DECK THE HALLS

This is my favorite time of year !! I had One of my trees up before Thanksgiving and the other up the day after. My lights are strung, the pine bows are hung along with the holly and mistletoe!



The Halls are Decked the Party's Started the Lists are made and the Christmas Cards will be out this week!!!! Hope I have all of your current addresses friends and family!!!!






Here's a little preview..............





LIFE IS GOOD !!




I hope everyone has a Safe and Happy Holiday and that we all remember that Christmas come in 3 levels. (Taken from an article out of I believe the Washington Post several years ago.)

THREE LEVEL OF CHRISTMAS

...... Let's call the first one the Santa Claus level.....It's the level at which we eat too much and spend too much and do too much and enjoy every minute of it. We love the Santa Claus level of Christmas.

But there is a higher more beautiful level. Let's call it the Silent Night level...... It's the level of the crowded Inn and the silent holy moment in a dark stable when the Son of Man came to earth.... How beautiful and meaningful it is, how infinitely poorer we would be without this sacred second level of Christmas.

These two levels don't last. They can't.

The trees dry out and the needles fall. The feast is over and the dieting begins.

The second level of the Baby Jesus can't last.The angels the star and the shepherd, that holy night itself, can't long satisfy humanity's basic need. The man who keeps Christ in the manger will, in the end, be disappointed and empty.

For Christmas to last all year long, for it to grow in beauty and meaning and purpose, for it t have the power to change lives, we must celebrate it at the third level, that of the adult Christ. It is at this level- not as an infant- that our Savior brings His gifts of lasting joy, peace, and hope.

It was the adult Christ who reached out and touched the untouchable, who loved the unlovable, who so loved us ALL that even in His agony on the cross He prayed forgiveness for His enemies.

This is the Christ, the adult Christ, who gave us the perfect example, and asked us to follow Him.

Merry Christmas All !!!

I am ThAnKkfUl FoR.....

Thanksgiving was spent at home with just our little family this year. I had to work in the afternoon so we stayed home and had a cozy little turkey dinner. I got up early and made Pumpkin Pies and got everything ready to cook so all Rob had to do was put it in the oven. We pulled out the fine China and and the Crystal glasses- the kids thought that was cool. Carson had a hard time drinking from the stemmed glasses. He spilled on his shirt a few times. It was a good time for a lesson on table etiquette.

We made Hand Turkey Place Cards! The emitting excitement from Carson is overwhelming isn't it? This activity intended for the kids ended up entertaining Rob for hours as the kids were done in 15 minutes. I think it was just an excuses to NOT help peel potatoes!!!

I had my ActiVitY DaYs with the girls and we did Gratitude Journals. We are supposed to write in them the things we are thankful for each day for the upcoming year. I thought I better update and list a few. I have been slacking a bit on the Blog Thing. Or, it could be that I worked 5 out of 6 nights/days over Thanksgiving and I truly have not recovered from it and my sleep (or should I say NO SLEEP) pattern is totally out of WaCK!

" You simply will not be the same person two months from now after consciously giving thanks each day for the abundance that exists in your life. And you will have set in motion an ancient spiritual law: The more you have and are grateful for, the more will be given you." - Sarah Ban Breathnack-

I aM ThAnkFul FOr...... (In no particular order)

My Family -(of course)

My Savior Jesus Christ and his Atoning Sacrifice

My Health & the Health of my Children- (1 more year without a visit to PCMC!)

The Chance to meet Aaron this year!

My Job -(sounds weird but it's true some people don't have one)

LaUGhTer! I love to hear my kids laugh!!!

Del Taco's - 3 for $ .99 taco night!!! One less night I have to cook!

Magic Erasers - Love These things!!!

Pictures of Great Memories

My soap from AfRiCa -gets even red dirt out of whites

OnliNe ShoPpIng

GooD FrIeNDs

When Loralee cleans out her CLoSeTs

When I sleep for more than 4 HoUrs

SuNny DayS

WatChIng the LiGhtNing and RaIn wiTh the KidS.

a Black sky full of Shinning Stars

Sunsets and Sun Rises.

I will continue this list throughout the year as I enter things in my Gratitude Journal.

ON TO BASKETBALL !!!!

"How a man plays the game shows something of his character, how he loses shows all of it." - Author Unknown

Carsons team played for the 2008 CHAMPIONSHIP on Saturday and came in second. They have gone undefeated all year long and lost to the Bulldogs 12-20. This is the Bulldogs second year with the Championship title. The boys played well and had a great season just came up short in the end.

I was totally IMPRESSED with Carson and a few of his friends as they ran off the field with tears in their eyes but with their heads held high. They even made an extra effort to congratulate a few of the Bulldogs players on the way out of the stadium. What a great example of LEADERSHIP and SPORTSMANSHIP. I was more proud of that than how he actually played. (However, I was impressed with how he played also!) He had three complete passes and ran one in for a touchdown.

Thanks to all that came to support him. They are already planning for next years season and how they will knock the Bulldogs off of their championship streak. As for now it's on to BASKETBALL!!

I have to include a few Cambria-izms for the week.

#1 As I stated previously they call Carson Ocho Uno because his number is 81....

So Cambria is in the stands leading the cheers saying "Go Nacho Uno! Go Nacho Uno!" (I guess we need to work on the Spanish.)

#2 Where do kids come up with this?....... (Parents - watch what you say)

Since the recent elections we have had some interesting conversations at our house. The first one was about John McCain. Cambria was worried about who I was voting for because she heard at school that McCain was going to make the kids go to and extra day of school. "Mom, do you realize that we will have to go to school on SATURDAY!"

The other was about Obama - Cambria heard at school that... "If Obama was elected he was going to make all the white people slaves." Needless to say we had to have a chat about slavery, tolerance, and most of all about not listening to the other kids at school!

NEGOTIATIONS BEGIN

Aaron totally disapproved :( of the latest photos that I posted and so he gave me some specific instructions for my blog.

First:

He said he looks "gross" like he forgot how to smile and he wanted the other pictures off, but no can do my friend! They are the only ones in 17 years that I have of us together, so until we see each other again for "retakes", then they stay. However, here are some of his Senior pictures that he just got back so I will post these in hopes he can redeem himself. (I like the others too but I'm a bit bias)

Second:

I could only post these pictures if I put the song "Hearts burst into Fire" by Bullet for my Valentine on my play list. I was going to Negotiate this but I listened to it and it's better that I thought it was going to be so I will be compliant with this one. It does get a little heavy at the end fair warning to those like my mom.

This is Aarons "BABY" his Lexus is 300 with body kit he put on himself. (He is very good that that kind of stuff) Just another talent of his.

Aaron and his dog Porsha

Aaron is a Senior at Lone Peak High School this year. His favorite class is Aquaculture. (I had to add that, it kills me it's really a class.) He is and intern for a psychiatrist in the area and receives school credit for working there. He is thinking about pursuing psychiatry as a career.

ALMOST 18 YEARS of WAITING

......... I'm at a loss for words which doesn't happen too often......

I finally met Aaron on Tuesday the 4th of November and he is AWESOME! He and his dad were on their way to Vegas to a car show and they stopped in St. George over night. I met them for dinner and then he and his friend Jon came out to the house so he could meet Rob and the kids.

He played with the kids and showed us all pictures. We just talked and hung out until 1:00am (Sorry Jeff). He is extremely talented. He races motocross. He's in a band and plays the piano, guitar, and the drums.

He tuned Cambria's Hannah Montana guitar and played that for a little bit. The kids think he is super cool. Carson especially likes his car.

I am so grateful to his parents for sharing him with me and also for the many opportunities they have provided him so far. It is everything I had hoped and prayed for.

I consider myself very fortunate to have met him and I hope that we can see more of each other and spend more time together in the future.

Thank You Jeff and Ronalee! and Thanks Aaron your the BEST we all love you!