The Bethlehem Nativity

This is my favorite Nativity set.  It is simple and crudely carved out of olive wood.  It is from Bethlehem. I got it when I was a student in Israel on a Study Abroad Program.  It was in a tiny shop in an obscure place under the glass counter in a dusty plastic bag.  It was only 2 shekels or something.  It is priceless to me. 

This is the Nativity set my children play with.  They set it up.  This year I am leaving it as they have set it.  In the past, I have reminded them of the event, mentioning that the wise men were on their way, following the star and NOT at the manger scene (Of course, I'm being historically and scripturally correct).  I hint that the wise men should be a little distance from baby Jesus and the manger (they were on their  way, you know).  I have even rearranged it when the kiddos are at school with the wise men a short distance from the manger. Yet every time this is how the figurines end up: ALL gathered to see the Christ child. And then I am gently reminded of my children's wisdom.  Yes, shouldn't we all be gathered to see the Christ child, getting as close as we can to Him?   

In the bustle and rush of shopping, decorating, and baking,  I need this reminder.  Merry Christmas! 

Pack Meeting, Piano Recital, and Soapbox.

Here is X-man with his Cub Scout Pack at a pack meeting. We were at a hunting/camping store which the kids thought was a fun place. They got to shoot at a shooting range, making car lights go on and off, crocodiles growl, monkeys holler, and snakes slither.  They liked that. 

 The girls and X-man had a piano recital Monday.  Unfortunately X. was home sick. The girls played beautifully.  There was quite a crowd, so they got experience playing in front of an audience. They didn't even look nervous!  

 B. tickling the ivories.

B. and A. with their sweet piano teacher. 

And now for the SOAPBOX:

The other day A. brought home a note to be signed by a parent informing us that her class would be reading and studying Charles Dickens, "A  Christmas Carol."  I LOVE that story. I'm thrilled they are studying it in school.  The note informed parents that "God" and "Christian" are mentioned in the story, but those aspects wouldn't be discussed. The literature would be discussed. I was to sign it if I felt this was permissible. Of course, I signed it.  Then I got to thinking  (darn my brain!). Why must we have permission to even speak God's name in school when we have His name right in our pocket on our money?  His name is spouted forth profanely, crudely, in vain, and in passing, yet when it is spoken with respect in classical literature we have to get permission.  Permission is needed for reading something that is uplifting.  Why is permission not required when movies with graphic battle scenes and rampant profanity are shown in school for historical content?  Why must we tiptoe around speaking of the God in whom we trust and whom this country is founded upon?   

During his speech at the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin said this:

"We need God to be our friend not our enemy. 

We need Him to be our ally not our adversary. 

We need to make sure that we keep God's concurring aid...

 If a sparrow can't fail to the ground without God noticing, 

how do we think that a nation could rise with His aid...?"

I know A's teacher was doing what was required of her. I just think it shows a sad state of affairs when we must get permission for the good and uplifting.   

Trick or Treat

Halloween has come and gone, but the oodles of candy with be around for sometime longer.   Our weather on Halloween night was perfect--no jacket needed, just a costume.

 We had Professor Snape (L), Tom Riddle (X), a funky witch (A), and Dr. B, our vet.

If you couldn't guess, the boys have gotten into Harry Potter. And yes, they insisted on having their hair sprayed black. (It came out--thankfully!)

 Snape is giving his evil look, and Tom Riddle is sneering. The girls are looking lovely. 

 The kiddos planned an S.S.  or Something Special night for us. They gave me quite the list of goodies that was required. A. made the cake and frosted it. Everyone else pitched in with decorating ideas to make it "spooky" yet yummy.  There were chocolate tombstones with worms and Lego skeletons.  Tasty!

 And of course, we had to carve pumpkins.  Here are the artists before they dug in. 

   Here are the completed jack-o-lanterns.  L carved Snape (he has ears), B. carved "Dogs Rock" in her pumpkin, and X spent a bit of time carving Voldermort in his pumpkin (seems to be a theme here with the boys!).  A. was gone that night with a friend. 

All in all we had a very nice  Halloween time. 

Once Upon a Time...Boy meets Girl

Once upon a time

 there was a little baby boy, a sweet, happy, good-natured little guy. 

Well, this little baby grew and grew into a strong little boy, sometimes rowdy, sometimes naughty, but mostly kind and gentle. 

This little boy grew and grew into a handsome, young man who loved the Lord and wanted to serve him as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in far off places like Guatemala. He learned to habla Espanol and eat rice and beans and walk through jungles.  

Meanwhile...

there was a chubby, jolly little baby girl (yes, that's a GIRL--very becoming in orange).

Well, this little baby girl grew and grew into a shy, quiet, mostly well-behaved little girl.

This little gal grew and grew into a young lady who wanted to learn and explore the world. So she went to college and far away places to learn.  

In the midst of her learning, she realized her great blessings and wanted to share those with others as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

AND THEN...

That young man

with all his zany ways (and green goatee for St. Patty's Day)

met

that young lady 

(the one on the left--aren't those just the cutest, funnest friends ever?!) 

with all her crazy quirks.

Wooing her with his winning smile, snow-tubing antics, and gentle spirit...

Knocking her over with his ice-skating abilities and the BOOMING loud base pouring forth from his car...

 Making her heart pound with his quiet testimony, simple style, and the best Valentine EVER,

of course, she said YES! when he popped the question!

And they lived happily ever after... 

with life's occasional twists and turns, hills and valleys, 

canyons and craters, streams and roaring rapids, 

rainstorms and thunder, and rainbows and sunsets.  

Fifteen years ago today, that young man and that young gal were married in the temple for time and all eternity. 

About Time for a B.O. Party

B. got her braces off today!!!  Hip hip hurray!  To celebrate we are having a B.O. (Braces Off) Party with the goodies B. has gone without for the past 2 1/2 years--popcorn, Doritos, Fritos, gum, Snickers, Butterfingers, Skittles. Anything crunchy and chewy she is sinking her braces-free, appliances-gone teeth into. Of course, we are "helping" her celebrate. We don't want her feeling lonely eating all those goodies.

She will get a bit of a break before the braces go back on all her teeth, and we move forward toward the next bit of mouth work. For now, B. is reveling in the smooth feel of her beautiful teeth. She had a pack of gum she's been saving for months; she's chomped through most of it already!

In other news...
A. helped with the 11 year old Scout Camporee by playing the victim for the 1st Aid part of the competition. She and another victim had driven a car into a tree.  It was really parked by the tree, but just use your imagination. The boys were to assess the situation, use their first aid skills, and "help" the girls by transporting them to a marked area.  The girls were dropped a couple of times and CPR was suggested by some of the boys although A. had tape stuck to her stating she was BREATHING.  (Leaders helped steer the rescuers in another direction!)  She had a fun time.  I was thankful she was so willing to help.

All made up and ready to be wounded. That's a gut wound and a compound fracture on her arm with a real bone (chicken) sticking out of her arm. She was also unconscious (in the scene).

A. with her make-up artist, K, and her fellow "victim" A who was suffering from a severe burn on her hand, bleeding, and shock.  

Aren't they cute!

 B. and A. have been busy working on Personal Progress, a church program for young women with a focus in developing character values through goal setting, prayer, and scripture reading.  B. was working on Knowledge and learned some basic sewing skills. She picked out fabric, helped cut blocks, and sewed it together. We had help from our good sewing friend too.

Miss A. had a school assignment to write a figure of speech on a t-shirt and illustrate it with an example. She had 'Pun' and her example was: "7 days without pizza makes one weak!" Very appropriate for her.

 She also made that jean purse. Cute!  We cut off the legs of old jeans with cute pockets and sewed the bottom closed. We added the strap, using the hem part of the jeans.  It turned out rather cute, I think. A is always wanting to create and do new things. She keeps me stretching.

I have been learning about quilting (again from my good sewing friend).  I wanted to try free-motion quilting which is sewing designs on the fabric while moving it around yourself (usually the machine feeds the material through--feed dogs).  It was a little tricky trying to go the right speed AND move the fabric AND sew a design (I drew it on) AND get the stitches the same size.  Once I stopped sweating, I started to enjoy it. It was like scribbling on fabric with a sewing machine.  I really like the way my runner turned out.

 A close-up of the design. 

Of course, this "news" has been over the course of the last few months. Don't go thinking we've done all this in the past week, because we haven't.  I've just been a little lame about updating the blog.

First is the Worst, Second is the Best!

 Yesterday was the first day of school. Three of the four were excited, and all were nervous about the new year. We now have a 1st grader, a 3rd grader, a 7th grader, and an 8th grader! Yikes! They're old.  Off they all went, ready to enlarge those noggins with vast volumes of knowledge and experience.

At the end of the day, ONE of the four came home excited about the new year. The other three were...well, feeling like they look in this picture--not so excited and a little frazzled. There were new policies introduced, classes on one side of the campus and then the other, no friends in classes, stress, schedule changes...  The day was a disappointment for the majority of the household.

But thankfully, the SECOND day of school was a success. (Mother's prayers ARE answered!)  Old friends were found, the possibility of new ones hopeful,  schedules were set with exciting classes (B. is a library aid), policies accepted, and the fact that school will be an everyday occurrence somewhat tolerated.   So school is officially in session!

Mom had a really fantastic first day with lunch out, strolling through the aisles of a store unhurried, seeing wonderful friends, and uninterrupted work at home. The second day was a little more ho-hum and a tad bit quiet!

Just ASK!!

The other night at bedtime L. stomped into the living room and announced that someone had "taken his toothbrush."

T teased, "Mom took it."  Pause.  "She needed it to brush her toes."

Wanting to join in the fun, I added, "To brush my toe hairs."

"Now they smell all pepperminty, " we were on a roll.

Logan went huffing into the bathroom where he found his toothbrush.  He came out, demanding, "Next time you use my toothbrush, ASK!!!" and stomped to brush his teeth.


I did not use L's toothbrush for my toe hairs, etc. But next time I need to, I'll remember to just ASK! 

Summertime Fun

Summer break is almost done, and I can't believe it. We were gone on vacation for most of July.  Here's some catch-up of what we did. 

 Stopped at an awesome park to visit some awesome family members. We gave the ducks our unwanted, non-sweetened (explains the unwanted) boxes of cornflake cereal.  They liked it fine. 

 We made bracelets with our Grandma J and Aunt D. 

We then went to stay with my folks. My sister and her family were there too which was lots of fun. X-man and her little guy. D.  are only 6 weeks apart. They loved playing together. We had to keep our eye on them, because they would get into LOTS of MICHIEF!! 

 In their small town, July 4th is quite a big deal. A carnival comes to town (which was always SOOOO exciting growing up).  There's a parade, a melodrama, and local entertainment all weekend. What a place to people watch--such a wide variety of colorful characters! We tried out the carnival. 

B. and Aunt M. with S. AFTER the Power Surge crazy-twist-your-innards ride. 

 DURING the ride. Not so smiley now, huh, ladies??!!

Wild gals.

 AHHHHHH!  A. clings to L. on the BIG slide. 

 Choo-choo smilin' L.

 Ferris wheel ride with the cousins. 

 Hot rod brothers!

 On Sunday I went to get my shoes on, but a little fashion queen had beat me to it!  

 Treasure hunt with Bumma. 

 First loose tooth!  

He lost it a few days later, and the tooth fairy, being the amazing being that she is, found him even though he was far from home!

 Waiting for the parade.  

I LOVE this parade. Anyone can be in it. Just decorate your car with a poster and follow along!  There are old cars, a clown band, local businesses with trailers, old stage coaches, mountain men shooting guns, horses, goats pulling carts, anything. AND they throw candy! A friend on a float threw us lots of candy--it felt like Halloween!

 X-man in a train from the parade. 

Back at the house...the kiddos swam in a clean watering tank, had a water balloon fight (Bumpa was the target),  had a meeting in The Clubhouse (kids only--Bumpa's the biggest kid there), shot a bow and arrow Bumpa made, played baseball, dug steps in dirt, washed the camper and four-wheelers, read, went to the library, played Sardines, visited, painted crafts, saw a deer and two fawns, went for walks, four wheeled, and had fun, fun, fun!

One day we were inside playing when L. came tearing into the house. His eyes were big and round as quarters as he warned Bumma, "You'd better stay inside Bumma!  There's a BIG woooof outside!"  We went to investigate, thinking he'd seen the neighbor's dog.  He'd actually seen a fox and scared that fox as much as that fox had scared him. 

 A. holding her own against the boys. 

 2 of the most amazing, beautiful ladies I know, my mom and my sister!

 The Clubhouse.

 The stairway they dug in the hill. Kept them busy for some time. 

 Baseball in the evenings. 

We decided that everyone was old enough to enjoy a REAL camp out in the mountains. My dad loaded up his camper, got yummy food, and away we went. 

We experienced everything you should on a camp-out: beautiful mountains, gathering fire wood, starting a fire, roasting hotdogs and marshmallows, setting up a tent, then reading the directions on how to set up a tent, mosquitos, outhouse or the great outdoors for that call of nature, smoke, rain, the hard ground under old bones, stories around a camp fire, four wheeling, fishing, roasting fish over the fire, and being bone-tired when it was time to leave and ever-so-thankful for modern day conveniences like showers and toilets!

 BEFORE 

At the start of our camping--fresh and freshly sprayed with mosquito repellant. 

 Queen fire builder--my mom, passing on her skills to L. 

 A. gathers and saws firewood. Bumpa too. 

 The boys found a stream and floated "boats" for hours. 

 Chow-time!

 Still chowing!

 Rain gear.

 B. all set for some 4-wheeling!

 The girls and Bumpa four-wheeling across a river. 

 Beautiful mountain flowers. 

 Mosquitos.  

The kids each had 14+ bites just on their heads, through their hair, even after we'd sprayed them liberally.  They had knots on their heads where they'd been bitten. I didn't get a single bite. Guess, I'm just not as sweet as them!

 Fog descending after rain. 

 Hot cocoa around a fire!

 Snug in the camper! 

 B, X-man, and L slept in the camper with Bumpa. Bumma, A. and myself toughed it out in the tent. 

 Breakfast!

 Our catch of the day. 

 4 little campers, smelly as can be.

 Fisherwoman A. 

 Ooooohhh, worms. Baiting the hook. 

 My dad gutted the fish, then he and the girls stuck them on sticks and cooked them over the fire. The girls thought this was fine cuisine. They LOVED it. 

 Open wide!  Bumpa chowing on a s'more. 

 AFTER

The end of our camping trip--tired, stinky, mosquito-bitten, but happy. 

Thanks for taking us Bumma and Bumpa!!

T. flew out toward the end of our trip to see us and help drive us back to the place where we currently live. We were so glad to see him!

 Getting ready to enjoy the recital the kids planned and put on. 

 Encore! Encore!  The kiddos take a bow.

 Chillin' at the local park!

  30 Cents Worth!

We made it back safely (thankfully, NOT in the above vehicle) and unpacked. A week later, I packed up again, hop on a plane, and got to see a dear friend get married and sealed to a great man in the Idaho Falls temple.  AWESOME!

 Here are some of the very best ladies in the whole wide world!!  I just love them!

After rehashing all this fun family time, I thought it fitting that I end with a picture of the Idaho Falls temple. Isn't this where families can be sealed together forever, and isn't family what life is all about?? I think so.