Way to go Matthew!!

As part of Matthew's apprenticeship he has to attend classes through WWCC. I got this certificate in the mail the other day and just had to show off how hard Matt has been working- on the job and at school. Way to go Matthew!!

Brit's Christmas Surprise

Britnee has wanted a dog since she could talk and ask for one. Matt loves cow dogs and I knew that if I were going to have a dog that it would have to be something I could really love. (And I've never felt a great attachment for cow dogs.) So in October when Bret and Heidi got a dog I started thinking that if Heidi could have a dog in her house, then maybe I could have one in mine. Matt and I talked and decided to get her a small house dog, we agreed on a Pomeranian and I found the perfect one on KSL.
We picked her up on the Monday before Christmas and hid her at my mom's house. It was pretty crazy but somehow we kept her a secret from Brit.
On Christmas morning Britnee found dog bowls at the end of her string. She looked at them for a minute then went to show grandma, walking right past her dad.
Grandma had her turn around and for a second she just stood and stared, not quite sure what to think. The pictures aren't even enough to describe how thrilled she was when she realized exactly what she was looking at.
After a minute, she took her and has pretty much held her since then. She told me as we went back out that this was the Christmas that her dreams came true.
Having a puppy has been fun. We're all being somewhat trained together as we figure out how to take care of her but she learns quickly and has a fun little personality.

Christmas Cheer

Christmas this year was good. We stayed home but still tried to have a little family tradition. The kids have said that their favorite part of Christmas morning is to follow the string from the tree to their present. I let Matt do the yarn and the kids had so much fun winding their way through the house (and in Jaycee's case, out of the house :)
Because Matt did such a good job, the kids were winding their way through each others string too.
Cody's string led him to a set of air soft guns that he has wanted "forever."

Even though they are older, Jaycee and Britnee were pretty excited about their gifts too. Jaycee got a new cowboy outfit and a manikin doll head to do hair on.

The Sounds of our Season

I love music. I know that comes as a shock, but to me, music provides ambiance and should be somehow orchestrated throughout life. Christmas time is no exception and though I'm pretty picky about what I listen to, Christmas music plays in our house from Thanksgiving to the new year. Here are a few of our families favorites.
Voice Male- Jingles 2. Can I say any more about how much we love these guys. Awesome CD!!
Mannheim Steamroller. My mom bought two of his "tapes" when we were little and the music brings back memories every time I hear it.
Enya- And Winter Came. Has Enya ever put out a bad song? I love the relaxing tone of her music and the beautiful sound of her voice. And, she's from Ireland!!!!
SheDaisy- Brand New Year. I bought this album when it first came out in 2000. It's hard to find now days but it will always be one of my favorite Christmas albums.
So, if you come to visit at our house this season, and we hope you will, beautiful holiday background music will happily be provided.

Paris Elementary Presents Santa's Workshop

I love the program that the elementary puts on for Christmas every year. The kids put so much into it.
Britnee got to introduce the program with the other two members of the student council. Cody was an elf at the workshop. His whole class was dressed up as elves and they looked adorable. The whole school sang Where Are You Christmas? at the very first and then each class sang a song as a group of kids tried to find the Spirit of Christmas. The program ended with the children finding the Christmas spirit and the whole school singing I'll Be Home For Christmas. It was completely delightful. I loved it.
The only regret being that because of where we sat, I wasn't able to get more pictures than the top one. And before I could get any afterward, the kids had all gone back to their classes and changed clothes. Luckily, Jaycee ran out and snapped this picture of Brit just before she went out to start. Good memories anyway!!

Wonderful Weekend

I love birthdays. Every year I try and do something special for whoever is having a birthday. This year for my birthday, I bought tickets for Matt, the kids and I to go to The Voice Male Christmas Concert in Logan.
We drove over early and ate lunch at Fredrico's Pizza, then braved the blizzard and the traffic to get to the theater. It was plenty worth it though. The concert was wonderful. I spent almost as much time watching my children laugh as I did watching Voice Male sing. Their delight was priceless to me.
At the end of the concert, they threw rubber duckies to the crowd. One of the first came to Cody who let another little girl have his. The guy throwing saw this and gave Cody another one. It was great.
After the concert we took the kids shopping so that they could buy gifts for each other and for a few friends at school. I love to see the thought that goes into this shopping trip. Each child tries so hard to pick just the right gift.
Sunday was my actual birthday. I spent it at home with my family, the best place in the world to be. I got several phone calls and lots of wishes from my facebook friends.
It was a wonderful weekend and a wonderful birthday.

Deck The Halls

( Disclaimer: This is an attempt to kind of copy Aunt Tracy's post. But I'm not even almost the decorator that she is.)
Okay, that being said, this is a little of what my home looks like all dressed up for Christmas.
We put up a small tree in the front room. Matt helped me and we decorated it western. The spurs on it are from Matt's great grandpa. The rope belongs to Cody.


The outside looks the same as it always does. Matt said that he would be glad to put lights up in the yard if Christmas was in July but there's no way he's going out in this weather to decorate.
I love the holiday season. I just can't wait for the kids to get home each night so we can turn on the lights and read Christmas stories. It is indeed a wonderful time of the year.

Murder in Sin City

Our annual Murder dinner was a little later than usual but every bit as much fun. The theme this time was "Murder in Sin City". I played the part of Fannie Mae, a Vegas Showgirl. (I had to improvise on the costume a little as it was hard to find a feather head dress. ) Matt played Charlie Marr, a depressed screen writer.
We ate buffet style and had Pina Coladas, Strawberry Daquaris, and Banana Cream pie for dessert. (All alcohol Free, of course;)
Part of Matt's part had him asking for Teddi's hand in marriage. Everyone made him get on his knee to ask her. She said no, that she was in love with Bud Waters. Then Bud came up dead. And the plot thickens...
Rich played Bud Waters, a not very bright bouncer for the casino. Amy played the part of Sundance Sue, daughter of the casino owner and as it turned out, a cold blooded killer.
Scott was Anthony Capezio, the ruthless casino owner who wasn't afraid to so a little killing of his own. Ashley was Swoozie Waters, a high priced escort and the sister to Bud Waters.
Candice was the beautiful Teddi Baxter who was a Marilyn Monroe impersonator. And Greg played the part of Stevie Marino, aka Elvis, aka, the dead guy. Yeah, those side burns are electrical tape. Classic costume!!

We all had a great time. Thanks guys for always coming and making every party great.
Looking forward to the next one!!!

Thanksgiving '09

This year for Thanksgiving we went to Dondee and CJ's house in Basin. It was a wonderful weekend. Since all of Dondee's family was there we ate in the garage.
It was beautiful and the kids were able to play outside most of the day.
Matt, CJ, and Erik deep fried a turkey. Matt swears that is the only way to do one. I have to say, it was pretty yummy.
After we ate, everybody gathered around and played rock band.
The kids took turns on the Wii playing tennis and bowling.
Thanksgiving was great this year. We visited with family that we don't get to see as much as we'd like to and enjoyed every minute of it.