A Christmas to Remember

This Christmas was simply wonderful!



To begin with, the Big Guy in the red suit really outdid himself.

We told him to scale things down this year, but despite the budget restrictions, he was really able to deliver. (It helped that my kids seemed content with what they had, and their wish lists were really short.) Each one of them received at least one gift that blew them away. But the gifts weren't really what made Christmas great.

It was time spent with family. I really hit the jackpot in the family department, on both sides. We may have our quirks and issues, but there isn't a soul in both of our families that I don't love spending time with. After having a great time in Idaho with David's family, coming home to see everyone in my family pushed it right over the top. My sister Teri and her family came from California, and my brother Keith and his wife Angie flew in from Michigan. Having the whole family together was the best!

My family had so much fun together. We went skiing, Jordan and Kallai for the first time. I didn't go, because I figured out long ago that I don't enjoy being cold, afraid and out of control... aka skiing, but the boys picked it up very quickly, and had a blast!

The kids played in the snow. Who ever heard of building snowmen and sledding in the middle of the night? That's just what the kids did, though. The California cousins couldn't get enough of the snow during the daylight hours, so they didn't let time of day (or night) stop them.

Teri, Julane and I made crafts! We cut, sanded, nailed and painted our masterpieces. Those in Idaho might recognize the Santas we made. They're knock offs of the one hanging in Carren's house.

We went bowling several times. David got the high score of the family with 171, and some teens at the bowling alley asked him if he was a Professional Bowler. When he said no, they replied, "You should be! You're really good!" (He thought that was funny because 171 is not that great of a score, and not even close to his high score, somewhere in the 260 range.)

We played games. Lots and lots of games. Our new favorite is Yatzee Free For All. It's really fun. It's like Yatzee, except more fast paced and interactive. You try to earn points by rolling dice combinations such as a Full House, but if someone rolls a better Full House than you do, they can steal your points!

We hung out together and enjoyed each other's company. It really was a great Christmas, a Christmas to remember.

Winter Wonderland

For Christmas we went to Idaho (as close to the North Pole as I ever plan to get) to visit David's family. It was freezing! And it snowed pretty much the whole time.




We left for Idaho on Christmas afternoon. It was snowing hard enough that we could only go 20 mph on the freeway, and we were seriously tempted to turn around. But once we got past Salt Lake the roads dried out for a while. Going across the Malad Pass was quite an adventure, though. There were about 6 inches of snow on the freeway, and it was snowing heavily. We kept wondering where the snow plow was, until we got to the top of the pass and found it. The snow plow had slid off the road into the center median, where it was stuck! You know it's time to get off the road when the snow plow can't handle it. Despite all the snow, we made it safely to David's sister Hilary's house.

Talk about winter wonderland! It snowed the whole time we were in Idaho. The kids had fun riding on sleds behind Hilary and Brian's snowmobile (who needs a hill), and having snowball fights. The adults had fun visiting and playing games, warm and dry inside!



Christmas night we headed to David's brother Jeremy's house to sleep. It was snowing heavily, and the wind was howling. We had to travel many miles of country lanes that weren't plowed. Having been there before, we knew we were driving on a 2 lane road, with 3 foot deep ditches on either side, surrounded by fields, but that night it didn't look like we were on a road at all. The ditches were filled with snow and the only way to tell where the road was, were the tire tracks of a few brave souls who had gone before.

After a few miles, we came upon a car that had strayed a bit too far from the tracks and had slid into the ditch on the right. We stopped to help and learned that a truck had just gone to find a place to turn around and was coming back to pull him out. We waited, and waited, and waited, until we realized that we could see the truck down the road. While trying to turn around, it had driven into the ditch and it's 2 front tires were stuck! Jeremy was driving his truck, so he drove down and towed the truck out of the ditch. Then the freed truck came back to tow the car out. I don't think he really knew what he was doing, because as he was backing into position, he got too close to the ditch and slid down into it. Stuck again!

Jeremy tried to pull the truck out again, but the stuck truck was bigger than Jeremy's and it was really stuck this time. Just then, another bigger truck came along. The newcomer was so confident that he could pull the truck out, that he didn't even bother to turn around. He just hooked the tow rope to a bar on his front bumper, and started to back up. Bad choice. His truck fishtailed around, and slid into the ditch. We now had 3 stuck vehicles, one of them for the second time. More and more people were showing up to help. Someone had shovels in their car, so they set to work digging the snow from around the first car. I suggested that we just offer rides to the stuck people, but no one listened to me. Through a combination of shoveling, pushing, and towing, we were able to get the car unstuck. Without a backward glance, the car took off, leaving the whole mess (that had been created trying to help him) behind.

Just then, another truck showed up, a big truck, with a driver who knew what he was doing. It took 10 to 15 tries per truck, but he was able to get both trucks out of the ditch and back onto the road. Hallelujah!!!

After 1 broken hitch cover, 1 tow rope, 3 shovels, 4 stuck vehicles, 8 vehicles stopped to help, 12 people helping, 18 degree snowy weather, 20 mph winds, and 90 minutes of effort, we were able to go home to drop exhausted into bed, secure in the knowledge that we had REALLY gone the extra mile. (p.s. When I say "we", I don't mean to take any credit for myself. I watched the drama unfold from my toasty warm SUV! I thought about taking a picture of the chaos, but I didn't want it bad enought to go out into the cold to get it ;o)

Though I hate the snow and cold in Idaho, it wasn't all bad. It was really fun to get together and hang out with everyone. The only people who weren't there were Mark's family and Beth's family. (We missed you guys!) I am glad we went, and I wish we could have stayed longer. Thank you Jeremy and Carren, Hilary and Brian, and Dad and Fran for your hospitality!

Christmas Traditions

I love Christmas! It is my favorite time of year. There are so many fun things that happen only at Christmas. My family has many Christmas traditions, but I think my favorite is making Gingerbread Houses. We went to my parents house yesterday for a fun family night filled with laughter, love, and LOTS of sugar! It was a little challenging for everyone to arrive in the midst of the storm, (David, Jennifer and Mariasha's cars all got stuck and they had to be shuttled to my parents house) but it was well worth it.




My mom, who is such an amazing woman, baked 15 gingerbread houses, made frosting, and bought copious amounts of candy. (Thanks Mom! You're the best!) Then the fun began. We glued the houses together with royal icing, and then decorated them with candy. The frosting was a little runny because of the storm (humidity), which made things a bit chalenging, but we had fun making our masterpieces!




People always come up with some fun and crazy ideas once the creative juices start flowing. One year my brother Kevin had Santa's sleigh crashed on the ground beside the house (there were skid marks on the roof where he couldn't stop). Another year, my brother Kyle filled up the inside of his house with candy so he would have more to eat later. We ran out of candy that year. I seem to remember that one year my dad cut out windows and doors and built furniture inside from leftover gingerbread scraps, but that might have been someone else.





This year I think Julane should have won the "Most Creative" award. Kamden wanted to make a baby Jesus, so Julane made a nativity scene. Instead of a house, she made a stable, then she made people out of marshmallows. I really like the angel.




I made an old fashioned church. I thought about putting headstones in the churchyard, but David said it was Christmas, not Halloween. The hardest part was the shingles. I made them out of Cheese Its, and it was really hard to cut them in half for the end pieces. I broke LOTS of crackers!

Jordan's goal was to fit as much candy on his house as was humanly possible. I don't know... I think I see a bare spot on the right corner. Try harder next year, Jordan!!!

Austin came with us this year, and had a lot of fun. When I asked him, he said, "I thought it would be fun, but I didn't realize how fun! I had a total blast!"

So did I! It was so fun to hang out and joke around with my family, people who are also my good friends. (Keith, Angie, Teri and Mark we missed you!) Some of the houses didn't survive the night, and some will still be standing, hard and stale, weeks from now. It's the memories, though, that will last a lifetime!

Have you heard the big news?!?

Well, most of you probably know already, (because Mariasha texted everyone in the phone book), but Elder Austin has received his mission call! He is going to Zurich, Switzerland (German speaking), which I think sounds like just about the coolest mission ever! He really wanted to go to a German speaking mission, because he has been taking German for several years. His mission covers parts of Switzerland, Austria and Germany, as well as all of Leichtenstein. He's not leaving for about three months, which Mariasha is relieved about.

We are really proud of Austin. He is a very mature young man and has been such a great influence in Mariasha's life. He will be an excellent missionary. He has a very strong testimony of the gospel, and is a really kind and giving person. We will truly miss him in our home while he is gone. We are, however, looking forward to some Swiss Chocolate!!!

You've gotta hear this!

I was watching the Christmas in Washington musical special on TV tonight, and the acapella group Straight No Chaser sang. They are amazing!!!!! They are funny too! You have to hear this. I immediately went on the internet and ordered their new CD "Holiday Spirits". I'm not sure how to embed a YouTube video into my blog, so instead here is a link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8

Unfortunately, this video seems to be so popular that it may not work for you. If not, here are some others. Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iajdUlQRgIc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=41tgOaFXTWU

Can someone else be Mom for a while?

Wow, being a mom is tough! Sometimes I think I have a handle on it, but more often I feel like I'm flying by the seat of my pants. Then there are the times when I just want to cry uncle. This week has been one of those times. If you think diapers and sleepless nights are hard, just you wait. Parenting teenagers is so much harder! Don't get me wrong. I am well aware that my teenagers are about as good as they come. I realize how much I have been blessed, and how much worse off I could be. But as good as I have it, I still feel like I'm in over my head.

I am now the parent of an adult. An adult who is still very young and inexperienced, still in high school, and still in need of guidance. But how to convince her of that? It is such a delicate dance to lead and guide her, while not stepping on her newly emancipated toes. I've never been a very good dancer.

My other teenager just got invited to attend an early college high school that I have always wanted him to go to. It is such a great opportunity, and it has been my dream for him for several years. Only now am I discovering that it is not his dream, in fact, it's more his nightmare. What is a mother to do? If I make him go, he may find he really likes it. On the other hand, he might fall flat on his face because he if he isn't properly motivated, there's no way he'll be able to keep up.

There are so many big decisions, and the stakes are so high. I believe that teens need to be making decisions for themselves, so they will know how to make good decisions once they are on their own. They still need boundaries, but where do I set them? Which decisions should I make for them, and which should I leave up to them? I don't know. What was I thinking? I'm not smart enough to handle this parenting thing.

Can someone else take over for a while?

What a Thrill!

...California Vacation Part III (We saved the best for last!)





On Wednesday we were supposed to go to Knott's Berry Farm. We woke to a sky full of threatening clouds. We checked the weather on the Weather Channel.com, and it said there was a 100% chance of rain. Thursday was supposed to be a 30% chance of rain. After much deliberation we decided to have Thanksgiving Wednesday, and go to Knott's Thursday. Of course once it was too late to change our minds, the clouds cleared up and it turned into a beautiful day. It didn't rain at all. I don't understand how it couldn't rain with 100% chance of rain, but oh well.

Teri and I went food shopping around 10 a.m. and started cooking as soon as we got home. We finished at 6:30 p.m., just in time for dinner! After 8 1/2 hours of preparation, and 4 loads of dishes, we ate dinner for about 15 minutes. We decided it wasn't worth it! It was fun, though, to hang out with my sister all day, and the food was really good! We made an Apple Brined Turkey, that soaked in a brine for 24 hours. It was really tender and juicy! (David wanted everyone to know that he helped with the shopping, dishes, AND he carved the turkey. Thank you, David! You are the best husband ever!!!)



Thursday, we woke up to rain. It was 30 percenting all over us. We spent a long time deliberating again whether we should postpone Knott's another day, but after much consultation with several different radar maps and weather forecasting websites, we decided to chance it. Good choice! It didn't rain at Knott's at all.



I have never been to Knott's Berry Farm before. I really liked it. The lines were much shorter than Disneyland, and the rides were more exciting. Mariasha, Jordan and Karina took off together to ride all the really big, scary rides. Their favorite was the Silver Bullet, which is the kind of coaster that has the track above you and lots and lots of loops, twists and corkscrews.



Kallai and Taliah loved the Supreme Scream. This ride takes you up 200 feet and then drops you straight down. Truth be told, this ride scared the bajeebees out of me, but the kids wanted to go on it over, and over, and over. There was no line, so we went at least 10 times. It scared me just as much the 10th time as it did the first. Why did it scare me more than the other roller coasters? I don't know... it was sort of irrational. Maybe it was because we had to sit at the top for a while, waiting for the drop, but my imagination went wild! I kept picturing Taliah flying out of her harness, or the car not stopping at the bottom, and even more unlikely scenarios.



My favorite was the Xcelerator! I only got to go on it once, but it was awesome! It starts by accelerating from 0 to 80 mph in 3 seconds, then takes you straight up, through a 180 degree turn, then straight down again. It left my stomach on the starting platform.

Here is a great YouTube video of the Xcellerator ride. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iCvth7VZBrE




Kallai and Taliah remembered the Desperado ride from Buffalo Bills, and refused to go on any of the big coasters. Finally we convinced them to go on the Ghostrider, an old wooden roller coaster. Right before we got on I noticed a sign that said it was a level 5 ride, (the most intense), and that worried me a little, but we went anyway. I figured it was an old roller coaster with no loops or corkscrews, how bad could it be? It was BAD! It had huge drops, sharp turns, and it wasn't smooth at all. It felt like it jerked you to the right, right before it turned sharply left, and jerked you up in the air right before it slammed you down on the ground. I think I got whiplash from it! (You can see in the picture where I got the whiplash from, as well as how Kallai, Taliah and Kyleigh felt about the ride. David loved it!) I felt guilty that I had talked them into that one instead of the Xcelerator, which looked scarier, but was not nearly as bad. Oops!



We left from Knott's and headed to a dry lake bed near Barstow, California to go camping. I like Teri and Mark's version of camping! They have a great trailer with enough beds to sleep all 12 of us comfortably, as well as a t.v., full kitchen, and bathroom with tub and shower! At night we played games, watched movies, roasted marshmallows, shot off some way-too-cool-to-be-legal fireworks, and had a great time.





During the day was even more fun. Teri and Mark brought 4 motorcycles and 3 ATVs. We rode around and had a blast! All of us learned to ride a motorcycle, (except for David, he already knew how,) but my kids preferred the four wheelers.



I loved the motorcycle! I have always loved riding on the back of David's bike, but it's even more fun to drive! I am mad at myself that I was too chicken to try before now. I was always afraid I would tip over, but the cool thing is that tipping over isn't as easy as I thought it would be. We went through some deep sand, and my back tire started slipping. I thought I was going down, so I instinctively grabbed the handlebars tighter, which revved the engine, which jerked the bike back upright! I learned very quickly that if you think you are falling hit the gas! The only problem I had consistently was, since I was used to riding a bicycle with hand brakes, I kept squeezing the clutch when I wanted brakes. There is a brake on the same handlebar as the gas, but for some reason I couldn't wrap my brain around using the same hand for brakes and gas. I had to chant to myself "foot brake, foot brake, FOOT BRAKE! That helped about half the time.



Soon after I learned, Teri and I decided to go on a ride together, Teri on Mark's bike, and me on Karina's. After we had been riding for about 20 minutes, Teri stalled her bike. It is a really tall bike, and it had been having problems starting all morning, so of course we couldn't start it. We even tried having Teri hold the bike steady on one side while I balanced on top of the seat, and then jumped down with both feet on the kick starter. No luck. Teri suggested that I ride back for help, but I was completely lost. I didn't think I would be able to find my way back to camp, so instead I rode to the nearest camper for help. An older gentleman was nice enough to come to our rescue, but he couldn't start it either. After he had worked on it for 10-15 minutes, 2 young guys on bikes stopped to help. After much effort, they got it started. When we finally got back to camp, Mark had gone out searching for us. We decided to stay closer to camp after that.



Another time, David and I went off on our own and he took me around the back side of one of the "mountains", really just big hills, then up and over it. It was pretty scary coming down the other side, because it was very steep and rocky! I ended up stalling my bike on the way down, but I didn't crash. I made it through the whole weekend with out crashing! :o) Kallai ran into a big bush and fell off, and Taliah managed to run over her own leg, but they had all the protective gear on, and they were just fine. Everyone had a great time.

Saturday night we reluctantly headed home. Teri and Mark, thank you for such a great time, and all the fun memories! We are already looking forward to next time!

Fun in the Sun

...California Vacation continued.




I figured I would bore everyone to death if I packed my whole vacation into one post, so here is part 2 of my Fabulous Thanksgiving Vacation!

Monday, while David and Mark went golfing, Teri and I took the kids to the movies. I went to see Twilight, along with Mariasha, Jordan and Karina. I'm sad to say this was the most disappointing part of the vacation for me. I am a huge fan of the books, but the movie got Edward all wrong. I started to read the book again since seeing the movie, and in the book Edward is always laughing, chuckling, smirking, teasing, etc. In the movie, he's so angry. I can't for the life of me see why anyone would be attracted to him. But enough of my rant. Teri took all the little kids to the cartoon, Bolt 3D. Everyone loved it but Treyson. He was scared of all the things jumping out at him and he cried.

Tuesday we went to the beach! It was a little windy when we showed up, and we weren't sure anyone would want to get in. But the ocean is irresistible to kids, and they boogie boarded happily for several hours. Three years ago we went to California, we went to the beach as soon as we arrived. David tried to skim board, and on the first try he went head over heels and separated his shoulder. We spent the rest of the day in the ER. So this time, he was understandably reluctant to try skim boarding again. I watched Karina ride the skim board effortlessly across the sand, and decided I had to give it a try. I never made it look as graceful as Karina, but I did learn to ride the skim board successfully. Here is a video of my most humorous attempt.

After we were done playing in the ocean, Karina came up with some relay races for us to compete in. I'm sure we looked goofy, but we had a lot of fun!

That night we went to see the play Wicked at the Pantages Theater in Hollywood. We almost didn't make it to the play on time! The theater is about 55 miles away from Teri's house, and the show started at 8 p.m We decided to leave by 4:30 so we would have time to get dinner before the show. Mark was a little late getting home from work, so we left at 5:00. We thought we still would have time for a quick bite. WRONG! The traffic was horrible! The last 15 miles we averaged 8 mph! At 7:30 we were still 10 miles away, and we realized there was no way we were going to make it. I started praying silently for help, and suddenly all of the traffic disappeared, and we were traveling at freeway speeds. We arrived at the theater at 7:45, with just enough time to buy some refreshments in the lobby, ($50 for 4 waters, a muffin, a brownie, and 2 small boxes of candy!)

It was cool to see the gold stars on the sidewalk in front of the theater. I recognized most of the names on the stars, but the only one I can remember is Jackie Gleason. Inside of the theater was amazing, with very intricate carvings everywhere. The set was very cool, with huge clocks, clockwork towers, and a giant dragon. David took lots pictures with his phone, while the security guard threatened loudly to confiscate cameras. I was mortified, but it didn't phase David at all.

This was my first time to see Wicked, though Teri's family and Mariasha had seen it before. I really enjoyed it, even though Galinda with a Guh... was a touch goofy for my taste. Once she grew up I liked her much better. The sets were beautiful, the voices were gorgeous, especially Galinda's, and I liked the ending much better than the book. (Actually the whole thing was better than the book. I would recommend you never read the book at all... ever... for any reason. It's nasty! Go see the play instead!)

To Be Continued... (Yes there's more! I told you we packed a lot of fun into the week!)