Christmas

Christmas started off as usual with an appetizer dinner with my parents. We learn every year not to make as much, so we kept it simple -- we still had lots of leftovers!
After dinner we played games until Courtney and Daniel came home. Then came the unusual part -- since I was taking Mom and Dad to the airport early Christmas morning (6:00), we decided to have Christmas on Christmas Eve.

It looks like Christian is really enjoying his stocking -- really he is, he just doesn't like his picture being taken.

Courtney and Daniel joined us Christmas Eve. They opened their presents to each other. We figured out that they were going to have four Christmases this year -- ours, Daniel's parents on Christmas Day, Christmas with Cheryl and Maria, and then there were presents sent to their house. What a haul!

Here Dad, Courtney, and Daniel are opening up a present from me. I had them open it together since it was the same gift -- a recipe book of famous restaurant recipes -- like Olive Garden, California Pizza Kitchen, etc. Mom liked it since she saw mine and wanted to copy the Olive Garden soup recipes. I told her she could get them later.

This is Christian and my Christmas presents. I love the quilt stuff Mom got me - I'll get to make some pretty quilts now. (I've already got my next three projects planned.) I enjoyed all my presents - and some of them were even a surprise (not ones I suggested).

Christmas morning after I got Mom and Dad to the airport and Christian and I slept some more (we didn't got to bed until 1 or 2 and got up at 5), Christian informed me that I need to get a better hiding place for Christmas presents as he knew most of the ones he got. Spoil sport! I told him to quit looking and next year they would be wrapped and under the tree before he got home from college:) That will stop him.

Anyway, I hope that everyone had a very merry Christmas. It was an unusual one for us - but very merry :))))))

Mural in My Library

I had an exciting last half of the week. On Thursday, Larry's sister started a mural on my school library wall. I have wanted to have one for many years. It is a beanstalk. From the trailing tendrils I would hang book covers for themes I am covering. Karen said she would do it and she did a wonderful job.

This is a very BIG beanstalk. It starts at the bottom of one wall with Jack trying to chop it down. Then it winds its way down that wall and a second one to disappear through the clouds and the ceiling at the corner. Coming down the beanstalk where it disappears is the giant's foot.

It took Karen three VERY LONG days to do it -- with Larry helping out for a lot of it. I can't thank them enough for such a beautiful job.

Karen working on the beanstalk and clouds on the second wall.

The beginning of the beanstalk with Jack -- he has his tongue sticking out and such an intense expression on his face.

Can you find Frog and Toad's lost button in this picture?

Where's the pigeon?

Find Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge's football and Cinderella's glass slipper.

There is a pot of gold that I will use around St. Patrick's day.

Can you find a mitten shaped cloud? It is from It Looks Like Spilt Milk.

The giant's foot with Zeus's lightning bolt from The Lightning Thief.

Karen said she would add more characters and objects from other stories into the beanstalk throughout the year as she could. I can't wait for the kids to see it tomorrow. A lot of them having been in the library several times a day to see the progress Karen was making on the beanstalk.

Halloween

Christian's high school held a Trunk or Treat for the neighborhood kids. Christian dressed up as a young Albert Einstein. My car was used as the trunk. I told Christian to get pictures - of the trunk and him dressed up. Like a normal teenager, he forgot. Luckily, I snapped one picture right before he drove off.

Fall Break

I spent part of my Fall Break in Palm Springs with Mom and Dad. The condo was beautiful. We spent time playing games, watching movies, swimming, reading, and seeing what Palm Springs had to offer. It was a very relaxing time - totally enjoyable. Here is the kitchen in Mom and Dad's condo -- Christian and I had a connecting condo -- that made up the two bedroom condo.

One day we went swimming. Dad found this big turtle floaty and tried to get on it. It was hilarious to watch him jump and try to get on and then fall off again. After Dad got tired of trying, Christian tried his hand at it.

Check out the wings on Christian and Dad. They BOTH need a haircut :)

Thursday night we went to the street fair. It was amazing. This guy is spray painting pictures. It was so cool to watch. He could do a complete picture in about 10-15 minutes. I ended up getting one picture that is going in my living room. Christian really enjoyed seeing the different techniques the guy used.

Here are some of his pictures.

On Saturday Maria and family came out to spend the day with us. We went swimming where Stan came up with a game for us to play in the pool -- Wimp Ball. It is like volleyball except the ball is out if it goes beyond the farthest player or to the side of the farthest player. So we all bunched up close to the ball would go out. Also we could hit the ball as many times as we wanted - we even caught it and threw it back. It was a blast!

Callie and Sierra liked Mom and Dad's bathtub -- it was huge and it had a waterfall faucet. They had to get in and try it out. (I liked it too, but I didn't get to try it :()

A lot of the rest of my break was spent fixing up my yard (it REALLY needed to be mowed), making thank you cards and working on Christian's graduation quilt. Mom helped me finish up the top and get it on frames. Then she showed me how to quilt it. It hasn't been bad - I've actually enjoyed quilting it. Now I just have to keep it up once I go back to school tomorrow :) (That is why I gave myself a lot of time to finish it.)

This is what his quilt looks like. I think it is going to be a great quilt for him to have for college.

Weekend with Maria

Okay -- I'm going back in time. A few weeks ago Christian and I went to spend the weekend with Maria and family. We had a lot of fun playing Nerts, getting pedicures, and going ice blocking.
Christian and Callie loved playing together - whether it was on the computer or the Playstation. Sierra joined them from time to time.

The dishwasher had problems. Water kept running out the bottom of it. Poor Stan got soaked:-( I got a lot of interesting pictures of the situation - unfortunately Maria deleted some of them since she didn't want me to hold them over her at a later date. (I just said I wouldn't post them, not talk about them, Maria.)

Sierra had her hands full. Way to use your brain - or rather your feet!

I got a lot of fun pictures ice blocking. Christian was the dare devil of the group and kept trying different ways to go down the hill. Most of the time I spent it on the ground, not the ice :)

What an interesting picture Stan.

With Christian's example, Callie did a little experimenting as well.

I love this picture of Sierra. She looks so beautiful in it. She was right below me when I took the picture.

Safford Trip

I sure felt weird to go back to Safford. So many things had changed, but a lot had stayed the same. We drove by our old house to see it.

This is Christian standing next to the tree he planted at the court house just a couple of weeks before we moved to California. That was when he was in the fourth grade. My how things have changed.

When I went to Safford last weekend, Christian and I took pictures of the new temple being built. I can't wait for it to be built so I can take Christian to the open house. They just put up the angel the week before.

20th High School Reunion

Last weekend I went to my 20th high school reunion in Safford. It was great to see everyone again. I just wish that I had looked at my yearbook before I went to I recognized them better. Here are a few pictures from the reunion. You can see all of them on my facebook page.

Kerry and I Saturday night. Kerry helped put together the whole reunion.

Melissa and Kerry getting down.

Everyone dancing Saturday night.

Roxann, Melissa, and I at Branding Iron Saturday night.

Chistian and I. Christian hated me taking these pictures. Of course, he hates any picture being taken of him.

Christian is leaning against a locker in Senior hall. It's interesting to see lockers still in a high school. They aren't in many anymore.

Roxann, Melissa, and I Saturday morning at the high school.

Everyone on Saturday morning at the high school. We watched a slide show of our class. By did we think we were hot back then - big hair and everything.

The reunion was a lot fun. Can't wait for another one.