Mommy's little elf helper!

This was the first time in 14 years I didn't not have my traditional Christmas Cookie exchange. I guess I haven't been in a real party mood since we've moved. However, the kids wondered when we were going to make the "Christmas Cookies" the chocolate ones with peppermint frosting and sprinkled mints on top, yum! We made plates for our neighbors and new friends.

I'm so blessed with 4 little helpers. This time, I was blessed with the help of the littlest one. I guess if you received any of our cookies, you're glad to see this pic after you've eaten. I think we had more ingredients out of the bowl than in at one point.

but the real point is TYSON had fun!

Everyone needs a taste tester!

Another singer in the house... Bryce's Christmas Concert!

Can you see the darling little boy in the santa hat on the end of the 2nd row from the front? No, well, you'll have to take my word for it that he's just the most darling, musically inclined 8 year old in a santa hat in the whole bunch of 3rd graders!

I would have loved for you to see him better, but my camera, which is has awesome clarity, and so forth, does not have a great zoom. I did get a video pic but I still have to figure out how to download them.

Take my word for it, it was a very festive atmosphere! With a great song about a spanish reindeer I wish I could remember the words to, darling! Good job Bryce!

A Visit With Santa

We're lucky that Santa usually makes a stop at our church Christmas party. So we get to have a visit with him without waiting in that awful line at the mall that usually destroys the moment by the long wait! It turns out he actually travels to the ward in Murrieta as well.


Bradley spared Santa's lap and visited with him instead. He said he wanted a new airsoft rifle this year....

Kierstin opted out of even personally visiting with Santa this year. I guess she's banking on the letter she wrote him (I hope he got it!)

Bryce told Santa he wanted a remote control helicopter or airplane....

Brian wanted a skateboard.....


Tyson, well, he's just getting the idea. This was as close to Santa as he was willing to get this year. I'm sure he'll make up for it next year with a list a mile long!!

Christmas tree to the max!!

When I was a little girl, we had an artificial tree to save money and because my mom, dad and sister are all allergic to a real tree. I was always so jealous when my friends would go with their families to choose a real tree. I loved the smell of it the look, everything. I guess we always want what everyone else wants when we're little.

Of course I vowed to always get a real tree when I had my own family someday! From the moment I got out on my own, we have always got a real tree. I still love the whole thrill of going out to find "the one." I love the feel in the air and the smell of the lots.

As the kids have got involved, they of course, have always wanted the biggest tree we could fit. In the past, it has always been a 6-7 footer as we have had 8 foot ceilings and with the stand and the star, it was always a tight fit.

Well, this year, our new home has 10 foot ceilings so we could actually get a 9 foot tree! although ,when we got to the lot, our kids were convinced we could fit a 16 foot tree in "that spot by the stairs." Danny and I laughed. I thought I was always bad at gaging measurement. When someone says, "oh, it's about a foot", I am clueless to how big or small that may be. However, I was fairly confident we did not have room for a 16 foot tree. Although, trying to talk them out of it was hysterical. We finally said "look, we'll take it home and you'll see, this one barely fits."
So we settled for a 9 footer this year. Wow, I was beginning to worry that I was gathering too many ornaments to fit on a tree anymore. that may have been true for our 7 footer but the 9 footer, it all fit nicely (although I did have to buy 3 extra strands of lights!)

In the end, Kierstin and Bradley had a nice little "oops," laugh at themselves when they realized just how tall 16 feel would have been and how inconvenient it would have been to crawl up the railing of the stairs to go around it! Tyson just kept looking at it like he was amazed we actually brought a tree in the house! It all turned out lovely in the end!

Tyson, loved it all! He even brought refreshments!

I think Kierstin thinks she's getting too old for our traditions!! (sad thing is she only has 3 more left!)

Voila, proof that our 9 foot tree was the perfect fit!!

Brad's Christmas Concert

Part of the perks of middle school is that you get to choose an elective. Bradley was going to choose Band but the guidance counsellor talked him into taking choir and boy is he glad he is. He enjoyed it so much that he tried out for the honors all boy ensemble and made it. There aren't many 6th graders in it, just a couple. He gets to have his own tux and got to go to Disneyland the Friday before school got out to perform and then enjoy the rest of the day.

Also, that week before, they had the Christmas concert. Man, does my boy look good in a tux or what?

It was fun to get to hear him sing and dress up.

Bradley can not only sing but comes fully loaded with the full set of dimples too! (Can't we go back to arranging marriages and skip the whole dating scene? He's not only cute but knows all the right things to say to a girl. We're in trouble!)

Boys working hard in school!

Danny and I always tell our kids that it's their "job" right now to do their very best in school. If they do their best and work hard in school it will help give them more choices in how they can be happy in supporting future families later on.

A's are nice, but the most important thing is that they do their best and I always tell them I will know when it has been their best.

Bryce and Brian showed what they were capable of this past quarter in school. Bryce won 2 awards these past 3 months, one in his first class with Ms. Castilla for Citizen of the month. This is for a child that shows exceptional character. He got to eat lunch (McDonalds) with the principal.

The 2nd award was from his current teacher, Mr. Ennis, for outstanding achievement in reading. (Bryce was transferred from his first class cuz they had over 20 kids in it). This is really an achievement for Bryce as he excels in math (he wants to be a mathmatician someday). He usually has a harder time in reading. Not that he doesn't get it, just he's not interested in it and so he tends to rush through his reading and writing, not caring as much. So I was expecting the award to be in math and tickled to find it was in reading!! Way to go Bryce!

Brian also received an award that day. His award assembly was 2 1/2 hours after Bryce's. I was all set to go and had a bad parent moment and completely lost track of time. When I looked at the clock it was 1:45 and the assembly was at 1:30!! I grabbed Tyson out of his nap and rushed to the school, but of course I was too late! I felt AWFULL!! I can't express enough how awful I felt.

Brian's award was for outstanding citizenship. Having caring, understanding, considerate, courteous qualities which he definately has as he was quick to forgive mom for being such a flake! I was so grateful to his understanding nature! I'm also so proud of how well he is doing at school too especially considering this is his first year AND a new school AND he had to get switched out of his first class 1 1/2 months through cuz there was more than 20 kids. He's been a real trooper. How can you not love his smile!!




CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR HARD WORKING, SCHOLARLY BOYS!!!

A real THANKFUL Thanksgiving 2008.

I finally posted the fanstical "trip" part of our Thanksgiving but I didn't really post the important part, the THANKFUL part of it.

As I've said before, I am blogging mostly to keep a family history of sorts for my kids to look back on. So this blog is mostly for my children. I want them to realize how much we truly have to be thankful for in a year where they think they've lost most all they held dear.


We sure have had a year full of surprises this year with most of it being that this time last year we had absolutely NO intentions of moving away from Huntington Beach. If you were to have told us that we would be somewhere else by this time next year we would have told you you were sorely mistaken. We LOVED our home, family and friends that surrounded us there. In fact, I must admit, I had pretty much told everyone that I loved living there and would only move if an angel came down and told me to.

That is pretty close to what happened. It really was a miracle that we were able to sell our house within 2 months of deciding to do so and within 3 weeks of putting it on the market narrowly missing the real financial crash of the summer!! All of this was done because of motivation by the Prophet's continual counsel to get out of debt, get out of debt, and prepare for your future. It weighed constantly on our mind. We our grateful the Lord helped us in doing so.

Although we LOVE our dear friends and family in H.B. and miss them sorely, we have been blessed to have a more certain mortal future for our family which is important too.

I am thankful for all the lessons we are learning from this move. That a house is only a shell, the family within is what makes a home. When I am within the walls of our new house going about life with my kids, I feel at home and at peace and love, the same as in our old home. My heart aches for the friends and things comfortable and familiar that we've left behind but not for the nicer material aspects of our old home. I am so grateful that we are all in one place, together.

I am so thankful that I am able to stay home and be a homemaker. I must admit, I used to look for other words to describe my occupation in the beginning. I now proudly write HOMEMAKER on my job description. What an honor it is to be able to create a safe haven for those whom I love and cherish.

I am every day grateful for the health and strength of me and my family. That is HUGE! There are so many that are not. I think of that almost every day of my life and as long as I am able I will serve the Lord with what he gives of me. I love that song "Because I have been Given Much."

I am so thankful for a husband who loves me and supports me but most importantly that he holds and honors his Priesthood. He has a testimony and delights in sharing it which is such a tremendous example to 4 budding missionary boys and a potential missionary daughter. He works hard and makes sure we have fun.

I am so thankful for kids that are choosing to learn more about the gospel. They strive hard to do what's right and are a good example to their friends. I love each one of them. I'm so blessed to have been entrusted with 5 strong spirits who teach me every day!

I am so thankful for parents who raised me in the gospel but more importantly were a good example to me. My dad is the epitomy of service and kindness. He truly taught me how the church and its programs are meant to work. My mother taught me to always do my duty to God and that it is to God we answer, not man. THANKS!

I am thankful for friends who uplift and support me. I am such a people person. I love to surround myself with others who will help strengthen and uplift me by example and in whom I can share and know that I'm not alone in my struggles. Which brings me to my next point...

the scriptures. I LOVE that those ancient prophets followed the Lord's instructions and were so willing to give us a piece of thier lives. Heavenly Father could have just given us a book of instructions/commandments and said "follow these or else." But instead, he gives us beautiful example of fellow brothers and sisters who started off as ordinary but had faith in the Lord and became extraordinary. They are so relateable and make me feel like I can do this too. (Gotto luv Mohonrimoriancumr & Alma the Younger)

I'm thankful for prayer, where would I be without a lifeline to my Father in Heaven? He's bailed me out of so many bad circumstances.

Boy am I SO grateful to live in these fulness of the times! What a privilege it is to not only live in a time when I have all the gospel keys but the peace and comfort I get that even though things are going to get hard there will ALWAYS be the gospel on the earth and those who believe - HUGE!

And to live in this country and enjoy so many freedoms and the company of so many people who even though they may not go to an lds church, still have values and believe in God.

It all sums up to being thankful for the gospel of Jesus Christ. How do people live without it especially when you hit those tough times. I guess people are so busy and caught up in those busy times of life they can push aside those thoughts and not think of it. However, when it gets down to the end, it's funny to see how most people really are frantically trying to stave off death or finally come to terms and search out God. I've seen it first hand in my grandfather. I'm grateful to have a peace of mind NOW. I bear my testimony, that we have so very much to be grateful for and it did not come by chance. Rather there is a Father in Heaven who loves us and looks after us and has bestowed these many kindesses upon us for which I am truly grateful.

But I want to let my kids know that this move was a BLESSING for our family. Dad and I had been listening to the Prophet speak over and over about getting out of debt and becoming prepared for the future. We were not at that point. The future was uncertain and that was so weighing and scary and heavy. We felt we needed to do something. After much consideration, prayer and fasting we made that decision