It's the Final Countdown!

We have a variety of countdown gadgets in our house during this wonderful month of December. There are the usual ones sent home from school - paper chains, glue the ornament on the tree, and color in the picture. The kids have two favorites that are traditional, the life-saver tree and our nativity advent calendar. The problem you run into when you have only two of these and six kids is apparent. Luckily, the teenagers aren't as picky (If it were a money tree or a cell phone minute tree - they'd be well into the competition).

Every year we try to do a number of things to help the kids catch the true spirit of the season. We go to parties, attend concerts, try to drive up to Temple Square, and invite friends over to decorate gingerbread houses. This year seems to have gone by too fast and the weather, although beautiful, hasn't cooperated well.

The kids enjoy re-enacting the Christmas story as found in Luke 2 of the Bible. Here are a few fun pictures of that.
















Now to our favorite family tradition! We have the 25 days of Christmas where, as a family, we sit around the light of a single candle and the Christmas tree and we read a scripture about our Savior and share a story about giving and sacrifice. We sing a song together, pray and blow out the candle. The kids treasure this tradition and we relish the time away from the usual craziness of bedtime and enjoy each other. My sister Kerri also added to that tradition by sewing a banner with 12 little pockets in which are stored little "treats" for the last 12 days of Christmas. I'm so grateful for traditions and for this time of year! I would love to hear from all of you regarding your traditions! In the meantime, Happy Countdown!!

The Giving Tree . . .

Don't you just love the book, The Giving Tree? I love it so much, I translated it into Spanish when I was in High School. Wish I could find where I've filed it!

This is the season for gratitude. I would hope that I can hold such a season in my heart everyday. Some days I'm better at this than others. For now, I will share my most cherished gifts and as I do so, I hear an echo of all of you saying -- YES, me too!

Health!!
A wonderful family - immediate and extended
Freedom
A Beautiful World
An Education
My Testimony of Christ
Forgiveness
and Years and years of experiences which have made me who I am (good or bad)!

Let's also not over-look:

indoor plumbing (and 2 ply TP!)
automobiles
sticky fingers blowing kisses
and these blessed but curse provoking computers!!

November came and is going, going ... go n e ! !



The kids report that all is well. We were able to spend Thanksgiving with Whit's family in Green River, WY. We had a great time. Kaylee, Kendall, and Shannon discovered the fun of crossword puzzles. Weslie, Braden, and Landon felt redemption from having missed trick or treating as grandma had plenty of sweets.
I enjoyed a good book (hoorah! - The Gift by Richard Paul Evans) and Whitney finally got to watch a Dallas Cowboys game as is his favorite thing to do on Thanksgiving. From all of us to all of you --- THANKS for being a part of our lives!!

OCTOBER FEST!!

Oh what do you do in the Autumn time, when all the leaves are . . . red, orange, yellow, and brown???

Just a quick summary again of some of the festivities for October.

We started the month with UEA weekend. I ditched going to the Teacher's Conference and caught up on some bills, school work, and housework so we could go to St. George and spend time with my family. Because it was the BIG marathon there, we couldn't get a hotel so we stayed at my parent's place along with Kerri & Mark and their family (not a very big place - 2 bedrooms). We were literally wall-to-wall people but we had so much fun! Mandy brought her boyfriend Tyler and we enjoyed getting to know him as well. We enjoyed General Conference for our church on television and cinnamon rolls (tradition) along with games and swimming. Quick trip but oh so worth it! We also enjoyed seeing Cove Fort on our way down. (I can now include that in my UT History for my 4th graders!)

We next celebrated Landon's 5th!! I get emotional as I reflect on the circumstances of his birth. Those of you who know us well, know what a miracle he is and why we affectionately call him "chub". He had his McDonald's party as is tradition with all of our children when they turn 5. (HOORAY! - no more McD's parties!!!).


























Kaylee turned 18 the week following Landon!! What an emotional month to celebrate our oldest and youngest within a week! (By the way, she can't really be 18 because I'm not that old!!) We are off to do the college tour this month and then it's scholarships and applications. Any words of sage advice are welcome! Kaylee celebrated her birthday this last weekend by having a Halloween Party here. Whit conveniently was gone to Fresno!









We attended the annual North Logan Pumpkin Walk. This is spectacular! Wish all of you could come and see it. I've included a few pics. Everything is done using squash or pumpkins. They have warm fires, cookies, and displays to fill the park and it's all free.



















We were also able to slip in our annual FHE (Family Home Evening)activity of going to the corn maze. We hurried this year as it was cold! We received a few inches of snow but this week - Ahhh . . . THE SUN!!















Now . . . a picture of the "NEW PUGH" --- It's a Boy! The kids named him Cosmo after much debate. He's a poodle, shitzu mix.

Just a bit of me . . .

Downloading pictures for this entry is just not going to happen tonight, I'm escaping the usual craziness of cleaning, prepping for tomorrow, and finishing up what was forgotten during the day. I thought I would just share some thoughts I have about what I find beautiful in this life (perhaps it will inspire some of you to start a list of your own).

Things that I love:
The patterns found in nature
Hiking to a tall and remote peak
Feeling the wind on my face
Singing a beautiful song
Feeling the rhythm of nature in my soul
Lightning storms in the solitude of night
The smell of the earth after a rain storm
A beautiful garden
The soft fur of a puppy
The vivid colors in the canyon during autumn
A good book that stays in your thoughts for a week
Words of wisdom
A clean joke with a touch of reality
Hugs, hugs, and hugs!
A warm cup of hot cocoa on a cold morning
Anonymous notes of love
Cotton Candy Sunsets
Sitting on the beach and watching the waves lap the shore
Hallmark commercials
A GOOD movie - the kind that makes you laugh, cry, and feel really good all at once
The freedom to make all the choices I want each day
Helping another learn something new
Learning something new
The Harvest Moon
challenging times which help me grow
reading to my children
being with my family

and last but certainly NOT least . . . HOPE!!

Happy Fall Ya'all! Isn't it great to be alive?!!

Yes - I'm still here . . .

So much to share, so little time. My blogging will be limited as time allows so here's a quick top ten for September: (Our computer crashed and we were without one for a week and a half. The kids thought it was the end of the world! Funny, but it almost is! We hadn't run a recent back-up so we lost quite a bit of data. I guess you live and learn!)

1. Braden's 7th Birthday!! He is a joy in our lives. He LOVES to read (I catch him sneaking a book to bed), LOVES to play games, cares about others, and is very cautious.





























2. Weslie's 11th Birthday! She keeps us on our toes. Her hair is her icon, she loves sports, can keyboard faster than a whip, adores horses, and wants to be on the Aggie basketball team someday.





























3. Antelope Island & Dinosaur Park (We went on Weslie's birthday since it was Labor Day weekend).
































4. 68 Grasshoppers - The kids decided to round up the grasshoppers which had infested the garden. They were able to get about this many if not more. WOW!



























5. Hike to the Windcaves (1.8 miles UP! The kids all were troopers on this hike. We climbed over 900 ft in less than a mile! Once we got to the top, the view was spectacular! I have been wanting to do this for some time and am so glad we went.





























6. Whit, Shannon, & Braden visit with Joe & Anna in Green River, WY (brief visit but they loved seeing their aunt & uncle from Wisconsin).


7. Kendall's FIRST formal date (Homecoming Dance!)




8. Marching Band Kick-Off (Parent Night) We love this! Go Skyview!!



9. Hobo season - We're tallying our hobo count again. So far, we've killed 3 in the last week. Actually 2, we kept 1 to take for show and tell. If you haven't figured it out - we're talking SPIDERS! Look these up if you're not familiar with them. They are fast little devils and you DON'T want to get bitten!

10. Parent Teacher Conferences!! This is a bit of a stress as all of my children have them on the same day and they go to 4 different schools (in different towns). I will be unable to attend since I have my own class this year to worry about! ARGH! Go Whit - GO!


And there you have it for the last couple of weeks. I didn't want to bore you with any other details like . . . Weslie's first Basketball game is tonight but it's also pack meeting and Whit is doing a boomerang presentation for another pack, Kendall has MB, Kaylee swing dance, Shannon working, and well thus it goes!

Networking & Multitasking

I have several people ask me how I am able to keep up on everything with the kids, church calling, work, home responsibilities, and extra-curricular activities . . . Well, here's my secret . . . I DON'T!! ARGHHH! Actually, I network and multitask. These are any mother's secret weapon. We find other moms who are willing to help out if we help them and we work out carpools and talent swapping. It works great! Most of you reading my blog know exactly what I'm talking about.

It has been a busy week so I will just post a "cute" picture because the other way I'm able to keep up is - I laugh as much as I can, especially at myself and the things that help me to learn how to be flexible, patient, enduring, and creative.
Whitney reminded me(as I'm typing lesson plans at 10:30 PM) that the journey to becoming a wonderful teacher is a marathon, not a sprint (WORDS OF WISDOM! but either way, it's a run!). He helps out and that also is how I do it!

Teachers are Awesome!

OK - you knew you'd hear it but. . . Teachers are Awesome! After spending a week of faculty meetings, committee meetings, district meetings, and getting my classroom ready --- School started! I had an appreciation for teachers but it grows as I spend countless hours in the classroom decorating, labeling, organizing, planning, and gathering assessment information. No complaints as I seem to have a wonderful staff to work with. They have been supportive and offered both advice and handouts to use. My kids were patient as well (THANKS GUYS!!).

We started this last Thursday on a HOT day (we have no air conditioning and my classroom faces west). I have 26 students and they will be wonderful to work with (Crossing my fingers). Kaylee, Kendall, Shan, Wes, and Braden also enjoyed their first days of school. After signing all the syllabii and info papers, I think we need to revisit the paper reduction act. The kids are grateful to be back with friends, but not grateful for the early mornings and homework. I will only gripe once on this blog about the cost of public education -- class fees, purchasing textbooks, and other various expenses. OUCH! But it comes once a year and must be necessary - Right??!!

Whitney brought me a flower and balloon for my first day and took a picture then he went and ate lunch with Weslie. I'm glad she's at the age where she's excited to have her mother in the same building. (Not sure the older three would feel the same). Happy schooling ya'all!

A Stroll Down Memory Lane . . .

A visit with Mamaw.
(Weslie's first quilt - Thank you for the help Grammy Hart!)




This last weekend we were able to go retrieve our daughters from their grandparent's house in GREEN RIVER,WY. Shannon and Weslie spent some time finishing their quilts and enjoying the great outdoors. Our visit was brief but we enjoyed spending time with Whitney's mom and step-dad. While we were there, we decided to take the kids to some of the "memorable" places of our childhoods - an advantage to growing up in the same town (although this blog is biased to my side since I am the author). Those of you who have been there will enjoy this . . . Remember . . .


The big GREEN river . . .
We counted lost shoes along the river - believe it or not, there were about the same number of right shoes as there were left ones (none matched of course!)
We love the wildlife!
We like to catch snakes!
A walk along the river . . .
The horse corral - my kids love to go feed the horses.
The park next door to our house.
The house I grew up in - SORRY dad - the yard has gone downhill since we sold!
Castle Rock

The Old Tomahawk Building (remember all those Saturday cleanings??)
The old railroad bridge
Mansface
"New" Waterpark at Exped. Island
Expedition Island