The Nativity

Acting out the Nativity as the scriptures are read is a wonderful family tradition. Jadyn was so excited this year to participate that she spent the week before assigning and reassigning parts to everyone. She always wanted to be the angel (because the angel had a great speaking part) and she was really funny as she decided what everyone else could be.

The night finally arrived and she and Jenna were angels. Don't they look beautiful?


The Greats were Mary and Joseph. The Jareds' and Hyrum were wisemen. I ended up being a shepard and Grandma was a great sport as one of the sheep. Grandpa filmed and Jared narrated. It was a memorable night.

As Christmas (and the entire month of December) are filled with all other Holiday Traditions, food, parties, gifts, etc., it was nice to take some time to reflect on the first Christmas and the birth of our Savior. Thanks family for making this a tradition!

Trains with Papa

Papa took Jadyn, Jenna, and Razzie on a trip to see some model trains. From what I can see from the photos, it is pretty incredible. The girls had a lot of fun and really liked the little trains and villages that were "the perfect size for my princess friends" according to Jadyn. Papa was great and snapped photos since I wasn't there. Here are a few favorites.

The girls after walking around looking at the trains.

After they looked at trains, Papa took the girls out for ice cream! Evidently Jenna tried to eat her entire cone in one bite and got a big brain freeze. Sounds like her....

Thanks, Papa, for taking the girls out to see something different. (and giving me some time to grab a few things without the girls...) The girls told me about the trains that were small. Jenna told me,

"I couldn't ride on it (the train) because it would break. I am toooo bigger for the train, Papa told me. But I could see them and they went too fast like a choo-choo."

Too bad you could ride, Sweetie. I know that you like trains, but what a fun place to go!

Jadyn's Lucky Day

The day finally arrived for Jadyn's Preschool Christmas Program. The countdown started over a month ago. Jadyn LOVES to sing and she was so excited for the program. She didn't even want to go to sleep the night before. It was almost as intense as waiting for Christmas Morning!


I wish I could explain just how much work goes into putting on the program and all of the projects that the kids take home on program day. Gail does amazing things. AMAZING. From the t-shirts with their hands and footprint, to the gingerbread houses and a box full of gifts and goodies, the kids go home with some great memories.

As to the program, well... I'll have to show you. Gail has hats, bells, shakers, etc. for all of the songs. Everything is special. Everything is so cute to watch. The kids do a great job. Jadyn knew every word and every action to every song. It was so much fun to watch her! So, here are some program photos:

Watch them "Deck the Hall" with cute candy canes!

Felize Navidad! I wanna wish you a Merry Christmas!

Look at these adorable Reindeer!

Down through the chimney comes good St. Nick!

Jingle Bells - I love it when they drive the sleigh to the left and to the right.

Did I mention that they also got to see Santa? Here is one of my favorites... Jadyn, Jenna and Razzie all hanging out with Santa.

After we finished the program and helped with the clean-up. Again, I just have to say "Thanks!" to my amazing Mother-in-law. It was a fun program!

Next we went to McDonalds to play. It was a cold and rainy day, so I was pretty suprised that Jadyn wanted a Hot Fudge Sundae, but hey, it was her special day.

Shrek was playing at McDonalds, so after we braved the cold rain and made it home, we threw our schedule out of the window and had a Shrek Marathon. The kids all had blankets and snuggled on the couch. We ate popcorn and drank hot chocolate. Jenna and Hyrum took turns falling asleep on my lap. It was a great way to spend a rainy afternoon!

When it was time for bed, Jadyn asked if she could call Daddy and tell him about her "Lucky Day". I had to ask why today was today a lucky day? This was her excited response...

"Mom, today was my PROGRAM! I got to sing and do my part. I loved it. Then I saw Santa and sat on his lap. That was so cool. Then we went to McDonalds because it was so cold and I got to play with new friends. I ate a Hot Fudge Sundae and then we came home and watched movies and had fun ALL day. Today was MY LUCKY DAY!"

Of course we called Daddy to tell him all about it. Great Job, Jadyn! I am glad you had such a lucky day!

Released

For those of you that didn't know, my husband was released on Sunday as the Elders Quorum President. It was a bit of a bitter-sweet experience for him. He has served as president for 2 years and was in the previous presidency for 2 years. I have forgotten what it is like to have Jared home on Wednesday evenings - and on Sunday. :o) While he is sad about being released, his work schedule leaves little time for anything else. I guess it is a blessing in disguise.

He was so grateful to have served with such great men as counselors. As a wife, I felt he was really blessed to be surrounded by such good men. We have all been strengthened by their service, friendship, and testimonies. When he was called, he was told that he was given the chance to serve - at the expense of others. He was given the chance for growth and blessings. I have seen so much of both over the last 2 years. I am glad that he was given that opportunity. We have such an awesome ward and I know that Jared has really enjoyed these last several years. I can't wait to see what will be in store for him next.

More to Come...

For those that faithfully check my blog only to discover that I haven't posted anything new, I promise that more is coming. We have had a very busy month.

I honestly have never been so proud of my husband. He is working insane hours (18 and 20 hour days 6+ days a week) and he manages to still greet me with a smile. He is amazing. Way to go, Sweetie! I know that all your hard work is going to pay off. I can't wait to stop being a "single mom"! It will be great to have you around again. The kids and I are really looking forward to Christmas with you.

Gail (super mother-in-law) did another great Preschool Program (I'll have to do an entire entry just to show off my photos) this week. Did I mention that she is unbelievable? It is so easy to see why my husband is never satisfied with just getting by. Gail goes above and beyond for everything. I am glad that he learned that from her. Great job on the Progam and all of the projects! In my eyes, Jadyn stole the show, but she LOVES singing, dancing, and being on stage. She has been counting down the days until program for a month. Funny kid.

Christmas shopping is almost all done - and half of it is wrapped. I have never been so prepared when it comes to the kids. I have a few gifts that are in the works and may or may not get done by Christmas for family and friends. I have promised myself not to stress about it. What gets done will be done - if not, oh well. (Now I just have to believe myself.) Who knows, I might actually get some sleep on Christmas Eve this year. (Ha!)

I love the Christmas season. I love the decorations, the smells, the food, finding/creating gifts for others, the magic that the children add, and constantly remembering the Savior.

I will have to post more later (when I have my photos ready to load). I just had to write a few thoughts today.

The Cost of Christmas Magic

Lately everything has been carefully monitored by how much it costs and if it really is a necessity. Spending $25 to sit on Santa’s lap and get a poor quality photo was not on the necessity list and I have been putting it off for weeks. Today I threw that out the window and finally said, “Yes!” to Jadyn’s pleadings to go and talk to Santa. She has asked every day since Thanksgiving. She wanted to go and see Santa and give him an enormous hug. She has even had Jenna start asking me over the last week. Well, today was the day.

We got up and went to our outdoor mall only to discover that Santa does not arrive until noon. (We were there at 9:45 – and it was cold this morning!) Since I didn’t want to disappoint my kids, we took off for an indoor mall. Santa was our very first stop.

The girls were so excited standing in line. They could not stand still for a second! At last it was our turn and Jadyn rushed to Santa, almost knocking him over with a HUGE hug! He just laughed, “Ho, Ho, Ho!” and Jadyn giggled. Jenna didn’t knock him over, but she was so happy to be able to sit on his lap.

Hyrum did remarkably well (no crying or fussing) for his first visit to Santa. He wasn’t exactly thrilled about sitting on a stranger’s lap, but he did OK.

They allowed me to take some photos of the kids talking to Santa while the “official” photo was being processed. I LOVE these pictures! This is why a visit to Santa was important. Both of the girls had Santa’s undivided attention for a few minutes as they told him exactly what was on their Christmas list and listened to him tell them that he was proud of them for being good girls and listening to Mom. It was so sweet to watch.

The rest of our mall visit was also costly…a ride on the carousel and a snack to tie us over until we got home. Ugggh. I am normally more prepared, but I wasn’t intending to be gone for so long.

Riding the 2 story carousel was a lot of fun. Hyrum sat on the elephant for a minute, but asked, "Down, Down!" He likes to sit on the seat and watch the girls go up and down.

Pure Enjoyment is a real treasure.

My kids had a wonderful day. The highlight was seeing Santa, but playing and riding the carousel were also treats. On the way home, we sang Christmas songs until I noticed that I was the only one singing. Yep…all sound asleep.

So, the day cost me about $35 (ouch), but the experience was priceless.