LADIES IN LAS VEGAS

Last weekend I had a fabulous time in Las Vegas with 2 of my sister in laws.  We really missed having Sarah & Ashlee there with us this year, but the two Ang’s and I still managed to make a good run of it for all of us until next time.

We had a great time.  We flew in on Saturday afternoon.  Ya gotta love those 50 minute flights!  A little extra sleep, and a lot of fun- it was just right!Here’s some of the fun things we did & a few fun places we ate.  The rest of the story….stays in VEGAS!  :0)

   

I love Hypnotists.  This one was hilarious & fresh. 

The Mentalist- eh, OK. 

           

  

This French Bistro sits strip side at the Paris Hotel…the outside terrace is where we had lunch, which faces the water fountains at the Bellagio Hotel.

This musical was awesome.  I loved, loved, loved it.  The casting of young Simba, young Nala & Rafiki was fantastic!  The rest were nothing short of great either.

HEAVY METAL BANDS

Yep!  These little kiddos have one fantastic orthodontist who happily prescribed these beauty’s for them. 

Heavy Metal Hooks & Rock’n Rubber Bands…

Every night. EVERY night! 

What a kick, we get out of tucking them in. 

Ah—but years from now—Great smiles, right?

LULLABY & GOODNIGHT

Last night I snuggled my girl in bed for a bit.  I put my arms around her (and 4 of her favorite stuffed animals).  I softly started to sing…

Rock- a- bye Baby in the tree tops…

“Mom,  I’m not a baby.”

Oh.  Ok.

You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…

“Mom, I’m not your son, I’m your daughter.”

Alright.

“Twinkle twinkle little…

“Still a baby song!”

So, I got creative.  I made up a song of a beautiful little daughter, who was a princess and soo wonderful…la la la la la…

…and a slumbering did she go…

INTEGRITY

Integrity is

consistency of actions,

values, methods, measures,

principles, expectations

and outcome.

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Heading off this year is the 4th of our 6 family values.  I thought this would be a difficult one to teach, but I have recognized that it is easier to explain than I thought.  The difficult thing is to try to be an example of this for my kids.  I always hope to act with integrity and pure purpose.  Yet that is a difficult thing to do at all times.  Thankfully though, I learned early on that if I am not true to myself, then I will never be true to the life I hope to live.  And being true to myself and my belief’s is where the roots of integrity grows.

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“Integrity is telling myself the truth.  And

honesty is telling the truth to other people.”   

-Spencer Johnson

  .

However, it’s an ongoing process for me to:

‘Say what I mean, and mean what I say.’ 

…to keep my promises always and follow through with commitments on a regular basis.  It’s the little things I guess.  The nights when I promise to snuggle my kids before bed, then by the time bed rolls around, I want to give a quick hug and say “are you sure I didn’t say tomorrow night?  Or when I say, “If you do extra chores today I’ll…and think of something to give them, whatever will stick.  When really I hope they forget I ever promised them something in return.  Those are the daily things I really need to ‘cowboy up’ on.  Those are the simpler things that come to mind when I think of what I should be doing to work on my integrity.  Heaven knows of all the more difficult stuff! 

At any rate, I will continue to trying to do my best to teach these children without feeling inferior to do so.  I am slowly realizing that, though I may not be the best example of all these values…as their parent(s) I know it is my/our responsibility to do so, even while I must learn a long with them through out the rest of MY life, and look toward my Father in Heaven for counsel and guidance.  I know I can make a difference in theirs at the same time.

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“One of the truest tests of integrity is

the blunt refusal to be compromised.”  

-Chinua Achebe

HANDBOOK 2010

A friend of ours sent this wonderful list to us.  As I read through it, I found myself nodding yes to at least 95 % of these great reminders which I think help make for a very happy life. 

Though some are harder than other to incorporate as habits- I believe this is a great list to work off of  to keep us striving to head in life’s right direction.

I highlighted some of my favorites.

Health:
1.       Drink plenty of water.
2.       Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3.       Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants..
4.       Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5.       Make time to pray.
6.       Play more games
7.       Read more books than you did in 2009 .
8.       Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9.       Sleep for 7 hours.
10.    Take a 10-30 minute walk daily. And while you walk, smile.
Personality:
11.    Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12.    Don't have negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.
13.    Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14.    Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15.    Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16.    Dream more while you are awake
17.    Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need..
18.    Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19.    Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20.    Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21.    No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22.    Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23.    Smile and laugh more.
24.    You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...
Society:
25.    Call your family often.
26.    Each day give something good to others.
27.    Forgive everyone for everything..
28.    Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of  6.
29.    Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30.    What other people think of you is none of your business.
31.    Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
Life:
32.    Do the right thing!
33.    Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34.    GOD heals everything.
35.    However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36.    No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37.    The best is yet to come..
38.    When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39.    Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

author unknown (to me anyway)  

COUNTRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas weekend we drove to the country and shared a few days with the Pearson side of the family.  We enjoyed a nice dinner at Gpa Clark & Gma Jami’s along with treats and a white elephant exchange. 

The next day we relaxed at Gma Suzie & Gpa Dallis’s home.  We ate treats and the kids played the day away.  The girls wouldn’t let us go to sleep without entertaining us with one of their famous talent show’s.

Alyssa’s B-day was Monday.  Grandma Jami had a cake and ice cream for her the night before, which she was delighted with.  The older girls treated her like a princess and begged for her to have a sleep over with them.  She was in heaven!  Then she opened presents out at Grandma Suzie’s.  She is a lucky gal this year, she still gets to come home and have a friends party in a few weeks.

FRIENDS TIMES TEN

We try to get together yearly with Todd’s group of friends from High School.  The fun thing for me about this is that I have known 2 of these boys, I mean men ;0) since 3rd grade, and the other 3 since Jr. High.  They have been like brothers to me.  It has been a joy for me to become friends with their wonderful wives as well.  As the years go on it’s always more difficult  to all get together with half living out of state and lots of kids and schedules.

We had such a great time with all of us here this year.  It was really fun to have all the kiddo’s come to party with us.  Our family of friends has definitely grown up.  We are so blessed to have you guys in our lives.  Thanks for the wonderful friendship through the years.  We love you all so much and thank you for the supports you have been to us!

CHRISTMAS DAY

The kids were OH SO EXCITED!  Once again we enjoyed watching their little faces light up when they raced into the family room to see what Santa left for them.  Alyssa sat wide eyed and silent for a moment while taking in the sight of her 4 foot tall Glamour Girl doll house.  Then with her lips slipping into a grin she jumped for joy shouting hurray hurray!  Tyson went sliding to his knees while examining everything one by one.  He didn’t even realize what his biggest surprise was.  A pair of  ping pong paddles and a few balls sitting neatly upon the chair.  Finally we nudged him toward them.  He looked up at us bewildered saying “but we don’t have a ping pong ta…..  DO WE HAVE A PING PONG TABLE?”  Then ran as fast as he could to the basement, once again examining his new treasure with delight.

We enjoyed opening presents in the warmth of our home while listening to Christmas music in the background.

We then ate our traditional breakfast of Grampa John’s Norwegian Crepes, Bacon, and Orange Julius.  We milled around for a few hours until it was time to head to Grandpa and Grammy’s for dinner and presents.  We always love Grammy’s BBQ beef sandwiches and all the other yummy food that’s served. 

   

I DON’T CARE ABOUT SANTA

The kids weren’t as sleepy eyed as they should’ve been on Christmas Eve.  So I went back upstairs after tucking them in and “originally” said if you don’t go to sleep then Santa will NOT come.  This is how Alyssa replied. 

“I don’t care about Santa.  I just care about Jesus.  Cause tomorrow is his birthday!”

CHRISTMAS EVE

Just the mere thought of Christmas Eve is packed full of meaning and sense of peace for me.  An officially celebration of  the birth of our Savior once a year is such a humble joy.  After all the rush of Christmas Cheer, wrapping presents and eventful Galas- Christmas Eve represents a time to pause, reflect and inspire the purest of feeling towards the miracle of Christ’s birth.

For the past 3 years we have dressed our table with my Great Grandmother’s ivory silk table cloth with matching napkins. We again used our oil lamp for centerpiece lighting.  We haven’t quite settled on a traditional dinner yet- so Todd decided we could all choose our own menu items.  Guess what- the kids both got frozen dinners that they loved.  Meat, and mashed potatoes and gravy…ready in 4 minutes flat.  Todd ate Fajitas while I enjoyed a Wintery Chicken Salad.  It hit the spot for all of us, as we dined by candle light. 

Grandma Suzie sent some chocolaty treats and a few stories for us to read on for the night.  We talked about the symbols of Christmas.  We opened our Letters to Jesus and read them together.  I am very excited about this being one of our new family traditions. ( more on that later)

The kids opened their Christmas Eve Jammies as always from Lance Dewberry, our family elf.  We made cookie dough for Santa and Reindeer Dust for the team.  Then quickly it was time for the children to nestle.  The kids love to huddle in Tyson’s bed while listening to Christmas music and wishing to see Santa’s sleigh flying past the window.  I snuggled them for a while.  Then off I went to rendezvous with Mr.  Claus for the night!

CINEMA & CITY LIGHTS

We happened to choose a very snowy night for our traditional movie, and Temple Square lights night.  But canceling was not an option.

We were thrilled to have Gramps & Grammy come with us this year.  They rode the train with me, Tyson and Alyssa to meet Todd.

We saw the Princess and the Frog.  It was a cute show.  We then ate supper in the Food Court and were ready to see the lights.  By that time, dark was approaching fast and we waved goodbye to Grammy and Gramps who headed back home on the train. 

Then the 4 of us bundled up and were off.  We happened to be one of the first few people on Temple Square that night.  The lights had just turned on, and the Nativity Narrative started almost on queue as we walked nearer.  It was beautiful.  The snow falling down through the lights just glistened.  It was a nice reminder of how blessed we are to live where we do and in this time of the worlds history.         

 

HOLIDAY PARTY

Nothing Like a Happy Holiday get together with a bunch of Cheerful Gals.

We had some deliciously hardy soup in bread bowls with yummy salads & deserts.  We gabbed for over an hour before starting our hilarious white elephant exchange.  We hooted and hollered with tears rolling down cheeks. 

NO BOYS ALLOWED!  They wouldn’t have wanted to be there- Crazy ladies!

MISTLETOE LANE

On the first day of Christmas

my true love gave to me…

Our “Fun Do “Fondue Night.

I had a REALLY fun time doing the 12 days of Christmas for Todd this year.  Some friends and I decided in November that we could “muster” :0) up the energy to treat them to something special this year, in return for all the great things they do for us through out the months.  We had a great time planning themes, treats or activities for each day.  Just like the kid in all of us…some days were naughty and some we’re nice!  ;0)

Each day he got a little basket filled with either a small present that he needed or a teaser of an activity for later.  Along with a mini book he would open where he would pull out a paper ornament with a poem written that coincided with that special day/gift.

I had almost just as much fun planning and laughing with the girls till the cows came home, as I did giving to Todd.

*Thanks for being such a great sport -Hon!

 

JACKFROST

Tyson took these photos one morning. 

The freezing temps made everything crisp & white. I cropped these down to size and thought they turned out kinda neat from the eye of an 8 yr old.

 

ZOO LIGHTS

We had a great time at the Zoo Lights with Lesa & the kids.  It was definitely a bitter cold night though, that’s for sure! 

Thank Heaven for Hot Cocoa & Heaters!