'Twas the week before Christmas!

Matthew was the cutest Joseph ever, in Nursery. He went up with Tyson and sang with the primary today. Tyson's last Christmas to sing with them, and Matthew's first.










Josh is a spinning Dradle, for his school program. He was awesome.













Jaron was a jumping Hava Negila (?) boy. Boy can he cut a rug.

We watched, we waited, and finally we got snow. It certainly can change over night.

What's better than a long Christmas break? A longer Christmas break. The kids ran out to the bus in a freezing snow storm, only to be sent back to the house by the bus driver, because he had just been notified that school was cancelled. It was the last day before Christmas break. So, Allyson couldn't go to the Christmas dance :(













Matthew and Maycie, with Santa at the ward Christmas Party.



I love remembering that I have a baby toy, and then finding out that they enjoy it and are entertained. (At least for the first day)

Is it just me?

Is it just me, or is it hard to justify, or make time for blogging this month? I have, however, spent hours online, researching and comparing gifts, and felt quite unproductive for doing that. But, I decided, more than half of my shopping has been done online, and will hopefully come to my door this week. I've been able to sit here and take care of my babies, and not drag them through stores during nap time, so there, now I feel better about it.

Is it just me, or are a lot of us way to impatient and grumpy? One of my major pet peeves is being in a store and hearing people yell at their kids. I know that I never know all that is going on, but I just think things could often be handled a little more pleasantly than they are. ( I suppose too, I think if someone is grumpy out of the home, they're probably twice as grumpy at home.) In the last couple of weeks, I've heard kids, (tiny kids) yelled at for wandering away from Mom, while she turned her back, and browsed at clothing in a store. (You left her out of the cart you know.) For trying to skip into the grocery store while holding Mom's hand. "If you do that one more time, I'm going to take you back to the car!" -- At a child who was looking the other way, and got under his mothers feet, she said, "You can be such a pain in the butt". Of course there have been many more through the years. Sometimes I find myself looking at them and smiling, like I understand, but I haven't ever decided to say something. Have you? I know that I find myself upset at my kids, and have to look at the way I've reacted, sometimes patiently, often, way too impatiently.

I hope I'm learning from my mistakes. And though far from perfect, we're reading, skipping, sword fighting a little more, and saying no a little less. Bill has started telling imaginary bedtime stories of Obi Wan Josh, and Anakin Matthew (from Star Wars)- and they love it. We have to remember that our children are children. Let them be little. They learn from everything I say and do, so I better make it good!

Happy Birthday Matthew!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MATTHEW! YIPPEE, HE'S THREE! (AND...NO MORE DIAPERS FOR HIM, HAPPY DAY!)



He and my sister Melisa share a birthday, so we had a little party for them. I'm getting kinda good at throwing together a somewhat sloppy, yet fun for the kids, birthday cake. Personally, I never have loved birthday cake. But that has turned into a question the kids will ask each other..."what kind of cake do you want?" I guess somehow that makes a party seem a little more exciting.

What's missing?

Grandpa Taylor decided he needed to do a little demolition on the cellar, over the last couple of weeks.





The above photos were phase 1 and 2. Masks were worn to avoid contracting the haunta virus, or any other dangerous gases that might be lurking in the air.
Phase three brought out a little "pyromaniac" in them all.



Yes, you do see correctly, that is the back of Officer Miller. He mentioned that he had some photos of the first cellar fire.



On the way back into Rexburg, I decided that the sunset looked pretty, and that I needed a nice picture of the temple against such a beautiful background; you know my weakness for temples, and sunset photos. ( I think the cellar smoke aided in the beautiful sunset. You can see the haze on the valley floor below.) Here is the result.




I thought I had such an original idea. We had to laugh, as it was almost chaos, with people running around, trying to get a picture of the temple that night.

It's Halloween!

(Disclaimer: I am really poor at arranging pictures using just codes, so please bear with my lack of talent)
Halloween has never been one of my favorite holidays. What are we celebrating anyway? Candy, cavities, and stomach aches, and all of the ghoulish goblins that I really don't appreciate? I've softened a little, and tried to appreciate it for it's silly fun, even dressing up a little today. My kids start saying, soon after school starts in August, "I don't know what I'm going to be for Halloween", and I say "Please don't talk or worry about that right now, it's so far away" - and so it goes until the week of Halloween. Last year we had a fun party at Zach and Shantay's - so I suggested to my Mom that perhaps we do one with her family. So we did. It was fun, and casual. We didn't have the catwalk and fashion show that accompanied last years bash, but it was enjoyable nonetheless.We ate a nice Taco/ Enchilada meal, and decorated sugar cookies. Grandma and Grandpa even got into the dress up fun. Bill was delighted to sport his "Mr Potato Head" again. He LOVES that costume!



If you aren't recognizing... Tyson is a snowboarder and a nerd. Jaron is a Pocahontas/caveman, and a nerd. Josh is a football player, and uncostumed jedi. I didn't get a good pic of Ally as mini skirt, leg warmer wearin 80's girl. The cute dumbo is nephew Tylon, extra nerd is a friend, Cole. Pirate Alaina. Sorcerer Kade. Power Ranger Jarrett. Damon and Melisa pulled off the laugh of the night as Grandma and Grandpa (Damon even sporting the broken leg, boot, and Melisa in the Serenade singing vest). Jon and Andrea, ball player and expectant wife. Chris and Jessica, "the office" people (I'm so out of it!) Pumpkin Crystal and our two new friends, Annie and Paulina from Europe. Phew, this was going to be a short post, so I could go to bed. It isn't pretty, but it's done!

Eeewww!

So, I went down to the storage room 2 days ago. Just looking for a little hamburger in the freezer. Much to my shock and dismay there was a mouse lying dead on the floor in front of the freezer. Eeewww! Normally I would scream like a girl and run, but, this mouse was dead, so I calmly shut the door, climbed the stairs and stated, "there's a dead mouse in the storage room." Then the kids screamed like girls, and carefully descended the stairway, opening the door ever so slowly to see the lifeless mouse. Why was it dead? Bill has some poison in the garage, and in the unfinished part of the basement so it must have gotten into that. So, WHY IS IT IN MY HOUSE?
Bill did clean the garage, and take some camping gear into the unfinished basement, last week. And I foolishly left some case lot food purchases in the garage for several days, and then took them to the storage room. And Tyson casually informed me that the basement door had been left open for at least a day, this week. GREAT! THAT BETTER BE WHY THEY ARE IN MY HOUSE. (And not because the mice have found the secret passageway into our home) Did I say they? Why yes, I did. We (Bill) set a trap, and the next morning I go to get O.J...Eeeww... another mouse looking just like the first, in a trap behind the freezer. Then...this time two traps. This morning as we're excitedly readying the kids for Halloween, they come up to announce that this time a mouse (practically the size of a rat) has been trapped. Eeewww! In the words of my cute brother Jonathan, in another time, and another place...

MERRY CHRISTMAS, WE HAVE MICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Several years ago at our little house in Salem, we had one mouse come in our house.(When I had accidentally left the garage doorway open for an afternoon) While reading a book with Tyson on the couch, a mouse came casually trotting down the hallway, just staring at me. First I jumped on the couch. Then I took Tyson and drove to my friends house, and called Bill, letting him know of the situation, and also that I would be returning home when he had trapped the mouse. Sadly it would not be trapped until 2 days later. And I did have to return and sleep in my mouse house.

Even now, sitting here, I keep checking over my shoulder, scared that a mouse will creep up behind me and say, "booo!" (It is Halloween) I hear some banging! Are mice capable of remodeling??

I HATE THEM!!!! I TOLD BILL I'M LISTING THE HOUSE FOR SALE TODAY...AND THE MINUTE ONE COMES TROTTING DOWN THE HALL, I'M OUTA HERE!!!

There is Beauty all around!

I've been wanting to go to the temple since I had my cute baby in July. I went in early July, but haven't been able to go since then (except, of course, two weddings)
One time, I decided to go in the late afternoon, and as I hurried out of the house, at the last possible moment, and drove toward the temple, my heart started racing; I knew I would be rushed when I got there, and I was so anxious about leaving a baby, who doesn't take a bottle well. I always thought, any thought to go to the temple is a good one, so you should never push them aside. Well, I decided I had a newborn at home, and now wasn't the time. So, I called Allyson, to tell her I was coming home, and Maycie was already screaming; Ally was obviously relieved. Last Saturday morning I woke and fed the baby, and wanted to go, but I felt a little unwell. Again, I felt guilty for making "excuses", but I decided not to go. A couple hours later I had a fever of 102, my body ached so bad that I could barely get off the couch, and again, I realized...There are going to be times when it's OK to not go to the temple.

But today, Maycie woke at 5:20, not quite in enough time to feed her and get to the 6:00--so I fed her got ready, and decided if I didn't make a session, It would be OK if I did initiatory. So I did. I was amazed at the amount of peace I felt just driving to the temple. It was still dark, and as you drive up second east the temple is just magnificent as it rises above you. I turned off the radio and sang a couple of hymns on my way, (since I had no churchy music with me.) I was able to do the work, and be out in just over an hour. As I walked out to see the sun was rising, and I walked by the "Erected 2008" etching in the temple wall, I thought, "President Monson stood here!" How cool!
Today I was just sooo thankful. Thankful to know that it's OK to just stay home and be a Mom, and that there are times, when it will work out to go and do something that will lift and inspire me. Just being there today gave me peace and joy. I love living here. It's so beautiful! These photos are of a few of my favorite beautiful things: The temple, the dark one was Bill and I at the dedication. A sunrise, over the Tetons, and sunset taken from our front porch. A rising moon. The temple view from our back deck.
Something not quite so beautiful? A serious diaper blow out right on my lap. And now I'm off, to love being a Mom!