Quotes of the Week

"You should never be surprised when someone treats you with respect, you should expect it."
-- Sarah Dessen

"You're worried about how you're going to feel at the end of your life? What about right now? Live. Right this minute.  That's where the joy's at."
-- Abigail Thomas

"I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and explain or murmur or think at some point, 'If this isn't nice, I don't know what is.'"
-- Kurt Vonnegut

Someone Has Come to Town and It's Not Santa Claus

Oh yes! About this time of year everyone anticipates a big jolly old guy stopping by for a visit. Well, the person we were anticipating is definitely a jolly fellow, but not quite as big and old as Santa Claus. He did come bearing gifts--the gift of his presence and his precious family.

Yes--the much anticipated arrival of Abe and his family has come to pass. They are in town for the holiday and everyone has been so excited to meet Abe and Klarissa's new son, Newland.

Abe and Klarissa came bearing an early Christmas gift to me--guaranteed to cure all that ails me...well some of what ails me. Thanks, guys!!

Posing for Christmas pictures (with me trying to hold my germs in for the picture with Newland).

Sunday family dinner all hinged upon when Jeff and Sarah got back in town from Cedar City. The night before we had been telling everyone dinner would be at 5:00. Sunday morning Sarah texted to be expecting them around 3:00, so we moved the meal up a couple of hours.

Apparently everyone but Rebecca got the memo (that's what she gets for not having multi-media texting on her phone...). When they got home from church at 2:00, they had all eaten and had just settled down for afternoon naps when it occurred to me she hadn't been getting the latest updates.

Here she is giving me the evil eye for the oversight. She brought Brooke and Caroline right over to join in the fun while Dallas stayed behind for a while with a napping Spencer. I'll say it once again, Rebecca--SORRY!! And it's a good thing you live so close to us now that you could do exactly what you did.

Abe and Sarah swapped babies to get a good look at their new little nephews.

Carson and Newland getting acquainted with each other.

Here we are in the quarantine eating space trying to keep our germs to ourselves. I found out today my whooping cough results came back negative. Just pneumonia. Isn't that comforting to everyone? At least I feel like this second round of 10-day antibiotic is finally actually helping me get better.

And of course Sunday isn't complete until Grandpa makes popcorn for all the grandchildren.

Newland got his first dose of all the kids gathering around the popcorn poppers while Grandpa sings the popcorn song to them while waiting for the corn to pop.

Fun times for everyone. More partying tonight at the Christmas Eve family dinner party.

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!!!!

Quotes of the Week

"Whenever you're in conflict with someone, there is one factor that can make the difference between damaging your relationship and deepening it. That factor is attitude."
-- William James


"When things just don't work out as good as you really thought they would... It's not rotten, it's not over, it's not finished, or the end. All it means is something better is waiting for you around the bend."
-- Doe Zantamata

"Show kindness whenever possible. Show it to the people in front of you, the people coming up behind you, and the people with whom you are running neck and neck. It will vastly improve the quality of your own life, the lives of others, and the state of the world."
-- Ann Patchett
 

His Most Favorite Thing About Christmas--NOT!!

My dear husband has a problem getting in the Christmas spirit. He has the same problem occurring year after year after year.

The problem is he does not like it when it comes time to carry up the boxes of Christmas decorations and he especially detests putting up the Christmas tree itself.

Let's face it, he's kind of a Christmas-decorating scrooge. He has been trying to convince me we don't even need to set up the tree anymore since the kids are all big and grown.

They may be all big and grown, but certainly when it's our year for them to come to our house for Christmas, I think we should put up a Christmas tree. All in favor, say "Aye!"

My coaxing worked and down to the basement he went to haul everything up--and even without too much grumbling.

We simplified the whole Christmas tree thing a few years ago when we bought a pre-lit tree. The tree comes in three sections--one, two, three, plug it in and it's done. Now how hard does that sound?

Despite this best invention ever for the man who hates putting lights on the Christmas tree or anywhere else inside or outside the house, my husband still loathes the whole tree thing.

Imagine his dismay, horror and total frustration when our one, two, three tree was assembled and when he plugged it in--the middle section didn't light up!!

Glen had to put everything else on hold that he wanted to do that day (probably watch ball games on tv) and run to the store to buy some lights and then string them on the tree. Oh no! He's now having to revert back to the olden days when he used to have to do that every year to the whole tree.

Thankfully he bought lights that matched the lights already on the tree and so no one will be able to tell the difference.

Good thing some cute little girls came to visit and were anxious to help put the ornaments on the tree. That is DEFINITELY out of Glen's yearly Christmas tree job description.

Thanks, Glen, for your efforts in getting a tree up this year. Thanks, Brooke and Caroline, for your efforts in decorating the tree.

Now as soon as I get over this pneumonia...

(here's poor sick me coughing up a lung--one of the million EXTREME coughing fits I've had this past week)...

...everyone is welcome to come for a holiday visit!

Quotes of the Week

"We can throw stones, complain about them, stumble on them, climb over them, or build with them."
-- William Arthur Ward


"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work."
-- Aristotle

 "The successful person has the habit of doing the things failures don't like to do. They don't like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is subordinated to the strength of their purpose."
-- E.M Gray

Jacob's Birthday

Jacob was born the day after Thanksgiving. This year his birthday was two days after Thanksgiving. He cooked himself his birthday breakfast--ebelskivers. If you look at his shirt, you will know why he has a smile on his face. There was a BYU basketball game he was looking forward to that evening.

The little girls had something up their sleeve to make that they knew their dad would enjoy.

Yes, that's Jello No Bake cheesecake. The girls made the whole thing by themselves. They just needed a little help with the mixer.

Of course every good cook needs to taste what she makes. Looks like these little chefs think they have made something delicious!

Jacob decided to put up the Christmas tree. It looks like his reward for himself accomplishing the tree task was listening to the BYU game.

Birthday dinner was take-out. Jacob loves Outback Steakhouse and the kids like McDonald's happy meals. It made me happy to have restaurants doing the work to feed us that evening.

Time for opening gifts and cards. Natalie made the cutest picture book for Jacob about all the people in his life.

Next after birthday dinner was birthday cake--or cheesecake in this case. The girls were really happy and excited to present their homemade delicacy to their father.

Happy birthday, Jacob!! 

Next day was Sunday. I wanted to get a picture of everyone around the turkey. Too bad Jacob, Laurie and baby Claire are missing!

When Natalie and Emma found out there was another box of cheesecake in the pantry, they begged to make another one. The first one had only one piece left and that's not a lot when four little people wanted to eat it. I thought it was a great activity for them to do after church. They knew exactly what to do since they had just made one.

 Who knew cheesecake could make people so happy?

Here's the whole bunch: Logan, Natalie, Luke, Claire and Emma.

Watching a movie.

 Holding the baby.

Here are my morning buddies. They are eating their lunch so we can get Luke off to preschool.

Natalie had Girls Scouts one day after school, so Emma decided to do an activity without her. Believe it or not, she wanted to make a THIRD cheesecake. By this time she was a pro at doing all the steps by herself (but still needed a little help using the mixer).

These are my memories of my last few minutes at Jacob and Laurie's house. Luke holding his little sister with her wearing a cute Christmas outfit.

It was wonderful getting to meet grandchild #11 and helping take care of the family while Laurie was recovering from the delivery.

What a sweet little baby girl. Hopefully the weather will cooperate for us to drive back in a couple of months for her blessing.