the last day of the year

it's been a good year. We've read some good books. My favorite new Christmas book is the Gingerbread Pirates. Lucy and I read it many times this last month and it is sweet and saucy and I love the illustrations!

Favorite kid books have been the Percy Jackson adventures and Fablehaven. Both of which I read with Brother but I liked them as much as he did. So fun and imaginative!

For adult books I really liked the Help and Three Cups of Tea.

...I wonder what the new year will bring.

I read a lot of books. I, frankly, don't remember most of them but like the meals I eat and the conversations I have with friends and the dishes I wash every day, they become part of me. Who I am and what my world view is like. I love books. A lot.

Asahi

Went out to lunch today. It was yummy and so fun. E said it was the 2nd best restaurant he's ever eaten at :) (his first fav is Tacanos in Utah)

Tonight we're going to a go away party for the Palmers. We haven't known them very long but it will be sad to see them leave, they are an awesome family.

DC Field Trip

Sunday night I took the big girls to the airport. They both went to TX . Jenna is camping with Emma and the Venturing Crew and then visiting friends and going to the New Years Eve Dance. Sierra is visiting lots of friends. It's always weird to have them gone.

So, Monday morning we decided to try out the metro and go to DC. We drove down to the station and talked to a very nice worker who showed us how to do it and then we boarded. The kids thought it was great fun to be in an underground tunnel on a train. Beloved and I thought it was way less stressful than driving in DC and parking in DC.

We went to the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History.

Then we went and walked the mall looking at monuments in the freezing weather.

The kids found this little squirrel that was so friendly. They fed him nuts and raisins and he ate right out of their hand.

It was pretty funny, when we were done we walked on and he came leaping after us begging for more...we obliged and threw him a handful of what we had left. It's so cold and he was hungry.

E trying to stay warm. Impossible, BTW

Us at the Lincoln Monument.

a sugary winterland of delight

while browsing some of my fav sites this morning I saw the CUTEST, seriously, sugariest, stickiest, yummist, most delightfully decorated house EVER! Go here and visit, it's worth a stop :)

...you are welcome :)

temple trip

Last night I went on a youth temple trip with J. It was really neat, we have great youth!

I was called today to work with the Young Women. It is my very favorite place to serve and I am super excited, but also a little nervous and feeling the weight of responsibility. Our girls are so awesome and their futures are so full of hope and promise, they just need to know who they are and stick to the straight and narrow path. I hope I will be fun and that I will help them.

quilts

for Christmas I made these two little quilts for my granddaughter Tatum and my new nephew Joneaux.
They were very fun to make and I was happy with how they turned out. They aren't perfect but I don't think the babies will mind :)

update: She liked it!

and so did he!

Christmas Day

Today was a very good day. Lucy woke up early and kept wishing for morning. 1:30 was not. Neither was 3:00...or 5:45; finally it was and she was excited!!!

The kids are allowed to open their stockings before we get out of bed, we heard laughing and fun in the bedroom as that kept them entertained for a long while :) then we headed down stairs and opened our gifts.

Everyone got things they really wanted and were happy and cheerful:)

Sierra and Jenna both got tennis rackets and balls to play with. They both got pretty pearls from Nana, white for S and black for J. J also got a much wanted lap top in preparation for going off to college in a year :(


I got what I thought was a lovely coat for Sierra. It turned out to be a rather odd cloak with what kind of looked like a dead beaver on it. We laughed for a long time as she modeled it for us. (we are going to exchange it)

Lucy really wanted this dinosaur digging kit, she also got a Barbie that she wanted and a scooter that she road around on inside for hours.

After the gifts were opened we had a relaxing day playing together, and making food and trying out the new toys and games.

I won at Querkle, which was fun. Brother also really liked it.

Speaking of Brother he got this awesome helmet and a double edged light saber as well as lots of new "guys" and some other fun things.

Everyone got books and ....

Beloved got to spend a couple of hours with the "some assembly required" gifts that everyone got.

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!

while visions of sugar plums...

danced in their heads. The kids decorated their rooms and slept under sparkly lights while dreaming of the goodies to come in the morning.

counting down the minutes

with some snow play

and a trip to the movies, we saw Avatar, which was a lot of fun.

and new jammies :)

Christmas Eve

Yeah! It's here and Beloved is off of work and the kids are EXCITED!! and we still have snow:) a white Christmas for us:)

This was taken yesterday at the museum.

cookies

we're going kind of stir crazy around here. ....can I open one present please mom! ....can we go out in the snow again mom? ......what can we do mom???

so we're baking, and singing to each other and watching movies and playing games and cleaning up and delivering treats and....

saving cookies for dad.

And this afternoon we are getting out of the house to do something fun.

Brother's favorite carol

sights and sounds of the season

I went out to drop off VT treats this afternoon. This is the view from Julie's front yard, so beautiful! I had to take a picture of the snow and water meeting it was so cheerful and Christmasy! Love it!!

and look at adorable little Tater-tot!!! Love her!

sunday walk...in the snow!

We took a little walk behind our house into the woods.

Kids and dogs and grown ups had a cold fun time.

School has been cancelled for the rest of the week so we get an extra long Christmas break! and we miss the class parties, which is fine with me.

Church was cancelled today as well, which is a bummer. I like a Sabbath day at church and I especially like the week before Christmas.

Yesterday we loaded up our wagon with some neighbor gifts and delivered them in our blizzard. It was cold, and fun, and wet and crisp.

Today some treats came our way:) I love our neighbors!

part duex

We are not really familiar with snow, we've seen it before, as visitors to it's domain, and read about it and know of the concept and understand that it is cold; what I mean is we haven't lived where it snows before. A day here or there an inch or two every few years is what we are used to.

So we behave like lunatics when it comes:)

It is cold and fluffy and pretty.

Even Millie is excited.

But now I wonder....

how much hot chocolate will we go through today?...

and how much laundry??