Goodbye 2008....

Tonight we bid adieu to 2008.  We celebrated in our little home with our little family and had  a great time.

We prepared and ate a healthy dinner....
and banged on pots and pans to welcome in the new year...
some of us were not fully awake while this was taking place.
2008 has been an eventful year.  We have had many ups and downs.  We have had job success, and have cast off jobs that were not the best for us.  I went to work at a great quilt shop.  Reed has finally started his math homework, and hopes to finish soon.  Taylor started her last year of elementary school.  Torey got braces.  Jake started 1st grade and loves going to school.  We went on a family vacation to Disneyland.  We got a new niece and cousin.  We lost our beloved Prophet, and a new one was sustained.  We have done some missionary work.  We have been called and released from church callings.  (One of us four times!).   We have spent countless hours with our friends and family and love every one.  Goodbye 2008 - you were time well spent.

Sledding...

We are fortunate to have a Grandpa who takes his sledding very seriously.  Every fall Grandpa Mark takes the tractor out in the field and grooms a sledding hill for the grandkids.  We love it.  Today we invited Niki and Jeff's family and Grandpa Kerry and Kadee to go sledding with us.  We had a great time.  Taylor is getting really good at the snowboard.  It was such a nice day that the coats were shed early on.

Torey, Kinzie, and Kadee were really brave and attempted a train off the sweet jump.
Grandma Debra gave the kids a new sled for Christmas and Jake is modeling it as he tears down the hill!
Somehow Torey and I got turned around and still managed a fantastic pose!  
Thanks Niki for sharing the pictures!

Christmas Day....

Merry Christmas!  We just wanted to recap our day a little bit for posterity.  

4:30 a.m. - Reed in shower, kids wake up, Mom sleeping soundly (for once), snowing like a dirty rascal (quote courtesy of Grandpa Simper).

4:55 a.m. - Christmas unwrapping frenzy begins.... lasts approximately 23 seconds.  Mom says to Dad "It takes months of preparations for an event that lasts 10 minutes.  That is just not right."

6:00 a.m. - Dad leaves for work, kids are playing Wii, Mom back in bed sleeping soundly as per agreement.

10:00 a.m. - At Grandpa Kerry's for breakfast.  He gives the kids some cash and Jake gets an Indian knife made by Grandpa, and girls get arrowhead necklaces also made by Grandpa.

12:00 p.m.  - Home making relish tray, lost Taylor, picked up Jaycie.

1:00 p.m. - Grandma Joan's for dinner.  She gives the girls "Ripsticks" and Jake a scooter. (Starts to rain at around 3:00 giving us the green light to drive to South Jordan).

3:30 p.m. - Start the drive to South Jordan for dinner with Dad.  Freeway a little scary.  Kids snoring in back seat.

7:30 - home.

Reed's sales rep and friend Brenda sent the kids a bunch of stuff from Texas including T-shirts, cookie cutters, a Texas shaped ice cube tray, and giant jelly beans.  We sent her pink sauce!

The kids got "their first video gaming system."  It is a miracle according to Colton.
Taylor loves her Ripstick!
All Torey wanted Santa to bring her was baking supplies.  She made us these fantastic gingerbread bears - with very little assistance.
Jake looked very dapper in his new pinstripe suit and is showing us his new track.
We feel very blessed for all of the blessings we have been given and also for the opportunity to spend so much time with our families this Christmas season!

Preparations....

Elves have been imitated...

Time has been spent keeping busy....
Stockings have been hung, and halls have been decked...
All in preparation for the BIG event.
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and hope that the light and love of the Savior will fill your homes throughout this Christmas Season.  

We know that Jesus was born of Mary and is the literal Son of Heavenly Father.  We know that He volunteered to come to this earth to save us from our sins.  We know that he lived, was crucified, and on the third day was resurrected.  We know that He lives and we know that He loves us.  We know that He will come again, and we hope that we can look forward to His coming with more anticipation than we look forward to Santa's.  He has much more to offer...

Elf Yourself!

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Feeling Jolly....

Dear Dad....

 

Today was Polar Express day at school.  We had a great time.  We had hot chocolate, and they arranged the chairs like a train.  I got to see Santa Claus.  I told him I wanted a belt.  (A belt, can you  believe it?  I'll bet Santa is hurrying home to tell his elves about a BELT.)  We dressed up like elves.  We couldn't wear them to recess though, so we were elves undercover.  I liked my costume so much that I wore it to Costco.  I got annoyed when people kept looking at me, and ignored them when they mentioned my cute hat.  I mean it's not like I was looking for attention.  Geesh.   Did you know it snowed today?  I was like "raw ice."  Cool.

 

Torey got her braces reworked.  She chose red and green.  Because Christmas is next week, you know.  She can't wait for you to see them.  Lucky for her, and for us, she is not in much pain this time - yet..... (this just in - the pain just hit and it hurts a lot).

 

Taylor had a fantastic day at school.  They had some mom's come and they put vaseline all over their faces and it glued their eyes and mouth shut and they laid back on phone books and it was kind of relaxing but not really and then they put these plaster of paris strips on their faces and then they couldn't move but only signal with thumbs up or thumbs down or high five or nodding or whatever and then hers had a hard time drying and they kept checking it but when it finally was dry they didn't give any warning or anything they just yanked it off and boy did that hurt and she wishes one of the teachers would try it and see how it felt and then they had these guides lead them to the bathroom so they could wash the vaseline off of their faces but when she got hers pulled off she accidentally opened her eyes because she was so shocked and that was a mistake because it got in her eyes but she got all of it washed off but she should take a shower because the teachers told them to and so she did and the masks turned out good and they get to paint them and everything and it will be cool and she can't wait until they do and they made them because they are studying Egypt and that is what the Egyptians did and then Mom told her Joseph Smith had a death mask and guess who it looks like and she said who and Mom said Joseph Smith and then looked at her with that questioning look she gets on her face that she can't cover up even if she wants to.

 

Oh yeah.  Speaking of Mom, she cleaned the bathrooms.  She is so good that way.  I sure love her and because I do I will sleep in someone else's bed tonight and only cuddle with her in the morning.

Just letting you know that we are feeling jolly and can't wait for you to get home so we can tell you all about our day and how we went to Costco and tried to talk Mom into the snowflake lights - again.   We almost broke her this time.  We did talk her into getting some truffles for Grandma - a two pack.  You know what that means.  We also got hot dogs.  And Mom got gas and she said she felt like she was stealing it because it was only $1.34.  That's a big difference from what it was a couple months ago.  Do you remember when it was $4.  The guy said it is going to go up again after Christmas so stock up.  Oh yeah, Mom says thanks for shoveling the snow today, but it was raw ice...  See ya tomorrow.

Love, 

Jake (aka: Bernard the Elf)

Grandma Glenda's Christmas Party...

was a complete success.  We had a fantastic time getting together with aunts, uncles, cousins, and especially with Grandma Glenda.  We love her so much and are so grateful for the things she does for us.

These are Glenda's grandkids.  As you can see, the poor girls were outnumbered almost 3 to 1.  
Grandma always has the family do a performance of some sort.  Taylor played "Joy to the World" and "Carol of the Bells,"  Torey performed "Jolly Old Saint Nicholas," "We Three Kings," and "Rudolph,"  and Jake sang "I Love Mrs. Santa Claus."  They did great.  The entire family performed "O Holy Night" on the chimes, and it wasn't so bad if I do say so myself.  Kara also treated us to a beautiful song, and Kaylyn played the bagpipes.  The talent that we are importing is fabulous.
Then for the grand finale Grandpa Mark loaded all of the kids in the garbage can and gave them rides around the Senior Center.  He can always make  toys out of the most unorthodox things, and the kids love him for it.
Thanks Grandma for a fun evening.  We shouldn't wait so long to get together like this!