"Jolly, Jolly Christmas!"

Another Christmas season has gone by, just as quickly as it always does. Preston is still singing his version of "Have a holly, jolly Christmas..." which is "Jolly, jolly Kismis! Jolly, jolly Kismis!"-- repeated over and over again accompanied by a little jig-- which keeps the spirit alive. The Sunday before Christmas I attempted to get a photo of the kids, and to my delight after about 11 or 12 shots, I got one with them all smiling and looking at the camera.

In one shot, Trevor insisted on doing muscle arms. His sister also insisted that she would not be in the picture if he was going to do this. They compromised by him atleast lowering one of his bulging muscles so that it was not in her face.




















Here is Christmas morning, with Daddy getting in with all the fun.

Trevor was ecstatic about his big boy Spiderman bike! (Santa realized that a regular, non-character bike was cheaper, and all he had to do was add a few shiny Spiderman stickers to it to make it official!)

Giggles & the Green Chair

So, we're moving into our new home this next week and we are very excited. I have been going a little crazy with bargain purchases of miscellaneous furniture over the past 6 months or so and the pieces are just stuffed anywhere we can find in my in-laws home. My most recent treasures are two cozy, green, velvet slipcovered chairs for our master bedroom--our designated "Reading Nook". I pulled up with one of the chairs in the back of our van and you would've thought it was a ride at Disneyland. The kids immediately piled in the back and I couldn't resist the photo op.
I love these little cuddly munchkins!
Now it was tickle time. This photo is one of my new faves: Paige's pure glee, Trevor's dimpled smile (where he's actually looking at the camera with his eyes open!--a rare moment), and Preston's wicked cackle in the background as he pounces on Trevor.
Awww...blue-eyed heartbreaker.

Quotable Quotes

Someone just sent me this quote and I think I'll use it next time I direct the ward choir. Or as motivation to get people to actually come to ward choir!

"Use what talent you possess: the woods would be very silent if no birds sang except those that sang best."~Henry Van Dyke~

Sister Beck quoted Ezra Taft Benson in her conference talk on "Mothers Who Know" when he said, "Children...are our greatest jewels."

I will add more later. Just wanted to jot these down.

Rewind to Halloween

Just a flashback to Halloween--just gotta post these fun pictures for posterity's sake. I doctored up Paige's costume which we found at D.I., adding flowers and wings, etc to create the ultimate "Garden Fairy"--her idea and created under her expert supervision. She declares that she is no longer a fan of the color pink, but it was okay since this was a fairy and fairies can be pink.

Trevor went through a few costumes changes that I had in my stash--first Buzz Lightyear, then a cowboy and finally settled on the most comfortable and form-fitting, Spiderman (though he refused on the mask!)

Preston was originally a pirate, but spied his old Superman costume in the costume box from last year and insisted on wearing it again.

We were invited to a chili dinner at our neighbors across the street, the Burnes. There were a couple of families there and the kids had fun playing and eating. That was followed by the inevitable sugar-fest, known as trick-or-treating, at a neighborhood a few streets over where they do a whole Halloween festival with hay rides, costume contests, etc. Steve took over from there as I was not up for the trek. Everyone had a great time that night, and due to careful monitoring over their daily sugar intake, we actually still have candy leftover as they slowly milk their Halloween baskets :)

The Annual Update

Yes, it's December and my birthday is in July, but since my last entry was almost exactly one year ago, I figured I'd include one photo from the year--my 30th!! Last year our friend, Mark Foster, set up this blog for me, and I haven't been heard from since. However, I've been viewing some fun blogs lately and I think it will be a fun way to document life--since I've slacked on my journal writing, this may take its place. Perhaps writing things down will arouse my brain a little so that its data includes more than Buzz Lightyear quotes and the operating instructions for my washing machine.

We have been living in Steve's parents home for a little over a year now, housesitting while they serve a mission in the Marshall Islands Mission. I'm now 7 months pregnant with our 4th child and in the midst of preparing to move to our new home after Christmas. Life is busy and joyful, and I'll be excited to have a spot to "honker down" and journal bits of our days.

BEHOLD, THE POWER OF OUR INFLUENCE

I'll start with an amazing quote I read yesterday that I must share:

THE POWER OF LEADERSHIP--J.W. GOETHE
I have come to the frightening conclusion...
That I am the decisive element.
It is my personal approach that creates the climate.
It is my daily mood that makes the weather.
I possess tremendous power to make life miserable or joyous.
I can be a tool of torture or an instrument of inspiration,
I can humiliate or humor, hurt or heal.
In all situations, it is my response that decides
whether a crisis is escalated or de-escalated,
and a person is humanized or de-humanized.
If we treat people as they are, we make them worse.
If we treat people as they ought to be,
we help them become what they are capable of becoming.

I love this!! It puts into perspective the huge power our influence can have on the world around us. My favorite is "It is my daily mood that makes the weather." Hmm...will I choose to be sunny today or bleak with overcast?...There's that old saying, "If momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy." Isn't it true? I'm learning this with my children. My reaction to their actions can and will make or break a moment. Those times when I fiercely bite my tongue so as not to say something unnecessary, and we calmly work through a hard situation, I sit back for a second afterward, so thankful for that moment of restraint! "If we treat people as they are, we make them worse. If we treat people as they ought to be, we help them become what they are capable of becoming." I'd like to remember that sentiment on a daily basis with my kiddos--to remember whose they are, where they were before they were in our care, and their endless potential. Those little spirits are latter-day warriors, mightier than I.