SNOW FOR CHRISTMAS.....

We've got lots of snow. It just keeps coming. I think just this morning there was 10 inches in some spots. Other places only 5 inches. I worked on 10 houses in 3 hours. I love to shovel the snow, blow the snow, but what I'd really like to do is buy a 4-wheeler with a blade so that I could push the snow. This body isn't as young as it use to be and I feel wiped out when I'm done.
Mad and the puppies enjoyed playing in it

Mak would like to be out in the snow, but she must sit by the fire and drink her hot cocoa. She still thinks she'll be able to snowboard again before the season ends. I'm more pessimistic. (See previous post regarding breaking her ankle.) She will be on crutches for another few weeks and then in a walking boot.

The Family

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Christmas Wishes.....

It's always fun to listen to what the kids want for Christmas. A wants Jazz tickets, H a video game, Mak wants money for clothes and Mad wants it all (scooter, mp3 player, camcorder, etc.) When I was younger, the list was huge. There were things I put on my list that I was certain wouldn't be there on Christmas morning. I would also list things like pajamas because I knew Mom would have those whether I asked for them or not. While at the grocery store yesterday, the cashier told me that he felt "kids nowadays are spoiled and don't have much of a wish list". It's funny that I've been thinking the same thing. All of my kids struggled to come up with items for their Christmas list. Have we baby-boomer parents overindulged our children? Have they no Christmas wishes? I remember when the Sears catalog arrived in the mail. I would sit down and go through it page by page, writing down the item number, size, color and price just so Santa would have an easier time. The list would continue to grow as the season progressed. Perhaps the problem is.....there is no more Sears catalog. Life was simplier then.

Not a Good Day....

Saturday was an interesting day. The pictures above are only for graphic purposes. They are not actual photos of the coming events. G took the girls skiing and snowboarding. It sounded like a good idea. G even had his bindings replaced. Apparently, they didn't even make it past the first lift ride. Mak had her left leg in the snowboard bindings. While jumping off the lift, her board hit something and went one way, while her body went another. Yep! She broke her ankle.

Meanwhile, Dad was helping Mad learn to ski. He somehow got tangled up in his skis and heard his knee pop. Yep! He blew out his knee. The good news is that Mad made it down to the bottom of the hill without any help.

The boys and I were home while all the excitement was happening on the mountain. H and A played in the high school band for the Christmas parade. Since Mak was now injured, we all were drawing straws to see who would go with Dad to Glenn Beck's Christmas Sweater. I won.

We are Thankful!

Thanksgiving is a time to remember your blessings! We have very many blessings. We are grateful for family, friends, the gospel, employment, and the freedom we enjoy. For the Thanksgiving holiday, G and I rented a huge cabin in Brian Head. We invited all of my mother's family to join us for the holiday. Everyone came! That hasn't happened in a long time. We were able to pull off a family photo. (Listing everyone in the pic above we start with me on the left, then A, G, H, Dave, Clint, Chad, Ben, Jeremy, Owen, Brittney; seated are Kathy, Kaley holding Skyler, Grandma LaNae, Amber holding Tyler, Paula holding Trent; in front are Courtney, Cassidy, Mad and Mak)
This is Grandma and her 11 grandchildrenOur family

My sister Paula's family
My brother David's family

The snow cooperated with us. Brian Head received it's first snow of the year while we were there. 14 inches or more! There was one ski lift open and all who attempted snow boarding or skiing had a great time, although there were some sore muscles. It was fun to get reacquainted with family spend the holiday together!

HALLOWEEN 2008

The boys and Mak decided to dress up as the Blue Man Group. A & H had to play in the pep band for a football game, so they didn't want paint on their lips, for fear it would get on the instruments. They stayed together all night. They were a hit!
Mad went as a bloody nurse. This is as scary as she dares to go. She came up with the idea and even planned out the scenario as to why she was so bloody....but no one asked. She had a great time.
We didn't do traditional trick-o-treat, going door to door, because I have a strong resentment for older kids trick o treating. They hung out at our ward's trunk-o-treat, and then headed on to the high school game. It was a great day.

POLITICS & PROTEST

I had this long rambling post about politics all ready to go when I realized most of you wouldn't enjoy my feelings with respect to the current presidential election, so I deleted it. Honestly, the most horrific part of the elections was not the presidential race, as I once thought, rather it is the action and reaction to the passing of Prop. 8 in California. I believe this won't go away quietly. I think it is ironic that I give a lesson soon on watching for "the signs". I don't think my class will have any problem searching for current events indicating the signs of the times. (I promise my next post will be more light-hearted!)