to feel still, divine, serene and shining. The circumstances of His life were anything but tranquil. His world was politically unstable. He and His family experienced life under Roman rule and a Jewish king who wanted Jesus dead. Jesus was challenged and criticized. He felt hunger, fatigue, sorrow, temptation, and frustration. He was mocked, abandoned, and betrayed. In the world where Jesus lived there were problems in families and people had severe illness, injuries, and tragic losses. Neighbors were not always kind to one another, at times business was bad, salt lost its savor, and tempests raged, lepers were ungrateful and occasionally folks ran out of refreshments during wedding receptions; and yet every incident we have recorded of the Savior’s life points to a life of tranquility.
After the birth of the Savior the Wise men wanted to bring to this King of Kings rare and precious gifts. After they had seen and worshipped the Holy child, they were warned to not return to Herod but to go a different way. Are there Herod’s in our lives that we need to turn from and go a different way. Do these Herods keep us from feeling silent and calm, radiating with light? Fear and anxiety, frustration, anger, despair, addiction, depression, sickness, greed, ingratitude, contention, self pity, pride, bad attitudes, guilt, impatience, sin and lack of faith can all be the form that our own Herods take. Herods that block our path to our Savior and restrict us from having silent nights, and holy experiences, from having calm feelings and from being bright examples. Whose plan is it that we are overly busy and hurried and harried and frustrated? Who rejoices in our stress and our anxiety? It certainly is not the Savior or our Heavenly Father. Do we like the Wisemen know of a different way and do we choose to go that different way rather than returning to those Herod’s that inevitably destroy us? Do we truly understand and recognize that our Savior while part deity was also mortal because of his mother Mary? Because of this mortality he was not immune from those same physical and emotional Herods that plague and thwart us. He was literally hunted by a wicked king but his wise and calm earthly father took Him and His mother and fled to another land. Later on in his life after seeing and walking with the meek and lowly of the earth, He unselfishly took upon himself our sins and our sorrows, our grief and our pain in the Garden of Gesthemane. Because of that great and selfless sacrifice, we have the ability to repent through the atonement and choose a different way also. While we each have our own Herods we can choose to think of others during this season of the year. Our hearts are softened at Christmas and our thoughts and desires turn to those that are lacking spiritually, emotionally and physically, just as our Savior did all of his life. Because we want to be like our Savior, we have according to Elder Bednar
the capacity to recognize and appropriately respond to other people who are experiencing the very challenge or adversity that is most immediately and forcefully pressing upon us. Character is revealed in the power to discern the suffering of other people when we ourselves are suffering; in the ability to detect the hunger of others when we are hungry; and in the power to reach out and extend compassion for the spiritual agony of others when we are in the midst of our own spiritual distress. The Savior of the world is the perfect example of such a consistent and charitable character. Close quote
So we have the capacity- the ability-the gift to recognize and respond to other people’s needs. Do we choose to act on that ability?
In our desire to be like our Savior who was born tender and mild, these feelings of goodwill and love that surround and permeate the air during Christmas can and should be extended the whole year through. When we can accept and act upon the spiritual promptings that are given to us by the Holy Ghost we can feel calm and peaceful.
The song continues- Sleep in Heavenly peace, Sleep in Heavenly peace
On that sacred night of the birth of Jesus, the angels that came to the shepherds proclaimed peace and goodwill toward men. What initial fear and anxiety those shepherds’ felt. The scriptures tell us that they were “sore afraid” when visited by that heavenly being but those feelings were shortly replaced with calm and reverence. After this experience and their own visit to see the heavenly king, they spread the joyous word of the Messiah’s birth, “and all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told".
Was there peace in the America’s the night of the Savior’s birth? Those that had believed and had waited and hoped for the promised sign of the day and a night and a day without darkness and for appearance of the new star were in fear for their lives. During the 5 years since the prophecy of Samuel the Lamanite some lost hope, doubting the words of the prophet. How did those that remained stalwart and faithful feel as the days and hours slipped by, wondering and waiting, still believing even while the dissenters plotted and prepared to kill them. In 3 Nephi 1:11-13 we read how their prophet Nephi “cried mightily [all that day] to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.
… And behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:
“Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets”
That night, Nephites in the New World witnessed an astonishing sight in the heavens, “for behold, at the going down of the sun there was no darkness” (3 Ne. 1:15)—the prophesied sign of the Messiah’s birth.
Even after the sign appeared Satan still abounded in the hearts of the wicked and lies were spread to convince those that had witnessed the signs that they really hadn’t. The brightness and light did appear with the arrival of the new star but what peace was there to be found? Where was the silence, the holiness , and the calmness? It was found in the hearts of those that believed.
Okay now-everyone close your eyes. I want you to think of a time during the last 3 weeks that you have felt peace. Was it here at church-was it at one of the many beautiful concerts that you have attended. Did you go see the lights at Temple Square or at the St. George Temple? Have you been to the temple since December started? Maybe it has been early in the morning or late at night when the house is still. Now I want to tell you a story-a parable of sorts.
There once was a king who offered a prize to the artist who would paint the best picture of peace. Many artists tried. The king looked at all the pictures. But there were only two he really liked, and he had to choose between them.
One picture was of a calm lake. The lake was a perfect mirror for peaceful towering mountains all around it. Overhead was a blue sky with fluffy white clouds. All who saw this picture thought that it was a perfect picture of peace.
The other picture had mountains, too. But these were rugged and bare. Above was an angry sky, from which rain fell and in which lightning played. Down the side of the mountain tumbled a foaming waterfall. This did not look peaceful at all.
But when the king looked closely, he saw behind the waterfall a tiny bush growing in a crack in the rock. In it, a mother bird had built her nest. There, in the midst of the rush of angry water, sat the mother bird on her nest - in perfect peace.
Which picture do you think won the prize? The king chose the second picture.
"Because," explained the king, "peace does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble, or hard work. Peace means to be in the midst of all those things and still be calm in your heart. That is the real meaning of peace. "
Elder Worthlin said “While we yearn for peace, we live in a world burdened with hunger, pain, anguish, loneliness, sickness, and sorrow. We see divorce with all of its attendant conflict and heartache, especially among the innocent children caught in the middle. Wayward, disobedient children cause their parents grief and anxiety. Financial problems cause distress and loss of self-respect. Some loved ones slip into sin and wickedness, forsake their covenants, and walk in their “own way, and after the image of [their] own god.” (D&C 1:16.)
The value of peace within our hearts cannot be measured. When we are at peace, we can be free of worry and fear, knowing that with the Lord’s help, we can do all that is expected or required of us. We can approach every day, every task, and every challenge with assurance and confidence in the outcome. We have freedom of thought and action, freedom to be happy. Despite dismal conditions in the world and the personal challenges that come into every life, peace within can be a reality. We can be calm and serene regardless of the swirling turmoil all about us. Attaining harmony within ourselves depends upon our relationship with our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and our willingness to emulate him by living the principles he has given us. He has extended to us an invitation: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt. 11:28–30.) close quote
As the song continues, Silent Night, Holy Night, Son of God loves pure light
The pure light that the Son of God loves is charity. Is there more that we can do, can we give of ourselves and then as a blessing in return receive the gift of charity. Again I quote from Elder Bednar
Let me suggest that you and I must be praying and yearning and striving and working to cultivate a Christlike character if we hope to receive the spiritual gift of charity--the pure love of Christ. Charity is not a trait or characteristic we acquire exclusively through our own purposive persistence and determination. Indeed we must honor our covenants and live worthily and do all that we can do to qualify for the gift; but ultimately the gift of charity possesses us--we do not posses it (see Moroni 7:47). The Lord determines if and when we receive all spiritual gifts, but we must do all in our power to desire and yearn and invite and qualify for such gifts. As we increasingly act in a manner congruent with the character of Christ, then perhaps we are indicating to heaven in a most powerful manner our desire for the supernal spiritual gift of charity. And clearly we are being blessed with this marvelous gift as we increasingly reach outward when the natural man or woman in us would typically turn inward. Close quote.
No other time of the year is this more prevalent and evident. What evidence is there of the charitable and Christmas spirit that is the Christ spirit. The sending of cards to family or friends that you have not seen or heard from in years, the giving trees and the Toys for Tots, the Sub for Santa and the Christmas stockings that this ward participates in each year. The help of an office worker and a school teacher in the gathering of information on a family that needs help with Christmas. The gifts left on doorsteps, and the quiet distribution of hundred dollar bills at Deseret Industries. The Cub Scouts singing Silent Night so reverently to a sweet grandma who has served each one of them at school-when just the minute before were rough housing and hollering in the back of the car. The teacher’s quorum delivering goodies to someone who said thanks but then abruptly shuts the door. The Bishop who spends countless hours away from his home and family to see each of us at tithing settlement. The Stake President who stays at the bedside and with the family of a gravely ill member of the Stake. The Primary lessons and songs that are taught so that each child may feel of the spirit. The Sunday School Teacher who consistently and whole heartedly studies and prepares her lesson and takes the time to know and love each student under her stewardship. The Young Women who arrive at an ill sister’s home to straighten and brighten up her home. The blankets and quilts, the white shirts and ties, the hygiene kits and the school supplies, the wheelchairs and eye glasses that are purchased, or collected to be distributed to those in need. The few coins in the Salvation Army buckets, the handful of bills waved out of a car window to someone standing on the corner holding a sign pleading for any type of help. The homeless man who when offered a sack lunch asks for one more for his friend. The kind words of a shopper standing in a long line to a grumpy fellow shopper. The doors being held open and people waving others into traffic ahead of them. The gracious ward member who every year anonymously presents each family in the ward with some gift-oranges, clementines, or Preach My Gospel books. The sister who spends countless hours sewing quilt after quilt only to give them away as gifts to others. This list could go on and on and is just what I have seen what I know of that goes on each year. What have you seen that others have done to share that Christ spirit? More importantly-what have you done to share that Christ spirit? Because we want and need the Christ spirit-the spirit of charity we can do these things all year round. These acts of service of charity and goodwill lighten our own burdens and allow the light of the Savior to shine through us. “All things are created and bear record of me” the Savior said. That would include you and me. Our very lives stand as a witness that He lives. That to know him is to know peace. To love is to love all. To emulate Him is the greatest gift we can offer him.
Mary the mother of the Savior privately pondered in her heart the important and sacred things that happened that night. We too can privately reflect on the significance of the son of God in each of our lives. If we want the spirit of Christ and Christmas in our lives we need to find and make time to be still and silent, to be holy and divine, to be calm and serene and share our bright light with others. While we want to be the constant givers of charity, peace and goodwill, we still always receive more than we give. We receive the peace that surpasses all understanding, we receive the spirit of our Heavenly Father through the gift of the Holy Ghost and according to President James E. Faust “The Holy Ghost is the greatest guarantor of inward peace in our unstable world….It will calm nerves; it will breathe peace to our souls.” (Ensign, May 1989, pp.32-33.) Above all, we receive into our hearts the greatest gift that the world has ever been given-the gift of the Savior of the World. My hope for myself and for each one of us this few days before Christmas is that we may understand and enjoy a more silent and holy Christas, the way that it is supposed to be. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

So Much Info

So what is my problem? I am such a slacker! I have not posted for a long time but my only excuse is I've been busy! So a few weeks in review-the highlights
-Thanksgiving at my mother's house in Provo. Connor's diabetes doctor appointment-His AIC was down-much better! Playing at the park, cousins, lots of food, Christmas Vacation, Brick Oven, Build A Bear, Thanksgiving Point Christmas lights and reindeer, Amy's baby shower, shopping but not on Black Friday, dinner at Los Hermanos with Cydnee. Drove home Sunday morning.
-Monday after Thanksgiving Cayden got his stitches out.
-Decorating the house and Christmas tree. Cayden has been dubbed the Christmas Nazi because he wanted the house decorated from top to bottom all in one day. He also wants the lights on all the time-day and night. He does not want to take the stockings down from the fireplace even when the fire is blazing hot. We decorated the inside of the house for FHE one night but did not get the tree done that night because we have so many decorations. The lights on the outside of the house got done on December 1, the tree got done on the 6th.
-Cayden got braces on Friday December 5. It was pretty quick and much less painful then the expander. He will have the braces for probably 9 months to a year. He will have braces in 2 phases-this is the first phase and then when he is around 10 and all his baby teeth are gone he will get them again.
-Don took me to dinner and Mamma Mia the real deal at Mandalay on December 6 for an early birthday present. We wanted to go the week of my birthday and spend a few nights but December is just crazy and so there was just no time.
-Cody has been singing up a storm. He sang at the Festival of Trees on December 5 and then had a Christmas concert on Monday December 8. He sang a duet with Stephanie Lyon-Mele Kalikimaka complete with Hawaiian hats, leis, and sunglasses.
-Cayden had a Christmas program on December 11. Mom, dad and grandma and grandpa watched him stand there and do nothing for 30 minutes even though he had been singing the songs for weeks. Apparently when they did the program the next for the school he did sing. He just wouldn't while his family was there.
-Cody had a Forensics Tournament in Mesquite the 12 and 13. He took first with his partner in Policy and 4th place in both Expository and Oratory. I judged at the tourny but did not judge him-just some of his friends. He was in the paper for the concert and the tourny.
-I had an anniversary for my 29th birthday on December 12. I got lunch at Cheesecake Factory .
-Caleb has Christmas program on Tuesday December 16. Unlike his brother he did sing and had a great time.
-Don has been to Atlanta, Dallas and Austin since the first week of December but as of yesterday he has finished his traveling for the year. It is good thing too because of all the snow and bad weather in Las vegas the airport is shut down tonight. I am so glad that he came home yesterday or else he would have been stuck in Phoenix until tomorrow sometime.
-The younger boys did not have school today because of Parent Teacher Conference.
-There will be no school tomorrow because of the snow-no snow in Logandale but lots of rain and cold temps so there is a big potential for ice tomorrow. The whole school district is shut down tomorrow.
-I would like to announce that I have officially made rolls, breadsticks, and cinnamon rolls numerous time without failing since my cousin gave me the greatest recipe after Thanksgiving and and my mom gave me a bottle of liquid lecithin. Okay so I took it while they were at church but I left her $20 on the counter.
-Got all the obligatory Christmas cards out-hope I did not forget anyone.
-Made my own deisgn for fleece pillow covers for big reading pillows for my kids teachers.
-Dejunked and cleaned out Connor and Caleb's room. That room was horrible and no matter how hard the little darlings try they just can't clean the room the way mom cleans the room-apparently clothing-clean, dirty and questionable is supposed to be thrown up into the top of the closet because mom can't see it.
-Have you smelled the Peppermint Twist handsoap from Bath and Bodyworks? My new favorite!
-Rode bikes with Connor all the way to Grandma's. Decided not to do that again.
-Sewed on Connor and Caleb's Karate patches-do not like sewing on patches.
-Got all my Christmas shopping done-blew the budget but hey it's Christmas!

The To Do List for the few days left before Christmas
-Wrap-I really dislike wrapping.
-Baking-I seriously want to make lots of cookies and suckers and Buche and any other yummy thing I can think of that it really tasty.
-Deliver neighbor gifts
-Eat more See's candy
-Walk a few more laps around my neighborhood
-Give my talk on Sunday-yes the Lord has a really amusing sense of humor. Apparently I do not have enough stress or enough to do the week before Christmas-oh that must be the point huh!
-Go to Forgotten Carols Friday night.
-Adams Family Christmas party Saturday
-Apparenly hang out with my kids for many many days-no school Wednesday, Snow Day Thursday and 16 day of Christmas break.
-Not have a Christmas meltdown Good luck on that one!

Whacked Out Week

So my brilliant plan to post on a daily basis is not so brilliant. I just have not had time-ok I lied-I had time over Thanksgiving but spent so much time doing nothing I had no time to blog other than to snoop around on all of your's! I really had good intentions to post my brilliant journal type posts but not it's just not happening so this is the week or 2 in recap.
We will just rewind to Thankful Thursday last week because of Thanksgiving.
I have so many things to be grateful for that this could be a very long list but so as not to bore anyone I will contain myself to 10 things that I am thankful for.

1. My great husband who bends over backwards to help me to be happy.
2. My kids-I'm pretty sure that I did not request all these boys but I lost the receipt and there is no return policy so I guess I will have to keep them.
3. Medicine, doctors, hospitals-see previous posting about Cayden's fight with a PVC pipe and at this very moment medicine is extremely appreciated because my husband is gone Cayden is sick AGAIN!
4. Don's job-with so many people losing their jobs I am so thankful that Don can provide for us.
5. Help-I am thankful for so many people who help me out on a daily basis-Don's parents, Dena, Joan, and Vicki
6. All those friends who help and support me and our family.
7. The Gospel of Jesus Christ-sometimes it's the only thing that gets me through the day.
8. My bed-I love my bed and my really old green gingham blanket.
9. Being a domestic engineer. I am so glad that I can be home for my kids especially because Don has to travel.
10. My extended family-I love all you cotton headed ninny muggins!


Memory Monday
My memory for this week is from Thanksgiving what else! I don't remember alot of Turkey Days when I was younger other than a few times that we went to my dad's sister's house, Aunt Liz. She lived in Salt Lake and I just remember that it was hard to go there because I was alwys a litle afraid of her husband. I do remember one Thanksgivng we went there and while the food was being prepared upstairs I went downstairs and I think some of my cousins were watching Man From Snowy River. I don't remember the food or anything else just Man from Snowy River. I do remember that there was a distinct difference in the cooking of my 2 grandma's. Mawmaw's was definitely southern style with chicken dressing and dumplings (mm mm good) and Grandma Gessel always had apple, raisin, carrot salad and cucmbers in vinegar-did not really like either of those items.

Too tired to post pics or continue this post-maybe tomorrow.