Christmas gifts for friends

This year for Christmas we went simple and the kids loved it cause it was simple enough that they did most of it.
 
First we made these easy treats with waffle shaped pretzels, peppermint kisses and m&m's. Cover a cookie sheet with wax paper, place pretzel on them and then put a kiss on each pretzel. Heat the oven at 170 degrees and leave in for 6 min....just long enough to make them soft but not melt). Put an m&m on each one and cool in fridge for 5-10 min (or outside on the back patio if you live somewhere cold like Utah) :-) Then we put them in treat bags and attached this cute little saying to them with a ribbon. Loved the idea...found it on sugardoodle.com :-)

 

While I was in NC I saw this cute "Joseph, Mary and Jesus" statue and knew that it is what I was going to make for gifts this year for friends. Once again....very easy and very cute. The kids really enjoyed painting them and putting them together. We are delivering them tonight with a Christmas carol to each family. Gotta go! Merry Christmas to all!

Gymnastics performance!

The girls have been in tumbling for 2 years now and are loving it and doing great. On December 12th they had a gymnastics performance that they did to the Christmas song "Sleigh Ride". It is fun to see their progress and they did fantastic!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marge wasn't able to make it that night because she wasn't feeling well but one of my dearest, best friend (and old mission companions), Nalene, came to see them. They LOVE Nay! I don't blame them. She rocks like nobodies business!
Good job Meagan and Jenna. They are working on their back tucks and should have it before we move to Arizona!

We have "arrived"

That's how I feel when I make this announcement. Dave has accepted a job as the CFO of the law firm he works with and we will be moving to Phoenix, Arizona sometime between March and June of 2012. We feel this way, all of us, because we have moved an awful lot but we feel like we are done. We will be around family for the first time in our entire marraige and are so very excited about it. When we first came to the kids and told them that we were going to move we also told them that we would wait until the end of the school year so they would get to finish here and wouldn't have to join another school in the middle of the year and they were fine with that. However, now they are all just so excited about being around family that they keep telling me that they just want to move when we sell the house. They are rubbing off on me and getting me excited too. Now, once again, we are going to be trying to sell the house...in a market that isn't very good. We have always been very blessed, though, when it comes to selling our home and because of that I am listing it for sale by owner for a month or two. Even though the kids are excited we are not in a hurry so we will see what happens.
Anyway, Merry Christmas to us! We never have to be alone on Thanksgiving or Christmas again...we hope not anyway:-)

Jen

 
My 16th b-day party. Jen and I used to call ourselves "Wild and Crazy" and we made some shirt that announced to the world :-)

 
I used to tease Jen by saying stuff like, "if I were a man, I'd marry you". This is at a church dance.

 

 
Jen in 2001 when she came to help me out for a month with the triplets. Jen has Jenna and I have Meagan.

 

 

Jen Holding Chase while Meagan and Jenna slept in the background. True friend, bestie to the end!

A surprise visit to my Oldest Bestie!

 
On Decemeber 7th I flew out to North Carolina to surprise my oldest Best Friend for her 40th birthday party. An added bonus was being able to spend time with my family, of coarse. I got to go to Caylyn's school and see her in a school performance with Callie and Connor, spend time with Jocelyn and Fletcher one day, Skylar, Jonas, and Liam another and Tua, Sefa and Pelu (well, kinda Pelu...lol!) the last day. I didn't bring my camera because I only brought a carry on and couldn't fit my camera in the bag or my purse so all of these pics are compliments of others cameras.

 
Rachael helped me plan how I was going to surprise Jen. Jen was already at the club house having a "before" dinner party with her family (which I thought I would be doing this out in front of her house but didn't know she had a dinner party at 4pm). Rachael walked in and told her that she wanted to come down and say happy b-day but that she couldn't stay long because she had to study (she's in school to become a phlebotomist),that she was there early because this was the only time she could come and that she had promised me, because I couldn't be there, that she would play Bruno Mars song "Count on me" as a b-day dedication to her. She started to play it as I waited nervous as heck out in the hall for the second verse to start. I came in singing, "If your tossin' and your turnin' and you just can't sleep at night...I'll sing a song beside you. If you ever forget how much you really mean to me....Everyday I will remind you..." Well, I knew I wouldn't get far and I didn't. I barely got that line out before she turned around....

 
threw her hands up to her mouth in surprise (wish we would have gotten a pic of her face) and started crying. It was so fun to surprise her!

 
"Find out what we're made of....when we are called to help a friend in need. You can count on me like 1, 2, 3 and I'll be there...and I know when I need it I can on you like 4, ,3, 2 and you'll be there....cause that's what friends are supposed to do, on yeah."
I gotta take a moment and tell you that Jen really is the kind of friend that I hope everyone has. Back in 2001 when I had a 4 yr old, a 2 1/2 yr. old and 3 month old triplets Jen quit her job, flew out to Utah from NC for a month and helped me with my babies and the boys. In fact, one of my favorite pics of her is when she was out here helping me with the babies and I took a snap shot of her practically asleep holding one of them. I will post it in the next blog if I can find it.


 
When all the crying was done we sat down and began the fun. I joined the Grigg family for dinner (well, I wasn't hungry but I sat down with them) and got to catch up with all of them.

 
Then the party started and we ate, danced line dances, read the memory wall and listen to a group called "the Gardner sister's" (look them up on youtube).


 
Greg and Jane, and Nate and Amy came down to the party too. We've always considered Jen part of the family.

 
Jen with Rachael (before she took off cuz she really didn't stay for the party and had to study), Angela Morphies (who also came down from W-S for the party), and her hubbie, Mark, who was the only one to know (besides my family) that I was flying in and did an awesome job hiding it.


 
What an evening. I got to spend time with some of my very best freinds...my friends for life (and that includes you, Greg and Nate ).

 

That night I stayed the night with Jen in Concord which is just outside of Charlotte. We stayed up till nearly 3:00 talking (well, she did. I fell asleep just before 2:30 while she continued looking through the scrap book that her good friend, Tamara, put together). The next day we had till 2:15 cuz I got a late flight out so we hung out and talked some more and made a cake with the boys.
I am so glad that I got a chance to show Jen how much she really means to me. This is going to be one of my most favorite memories. I am so blessed to have a friend like her. I love you, Jen!

Taking a moment to express gratitude.

It's 3:20am and I haven't been able to sleep for over and hour so I thougt I'd make my time more productive.
Last night we went to an Christmas Open House at Dave's second cousin's house (Kandis Orchard). On the way home it had just started snowing a little and as we were driving down I-15 we hit some ice and the suburban went out of control and ended up facing the opposite direction and hitting the cement divider. We turned around to make sure the kids were okay and besides most of them being in shock we all, thankfully, were okay. No other cars were involved with ours but there were (by the time we pulled out an hour later) 6 other wrecks within a football fields distance away from us around us.
What happens next makes me so very grateful.
The kids were very shaken up and very unconsolable (actually, Tyler was handling it really well). I could not get the girls especially to calm down. I just kept saying, "It's okay. See, everyone is fine" but they just were too hysterical. Finally after a few minutes I suggested that we pray and thank Heavenly Father for keeping us safe. Crying they said, "Yes, mom. Oh yes. Let's pray!" so Dave led us in a prayer of gratitude. After we were done they were considerably better but still a little shaken up. I crawled in the back to be with the girls while we waited for the police to arrive. Ryan (my 13 yr. old-this Dec 8th) was in the seat behind me and as I looked back I saw that he had his blackberry out with his scriptures on and was reading them silently to himself. Then a couple minutes later the girl asked if we could sing church songs to help calm them down a little more.
As I reflect on the time we spent wating for the police and tow truck to come I realized what every religious mom desires; that my kids walk in righteousness. That they first turned to the Lord for comfort in a difficult situation. That they have felt the spirit and don't hesitate to turn to their Heavenly Father for comfort through the Spirit. That is my greatest desire in life and it makes my heart happy and gives me a sense of peace to know, through this experience (and others), that the gospel is where they turned and that they are building their own testimonies of it.
Lastly, I want to say how GRATEFUL I am for the most AWESOME friends in the world. Brady and CeCe Kimball have ALWAYS been there for us in our time of need. They are the best friends anyone could have. Their service to others is seen daily and we are so blessed to have them as friends. Thank you for coming out and "rescueing" us by giving us your car so that we could make it home. I love you....we love you. Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of our hearts!

Thanksgiving Day!

 
So this is the second year in a row that we didn't go anywhere for Thanksgiving and we didn't have anybody over (not that we didn't ask but apparently everyone else had family and/or somewhere to go). Not again. Next year we WILL be with family on Thanksgiving.
Anyway, it was a relaxing day that started with me sleeping in until nearly 9 am :). I got up and made an apple pie and a pumkin pie then a sweet potatoe casserole and homemade rolls. After all that was cooked we stuck the 13 lb. turkey in and left to go see a movie with the kids called "Hugo". When we got back the girls made name place cards and the boys...probably played the Wii.


 
Turkey was done around 4 and we let the eating commence!


 
Yes, since there was no company I used paper plates:)

 

I am Thankful to be around my favorite people in the ENITRE world on this Thanksgiving day. I am also grateful to be able to say that I AM NOW ALL CAUGHT UP IN MY BLOG JOURNAL! (and just in time for one of the busiest times of the year)

proud of my kids....

 
Produd of Ryan for getting his "Life"!

 
Proud of Tyler for getting all his merit badges done. Now on to his Eagle Project...which he is currently working on:-)

 
Proud of Jenna for her talent on the piano that she spends time developing each day.

 

Proud of my trio for being creative and building snow chairs instead of a snowman.
Wish I had been home to take a picture when one of my neighbors texted me and told me she just drove by my house and saw Chase out on his chair reading a book.:-)

Saying good-bye is hard to do:(

The visit from Nate and Amy had to end but it was too soon! I wish we had at least 2 more days with them!
 
Of coarse I had to make this YUMMY cake on the last night they were here. It is even more yummy than it looks too. I got the recipe from the new Lion House Recipe Book that came out. My cake doesn't look as pretty as theirs because I didn't shave chocolate and put mint leaves on top but like I said...Y-U-M!

 











Being the mean mom that I am I made the kids go to school on the last day the they were here. They had already missed 2 days and I just felt like they needed to go and not miss anymore.
Callie, Connor and Caylyn made a big sign for the kids and hung it up for when they got home (gave them something to do while they were "bored cuz our cousins aren't here")


 



 

We enjoyed having family here and cousins to play with. We REALLY do wish that we lived closer to family and HOPE that we will soon:-) We miss you Nate and family! ALOT!

HALLOWEEN!!!

Halloween night we had (in order of appearance); Connor as a black eyed pea, Ryan as a Ninja, Chase as "deatheater", Jenna as a fifties girl, Caylyn as a witch, Meagan as Half devil and half angel, Tyler as a motorcyle dude, and Callie as Katniss from the book "The Hunger Games". I am proud to boast the these seven costumes were under $15 cuz I either recycled, borrowed, used what we had or shopped after Halloween sales last year and got good deals:-)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let the trading and tummy aches begin!