Mom you are Santa!

                         

Sydnie's first Christmas with her Grandpa "Santa" praying over

her cradle. She will always believe!!

 

Well.....it's over. Connor is totally on to me and knows that I am Santa. Last year I made a believer out of him, by leaving a muddy boot print trail from the fire place all the way to the living room. I got the soles of John's boots wet and dipped them in potting soil, I proceeded to trash my tile floor to "prove" that Santa was real. I reminded Connor of the evidence. He said "Oh yeah, that was you, I'm sure you used one of dad's boots" Dang.. he didn't let me down easily he just threw a one two punch strait in the gut. But what am I to expect? the poor kid is going to get clobbered on the play ground if he keeps telling the guys that Santa comes down a gas fireplace chimney because he is "Magic". So here I am 3 down and one to go. Syd is 6, how long will she believe? Will the magic be gone when she has the same realization? Or does the focus just change? I'm mixed. Part of me thinks that the preparations would be much less stressful when everyone knows that we are just exchanging gifts from each other. But the other part of me is sad that that magic on Christmas morning is kind of gone... or is it? Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus. How often are we remembering that when we are racing to get the 50% off the latest gadget with an extra 15% off if you show up at 3am? My dream...would be to donate all of our Christmas budget to someone in great need. That would keep the focus on the Savior. Reality....I helped to create the consumer crazy monster that fills the living room floor with mostly crap that goes into the trash and then off to the land of lost toys.. Really i think its about balance. Even though Connor has totally dissed Santa, he remembered last year when Grandpa Don dressed up like "Santa" and we all delivered Christmas to refugee families. I was so over come with true joy when he reminded me of his memory. He was feeling that spirit of the Savior this year as we offered Christmas to other families. So even though my Christmas monster reared its ugly head, I realized that the magic of Santa was really being paralleled with the belief of the gift of our Savior. Connor could not tell you what he got from Santa last year, but he can tell you what his "Santa" (grandpa) gave to others last year. This year "Santa" had open heart surgery. John's dad has been a professional Santa for years. He has been hired to work in malls throughout the country. Our Santa has given so much joy and magic to both adult's and children. We are most grateful this christmas to have a healthy recovering Santa. His heart needed repair because it has spent a life time giving pure joy to everyone. Now with renewed energy and the generous donation of a wonderful pig valve, our grandpa will continue to offer his gift of love and hope for many more years.  This has been my greatest gift this Christmas. I will enjoy what few years Sydnie has left believing and then I don't know. I'm sure it's a natural evolution that prepares us for things to come... (grand kids?) Nah.. not yet.....I'm grateful to have the knowledge of the sacrifice of Jesus. I'm grateful for the magic of Santa, and the magic of the Savior. Most of all, I'm grateful for my family. I am a blessed woman to be surrounded by such fabulous spirits!!  

And to all of you... blessings and light for this new year.

"That's right!" Im 6. Practically an adult. I'm really a 25 year old squished into this pint sized body. Geez...

So I planned my party. My mom followed my direction. (Thought she was loosing it when she had the kids doing a Zen meditation. She is old, can't handle the noise.) So I wanted a pajama party. I wanted cupcake's. (The Costco cakes are overrated.) I wanted to watch Kung-fu-Panda. And I wanted to color. That's it. Easy breezy.

My mom finally got me that cupcake

maker that I see on every commercial.

It was so much fun. You get to make

ONE cupcake at a time. It took me an

hour to make 4. My mom said she could

have made 4 dozen the old-fashioned

way. I say, get with it mom. We live

in 2008 where "One at a time is IN"

This is what my Mom calls "Crowd Control !" We went with it. She's kinda crazy but I still love her.

These are my girls, all 16 of us. We are the future. We will rule a small country for sure!

So my Auntie Monica showed up

with her horse Smokey. He came

right into the garage. What a totally

rockin Birthday surprise. He even

pooped on the driveway. It was

awesome watching my Dad be the

pooper scooper. LOL.

Oh and the best story....

My 9 year old brother Connor thought he would show off. He went in the other room and in-hailed helium from a balloon. He held his breath until he got in front of the girls. Then without warning he passed out. He fell really hard, was totally loopy and dizzy. Talk about live entertainment!. My mom called poison control. She was worried that he might start levitating during the middle of the night from to much inhalation. (J.K. she was really worried cuz his stomach hurt and he was dizzy) The dude from poison control told him that in-hailing helium is dangerous. Don't think he will do that again. Duh!

K. gotta run. Happy Birthday to me!

"SOME TOWER!"

In June, John, Degsie, (from England) and myself, went to the US Open Golf tournament at Torrey Pines. It was a fantastic time. I am addicted to the major sporting events. There is a buzz and energy that makes you feel free and alive. It was at this event, when the discussion started. A pipe dream really.... It had been announced that the SanDiego Chargers would play a regular season NFL game against the Louisiana Saints, in London, at the new Wembley stadium. Problem....no tickets for sale. Degsie entered a lottery to buy tickets, it would be the very day he arrived back home in England. His first assignment, log on to the computer and pray that he was selected for the lottery. Back home, John and I were 1 hour from crossing the border with the kids for our Mexico vacation. I received a voice mail from a very enthusiastic Degsie stating that he was selected for the lottery and purchased 4 lower bowl seats with instructions to book our airfare pronto!! And so we did...and then we went! I knew that we would be just a few precious hours away from Paris. I begged for a day trip but the guys thought I was out of my mind. I told Degsie that Paris was "My Wembley" he couldn't refuse. He found a smashing deal on the Chunnel. We would land in London, sleep for a few hours, wake early, and take the 2 1/2 hour train to Paris with an evening return.

Back home in Draper, my friend Lisa was driving Sydnie and the girls to ballet. She asked Syd if she had talked to me. Syd said "yeah" Lisa said where is she? Syd said "OH she's at some Tower!" Lisa was giddy with laughter, and so was I. "Some Tower it was!" It did not disappoint!

These are just to wet the appetite. I took hundreds of pictures. A dream come true, and confirmation that Paris needs another visit, next time a week!!

We climbed the stairs to the base level. 390 to be

exact. Next time I will climb to the top!

S.S.S. Sam and Sam Stokes

Jason and Marie


The british brides maids

August 1st, Sam and Sam were married! What a story. Most of you know Girl Sam. She started spending summers with us when she was 15. Her dad Jason and John were mission companions is Scotland many years ago. They have remained friends and we have stayed in touch over the years. We have had the opportunity to have all three of their kids stay with us for extended periods of time.

About 5 years ago, there was a boy from South Weber named Sam Stokes. He was called to serve a mission in England. He went to the Chorley ward, and was invited often along with his companion to eat dinners at the Hunts home. Jason Hunt was serving as Bishop and he and his amazing wife Marie, often made these young missionaries feel at home. Sam Stokes returned to South Weber after his 2 year service. That was the first summer that Samantha Hunt stayed with us. She remembered Sam Stokes and let him know that she would be in the U.S. He and his buddies would drop by for visits. This went on for a couple of summers in a row. Samantha then attended BYU. It was this year that Sam Stokes and Samantha Hunt started dating. Their history went back several years by now. It didn't take long for them to realize that their futures would be spent together.

So now we have Sam and Sam Stokes. We often joke that during that first summer visit, we also had a dog named "Sam" So when all three Sam's were in the house, it made for a laugh or two. I realize that my postings are out of order, my intentions are good. Isn't she a beautiful bride?

CONGRATULATIONS Sam and Sam

Labor day OR "LABOR ON THE DAY?"

It was Fri. Night the start of Labor Day weekend. We received a notice of an emergency meeting to discuss the recent fire. I went with my neighbors Lisa, Sharon, and Cheri. The attendance was minimal, the message was horrifying!! The State Hydrologist opened the meeting by telling us that we were doomed. He flew over the burn scar on our mountain and determined that it was the "worst he had seen!" The guy explained that a burn scar is like a huge sheet of vortex or plastic that repels rain water and with lack of vegetation there is nowhere for it to go but down, (with momentum) He said we are at a high risk for flood damage, debris flow and mudslides. No bedside manor just said it the way he saw it. He was followed by a F.E.M.A. flood insurance specialist who strongly suggested we all add this policy. (doesn't cover mudslide, thats considered earth movement??) We heard from the Fire Chief, and the draper city emergency dude. Our house just happens to be one of the 100 at a high risk, we are in the direct path of a crevasse on the mountain that funnels the water right at us. Did I mention that I had already spent my day with a 3 alarm migraine, (3 prescription pills to get it under control, thats an overdose!) So now with my side effects from the migraine pills, and the info from the hydrologist guy, i wanted to throw up. I imagined riding my house like a skateboard all the way to the copper mine! Why the emergency meeting you ask?? Massive rain storm arriving on Sunday the magnitude of Niagara falls on our little neighborhood. What did this mean you ask??? Labor, sweat, lifting, sand in my toes, shirt, pants, hair, panic, organizing, saving, surviving...........................What did we do?? We pulled together, we organized with the fire chief who arranged to have 10 or more dump trucks full of sand delivered to our street, we brought shovels, and one by one filled thousands of sandbags. We started on Friday night and placed our last one on Sunday, just as the "rain came down and the sun didn't come up" We shored up windows with plywood, and helped out those who were out of town. Just as the weather guys promised a full on downpour. I had the 2 way radios with the NOAA weather channel and alert system in full effect. This is a protection in case there is an evacuation or danger in the middle of the night. My alert was going off like crazy. The panic and lack of feeling organized was heightened. By Saturday my 3 alarm migraine was now 6 alarm. I was in pure survival mode gutting out every min. We got important documents, pictures and John's entire autographed sports collection ready to move at a moments notice. (John's collection took up more space than just about everything else) I still had my jewelry in the "Save" pile.. again, gotta have the accessories to properly survive a disaster! Our neighborhood was like a war zone (again) the fire, police and draper city were in our neighborhood monitoring the mountain, rain fall and debris flow, they set up an emergency command center. Normally when it rains with a bit of lightning and thunder, I cozy up with hot chocolate and a blankie. This time I was in my rain gear, galoshes, and had 2 way radios clipped to my belt buckle. The rain storm was decent, we didn't really sleep well. At the end of it all we survived our labor day weekend. Our house is still sitting on it's foundation, although "Our" foundation has been significantly "Rocked". Danger lurks for the next 2 years. We need to be "Afraid" of rain and "Panic" if there is a thunderstorm. I will just try to be prepared and remember to save the family first and the "Stuff" if we can. And God willing, the vegetation will grow back and the danger will pass. We have great neighbors, we are not alone. I added flood and earthquake insurance, (takes 30 days for flood to kick in)
and after filling and lifting hundreds of DANG HEAVY sandbags, I think by biceps are bigger. See there is always a light at the end of the storm!!! Prayers for our safety are always welcome. Thanks..



In an emergency we need a cheerleader, syd put
on her "Chargers" jersey to cheer us on. "Charge ahead!"




This is one of the 4 window wells in our back yard, We also sandbagged
the neighbor's above us to divert the flow. that took a couple hundred
bags.

The news guy setting up a camera to cover our "Labor"


Now this is what I call "Team work" and community coming
together!!





Its a love hate thing....Love em if the save ya
hate em if you have to fill em, move em, and decorate
with them........

SPOTS!!!!

This was Day 1. By Day 2 "NO PICTURES MOM!"


The night of the fire, Connor barfed.....twice! once in the right place and the second time...as if I needed to clean that up! I thought it was smoke inhilation. 2 days later, covered in spots the Dr. said Hmmm. This is Chicken pox. NOOOO.

Chicken pox meant that Connor had to stay home for who knows how long. He was vaccinated and they thought perhaps luck would kick in and he would have a mild case and be back at it in no time. (Whatever) He had a decent breakout and missed his first week of school. Poor little connor was misserable. He was brave but the spots were in his mouth and hair and he was sooo itchy. So sorry bug.....:(

First day of Kindergarten "UP IN SMOKE"

m I in trouble???????

Sydnie is a pink cupcake with crystal sprinkles!

Her first homework.

"Mom how many more day's?" We started the countdown at 15. Sydnie was so anxious to start kindergarten. She is the only child that has expressed such enthusiasm. The buzz in the air was evident Aug.25th 2008. Sydnie knew she was hours away from her big day. She showered, had breakfast, got dressed and then posed for her "first day of kindergarten pictures." Ahhh finally... Sydnie is our smallest child. John and I are both tall, we wonder how she can never manage to move out of the 5th percentile for height and weight. Finding school uniforms was a challenge, but isn't she darling? She is in the 100th percentile when you evaluate and measure her personality. The "first day was really a 2 hour orientation. She didn't care, she was in kindergarten!! We left the school and I gazed at the mountain that we live on. It looked like a small controlled burn was in progress. We stopped at the grocery store for about 30 mins. and when we came out, this is what we saw..........

I couldn't drive fast enough, our house is somewhere in this smoky mess. The closer to home I got, the bigger the smoke became. It was clear that this was a wild fire not a controlled burn. John and Ashlee were in SanDiego. Within 5 min. of arriving at home, our neighborhood had all of the sights and sounds of a war zone. Helicopters, Fire engines, police cars, airplanes flying low. We stood at the bottom of our culdesac and watched the first day of Kindergarten go up in smoke. There was news of evacuating, I always thought I was prepared for this, NOT!!!

This is our roof line.

This plane was dropping fire retardant powder on the mountain. It was flying soooo low.

What did I grab???? My camera....If I couldn't save the house I would take lots of pictures of it burning down. (Duh!!) I was paralyzed. I didn't think our house would burn down but who am I to make that call? I spoke with John and he suggested I start loading the car in case we needed to evacuate. I found myself running in circles literally. I pulled it together and got pictures, laptop, external hard drive, estate planning docs. And my jewelry (can't survive an emergency without the bling!) It was a wake up call. I'm prepared for a disaster that would allow me to stay at home. But if I had to flee, our stuff is all over the house and it's impossible to remember every thing you would need to grab. "What I know for sure...." Things after all are only things. Its great to save pictures, they cannot be replaced. But everything else, well we live in America where we have more stuff to consume than is good for us. But, this was a great wake up call, and If I can save the sentimental's in the future, then its high time for me to be more organized. We survived the fire. We were safe and did not have to evacuate. WHEW!!! A shout out to all of our family and friends who were on stand by to help me out in a moments notice and who were calling to check on me every few mins. Thanks. I know that I am not alone even when John is out of town.

"Mom" I feel like a real Man!!

John and I went to Deer Valley for 3 day's. It was a long awaited break. John's Dad was kind enough to stay with our kids with Ashlee acting as his assistant. Between the 2 of them the goal was to keep Syd and Connor alive. I came home on Fri. and was warmly greeted by Syd, Ash, and Gpa. But Connor was not home. "Where is Connor" I ask. "Oh hes at the club house at the bottom of the culdesac" Hmnm. I don't know of the club house.. I walked all over the neighborhood knocking on doors, investigating back yards No boys, No club house, No Connor. That panic was setting in a bit. This is unusual behavior for Connor. He's easy to locate and never goes beyond the neighborhood boundaries. I couldn't contain the fear. Syd said that the club house was by the railroad tracks, near a park. That spot is way to far for him to wander and if he did................I had Ashlee get in her car with syd to go check out the park area. She called me and couldn't find him anywhere. It's now been a good 30 min. Do I call the police?? I tried to be cool, I asked syd again, she said by the railroad tracks. She seemed quite certain. I grabbed my neighbor and we headed in the direction of Mr. Glad's farm. Across a busy street towards a field, and abandoned railroad tracks. I yelled and screamed and heard nothing. Mr. Glad just so happened to be driving by and we flagged him down. "Have you seen our boys?" Oh yes, they had wood, Hammers, nails and power tools. He had that smile that comforted me. He knew these boys were just being boys, the old fashioned way that they don't get to be anymore. I said "where are they, where is their club house?" He said, " not sure, but if I were a little boy, I would be down in that field to the right under the Big tree!" As I'm walking toward the tree that seemed so far away, I had flashbacks to my childhood days growing up on a farm, with a field and trees all over. I remember leaving in the morning on adventures and being gone all day. I remembered building forts and palaces in trees and ditches. It brought back that age old feeling of good clean old fashioned (cant believe my childhood seems old fashioned) Fun. As we approached the tree, We spotted our boys. They built the best little tree house. They hammered wood and made a platform to sit on, it had a "lookout point" and a rope swing, one boy brought the R.I.P. headstones to scare off intruders. When I laid eyes on my boy, the feeling of wanting to yell at him melted away when I saw the layers of black dirt smeared all over his body. I could have carved on his cheek "Clean me" with my fingernail. It was a heartwarming find. We had a talk with the boys about safety and informing parents where they were. I gave connor the walkie talkies and our communication worries were all sorted. The next day Connor said,

"Mom, I feel like a real man!" "why ?" I said. "Because Ive never built anything before and now Ive built a tree house!" I'm thankful for the field in our suburbia. I'm glad that our boys could enjoy the outdoors and be creative! I'm glad I found Connor. I need to not worry so much!!

Fall runway fashion trend 2008

So our cute Sam (from England) had her bridal shower. The party was in south weber, but tragicaly on that very evening a Huge tanker rolled on the freeway closing all north bound traffic. It was evident that we would not make it and had to re-locate to a restraunt in down town salt Lake. It was great. They had a private room and got us in right away. The Problem..........It may have been 100 degrees outside, but in this private room it felt like 10 degrees below. FREEZING. We kindly requested a thermostat adjustment, but they argued it would mess up the entire restraunt. So we tried covering the vent with menu's but as you can see, It wasn't really working. We wandered into a stock room and found the checked table cloths, and all wrapped up in one. It was a funny sight. Now don't be shocked if you see this new look on the runways this fall. Watch out pashmina, checked table cloths are making a comeback!

Unplanned entertainment can be the best. It all worked out. And in typical Sam style, she went with the flow and didn't seem upset that the original plan was de-railed.

"May I have 2 toothpicks please"

I'ts a question Connor asks almost every waiter/waitress in every restraunt we go into. "may I have 2 toothpicks please?" This is a magic trick passed down from his big borther Ian. He loves
to impress on lookers with this impossible balancing trick.

Corrupted the sequel

My sister thought that her 18 month old daughter was corrupted when she found

her in the back yard holding a chicken. I argue that our corruption is worse, or just grosser!!

Grandpa Don LOVES fried pig skins. In fact, his favorite breakfast entree would be a plate of fried pigskins with melted cheese. We were at a Mexican fiesta for Johns sister, and part of the buffet included the largest skins ever. One of them had the FDA stamp fried right on it.. I'm kicking myself as we speak for not taking a picture of that one. Any of you who know me, understand that this is so gross to me. I can't imagine eating the deep fat fried skin of a pig. Imagine my horror when I found my "Girlie girl" gnawing on a pig skin almost as tall as her!! I prefer the more creative use "telescope" but still......she really liked it, so did connor. But I told them not to get used to it because it would not be found in their lunchbox any time soon. Grandpa Don and I joke around alot as he offers me a sampling of his pig skins. I wrinkle my nose and act disgusted, then we both laugh about it. So the jumbo, large pig, size skins made for a good picture moment, and offered "Corrupted the sequel"