Christmas Memories from 2012

Christmas Lights on Temple Square
Brad and I took the little ones to Temple Square on Saturday, December 1st.  It conveniently turned out to be one of the warmest December nights I have ever known in Utah.  Lizzy took off her coat and shoes before I could stop her.  Lizzy loved looking at the water fountains more than the Christmas lights, and she wanted to wade right in, but Brad and I wouldn't let her.  David was more interested in walking around Temple Square than sitting in his stroller and staring at the lights.  He made a lot of ladies smile at him, toddling around in his over-sized boots, and losing his balance once in a while while he walked.  Pretty hard not to smile at that.

Ward Christmas Party
Our ward's Christmas party was on Friday, December 7th.  I made a gingerbread house to use as a centerpiece for the party, and Emma made one with the Beehive girls in her class at church.  We had a "Cafe Rio" themed dinner at the party, which was delicious.  Brad and I sang in the ward choir, and Lizzy surprised us by singing with the primary children without any coaxing from us.  Lizzy and David enjoyed sitting on Santa's lap before we left.  They both love Santa.

Family Home Evening Activities
All of the Family Home Evening activities for the month of December was focused around Christmas.

On Monday, December 3rd we made Christmas trees out of green foam, buttons, and yarn.  I was amazed at how unique our trees turned out to be.  In my mind I thought everybody would make their trees the same way, since we all had the exact same materials, but everybody's tree was a work of art, including Lizzy's, which she did all by herself.

On Monday, December 10th we ate like shepherds on a blanket in our living room.  We had chicken, dates, cheese, pita bread, and grapes.  We'll have to do that again next year.

On Monday, December 17th we made candles out of clementine oranges and read "The Christmas Oranges" while eating orange slices and drinking orange smoothies.  I love the book "The Christmas Oranges," and it has been a family tradition to read it once a year at Christmas time.

12 Days of Christmas
I did something this year that I have never done before.  I had a marvelous time giving Brad presents leading up to Christmas Day.  Each day I gave him a new gift, increasing in number as the days went by.  Each gift was relatively inexpensive, or in some cases, free.  My favorite gift was presenting him with the first 2 seasons of Downton Abbey on blu-ray, which I bought on sale for an amazing price.  That was the biggest surprise, and he was very happy.

On the twelfth day of Christmas my true love gave to me: 

12 (secret) packets, 

11 ball point pens, 

10 yummy pastries, 

9 sexy love notes, 

8 chocolate bars, 

7 awesome coupons, 

6 cans of root beer, 

5 Downton Abbey discs, 

4 votive candles, 

3 candy boxes, 

2 Martinelli's, 

and a clean and organized room.

Christmas Eve
We spent Christmas Eve at home this year.  I made a big turkey, and a broccoli casserole, and we invited Marilyn & James and Grandpa North to have dinner with us.  Marilyn brought mashed potatoes, a salad, and rolls to dinner, and Grandpa brought the drinks.  We had raspberry/cranberry Christmas punch, and it was yummy!  Lizzy was feeling pretty sick this year, but the rest of us were fine.  I liked having Scott and Emma with us for Christmas Eve.  We had our tradition of getting pajamas on Christmas Eve, and both Scott and Emma liked the jammies they got.

Christmas Day 12/25/12
Little Lizzy was still very sick Christmas morning, so we brought her bed downstairs in front of the tree so she could watch us open presents.  David loved the wrapping paper the best.  He clearly thought it was extra fun ripping paper without it being taken away from him.  He got some cute toys, clothes, and books, and a play cellphone, which he loved.  Lizzy got some adorable Disney toys, including a Merida and Angus set, and a Little Mermaid doll, but she got the most excited when she opened up Grandma Whitcomb's and Rachel's package with dresses inside.  She loves dresses!  Emma received a bunch of My Little Pony toys, and a pretty purple turtleneck sweater, which she has been wearing constantly.  She and Scott also got a present from Rachel: a Harry Potter Scene It game.  Scott received art supplies and a Lego set, and lots of random small gifts, such as a Lord Vader Christmas plush toy.  Brad and I were just happy to get "Brave" and "Cinderella" on Blu-ray, and to receive gifts from Aunt Laurie and Rachel, and Scott's and Emma's maternal great-grandmas who are always so thoughtful in their gifts.  We are very thankful for our family and loved ones who think about us during the Christmas holidays.  We ended up spending Christmas at home this year, since Lizzy was feeling so unwell.  We liked having the Bruce Clan come over for a little while, and we enjoyed spending time at home watching movies and editing photos.

Visiting Extended Family
One thing I love about the holidays is spending time with Brad's family!  We had a soup and game night, complete with a hot chocolate bar and Mr. Kruger's Christmas on the Sunday before Christmas.  It was nice playing games and visiting with Brad's family, and eating delicious soups and yummy treats.

Brad and I took the little ones to visit Aunt Marian on the Saturday after Christmas.  We enjoyed playing Nerts with Aunt Marian and eating her yummy homemade lasagna.   Lizzy liked playing with Aunt Marian's dog, Rocket, the most, and David loved getting into Marian's stuff, especially her cupboard in the kitchen.  We entertained ourselves by saying "forbidden" to David every time he got into the cupboard.

We also had another family dinner on Sunday, December 30th, when Brad's sister, Amanda, and her family came to visit out of town.  I was amazed by how big Amanda's kids have gotten.  They are so tall and slender!  Lizzy loved playing with them, and kept calling Aksel "Jack" over and over again, even when I told her what his real name was.  David and Aksel definitely look like they could be brothers-- they look so much alike!  Grandpa North provided a nice big dinner for us, and I brought some clam chowder soup to share.  It was lovely.  Loralee brought some yummy treats, including a batch of cookies Lindsey made herself, and some yummy monkey bread.

Christmas 2012 was a wonderful year for our family!  I am grateful for the memories we created together as a family, and for the love that we have for one another.  I'm looking forward to 2013!

The Currant Bush~ 10 Years Ago Today

‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.’ ~ Hugh B. Brown

Ten years ago today, my husband was like a currant bush.  He was confident and strong, and he thought his life was good and prosperous.  He realized, at times, that some aspects of his life were not measuring up to what he wanted, and what he knew the Lord wanted, but he was content to have things remain the way they were.  His life changed dramatically on a cold December night in 2002. Everything that my husband loved, worked for, and treasured was taken away from him in a single heart-wrenching blow.  All of his branches were hacked off.  My husband was left with nothing-- nothing but his enduring faith, his physical health, and his will to live. At that moment in time, my husband did not understand how everything would be made right again.  He did not understand why "the Gardener" had let this happen to him. But my husband received strength at this time-- far more strength than he knew he had within himself.  Slowly he began to repair his life and grow into the fruitful currant bush he knew "the Gardener" wanted him to be. He could not have done it alone.  I will forever be grateful for the countless prayers and acts of kindness and support he received from family, friends, and even strangers ten years ago.  My husband was blessed tremendously. He has flourished, grown, and prospered far more than he could have envisioned at the time.  To all those who know Brad's story, it is amazing to see the contrast between the man he was ten years ago and the man he is today.

All of us have moments in our lives when we feel we have reached rock bottom.  Sometimes during these hard and difficult times we do not understand why these hardships are happening to us, or how our lives will be made right again.   I always try to remember that trials and hardships happen for a reason, and that the Lord knows what we are capable of and what we need to do to become better people.  He will do what he can to help us grow and prosper into the people He knows we can be.

Links:
"The Currant Bush," Hugh B. Brown, January 1973.
"As Many as I Love, I Rebuke and Chasten," Elder Todd Christofferson, April 2011.

The Highlight of My Day: November 2012

30 Days of Gratitude

Something good happens every day. Here's what I was grateful for in November 2012:

Thu 11/1/12: Today I am grateful for modern-day technology that allows me to edit photos on my computer and share them with friends and family who live far away. I love Photoshop and Facebook! I had so much fun working on photo projects today.

Fri 11/2/12: The weather was perfect tonight. Brad and I took advantage of it by taking the little ones for a quiet walk around the block. I am very thankful for the new neighborhood we live in.

Sat 11/3/12: Today I am grateful for early-morning, uninterrupted, lovey-dovey conversations with my best friend. I started off my day feeling beautiful, appreciated, and loved, and it only got better from there! I love my husband so much.

Sun 11/4/12: Today I am grateful for my wonderful step-daughter, Emma. We had a blast exploring the world of "Pottermore" together, shopping in Diagon Alley, and learning more about the story behind the stories. We're hooked. We'll have to explore more tomorrow.

Mon 11/5/12: Emma gave the lesson for Family Home Evening tonight. She needed to pass a few things off in her "Faith in God" booklet. I am grateful for the restoration of the gospel, and for the power of sincere prayers.

Tue 11/6/12: I am grateful for sweet little moments with my kids. I liked dancing in the kitchen with Lizzy and David today. We were listening to a Glee CD. I don't watch the show, but I wanted to hear the music, so I checked a CD out from the library. We had fun!

Wed 11/7/12: I am grateful for good, wholesome entertainment that my husband and I can equally enjoy together. I loved watching "Downton Abbey" with Brad tonight. I finished crocheting another hat during the show, too.

Thu 11/8/12: I am grateful for my extra nice and generous husband, who goes out of his way to scoop me a bowl of ice cream, or rub my shoulders, or change the baby's diapers, without being asked. He is always right on the ball, willing to help or make me feel better. He is wonderful!

Fri 11/9/12: I am grateful for good friends and good company. Brad, the little ones, and I went to visit the Hills at their home in Magna. We had chili and bread bowls for dinner, and pumpkin snickerdoodles for dessert. David showed off his walking skills and walked all over the house. Lizzy liked hanging out with the girls.

Sat 11/10/12: I am grateful for a husband who knows how to drive in heavy snow! It snowed at least 10 inches yesterday and today. It's a winter wonderland outside.

Sun 11/11/12: I am grateful for lazy Sunday afternoons with my husband. He makes me so happy. I love being married to Brad.

Mon 11/12/12: I was so happy to get David's baby book in the mail today, and to find Emma's birthday present at Bed Bath & Beyond. I am grateful for the time I save, and the cool things I find, when I use the Internet.

Tue 11/13/12: I am grateful for the routine of going to the library every week, and checking out good movies, CDs, and books for free. The library is such an amazing resource for our family.

Wed 11/14/12: I am grateful for Scott taking out the garbage every week. He is such a good boy.

Thu 11/15/12: I am grateful for an amazing husband, who takes off work to help me when I'm feeling unwell. I'm also grateful for medical benefits and insurance. My husband is such an excellent provider!

Fri 11/16/12: Today I am grateful for my mother. She flew in from California to visit me, and she brought me some homegrown avocados and a dozen fresh lemons, straight off the tree. My mother took us out to dinner at Virg's tonight, in celebration of Emma's birthday. She's wonderful!

Sat 11/17/12: Today I am grateful for good food, parties, and gatherings with family and friends. We had a birthday party for Emma at Grandpa North's house to celebrate Emma's birthday. It was Harry Potter themed, so we had chocolate frogs, jelly beans, golden snitches, butter beer, snowy owl cupcakes, and a candy birthday cake. We also had beef stew and shepherd's pie for dinner. We ended the night by going to the Hill's Annual Pie night. We had so much good food today!

Sun 11/18/12: I am grateful for moments my children get to spend with their Grandma Whitcomb. I absolutely loved watching my mother hold sleeping baby David in church today. He looked so precious snuggled up underneath my mother's chin. I also loved Lizzy looking for Grandma at church, and helping her find her purse and jacket. Lizzy is a little mother herself. I love that.

Mon 11/19/12: Today I am grateful for Family Home Evening. We did our annual "I am Thankful" drawings together as a family. I loved drawing our new house-- first time! I am grateful for family traditions and family routines. I love the time I get to spend with my family.

Tue 11/20/12: I am grateful for the happiness my stepdaughter, Emma, brings into our home. Today was her 12th birthday. She was so happy this morning, it made everyone else around her happy. I love her very much, and I'm looking forward to her starting Young Womens shortly.

Wed 11/21/12: I am grateful for the help the older children give me in our home. Scott was very helpful today when I needed to do some last minute Thanksgiving shopping. He takes good care of the little ones.

Thu 11/22/12: Today I am very grateful that Brad and I were able to celebrate Thanksgiving with all of our children. It's such a treat being all together for the holiday. We spent Thanksgiving at Bruce and Loralee's house this year, and all the kids had a great time with their cousins, and Brad and I had fun playing games. As usual, Loralee was a fantastic cook and made delicious food. I made a turkey veggie tray this year, and a green bean casserole using Loralee's recipe. So good!

Fri 11/23/12: I am grateful for KSL.com! We sold a stationary bike today and bought a Christmas tree with the same cash. It's almost like we traded a bike for a tree.

Sat 11/24/12: We enjoyed playing board games with our neighbors today. I am grateful for the new neighborhood we live in and the good people we've been getting to know better.

Sun 11/25/12: I am grateful for the BYU channel, and for the fun times I had with Scott and Emma today watching Studio C. I enjoy watching good, clean, comical fun on TV, especially with others who enjoy it as well.

Mon 11/26/12: David learned how to say "thank you" a few days ago, and today he learned how to say "yay" for the first time. I am grateful for the sweet little moments I get to share with my children as they grow. They change so much every day!

Tue 11/27/12: Today was an extremely busy day, but I did find some time to work on Scott's headcrab hat. It's going to look pretty awesome when it's done. Today I am grateful for skills, talents, and abilities. I like being creative and making things.

Wed 11/28/12: Today I am grateful to be Scott's stepmother. I finished Scott's crab hat today. It's such a weird looking hat, but Scott seemed to really like it. I was flattered that he put a photo of himself wearing it on Facebook.

Thu 11/29/12: I've been crocheting and getting done projects around the house. Today I got the house ready to put up Christmas decorations. I can't wait to see what the decorations look like in our new house! I am grateful that I have my own home to decorate this year. It's so awesome being a homeowner!

Fri 11/30/12: Marilyn and James came over to watch "Temple Grandin" with Brad and I, and brought dinner to share with us. I love my in-laws! I am grateful to be a part of the North family.

I Am Thankful Artwork

We had our annual "I Am Thankful" Family Home Evening Activity on Monday.  Here's what we came up this year:

Emma's 12th Birthday

Our beautiful and sweet Emma turned 12 years old today.  We celebrated her birthday over the weekend with our extended family at Grandpa North's house.  The party was Harry Potter themed, due to Emma being on a Harry Potter kick lately.  Emma recently finished reading the entire Harry Potter series with her dad a couple of weeks ago.  The two of them spent the last couple of years reading through all the books out-loud together.  Emma loved hearing her dad's Harry Potter voices, especially Hagrid's and Dumbledore's.  They are reading The Hobbit together now, and Emma is loving it so far.

 We had beef stew and shepherd's pie for dinner at Emma's birthday party on Saturday.  Emma loves those entrees, and it helped that they were both mentioned in the Harry Potter books to go along with the theme.  For dessert we had butter-beer, chocolate frogs, golden snitches, snowy owl cupcakes, jelly beans, and a candy cake that Emma designed and decorated herself.

Emma's 12-Year-Old Interview

Emma woke up bright and early on her birthday, because her feline roommate, Miss Sushi, was meowing in her bedroom quite loudly.  As soon as Emma opened the door, Sushi leaped out of the room at full speed, making her way downstairs to use the litter box as fast as her four little paws could take her.  Emma followed not far behind, rubbing her sleepy eyes.  Brad and I greeted her by singing Happy Birthday as she descended the stairs, and then we bombarded her with hugs.   I decided to take advantage of Emma being up early by interviewing her for her birthday. 

Here is what Emma has to say about herself this year:

Me: What makes "12" such a special age?

I'm going to be in Young Womens, and I will have bigger responsibilities and do things I couldn't do before, like baptisms for the dead.

Me: Who are your best friends?

Makenna Torgesen, Brooklyn Roper, and my cousins Kaylie, Rachel, and Jessica.

Me: What do you like to do when you are with your friends?

Play Minecraft, play outside, or just talk.

Me: What makes you laugh?

A funny episode from Rhett & Link, and crazy Scott and Lizzy.

Me: What is your favorite subject in school?  Why?

Art, because I love drawing cats, and because I don't always get to draw whenever I want.

Me: What are your favorite books?

Warriors, Harry Potter, The Hobbit, Alice and Wonderland, Batman comic books, Foxtrot, and Garfield.

Me: What are your favorite movies?

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Gravity Falls, My Little Pony Friendship and Magic, Napoleon Dynamite, Brave, Toy Story 3, and Monsters Inc.

Me: If you had a million dollars, what would you do with it?

I would give at least half of it to Makenna and my family, and the rest of it to buy Warrior Books and My Little Pony, and to buy a forest and have lots and lots of cats.

Me: Describe your perfect day.

I would wear my super Nyan Cat shirt and I would go ahead and go downstairs and eat breakfast, which would be Nyan Cat shaped bacon and eggs.  Then I would go to school riding on a cheetah, and it would run me to school.  I wouldn't be wearing a uniform.  Instead of learning, we would get a million dollars for not wearing uniforms.  You could play on the computer, or you could go outside on the super slides.  They would say, "You can have a brand new Microsoft 4000 for not wearing uniforms."

Me: What do you want to do when you grow up?

I want to be an author, because I have a lot of good ideas, like The Golden Sand Island, and The Black Cat series.

Me: What is your favorite family activity?

Going to Aunt Marian's house and having a swimming party.

Me: What is your favorite holiday?  Why?

My favorite holiday is my birthday, because it's the day I was born, and I get to celebrate it, and I know lots of people care about me.

What I Have to Say About Emma

Emma is the sweetest most tenderhearted girl I have ever met.  She cares deeply about others and what others think of her, and she always wants to do her best to make things right.  She is very honest and trustworthy.  Emma and I have always gotten along well together.  We are both easy-going people, and we like to be in each others company.  I have been a part of Emma's life since she was four years old.  During the first three years of my marriage to Brad, I was Emma's main caregiver, and I spent all of my free time with her teaching her how to read and write, and helping her build up her self-confidence.  I feel very attached to her, and very proud her.  I feel very grateful to be a part of her life and for what she has taught me as a mother.  I love you, Emma!

Spooktacular Month of October

Halloween often gets left behind at our house.  Everything usually waits until the last minute, and then it's over in a blink of an eye.  Most of the time I don't mind Halloween zipping by, but this year I decided I wanted to get into the Halloween spirit more and do more activities with the kids.  I wanted to create some fun memories, and create some possible traditions for the future.  This is what we did for Family Home Evening in October:

October 1st-- Witch Hunt
Gardner Village is such a great {free} place to go in October.  The decorations are suburb, and they are quite famous for their large witch collection.  We found a witch riding a bike over a pond, one rafting down the river with TNT, one with a cat and mouse chasing under her skirt, one that had crashed into a barn, one playing the piano, and one pretending to be a fireman. We loved seeing the fall decorations up at Gardner Village and seeing the cute shops.  Lizzy was fascinated with the pumpkins everywhere, including some that fell into the creek.

October 8th-  Candy Apples and Paper Ghosts
We attempted to make candy apples for Family Home Evening during the second week in October.  I wanted to make the caramel from scratch, so I bought all the ingredients and spent a great deal of time making it, but the caramel overcooked and it came out very hard to chew.  It was still yummy, just a little hard on the teeth.  We made paper ghosts while the caramel was cooking.  The kids and Brad had fun creating character ghosts out of tissue, cotton balls, and string.  Scott made a creeper ghost, Emma made a Nyan Cat ghost, and Brad and Emma made Lord Voldemort and Harry Potter battling each other with wands (toothpicks).

Monday, October 15th-  "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1" and Homemade Pumpkin Bread
I did not expect the pumpkin bread to be such a hit, but we ate that bread in almost one serving while watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.  It helped that I made honey butter spread to go with it.  We decided to watch the first part of Harry Potter, since Emma was almost done reading the book series with Papa at the time.

Monday, October 22nd-  "Nightmare Before Christmas" and Dirt with Worms
We introduced Tim Burton's "Nightmare Before Christmas" to Lizzy, and she became obsessed with it.  She watched it over and over for the next few days and had a number of lines memorized.  I just about died of laughter when I gave her a bowl of soup and she told me, "What's this?  Frog's breath?"  We made some dirt with jello worms while the movie was playing, and it was a big hit.  Very, very yummy.

Monday, October 29th- Spooky Dinner, Spiders for Dessert, and Carving Pumpkins
I decided to make a spooky dinner on the Monday before Halloween.  I made eyeball meatballs, using ground turkey and olives.  I also made some spaghetti and died it green to make it look more spooky.  It was a very spooktacular dinner.  The spider cookies were yummy, too, and the pumpkins turned out wonderful.  I made a Jack Skellington face, Emma made a cat, and Scott made a Gravity Falls jack-o-lantern.

Halloween Night
For our Halloween costumes this year, Emma decided to be Catwoman, Scott was a reaper from a video game, Lizzy was Red Riding Hood, David was a Little Bad Wolf, and Brad was a woodcutter.  I was boring this year and decided not to dress up.

We had a wonderful time dressing up and going over to Brad's work in the late afternoon on Halloween.  After that, we went over to Bruce and Loralee's house for dinner and trick-or-treating.  Loralee made a delicious Halloween-themed dinner with her famous snake sandwiches, witches brew, deviled eggs, and salad.  It was fun going trick-or-treating in our neighborhood and seeing our neighbors.  I love living here.