Christmas!

We had a WONDERFUL Christmas! It turned out to be very white, too - at least a foot deep! Christmas Eve started us off the right way. The boys and I made some of the food while Andy went to work for the afternoon. We made pumpkin pie, turkey, rolls and cookies for Santa. We also prepared for our Nativity play. When Andy came home, we feasted and then headed out to see some lights. There is a street here that does luminaries, but not many people participated this year. Maybe it was the snow . . . Our church also does a live Nativity with real animals which is very nice. Once we came home, we did our own Nativity play. The boys loved being the "innkeepers" and telling me and Andy that there wasn't any room. They were also shepherds and Tucker was a wise man too. Then we set out the cookies and read "Twas the Night Before Christmas." Amazingly, they went to sleep!

That is, everybody but Zane! He was wide awake until 11:30! Andy and I set out our gifts to the boys while he was still up. Not a good idea. We gave Zane a big red playground ball, but didn't wrap it. He saw it sitting there and started playing with it and laughing! Little stinker is supposed to wait for Christmas! He was enjoying it so much, that we just let him have it. Then, he started ripping the paper off of another present under the tree! What a twerp! After all that, I just held him until he calmed down and went to sleep.

The next morning was early, of course. The kids had fun and the first things that they played with were the gifts they got for each other.

We have enjoyed this time together as a family. I love Christmas for many reasons, but that love you feel for others at Christmas is one of the main reasons. "How silently the wondrous gift was given." The words ring true for the great gift of love we give each other - which is the gift the Savior gave to us. Through the noise of Christmas morning, the memory of being together in the spirit of love is the silent gift I will always cherish.

Zane's First Birthday!

Here is Zane a year ago! Look at the skinny legs! He has certainly put on some weight since then! (A few extra chins, a roll here, a dimple there . . .)

When you eat like this, you might tend to put on a few extra pounds! He loved the cake!

This year has flown by! He is a sweet and silly little boy! Today we were going to go swimming because he LOVES the water. However the pool was 83 degrees and I just couldn't bear it on a cold and snowy day. So we played in the tub with bubbles and had a great time until Zane "went" in the tub. That's one way to get them out of the water! Then he took a big nap while Derek and Tucker and I made his Cookie Monster Cake. He had a blast playing with his new toys (he got two trains - one from Nana and one from us - I guess we need to communicate with Nana and Grandpa about gifts better). All was well until I got a lovely thick sliver in the side of my hand. Later, Zane was walking toward me and fell flat into the bench at the kitchen table. He is sporting a nice purple bruise inbetween his eyes and I experience sharp shooting pains every now and again in my hand. Aside from that, it was a very fun day! Derek gave Zane a card that was a "coupon" to play together. He actually did it, too! Tucker also made sure to give Zane extra kisses and hugs today. Tucker calls him "Zsa Zsa" for some reason - you know, like Zsa Zsa Gabor. I think that is how you spell her name. Anyway, Zane eats it up! I am so lucky to have three healthy boys who love each other most of the time! Happy Birthday, Zane!

Merrill & Jen's wedding!

Merrill (my brother) just got married last Saturday to Jen. We are so excited for them! I got to meet her the night before at Chuck E. Cheese with Julie and Brad. All our kids were there, so it was a perfect place to play before the big day. I feel truly honored that they would spend that time with us right before their wedding. They were married in the Mt. Timpanogos Temple and it was SNOWING! It was perfect though because Merrill LOVES the snow! The sealing was beautiful and I cried my eyes out like an idiot! I wasn't all sappy and emotional until I had children. Now look at me. I start crying over Bob Barker on the Price is Right and have those embarrassingly loud breath intakes when you can't control the volume or the timing. Everyone in the sealing room must have thought I was a idiot! Anyway, it was nice that my whole family could be in the temple together (minus my brother-in-law Dave who couldn't get off work on the short notice). The luncheon was nice and laid back. In fact, our whole trip to Utah was sincerely one of the best trips we have had and I will always look back and smile at the memory. The snow and the roads were really quite nasty at times though. At one point we were going 5 mph on

I-15! We came home to a foot of snow in Cortez! I guess it is wintertime. Well, congratulations to Merrill and Jen and hope they can come see us in 2009!

Patch the Pooch

Zane and Patch are buddies
Patch as the "Super Dog"

Here is our noble dog, Patch. We got her when we lived in Midland, Texas two and a half years ago. She was a furry little puppy and we got her sister Bailey, too. When we moved to Bayfield, our landlord would only let us have one dog, so Bailey stayed in Texas with a good friend and is doing well last I heard. Patch is now our pet. She is very sweet and licks and licks and licks and jumps on people when they pet her and licks and licks and . . . you get the idea. She LOVES kids! She also loves to chase prairie dogs, geese and her tail. Behind our house is not developed yet and the prairie dogs have a large existence there. Whenever we open our garage door, Patch whimpers and runs full force out to get the prairie dogs before they hide in their holes. She caught one once and didn't know what to do with it. She played with it for a while and let it go. Another time, she got so excited when the door opened that she ran into it (this happens quite frequently) and got a bloody nose. She loves to chase a frisbee and rough house with Andy and Derek. Tucker thinks it is funny to balance things on her because she sits still while he does it and then jumps up unexpectedly and knocks the stuff off her. Zane and Patch are friends too. Zane pulls her fur and plays with her face while Patch remains still. Once Zane is done, Patch licks him and won't let up easily! Another favorite game the boys play with her is "Bull Fighting." She sits under the table and they "open the gate" which is really the bench to sit at. She runs out and they try to "rope" her in with a blanket or their hands. Once Patch has had enough, she simply doesn't come out of her pen and then the boys have to take turns being the bulls themselves. Our trusty watchdog barks when someone is at the door, but is such a scaredy cat that she won't go outside in a thunderstorm, or if the garbage truck is there or any other loud noise. Someday I'd like to get her a friend, but this mama can't handle it yet!