Christmas 2011

*Warning* Picture overload

We had a fabulous Christmas this year full of fun activities and lots of time with family. Bill's parents were here for about a week, then Bill's younger brother and his wife came for a couple of days. We unfortunately didn't get pictures of everything, but here are some of the highlights.

The annual decorating of the Christmas tree



Will helping me make cookies


Gingerbread houses with Bobby and Susan

Our family went with the traditional looking house


Bobby and Susan's family decided to make a stage, complete with a chorus line in the background. Knowing their daughter Alice, a stage makes perfect sense.

Acting out the Nativity on Christmas Eve

Shepherds (Alice and Will) and sheep (Kayla)


Shepherds coming to see baby Jesus, Mary (Grandma Evans) and Joseph (Robert/Susan)


Wise Men (Alice, Will and Kayla) talking with King Herod (Bobby). Bobby's face in this picture was perfect.


Wise Men bringing gifts to Jesus

Christmas Morning

Candy Cane Coffee Cake - Before

After

Waiting patiently for breakfast

Opening Presents




Uncle Jonny and Aunt Brooke



Brooke and Jonny came for a brief visit, but definitely made the most of it and quickly became very popular with all the kids. We went to the toy room near our apartment, and they spent the majority of the time spinning, flying, and tackling our kids.

Alice and Kayla burying Uncle Jonny


Will and Alice wanted to be just like Aunt Brooke and Uncle Jonny (see previous picture).

Other highlights not pictured:

-Christmas Eve dinner. Susan decided to do a "shepherd's feast." We had lentil soup, artisan bread, cantaloupe, and other yummy things.
-Christmas Day dinner. We were the hosts this time, and had ham, mashed potatoes, salad, bread, and homemade peppermint ice cream.
-Bowling. So much fun! The first round was adults versus kids. I think Will beat almost everyone. I didn't do so hot that round, but definitely made up for it the second round, which was boys versus girls.
-Spending almost a whole day with Jonny and Brooke. They were at our house for almost a whole afternoon and evening, and we had so much fun chatting, playing games, eating pizza, and they even made us some butterbeer (think Harry Potter).

Hope everyone had as wonderful a Christmas as we did!

Family Pictures 2011

Sorry for the recent lack of pictures on the blog. I know most of you probably come on here to see pictures of our adorable children. And believe me, I don't blame you :) So here are some of my favorites from the family pictures we had taken back in October.

Mommy Musings: Extremely hard...but so worth it!

I have a news flash for you. Ready?...Motherhood is hard! I know, you are all shocked, right? But that is something I have continually been learning in the 6+ years I have been a mother. Being a mother has been an emotional roller coaster for me, especially the last year or so. I have two VERY active and VERY energetic children, who keep me constantly thinking to myself "Can I do this? Do I have the energy/patience/willpower to make it to their high school graduations?" And for some reason, the last few months have been particularly difficult. There have been days when I haven't wanted to get out of bed, or I might have put Kayla into quiet time a little extra early so I could have more time to myself, or been grateful that Will is in school the majority of the day. That may make me sound like a bad parent, but it's the truth. But somehow I keep going, mostly because of things like this:


I was having a particularly bad day earlier this week, and I ended up sitting at the table with my head in my hands wondering if I could get through the rest of the day. Unbeknownst to me, Will started drawing a picture. He then comes over and hands it to me. But the kicker was what he said. He said "I drew this to make Mommy happy again." It makes me cry even now just remembering that moment. Bill and I looked at the picture for a minute, then Bill leans over to me and says "We really do have great kids." And I of course knew he was right. So I'm grateful that I now have this tangible reminder that my kids really do love me and that I can do this difficult job called parenting.

Mommy Musings: Tis the Season...To Shop?

I'm not usually the type to get on a soapbox, but I have something on my mind today. I was driving around earlier this morning, listening to a radio station that plays all Christmas music. And after about the third or fourth commercial between songs I realized something: Not one of those commercials focused on the real reason we have Christmas. Each one said something like "Get into the holiday spirit by shopping at our store" or "Come in for our great deals on exactly what they want for Christmas." Now before I start sounding preachy or like I'm condemning everyone for shopping and spending money during the Christmas season, let me clarify. I am not against going out and buying nice things for family and friends. Just yesterday I bought Bill his Christmas present and I spent a little too much time adding things to my Amazon.com wish list. All this post is meant for is to remind us why we have Christmas in the first place. I feel like it would do the world some good to return their focus to Christ and remember the wonderful things He has done for us and what an amazing occasion His birth was. His birth was so ordinary and so simple, yet so profound. Because of Him we have the opportunity to be with our loved ones again and to be cleansed from the sins and the pains that we experience on this earth, which in my opinion is the greatest gift that anyone can give us.

So I hope that, while we are enjoying the beautiful decorations around town or attending a Christmas party, we will remember that our focus should be on this man:

and not this man:

A little catch-up

I realized that I never posted about Will's 6th birthday party...over a month ago! The theme for the party was superheros, with an emphasis on Spiderman. This year was a little extra exciting because Will had a new friend from school come to his party (he's the one on the right).


First, while we were waiting for all the guests to arrive, the kids made spider cookies. They, of course, had just as much fun eating the supplies as they did making the cookies, but I think they turned out really cute.



Once all the kids were there Bill played "Pass the Spider" with them (think Hot Potato with a toy spider).


Then we played "Pin the S on Superman.



Then at the end we had cake and presents.


I have to thank Bill for saving the day with the cake. I'm still working on my cake decorating skills (and my impatience when it comes to letting the cake cool first).

Between all the activities the kids had a great time playing on the playground. I highly recommend having a birthday party at a park if you can. Made so many things much easier!

I'm thankful: Week 3

This week I'm thankful for technology. Especially things like email, blogs, Facebook, and Skype, which allow us to communicate and keep in touch with family and friends. I've been especially grateful for technology the past 4 1/2 years. Being away from the majority of our family has been hard on us (especially me) at times, so it's nice to know that, with a click of a mouse, we can be connected to parents, grandparents, siblings, cousins, etc.

I'm thankful: Week 2

This week I am thankful for this man


Since the day we met he has been doing whatever he can to make me smile and make our life together wonderful. He is one of the most patient, understanding, and thoughtful people I know. In our 7+ years together we have had our share of ups and downs, but even when things have been at their worst, Bill has done his best to turn a negative experience into a positive one. I could go on and on about the reasons why I love him and am thankful for him, but here's a Top 10 list.

10. He loves to serve others.
9. He is a family man.
8. He's a great kisser :)
7. He helps around the house.
6. He handles tough situations a lot better than I can.
5. He's very smart.
4. He's handsome
3. He's not afraid to show his emotions
2. He's supportive
1. He loves me in spite of my insecurities, my flaws, and my bad days.

Needless to say, I am a very lucky girl. Thank you honey for everything you do for me and our family and for just being you. I love you.

According to Will

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:

1. Will
2. William
3. Sweetie


THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:

1. Shirt
2. Pants
3. Underwear


THREE THINGS YOU WANT VERY BADLY AT THE MOMENT:

1. Superhero toys
2. More doggies
3. I don't know


THREE PEOPLE WHO YOU HOPE WILL DO THIS TOO:

1. Jessica
2. Justin
3. Sargis


THREE THINGS YOU DID LAST NIGHT:

1. Took Mommy to the church
2. Went to Sonic for dinner
3. Read books


THREE PEOPLE YOU LAST TALKED TO ON THE PHONE:

1. Grandma and Grandpa Evans
2. Grandma Phyllis and Grandpa Rollie
3. Auntie Erika

THREE THINGS YOU ARE GOING TO DO TOMORROW:

1. Go on a field trip for school
2. Maybe get hot lunch
3. Play at recess at school


THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE DRINKS:

1. Water
2. Juice
3. Chocolate milk


THREE THINGS THAT MADE YOU SMILE TODAY:

1. Playing with Eddie and Cookie (two of his favorite stuffed dogs)
2. My stuffed kitty Milo
3. My 3 friends at school

I'm thankful: Week 1

I kind of missed the boat on doing a daily post about being thankful like I was originally going to, so I've decided to do it weekly. This week I am thankful for the gospel, specifically I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father and Savior who know me and love me. This week has been a bit stressful for me for one reason or another, and there were days when I would be so emotionally exhausted and frustrated that I wasn't sure how I would survive the next day. And inevitably, more often than not, something would happen that would remind me that God loves me and is watching out for me. Whether it was a really good Institute lesson, something someone said in testimony meeting, or reading a scripture that totally applied to my situation, I have been reminded this week that all I need to do is use the Atonement and turn my burdens over to the Lord and I will get through whatever trials and afflictions come my way in the future. Which is definitely a very comforting thought.

Someday before I die

I'm sure we've all heard the term "bucket list". I never thought about doing one before, until I heard about someone creating one to enter a vacation giveaway. So I thought, "why not, I'll enter. And even if I don't win the vacation I'll at least have my bucket list created." So here are 15 things I'd like to do, in no particular order.

1. Go to Europe
2. Train for/run a half marathon
3. Attend a Hollywood movie premiere
4. Go on a cruise
5. Take a road trip and visit all the national monuments (Mt. Rushmore, Washington Monument, etc.)
6. Write an article for a church magazine
7. Go on an African safari
8. Get a graduate degree
9. Go to a taping of a TV show (Dancing with the Stars is at the top of my list)
10. Learn how to sew or quilt
11. Take a vacation by train
12. Go to pro-football or pro-baseball game
13. Take a cake decorating class
14. Re-learn the guitar (and stick with it this time!)
15. Sleep on a houseboat

This is my entry in the Just Ask Bucket List Getaway Giveaway. Just Ask offers a breast and ovarian cancer screening and is encouraging people to share 15 things that I want to enjoy in my lifetime as a reminder to be aware of my health. Want to enter? Head over to TodaysMama.com to get the details.