"I got underwear from the monkeys!"

Christmas was wonderful! It was so fun and it was a good Christmas. We are so blessed. We are so fortunate to have what we have and the children we have. I cannot think of a better Christmas present than to have these things with me every day. I am so grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the Saviour's birth also.

Opening presents was hilarious. Growing up, I never received anything from my parents. Lest you think they were cheap, we always got creative gifts.....like my sister, Eliza. She got a present from "Rocky," her kindergarten heartthrob for years! My other sister, Anna, scored something every year from the New Kids on the Block and my brother, Ray, always had something special from the cheerleaders. It was fun. It made the present fun, even if it was just a pair of socks.

So, I have adopted the tradition with our family. We got great things this year. The "Bum-wrap guy" gave Garrett some seriously cool bum wraps, Xander got new socks from his new church shoes. Eleanor got a "new to her" purse from Fancy Nancy that never leaves her side now. Everyone from the fourth grade girls to Batman to Mozart to Frosty the Snowman gave us gifts.

So, as Eleanor was talking to her Grandma Day on the phone, she exclaimed, "I got underwear from the monkeys!" You could tell there was some serious confusion on the other end. I started laughing, laughing until tears rolled down my face and my stomach hurt. Listening to her trying to explain over and over again that the cheerleader monkeys gave her underwear just about did me in!
Savannah LOVED unwrapping presents! She would toss the paper in the air and squeal at the box! It made me remember the year my youngest sister, Emma, got a box of Cheerios, and hugged them to her chest and squealed, "CHEERIOS!" Loved every minute of Savannah's unwrapping!

And to make the morning magic, we got snow for about an hour! It was gone in another hour, but it made the morning so magical!
This is my favorite picture of Christmas....the new winter hat and bum wraps so we can get on the potty train....
The children were allowed to ask for two things from Santa. Their Santa presents were sitting near their stockings and they all got just what they asked for....after everything was opened, I told the kids to look on the tree and see if there was anything else....nothing.....really?...nothing....REALLY?!?!?!?...oh, just this plain envelope, Mom...here you go. I told them to open it up and see what was inside.....A treasure hunt!
It took them all over the house, to the mailbox....
Looking through books......
Finding them in cupboards.....
And trying to decipher the next clue.....

Finally, the last clue told them to sing to their dad some Christmas carols....they didn't start out so well.....
They got the hang of it and sang louder.....
And louder....down on their knees.....
Singing with gusto and pleading for that last present promised in the clues.....
Then a hug and a kiss.....
And they got their iPods they asked for on their list.....
I remember those were some of my favorite Christmas presents. I got a 1984 National Championship BYU sweatshirt that I desperately wanted! One year we got radios, another year it was an envelope of money. Great memories and now my kids will always remember the year they got their iPods.
We celebrated with Christmas turkey and I had the boys set the table - we are practicing good manners and etiquette. They almost got it perfect. We taught them how to toast. That was interesting! Eleanor LOVED the idea and we were toasted all afternoon! You would not believe what she came up with, but since we told them it was rude to not acknowledge a toast, we toasted! ( We also told her that one toast was sufficient, but she didn't listen to that part!)
Jason's Aunt and Uncle sent the kids special presents this year. We went to visit them over the summer and we had a great time. They are so generous to us! The kids loved their new BYU gear!
We even had to dress our dollies up in matching clothes to get our picture taken.....
And the tutu's great Grandma Brown sent were also a huge hit! We love pink and fluffy at our house!
We hope everyone had an enjoyable Christmas, surrounded by loved ones and may you have a fabulous New Year filled with possibilities and blessings to you and your family!

Terror in a Mother's Heart

Tonight I was planning on posting the Christmas pictures, but we had a little incident......we lost Xander. I know, I know, I know! He's twelve, wears a size 9.5 shoe, has a deep voice and towers over me now, but we managed to lose him....or actually, he got lost.

Everyone has been dying for it to snow and this afternoon, we got enough coming down that the kids wanted to go out an play in it for awhile. After a while, Garrett and Eleanor come in with Xander and he tells me he wants to stay out and play. I told him that was fine. Well, at dinnertime, he wasn't inside. Jason was leaving to go home teaching, so I told him to go get him. He wasn't outside. He wasn't inside. His boots weren't in the garage which meant he was outside somewhere. I told Jason to go ahead and sit down to eat. The other day, Xander took a walk around the pond in the snow and I figured that's where he'd gone. The problem is, is that while we were eating, it started to get dark and he wasn't coming home. So Jason went out in his car to find him. After he'd been gone for about 15 minutes without any luck, I decided to go look where you couldn't see him from the road.

I am usually a pretty calm person about stuff like this and Xander is a very responsible child. But, I started getting the panicky terror feeling when we still couldn't find him after another half an hour. Silent prayers became pleadings and the tears started to fall. I was terrified, not to mention freezing (it's about 20 degrees tonight) and worried about Xander who'd been out for about three and a half hours by now.

It was beautiful outside and the earth was so white. Everything was so quiet, except for my calling his name every few minutes. I wasn't sure what to think. I kept telling myself not to worry, that he was a big boy, that he would be fine, but as the minutes ticked by and I was feeling the chill to my bones, I was starting to get a terror chill in my heart.

Right about the time I was ready to go home and call the police, Jason called and told me Xander showed up. He'd gone for a walk and gotten lost and couldn't redirect himself in the snow without seeing landmarks and then it got dark, but had finally managed to find his way back.

I said a silent prayer and started through the woods to home. I started thinking about this incident. I only have six years left with him at home. Pretty much everything I can teach him is done. He's at the age, where peers and outside influences are getting more powerful than my words. I can still influence him in some things, but he is very independent and can make most decisions on his own now.

The fact that he towers over me and his voice changed literally overnight just makes me more aware that I am starting the process of letting go - - - - and it really makes my heart ache.

I couldn't ask for a better son. He's responsible, smart, handsome, compassionate and helps out with his siblings all the time. He is so talented on the flute and loves to learn and read. He's well-liked in school and is fun to be around. I like him. Like my dad always says, "you always love your children, but it's really nice when you LIKE them too!"

Anyway, he turned twelve last month and I never posted his birthday party pictures. I let him invite several of his closest friends over for some homemade pizza, games, etc. We had so much fun!
On a side note, we have the best babysitter...her name is Emily. She came to his party! She came to Eleanor's and Savannah's too. She is just plain C.O.O.L! She's a hockey player - one of the best women players in the US, editor of the school newspaper, 4.7 GPA and just got nominees to West Point, the Naval Academy and Penn State. Yeah, and she's BEAUTIFUL and funny and doesn't take Eleanor's crap - which is the real reason I love her!

So, not the best picture of her, but she is just too cool not to mention! So, I had a great spread for the kids to munch on before the pizza. They didn't touch it! Maybe a nibble. But, when the pizza came out, it was all over! The pizza couldn't cool fast enough. Oh, well! Next time I will know better!
That's ok! I ate the munchies food. I even splurged on strawberries, so we couldn't let that go to waist! I mean, waste!We had the kids decorate their own cupcakes - huge hit! They loved that! The more sugar you can pile on, the better, eh?

We also had the kids design their own shirts. I used freezer paper for them to make their stencil. They also loved that too, but there were too many shirts. Next time, that will be for a smaller or outside group. I was cleaning up fabric paint for weeks!
The shirts, however, were so stinking cute! Some of them really did a great job!

Some of them required a lot of help also, but in the end, they were all happy and they all looked so cute and Xander wears his shirt all the time, so I guess it was worth it!!!
It was a great party and everyone had fun. We've even had requests for another party like that where they can just hang out...if I just had a bigger house with a basement....oh, well! Xander had a blast and that's the most important thing!
And so, my little wake up call this evening was really good. After we were all calm, we watched the new Joseph Smith movie on the DVD Gramma Annie sent us for Christmas. As we watched Joseph ride his horse away to Carthage and see all the people he loved for the last time, we were all in tears. I watched my twelve year old son wipe tears from his eye and I realized that I must have done something right for him to be able to feel the spirit at that moment.

I hope Xander knows how much I love him. I hope he knows how blessed I feel to be his mom and I hope he knows how amazingly blessed I feel tonight to have another night with him! I love you, Xander! Thank you for being an amazing son!

Family Reunion Memories....

I've been missing my family lately. There's been some stuff going on and some unexpected stress and I just wish I could go hang out with them and talk some of this out and let the kids play and just be together!

I have a great family....

We can all dance....

We have been blessed with great insight.....

We know how to fight a good fight....

And still remain friends.....

We can laugh at ourselves.....

And show emotion when needed....

Even though we can be a little fruity......

We've been taught good table manners.....

And we are o.k. with who we are.....

Yes, my family is the best and I love them so much! I am grateful for family reunions to help us remember how much we need each other, even when there is a lot going on and we struggle.

I hate that we live so far away from each other......

I hope they know how much I really love them and miss them....

And how sad I am that these cousins don't get to grow up together....

Even though they are still best of friends when they are together....

And make great memories every time they see each other....

I am especially grateful that my little two year old, when looking at the Christmas cards can pick out her little cousin and says, "Beebee Hayeee!" and points to her picture about a million times a day, because she knows her and remembers her!

And I am really grateful that since the family reunion, I've been able to give my Dad more hugs, talk, laugh and skype several times! Thanks, dad! I love hearing from you!

So, even though we only get together every three years...and the cousins grow up too fast....

It's my wonderful siblings that I am so blessed to have.

We are so different, and yet, I love each of them so much!

Yes, even these two!

Thanks family, for all the great memories of the family reunion. It made us stronger and taught us a lot. I hope you all have a great holiday season and that you know how much I love you! Lick kisses from your big sis!

A Christmas Story

My former roommate always sends a Christmas story with her cards and family letter. This year's story really got to me. We read it last night for Family Home Evening. We discussed why we do our service project. We talked about how most of their friends are going to get A LOT for Christmas, but we will be doing something for someone else....well, let me just share the story.....

New York City, is impressive at any time, but as Christmas approaches, it's overwhelming. Store windows blaze with light and color, furs and jewels. Golden angels, 40 feet tall, over Fifth Avenue. Wealth, power, opulence - nothing in the world can match this fabulous display.

Through gleaming canyons, people hurry to find last-minute gifts. Money seems to be no problem. If there's a problem, its' that the recipients so often have EVERYTHING they need or want and it's hard to find something suitable, anything that really says, "I love you!"

Last December, as Christ's birth drew near, a stranger was faced with just that problem. She had come from Switzerland to live in an American home and perfect her English. In return, she was willing to act as secretary, mind the grandchildren, do anything she was asked. She was just a girl in her late teens. Her name was Ursula.

One of the tasks of her employers gave Ursula was keeping track of Christmas presents as they arrived. There were many, and they would all require acknowledgement. Ursula kept a faithful record, but with growing concern. She was grateful to her American friends; she wanted to show her gratitude by giving them Christmas present. But nothing she could buy with her small allowance could compare with the gifts she was recording daily. Besides, even without these gifts, it seemed as if her employers had everything.

At night, from her window, Ursula could see the snowy expanse of Central Park, and beyond it the jagged skyline of the city. Far below, in the restless streets, taxis hooted and traffic lights winked red and green. It was so different from the silent majesty of the Alps, that at times she had to blink back tears of homesickness she was careful to never show.

It was in the solitude of her room, as few days before Christmas, that a secret idea came to her.

It was almost as if a voice spoke clearly to her. "It's true that many people in this city have so much more than you, but surely there are many who have far less. If you think about this, you will find a solution to what is troubling you."

Ursula thought long and hard.

On her day off, which was Christmas Eve, she went to a great department store. She moved slowly along the crowded isles, selecting and rejecting things in her mind.

At last, she bought something, and had it wrapped in gaily colored paper. She went out into the gray twilight and looked helplessly around. Finally, she went up to a doorman, resplendent in blue and gold. "Excuse me please," she said in her hesitant English, "can you tell me where to find a poor street?"

"A poor street, Miss?" said the puzzled man.

"Yes, a very poor street. The poorest in the city."

The doorman looked doubtful. "Well, you might try Harlem. Or down in the Village. Or the Lower East Side, maybe."

But these names meant nothing to Ursula. She thanked the doorman and walked along, threading her way through the stream of shoppers until she came to a tall policeman.

"Please, can you direct me to a poor street...in Harlem?"

The policeman looked at her sharply and shook his head. "Harlem's no place for you, miss." And he blew his whistle an sent the traffic whirling past.

Holding her package carefully, she walked on, head bowed against the sharpness of the winter wind. If a street looked poorer than the one she was on, she took it. But none seemed like the slums she had heard about.

Darkness came sifting from the sky. Ursula was cold and discouraged and afraid of becoming lost. She came to an intersection and stood forlornly on the corner. What she was trying to do suddenly seemed foolish, impulsive and absurd. Then, through the traffic's roar, she heard the cheerful tinkle of a bell. On the corner opposite, a Salvation Army man was making his holiday tradition appeal by ringing the bell.

At once, Ursula felt better. The Salvation Army was part of life in Switzerland, too. Surely this man could tell her what she wanted to know. She waited for the light, then crossed the street.

"Can you help me? I'm looking for a baby. I have a present for the poorest baby I can find." She held the package with the green ribbon and gaily wrapped paper up for him to see.

Dressed in gloves and an overcoat too big for him, he seemed a very ordinary man. But, behind the steel rimmed glasses, his eyes were kind. He looked at Ursula and stopped ringing the bell.

"What sort of present?"

"A little dress. For a small, poor baby. Do you know one?"

Oh, yes. More than one, I am afraid."

"Is it far away? Could I take a taxi there?"

The Salvation Army man wrinkled his forehead. Finally, he said, "It's almost six o'clock. My relief will show up then. If you wait and can afford the taxi ride, I will take you to a family in my neighborhood who needs just about everything."

"And they have a small baby?"

"A very small baby", he said.

"Then," said Ursula joyfully, "I wait!"

The substitute bell ringer came. A cruising taxi slowed. In its welcomed warmth, Ursula told her new friend about herself, how she came to New York, what she was trying to do. He listened in silence, and the taxi driver listened too. When they reached their destination, the driver said, "Take your time, Miss."

On the sidewalk, Ursula stared up at the forbidding tenement - dark, decaying, saturated with hopelessness. A gust of wind, iron-cold, stirred the refuse in the street and rattled the trash cans.

"They live on the third floor. Shall we go up?"

But Ursula shook her head. "They would try and thank me, but this is not from me. Take it up for me please. Say it's from...from someone who has everything." And she pressed the package in his hand.

The taxi bore her swiftly through the streets to the lighted ones. From misery to abundance. She tried to visualize the Salvation Army man climbing the stairs, knocking on the door, the explanation, the package being opened, the look when they saw the dress. It was hard to do.

Arriving at the apartment on Fifth Avenue, she got out her purse.

"There is no charge, miss."

"No charge?"

The taxi cab driver smiled, "I've been paid."

Ursula was up early the next morning. She set the table with special care. By the time she finished, the family was awake and there was the excitement and laughter of Christmas morning. Soon, the living room was a sea of discarded wrappings. Ursula thanked everyone for the presents she received.

Finally, when there was a lull, she explained why there were no presents from her.

She hesitantly explained about the department store, the Salvation Army man, the taxi ride, the little dress.

When she was finished, there was a long silence. No one could trust themselves to speak.

"So you see," said Ursula, "I try and do kindness in your name. And this is my Christmas present to you."

I can't read this story without tears. It emulates what I am trying to teach my children, and myself this year. That we are doing kindness in His name. That that is our Christmas present to him.

I cut out twelve hug pillows yesterday. I hope to make twenty. That way, twenty children can have a Christmas hug from someone who has everything.

Simple Joys of Christmas....

This is what our Christmases have looked like in the past. Yeah, for four children, that's a lot of presents. We didn't do anything extravagant or expensive, but it was a lot.

Then, last year, I decided to make Christmas simple. I wanted my children to learn the true meaning of Christmas. I wanted to start a tradition that would be something they might take with them to their own families.

My parents were wonderful examples of service while I was growing up. They taught me to love and serve the less fortunate. I want my children to learn the same thing. Thanks Mom and Dad for the great example you have always been to me!

We asked them to choose two presents they would like Santa to bring them. One they really wanted and one that would be their second choice.

Then I chose a service project. I had no idea the magnitude of this project or that my heart would be wrenched in two as it hit close to home.

Christmas was wonderful. It was simple. It was just what I was looking for. So, this year, we are making HUG pillows. They are pillows for children who have gone through a traumatic experience. The social worker/police officer gives them a pillow in the shape of a heart. It has a pocket with a small toy to "entertain" the child during the hours of interviews and waiting they have to go through.

It has personal meaning, as I was that social worker so many times. There were hundreds of HUG pillows I wish I could have given to children. Now I can, in my own way.

We also got Jason's studio involved too. We are having donations brought in by the students to make healthy food bags for children who might otherwise go hungry over the weekends. The county has targeted several schools and children. The Assistance League makes up the bags. Our neighbor is on the board of directors. She was the one who gave me both these ideas.

I have heard so many people worrying about Christmas this year. All the presents they have to buy and send and wrap and what to get.

I just smile.

I simplified and I love it. Even with Jason's family, I told them I would like to not give presents this year, but get together, decorate cookies and go caroling.

Today while I was visiting teaching our Relief Society president, she told us she was giving the lesson on Sunday and wanted ideas of service that worked in our lives.

I just smiled.

Where do I start telling her how much this year has made an impact on my life because of service. Service that I wanted to give, service that I unexpectedly gave, service I sought out and service I received.

There is a special feeling at Christmas time. The world seems to come together. And no matter how crazy it gets, I know I can always turn off the lights and look at the glow of the tree.

Life is not perfect for me and it is still crazy, but in the craziness, I hope I am showing my children how to make a difference in the life of another. To lift someone up, to show love and to follow in the footsteps of our Savior.

I hope you are finding joy this holiday season.

Turn out the lights and just sit by the Christmas tree in the evening and enjoy the moment!