Merry Christmas! I hope everyone had a safe and wonderful day! Pictures to come, but I am still recovering from an exhausting day and over a foot of snow. Talk about a white Christmas! Here's our Christmas card that I didn't get around to mailing out to everyone.(sorry)

testimony boost

Sometimes I am not aware of the little blessings that happen on a daily basis, I know I am blessed I just don't always notice. Other days I catch myself thinking "I could sure use some extra ones"(selfish I know). This morning was one of those days I noticed.

I have been helping my neighbor who just had surgery. This means I leave my boys unattended for a few minutes(scary) to fill up her ice machine, hook her up to the equipment, or unhook so she can go to the bathroom etc. I'm happy to help but I can't bring my boys along, she just had surgery and I'm much faster if I go alone. There are lots of cords and such (items of interest to two very curious boys). I left this morning thinking after all the mishaps yesterday this won't be good. I knew I really needed to hurry. When I got back, no joke, my boys were sitting in the living room quietly playing with the same toys as I left them with. Nothing was out of place(that shouldn't be) no one was crying, and nothing broken. I could not believe it. I realized they had been little angels every time I have left to go help this week. It really goes to show when you are serving others the Lord really does send you extra blessings! I mean I could lie and brag that I have perfect little angel boys who are extra obedient-who would believe me anyway though? They ARE total sweethearts and they mean well but they sure are inventive!

If you need extra proof, read on. Yesterday I was quickly showering and the boys were watching Curious George. I have to leave the door open so I can hear what's going on. It doesn't take long for them to cause trouble. This technique can backfire and I end up having a shower party but most of the time they are too busy to care. I suddenly think I hear the oven door open. I run out dripping wet to find both boys INSIDE my oven. Thank goodness the controls are on the back of the range but nevertheless, IN my oven! I wish I took a picture but I was so quick to react and get them out, and into timeout,to calmly explain why the oven is not a toy. They know it's "hot" and were scared of it until recently when they found out sometimes it's not...well, hot. This is what happens in the blink of an eye when they are semi supervised. They cause a lot of mischief when they are totally supervised and entertained by a not-so-entertaining mommy. They can even get on the kitchen table without the chairs, that I cleverly put behind the baby gate for precaution to stop the table dancing(they are a little young to learn).

Now do you see why I'd be worried leaving them totally alone? That is when they are just fine and I am able to help someone in need. Don't get me wrong, I still worry and I don't leave them by choice. But I know with out a doubt that angels are watching over them.

* We have received sooo much snow and the boys can't get enough of it. I swear Gavin is immune to the cold. He would play out there until his nose fell off. I hope these colds we have go away(maybe we should spend a little more time inside...)Not a chance when all Gavin asks is "can I play in the snow again please?" He's so polite. Hopefully Andy will have time to get some pictures this week. It's hard to take pictures and keep track of my boys outside. (this excuse sounds better than admitting I am forgetful).

Let it snow!

I love the snow!
I love watching my boys play in the snow.
I love the cold!
I love hot chocolate!
I love homemade soup.
I love bundling up , the kids don't but they sure appreciate it(I think).
I love shopping any other time of the year when it isn't crowded.
I love Christmas!

It finally feels like Christmas now that the snow is falling.
Christmas is always going to feel incomplete. It will never be the same without Eric. But it is a time to celebrate the birth of our Savior and without him I wouldn't be able to see my brother again. That is where I find peace. Eric absolutely loved the snow and all the sports that come with it. It may sound silly but I feel he's much closer when it snows. Snow made him happy, so it makes me happy. I like to keep it real so I'm not going to lie, I am still very depressed that he isn't here with me and my family. I have my moments, some more often than others. I don't know how we got through the holidays last year but we did. Eric is watching over us. He knows how much we miss him and how much we love him. He will always be in our hearts. We have some really fun memories growing up together and I hope my boys set booby traps for Santa someday too. I try really hard to focus on the good, I don't want those memories to fade, that is all I have. He really was so much fun!

I am so grateful that I am able to see the excitement through my little boys eyes. It is simply amazing.

Wishing you all a great day!

A depressing weekend

I'm constantly trying to think happy thoughts as I go about my days. After spending about six hours in line outside Friday for Wicked tickets with Amanda(hardcore theater fans). We were unable to get tickets. The only option left was a Sunday show and separate seats. I would feel way too guilty breaking the Sabbath(though I must confess it was tempting after freezing for so long) and then to have to sit by myself...I don't think so. The phone lines were tied and the website crashed from an overload. I even spoke with a woman as we headed to our car. She had two extra tickets but wanted me to pay her extra, she was planning to sell them on ebay to some idiot who would pay 500.oo dollars a ticket rather than to someone who froze their butt off for about as many hours and desperately wants to go. No compassion, I offered cash!
Anyway, thanks to all the ticket scalpers out there,a lot of people went home with nothing. Some people! It's kind of the box office's fault for selling 8 tickets per person....it should have been a limit of 2. I will get over it but the nasty cold I caught from it is making me a bit bitter this weekend. I am making plans to go to LA instead. It will be a lot cheaper than a stupid scalper price and I can see it with a live orchestra and not sit by myself(hopefully). Can you believe people actually will pay that much for something when it only cost a fourth of the price???? There are still going to be radio contests and maybe some open seats closer to the dates...for now I am drinking my mint truffle hot chocolate and hanging out in my pj's.

* On a cute note Gav has been getting better with praying lately. He is really cute. I love how he squints his eyes shut so tight. The other night he would whisper after everything I said "and go to Papa's house.... and go to Papa's house" It was really sweet. He's also working on his manners and says thank you for everything. Tank too for da ham, tank too for da juice, tank too for da dinner. Followed by your welcome"your come come" etc. He sure has come a long way with his speech-it is amazing! Max is also a talking machine-we really have to watch what we say because he will say it right back. It's hard not to laugh when we try and discipline because he sounds so funny ans says "okay okay" after everything.

Time to catch up

We just got back from a quick but really great trip to Seattle. I wish we could have stayed longer. We definitely need to go back. Ben and Brittney were great hosts, there house was great for the boys. Gavin got to feed goats, chipmunks and who knows what else. I think they miss Bow(the dog) the most-no offense guys. I forgot to take pictures, but Andy got some great ones.

The boys went on a wildlife trek. Brittney and I went on a much needed shopping spree.

It was a little chilly, but a binkie binkie can fix almost anything.

I think they saw every kind of wildlife except a caribou. It was a fun day for sure!

Can you see the beautiful eagle behind him?

Gav got in trouble for trying to pet the animals, that's how close they were.

This guy was so friendly, he was right up against the car.

We discovered the best gummi candy ever-they are gummi sugar plums and they are delicious! We should have bought more. There is a nightly Christmas parade at the mall. It was pretty cute(too bad our camera man left both cameras in the car, parked far away). They even made it "snow" with bubbles. Gavin danced right along with the live drummers, it was a litle crowded but we had fun. We also tried peppermint tootsie pops-you need to try them! They were passing them out at the parade.

Ofcourse we made time for Andy and Ben to do a little fishing too.

Don't worry, we didn't eat starfish for dinner. Can you believe how big this guy is? He must have weighed thirty pounds!

We brought the sunshine with us, it was great. The snow decided to follow us home though. This made a scary, long drive. The boys did great, even Andy. I was surprised we only had to stop and let them loose at McDonald's once on the way there and once on the way back. Maybe driving through the night isn't so bad? I think we will fly next time.

Before our trip we took the boys and the Polar Express at the Heber Valley Railroad. It was a blast. Gavin was in HEAVEN! I knew he loved trains but this was priceless. Next year we will have to go early so he can spend more time exploring the other trains. It was so much fun to ride in our pj's, eat cookies, drink cocoa and see Santa. Even my older brother sang along to the Christmas songs. It was fabulous! Max might enjoy it more next year too, it was a little too mong for him. All in all this will likely be a new tradition!

Gavin's eyes were enormous when he saw this engine!

Max didn't want to hold still for anything-too much to see , too much to touch, and too much space to run around. At least he was happy!
Meeting SANTA!!!
I think Jerett loved the ride.
Max went nuts. His favorite part was the hot cocoa though, he drank two full cups!

Jenny, Jeremy and Jerett enjoying our trip to the North Pole.

The whole gang, Max is hiding. I would definitely recommend the early ride. I don't know how people could do the later one. The boys were tired but very happy.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I have to take advantage of Andy's more flexible schedule in the Winter. While Brad and Mercedes were in town we took the kids to Jungle Jim's. The Kids had a great time...me, not so much. It's not the cleanest place but germs mean nothing to my kids. There hapopiness should come first right.