Christmas 2012

Santa Claus came to town...

Santa's deliveries:

Jill - new saddle (she has  been saving for months, so she had to send the money she saved to the North Pole and Santa covered the rest)

Hanna - new camera (since her Mom lost hers in the Redwood Forest)

Lucy - new dresser and a new watch

Carly - new dresser and a Figit Friend

Other highlights of our fantastic Christmas Day:

This picture has a really great story. It is a picture of me at Moroni's Quest with the Savior (President Low) taken by Boyd Leavitt (right?). Austin brought it out as the last present of Christmas morning.  Tears.

And now the rest of the story,
First, Barb Salmon called Austin and said she found this great picture and that he could use it for a gift.
Next, Dixie Bevans had the picture printed.
Then, Austin was at the bookstore looking for a frame, when he ran into Char Olsen.  He asked Char if she liked the frame he had found. She said, no, that won't do.  So she took the picture to Lethbridge to find a better frame.  She found a frame that was a match made in heaven.  It couldn't fit more perfectly.  Truly a highlight of Christmas.

This is a new Joseph Smith picture from Grandma and Grandpa Nunn who are serving their mission in Nauvoo.

* Kaylynn's birthday/Christmas gift: Bosch mixer (thanks to a screaming, awesome deal on Cyber Monday on amazon.com)

* Austin gave Kaylynn a toilet brush (a funny joke, it's a good thing he made it up for it with the other gifts)

*Austin was opening his gift which was supposed to be spur straps.  Instead he found a  leather tie down for Jeannie Logan in Colorado.  I ordered the spur straps and didn't even open them when they came. I just wrapped them. Order mix up.

*Carly won the prize for the most excited responses to every gift she opened. "This is just what I wished for", etc.

*We stayed home the whole day and just enjoyed the holiday together. We didn't even start a car. That's never happened before.

*We spent a few hours cleaning the girls' bedrooms to make a place for their new dressers. Not your usual Christmas Day activity, but very useful.

New tradition of the day:  Tree Gifts

(I learned this from Julie Andrews who was a guest on Rachel Ray the other day)

There was a small wrapped gift for each person in our family in the branches of the Christmas tree.  We opened them at the end of Christmas Day.  It gives you something to look forward to and puts a bookend on Christmas day (those were Julie's words).  I loved the idea. 

Thanks to all of the great gifts from friends, cousins, aunts and uncles, and grandparents.

Christmas Eve 2012

Over the river and through the woods, to Sarah's house we go.

We had a great Christmas Eve celebration with the cousins.

This year's performance: Twas the Night Before Christmas

 We also had a Family Home Evening on Luke 2.  Then a white elephant gift game, thanks to Uncle Rod. The most wanted item: Axe girly body spray and crackle fingernail polish.

Driving back into the wind to our house to get new pajamas to wear to bed on Christmas Eve.

Birthdays are Cool!

It has been a great birthday celebration so far, and it is only 3 pm.

Yesterday my cool friends took me to lunch in Waterton. I ordered Greek Pizza, it sounded good, tasted pretty good, but I wouldn't order it again.  Then we told the waiter we didn't want dessert, but we all changed our mind and I had cheesecake. Yummy, but I should have shared with someone.

Karen Bevans, Tammy Sommerfeldt, me, Barb Salmon, Marilee Cahoon, Dixie Bevans

We had lots of laughs.  Here is our lunch quote wall:

 "I am going to order the tiny little salad" (or Thai Noodle Salad) - they sound alike, eh?

"I didn't think about what would happen when I gave 8 and 9 year old activity day girls sprinkles while they were frosting cookies."

"Dixie, give me back my money. I want my money. I never have cash."  "You didn't give me your money." "Oh."

"Is anyone going to wear pants to church?"

"I am a neat freak, but at least we live in our house."

"Does anyone want some of my ice cream?" "No, boring."

"I know this may not sound professional, but can I have a little piece of saran wrap?"

"Maybe you could make him some pants extenders."

"Who wants to go with me to drive through the blockade?"

THANKS FOR THE SOCKS, I-TUNE GIFT CARD, FUDGE & LUNCH!!

Other birthday news so far:

6:15 am phone call from the greatest in-laws in Nauvoo

A collection of drawings from Lucy

A collection of drawings from Carly, plus a quarter, a picture of Carly and a package of Pez

Austin made me breakfast

A gift delivery from my visiting teacher whose visiting teaching partner/Mom is in the hospital because she had a stroke last week.  Now that's dedication.

35 Facebook Birthday wishes (and it's only 3 pm) including a virtual happy dance and killer laugh:)

Holiday Update

We are excited for Christmas.

Last Sunday, Hanna and Carly decorated their bedroom.

Here is our Christmas tree.  This is for Grandma Nunn. She wanted to see our tree this year.

Austin had a birthday and turned the magic age that people hold onto for the next 40 years...

39 and holding!!

An extremely super talented artist in our ward who is a senior in high school drew this picture of Mother Theresa.  Austin has been admiring it for a year, and Emily Bevans brought it to our house for Austin's birthday present.  Wow!

I took a risk and bought new black dress shoes for Austin without having him try them on for his birthday present. He said, don't you like my old black shoes? No, they had their time.

Most of the teachers at Austin's school wore a tie on Austin's birthday in honor/mocking of Austin wearing a tie everyday.  I wish I had a picture.  Plus they had cupcakes for him.

Next update:

Our whole family is on the rodeo scene.  This is Austin calf roping on Doc.

Jill, Hanna, Lucy and Carly are also in rodeo events. Carly does goat tail untying. I wish I had a picture. I don't because I am one of the rodeo secretaries.  It is a fun Saturday once a month in Cardston.

Jill's awesome photography from our driveway.

 

The new barn Austin built this fall.

Lucy did gymnastics this fall.

It has been a while since I have updated since I am now posting Halloween pictures.

Kaylynn's cool costume while helping at the junior high

Hanna the witch with her awesome friend, Marin Williams

What else would you do at a junior high carnival than spray silly string at the principal?

Waite Girls Take Phoenix

My oldest sister, Rachelle, is about to turn 40. What better reason to plan a sister's getaway to Phoenix, Arizona?  

So we all hopped in planes from our various locations (Great Falls, MT; Medford, OR; Idaho Falls, ID; and Salt Lake City,UT) and met in Phoenix.

We ate, shopped, talked and went to Time Out for Women.  

We celebrated Rachelle's 40th birthday by eating at PF Chang's and honoring her with 40 memories.

We loved Time Out for Women.  Michael McClean was our favorite.  He is a big part of our childhood.

They had a photo contest for the most creative Time Out photo.  Lola made it on the big screen as a semi-finalist, but she wasn't the winner.  But she should have been. 

 Lola is the best baby I have ever met.  She smiles all the time.  She sat through almost the whole Time Out quietly.  She turns people's heads and gets tons of comments from strangers.

After attending Sacrament meeting at a random ward near our house, we went to visit the Mesa Temple.

We tried 3 times to eat at Paradise Bakery.  Twice it was closed, and then at the airport, it was coming soon....

Julie's version of this story:

The doorbell rang and Kaylynn answered it. It was a 12-year-old kid selling some items so he could go to the state fair today. He started showing Kaylynn what he had and then asked if she was on a diet or anything. Kaylynn said, "Someone bring me eight dollars!" and had a soft heart and purchased this.




Phoenix Quote Wall:

Should we getsumthintoeat?

At the Hard Rock Cafe

Mom - Do you any of you want pop?

Waitress - Pop? Where are you from, the midwest?

Jeanette - I am having memory problems.

Julie - Like what?  Can't remember?

To Diana, That dress really goes with your outfit.

Jeanette - How did all of our type A personalities miss that detail?

Julie - Men just want steak and potatoes.  Women want a chocolate brownie.

Diet Coke, please.

We don't have any.  Is Diet Pepsi okay?

Is monopoly money okay?

Time Out advice:

Switch from a To Do List to a Ta Da List 

(Remember to appreciate all that you do get done in a day)

A random lady: Can I buy a diaper from you?

Jeanette: Sure you can have a diaper, but don't pay me.  Just pay it forward.

Emily Watts' Time Out Talk:

I went to a swimsuit store.  I think it was called Hell.  Do you have one of those here?

Flesh-colored spandex is no less alarming than flesh-colored flesh.

Julie- Can someone hand me a broccoli stick?

Diana - we are going to lose weight because we left one bite on our plate (at PF Chang's)

Julie - I am only as smart as my GPS.

Matt's text to Jeanette:  We are working on conserving hot water while you are gone, so we are foregoing showers, laundry and the dishwasher.

Rob's facebook post:  I really appreciate all that my wife does as a mother.

What our husband's did on Saturday while we were gone:

Dad - drive to West  Yellowstone and eat at Gusher

Nathan - help someone move and shoot guns (he didn't really shoot guns but that is what he wanted to do)

Matt - watch a football game and work on his sculpture

Austin - build a barn

Tristan - coach 3 basketball games and taxi kids around

Doug - buy a classic car

Rob - take two little girls to gymnastics and try to entertain them all day

We left 18 kids and 7 husbands home and had a fun time with the GIRLS!