The End of the Year...

Our year ended very quietly. With the boys gone to Georgia until tonight (New Year's Eve) we just enjoyed being lazy!  The snow looks so pretty from inside the house!  Jack Frost left a very intricate design on our circle window...On Christmas day we saw a deer in our yard!  He was BIG!  He walked all around the back of our house and then jumped over the fence and kept on going!  The next morning we woke up to a few deer tracks through the snow..and then one morning there were a ton of tracks!  There must have been a deer party out there!  We keep hoping for more daytime sightings but haven't seen any so far.  But we know they come at night!  They look like small and slender ruts through the snow, but I promise, it is deer tracks.  I only know because of watching that one on Christmas day and seeing the trail that he left in the snow.  There are tracks clear up the driveway to the road.  Crazy stuff.  New Year's eve and we are just sitting here working on our puzzle and will probably go to bed by 10 o'clock.  Yep, we are real party animals!  The boys got home from the airport around 9 and were so exhausted...they went right to bed!  We will soon follow suit.  Looking forward to a new year and new opportunities! Of course our favorite thing is just being with family and enjoying the beautiful place where we live!  We have one last picture from Joel (Elder McKinney) for this year.  Some of the zones from their Christmas Devotionals.  He is in the top picture in the front row, third from the right.  Happy New Year!

  

Christmas Day 2014

We woke up to snow!  Yes, we finally got a WHITE Christmas!  The boys left early for the airport and it was a very quiet day.  Eric and his family stopped by in the evening and we enjoyed a visit with them.  We called our brother Steve on speaker phone and chatted for a few minutes.  The highlight of the day was of course our Skype from Elder McKinney!  We were able to connect Ashley, Clif and Lindsay to the conversation too...we hadn't been able to get a hold of Clark - I guess his phone got turned off again.  We missed him.  We couldn't see Ashley (just her profile picture) but we could hear her.  It was fun talking to everyone!  During the day we had received two pictures from a family that the elders had stopped by to say Merry Christmas.  It was a cute Naughty/Nice picture.  I LOVE it!  Then she sent a second picture of them sharing the gospel with all their family that was there.  They said there were about 10 more people you can't see in the picture and that they loved Elder McKinney's testimony and gift of sharing.  Well you know THAT made my day!!  Later in the evening we got another picture from a family that fed them Christmas dinner.  They said they were feeding him well!  I love the complete strangers that send us pictures of our missionary!  We asked him on our call if they ask the people to do that and he said no, the people ask them if they can take their picture and send it to their moms.  I think it's wonderful!  If I ever get the chance to feed any missionaries (the chances are slim here) I will do the same!  We have one set of missionaries for the whole stake (which is how Joel's mission has been too) and so we never see a sign up for dinners.  In the last 18 months I have fed one set of sisters and it was only because they handed me the sign up sheet first.  There were only 3 slots available on it!  Crazy.  Anyway, we loved talking with him and seeing him.  His companion is Elder Stanley from Tennessee.  Joel has 9 months left and he is so worried about how fast it is going!  He was transferred to Herriman the week before Christmas.  The people in his previous stake said they would really miss him!  I have lots of cousins in Herriman.  I hope he runs into some of them sometime.  So that was our Christmas day!  Quiet but fun and we are looking forward to a new year!  The year that Dave finds a new job (he was laid off from Schneider last week after 17 years...we knew it was coming and all is well) the year that Elder McKinney comes home and the year that Amanda graduates from BYU.  Lots of exciting things ahead!  Merry Christmas and happy new year!!!

Eric and Kai above, Jackson and Carson below

Dave, Amanda, Makayela and Randa

Christmas on the 24th!

Santa came!  Our little elf boys got up early and we were around the tree by 7:30! We waited for Dale to arrive and then we let them up the stairs!  They were so excited as they waited at the bottom of the stairs...then the excitement of seeing that Santa brought their wishes, and they loved everything else they opened as well!  David LOVED his harmonica!  It came with a little book of instructions and music.  His daddy helped him figure out a couple of songs and he did pretty good!  Daddy also loved the harmonica and David had a hard time getting it back from him!  There's a picture that shows that look on David's face of "Dad, it's MINE give it back."  After we finished the stockings and gifts under the tree, Amanda told the boys she had one more surprise for them.  She brought them into the family room and they could not believe she got them a power wheels!  David just kept saying, "I can't believe it!"  They were very excited.  She took some video as we took pictures of their excitement and disbelief!  It was a great morning!  We had a nice big breakfast of German Pancakes and sausage and then the boys got dressed to go try out the power wheels. Jacob was most content to just stay indoors and play with his new ninja turtles stuff (in his new silky pants which he loved).  David had fun driving the car and then Jacob decided to go out and try it too.  He drove it for about 15 seconds and then was happy to just be the passenger.  It was a very cold day but no white Christmas yet...we ended the day by going to Red Robin for dinner at the Provo Mall.  It wasn't crazy like I thought it would be the day before Christmas, but we were just happy to be all done and just enjoy the time together.  We took pictures by the giant tree complete with giant nutcrackers.  What a fun Christmas!  We appreciate the thoughtful gifts and and are ready to just relax for the rest of the holidays.   Ashley gave me a beautiful bracelet with a birthstone for everyone in our family!  And Dave was amused with his Start Trek pizza cutter...too funny!  The boys made us plates from Color Me Mine with their handprints and artwork on them.  We love them! (the plates AND the boys!). The second picture is the only one I got of the presents under the tree.  I usually take a picture after Santa has been here, but I missed it this year!  We were definitely spoiled!

Christmas Eve...a day early!

Because the boys are going to Georgia with their dad on Christmas morning, we are having Christmas a day early.  So of course, that puts Christmas Eve a day early!  The boys put out cookies for Santa and went to bed.  Then the waiting game began.  Waiting for the boys to go to sleep and waiting for a big box to arrive.  Amanda's present for the boys arrived at 8:30 p.m. via UPS.  She didn't think it was going to make it...but it was a Christmas Miracle!  The UPS driver was not the regular driver and didn't know our driveway, so he parked at the top of the hill and in the dark (with a small flashlight) pushed a dolly all the way down to the house with that huge box on it!  It was funny.  Amanda began the assembling process and Dad jumped in to help.  We took pictures throughout (with the clock in the background) to show how quickly they got it together.  She was so excited to give the boys a power wheels car!  They have wanted one forever and before long, David will be too big for one.  She found a great deal and was happy with her selection.  I too had some projects I was finishing up.  Here are pictures of a few of the things I made  ~Ninja Turtles, Super heroes and pillowcases for grandsons and nephews.  I didn't get a picture of Jacob's pillowcase because it was already wrapped!  And pictures of the power wheels assembly.  We will be ready for Santa!  (The power wheels is from her, not Santa, just to clarify.)  David had asked Santa for a harmonica and Jacob asked for Ninja Turtle Legos.  Very reasonable children! I'm sure Santa won't disappoint!