A couple of days before Christmas we needed something for Isaak to do to keep him busy and happy. We took off his shirt, put him in the high chair and gave him his first whole chocolate chip cookie. He loved it and it looked like he ate the whole thing! Then a few days later I dug in the high chair to clean it really good and I found half of the cookie.

Christmas Eve Tai and Hilary got their families together and Tim, Jordan and I crashed it. The Christmas Eve party consisted of dinner, pin the nose on Rudolph, frost sugar cookies, treasure hunt, Christmas Pie (this is not the kind of pie you eat but a family Christmas tradition), pinata and kids laughing, screaming and having a great time. This is Jordan holding Hayden and Brielle.

Everyone opened up a Christmas Eve present. Can you guess? It's pajamas! This is Lana and Hayden in theirs just before leaving. Hilary refused to put hers on. Go figure!

Kailie loves to color! Christmas Eve was no exception. She colored one in her new coloring book before going to bed.

And last but not least...It is almost time to undecorate the house. I don't feel like it has been up long enough and I haven't heard Christmas music enough. I may have to listen to the music a little longer. In the evenings I loved turning off all the overhead lights and turn on the tree lights, mantle lights, kitchen counter lights and front room lights. It was a lot of soft lights illuminating the home. So pretty! Again, thanks to a wonderful friend for her help.

Merry Christmas to any who choose to read my blog today. Today is the day I am cleaning and preparing for another marvelous Christmas Day! It is a gift and an honor to know who Jesus Christ is. He is our Savior and Redeemer. He is there for me and you. Now I am sounding preachy and that isn't my intent. So here is a story I love and I want to share it with you. I hope you love stories as much as I do!

The Interview
A man passed away, was resurrected, and was waiting in a room to be interviewed. Another man was ahead of him. The door opened, the first man entered, and the door closed. The man on the outside could hear the conversation on the other side of the door. The interviewer began: "I would like you to tell me what you think of Jesus Christ."
"Well, He was born of a virgin in Bethlehem. He lived 33 years or so, spending the last three in His ministry organizing His church, choosing His apostles to direct it, giving the Gospel to direct our lives."
The interviewer stopped him and said, "Yes, that's all true, but I want you to tell me what you think of Christ."
"Well, He was tortured and crucified that we might have eternal life. Three days later He was resurrected that we might return to our Heavenly Father."
"Yes, that is true, but tell me what you think of Jesus Christ."
The man paused, a little perplexed now, and then continued: "Well, he retoreed the gospel in its fullness to the earth through Joseph Smith. He reorganized His church, gave us temples wherein we might do work to redeem our dead. He gave us family prayer and family home evening where we might unite with our families. He gave us the priesthood to heal the sick and personal ordinances for our salvation and exaltation."
The interviewer again stopped him and said, "Thank you. All of what you have said to me is true." The man was then invited to leave the room. After he left, the door opened and the second man entered. As he approached the interviewer, his eyes opened wide. He fell upon his knees and cried, "My Lord, My God."
-Author Unknown

May we all know Him. MERRY CHRISTMAS!

I love Christmas. I love the decorations. I love the gift giving. I love singing in the Ward Choir. Going back to the decorations, I am not a top decorator. So this year I asked a special friend to come to my home and help me put some of my decorations together. She just took what I have and place it together in more organized manner. I feel like my home has a more peaceful atmosphere. Thanks, Donna!
So this is what she did to the piano! You can't tell but there are lights woven into the decorations. At night it looks so soft, warm and beautiful.



Donna took some pictures and plaques and arranged them on my wall. I love it!

Brooke graduated from Beauty School Saturday, December 20, 2008. I am so proud of her accomplishments. She has been doing my hair for a little over a year. She has worked extra hard to get done. She put in many long days. First working at the credit union and then going to school in the evenings. Whew!

Brooke's dad wanted to give her flowers at graduation. I was proud of him for thinking of doing it. Way to go Tim! And again, way to go Brooke! After the short ceremony all of my family (except Andrew because he is still on his mission) and all of Andy's family came over to our home for a little lunch. It was a great day and a great reason to celebrate.

Once again, way to go Brooke!

It has been quite a while since I have blogged. It hasn't been because I haven't done anything, it is just because I don't take pictures when I should. Plus, I have been busy doing Christmas things. Yesterday Kailie and Jordan snuggled into the couch. I couldn't resist taking pictures of them. Kailie wasn't asleep in this picture but she really did go to sleep a couple of minutes after this was taken. It is good to have Jordan home for the Christmas!

Saturday was the annual family Christmas party for my brothers, sisters, in-laws, nieces, nephews, children, etc. Our travelling to Alaska family came and stayed overnight. Ron and Kathie allowed us to take pictures of them with Brielle, Kenzie and Kailie. This morning Kailie asked me where that girl who stayed overnight was. Was she home? She was looking for Kathie. One of these first days I will have to learn how to scan pictures into the computer to blog about. I would love putting in family pictures of Tim's family and my family. They are pretty important people to me.

Sunday morning Kathie, Ron, Tim and I went to Salt Lake City to attend "Music and the Spoken Word" on temple square. I had no idea the special treat that was in store for us. Not only did we get to see the program but they did almost the entire concert that had been prepared and performed the week previous. The guest performers this year were Brian Stokes Mitchell and Edward K. Herrmann. They were fabulous! I believe I will buy the CD next year when it becomes available. Pres. Monson and Pres. Uchtdorf were in attendance along with their wives. After the performance there were plaques given to them for them to remember being there performing on temple square. It makes me wonder if they have any idea how important Pres. Monson is. He is a prophet of God! He is the most important person on the face of this earth at this time! When Pres. Monson walked in I felt a thrill run through me. It was an honor to stand on my feet to welcome him into the room. Anyway, it was a wonderful program. Kathie and Ron's daughters are the ones who arranged for the tickets to be able to attend. Thank-you Tammy and Cindy!

I have been tagged by Ashley! I won't tag anyone else because everyone I could tag has probably already been tagged.

Actually, I just found a picture I thought was cute and have been waiting for a chance to use. So, here was my chance. I think this was taken last fall. Several of us went to Red Robin to eat lunch on a Saturday and Andrew and I posed for our picture to be taken. Not long after this picture was taken Andrew entered into the Mission Training Center to begin serving his mission. Ah, still a little over a year to go! We miss you Andrew and are proud of the wonderful service you are doing.

Thanksgiving Day laugh

So, yesterday was a big holiday. A day to give thanks and ponder on the wonderful things of life. Right? Well I started off the day going for my normal jog with my husband and friend and her husband. The men went on ahead of us in the car to the trail head and to begin their walk. My friend and I followed by jogging to the trail to catch up with them. A couple of miles into the jog a chunk of cement jumped up and tripped me. Yup! Down I went. I am a little scratched up and bruised but I finished my jog anyway. After all I had razzleberry pie to look forward to later on that afternoon. After the jog I went home and showered, dressed (no one would want to see me naked), and began cooking. I threw a razzleberry pie into the oven. After a while I went down to the church to welcome guests for dinner and fun. A few hours after I was at the church I remembered I had a pie in the oven! Oops. My razzleberry pie was burned. I was so disappointed. I may have to cook another one another day this weekend. I still got stuffed on Thanksgiving Day. It was a great dinner and I thank all the family who helped cook and clean up. I thought the kitchen looked better than when we arrived as we were exiting the building.
Last night we poured over the ads to see if anything was worth getting up early to go buy. I decided to sleep in a little bit. A little bit was 7:30. I washed my face, threw on sweats, combed my hair, brushed my teeth and took off. I got most of my Christmas shopping done! Now for the wrapping and decorating of the house. It has been a busy weekend. My only regret is that I feel like I didn't spend enough time thinking and noticing things I am grateful for and should be grateful for. Luckily, I can do this every day of my life! So, today I am grateful for repentance and each day is a new one to start fresh with a new unwritten page.

Grateful for the family unit

Today I am grateful for the family unit. As a whole we have had our ups and downs. Times I have been made to wonder what on earth I was thinking when I signed up to be a mom. I have felt like a total failure and then the next day it all changes. I would never dream how much I love my children. In case you are wondering, yes, they are the examples and I am the one who is blessed to have them set great examples. I have been plopped into the middle of this family so I could grow and learn. Thank-you Tim, all 5 children, 3 son-in-laws, and 8 1/6 children. Today I am GRATEFUL FOR THE FAMILY UNIT! For more, look at the next 4 blog postings done today.

The Family Home Evening lesson for the week. You can't see the baby but he is there. Look how enthralled they all look! If you only knew. I got the one moment captured on film when they were all looking at the film strip!

Family Home Evening

I bombarded a cute little family while they were trying to have a special Family Home Evening. I asked this little family to give me a goofy face. Great job! Thanks.

Thanksgiving week

Great-grandma with 4 cute little children.

I went to Lana's program for Thanksgiving today. When we got back to her home I talked the whole family into letting me take some family pictures. I asked them to act crazy for this one. Great job! Hayden, Hilary, Lana, Kate, Rylee, and Bill.

Tim drying apples

This is my wonderful husband. We love dried apples. Unfortunately I hate doing the job. Tim will go pick up the apples from a fruit stand by his office, buy the pineapple juice and slave away peeling, cutting, sugaring, placing the apples on the trays. All without a complaint. Tim works hard at his job, works hard at loving me, works hard at his golf skills, works hard at keeping me away from my friend Clarence ( clearance) , works hard at keeping this family afloat. I have always been grateful to have him to walk through time and eternity with. When we got married I was amazed someone as great as him would actually pick me! Today I am grateful for Tim.

Grateful for Kailie

Today was Kailie's day to have a "date with grandma." She pretty much said what she wanted us to do together and since it was easy and she had it all planned out I said, "Okay let's do it." We left her family behind and went to the trail where I go walking every morning. We went on about a mile walk, looked at the plants and birds. She talked to me the entire time. Ask her what rose hips are next time you see her. And it has nothing to do with anatomy. It is part of a plant. After our walk we went to the park to play on the big toy until we got cold. At the park the buffalo asked us to let Kailie sit on it. Click! Then we came home to make pumpkin cookies. Today I am grateful for Kailie! Thanks for a fun date!

I know I didn't blog what I was thankful for yesterday and I am a slacker, but, in this picture there are two things I am thankful for. A washing machine and clothes dryer! Oh, Yes! I remember when I was quite young we had a washing machine but no dryer. My mom would hang the clothes out to dry. I am not sure how clean they were by hanging out in the farm "fresh" air and with children running through them with their farm fingers. I don't remember my mom ever complaining. Maybe that's because she was grateful to just have a washing machine! I can't imagine how much time is saved by having these two modern conveniences in my home! Today I am grateful to have a washing machine and dryer!

Cars

Today I got to spend several hours withMcKenzie for her "date with grandma." We went to the store with Tai and then went our own way. We went to McDonalds to eat ice-cream and french fries. Then we came home and made sugar cookies. I froze most of them for Thanksgiving weekend. We had a great time getting flour all over each one of us. I got to say why I am grateful for Kenzie a few blogs back. Today I thought I would say I am grateful for vehicles to get us from point A to point B. It is so nice to put a key into it and drive to wherever you need to be. So that is what I am grateful for today...Cars!

I am thankful today for Rylee. She is my oldest granddaughter. Today I needed to go to a baby shower and I wanted someone to go with me. She was happy to go with me. She had to go shopping with grandpa and I before going to the shower. We wandered all over the store and she didn't beg for anything or told us she was bored or anything. After we dropped her grandpa off at home, we went on to the shower and she put her headphones on and sang all the way to the party! She is always happy to see me and makes me feel like I am cared for by her. She is a cutie! Today I am thankful for Rylee!

Today, I am grateful for temples that are around the world. A little over 31 years ago I married the man of my dreams in the Prove, Utah temple. I have never regretted it. We have been able to see and be in many temples in the United States. I can't think of any outside of the U.S. we have been able to visit. The temples around the world are like Heavenly Father's crown jewels. I love the temples, the peace they offer, the warmth I feel when I step inside and all it offers. Today, I am thankful for TEMPLES!

Today I am am thankful for this young man. He lives away from us now and will be gone for 1 more year. I miss him like crazy and I am so grateful for the wonderful things he is doing. He is serving a 2 year mission teaching people about Jesus Christ. He will grow in his spiritual strength in ways that would be impossible for me to teach him in thousands of years. Andrew (that's his name) has many talents, gifts, and other abilities that he will share with others. His nieces and nephews miss him and want him home, his brothers and sisters want him home, his dad wants him home, his friends want him home, and yet, he is where we really want him to be. But when he gets to his release date we will all be at the airport to bombard him with hugs and kisses and questions. I will not want to let him go out of my sight for several days. Today I am grateful for Andrew!

Grateful for Sheila

Today I am thankful for a sister who is also a great friend and example. She is smart, beautiful, kind, talented, and beats me at raquetball. She is my sister, Sheila. We grew up in a very small town to very poor parents who took good care of us and taught us the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have a great family to support us and I am grateful for them, also. Sheila drove an hour today to spend the day with me and help me make invitations for a party. We had lunch and played raquetball together. I am sure I will be a little stiff in the arms tomorrow.
Today I am grateful for Sheila!

Today I got to spend a few hours with another person I am thankful for, Brielle. She stayed home with me (I had to beg her to) while her mom and sisters were busy. While they were gone we made cookies, did laundry, read books, watched Mulan and went and bought a personal pizza. I am thankful for Brielle because she tells me "I love you, grandma" even when no one prompts her to. She does many cute things and says the most wonderful things. She is just like having a warm fuzzy around all the time!

We made her a cookie in the shape of the letter "B" for Brielle. She nibbled on it for a moment and then we put it in a baggie for her to carry around for several hours. I don't know about you, but how do you nibble on a cookie and carry it around for hours? A cookie in my hand last for about 2 seconds. I really could learn this nibble lesson from her.

Today I am grateful for my grandson, Hayden. This morning I picked him up for "time alone with grandma." We went to the store and picked up some boots and searched for some rain puddles. Isn't he cute?

I took a ton of pictures and on this one you can see the splashes. He really got into it. After splashing around in the rain and puddles we went for french fries and a drink. He snuggled up on my lap as he ate. He is a darling little boy who shows a lot of excitement, laughter, and playful enthusiasm for life.

Today I am grateful for Hayden!

I am grateful today for an opportunity to go to church and worship as I feel is right. It sets me up for the remaining week. I remember back to the days it was so difficult to sit through a meeting at church the whole way. I spent more time out in the hall with children who had the wiggles, giggles and need to be loud. But, I always knew it was the right thing to do. Yes, today I am so grateful for church and ALL it encompasses! Which is a ton! Anything good in my life comes directly and indirectly from it.

Today I am grateful for my bed! I enjoy crawling into a warm bed on a cold winter night. I love to sleep and hopefully wake up refreshed and ready to face a new day! Anyone else love to sleep?

Today I am grateful for two little girls. These two. Aren't they cute? They are both special to me for different reasons and some same reasons. The same reasons are that they are my granddaughters and they love me and treat me well. They love to be with me and this love they show warms my heart.
I am grateful for Lana for many reasons. A couple of the reasons are that she makes me laugh and she has a ton of enthusiasm. I can ask her to laugh at just about any given moment and she can laugh sincerely for me. I have always wanted to have that quality. She has a lot of energy to get things done and she is happy doing the things. I love you, Lana. I thank Heavenly Father he sent you into my life!
I am grateful today for Kenzie. There have been several times I have just wanted to sit quietly and watch a movie with a child or two with them snuggled up to me. McKenzie has done this with me. She is very affectionate and will hug me whenever I ask. She is fun to watch create people to play with in her mind. She loves to play with her sisters, too! I am grateful Heavenly Father sent McKenzie into my life!
I am grateful today for McKenzie and Lana. You are beautiful girls inside and out!

I am thankful for electricity

With this electricity you can turn on a magnificent light like this one, also! Would you like this light in your home? You're right, it wouldn't fit in mine either. But it looks great where it is?

I Today I am grateful for electricity! Usually I am the most grateful for this modern convenience when the electricity is out because of a rainstorm or some other power outage. Do you realize how often we use it? I mean really, we just automatically turn on a light, an oven, a computer, blow hair dry, etc... It is a miricle. I don't understand how electricity travels and how does a picture come across a television screen, how can a voice carry across the world, etc...It's a miricle!

As small as it seems, I am thankful for this beautiful view. It is on the road leading to my home and neighborhood. I am at the top of a hill looking eastward. Yesterday was wet with snow and rain. Since I like rain and snow I enjoy this view looking towards the mountain. In the summer you look down the hill at the flowers and beautiful lawns and yards and the mountains as a huge backdrop.

When I wake up in the mornings this is what I see out my bedroom window. You can't see it but the mountains rise up, and up and up. Way cool! I am thankful, therefore, for the views I see in my neighborhood!

Just out of curiosity, does this scene look familiar to anyone else? I know what it looks like to me, I am just wondering if anyone else thinks the same thing. Respond if it looks familiar, and why and where!