2011 Reflections

As 2011 is coming to a close I wanted to take a moment to reflect on this wonderful year. 

I have learned a lot, as usual.  Here are a few of the things that come to mind:

- I can do hard things.  Getting up at 5:30 am to run in the dark, cold weather has taught me this.  Last week it was 17 degrees one freezing morning.  But thanks to good friends, I knew I wasn't alone and I would have a better day if I just did it.  This little lesson transferred to me the following:  my Heavenly Father is with me whenever I think something I have to do is difficult.  It can be something as simple as giving a lesson or playing the organ in sacrament meeting.  Amd then, of course, there are  more difficult things that life throws at me.  "I can do hard things".  Just like a long run, when I don't think I can go much further, I can reach down inside myself and pull something out of me that I didn't know was in there.  And, when I think there is nothing left to pull out, then the Lord steps into my life and makes up the difference.  This is all because of the Atonement of my Savior, Jesus Christ.  And because of what He has done for me, I can do hard things.

-  Apologies are easiest when you do them right up front, no foot dragging.  Whether it is a co-worker, friend, or family member, just jumping right in and saying I'm sorry is really easier in the long run.  I have had to learn to swallow my pride, for sure, and sometimes just blurt out I'm sorry right away even if I don't exactly feel that sorry.  Waiting turns small things into bigger and bigger issues.  Yep, I am learning this the hard way, but I think it is sinking in to my thick brain.  :)  I guess I am learning that if you value a relationship you have to let hurt feelings be "water under the bridge".

-I have a lot less stress in my life when I lay off of too much sugar.  Now, I'm not saying I don't eat sugar, that would be a big fat lie.  But I read an article that said eating a lot of refined sugar lowers your resistance to colds as well as cancer.  I like a bit of dark chocolate every day and I do much better if I save other desserts for the weekend or a special occasion.  I like the 80-20 rule here.  If you eat what is good for you 80 percent of the time, then the other 20 percent you can have junk food and be ok.  At least it works for me. haha

Christmas Day

Christmas morning Dave, Alex and I opened our presents and then headed out to see the grandkids.  We stopped at the Stowers house first.  The kids were still opening their presents.

Livie's mouth is chock full of Skittles.  Ha!

Next it was over to Mason's.  Ash and Jud are living in Jud's parent's basement until next week when they will move into their new home.  It is sooo nice to have all 5 grandkids about 5 to 10 minutes away from us.  I know it won't last forever.  But I am enjoying it while it lasts, for sure.

I love the Star Wars jammies they got from Grandma Mason.

Later that day we had everyone come up to the house to talk with Roo when he called from Korea.  We all got to chat with him for about 2 hours.  It was the day after Christmas for him there, but he got permission from his mission president to call then so we could have everyone (including Steph and Jared, who are still here visiting from Michigan) talk to him.  My favorite part was when he bore his testimony in Korean at the end and Alex translated, line by line, for us.  Tender.

I kind of blew it as far as photos went for the rest of the day.  I guess I was just too busy savoring the time spent with the fam.

Christmas Eve

We went out to my parents' house to celebrate Christmas Eve.  The Nativity story with the younger kids:

Too old to participate in the Nativity now:

Although Dave and I only had one of our children there, it is still pretty crowded, with all 5 of my siblings, their spouses and offspring there.

Dad, Nana, Uncle Billy and Mom.

Christmas Eve Eve

I stole one of the best ideas ever from Kathleen, years ago, when we started having married kids.  That was to have our family Christmas party on the 23rd of December, Christmas Eve Eve.  There are several very good things about this:

1- We usually get everyone here. 

2-  Everyone can go to the "other side" of their family on Christmas eve, or spend time with their own nuclear family if they want to.

3-  Usually no one works Christmas Eve, so they don't have to leave too early to get home and get to bed because of work the next day.

4-  Our kids have said they really like it because it prolongs the fun as they pretty much have three days of celebration.

But for me, reason #1 is the main reason I love it.

The last few years we have been inviting my parents and Dave's dad, too.

Here was the food last night:

Why there are fire trucks on the table I'm not sure. :)

Next was the Nativity story, acted out by all of our grandchildren:

The kids started out being calm and sweet.

Then it started to go downhill as Dave was reading the story from Luke.  This little shepherd pulled off her head covering and ran off with the baby.

Half way through, Lily changed from being Mary, to being an angel.

So Olivia was Mary.  Again, she ran off with the baby.  Logan was hilarious.  He was a bit confused about the role of a Wiseman.  He said, "I'm a princess, no I'm a snowman".  Later, when looking for his crown he kept saying, "Where's my majesty?"  He cracks me up!

It was nice having Dave's dad and my parents here.

Present time was kind of along the same lines as the Nativity story.  It started out calm . . .

We used the money Dave's dad gave us for Christmas to buy a new point and shoot camera.  All of the pictures in this post were taken by Dave because he was trying to figure out the features of the camera.  SOMEDAY  I would love a DSLR.  But . . . holy cow, they are so expensive.  So for now at least we have something of our own again.  Since ours fell into the bottom of the ocean in June we have been using Alex's $99 mission camera.

Girls Baking Day

Yesterday was our "Girls Baking Day".  We waited for Steph to come from Michigan because it wouldn't be the same without her.  Well, I don't think we actually baked anything.  But we made some wicked desserts.  Lily took the photo for us.  Go Lils!  She is one of the best Kindergarten photographers I know of!

The little cousins all had fun together, as usual.  We are now  less one cow to our Nativity set (but he was in bad shape to begin with, having been glued together years ago) and can no longer call a live poinsettia "Live" anymore.  But I wouldn't trade either of those meaningless things for the sweetest, most energetic grandkids ever!  Love 'em!

Now we get to eat all of the stuff we made yesterday at our family party tonight.  Uggh.