You'll Shoot Your Eye Out...

Jake woke on Christmas morning to find a genuine carbine action Red Rider BB Gun residing under our Christmas Tree. He was elated. Reed was elated. And I am not going to lie to you, that BB gun is really fun. We shoot it in the basement. We had a tournament. We will probably have many more. Reed won the first one. He probably won't win the next because I can practice when the kids are in school.

6:05 a.m.

Merry Christmas...

We wish you a Merry Christmas, a day filled with love and laughter, and a life filled with the love of our Savior.

Gingerbread....

This year Santa will be enjoying Grandma Simper's famous gingerbread cookies courtesy of the three little elves. We have been super busy with home building, Christmas shopping, and dentist appointments. Jake was really glad he wore his lucky underwear today, as his cavity was too small to fill. Sometimes that underwear really pays off!

Saturday...

Saturday was very eventful at our house. We began the day at the Ward Christmas Party, where our family got to sing part of the "Twelve Days of Christmas." Torey also sang with the Primary kids and a good time was had by all. Following that the gentlemen in our family went to see Jammie for some haircuts. And then.... we had to go and help save a goat. Well, we sat in the parking lot for three hours while Reed helped to save a goat. But then we were treated to this...

This is Kennecott Copper Mine, and I hope I spelled that right. Because we waited so patiently, and no one was harmed in the car, we got to drive up and see the biggest hole in the world - you can even see it from space.
This tire costs $25,000, and as we all know it takes four tires to drive a dump truck. Do the math. That is super-duper expensive. We were happy to just stand by it. We wanted to thank our favorite friend and engineer, Russ, for letting us see something really cool. So, thank you.
Next up was Grandma Glenda's Christmas party. It was lots of fun to hang out with the cousins and perform in the talent show. Santa Claus even stopped by for a minute to hand out candy canes. Jake asked him for a little brother - and if not that, then an elf. So, if anyone knows of an elf or a brother looking for a home, please call.
This is the latest picture of the house. It now has part of a roof so that's good news... or is it?

Another House Picture....

It's coming right along.

A Shameless Plug for the South Jordan Fire Department....

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Decisions, decisions....

As it turns out I have discovered that I am on my own when it comes to building this house. Reed has generously taken himself out of the picture, reserving for himself three vetoes depending on my choices. One has already been exercised, in a blatant attempt to undermine my decor. The charlatan did not even inform me of his veto power until I had carelessly shared my choices on lighting design. Let me paint you a mental picture. Reed and I standing in the lighting aisle at Home Depot, and me explaining to him in no uncertain terms the gender of our two eldest children. "They are girls" was heard repeatedly by customers bold enough to venture down said aisle. Two can play at this game. I have now decided that I hold the judicial power in our relationship and can therefore overturn his veto. This means one thing. The girls will be having chandeliers in their bedrooms, on the condition we come in under budget. I think that is a sensible compromise, don't you? Now, on to more important issues at hand. Windows. Who knew that their were so many options when it came to windows? This is why I am coming to you - hat in hand - asking for your opinion. Do I want full grids, Craftsman Grids, Prairie frames, or no grids at all? Do I want white window frames, taupe, or tan? Do I want a picture window in the front room, or one that opens. Tempered glass is necessary in the bathroom so that if Reed and I are frolicking in the tub and one of us slips, we will not fall through the glass, impel ourselves on a shard of non-tempered glass, and fall to our ultimate doom. These are the kinds of decisions I have to make, and frankly I am getting little help and a huge headache. Please, take mercy on me and offer up your opinion. I may or may not take your advice, but at least you will have done your part. Everyone loves the luxury of having absolutely no opinion, but someone eventually has to climb down off that fence. Reed.

Thanksgiving Weekend....

The Friday after Thanksgiving we finally talked the kids into going to see our house. Reed sees it every day, but the rest of us hadn't seen it at all. Three of us have no desire of ever seeing it. Here is our basement. Is it just me or does the dirt have a distinct yellow/orange tint to it. I think it is mine tailings, but that is purely conjecture on my part. Anyway this is our basement from the north side of our house, directly over Taylor's bedroom. Reed called today to tell me to picture it with some basement framing, and some brick in the background, so things are moving along.

This is the kids standing by our basement. Pictures are worth a thousand words. Enough said.
We ventured out to do some shopping late Black Friday. Jake was tired and took a short rest and before he knew it he was the new store mannequin. He did manage to turn some angry shoppers' frowns upside down when they saw his bright smile.
On Saturday we went to pick a few things up and Jake left us to our own devices. He couldn't be bothered with any of the decision making, he just bellied up to the bar with a good book and entertained himself. He then treated us to a grand retelling of the story he just read. So apparently his reading comprehension is amazing.
Now we are looking forward to the holiday hustle and bustle, trying to get our shopping done, and most importantly finding something to bring the true spirit of Christmas into our home. We sang Christmas songs for family night and that did give us a temporary fix, though there were several dogs in the neighborhood that were singing along with us, I am sure!