My December To Do List!

*make Grandma Peterson's caramels
*watch it's a wonderful life
---have an overnighter in Salt Lake with girlfriends *I'm thinking this isn't going to happen...maybe next year!
*address and mail cards
find misletoe (I think The Flower Basket has some), hang it in my house and kiss under it.
*go to Borders and buy a new Christmas CD
*take the kiddies to Salt Lake Temple to see the Nativity and Lights

Our family at Temple Square! This is where it all began!

This is Max in the visitors center. We were all wandering around looking at the displays downstairs. We turned around and saw little Max trying to catch some Zs. I felt so bad.
*go to a Christmas Concert

Sunday morning my Mom and I went to "The Spoken Word" at the confrence center(I watch this every sunday morning with my family as we eat breakfast). It was sooo fun to be there. It was pretty much exactly like the concerts on Friday and Saturday (after the recording of the spoken word they put on the Concert). Where do I begin to tell you how much I loved listening and watching the "Tabernacle Choir", The "King's Singers," the "Orchestra at Temple Square" in person sitting 14 rows behind the First Presidency of the Church.

The spirit was so strong and I can't tell you in words how it moved me! There is something about music that touches my heart more than anything else. They sang many beautiful songs about the birth of our Savior and threw in a few "Old English" classics ( I can't get enough of songs about "don"ing gay apparel and lads and lasses hailing in the new year! I LOVE IT!)

Oh, and they performed a wonderful arrangement of the Twelve Days of Cristmas" a song that I usually find unbearable to listen to. Even the Uof U Ballet also made a few appearances.

MoTab, Ballet, an Orchestra, and six talented, funny, English guys.

I was in Heaven!

The First Presidency gave the Kings Singers their Geneology as a gift at the end of the concert.

Can you imagine??

*sign up to buy gifts for a needy child
have a romantic, candle lit dinner by the Christmas tree
tell childhood Christmas memories around the fire
*go shopping and out to a festive dinner with Clay one evening
*buy/give the kiddies their Christmas Pajamas for Christmas eve
*put some of my favorite Christmas CDs in the car and sing along with the kids.
*make gingerbread houses~ Clay and Jack made one and Gracie and I made one (and Max just ate a bunch of candy). Can you guess which is which??

*make hot chocolate (& marshmallows) and popcorn and watch the Grinch with the kiddies
*buy/ put a wreath on our front door
*donate canned goods
*give neighbors/friends gifts
*display friend's and family's Christmas cards
*make gingerbread men with friends

make bitsy elf clogs
*figure out what I'm giving Clay for Christmas
*mail out a bunch of gifts
--relax the entire week before Christmas --Yeah right, I wish!

What was I thinking?
*plan a Christmas lesson I will be teaching (the Beehives) on the 23rd ~started!
*go to Melanie's Annual Cookie Exchange Party
*make some realistic resolutions for 2008
*go to Summer's Christmas Party
*crochet Gracie a dress
*go to family Christmas Parties
****take lots of bubble baths
go tubing at rock canyon park

*bake
*bake
*bake

I will put a star by the ones I've finished!

Happy Winter

This

is what we woke up to the first day of

December!

beautiful~ pure~ fluffy~ white~ delight!

We stayed inside all morning and ate apple cinnamon muffins and drank hot chocolate while we watched the snow fall and some occasional cars sliding all over the roads (this is actually quite entertaining). Then we got bundled up and went sledding in our front yard. The kiddies had a lot of fun rediscovering the flurry of winter! The cutest was when Max said with raised eyebrows, "I wuuuuub gwoubs. huh?" (I looooove gloves, huh?).

Go Jazz!

Friday night I was invited to go to the Jazz game with our friends the Heatons! What a night! They have amazing seats (third row!) and we spent all night cheering and laughing! Thank you sooo much Matt and Kirsty for an unforgettable evening!
This is a picture of Kirsty and I! The guy in the background smiling at the camera was so nice (k- and maybe a little creepy).... he gave me a little Jazz ball to take home! I think he wanted me to have something to remember him by!




Here is a picture of Matt and his cute son Michael plotting on how to get one of the players to give them his shoe for a souvenir! (They got one at another game and thought they would try for another!! Sadly it didn't work out in the end this time... maybe next game eh??)



Oh, and Jazz won 99-71 Yay!!!

Thanks again guys... You're awsome!

Thanksgiving '07

My two precious pilgrims

(Isn't Gracie's expression priceless?

She so loves her silly twin brother)

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving this year! Clay's Mother, brother, and his family

came down from Boise to spend the weekend with us. I was nice to catch up

with them and let the cousins reunite and renew their friendships!

This year I am grateful for many things, my

*husband

*family

*friends

*freedom

*health

*home

*faith

*mind

*george winston (I'm sooo into him this time of year... especially his December album)

*caramel brownie that I am going to go eat now!

Must record

Friday we went to the Children's Discovery Museum (up at Gateway) with my brother Brian and his adorable wife and boys. While there, my kiddies went to the little grocery store area and started shopping! Gracie was taking it very seriously and continued earnestly putting things (darling, child size, wood and plastic grocery items) in her basket. I went into a little isle that had some things that I didn't think she saw and grabbed some "canned pineapples" ...she loves pineapples. I said "Here Gracie... look at these yummy pineapples!" and put them in her basket. She replied in a very annoyed voice "Mom, no, it's NOT on my list" and quickly put them back on the shelf. This reminded me that I say this to her every time we go the the grocrey store.
she was in charge in this store and loving every minute.
It made me smile.
It was so cute.
Oh how I love you, my Gracie girl!

On my mind

You don't want to miss it!

My friend Molly & a couple of her friends put on this

"Beehive Bazaar"

twice a year and it has never ceased to amaze me!

Delightful, one of a kind, UNIQUE !!

Halloween 2007

Before

After

We have had such a fun month getting ready for Halloween! Clay was a super creepy "mountain man"(Max wouldn't go near him!), I was a "Halloween fairy", Jack was Buzz Lightyear and to a party he also went as a shark (last years costume), Gracie was going to be a fairy but then wanted to be a fish (last years costume) so she wore it to one party, then we found this Bullseye horse and that's what she loved the most, and little Max was absolutely thrilled with his Monkey costume, he's been wearing it for a couple of weeks straight in the afternoons! It's so fun having kids to dress up! I hope you had a great halloween too!

Halloween Parties!

Paityn's Birthday/Halloween Party! This party was soo amazing! Jen(eight months pregnant) did so many fun things! We got to color a pumpkin picture, eat a yummy brunch, listen to Beverly (Paityn's Grandma) read some fun stories and sing songs, go on a hay ride, eat yummy (darling) witch cupcakes, and were sent home with real pumpkins and some fun halloween toys!

(Really, Jen, I don't know how you do it! Thanks- I love you)

We also went to a fun dinner party later that night at my friend Breeann's home! I took some pictures but they came out really dark. On Monday my friend Summer (thanks- I love you too) and I threw a huge halloween bash at our church. It was soo fun and of course the best part was haging out with all of my friends and seeing their kiddies in costumes! I didn't bring my camera to the party because I left the house in such a rush so if anyone out there could e-mail me some to post I would love it!

I made this funky Hallowen tree and put it in our entryway. It was fun looking for ordaments to hang on it throughout October. I found these little painted gourds at a boutique up in salt lake at Jeni B.'s home. She is uber talented and I can't wait for her Christmas show!

I love these Gourds!

They make me so happy!