June 2011

Birthday Boy

We began June like we do every year, by celebrating J-rod's birthday.  The night of his birthday, J-rod met us at M's school for their "Museum Night."  After visiting M's classroom and taking a look at all the projects on display, we took J-rod to dinner.  J-rod opened presents once we got home.  Shopping for him is often difficult as he never has requests for anything he might need or want.  His one and only usual request is one we can't give him, "more time."  Fortunately this year was different, he actually came right out and told us not only what he needed, but also wanted--yay!  In preparation for a hike/camping trip with the YM to the Grand Canyon later in the month, there were lots of things J-rod needed: a good hat with a BIG brim for shade, a collapsible water jug, a head lamp, various other camping sundries, and a replenishment of his cologne he had ran out of (plus some of the bigger equipment he had bought for himself last month.) Shopping for the birthday boy was actually lots of fun this time around!

~One year older and wiser too!~

The Kids

"Museum Night" at M's school was an evening where every classroom and hallway was decked out with displays of student work & projects from throughout the year.  The floor of the hallways was covered in red paper to resemble walking on a red carpet.  Each student acted as a "museum docent" to whom you could ask questions about the displays.  The docents each wore a "badge" around their necks that had their name photo on it, very official.  It was a fun and different way to put on a traditional "open house" and we enjoyed being there with M.

~M and some of his projects on display at Museum Night.~

The rest of the first two weeks of June were filled with various end-of-the school-year activities for both M and Li'l J: field day, concerts, and award assemblies, plus all the usual after-school activities of Cub Scouts, swim practice, and piano lessons.

End of year festivities:

1-2. Li'l J visits his class on field day.

3. M playing trumpet in the band.

4. Li'l J and M all dressed up for Nerd Day.

5. Li'l J and his bud J.

6. Li'l J and his teacher Mr. P at the Kinder awards assembly.

7.  M receiving his end of year award Honor Roll award.

8-9.  Last day of school: M with Mrs. F and Li'l J with Mr. P.

Early in June Li'l J ended up home all week from school again with another really bad asthma flare-up--very low oxygen intake and output levels.  This time we went directly to the allergist for help.  The reason for Li'l J's flare-up?  Memorial Day weekend while J-rod and I were out of town and our kids (and Copper) were staying with the H family, Li'l J got really sick.  The allergist said their tea-cup chihuahua and the miniature pincher-chihuahua mix weren't the issue, but the big chocolate lab and all his dander throughout the house were the culprit.  Guess it's a really good thing Copper isn't a lab!  Poor Li'l J!

Li'l J significantly improved since the weekend we were gone, but at his follow-up the allergist told him he was still not allowed to attend Field Day at school nor take part in his first swim meet because his lungs needed a bit more time to heal and strengthen.  What a big bummer for Li'l J!  At lunch time during Field Day, Li'l J's class was having a pizza party and a movie between the morning and afternoon activities so I took Li'l J and C-sta to the school for that portion of the day and Li'l J seemed to very much enjoy being a part of that.

~C-sta and Li'l J take part in lunch time at the kinder Field Day.~

Mom's Thoughts

The first weekend in June, J-rod and I had the opportunity to attend the groundbreaking ceremony for a new temple coming to our area.  President Monson first announced the temple three years ago and ever since then there has been quite a bit of concern expressed by the neighbors through the immediate surrounding area where the temple is to be built.  After much effort on both the part of the Church and the neighborhood, an agreement was finally reached and the Church was given the green light to begin the building process and hold a groundbreaking.  

To help ease the concerns of the neighbors, the groundbreaking was not open to the public so as to not overcrowd the area that morning.  All those in attendance, members and non-members from the community were sent special invitations, parking passes, and were strongly encouraged to carpool to the event.  There were also many members from the local police department to help direct traffic and discourage any protesters that might have felt it necessary to try and disrupt the event.  Fortunately, this was the first Saturday in about three years that the temple site did not have any protesters present and the groundbreaking was a very peaceful and uplifting event.

~A memorable event for J-rod and Zippy.~

The entire event was broadcast via closed-circuit to the 18 stakes that will be within this temple district so that the general membership could view it and feel a part of the special day.  We are SO very excited to have this temple built in our area.  Distance wise it will only be about 12 miles closer to us than the current temple we attend, but since we won't have to drive through downtown to get to it, it will take a lot less time to get there.  

After the groundbreaking services were completed that morning, J-rod and I got a chance to talk to Elder Walker of the Seventy who oversees the building of temples for the Church.  While talking to him he mentioned we'd like to attend a dedication session for the temple in my Dad's hometown of Quetzaltenango, Guatemala in December.  Elder Walker said, "well you certainly came to the right person!" and asked that we send him an email when the time got closer and that he would help us get tickets.  Being able to return to Guatemala and attend the dedication of the second temple to be built there, and in my Dad's hometown would be absolutely wonderful!  Stay tuned for a post about December to see how it all turned out.

~Artist rendering.~

Date Night

The second weekend in June (a couple of days after the last day of school for the boys), J-rod and I went on a double-date with some friends to see Les Miserables--another one of my all-time favorite Broadway musicals.  I was first introduced to the music Les Miz when the middle school choir I was a part of spent a lot of time learning and preforming the music. It's been a great many years that I've enjoyed the music and so was very excited to go see it again!  My goal had been to finish reading the 1400+ page book before we went, but I only got about 1/5 of the way through it.  All the historical info and French references I'm unfamiliar with made for really slow reading.  Having seen the musical re-energized me and I hope to get back into reading the book soon.

Pool Fun

The rest of June was packed with swimming, swimming, and more swimming.  We did pepper in some summer movies, play dates, and sleepovers here and there.  When we were not at our town pool or other town pools for practices or meets, we could be found in our pool trying to beat the heat.  This summer there was no such thing as sleeping-in for the kids and I as we had to have Li'l J to the pool for practice by 8:30 am, followed by M's practice at 9:30 am.

~On your marks, get set, GO!~

C-sta took two sessions of swim from an amazing private instructor that had her swimming by the end of her lessons! I spent each Thursday evening cheering my lungs our for the boys at their weekly swim meets, all while trying to avoid heat stroke, ha!  At one of the meets in June Li'l earned his first 2nd place in the butterfly for his age group and his first 1st place in the breast stroke--he is an awesome little fish and I love to watch him swim!

~"I not a fishy Mama, I a Whittle Mer-naid!"~

Family Fun

The day before Father's Day, our HOA hosted a neighborhood wide yard sale (which is to say they paid for the advertisements in all the local papers and encouraged the residents to have individual yard sales).  As it was rather late in the year for a yard sale, it was brutally hot but there was still quite a bit of traffic throughout the morning.  We decided last minute the night before to round-up everything we had put aside to take to the D.I. donation pod that sits in our stake center parking lot, as well as a few last minute entries and the next morning set it all out to see how things would go.  We went out at 6 am to set-up and by 6:30 we had a steady stream of customers...officially the neighborhood wide sales weren't supposed to start until 7 am, but there were some eager beavers out there for sure.  We heard later that there were some neighbors that had customers waiting for them as early as 5:30 am!  

As it turned out, our last minute decision to take part in this HOA activity was pretty profitable not only for us but for our boys too.  Even though they didn't get up as early as we did, with all the traffic our boys decided that this was the day to check-off one of their summer-time goals and put up a lemonade stand.  Too bad those boys didn't get up earlier or they might have made quite a bit more than the $10 they cleared in profit from their efforts!  Guess the heat was helpful in their case.  In the three hours we sat out there baking in the heat, we were able to sell about half of what we set out and then immediately loaded what didn't sell into the truck which J-rod took right over to the donation pod.  All around, our impromptu yard sale was a definitely a success and a step toward continued organization around our house--who-hoo!

~Li'l J, C-sta (in back ground), friends C & E, M.~

Tradition

Father's Day the kids and I made pancakes for J-rod--something we rarely do for him on Sundays as he leaves long before we do so this was a pretty major accomplishment for us.  Then at church the boys sang with the Primary.  After the Primary sang the YW presented all the men in the congregation with baggies of homemade cookies some of the Relief Society sisters had baked.  Once J-rod got home from church, we have him his presents.  What do you think we gave him?  More necessary items for the hiking trip he would leave on the next morning: more dehydrated meals: yum!; a pair of shorts, and LOTS and LOTS of wool hiking socks.  He was a happy man!

~Enjoying Father's Day together.~

Road trip

Bright and early the next morning while the kids and I were getting ready to go to swim practice, J-rod loaded up his truck, strapped on his +40lb. hiking pack (for this trip they had to pack everything in and everything out), posed for picture, and off he went to meet up with the YM, their leaders, and two other wards from our stake.

~Ready for a great adventure!~

Once they were all together, they made their way to the bottom of the Grand Canyon where they hiked and camped for a week in the lands of the Havasupai Indian Tribe, enjoyed the beauty of the many water falls there, logged close to 40 miles of hiking, and had some pretty incredible experiences as they had opportunities to serve one another, other scout troops, YM groups, and other campers.

~Photo courtesy of a friend.~

Their third day there, the YM from our ward and stake answered a rather unique and urgent call for help.  A gentleman (they later discovered as an LDS bishop from the San Diego area) had broken his ankle when his foot got lodged between two rocks at one of the waterfalls, four miles from anything.  Many of our boys who were playing shirtless in the river, didn't think twice when the call came to go help and off they went to work.   Since the terrain they were in was rather rough and not suitable for the Medi-vac helicopter to land and the helicopter didn't have a basket big enough that could be lowered & would support the weight of this man, our boys had to hurry and make a stretcher out of rope lashings and sticks to hike this man over and out of the rough terrain to where they could meet the helicopter and then load him into the helicopter.  

~Photos courtesy of the family of the injured gentleman.~

Many of our boys ended up with big sunburn blisters on their backs and shoulders from the experience, but none of them complained and all said they were grateful for the opportunity to help when and where they were needed.  It was neat to hear them share their experiences during Sacrament Meeting and to see how they each had been touched and how each had growth experiences thanks to that week spent at the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

Back in December 2010 when plans for this hike were first being made, I thought they were all CRAZY to attempt it as only a couple of the leaders are avid hikers.  However now that they've all returned, I'm grateful they were able to go and that they all came back better for having gone.  The week J-rod was gone was just as much about his survival on the trail as it was bout the kids and I surviving without him. We all survived, but were SO happy to have J-rod back at home with us!  The biggest challenge for me while he was gone was at night during the dinner and bedtime routine as I had no one to defer to as I usually do. How do single moms do it 24/7?

April 2011

~A beautiful double rainbow during a rare rainstorm~

As Fall finally begins to makes its appearance in our little corner of the country, and winter quickly approaching here I am finally writing about Spring.  When April arrived it was technically and officially Spring, but the weather we experienced through the beginning of the month was unseasonably "winterish" and rather cool.  No complaints though, the unusually cool weather was WONDERFUL and we enjoyed being able to be outside knowing that the unbearable heat was just around the corner!  Though I didn't take any pictures, the desert flowers and trees were in bloom unlike we'd seen in our first three years here and everything was absolutely gorgeous.  You'll just have to take my word for it.  Instead here's a picture of our kiddos for you to enjoy:

~Thank you G'ma S for the great T-shirts!~

While the April weather was unseasonable, our level of keeping busy was not.  Activities for M and Li'l J were plentiful and lots of fun!  I got to help teach M's Webelos den one night a little bit about the Spanish language and then another night I helped drive them on a field trip to a nearby dam as they were learning about the history of the area we live in.  On a third night, both J-rod and I got to help out with a mock camp-out at the Cub Master's house so that the Webelos could sign off a number of their requirements.  The boys had to show up completely packed as though they were prepared for an overnight camp-out.  Once they arrived, they got to take part in an obstacle course where they got to practice tying and untying knots and then they built a fire which they cooked over.  We love our Cub Scout leaders and all that they do for our boys!

The weekend before Spring Break, Li'l J and C-sta attended a birthday party for a classmate of Li'l J's and her younger brother.  The party was held at a local park that had just opened their splash pad for the season.  Our kids had such a good time!

~Li'l J, C-sta, and friends have fun splashin' around.~

Both M and Li'l J went on class field trips (the last of the year) and I got to go as a chaperon with each of the boys.  Li'l J's kindergarten field trip took us to a puppet theater where we enjoyed The Tale of Peter Rabbit.  The story was told non-verbally through the movement and interaction of the puppets; it was all set to music which also helped move the story along.  It was a really fun production that we all enjoyed.  The next day was "show and tell" day in Li'l J's class so he took a Peter Rabbit puppet we were given at a baby shower when I was expecting M.  Li'l J's class LOVED it!

~Our 10 year old Peter Rabbit puppet.~

~Li'l J Cottontail~

C-sta and I went with M when the fourth grade celebrated Earth Day and the completion of their "life science" unit by going to see the "Disneynature" documentary, Africa Cats.  I think my favorite part about this movie was the beautiful cinematography: the African Savannah is breathtaking and viewing it this way is probably the closest I'll ever get to it.

~Using his Legos & his creativity,

M builds a scene from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.~

~Track stars!~

We all enjoyed cheering M and his friend M on as they took part in their first track meet.  For a beginner, M did fairly well in his events: the discus throw, the long jump, the shot put, and hurdles.  So it looks like the strong "track" legacy from J-rod's side of the family will be carried on in our family too--yay!

~"leaving, on a jet plane":

*waiting for the plane

*playing Angry Birds with J-rod to pass the time

*"da plane, da plane" finally arrives

*M gets to board the plane 1st~

Also in April, M and Li'l J had Spring Break.  M got to fly by HIMSELF to visit G'pa and G'ma S for the week.  Thank you G'pa and G'ma for having M and for taking such good care of him while he was there!  He sure enjoyed himself and looks forward to being able to come visit again soon.

Putting M on a plane by himself was not easy for me to do, but it all worked out so smoothly that in the end I was really glad he got to go!  M had a wonderful with all the family he got to see and can't wait to go back.  Li'l J now wants to know, just when will he be allowed to fly by himself to visit G'pa and G'ma??  Uh, not until he's at least 10 like M, sorry bud!

While M did take a camera with him on this trip, we forgot to make sure there was a memory card in it!  As it turned out, the camera M had didn't hold very many pictures and the ones he did take got accidentally erased.  Fortunately G'ma S came to our rescue by sharing with us the pictures she took while M stayed with them.  Thank you G'ma S!

~Happy early birthday to N!~

Since we are notorious for sending our loved ones their birthday gifts long after their special day has passed, we sent N's presents with M so that he'd have them.  We figured N wouldn't mind having his presents early, as early is always much better than late!

~Four wheelin' during a chilly evening.~

M emailed us a report of the fun activities his first day away.  In his own words, this is what he shared with us:

"Hi! How are you? Yesterday I got home after midnight. Today me, N, and C went bowling. When we got home I went and played with the dogs. Maddie got most of the attention because when ever Scout came by, she bumped him out of the way. Later C drove us on the ATV to Uncle E's house and we jumped on the tramp while we talked to Aunt C. Then we drove home. We picked up N from track practice. That's how the day has been. I love you. Bye."

Other things M did while at G'pa & G'ma's that he thought were pretty cool:

*M watched Scooby-Doo every morning with his Uncle N.

*M learned about doing yard work from Uncle N.

(So how do we get M to think that doing yard work at home is fun???)

*M went to the library with Aunt C & Uncle N.

*M walked to the movies with Aunt C & Uncle N from the library; they saw Rio.

(This is pretty cool considering our "smallish" town doesn't have its own movie theater and walking anywhere around here is almost out of the question.)

~M enjoyed dying Easter eggs with Uncle N & Aunt C.~

~Before his return trip home, 

M spent part of the day at Uncle N's track meet.~

While M was away Li'l J got pink eye, C-sta worked her way through croup, and J-rod worked lots of LONG hours so I just laid low with the kids and Copper that week.  During the middle of the week I thought some fresh air would do us all some good so Li'l J, C-sta and I took Copper for a walk.  Here is how I reported our walk on my Facebook status that day:

"SB '11 Day 4: walk w dog & kids = epic fail! Dog got out of harness mid st. x-ing. Couldn't chase him, Sis had to catch up: she was pushing her stroller. Once at park, finally caught dog after he chased lizards! Walk home: no better. Worn out, dog laid down 2x's refusing to move. Sis wouldn't sit in stroller, push it, or walk. Finally carried her home as she kicked & screamed. We ALL took a nap after lunch!"

Though its seems funny now, apparently we ventured out too early as that walk was clearly more than we were ready to handle!  By the end of the week when the kids were feeling a bit better and I was beginning to go stir-crazy, Li'l J, C-sta, and I met up with some friends at Peter Piper Pizza for lunch and then we also went to see Rio.

~C-sta before she got croup, enjoying herself poolside.~

~Li'l J enjoyed making chocolate chip cookies once he was clear of pink-eye.~

When M flew home, he happened to be on the same flight as some good family friends.  We were all grateful he had such good company and someone to help calm his nerves on that return flight.  Thank you N & J for taking such good care of our boy!  It was fun to visit with N & J for a few minutes after they all got of that plane. : )  Once we said goodbye to N & J, M and I made our way over to the temple where we met up with J-rod, Li'l J, and C-sta to watch the Easter Pageant.  What a great way to welcome M home!

~Welcome home M!

We're glad you had such a good time.

We sure missed you and are very happy to have you home!~

~Happy Easter from our cute kiddos!~

~Celebrating our friend M's birthday. 

After lunch and presents, we saw Hoodwinked Too with him and his family.

Our kids picked out two things for M that he really wanted:

1. Pokemon cards

2. A darling little garden gnome.~

April turned out to be a big movie month for our family.  In addition to the movies already mentioned, we also saw Hop in the theater (with our friend J that had just moved back--yay!!) and then at home we put C-sta's copy of Tangled (that she got in her Easter Basket) to very good use.  Also, J-rod and I finally got to see Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1.  It definitely left me looking forward to seeing the second part!

J-rod and I also went on some fun dates in April.  One night we saw a stage production of one of my favorite musicals, Fiddler on the Roof.  I have loved this musical since I was a little girl and it's like an old friend. In fact the day I got all four of my wisdom teeth pulled, when I came home after the procedure I asked for some chocolate ice cream, sat in my dad's comfy chair, and watched Fiddler.  So how J-rod and I managed to get this far in our marriage without my making him sit down and watch the dvd with me before taking him to see the stage production, I don't know!  To see the professional stage production was amazing for me--I LOVED it!!

Though somewhat non-traditional, another fun date we went on was to serve at the Cannery together with one of J-rod's counselors and his wife.  The day we served, we helped can yummy spaghetti sauce.  J-rod and I got assigned to work side by side putting the glass jars onto the conveyor belt which carried the jars to the steam bath.  Though I only broke one jar, we did have a couple more that came out of the boxes chipped that we then had to throw out.  When our shift was finished we were told we helped bottle approximately seven thousand jars of spaghetti sauce.  On our way out we were given a jar to take home as a thank you.  We're grateful we got to serve at the Cannery that day.

Another date we went on was to the Elder's Quorum activity entitled, "Date Night".  We met at the home of one of the EQ counselors, visited with the other couples that came, ate the yummy food everyone brought to share, and then enjoyed a fun movie together.  Such a simple activity and yet, so fun!

There you have the end of April 2011.  When will I ever get around to writing about May...or the rest of 2011?  Hopefully over Christmas Break 2011!

January 2011

~Happy New Year!~

Yes, yes it is true!  Can you believe it?? I'm finally blogging about the current year: WOO-HOO!! Let's see if I can pick up the pace and get caught up before another new year rolls around.

So, just how did we kick off 2011?  Well, not quite how we usually do.  Not with friends.  Not with friends near or far as we have in the past.  Not with family either.  J-rod didn't even have to work but we still didn't do much.  Why?  I had the flu.  The full-on, "hit me like a Mac-truck, completely wipe me out, fever and chills with an achy body, no-way should I be around anybody" kind of flu.  No fun.  No fun for me. No fun for J-rod. Especially no fun for the kids. Yup, I was a party-pooper and went to bed super early (C-sta did too) while J-rod and the boys roasted marshmallows and had fun with sparklers.  

******

~Taken with my phone in the dimly lit theater.~

The second weekend of January Li'l J and I went on a date to see Shrek the Musical.  J-rod and I were supposed to go see it together but since M woke up that morning throwing up, Li'l J got to go with me instead.  While the play wasn't among my favorite musicals, it had its good spots (the dragon was pretty amazing!) and Li'l J and I enjoyed our time together.

~Also taken with my phone, after the show.~

As we left the theater that evening, J-rod called to ask if I had yet heard the horrific news about the shooting rampage in Tucson, AZ earlier that day.  I hadn't heard about it until he called to tell me.  I listened to the local radio reports for a bit on the ride home.  What a very sad and terrible day for all those directly affected.

******

~Our suspicions confirmed!~

We've had an ongoing family joke now for a while that there must be a "black hole" the sits directly over our house and causes our belongings to vanish from time to time.  There is no rhyme nor reason as to what vanishes, the black hole simply taketh away and re-turneth at will.  When lost items do reappear, they are found in the MOST random of places!  The only consistent thing is that the length of time before a lost or misplaced item reappears is directly proportional to its importance or value.  For instance, J-rod's wedding band: gone now for almost 3 years.  We are almost certain we know where it is, we just cannot access it.  We believe it has fallen away into a nook or cranny in J-rod's comfy recliner.  One year M's new glasses were misplaced for months; this year mine have been gone for over three months.  Sets of keys or the TV remote seem to reappear within the day though.  In most homes a sock will go missing from a pair, no, not at our house.  This black hole must wear flip-flops year round like we do because all of our socks are present and accounted for!

Anyway, one morning prior to a family outing we noticed the above pictured card (which was sitting on the street behind our car) pointing directly at our house.  We'd suspected as much, but apparently the universe wanted to make sure that we knew.  Oh we laughed so hard when we saw this, we just had to document it.  Maybe now that we've publicly acknowledged its existence, a few more things will reappear?  Guess we'll just have to wait and see.

******

The day before M's first double-digit birthday--he's 10 now!!--was Martin Luther King Jr. Day and a holiday from school.  Since J-rod also happened to have the day off, we took the kids to do some birthday shopping for M who was in dire need of new shoes and a suit for church.  After shopping we met up with our friends the H family for dinner.  Whenever anyone in either their family or ours has a birthday, we meet at Red Robin for dinner. I think it's RR's amazing fries and ranch that keeps us coming back  Well that and...we always have such a fun time with the H family!

~The first of M's 10th B-day celebrations~

~All together now: "Red Robin...YUM!"

M got a two extra special treats for his 10th birthday.  M became a Webelo on his birthday and was especially happy about going to his den meeting that night.

~Happy, Happy 10th Birthday to our M!~

The day after his birthday: SURPRISE! J-rod took M on his very first ski trip up north for the day…just he and J-rod.

~What a great birthday surprise!~

M spent the first half of the day up in a ski lesson with a few other kids while J-rod discovered that he wasn’t as rusty at skiing as he had anticipated (it had been ages since J-rod last skied!).  M spent the rest of the day testing out his newly learned skills skiing with J-rod. It was a fun day for both father and son and they were left looking forward to another ski day, hopefully sooner than later!

******

~M and his science partner K testing our their hypothesis~

Later in January when given an assignment to apply the scientific method with an experiment,  M was teamed up with classmate K.  Together they tested out the hypothesis they came up with together: "If you drop a Fruity MENTOS into a bottle of 1L Sprite, it will cause a big chemical reaction."  K and M discovered that though a chemical reaction did occur, their hypothesis was flawed.  When researching what could be done to create a bigger chemical reaction, M and K learned that a BIG chemical reaction comes from dropping a Mint MENTOS into 2L of DIET COKE.  So even though what they thought would happen did not, it was still a successful science project since they learned what they would need to do to cause a bigger reaction.  I love the learning that is happening with our kids!!

******

~PWD 2011~

We finished out the month of January by attending M's last Pinewood Derby race.  M built his PWD car to look like a green LEGO brick. He named it “The Brickyard Racer”. On race day, even though it looked a bit bulky compared to the other sleek cars that raced in our pack PWD, "The Brickyard Racer" held its own rather well and M took second place (just as he did his first year in the PWD). What a great way for M to finish out his racing days!

December 2010: Traditions

Mom's thoughts:
December: another crazy busy month for us filled with more than we had time or energy to do, as well as more sickness than I care to remember (which a number of times caused us to rearrange schedules and realign priorities as well).  Amidst all that I also had to learn my limits and found myself early on in the month picking and choosing which traditions and activities we’d include in our Christmas celebrations and which ones we’d do without this time around. It’s always a challenge to find a healthy balance of all the activities that vie for our attention that we could be a part of with what we should be doing…not much different than the rest of the year I guess.

Since we packed so many adventures into December, I think I'd better break-up my recap of the month into a couple different posts starting with the many traditions we observe throughout December.

This is now a tradition
December 2009 another mom and I worked together to surprise M's 3rd grade teacher with a framed photo of his class.  Since it worked so well last year, this December we surprised all four 4th grade teachers with a picture of their classes.  Just like last year, this year each teacher received a framed 8x10 of their homeroom posing nicely.  Here is a composite of all four classes:

~Happy~

We also gave each teacher a handmade greeting card with a 4x6 photo on the front cover.  The pics on their cards were pictures of their homeroom being goofy.  The inside of the card read: "We may not have it all together, but together we have it all", along with a sentiment of "Thanks for all you do!" : ) 

~Silly~

We surprised the teachers one morning during the last week of school before the Christmas Break and each one was touched by the gift.  One of the teachers would be moving away at the end of December (due to an unexpected military reassignment for her husband), so this was extra special to her.  Looks like we may be doing this as the Christmas gift for teachers from here on out.

Christmas movies:
With J-rod being gone lots in December due to his crazy work schedule or being at the church to conduct tithing settlement, one of the traditions the kids and I had fun enjoying on our own was watching many a favorite Christmas movie plus a few new ones. The Christmas season just doesn’t seem complete at our house if we don’t watch Home Alone or The Polar Express, and now it looks like the boys would like to add Elf to that list as well.

One of my all-time favorite Christmas movies is White Christmas but since it's an older movie and a musical, getting my family to watch it with me is always a challenge.  Watching White Christmas holds sweet memories for me of watching it with my dad growing up.  This year I got to watch it with my sweet sister A so that was extra special for me--"Sisters, sisters, there were never such devoted sisters"!!

Another new tradition?
Our ward Christmas activity this year was a “Polar Express” Breakfast complete with lots of hot chocolate and everyone wearing their jammies.  The fact that this activity was held in the morning delighted many ward members as it freed up what otherwise would have been another crazy/busy evening and a number of requests were made that this become a yearly tradition. Time will tell.

L-R:

M asked Santa for the book The Encyclopedia of Immaturity.

C-sta was NOT okay with sitting on Santa's lap!

Li'l J asked Santa for a skate board.

Decorating
We love to decorate for Christmas!

~Our Snowmen Collection~

From our table tops and shelves, to our trees.  No that is not a typo, I did say "trees" as in more than one.  It now takes four trees to hold all of the tree ornaments we've accumulated over the years (inherited, bought, made, and have received as gifts).  Each year the kids take turns putting on the "first" ornament on each tree.

We set up our big "Blue and White" tree in the family room in front our front window.  This is the tree under which presents are left and the one we sit by when opening presents on Christmas morning.  Our "main" tree is also the one where all of our blue and white ornaments go.  This year it was M's turn to put the first ornament on the main tree.  He chose an ornament of the Christ child he made a few years back.  After M placed his chosen ornament, Li'l J put up a blue flip-flop we got during a S family reunion in Kauai, HI when I was pregnant with Li'l J.

~Our main tree~

Since M put the first ornament on our main tree, Li'l J put the first ornament on our secondary tree that we place in our loft.  Li'l J chose a glass ball that looks like a basketball as the first ornament for this tree: "because I love sports!"  C-sta put a bright pink glass ball on the tree as the second ornament--her favorite color.

~The loft tree~

This tree holds all of our colorful ornaments that have come to us over the years from all over, far and wide.

Ornaments representative of who we are-- 

1. S for our family name.

2. J is for J-rod (from my mom).

3. Z is for Zippy (from my mom).

4. T-shirt with a design M drew at school in 2009.

5a. J-rod's 1st Christmas ornament.

5b. Red and white crocheted ornament 

made by J-rod's mom, J.

6. An apple for the teacher (from my mom).

7. A soccer ball for our boys (from my mom).

8. A clothes pin reindeer 

J-rod made in elementary school.

9. One for my frog collection (from my mom).

10. A train for the boys' collection (from my mom).

11. A grand piano (from my mom).

12. Also given to me by my mom 

because I love to wrap presents!

13. A "quilted" ornament I made for Li'l J's first Christmas.

14a. Cat-in-the cradle ornament 

J-rod made as a Cub Scout.

14b. A crocheted Santa made by J-rod's mom, J.

15. An ornament I made when M was a baby.

Ornaments gathered from our travels and places we've lived-- 

1. Tin Sun and Moon 

Bought when I student taught in Mexico.

2. From our years in UT.

3. From our years in NY.

4-5. From one of our favorite cities to visit: NYC.

(A re-purposed key chain)

6. The Crayola Factory in Easton, PA.

7. The Grand Canyon

8. Disneyland

(Also a re-purposed key chain)

Ornaments we've received as gifts--

1. A puzzle wreath made by the bishop's wife

from the first ward we lived in when newly married.

2. St. Nick given to me by a wonderful roommate at BYU, E.

3. A German woodsman given to us by my mom.

4. A paper angel made by a beautiful neighbor 

while I was a student at BYU. 

It's outlined with tiny pinpricks.

5. Our family depicted as reindeer's, pre C-sta.

It was given to us by J-rod's awesome 

brother D and his wonderful wife M!

Now that C-sta has joined us, 

I think it's time we had one made that includes her. : )

6. Hand-stitched heart made by a

wonderful lady I used to visit teach 

when we lived in NY.

Trees No. 2 and 3 are two skinny-mini little trees we put on our stair landing this year.  M decorated one of the trees with all the ornaments he has made at school, church, or home over his life; the second tree was decorated by Li'l J and C-sta with their handmade ornaments.

~The kids trees~

1. M's tree

2-4. Ornaments M has made out of recycled items.

2. Angel 2009

3. Drum 2011

4. Bottle cap Snowman 2010

5. Li'l J's orange and cloves 2011

6. Li'l J's Santa and M's Double-sided Red Light-saber 2011

7. Li'l J's Snowman 2011

8. Li'l J's Snowflake (see his CUTE face?)

9. Li'l J's tree

Other favorite traditions we did include this year: FHE at the Temple to take in the beautiful Christmas lights and a date night for J-rod and I to see The Forgotten Carols and reminisce about the night we got engaged.

We also attended an Interfaith Nativity display of over 300 nativities. Our stake and two neighboring stakes began hosting this activity our first year here. It takes place over the first weekend of December.  The displays are available for viewing beginning Thursday night.   Throughout the weekend musical groups of various faiths and from all over the area perform while people freely walk about viewing the many beautiful displays.  The festivities are concluded on Sunday night with the broadcast of the First Presidency Christmas Devotional.  I love going to this activity to see all the different displays and interpretations of the night our Savior was born! Our stake hosted it last year, and we had a few of our own family nativities displayed for it.

I didn't get any pictures when we went this year, but here are some from last year.

~2009 Nativity Displays~

It's always so fun to see all the different types of nativities, especially the ones from different parts of the world. One of my favorite unique ones came from Alaska: a miniature igloo with the family depicted as Eskimos.

A few Christmas' back J-rod's parents gave us this book and a jar of our own to fill:

~I highly recommend it!~

Now we have adopted this as one of our own traditions.  Year-round we fill our "Christmas Jar" with our pocket change.  Come December we use the accumulated "savings" to buy a gift for someone off the Angel Tree at the kids school, or as we did this year, off the Angel Tree our ward sponsored.  Our boys have lots of fun going shopping for Angel Tree gifts!  We love this tradition!