4 Excited Kids

i took a really cute one of the kids by the tree and i can't get it off my camera. my in laws don't have my compatible software on their computer. darn it.

5 Suitcases Packed

mom gets to pack all the suitcases and dad gets to pack his own!

love my kids

every mom has her good days and her bad days. the bad ones consists of questioning ourselves on whether or not we are really making a difference...of good...in our childrens lives. and the good days when others show us we are.

every year the high school puts on a christmas party for underpriviledged kids. sitting on santa's lap, games, crafts, food...well this year all the school counselors got together and thought that there were enough charity organizations that they were giving too so this christmas party was going to be for the 'good' students in all the 3 elementary schools and the middle school. each teacher was to pick 2 students from her class that showed respect, politeness, and good citizenship to those around them.

each one of my school aged children were picked. i was so proud of them. and they had so much fun at the christmas party.

i was told once by a wise woman that if you children behave in public but not at home...you're doing something right. it's when they don't behave in either situation that you have to worry. thank you k, a, and m for being such good students and choosing the right. i love you all.

6 Homemade Ornaments

when i was young, my mom tried to give us a new ornament each christmas that was a symbol of something that happened that year. for instance, a house ornament would remind us of a move to a new home. i have tried to do the same with my family with my own little twist. i like to make them something. and so this year i made these ornaments for all of us. i love homemade gifts. they mean so much more because i believe they come from the heart.

7 Gold Pieces

When the wisemen came to see the baby Jesus, they brought gifts fit for a king. Frankincense, Mrryh, and Gold.

8 Red Ornaments

Red is the first color of christmas. It was first used by faithful people to remind them of the blood which was shed for all of us by the Savior. Red is deep, intense, vivid, it is the greatest color of all. It is the symbol of the gift of God.

Santa's 9 Reindeer

you know dasher

and dancer



and prancer and vixen



comet



and cupid



and donner and blitzen



but do you recall the most famous reindeer of all...



rudolph the red nosed reindeer!

10 sneaky fingers

11 christmas questions

1. wrapping paper or gift bags?

wrapping paper! i love to wrap my presents!

2. real tree or artificial?

both! this is the first year we have had a real tree. i like the look of the full artificial trees but there is something special about the smell and look of a real tree. especially one that has been cut down by your husband. so much love.

3. do you like eggnog?

i use to love eggnog but now a days i have a couple sips and i'm done. i love my hot chocolate with a candy cane much better.

4. favorite gift received as a child.

i really don't remember gifts i got as a child...i do remember that one year my parents filled a huge box with stuffed animals and a cabbage patch tape player with headphones. i thought that was pretty cool.

5. white or colored lights?

white, white, and more white. i love white! it's clean and pretty. i love that the stars are white in the sky and so lots of white lights on the tree. b put colored lights on the house this year. blew a fuse and gave up. lol. i love him for trying.

6. favorite christmas song.

oh i love martina mcbride's 'o holy night'...motab's handal's messiah...'away in a manger'...children's songbook christmas songs (all of them make me cry)...jenny phillip's 'silent night' is my all time favorite if i had to choose!

7. can you name all of santa's reindeer?

no. dasher, dancer, prancer, vixen, comet, cupid, doner, blitzen, and rudolph...is that all of them?

8. angel or star on top of your tree?

neither. i can't reach that high.

9. open presents christmas eve or christmas morning?

we open our christmas pajamas on christmas eve and everything else christmas morning. we all get pajamas... even dad and mom.

10. 5 favorite christmas traditions.

readings or singing from our christmas advent book (as often as we remember), taking family pictures for and making our christmas cards, dad putting the tree up and mom decorating it, homemade gifts and ornaments, and opening one present on christmas eve.

11. what do i love most about christmas?

i love being with my kids and husband. i love sharing my testimony of the reason we celebrate christmas. i love shopping for the perfect gifts. i love putting gifts under the tree and seeing the kids get excited about the 'new one' i just placed there that day and who it's for. i love surprizing b...and one day i will shop for myself and act really surprized when i get a package that says 'To Staci From Santa'. of course i'll need someone else to write it because everyone knows my handwriting. i love everything about this season.

happy christmas to you one and all!

12 Days Till Christmas Advent...blogged

12 Day Advent Stockings

each sock has a little treat or reminder of why we celebrate christmas. today is the first day of the advent stockings and i am so excited for my kids to get excited about the real meaning of christmas.

our charlie brown christmas tree

saturday, b took k, a, and f to cut down our very first ever real christmas tree. i was at home with m who was throwing up. great fun for me. we got the kids all ready...outfitted the night before...and they looked so warm. especially f who was sporting his all blue byu gear! he's so cute.

they met up with some friends in the ward who were all going to cut down trees together. they hiked through thigh high snow, pulled little ones on sleds, all to find the perfect trees. a couple hours after they left i got a call from b asking me where i wanted my tree. i told him in the piano room. to which he replied...i don't think i will fit. and he was right. so we put the fake tree in our room and put the real one in the living room. it's the best charlie brown tree ever! i love it. thanks, hon! you and the kids did such a great job.

while they were gone m took a super long nap. and i got my christmas cans done. i don't know why but whenever i make something my first thought is...make them all match. and then something happens in the making process and i change my mind. i need to remember that i like them all to match! oh well. next time. i think they turned out really cute. i even made one for leah my sil. we have her for christmas and will fill it with lots of presents for her. i am excited. m is all better now and happy that she is feeling better.

last night for fhe we read from our christmas advent book. but before we read i gave all the kids their christmas pillowcases so they could lay on the floor by our tree and be comfy. they were so cute with their pillows. it made me happy. christmas makes me happy.

it's beginning to 'look' a lot like christmas...and tender mercies

oh what a day yesterday was. i am grateful that i lived and that my children lived and that it's a new day. last night i was grateful to go to the kids christmas concert. it was such a tender mercy that the lord knew i needed. as i sat listening to the festive music i was able to think of all the wonderful blessings i have. and even though it seems, at times, that those blessings bring me the most pain and heartache sometimes...i do love them. i do. and no matter what i am feeling at certain moments in the day...anger, rage, loss of control...and the thoughts that come with those moments...i love my blessings. thank you, b for reminding me of that.

the kids were so cute tonight. k, a, and m sang 3 songs each with their classes and i was so happy to see them smiling and waving to me in the audience. the kindergarteners sang away in a manger first.

they were so cute and all dressed up in their best christmas attire.

m loved singing and then eventually watching k and a.

a got to stand next to his best friend, timothy. they were so cute too.

and k had a duet with her best friend, marleah. she did so well!

they all made me teary eyed! what a wonderful way to end a very difficult day.

this morning we woke up to this.

SNOW? 'i thought i didn't snow in the desert?', one of the kids asked. me too! but here it is and i got to shovel the driveway. it's a lot bigger than the one in utah. i liked that one much better.

and this is the beautiful house we get to look at everytime we look out our front door. i love it.

now it's beginning to 'feel' a lot like christmas.

scroll down

just after 'field trip'. out of order but it's a new post.

field trip

the second graders got to go all the way into reno to see beauty and the beast. it was okay. not broadway or woodscross highschool. but the kids enjoyed it. before we saw the play we went to a park to eat lunch and play. i didn't think i could bring my camera inside the theater so i left it in my car. but here are some of the kids. i took m and k out of school so they could see the play too. and b would have come if he wasn't going to vegas. it was a bit chilly but by mid afternoon it was really nice...upper 60's low 70's.

christmas crafts

so every year my family picks names for christmas. it is a wonderful christmas tradition! as our extended family continues to grow it becomes difficult and pricey to buy something for everyone. therefore...i love our family tradition. this year we got my older sister and her family. and come to think of it this might be the first year we've ever picked her name. anywho...i decided to get crafty. check out my craft center for pics. i am pretty sure she doesn't read my blog and if she does she better stop reading NOW!



she has 3 children between the ages of 10 and 3. so i called my cute friend, jenn, and asked for her adorable pillow instructions. love them. she made the cutest, most simple, pillowcases for my kids on the 4th of july. i just love them so much i wish they could use them everyday. anyway...i bought my fabric...after going to 3 different stores and i am so happy with the result. i hope i did them justice jenn. i know you'll let me know.



then i also wanted to make some christmas magnets for my refrigerator. so i made some for her too. i love them. they are so stinkin cute. they took some time to make but once i got going and the girls offered to help we were really making progress. i think they are adorable and a must in everyhouse. so simple to make. and now they can hold all the christmas pictures we get from all our friends. can't wait to fill up my frig with your smiling faces.

shopping with the marriott women

i love shopping. and i love meeting the women b works with and the wives of the men he works with. we have really been blessed to get to know so many wonderful people through marriott. i was invited to go shopping the jean...the gm's wife, patricia, and christina (who both work at the marriott). it was so fun. we started off with lunch at my favorite restaurant...the olive garden.

i had 4 bowl of their yummy salad and a bowl of minestrone soup. i knew i would eat a lot of salad so i got something less filling to go with it. oh it was so good. the salad, breadsticks, fried mozerella sticks, fried ravioli...everything was soooooo yummy. then it was off to ONE of the malls in reno.

i got one of b's christmas presents fromt he kids...can't write it here because sometimes he reads my blog...sorry, hon! and a sweater for me at aeropostle. it was so fun to hand out with the girls and just shop. we went into a dozen stores and browsed, mostly, but talked and talked. it was great to get to know them a little better. by the end of our day...it was 5pm...we decided that we needed to take a girls weekend to vegas. they want to go in january. they asked what i thought and i said, 'as long as b can be home with the kids i'm all for a girls trip.' i had a really good time. thanks jean for inviting me. it was so good to get to know you all! and thank honey for watching the kids and putting up the christmas lights. you're the BEST!

baptism

over thanksgiving weekend we baptized a. he was baptized in b's parents ward. my parents came all the way from maryland to help support a in his decision to be baptized. they were such a great help with all the food preparations. i couldn't have done it without them. thank you so much! 2 of my brothers were also in attendance with their wives and families. all of b's siblings were there with their families as well as 2 cousins and 2 great grandmas. a also invited some close friends who were able to come and we so appreciate their support and miss them so much since we've moved. k, m, and tatianna sang a beautiful musical number while a and b were changing. they brought such a sweet spirit. thanks girls! what a great day to have a baptism and thanks to all our friends who came. you made it even more special for a.

after the baptism it was back to my 'mil's house for food. my mom bought 3 hams, rolls, grapes, bite size brownies and aussi cakes, drinks, and supplied the paper products. she gets the amazing mom award! thank you so much. the ham was 'divine', that's for you lynette, and the brownies...what can i say...heavenly! everything was so yummy! then it was downstairs to watch the BYU/UofU game! love it. i actually didn't start watching till the 2nd half...there were no touchdowns and the score was LOW! i couldn't believe it. b nearly had a heart attack waiting for BYU to score their touchdown of the entire game and then running a safety to give them the lead. only to have the U miss some key passes and as the time ran out...BYU won. HURRAY! 2 years in a row. love it.

anyway...what a perfect ending to a great day.

signed . sealed . delivered

i mailed the last of my christmas cards yesterday and can i tell you how good that feels! holy cow. i am totally going to start in october from now on. it really pays off. i do however need one or two addresses...lisa j. and brenda d. both of you moved and i don't have current addresses. and, thanks to lynette whose card i used, i was able to get 2 last minute cards out! now i can concentrate on decorating my house...and finding the perfect gift for grandparents and siblings. gotta love the rush...can you tell i am already feeling it and it's not even december 1st! ooh look at the time...gotta make lunch for m before school starts...wait it's late start day! hurray! maybe i'll take a shower first.

pack meeting

a was so excited to go to his first pack meeting. he wore his new uniform complete with a neckerchief, thanks paula, and indian headress. the boys made these special for our indian nation theme. let me just tell you that sewing those patches on the scout shirt is no easy task. i had to sew one on 5 different times because it kept shifting. but now it's done...or so i thought.

a and his pack presented the flag, sang and indian song, and a earned his bobcat!

i was so proud! way to go a! you're well on your way to becoming and eagle scout like your dad. we love you!

happy thanksgiving!

we are leaving tonight for our thanksgiving in utah so i just wanted to tell everyone...happy thanksgiving. we are so excited to see old friends and spend time with family. this year we will be spending thanksgiving with both sets of grandparents! in the same house! since adam will be baptized on saturday my parents are coming all the way from maryland to help celebrate this special day for him. i am so grateful for all the support we get from our families. i can't wait. we hope your thanksgiving is filled with much laughter, yummy food, and gratitude for all that you have. i am grateful for all of you...my friends...my family...and for the great and wonderful examples you are. happy thanksgiving.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MOMMY!

i love this! soo sweet!

i had such a wonderful birthday. you know i don't really mind my birthday...it's comforting to know that b will always be 2 years older. the kids were so sweet to me today and even my primary class was unusually reverent. b made steak and shrimp for dinner and k made my brownies. we have boycotted the whole birthday cake in our house. everything was so yummy and i even got a nap. it was great! i also got to call a sweet friend of mine who shares the same birthday with me. my family has been the greatest gift i could ever ask for. what a blessing they are. i never could have imagine 11 years ago that i would be where i am today...wife, mother, friend...and that i could be all these things and more and still be sane. i love my family for making me who i am today and allowing my to keep dreaming. thanks to all the bday calls, cards, and emails. i love you all!

naked turkey

this is tom our naked turkey. we are a little late in getting him his feathers but better late than never. tom is our thankful turkey and when we are thankful for something...he gets a feather. hopefully he will have all his feathers by thanksgiving.

10 things i am thankful for today...

1. my cute husband who gives me a kiss and hug before heading off to work. even if i am still sleeping he always comes over and gently gives me a kiss and says, i love you. this means so much to me. it puts me in such a good mood in the morning and i am thankful for that extra 2 min. he takes to let me know that he loves me.

2. kennidy's independence. i can always count on kennidy being ready in the morning for school. by the time i am out of bed she is dressed, eaten breakfast, and made her lunch. i am grateful that she is such an independent young lady.

3. my mom. today she called me and has single handedly taken care of all the major food preparations for a's baptism next weekend. and she lives in maryland. it's amazing what you can do with the internet! thanks, mom. i love you.

4. lazy days. i love to sleep in but what i love more is an uneventful day when i can catch up on projects that need to be finished!

5. taking random pictures with my camera and posting them on my blog for viual enhancement. i am thankful for my blog and my camera that lets me keep in touch with my friends who don't live close by.

6. school. i am thankful for my kids' teachers and all they do to help my children succeed. i have really smart kids, if i do say so, and i give lots of credit to those teachers who have pushed them to be better. thank you.

7. the united states of america. i could go on all day about how grateful i am for this country...but today i am grateful for the men and women to serve so that my family can sleep peacefully at night. my family is very patriotic...with men serving in the marines, army, and air force...i am grateful for my military heros.

8. showers in the morning. i am grateful that i can shower in hot water for as long as my kids allow me to.

9. exercise for the most part. i enjoyed exercising a lot more when i had my WOB doing it with me. and i admit that we laughed more than we 'crunched' but now i am thankful for my morning walks with f and m.

10. i am thankful for my health that allows me to do so many things. i am grateful that i CAN exercise, walk, run, type, take pics, and all the other physical things i take for granted. i am thankful for my body and that if nothing else...i am healthy.

flattery...and christmas

last night i ordered our family pics for our christmas cards. 100 pics! this afternoon i received a call from the costco photo lab. the lady at the lab wanted to know if i had the copyright for my photos from the photographer that took them. i thought...wow are they THAT good? i told her that i was the photographer and she said, surprizingly, 'oh they just looked so professional' to which i replied, 'well thank you.' (they really don't look professional...it's nevada and they probably don't get a lot of scrapbookers photos that come through their costco) i had to laugh at the whole conversation because seriously in utah as many times as i developed pictures, and i was on a first name basis with the photo lab gal (michelle), i never once got that reaction. they just get more good pics because of all the photographers/scrapbookers.

anywho...i couldn't believe i needed 100 pics. we have loved moving around and meeting new friends and keeping in touch with them all. we don't have friends in others countries...we'll have to work on that one...but we have loved having friends all over the united states. i have a friend in england but he's married by now...and we kind of lost touch after high school. flashback. one of my most favorite things to do in december is to go to the mailbox and find christmas letters from all of you. i love seeing how much your families have grown and hearing about all the fun things you have been up to. it makes me feel like we've been along for the ride. oh i can't wait for december!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

november 12, 1999... i woke up early this morning and started getting ready for work. i was going to the bathroom more than usual and thought...this is strange. and was doing my hair when it happened. a gush of water came running down my leg. what? i thought...he's not due for another 2 weeks! i told b that it was time to go to the hospital because my water broke and he asked, 'are you sure?' (last time it wasn't my water). i showed him my pants and he called out neighbor to ask if she could watch k. while he was taking k to the neighbors i got in the car with a towel on my seat and buckled up. as soon as the seat belt clicked there was another gush of water. holy cow! i only have so many pairs of pants! i went back in as b was coming out and he knew by the way i was walking that i was going to change again.

we only live 10 min. from the hospital but it felt like 20. my contractions were coming and i kept telling b to hurry. we got to the hospital and i was dilated to a 5. i got my epidural right a way and 2 hours later we had a new member of our family. A was an 8lbs. bundle of boy (and joy) and had a full head of light brown hair. b was so excited to have his first boy! we couldn't have been happier. (until we added #3 and #4 later down the road.)

A's birthday always jumps out and surprizes me. it just a week after halloween and i am always scrambling for gifts and party supplies.

we are going to have a family party tonight and then a 'jungle' party on saturday with all of A's friends. we have put the traditional birthday cake to rest in our house and have rootbeer floats instead. we aren't big cake eaters so it'll be 8 candles in the ice cream! A is so excited to be 8. b and i got him an xbox with a couple games (b got some games for himself, too) and scriptures, primary song book, and carrying case. this is a tradition passed on from my parents. he also got watch walkie talkies from uncle gabe and aunt kristen, new sunday clothes from grandma and grandpa c, and a money from grandma and grandpa s...he already knows what he's going to buy! he will be baptized in utah over thanksgiving weekend . we are excited to see family...even my parents and some siblings will be there...so excited for that.

A is such a sweet young man. we have loved watching him grow in all aspects of his life. you are such a special part of our family and we wouldn't be complete without you. happy birthday, A!

photo shoot!

i love taking pics of my kids...it can be frustrating at times but i am always happy with the results. today i took the kids to an old rodeo arena i found near our house. it was a bit chilly so we didn't stay as long as i wanted to...to get all the shots i wanted. but again i am happy with the results. i had fun editting them.

the kids had fun running across the arena pretending to be bulls!

f is such a ham!

more pics in my 'gallery'.

cub scouts

oh how i love cub scouts! i am over the bear and wolfs and they are at such a funny stage. last night we talked about indians and played some really fun games. their favorite game was called TILLICUM. it's like rock, paper, scissors...only you use earth, fire, and water. with your fist being raised slowly to your shoulder while saying 'til-li'...then dropped to your waist on 'cum' and making the sign for earth, fire, or water you try and beat out your opponent. it was fun to watch these boys chant and laugh 'i won, i won'. the boys loved it. we had 2 boys who told a story from the bom so they could pass of a fig goal. it was cute. cameron told of lehi's son's going back for the brass plates. he got to the part where they were asked to go back for the daughters of ishmiel...sp...'lamen and lemual complained. then lehi said you need wives. so they went back to get their next door neighbors.' love that he said next door neighbors. so cute. i can't wait for a to be exposed to the scouting world. i hope it a great adventure for him.

anyways...we spent the afternoon playing at the workmans. right after school we headed over there to play and the kids had a great time. they are always asking me 'who can we play with mom?' at least once a week we try and play with friends. it would be more but our options are slim...there aren't a ton of friends where we live. but they do have fun on the days we all go over someone's house. including me. it gives me a chance to have real adult conversation. my conversation skills have been lacking the past 8 years. whenever the kids complain ' i never get to play with friends'...i say, 'neither do i'. they smirk at me and walk away.

no nap

this afternoon i tried to get f to take a nap. we watched 'a knight's tale' and i thought that would put him to sleep for sure...but it didn't. he even layed on my bed for awhile but didn't fall asleep. i thought i was being really boring...working on christmas cards...that he would get disinterested and go take a nap. didn't happen. finally he came out of my room and wanted to play the piano. so we did. didn't last long but it was fun while it lasted. he's such a busy boy. then 5 minutes before we had to pick the kids up from school he comes to me and says, 'i tired.' perfect timing.

just listen

as my busy day comes to a close i wonder about all the things i could have done differently...should have done differently. i logged into blogger tonight and this song by jenny phillips started playing. i was blessed to be in her ward in utah and she sings from her heart. her testimony is written in her songs. i love them so much. they are so peaceful...so if you have a moment just sit and listen to the words...the maker's touch.

peace filled me once again and i felt the love of a heavenly father who contines to put up with me and my daily mistakes. i am so grateful for the knowledge i have of him and of his love for me.