As I look back over this year, I want to take a moment to reflect on the things that have happened and the goals I've accomplished.

When I started out this year I was very much an expectant Mother to my fifth child!!! Yes I'm not even 30 and I had baby number 5 -- what was I thinking?? Well, now I can just say that I've been there done it and I'm getting on with the rest of my life. I've very much enjoyed having this child and he's been an absolute joy to have!! I can see his eagerness to get big so he can play with his brother, Thomas!!! And Thomas is also excited for his brother, Ethan to get bigger so they can play more things together, like cars, blocks, and oh yeah, can't forget the wrestling!!

Here he was about two weeks old, and exactly two weeks after he was born I turned 29!!

My husband had his sister pick up these beautiful roses!! ( He was working all day and wouldn't have time to do it all -- she's so nice to help him out!!) I was talking on the phone with my parents when Chris decided to take this picture. I didn't feel all that well yet, so I was still pretty sore from having my son.

After we had my birthday Kaylee had hers three days later and turned 8!!




My oldest daughter was baptized by her father and my husband and we enjoyed having the time to spend with friends and family for that event.


Yes, Chris looks bad in this picture --- but at this time I had my camera for only two weeks and was still getting used to using it, and I was still recovering from a C-section and was about 4 weeks out. But it was a sweet, sweet day!!

The very next day we had our son Ethan blessed. And lots of family witness that as well.

I was able to meet up with some old roomies for a much needed "mini-vacation" in June and went back to Idaho where we all first met. It was fun seeing all of us together with our broods of kids. (14 in all) between three families.


So while we were there we got to drive by the Rexburg Temple that was under construction. What a glorious day it will be when they temple is dedicated and can open for temple work to be done.

I'm wearing the red shirt facing the temple.

We had numerous visits with my parents this year, and we enjoyed my sister Victoria staying with us for a few weekends here and there. It was so much fun!!!

In May Katherine turned 7 : and we took in some snacks to her classroom!!

Heidi turned 5 and was so excited that she got to start school!!

That same weekend my parents were up and we got to attend the graduation of my youngest sister from High School.

We did a get together at my house afterwards and it was the first time in two years that we were all in the same location.

This year I was also able to grow a little garden that consisted of Tomatoes and cucumbers -- I enjoyed the harvest and love fresh tomatoes and cucumbers and we ate a lot of salad!! YUM!!!

My husband and I have now been married for 9 1/2 years and we're loving every day of it!!! We have our good and bad days, but by the end of the day we always say "I love You" ---

For Christmas this year I made a pair of pajamas for each of my four older children and I even created a pair of lounge pants for my husband -- I even put in pockets!!! I'll get pictures of those later.

2007 has been good to us, I feel blessed by all the friends that I have and the people that I know. Since I've started keeping notes on here, I seem to retain more of what happens and have a place to put the pictures that make me laugh and mean a lot. Even though I may have the blues --- I always have something else to learn from that experience. If I didn't keep track of my happenings from this year where would I keep my memories? Yes, I know that I have the memories, but it's even better to have a place to keep them alive.

Hope that 2008 will be just as prosperous with family gatherings and that our research in our family history will keep opening new doors!! I want to read the Book of Mormon through cover to cover by my birthday -- which is April 24th!!! I want to eat healthier and cut out most meats, and very limited "sugars". I want to start working out on a daily basis, I want to learn more about sewing and create some more "things" for my family!!! I want to be a better friend, mother, wife and sister --- by listening more to others and letting them know they are cared about and loved by me. These are a few things I would like to do this year.

HAVE A GOOD YEAR!!!

My BABY BLUES!!!

So I've decided to change the name of my blog. I thought that this name was a little more fitting. Mind you --- I don't have baby blues all the time, but not everything goes as planned. Lets see --- I usually can't get out the door on time, because this kid or that one, has to go to the bathroom last minute. Or they can't find their shoes despite my best efforts of providing a place to put thier shoes and numerous reminders to put them away, or to locate them before they go to bed. I also have issues of my own where I'm so scatterbrained that I often misplace my keys, wallet, or I can't find the coupon to go get the pictures taken of the baby. So I decided that this name of "My Baby blues" would suit me well. I also love the comic strip called Baby blues and will occasionally post some old strips that I really enjoyed, starting now.

So in case you can't read the words :

Frame 1 says -- RING! "Hello"

Frame 2 says -- I'm sorry my mom can't come to the phone right now. She's ...

Frame 3 says -- (in a whisper) lactating ---- all the while the mom is nursing the baby and saying "GIMME THE PHONE"

This always seems to happen to me, I get busy nursing my baby and the phone will ring, and luckily my kids don't blurt the lactating part out but I think as I am a nursing mom, I've had to learn how to multi-task while nursing.

Last Christmas Story I want to share!!

Fiction: Christmas Eve in Bethlehem
By Marianne Wilson McKnight
For unto you is born this day in the city of David [Bethlehem] a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11).
Marianne Wilson McKnight, “Christmas Eve in Bethlehem,” Friend, Dec. 1999, 30Benjie was smiling from ear to ear when I picked him up after Primary. In his chubby hand he held out a picture of Mary and Joseph and the Baby Jesus in a manger. “See, Dano. Baby Jesus.”
“Did you get that in Nursery, Benjie?”
His head bobbed vigorously up and down as he proudly displayed the picture.
“Hello, Daniel.” Sister Williams, Benjie’s teacher, was holding her brand-new baby. “Benjie sure had fun in Nursery today. We had a play about the birth of Jesus, and he played the part of Joseph.”
Baby Jesus was all that Benjie talked about all week. For family home evening, Mom brought out the manger scene, and Benjie arranged each figure in the stable. Instead of having the shepherds and the Wise Men and the animals all nicely spaced out, he crowded them around the manger, “so that they can see Him real good.”
It wasn’t until the Saturday afternoon before Christmas that Mom could take us Christmas shopping.
When Benjie saw all the decorations in the store, his mouth dropped open. We walked past mountains of toy trucks and rows of new bikes. There was even a “Christmas elf” dressed in a green top and red tights, handing out tiny candy canes to all the children.
I was checking out a display of radio-controlled cars, when I felt a tug on my coat. Benjie’s brow was all puckered. “Where’s Jesus?”
“What?”
“Where’s Jesus, Dano?”
I followed his gaze as he looked up and down the rows of fake Christmas trees and tinsel and toys. He’s right, I thought. There’s not a sign of Jesus anywhere, let alone shepherds and Wise Men. But how do you explain all that to a not-yet-three-year-old?
Fortunately Mom is pretty good at things like that. She leaned over, cupped his chin in her hands and looked him right in the eyes. “Benjie, lots of people don’t know about Jesus. They think that Christmastime is only about presents and Santa Claus. But we know that the real reason we celebrate Christmas is Jesus—right?”
He nodded solemnly.
She glanced at the banner hanging from the ceiling—Merry Xmas!—and sadly added to me, “The world has taken Christ right out of Christmas.” Then she looked at her watch. “Uh-oh. We have to hurry—tonight’s the ward party.”
Mom had helped plan the party for three months. This year our ward was doing something different. Instead of a fancy dinner with Santa Claus giving goodies or small toys to the little ones before someone read the Christmas story from the Bible, the cultural hall would be decorated like a marketplace in Bethlehem. Everyone would come dressed in biblical clothes. “Daniel, it’ll be just like we’re there on the night Jesus was born,” she’d told me.
I didn’t think much of getting dressed in a costume, but Benjie’s excitement kind of rubbed off on me. I helped him find his bathrobe and tied a rope around his waist. Then I put on a robe that used to be Dad’s and made a head-covering with a towel and a couple of safety pins.
When we arrived at the church, Mom dashed to help get the food ready. The sidewalk leading to the front door was lined with paper sacks with a flickering candle, nestled in sand, in each one. Benjie had to look into each sack at the tiny flame. I held his hand because I was afraid that he’d try to blow out the candles.
The foyer and hallway were dimly lit. A “Roman soldier” who looked an awful lot like Brother Bingham, our home teacher, stood guard. Benjie gave him his “taxes”—a can of vegetable soup for the needy—and solemnly signed a big squiggly B on the “census.”
In the cultural hall, white fluorescent Christmas tree decorations sparkled like stars. There were food shops, a tailor shop, and even a gift shop. It did look sort of like I thought Bethlehem would.
When Benjie spotted the bright star shining above the manger on the stage, he made a beeline toward it. We had to stand right there by the stage while he sang the first half of “There Was Starlight on the Hillside”* over and over. Finally he saw the cardboard lamb and chicks in a pen in the corner of the room and ran over to see them.
After that, we were hungry, so we “bought” our supper at the little shops, using the “gold” in the bags we were given by a “centurion.” Benjie would not have been more pleased if it had been real gold instead of spray-painted rocks.
We sat on a blanket on the floor because “there was no room in the inn,” and munched on pita bread and orange slices. Benjie had wanted to sit right by the stage, and he kept looking up at the manger. Finally he asked, “Where’s Jesus, Dano?”
“He hasn’t been born yet,” I told him.
“Oh.”
Then he started yawning. Before long he lay down on the blanket. Mom came over and sat beside us. She gently smoothed Benjie’s sweaty hair from his forehead.
He was asleep when “Mary” and “Joseph” walked through the crowd to the stage. We all sang “O Little Town of Bethlehem,”† and Brother Dickson began to read from the Bible as some of the grown-ups acted out the Christmas story.
“ ‘And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger …’ ”‡
Everyone was quiet as Sister Williams, who was Mary, cradled her baby in her arms. He made some cooing sounds that sounded just like Brother Sampson’s doves.
Then Benjie’s voice, soft with wonder, broke the stillness: “There’s Jesus, Dano! There’s Jesus!”
My little brother had awakened and was standing, pointing excitedly at the manger scene. His face was beaming with joy. I looked over at Mom. She was smiling, her eyes shiny with tears.
I felt all warm inside. Suddenly it was as though I wasn’t in the cultural hall dressed in Dad’s old robe at all. Somehow, it felt like I really was in Bethlehem—on that long-ago night.
Nobody wanted to break the magic of that moment. Then someone started quietly singing: “Silent night! Holy night!” One by one, all of us joined in: “All is calm, all is bright …”**
I put my arm around Benjie and quietly said, “Yeah, Benjie. Jesus. He truly is the Son of God.”
Gospel topics: Jesus Christ, Christmas
Notes
* Children’s Songbook, page 40.
† Hymns, no. 208.
‡ Luke 2:7.
** Hymns, no. 204.
[photos] Photos by Matt Reier, posed by models

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

Here is the letter I mailed out this year with my Christmas Cards!!! I wanted to share with everyone, so I hope that you enjoy your Christmas and enjoy time with your families.

Power Outage !!

I changed my font at pYzam.com



Last night we got hit with a storm front that brought some hail and snow to us. Well at the tail end of us eating our dinner -- the power had flickered. When that happened I said that we needed to light a candle just in case the power went out. So we lit a candle and within 10 minutes or less the power was disconnected or turned off or something like that. I still don't know why the power went out. But this was about 10 till 7:00pm last night. We then lit a second candle -- to finish eating our dinner with.

Ethan needed a diaper change and we had no lights !!! So I had to get one of the girls to hold a flashlight so I could change his bum, and it was a nasty one too!! YUCK!!! I also couldn't let him down because I would lose him in the dark really easily. So someone had to hold him until I put him to bed. The kids starting asking questions about Christ dying and it being dark for three days, and wondering if that would happen again. Well we started discussing and then Chris decided to read the scriptures by candlelight and recounted that story in the scriptures.

It was kind of neat to be like the "pioneers" and not have the modern day "electricity" to entertain us. We had to warn them to dress well for sleeping because, with the power not on our furnace wouldn't ignite either. The power ended up being off for 2 hours and 45 minutes about. And the kids were asleep by 9 pm or a little sooner --- and Chris and I were almost asleep around 9:30pm last night when the power came back on.

It came on and of course, we didn't go around checking for lights on or off because the power was off --- We knew that the power was back on because our bedroom light lit up and then we ended up getting out of bed and staying awake another couple of hours.

I think I'll have to find a way to "turn the power off" everynight so that my kids will go to bed earlier because there is "Nothing" to do. Luckily we had heat before too long. Now this just makes me feel so bad for the people in Oklahoma where they haven't had power for nearly 2 weeks.

I never realized how much I take living in this day and age for granted until something your able to use at the flip of a switch is no longer available.
How in the world did the pioneers cross the plains in the middle of winter?? I have a hard enough time just walking a block or two in this freezing weather -- let alone a couple of thousand miles.

All I can say is WOW, ---- Hope that I can be more fearless and brave in the future.

Santa Pictures !!!

We had our Ward Christmas Party on Saturday Dec. 15th, and we ate dinner and they did a Santa's Workshop for the kids. Here are some pictures from that night.

Here was Thomas eating a cookie that the kids could decorate in Santa's Workshop. He was eating while watching a Video. Here was Katherine working on some Art & Craft project, the type of stuff she loves to do!!!Here's Heidi drawing a picture of something --- I don't remember what??

This was Ethan while, mommy was taking pictures of the other kids. Notice how dirty the knees are --- I love when you can always tell when someone is a crawler. Kaylee was done in the craft room and watching the movie being shown down the hall.

Ethan was so good sitting on Santa's Lap!!! I was so excited!!! I was able to get a few good pictures!!!

Here was Chris telling the girls that Santa wasn't going to bring them anything this year if they weren't good!! He's such a tease!! Katherine on Santa's lap, telling him that she wanted Arts and Crafts stuff. Here's Heid telling Santa that she wanted, a littlest Pet Shop fuzzy dog toy that she saw in the store earlier that night.
Kaylee decided to ask santa for The Littlest Pet Shop Castle ---

Thomas was too freaked out this was the closest to Santa he would get -- and Chris is even holding him. You can see Santa off to the right holding another child.

They had strung christmas lights across the gymnasium and while Chris was holding Ethan -- the lights were low enough that Ethan could grab them with his hand.

He thought they were the neatest little things.

We had a nice time and enjoyed looking at the Christmas lights on the way home.

Can You Say .....

Okay so the last two years we've gone to Chris's work Christmas Party. They pay for the food, and we all have a nice time, and then the two owners get up and give some spill like, " we're so grateful for what you do for us ....... we don't tell you enough throughout the year...... we couldn't do business if we didn't have you doing what you do everyday ...... " and then they tend to give some kind of "cash" Christmas bonus, whether it's in the form of a gift card, check etc....











So if you've ever seen National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation -- there is a scene where Clark is getting his Christmas bonus and he was thinking that, since he was working on a big project at work and doing a great job that he would get a nice $$ bonus. Well in fact he did get a bonus and it was a membership to the "Jam of the Month club".







Okay so back to us .... we've become accustomed to getting these $$ bonuses. Well this year -- we got a bonus, and guess what it was????














Tha'ts right!!! An IPOD NANO -- something that we would never wanted to buy, and it lost all resale value when the went and had them engraved on the back. AAGGHHH!!!

So now IPOD has become a four letter word in my husband's office. Because we aren't the only ones that aren't too happy about it. Especially when this was one of their most profitable years. Aaagghhh...

So I guess there is a nice lesson in not counting your chickens before they hatch. It would have been nice to get that bonus, but we've managed to reaarange some of our finances to provide a simiple Christmas for our kids. I'll have to pass on some of the ideas after Christmas, because my older girls actually read these blog posts.





Our Katherine was so excited to see an actual IPOD and asked for one for Christmas --- well it's easy enough to say your not getting one, because your too young, and we don't have the $$ for one. But Chris is okay with letting the girls "borrow" his.





So now I have a few more projects to finish before the end of the week. And that includes some traditional "baking" or "making" of goodies.

Rollerskating Time .....

Last night Kaylee was invited to a birthday party, for a kid in her class. They were holding it at a rollerskating place nearby and she was able to go. So she experienced rollerskating for the very first time. Her knees are all bruised up today because of all the times that she fell down. But by the end of the party I was so impressed with how much better she had gotten. I took some video clips of it and will post those at a later date but for now -- I just can't believe how grown up she's getting. It's amazing how fast these little ones grow up !!! My oldest nephew is now 12!! That's insane -- so now we are past the initial period of toddlerhood into the tweens. Because in the next few years we will have at least 6 or 7 teenagers at the same time, and then start the college years ..... and life goes on and on. Sometimes I just want to make a life size Kaylee doll at the size she is now so that when I want her as a little girl again I can pull it out and hug "her" and read to her etc....

I've been a parent for the last 8 years and I still can't believe it. That's why I think I like "journals" and "pictures" because you can perserve some of those moments that are really special and mean a lot. I used to think that I would never live long enough to see the day that I was a "MOM" and here I am with 5!!! I swear my parents are going to be the "same" from here on out --- like they don't look like they ever age really. But if I were to look at someone else's parents I could totally tell they are aging --- isn't that weird how our minds and eyes work like that.

Caitlyn's Eyes

Kaylee read this to us the other night, and I thought that the girl was being way kind in thinking of what she could give to her friend.

Fiction:
Caitlyn's Eyes

By James Engberson

In that day … the eyes of the blind shall see (2 Ne. 27:29).

James Engberson, "Caitlyn's Eyes," Friend, Dec. 2000, 20

"It isn't fair," I moaned. "Christmas is a week away, and I don't have anything for Caitlyn."

"I thought you were giving her the wind chimes you made at school," Mom said.

"I was going to give her those because I couldn't think of anything else." I sighed. "I'm not supposed to know, but I saw what she's going to give me—a silver necklace with a tiny pearl in it. It's beautiful! And what do I give her? Some wind chimes I made at school." I shook my head. "Maybe it would be different if Caitlyn didn't already have everything."

"Caitlyn has everything?" Mom looked up from the Primary lesson she was preparing.

"Well, nearly everything," I muttered. "Her parents get her anything she asks for." I shrugged. "She doesn't ever ask for much. She deserves more than wind chimes from me."

Last summer I had met Caitlyn at the park. She was sitting on one of the benches all by herself. At first, I didn't pay any attention to her, and she seemed to ignore me, too. Even when I walked right in front of her, she didn't look my way or say anything. She just was staring and smiling. Caitlyn almost always smiles.

My little sister, Tricia, and I were tossing a Frisbee back and forth, laughing and joking. I accidentally tossed the Frisbee over Tricia's head, and it landed in front of Caitlyn's bench.

"Do you mind tossing that to me?" Tricia called to her.

Caitlyn stood up cautiously. "Tell me where it is," she said, smiling.

"Right in front of you," Tricia giggled.

"How many steps in front of me?" Caitlyn continued to stare straight ahead.

"Look down," Tricia coached. "Look down and you'll see it."

"But I can't see," Caitlyn came back. She said it as though it were the most ordinary thing in the whole world.

That day in the park, we told each other our names. A few days later, I saw Caitlyn there again. As soon as I said hello, she gave me a huge smile and a cheery, "Hi, Melissa. I hoped we'd meet again."

"How did you know it was me?"

"I hardly ever forget a voice, especially a friendly one. I told Mrs. Wallace—she looks after me during the day—that I wanted to come back here in case you came again." She reached out. "May I touch your face?" She explained, "I have to 'see' with my fingers."

We sat and talked most of the afternoon. I learned that her father was a heart surgeon and her mother was an attorney. Caitlyn was their only child. She lived in a huge house east of the park. Mrs. Wallace was her special helper and friend. I might have been just a little jealous if it wasn't for Caitlyn's blindness.

"Have you always been …" I couldn't bring myself to say it.

Caitlyn was quiet for a moment; then she answered gently, "Not always. I could see until I was four. Then I was in an accident. I still remember little pictures of the world before everything was dark." She hesitated. "But most things I don't remember. Or I never saw them in the first place."

Caitlyn and I were so different. I came from a pretty ordinary family. We certainly weren't rich. I lived in a small house with my two brothers and three sisters. I loved to play ball and run and jump. School wasn't exactly hard for me—it just didn't interest me much.

Caitlyn loved school. She went to a special school hundreds of miles away, where she learned to read books with pages covered with tiny bumps. She ran her fingers over those tiny bumps and read stories. She could play the piano, and she had a special computer that helped her write and explore the world.

Even though we were different, we became wonderful friends.

Because her school was far away, she was home only part of the time, but during those times we spent hours together, either at her house or at mine. Often when she was at school, she called and we talked for hours. As our friendship grew, I sometimes forgot that she was blind.

Caitlyn will get some really neat gifts this Christmas," I told Mom. "She doesn't know it, of course, but her parents are giving her a new music system for her room and a new bed that looks like something out of a fairy tale. Why would she ever want my silly wind chimes?"

"She loves things she can hear. You said she loves wind chimes."

I shook my head. "I like bubbles, but I don't think I'd like bubbles for Christmas." I sighed. "That's the problem with having a friend who has everything."

"Everything?"

I knew Mom was talking about Caitlyn's eyes. "Everything I could give her."

I leaned back in the sofa and stared up at the ceiling, trying to imagine what Caitlyn's world was like. I opened my eyes and looked over at Mom. "I know what I'd like to give her. My eyes. Just for a day. Just so she could see the world again. She'd have the memories of everything she had seen that day. I'd be OK, missing my eyes for one day, and that one day of sight would mean so much to her."

Mom smiled at me. "It would be a wonderful gift. I wish we could both give her that. But we can't. Caitlyn will know that you are giving her the chimes from your heart. That's what will mean the most to her. And every time she hears them, she'll think of you, even when she's away at school."

Mom helped me wrap the chimes. Then I went to my room, lay on my bed, and closed my eyes, imagining that I had magically lent my eyes to Caitlyn. I wished that Jesus Christ was here and that He healed Caitlyn's eyes. I knew that He will come again one day, and He will do His miracles. One day Caitlyn will see again. I knew it. But I wanted her to see now!

While I was lying there, locked for a moment in Caitlyn's dark world, it came to me what I could give her that would be special enough. I leaped from my bed and went charging down the hall.

Mom listened as I excitedly explained what I wanted to do. I needed her help. Smiling, she agreed, and for the next few days, we worked together—planning, preparing, practicing, pretending. Mom and I drove down the street, walked down the sidewalks, peered into store windows, and saw hundreds of other things all around us. I looked through my eyes as though they were Caitlyn's. I saw things that I had never noticed before.

Two days before Christmas, Mom drove me to Caitlyn's house. She was smiling wildly with excitement. "Ever since you called," her mother said, "she's been waiting for this evening. I don't know what you have planned, but—"

"It will be wonderful, whatever it is," Caitlyn interrupted, because Melissa is giving it to me."

I led Caitlyn to the car, and we sat in the back. As soon as I closed the door, I announced, "I wanted to give you something wonderful for Christmas, something that came from me." I reached out and touched her hand. "I thought if I could, I'd let you borrow my eyes for a day. And I've discovered a way to do it! Tonight I'm going to use my eyes to show you Christmas."

Caitlyn nodded but looked confused.

"We're driving down your street," I started, my voice shaking with excitement. Mom drove very slowly so I could describe everything. "Right here at the corner is a gorgeous manger scene. Mary is by the manger, holding the Baby Jesus. Lights are shining from overhead. There are little gray donkeys walking across the snow and shepherds and lambs and …"

Mom and I took Caitlyn down several streets and described the decorated homes. We drove downtown to the Village of Lights. We walked up and down Main Street, peering in the big windows of the department stores and in the little panes of the small shops. When we stopped at a cute cafe to sip hot chocolate and munch cinnamon rolls, I described the tiny decorative elves perched on the counter, the holly hanging on beams overhead, and the mistletoe dangling from the ceiling above each booth.

Outside, we met Santa Claus, and we saw carolers. I didn't want to miss anything, because I knew that if I didn't see everything, neither would Caitlyn.

It was late when we returned to Caitlyn's house. As she burst through her front door, she called out to her mother, "It was awesome! It was better than awesome! We went everywhere, and Melissa described everything. It was as though I could see again."

Caitlyn bubbled with excitement, and I was so happy that I thought I'd burst. I reached into my coat pocket and pulled out the package containing my simple wind chimes. I pressed the small present into her hands. "This is also for you. Whenever you hear the chimes, you can remember tonight and everything we saw together."

Caitlyn threw her arms around my neck and squeezed until I didn't think I could breathe. "It was the best gift ever!" she whispered in my ear.

Gospel topics: Christmas, friendship

[illustrations] Illustrated by Mark Robison

© 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Kenny's Christmas

By Steve Connolly

(Based on a true story)

He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none (Luke 3:11).

Steve Connolly, "Kenny's Christmas," Friend, Dec. 2005, 5

One day as Christmastime approached, my parents announced that we were going to a drive-in movie. For a seven-year-old, this was very good news, but I thought I could make it even better.

"Can Kenny come too?" I asked. Kenny was my age and lived next door.

Dad smiled. "Of course, if it's OK with his parents."

I grew up in a small house in a small town. Mom and Dad often talked about struggling to get by on a teacher's salary, but we must have been wealthy compared to Kenny's family. When I invited him that afternoon, he was overjoyed. I could tell that he seldom got to see a movie.

That night we drove up in front of Kenny's house in our station wagon. When Dad honked the horn, Kenny came running out carrying a brown lunch bag spotted with grease stains.

"What's in the bag?" I asked.

Kenny smiled shyly. "Some snacks for the movie."

"What kind of snacks?"

"Oh, just some fried calf liver that my mom cooked up."

"Wow!" I said. "I'll trade you some popcorn for some of your liver." I knew that Kenny couldn't afford to buy popcorn, but I wasn't just being nice. Liver was my favorite food.

December soon brought lights and carols and secret shopping. The whole world felt alive and full of wonder. Finally, after an endless wait, the best moment of the year arrived—Christmas morning!

We awoke early, as usual, and had all the presents opened before 6:00 a.m. I got several brand-new racing cars and a new track to go with them. I also got a "supercharger" that would shoot the cars down the track at an astonishing speed. "This is the best Christmas ever!" I exclaimed.

I couldn't wait to tell Kenny about my presents. I rushed over to his house and pounded on the door. When he opened it, I blurted out, "What did you get from Santa Claus?"

"Santa brought me this new pair of pants and this shirt for school."

"Neat," I said. "What cool toys did you get?"

"I didn't get any toys this year." He was still smiling.

I stood there speechless for seconds that felt like minutes. I didn't know what to say. I didn't know how to feel. I don't remember what I did or said next, but I know I didn't mention my gifts.

When I got home, I must have looked sad. "What's wrong?" Mom asked.

"Kenny didn't get a single toy for Christmas." I felt like I was sharing a tragedy.

Mom thought for a few moments, then asked a question that changed my life: "What if you were to take a couple of your new racing cars and wrap them up for Kenny?"

An hour earlier, her idea would have sounded crazy. Now it was a lifeline in a storm, and I grabbed it. I carefully chose two of my best cars and wrapped them. I wrote on a small card, "Merry Christmas, Kenny! From Steve."

When Kenny unwrapped the gifts, his eyes lit up, and my heart grew bigger than my chest. We played with our racing cars all Christmas afternoon.

"How do you feel?" Mom asked that evening.

"Good," I replied. "Great" would have been more like it.

I often think back on all the special Christmases I enjoyed growing up. I treasure every one of them and appreciate every gift I received—my first shiny new bike, the magnificent pump-action BB gun, and all the rest. But no Christmas gift could ever come close to the one Mom gave me by suggesting that I give away a couple of toy cars. Every time I think of that experience, all is calm, all is bright.

[A Glorious Season]

"What a glorious season is this time of Christmas. Hearts are softened. … Kindness and mercy are reenthroned. … There is a … reaching out to those in distress."
President Gordon B. Hinckley, "The Wondrous and True Story of Christmas," Ensign, Dec. 2000, 2.

Gospel topics: Christmas, friendship, service

[illustrations] Illustrated by Brad Teare

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Ethan and his milestones....

I now feed Ethan baby food, and he likes carrots, and sweet potatoes and applesauce the most. When I give him bites of the rice cereal or peas, or green beans -- he gets a taste of it in his mouth than he quickly starts shaking his head in a back and forth motion as if to indicate --
"No MOM!! I don't want this!!" It looks quite funny when I catch him doing it.



Last night we also went to the Provo City Library and were able to catch Handbell Ringers, who played some Christmas songs with the handbells -- it was absolutely amazing.



Katherine and Kaylee went up and had a turn at playing some kind of bell also. The kids really enjoyed it.

Christmas Bunny

We read this story to our children last night and they could really relate to it since, they do have some bunnies. Well at least they aren't quite bunnies any more. They are more like Rabbits, but at least they start out the same.

The Christmas Bunny
By Paula DePaolo
Paula DePaolo, “The Christmas Bunny,” Friend, Dec. 1982, 45

The best part of our walk that day wasn’t riding in the shiny red wagon that Grandpa had given me for my birthday, even though it was lots of fun. And it wasn’t the snowflakes making polka dots on my blue coat and pants. The best part was when Mama stopped the wagon in front of Mr. Tanner’s pet shop.
Mr. Tanner’s window was full of frisky puppies. I got out of the wagon and pushed my nose against the cold window. The puppies ran to me and tried to lick my nose through the glass. Mama and I laughed.
“Oh, look, Cassie!” Mama exclaimed as she pointed. High up on a shelf I saw a cage of fluffy kittens. I waved, but they were busy chasing each other’s tails.
“What’s that?” I asked and pointed to a small ball of gray fur in another cage.
“I can’t tell,” Mama replied, “but here comes Mr. Tanner. Let’s ask him.”
“How’s my friend Cassie today?” asked Mr. Tanner, coming out of his shop. He brushed the snow from my hat. “Did you ever see so many little rascals?” he asked, chuckling. “Sure hope I can sell them all by Christmas.”
“What’s in that cage up there?” I asked, pointing to the gray furry ball.
“It’s a bunny,” he answered. “The last one too. Do you like her?”
Just then the bunny turned and looked at me with her big brown eyes. Her ears stood straight up, and she wiggled her tiny button nose. I wanted that bunny for my very own. “How much does she cost?” I asked.
“Just one dollar,” said Mr. Tanner.
“Oh, Mama!” I exclaimed, delighted. “I have a dollar in my piggy bank. Please, may I buy the bunny?”
Mama hugged me. “We’ll have to ask Grandpa first,” she said. “We’d better go now. It’s snowing hard, and we have a long way to walk.”
When we got home, Grandpa had supper on the table. After we’d sat down and he’d said the blessing on the food, I told him about the bunny in Mr. Tanner’s window.
“Eat your soup, Cassie,” he said. “It’ll warm your tummy.”
“Grandpa,” I said, “I have a dollar.”
“Drink your milk,” he said, filling my cup.
I love my grandpa a lot, but sometimes he just doesn’t listen to me.
“Grandpa!” I said in a loud voice. “Can I please have the bunny? You have Mama to take care of, and Mama has me, but I don’t have anybody.”
“It’s up to your mama,” he said as he buttered my bread, “but I would say no. It’ll just make a lot more work for me.”
So Mama said no. She might have said yes if she didn’t have to go to work every day. Nobody heard me say that I would take care of the bunny.
Whenever Mama and I walked to town to buy Christmas presents, we’d stop and look in Mr. Tanner’s window. Every time, there were fewer and fewer puppies and kittens, but the bunny was always there, and I was glad.
On Christmas Eve Mama and I walked by the pet shop one more time. All the animals in the window were gone. All but one—the bunny. She wiggled her nose, and I blew her a kiss. I wished for the hundredth time that Grandpa would change his mind.
Mr. Tanner saw us and came out of his shop. He whispered something to Mama, and Mama smiled and said she thought it would be all right.
“Cassie,” said Mr. Tanner, “would you take care of this bunny for me tomorrow? The shop will be closed, and it wouldn’t be right to leave her alone on Christmas Day.”
“Oh, yes!” I cried, and I quickly led Mama and Mr. Tanner into the shop. Mr. Tanner put the bunny into a small box with air holes and handed Mama a bag of rabbit food. I got to carry the bunny box all the way home!
“What in the world!” Grandpa exclaimed when he saw the bunny. “Didn’t we say a rabbit would be too much trouble?”
“It’s just for tomorrow,” Mama explained. “Cassie and I will take care of her.”
“I can do it all by myself,” I said.
Grandpa wasn’t so sure and just said, “Hmmmmm.”
I found a bigger box and put an old window screen over the top of it. I put food and water and the bunny inside. After she had eaten, I took her out and petted her and put her back until after supper.
Grandpa wouldn’t even look at her. Well, maybe he did once or twice—but just for a minute. He made a fire in the fireplace and set up our Christmas tree and strung the twinkly lights. Mama helped him hang the ornaments and strings of popcorn while I took care of the bunny.
At bedtime I put the bunny back in the box and left it by the fireplace so she would stay warm. Grandpa took me upstairs and tucked me in.
“Grandpa, can’t the bunny stay?” I pleaded.
But Grandpa just kissed my forehead and pulled the blanket up to my chin.
“Sometimes it’s hard to say no,” he said slowly, “especially to someone you love. Maybe someday, Cassie, but not now. Grandpa has no extra time.”
“I promise I’ll take care of her,” I called, but Grandpa was already downstairs.
Christmas morning I woke up before anyone else and tiptoed downstairs in my nightgown. The lights on our tree blinked on and off, and the room looked bright and sparkly. Under the tree were presents with my name on them, and my stocking, stuffed full and topped with an apple, hung from the mantle. Grandpa was asleep in his big chair by the fireplace. Our afghan lay across his lap. I tried not to wake him as I ran to the bunny box and looked in. The screen was off and the box was empty!
“Here, bunny, bunny,” I called softly, but she didn’t come. I peeked under the furniture. Then I searched all the other rooms, but the bunny was gone. I felt scared, and my heart went bump, bump, bump.
Mama came downstairs. “Cassie, what are you doing?” she asked. “What’s wrong?”
“The bunny’s lost!” I cried. “I can’t find her anywhere.”
Mama hugged me. “She has to be here somewhere.” But even with both of us searching, we couldn’t find her. “Oh, dear,” Mama said. “Maybe we made a mistake bringing her home.”
“What’s all the commotion?” Grandpa asked as he yawned and opened his eyes. “And why the sad faces? It’s Christmas!”
“The bunny’s missing,” said Mama, “and we’ve looked everywhere. What are we going to tell Mr. Tanner?”
Grandpa laughed and lifted the afghan. The bunny was fast asleep in his lap. “You tell Mr. Tanner that he’s sold another rabbit,” Grandpa said. He winked at me, and his whole face smiled. “I tried to tell her that she couldn’t stay, but she does have the biggest brown eyes, doesn’t she?”
I sat on the chair next to Grandpa.
“Cassie,” he said, “Grandpa forgot just how soft and cuddly little rabbits can be. No more pet shop for this bunny. She has a family now, and we’ll all help to take care of her.”
I hugged Grandpa hard, and Mama kissed his cheek. Later, when I opened my Christmas presents, I knew that I already had the best present of all.
Gospel topic: Christmas
[illustrations] Illustrated by Pat Hoggan

Christmas Story # 2

A Tree for Nana

By Callie Buys
(Based on an experience from the author’s family)
Behold, I am Jesus Christ. … In me shall all mankind have life (Ether 3:14).

Callie Buys, “A Tree for Nana,” Friend, Dec. 2004, 29James loved everything about Christmas—the songs and stories about baby Jesus, the twinkling lights, the bright packages under the tree, and the smell of yummy treats. He also loved the Christmas traditions with his grandparents, Nana and Papa. Every year Nana made steaming mugs of her special hot chocolate and baked dozens of sugar cookies shaped like stars and trees. All seven grandchildren would gather in Nana and Papa’s kitchen to frost and decorate the cookies. Then James and his cousins would play games with Papa. Last year, Papa taught eight-year-old James, the oldest grandson, how to operate the train that circled the Christmas tree.
Christmas would be different this year. Papa had died at the beginning of December, and Nana felt too sad to plan their special Christmas traditions. James felt very sad, too. He missed Papa.
“Christmastime feels wrong without Papa,” James told his mom one snowy afternoon.
Mom thought for a minute before she hugged James. “James, why do we celebrate Christmas?” she asked softly.
“Because that’s when Jesus was born,” he answered quickly.
“That’s right. We celebrate Christmas to remember Jesus Christ’s birth. And we know that Jesus made it possible for us to see Papa again and be together forever as a family. So don’t you think we can think about Papa and Christmas at the same time?” Mom said.
James hadn’t thought about that before. He still missed Papa, but he felt happier remembering that they could be together forever.
“I’m glad I’ll get to see Papa again,” he said.
“Me too,” Mom said. “And I’m going to go visit Nana in a few minutes. You can come with me.”
At Nana’s house, James looked around in surprise. He didn’t see any Christmas decorations—not even a tree.
“Where is your Christmas tree, Nana?” James asked. “And where is the train?”
“I’m not having a tree this year,” Nana said sadly. “It takes too much work to buy one and put the lights on it. I can’t do that all alone. And I don’t know how to run the train. Papa always did that.”
“Oh,” James said softly.
“We need to help Nana,” he told Mom as she tucked him into bed later that night. “She is so sad.”
James crinkled his forehead in concentration as he and Mom thought about what they could do. Soon they had a plan.
The next evening, the whole family met at James’s house. James and his cousins giggled as they piled into cars and drove to a Christmas tree lot. They looked at many different trees. Some were too tall. Others were too fat or too prickly. Some had drooping branches and bare spots. Finally, Uncle Max found a perfect tree. They paid for it, put it in the back of the truck, and drove to Nana’s house. Then James and his cousins huddled together on Nana’s front porch and began singing Christmas carols as Dad unloaded the tree.
Soon the door cracked open and Nana peeked out. “Surprise!” James called. Nana opened the door wide. “What’s this?”
“We got you a Christmas tree,” James bubbled. “And now we want to help you decorate it!” Dad hefted the tree into the house while Uncle Max rummaged through some bins to find a tangled strand of white lights. Uncle Ben positioned the tree in its metal stand, and Mom placed a red cloth under it. Christmas music streamed from the radio as they hung sparkly star-shaped ornaments from the tree’s branches. Then Uncle Ben carried a big brown box up from the basement. Inside, James saw the shiny red train engine and black train tracks. He carefully helped Uncle Ben connect the tracks in a circle around the tree.
When they finished, Nana looked at the tree and wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. She smiled at James and his cousins.
“Thank you,” she said. “Papa would have loved this.”
“Well, you know, Christmas is the perfect time to think about him,” James said, reaching for Nana’s hand. He nudged her over to the tree, where the little train circled happily. “And one more thing. I need to teach you how to run the train.”


[Great Gift]
“I wish that each of us will have a fuller and richer appreciation for all that the great gift of the Savior’s birth, life, and death means to us and our eternal happiness. Christmas is a season of hope.”President James E. Faust, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, “Speaking Today: First Presidency Christmas Devotional,” Ensign, Feb. 2001, 73.
Gospel topics: Christmas, family, service
[illustrations] Illustrated by Mark Thompson

A Cabbage For Christmas

Last year, I tried to send out emails to my friends of Christmas Stories that I gathered from the archives of the church's website from the friend. I copied them into my program and would like to share them again this year, and thought that posting them on this blog -- would be a great permanet place to put them. So if you get my emails also -- you'll get a double dose of the same story. I hope this will help set the tone for Christmas and help us remember the reason for the season.


Story #1


A Cabbage for Christmas
By Trisa Martin

(A true story)
He will preserve the righteous by his power (1 Ne. 22:17).

Trisa Martin, “A Cabbage for Christmas,” Friend, Dec. 2004, 5“Annie, we need a cabbage for Christmas dinner tomorrow,” Mother said. “Please go to the Olsens and trade these potatoes for one. Hurry now. Night’s coming.”
Eleven-year-old Annie sighed, dropping her knitting and picking up the burlap bag of potatoes. It was a tradition in Norway for families to have a cabbage for Christmas dinner, and Annie knew it would be delicious. But she didn’t want to leave the warm fire. “Can Gunnild come, too?” she asked hopefully.
“No, she must feed the goats and help your father.”
Annie buttoned her sheepskin coat and hurried outside into the brisk air. The snow crunched under her feet and the sharp wind whipped her blonde braids as she scurried down the path.
A few minutes later she reached the Olsens’ cabin and rapped on the wooden door. Mrs. Olsen peeked out, her blue eyes wide with surprise.
“Why, Annie! What are you doing out in this bitter wind? Your cheeks are as bright as strawberries. Come in and warm yourself.”
Annie’s fingers and toes tingled as she stood by the crackling fire. “Mother asked me to trade these potatoes for a cabbage,” she said.
“Oh, child, I’m sorry. I have no more cabbages. We ate our last one yesterday.” Mrs. Olsen stirred the big black kettle hanging over the fire. “Would you like some porridge?”
“No, thank you,” Annie replied. “I can’t stay. Do you know where I can get a cabbage?”
“The Petersens may have one. Jens had a good crop this year. But if you go there, you must hurry. It feels like there’s a storm brewing.”
“Thanks, Mrs. Olsen,” Annie said as she hurried outside. Tucking the bag under her arm, she plunged her hands deep into her pockets and trudged forward. The icy wind slapped her face, and black clouds rumbled overhead.
After what seemed like hours, she reached the Petersens. Luckily, Mrs. Petersen had an extra cabbage to trade for Annie’s potatoes. Waving good-bye, Annie headed home. Tiny snowflakes fluttered around her, covering the path with a goose-feathery whiteness.
Annie thought of her family’s warm cabin. She could almost smell the savory lutefisk (dried codfish) and potatoes cooking. Perhaps her mother was also making riskrem (rice pudding) and hiding an almond inside. Maybe Annie would be the lucky one to find it.
The snow began to fall faster. Thick flakes coated her eyelashes and buried the path. Annie stared at the landscape ahead of her, struggling to find the trail. “Is that our cabin?” she thought, noticing a dark shape in the swirling snow. But it was only a thicket of trees. Annie was confused. “Where am I?” she wondered. “Why do the mountains look like giants?” She felt like she was in a dream.
Huge snowdrifts seemed like a warm, white feather bed, urging her to stop and sleep. At first she resisted by thinking about home. She plodded forward on what felt like wooden-post legs, clutching her cabbage. But finally her weary legs collapsed, and she lay down, wrapping herself in a soft blanket of snow.
Back at home, Annie’s father stared out into the whirling whiteness. Where was Annie? He bundled up in his heavy coat and grabbed his lantern. He hurried down the trail, shouting into the wind, “Annie, Annie!”
Next to a giant spruce tree he noticed a strange mound. He rushed forward, swinging his lantern. In the dim light, he saw a pale figure in the snow. Was it Annie? He rushed to her, gathering her in his arms and wrapping his fur coat around her.
“Please, God,” he prayed, “let her live.”
A faint breath stirred Annie’s lips as she whimpered, “Papa.”
“Annie, you’re alive! It’s a miracle!” he cried. “God has preserved your life for a special purpose.”
Nine years later Annie married Soren Hansen. They had eight children. When Soren died, Annie sold sawdust to the butcher shops to support her family. Every day she hitched her yellow pony to a little cart and carried a load of sawdust to nearby Oslo.
One day as Annie neared the open-air market, she heard a strange commotion. Two young men were speaking to a crowd gathered near the vegetable market. Annie was curious and stopped to listen. They spoke about a prophet and the Book of Mormon.
Their message stirred Annie’s heart. On 2 March 1857 she was baptized as one of the first converts in Norway.
Annie became a powerful missionary. She shared the gospel with everyone who would listen. Even Mr. Gulbrandsen, who owned the sawmill, joined the Church after Annie taught him the gospel. She continued to share her testimony until she died in Norway at age 81. Some of her children and grandchildren emigrated to America.
Today her great-great-grandchildren still love to hear about the miracle of Annie, who went to get a cabbage for Christmas.
[God Will Protect Us]
“God will preserve and protect us, and will prepare the way before us, that we shall live and multiply … and always do His will.”President Joseph F. Smith (1838–1918), in Conference Report, Oct. 1905, 5–6.
Gospel topics: family, missionary work, prayer, safety
[illustrations] Illustrated by Gerald Rogers
© 2006 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved.

REXBURG TEMPLE OPEN HOUSE!!

We've reserved tickets for the Rexburg Temple Open House!!! Yes, it sounds crazy because it is the middle of winter almost and rrreally cold, but hey -- Rexburg has some sentimental meaning to us!

Our kids are so excited too.

We're going up on Dec. 31, 2007 and Coming home Jan. 1, 2008!!

So we'll spend our New Years Eve in Idaho --- we're staying at The CottonTree Inn where we stayed in the summer for our Room - mate Reunion. So the kids know the place and there is a pool so they of course want to spend some time swimming in an indoor pool. It'll be fun!!

We're going then because Chris doesn't have to work, and the girls don't have school!! It works out perfectly for us. So we'll just bundle up and be sure to stay warm.

Ethan has teeth !!

It's so crazy Ethan has seemed to hit a bunch of milestones all in the same month. Lets see first he started crawling, and sitting up -- almost simultaneously. Then last week his first tooth came through his gums, and now his second tooth has come through the gums as well. Plus this last week he has begun to finally sleep all night. I think of the last 5 nights only one night he woke me up in the middle. Plus -- he's been eating more solid foods. So there could be something to the whole eating solids and sleeping --- who knows? Because Ethan is my only child who has not slept through the night by now. My others were all sleeping through the night by 2 months old and were only breast fed. CRAZY !!!

And good news for Thomas -- we went last Wednesday the 28th, and bought him some CARS and Diego underwear and he's been using the toilet every day since and has had a few accidents. So just maybe he'll be completely potty trained before his birthday which is Jan. 8th!! Of course, he hasn't quite gotten down the whole poopy thing -- but with practice it will happen.

This is so great!!! Of course, now that I'm sharing in my excitement something will backfire!!

SNOW!! SNOW !!!!

I think this morning when I woke up was the first time I've seen some snow !! And it's still snowing I think?? This is looking down from my driveway from the back of my house.
This is supposed to by my front sidewalk that comes up to the porch. I know this snowfall isn't all that impressive but hey, now if feels like Christmas is coming.

This is the tree in my front yard, there isn't anything I like more than to see a tree covered in snow, so maybe one of these years I just might try to flock my tree.

And here you can see the remains of where my "garden" was, it consisted of tomato plants and two cucumber bushes.

So Ben and Shantil just barely missed this by a week!!