What do you think?

This picture from our Bear Lake reunion with the Byers this summer really lets our true personalities shine through, dontcha think? I pondered using it for our Christmas card picture, but I just couldn't do it. So I share it with the cyber-world and remind us all to have a crazy fun time with our friends and families while we celebrate the holidays. This time of year would lack so much without them. Have a Merry (not harried) Christmas! (or alternate winter holiday of your choosing)

Boom Boom Bells

Here's a little something for Christmas from my kids and our friends the Packers. They call these tubes "Boom Whackers." Music and violence all in one -- what could be better?

What's Wrong With this Picture?

Thank you Wal-mart for making my season picture perfect with this
darling little nativity...well almost. Does anyone else notice a
horrific figure in the back? It is none other than the headless
wiseman! He came in the box that way but it just doesn't seem worth it
to me to trek back to the store to return a $7 nativity set, time is
too precious these days. So there he sits on my mantle to teach us a
profound lesson. The lesson that...uh...we shouldn't lose our heads at
Christmas. Yes! That's it! So happy to share my wisdom. Ren would
certainly say the lesson is never, EVER shop at Wal-mart. Well, what
does he know?

I'm Beginning to Feel It

I wanted to make this Christmas different. I wanted to remember the magic and the sweet spirit I've felt before. I didn't want it to be me in a frenzy, over-analyzing and stressing about buying all the right gifts for the eight other people in my house. I wanted to feel the joy of serving my neighbors, loving my family and remembering God's gift of his son, Jesus Christ.
So I called a family council and we planned our Christmas season that it might unfold with a purpose. We planned fun family activities, service projects, and quiet moments to listen to Christmas stories and read scriptures about our Savior. Each night, whoever is home, gathers in the family room and we light two red candles. We read sweet stories of service and love that paint a picture of the Christmas spirit in action. We sing Christmas carols (the other night 4 year-old Gid asked, "Why are we all sitting here singing?") and we invite the Christmas spirit to be here. And I'm finally beginning to feel it.

While it seems to be a wonderful start, now I'm thinking about the concept of giving gifts to Jesus. When we give each other presents, it is symbolic of those gifts given by three wise men so long ago or even more importantly the gift of God, given in His son. But there still seems something lacking in that sentiment. I still hear my kids listing and revising all the things they hope to get. Gid cries every morning because he just can't wait to for Christmas to come so he can get his Star Wars action figures. Something inside me says I must teach my children a deeper meaning in the giving, but how?

This morning, while watching Christmas messages on LDS.org I found a video that struck home for me. It warmed my heart and provided the answer I was looking for. I guess I should have realized all along that my handbook for life (the scriptures) would hold the key.

"Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me."

Matthew 25:40

I know we won't be perfect, but remembering this scripture will help.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Black Friday Loser

It's 6:15 a.m., Friday, November 26, 2010. Here I sit, cozy on the couch with my lap-warmer pooch Henry, listening to the ticking of the clocks and enjoying the dancing flames of the gas fireplace. To the casual observer it would not seem that I have just gone through an experience that will forever redefine my image of myself, yet it's all too plain to me. I have just discovered that I am NOT a Black Friday "Shopper".

I have always avoided shopping on Black Friday like brussell sprouts or changing someone else's kid's poopy diaper. But this year, my teenagers got it into their heads that they just had to see the phenomenon of Black Friday. I personally don't see what is so appealing about hundreds of crazed shoppers wielding their carts like a full body shield as they wend their way to the LCD TVs. But who am I to say? So, in my continuing quest to retain my "cool mom" status (despite my inability to jump on the trampoline without wetting myself), I traded child labor (the twins and Hannah cleaned up after Thanksgiving dinner) for a trip to Target and Wal-mart in the wee hours of the morning.

I told the boys I wouldn't set an alarm, so it was up to them to wake me if they really wanted to go. They did, and crept into my room at 3:26 a.m. I'm sad to say that my insomniatic brain had been waking me up at 10 minute intervals since 2:30 so I was already awake. When I came out from getting dressed, Jonah and Cody were sitting on the couch wearing short sleeves and Cody in shorts. I don't believe they'd ever been awake in the middle of an Arizona winter night (it was 37 degrees outside) and they groused a little when I suggested sweatshirts. They were soon grateful for them.

When we got to Target at 4:10 a.m. the parking lot was jammed and the door had a huge crowd of people in front of it. We lemings stood there together, huddled for warmth, trying not to breathe each other's morning breath, waiting for the doors to open. As we waited and waited then began to watch the security guards letting people out with cart after cart of big tv boxes, it occurred to us that there was another entrance where they were actually allowing people to go in. That's where the veteran shoppers were in line. Nice. Failure #1: standing in the wrong line.

Finally they opened our doors and the boys and I sauntered in. People rushed past us on their own personal hunt for the deal they just had to get up at 4 am to buy. We soon realized that we didn't know the layout of this particular Target very well, so we meandered around trying to find the $17 Razor scooters (on sale from $29.99 -- not a bad deal.) I was a little uneasy when I saw a cart laden with scooters plowed past me, but we continued deeper into the unknown.

Finally, we found the right aisle but no sale scooters graced the shelves. I looked and looked, trying to decipher the tags on the shelves to see if there had indeed been any sale scooters. I finally noticed a battered box way back on the top shelf. A different brand but still $17, so I snagged it. Strange that nobody fought me for it. Then I saw the shelf with the super cool, SPARK scooter that Eli wants. Not on sale. "Oh well," I thought, "he still wants it so I'll buy it now." I was a little embarrassed to grab something that was full price. I was sure an alarm would sound somewhere and everyone would turn to look at the idiot who got up at 3:30 am to purchase a non-sale scooter. Failure #2.

I handed each twin a scooter and set off to find the $5 pajamas. As I moved westward toward the clothing, the aisles became thick with people and carts and large electronics boxes. I sensed I was moving into the heart of the hive. Swarms of shoppers were everywhere, mobbing large displays of...Black Friday screamin' deals! I had found the real center of the shopper's universe, unfortunately too late for my scooter deal. Only pink barbie scooters left -- that wasn't gonna fly. Then I looked across the sea of bustling bed heads and spied large sale bins with jammies! I politely made my way through the stream of carts and found the $5 variety from the ad. Hmm...not the thick fluffy fleece I had imagined, but $5 was still a great deal, or was it? Failure #3: getting sucked in by the ad and settling for cheap quality just because it was on sale.

At this point Hannah rendezvoused with me at the intersection of Boys pj's and Junior's sportswear. The twins were wandering around electronics, so Hannah and I browsed happily through the clothes and shoes and girly stuff, picking up a cute top for her that was a little bit on sale (and probably would be next week as well.) The boys called and told us they were in line and we should head over to them. We reluctantly gave up our relaxed and happy shopping and headed back into the mob to find the boys. Failure #4: spending time "just for fun" shopping at 4:30 am when we could sleep in and do the same thing later.

You'd think there might not be any more ways to exhibit my Black Friday loser-ish qualities, but you would be pretty much wrong. When we got in line I glanced at the display of candy and there atop the gum and mints sat a discarded Disney Cars collectors pack of 10 character cars. My littles LOVE them and there were definitely some in that pack that we need for our collection! I saw no price. No other shoppers fought me for it so it was obviously not on sale. But I just felt compelled to grab it and add it to the armload of jammies and stuff that I already held. I'm pretty sure Black Friday is NOT about mindless impulse shopping: Failure #5.

Lastly, we chatted happily with the checkout lady while she rang up our stuff. The $17 scooter I found (not a Razor, not the Great Black Friday Deal) was on sale, but was originally $19.95.  Woo hoo. A whole $2 off. Many of the items we purchased weren't even on sale. Did it matter? No. We still got to walk out of Target with those happy red Christmas bags like we had accomplished one of Hercules' great labors!

Here at home though, as I sit and analyze the experience I see myself for what I am and what I am not. I lack the killer instinct. I just don't sense the instinctive things like what door I should line up at and where in the store the BIG SALE ITEMS will all be stacked. I'm too polite. I'm an ADHD shopper, getting distracted by every "shiny" thing that flashes in my periphery. I'm just not Black Friday material. Cyber Monday yes. Random Wednesdays and Thursdays or even a Tuesday morning? Certainly. And it's nice to know. We should all go through such a process of self-discovery, embrace who we are and shout it from the rooftops, "I AM A BLACK FRIDAY LOSER!"  *Cleansing breath.* Now, on to the real purpose of the morning after Thanksgiving: PUMPKIN PIE for breakfast.

George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation

Oh the things I don't remember being taught in school...

This is where our Thanksgiving holiday comes from. The more I learn about the early history of our country, the more I am proud to live here. There were certainly mistakes and setbacks along the way, but despite the imperfection of the human race, God undoubtedly inspired good men to take action. I am thankful today to live in the United States of America.

Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me to "recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness:"
Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the beneficent author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us.
And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our National Government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best. 

Given under my hand, at the city of New York, the 3d day of October, A.D. 1789.

Curty the Shooting Star

Shooting Stars Cast

Curtis also tried out for The Sound of Music -- unfortunately he is a little small in stature to be considered a 10 year old Kurt. He did join the singing and dancing group Shooting Stars that performed pre-show. They sang "Honey Bun" from  South Pacific and "The Wells Fargo Wagon" from The Music Man. Being the only boy in the group, Curtis got to be in the spotlight with a solo in Wells Fargo. Being the only boy also had its drawbacks. Curt was mortified to have to wear a purple sparkly shirt. He also felt that dancing was okay, but he might have to draw the line at being in a kick line. In the end, he did both and had a blast. He'll be trying out for the part of Winthrop...judging by how his performance was received, he just might get the part in the next play. Here's a few pictures...

The House is Alive...with the Sound of Music



The cast of Sound of Music -- Copperstar Repertory Theater Company

 "If I have to hear the yodeling of the lonely goat herd one more time I might have to kick the dog!" ~ Me during two months of show rehearsals.

Things were quite melodious this fall when Jonah was cast as Friedrich in the community production of  "The Sound of Music". I truly LOVE this musical, but discovered that a sure-fire way to begin to loathe something I previously adored is to have someone practicing, practicing and PRACTICING the music for 2 months straight! Of course, my 5 boys all turned into Von Trapp Family singers, so the effect multiplied exponentially.

When the show finally premiered it was worth all the moments of near-insanity. Jonah had a blast and sang his high G with seemingly no effort. The other actors were excellent and entertaining. The sets were amazing (they better have been, I joined MANY other volunteers and spent hours with a nail gun, paintbrush, and sandpaper building them.) It turned out to be so much better than any other local production I have ever seen. It was quite professional in its production value and well worth the $15 ticket price! (A bargain actually).

To appease the grandparents and my pathetically neglected blog, here are oodles of pictures. The next production is going to be Music Man -- I have three kids planning to audition. Oh help, I used to adore that musical too. :D

The Whistle

Do re mi fa so la ti...

"You must learn to sing."

Friedrich waltzes with Louisa

"Good byyyyyyyyyyyyye."

So long, farewell.

"Have you been climbing trees today?"

Singing Lonely Goat Herd to feel happy during a thunderstorm.

"Maria's back from the abbey!"

"Tea with jam and bread."

Friedrich sings: "Yodel ayee, yodel ayee, yodel ai hee hoo."

At the festival.

The Von Trapp Family Singers





'Tis that time of year again...Shakespeare is in the Air

The 2010/2011 Shakespeare Conquest class at their parent night.

 I guess you can't really call it an annual tradititon when this is only the second year, but my kids are immersed in Shakespeare again as part of our homeschool co-op. This year Guildswoman Hannah joins Don Moth (Cody) of Spain and King Jonah the Lunatic. They've spent the last 3 months reading 17 Shakespeare plays, writing papers on "Romeo and Juliet" and learning acting techniques in preparation for next semester's production of "Much Ado About Nothing". My favorite part of this process is how my little guys begin quoting their older siblings, yelling: "Hark slave!" at whoever will listen.

Don Cody, King Jonah (wearing his Costard the Swain costume from last year's play)  and Guildswoman Hannah

 Hannah does find it a little disconcerting to be in a class with her not-so-little-anymore brothers. But they seem to be doing fine together...

Hannah will definitely be keeping the upper hand in this trio!

...most of the time. Stay tuned for the spring play, it will be an experience!

Not So Little Anymore

Don't try this at home folks. Cody learned the hard way that it's much easier to get yourself into something than to get out of it. I told him he'd have to get out on his own and much hilarity ensued. :) I certainly enjoy my teenagers, but sometimes I forget just how much they've grown. Thanks Cody for such a funny visual reminder.

A Day at the Beach

I went a little photo crazy during our love trip, especially on the day we walked around the beach and the surrounding neighborhoods. Laguna Beach is just so cute! The best/worst moment was when I was trying to take an "art" shot of my red toenails in the sand with a wave swirling around them. I told Ren to watch for big waves while I had my eyes down...apparently the boogie boarders in the distance were more interesting! Next thing I knew a big one got me, splashing my whole lower body and the right side of me all the way up to my ear, including my camera! Luckily, the camera is still working and no worse for the dunking it took.

After the camera splashing incident, I decided to climb some of the big rocks. Just as I was on top of a BIG one and peeking over to let Ren take my picture, a very young lifeguard boy sheepishly made his

way over and mutters, "You can't climb the rocks." "Well, I've already climbed up here, so can't I take a look around before I come down?" I asked, just slightly miffed at my fun being ruined. He looked over his shoulder and said, "Well, two of my supervisors are here observing me so you really have to come down." Sheesh! It was all I could do to be obedient to the nice young man and climb down...I hate rules sometimes! Still, I adore the beach and we had fun regardless!

Me just after the wave hit me

Our Laguna Love Trip

Two weeks ago Ren and I stole away for a "love trip" in California. Aside from the fact that Ren was sick and his eardrum ruptured three days before, requiring us to cancel our flight and drive there, it was lovely to get away from it all. (And everyone knows that my "all" is a LOT of people!) We stayed at a gorgeous Bed and Breakfast with an ocean view called Casa Laguna. One morning while we were waiting for our gourmet breakfast to arrive on the patio, I decided to snap a bunch of pictures. I just had to show everyone this little piece of heaven! There were courtyards and bricked walkways and oodles of flowers everywhere!

Our only complaint...it was COLD! Now, I'm the last to complain about  being cold...especially coming from triple-digits in AZ, but I've  never seen the beach like this in late July. The clouds and mist  didn't burn off until very late afternoon, if at all, and I soon  discovered that I had not packed well for temps in the high 60's.  Luckily, I did pack warm, fuzzy socks and wore them whenever the  occasion permitted. :D It was a perfect way to spend my birthday!  Thanks for the wonderful trip sweetie. I love you!