Nineteen Crazy Years

I suppose the word crazy as a description for the last nineteen years isn't the most romantic, but to describe it as "blissful" would be missing the point I think. The roller coaster of marriage is designed to bring two people closer together through moments of blinding happiness and passion as well as moments of grief, despair, frustration and even anger. That we have arrived at this point still deeply in love and eager for the next 19 years is a testament to me of what marriage should be.

I am so grateful today that I didn't choose Mike, Howard, Greg, Dave or Larry! No offense to these guys who each had merits of their own to recommend them. But when Ren and I realized that being absolutely best friends was the perfect jumping off point for love and marriage, it was the wisest decision I had ever made up to that point and might ever make. I love that Ren laughs at my jokes, has taken the time to learn when to hug and when to back off, is constantly trying better to understand me, pushes me to be better and accepts me for who I am. I can truly say he completes me. :D

So... Happy Anniversary to my sweetheart. I adore this man and am beyond grateful for the years we have spent growing up and growing together. I can't even imagine what the next 19 years will hold...having children in college and on missions, becoming grandparents and finally having an empty nest! It will be crazy, but it will be an eagerly anticipated adventure with the man I love sharing the ride.

We Wish You a Merry Christmas!

This one is for the grandparents in England who have been languishing without word from me or posts on my blog. My negligence is inexcusable, but understandable as you consider the monumental task of orchestrating Christmas for a family of nine! As my apology to you, Elder and Sister Byers, here is our Christmas in pictures. We're so sad we missed your phone call today but we had just settled in for a long winter's nap and didn't even hear the phone. I hope you had a merry old English Christmas.

As for the rest of my bloggy friends -- I hope to see your Christmas pictures soon. Our most exciting present will have his own post on the blog, as soon as we get him. Henry, our poochon puppy will be coming home on the 29th! The kids are thrilled (all except Gid who is convinced that all dogs want to eat him.) Life is never quiet around here, is it? And now for Christmas, Byers/Bolton style...

On Christmas Eve we always have our big dinner and then act out the nativity. It's pretty convenient that we have enough kids to cast the entire play -- it's just our audience that's a little sparse (me, since Ren is the narrator). Here's our Peanuts Christmas Pageant picture. I love how the littles have their mouths WIDE open! :D

Eli really wanted to be Joseph, so he was our leading man.

By default, Hannah gets to be Mary, whether she wants to or not. She didn't seem to mind that she was 2 1/2 feet taller than Joseph since he is mighty in spirit!

Zach, the shepherd boy listens intently to Curtis the angel-in-a-toga (as he calls the sheet I used for his costume).

Jonah and Cody are wise guys, so it seems appropriate for them to portray the wise men. The littlest wise man got cranky, so an angel stepped in at the last minute for the photo op.

Mary soon cheered up wise man #3 with a hug.

After the play we sang lots of Christmas carols. This is my favorite part as my children are now working on singing in harmony and it just melts my motherly heart to hear my whole family gathered around singing! Then, Jonah gathered the littles to hear "The Night Before Christmas."

After setting out cookies and lettuce and cheese for Santa, the reindeer and Santa Mouse (he's from a childhood book of mine that we still read at Christmas time), the children settled in to giggle and toss and turn as Ren and I and a little elf named Hannah Claus finished the Christmas preparations. The kids were given strict instructions NOT to wake us before 7:00 a.m. They kept their bargain officially, but were un-officially up and making plenty of noise by 5:30 a.m.

Finally, donning their new Christmas pj's, they sat on the stairs, eating toast and tangerines, and waiting for the okay to run down and see what Santa brought.

Gid and Eli had been asking every Santa they encountered for only one thing: transformers. Here they are basking in the glow of transformer delight after finding them in their Christmas stockings. (Aren't they too adorable in their matching pj's?)

And when all the ripping and shrieking and excitement was over, we had our big Christmas breakfast and the parents fell into bed to nap until it was time for our traditional Christmas afternoon movie.

Finally, at the end of the day, exhausted and happy, we posed in front of the tree for our family picture, grateful for all that we've been blessed with and for the love we share. Merry Christmas everyone!

My Heart Grew Two Sizes This Year

I have been determined this year to feel the spirit of Christmas! It seems I have spent the past few years racing to Christmas day only to feel totally empty and utterly exhausted by Christmas Eve. Christmas morning as I watched the family rip off the beautiful paper and bows of presents I had spent too much time and too much money buying I have felt a weight on my soul. Consumed with having to make sure all things were equal and that everyone would get just what they wanted, I lost sight of why I was giving them presents and lost the joy of giving as well.

This year I wanted it to be different. I got my first idea while perusing our church magazine, The Ensign. The Monday after Thanksgiving, I wrapped up a box in bright red, Christmas paper, slit a hole in the top and pasted the words "Thankful Box" across the front in big, festive green letters. I explained to the family at our first family home evening of December that we would spend the month looking for the blessings we'd been given and appreciating the people and things that brought us joy in our lives. We will open the box on Christmas and take turns reading what each of us wrote. The kids have enthusiastically been stuffing the box and I can't wait to open it and share the love that we have all felt this month.

We've also taken the time to read the Christmas story and other Christmas books that are bringing us joy and happiness as we let the spirit of this season seep into our souls. I've been taking the time to read inspiring Christmas messages and as I was reading one from our church's prophet this morning, these words from Pres. David O. McKay touched my heart:

“True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service."

We have been the beneficiaries of such service. God must have known that I needed to feel something this Christmas, because he prompted some friends to do the 12 Days of Christmas for us. It's funny, because we were sitting around one night and realized that it was 12 days before Christmas. I mentioned to my hubby that it would be fun to do the 12 days of Christmas for someone and only moments later we heard the doorbell ring. The kids ran to the door and excitedly cam back in with a present that had a note on it. "On the first day of Christmas our true friends gave to us..." it was an advent calendar snowman. I cant' describe how my heart just melted at this. Like the Grinch, I think my heart has grown two or three sizes and continues to feel such sweet joy each night as the kids eagerly await the ringing of the doorbell. They stampede to the door to see what our "true friends" brought us bringing back hot chocolate in decorative tins, Christmas mugs, a box of oranges, a Christmas book, a Christmas DVD and other fun things. Thank you true friends, whoever you are!

Yesterday, at church I felt that spirit even more as I sang in the choir the beautiful hymns of Christmas. Then in my calling with the children of our congregation, I helped them act out the nativity story. I dressed them up and told them the story of Christmas in words they could understand. I tried to help them feel what Mary felt and what Joseph felt and what the Shepherd's felt at that wondrous time. We sang songs as we added each new actor in our little play -- Mary, Joseph, the angels, the shepherds and the baby Jesus. At the end I turned on the twinkly lights on the ficus tree I brought from home, gave each little actor a flickering (fake) candle, turned out the rest of the lights and we sang Silent Night. What a sweet picture for us all to take home. What a sweet peace I felt as I thought about the simplicity and the gravity of the birth of our Savior.

As I've given of myself to my family and in sharing my talents at church, I have felt closer to my Savior. I hope all my friends are feeling this same peace and joy. My heart is full this year and I hope that when I watch the kids tear through the presents that are symbolic of the bounty God has given us this year, that the warmth will continue to emanate and I will know that all these gifts are only reminders of the true gift of Christmas.

Merry Christmas to you all!