hp...

The very latest from Alex.

He never ceases to amaze me.

I mean REALLY amaze me.

11...

My little sweet cheeks are 11 years old today.

It's hard for me to believe.

I feel so, so blessed

to have Elizabeth and Emily

as my daughters.

Happy Birthday lovies!

2-6...

Love.

molly's day...

January 5th has come and gone. Molly Venice is 6 years old. I feel like I have had her in my life forever, yet can remember her birth like it was yesterday. It was one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. The births of all my children were amazing in their own ways, but Molly's...Molly's was different. It was calm. It was relaxed. I had waited 5 years for her, and I was ready.

I wanted her to open a few gifts before school, then the rest that night with her cake. She couldn't stop though. She just tore through all of them. She was SO happy. It was really fun to watch.

She chose "Gunnar" pancakes with strawberries for her birthday breakfast. We added on the sausage links. The kids didn't love them like I thought they would. If I wasn't watching my calories, I could have eaten all 20 of them. I'm not kidding. She loved her gifts. Her mini-webkinz, candy, office supplies. Her face lit right up when she opened her very own package of 3x5 cards!

Her darling hat from school. She wore it everywhere yesterday. She wanted it on for her balloon photoshoot, but I had to draw the line.

She chose McDonalds for her birthday lunch. I made the mistake of going to the one by Provo High...at lunch time. There must have been 75 teenagers crammed in there. NO thanks. We headed to the one by Walmart. Grimey, but still delicious. Always delicious. :) You know me and my cheeseburger love affair. Would you believe I only had 2 bites of Margaret's?

Next, Dave took Margie home and I took Molly to the Dollar Tree. She was told she could spend 3 dollars. I should have known it would take awhile. Seriously though...this girl can shop. I can't. I've never been a shopper. She walked up and down every aisle...party favors, home decor, teacher aids, crafts...until we made it to the toys and treats. She decided to spend one of her $'s on Mrs. Thibault. She saw a red and white polka-dotted bow that she just knew would remind her of Minnie Mouse. I thought that was adorable.

This is how I felt after about 45 minutes. Wiped out.

Grandma and Grandpa Schofield came by with a special delivery. Her very own gourmet cupcake. She wanted me to sing to her once we got back inside. So I did. :)

Birthday dinner - Hot Pockets and Ramen noddles. She was over the moon. Her cake choice was a donut tower. Easy, cheap, and donuts just so happen to be one of my 3 favorite foods.

Happy Birthday sweet Molly. Gosh, I love her. I love to look at her. I love to drive around in the car with her, no music, and the rest of the kids at home. She can make me CRAZY mad, but also crazy happy. She is a gift. I know that she will be one of my dearest friends someday, and I am so, so thankful for her.

sally...

Happy 47th Birthday to my dear sister, Sarah Ellen.

it's coming...

Christmas is coming...really soon. I'm not ready. I feel like I have a million things to do, without the time or money to do it. At times I feel frantic. Like it is going to come and go without having a moment to sit and enjoy it. That is when we turn out the lights, all but the Christmas tree, and sit together on the couches and watch a show. There are lots of Christmas shows that we love. Elf. The Polar Express. Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer. Those are fine and good, but they don't eliminate much stress. These other 2, our very, very favorites, seem to stop time for me.

Little House on the Prairie - Christmas at Plum Creek

Little House has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl. I love everything about it. Christmas at Plum Creek is perfect. It really is. It details the Ingalls first Christmas in Walnut Grove. They had nothing. It is simple and so, so beautiful, the way they celebrate Christmas. Very few gifts. Just a warm home, candy sticks and eachother. I wish my children could experience something so profoundly simple. I don't know that it's possible in 2011. The Ingalls work and save and sacrifice to put gifts under the tree. Ultimately, in the end, the gifts don't even matter. They love the Lord and they love their family. I am a weepy mess, every time I watch.

Mr. Krueger's Christmas

We watched both of these together last week. I love them so much. I love Willy Krueger and the love and softness that just ooze out of him. I especially love the scene where he sees the Christ child. I love how he speaks to Him. How he adores Him. I have watched it probably 35 times, and I never tire of it. I am moved every time. I recommit, in my mind, to strengthen my personal relationship with my Savior.

Today was a little rough. I am trying to wrap up all my loose Christmas ends for my husband and kids. Do I have enough? Will they be excited Christmas morning? I am dragging Margaret along with me everywhere. She has decided this month that it is time to assert herself when we go shopping. Gone are the days of just a few weeks ago, when she would happily sit in the front of the cart, buckle herself in, and smile as we weaved through aisles. Each store we visited today got progressively worse, until by the end, we were both crying and frustrated. It makes me tired and resentful. I know that is what Satan wants. He wants me to feel overwhelmed and miss what is happening . Miss my children coming home with a million stories from school, miss them planning their Secret Santa gifts for eachother, miss the peace I SHOULD be feeling. Well, I am not going to miss it. I am going to slow down when I need to. Say "no" when I need to. And watch a lot more movies by the light of our tree.  

wassup?

There really isn't anything extraordinary going on around here. No new babies, no winning lottery tickets, no cruises. Just regular life. I guess regular life is pretty great though.

This baby is FUN. Except when she acts like she's 2. She is almost always pleasant and has started to show so much spunk and personality. I love her, I love her, I love her. She's smart, and funny, and she lisps. I don't think any of us can really get enough.

Alex was mentored by a girl in our ward who is an art major at UVU. His stuff was in an exhibit in Salt Lake with a few other "mentees" and the rest of the class from the college. It was amazing. It really was. Alex was very proud, though he wouldn't have told you so. He also had a theater production last week while Dave was out of town. He is a natural. He is funny. He has good timing. He just doesn't believe he is as great as he is. I am now more determined than ever to find resources for him. Classes to help him develop his love for art, creative writing, drama. He is so, so wonderful.

After his exhibit, we went to see the lights at Temple Square. They are every bit as amazing as you would expect. Breathtaking actually. It was REALLY crowded though...and you know how I handle giant crowds with my kids. I'm glad we went. It is SO worth the drive up to SLC.

I loaded my pictures backwards.  :( Tony and Adam came by a few weeks ago on their way up to WA where Adam will be stationed for the next few years. It was so great to see them. They make people happy. Just look at our faces!

We also got to spend a lot of time with the Frey's. I wish it had been under different circumstances. We love them so much. They are the very nearest you can get to family without any actual relation. I really have no doubt that these sweet 12 year olds will be friends forever. I can see them rooming in college together. Living near eachother while raising their families. They are bosom buddies.

The Reflections assembly at the school was really great. I decided this year, that I would not help the kids at all. I would let this be THEIR thing. It stresses me out a whole lot. They did their own thing, and won medals for everything they entered. I was so proud of them. They were so proud of themselves and eachother. A lot of smiling for me that day. I'm not sure where Emily's medals are in this picture. Tucked away for safe keeping?

Our tree is up and it makes me really, really happy. The end.