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Wednesday, December 30, 2009

We love Christmas



We love Christmas because..........We had our whole family together this Christmas except for Josh who is serving a mission in France. That made 28 of us. Wow, we went through a lot of food and we made a big mess and we absolutely loved it. We got to talk to Josh (Elder Lyman) on the phone on Christmas day and it was all good.


(our family went to a lot of trouble to create this live nativity scene, with the kids dressed up so cute and even a live donkey!)

And we love Christmas because........of the chance we have to spend time with cousins, aunts & uncles, grandpas and grandmas.
At family parties...........

Christmas morning with Grandpa...........
at Grandma's house..........

And the gifts that are exchanged are fun. This little guy is Paco!
I'm not sure there has ever been a gift as fun as the little donkey
that our family gave us this year!!!

And more family time playing in the snow........










And more family parties...........
And, or course, we love Christmas because of the chance we have to celebrate the birth of our Savior

"Christmas is more than trees and twinkling lights, more than toys and gifts and baubles of a hundred varieties. It is love. It is the love of the Son of God for all mankind. It reaches out beyond our power to comprehend. It is magnificent and beautiful.

It is peace. It is the peace which comforts, which sustains, which blesses all who accept it.

It is faith. It is faith in God and His Eternal Son. It is faith in His wondrous ways and message.

It is faith in Him as our Redeemer and our Lord.

In our times of grateful meditation, we acknowledge His priceless gift to us and pledge our love and faith. This is what Christmas is really about."

(Gordon B. Hinckley, "A Season for Gratitude," Ensign, Dec. 1997, 4-5)

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Getting Ready for Christmas





It snowed a lot in Blanding to help us get in the Christmas spirit!!!

Those "lumps" in the snow are our Christmas bears that Jed put out

Grandpa and Kristi and the kids came to help us decorate the tree


Decorating the tree

The finished product

Making honey candy






"Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ."

--Thomas S. Monson, "The Best Christmas Ever", Liahona, Dec 2008, 2–6

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Thanksgiving dinner at our house!!!


As we took time out of our busy lives to give thanks for all of our many, many blessings.......

...........we met at our house for Thanksgiving dinner.
We were few in numbers this year but did not lack for food. We pretty much had as much as if there had been 50 of us!



We had a good day.
And the horses even got some Thanksgiving treats!!!


"Gratitude is of the very essence of worship. … When you walk with gratitude, you do not walk with arrogance and conceit and egotism, you walk with a spirit of thanksgiving that is becoming to you and will bless your lives”. Sincerely giving thanks not only helps us recognize our blessings, it also unlocks the doors of heaven and helps us feel God’s love."

--Gordan B Hinckley, "With a Grateful Heart", Liahona, Aug 1999, 25

Hole-In-The-Rock trip----In & out in one day??


Some of the guys in our family (Jed, Jeremy R., Jeremy J., Matt & Trent) took upon themselves the challenge of a one day (in and out in the same day) trip to the Hole-In-The-Rock







They made it in most of the way with only a few mishaps along the way!!! (We don't have pictures of Jed's wreck)

They ended the day with a flat tire (the second flat of the day) on the trailer on the way home. But, they all arrived home with no broken bones. There were plenty of sore backs and come cuts and bruises.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Food storage week/Awesome Weekend with the girls

During the week we worked........

bottling Beans..................


and then sewing aprons at Marilyn's

And then it was on to Noelle's to make freezer jam.....
The finished product.....over a hundred jars of jam

And then more beans.
After all of the work, we were ready for a break.

It was my birthday (we won't mention which one).
The girls gave me an an amazing weekend experience
at "Time Out For Women".
After listening to inspirational talks and music
we were all uplifted and rejuvenated!
Thanks again to my beautiful daughters!!!!!! (We missed Heather
and Kera---they both have babies and didn't know if they would
like being in meetings for 2 days)



While we were all warm and dry at "Time Out for Women"
Our High School football team was winning
the State Championship
(in the snow at Alta High School in Salt Lake)



This tiny picture shows the team after the game